In February, it isn’t just a nip in the air that you feel, romance and love are also in abundance. With the Valentine week going on, special days like Chocolate Day and Rose Day make us crave decadent treats like nothing else. No matter if you are single or have someone to share the day with, Valentine’s Day is the opportunity to indulge, anyway. And if you have a partner to share such chocoholic treats with, nothing like it.
Planning a feast for your partner this Valentine’s Day? Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar has come to your rescue. Let this Valentine’s Day be a celebration of love between you and your partner with some drool-worthy chocolate recipes, especially curated by the chef. Nothing spells love better than cooking a hearty meal, and the best way to express your love is by curating some chocolate-fusion recipes.
1. Peanut Butter Choco-Cupcakes
Chef Ranveer Brar presents these chocolate cupcakes with a hint of peanut butter and chocolate syrup. The icing on the cupcake is literally the decadent icing with a tinge of sea salt and caramelised peanuts. Sounds delish, isn’t it?
Ingredients:
· 110 gm refined flour
· ¼ tsp baking Powder
· 110 gm butter
· 70 gm sugar
· 2 eggs
· 1 tsp vanilla essence
· 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter (smooth)
· 3 tbsp Hershey’s chocolate flavoured syrup
For icing:
· 50 gm butter
· 100 gm Icing Sugar
· ½ tbsp peanut butter
· ¼ tsp sea salt
· 1 tbsp Hershey's caramel flavoured syrup
· Caramelised peanuts to garnish (30 gm peanut and 50 gm sugar), optional
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees for 10 mins
2. In a bowl, mix flour and baking powder and keep aside
3. Cream the butter and sugar; then, add the eggs
4. Add the vanilla essence and then the flour mixture and blend to form a batter
For the centre filling:
1. Mix the peanut butter and Hershey's chocolate flavoured syrup and put it in a piping bag
2. Pour batter into a lined muffin tray. After this, in the centre pipe the filling and bake it at 160 C for 25-30 minutes.
3. Insert a toothpick into the cupcake. If it comes out clean, it’s baked.
For the icing:
1. Mix all the icing ingredients together until smooth
2. Put it in a piping bag with a star nozzle
3. Pipe it on the cooled cupcakes and add caramelised peanuts on top for some crunch
2. Sweet ‘N’ Spicy Mushroom Fry
Surprised? Well, who said chocolate means only desserts! This fusion delicacy of mushroom fry made with a host of spices, chillies and herbs, with caramel syrup is a blast of flavours you won’t be able to resist.
Image: Chef Ranveer Brar
Ingredients:
· 1 tbsp oil
· 3 tbsp garlic
· 1 onion chopped
· 10-12 mushrooms
· Salt to taste
· 3/4 tsp chilli sauce
· 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
· 2 tbsp stock
· 2 tbsp Hershey’s caramel flavoured syrup
· 1 tbsp corn flour mixed with water
· Spring onion greens for garnish
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees for 10 mins.
2. In a wok, heat oil, add chopped garlic and onion, cook for 5 minutes
3. Add mushrooms, salt, cayenne pepper powder, chilli sauce, Hershey’s caramel flavoured syrup, stock, and cook for a minute
4. Thicken with corn flour mixture and stir well until the sauce has coated the mushroom
5. Garnish spring onion greens and serve.
