Weave a Thousand Flavors

Valentine's Day ~ KARMEL SUTRA Tartlets

The first bite should give you hope,

the second lust &

by the third you're in love!

~

Luscious Chocolate Ganache & Caramel Mingle in a Graham Cracker - Almond Crust

Say it ain't so!

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!

'Christollen' German Christmas Stollen ~ A Dry-Fruit Studded Bread Loaf with Marzipan Surprise

~ Christmas Wishes for You ~

~ And A Stollen Too ~
 
 

~ And for them too ~

 

~Dear Stollen Purists ~

No doubt you feel strongly about your Stollen so I do not claim that this is THE definative stollen recipe but I do vouch for the fact that it IS a dry fruit studded, mouth-wateringly delicious and incredible cake-like bread.

You will therefore forgive me if you like your stollen hard as Bratt Pitt's bottoms because mine is moist in it's texture. You will also find yourself disappointed if you like yours as a log because I have chosen to go with the much more rustic, fold-over version.

Quite honestly, I wouldn't dream to claim that this version has the artistry of the 150 Official Dresden bakers, who make their famous Dresden stollen sold at the local Christmas market Striezelmarkt, distinguished by a special seal depicting King Augustus II the Strong but as Stollens go, it's a star and sure to be polished off, toasted for breakfast (or not!) and slathered with buttah (oh yes!).

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Devaki 

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.

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!

Happy Deepavali & 'Channar Jilipi' in Celebration : Khoya & Ricotta Spirals in Saffron Nectar

 

People,  Meet Channar Jilipi ~ Gulab Jamuns with a college education.

The first time I met Mr. Hubby's extended family over a decade ago, they all asked me if I had ever eaten my Mother-in-law's Channar Jilipi for which she holds the unrivaled reputation of making, like no other. 

 
While the Gulab Jamun, is its dumpy brother Channar Jilipi is its feminine reinvention. Sporting slender curves and incredibly delicate, Channar Jilipi is bound to give Gulab Jamuns a complex! 

At it's best, both have a heart that is soft with a melt-in-your-mouth center that is bursting with intensely flavored syrup as you bite into it. Alas, more often than not, most end up a hard 'rock' at its core. And that dearies is what separates the novices from the whiz'.

So when my mother-in-law affectionately, Ma was visiting for a few weeks this summer (and since we both share the same passion for good cooking and food) we decided to put our heads together and make Channar Jilipi. The basis of the partnership was simple, she teach - I learn, with two notable and from what I understand, ground breaking differences.

I convinced Ma that we should skip the boring old, 'add lemon to curdle the milk' step and instead reach for store-bought Ricotta in the refrigerator aisle. Gasp! Well why not? That's exactly how Ricotta is made and imagine skipping such a tedious step for the modern kitchen (if it worked that is)

Dubious she was indeed but what a good sport and agreed to give it a go. Just when she'd come to terms with this, I suggested we get rid of good old fashioned kneading and use the food processor. Now we were both really nervous but ventured on, brave faced and all.

Enter, Ma - you must understand, the pillar of Indian kitchen is 'andaaza' - don't bother asking our Mums for recipes, they don't have one. They do everything by proportion and then a splash of this and a dash of that i.e. 'andaaza'. The proportion is critical and you never mess with it. I am quite used to my own Mum and grandma exchange recipes in the form of 1:7 - butter : flour. Sorta reminds me of mixing cement, same concept, 1:3:4 just in case you wanted to know.

To make these spiral lovelies, one essentially needs equal parts of khoya : Ricotta to which is added a smidgen of flour and other flavor adding ingredients such as cardamom seeds and sugar.

So where to buy Khoya?

Khoya which is essentially reduced milk to its solid/thickened form, is sold as a 'brick' in Indian-Pakistani grocery stores, in the refrigerated section and is essential to this recipe. Ricotta is available in regular grocery stores.

Channar Jilipi are heavily in demand in Bengal while Gulab Jamun, its globular brother is made all over India, especially during Deepavali - the festival of lights seeing how you too are going to fall madly in love with these sweet, curvy delights!  

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?

Got Cake? Bread, Grape & Rosemary Tea Cake

Flour + Eggs + Sugar  = Cake

Bread + Eggs + Herbs = Cake!

If you are reading this and wondering if my mother dropped me on my head when I was little, let me just say that my Mother was an excellent Mum and did no such thing! 

Quirky as I may be, the responsibility of such a splendid attribute rests  solely on my shoulders & mine alone.

Anyway, back to the point, many of my cookbooks live in old packing boxes in the storage area. It isn't because I don't love them so I treat them as orphans - far from it! We simply have no room and were I too bring all my cookbooks in the home to live with us, I'd basically have to move into the car with Mr. Hubby, 2 kids and our enormous Golden Retriever Sydney! Mr. Hubby has allergies & Sydney (our Golden) occasionally farts so that simply won't do!

So to assuage myself, I once in a while drag the boxes indoors and spend a few days sighing & reading & sifting through all those wonderful olden golden recipes. For the longest time, I had misplaced the itty bitty book by Nika Hazelton on Regional Italian cooking which  I had purchased from a street vendor in Mumbai when I was about yay high. So when I found it at the bottom of the box wedged under my coffee table pasta book & Fannie Farmer's Cookbook, I yanked it out with such flourish, that I fell flat on my behind. Anyway, now that we've found each other again, I haven't been able to put it down since. (Needless to say, it now sits on my kitchen counter top)

Anyway, its late in the evening and as I am perusing its picture-less pages, I come across a recipe for a Bread cake and I read it again because the bloody thing has no flour - it's made with stale breadcrumbs!  And I'm thinking, good old Nika's gone batty - anyway I have such respect for her and we've known each other for such a long time that I decided that I simply must  take a chance and fix this cake.

The cake is an old world recipe that hails from Lake Como, in Lombardy, Italy and its as rustic as they come. I call it rustic because it reminds me of the old tea cakes from growing up - they were always very dense and incredibly flavorful with none of that fru fru stuff in it. So don't expect this to be a light and fluffy cake , it isn't, its not meant to be!

You know what it reminded me of - a semolina tea cake that I fix which is also very rustic.

A Twinkle in Mr. Hubby's Eyes ~ Mango, Saffron & Pistachio Ice cream

Mr. Hubby is not what you call a foodie. He enjoys good food but without the swooning, gasping, cussing & all such over the top reactions (unlike someone else we all know).

In fact, there are a few food related things that bring a twinkle in Mr. Hubby's eyes.

As I walked through the door this morning after my water aerobics class, there were stars in Mr. Hubby's eyes and of all things because of a telephone conversation with my Mum.

Curiouser & curiouser! He excitedly continued that he had heard from Mum that Fed Ex would now overnight a case of Alphonso mangoes to the US for 50 bucks + the cost of mangoes. Hmm...let's see - between the kid's swimming lessons & diving lessons another 150 bucks? I think not!

But at that moment I had what can only be described as a aha! moment. With Mr. Hubby's birthday around the corner, I was determined to make his favorite mango based dessert - ice cream.

But not with any mangoes - they must be Alphonsos or not at all. Alphonso mangoes are known as the King of Mangoes in India and rightfully so.

Local to the state of Maharashtra in India, these beauties are unparalleled in flavor, color and sweetness, it is devoured in gluttonous quantities during the summer months all over India.

Fact is, like the finest caviar, once you've tasted an Alphonso - every other falls short and you are left with the taste of bitter disappointment every time you eat any other mango. The variety grown in Devgad in Maharashtra is supposed to be the best. It's also the most expensive amongst the sub-breeds of Alphonso.

Did you know?

Of the 1,365 varieties of mangoes available around the world, 1,000 varieties can be found in India & India is believed to contribute 50 per cent of the total mango production in the world.

Moving on, since we've already settled on the matter & spending 150 bucks was out of the question, I decided to do the next best thing. Jump into the car and traipse to the Indian/Pakistani grocery store for a large can of Alphonso Mango pulp. When all else fails and fresh Alphonsos are not an option, the canned version does quite nicely.

Now, you know I am not a fan of canned anything so it is very big deal for me to pitch anything canned to you - so when I tell you that pulp of Alphonso mangoes available only at Indian-Pakistani grocery stores is a must for this ice cream then well, you'll better believe it!

To elevate this ice cream to yet another level, I have decided to revert back to its traditional age old accompaniments - saffron & pistachios. Just writing this makes my mouth water. I can't wait to see Mr. Hubby's eyes on his birthday when I surprise him with this!

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!

 

Gelatin-free Strawberry & Lemon Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

 
Long before it was fashionable, I was brought up on the notion that gelatin was evil.

Made from boiled tendons, skin and other un-mentionable pig parts, it wasn't exactly a revered member of our household pantry and therefore rarely made an appearance.

Growing up on alternate medicine and home remedies and being the grand child of a stout orthodox Jain which for my Nani, naturally translated into being a devout vegetarian, this translated into home made ice creams and desserts using subsitute thickening agents such as corn-starch or simply reducing milk and cream to a point where it lumps and turns into the creamiest richest dessert base. 

I would often see my Ma and Nani hand churn fresh fruit ice creams in the summer and empty it into large metal containers to chill in the freezer. And so for most part my childhood was devoid of gelatin.

It was only when I moved to Singapore that I learned about the Asian substitute to this ingredient, namely Agar-Agar. This, derived from a sea weed and used extensively in Asian desserts including those yummy pudding we so like to grab off the dim-sum cart at weekend brunches at the restaurant.

I was delighted when my friend and fellow blogger Joumana from Taste of Beirut dedicated a whole post to the benefits of Agar Agar - you will find this excellent article here and even has exciting facts about how it is used for weight loss. Imagine that!

In America and I suspect much of the Western world gelatin is in so many processed foods and I try to stay away from this as much as possible. However, it is inevitable that that we all partake a fair bit of the stuff whether we like it or not.

Where to purchase Agar Agar?

I strongly recommend you purchase only powdered Agar Agar which is easily available (usually Telephone brand) in Asian (Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese & Japanese stores)

If you go to a specialty gourmet food stores and buy this, 9 times out of 10 you'll find Agar-Agar flakes, not the powder and this stuff requires boiling and cooking and in my opinion sets funny at times - because it is not completely homogeneous. So save yourself a lot of grief and spare me your cussin' and buy the powdered stuff, people!

This wonderful panna cotta with cream & fresh strawberries makes a wonderfully smooth and light summery dessert.

I use Agar-Agar for my puddings and panna cottas which in itself comes with one distinct advantage - it chills and sets much much quicker than gelatin. Oh and none of the 'rubber bullet' panna cotta with this one!

And if eating some tasteless sea weed grosses you out, maybe I should leave you with the thought of boiled pig parts!

 

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.

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.

 

Valentine's Day ~ Sinful Orange Burst & Chocolate Ganache Cake

 

 
My older son always gets the coolest cakes on his birthday.

Since his birthday falls in the vicinity of Valentine's day, invariably, we roll the dessert into one. And yes, this poses it's own challenges - not only must the dessert be chocolate, it must have all the sophistication of a Valentine's treat and all of the yumminess to turn little boys giddy with excitement.

When it comes to turning grown men, women and little boys and girls giddy with excitement, few things hit the spot like the combination of orange and chocolate. For me this fascination began young - right about the time I learned to smack that orange globe hard on the ground so it falls apart to reveal chocolaty orange segments. Please tell me you know that of which I speak?

For those of you who claim indifference to the combination of orange and chocolate, I have only this to ask - are we speaking of the same thing? And are you sure you've actually tasted said combination?

No brain-er people, this right here is a gateway to all things sinfully delicious. (What else you do with ganache, is entirely up to you....)

And now that we've got food for the belly and senses out of the way, this Valentine's day let me leave you with Lord Byron, a famously romantic poet - 

'Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.'

And here's my two cents worth -

We are not here on Earth only to achieve things. Nor are we here to be solely efficient. We are here to experience, to share and to celebrate happiness. Let's remember that this week and then look at the people we are closest to.

Despite their (and our) faults or failings, aren't we lucky to know them?

 

~OH WAIT! JUST A MINUTE~

I’m THRILLED that thanks to Sommer at A Spicy Perspective, I will be a co-host on an online cooking class through themotherhood.com on Wednesday, February 16th at 1 pm EST.

Please mark your calendars and check out their website for more information!

 

A Christmas Tradition from Naples : My adventures with 'Struffoli' ~ Citrus and Honey Fritters

A story is a sum of its parts. And so it is that this story is a sum of three - and this story has an idyllic beginning, a rude awakening and thankfully, a happy ending. The idyllic beginning to this story sets forth in the wonderful city of Sydney, more than a decade ago. 

It was during one such winter break that I met Umberto, an acting student from Sicily who was attending the National Institute of Dramatic Art (yes, the very same school Mel Gibson attended) and was using our college as temporary housing. He had moved to the room across from mine for the holidays and introductions were made over foaming mouths as he borrowed my toothpaste one morning.

When Christmas day arrived, we awoke to a hot and sultry weather which is quite usual as it is summer, down under. Most of us were heading to the beach for  a barbie and a swim and Umberto looked at everyone with a puzzled expression. He said, "Barbie,  What about some Struffoli? In Naples I always knew that Christmas week had arrived, not by the date on the calendar but because in in the center of the table would be a plate full of Struffoli". Of course we had no idea what he was on about.

Next thing we know, he walks over to the kitchen, speaks to the head cook and asks us to go grocery shopping with him. We return huffing and puffing loaded with flour, sugar, honey, lemons and oranges. We followed him into the kitchen and went to work. He was head chef and I was one of his line cooks.

 And so it was, that much later on Christmas day looking over the azure waters at Coogee beach, a handful of Uni students from the world over, savored our first plateful of Struffoli. These little doughnut-like balls enveloped with honey and the scent of lemons and oranges are a wonderful reminder of simpler times and simple pleasures.

Now wouldn't this have been a wonderful ending to this story? Written on a piece of old yellow parchment in my recipe pit is Umberto family recipe of Struffoli? I wish!

I, in fact have only scribblings of Umberto's family recipe with no proportions  in writing and all of it put together looks like runaway feline scratchings. So I turned to the dear man in orange crocs, Mario Batali. After all, how can I go wrong with Mario?

 But Alas, not only did Mario but the culinary Gods as well desert me, because what arrived on the table was this -

 Mr. Hubby took one look at them and said,"They look like shrivelled 'nuts' in winter! Are they supposed to look like this?"!

The kids who were also looking at the plate with  some trepidation and thankfully missed the meaning of what was just said,   announced, "Daddy, they look like walnuts" Unfortunately, they were as hard as walnuts too. Sigh.

I was sad. I barely looked into Mr. Hubby's eyes and just hung from my shoulders. After moping around for about 2 hours, I decided there was no way I was going to rest my head on a pillow this night without conquering the art of Struffoli making.

I reviewed the recipe again, and squealed to Mr. Hubby who was now sitting at his computer with a pair of headphones (no doubt to block away my whimpering sounds), which I promptly yanked off his head and said, "Nani (my gran) would have smacked me on the head! There is no fat in this recipe! How can we have soft, fluffy airy dough balls with no fat? I'm fixing them again and you have to eat them!"

Mr. Hubby mumbles, "I do?"

 

So off I went and reworked the same recipe but with less eggs, a smidgen of baking powder and buttah...you hear me, buttah!

 

And what we have here are these - marvellous, airy, light and bearing no resemblance to 'nuts' whatsoever -Struffoli!

 
 

 ~The {happy} End~

 

An Ode to the Holidays ~ Cranberry, Apple & Spice Cake

 
As cooler weather has come calling, it is nice to wake up to mornings where but for the occasional pine trees, almost all the magnificent trees have surrendered their leaves to the earth below.

And through these trees, the misty air is a visual wall, like curdled buttermilk. It is on such mornings that I long for a splash of color and warm baked goods. Few things lift my spirits like cold weather baking.

So excited have I been about the magnificent results of the Raspberry and almond cake, that we made a few weeks back that I decided that another fresh fruit cake albeit not one with ground up almonds but rather a plethora of spiced up seasonal fruit was in order.

And what would be more seasonal at this moment than fresh cranberries with apples and warm spices?

This is one of those creations that to my mind is as much of a pie as it is a crumble as it is a cake. I suppose the fact that the fresh fruit is heaped in mounds at the base of the dish reminds me very much of a crumble but the batter is indeed that of a cake and yet  the fruit juices that bubble up to the surface of the cake is just so pie like.

Either way. call it what you will, it tastes just as sweet!

 

Warm Wishes & A Thanksgiving Treat : Autumnal Pumpkin, Cream Cheese & Spice Swiss Roll

 
Oh Alright, I give up, I give in!

I know you're all 'pumpkined-out' but I have fallen trap with those millions who cannot but help post a pumpkin recipe come Thanksgiving. I have tried to ignore these orange globes all season but Alas! It is not be be! I have been haunted  by the thought that as Thanksgiving approaches at neck breaking speed, I must follow suit after my fellow brethren in the blogosphere and magazine publishers and post one, just one pumpkin recipe.

For those of us who belong to the category of people who have eyed recipes containing the terms 'swiss rolls' and 'jelly roll pan' with some trepidation, I'll have you know that for all our sakes, I have had a breakthrough - swiss rolls are forgiving!

I never thought I'd hear me say these words - but there, I've said it and I mean it. I have never claimed to be an ace baker but mainly some who loves to cook and happens to bake because I love, absolutely love the sweet scent and taste of fresh baked oven goodies. That and the fact that my two little munchkins cannot be denied their weekly treat.

So when I decided that for these holidays I would bake something with pumkin, after tossing the swiss roll idea around face book and oscillating between that and pumkin muffins with cheesecake and streusel, the populace spoke and the swiss roll won hands down.

Here's a mantra that I would recite while I fix these "Even if it looks like I'm screwing up, I'm not - it's going to be fabulous!" And it will be. Take it from me because there were times throughout the process that I kept thinking - "no way it's supposed to look like this" or " how come mine doesn't look all smooth & flat? " but in the end, it matters not! All said and done, they look fab, they taste fab, you'll get rave reviews and honestly, what else is there?

Now before I bury myself in the general mayhem of grocery list making, menu planning and cooking that is going to take over everything this coming week, I leave you and yours with my warmest wishes ~

 Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 

Silly Me & Halloweeny Ghostly Strawberries

 
The fact that this is Halloween week has just dawned on me like Zeus' bolt striking through the sky!

And now I am left with the enormous task of redeeming myself in the eyes of my two little ones who, like a score of other equally expectant boys and girls all around the US are anticipating ghoulish and ghostly treats to magically appear on the table for their afternoon and after dinner snacks.

Alas! I have failed them indeed.

So busy have I been with family visits, company for dinner and school bakes that I have done nothing - zero, nada & zilch to this end. Neither am I capable of spending hours on end thinking up wicked and witchy ways to delights my boys.

Fortunately, redemption appeared rather unexpectedly - in the haven of my refrigerator where I had, on this rare occasion a plethora of semi-sweet brown chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and many many red strawberries.

Having recalled these lovely bites from some Halloweens away, the fact that it is a mere 15 minutes in the making, inpired from one in the Taste of Home magazine is just the thing.

So if you too are scampering to gain some Halloween redemption, here are Ghostly Strawberries to the rescue!

 

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!

 

Old World Romanian Apple & Walnut Cake

Older I'm getting, the more I crave old world foods. Foods with the purest of ingredients nestled in flavors that are rich and simple.

Maybe its because I'm looking for the same in people?

I confess I know nothing of Romania except that its food shows significant influences from Bulgaria & Turkey. However, when Braeburn apples were selling in adorable little paper bags at the market I knew I just had to get them.

Now Braeburn apples are awesome for cakes in my opinion because they have a  a unique combination of sweet and tart flavors. Originally, from New Zealand these are are are considered a cross between granny smiths & Lady Hamiltons.

So once I got them home I got busy rustling up my recipe folder. Its a fat folder, held together by rubber bands because I stuff scraps of paper in it endlessly without every sorting or filing. Shameful isn't it? Anyway, I settled on the couch with my 'recipe pit'  and as I was going through the lot I stumbled upon a recipe for a Romanian Apple Cake by Mona. The original recipe however called for golden delicious apples.

Sad truth? I can't remember a Mona. Gosh, I sound like a fat drunk guy after a one night stand! Anyway back again to the folder, not surprising considering since it has a couple of decades worth of scraps. There was however a note in my own writing that said, "Excellent, moist & rich". Well, there you go!  What more do I want?

A Tribute to Nannie Davis & Million Dollar Pie

Family are relations by blood but sometimes if you are very lucky, family are relations by bond.

People who adopt you into their fold, who become your brothers, sisters and Nannie's. The most unlikely of people who at the most unlikely of times invite you into their lives and engulf you in their warmth.

These are your tribe.

It was the summer Mr. Hubby & I had just purchased our first home and it was a mess. It was a 1950's brick colonial but a real dog of a house - a true fixer upper. The spinster who lived there before us had many cats, the exact number of which is unknown but from the sheer quantity of fur balls behind each radiator, in each kitchen cabinet & the rancid smell that emanated from everything I'd say it was a herd (or is it litter?).

It was also the time I had learned we were to have our first child. We didn't know this when we first purchased the home. It was a surprise gift. Mr. Hubby, our dear friend Michael & I worked relentlessly finishing the hardwood floors, staining them, painting the walls and getting rid of layers & layers of ugly gray carpet which graced every inch of the home, right down to the bathroom. The kitchen & bathrooms would have to wait a good 3 years for a renovation.

Then, we began working on the yard. We had more weeds than grass and more brush than bushes. Every weekend we'd spend hours on end trying to turn the front yard into something presentable. It was then that a 92 year old woman who looked more 70 than 90 shouted out at us from the home next door. " You're putting me to shame "she said. "I feel like I should be working in the yard with you rather than sipping lemonade".

She was warm & friendly & so very kind offering us cool drinks every time she'd see us working in the yard. The next day, she bought us green beans, tomatoes & fresh corn that she picked up from the farmer's shed down the road. Fresh & succulent.

From that day on, every time I went to the shed, it was with her. People always looked at us funny when we were together. I guess they thought what an odd pair we were.

I'd get back home from work and the first think I'd do is run across the 10 ft of grass to her back door and shout out to her to come over for tea. The walls around our house dissolved & it was as though the two homes became one. My dear friend Beth who is her grand daughter cared for her and lived with her. A person, like her grandmother, true as gold. I am so grateful for her continued friendship.

One day Nannie came over with this - Million dollar Pie. 

Flaugnarde Dearies with Pears & Blackberries

Now here's a tongue twister - Flaugnarde & not be be beaten by its nemesis - the clafoutis.

Promptly encouraging us all to resort to finger pointing on the menu at the French Bistro for sure. "I'll have that one please" if we so dare and for most part, simply whizzing right past the unpronounceable Flaugnarde or God forbid, Clafoutis to the shall we say, "Creme brulee"? 

Very simply put, both these simply consist of baked fruit arranged in a buttered dish covered with a thick flan like custard. There! That's all there is to it.

But Darlings, if we are to save face and not come across as complete culinary bumpkins,  we really ought to know when the same dish is called a Flaugnarde & when it's called clafoutis.

The difference lies in the choice of fruit.

A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains cherries, pits and all. And according to stiff upper lipped purists, the pits release a wonderful flavor when the dish is cooked and cherry pits removed prior to baking will result in a milder tasting clafoutis.

Quite honestly, when this fruity custardy delight comes out of the oven and onto the table can you imagine stopping with each mouthful to pull the pits out of your mouth? I think not!

Any way, back to the topic of names, when other kinds of fruit are used instead of cherries, the dish is called flaugnarde and since we are fixing ours today with pears and blackberries and not cherries, it stands to reason that ours should aptly be called a flaugnarde. 

Needless to say, no matter how much of a mouthful the name, you'll be  shoveling mouthfuls of this for entirely different reasons!

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!

15 Minutes to Sinful Berry & Chocolate Delights

Chocolate is my favorite sin!

And that sin is even more attractive when a few meager ingredients and 15 minutes can bring us from craving to toe curling satisfaction.

This is one of those quickies (sorry Denise, I'm borrowing your name just for a second) that was all the rage in our dorm at Uni and it stuck - forever. When you're a bunch of poor grad students, and you're at the mercy of the the mini-refrigerator & a little hot plate in your room, amazing how quickly you get innovative!

A Tale of Two Graters & Delicious Dessert with Calabash Gourd ~ Doodhi Halwa from India

Growing up I always heard my Mum say "You are sooooo hard on your shoes"!

That's 'coz she didn't know what I'd grow up & do to my box grater!

 Seriously you have to see to believe what is left is left of my couple of years old box grater. You'd think I have been placing my posterior on it for hours on end - everyday! No - this is the result of normal wear and tear.

40th Wedding Anniversary & Creamy Coconut Mousse with Passion fruit Cream & Golden Tropical Fruits

Once upon a time in  far away land, a long time ago was a little girl who was the apple of her parents eyes.

Of all the days in the year she loved birthday's and anniversaries and all such special occasions the most. Because then she & her Mum or Dad would plan a surprise for her other parent & they'd find an excuse to sneak away to order a beautiful bouquet of flowers to be delivered the next day or a humongous Black Forest Cake or even arrange dinner party at their favorite restaurant!

As the girl entered her teen years, she'd arrange these events all on her own. In fact she'd love her parent's wedding anniversary the most. Because her favorite part was ordering a special menu at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai overlooking the beautiful Gateway of India, without the knowledge of her parent's. One year it was Beggar's Chicken, where the chicken would arrive to the table buried in clay, slow cooked in the oven and the clay covering would have to be broken by hitting at it with a mallet. The girl remembers these days well.

However, once she moved away from home for her studies and her career, she then met her Prince whom she married and had little princelings and she is now 7,484 miles away from her parents.So when the week of her parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary rolled in, her Mother issued her customary warning "  "Don't you go around spending any money now - on flowers and chocolates and stuff!"

So she decided not to!

Instead she would make something wonderful just for them & surprise them on her magical blog!

The trick is, to keep it hidden from her Mum's roving eyes because you see the Mum logs into her daughter's blog (backstage) every morning to see if her little girl has cooked up something new the night before. So the only thing left to do is to fix the dessert & write about it while  her Mum & Dad are zzz-ing,  far far away!

Now you see, the girl's parent's are not into big gooey messy chocolaty dessert type things. They are in fact all about the subtle & they really do appreciate the finer things and the aesthetics of the food as well - sight, texture, scent. All these things come alive to them.

So the girl has decided to fix them a delicate & creamy Coconut Mousse with Passion fruit cream & golden tropical fruits such as kiwi & mangoes.

Doesn't that conjure up images of light & creamy coconut mousse with perfectly toasted shredded coconut and lined with delicately flavored tropical fruit & palm trees?

The girl certainly hopes so! ......the beginning.... 

To get started, gather the ingredients - Coconut mousses - Coconut milk from Thailand (thicker than US brands), heavy whipping cream, Malibu coconut rum (aircraft size bottle), gelatin packets, egg yolks, & sugar

Golden tropical fruit salad  - passion fruits, kiwi fruit, ripe mango, powdered sugar

Passion fruit Cream - Passion fruit pulp, coconut milk, Malibu coconut rum, powdered sugar

Garnish - sweetened coconut flakes

 Freeze a stainless steel mixing bowl to be used for whipping cream.

 Passion fruit is available in the frozen section of higher end grocery stores such as Whole foods or fresh & frozen at Asian markets. For this dessert, prepare the mousses first & prepare the remaining ingredients after.

 

In a glass mixing bowl, add 2 egg yolks & sugar. With an electric hand immersion blender, blend for a few minutes till the mixture is thick and creamy. 

Empty the gelatin packet into a bowl with 3 tbs water. Stir till dissolved.

Add to the creamed egg and whisk vigorously to completely incorporate.Add the coconut cream & Malibu coconut rum and whisk vigorously till completely blended.  Set aside.   

Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled metal mixing bowl (from freezer). With a large whisk, whip the cream for about 3-5 minutes till thickened and forms peaks.

 

Fold the cream into the egg-gelatin mixture till thoroughly blended. Grease 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins with non-stick spray.Pour the coconut mousse mixture into the ramekins.   

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.In the meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients

Passion fruit - Cut the fruit in half. Empty pulp, seeds and juice into a bowl.

Set  aside for use in the cream & the fruit salad.   

Kiwi - Peel the fruit. Discard the woody knob. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Set aside.Mango - Peel the fruit. Discard the seed & woody knob. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Set aside.

Fruit salad - In a glass mixing bowl, add 2 tbs of the passion fruit pulp. Add chopped kiwi fruit, mango & 1 tbs powdered sugar. Stir & refrigerate till further use.   

Passion fruit Cream - In a mixing bowl, place a sieve and strain the pulp so the juice is collected in the bottom bowl. Keep pushing the pulp through to capture as much of it as possible. To the bowl with the juice add 1 tbs of the passion fruit seeds. Discard the remainder left in the sieve.

 

To the bowl add 2 tbs coconut milk, 1/2 tbs powdered sugar and 1/2 tbs Malibu coconut rum. Whisk till completely  blended.  Refrigerate till further use.

 

Toasted coconut flakes - Heat a non stick sauce on medium heat. Add sweetened coconut flakes and stir constantly till a light golden brown for about a minute of so. Remove to a bowl to cool. 

To Assemble -

Gently run the knife around the edge of the now set coconut mousses. Allow to stand for a minute or so. Tip a plate over the mousse and slip the plate over so the ramekin is sitting upside down over the plate.

Position to the ramekin to the center of the plate. Keep tapping the bottom of the ramekin for a few seconds till the mousse releases down onto the plate.

Spoon the passion fruit cream around the mousse in a pool. Border the fruit salad around the edge of the cream in a circle.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the mousse and serve immediately!

 

This dessert is a fountain of flavors! The creamy coconut mousse pairs perfectly with the refreshing flavors of the passion fruit cream.

The chopped tropical fruit with their slight tangy and sweet flavors continuously refresh the palate and provide the prefect backdrop to the creaminess and sweetness of the mousses.

Dearest Mum & Dad - I wish you were here to have these in person but be rest assured, your oldest grandson & son-in-law especially loved these - so much so that they  each had one for breakfast as well! That really made their day - dessert for breakfast!!!

Recipe for

Creamy Coconut Mousse with Passion fruit Cream & Golden Tropical Fruits

Preparation time - 1 hour

Chilling time  - 2 hours

Serves 4

Shopping list

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 packets unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbs Malibu coconut rum

2 egg yolks

1 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Passion fruit Cream  & fruit salad-

5 ripe passion fruits

2 ripe kiwi's

1 medium ripe, sweet mango

1/2 tbs Malibu coconut rum

1 tbs powdered sugar for fruit salad

1/2 tbs powdered sugar for passion fruit cream

Garnish -

4 tbs sweetened coconut flakes

Method -  

Mousses -

In a glass mixing bowl, add 2 egg yolks & sugar. With an electric hand immersion blender, blend for a few minutes till the mixture is thick and creamy. 

Empty the gelatin packet into a bowl with 3 tbs water. Stir till dissolved.

Add to the creamed egg and whisk vigorously to completely incorporate.Add the coconut cream & Malibu coconut rum and whisk vigorously till completely blended.  Set aside.   

Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled metal mixing bowl (from freezer). With a large whisk, whip the cream for about 3-5 minutes till thickened and forms peaks.

Fold the cream into the egg-gelatin mixture till thoroughly blended. Grease 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins with non-stick spray.Pour the coconut mousse mixture into the ramekins.   

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preparation -

Passion fruit - Cut the fruit in half. Empty pulp, seeds and juice into a bowl.

Set  aside for use in the cream & the fruit salad.   

Kiwi - Peel the fruit. Discard the woody knob. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Set aside.Mango - Peel the fruit. Discard the seed & woody knob. Chop into 1/4" pieces. Set aside.

Fruit salad - In a glass mixing bowl, add 2 tbs of the passion fruit pulp. Add chopped kiwi fruit, mango & 1 tbs powdered sugar. Stir & refrigerate till further use.   

Passion fruit Cream - In a mixing bowl, place a sieve and strain the pulp so the juice is collected in the bottom bowl. Keep pushing the pulp through to capture as much of it as possible. To the bowl with the juice add 1 tbs of the passion fruit seeds. Discard the remainder left in the sieve.

To the bowl add 2 tbs coconut milk, 1/2 tbs powdered sugar and 1/2 tbs Malibu coconut rum. Whisk till completely  blended.  Refrigerate till further use.

Toasted coconut flakes - Heat a non stick sauce on medium heat. Add sweetened coconut flakes and stir constantly till a light golden brown for about a minute of so. Remove to a bowl to cool. 

To Assemble -

Gently run the knife around the edge of the now set coconut mousses. Allow to stand for a minute or so. Tip a plate over the mousse and slip the plate over so the ramekin is sitting upside down over the plate.

Position to the ramekin to the center of the plate. Keep tapping the bottom of the ramekin for a few seconds till the mousse releases down onto the plate.

Spoon the passion fruit cream around the mousse in a pool. Border the fruit salad around the edge of the cream in a circle.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the mousse and serve immediately!

Enjoy!

A 'oui, Chef' Inspired Cheesecake ~ A Mascarpone & Orange Cheesecake with a Glossy Sour Cream topping & served heaped with Berries

If you've been spending time in the kitchen with me these past 3 months then you probably know that Steve Dunn of  'oui, Chef' has a fan in me.

And today he's inspired me to fix his "Three Cities of Spain Cheesecake"  - his post for which is here . One of my favorite elements in his recipe is that he's doing a sour cream topping on the cheesecake.

Any one who's baked a cheesecake in the past knows that the most exasperating things when a cheesecake comes out of the oven is a cracked top along the edges & the slight settling that invariably occurs in the middle. Yes..yes...we should all have done this and that to have prevented it - but the bottom line is we're now left holding the bag,  having to figure out a way to make it look pretty for Aunt Sue's party or  a potluck or whatever!

With one flick of his wand, Steve has managed to get rid of this cheesecake vexation giving us a flawless top! Yay for Steve!

I have however (and pray Steve forgive my tinkering gene)  added a couple of my favorite elements to this cheesecake - some mascarpone for that rich & creamy experience, a touch of orange rind & a heap full of  macerated berries on the side.

I have foregone the compote on this occasion & instead as a decorative element as well, I have macerated the strawberries in some warmed up strawberry jam, powdered sugar and Grand marnier.  For some additional fruit on the side, macerate the berries with some powdered sugar and Grand Marnier.

 
I haven't explained but there is a reason for this baking frenzy & that is I am carrying it to my bi-weekly potluck this evening & since Mr. Hubby & kids will be most displeased if I do not bake one for them as well it goes without saying I am baking not one but two, 10" cheesecakes.

So when you see ginormous quantities of ingredients being folded and whipped into a fluff please bear in mind that I am feeding a herd here while most sane people will probably do just one of these with much more ease and even lesser aggravation! The recipe posted below is for one of these lovelies.

So here we go - roll up those sleeves & don on that apron - we have a cheesecake to make! As cheesecakes go, the steps involved occur over 2 days - 

Cheesecake - Prepare the evening before & refrigerate overnight

Topping - Prepare on serving day. Refrigerate till ready to use. 

Ingredients used are - ginger snaps, unsalted butter, sugar, cream cheese, mascarpone, orange (rind only), sour cream, eggs, pure vanilla extract, salt, strawberries, blueberries & blackberries as topping, Grand Marnier orange liqueur, powdered sugar for the berries.

Allow the cream cheese & mascarpone to soften and room temperature before using.

 

Crumb crust -  

 

Place the ginger snaps in a food processor and pulverize till very fine.

 

In a large mixing bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and add sugar & salt. Stir with a spatula or clean hands till completely blended and crumbly.

 

Empty out the crumb mixture into a 9-10" spring foam pan and compress the mixture up the sides of the pan going to 1". I use 2 of my fingers as an approximate guide. You can use a butter knife to give a clean edge.

Cook's Note - I also prefer to do the sides first and the base last because otherwise I find you end up with a very thick layer at the junction between the base and the sides. 

Also, it is important to allow the crust go up the sides of the pan to seal the joint between the base and the sides thus not allowing the batter to seep through.

 

Spread out the remaining crumb mixture on the bottom of the spring foam pan. Using clean palms compress the crumb mixture to the base of the pan.

Pre-heat the oven at 350 deg F.

Allow the crumb lined pan to cool in a refrigerator for 30 minutes.

As Steve explains, this is to allow the butter to solidify prior to baking resulting in a crispy crust.

Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely.

 

Filling - While the crust is cooling in the refrigerator, prepare the filling.

 

Grate the orange rind with a zester or a grating tool. Place the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a kitchen mixer. 

 

Using a electric beater, beat the mixture till it is light and fluffy. Stop as soon as lumps are gone and do not over beat.

Crack the eggs and add one egg at a time, discarding shell.

   

Add the sugar, vanilla extract & orange rind. Beat on low setting for a few minutes till all in the ingredients are well incorporated.

Wrap a seamless piece of Aluminum foil around the base and sides of the spring foam pan. Place in a pan with a lip high enough to hold about 1/2" water.

Pour the filling into the spring foam pan.

 

Place in the pre-heated oven and pour water into the baking tray, 1/2" high.

Bake for about 40 minutes till the cake is set 3 inches from the edge and is still slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken. Please note no significant browning will occur on the surface.

Cook's Note - Do not perform the toothpick test as it is inappropriate for custardy, no flour cakes such as this.

Topping - 30 minutes into the cheesecake baking fix the topping.

 

Place the sour cream, pure vanilla extract and the sugar into a bowl. Stir with a spatula.

Drop spoonfuls of the sour cream mixture on the baked cheesecake.

 

Spread the sour cream topping evenly and bake for another 10 minutes. The sour cream topping  bakes  firm and glossy. Remove from the oven. Run a knife gently around the edge of the panto separate the cake from the pan sides.

Allow to cool on the rack for about an hour or so till it is cool enough to be refrigerated. Refrigerate with a loose cover on top & spring foam pan sides still attached overnight.

Strawberry topping - Prepare the fruit the next day, 4-5 hours before serving time.

Choose about a dozen heart shaped, ripe and red strawberries. Rinse & cut the tops off the strawberries. Halve and set aside.

 

For the decorative strawberry topping use only the strawberries. I am using blackberries and blueberries to serve on the side.

In a small sauce pan and warm 1/4 cup strawberry jam with 1 tbs water till melted and forms a glaze.

 

Pour the jam & powdered sugar into the halves strawberries and stir. Pour in 1 tbs Grand Marnier. Stir gently. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use.

Berries on the side - If you choose to serve additional berries on the side, figure about 1/2  cup fruit per person. 

For the strawberries, rinse & cut the tops off the strawberries. Quarter and set aside. For the blackberries & blue berries,  get rid of over ripe and discolored ones. Wash and strain to get rid of excess water.

Place all the berries in a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and 1-1/2 tbs Grand Marnier. Stir. Cover & allow the berries to macerate in the refrigerate till serving time.

To serve - 1-1/2 hour before serving time -

 

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and detach the spring foam pan sides. 

Place the halved strawberries in a ring along the edge of the cheesecake, pointing inwards.

Allow the cheesecake to reach room temperature before serving.

And  finally ta-daa...

Cut into a slice, heap with the berries on and take a bite......don't forget to close your eyes to savor the moment~

This is palimpsest of  flavors - the ultra creamy richness of the cheesecake infused with the scent of oranges hits you first and then when you bite into the crust, with its molasses & ginger flavors and crusty yet gooey texture, its a symphony in your mouth! Steve is right! Goodbye graham cracker crust & hello, ginger snap crust!

At the potluck, I had people come up to me and say it was the best cheese cake they had ever had in their life! Seriously, give it a go!

 

Recipe for

A 'oui, Chef' Inspired Cheesecake ~  A Mascarpone & Orange Cheesecake with a Glossy Sour Cream topping & served heaped with Berries

Adapted from the Original recipe by Steve Dunn, 'oui, Chef'

Preparation time - 40 minutes

Baking time- 40 minutes

Chilling time - Overnight

Shopping list

Crust -

1-1/2 cups finely ground ginger snaps

5 tbs butter, unsalted

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Filling-

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 qty, 8 oz container Mascarpone

1 navel orange (rind only)

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

Sour cream topping-

16 oz sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Strawberry topping-

12 ripe heart shaped strawberries

1 tsp powdered sugar

1/4 cup strawberry jam

1 tbs Grand marnier

Berries on the side -

1 container strawberries

1 small container blue berries

1 small container blackberries

2 tbs powdered sugar

1-1/2 tbs Grand marnier

Baking method -

Crust -

Pre-heat the oven at 350 deg F.

Place the ginger snaps in a food processor and pulverize till very fine.

In a large mixing bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and add sugar & salt. Stir with a spatula or clean hands till completely blended and crumbly.

Empty out the crumb mixture into a 9-10" spring foam pan and compress the mixture up the sides of the pan going to 1". I use 2 of my fingers as an approximate guide. You can use a butter knife to give a clean edge.

Spread out the remaining crumb mixture on the bottom of the spring foam pan. Using clean palms compress the crumb mixture to the base of the pan.

Allow the crumb lined pan to cool in a refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Filling -

Grate the orange rind with a zester or a grating tool. Place the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a kitchen mixer. 

Using a electric beater, beat the mixture till it is light and fluffy. Stop as soon as lumps are gone and do not over beat.

Crack the eggs and add one egg at a time, discarding shell.

Add the sugar, vanilla extract & orange rind. Beat on low setting for a few minutes till all in the ingredients are well incorporated.

Wrap a seamless piece of Aluminum foil around the base and sides of the spring foam pan. Place in a pan with a lip high enough to hold about 1/2" water.

Pour the filling into the spring foam pan.

Place in the pre-heated oven and pour water into the baking tray, 1/2" high.

Bake for about 40 minutes till the cake is set 3 inches from the edge and is still slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken. Please note no significant browning will occur on the surface.

Cook's Note - Do not perform the toothpick test as it is inappropriate for custardy, no flour cakes such as this.

Topping -  30 minutes into the cheesecake baking fix the topping.

Place the sour cream, pure vanilla extract and the sugar into a bowl. Stir with a spatula.

Drop spoonfuls of the sour cream mixture on the baked cheesecake.

Spread the sour cream topping evenly and bake for another 10 minutes. The sour cream topping  bakes  firm and glossy. Remove from the oven. Run a knife gently around the edge of the panto separate the cake from the pan sides.

Allow to cool on the rack for about an hour or so till it is cool enough to be refrigerated. Refrigerate with a loose cover on top & spring foam pan sides still attached overnight.

Strawberry topping - Prepare the fruit the next day, 4-5 hours before serving time.

Choose about a dozen heart shaped, ripe and red strawberries. Rinse & cut the tops off the strawberries. Halve and set aside.

For the decorative strawberry topping use only the strawberries. I am using blackberries and blueberries to serve on the side.

In a small sauce pan and warm 1/4 cup strawberry jam with 1 tbs water till melted and forms a glaze.

Pour the jam & powdered sugar into the halves strawberries and stir. Pour in 1 tbs Grand Marnier. Stir gently. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use.

Berries on the side - If you choose to serve additional berries on the side, figure about 1/2  cup fruit per person. 

For the strawberries, rinse & cut the tops off the strawberries. Quarter and set aside. For the blackberries & blue berries,  get rid of over ripe and discolored ones. Wash and strain to get rid of excess water.

Place all the berries in a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and Grand Marnier. Stir. Cover & allow the berries to macerate in the refrigerate till serving time.

To serve - 1-1/2 hour before serving time -

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and detach the spring foam pan sides. 

Place the halved strawberries in a ring along the edge of the cheesecake, pointing inwards.

Allow the cheesecake to reach room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

Sevian - A Vermicelli Dessert from Northern India of stewed sweetened milk, almonds, golden raisins, cardamom & pistachios

One of the most delightful desserts from North Indian kitchen is  Sevian (pronounced - say-vi-yaa) Here fine vermicelli is lightly sauteed in ghee and then stewed in sweetened milk with almonds, golden raisins, & cardamom. Finally garnished with pistachio slivers.

Growing up, I have seen my Mum make this dessert so often sometimes for dinner parties and sometimes just to satisfy that sweet tooth. I have always taken this for granted and have never bothered making notes or observing how Mum was fixing it. All I remember was relishing bowls and bowls of this heavenly nectar.

So when the morning of the Foodbuzz 24,24,24 dinner party rolls in, you can read all about that splendid evening here and I have done nothing for this dish with the exception of stocking the groceries, I jump off the couch, coffee in one hand , paper & pencil in the other and begin frantically dialing my parent's at home.

Fortunately Mum picks up and I explain my predicament. After a short spiel on how I really must stop doing everything at the last minute, she reveals not only her recipe but more importantly the critical points to watch out for in the cooking process. Because its the little stuff that will get you every time!

Fortunately, this one's easy to fix with spectacular results. There are a couple of additions I have made to Mum's recipe, adding a can of evaporated milk to speed things up & a tsp of rose water. Other than that, here's Mum's Sevian -

The main ingredients required are -  

Fine brown wheat vermicelli (available in Indo-Pak stores), milk, evaporated milk, whole cloves, sugar, cashew halves (optional), sliced almonds, golden raisins, rose water & sliced pistachios for garnish. 

Cook's Note - Do not use the vermicelli sold under the pasta section of regular grocery store. This warrants very fine wheat vermicelli that is a rich brown available at Indo-Pak stores.

 

 

Prepare the ingredients -

 Sevian - If your sevian is in 11-12" long lengths, with a pair of kitchen shears cut into 4 equal parts. Set aside

 

Almonds - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

 

Cashews halves (if using) - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

 
 

In a heavy bottom saute pan, on low heat, heat the ghee till hot but not fuming. Add the cloves. As soon as they swell up, add the vermicelli.

 

Saute for 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli is a golden brown. There will be a distinct glistening on the vermicelli & it will release a scent. Stir constantly during this process. Watch for strands vermicelli turning brown quicker than others.

Add all the milk including the can of evaporated milk. Increase heat to medium & bring to simmer.

Lower heat and stir regularly for about 15-20 minutes. The vermicelli will have expanded and the milk should show signs of slight thickening.

Cook's Note - It is very important to be at hand and stir. If the milk sticks to the bottom of pan as it thickens, it will give out a burnt milk smell and the entire will have to discarded. 

 

Add the sugar, almonds, cashew haves if using & cardamom powder. Stir.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Refrigerate once cooled if using the next day. If serving the same day, just before serving warm the Sevian.Add rose water and stir.

Cook's Note - As the Sevian sits it will thicken. So you may add as much as 1/2-1 cup of milk to thin but only do so once warmed. Also once again taste and adjust the sugar if needed.

Some families like their sevian thick & others like it thin. In ours we like it thin. I do not recommend serving your Sevian very thick like a cream of wheat consistency. It should be thinner than a thick soup.

Remove the Sevian to a decorative serving bowl and garnish with pistachio slivers and decorate with rose petals if desired. 

Serve warm or hot in individual serving bowls.

One bite into the creamy rich texture of the vermicelli with the milk and dry fruits and it has us swooning.

The milk is infused with flavor from the cardamom and the little crunch from the almonds and cashews is a lovely contrast to the smooth silkiness of the vermicelli. I especially loved the pistachios and the hint of rose water in it.

I hope you make this when you have your next 'Indian nite'. I think you'll enjoy it as much as we did.

Recipe for

Sevian - A Vermicelli Dessert from Northern India

Preparation time -  10 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes

Shopping list

3.5 oz/100 gms Sevian or thin Vermicelli (brown)

1 # 12 oz can evaporated milk

6 cups milk ( plus extra to thin once cooled)

1/2 cup sugar

2 whole cloves

1-1/4 tsp powdered cardamom

1-1/2 tsp ghee

3 tbs sliced almonds

1/2 tsp ghee to saute almonds

2 tbs shelled pistachio nuts, for garnish

1 tsp Rosewater (optional)

Preparation 

Sevian - If your sevian is in 11-12" long lengths, with a pair of kitchen shears cut into 4 equal parts. Set aside.

Cashews halves (if using) - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Almonds - In a saute pan, heat ghee till hot but not fuming. Add almonds and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Cooking Method

In a heavy bottom saute pan, on low heat, heat the ghee till hot but not fuming. Add the cloves. As soon as they swell up, add the vermicelli.

Saute for 2-3 minutes until the vermicelli is a golden brown. There will be a distinct glistening on the vermicelli & it will release a scent. Stir constantly during this process. Watch for strands vermicelli turning brown quicker than others.

Add all the milk. Increase heat to medium & bring to simmer.

Lower heat immediately and stir regularly for about 20 minutes. The vermicelli will have expanded and the milk should show signs of slight thickening.

Cook's Note - It is very important to be at hand and stir. If the milk sticks to the bottom of pan as it thickens, it will give out a burnt milk smell and the entire will have to discarded.

Add the sugar, almonds & cardamom powder. Stir.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. Add rose water and stir.

Cook's Note - As the Sevian sits it will thicken. So you may add as much as 1/2-1 cup of milk to thin but only do so once warmed. Also once again taste and adjust the sugar if needed.

Some families like their sevian thick & others like it thin. In ours we like it thin. I do not recommend serving your Sevian thick like a cream of wheat consistency. It should be thinner than a thick soup.

Garnish with sliced pistachios.  Serve warm or hot.

Enjoy!

Just in Time {La Pastiera di Grana} A Traditional Wholegrain Easter Ricotta Pie from Campania, Italy

I enjoy taking every opportunity to celebrate holidays and traditions from around the world. That's something Mr. Hubby and I decided right at the onset that we would do - always celebrate the traditions of every country we lived in & live in. It's our way of reminding ourselves & our children that it truly is a small world,  full of wonder and to keep an open mind about our differences. Because our differences is what also makes it all  so very exciting.

I mean who wants to live in a world surrounded by oneself?!

So when Easter took me quite my surprise this week and I finally decided to get my act together just in time to fix something special for it, I was astounded by the variety of desserts prepared for this occasion in the various regions of Italy.

Sweet Easter Bread in Sicily, Easter Fruitcake from Trieste and this Ricotta  Pie from Campania in the Naples region.

This would be exciting in itself but it was made more so by the fact that there are variations to this centuries old recipe - some using farro, whole wheat, cracked rice & even cracked wheat.  The whole grains signify fertility for Easter.

In this version of the recipe, the textures & flavors using whole wheat berries, pine nuts, candied orange peels and orange flower water was something I couldn't resist.

I have had to start a good 24 hours earlier to baking day  as you know because  I have not been able to locate candied orange peels as these are usually sold in the US during holiday season. So I have had to make these from scratch. 

If you are in a similar predicament, you will find the post on how to make candied orange peels at home here

Also the wheat berries require a good 6-8 hours or overnight soaking. And so it was that at 10.00 PM last night I finally began fixing this pie.

Note to self - Do not start pies late at night unless you are prepared to stay up into the wee hours of the morning!...sigh...

In the kitchen with me are my favorite people when it comes to regional Italian cooking - Mario Balati (I could kiss his orange crocs!) and Nika Hazelton.  Not in person silly, their books!

I have had Hazelton's cookbook since I was about 10 years old. Picked it up from a street vendor in Mumbai and have treasured it since. She was writing books way before I was born & I really love her down to earth attitude to cooking Italian regional foods. And Thank God for Batali - for  fearlessly bringing true local regional Italian cooking (such as sea urchins)  into the main stream here in the US as in his restaurants  Lupa & Esca, NYC.

I am using Hazelton's more embellished version for the filling here but using Batali's dough thicknesses and baking times. Other than that the recipe are pretty darn similar.

There are 3 categories to this recipe:

- Filling

- Pasta Frolla, Sweet pastry dough. You will find the recipe for that here

- Assembly & weave pie crust

Off we go - first with the wheat berries.

 

Earlier in the day I soaked the wheat berries in plenty of hot water for about 6-8 hours. As the wheat berries took on water they swelled, softened and got darker. Sieve and set aside after soaking period.

   

 

In a pan, add the wheat berries, completely cover with water and bring to boil on high heat. Lower heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Sieve and set aside. The wheat berries will be softer but still have a crunch to them.

Now its time to begin with the - Pasta Frolla, Sweet pastry dough.

Because this recipe is a must in one's culinary arsenal and will be used time and time again for various other recipes, you'll find the post here

Once the spring foam pan is lined with pastry dough & is cooling in the refrigerator, begin preparing the  filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F

   

Wheat berries - To the boiled wheat berries add the butter, milk & sugar. On medium-high heat bring to boil.

   

Reduce the heat to low and keep cooking the wheat berries, regularly  stirring until almost all the milk has been evaporated. When there is a little liquid in the pan and it looks like the sugar is beginning to crystallize (about 30 minutes) sieve the berries & drain away the remaining liquid.

You will be left with the milk solids & sugar mixed in with the wheat berries.

While this is cooking prepare the remaining ingredients but keep an eye on the wheat berries so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

 

Lemon & Orange rinds - Using a rind tool or a fine vegetable grater, grate the rind from the orange and lemons. Keep turning the fruit to avoid grating into the pith.  Grate both in the same bowl.

 

Raisins - Soak in plenty of hot water. Set aside.

 

Candied Orange peels - Place in a mini-chopper and chop till very fine. You will need about 1/2 cup finely chopped peels so do this in 2 batches if needed.

In a large mixing bowl add the ricotta, orange and lemon rinds, orange flower water & heavy cream. Using a hand immersion blender, beat the mixture till smooth.

 

Separate one egg and a time and place 1 yolk into the mixture. Beat till smooth. Then repeat with the next egg yolk. Keep going till all 4 egg yolks are incorporated.

 
 

To the blended ricotta mixture, add the pine nuts, finely chopped orange candied peels & ground cinnamon. With a rubber spatula fold till well incorporated.

 

Add the soaked raisins and fold again. Add the cooked wheat berries and fold until well incorporated.

Cook's Note - I think it is very interesting that the sugar in the pie comes by transference from the wheat berries. No sugar is directly added into the filling and it the sweetness is in perfect proportion.

 

The texture of the filling is incredible - so rich, wholesome and rustic. You just know you're dealing with a very old recipe here. So unlike the smooth fillings that we generally find nowadays. The flavors are phenomenal.

Fill the refrigerated pastry base with the filling and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Set aside. 

To begin the woven pastry top -

   

Roll the pastry out with the refrigerated dough ball to diameter of the spring foam pan (about 11")

Place a scale in the center of the rolled pastry and using a paring knife, cut at 1" increments towards you. 

Using a pizza wheel, cut the strip all the way until the pastry is cut into 1" lengths.

Place the spring foam close to the pastry top.

 

 

 

Beginning with the pastry length at one end, lift each alternate length and place on the pie keeping the same 1" separation between the lengths.

 

Lift & fold over each alternate pastry length along its own length. Place the longest length in the center of the pie, perpendicular to the other pastry lengths as shown. Unfold the folded pastry lengths over the perpendicular lengths.

 

Now take the parallel  lengths that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip, as shown. Lay down a second perpendicular length of dough next to the first length, with some space between the lengths. Unfold the folded parallel lengths over the second length.

 

Remember - Keep going alternating lengths till you get one half of the pie done.

Then begin working on the other side of the pie. That way you won't get confused as to which lengths to use.

 

 

Now onto the other side of the pie -

    

Continue this process until the weave is complete over the entire top. The edges will remain folded around the sides of the pan until the whole pie is done.

 

Once the weave on whole the top of the pie is complete, using a dinner knife, trim the edge of each length and press each edge down into the pie base (so the two pastry's meet & join)

 

This is what it looks like once the weave & trimming is complete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat some of the left over egg whites.

  

With a pastry brush, gently smudge the egg while over the weave till the whole weave has an egg wash. Do not use long strokes all over the pie. Restrict the egg wash over the weave only.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 55-60 minutes until the top is beautiful golden brown. Detach the spring foam pan sides and allow to cool.

Loving the weave!

The texture in this pie is incredible. The first scent that hit us when we cut into it was the scent of oranges. The  textures with the whole grains is wonderful nestled in the sweetened ricotta. The pastry is flaky and with every bite the entire spectrum of flavors come together. This is not an oozing pie but firm & rich. Very old world indeed!

As we were having this after lunch, I looked out and saw the  orange blossom trees in full bloom and I realized that the people who originally created this pie had done something quite remarkable - they had managed to capture the essence of spring in a dish!

Don't you want a piece of that?

Recipe for

{La Pastiera di Grana} A Traditional Wholegrain Easter Ricotta Pie from Campania, Italy 

Grain soaking time - 8 hours or overnight

Preparation time - 1-1/2 hours

Cooking time - 1 hour

Makes 1 # 11" double crust pie

Shopping list

1 cup wheat berries

water to soak & boil wheat

1 cup milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups (1 lb) fresh ricotta cheese

2 tbs heavy cream

1 orange (rind)

2 lemons (rind)

1/4 cup orange flower water

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup full  finely chopped candied orange peels

1 recipe for double crust sweet pastry - Pasta Frolla

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 egg whites beaten - for wash

Preparation -

Wheat berries -  Soaked the wheat berries in plenty of hot water for about 6-8 hours or overnight.  Sieve and set aside after soaking period.

In a pan, add the wheat berries, completely cover with water and bring to boil on high heat. Lower heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Sieve and set aside. The wheat berries will be softer but still have a crunch to them.

Pasta Frolla, Sweet pastry dough - Begin with this recipe here 

Return to the wheat berries - To the boiled wheat berries add the butter, milk & sugar. On medoum-high heat bring to boil.

Reduce the heat to low and keep cooking the wheat berries, regularly  stirring until almost all the milk has been evaporated. When there is a little liquid in the pan and it looks like the sugar is beginning to crystallize (about 30 minutes) sieve the berries & drain away the remaining liquid.

You will left with the milk solids & sugar mixed in with the wheat berries.

While this is cooking prepare the remaining ingredients but keep an eye on the wheat berries so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Lemon & Orange rinds - Using a rind tool or a fine vegetable grater, grate the rind. Keep turning the fruit to avoid grating into the pith. 

Raisins - Soak in plenty of hot water. Set aside.

Candied Orange peels - Place in a mini-chopper and chop till very fine. You will need about 1/2 cup finely chopped peels so do this in 2 batches if needed.

Filling - 

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F

In a large mixing bowl add the ricotta, orange and lemon rinds, orange flower water & heavy cream. Using a hand immersion blender, beat the mixture till smooth.

Separate one egg and a time and place 1 yolk into the mixture. Beat till smooth. Then repreat with the next egg yolk. Keep going till all 4 egg yolks are  incorporated so.

To the blended ricotta mixture, add the pine nuts, finely chopped orange candied peels & ground cinnamon. With a rubber spatula fold till well incorporated.

Add the soaked raisins and fold again. Add the cooked wheat berries and fold until well incorporated.

Fill the refrigerated pastry base with the filling and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Set aside. 

Begin to weave pastry top -

Roll the pastry out with the refrigerated dough ball to diameter of the spring foam pan (about 11")

Place a scale in the center of the rolled pastry and using a paring knife, cut at 1" increments towards you. 

Using a pizza wheel, cut the strip all the way until the pastry is cut into 1" lengths.

Place the spring foam close to the pastry top.

Beginning with the pastry length at one end, lift each alternate length and place on the pie keeping the same 1" separation between the lengths.

Lift & fold over each alternate pastry length along its own length. Place the longest length in the center of the pie, perpendicular to the other pastry lengths as shown. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip.

Now take the parallel  lengths that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip, as shown. Lay down a second perpendicular length of dough next to the first length, with some space between the lengths. Unfold the folded parallel lengths over the second length.

Remember - Keep going alternating lengths till you get one half of the pie done.

Then begin working on the other side of the pie. That way you won't get confused as to which length to use.

Continue this process until the weave is complete over the top of the pie. The edges will remain folded around the sides of the pan until the weave over the whole pie is complete.

Once the weave on whole the top of the pie is complete, using a dinner knife, trim the edge of each length and press each edge down into the pie base (so the two pastry's meet & join)

With a pastry brush, gently smudge the egg while over the weave till the whole weave has an egg wash. Do not use long strokes all over the pie. Restrict the egg wash over the weave only.

Baking the pie -

Bake in pre-heated oven for 55-60 minutes until the top is beautiful golden brown.

Detach the spring foam pan sides and allow to cool. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. Not chilled.

Enjoy!

No fear, No fail - Sweet pastry a.k.a Short crust pastry {Pate Sucree, Pasta Frolla}

Making your first pie pastry, sugar or otherwise is a lot like going scuba diving for the first time.

My first experience scuba diving was at the Great Barrier Reefs. I was so excited, it was something I had wanted to do a long time and couldn't wait. Have spent hours on the boat from Cairns to finally be able to go diving, to see all that coral up close. Wow!

So with the help of the PADI instructors I get all geared up - they ask me to lower myself into the water and I start breathing through the mouth thingy and the minute I hit the water, I pull out my mouth thingy and start trying to breathe through my nose - underwater. Needless to say - it didn't work, I panicked and I almost gave up.

Then my PADI instructor said something that stayed with me all these years - he said, "If you give up now, you'll never forgive yourself and you'll never forget it. Diving is all about the mind. Stay in the water, hold on to the side of the boat and talk to yourself till you get comfortable and try again"

I am very glad I did - because there is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING compared to being down on the ocean floor holding your first sea cucumber (and your last) or putting your hand in the mouth of a giant clam.

So no matter what your experience baking your first pie pastry has been, its time to strap on your diving equipment, try again and succeed! Having said that - check your diving equipment i.e. your recipe.

Which is why - you won't find a gazillion variations of tart pastry or sweet pastry dough on this blog - nope just 2 - one for fruit tarts and one for quiches. Why? because the only recipes that matters are the ones that don't let you down the night before Thanksgiving when you've been at it for 3 hours and its already 11.00pm and you've tried everything to fix this pastry mess and you can't - it still won't work so, you start over ...... not funny and plays havoc with your confidence (yup - I know, been there-done that).

The difference between the 2 tart pastries is that one is made with butter & sugar which makes it a little crusty and flaky (which I think is wonderful for grilled fruit tarts) and other with lard and salt which is very flaky and wonderful for quiches).

Today's sweet pastry dough is the first step towards a Easter Ricotta pie. Yum!

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add all-purpose flour, cold butter (from refrigerator) cut into 8 slabs, 1 tbs sugar, egg yolks and 2 tbs chilled (from refrigerator) water.

Pulse for upto 25 seconds till a ball has formed. If in 25 seconds the mix is still crumbly & a dough ball has not formed, add 1/2 tbs chilled water and knead again for 25 seconds till a dough ball has formed.

Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and using the heel of your palms, knead the dough 3-4 times. This process is called fraisage and gives that wonderful flaky crust we all crave.

Flatten dough ball between palms, lightly flour the surface, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes till it is cold (this will make it easier to roll out) Remove from the refrigerator, discard the cling wrap and sprinkle with 1 tbs flour.

For a double pie crust, divide the dough into 2 parts - one slightly larger than the other.

Return the smaller pie dough ball to the refrigerator.

Begin working on the larger dough ball.

Begin to roll out the pastry. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.

Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough with your fingers to make sure it is not sticking. Also, turn the pastry a quarter turn every once in a while so it is rolling out uniformly. As the edges fray, pinch with finger and continue rolling.

Once in a while place the baking pan (spring foam or tart pan) to make sure you've rolling a large enough pastry:

If you are using a spring foam pan (like I am) you will need a pastry 1-1/2" large than the diameter of the base.

If you are using a tart pan (preferably one with a pop-up bottom) roll 2-1/4" larger than the diameter of the bottom.

Lift the pastry off the bottom and wrap around the rolling pin. Pull the spring foam/tart pan closer to you and drape the pastry over it as best you can.

OR

If the pie crust seems a little too fragile to lift off or if you're getting the jitters, try this fool proof method -

Separate the sides of the spring foam pan from the base. Place the over the rolled crust just to make sure your have an idea of the center. Gently life the polled crust and insert the base under the rolled crust.

Fold the sides on the pastry into the base. Attach the sides and lift the sides up.

Adjust the pastry so it is more or less in the center of the pan. Mold the pastry to the sides of the pan.

Using 2 fingers gently press the sides of the pastry to the sides of the pan. Using a knife, trim the edges of the pastry in straight line.

Now that the pastry is sitting pretty in the pan (don't fret it'll be fine)

Refrigerate while preparing the filling and you are ready for the next step.

Cook's Note - I want to draw your attention to the fact that I have used only 1-2 tbs sugar (not 3/4 cups as some recipes call for) - this is very important point - the more sugar you put in the pastry the harder the handling because softer the dough which is why most of us have had our share of pastry disaster stories.

Recipe for

Pate Sucree, Pasta Frolla, Sweet Pastry dough

Makes a double layer pie crust (11")

Shopping list

2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 stick (115 gms) cold butter, unsalted

2 egg

1/4 tsp salt

about 3-4 tbs ice cold water

2 tbs sugar

OR

Makes 1 single layer tart (11")

Shopping list

1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick (115 gms) cold butter, unsalted

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

1-1/2 tbs to 2 tbs ice cold water

1 tbs sugar

Preparation

Dough -

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add all-purpose flour, cold butter (from refrigerator) cut into 8 slabs, 1 tbs sugar, egg yolks and 2 tbs chilled (from refrigerator) water.

Knead for 25 seconds till a ball has formed. If in 25 seconds the mix is still crumbly & a dough ball has not formed, add 1/2 tbs chilled water and knead again for 25 seconds till a dough ball has formed.

Flatten dough ball between palms, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes till it is cold (this will make it easier to roll out) Remove from the refrigerator, discard the cling wrap and sprinkle with 1 tbs flour.

For a double pie crust, divide the dough into 2 parts - one slightly larger than the other. Return the smaller pie dough ball to the refrigerator.

Begin to roll out the pastry. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.

Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough with your fingers to make sure it is not sticking. Also, turn the pastry a quarter turn every once in a while so it is rolling out uniformly. As the edges fray, pinch with finger and continue rolling.

Once in a while place the baking pan (spring foam or tart pan) to make sure you've rolling a large enough pastry:

If you are using a spring foam pan (like I am) you will need a pastry 1-1/2" large than the diameter of the base.

If you are using a tart pan (preferably one with a pop-up bottom) roll 2-1/4" larger than the diameter of the bottom.

Lift the pastry off the bottom and wrap around the rolling pin. Pull the spring foam/tart pan closer to you and drape the pastry over it as best you can.

OR

If the pie crust seems a little too fragile to lift off or if you're getting the jitters, try this fool proof method -

Separate the sides of the spring foam pan from the base. Place the over the rolled crust just to make sure your have an idea of the center. Gently life the polled crust and insert the base under the rolled crust.

Fold the sides on the pastry into the base. Attach the sides and lift the sides up to adhere to the sides of the pan.

Adjust the pastry so it is more or less in the center of the pan. Mold the pastry to the sides of the pan.

Mold the pastry to the sides of the pan.

Using 2 fingers gently press the sides of the pastry to the sides of the pan. Using a knife, trim the edges of the pastry in straight line. If using a tart pan, trim the edges using the edge of the tart pan as a guide.

The sugar pastry tart is now ready for the next step. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Trash those peels no more - Candied Orange Peels to the rescue!

When I woke up yesterday morning, I had no idea that my day would consist of making candied orange peels. My desire to fix a traditional wholegrain ricotta pie from Campania for Easter this year requires these  delightful peels in the filling. Unfortunately candied fruits & peels though easily available during the holiday seasons seem to have disappeared from grocery market shelves the rest of year here in the US.

That was at least the case in my town where calls to several fine food stores were in vain. Fortunately my Mr. Hubby loves and I mean loves his oranges. He is also a whiz at peeling. He turns it into  a fine art. Since his daily ritual includes demolishing 2 navel oranges, I not only asked him to photograph his peeling technique but also reserve the peels for me.

This is how he effortlessly and easily peels his oranges -

    

 
 

What can I say? An image is worth a thousand words!

Gather the peels and remove the excess pith from the underside .

 

Weigh the oranges on the kitchen scale. Why? To determine the sugar quantity to be used based on the weight. I use 1-1/2 times the weight of the peels.

Since my kitchen scale reads 4 oz, we will be using 6 oz of sugar for the syrup (extra sugar for the rolling)

Slice the peels into 1/4" wide strips. If you want to get rid of the bitterness trim each strip so its about 1/8" thick, getting rid of the pith. This is especially if you do not like the slightly bitter undertone that will come from the pith.

Since I quite like the slightly bitter taste, I have omitted this step.

Place the peels in enough water to completely cover the peels.

 

Bring to a boil and immediately turn out the peels in a sieve discarding all the water.

Refill with pan with the peels & cold tap water and repeat this process 3 times.

Repeat 3 times. Why? Because this blanching process will help get rid of the excess bitterness from the peels. For optimum results this process needs to occur 3 times.

 

On medium heat, bring a cup of water and the sugar (by weight) to simmer. Simmer for 8-9 minutes.

  

Cover the pan and simmer for about 35 minutes. Do not stir or you may form sugar crystals in the syrup. You can shake the entire pan but that is all.

 
 

Sieve out the sugar syrup in a bowl. Refrigerate in a spare bottle once cooled as a basis for iced tea. Yummy!

Pour out some sugar - about 3/4 cup or so in a bowl. Roll the orange peels in the sugar one by one till crusted.

Cook's Note - If you are going to store these for future use, dry these on a rack so they completely lose their moisture.

Since I am using all of my peels in a pie, I am going to dry them on a parchment lines baking tray.

Dry them for at least 5-6 hours if using in a pie or a cake. Dry for 24 hours for future use & to store.

Cook's Note - For little bites of heaven, dip these to half their lengths in a dark chocolate sauce and turn these into instant dessert sticks!

 

 

 

And what you end up with is this -

  

I have been stealing a few of these as I have been walking past them (couldn't resist) and they are delicious. I can't wait to chop them up and use them for the pie.

Here's a trick I want to share.

I am going to start collecting the orange peels in a zip lock bag and store them in the freezer. When the bag is full, I can make a whole bunch of peels at a time and not have to deal with peeling a mountain of oranges all at once!

Also I just left them out to dry since I fixed these and they are really dry & stiff now and would be awesome with some chocolate dipping sauce - which is what I'll do with a few this evening after dinner.

Since this is step one towards our Easter Ricotta Pie from Campania, see you tomorrow when we put these peels to even better use!

Farmhouse Apple & Barley Parfaits

As my foodie friend, Pierre from Little Hungry Heart  has kindly pointed out, St Patrick's Day is over but this is my chance to do a St Patrick's week & the week ends tomorrow. So one more day of basking in Irish culinary bliss!

To that end I went on the hunt for a traditional Irish dessert. Our St Patrick's week's menu is rooted in peasant history and I wanted a dessert that reminds one of rich loam soil, of  farmlands and nature's rich bounty.

As it happens I thumbing through Ethel Minogue's, Modern and Traditional Irish cooking and I had stuck a post it on her Apple and Barley pudding way back when & forgotten all about it. Pudding sounded good but I wanted to keep on looking a bit more.

Now I knew I didn't want anything with alcohol or Bailey's (though I'm addicted to the stuff) or stout. A rampage of stout muffins, cake and cupcakes seem to have flooded the cyberspace and  I neatly wielded my way around these in search of that perfect dessert.

As I was going internet loafing I stumbled upon this website called European Cuisines and lo and behold, they were also talking about Ethel's Apple & barley pudding but were discussing presenting it in layers with cream and I thought to myself - ooohh now that sounds good!

The recipe struck the right note with me - a quick & easy recipe, using seasonal fresh apples & pearl barley (oh so very rustic) and slow cooking it. The pectin from the apple will infuse the barley but the layers of fresh whipped cream will add that modern upmarket twist and take it up just the right notch. Don't you think? Then there is the added bonus of eating a healthy dessert!

However as you have all figured by now, off I go tinkering again so I've decided to channel my Dixie chick past and add a wee bit of ground cinnamon & brown sugar to the apples. Also I'm adding some pure vanilla extract and sugar while doing the fresh whipped cream.

The ingredients for this dessert are golden delicious apples (yellow), ground cinnamon, lemon, pearl barley, brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, unsalted butter & heavy whipping cream.

I feel like such a good girl for using the pearl barley today. Growing up I'd see my maternal grandparents cook & drink the barley water every morning. They'd always explain to me the benefits of barley as it washes out your kidneys & gives you excellent bladder health. Was I thinking of them today!

Prepare the ingredients -

 

Apples - Peel & core. Discard the core and halve the apples. Slice as thin as possible. No need to be very careful since its all going to be cooked down to a mush.

Lemon - Freshly squeeze the juice and set aside.

 

In a sauce pan add 3 cups of water(make sure the top of the apples are covered with water)and pearl barley.On medium heat,cook until the water starts to simmer.

Add the sliced apples and cook for about 30 minutes or until the apples are & barley are both soft. Drain away excess water in a sieve.

With a hand immersion blender, blend the apples to a mush.

 

Add the butter, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir and taste. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Cook's Note - You want it tart & sweet but neither flavor should be overpowering. However, definitely have it sweeter than tart because once it chills the sweetness will reduce.

Set aside to cool. Once cool refrigerate for a couple of hours to chill. 

 

An hour or so before serving, measure out the chilled heavy cream. You'll need 2 cups for 4 servings.

Add 3 tbs powdered sugar & 1 tsp vanilla extract to the cream. Whip up the heavy cream in a food processor until soft peaks form.

Assembly -

 

Layer 1 - Add about 3-4 tbs of the apple mixture to give it a thick bottom layer.

Layer 2 - Add whipped cream about 1/2" thick (about 2 tablespoonful)

 

Layer 3 - Add more of the apple mixture to about 1/2" thickness.

Layer 4 - Add another 1/2" thick layer of cream followed by another 1/2" thick layer of apple.

At this point you should have a nearly filled wine glass.

The touch is a dollop of cream.

Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

 

Just before serving, decorate with a stick of cinnamon and mint leaves. And what you get is this -

 


This just went to the top of my dessert list!

I can't even begin to tell you what a fabulous surprise this dessert ended up being. The words that were on all our lips as we were polishing it off was - refreshing, delicate & light.

The tart from the lemons and apples, the crunch from the barley (that was my favorite part) was the perfect contrast to the rich, smooth velvety mellowness of the cream.

Even my 8 year old son said, "Mom, these are awesome". So there you have it, straight from the lips of a budding connoisseur! I really hope you make these. You won't be disappointed!

Recipe for 

Farmhouse Apple & Barley Parfaits 

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Chilling time - 3-4 hours

Makes 4 servings

4 large golden delicious apples (yellow)

4 tbs pearl barley

2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tbs unsalted butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 tbs powdered sugar for the whipped cream

mint leaves & cinnamon sticks for decoration

Preparation -

Apples - Peel & core. Discard the core and halve the apples. Slice as thin as possible. No need to be very careful since its all going to be cooked down to a mush.

Lemon - Freshly squeeze the juice and set aside.

Cooking method -

In a sauce pan add 3 cups of water(make sure the top of the apples are covered with water)and pearl barley.On medium heat, cook until the water starts to simmer.

Add the sliced apples and cook for about 30 minutes or until the apples are & barley are both soft. Drain away excess water in a sieve.

With a hand immersion blender, blend the apples to a mush.

Add the butter, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir and taste. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Cook's Note - You want it tart & sweet but neither flavor should be overpowering. However, definitely have it sweeter than tart because once it chills the sweetness will reduce.

Set aside to cool. Once cool refrigerate for a couple of hours to chill. 

An hour or so before serving, measure out the chilled heavy cream. You'll need 2 cups for 4 servings.

Add 3 tbs powdered sugar & 1 tsp vanilla extract to the cream. Whip up the heavy cream in a food processor until soft peaks form.

Assembly -

Layer 1 - Add about 3-4 tbs of the apple mixture to give it a thick bottom layer.

Layer 2 - Add whipped cream about 1/2" thick (about 2 tbsfull)

Layer 3 - Add more of the apple mixture to about 1/2" thickness.

Layer 4 - Add another 1/2" thick layer of cream followed by another 1/2" thick layer of apple.

At this point you should have a nearly filled wine glass. The touch is a dollop of cream.

Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Just before serving, decorate with a stick of cinnamon and mint leaves.

Enjoy!

VALENTINE'S DAY - Chocolate & Orange Croissant Pudding with a Grand Marnier-Orange Cream sauce

As far as I'm concerned a Valentine's day dessert has one & only criteria -

"The first bite should give you hope,

the second lust &

by the third you're in love!"

So without much further ado I give you -

Chocolate & Orange Croissant Pudding with a Grand Marnier-Orange Cream sauce

...sigh....

Main ingredients for this feature are -

Pudding - 2-3 days old (stale) large butter croissants, orange - rind, eggs, heavy cream, milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, pure vanilla extract

Grand Marnier Orange Cream sauce - Grand Marnier liquor, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, pure vanilla extract & orange - rind + juice.

Firstly, please buy the large good bakery quality butter croissants & secondly there is no need to break the bank buying the large bottle of Grand Marnier liquor - you are likely to expire from sticker shock if you look for one of those at the regular grocery store. It is much better to just buy the airline size - 50 ml bottle from a liquor store. That should run you about $4 bucks compared to $32-40 bucks for a large bottle.

You will also find a couple of things unique about this recipe - one we bake the pudding for only 25-30 minutes as opposed to 1 to 1-1/2 hours. This is because we use a few shortcuts & semi-cook the custard before it enters the oven.

Also, I remember when I started fixing the sauce, I was just winging it per se and I could hear in my head , my very loud voice shouting 'curdled milk, curdled milk, curdled milk' over & over again. Between that, there was a lot of praying!

Here's why - most sauces either do a cream, eggs & liquor base & others do butter & orange juice & liquor.

But I just knew that I had to do one with all of them combined because I wanted the scent of oranges & the liquor & the richness of the cream in one sauce! I almost kissed the floor when I finished making the sauce and it turned out perfectly! Here's me doing a little victory dance.....

Now that that's out of the way -

Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.

 

Slice the croissants horizontally and place cut side up on a baking tray or a baking stone.

 

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 8 minutes until the edges are a nice golden brown. Using a knife or kitchen shears Cut into 1 " size chunks.

Cook's Note - When I first made this, I left the croissants into large quarter chunks & when I served the pudding realized it was not easy to cut into with just a fork so I'm suggesting to cut into smaller 1" chunks here.

Place the croissants in a baking pan sprayed with some non-stick baking spray.

Add the chocolate chips and mix till the chocolate chips are well distributed through-out. Set aside while you get working on the custard.

For the custard, gather the heavy whipping cream, milk, pure vanilla extract, 8 eggs & sugar.

 Take 2 of the eggs & crack in a bowl, separating the egg yolks from the whites. We will only be using the egg yolks for these 2 eggs. You can use the egg whites for an omelet the next morning if you keep in the refrigerator.

In a small sauce pan, add the whipping cream & the milk with the pure vanilla extract. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and set aside to slightly cool.

In the meanwhile, in a large microwave safe mixing bowl, crack the remaining 6 eggs. Add the sugar and with an electric hand mixer blend for a few minutes till it combined well. Whisk the cream & milk combination a little at a time into the eggs until thoroughly combined.

At this point, place the mixture in a clean sauce pan and whisk continuously for about 7-8 minutes on low heat or until the custard has slightly thickened (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon)

 

Cook's Note - Watch the sauce very carefully, do not walk away - you do not want to end up with scrambled eggs. Remember you only need the custard to be slightly thickened - it will cook the rest of the way in the oven.

 

Remove & whisk thoroughly now to make sure that any custard solids that have formed have completely broken down & the custard is smooth. 

Cook's Note - If the custard is a little thick (like in my case), don't worry - add 2 tbs milk & whisk till it is a smooth pouring consistency again (as long as it doesn't look like scrambled eggs in which case you'll have to start over :-(

 

Using a fine grater, grate the orange and reserve the rind in a bowl. Keep turning the orange as you grate so you do not end up with the white pith & end up grating the whole orange uniformly. 

Mix half of the rind into the custard and whisk.

Juice the orange and reserve the juice for the orange sauce.Reserve the remaining rind & the juice for the sauce.

 

Pour the custard over the croissants & chocolate. Using a fork, spread the custard evenly & press down  very gently so all the croissants are soaked and covered.

Cook's Note - Use a light hand because the chocolate would have melted with the heat from the croissant and the custard and you will end up with excessive marbling if you push down hard & bring the chocolate to the surface.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the center has just set. Do not over bake or you will end up with a dry pudding.

In the meanwhile prepare the Grand Marnier Orange Cream sauce -

   

In a small sauce pan, heat the orange juice and sugar on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has been reduced by 1/3 its original quantity. Turn off heat & set aside.

 

In a separate large sauce pan, combine the cream & pure vanilla extract. Bring to boil and immediately turn off the heat. Strain before using to get rid of the skim layer.

Crack 3 eggs, separating the egg yolks from the whites. Set aside the whites & place only the egg yolks in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks & the sugar till is is pale & frothy.

Add 1/4 of the heated cream into the eggs to temper the eggs & beat with a whisk. Return this mixture to the remaining milk in the large saucepan. On very low flame ('0' setting if you have it) begin whisking the sauce. Keep whisking constantly until the sauce has thickened. Do not allow to  boil.

 

Add the orange juice reduction & the rind to the thickened sauce. Keep whisking on very low heat till the desired consistency is reached. Once again, do not boil. Turn off heat and add the Grand Marnier liquor.

 

The sauce has reached desired consistency once it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a mark when you draw a finger through the sauce. You are not looking for a very thick Mornay sauce type consistency.

Remove to a serving bowl or boat & once it has cooled, refrigerate till chilled. If you are serving this for dinner, make the sauce earlier in the day or the previous evening.

To reheat the pudding, bake for 10 minutes in an oven preheated at 400 deg F or plate each serving with a square slice and microwave for about a  minute or so till warm. 

Pool the sauce around the pudding. Using a sieve, dust some powdered sugar over the pudding & around the plate. Serve with a couple of fresh berries & a sprig of mint.

Cook's Note - Once the sauce is chilled it will thicken considerably. If needed Add 1-2 tbs of milk  & blend with a fork till it has once again reached pouring consistency. Also when the sauce is hot it will taste quite sweet but once you chill it the sugar content will reduce. If at this point you want to add more sugar, use powdered sugar only - 1 tsp at a time. Feel free to add more liquor as well if you choose.

The chocolate and orange  in the pudding is wonderful together with the buttery softness of the croissants. The cream sauce incensed with the flavor of oranges and the Grand Marnier liquor with its hint of bitter oranges, vanilla & exotic spices adds just the right touch of complexity to this  delicious , creamy, rich sauce.

Recipe for

VALENTINE'S DAY - CHOCOLATE & ORANGE CROISSANT PUDDING WITH A GRAND MARNIER ORANGE CREAM SAUCE

Preparation time - 30 minutes

Cooking time - 30-40 minutes

Serves 4-6

Shopping list:

Pudding -

4 qty,  2-3 days old (stale) large butter croissants

1 tsp grated orange rind

6 eggs + 2 egg yolks

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

couple of tbs milk if needed to thin custard

Grand Marnier Orange Cream sauce

1-1/2 tbs Grand Marnier liquor

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar (for the cream)

1/3 cup sugar (for the orange juice)

Juice of 1 orange

3 egg yolks

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp rind of orange 

couple of tbs milk if needed to thin sauce

For Garnish -

Blackberries or raspberries

1 tbs powdered sugar for dusting

sprigs of mint

Preparation -

Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.

Pudding -

Croissants - Slice the croissants horizontally and place cut side up on a baking pan or a baking stone.  Bake in a pre-heated oven for 8 minutes until the edges are a nice golden brown. Using a knife or kitchen shears Cut into 1 " size chunks.Place the croissants in a baking pan sprayed with some non-stick baking spray. Add the chocolate chips and mix till the chocolate chips are well distributed through-out. Set aside.

Custard - In a small sauce pan, add the whipping cream & the milk with the pure vanilla extract. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and set aside to slightly cool

Eggs - Take 2 of the eggs & crack in a bowl, separating the egg yolks from the whites. We will only be using the egg yolks for these 2 eggs.

In the meanwhile, in a large microwave safe mixing bowl, crack the remaining 6 eggs. Add the sugar and with an electric hand mixer blend for a few minutes till it combined well. Whisk the cream & milk combination a little at a time into the eggs until thoroughly combined.

At this point, place the mixture in a clean sauce pan and whisk continuously for about 7-8 minutes on low heat or until the custard has slightly thickened (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon)

Remove & whisk thoroughly now to make sure that any custard solids that have formed have completely broken down & the custard is smooth. 

Cook's Note - If the custard is a little thick (like in my case), don't worry - add 2 tbs milk & whisk till it is a smooth pouring consistency again (as long as it doesn't not look like scrambled eggs in which case you'll have to start over.

Orange -  Using a fine grater, grate the orange and reserve the rind in a bowl. Keep turning the orange as you grate so you do not end up with the white pith & end up grating the whole orange uniformly. 

Mix half of the rind into the custard and whisk.

Grand Marnier Orange Cream sauce -

Eggs -   Crack 3 eggs, separating the egg yolks from the whites. Set aside the whites & place only the egg yolks in a medium sized mixing bowl.  

Orange- Juice the orange. Reserve the remaining rind & the juice for the sauce.

Cooking method-

Preheat the oven at 350 deg F.

Pudding -

Pour the custard over the croissants & chocolate. Using a fork, spread the custard evenly & press down  very gently so all the croissants are soaked and covered.

Cook's Note - Use a light hand because the chocolate would have melted with the heat from the croissant and the custard and you will end up with excessive marbling if you push down hard & bring the chocolate to the surface.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the center has just set. Do not over bake or you will end up with a dry pudding.

Grand Marnier Orange sauce - 

In a small sauce pan, heat the orange juice and  1/3 cup sugar on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has been reduced by 1/3 its original quantity.

In a separate large sauce pan, combine the cream & pure vanilla extract. Bring to boil and immediately turn off the heat. Strain before using to get rid of the skim layer.

Add the 1/4 cup sugar. Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks & the sugar till is is pale & frothy.

Add 1/4 of the heated cream into the eggs to temper the eggs & beat with a whisk. Return this mixture to the remaining milk in the large saucepan. On very low flame ('0' setting if you have it) begin whisking the sauce. Keep whisking constantly until the sauce has thickened. Do not allow to  boil.

Add the orange juice reduction & the rind to the thickened sauce. Keep whisking on very low heat till the desired consistency is reached. Once again, do not boil. The sauce has reached desired consistency once it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a mark when you draw a finger through the sauce. You are not looking for a very thick Mornay sauce type consistency.

Turn off heat and add the Grand Marnier liquor. Stir to mix.

Remove to a serving bowl or boat & once it has cooled, refrigerate till chilled. If you are serving this for dinner, make the sauce earlier in the day or the previous evening.

To Serve -

Reheat the pudding,

- Bake the entire dish for 10 minutes in an oven preheated at 400 deg F

or

- plate each serving with a square slice and microwave for about a minute or so till warm. 

Pool the sauce around the pudding. Using a sieve, dust some powdered sugar over the pudding & around the plate. Serve with a couple of fresh berries & a sprig of mint.

Cook's Note - Once the sauce is chilled it will thicken considerably. If needed Add 1-2 tbs of milk  & blend with a fork till it has once again reached pouring consistency.

Also when the sauce is hot it will taste quite sweet but once you chill it the sweetness will reduce. If at this point you want to add more sugar, use powdered sugar only - 1 tsp at a time.Feel free to add more liquor if you choose as well.

Enjoy!

Revoke some Holiday Spirit - Cherry Raisin cake

The months after the holidays, after a plethora of cookies and gingerbread and the celebrations of the New Year, I can't help feeling the need to revoke some of the festive spirit. Have you noticed how the cold also brings about a stillness in the air? It's as though the air is pregnant with possibilities.

I love winters for this reason and also because I simply love crisp cold days more than hot, sweaty,  days  - and it makes me want to cook hearty stews and bake warm breads and roast meats. It also reminds of  our early years when we had just arrived in the US. Every holiday season, our dear friend Michael's mother, who lives in Australia would mail us a traditional boiled Christmas pudding (with instructions for the flambe and brandy butter)

One of these holidays, I am determined to make us a traditional pudding (suet and all) but for now,  I'll make do with a similar albeit simpler, delicious cherry raisin cake.

My first experience making this cake, resulted in what I'd  like to simply call - 'the incident'. An unforgettable one nevertheless, since my forgetting to use parchment paper during the baking process resulted in a beautiful brown,  perfect cake, tearing apart as I tried to nudge it out of the loaf pan. Not pretty - and pretty much heartbreaking!

Any how, now that I have recovered, I simply must share this lovely recipe with you. I have sent a loaf of this delightful creation to my good friend Shearer and she assures that me that it was a roaring success not just with the grown-ups but also the kids. As far as I'm concerned if the kids love it, its got to be good stuff!

This recipe is adapted from the original as published in the Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook.

A note about the ingredients, first of all I had quite a run around getting the right kind of cherries.

The cherries we need are not the canned, fresh or frozen variety nor are they the maraschino cherries but rather the red glazed ones - the ones I finally found them in a 4 oz container simply labeled red cherries though I know them as glazed cherries (not cheap at $4.50 for 4 oz).

Secondly the raisins should be sultanas or 'golden raisins ' and not the 'Thompson' raisins.  

 

Most importantly, set aside 3 hours for the preparation and baking of this cake and bake 3-4 days before serving for flavors to mature beautifully.

Preheat the oven to 300 deg F

 

 
 

 

Place softened butter in a bowl & add the powdered sugar.

 

Cream with a hand held electric blender till light and fluffy (I am sure you can also use your esteemed kitchen aid  mixer  if you've got it!)

I used my handy Braun handled that's been with me forever and I love it!

 

 

 

Onto the next step -

 

Add beaten eggs and blend well. Freshly squeeze the oranges (my 7 year old son was so excited to do this for me :) and add the juice to the egg mixture.

 

Once the orange juice is added and blended together with the electric hand blender, it looks as though the butter and juice is congealed. No worries!

Put the flour into a separate large mixing bowl and add baking powder to it. Stir with clean hands or rubber spatula. Take away 2.5 oz of the flour into a small bowl and set aside.

 

Halve the cherries. Mix together the glazed cherries and the golden raisins in a bowl. Add the 2.5 oz reserved flour and mix together till all the cherries and raisins are thoroughly coated with the flour.

Cook's Note - Isn't it the darnedest thing, that coating with flour prevents them from settling to the bottom when added to the batter!

 

Add the egg mixture to the flour. With a rubber spatula, fold the flour and egg mixture together, scraping the sides of the bowl and turning  the batter over and over till completely blended.

 

Add the cherries and raisins and mix with the rubber spatula till completely blended. Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Important!

To line the pan, I cut 2 large rectangles of parchment paper - one the width of the length & the other the width of the other side. Place both the rectangles into the pan & they will overlap with the excess paper hanging off the sides. This is fine because it allows easy removal of the cake (use like handles)

Cook's Note -  I learned the hard way that non-stick cooking spray simply doesn't stand a chance when baking for 2  hours. So the parchment paper is a must.

 

  

Bake for 2 hours until it reaches a beautiful golden brown color. Pierce with a thin skewer and it if comes out clean then the cake is done. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a baking rack.

Wrap in foil and set aside for 3-4 days for the favors to mature and it is ready to serve.

I sprinkled some powdered sugar when I served the cake - the favors of the butter, orange juice and dry fruits complement each other beautifully.

I realized that though many recipes call for  soaking the dry fruits in brandy (and can be substituted for the orange juice) I didn't miss it at all and actually preferred this lighter version. Also, I didn't have to worry about the kids turning their noses up!

 

 

 

Recipe for

CHERRY RAISIN CAKE

 Serves 6

Shopping list

1/2 lb all-purpose flour

1/2 lb butter

1/2 lb powdered sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

4 oz freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 lb golden raisins

1/2 lb glazed cherries

 

Preparation - 

Butter and sugar mixture - In a large bowl cream the  softened butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

 

Eggs - Break into a bowl and lightly beat

Oranges - Squeeze fresh oranges and reserve juice

Flour - In a large bowl place together the all purpose flour and baking powder. Reserve 2.5 oz flour separately.

Cherries and raisins - Halve the cherries.  Toss in the 2.5 oz reserved flour till thoroughly coated.

 

 

 

    

  

Cooking method-

Preheat the oven to 300 deg F .

Cut pieces of parchment paper & line a 9 x 5 loaf pan. To line the pan, I cut 2 large rectangles - one the width of the length & the other the width of the other side. Place both the rectangles into the pan & they will overlap with the excess paper hanging off the sides. This is fine because it allows easy removal of the cake (use like handles)

To the creamed butter and sugar, add beaten eggs and blend. Add the orange juice and blend till well mixed. To the flour, add this egg mixture. With a rubber spatula, fold the flour and egg mixture together, scraping the sides of the bowl and turning  the batter over and over till completely blended.

 

Add the flour coated cherries and raisins and mix with the rubber spatula till completely mixed.

 

 

 

Bake for 2 hours in the preheated oven till the cake is a beautiful golden brown. Pierce with a thin skewer and it if comes out clean then it is ready. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a baking rack.

Wrap in foil and set aside for 3-4 days for the favors to mature and it is ready to serve. Cut into slices to serve.

Enjoy!