Chocolate covered Strawberries

Valentine’s Day and I didn’t cook anything special this year because of the torn Rota-tor cuff. Still wanted to do something special for him. I had fresh strawberries and some chocolate in the refrigerator. Asked my 6 year old if he wants to help me to make Chocolate covered strawberries and he was on board instantly. He gave me the ideas of decorating it to me too. This decoration could have been better but the time constraint and limited ingredients we could achieve this yummies.

Ingredients:

1. Strawberries: 10-12
2. Chocolate: 1 Milk chocolate bar
3. Milk/ cream: 2 Tspn
4. Butter: ½ Tspn
5. Tooth picks: 12

Method:

1. Wash, drain and pat dry the strawberries.
2. Melt the chocolate by using the double boiler method i.e. take a steel pan full of water. Boil the water and put a glass bowl on it. Put chocolate in the glass bowl and start to melt by stirring occasionally.
3. While it is melting in the bowl add a tea spoon of milk or cream and butter for glaze.
4. Take the strawberry. Do not take the stem off. Put a tooth pick from the stem side and then dip the strawberry in the melted chocolate.
5. Put it on a silver foil or butter paper lined plate.
6. You may want to drizzle melted white chocolate on it.
7. Put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours and serve it.
8. This is a perfect project during the summer break. Kids love to make it. However, they would need your help when you are melting the chocolate. They can melt the chocolate in the microwave too, which is little safe.

Hope you all love it. Enjoy this easy and quick recipe which can be perfect for any party.

Please do not forget to “Like” my Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/kirtiskitchenkatta/

Follow me on:

www.kirtiskitchenkatta.com

Pana-Cota

I feel sometimes it is ok to go with “semi-homemade” way of cooking. What does that mean? Buy the ingredients from the store and convert them according to your ideas. So yes I did the same thing for this recipe called Pana-Cota. I had seen it on Pinterest and found it interesting and wanted to try it for a long long time. I did not copy any recipe but just took the idea from it. Here is the recipe for the same. 

Ingredients:

For Jelly:

1. Sugar-free Strawberry gelatin dessert (Jell-O): 0.3 Oz (8.5g)
   Please ignore the picture for the flavor (this is orange and I used strawberry). I forgot to click a picture of strawberry flavored packet.  
2. Boiling hot water: 1 Cup
3. Cold water: 1Cup
   

For Custard:

1. Custard Powder: 2½ Tbsp. 
2. Milk: 500 ml
3. Sugar: 4-5 Tbsp. (as per your taste buds) or you may use sugar free powder as per your taste buds.

Method:

For Jelly:

1. I took store bought “sugar free” strawberry gelatin dessert packet and followed the instructions on the packet. You will find it where they keep all kinds of jelly products. I took sugar free since we have a diabetic family member.
2. Add one cup of boiling hot water to the contents of the packet.
3. Stir until dissolved well.
4. Now add one cup cold water and stir well again.
5. Take a small glass and feel it half with this mixture. 
6. Take another small bowl and keep this glass tilted in it. Or you may put the glasses in a muffin tray, just make sure they are tilted.
   
   
   
   
7. Chill it in refrigerator until set well. This may take up to 3 hours. 

For Custard: 

1. Take 2½ Tbsp. of custard powder in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 125ml milk from our 500ml milk and mix it well, till the powder is dissolved completely. 
3. Boil the remaining 375ml with 5 Tbsp. of sugar. Mix well and remove from the flame. 
4. Now add the custard mixture to this boiling milk & cook for another 3-4 minutes. 
5. Keep stirring otherwise the mixture will burn. 
6. Eventually the mixture thickens a bit. 
7. Let it cool down completely.

After about 3hours, take the jelly glasses out from the refrigerator and fill them with room temperature custard. Keep it in the refrigerator again and let it set completely together.

Tip:

1. Never put warm custard in the chilled jelly, otherwise the jelly will melt and will not give the nice effect of the pana-cota. 

   

   This is what happens if you put hot custard to cold jelly.

2. You may use any flavored jelly for this procedure. I took strawberry flavored jelly for the beautiful color combination.  

Please try this super easy recipe of Strawberry Pana-Cota for your next party and surprise your guests with it. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

Please like my FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/kirtiskitchenkatta/

Follow the Blog for more recipes:
www.kirtiskitchenkatta.com