JOIN USIngredients
Flour T-45, 500gm
Fresh yeast, 20gm
Caster sugar, 150gm
Milk, 310gm
Whole eggs, 150gm
Egg yolks, 40gm
Unsalted butter, 160gm
Bread improver, 5gm
Salt, 7gm
Raisins, 160gm
Candied orange, 100gm
Candied lemon, 70gm
Red cherries, 70gm
Method
To make sponge, take a small bowl. Pour in warm milk 60 gm and add 10 gm yeast on it. Let it stand until yeast has dissolved. Stir in 60 gm of the flour, cover with cling film, and let it stand 30 minutes, or until doubled.
Beat together sugar, egg yolks and whole eggs. Add to sponge and stir until well incorporated.
Combine butter and remaining flour until crumbled. Slowly pour in egg mixture. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the fruits and beat on high speed for three to four minutes, until dough is elastic looking and long strands form. Beat in candied fruit and raisins. Take the dough into greased bowl, cover with cling film, and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled again for about two hours.
Take out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to deflate. Divide dough into three pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and drop into prepared moulds. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled again, about two hours.
n Heat oven to 200 C. Cut an X on top of each loaf with oiled scissors/blade. Brush tops of loaves lightly with egg wash.
After 10 minutes, lower heat to 190 C. Bake for 30 more minutes; if top gets too brown, cover with foil. Loaves are done when a wooden skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
(Chef Amit Sinha, L’Opera)
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts
These bite-sized chocolate and caramel tarts are perfect for entertaining. The dark chocolate balances the sweet and salty caramel for an incredibly indulgent experience. Makes 40 tarts
Ingredients
Flour, 375 gm
Sugar, 125 gm
Egg, 1
Butter, 250 gm
Cocoa powder, 120 gm
Method
Sift flour and cocoa powder together.
Add butter, sugar until the mixture is creamy and smooth slowly.
Add eggs a little at a time.
Prepare a dough.
Roll dough on a light floured surface, shape dough into flat disks and fold it a bit.
Dock with fork by placing a few small holes in the bottom of the dough to allow air through.
Bake till the crust gets light brown in colour (20 minutes-baking time).
Once the shell cools a bit, fill it the salted caramel chocolate filing.
Ingredients for the salted caramel chocolate filling
Sugar, 40gm
Cream, 44 gm
Butter, 5 gm
Sea salt, a pinch
Vanilla pod, 1 stick
Dark chocolate
Method
Warm the cream to infuse vanilla.
Caramelise the sugar in a pot.
When the sugar turns amber, add the infused cream and melted dark chocolate.
Boil this mixture again and add the butter and a pinch of sea salt.
Cool the mixture.
Place it over the freshly prepared tarts.
Milk mendiant
A mendiant is a traditional French confection composed of a chocolate disk studded with nuts and dried fruits. The below recipe uses nuts and fruits which are rich and work well together for a balanced taste. Use your own combinations to make interesting and delectable mendiants of your own!
Ingredients
Milk Cooking Chocolate, 500 gm
Cashew, 1 per piece
Almond, 1 per piece
Prunes, 1 small diced segment per piece
Apricot, 1 small diced segment per piece
Raisin, 1 per piece
Method
Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave oven or a double boiler.
Cool it down to 26 degrees and warm upto 28 degrees to temper the chocolate and ensure a good crystallisation.
Put the chocolate into moulds and scrape off excess chocolate.
Tap the mould onto a surface to avoid air bubbles.
Set cashew, almond, prunes, apricots and raisin while the chocolate is still in semi-liquid state.
Demould and serve.
Chef Gunjan Khetarpal, Choko La