Mock Choc Orange Burfi

Hari Haribol folks!! :-)

Just got done making a bunch of sweets and having fun experimenting in our local temple kitchen. :-)

Today I made a quick burfi which came out really yummy, just have to share it with you. Palaka Prabhu told me that this burfi tastes like tootsie rolls...I have never eaten them so I have no idea, but he liked them alot.:-)

Burfi is a very traditional Indian sweet made by cooking down milk til it becomes solid, and then adding sugar and flavor at the end. Its a delectable dessert but is also time consuming to make. So short-cut burfi is a good alternative when you are pressed for time and or patience! :-)

This burfi recipe of mine is lovely and chewy, yet still soft enough not to pull out your tooth fillings! The orange flavor melds so well with the carob, its quite delicious and though not chocolate, I'm happy to call it mock choc because it comes close enough! I'd love to put toasted hazelnuts into this sometime. :-)

Makes 60+ squares. Total cooking time is approx 20 mins.

Ingredients:
5 sticks butter
Approx 51/2 - 6 cups brown sugar to taste
7 cups skim milk powder
1-2 cups pure carob powder to taste
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure orange essence
1/2 cup fresh zest from 2 large oranges and 1 lemon
1-2 cups dried cranberries or cherries
1-2 cups chopped walnuts/hazelnuts (optional - I didnt add them this time, but its a good combination flavor-wise)

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed, wide pot, on medium low heat.

Add in sugar and bring to a boil. (I like to boil it for a few mins to give a caramel flavor).

Add in milk, orange essence and orange and lemon zest. Mix, then whisk in the carob powder and cranberries.

After a few minutes whisk in the milk powder. The pot should be on a low flame at this point to avoid burning. You can turn the heat back up when everything is evenly mixed. Cook down and keep scraping the bottom of the pot with a wide spatula. It should be done after about 10 mins.

Pour onto a buttered tray. Smooth out with a stick of butter and a flat spatula or large knife (non serrated).

Mark the lines you want to cut it at. When a little firm cut into squares. Place in fridge for an hour to firm up. Then recut the llines you made earlier and mark any designs you want on the surface.

Offer with love and honor with joy!

Walnut Burfi in memory of Nitai

Here is the recipe for a tasty short-cut Burfi, or Indian fudge, which I had the service of making this year at Burning Man in honor of the late Nitai Das (Elisha Drury - pictured above), founder of our Krishna Kitchen. 

The ingredients for this Burfi were sponsored by Carmen Ordonez, Nitai's loving Mom. Thank you! :-) I tweaked a Burfi recipe I'd been given til I liked it e.g. adding more liquid and more flavor.

 The original recipe also called for raisins - which we didnt have - so I made it with sweetened cranberries instead a couple of times.  I would prefer to make this with brown sugar, or an alternative, more healthy sweetener, but for this particular event I had to work with the ingredients I had at hand. It tastes alot like white chocolate! :-)

This recipe makes a very big tray full of Burfi, you would get at least 50-70 pieces out of this depending on what size you cut the squares into. Takes approx 20 minutes to make from beginning to end. So here goes!

Ingredients:

5 cups melted butter

10 cups white sugar (you could reduce the sugar by a cup or so if you prefer it less sweet)

2 3/4 - 3 cups whole milk

Approx 3 TBSP vanilla essence

10 cups whole milk powder

Approx 21/2 cups roughly crushed walnuts

Alternative flavors I made included; 

orange essence, walnut and cranberry

orange essence, lemon zest, walnut and chocolate chip

Method:

Place butter into a heavy bottomed wide pot and turn to medium heat. Beat sugar into butter and bring to a full boil. Boil for approx 4 mins til very lightly golden = so it becomes somewhat caramelized. 

Add in milk and vanilla essence and boil til sugar is dissolved.

Lower heat, and whisk in the milk powder, beating out any lumps. Add in walnuts, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.

Pour onto a buttered baking sheet/tray and smooth out with a spatula. Allow to cool. It is easiest to cut into squares or rectangles before it is fully hardened. You can chill it to speed up the process. Offer to Krishna and serve when fully cooled and set. Delicious! :-)

We wrapped the squares in aluminium foil for distribution, as gifts from our Krishna Kitchen to our fellow Burners, along with a small mantra meditation and ingredient card, designed by our friend Nandi Coupal, wife of our awesome head chef this year - Nate.  

We got plenty of rave reviews and people asking for seconds and thirds of this sweet treat! :-)