Sinful Indulgence: Homemade Chocolate Cups with Kiwi Cream

I am craving hot chocolate fudge for quite sometime now….the one from Nirula’s, Delhi….the chain famous for its 30+ lip smacking ice cream varities!Those warm slices of brownies topped with dollops of vanilla ice cream with the sticky hot chocolate syrup tricking down the sides of the goblet topped with handful of nuts which sound crunchy till you are finished.I have spent all four engineering years eating that hot chocolate fudge almost twice every week :) All evening freak outs with friends were spent in Nirula’s near to the hostel!

Though I’m not a hard-core chocoholic but I’ve been a lover of chocolate in its myriad forms from long before I can remember.As a kid, it didn’t get any better than a box of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk.As a teenager, first romantic gift touched me in the form of a teddy bear and box of Cadbury’s milk chocolate :-) With corporate life on the roll and visits to foreign countries, I was introduced to purest form of sin..the blissful dark chocolate.Of course not to leave behind the Cocoa butter body lotions which is marvelous stuff – rich, smooth and with an aroma that will have everyone fighting to get near you. And since it’s chocolate, it’s technically edible – the way all skin care products should be….I wish! ahhh!

Being well versed with the food-mood connection, chocolate intake does affect my mood due to the “happy transmitters” as I prefer to call them. They can control mood my appetite, thoughts and behaviors.No wonder,I m most well-behaved with tiny bits of chocolate clinging in my belly :) Just call it the ultimate comfort food!

Now strangely enough, I am not a big fan of chocolate in baked goodies..though I do add them once in a while.I love chocolate in its purest form and these chocolate cups are most close to my heart as far as chocolate desserts go!These are so easy to make, can be made days in advance and trust me your guests will always remember your dessert and only you and me know how we fooled around !!! Trust me on this one…this dessert is like 1..2..3…quick and easy provided you are not working on a sweaty, sultry & hot afternoon!

You can fill in these cups with anything you want as long as its edible.Since I like the tangy taste of kiwifruit and thought that it will go best with the densely sweet taste of chocolate, I used it.I think strawberry will also pair up nicely.However,you can use any fruit, any jelly,any sauce anything of your choice…again the good old your dish your wish funda :)Below goes the recipe.

What I need:

For the cups(makes 6 medium-sized cups or 8 mini cups)

1-1 1/2 cups melted chocolate [I used dark chocolate, 60% cocoa]

For the filling

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup kiwi fruit, peeled and pureed
Honey/Sugar to taste
Few slices of kiwi, strawberry or pomegranate seeds to decorate (optional)

How I did it :

For the Chocolate Cups:Line the cups of your muffin sheet with paper muffin cases.Even aluminium foil can be used.
Brush the muffin cups with melted chocolate and let it freeze.Take out and again brush with meted chocolate and freeze again.Repeat this process 3-4 times atleast.You can make the cups as thick as you want , just keep on repeating this process.
Once properly refrigerated and cold , using a kitchen tweezer peel gently off the paper/foil from these cases. Keep the cases refrigerated
For the kiwi cream:Whip the heavy cream thoroughly to a thick peaks consistency.This is necessary because when you add the kiwi puree later, the cream will loosen.

Once whipped, add the kiwi puree and honey as per taste.Combine well.
Just before serving fill the chocolate cups with this cream and garnish with slices of kiwi, strawberry and some pomegranate seeds.
Serve chilled!

Note:Keep the cups refrigerated at all times.