5 Sweet Recipes You Should Be Making With Chilli Peppers

Winter is coming & we have a new way to keep you hot and peppery.

Play around with different chilli peppers available in the market to create these unique desserts with varying degrees of heat. While ghost peppers are the hottest & shouldn’t be messed around with (unless you’re a serious chilli buff) jalapeño, habanero and cayenne have medium levels of heat, making them ideal for your kitchen experiments. A fresh chilli pepper isn’t necessarily spicy either. As Jamie Oliver says, chilli peppers can be fruity, flavourful and fragrant without having that kick-in-the-throat heat. It all depends on the type of chilli and how you prepare it.

DSSC Secret Tip: To release the chillis heat, deseed & scrape out the membranes before you use it. And while handling the hottest varieties, always wear gloves. This is food you should not play with.

Chilli Chocolate Fondant

What better way to begin a dessert list than a decadent chocolate fondant cake. We love this classic French delicacy with chocolate oozing from the centre.

We give this chocolate dessert a twist & spiked with red chilli, it reaches a whole new level. A slight tingle on the palate from the red thai chillis followed by the sweetness from chocolate gives it a heavenly combination of flavours nestled in the aroma of cocoa.

Prep Time: 30-40mins

Caters To: 6 gobblers

Challenge Level: Expert

From The Pantry:

• 85 grams dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 85 grams unsalted butter, cubed and extra as per requirement for greasing
• 2 eggs
• 85 grams castor sugar
• 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
• 30 grams plain flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• Icing sugar for dusting
• 2 red chillies deseeded and deveined to decorate (as per liking)

Cook Away:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease the desired moulds with unsalted butter or olive oil spray.
2. Place the chocolate and unsalted butter in a bain-marie and melt. Ensure that the bowl used is wiped clean at the bottom and has no water droplets. (Water and chocolate equals disaster, trust us you do not want to be risqué when melting chocolate!)
3. Remove from heat when melted and combined. Leave alone to cool down for 5 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl add eggs and sugar. Whisk together until thick and pale.
5. Slowly fold the chocolate and butter in egg mix. Once completely incorporated, add chilli and fold again.
6. Sift in flour, cocoa powder and cayenne pepper and fold with a metal spoon until completely combined.
7. Divide the mixture into the 6 moulds (traditionally cupcake moulds) and place in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until there is firmness on the top and sides, but still a very soft wobble.
8. Remove from moulds and dust with icing sugar.

The hidden chocolate chilli river is ready to be served!

Chilli Apple Jam

Plump apples are best used in this chilli jam which makes for a perfect accompaniment on your cheeseboard: cheese, crackers, chilli & apple create a combination unlike any. The sweetness and tartness from apples, heat from chilli, crunch from crackers and sharpness from the cheese combines to give you an explosion in the mouth. We recommend a mature cheddar or funky blue cheese, but feel free to experiment!

Use cherry peppers for a mild flavour or bird’s eye pepper for a stronger kick. The cherry peppers strongly resemble the fruit  so stay alert when you store them in the refrigerator as popping them into your mouth will have fiery results!

Prep Time: 2 hours + 2 hours for cooling

Caters To: 2 medium jars

Challenge Level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 4 apples, chopped but unpeeled
• 10-15 small green and red chillies, deseeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 200 ml cider vinegar
• 200 grams castor sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and shaved for zest
• Water to cover

Cook Away:

1. Add all the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to cover everything.
2. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook until it reaches the desired consistency (it takes about 1-2 hours).
5. Bottle into clean air-tight jars and cool, allowing preservation for 6 months.

Top on crackers and cheese for a perfect antipasto!

Chilli & Orange Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Dark chocolate, orange and chilli in an ice cream make for a power-packed combination. Pair this with a decadent warm brownie or eat it on its own, either way, this ice cream is on our list of #foodgoals! Inspired by Lindt  Excellence chocolate bars, which claim the status of perfection, the rich cocoa flavour is balanced by zesty orange & punctuated with spicy chilli.

Fresh oranges are a delight to work with and melting 80% cacao dark chocolate chips fills the kitchen with a strong aroma. Making this ice-cream is more fun than you’d think, so give it a try!

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 7 hours chilling and churning

Caters To: 5 gobblers

Challenge Level: Intermediate

From The Pantry:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons tabasco sauce (adjust as per taste)

Cook Away:

1. In a medium sized saucepan whisk together sugar, cream, milk, cocoa, salt and orange zest. Bring to boil and reduce to low heat, whisking every 2 minutes.
2. Add chocolate chips and stir continuously until the chocolate melts.
3. Remove from heat, mix in orange juice, vanilla extract and tabasco.
4. Allow the mixture to cool down till room temperature before chilling in refrigerator for 4 hours.
5. Pour the chilled mixture in the ice cream machine and churn as per instructions.
6. Once the ice cream is churned, add in a loaf pan and freeze for another 2 hours to set.

The ice cream is now ready, so scoop and eat!

Mango Chilli Popsicles

Yes, we know it’s getting cold and eating a popsicle isn’t the best idea, but how about spiking it with a little tequila to calm those nerves? The sweet mangoes, chilly powder and sharp tequila alert your senses and awaken the palate.

Ensure the chilli powder is of good quality. We recommend using cayenne pepper available by Sprig and red chilli powder from Kumaon, by I Say Organic for best results.

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 4 hours refrigeration

Caters To: 10 gobblers or 10 popsicles

Challenge Level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 3 large mangoes, peeled and cubed
• 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 tablespoons tequila

Cook Away:

1. In a bowl combine 1/3 of chopped mangos with 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder and half of cayenne pepper.
2. Puree the leftover mango with leftover chilli powder, cayenne pepper, water, lime juice and tequila.
3. Place the chopped mango mixture on the bottom of the moulds.
4. Pour the pureed mixture from top and freeze 3-4 hours until solid.

Remove from moulds and serve.

Chilli Espresso Chocolate Fudge

A slice of these in the morning will keep you going till midnight! Chocolate, chilli & coffee: these are our all time faves. A basic chocolate fudge in itself is great, pair it with coffee and you’ll have people waiting in lines; add a little chilli and you have a winner!

Sinfully delicious, this dessert doubles as breakfast, especially on weekends! Ancho chilli known for its deep earthy flavour works miraculously with these chocolate squares. Available from Sprig, it has a mild sweet flavour which matches the undertones of coffee, enhancing the espresso flavour.

Prep Time: 25 minutes + 3 hours refrigeration

Caters To: 36 gobblers or 36 squares

Challenge Level: Beginner

From The Pantry:

• 180 ml single cream
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ancho chilli powder (alter to taste)
• 600 grams dark chocolate

Cook Away:

1. Place the cream, espresso and cayenne powder in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to boil.
2. In a separate bowl add chocolate and pour the hot cream on top.
3. Place this mixture in a bain-marie and stir until it reaches a smooth consistency.
4. Pour into a lightly greased pan and spread evenly by tapping.
5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm. Cut into squares as per desired size.

Serve with a shot of espresso.

So, which chilli dessert are you making today?

Featured Image Courtesy: food.ndtv.com