Hearts in the Right Place – An Appeal for Help & Heart (y) Centered Cupcakes

The hoopla for Valentine’s day is hard to miss. I’ve never believed in making monuments of days and dates. I would like to, like a lot of people, turn my nose up at a lot of what is now the genius of the guys up at marketing who manage to put the pressure on everyone to express your love with diamonds and roses and other such stuff…. but i couldnt this year. What with my writing for a newspaper and all… i had to do a valentine’s day special and i brought out the pink hearts with a vengeance!

On the sharing love bit… if you like me have been inactive (blogwise that is) you may/maynot have heard of the fund raiser drive by this very dear blogging friend called Siri for Vaidehi Ashram in Hyderabad. She is like a woman possessed and it is so inspiring to see how her passion to really make a difference has resulted in this ashram recieving donations from bloggers and readers accross the world. For me who feels emotional even about inanimate objects, i cannot even imagine being alone in this world and not having anyone or anything to call my own. Vaidehi Ashram in Hyderabad is a safe place for girls where they are provided  an environment to live and study and given some semblance of family and community.  The world as it is, is a harsh place, add to that the knowledge that you have been abandoned for whatever reasons, is reason enough to feel battered. But here is a place that will help you and care for you. And then there are people like Siri who dont just sit back and wonder why something cannot be done, but actually do it. Several bloggers are sponsoring beautiful prizes for the raffle and there is really a wide variety to choose from. plus its all for a good cause… You can get all the details about the Fundraiser here and please click here to buy a raffle ticket. 

What can you to to help?

Its as easy as buying a raffle ticket. Each Ticket for the raffle ticket is for $10 (INR 500). Buying multiple tickets will give you a better chance of winning the prize you want.

How can you Buy the Raffle Ticket/s

There is an easy to use link to make your payment. All you have to do is make a payment via Paypal or credit. 

You could also email Siri at info(dot)siri(at)gmail(dot)com to check about making donations in indian rupees.

When you have completed the donation process, please email Siri at  info(dot)siri(at)gmail(dot)com with confirmation of your payment and specifying the raffle prize you are interested in.

Escapades is making a small contribution to this fund drive. A Box of assorted handcrafted Chocolate Truffles made by me. there are 10 boxes to be won and shipping is within India. Code is RF3.  

If you are not a resident, you can nominate an indian resident to receive the chocolates. Chocolates have literally changed the way i think about work, and yes i do this for a living, but i know each piece is carefully handmade and will put a smile on the face of the person who will taste its pure indulgence. I really hope you will be moved enough to do your bit….you have until Feb 25th to participate in the raffle. Goodluck!

Handcrafted Chocolate Truffles (10 boxes to be won) the raffle code is RF3

Back to Valentine’s Drama… and if you forget all the hoopla, these beautiful cupcakes are so pretty, that i couldnt get myself to eat them without feeling bad! if pink and hearts dont rock your boat, please try it with any other colour or shape….

this is a basic cupcake recipe that i tweaked a bit.

Heart Centered Cupcakes

Butter – ½ cup (unsalted at room temperature, if using salted butter, skip the salt)

Sugar – 1 cup (powdered in a blender)

Eggs – 3 (at room temperature)

Baking powder – 11/2 teaspoon

Baking soda – ½ teaspoon

Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon

Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

Maida – 1½   cups

Milk – ¼ cup

Red food colour – 1 teaspoon

Method: 

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well till completely mixed. Add the vanilla and beat some more.
Sift the Maida with the salt (if using) baking powder and baking soda. Mix in the Maida and the milk alternately, 1/3 quantity at a time. Mix this lightly and do not over mix.
Take ¼ of this batter and mix in the food colour. Spread this into a flat baking tin and bake at 180 C for 20 minutes or till a tester comes out clean. Cool this cake, when completely cool, using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts and set aside. You can use the scraps for a trifle pudding or cake pops.Line a cupcake mould with liners, using a round spoon, put about 11/2 tablespoon of batter in the liner, stick a baked heart into it and add 1 tablespoon of batter over it. Repeat till all the batter is used. Bake at 180 C till done (about 20 minutes).

Cool completely before serving the heart surprise cupcake! Cut to reveal the heart if needed.

As I write this, there has been an outpouring of grief amongst the blogging community over the untimely passing away of Raji, better known as Miri of Peppermill. I admit that i didnt know her personally. I came accross her blog (it was hard to miss) but i didnt intereact with her much. Never once thought she was ill. She leaves behind a 6 year old daughter and her husband. I wish them the strength to bear their grief. Through all the tributes, I have gathered that she was a vivacious lady who faced life with a beautiful smile and not once let on about her health issues. When I wallow in self pity, I hope to be strengthened by her and her life…. not knowing her, is purely my loss…. RIP.

Baking ~ Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Its almost the end of the month. But missing deadlines is my speciality. I do it like there is greatness in it. Sometimes I don’t miss deadlines, I discard tasks completely and feign it wasn’t important enough to do, so to hell with the deadline anyway!

Having said that, there is allegiance in me so strong, that I just wish I take up more significant causes, cos my conscience sometimes never ever gives up. Pushing me to do stuff which in my mind I had thought it was ok to abandon.

Confused? Don’t be. Its just that, no one wanted it to lose steam. The baking club I mean. Both my namesakes, Aparna and yours truly. We did the mango pound cake with all enthusiasm and then poooof! It was like suddenly thunder struck and lightening did us in. only each of us had a valid reason to not finish the theme this month which was biscotti. Only Arundathi Krishna finished it well ahead of time and posted to…so brownie… err biscotti points to her. Much as I tried to finish this biscotti baking business, my head was spinning around and I was going nuts. Ask my husband K he will vouch for the loony I became this month. I had grand plans to get my apartment painted and that snowballed into an activity that drove me to my edge and made me look like I would have been a better person if I was on drugs!

Anyone who has taken up a remodeling activity while living on the premises will tell you its not such a great idea. Further, anyone who has dealt with labour inIndiawill tell you how they have a mind of their own even if you are paying their wages! Add to that my hormones were in overdrive with an impending birthday looming large over my head and a visit from the mater. All this was brought to a head because I have a house full of so much stuff, I do not know when I acquired most of it, I do not know what to do with it and seriously made me aware of the addiction I have for knick knacks!

So apart from tearing my hair out, whining all evening once K got back from work, painting the study a shade of blue grey and the ceiling of a bedroom green with stark white walls, I was generally being such a pain in the backside even I couldn’t bear myself. Then I went and baked biscotti.

To describe to you the aromas of baking biscuits in a house that looked like the tsunami had hit it is going to be impossible! Lets just say that I sat on my gorgeous sunny now painted warm yellow balcony to enjoy this fantastic biscotti with a cup of elaichi chai, everything was made worthwhile, even turning a year older!

I followed the recipe from Joy of Baking and added chopped almonds in place of pistachios. I got about 14 pieces, but i think i needed to slice them thinner. Below is my version

Cranberry and Almond Biscotti

2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated whitesugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoonpure vanilla extract

1 teaspoonbaking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purposeflour

1/2 cup (60 grams) Almonds, chopped roughly

1/2 cup (75 grams) dried cranberries or cherries (can also substitute with tutti fruitti, raisins or any other sweet dry fruit of choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminium foil.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the sugar and eggs on high speed until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.)  At this point beat in the vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the egg mixture and beat until combined.  Fold in the chopped pistachios and cranberries.

Transfer the dough to your foil lined baking sheet and form into a log, about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) wide.  You may have to dampen your hands to form the log as the dough is quite sticky. Bake for25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Transfer the log to a cutting board and cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) slices, on the diagonal.  Place the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 16 – 20 biscotti.

Cooking with relics ~ Spaghetti with Basil Walnut Pesto

Yesterday we got back from a short trip to Madanapalle a town on the Andhra Karnataka border and Bangalore.

My cousinP’s son was baptised in the native place of his paternal grandparents and i got to be his God mother. I was present in the labour room at the time of his birth, coaching his mother through a really painful delivery. So it seems that I did score some brownie points and his parents honoured me by asking me to be his God mother. So i got myself a son! err did i mention i was so scared myself that i thought i would faint? i did appear to be the pillar of strength tho… i told you i was a good actress!

The small town church was all festooned up for Rohan Joshua and he did ofcourse yell his lungs out when the priest took him in his arms… but other than that it was all delightful. Complete with a traditional meal laid out on a banana leaf to celebrate afterwards (of which i do not have any pictures to share since i was so busy eating).

Coming back home is always a lovely thing, no matter how beautiful and enjoyable your trip is. the only thing is that the fridge is almost bare, sans the stuff that can make it through 4-5 days or however long you are planning to be away. Here comes the part where i believe nothing happens without good reason.  A few weeks ago, Nupur called out to us to see whats in the fridge, i felt she’d heard my voice karmically… turns out i am not the only hoarder… going by the response she’s had with comments. I did peek into my fridge and honestly, I am shocked! I am not shocked easily… but I am… Lets start with the freezer….from half used cartons of cream and coconut milk, dry fruit, pesto rolls (unbaked), cookie dough to 2 batches of basil pesto! Down in the fridge section, there are three kinds of jams, peanut butter and nutella… i am now going on a blanket ban of grocery purchasing till i get this stuff used up. Lets not even mention the dying veggies i throw out with alarming regularity.

I would have loved to do this the whole month long. cook from stuff i need to use up from the fridge/ pantry, but real life takes over, kicks my behind and leaves me breathless. Bringing us back to what I was saying. I stood there wondering what to make for lunch as I had only myself to feed. K went to work with a lunch of rice, dal and a bottle of beef pickle my mother sent back for him. (did I tell you they feel sad for him because i dont eat / cook meat anymore? no? this was part of the comfort package!)

readers of this blog are familiar with my love for pasta. And there isn’t an iota of doubt what i would cook for myself if I am eating alone. Digging out a box of frozen pesto I’d made a few months ago, i set it on the counter to thaw and had visions of the most satisfying lunch driving me nuts. There was a small piece of zucchini which also made its way into the pasta, and in less than 10 minutes, lunch was served.this pasta is off to Nupur who’s hosting BB4: Whats Lurking in the Kitchen. egads! just in time because i realised the last date is tomorrow.

Spaghetti with Basil and Walnut Pesto

see Nupur’s post here the recipe is originally from here

for the pesto (makes 1 cup)

4 packed cups of italian basil, stalks removed, leaves washed and drained on a kitchen towel (the original recipe calls for blanching, i skipped this step)

1/2 cup walnuts (the original uses pine nuts)

2 cloves of peeled garlic (adjust according to your preference)

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (i omitted the pepper)

in a hot dry pan, toast the walnuts for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently. Cool completely. Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil into a mixer jar and pulse till everything resembles finely chopped greens. if you are using a food processor, add the olive oil in a steady stream while continuing to pulse the pesto. i used a jar, so added a tablespoon at a time. check for texture and pulse a little more. The pesto can be frozen now for later use, or used immediately. If freezing, leave to defrost at room temperature for 15-20 mins or nuke in the microwave oven for 30 sec blasts till thawed.

for the spaghetti

2 tablespoons basil walnut pesto

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (remember the pesto has EVOO already, so go easy)

2 cups cooked spaghetti (or any other pasta of choice, cook with salt according to the instructions on the packet)

1/2 cup zucchini slivers

in a pan, heat the olive oil and toss in the zucchini slices. saute for a couple of minutes till they are wilting yet retain their crunch.

in another bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the pesto sauce and swirl it around till well coated. add this to the sauteed zuchini and swirl some more till well incorporated. check for salt and adjust as needed. Serve warm with a sprinkling of grated cheese or as is.

Tiramisu – Heaven on a Dessert Plate – Daring Baker’s Challenge

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

When my friend Aparna told me she and Deeba were co hosting the DB challenge this month, I thought it would be a good time to shirk off the lethargy and get daring again. I went over to the forum to check out the challenge and almost had a heart attack that they’d chosen Tiramisu. I mean, yeah they are fabulous bakers and very daring and each of their creations seem better than the other…. but what the heck were they thinking when they decided on tiramisu? For one, mascarpone cheese is something i’d have to give my left arm to buy in Hyderabad, that too for a 100 gm tub and I wasn’t willing to think that the homemade route was good enough. And then there were almost 4 components that had to be made from scratch…. I am telling you, these two were baying for my blood….Tiramisu is something you order for dessert at a fine dining restaurant, not make from scratch….

I kept going back to the forum and took comfort in the fact that many of the DBers had issues and I kept telling myself it was too complicated to handle….A week before reveal date, I finally made the mascarpone because I was having a rough day and nothing like pottering in the kitchen to calm me down…I stuck it in the freezer cos I was still not convinced that I would do the whole thing.

2 days before reveal date, I said to myself…. ah!! Not enough time…. lets just forget about the whole thing…. and so many eggs!! No ways… by the end of the day however, I found myself coaxing my double boiler not to scramble the eggs and was frantically whisking away at the pastry cream and the zabaglione…..see I cant even pronounce it properly!

Its a good thing these components can be made ahead, cos if they asked to be made all together, there was no way in hell I would have done it. To be fair to the tiramisu recipe, each of the components, the zabaglione, the pastry cream and the mascarpone, took about 15 minutes individually to make. When I was done, I felt quite ridiculous I was making a mountain of a mole hill. My bane is the part which calls for whipping anything into stiff peaks…. both the whipped cream and the egg whites, had me at hello. With a bad shoulder, this isn’t the best activity to indulge in… But I did so, cos all I could think of was sinking into some of this heavenly dessert by this time!!

I didn’t get to style my tiramisu as well as the other DBers did and some of their creations are worthy of being put into a tiramisu special recipe book. But taste wise, this was one of the best I’ve had. I must admit that the zabaglione put me off when I was making it with the eggy odour and I kept sniffing at it till I blended it into the tiramisu, miraculously the odour disappeared, and all that remained was creamy goodness!!

The labour that goes into making this is well worth it. And this makes for a very fancy party dessert. I used port wine, filter coffee decoction and halved the entire recipe. I set it in individual wine (shot 60 ml) glasses and one serving in a juice glass. i got 6 small servings and one abotu 100 mls… i dusted the tops with cocoa powder and shaved white chocolate.

Will I make it again? Yes…. for sure!!

Thanks Aparna and Deeba for getting me out of my slumber fest and for graciously hosting this challenge…. Well done and more power to you!!

TIRAMISU

Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007)

This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the zabaglione:

2 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar/50gms

1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)

1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:

1/4 cup/55gms sugar

1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:

1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)

1/4 cup/55gms sugar

1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:

2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed (I used diluted filter coffee)

1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)

1/2 cup/110gms sugar

1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese

36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)

2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:

For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.

In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.

Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.

Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:

Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8″ by 8″ should do) or one of your choice.

Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.

Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.

Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.

Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

MASCARPONE CHEESE
Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Method:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS / SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2″ to 3″ long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner’s sugar,

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

Daring Bakers strike again, this time its Strudel!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

apple strudel

What’s life without some drama… infact the Daring Baker’s Challenges are becoming daring drama baker’s challenges for me…this time, I lost the pictures I had taken and it took a few days stress and driving K completely round the bend to find them again. They were hiding in some hidden folder of my laptop and though it drove me crazy, eternal optimist that I am, I believe it taught me a lot of lessons!

I am not very active on the forum for Daring Baker’s. I log in once in a while to check out the pictures that the DB’s have posted of their completed challenges (before posting date). Just looking at the pictures send thrills and chills down my spine. So many variations and so much catching up to do is all I think!

Strudel - Savoury

When I saw the completed challenges this time, I thought of several fillings for the savoury strudel. Having never ever eaten or made a strudel before, I wanted to stick to the classic apple strudel for the sweet version. When the time came to make it, I finally chickened out and made a typical indian filling with potatoes, peas and onion, laced with some chilly and coriander powder, courtesy K’s request.

Savoury Strudel

The challenge turned out to be outstanding. Despite my (compulsive) apprehensions and disaster visaulisations, this turned out to be simple to make and fabulous to eat. The flakes were so delicate and despite the use of very little butter / oil in comparison with most other pastry doughs, it was so buttery. The addition of the butter browned bread crumbs was fantastic and added such flavour to the strudel. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better, the savoury or the sweet version. It was love all! For the first time in many months, K was actually looking forward to my baking and paced up and down in front of the oven asking when it would be ready. We had the savoury version for dinner and the sweet one for dessert.

This is one challenge I will be repeating. It is simple to make and makes for a great addition to the buffet table.

Apple Strudel

I did not double the measures as suggested, as I was baking for just two. I divided the dough equally into two and had some of the apple strudel leftover.

Here is the recipe for the filling I used for the savoury version.

1 large onion chopped

3 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and roughly mashed

½ cup peas, frozen or fresh

2 slices low fat cheddar cheese / 4-5 tablespoon grated cheese

1 tablespoon oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon red chilly powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

In a pan, heat the oil, add the chopped onion and sauté till translucent. Add the salt, pepper, chilly powder and coriander powder and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add the potatoes and peas and sauté another 3-4 minutes till everything is incorporates. Garnish with the fresh coriander leaves and cool a bit.

To assemble the strudel:

Roll out the dough and stretch as much as you can on a table cloth. I had many gaping holes by this time, but I didn’t panic! I used a pastry brush to brush the dough with melted butter. Spread the bread crumbs all over. I heaped the potato filling on one side of the pastry, leaving a few inches clean to turn over. Dividing each cheese slice into two, I placed the cheese slices over the filling. After folding over the overhang, I used the tablecloth to roll the strudel over. Placed it on a baking pan and baked for 30 minutes. Once done, I brushed it over with some melted butter. It was very difficult to wait for 30 minutes till I cooled. I found slicing it, even with a serrated knife a little difficult as the layers of the pastry were so delicate and fragile. I didn’t want to crush them.

Thanks Linda and Courtney for a wonderful challenge. Do check out what the other Daring Baker’s have lined up for you!

Read on for the recipe …..

Daring Bakers Challenge – Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

Yahoo!! Yippee!! I’d do cartwheels today if I could!! While its almost time for the April challenge to be posted, i wont be ashamed by the fact that i am posting this almost a month late. various things kept me out of action, but anything for Lasagne!!

I am finally posting the March Challenge of the Daring Bakers which was Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna.  The challenge was hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They chose Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.ge.

Check out what the other’s were upto in March here.

The Daring Bakers group isn’t for the faint hearted. It also isn’t for the lazy. It isn’t for those who sleep through the month and run around like headless chickens because posting day is less than 24 hrs away. Then what am I doing in the group? Don’t ask!

As the month went by, I realized I hadn’t even logged into the new Daring Baker’s site. I knew it was lasagna, but only having eaten it (and loved it) at restaurants, I was terrified of this challenge. I love pasta.  Pasta can be the only food that feeds me for as long as I live if there was no other food to be had. I store it by shape and colour and horde it quite a bit. However, lasagna was a different ballgame. One that I wasn’t sure I would be able to tackle. A chat with a fellow DBer and got some very good tips from her. For instance one of the things I decided to do was make the pasta eggless, after I talked to her . She also shared with me, that the sauces should be quite thin so the end result would not turn out like goop.

With one day to go before publishing date and oh yeah! Not to forget making the lasagna from scratch, I set about finally getting down to business.

What I finally did:

Pasta Sheets:

First the dough for the pasta. I made the eggless version. I pureed the spinach and added it to the dough which I made in my food processor. So the dough had a nice allover green colour and it got done super quickly. All I had to do was give it a final knead before resting it. If there’s one thing I hate about making chapattis, it is getting that icky dough under my nails, I wasn’t about to make an exception, even for handmade pasta! I halved the recipe given. Divided the dough into lemon sized balls and rolled them till i could see my hands when held up against a tubelight.I had enough lasagna for 5 main course servings, plus the scraps I cut up into tagliatelle.

Béchamel sauce:

I followed the recipe and made just half of the quantity. There’s nothing worse than having unused béchamel sauce at home that stares at you in the face, asking for its cheesy soul mate. Not good news for the mid riff. So I steered clear and made a small amount.

Ragu:

I sautéed brinjal and mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper and added it to the pasta sauce that I usually make. The sauce can be made in larger quantities and frozen. i use it in gravies and as a dip even.

Pasta Sauce:

4 cups of chopped ripe tomatoes.

6-8 pods of garlic

1/2 c chopped red onion

1-2 tsp red chilly powder

2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

10-12 leaves fresh basil / 1 T dried basil

Whizz everything in the blender. heat 3 T olive oil and add the puree. simmer till cooked and thick. add 1/2 c tomato puree from a can / carton. mix well. bring to a simmer. store/ use as required. for the lasagne i made, i needed just about a quarter of this recipe.

Cheese:

I used grated mozzarella cheese and a little of cheddar.

Assembling the Lasagne:

i made the pasta sheets just before i used them. they were air dried for about 15-20 minutes. I cooked them in boiling water to which a little salt was added. Dabbed them dry on a kitchen towel and followed the layering instructions. I baked it covered  with aluminum foil for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for about 10. when the edges turned golden i took it out of the oven and let it sit about 20 mins before serving.

The whole dish was made at one go and took me about 21/2 hours overall. Considering it was made on a night when I was entertaining at home, and got done despite having house guests to attend to is testament to the fact that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Two parts that I felt nervous about was, rolling the pasta thin enough and getting the layers right. Rolling wasn’t tough, considering we make rotis almost every day here. I just had to make them much thinner than the rotis. For the layering, I went with Aparna’s advice and kept the sauces thin.

The verdict:

We loved the lasagna. Most of all me!! It served about 5 people comfortably as a main course. the texture and flavours were fabulous. I just couldn’t get enough of it and had it for the next two days for dinner, albeit smaller portions than I would have liked. We had the lasagna along with focaccia that I tried for the first time. Would I make this again? Definitely yes. I can’t think of eating store bought pasta again! Thanks for the fabulous challenge. For forcing me to stretch myself beyond what I thought I could do!

Daring once more – Chocolate Valentino Cake for Daring Bakers

When I joined the Daring Baker’s group a few months ago, I knew it wasn’t for the faint hearted. I also knew that I would spend much time each month, wondering whether I would do the challenge or not. It has been a two out of five for me so far. The first challenge I did was a brilliant success. And I was glad I did it. The next two months of craziness in my life meant I missed the next two, I realized I had to do this one. With posting day being the last day of Feb., I finally did the challenge a few days earlier. I didn’t manage to post it till now though. But as they say ‘better late than never’. I have to thank deeba for the nudges she gave me. It was so easy to let this one go. I am just so glad I did it. Hopefully I will aim for a better track record this year with the Daring Baker’s Challenges!!

“The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.”

February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan.

The cake came together easily enough although I was terrified after reading on the forum that many had disasters with the cakes sinking and some ending up with dry cakes. I am not an accomplished baker. And whatever I bake are always no fuss recipes. There’s nothing like “whipping till it stands in stiff peaks” and “fold in gently without deflating” to send me into a tizzy. I just decided to take a call once I actually had a disaster rather than hyperventilating before something happened.

For the ice-cream, since I had little time to experiment, and I wasn’t sure what to pair chocolate with, I reached back for my trusty caramelized banana ice cream that I have made with much success and is a firm favourite at our house. This time, I used cream instead of condensed milk and omitted the raisins. It turned out to be the perfect pair for the Chocolate Valentino cake. I garnished it with slivered almonds and a sprig of mint.

to serve, i placed the small chocolate valentino cake on a plate, dusted some icing sugar on it with a cookie press design as a stencil. placed a scoop of caramelised banana ice cream next to the cake, added a few flakes of almonds and a sprig of fresh mint.

This was a smash hit. The cake sat for about 36 hours before we ate it. so by the time we got to it, it was moist and dense and fabulous. I cannot describe the texture. It was velvety on the tongue. I used a locally available brand of dark chocolate called Marko. It is a no frills brand. And I use it for my chocolate making as well as baking. I must say I loved it. it could give any chocolate valentine made with fancier chocolate a run for its money. I quartered the recipe and made two small cakes in 3 inch pudding ramekins. Firstly because I am on a diet, and we aren’t a very chocolate craving pair. Rather than have a large scale disaster (as I was sure it would be) I wanted to cut my losses.

This I will definitely make again. It was that good. Thanks Wendy and Dharm for a wonderful challenge.

First shot at being a Daring Baker with Caramel Cake

My maiden venture as a Daring Baker!! A group that I always was in awe of… I looked forward to their creations with excitement….and the awe was always reinforced…. Many months ago, while chatting with one such wonderful baker, she asked me to take a shot at it….in an insane moment, I wrote in and asked to be added onto the list of ever growing bakers …. Last month, with diwali and the insanity surrounding chocolate orders, I didn’t do the challenge…. What a bummer, to get added on and then chicken out at the first instance!! So this month, when they announced the challenge, I was sure I wanted to give it a shot at least…better to have tried and failed than not tried at all being the mantra!!

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting that was the challenge thrown to us this month. The caramel cake is the signature cake by Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. The gracious hosts this month are Dolores, Alex, Jenny, and Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go to assist for the gluten free baking advice.

 

The additional “optional” challenge was Alice Medrich’s Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels, with LOTS of variation. Which I didn’t do for many obvious reasons…… I am back at work, in my earlier life of working from home, there were times when I would try and “find something to do” in the afternoons. They now, do not exist. 

I funnily lost track of time and date and kept putting off trying the challenge for every other weekend….yesterday while I chatted with Aparna, I told her I was going to do the challenge on the weekend, she said “tomorrow is posting date” imagine what a kick up my pants that was!! I frantically read through the posts at the forum and realized that I might have to make the caramel syrup a day earlier to make it easier on myself…. With what is happening in Mumbai, we were pretty much glued to the TV and that plan went down the drain……

This morning, I decided to get my act together and began my first challenge as a Daring Baker….. First ahead, was the Caramel Syrup….. with amma (as keyed up as I was) deciding just then to help me….. I mentioned that the other DB I spoke with had said the syrup was too much and had halved it, so I would too…. I stepped out to buy some eggs, and by the time I got back, she had mixed 1 c sugar with ½ c water…halving the amount of sugar, but not reducing the amount of water!! I decided not to add any more sugar and try and use the same….so I cooked and stirred and stirred and it bubbled and boiled and with a cup of water close by, I had all these visions of the molten sugar syrup landing on my hands and scalding me (yeah I am the queen of drama!!) instead, it just became one hard mass of white cement like stuff…. So I added 2 T of water and cooked some more, by this time the syrup had become damn lumpy but was beginning to get nice and golden. I took it off the heat and strained it with a metal strainer…. Then as an afterthought, put back the lumps of sugar onto the fire and watched it caramelize a lovely dark amber…. I read about some DB who ended up with hard rocks of caramel, so I strained this back into the earlier caramel syrup, mixed it a bit, and voila!! I had the most beautiful caramel syrup ready…..

Note to self: don’t sit around till the last minute to do the challenge!!

Then I waited 2 hours for the damn thing to cool till I could make the cake…. made an SOS to another fab baker to clear a few doubts i had…..I followed the cake recipe to the T, and was quite happy with the lovely buttery yellow colour of the batter. I baked one 8×6 rectangular cake, and one small 3inch round one. Since we aren’t too hot on sugary stuff, not that I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I feel rather guilty to indulge in it since amma is a diabetic. I made the smaller one to give my neighbor, and half of the rectangular one will be shared at work with colleagues.

So there it is then, my first challenge as a Daring Baker….. I was more anxious than excited…. But it was a lovely beginning…. I enjoyed this challenge…. I will be making the cake again, minus the frosting!!

Do stop by to see what all the other Daring Bakers have come up with. Dolores, Alex & Jenny thanks for hosting this challenge. Cant wait for the next challenge!!

My take on this Caramel cake:

The cake was lovely…. Buttery, moist and sweet. Will be perfect on its own minus the frosting.

read more for the recipes…………….

Eggless Whole Wheat Flour Pancakes for WBB- Grains in my Breakfast

 

Made from the recipe of the creator of WBB, these very quickly became hot favourite at our breakfast table. They are easy to whip up, contain the wholesome goodness of whole wheat flour and the added kick of iron in the form of jiggery and use no eggs…what could be better? Their fluffiness belies the fact that there’s hardly any fat in them….each time I have made and served them, there’s always been exclamations and praise. Most can’t believe they aren’t made from All Purpose flour….so the next time you want something fast and fabulous, try these whole wheat flour pancakes. They will not disappoint. That’s a promise.

Sesame & Groundnut Chutney Powder

 

I am increasingly getting addicted to podis…in the last 4 months I have never made the same podi twice. I simply cannot stick to the same proportions even if I manage the same ingredients….and this in a way is a good thing…..considering the convenience of having a podi on hand to spice up idlies, dosas, buttered toast or steaming hot rice…….….

I am not a “little by little” person…I am more of a “clean sweep” kind of gal…so when I decide I am going to stand over the kitchen stove to dry roast and powder something, I do it so it lasts atleast 6 weeks…..this works for me cos I can’t see myself repeating the same activity too soon …..so stand and dry roast I will…..but my way….. Most podis will stay fresh for atleast a month…..initially I got half yearly supplies from my MIL and it stayed fresh and fine for several months……anything oily will turn stale…so refrigerate any podi which contains dry coconut, sesame seeds, groundnuts etc if storing for more than 3-4 weeks……

A few months ago I received a lovely package with some fabulous sesame chutney powder from Nandita…we polished it off in record time but I saved the little container it came in for the sticker that had the ingredients printed on it. It was in Marathi, which is similar to hindi I was able to make out what they were (more or less) and I tried to make something similar.

This is my entry to Roma’s Long Live the Shelf event….. hop over to see some time and nerve savers!!