assorted mousses

Who Doesn't Like a Mousse

This post is a long pending one...the reason why its been on hold ?? well I make my chocolate mousse very often and its another recipe from back when i was a teenager, but...nobody waits long enough after its made for me to photograph it (me included)...so due to lack of proper pics its been in my draft list for a really long time...and still the pics that i finally did click are not the best quality...
This one is a really simple recipe that i got out of a weekly magazine once upon a time...
the best part of the recipe is that i use the same recipe for making any different flavour of mousse, and thankfully it has never betrayed me till now..

Mango Mousse ...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cold milk
1 tbsp gelatin
3/4th cup hot milk
3/4th cup chocolate pieces
1 cup whipped cream
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1/4th cup sugar
6 - 8 ice cubes






Method:

Coffee mousse in a Coffee cup !!!

Soak gelatin in cold milk (you can do it directly in the blender). Blend cold milk and gelatin for one minute. Add hot milk and blend for one minute.
Add egg,  sugar, chocolate, cream, vanilla essence and blend for one minute. one by one add ice cubes and blend for one minute and refrigerate.

The Classic - Chocolate mousse

note:- You can substitute the chocolate for

• 1 cup of any fruit puree 
• 1/4 cup of fruit preserves or concentrates
• 1 - 2 tbsp of instant coffee

or if you can think of any other flavor do let me know... like i said its never failed me as of yet. I've been thinking of trying it with a packet of jello. will let you know how that turns out.

Strawberry mousse cake...

Tiramisu

The Aroma of Coffee.....

Oh how i love the smell of coffee....i don't make coffee based desserts very often, due to my little son...But personally I just love coffee desserts...and especially a Tiramisu...

there is just something about that perfectly coffee soaked sponge layered with the silky smooth cream, that once I take a small bite, I really can't stop myself from devouring the rest of it (It takes a lot of self control to keep some for others)
this is not a classic tiramisu recipe...coz that takes a lot of time and I prefer it lighter with less amount of eggs and yolks in it. also due to the unavailability of lady finger biscuits in mumbai, i make it with a normal sponge cake. (doesn't make a difference to the taste as lady finger biscuits are basically sponge biscuits)

Ingredients:
400 - 500 g Mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1 cup Whipped cream
Powdered sugar, as required ( 5 - 6 tbsp approx)
2 cups strong black coffee (with sugar)
Sponge cake or lady finger biscuits

for the mascarpone cheese:-
400g fresh cream
200 - 250 ml milk (can add 3-4 tbsp of milk powder to increase the amount of cheese)
1 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar

Method:
for the mascarpone cheese:-
Mix the cream and millk and milk powder (if adding) in a skillet, and heat on midium stirring constantly until it just starts bubbling, add in the lemon juice. heat until the cream curdles, stirring frequently. the cream should cover the back of the spoon. line a sieve with 2 layers of cheese cloth and set over a bowl. pour mixture into the sieve. once cooled completely cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

For the Cream:-
Beat the cheese and sugar until smooth, without any lumps. fold in the whipped cream, and 1 or 2 tbsp of prepared coffee.

Assembly:-
If using sponge cake, you should have to equal sized layers of cake that can fit into deep dish. My sponge cake recipe makes exactly two layers of cake. that i bake separately. place the first layer at the bottom of your dish and generously soak it with prepared coffee. alternately if using lady finger biscuits, dip each biscuit in coffee and arrange such that it covers the bottom of the dish. Cover the cake with a thick layer of prepared cream and dust lightly with cocoa powder. cover with the second layer of cake, soak again with coffee, cover with the rest of the cream and dust with cocoa powder. refrigerate to set for atleast 2 -4 hours before serving. you can reserve the final dusting of cocoa powder for just before serving for a better look. (that is if it ever get served, you can eat the whole thing yourself, i wont question you)

Once you Start eating..that is not a lot

You can also make individual glasses

No bake Chocolate Biscuits

Cold Cake...

this is another one of our childhood recipes (me and my sister's), back when we had begun cooking and wanted to try all things fun..

its a really simple recipe that i still whip up at times for a quick chocolate fix. It is also a great recipe for letting your kids make and get them interested in cooking.

tastes something like a chocolate wafer bar.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

2 tbsp cocoa powder

180 g cream (or 150g)

2 big packets of marie biscuits

3/4th cup oil

Method:

mix sugar, milk powder, cocoa powder, cream and oil in a sauce pan.

heat the mixture continously for 10 mins. break the biscuits into four equal parts and add into the saucepan after turning off the heat.

line a flat tray with foil. pour the mixture onto the foil. cover the mixture with the loose ends of the foil paper. chill the mixture in the freezer for atleast 1 hour.

can tranfer to the refigerator for storing. 

ENJOY!!

Triple Layer Oreo cake

Slice of heaven....

By Far the Best cake I have made.....according to public and personal opinion...

I had always wanted to make a three layer cake, and this Oreo cake was being designed in my head since quite a while...originally i had wanted to make a smaller version of the same cake for my niece's first birthday...but due to certain circumstances that got cancelled...so i thought why not make it for my little one's second birthday, then again his birthday was like just two days before eid...so I finally Made it on Eid, when all my beloved family comes over, i mean why keep a good thing to yourself.

Decorate it what ever way you like

for my three layers I made two layers of white sponge cake with oreo chunks in it, and one layer of moist chocolate cake in the centre. 

For the oreo sponge I used my swiss roll sponge recipe.The only difference to the recipe i made was that i used two eggs in each cake layer instead of three and reduced the sugar a little.i didn't use any custard powder this time since i wanted a white cake

I mixed separate batches and baked the cake separately. also make sure to hand chop your oreos and not blitz them in a chopper as then they become too fine, and your cake will have more or less a brown color. Also fold inn the oreos in the batter at the very last moment before baking, so that it retains some of its crunch after baking. 

For Frosting I used whipped cream powder, which i blended with half milk n half cream, to get stiffer cream.and mixed oreo chunks into it. I needed 5 packets of whipped cream powder for this big a cake, and three big packets of oreos.

reserve some oreos for decorating and chop the rest.

While completing the cake, make sure to moisten the layers with light sugar syrup. so that the layers completely merge and blend into each other, to give that "Oh So Good taste".

lovin the layers !!

semolina cake

Little grainy diamonds....

I don't know how else to describe this cake..I've made biscuits and crackers using semolina before, and the only difference i found was that it cooks faster and crisps up faster. this is the first time i baked a semolina cake and what i really like about it was the grainy texture that the cake had. although i've spent my entire childhood in the gulf. but this was one sweet that was not a common item on our shopping lists..must have had it only a very few times...now i'm wondering why..its a lovely cake that tastes like a cross between a cake and a coconut barfi..and is also really light and obviously yummy too..

I merged a few recipes to get a recipe that suited me best.. and this is how it goes, its really easy to whip up and doesn't even require a lot of tools and utensils. ( Hooray !! for less clean up ) 

Ingredients:
2 cups semolina
1/2 cup dessicated coconut (30 g)
1/2 cup sugar (100g)
150 g melted butter or ghee
3/4th cup yoghurt (200g)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
20 almonds

3/4 th cup water
1/2 cup sugar

juice of half a lemon


Method :
for syrup:- boil sugar and water for 3 - 5 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved. add lime juice and cook for another few minutes. ( as per prefernce you can also add some rose water).
In a large bowl, mix semolina and baking soda. Add the coconut, salt and sugar and mix. add melted butter and yoghurt and mix well until combined. Add egg and mix well. Pour into a well greased pan and even it out on top with a spoon. Allow it to rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
then cut the cake into diamonds or squares. Place an almond in the almond in the middles of each diamond. Bake the cake at 175 degrees for about 20 minutes. Take the cake out and cut the cake into diamonds again. Place the cake back in the oven and bake for another 20 - 25 mins. Until it looks golden and crisp on top.
Take the cake out and spread the syrup on top of the warm cake. Let it soak for some time before serving.

Chocolate Crinkles

brownie substitutes...

OH MY GOD !!! Its been almost 2 months since i've posted anything, how did time fly... I know i've been busy, what with my grandmother not being well and then ramadan and plus a talking toddler who doesn't leave me any free time. But still better late than never.
Chocolate Crinkles...I've seen over half a dozen recipes for these cookies, ranging from tough n time consuming to quick n easy...and knowing me you can gues that i obviously tried the quickest and easiet one of them, also i got this from the hershey's website..So thats like my textbook for all things chocolate. I was expecting a traditional chocolate cookie, which would have a white icing sugar exterior. but after having my first chocolate crinkle i realised they tasted just like brownies.I mean without the icing sugar coating, i would have called them brownie biscuits, or something like that. also maybe next time i'll try them with some nuts added to the batter.

anything that tastes like a brownie ..Mmmmm....

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
4 eggs OR 2/3 cup liquid eggs(such as AllWhites)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar for rolling


Method:
Combine granulated sugar and oil in large bowl; add cocoa, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to cocoa mixture, beating well.
Cover; refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle, at least 6 hours.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Snowy bites ...

Spinach and Corn Swirl Buns

The Smell of Bread....

Freshly baked bread, or still in the oven bread....I swear if there were a bread scented air freshener, i'll probably buy it and spray it in the whole house every day...

We all love the smell of baking goodies in the kitchen, but I believe that its the smell of oven fresh bread that pulls us into a bakery which we initially had no intention of entering and were just going to pass by it.

There is something really satisfying about making bread at home. And the best part with making bread is that your base recipe remains more or less the same, and you can change the form in which its made and voila, you have more than 50 different dishes (thank you artisan bread in 5).

This recipe is kind of like a savory relative of the cinnamon rolls, and you can put whatever filling you want inside.

I choose a spinach, corn and cheese stuffing this time, for a change, coz i usually end up putting pizza toppings or something similar in most of my savory bread, and i wanted something different this time.

Its the best snack you can make for your kids, and yourself...they will even eat up the spinach without making a face.

Best rolls ever

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup ground oats

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup luke warm water

2 eggs

¼ cup sugar or less

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp dried basil

For filling:-

12 - 15 spinach leaves

1/2 cup of boiled sweet corn

cheese spread of your choice

Mozzerella cheese

chilli flakes

pepper

oregano

basil

sesame seeds for topping 

melted butter for topping

Method:

Soak the yeast in half of the lukewarm water with some dissolved sugar.(keep in a warm place)
mix all the dry ingredients. add the rest of the ingredients, mix with a spoon, and bring together with your hands, you may have to wet your hands a bit.
and keep for proving for two hours, in a cool dry place. If you are using the dough the same day then remove as much as required and shape. you can store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge, or you can even freeze it if you want.
Here is the secret to getting the right texture for the buns. You need to fold the dough over a few times and get that gluten all linked up and excited. Just 3 or 4 turns will do the trick, an extra 30 seconds of work will make all the difference.
let the dough rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Once the dough is ready, roll it to 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
Spread the cheese spread on your dough.
Spread the spinach leaves and corn kernels. Sprinkle with pepper, chilli flakes, oregano, and basil. Cover with thin slices of mozzarella cheese. Roll into a log and cut into 8 - 10 pieces.
Arrange with rolled side on top in a baking tray and allow to rest for half an hour to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter ans sprinkle with sesame seeds, oregano and basil.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

healthy and tasty !!!

Barazeq (Sesame Cookies)

Nutty delights

slightly chewy, slightly crunchy...these biscuits have a lovely earthy,nutty texture and flavor.
These are classic Arabic style cookies loaded with pistachios, which gives them that distinct flavor that can be found in almost every bakery in the gulf.
i knnow i know, i'm reminiscing about the gulf again (i'm sorry but i can't help it), although the first time i actually tried these cookies was after i shifted back to India. Someone had brought us tray of these sesame crusted cookies from Abu Dhabi, and after my first bite into the cookie, i knew i had to try making it.
so as usual and googled various recipes until i found one which looked easily doable. although i still made a few changes to fit my liking better. this recipe doesn't exactly recreate the same flavours that you get from a traditional labanese bakery, but it was still pretty good, and everyone at home enjoyed them.

Ingredients:
200g sesame seeds
120 g pistachio
120 g plain flour
160 g semolina flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
65 g ghee
1 medium sized egg
70 gm castor sugar
a pinch of salt

Method:
mix ghee, egg sugar and salt together until smooth and creamy.
combine, flour, semolina and baking powder together. sift this into the ghee mixture, combine to form a soft dough. set aside.
coarsly chop pistachios an keep in a plate. keep sesame seeds in a seperate bowl
take some dough (1/2 tbsp) and shape into a ball. drop the ball into the pistachios and coat half the ball in pistachios, then transfer into the sesame seeds. gently press so that the sesame seeds will adhere.
place onto a lined baking tray, sesame side up. gently press it flat with a fork
repeat with the rest of the dough.
bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 15 minutes or until done, cool on a wire rack ad store in an airtight container.

Rustic goodness !!!

is

Garlic Sauce

Mediterranean marvels...

If you have stayed in the gulf, or even visited any of the gulf countries, most probably you have tasted this wonderful condiment cum dipping sauce that is often served with most Arabic, or Lebanese dishes.

Its somewhat akin to a garlic mayonnaise, but it uses only egg whites and not whole eggs. (also for some reason i have mastered this recipe but have failed, each time i have tried making mayonnaise).

I found this recipe, with video on dedemed (the video is really important, coz i have found that even one ingredient put in the wrong order can spoil this recipe)

Ingredients:

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup canola oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 or 2 cold egg whites

Method:

In a food processor add minced garlic, begin processor and slowly add oil and lemon juice alternating them. after it turns whitish add one to two cold egg whites while the processor is blending until you reach mayonnaise consistency. Add the rest of the oil and lemon juice until gone, scrape down sides intermittently. add the salt and give it a few pulses in the end.
Serve with chicken or meat and cover and refrigerate remainder. Refrigerate for up to 1 week in closed container.

To be enjoyed with various fried or grilled meats, fries or even carrot sticks...why not.

Orange wafer cookies

Sweet Nostalgia.....

Most of my baking experiments are trials to recreate stuff that was once readily available to me in Abu Dhabi, and now in Mumbai I simply crave for them sometime...

One of these aforementioned cravings is for these orange wafer cookies..i don't remember the brand name, or even what they were called, i only remember picking up the orange box of tiny cookies, every time we were in the biscuit section of any supermarket.

so naturally when i was deprived of the yummy snack in Mumbai, i went in search for a recipe that would recreate them, and luckily found the perfect one, on my first try (what were the chances of that, without even a name of the cookie).

I really didn't have to change anything in the recipe....like i sadi, the recipe perfectly recreates my favorite orange cookie, 

BEWARE !! You can't just have one..

Ingredients:
½ Cup Butter Softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract or 2 tbsp orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Thin orange or lemon peel strips, optional

Method:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, orange peel, lemon peel and extracts. In another bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inche. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If desired, top with orange peel strips.

Bake at 180°C for 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 
Yield: about 4 dozen.

Little rounds of perfection ...

Gulab Jamuns

Going Traditional....

I have to confess...I like traditional sweets, But I am Very picky about where I have a particular Indian sweet from , My Kaju Katli Has to be from MM mithaiwala, my rossogulla has to be fresh and spongy, my carrot halwa has to be mom made and so on and on it goes...(people think i'm impossible, but thats just how i am).
When it comes to gulab jamuns, the traditional way of making gulab jamuns is by addind a little khoya or mawa to the dough, plus some people even add rose water to the syrup. but i don't like them if either of these ingredients are added, and i prefer the modern recipe for this traditional sweet , that is, making the dough with milk powder. 

Ingredients:

8 tbsp milk powder

3 tbsp maida

1 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

milk - as per consistency

for syrup -

2 cups sugar

4 cups water 

Method:

mix milk powder, maida,ghee, and soda bicarbonate, add milk to make shaping consistency. make balls, make sure that the surface of the balls is smooth. fry the balls in ghee.

make sugar syrup, and add balls in warm syrup, cover and keep till the balls are softened.

Golden balls of perfection !!!

chips

Healthy Munchin...

This is not much of a recipe, more of an Idea, but a really good one. you can make baked chips with whatever you want, you can make your classic all time favorite potato chips, the indian favorite banana chips, or healthier versions like sweet potato or tapioca chips.
believe me, your kids will love you, and you will be the cool mom, who makes them Chips...

The recipe that i initially found was for sweet potato chips, and believe me i found them better than potato chips, especially for kids, they are richer in vitamins than the regular potato and because of the slightly sweet taste in them, you actually require no salt or seasoning...(not joking)

Sweet potato crisps

Ingredients:
2 Sweet potatoes,Scrubbed and sliced into small strips with a potato peeler.
Few sprays of olive oil

Method:
Turn the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with foil.
Pat the sweet potato slices dry with some kitchen paper and arrange on the tray.
Spray with the spray oil and lightly stir to coat all sides.
Spread them out again so they are mainly in contact with the foil.
Bake for 8 - 10  minutes until golden brown, turning once half way through. Keep an eye on them towards the end as they can quickly turn from done to burnt.

You might have to experiment with the temperatures and timings depending on you oven and the type of hips you are making, but once you have perfected that, there is not much effort required for making these

Baked banana chips

Gummy Candy

Who Doesn't love it....

In my world .....everyone loves this, some might act as if they are too old for it, but then quietly sneak a piece when no ones looking, where as others like me are not ashamed of their childish choices when it comes to candy....

I do like gummy candy, but i would never have actually tried it if it wasn't for a packet of lime jelly lying in my kitchen. Someone had given it to me, and lime is not a favored flavor in my house, so i didn't know what to do with the packet or how to use it up.

that was when i came across this recipe, and loved the simplicity of it, i also liked the idea of using fresh fruits n juices (for kids, that's really great)

So this was how i ended up using my packet of lime flavored Jello. And all the kids loved it (I'm like their favorite aunt now)

I don't know where i picked up this recipe, but it was basically the same everywhere, so it really doesn't matter...enjoy !!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cold water or any fruit juice

1 packet jello (optional)

1 tbsp gelatin (2 tbsp if using juice)

Method:

Put water in a sauce pan, sprinkle the gelatin and jello over it and let it sit for 5 -10 minutes. Simmer over low heat, just until all the ingredients are completely dissolved. Pour into molds and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to set. Use un greased molds.

 You can coat the individuals candies with citric acid or granulated sugar.

If using fruit juice, sprinkle 2 tbsp of gelatin over 3 tbsp of water let it sit for 5 -10 minutes, then heat in a microwave for 30 – 45 seconds or until dissolved( can also dissolve over a double boiler). Add the gelatin to the juice, mix well and pour in molds.

Un-mold and Enjoy!!

Millionare's Shortbread Bars

Sweet Somethings.......

I always love gifting home made treats to people. Especially for my little nieces and nephews. but the problem with making such edible gifts is that they have to be durable, especially if they have to travel in the Mumbai heat in an auto rickshaw (all types of whipped cream and butter cream turn into liquid by the time you reach your destination).
So i usually prefer making cookies or bars to carry for my nieces or nephews, or to send to any other special friends and family.
So when I wanted to send something special for my sister in law (who is like the biggest fan of my baking), I remembered this recipe that i had checked out a couple of times of joy of baking.
Although it looks a bit tedious, I assure you that the end result is so absolutely delicious, you will be making this recipe again and again and again......
the first time i tried the recipe, the only change i made was to make the caramel by using brown sugar, butter and milk, instead of using condensed milk, as the recipe says, because the end result is the same (and I didn't have enough condensed milk at hand).
The next time i made it i used an oatmeal crust instead of shortbread, and it tasted even better, I guess the oats added a  nice mealy and nutty flavor that complimented the caramel and the chocolate very well.

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD:

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt 

Or 

You can use the oatmeal crust recipe from my Date Squares 

CARAMEL FILLING:

1 - 14 ounce (396 grams) can Dulce de Leche or sweetened condensed milk

or

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

3 - 4 tbsp  Milk

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Ingredients:

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C and place rack in center of oven.  Grease with butter a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

FOR SHORTBREAD: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.  Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR CARAMEL FILLING: If using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using sweetened condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth.  Pour the caramel over the baked sh+bread and leave to set.

Note: You can also do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth.

Or

Caramelize brown sugar and butter and add milk and cook till thick and sticky.

FOR TOPPING: Melt the chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp knife. 

Store the shortbread in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm. 

Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares

Praline Oatmeal cookies

Leftovers are not a bad thing...

Provided you know how to present them, you see the minute you tell people that you have used "left over "something in a recipe, or that you made this so and so treat to finish up something "leftover" from a previous recipe, they become apprehensive about tasting it.

But if you are clever enough to use up your leftovers and not mentioning that tiny detail to your family and friends you become a master chef in their eyes.(and no one is none the wiser).

I pride myself in using leftover ingredients that i had prepared for a certain recipe for some other recipe in innovative ways(hope i don't sound like i'm boasting).

I mean the ideas are endless once you put your head to it.
I can list a number of recipes i just made to finish off leftover somethings...

leftover egg yolks - creme caramel

leftover caramel - millionare's shortbread bars
mint truffles gone to soft - chocolate mint brownies
stale cake - trifle
and so on and on the list goes.
So when i had left over almond pralines after my almond pralines and custard cake, I thought why not put them in some cookies. and whats healthier than some oatmeal cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup oats

1/2 - 3/4th cup chopped almond praline

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade . Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside, beat the butter and sugars, with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy; add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed; stir in the oats and the chopped pralines.

drop rounded tablespoons on a greased baking tray, or parchment paper.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

I covered some of the cookies with some melted chocolate, but that's your choice; they taste great just as it is too..

Seviyan barfii

Trial and Error..

Thats what comes to my mind whenever I think of this yummy dessert. One of my cousins once brought a box of these barfis to our house and one bite of it was enough for us to start guessing the recipe, so that we could recreate it later. And as soon as She got the time, My Mom along with her two helpers (me and my sister) tried cooking up a batch that would be similar to the orignal barfi that we had got.
What mummy concluded after tasting the crisp, n crunchy barfi was that, it had three main ingredients - seviyan, condensed milk and nuts.
The First batch - It was not at all the same, it stuck to our hands..and we couldn't even get out proper pieces.
Second Batch - we decided to increase the amount of vermicelli and roast the quite a lot and with a little ghee. But the result was still not perfect - it was still lacking in the crunchiness
TADAA.. THE THIRD BATCH - This one was perfect and it became a frequently mad edessert in our house, the only difference in this batch was that after spreading it on a tray, mummy put it in the oven for a bit to crisp up the top, and it turned out perfect....

Ingredients:
150 - 200 g seviyan (vermicelli)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (400g)
2 tbsp ghee
100 g mixed nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews or walnuts), you can toast the nuts a bit if you want.

Method:
Prepare a tray by lining with foil and grease with a little ghee.
Dry roast the vermicelli till a little fragrant. then add ghee and roast for a few minutes. the vermicelli should be golden brown and fragrant. add the condensed milk and chopped nuts. Mix till all of the vermicelli is coated with condensed milk.
transfer into lined tray immediately, and flatten with the backside of a bowl or the underside of a glass.
score with a knife into diamonds or squares.
bake the barfi in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. to crisp up  the top, and make it nice and crunchy. (you can skip this step if you like it softer)
Let cool and separate the pieces.

Perfect to carry as a gift for your friends and family

crisped to golden perfection

Marble Cake

Perfect tea time accompaniment...

Its amazing how something so simple, can look so sophisticating. When i was a child it always used to fascinate me that how can two flavors be baked in a single cake with such beautiful designs ( I also used to try fist eating all the white cake parts and then the chocolate parts from the slice).

I always used to love a slice of marble cake either with tea in the evening or in the lunch box, or a late night snack. We used to get this lovely slabs of freshly baked marble cake at the bakery which would get over in no time at all.

Its one of those things that makes you realize that beautiful things don't always need a lot of effort, its more about the technique and the thought behind it.

A marble cake is a basic white cake, with cocoa powder mixed with some of the batter and then swirled in. the technique is the same as chocolate swirl cake

i also tried this coffee swirl cake with the same technique.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup plain, yogurt
25 g cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk

OR

2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown sugar


Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract.
Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the yogurt (or sour cream), then stir in remaining flour mixture. Batter will be thick.
In a seperate bowl dissolve the cocoa powder in the milk, and then mix it with half or 1/3 of the cake batter.

OR


In a small bowl, beat together butter, instant coffee/espresso, cocoa powder and brown sugar until well combined. Mixture will be crumbly. add 3 - 4 tbsp of the batter to this mixture

Spread half of the cake batter into prepared pan. Spread the chocolate or coffee batter in the center of the layer of cake batter (doesn't need to be neat), then top with remaining cake batter, spreading it evenly to cover the chocolate or coffee mixture. swirl with a knife or a wooden skewer.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Plain Marble cake

Coffee swirl cake

If you have more time on hand or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can even try piping a design with the brown colour batter on the base. although my first try din't turn out rite, i guess it was because of the brown sugar in my coffee batter...maybe next time

Failed attempt at making hearts

Creme Caramel

From Scratch....

We all have had a few ready from the packet desserts or instant desserts stocked in our pantries, likr always. I know i have....from the time i can recall, my mom always had a shelf full of assorted jellos,custard powder, caramel custard, and dream whip packets in her kitchen cabinet (i mean who doesn't), these were the first desserts i learned to make. and what is there to lean really, just boil a the given amount of milk or water (as the packet says). dissolve all ingredients in the packet and pour into bowl and voila..your dessert for the day is ready.

But as i grew older, i always had this curiosity to try these same desserts from scratch, yeah i know some people just find that painstaking, but I say why not...

So over the years 

• I Have tried whipping my own cream, and after trying it have realised whipped cream powder is better and quicker,especially with the quality of cream that we get here (only 25% fat, takes a really long time to whip). An even better option i discovered is to dissolve your whipped cream powder in the single pouring cream available, instead of milk or water.it gives a real nice and thick whipped cream within minutes!!!
• I have tried making my own jelly with fruit juice and gelatin...and that didn't turn out too bad...infact i prefer that to all the artificial coloring and fruit flavors...why not have the real thing.
• Custard, well i still think i like my eggless custard powder better
• And creme caramel...yes I finally tried it. I've been wanting to try it since a long time and so i finally did. (plus i had a few extra yolks i wanted to use up instead of throwing them away after i made some garlic sauce)

i used this recipe i saw on donna hay's website, but made a few adjustments to fit my two yolks...you can make the same recipe even without the yolks, what i normally do for substituting yolks in any recipe is to - use 1 egg instead of every two yolks, works fine all the time as i usually don't like using only yolks.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup (120g) caster (superfine) sugar

⅓ cup (80ml) water

400ml milk

2 tbsp custard powder

3 eggs

2 egg yolks, extra

1/4 cup caster sugar, extra

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 150°C . Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and and cook for 8–10 minutes or until the mixture is dark golden. Pour into 4  - 5 ovenproof dishes, or you can even use just one big dish if you want. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the caramel is set.
Place the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to the boil. add custard powder dissolved in a little cold milk, and cook for another minute.Remove from heat.
Place the eggs, extra yolks, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Gradually add the milk mixture, whisking to combine. Strain the mixture and pour into the dishes. Place dishes in a roasting pan or cake tin lined with a dish towel(prevents the dishes from slipping) and pour boiling water around the sides till it comes halfway up the the dishes. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until set. Remove from the dish and refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold. Remove the crème caramels from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Turn out onto plates to serve.

creamy delights ..