Stromboli

Or Pizza Rolls

Its amazing how a single recipe can be made and presented in several different ways, and enjoyed by all in several different ways....

the Pizza is a classic example of this...you can make a classic large pizza, individual mini pizzas, A stromboli or a pizza roll, or mini pizza buns, or make it easier and just make toastizzas...i'm telling you when you have bread with any kind of pizza topping, you can never go wrong.

pardon the bad picture !!

A stromboli is basically a closed pizza, that looks like a log of bread from the outside , but had all the pizza topping stuffed inside...waiting to ooze out when sliced.

Although once sliced it looks good enough

There is nothing much too the recipe..
just prepare a batch of pizza dough .
prepare a batch of any type of filling that you would like..
A standard pizza filling of shredded chicken, capsicum,mushrooms, tomato sauce,onions and cheese 
Or you could try a filling with chicken and corn in white sauce.

OH THAT PERFECT BRAID !!

I tried a braided bread with a minced beef in tomato sauce and cheese which also turned out really tasty, and to look at the lovely braid...didn't even feel like cutting it..












Few tips that you should keep in mind..that i learnt from my mistakes...

• if making a simple roll with no design, please give a few cuts on the surface for the steam to be let out, and to prevent cracking and breaking
• don't make your filling very wet or runny as it will ooze out while baking creating a wet gooey mess..

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 ...