Make Irish Cream Liqueur Chocolate Sandesh This Festive Season; Recipe Inside
The festive season brings families and friends together for gatherings and parties made up of song, dance and colour, but also of really tasty desserts. Chefs and home chefs from around the Indian subcontinent are engaged in curating interesting fusions of different regional recipes with some favourite ingredients like chocolates and nuts to make decadent desserts.
Chef Kirti Bhoutika uses what she describes as the most trending dessert ingredient, Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur to craft one such recipe – the Baileys chocolate sandesh. A coming together of age-old Kolkata traditions with a modern twist, these Baileys sandesh are an ideal treat to serve guests when they arrive at home for a party.
Sandesh is a thoroughly popular Bengali sweet often prepared during festivals or for any celebratory occasion. Making chocolate sandesh is just another way of adding more flavour into these paneer-based sweet treats.
When Irish cream liqueur is added to the sweet, it lends the dessert subtle creamy, sweet and bitter tasting notes that are distinct to Baileys. Mixed with chocolate this makes for a dense dessert that is best enjoyed in bite-sized quantities. An Irish cream liqueur garnish brings out these flavourful layers better, while the crunchy nuts add a textural surprise into the dessert.
Read on below for the chef’s recipe to prepare the delicious Baileys chocolate sandesh:
Ingredients:
1 litre full cream milk
2 tablespoon lemon juice
⅓ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
½ tablespoons melted chocolate
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
45 ml Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (for the entire sandesh mix)
Crushed dried fruits and Baileys for garnish
Method:
Boil 1 litre full cream milk and curdle it using 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Next, drain the curdled milk to extract the chenna or paneer. Make sure the chenna is dry, but retains just enough moisture to knead it into a dough.
Add ⅓ cup sugar to the chenna and knead well. Once smooth, mix in ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ tablespoons melted chocolate, 2 tablespoon vanilla extract and 45 ml Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (for 15-20 sandesh).
Now, insert small amounts of dough into sandesh moulds or simply use hands to give the dough a small rounded shape. Drizzle the chocolate sandesh with 2 tablespoons of Baileys and sprinkle crushed dried fruits on top for garnish. Baileys chocolate sandesh are now ready. This dessert is best served cold so keep the sandesh platter in the fridge to bring it out only after guests start arriving.
Platters of chocolate and Irish cream liqueur sandesh are easy and quick to prepare, particularly while home hosting a gathering during the festive season. These sweets can be made ahead of time to avoid last-minute kitchen fuss.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
