LK Bonabi- LK Bonabi
Dark Chocolate dipped dates
As we approach both Yalda (Shab-e-Yalda) and Christmas, I find family time is about making things simple to eat, ensuring that precious moments are spent with friends and loved ones.
These dark chocolate dipped dates can be made a good week in advance and piped with the cream filling on the day.
They are extremely filling as a dessert, both beautiful to look at, a feast for the eyes and the palate. Really easy to make, I made mine within an hour or so.
The garnish is totally up to you, I used three different types of fillings topped with the traditional Persian pistachio, rose petal and cardamom one to simple crushed roses petals and gold leaf.
Ingredients
12 large dates (stones removed)
200g dark chocolate bar
300g double cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp crushed rose petals
2 tbsp ground pistachios
1/4 tsp cardamom
1tsp rose water
For the garnish
Garnish 1 - 1 tbsp ground pistachio, rose petal, gold leaf
Garnish 2 - rose petal, gold leaf
Garnish 3 - ganache, gold leaf
Method
Step 1
Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water
Once the chocolate has melted remove from heat
Step 2
Wash the dates and pat them dry with a kitchen towel
Make long slits length ways down through the dates, ensure that you do not cut right through
Remove the stone
Put 100g of the melted chocolate in a bowl and dip the dates in the chocolate
Set aside, preferably in the fridge so the chocolate hardens
Step 3
Pour the cream in a bowl
Add rose water, sugar and whisk until the cream has formed stiff peaks
Separate the cream in three bowls
In the fist bowl add 75g of the cream, 1 tbsp pistachio and 1/4 tsp cardamom
Gently fold
In the second bowl add 75g of the cream, 1 tsp crushed rose petals
Gently fold
In the third bowl add 150g of the cream, 100g of the melted chocolate and 1 tbsp of the ground pistachio. This takes a bit longer to set so you may need to keep it in the fridge for longer
Gently fold
Step 4
Place the three bowls in the fridge, the cream needs to be extremely cold so you can pipe it easily, I piped mine the next day.
Step 5
Remove the chocolate dipped dates from the fridge
Fill a piping bag with the first cream filling
Fill 4 of the dates with the filling
Do the same for the other two fillings
Place back in the fridge 30 mins
Step 6
Remove the chocolate dipped dates filled with cream from the fridge
Sprinkle the garish of your choice on the dates
Finally add the gold leaf on each of the dates
Enjoy with lovely Persian saffron tea :)
