Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Decadent Chocolate & Avocado Pate, Rice Bytes for MBP - Less is More


That I *love* avocado is not a secret with my foodie friends! Be it an appetiser, a soup, a salad, an entree or even a dessert, the lovely avocado knows how to shine through :) It is a must buy on my trips to the neighborhood grocery store, yeah I don't get it at my farmer's market here. It has all the good nutrients, including the good fats required for normal body functioning :) Yes, my mind is made up on the subject and will no longer be changing my dietary outlook based on reports that come out every 13 seconds! A lil' obsessed are we ;)

Anyway, when I saw this Decadent Chocolate & Avocado Pate I knew a trip to the store was in the immediate future ;)



Decadent Chocolate Avocado Pate
.
7oz / 1-1/4 cups fine quality dark chocolate chopped, I used 70%
1 Avocado
2 T maple syrup
1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
.
1. Melt chocolate along with maple syrup & orange juice to a nice smooth consistency. I did it in a microwave oven.
2. Add avocado and blend till smooth.
3. Line a bowl/pan with plastic wrap and pour the contents in it.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Cover with plastic and then chill further overnight.
5. Next day invert it onto a plate and indulge in Choco-Avo Blisss :)

Can it be any simpler? I replicated Ricki's innovative recipe with just the omission of vanilla. For some strange reason I erred in my chocolate measurements, so i could taste the avocado, but i like it so no worries there. But if you make this do follow the measurements accurately, specially if you don't want to taste the avocado in the dish!


I also made Rice Bytes based on the talented Priya's recipe here. I liked the use of leftover rice to make this quick snack. These 'Bhaat na Muthiya' use basic ingredients like rice, besan and ground chili and they turned out so good! I used regular white rice instead of the brown rice ;)
This decadent pate & Rice Bytes with just four ingredients are off to Nupur's MBP-Less is More! Thank You Ricki & Priya for your lovely recipes.
.
.
What to do?
On another note I'm looking for some ideas from my foodie friends regarding cooking of Jasmine rice. For some strange reason I got a huge bag of Jasmine rice and am not sure how to use it. Who better than my talented chef friends to guide me in this regard :) Please, if you would leave your suggestions on how to cook Jasmine rice perfectly and what all can it be used for, including water measurements etc. Thank You dear friends, appreciate your input, what would I ever do without your guidance! Can you tell I'm a basmati junkie ;)

45 comments:

Raaga said...

why not send the pate to the AFAM event?

Both look great :-)

Richa said...

thanks raaga!
good idea, will do :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Richa,
Thanks for trying the pate, and glad you liked it! It seems the link to my original recipe isn't working--I would appreciate a link so that your readers can see where the original recipe came from.
Many thanks,
Ricki

Laavanya said...

The avocado must lend a nice richness and creaminess to the pate and the rice bytes look delicious.

sunita said...

Lovely recipes, Richa...especially the chocolicious one :-)

Richa said...

thanks Ricki! it sure was d-lish and am glad to send it for the event! btw, i tested the link to ur recipe and it is working fine! thanks again!

thanks Laav! yes it is kind of a butter replacement in a good way! the rice bytes were so simple to make :)

thanks Sunita! choco it is then ;)

Rachel said...

Both are gorgeous in their own way!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Richa,
Not sure why it wasn't working for me--but it seems fine now! Thanks again :)

Cham said...

Hum, the choco avoca is decadent and creamy :) What a lovely substitute of butter! Rice bites look wonderful.

evolvingtastes said...

Richa, you make me want to run to the store now, to get an avocado and some oranges. The combination is still almost unbelievable, but I'll take your word for it. :-)

Shilpa said...

Chocolate and avocado..never tasted that combo. Looks very delicious Richa. Will make those rice bytes sometime soon.

Richa said...

no jasmine rice tips yet :(

bee said...

ricki has some really outstanding recipes. this looks fantastic. now, a dash of chilli may spice it up a bit.

notyet100 said...

everythin looks yummy,..nd nice ics,..too

KALVA said...

Wow.. awesome.. Lovely pics

Uma said...

delicious pate. New recipe to me. Beautiful presentation.

Sangeeth said...

this is new to me and your pics are awesome...great entry

Rajitha said...

tell me about medical and health reports..if we listen to them..we might as well have a zero balance in our bank accounts..coz one week 'x' is good..the next week 'x' is a problem :D....should try the pate recipe..chocolate and avocado..what is not to like :)

Tee said...

Interesting recipes! I rarely ever buy avocados , only because i never know what to do....i have to go through your archives now ;)

Vaishali said...

What a wonderful recipe, Richa. I love the unconventional use of avocado. Looks lovely, too.

TheCooker said...

Would've never thought of putting together avocado and chocolate.
But I can see how well they would go, the butteriness of the avo, orange, choc. Maza aa gaya.
BTW, the latest survey says that the avo-choco combo is a recommended for overall well-being :)

musical said...

YUMMY! That is one really smooth and decadent combo, Richa! Very innovative too, isn't it. BTW, you can not eat this stuff alone, better send some over ;).

And the bhaat na muthiyas are a great weekend breakfast and a delish way to consume left-over rice!

Very neat ideas, girl.

Hope that you are having a great week.

hugs,
musical.

@the_whisk_affair said...

the presentation is beautiful..and both the dishes sound yummy!!

i guess jasmine rice can be cooked just like we cook basmati...

amna said...

i bought jasmine rice when i first came to singapore, cuz i didnt know what else to get. it has a very mild flavour and cooks quicker than the normal rice i used to buy in india. the measurements i used in a rice cooker - 1 cup rice and just about 2 cups water. a little less than 2 cups is perfect, but try 2 first. it tends to get a bit mushy :)

Vani said...

Both look yum! Am bookmarking the rice muthiyas. Simple & sounds delicious!

indosungod said...

I do like Avacados and love chocolate but never would have dreamed of putting them together. The pate looks delicious. Just eat it I guess or do we spread some on a cake or toasted bread ?

I don't usually buy Jasmine rice but I have lot of friends who buy it. Works best in the electric cooker. Nags's measurement is what I had in mind too.

Sia said...

richa darling, can i come over for lunch/dinner???
you can check this post of mine where i have posted cooking instruction for jasmine rice. check at bottom of the post. hope it helps:)

Nupur said...

Richa- you have such a wonderfully adventurous palate! Chocolate and avocado makes for an unusual pairing but looks delicious, as do those little rice bites. Thank you for the entry :)
I love serving Jasmine rice with Thai-style curries or Chinese-style stir-fries. The cooking method is the same as other kinds of rice, no? 2 cups water to 1 cup rice generally.

Richa said...

thank you ladies! glad u enjoyed the pics :)

thanks jz, nags, sia, isg & nupur for the jasmine rice tips! will use them soon, somehow 1:2 ratio has not worked for me, lil' less shud do the trick ;). Now i've some good ideas to incorporate soon :)

Sia said...

richa,
just read ur comment. i use just 1 and half cups of water for 1 cup of jasmine rice. first time i tried it with 1:2 ratio and ended up having bit mushy rice. since then i cook it on MW using the above ratio and it turns out quite fluffy. i would highly suggest you to try it cooking in MW. make sure that you wash the rice propely till you get clean water as it is quite starchy.
i have never used it in making dosa, idli as it is quite expensive here in UK and i sually use basamati rice or sona masuri for idli and dosas. and now with rice shortage, i have switched to broken basmati rice for dosa and idli and guess what, it works just fine.

Richa said...

hey isg, i had it as is :) it sets well after the overnite refrigeration and can be cut into slabs! but i guess could work with cake too ;)

Mandira said...

that's a great combination... must be rich, creamy and decadent :)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Richa Wonderful recipe yaar...again lovely pics

Bhawana said...

looking very tempting Richa.

bha said...

Avocado and chocolate, a nice combo....looks great

TBC said...

Chocolate and avocado?! Now that's something I would never have thought of.:D
The rice bites look very nice.

Sig said...

How did I miss this one! Chocolate and Avocado..... really? Wow, I only use avocado is guac.... Pictures look lovely as usual Richa...Re: jasmine rice, I cook it in the m/w with about 1:2 ratio, and used to come out well.. I haven't been using jasmine that much lately though...

zlamushka said...

you use avocado in desserts? WOw, that is certainly something new to me. I love it, this needs to be bookmarked and tried sooooooon :-)

Btw. I am hosting an event dedicated to cooking from other blogs. This month, we are featuring WHat´s For Lunch Honey. SHe also has a few choco-friendly recipes, hope you can participate.

Usha said...

What a unique combination,looks yummy though.....

Kalai said...

Now that is one amazing pate, Richa! A must try. :) Rice bytes are a great idea, too. :)

Priyanka said...

Am putting on weight just looking at the chocolate avocado pate- pretty interesting combination of ingredients. Does the taste of avocado come through or is it more of a chocolate flavor?

Dershana said...

Love the avocado and dark choclate combo!

this is my first visit to your blog.

do visit me at http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

We would like to feature this chocolate and avocado recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :)

Susan said...

A fantastic combo, and far from the least healthy when it comes to rich indulgences. There is some really good stuff in chocolate and avocado besides the obvious. : }

Joanna said...

Jasmine rice is moist, like Japanese rice, but long grain like Chinese rice (not as long as basmati.) Maybe more like Patna rice.

It is naturally very moist, so takes less water to boil up. It is slightly sticky. It is excellent under a curry, but you have to expect the chewy, dampness and the very naturally sweet flavor.

The aroma is from a chemical akin to the scent in pandan leaf (screwpine) and also baked bread, a sort of warm flavor.