White Chocolate Panna Cotta {Gelatin Free} with Raspberry Sauce

Pictures in this post taken by my friend A who blogs here

Panna Cotta has been a dessert that has captured my imagination for a while now. All those lovely creations accross the blogosphere have not helped either. The very thought of spooning “cooked cream” into my mouth sometimes had me salivating. But you really have to wait for good things to happen sometimes. And I had to make this for myself. I chose low fat cream. Yes I am a wuss that way, but you can go ahead and use full fat if you are feeling indulgent.

I bought a bag of frozen raspberries. I had all these beautiful raspberry filled dreams, till i cut open the bag and found that they had become large lumps of frozen squashed raspberries! Lumps of frozen raspberries are better than no raspberries and so I used them to make a sauce to be poured over the Panna Cotta. You can use any berries of choice, I think strawberries will work great here. as will any fruit preserve. Just thin it down with a little water and heat.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta  {Gelatin Free} with Raspberry Sauce  (makes 3 regular or 6 shotglass (60 ml) servings)

200 ml – fresh cream (I used i small carton amul low fat cream)

150 grams – chopped white chocolate

2 tablespoons - agar agar vanilla flavoured

1/2 cup milk (I used full cream)

In a saucepan, add the cream, milk and chopped chocolate. heat gently on a low flame and bring it to a gentle boil, stirring continuously to help the chopped pieces of chocolate melt. this will take about 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered agar agar to the heated mixture and stir till it has melted into the cream mixture and is thoroughly combined. Take the saucepan off the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. the mixture will begin to start getting thicker, mix it a couple of times to prevent a skin from forming. pour this into small shot glasses or small bowls. cool completely and cover each one with clingfilm.  chill it in the fridge for a minimum of 4-5 hours or overnight. This stays in the fridge for a few days, so is a good make ahead dessert.

Raspberry Sauce

In a saucepan, add 2 cups of raspberries (I used frozen), 3-4 tablespoons of sugar and 1/3 cup of cold water. Heat it on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then to make sure the raspberries are cooking through. the colour will begin to darken and the mixture will vigorously bubble over, take it off the heat and mash thoroughly with the back of a ladle to smash everything together. Cool this mixture for about 15 minutes and then pass it through a soup strainer to remove the seeds. These quantities will make you about 2/3 cup of raspberry sauce. Chill till needed.

To serve the pannacotta, spoon a few teaspoons of the raspberry sauce over the set pannacotta, garnish with mint or basil leaves and serve.

Note:

If you do not have berries of anykind, use 1/4 cup of fruit preserve or jam of choice. Add 1/4 cup of water and heat gently, stirring it to get a thick sauce.

p.s: Pictures used in this post taken by my friend A who blogs here

Beat the Heat Series ~ Aamrakhand

This is an easy to make Indian dessert that uses the seasons offering and my favourite fruit in the world – Mangoes. Following the aam ras of the day before, this is mango shrikhand also called aamrakhad. It is very easy to make and serves both as a low fat (and relatively low sugar) dessert. Tastes great with puris and parathas.

For those of you looking to beat the heat, aamrakhand will be a delicious option, combined with the health of yogurt.

Aamrakhand (makes 6 servings)

2 cups hung yogurt

(i used homemade yogurt from 1 litre skimmed milk. after the curd is set, place a cheesecloth or any other clean very thin fabric over a sieve, place it over a bowl to catch the drip of the whey, pour the curd into the cloth covered sieve and place the vessels in the fridge for atleast 4 hours or overnight to drain out all the water)

1 1/2 cups mango pulp (i used the rasaalu variety)

10-12 teaspoons of sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the mango pulp – use powdered sugar for ease of mixing)

1/2 teaspoon of finely powdered green cardamom

a few tablespoons of sliced almonds for the garnish (also can use crushed pistachios or leave out completely)

place all the ingredients except the almonds in a bowl and whip with a whisk or a ladle till everything is incorporated and it has a nice creamy texture. chill for atleast an hour before serving. spoon out individual portions in serving bowls, garnish with sliced almonds (or any other nuts of your choice). sprinkle a little cardamom powder for an additional touch. serve as dessert, or with hot puris or parathas.

Beat the Heat Series ~ Caramel Custard

My childhood memories are full of caramel custard as this was a dessert amma used to make very often. It was easy enough to rustle up and special enough to make an entry when we had guests. Also caramel custard is very well liked, and is naturally a good choice when you need to make dessert for guests. This can be made ahead and refrigerated and so eases labour on the actual day of entertaining.

This is one of the easiest desserts to make and is a good way to use up extra milk and leftover bread. Around the time that I was trying to use up the frozen milk that had piled up in the fridge, caramel custard was one of the things I made. When I was browsing online I found many recipes that bake the custard in a water bath in the oven. Amma usually used to steam cook this in the pressure cooker, without the whistle (which is also the way I used to make it). This time I decided to oven bake. I was quite pleased with the results.

I made this with eggs, since they were going to be cooked anyways J. I want to try an eggless version soon.

Sending this out to a foodie event after what seems like years!! off to valli’s Thanda Mela

Caramel Custard (serves 2-3)

3 cups of milk (I used 3%)

2 slices bread, torn into bite sized bits, stale is good

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 eggs (I used one, feel free to add two)

8 tablespoons sugar, 6 for the caramel, 2 for the custard

A large pinch of cinnamon powder (optional but very good)

Take a shallow metal baking dish that will hold about 500 mls. Add the 6 tablespoons of sugar to it, heat on a low flame, holding it up with a pair of tongs, till the sugar is caramelized. Tilt it around to spread the caramel evenly around the base of the vessel. Take off the heat and set aside to cool and set.

In a saucepan, heat the milk, add the sugar (2 tablespoons) and mix well to dissolve. When lukewarm, add the vanilla, cinnamon, eggs and whisk well till well blended. Add the bread and mix again. Leave f9or about 5 minutes to settle and for the bread to absorb the liquid. Pour this mixture into the pan with the caramel . Preheat the oven to 180 C. Pour about an inch of water in a baking sheet, place the dish with the custard mixture in this vessel  and bake about 20 minutes, till set and slightly browning on top. Remove from the oven, cool and refrigerate atleast 4 hrs or overnight. To serve, run a knife around the edges of the pan, place a plate, face down on the pan, upturn and gently tap to release onto a plate. Serve cold.

Eggless Banana Strawberry Icecream

A few days ago, i had to take Amma to finish some random errands, bank, pension, etc which was going to eat up the whole day. Since i live in the new part of town, and we had to drive almost 35kms to get all of this done, we also planned to drop in and visit anyone she  needed to visit and who is on that route to minimise travelling again.

We drove through the older part of Hyderabad, where I grew up and went to school and college, the house I grew up in….congested, crazy and ‘gone to the dogs’ with chaos….. the memories that came flooding back….. i saw my old school….. the place i used to go for tuitions, the market we went to pick up fruit and vegetables…..some of the old houses, still there, jostling for space with the swanky new Barista and Dominos pizza place….

Hitech City, where i live, has its own character…. gargantuan buildings of glass and steel, new buildings choc a block with the old ones which were part of the colonies that used to be considered the outskirts of what was then the city limits…. we have more organised traffic, better laid out colonies and yet, sometimes i feel i don’t live in Hyderabad…. i’ve written about this before too….

As we ticked off one task after another and were driving back home, we passed by this whole street full of fruit….i couldn’t resist stopping to pick some up…. 5 small boxes of strawberries, chickoos, oranges….each one chosen with care. i now don’t haggle with roadside vendors cos i pay much much more in the stores i usually buy from….

Amma like me, cannot resist vegetable and fruit buying and was happy with the purchases, yet said we’d picked two highly perishables…the strawberries and chickoos…and so the next day, she set up shop to wash, hull and chop the strawberries to be frozen so i could have some breathing space while i decided how i wanted to use them….

The chickoos didn’t last long and were the first to go…. the strawberries, went into one of my favourite Baskin Robbins flavour… strawberry banana icecream which i have made many times before, but its never made it to the blog because it doesn’t last to be photographed……..this too was the last two scoops!!

All through the summer, i am planning to crib less about the heat, and make use of all the fruit that surrounds us… melons, mangoes, chickoos and oranges… am going to try my hand at sorbets and icecreams and frozen yogurt…..

Strawberry and Banana Icecream (eggless)

200 ml fresh cream (i used 25% fat)

1 cup milk (i used 3%)

1 large banana / 1 cup banana, peeled and sliced

1 cup hulled and chopped strawberries

2/3 cup granulated sugar (adjust according to sweet quotient)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon strawberry essence (optional)

1 tablespoon vodka (optional, helps set the ice cream better)

In a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the sliced banana and add the lemon juice and cook on high for 2 mins. Add the strawberries, mix and cook for 1 min. Remove and cool.

In the blender jar of a mixie, add all the ingredients including the cooked fruit and whizz for 1 minute or till everything becomes like a really thick milkshake.

Pour it in a plastic jar with a wide mouth and tight fitting lid and set in the freezer. Check 4-5 times after every hour and whisk with a fork or an immersion blender to remove icicles. After the last time of whisking, leave to set about 1-2 hrs before serving. Since there are no artificial stabilizers in this ice cream, icicles tend to form if stored for longer periods of time.

Serve plain or with strawberry sauce (recipe below)

strawberry sauce:

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

2-3 tablespoons sugar

2-3 tablespoons water

Mix everything together in a heavy bottom pan, bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes till it becomes thick. Cool and serve with icecream. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.

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.

Cheesecake cheesecake… which colour do you choose?

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

While I didn’t wait till the end of the month to do the challenge, I certainly took my time in posting…. Well… I’d be totally out of character if I didn’t trip in after the deadline ended…without offering anymore blah about the how’s and why’s lets just say I really loved this challenge.

To begin with, blueberry cheesecake, that of the classic and now legendary status is my favourite kind. I wallop it every time I have half a chance. Which is everytime we are in a place that can use imported canned blue berries, translated into fancy very expensive places…not to mention cream cheese which is still very difficult to get in india even if you are willing to sell an arm to pay for it!

I’ve always wanted to make it and have scoured the internet and books for recipes. The ones which allow you to use a substitute for cream cheese are overflowing in my bookmarked file. Yeah I am quite the hoarder and never really got down to actually making a cheesecake ever… so when I saw the April challenge, I hoped the dry spell would finally end.

The idea was to be creative….and I went a little berserk… I tried three flavours, cos I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to make. From strawberry, caramel, lemon, chocolate and orange, I weaned myself away and chose black currant, irish coffee and plain simple vanilla. I had a blast. I used a few substitutions and baked mine without the water bath.

I used a mix of curd cheese and tofu and made mine eggless. They turned out great. I will be trying out all the flavours I gave up to choose the ones I finally did. Thanks jenny for a superb challenge. I will think of you every time I make a cheesecake now…

This is the recipe I used. I’ve adapted it from several online sources

Cheesecake (makes 8-10 slices – 8 inch round pan)

For the Crust

1 ½ biscuit crumbs (I used digestive marie biscuits)

2 T sugar

3 T melted  unsalted butter

In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the crust, press gently into the baking dish. Set aside.

I made 10 servings using disposable aluminium casseroles. 2 Single serving ones for the black currant and  larger ones (to serve 4) for the irish coffee and vanilla.

For the Cheesecake

200 gms tofu (firm is the only kind I found)

1 ½ c curd cheese (in a large strainer, cover with a thin cloth such as muslin and place about 4 cups of curd/ yogurt, place in the fridge overnight to remove the whey, the result is firm like cheese)

2 T corn flour

2/3 C Fresh Cream (low fat)

1 T lemon juice

1 T vanilla essence / extract

2/3 c sugar

I added all the ingredients to a blender jar and pulsed on low for about 8 minutes. Checking in between and adding a Tablespoon of water once. The result was an incredibly creamy mixture with a slight tang (from the lemon juice) that I had to stop myself from licking.

Dividing the mixture into 3 parts, I added the flavours and blended well before pouring it into the prepared crust and baking at 175 centigrade for 40 minutes without a water bath. I left it to cool and then chilled it overnight in the fridge before cutting and serving.

Variations:

Black Currant: add 1/3 C of black currant squash to the cheesecake batter and blend well, pour into a prepared crust and bake.

Irish Coffee and whiskey: dividing the batter into two equal parts, i added 3 T of  readymade Irish  coffee sauce and 1 T whiskey to one half and 6 T irish coffee sauce to the other half and poured them into the crust to make a two toned cheesecake.

My verdict:

I loved the black currant and irish coffee. The plain vanilla was too plain when compared to the other two. I should have baked them a little longer I think cos they sort of sank a bit in the middle after cooling. Anyone knows why that happened? the texture was beautiful and creamy. The black currant was in a smaller container and may have overcooked a bit.

Read on for the original recipe here. Do also check out what my fellow Daring Bakers have been upto. The array is stunning!

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.

Mango Parfait – Simple yet super sexy!!

 

i know mangoes arent in season….and i really dont want anyone lunging for my throat for posting something like this when there’s just about a chill in the air, atleast in the part of the world i live in!! while i made this with frozen mango puree that i made and stocked up on when the luscious fruit was flooding the markets here….i am sure this will be a great dessert to make with anyother fruit that is in season….i am thinking of Custard apples and peaches…of course not together!!

Girlfriends over for lunch means a fun time, gossiping and generally catching up……I was having a few friends over for lunch on a monday afternoon….this was because two of us were relatively free only on that one day…..with the kind of work one begins the week with, its hardly the most ideal time for a luncheon……but it was now or not for a very long time….and we jumped at the idea…..

Though I have a chronic sweet tooth, I don’t make many desserts…..this blog is testament to that…..and I didn’t plan to this afternoon either…..till a chat exchange happened with deeba…... A few sheepish exchanges later I was convinced I should serve dessert……whats was best about this, is that it was so easy to put together……ofcourse when  she told me it was very easy to do, I didn’t want to buy it!! for someone who makes the most awesome looking desserts and gateaus, anything would be easy……but I was blown over!!

So take out that electric whisk and whip the life out of chilled cream till it stands up on edge!! And then sit back to enjoy the taalis!!

The best Shrikhand there is ……Jaiphal Shrikhand

sorry Aparna, for not posting this on time

i made this a couple of weeks ago….and don’t ask me why i didn’t post….. its the same story with many other missed deadlines for many foodie events…..i can write another few posts on that…..

shrikhand is one of the most wholesome and yet easy desserts that can be made…..while there are many kinds….both home made and commercial, with dry fruit, fresh fruit and various flavourings…….splattered with nuts and / or slivered fruit….. Jaiphal or Nutmeg Shrikhand is my absolute favourite, without any embelleishments, becuase quite frankly it doesnt need any of those…..and for this, i can fight off any number of people that disagree with me….i mean its pretty simple…..just feed them a spoon……

this is off to Aparna’s Diverse Kitchen, which is guest hosting “Think Spice – Think Nutmeg” this month, this event is the brainchild of Sunita

to make this

2 cups hung / greek yogurt ( i used low fat)

4 T powdered sugar

1/2 t finely grated nutmeg powder

mix all of the ingredients together till well incorporated. chill and serve. i added more grated nutmeg for the picture…..what is given in the recipe is sufficient to flavour it.

Trifle pudding

Amma and her sister peddi were big clippers and collectors of recipes…..peddi worked as the Assistant Librarian of a huge library and often, magazines and periodicals trashed by the library would make it to the house….also at church there was a library run by the womens group….people would borrow books and magazines and also donate what they had already read…..plus there were the recipes in the daily newspapers…..womens weekly, womens world and some other foreign magazines I vividly remember…..i think somewhere on my loft, still is an ageing file with yellowing cutouts from years of this indulgence…..Not just recipes, they would collect knitting patterns, sewing projects and household tips…

Every once in a not so often while we’d have western style puddings, cakes, stewed fruit, jams and marmalades, casseroles, meatloaf, roast etc….….(they said it helped preserve the excitement and exclusivity of the preparation….but I think it was more to do with the time they had and the availability of ingredients….) we’d eagerly wait for a festive occasion, birthdays in particular cos we could request what we wanted….and hope that foreign returning relatives would be invited for a meal where the food laid out would be kicked up a few notches to suitably impress the relatives!! I always loved this extra dressed up meal….the stainless steel utensils would be swapped for my grandmother’s precious dinner set(the guests had to be really important to get this out of the cupboard!!)…or sundry glass bowls would make an appearance …. What we would be eating from was fully dependent on who would be eating with us!!

In all of this, trifle puddings were my absolute favourite…I think it was because it contained almost 4 of my favourite desserts….cake, custard, jelly and fruit!! Think amma also chose it based on the fact that most of it could be made the previous day, and two of them, the jelly and custard is made from a packet….. and simply assembled in a jiffy when needed…..infact the cake would be made a couple of days earlier ..…. I’d hang on…under the guise of “helping”….watching hawk like if any goldspot (fizzy orange drink like fanta….made in india, but the company was bought over by coco cola) was left in the bottle so I could get a few sips…. (no we grew up not surrounded by fizzy drinks…it was a really rare treat)…..extra custard, extra jelly and fruit would be devoured….all this for peeling a few oranges and apples!! I think I developed my sweet jaw from childhood, because I don’t have many memories of food….though all good….but I distinctly remember occasions by the desserts served….and I would wolf down my food (getting as subtle as possible glares from amma) and wait impatiently for dessert…… I think I can choke on the memories (not the custard silly) every time I make a trifle pudding!!

This one was made when we had some friends over for dinner….i could have avoided the cream looking like a lump on top had i not squirted it directly from the carton!! in the hurry to finish taking a picture, I didn’t get the best ones….orange flavoured jelly is my favourite….i siphoned off the leftovers and substituted them for dinner on two consecutive nights!!