Chocolate Making Classes – 5th Dec, Hyderabad

Hear ye Chocoholics,

register for the next class of basic chocolate making on 5th dec at hyderabad. Leave a comment on this post and i will get back to you. seats on a first come first saved basis only.

Learn to make Exclusively Handcrafted Chocolates in assorted flavours at the Culinary Escapades Workshop.

Location: Hyderabad

Duration of workshop: 2 1/2  hrs

Varieties of chocolate: 12 assorted (dark, milk, white, dry fruits, nuts, flavoured, soft centred)Workshop takeaways: Recipe Booklet, samples of all the chocolates made (250 gms per head)

it is a fully hands on workshop.

Eggless Wholewheat Banana Choco Chunk Bread

Yeah that title’s quite a mouthful and well worth it too.

Like most others, we end up with a couple of bananas outliving their firm and blemishless skin. Earlier they would land up in the trash can, who wants to deal with the overripe smell of blackened shrivelling bananas in the house. But ever since i realised i could freeze them discreetly and use them straight from the  freezer, i have baked with them happily. This banana loaf too was one such. The original recipe won me over with the lovely brown colour of the loaf, and although it didn’t call for choco chips, i just added them. I know chocolate and banana is a classic combo, but lets just say i’ve arrived rather late at the party!!

I am not very adventurous yet when it comes to baking and i would rather follow a recipe than end up with time and energy (of the appliances too) wasted. This recipe called for eggs, i substituted that with 4 tablespoons of plain homemade yogurt. So you could choose whichever version you want. The slivered almonds were an addition i made in vain. I had them on hand and need to use them before they turn rancid, but K painstakingly picked them out of the cake before he ate it!

The original recipe is adapted from Molly Wizenberg’s “A Homemade Life” and calls for browned butter, in my case that would just be melted ghee that i had at home. The second time i made this (oh yeah its now a favourite and i have made it several times) i just used vegetable oil and trust me, there’s hardly any difference that you will notice.

Its a day late, but you started the trend and now how can i not reciprocate? dear dear friend, name sake and sharer of too many kumbh ka mela type of similarities, Happy Happy birthday and wishing you the best that life has to offer always! and also to my friends S and R who together complete a decade together, with one great creation of A and another very special one to complete your lives….Happy Anniversary and Many more wonderful years together…

the cake tin is courtesy a gift thoughtfully given and carried all the way from the US by P, my friend from school. when she found i was writing this blog, she wrote to me and said she wanted to bring me something that i could use for my cooking / baking. i chose a baking set. her hubby works for this company and she refused to allow me to pay for it. this is my small way of saying thanks….i’ve had it for many months now and am excited each time i use it… thanks babe!!

Brown Butter Banana Bread
the recipe below is my version of the one posted on Amateur Gourmet

Ingredients:

6 Tbs (3 oz.) melted ghee or refined vegetable oil
2 cups Whole wheat atta/ flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon candied ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tblsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 large ripe bananas)
1/4 cup well-stirred buttermilk

¼ cup slivered almonds

½ cup of dark chocolate chopped into small chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brown Butter: If you are using browned butter, put butter in a skillet or a small pot and melt it on a relatively low heat. Swirl that pot or pan around as it goes and it’ll foam up and it’ll start browning. When the butter turns a lovely shade of brown, take it off the heat immediately and let cool.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (9 X 5 inches) with cooking spray or butter.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the baking soda, the salt, the ginger and the cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, beat the yogurt with a fork; then add the mashed banana, the buttermilk, the cooled brown butter, and vanilla and stir to mix well.

Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula until it’s just combined (don’t overmix).

Scrape it into the baking pan and smooth the top with the spatula and bake about 50 mins to 1 hr. Testing till a skewer comes out clean

…and bake it in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a tester comes out pretty clean. (Mine took more than an hour, actually, and still wasn’t fully clean when tested, but I stopped so the ends didn’t dry out.)

Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes then tip out on to the rack and, as Molly says, “let it cool completely before slicing–unless you absolutely can’t help yourself, in which case, dig in.”

Bangalore – Chocolate Classes 20th June

Dear Chocoholics,

After many delays, I am pleased to announce that Chocolate Making Classes will be scheduled in Bangalore on 20th and 22nd June. Please leave a comment or email me on arundati(dot)rao(at)gmail(dot)com to register. Seats on a first come first serve basis.

What will be covered in the Workshop: Types of chocolate, melting and handling of chocolate, equipments required, storage, making techniques, moulding techniques, packing and presentation.  It is a fully hands on workshop, so come prepared to have fun with Chocolate!

Duration of workshop: 3 hrs

Date for the Class: Saturday, 20th June 2009 and Monday, 22nd June 2009

Timing: 10.30 a.m to 1.30 a.m

Venue: 302 Tropical Homes Apartment, GM Palya, Byrasandra Road, (landmark: Nandini Bakery Lane), Bangalore

Varieties of chocolate: 12 assorted (dark, milk, white, dry fruits, nuts, flavoured, soft centred)

Workshop takeaways: Recipe Booklet, samples of all the chocolates made (250 gms per head)

Cheers!!

Arundati

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.

Hyderabad Chocolate Workshop – 8th Nov

Dear Chocolate Enthusiasts, 

For all those who called and emailed regarding the next workshop, it will be on 8th Nov 2008 at hyderabad. please email me for registrations, details regarding the fees etc. Limited seats still available. The details are as follows:

Class duration: 3 hrs starting at 10.30 a.m till 1.30 p.m

Date: 8th Nov 2008

Venue: Kondapur, Opp Botanical Gardens

Contact: email at arundati.rao@gmail.com

Registrations for workshop on 8th Nov at Hyderabad

Dear Chocolate Enthusiasts, 

For all those who called and emailed regarding the next workshop, it will be on 8th Nov 2008 at hyderabad. please email me for registrations, details regarding the fees etc. Limited seats still available. The details are as follows:

Class duration: 3 hrs starting at 10.30 a.m till 1.30 p.m

Date: 8th Nov 2008

Venue: Kondapur, Opp Botanical Gardens

Contact: email at arundati.rao@gmail.com

Chocolate Making Classes

Learn to make Exclusively Handcrafted Chocolates in assorted flavours at the Culinary Escapades Workshop. Drop me a line to schedule your turn.

Location: Hyderabad

Duration of workshop: 4 hrs

Classes conducted on (days): Flexible

Varieties of chocolate: 12 assorted (dark, milk, white, dry fruits, nuts, flavoured, soft centred)

Workshop takeaways: Recipe Booklet, samples of all the chocolates made (250 gms per head)

it is a fully hands on workshop. group classes can be organised for corporates and working communities as per the requirement.

so drop me a line here as a comment or mail me at arundati(dot)rao(at)gmail(dot)com and i will be happy to answer any other questions you have.

Baking Escapades# 16 – in sickness and in health…..with a bit of chocolate….

Ever wished someone would surprise you with something totally unexpected (in a good unexpected) way? I wish… a lot of times…when I have a bad cold, I wish someone would knock my door and offer me strong ginger tea….at work I wish someone sent me flowers (k wooed me with this trick)…a surprise trip, tickets to a movie….anything…something to brighten me when I am feeling low…or take my high to the next level when I am anyways happy….

Then one day I thought, instead of waiting for someone to surprise me…why not I do it for others? I know its better said than done…..so food gifts for friends….handmade and handwritten cards….chocolates by the kilo (but naturally!! For a chocolatier this is expected!!)…keeps me happy and believing that what goes around, comes around!! (Eventually at least!!)

P: who taught me to make Punjabi chole, was having a bad week….her one year old was sick for weeks and people with kids will know what a toll it takes on the parents….just watching her care for a crying, clinging baby gave me the shivers…worse still she got sick…..the same week, was her Wedding Anniversary….what looked like a quiet celebration for two, quickly went down the drain….and she was just happy to be able to have a quick bath that day!! So I decided to make a small cake and surprise her…I had no idea how it would turn out and decided to take a call once I made it….to say that I agonized over it…is an understatement……because I had planned on icing it…and after many near misses, ended up with this!! Lets just say that visually there was a long way for me to go…the taste and texture of the cake was great…but the frosting got the better of me!! I used milk chocolate instead of dark / bitter chocolate and didn’t end up with the colour that I wanted….

P and her hubby were really surprised and I think the look on their faces totally made my day……

The Cake recipe is from Tarla Dalal’s book / website and can be found here. I made one cake in an 7 inch round tin. Once the cake was cooled on a wire rack, I sliced the cake into 3 slices.

I used the recipe from the same site to make whipped cream, but made only half the quantity.

Reserving half the whipped cream for chocolate icing, spread the plain whipped cream onto the layers and sandwich them together.

Melt about ½ cup of grated or finely chopped dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave ( I didn’t have dark chocolate so I used milk chocolate, hence the lighter colour). Stir to remove any lumps. Cool for 5-7 minutes. Fold into the whipped cream. Spread it over the cake, on the outside and on top. Decorate as desired.

I tried out some greetings in script with the same chocolate whipped cream…it was very pale and to highlight it, I dusted the cake with powdered sugar.

Chill atleast an hour to set. Remove from the fridge atleast 15 mins before serving.

other chocolate recipes from this blog you may like

Deep Dark Chocolate cake with frosting

Chocolate Pinwheels

Chocolate Almond Brownie

Vanilla-Orange zest cup cakes with Chocolate Ganache

I have been going cupcake crazy since a while now….and Iove baking these little cups of joy….however, since I don’t live life by the blog….most of what I have been making never makes it here anyways…..its a joyous thing to have them demolished as soon as they are out of the oven (which is happening most of the time) and there is absolutely no chance to take pictures etc…..

these I made to take to a friend’s place and though both k and I like ours plain, on this occasion I dressed them up with some chocolate ganache piped onto it because they were meant for someone else…..the long and short of the story is that we got to honour the invitation we had…..something else came up and we had to cancel…..but thanks to the intended visit, the cupcakes got all dressed up and photographed

pink jimmies on chocolate curls

i went a little berserk with the icing bag in hand!!

While I love doing different things with cupcakes like adding fruit or nuts or different flavours, this time I stuck to plain vanilla with some orange peel….the recipe is from joyofbaking it called for lemon zest which i didnt have on hand (damn bottled lemon juice) so i added orange zest which i had….. it was so comforting and the flavours so uncluttered! The verdict was two thumbs up!!

Baking Escapade # 15 – Giving a gift….of love

One of the things I have been thinking about increasingly, is how people lived before technology completely took over their lives…..put me within closed doors for a day with no internet, telephone and oh ok…as a last option, the television and you will come back to a really mad person….. I myself am a product of the generation before and after cell phones….i should know!! Hell I worked in telecom for a good 6 years!! and am amazed, that for a nation that took almost a century to get used to a landline phone, we took to cell phones with a vengeance….yet I don’t think life will come to a standstill with or without one of these gizmos…. For one till a few months ago I refused to carry one after quitting my telecom job where it was company given and hence compulsory……….( I am referring to cell phones merely as a technological application that’s become integral to our lives…..i am sure the internet, ipods and other such have as big starring roles)

Have you off late observed people when they wait? At coffee shops, airport lounges, bus stops, on the road, at malls, at theatres…just about anywhere at all…..9 out of 10 times, they will be talking, messaging, playing a game on or simply fiddling with their phones (most likely) or laptops or ipods if they are carrying one…..no one just sits fiddling with nothing (and no we won’t consider pocket billiards played by the men folk)…doing nothing…. Just plain and simple waiting….have we become unable to manage our time, or solitude? I don’t know….. I know I get damn restless if I don’t have my phone nearby, cos I don’t know what the day entails (I am a queen of to – do’s remember?), what reminders I have set for myself…..what a disaster the day will be if I don’t remember them all….

So at such a time……when you can’t deny that technology has made it so much easier ( hell I am a blogger no??) ……….it’s such a refreshing thing to celebrate the birthday of my aunt….my mother’s cousin…she completed 86 years a few weeks ago…..lets call her E……a remarkable lady, now frail but (touchwood) in great health….she’s someone I marvel at….except for shaky teeth and very little hair, and of course wrinkled skin, she has no ailments….no diabetes or blood pressure or even a problem with her eyesight!! She’s lived a tough life….bringing up and supporting a large family of siblings, taking whatever lemons life threw at her and making lemonade…..marrying, having children, seeing them grow and spread their wings……they are grandparents now…..rarely will you see her without her smile…..always a kind word….she will even enquire if my mother in law’s maid is regular ( and not in an intrusive manner)….full of love and concern…go to visit her and every other sentence will be punctuated with “what will you eat ma? Have something no?”…what I find most remarkable about her is her ability to remember dates, wedding anniversaries, death anniversaries, birthdays etc of more than 100 people….without any calendar, reminder or to do list……anyone in the family is sick and E is the first one to make an appearance, bearing fruit (or whatever else you can eat)…..death in the family and she will be by your side to keep vigil and comfort you….and difficult as it may be…..has been faithfully attending church twice every week for almost all her life…..and I am not talking about lip service….she will kneel and pray for family and the huge extensions for more than an hour twice a day…..i don’t look at it as a question of faith or the lack of it…even as a practice, imagine kneeling!! For an hour…..imagine that kind of passion for what you believe in!! She’s like a ready reckoner!! If you are confused about how you are related to so and so…..can’t remember an important date or occasion, need a ear to listen to you or anything else that others don’t have the time for, E is my one stop shop….my lady for all seasons!!

I baked this cake for her…and she couldn’t believe I made it at home….she doesn’t know that I blog, so I didn’t tell her she will be making an appearance….happy birthday!!

p.s: Aunty E’s birthday was on the 25th of march….and i wrote this post, overwhelmed by our meeting a day later…..it lay languishing in my drafts, till yesterday, i saw the theme for JFI which is love…..i think there can be not better entry from me than this….so off this goes….to JFI which is celebrating Love….what a fantastic theme…what is food if not prepared with love?? JFI is the brainchild of Indira, this month being hosted by two wonderful women Pratibha and Jigyasa at Pedatha…..

p.s: in other stories (which will make this post even more lengthy!!) i have been swamped, stumped and drowned with love and appreciation!! this beautiful lady and i have discovered each other with a vengeance, a day is incomplete without us saying hello…and much time has been spent chatting (on the internet) on stuff which makes us believe we are in the same room, sitting accross each other with cups of chai (hurrah for the virtual world….err i know this is in total contradiction to how my post began)…..i got this wonderful package with some heady stuff from her….methkoot powder (in the bottle, sans the lid….i had to open it before i could take the pic…my mother was hounding me for a taste), some yummy sesame-peanut chutney powder, mango murrabba (which is a sun dried pickle), an assortment of flavoured teas, and seeds of african marigold which she says “will bloom into the brightest of orange flowers” (amen)….when they do nan, they will fill my home with your love…..thanks….

the second one was most unexpected…..my dear namesake, tantalised me with a comment, then on

chat,shealso called me and i didnt believe it was her, also i was in the middle of some shopping, so i think i was a tad rude…..but the gift from gurgaon stumped me totally….i came home after an ill planned afternoon(scorching at 41 degrees C) shopping trip, dehydrated by the heat and disgusted by the autowallahs to find a parcel on the table…..for a flash second i thought it was self addressed….then realised it was not….apart from the same name, we share the most bizzarely similar emotional and personal qualities…..down to our handwriting!! she saw this post of mine and wanted to let me know….and built the package around it!! a pack of my beloved potato flakes, some all purpose cooking paste, fake chicken legs (oh!! she remembered from our first conversation!!) and home made yummy nankhatais (which again didnt make it to the pic cos they got demolished)

and now to Deeba, my dear dear friend, inspirational baker, super mom and enthusiastic comrade!! one mail and i was presented with a gift of the most wondrous Thai basil….and before i could write a post to thank her, she gives me this award…with some kind words too…..the basil is growing well and so is my admiration for her…..this is the second award from Deeba…thank you girl!! you sure sent me into the orbit of happiness with this one!! muaah!! (there will be another post to pass this on…)

woo hooo…i think this is enough love to spin me around for a while….so i will put a fullstop here and leave you with the recipe for the cake!!