Weave a Thousand Flavors

A Prayer, Answered : Rustic Butternut Squash & Spinach Quiche

At the heart of this recipe is a conviction,

Food will not meet it's death in my refrigerator

Nothing fires me up more than the thought of my refrigerator turning into a icy coffin for those wayward bits of veggies that have been neglected in the bottom tray below the bottom shelf. I am sure it feels half way to Hades down there.

Bits of vegetables and what-nots continue to rear there heads unexpectedly which goes to show that I am obviously not in control of my pantry and fridge. Though my body and soul may have recovered from my bout of recent  PTGS - Post Traumatic Guest Syndrome, my fridge obviously hasn't.

I hope Mum isn't reading this because if she is, I expect the phone will ring any time...now.

I am therefore determined to put half the butternut squash and spinach to good use, before one gets moldy and the other wilty. if you don't know which ones going to do what I suggest you spend a lot more time with your greens...and start a multivitamin  regime immediately.

For me the thought of a root vegetable quiche is exciting at so many levels -think buttery flaky crust nestling sweet roasted butternut squash, roasted red onions and spinach is a creamy parmesan custard. Not quite sure it will work but we're nothing if not daring!

Now you know me enough to know I will always advocate making your own crust but just this once I don't want to scare your away and keep you from experiencing this mind-blowingly delicious quiche so alright, buy a store pie crust if you must...sigh..

ALFAJORES De Dulce De Leche Cookies from Argentina

Meet Argentina's favorite street food - Alfajores.

Think Buttery Shortbreads Sandwiched with Caramel & Rolled in Coconut Flakes

Though there are many variations of this cookie all throughtout South America, the most common fillings are chocolate, dulce de leche & jam. As Dulce de Leche goes, you can of course go the super market route but  as it's all the better home made.

How to make dulce de leche at home? Follow the cooked can method in one of my previous posts. You can make one can at a time but why bother when they'll keep for a long time in the pantry, unopened or refrigerated.

I first got hooked to these darlings as we continued to frequent our favorite Argentinian  gelato place Dolcezza in Georgetown Washington D.C for their superlative gelatos, coffees and of course Alfajores. Just so you know, Argentinian gelato varies from it's Italian cousin in that's its creamier and made without eggs.

These cookies are all the rage during the holidays of course but since when do you need an excuse to enjoy these treats? These are even better when dunked in dulce de leche as you enjoy them with your cuppa.

That's what we've been doing all Sunday afternoon!

Rise of the Souffle ~ Horseradish Cheddar Souffle

“The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you're afraid of it.”     

- James Beard

In my humble opinion, Souffles are perhaps one of  the most astonishing culinary feat to come out of French kitchen.    

    

It is also one of the most feared. A test of true grit of the cook & technique. Which is why it is also one of the most satisfying, self-congratulatory dishes one can ever prepare. I will be lying if I tell you that before I begin a souffle, I don't say a little prayer. Because when it comes to some things in life we can use all the help we can get.          

    

Don't get me wrong - it's not difficult to make at all and the fact that it takes only a handful of ingredients to make leaves me gobsmacked. Because when you do take the first bite of that airy, fluffy, ever so light & delicate souffle, it is nothing short of an orchestra or a 12 gun salute going off in your mouth.    

    

I think an orchestra is a perfect analogy for a souffle. A sum of parts to a make an exquisite whole.   A perfect souffle begins with a perfect dish. It must be round, it must have flutes and the bottom must be unglazed.

And my 12 cup Emile Henry souffle dish is perfect because the burgundy clay it is made of ensures even browning. The ridges on the side add to the surface area as well as the unglazed bottom all aid in maximum heat absorption for that perfect end result.    

    

Also, I am about to inaugurate one of my most coveted kitchen appliances - The Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. How I have been swooning over this electric hunk of a bowl for over 2 years and finally, I have it! Thanks to my dear friend Beth, our friendship that has endured over a decade which makes this gift all the more special.    

    

Now that we have the perfect dish & the perfect appliance to do the job, the next  important piece of the puzzle is the perfect recipe. Let me tell you friends - you'll be hard pressed to find a recipe that does not begin with roux - you know whisking flour in hot butter to make a Bechamel sauce.    

    

And here is where sheer genius of technique steps in - Richard Grausman in his recipe,  as detailed in At Home With The French Classics,  takes a short cut - gasp! And one that as you can see renders an incredible, upwardly mobile Souffle without the unnecessary rue of dealing with roux.

So without further ado lets get to it!

Goofball Alert, Homemade Toffee {Dulce de Leche} & Banoffee Pie from England

Banoffee pie which as the name suggests is essentially a shortcrust pastry topped with homemade toffee filling i.e. dulce de leche, bananas and whipped cream is an English classic.

It is also a recipe that shouldn't be made by goofballs!

By that I mean, people who cannot, will not or simply don't believe in following directions to save their lives, people who leave stuff on the stove and fall asleep or worse walk out the door for a shopping spree.

What's really getting my knickers in a twist is this bit - the homemade toffee, dulce de leche which is essential as the filling.

How to make home made dulce de leche a.k.a toffee filling?

It involves these steps to be followed meticulously - The evening before fixing the pie, roughly 3 hours before going to bed:

1) Use 2 unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk

2) Use a large stock pot and immerse the 2 unopened cans of condensed milk in water. Make sure there is 9 inches of water above the surface of the cans. Cover the stockpot with a tight fitting lid.

3) On medium high heat, simmer the cans for 3 hours. Use a timer to keep track.

4) On the hour, every hour, keep checking to ensure there is at least 6 inches of water above the top of the cans. Replace with hot water as needed.

Goofball alert!* 
It is absolutely vital to top up the pot of boiling water as needed during the cooking process. 3 hours is a long time and if allowed to boil dry, the cans will explode guaranteeing a trip to E.R. with risk to life, limbs and kitchen ceilings!

5) After 3 hours, turn the stove off, leave well alone and go to bed.

6) Remove the cans from the water the next morning, open and what you will end up with is this -

......absolutely perfect, delicious, creamy soft toffee, dulce de leche filling

And this dearies is step uno to this ~

 

Absolutely decadent & Utterly Delicious Banoffee Pie

Invented in East Sussex, England at the Hungry Monk in 1972, Banoffee Pie is even rumored to be Margaret Thatcher’s favourite pudding. The recipe followed in this post is based on the original recipe from the publication ‘The Deeper Secrets of the Hungry Monk’ in 1974. 

There are cooks who advocate cooking the condensed milk in a pyrex dish for hours in the oven but in my experience it results in a tough and hard toffee filling that is impossible to cut through once the pie is chilled and at the risk of your teeth falling out of your head.

The 'cooked can' method used here to make the toffee is widely used all over the U.K and is original to the 'Hungry Monk' recipe.

Cook's Note - The toffee, dulce de leche can be made a week in advance and stored in a airtight plastic container in the refrigerator till ready to use. Unopened cans of toffee  (the cooked cans) can be stored in the pantry cabinet for upto 3 months and is a great way to always have the fixings of Banoffee pie at hand for that last minute craving or unannounced company.

Palak Pakoras ~ Indian Style Spiced Spinach & Chickpea Fritters

 
The fact that I am fixing Palak Pakoras must mean one and only one thing ~ it's raining cats and dogs & pails!

In fact it gets much much worse. Tonight's forecast reads verbatum from the National Weather Service is as follows....

.........WINTRY MIX OF RAIN AND SLEET CHANGING OVER TO SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS... 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET.

So you see, pakoras it is! Pakoras and rain (or sleet) go together like Jack and Jill, cucumber and dill, Lewis and Clarke....you get the drift.

Growing up in India, I urge you to find me one family that didn't wake up on a cold rainy morning to the words "Pakora aur chai ho jaaye" which loosely translates into " Pakoras and tea it is!". Call it cultural, I call it utterly delicious.

What's not to love of besan, a chickpea batter flavored with whole spices like coriander and carom seeds, red chillies and turmeric into which is nestled fresh spinach leaves, fresh ginger and onions, globs of which are dropped into hot oil just so they rise to the surface all light and airy?

Now imagine eating these hot off the stove with piping hot chai ~ see what I mean? Some traditions are just meant to be.

So why not I give you one of mine and you give me one of yours?

 

German 'Gugelhupf' Makeover - Apple Yeast Cake with Apple Cream Sauce

As people we have always been told that fear is at the root of all evil and this is almost always true. However, I confess that fear is at the heart of this recipe. You see I am what you call a 'strudel wimp'.

I don't mean strudel made out of pre-packaged pastry bits found in the freezer section of ones supermarket. I refer to the traditional method. If you've been reading this blog long enough you know by now that for most part I am a stickler for the authentic especially when it comes to traditional recipes that have been part of a culture for hundreds of years.

So I refer to the traditional method of  18th century strudel making that entails stretching the dough to the size of ones dining table and then folding over and over, repeating the process countless number of times. First of all, Lord knows how many laws of physics the dough is breaking to achieve this - not to mention the thought of my 5 year old grubby fingers poking and prodding the dough joined only by our Golden retriever and his propensity to stick his tongue at anything and everything remotely akin to food.

Needless to say - I am ways away from making traditional strudel at home. Having said that I love German cakes - especially the ones that have all those wonderful fresh fruits and  dry fruits soaked in booze. Traditionally, Gugelhupf is a dry- fruit filled yeast cake which is then folded over into a log and baked. It's part cake and part bread and delicious.

So I decided to combine my yearning for apple strudel (the filling at least) and Gugelhupf making some major changes which makes life a whole lot easier -

1) instead of dealing with the rolling etc, I simply use the dough as dumplings which is easy peesy.

2) Serving this with an apple cream sauce takes from delish to decadent. Yumm....

In fact so easy is this to fix, not to mention delicious that it's a piece of cake...err...bread!

10 Tips to Pie Crust Nirvana & Good Ole' Buttery Sweet Potato Pie

At the risk of repeating myself, let me just say this yet again, "Pie crusts are like predators,  they smell fear".

I have come to a point and I say this with nothing but humility that I no longer fear the pie crust. For me having fixed it week after week, year after year has a lot to do with this. Yes we eat a lot of crust in its myriad uses. But this puffing of the chest business didn't come overnight. Nothing worse than the night before Thanksgiving being up till 1.30am trying to fix a pie crust recipe that is flawed, that came from a solid source and I say it again,  flawed.

I therefore no longer shop around for pie crust recipes but stick with this true blue, time tested recipe because I know that it will render the same result in all its  fabulous glory, day in and day out.

As I set out to write about sweet potato pie, I realised that even though none of us needs yet another pie recipe, I reckon we can all do with a really good one. This right here, right down to its naked crust is just that.

It's taken some thought churning to really pin down what leads to my personal pie nirvana and having penciled down the lot, I'm ready to share it with you.

~ 10 Tips to Pie Crust Nirvana ~ 

1. Invest in a really good quality pie dish. 

I love my Emile Henry because the burgundy clay used to make it and its thickness, ensures even baking throughout. I never realised what a difference a dish makes till I got rid of my cheapo one.

2. Use chilled butter

Using somewhat softened or sweaty butter softens the whole dough ball making it very tough to handle and making you sweat in the interim!

3. Have all your ingredients ready to go before you begin

Yes, a few minutes of advance preparation really pays off because once you get on the pie train, there's no getting off. 

4. Get rid of distractions & follow instructions meticulously

This is not the time to watch your fave soap or psycho-babble with a girlf friend. Plus you're going to be a lot more excited blowing your trumpet after you fix the pie.

Stop playing with the recipe - you ain't a cat and the pie crust ain't your ball of yarn. Stick to the recipe - it works!

5. Use a timer or a seconds watch for the dough

When the recipe says pulse for 25 seconds, it means 25 seconds - not 15 & not 30 so it's best to use technology.

6. Use your palms. And chill baby chill!

Divide the dough into little balls and flatten with the heel of your hand. This gives the crust the flaky layers we love. Also chill that dough for the allotted time because if you don't you'll be cussing the whole way through as the dough will be very hard to handle.

7. Work fast once the dough is out of the refrigerator

Don't turn it into a sweaty dough ball because you left it sitting out on the counter top.

8. flour, flour, flour

Liberally flour the work surface where you'll be rolling out the dough - use 1/4 cup flour. This means you can easily quarter-turn the crust as you roll.  

9. Roll evenly & 4" beyond the base of the pie dish

Nothing worse than not having enough crust to cover the dish. So I always roll out to 4" beyond the diameter of the base which covers the sides real well and gives me enough overhang to do the edges.

While you roll use a light hand and roll out the edges too. Its very common to end up with a thin center and a thick rim. Distribute the pressure as you roll.

10. Don't trim exactly to the edge of the pie dish

Trim 1/2" beyond the edge of the pie dish so you can pinch the edge to give you a nice scallop. Remember the crust will shrink once you bake and if you don't have enough of a overhang, you'll end up with a naked edge in spots much like a receding hairline.

So there you have it!

PLEASE share your pointers that work for you and I will be happy to add it to this list.

And now onwards to fixing some buttery sweet potato pie.

'I Like Bugs' Spidery Cupcakes for Halloween

'I Like Bugs' by Margaret Wise Brown is my 5 year old's favorite book.

He loves sitting with it perched on the bed and speaking to his grand parents  on the telephone, reading it to them. They are kind enough to fill in the gaps with big words like 'shiny' and 'sidewalk'.

With Halloween around the corner, the blogosphere is crammed with fantastical and horrific culinary creations to make one cringe and howl in delight all at the same time. So when my son's teacher was looking for sweet treats for his Junior Kindergarten  class, I decided that oozing eyeballs and bleeding witchy fingers were not the way to go.

It's hard enough getting these little munchkins to eat on a regular day much less with a grossology rendition of the food. Instead I decided to use my son's favorite book as a source and inspiration and with the help of various culinary talents from the world over, I think we've managed to delight even the most fussy critter lovers.

I am using my true and trusted cake recipe for the cupcakes. If it ain't broke why fix it? But I must thank the Australian Womens Weekly for teaching me how to make critters out of Smarties (m&m's) and proving that even 'got no talent for craft' dummies can pull this off.

Also, I've chosen to fix a decadent lemony cream cheese frosting for these cupcakes and learning the color wheel in Architecture school finally paid off when it came to mixing that particular tint of lime green. Yea to 9 years Uni!

Autumnal Pumpkin & Cranberry Drop Scones with Pumpkin, Spice & Maple Butter

It's the weirdest thing. As soon as autumn falls on my lap and temperatures begin to drop, I find the pressure begin to mount to do something, anything with pumpkin. I think it's an almost unhealthy obsession and best dealt with and got out of the way -  promptly.

This feeling also coincides with the time thoughts of the Thanksgiving feast menu begin churning in my head. It's a cacophony in there, I promise and can't be helped. Happens every time. And yes, I know it's only October. Like I said, can't be helped.

But I have another motive for fixing these scones - I wanted to experiment  around with a topping for these that would be delicious on other desserts as well. And by jove, we've got it!

The Pumpkin, spice and maple butter on this thing is to die for. Not to mention the melt-in-the mouth scones do a darn good job holding their own.

Don't let my cooky motives and inspiration for these lovely seasonal scones stop you for feasting on these yourself.

Go on then!

Letting Go of Summer in Gasps ~ Raspberry, Almond & Buttermilk Cake

While most of you have seamlessly moved into the realm of crock pots and stews, I am still sorely clutching at the last remnants of summer with every gasping breath.

I have in my freezer a batch of summer raspberries that I froze a few weeks ago with the clear intent of baking into a cake for Mr. Hubbies office coffee break. It is a known fact that everyone is tightening their belt in these uncertain economic times and if there was proof of the icing being stripped away from the proverbial wheedling cake, it is Mr. Hubbies monthly contribution to the five dollar office coffee pool. And Mr. Hubby is no coffee drinker.

Others in our acquaintance have complained that long gone are the gourmet coffees with a selection of no less than twenty varieties and the poor souls have to now make do with just one! Slowly the Friday bagels that once provided the much needed morning sustenance has also been slowly easing out the front door only to disappear completely this year.

And so once in a while, I send in a baked treat to go along with the coffee and the tea that is now made desktop with Mr. Hubbies whistling electric kettle. An apparatus , from what I understand that is often the butt of office jokes along with the Mr. Hubbies tea drinking ways.

Once again, pragmatism is at the helm of the choice of cake - one that will withstand the crushing metro ride on the morning commute. And therefore a dense tea cake minus the fru-fru frosting seemed best. That and the fact that none of Mr. Hubbies colleagues seem to be the fru-fru cupcake types.

The idea of raspberries with buttermilk appeals to me at so many levels. For one thing, buttermilk adds an acidity to the batter and a zing of flavor that I think will pair quite nicely with the raspberries. I am also substituting some of my all-purpose flour with finely ground almonds (almond meal) to add more nutrition and flavor.

Quite a nice way to bid summer adieu, don't you think?

 

An Itsy Bitsy Bit of News & 'Captain America' Tarts for the Kid in You {a.k.a Raspberry Crush Tartlets}

I am back from vacation and that means I now need a vacation just to get over the fatigue of this one! You know what I mean - from unloading the suitcases to piles of dirty laundry that need rescuing not to mention meals that must be made for hungry mouths, how is it that coming back from vacation is the exact 360 degree opposite of being on one? You go from doing nothing to doing everything in a single day!

My day has been made all the more exciting by the fact that the boys go back to school tommorrow. Yah! That'll teach me to better plan next time and not return the day before they begin school.

All said and done - Wow! Chicago ~ more on that later.

Returning home, what was lovely inspite of the loads of laundry et cetra et cetra was returning to two bits of good news. Remember those Baked Wonton Cups with Queso, Southwestern Chicken Salad & Cranberry Guacamole  I posted back in May? How nice that I'm not the only one who thought that these were fabulous - Tyson foods has chosen this as their winning recipe as part of the Foodbuzz Taste Maker's Challenge and as result, I get to attend an all expenses paid trip to Foodbuzz Food Bloggers Conference 2011 in San Francisco this November. Now isn't that the kinda news to come home to?

But wait that's not all - my dear friend Angela Gunder has been featuring food blogger interviews on her wonderful website and today she has featured moi. You'll find that here.

Needless to say, I returned to many reasons for a sweet treat and got right down to it especially as load # 1 was being churned in water and detergent.

My 9 year old son peeked over the counter-top as these goodies made an exit out of the oven 30 minutes later.

"Wow, Mom they look good"! "Why'd you put the star on top'?

"No reason, I just thought they'd look cute"

"Well actually they look like Captain America's shield"

"You know what, I think you're right - they do don't they?"

"Infact you should blog these and call them Captain America tarts"

And so what moments ago may have been presented as simple raspberry crush tarts now appear before you as much more endearing Captain America tartlets.

All this because fall is here. And is making its presence known far sooner than I am prepared to welcome it. As a result,  I am gearing up for the loss of berries making a weekly appearence in our home kitchen and doing my level best to squeeze in as many berry recipes as I can while these beauties still grace the aisles.

These raspberry crush tarts which take just a handful of ingredients to throw together are easy to love. How can you resist fresh raspberries and jam, filling a buttery flaky tart shell? The jam does a wonderful job cutting through the tartness of the raspberries without a cloyingly sweet, end result.

Sounds to good to be true? Well, why complicate that which is best left simple?

A Cake of Three Milks - Tres Leches Cake from Latin America

Also known as Pastel Tres Leches or Pan Tres Leches in Spanish, this cake consists of a sponge cake which is then soaked in three milks - evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. Thus the name, the Cake of Three Milks. The texture of the cake is not soggy even though it is soaked overnight in milk.

My years in India, Australia and Singapore, I was completely oblivious of the existence of this cake and pretty much most foods from Latin America. Needless to say, two decades ago, latin foods had not yet reached the far corners of the world on Main street. This is almost impossible to comprehend in today's world, a world shrunk to the size of a peanut sometimes it seems.

So my first introduction to spoonfuls of this heavenly cake took place about five years ago at potluck at my son's martial arts dojo and as I heard the Sensei go into vivid detail about how she spent all this time fixing it and soaking it and what have you, I remember walking away with not only the delicious flavor but a heavy dose of apprehension and overwhelmingness that pretty much translated to "Yah, like I'm ever going to make that!"

Safely, said that was the last time any thought was given to Tres leches for a long long time. And then, Alton Brown happened to the food Network and his recipe changed everything. First of all, in his quirky laid back way, he took all the ouchie away from the whole process and as I heard him talk about it all I heard was - "Make a cake, soak it in milk, whip up the cream, smear the cake and voila - done"

And I thought, now this I can do!

So thank you Alton Brown for this wonderful recipe. I have made two additions (what did you expect?) and quite honestly I won't have it any other way - adding ground cinnamon and nutmeg and reducing the amount of suagr used in the topping. In my book, Tres leches just went from great to fantabulous!

So though I'm not done looking for the next frontier in tres leches, here's step one on that ladder!

4th Of July ~ Red, White & Beautiful : Berryful Parcels in Buttery Coconut Pastry with Ricotta, Lemon & Coconut Cream

  

As a cook I am grateful that either by the hand of fate, the intent of the founding fathers or simply a roll of dice on histories game board that Independence Day in the US falls in July.

As is norm for this celebration, all desserts that grace the 4th of July BBQ table in some form or the other replicate the red, white and blue colors of the US flag in edible representation. Can you imagine, celebrating Independence Day in the dead of winter? What possible seasonal fruits (and vegetables) would we use? I for one draw a blank at korean purple yams and orange sweet potatoes! Hardly, the colors of the hour.

Case and point, as a cook I for one am glad the  holiday falls smack, dab in the middle of summer where there is a plethora of summer produce namely berries. What a no-brainer that is.

And yet, instead of the creamy concoctions I love the thought and bite of berries nestled in the butterest, flakiest of crusts, melting-in-the-mouth with each savoring bite, only to be outdone by the flavor of sweet summer berries, simply un-messed with and topped with a flavor-blasting lemony, coconutty ricotta topping.

 
Take into account, that even if the thought of dealing with pie crust makes you want to back into a corner, these very forgiving, frayed, dough tatters will bring out the 'Thor' in each one of your shrinking hearts. And after a single bite, you won't just have to take my word that these little morsels create red, white and beautiful fireworks entirely on their own! 

 

'A Strawberry Battle' Kick off with Summery Strawberry Crumble Cake

 

 
With mercury rising to a hot 94 deg today, summer is finally here! Aah..... welcome to long days filled with pool splashes, canon balling, barbecues, fire flies, mosquito bites and sveltering heat!

But for the folks down under, summer brings the promise of these and along with it all yet another joy, especially for us cooks. Farmer's markets, fresh produce which for me especially translates into days of  stocking up on summer berries.

I have no doubt that by the time autumn rolls in, you will have had enough of me and my berriful recipes. Every week I find yet another excuse to incorporate black, blue or straw - berries into a dessert or cake so much so that my kids have stopped asking what they can have for snack. They know well enough they'll either be chowing down a bowl of the fruit or digging into some berry-concoction or the other.

And yet, you know me to be of discriminating tastes and of the plethora of recipes that grace our seasonal kitchen, I have my favorites - kinda like the 'bill of rights' of my culinary world.

I am embarrassed to say that this crumble cake right here is one I disguise in oh so many ways and sneak it back into our weekly rotation. I am waiting for the days when my kids finally wise up to the fact that their Mum is actually baking the same cake over and over again, disguised under a blanket of crumble, sometimes without and always switching the seasonal fruit around.

So when Ananda at A Pinch of Love whose culinary skills when it comes to cakes and desserts far out weighs mine and the magic she wields with the camera  leaves me panting, announced me as the winner of her Zucchini contest, I was surprised and delighted! Yippee!!! And then she asked me to host a contest of my own!

I had little choice but to turn to my love of summer fruit and announce the secret ingredient for the June 2011 contest to be, the ruby of summer berries -strawberries!

Strawberry time will be held throughout the month of June on Weave A Thousand Flavors. Entry. Submissions begin on June 6 - June 30, 2011, 11:59pm PST and I will announce the winner who may choose to host the next month’s edition of this contest on July 1st, 2011. We are all too busy with our lives for me to make this compulsory. Open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

 So please submit your fave strawberry recipes at Linky Tools - Click here to enter your blogpost link. 

 

• Only one entry per person & please link back to this post on your blog.
• The entry does not have to be a new post and may be an archived post.

 

 And what may you win? 

My favorite, gourmet 'secret ingredient' for your pantry!

Thank You!

I for one can't wait to see what you kitchen divas come up once you don on your culinary thinking caps and bring out the creative 'strawberry side' of you, here is my favorite strawberry recipe to inspire you to kick up those creative juices.

Humble as it may be but I bet you anything, you too will be trying to sneak this back on weekly rotation and potlucks more often than not!

 

Spring in a Bite ~ Fruit & Nut Palooza Zucchini Cake

 
 

If yours is like our household, very soon you'll have zooks coming out of your ears.

And not just any teeny weeny itsy bitsy zooks but gargantuan ones that your neighbors have been growing, or your friend Shelley has growing in her yard or maybe you have them growing in yours!

And don't get me wrong, I love zucchinis as much as the next person so much so that I even have a nickname for them, zooks but just how many zooks can you eat and in just how many ways?

Fortunately, here's one you'll never get tired of and just like me you'll fix it again and again for your own family and for everyone elses.

What's awesome is that it also feeds  the devious mom gene because this cake is loaded and I mean loaded with the good stuff, lots of shredded zooks, golden raisins, dried cranberries, pecans and wait for it....very-little-flour. And when you bite into a slice, not in a million years will you believe this to be true. 

So here's a healthful cake that we can all get in a tizzy about!

PS - I am also submitting this recipe to the beautiful & picturesque  A Pinch Of Love where dear Ananda is having a Zucchini celebration!

 

An Easter Delight ~ Pull-Apart Hot Cross Buns with Apricot Glaze

 
Did you grow up on the Nursery Rhyme? I did!

Hot-cross Buns!

Hot-cross Buns!

One a penny, two a penny, 

Hot-cross Buns!

Hot-cross Buns!

If ye have no daughters,

Give them to your sons

I can't help it!

Every year that I bake these I have the words jingling in my head. And it's nice to associate warm and fuzzy memories with food especially when the memory come wrapped up in a nice frolicky tune.

This made all the more made special  when the food itself happens to be loaves of spiced bread crusted with delicious dry fruits such as dried cranberries and golden raisins all nestled in a hint of sweetness. These are traditionally eaten at Easter with the cross on top representing the crucification of Christ.

But did you also know that there are all kinds of superstitions surrounding hot cross buns?

According to English folklore, the buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or become mouldy during the subsequent year. Another encourages keeping such a bun for medicinal purposes.

 Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time.

True or not, what a sweet thought! So make some this week and I hope you share it with your loved ones for a year of goodwill that will be! 

PS - I am submitting these to Sweet at Sugar Cookies for the Sweets for a Saturday, parade. How nice of Lisa to invite me! Thank You.

Lacey Chicken Kababs

 

Lacey kababs that is kababs rolled in egg are very popular with the Parsi community in India. The Parsis are India's largest Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The influence of Arabic led to a drop in the 'p' sound in the Persian language, changing "Parsi" to "Farsi" (the name by which the language is now known).

This peace loving genteel community are so much a part of India's secular fabric and are interwoven like colorful strands in a rich dari (rug).

Affectionately known by other communities as Paarsi baawaas they represent an entrepreneurial spirit, an overwhelming love for the Queen of England (so much so that most of them will stand up and salute at the television when the Queen shows, affectionately calling her "my Raani'), a love for western classical music and unique foods including their fish that is sweet and tangy.

These lacey cutlets traditionally made with ground goat (mutton) are just as delicious made with leftover chicken. The term 'lacey' because of the 'lace' that forms when the kababs are dipped in breadcrumbs and then in egg rather than the traditional method the other way around - egg first followed by breadcrumbs.

The result is a light airy coating that I love and makes a nice change to the crispy breadcrumb coating that we're all so used to.

Give it a go and what better way jazz up leftover cooked chicken? 

English Breakfast Tea, Date & Walnut Cake

There are days I crave afternoon tea or traditional English cream tea like a fish craves water!

There is nothing quite like a table set out with a lovely white table cloth, accented with a vase of wild flowers for that splash of color, pots of jam & clotted cream, warm scones straight out of the oven, mini cucumber bread and butter sandwiches & of course a nice cake.

A cake not overly frosted but rather something between a cake and a bread, wonderful when sliced and devoured with a slathering of softened butter and washed down with cups of strong tea or rather coffee here in the US.

I am a fan of traditional cakes the kind that is rich and dense - nothing fluffly or fake about it but the type reminiscent of our grandma's kitchen. Intensely flavored and honest in its ingredients. And when it comes to honest ingredients, its difficult to beat a traditional date and walnut cake because the name says it all. Now to this add a strong brew of English tea & it not only fulfills but exceeds everything I love about a cake for Afternoon tea.

I know you'll agree when you take your first bite!

 

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom, Washington D.C ~ Cherry, Pistachio & Rose Water Macaroons In Celebration

Washington Monument 

Just this week, the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom in Washington D.C. and there is no better place to enjoy them in all their glory than at the Tidal Basin in the heart of the Nation's Capital.

 

The Tidal Basin

 
The Jefferson Memorial thru a curtain of blooms

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The words on a plaque near one tree states, " in the spirit of friendship and goodwill between Japan and the United States were these first trees planted".

 

Snow or blossoms?

The morning off, my day began with my rather pushy mother instincts in place trying to get my kids into the shower. Fortunately the incentive of travelling on the Metro was enough for this ritual to occur without the customary wailing.  

The mother in me was in a bout of frenzy trying to get my brats out the door. The blogger in me was more than well prepared.

You see, I have been planning for this week for at least a fortnight.

What a beautiful event to commemorate and I knew it had to be at the heart of the event - at the Tidal Basin in the crush of thousands of people and it was here that I wanted to photograph this post.

Just how to translate this into food was the pressing question of the hour. And so a parade of culinary delights all celebrating cherries such as corn cakes with cherry compotes, panna cotta, duck breast with cherry and port sauce....the list goes on, was considered and rejected.

Why? For one simple logistic and one basic concept.

The treat must travel on the Metro well and must represent the beauty of the blooms.

And so after much debate the humble macaroon became the recipient of far more exotic ingredients and in my humble opinion turned itself into a treat worthy of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The fact that these macaroons are delicious is not the surprising element here.

What is, is that as Mr. Hubby and I ran among the trees with a bowl of macaroons photographing on the grass, on branches and among the blooms, people began to stop and ask us what we were up to and encouraged our silly antics with lovely words, "what a creative idea and how wonderful the macaroons look" and some of the them even began scouting for best photo spots for us - urging us towards a tree whorl, or one branch or one spot.

  
 And soon I realised that these little delights had just like the beautiful cherry blossom trees achieved something wonderful - for a moment, strangers as we may be, we too were joined in that spirit of friendship and goodwill.

 

Go Green! Go Nuts! Pistachio Tea Biscuits

 
This week being St. Patrick's day is a celebration of things green and considering that pistachios are the only green nuts that I know of and goes wonderfully with tea, it seems the perfect week for some delicious Pistachio Tea Biscuits.

There is honest food and then there is honest food.

This right here is what a pistachio biscuit would be if it was on truth serum! Yah - it doesn't get more honest than this.

This isn't one of those pseudo green color filled things that hopes to be a pistachio biscuit. It is one to its very core. To the very heart of its 4 ingredients. Right there should say it all - an airy flaky biscuit with 4 ingredients none of which are butter, oil or shortening.

Whaaatttt???? (Dear Steve - this one's for you :)

This darling biscuit performs nothing short of a miracle. By using the goodness of whipped egg whites it manages to fulfill our innermost biscuit fantasies and then leaves us panting.

How lucky I was to come across it in a 2005 issue of Australian Womens Weekly. A time tested recipe that makes and will continue to make an appearance on our kitchen table at tea time (or coffee time) for a long long time.

A keeper - if you like honest pistachios, that is!

 

Boundless Joy & the Question of Cake - One with Almonds and Raspberries

 

 
Most days of the year the average distance that separates my parents from me is about 7500 miles.

Today, zero!

 
Tadaa….They’re here and that my friends, is cause for drum roll, champagne and the things that rhyme with cookies,  spice and all things nice.

I am resplendent in the sheer joy that comes from rubbing my hands together at the delightful thought of all the things I just must cook for them. And even more excited about all the things they will cook for us. Both my parents do their own signature dishes and  since no one does them better, what an incredible opportunity I have to blog these.  Some of my fevered enthusiasm has obviously rub off on them because they have finally stopped getting on a weighing scale every morning!

So as I headed off into the kitchen declaring that I am going to bake them the very first dessert of their visit, their eyes lit up with anticipation only to be thwarted as they heard me say – Cake!

Whhaaaattt!!!

You see there are those of us in the world who bake our cake and eat it too and others who will never bake a cake and probably never eat unless of course they were tied to a chair, force fed or have a daughter like me.

So having declared that I was going to bake them a cake – I then promptly set out to rest their fears by clarifying that this is not one of those 3 cups of sugar confections that will promptly set them off towards a diabetic coma or the dentist at the thought of rapidly decaying teeth but rather an old-world seasonal cake with fresh fruit and nuts.

I am not sure that they believed me because my Mum who usually trails around with me in the kitchen like a shadow, was in  one word - missing. Maybe ignorance is bliss, Mum reasoned on this particular day.

This wonderful cake that I luckily came across on BBC Good Food is one with fresh ripe raspberries and relinquishes copious amounts of bleached flour and sugar to more healthful options of ground almonds and brown sugar.

Simple yet rich, what I love about it is that the simplicity of the ingredients reads more like the contents of Grandma’s Pantry than a NASA experiment - which is just how I like it. So donn on that apron and let’s get baking!

 

My Youngest Reader {not my sons} & Choconut Bars {with Pizazz}

Move over Mr. Cookie, there's a new Sheriff in town!

This is no exaggeration. I am hanging up my chocolate chip cookie recipes for good. 

I have always found most cookies a bit disappointing - sometimes marketed as chewy, often tasting like unbaked dough and at other times as hard as cardboard, I had resigned to live a life devoid of cookie nirvana.

And then lo and behold! Just a like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day, my blogger galpal Andrea of Can You Stay for Dinner, whom I consider a cookie & all round dessert aficionado, claimed to have The definitive answer to my cookie blues. She was speaking in heartfelt overtures of Congo Bars, also known as Blondies. Interest piqued and all, I researched this culinary delight that had never come to my attention before now and after extensive research googling myriad recipes and finally seeking asylum in my Fannie Farmer Cookbook, I figured between Andrea, Marion and myself, there would be no room for failure.

Sure enough! The first bite into these and my 8 year old son proclaimed,"Mum, you must name these something with Pizazz" and I wholeheartedly agreed. After all, mine are not blond nor do have any roots to Congolese cuisine. You see, the reason they are not blond is because I hesitate using white chocolate since cacao beans are well, not white so white chocolate seems to me akin to the result of some freaky experiment gone wrong, so I'd rather just avoid and stick to very brown, semi sweet chocolate chips.

Now this post is especially dedicated to the youngest reader of my blog - 10 year old, Aman. He sent me a lovely email after fixing my shortbread recipe and not only did he have rave reviews, he had a delightful story to share where he made his Mum's life rather difficult by refusing to do the baking till she did a grocery run and procured all of the ingredients as per the recipe - no substitutions! Sorry Mum!

He has also asked for another recipe, easy enough for him to fix in time for going back to school. So here's to Aman & back to school Choconut bars!

Cumin & Cheddar Crackers {or is it Biscuits?}

 

No matter how long I live in the US, I will forever think of crackers as crispy thin things and biscuits as buttery soft things that are either savory or sweet. All partaken with hot cups of tea or chai of course!

It is only after coming to the US that I realized that the biscuits here were much like scones elsewhere.

Needless to say, I still trip over my own tongue when ordering these biscuits ...errr... crackers at tea shops or at bakeries here. This has however not stopped me from fixing these as a ready snack no matter what you choose to call them.

Truly, Madly, Deeply for the love of Jane Austen & Mr. Darcy ~ Blackberry Lemon Scones

It's that time of the year - when I customarily read Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. For me it's a ritual that never gets old.

Maybe I should be more precise and call it my annual Mr. Darcy fix.

As I finally put to rest the last pages of  P & P, I stared blankly at the ceiling above my bed. And the first thought in my head was how appalled Jane & Elizabeth Bennett would be were they alive and well today, at the sight of  McDonald's infesting their beloved countryside. Imagine them in Bath & Stratford, staring out from their carriages aghast at the big neon M's scattered through the pristine landscape.

And then I realized that on the other hand, Lydia and Kitty Bennett would be thrilled! After all, it would be much more fun for them to hang out at a Macker's than take their customary walks to Merriton to view the Officers of the regiment.

As I turned over and related my thoughts chucklingly to Mr. Hubby, Mr. Hubby in turn made an excellent point. He said, "What reason would the officers have to stay in Merriton and they would  just as well spend their evenings at the Macker's. And so McDonald's would become a social institution of sorts!"

Ghastly, I say! It was with this unpleasant thought I lulled away to sleep.

Another side effect of my annual Pride & Prejudice read (besides such useless thoughts whizzing around in my head)  is that I always awaken the next morning with an insatiable desire for hot English Breakfast tea and fresh scones.

As it so happens, of all the things in the world I could probably eat scones (pronounced scawnes) every single day for the rest of my life - if I could get a written guarantee to not gain a single ounce of weight that is!

So most of the time I tuck away my overwhelming desire for these beauties in far recesses of my mind waiting for that perfect excuse to whip up a batch. It's a good thing that I read Pride & Prejudice annually and not monthly!

A word of caution - fix a double batch! Everyone I've served these to have said these were the best scones they had ever tasted which in my book means only one thing - fresh & feather light! You think I'm kidding? Nope! I actually weighed a Starbucks scone, a local bakery scone v/s mine & mine weighed in at half - half, people!

Now I don't fuss with the triangular shape and find them just as good as 'drop' scones.

So if you are like me and could live quite happily for the rest of your life on a diet of scones, then you truly, deeply and madly need to give these a try!

To get started you will need -  all purpose flour, fresh blackberries (NOT overripe & gooey but rather fresh & firm), baking powder, white sugar, eggs, unsalted butter, heavy cream, sour cream, salt & lemons (rind only)

Cook's Note - If you use over ripe blackberries they smear the entire batter making the scones unsightly (speaking from first hand experience here)

 

 

Prepare the ingredients -

Eggs - Beat and set aside

Egg wash - Beat an egg with 1 tbs water with a fork & set aside.

Lemons - Grate the rind using a zester or a fine vegetable grater. Be sure to keep turning the lemons as you zest so you don't zest into the pith.

In a a large mixing bowl -

Preheat the oven to 425 deg F.

 

Place the ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt & softened unsalted butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.

On the lowest setting blend till the flour & butter is well mixed. It will be crumbly like soft breadcrumbs.

Empty the contents to a large mixing bowl.  

Transfer the lemon rind to the flour butter mixture.

Add the beaten eggs, heavy cream & sour cream to the flour.

 

Add the fresh black berries.  If your blackberries are over ripe the juice will tint the entire scone batter. Therefore use firm, fresh blackberries.

With a rubber spatula, begin to fold the mixture.

This is very important - do not over mix. STOP as soon as the mixture is blended. Over working the dough makes awful scones.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick baking spray.

  

Using clean hands, take a 2" piece of dough and gently place on the baking tray.  Pat down till the scone dough is about 1/2" thick.

Place the scones in rows, not touching each other and about an inch apart if you can manage it.

Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the top surface of the scones and set aside for 10 -15 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Do not over-brown.

Remove from the baking tray & set aside to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.

Serve warm with clotted cream (post to follow)  and strawberry preserves. Scones are best eaten fresh and never taste the same the next day.

The scones are flaky and oh! so light!

Th flavors of the lemon with the fresh blackberries is wonderful. There is nothing quite like eating these warm with clotted cream. The scent of lemons wafts through as you bite into a scone.

Perfect, washed down with cups of strong tea or coffee. So easy to make & all you need is about 30 minutes and you too could be sitting curled up on the couch in culinary heaven, dreaming of Mr. Darcy!

Recipe for 

Blackberry & Lemon Scones

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Resting time - 15 minutes

Cooking Time - 15 minutes

Serves 4-6, Makes 10 large scones

Shopping list

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 small container fresh, firm black berries (approx 3/4 cup)

3-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup + 1 tbs white sugar

1/4 + 1/8 cup softened unsalted butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

grated lemon rind (zest) of 2 lemons

Egg wash

1 egg

1 tbs water

Preparation -

Lemon rind - Using a grater, grate the rind of 2 lemons into a bowl. Transfer the rind to the flour butter mixture.

Eggs - In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs  with a fork till it is blended. 

Egg wash - In a separate bowl, beat an egg with 1 tbs water, using a fork till blended.

Baking Method -

Preheat the oven at 425 deg F.

Place the ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt & softened unsalted butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.

On the lowest setting blend till the flour & butter is well mixed. It will be crumbly like soft crumbs.

Empty the contents to a large mixing bowl.

Add the beaten eggs, heavy cream & sour cream to the flour.  Stir. Add the blackberries & with a rubber spatula, gently begin to fold the mixture so it is thoroughly mixed. 

This is very important - do not over mix. STOP as soon as the mixture is well blended. Over working the dough makes awful scones.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick baking spray.

Using clean hands, take a 2" piece of dough and gently place on the baking tray.  Pat down till the scone dough is about 1/2" thick.

Place the scones in rows, not touching each other and about an inch apart if you can manage it.

Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the top surface of the scones and set aside for 15 minutes.

Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Do not allow the scones to over-brown.

Set aside to cool slightly. Serve warm with clotted cream and strawberry preserves.

Enjoy!

Back to Pre-School & Jammy 'Hallongrottor' Short Breads

I can't believe that for many of us here in the US, school's out this week!

Thanks to Ms. Carol my son's preschool teacher who thought it would be a great idea if I did a cooking demonstration with the kids, today we're taking these yummy jam filled short breads to preschool  - not just carrying a platter full of these to the kids but actually making these with them! What fun!

Let me tell you, I'm quite a stickler when it comes to short breads. Growing up we'd buy them in those blue metal tins and I thought they were blissful. Little did I know that once I made these Swedish delights at home, I'd never turn back to the ready made ones. Now, I'm known to run after Dad (who still fancies them) in the aisle pulling the can out of his hands and placing it back on the shelf with "Dad, you can't possibly buy these, they are so much better home made!".

Yeah..I've been known to be pushy with my loved ones when it comes to food!

These are truly  Hallongrottor - Swedish pastries which mean "Raspberry caves" owing to raspberry jam being filled in the thumb-print depressions.

Just a handful of ingredients stands between us and these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread - all purpose flour, cold butter, baking powder, sugar, pure vanilla extract & raspberry jam. Also needed are cupcake liners.

I'm fixing a batch at home to carry with me for the parents and teachers.

Cook's Note - Use store bought jam (not chunky) because I found my homemade a little too watery

Also don't use the foil cupcake liners - they tend to over brown the short breads.

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.

   

Ina food processor, mixer or bread machine (dough cycle), place all the dry ingredients - the flour, sugar & baking powder and give it a mix till these are well blended.

Cut the cold butter up into 1/2" chunks and set aside.

 

Once the flour mixture is blended add the butter few chunks at a time through the feeding tube.

 

Mix for about a minute or so till the mixture resembles soft bread crumbs. Add 1-1/2 tbs cold water and allow the flour mixture to mix for another minute or so till larger dough chunks have formed.

Cook's Note - You may need to turn off the machine and use a spatula to get the flour from the sides, break up chunks and give it a mix during the process.

 

Empty the dough into a large mixing bowl. Use clean hands and mold into a ball. Do not over work. Just enough to form into a smooth ball.

   

Line a baking tray with about 24 cup cake liners. Use 2 if needed. Parents will appreciate that half of mine are plain and others are 'transformer' liners..smiles...

On a clean working surface, divide the dough ball into 2 equal parts.

 

Roll each one out to make 2 dough log, snakes or ropes about 1-1/4" diameter

Use a butter knife and cut  each length into 12 portions.

 

Roll each dough portion between the palms of your hands. Flatten slightly.

 

Use your thumb and make an indentation in the middle of the flatten dough disk. Place into the cup cake liner. Continue till all the dough portions have been used up.

 

These are now ready for the raspberry jam filling.

 

Spoon 1/2 tsp raspberry jam into each of the short breads. Continue till all the short breads are jam filled. 

 

Place in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes. The tops should be pale & the jam should be runny.

Do not over bake and brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helping ourselves to a few with a hot cup of tea before we head out to school!

 

Over at the school...

Please note - the pics have been fuzzied up to protect the privacy of the children.

Here we go...

Fascinated with the mixer - installing the beast!

A small chat about the ingredients...Ms Carol is engrossed - Kids, not so much!

Once the beast is grinding...."that's too loud", the kids yell!

Everyone wants a peak!

Ooeey, Gooey dough!

Little hands working the dough!

Here comes the yummy jam!

Oven ready!

 
While these bake, everyone is excited with the arrival of Sandy the service dog!

And it was definitely my cue to leave. I don't know how teacher's do it - day in and day out. As fun as it was, it sure was exhausting!

Back in the solitude of home, I'm ready for another cup of tea & a few more of these yummies.

That was fun and hat's off to Ms. Carol and teachers like her who work wonders with our children everyday. A fountain of energy they must be!

As another school year draws to an end, I give special thanks to Ms. Carol, Ms. Suzie, Mrs Ranby & Ms. Liz for giving my sons such a fantastic school year that they are eager to get into their classroom every single day - even on weekends if they could!

As for myself, I once again sink into the nestling comfort of these butter soft shortbreads with their warm jam filled centers....sigh...

 

 

Recipe for

Yummy Jammy 'Hallongrottor' Short breads

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Baking time - 15-17 minutes

Shopping list

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Raspberry jam

Baking Method -

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F

In a food processor, mixer or bread machine (dough cycle), place all the dry ingredients - the flour, sugar & baking powder and give it a mix till these are well blended.

Cut the cold butter up into 1/2" chunks and set aside.

Once the flour mixture is blended add the butter few chunks at a time through the feeding tube.

Mix for about a minute or so till the mixture resembles soft bread crumbs. Add 1-1/2 tbs cold water and allow the flour mixture to mix for another minute or so till larger dough chunks have formed.

Cook's Note - You may need to turn off the machine and use a spatula to get the flour from the sides, break up chunks and give it a mix during the process.

Empty the dough into a large mixing bowl. Use clean hands and mold into a ball. Do not over work. Just enough to form into a smooth ball.

Line a baking tray with about 24 cup cake liners. Use 2 if needed. Parents will appreciate that half of mine are plain and others are 'transformer' liners..smiles...

On a clean working surface, divide the dough ball into 2 equal parts.

Roll each one out to make 2 dough log, snakes or ropes about 1-1/4" diameter

Use a butter knife and cut  each length into 12 portions.

Roll each dough portion between the palms of your hands. Flatten slightly.

Use your thumb and make an indentation in the middle of the flatten dough disk. Place into the cup cake liner. Continue till all the dough portions have been used up.

These are now ready for the raspberry jam filling.

Spoon 1/2 tsp raspberry jam into each of the short breads. Continue till all the short breads are jam filled. 

Place in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes. The tops should be pale & the jam should be runny.

Do not over bake and brown.

Enjoy!