Holidays Cookies...

Christmas  season and its jingles of bells everywhere. Also new-year is around the corner so before we step into new-year lets end this year 2012 with a very nutritious and healthy cookie recipe. As we are getting more and more  health conscious, this oat raisin cookies will surely help you to keep those extra colories at bay.







Ingredients : 
Butter : 340gms

Icing sugar : 500gms



Step 1.

Flour : 300gms

Raisins : 125gms

Oats : 365gms

Vanilla essence : 1/2tbspn

Baking powder : 5gms

Step 2.

Step 3.











Step 4.



Method:

1. Cream butter and icing sugar together.
2. Mix all the remaining ingredients in the cream mixture.
3. As per required size divide the mixture.
4. After shaping individual rolls, dust in oats as required.
5. Arrange on a greased baking tray
6.  Bake this cookies at 160 C for about 18 to 20 mins.
7. Cool and store in  air tight container.

So now by ending this tasty recipe and the year ...Wish you all a very Happy New Year and Happy baking!!!!

Coffee Mania ! ! !

 Coffee is a great beverage which has been used over the years. It also has a fair share of romanticism attached to it. Winter is known to be the best season to have coffee flavour drinks. This very thought inspired me to blog on coffee......this doesn’t mean that I will explore the recipe of traditional coffee making but will surely make you feel the flavour of coffee in the form of  dessert known as coffee mousse.

You can relish this recipe after any meal of your day. But the most important part of this recipe is the usage of good quality of coffee powder (Nescafé/ Bru).

 

Coffee Mousse:

Ingredients :

Egg yolk  -        1no.

Grain sugar  -  30gm

Milk    -             150ml

Gelatine    -      8gm

Coffee liquid  - 1 tbsp.

Whipped cream 150ml

Vanilla essence  -  few drop (optional)

Consistency of custard.

Soaked gelatine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Method:

1.      Soak the gelatine in the cold water.

2.      Prepare the hot basic custard by boiling milk and sugar together and gradually adding egg in boiling milk.

3.      Then add soaked gelatine and coffee liquid to the custard.

4.      Strain the mixture using a fine strainer.

5.      Put the mixture on the ice water bath and make the mixture into semi-thick consistency.

6.      Later add the whipped cream and fold the entire mixture with the help of the spatula.

7.      Pour the mixture into proper moulds and set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs.

8.      Garnish it with the swirl of cream and sprinkle the cocoa powder on top of it.

 

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed the journey of this recipe with the exotic presentation of the mousse....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Comfort....

Being a pastry chef , this post of mine is going to be on chocolate base or garnish that could be diverse on your plate. This preparation was made for the special lunch organized at my work place.

I had planned the menu 2 days prior to the lunch and was ready to try out some creativity on chocolate molding filled with special dessert in it. The imagination of making the dessert excited me.

This post is based on professional innovation and integration so please read and follow the recipe exactly the same.

Suggestions and comments from the readers are utmost desired.

"Chocolate Tear Drop"

1. Melt chocolate on double boiler

Preparation time : 20 min's                                           

Servings : 12  portion

Ingredients :-

Dark chocolate slabs - 100 gm

White chocolate slabs - 50 gm

OHP sheets - cut in rectangle form (as base)

Greased proof paper - cut in triangle form 
(as piping)

2. Melted chocolate 

Method :-
1.Melt dark and white chocolate by double boiler method.
2.After melting of chocolate, let the temperature of chocolate lower to 28⁰ C (Lukewarm)
3. Place the OHP strips on the table and drizzle some white chocolate on it with the help of piping bag.

3. OHP rectangular transperancy sheet.

4.Take melted dark chocolate (temperature to be 28⁰ C) and spread over the sheets as shown in the image.
5.Quickly mold the sheets by joining both the opposite ends together.
6.In few seconds, the applied chocolate will cool down and become firm.
7.The space in the chocolate mold can be filled with any sweet filling of your choice.

4. Pouring chocolate in handmade(cone)
pipping bag

5. Cutting the tip .

6. Drizzling of white chocolate

7. Spread of dark chocolate.

8. Molding chocolate

9. After set

10. Filling of strawberry mousse

11. Masking with chocolate glaze. 

"Be Mine" - Chocolate tear drops filled with strawberry mousse and masked with chocolate glaze. 

Variation :

Once the droplets are ready, savor them by filling with different flavored and color jams, mixed caramelized dry fruits or fresh fruits, small scoop of ice cream, piped out with any flavored mousse.

Tips :

Avoid water intervention while working with chocolate as it will spoil the preparation. Clean the equipments and tools with duster after your each activity. Please follow the images to apprehend the recipe precisely.                 

"Personalize the filling for every special occasion"

The Making of "Burfi"...

This was my first chaturthi celebration after marriage and I was at my in laws place for the same. There were variety of Mithai's flowing in the house from friends and relatives. I tasted most of the mithai, but still could not find,my favourite, chocolate burfi on the platter.

Its true, cravings can be really crazy. So I decided to try out my own version of chocolate Burfi. And I guess this was the right time to show off my culinary talent to my In laws and to be in good notion with them.

I  tried the recipe before so i was bit confident in making it...and my recipes goes like....



1.Haryali Mawa

Pista Chocolate Burfi :

Ingredients :

Haryali mawa - 500 gm
Normal sugar - 300 gm
Cardamon powder - 5 gm
Pistachio puree - 350 gm
Cocoa powder - 50 gm
Sliced pistachio - for garnish

2.Cooked mawa and sugar 

Method :

• Fine grate the mawa and cook it in the frying pan with the perfect amount of sugar.
• Cook the mixture for around half an hour on slow flame.(stir continuously)
• The mixture should be lump free and thick in consistency.
• Add the cardamon flavor and pistachio puree, mix well.
• Pour the mixture in the greased rectangular mold.
• Make the same mixture by adding cocoa powder and spread it over the pistachio flavor mixture.
• Its the making of two layered burfi with different flavor and color.
• Refrigerate the mixture for 3-4 hours. 
• Demold it and cut into required shape and garnish it with warq and flakes of pistachios.

3. Pista spread

4. Chocolate spread












5. After set

I enjoyed making it and it almost took me 45 mins for the preparation. Burfi was looking awesome to me and thankfully it amazed my in laws too.

And finally I fulfilled my desire by eating a piece of burfi... :)

Hope you also enjoy the same.

Biryani- From the kitchen of my Mom

“Biryani” the name itself makes our mouth watering. This is the tried and time tested recipe from the kitchen of my Mom. And being a gourmet, I have grown up relishing the delicacies of my mom.

So folks let’s not waste time on the discussion and start with our Biryani. And believe me; my mouth is still watering as I’m writing this blog.

Ingredients (Serving - 4 portion's) :-

Chicken gravy

Chicken – 800 gms
Curd – 200 gms
Onions (sliced) – 2 No’s
Tomatoes- 2 No's (Fine chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 Tbsp
Green chili paste – 1 Tbsp
Chicken Biryani masala – 4 Tbsp
Red chili powder – ½ Tbsp
Coriander powder – ½ Tbsp
Salt – To enhance the taste

Rice

Basmati rice– 500 gms
Onions (sliced) – 2 No’s
Lemon juice –Few drops
Ghee – 2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds –2 Tea spoon
Bay leaf (Tamal patra) – 2 No’s
Milk – 50 ml
Saffron – Few strands
Turmeric powder- A pinch
Salt – To enhance the taste

Preparations :-

Chicken Gravy (Time: 20mins)

Marinate chicken with curd, red chili powder, salt, turmeric & keep aside.
Deep fry the sliced onion in a pan till they turns brown i.e. Breshta. Keep aside some breshta for rice.
Keep a pan on flame, pour oil & sauté some chopped onion. To this add ginger garlic paste and then chopped tomatoes.
Cook all these ingredients properly till the oil loosens out.
Add green chili paste, chicken biryani masala and cook further for few minutes.
Finally add marinated chicken to the mixture.
After 15 minutess, check the taste of cooking masala for seasoning.
Crush "Breshta" roughly and add in the gravy at the end.
Check for
Consistency: Thick
Texture & Colour: Smooth, Dark brown


"Breshta"

Rice (Time: 15mins)

Pre-soak the rice in double amount of water.
Cook rice with a pinch of turmeric powder by draining method.
Prepare the tempering of jeera, sliced onion, salt and little sugar.
Add the tempering through half way of cooking rice and cook further till well done.
Immediately remove the cooked rice on the platter, to prevent it from getting muggy.

Now we are halfway through the preparations. Let’s start with the final cooking of the Biryani.

LAYERING & FINAL COOKING:

To make dish more presentable.
Coat the degchi with ghee and place a layer of rice at the bottom.
Sprinkle milk, saffron, mint and breshta to enhance the taste of biryani.
On top of it place a layer of the cooked chicken gravy.
Repeat the formation and finally place a layer of rice.
Cover the degchi with a lid.
Place a flat tawa on medium flame and put the degchi on top of it.
Let it cook for 15 minutes on indirect heat.

Enjoy this Delicious dish hot with raita or any salad.

Sweetdish from the land of paradise!!!

Goa is a land of paradise. Lakhs of people visits this land for enjoyment and rejuvenation. So why not a sweet dish from this land of fun?

This is a traditional dish from my in-laws family. I got to try this dish when my sister-in-law visited me this monsoon. It's a very easy to prepare and not a time consuming dish.

So let’s start making this tasty sweet dish - Mangane.

Ingredients (4 portions):-

Coconut milk – 500 ml                                 

Tapioca (Sabudana) – 50 Gm     

Chana Dal – 20 Gm

Jaggery – 4 Tbsp

Sugar – As per Taste

Cardamom powder – 1 Tbsp

Broken cashew nuts – 2 Tbsp

Raisins – 1 Tbsp

Method:-

Soak Tapioca for half an hour.

Boil the chana dal separately till it cook completely, preferably in a pressure cooker. (7-8 whistles)

Keep a vessel on low flame and start cooking tapioca with little of water.

Add boiled dal and coconut milk to the tapioca and stir continuously.

Add cardamom powder, cashew nut pieces and raisins to the mixture.

Add jaggery and little bit of sugar for taste and colour and cook further for few more minutes.


At last check for consistency, coating the spoon.


Serve warm and enjoy.





Lasuni Rabdi

Reading articles and magazines is quite a good idea especially when your mind is empty and you have strong desire to experiment.


I laid my hands on a very old issue of the Upper crust magazine and it send a tingling sensation in my tongue by reading a recipe called "Lasuni Rabadi". The name of the recipe was such obnoxious, so I wondered what the recipe will taste like?


To end my speculations and all the pondering I decided to try my hands on this recipe. It is a traditional Indian sweet from Lucknow. 

Ingredients (4 servings):-

• Lasun (Garlic) - 6-7 Bulbs  
• Parboiled Rice- 1 Cup
• Sugar- 8 Table spoon
• Milk - 1 litre
• Mawa (grated) - 500 gm
• Jaggary (grated) - 60 gm
• Kesar- Few strands
• Cardamom Powder- 3 gm
• Salt - A pinch (To enhance the taste)

Method:-

1. In a heavy bottom vessel, pour the milk and keep for boiling.
2. Whilst the milk is boiling, chop the garlic and boil it 3-4 times in water & strain.
3. Add grated mawa to the boiling milk and stir the mixture on a low flame.
4. Add parboiled rice & continue the stirring process.
5. Add dry fruits to make it more rich in taste and nutrition.
6. Add kesar, cardamom powder and let the milk reduce, stir continuously.
7. Add grated jaggary , sugar & a pinch of salt & blanched garlics at last.
8. Let all the ingredients blend very well on a slow flame.
9. When the mixture turns into coating consistency switch off the flame
10. Garnish the rabdi and serve hot.

Lasuni Rabdi

Tip- Do not forget to thank me while relishing the rabdi.