Ginger, Salt & Pepper

Steps

1. The Dry fruits and nuts I have used are just what happened to be my taste. Go crazy and experiment.. You can use tutti-fruity, dates, badam, cranberry; basically all sorts of nuts and dry fruits.. There’s just no hard and fast rule here
2. For Nuts I have used: Cashewnuts, Walnuts For Dry Fruits: Raisins (Abjosh variety), Dried Gojiberries (wolfberries, that’s what’s giving that red color), Dried Figs
3. Dry Toast the nuts and set aside to cool
4. Blitz the nuts and dry fruits along with the sugar to get a coarse grainy powder
5. to this add the the honey and rum and mix well. The honey is what will bind it together
6. Take a small portion and roll it in between your palms to get a 1 inch sphere. Repeat till you complete the mixture
7. Set in fridge to set for around 3 hours at least (I kept it overnight). If the mixture is a bit too wet it would be advisable to keep it overnight or even a complete 24 hours
8. Break up the chocolate into small pieces
9. In a milkpan/saucepan simmer water and place a heat proof bowl with the cut chocolate in it (or just use a double boiler). Melt it stirring continuously. Try to bring the chocolate down to a temperature of 40 degree celsius so that its easier for it to set.
10. Pour into a small bowl. Its easier to dip and coat that way
11. Take the fruit and nut spheres from the fridge. Dip and coat each sphere in the chocolate. (use a fork, or the dipping prong). Tap the fork/prong with the sphere on it so that excess chocolate drips away
12. Set on a plate and watch it beautifully set.
13. You could decorate with sprinkle, powdered nuts and what not just before it sets.. Even pipe some melted colored chocolate or peanut butter for that sophisticated truffle look
14. When you bite into it, you go through the initial crunch of the chocolate to the happiness of dry fruits and nuts with that perfect hint of rum. And mind you, it aint too sweet a thing, it’s just that perfect sweetness
15. You could be experiment with some fruit juice also instead of the rum. Or you could just use water. You could use white chocolate, milk chocolate, colored choc(just remember that these sets at different temperatures though)
16. This will stay in fridge for upto one or 2 months, so you could just have it always ready 🙂 Enjoy!!