Orange and Pear Stuffed Kalakand

Bring 1 and half litre full fat milk to boil. Add lemon juice and gently stir the milk.Immediately you can see the entire milk begins to curdle, switch off the flame.

At this stage if your milk doesn't curdle, pour some more lemon juice immediately to curdle the milk. Do not cook further as it may harden the paneer. Add a bowl of ice cubes immediately to stop it from further cooking.

Pour it in a thin cheese cloth. Rinse it under running water to remove the smell of the lemon juice. Make a knot to the cheese cloth, squeeze any excess water and hang it for 30 mins to remove excess whey. We need completely drained paneer.

Peel the pears and chop it into small pieces. In a pan cook the chopped pears along with some fresh orange juice and cinnamon and star anise . Cook this till the mixture thickens and reduce to its 1/3 quantity.

Take out the Star anise and the cinnamon from it. At this point add ½ cup of condensed milk to bind it all together. Switch off the gas and let it cool. Once cool, Grind it to a fine paste in the blender and keep it aside.

To make Kalakand, first grease a plate with ghee or you can use parchment paper or aluminum foil too. Keep it aside.Chop the pistachios and keep aside.

Pour condensed milk to a heavy bottom pan and warm up on a low flame. Add paneer to it along with the cardamom powder to the pan. Stir and mix well. Cook on a low fire, stir constantly to prevent burning

After a short while, it becomes a thick mass and will begin to leave the sides of the pan. Switch off the Gas.

Divide the kalakand mixture into two equal parts. Transfer one part of the kalakand to the foil or greased plate. Spread it to half inch thickness. Smooth the top evenly.

Now spread the pear and orange pulp evenly over it. Repeat the second part of kalakand mixture over it and sprinkle pistachios on top.Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and then cut into squares.

Enjoy this pear and orange stuffed Kalakand on this Diwali with your family and friends.