Decadent Chocolate Dumplings
| Dumpling Dough Ingredients | Equipment |
| 250g unbleached all-purpose flour (plus another 50g for flouring the kneading surface) | Mixing Bowls |
| 3/4 cup of water at room temperature | Rolling Pin |
| Pastry Cutter Set | |
| Chocolate Ganache Ingredients | Parchment Paper |
| 2 oranges | Saucepans |
| 3/4 cup of heavy cream | Strainer |
| 226g dark or bittersweet chocolate | Baking Tray |
| Measuring Spoons |
To Make Your Quick Dumpling Dough
1. Grab a four litre mixing bowl. Gradually add water to the flour and mix using a fork until the dough begins to come together enough to form a ball.2. Place the dough on a clean floured work surface, using your hand knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth. Be careful not to over-knead the dough otherwise it will become too tough.
3. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with clingfilm. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before rolling and cutting.
4. To make the dumplings, cut the dough into quarters and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a round pastry cutter, cut the dough to the diameter you’d like, normally about 3 to 4 inches.
5. Make sure you flour your tabletop so the dough doesn’t stick to the surface. If you’re making the dough in advance, you can separate each piece with a piece of parchment paper.
To Make Your Chocolate Ganache Filling
1. Wash the oranges and remove the skin by using a fine grater. Take care to avoid the white pith so your filling doesn’t taste bitter.2. Pour the cream and orange zest into a small saucepan and heat over a medium-high heat. Keep stirring to keep the cream from burning.
3. As it heats the cream will begin to form bubbles around the edge. When you have reached this point remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let it stand for 15 minutes to infuse the orange flavour.
4. While the cream rests, finely chop or shred the chocolate into small pieces and place into a heat safe bowl. Pour the warm cream through a strainer to remove the orange zest.
5. Return to a clean saucepan and heat over a medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form again.
6. Gradually add the chocolate, stirring with a whisk for 1-2 minutes to melt the chocolate to create a smooth mixture. Pour the filling into a clean bowl and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture smooth.
7. Cover the Ganache with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 45 minutes, until firm but not hard.
To Make Decadent Chocolate Dumplings
1. Using a 12-15g scoop, form 20-25 chocolate balls and set aside on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.2. To make your Chocolate Dumplings, place one round dumpling skin on your work surface and encase one chocolate Ganache ball in the centre. Close and twist to form a dumpling basket. Repeat until you’ve made as many chocolate dumplings as you need.
3. In a saucepan bring 6 cups of water to boil and gently place the dumplings into the water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the dumplings are soft.
4. In a second saucepan, heat 2 cups of coconut crème over a medium heat. Make sure you don’t bring the crème to boil, just heat it through.
5. Place 5 dumplings into a bowl and add 1/4 cup of the hot coconut crème and serve while hot and delicious.
Chef Rick Tip: Be creative. Dumplings can be stuffed with almost any sweet or savory filling. Try sautéed cabbage or bok choy with low sodium chicken stock for a healthy twist. Or if you’re feeling nutty stuff your dumpling dough with peanut butter, cashew butter or hazelnut spread.
With a degree in food science and 10 years working as an executive and professor at the Johnson & Wales University, he has since developed a number of businesses and has years of catering equipment expertise, combined with an immense understanding of the food industry.
Take a look at Chef Rick’s website for more mouth watering recipes.
By Briony Cook
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