Chocolate Sandesh Cheese Fudge is a heart stealing dish from Bengal, India and it is fondly called in Bengali Language as Pranhara (heart stealer). Sandesh is the key word over here, which in Indian language means “news or message” and this dessert became a messenger of good and auspicious news, such as birth, marriage, graduation, birthdays, anniversaries etc. So it is quite an apt item to celebrate a birthday dinner with Chocolate Sandesh Cheese Fudge. The story goes that cheese was an item that Indians adapted from Portuguese settlement in 19th century. The Indian version of this cottage cheese is called Chhena, to which sugar or jaggery were added to create different textured cheese based sweets. Special flat moulds of stone with engraved designs as conch shells, elephants, fish, were used to imprint and design and the flavour was rose, saffron, cardamom or even fruits and nuts.
I have very fond memories of eating Sandesh stuffed with orange segments, that my mom used to make from fresh cottage cheese. I remember visually appreciating the delicate way in which orange segments were peeled off its thin skin, divided then wrapped around with a layer of sweetened chhena, and left to chill. Specially on a hot afternoon, eating this orange sandesh was an extreme delight for me!
This version of chocolate sandesh, I had at my tenant’s place who came from Calcutta, Bengal. I quite unashamedly, asked for another serving and also a quick idea of how it is made from her mother, who had just arrived from Calcutta to Mumbai. Chocolate flavour in an all time childhood favorite dessert, made me fall in love one more time with this ” healthy dessert”!
The texture of Chocolate Sandesh Cheese Fudge is like eating a cold soft fudge with a mild lingering vanilla essence flavour. It feels soft, sweet, chilled and chocolaty! I obviously did not have the stone moulds as used to make Sandesh in Bengal, so used my cookie cutters to come with an interesting leaf shape and topped it with sprinkled green crushed sugar crystal.
Folks were happy and appreciative of this leaf shaped chocolate sandesh cheese fudge! And if you do not have shape you like, the traditional round balls would be just fine! If you do not have colored sugar, a drop of saffron, some almonds, or chocolate sprinkles will also be fine, or why not just go plain chocolate!
A “message” from my leaf “sandesh” is Spring is here!! So let’s celebrate the auspicious arrival of Spring with Leaf shaped Chocolate Sandesh Cheese Fudge!
Chocolate Sandesh Cheese Fudge
Recipe makes about 30 pieces
TIme to Cook 45 min
Time to Chill- 12-24 hours
Ingredients
- 1 gallon full fat milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- colored sugar sprinkles
- almonds, cashews, pistachios (optional toppings)
- Some ghee for greasing
Method
- Grease a deep pan with ghee and put the milk to boil on a slow flame till it completely boils over
- Add the lemon juice and stir and increase the flame.
- Continue heating the milk, till the whey and cheese separates.
- Strain the cheese and leave it to completely drain off the liquid for 15-20 minutes.
- Once it cools, knead for 3 minutes into a lump.
- Add cocoa, sugar powder and essence and knead some more.
- Heat a tbsp of ghee is a thick bottom pan.
- On a slow flame, add the chhena cheese with cocoa and stir for 2-3 minutes,so that excess water evaporates.
- Then using a mould or cutter, insert the chhena into the shapes and leave to chill. In this case, I filled the cookie cutter with the chocolate chhena and then pushed it down to obtain the leaf shape.
- If making round balls, make a table spoon size round balls, and garnish with sprinkles, sugar or any toppings of your choice.
- Chill for 2-3 hours, fix the shapes if needed after it sets a bit, sprinkle the toppings and chill for another 2 hours before serving. The more it is chilled, the better the feel!
If chilled for 12 hours or more, remove half an hour before serving, so that it softens a bit before serving.
Tips
The key to soft sandesh is making sure that whey separates nicely, so keep the milk boiling on a medium high flame and ensure that there is enough lemon juice.
Cool the mixture a bit, to form round balls. If the chenna is too dry, it will become difficult to have a smooth shape.
Once the first set of chilling is done, pat over with moist finger for smoothness and fix the curves. For round balls shape, just roll them over in the palm of the hands if the texture in case the texture does not feel smooth.
Instinct Factor
Instinct is what worked over here, in using a cookie cutter mould, to create a unique shape for the sandesh! And the same with sprinkles of sugar! Followed my heart for this heart stealer! Use your instincts and go with your heart!
Plain version without chocolate, but with some saffron, cardamom flavour is the true original flavour, with some rose or vanilla essence.
Feel Factor
Happy, happy, happy to eat not one but multiple leaf shaped chocolate sandesh cheese fudge! They will stay fresh for a day or two, and the last piece is to be finished now, after finishing this entry in the blog! Cannot have enough, but need to watch the calories, so will just savour the last piece of this soft, contemporary, light feel, cheese based dessert that has the unique chocolate flavour and fudge warm feel to it! Let the spring roll in with the new flowers and new leaves and lots of new tidings for all!
