tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31096770572324641822013-05-22T17:58:59.681+05:30Food, Travels, Exploits and (mis)Adventures of an amateur Baker.Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekkerhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily Rotationtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-29873902968113937052013-05-17T13:25:00.000+05:302013-05-18T10:18:37.470+05:302013-05-18T10:18:37.470+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When I was in fourth grade, I think we had a poem reciting competition and I had memorised a poem from a 20 year old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_%26_Martin" target="_blank"><em>Wren and Martin</em></a> that my mum and my aunt had used in school before that. The poem was about some flowers, and it was a very famous poem, but I was nine, and to me all that mattered was memorising it. I had never even seen the flowers, so I didn&#39;t really get it. So I memorised the poem. But it was so beautiful, that even to my 9 year old mind, it sounded so lyrical, so melodious, that I remembered the poem for years. Not the exact words naturally, but the beauty the words created, the image they brought to my mind. It doesn&#39;t talk about a place, but it takes you there anyway, to a large undulating field, with yellow flowers growing wild, dancing in the wind, inviting you to join them. So when I saw the flowers for real, I was nine again, reciting the poem in front of the entire school (and no, I don&#39;t remember if I won anything for it)</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <em><strong></strong></em> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <em><strong>Daffodils</strong></em></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <strong><em></em></strong> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><em>&quot;I wandered lonely as a cloud<br>That floats on high o&#39;er vales and hills,<br>When all at once I saw a crowd,<br>A host, of golden daffodils;<br>Beside the lake, beneath the trees,<br>Fluttering and dancing in the breeze</em></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em></em> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Continuous as the stars that shine<br>And twinkle on the milky way,<br>They stretched in never-ending line<br>Along the margin of a bay:<br>Ten thousand saw I at a glance,<br>Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.<br><br>The waves beside them danced; but they<br>Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:<br>A poet could not but be gay,<br>In such a jocund company:<br>I gazed--and gazed--but little thought<br>What wealth the show to me had brought:<br><br>For oft, when on my couch I lie<br>In vacant or in pensive mood,<br>They flash upon that inward eye<br>Which is the bliss of solitude;<br>And then my heart with pleasure fills,<br>And dances with the daffodils.&quot;</em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><em>- <strong>William Wordsworth</strong></em></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6sdkg4AqaEQ/UZSzV6_yKXI/AAAAAAAADFY/lJjKs1zw0j8/s1600/I+wandered+lonely+as+a+cloud,+that+floats+on+high+o+er+vales+and+hills,when+all+at+once+I+saw+a+crowd,+a+host+of+golden+Daffodils.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Yellow Daffodils in DC" border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6sdkg4AqaEQ/UZSzV6_yKXI/AAAAAAAADFY/lJjKs1zw0j8/s640/I+wandered+lonely+as+a+cloud,+that+floats+on+high+o+er+vales+and+hills,when+all+at+once+I+saw+a+crowd,+a+host+of+golden+Daffodils.JPG" title="Daffodils" width="640"></a></div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKUG_YQ13ao/UZSznvfxqGI/AAAAAAAADGI/uYNVBIr5jBs/s1600/IMG_5447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Daffodils in Central Park" border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKUG_YQ13ao/UZSznvfxqGI/AAAAAAAADGI/uYNVBIr5jBs/s640/IMG_5447.JPG" title="Daffodils" width="640"></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br> </div></div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-beauty-of-spring-flowers.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=X0aSTBX_AI0:B8YrKIk3oEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/X0aSTBX_AI0" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-beauty-of-spring-flowers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-23793807948543617132013-05-03T15:37:00.001+05:302013-05-03T15:37:04.631+05:302013-05-03T15:37:04.631+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Strawberry season is almost over here in India. In other parts of the world, Strawberries are just about popping up.  If you have any strawberries (preferably those grown locally or indigenously) in the market, get them. Make some jam at home. </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ySjSHsJkKWU/UVQ2PDDySVI/AAAAAAAACQA/7qejNBX6aHg/s1600/IMG_4689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ySjSHsJkKWU/UVQ2PDDySVI/AAAAAAAACQA/7qejNBX6aHg/s320/IMG_4689.JPG" width="213"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When I was in fourth grade, my parents had taken me to a farm that grew strawberries and sold house made preserves. I don&#39;t remember much of the farm visit or how the farm looked but it couldn&#39;t have been anything less than stunning. Any farm that plays music for its plants is obviously no ordinary farm.  It had to be something to make an impression on my 9 year old mind. Just read what <em><a href="http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/01/28/stories/2006012802120200.htm" target="_blank">The Hindu</a></em> has to say about it.  However, I do remember their strawberry conserve. And I remember it so vividly, that I could have eaten it yesterday and not a decade back.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It came in large clear glass jars that used to be filled to the top. I saw it as a coveted addition to my lunch, and rationed as if I could make it last forever. The barely set red syrup used to be full of whole strawberries - making it fun to scoop out the biggest, juiciest strawberry from the jar into the plate. The strawberries themselves  - they were soft, but didn&#39;t turn straight to mush when you ate, they were sweet but pleasantly acidic at the same time. They were strawberries, but they were something more. They probably only lacked gold dust. </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FrV99bbVpvs/UVQ2Rwd3VRI/AAAAAAAACQI/9FwmNJbh7oc/s1600/IMG_4692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FrV99bbVpvs/UVQ2Rwd3VRI/AAAAAAAACQI/9FwmNJbh7oc/s320/IMG_4692.JPG" width="320"></a> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">  </div></div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/05/strawberry-jam.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=2sCWi_K-Z3Y:Le1LM0SpRvA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/2sCWi_K-Z3Y" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/05/strawberry-jam.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-44491440495901999972013-04-30T15:21:00.003+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.732+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.732+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Choosing cakes for someones birthday is not easy. Even if you know what that person likes, there are too many choices, too many ingredients, too little time and a pantry that will have the key ingredient missing (and sometimes that&#39;s butter). And of course, me being me, I had to pick something of importance, with history, with a story to tell...</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLaO7lmA4Qc/UVUCqrcvKxI/AAAAAAAACRA/ZI6E1tEajrY/s1600/DSC03530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eggless, no bake, Banoffee pie" border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLaO7lmA4Qc/UVUCqrcvKxI/AAAAAAAACRA/ZI6E1tEajrY/s640/DSC03530.JPG" title="Banoffee Pie" width="640"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Which brought me to this, the Banoffee Pie. It&#39;s not something I had not heard enough about, let alone eat it. It&#39;s hard to come by this pie in my city, but as I found out it&#39;s seen in some small tourist towns in Northern India. But the wonders of the internet mean that you find a lot of desserts you never you knew about and eat with your eyes much before you can even taste. It had a flavour combination I had never tried - bananas with caramel and cream.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The pie is claimed to be England&#39;s best, tastiest, (insert-every-synonym of delicious), dessert ever. </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The <a href="http://www.hungrymonk.co.uk/banoffi_pie/" target="_blank">original recipe</a> calls for shortcrust pastry, as the base, and uses coffee for garnish instead of chocolate. The caramel layer is made by <em>boiling</em> the can of condensed milk in a water bath for hours until the milk inside turns to toffee a la Dulce-de-leche. No matter which recipe you pick, the core flavours of banana combined with caramel are the same. </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div></div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-pie-for-all-seasons-banoffee-pie.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=V3XD5TnTj_M:Ifu6zMZ25KA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/V3XD5TnTj_M" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-pie-for-all-seasons-banoffee-pie.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-21181472398344152282013-03-02T10:03:00.001+05:302013-03-03T19:22:40.686+05:302013-03-03T19:22:40.686+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> When I make a birthday cake for a friend, I have two things in mind. One, I don&#39;t like buttercream laden, syrup soaked cakes. They are everywhere. And two, I want to make a cake that the birthday girl or boy will like and the cake has some sort of a legacy.  I am not sure what the recipients of the cakes think of that. Oh well. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5WMqFb3otQI/UTCZHKh4vLI/AAAAAAAACPQ/CDLRpWCMrJ8/s1600/IMG_4638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5WMqFb3otQI/UTCZHKh4vLI/AAAAAAAACPQ/CDLRpWCMrJ8/s320/IMG_4638.JPG" width="640"></a></div> <br> With another birthday coming up, I kept switching from one cake to the next. My baker friend and I had endless chats on what we could and could not make. We wanted something new, something different, and we settled on a Yule log at the last minute. It was long past Christmas, but ever since I saw the recipe for the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/dec/13/how-cook-perfect-yule-log" target="_blank">perfect Yule Log,</a> I needed an excuse to make it. <br> <br> Traditionally, Yule Log or <i>bûche de Noël</i> - is a cake that&#39;s made at Christmas.  <i>Bûche de Noël</i> comes from France/Europe from the <a href="http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CDEQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FIron_Age&amp;ei=MnsxUf2CN4HsrAff5ICYAg&amp;usg=AFQjCNFnuqDXaEYyoppxG7uy1kh5Ryt1zg&amp;bvm=bv.43148975,d.bmk" target="_blank">Iron Age</a> (medieval era), when it was <a href="http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/the-delicious-history-of-the-yule-log" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">traditional to burn a log of wood at Christmas </a>which came after the winter solstice, to celebrate the end of the winter season and when the days start getting longer. In the early 17th century the first cakes appeared, to continue the tradition, albeit with cake. And the cakes were popularized in Paris during the 1800s. It is still made in bakeries and patisseries everywhere (even here, in India) for Christmas. The cake is very similar to the <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2011/08/vanilla-chocolate-swiss-roll.html">swiss roll</a> - a flat sponge cake is filled and rolled. And in this case, iced, with a  chocolate frosting. This combined with the design of the frosting which imitates the bark of tree.  <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-roll.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=pPj-DKNZXKo:JtQ6v0Paozw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/pPj-DKNZXKo" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com2http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-roll.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-644453905061681472013-02-23T10:56:00.000+05:302013-02-26T17:30:20.345+05:302013-02-26T17:30:20.345+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I realised today that the last few recipes on this blog have been all chocolate. Completely unintentional I tell you. But winter&#39;s the time to be really exploring chocolate in all it&#39;s forms, even ice-cream, isn&#39;t it? But even today&#39;s recipe can be made chocolaty - from crust to glaze and everything in between. But I have gone that way before and this is how it went: A chocolate cheesecake is not something that you expect - taste wise. It looks perfect, moist and creamy, but it&#39;s taste? The cheesecake is tangy/sour (like it&#39;s supposed to be) but the chocolate inside doesn&#39;t match the flavour. You think you are eating cake, a good cake, but there&#39;s something different about it. It grows on you.<br> <br> But today, I am digging into a simple baked cheesecake. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s94ckt5tYvQ/UShCJZBAeiI/AAAAAAAACOs/_q3N5UpgPGE/s1600/IMG_4339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s94ckt5tYvQ/UShCJZBAeiI/AAAAAAAACOs/_q3N5UpgPGE/s640/IMG_4339.JPG" width="426"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br></div> <br> A &#39;New York Cheesecake&#39; or a &#39;Philadelphia Cheesecake&#39; is how most people cross path with this dessert. Today, most cheesecakes are made with commercially bought cream cheese (and that too mostly Philadelphia). Commercial cream cheese was first made in 1872 which is similar to the French Cheese <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neufch%C3%A2tel_%28cheese%29" title="Neufchâtel (cheese)">Neufchâtel</a>. So the original cheesecakes were made with other ingredients. <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/02/simple-baked-cheesecake.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=o5quaDSqoXo:0Y9LaNB0LQw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/o5quaDSqoXo" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/02/simple-baked-cheesecake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-22498434719243969862013-02-01T09:09:00.000+05:302013-02-08T16:40:55.092+05:302013-02-08T16:40:55.092+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Someone once told me that the best time to eat ice-cream was not summer - but winter. When the lovely, creamy scoop stays the way it is. When the heat doesn&#39;t melt the confection rendering the waffle cone soggy. When you can actually savour each bite and are in no rush to finish the cone in your hand lest it melts into a puddle and onto your hands and eventually clothes. Is the sticky mess you might end up with really worth the ice cream? On the other hand - Who eats ice cream in the winter? Ice cream in winter is especially good at midnight snuggled in a blanket - when you have a radiator on one side and an ice cream on the other.  <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG8vpugtyQY/UQpXxZzWLOI/AAAAAAAACL4/I8EiWfA5wTU/s1600/IMG_4488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG8vpugtyQY/UQpXxZzWLOI/AAAAAAAACL4/I8EiWfA5wTU/s400/IMG_4488.JPG" width="266"></a></div> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/not-winter-dessert.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=1B1F3eyYg_U:vdMNI7Xj4CM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/1B1F3eyYg_U" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/not-winter-dessert.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-30663617523005634592013-01-19T08:09:00.003+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.728+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.728+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Ever made eggless cakes that did not rise? Eggless cakes that were <i>dense and heavy?</i> Eggless cakes that didn&#39;t taste of the chocolate they were supposed to taste of. And that corner bakery somehow always made their eggless cakes <i>oh-so-light-and-airy</i>! Sometimes, just sometimes, eggless cakes do turn out right - even delicious, but sometimes they are too dry and there&#39;s so much of the rising agent in them, that carry that acidic taste. So with this, would you have ever thought that a <i>vegan</i> (no eggs, no butter, no milk) cake can be everything a purchased cake may be soft, airy, light and rich? Cake that you can make at home in one bowl (or less!).<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wkW1ZobFGDE/UPklubyYb2I/AAAAAAAACLc/2fHMdzG1Dd4/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Eggless Chocolate - cake pan cake" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wkW1ZobFGDE/UPklubyYb2I/AAAAAAAACLc/2fHMdzG1Dd4/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" height="425" title="Wacky Chocolate Cake" width="640"></a></div> <br> <br> I am talking about a cake that has many names, and nothing tells me what it&#39;s real name might be, but it doesn&#39;t make a difference. Wacky Cake, Depression era Chocolate cake Cake, Cake-Pan Cake, Crazy Cake and Dump Cake - take your pick. There may be slight differences in recipes here and there - but essentially these cakes have no butter and no eggs.<br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-wacky-chocolate-cake.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Z6zwgYvkS7A:eHFu_Vv_6zM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/Z6zwgYvkS7A" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-wacky-chocolate-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-56441501464709150152013-01-13T07:14:00.000+05:302013-01-13T07:14:21.707+05:302013-01-13T07:14:21.707+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br> Coorg is still something of a mystery to so many people. People know that coffee comes from the &#39;south&#39; (in India) but very few people know exactly where it comes from (Chikmanglur and Coorg). Did you know that India has a Coffee Board? Did you know they have some <a href="http://www.indiacoffee.org/indiacoffee.php?page=CoffeeRegionsIndia" target="_blank">cool facts about Indian Coffee</a> on their website? I&#39;d suggest if you are looking for something different, and a really relaxed, refreshing holiday, consider Coorg.<br> <br> <u><i>What to do </i></u><br> <br> Honestly? Everything and nothing. Don&#39;t go there with a fixed itinerary. Decide once you reach. Take a look around. Monsoon is said to be a beautiful time to be there - but there&#39;s not much you can do if it rains. <br> <br> <b>Top 10 things to do when in Coorg</b> (or a a list of stuff that you can do) - <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/coorg.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=lZ6AZVd7zr8:QsJgXf2uTag:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/lZ6AZVd7zr8" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/coorg.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-2743727039708781022013-01-04T17:18:00.000+05:302013-01-14T08:24:07.338+05:302013-01-14T08:24:07.338+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> As I rolled down my window for the first time heading towards Coorg, the smell of wet earth assailed my senses. The cicadas were chirping away merrily creating a beautiful and intimidating cacophony. And you know you are in a forest when all you see for miles are towering trees, electric fencing and freshly pulled out trees leading into the  woods, telling you that yes, you are in elephant country.  There were coffee plantations on one side of the road and a distinct chill in the air. The air was not only cool, but wet, rainy, sunny and green. <i>So much green</i>.  Fresh green peppercorns were hanging off every vine on every tree lined on the narrow one lane road tempting me to take my hand out of the window and taste them (and I am not even some big fan of pepper. Or wasn’t – I’ll get to that). I am talking about what&#39;s called the &#39;Scotland&#39; of India, our coffee growing land – Kodagu district in the state of Karnataka.<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpMy3spVFSY/UOa-lbKk8jI/AAAAAAAACJI/YPCuJsQwzGE/s1600/IMG_3512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trees in Coorg" border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpMy3spVFSY/UOa-lbKk8jI/AAAAAAAACJI/YPCuJsQwzGE/s1600/IMG_3512.JPG" title="Coorg landscape" width="640"></a></div> <br> Reaching the resort was a mystery in itself. The roads are only wide enough to accommodate one tiny car – let alone 2 huge SUV’s. The roads seem to go deeper into coffee heartland, with only a few signs of human habitation. Most resorts are nestled within coffee plantations, so unless you are a local, or have an amazing GPS, you need someone to guide you to your resort. It’s easy to get lost within (which is not so bad as long as you don’t stray into the forest and meet any wild elephants). <br> <br> <b>There&#39;s coffee!</b><br> <b></b><br> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOvXXdSQotY/UM77hSl08cI/AAAAAAAACIU/D6fGXgwK6ak/s1600/Coffebeans+ripening.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Green and Red coffee beans" border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOvXXdSQotY/UM77hSl08cI/AAAAAAAACIU/D6fGXgwK6ak/s640/Coffebeans+ripening.JPG" title="Coffee Beans" width="640"></a><br> <br> We all have to thank <a href="http://www.orangecounty.in/coorg-resorts/amazing-coorg/coffee-spice-more/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Baba Budan</i> for bringing coffee</a> to India, because really, how else would <i>Filter Kapi</i> have happened? Those seven smuggled beans probably changed the way people live and the way people socialize (because imagine your social life today without the big cuppa on the big sofa in coffee shop). <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/of-coffee-peppercorns-and-spice.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Ipl692Fsflw:iIhAQw3hUdo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/Ipl692Fsflw" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2013/01/of-coffee-peppercorns-and-spice.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-13358413453093471312012-12-14T19:11:00.000+05:302012-12-14T19:15:36.461+05:302012-12-14T19:15:36.461+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Is there really a perfect Brownie? I mean is there really a perfect version of anything? Sure there is- but I think this comes with a condition. What I like, you may not and vice versa. So I am not keen calling anything perfect. I do however think that if any recipe is called perfect, it  should work just the way it says it should every single time (but this should probably be true for most recipes no?) <br> <br> Perfectionism aside, have you eaten a brownie that&#39;s not perfect? In any form? <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYZtw8LW7Co/UMsmAF6ltpI/AAAAAAAACHE/HPyyPftcePs/s1600/IMG_4288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYZtw8LW7Co/UMsmAF6ltpI/AAAAAAAACHE/HPyyPftcePs/s400/IMG_4288.JPG" width="400"></a> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">  </div> Brownies fall into three distinct camps. Cakey, Chewy, Fudgy. I don&#39;t know what a chewy brownie would be. You decide which one you like more. I am not sure how a brownie is made <em>chewy.</em> I prefer fudgy brownies to the others only because I don&#39;t really know what a &#39;cakey&#39; brownie really is. Wouldn&#39;t it just be &#39;cake&#39;?  I didn&#39;t know for a long time that the crust on top - that&#39;s actually a part of the brownie - and for me now an essential distinguishing character. Shirley O. Corriher in her book <em>Bakewise </em>goes into great detail about <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/perfectly-sweet-how-to-get-a-c-99408" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">why the crust is formed</a>. The crust is a layer of meringue and occurs as a result of beating the eggs in the chocolate butter sugar mixture. The more you beat the eggs, the better crust you&#39;ll get. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-aIHCnGu60/UMsmD-ALDCI/AAAAAAAACHM/cnFGY2BF4cA/s1600/IMG_4289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-aIHCnGu60/UMsmD-ALDCI/AAAAAAAACHM/cnFGY2BF4cA/s400/IMG_4289.JPG" width="266"></a></div> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/12/chocolate-brownies.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=05mJLGFCECg:rts6woteCWY:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/05mJLGFCECg" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com2http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/12/chocolate-brownies.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-89117828340385363742012-12-04T18:15:00.002+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.737+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.737+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I find it very odd that after so many years of moving around in the country, I had never had Christmas Pudding.  <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2011/09/rich-plum-cake-or-christmas-cake.html" target="_blank">Christmas cake</a>, now that you&#39;ll find. Packaged, gourmet, <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.in/2010/01/christmas-cake.html" target="_blank">freshly baked</a> and all sorts. But pudding? That has been hard to find. Some restaurants do serve pudding, but I can never be sure if what they served is steamed or baked, and a true pudding is always steamed.  So I set out to do what I usually do, make one on my own.<br> <br> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Steamed christmas pudding with custard" border="0" height="347" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzAvKEYMu3Q/UL3ih8W3LSI/AAAAAAAACGQ/XY8IDYE0bm0/s400/christmas+pudding.JPG" title="Christmas Pudding" width="400"></div> <div style="text-align: center;">  </div> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/12/something-about-pudding.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=_iERnfBUvKU:0LpfIDmhpH4:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/_iERnfBUvKU" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/12/something-about-pudding.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-90211698705735212242012-11-14T11:54:00.003+05:302012-11-21T09:26:40.521+05:302012-11-21T09:26:40.521+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I am fussy when it comes to the Black Forest. No, not the region in Germany (where I&#39;d happily love to go trekking), but the mighty gateau named after it. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87btG82ndZU/UJ0Uhr9ddBI/AAAAAAAACDo/KOE_l8hCkVE/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Eggless black forest " border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87btG82ndZU/UJ0Uhr9ddBI/AAAAAAAACDo/KOE_l8hCkVE/s400/IMG_3398.JPG" title="Black Forest Cake" width="336"></a></div> <span id="goog_1222263304"></span><br> Let&#39;s face it. The one thing I repeat on my blog seems to be <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.in/2011/07/black-forest-cake.html" target="_blank">this</a> <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.in/2012/05/bakers-confessions.html" target="_blank">cake</a>. An <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.in/2009/05/here-are-2-more-pictures-of-eggless.html" target="_blank">eggless version</a> too (but there&#39;s not much by way of reading there - I had a way with words back then eh?). It&#39;s easy enough to make an eggless chocolate cake from those boxed mixes to get dreamy results, but if you are going that way, you may not want to read the ingredient list. I studied chemistry for some time, and even I can&#39;t pronounce the names on those lists.<br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-tall-cake-made-vegetarian-black.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=0z6Yy21kR90:Rhtw12SXONk:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/0z6Yy21kR90" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-tall-cake-made-vegetarian-black.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-69369955299728856332012-10-17T15:49:00.001+05:302012-10-17T16:19:14.894+05:302012-10-17T16:19:14.894+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> I stay in the state that is known across India for the classic Indian fast food, street food extraordinaire - Vada Pav. Vada Pav for want of a better description is like a burger - except it&#39;s nothing like a burger. A soft white bread roll is stuffed with a deep fried potato patty eaten with a <em>lasna chi chutney</em> (garlic chutney) and deep fried chilli. And the best time to have it (and this my totally personal preference) is during the interval of a late night Marathi play from the theatre&#39;s canteen. Also if you are not into theatre, then from any of the hand carts. I don&#39;t think there is any official count on how many hand pushed food carts exist in any given city in this state, and I wouldn&#39;t want to put an estimate on that. But on an average, there must be at least one food cart on <em>every street</em> and more on busier junctions. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CHBYyyt00Xw/UHgAl-YwetI/AAAAAAAACCQ/WXNSSlo3RSg/s1600/IMG_4059+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CHBYyyt00Xw/UHgAl-YwetI/AAAAAAAACCQ/WXNSSlo3RSg/s640/IMG_4059+-+Copy.JPG" width="426"></a></div> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/10/wheat-ladi-pav-bread-rolls.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=UZgE9XKLTdU:lo1PI7SuKBU:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/UZgE9XKLTdU" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com1http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/10/wheat-ladi-pav-bread-rolls.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-45813044333474586072012-10-13T09:45:00.001+05:302012-10-13T09:45:22.243+05:302012-10-13T09:45:22.243+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Gluten Free Cakes have always intrigued me. For ages, I have only made cakes that have flour, trusty old <em>maida</em>, as the basis for a cake&#39;s main structure. I couldn&#39;t imagine a cake that has <em>no flour</em>. A few years ago, when I had seen a recipe for a flourless cake on Food Network, I couldn&#39;t believe my eyes. I was not much of a baker then - but I knew enough (but in hindsight, not enough) about cakes to find the particular recipe - for the lack of a better term - different. I couldn&#39;t comprehend how a cake could be flourless. I kept imaging it to be a dense, wet, gooey mass of batter that had set in the shape of cake. Fortunately tastes (and my knowledge about food) have evolved since then - and I realise and appreciate the  presence and the need of good flourless cakes. As is with intolerance to egg, it&#39;s very difficult for people who suffer from a gluten allergy to eat any dish that has any traces of flour in it. <br> It&#39;s so difficult to figure out what has flour and what doesn&#39;t. Cake is a long way off. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Kt2i1CgRrM/UHf_iyr3i4I/AAAAAAAACBw/Nu0_-q2yt5k/s1600/IMG_3408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Kt2i1CgRrM/UHf_iyr3i4I/AAAAAAAACBw/Nu0_-q2yt5k/s640/IMG_3408.JPG" width="640"></a></div> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-cake-that-did-not-have-any-flour.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=ZI21OavUO_U:3EhDAjBBROo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/ZI21OavUO_U" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-cake-that-did-not-have-any-flour.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-10473893841384557852012-09-22T08:01:00.000+05:302012-09-26T16:14:18.749+05:302012-09-26T16:14:18.749+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> There is no shortage of banana (cup)cake recipes around here. It&#39;s not that it&#39;s a favourite baking ingredient or anything such, in fact I don&#39;t have any one favourite, but banana does have it&#39;s own place in baking. It&#39;s such a simple fruit, and yet it does so much for any dish you put it into. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6qY5RVhK2Ro/UFxC7XpGMsI/AAAAAAAACA4/z3OnXZA2ePU/s1600/IMG_3221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6qY5RVhK2Ro/UFxC7XpGMsI/AAAAAAAACA4/z3OnXZA2ePU/s640/IMG_3221.JPG" width="640"></a></div> <br> So when I had to take cake for a work related trip, and I had to decide between a chocolate cake and some other cake, I decided to go on the non chocolate route to this banana cake(I love chocolate, but there is a serious shortfall of good banana cakes around here and I have decided to make and feed my friends as many different types of cakes as I can). This cake is ideal as a tea time cake, evening snack or in my case - eaten with (and before) breakfast.  If you want a fancier pudding, just pour over a chocolate glaze or ganache.<br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/09/banana-cake.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=8dy_dTCqXkA:f6ZI5L4TMys:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/8dy_dTCqXkA" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com1http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/09/banana-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-10072706260948483222012-09-01T08:38:00.001+05:302012-09-01T08:38:47.573+05:302012-09-01T08:38:47.573+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> The first ever lava cake I had was in the thick of winter, two years ago, from a delivery menu. My cousin had ordered it for all of us, and although I wasn&#39;t sure it was going to be any good (because of some TVC&#39;s really), but it came highly recommended. And anyway, I have no idea why I had any reservations about a dessert that came in hot, with a molten <i>chocolate</i> centre. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rQkKxA0f3Q/UEBEAQFXD8I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/okVQ9U1wnvw/s1600/IMG_3268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rQkKxA0f3Q/UEBEAQFXD8I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/okVQ9U1wnvw/s640/IMG_3268.JPG" width="425"></a></div> <br> After that, nothing. Until about two months ago, when at a restaurant I had some smaller versions that they called <i>chocolate bombe</i> which is almost the same thing, except they topped a serving with a lot of vanilla icecream - taking my interest (in this dessert) to an entirely different level. <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/09/chocolate-lava-cakes.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=k61Pxq_kyfA:CaMMN5GD2Qs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/k61Pxq_kyfA" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com6http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/09/chocolate-lava-cakes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-6306052548531295102012-08-18T07:59:00.002+05:302012-08-18T07:59:24.911+05:302012-08-18T07:59:24.911+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Everybody will tell you that this is not a pie. Not a pie? Then why call it pie? Its called Boston Cream Pie. But it&#39;s a cake? <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qF1nvAIq3C4/UCzX8SxRwVI/AAAAAAAABxs/MuItf2l8AkY/s1600/IMG_3374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Boston cream Pie " border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qF1nvAIq3C4/UCzX8SxRwVI/AAAAAAAABxs/MuItf2l8AkY/s400/IMG_3374.JPG" title="Boston Cream Pie" width="400"></a></div> <br> Confused? I was too, but Boston Cream Pie is really a cake - it is made with 2 layers of yellow cake sandwiched with a vanilla custard and topped with a chocolate ganache or glaze. The origins of the cake are slightly fuzzy, but it&#39;s fairly certain that it first appeared in in a hotel in Boston called The Parker House Hotel. Nigella explains in her book <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/domestic-goddess-0701171081/p/itmczzh982ch4xzs?pid=9780701171087&amp;_l=CJHVEqJO3veuHytbACc9dw--&amp;_r=1u%20ZEBV0H07ywGiniM3pdg--&amp;ref=02cc3168-5bd8-4291-8a6c-5b5263f3f977" target="_blank">How to be a Domestic Goddess</a> that Boston Cream Pie was invented when the pastry chef at the hotel, in 1850, added a chocolate glaze to an ordinary Boston Pie (vanilla cake sandwiched with vanilla custard). Its also called Pie and not cake because in the early 9th century, cakes were made in Pie dishes, and the name sort of stayed. But what&#39;s probably the most interesting tidbit I read was that this dessert is also the <i>official</i> <a href="http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm" target="_blank">dessert of the State of Massachusetts</a>!<br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/08/is-it-pie-is-it-pudding-is-it-cake.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=VaTHJsT3ZR4:NrWE41wQWE8:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/VaTHJsT3ZR4" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com4http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/08/is-it-pie-is-it-pudding-is-it-cake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-61314214575069247082012-08-06T16:58:00.003+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.735+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.735+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Ah yes. Here&#39;s something I should have posted a while back. But I have been holding on to it. Why? Because I couldn&#39;t seem to find any geeky trivia about the magnificent creation that this Croquembouche is. So why now? Well, because I did find some geeky trivia after spending hours on Google (yes, that always works, didn&#39;t you know?). <br> <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpUcWlVN1ro/UBvImsy069I/AAAAAAAABvc/NUkDHVnTbJE/s1600/IMG_3043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpUcWlVN1ro/UBvImsy069I/AAAAAAAABvc/NUkDHVnTbJE/s640/IMG_3043.JPG" width="640"></a></div> <br> <br> Then again, croquembocuhe isn&#39;t that &#39;oh, it comes together in 5 minutes!&#39; type of thing - but it sure can be made at home - and with a little patience, time, this makes a neat weekend project. Glaringly absent in all bakeries in India, I had seen this creation once (<em>once!</em>) in a flashback episode of Masterchef - <a href="http://adrianozumbo.com/croquembouche/" target="_blank">Pastry Chef Adriano Zumbo&#39;s Stunning Creation</a>. I knew nothing of it other than the fact that croquembouche is a profiterole tower - and it looked seriously tall and not something bakers make at home. Profiteroles are cousins to éclairs, a confection I remember from when I was all of nine and wished my school was closer to the local bakery but that&#39;s a whole different story. <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLLL2nLj_mQ/UBvJIOVtAwI/AAAAAAAABvk/-RjkYNTN8Eo/s1600/IMG_3037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLLL2nLj_mQ/UBvJIOVtAwI/AAAAAAAABvk/-RjkYNTN8Eo/s400/IMG_3037.JPG" width="266"></a></div> <br> I should have known better. Obviously I am not reading the papers enough. The very place I managed to get my <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/bakers-confessions.html" target="_blank">elbows deep in flour</a> is also a record holder* in the Limca Book of Records for creating the <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-03-06/pune/28036623_1_croquembouche-chefs-limca-book" target="_blank">country&#39;s biggest croquembouche</a>. Seriously...how could I not know that! Where was I when they made this!?! I searched far and wide, and a college from my own city was the record holder? <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/08/croquembouche.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=tlU-Lh_-NLY:dPre5-wWXuQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/tlU-Lh_-NLY" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/08/croquembouche.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-44853257145057141872012-07-28T17:47:00.001+05:302012-07-28T17:47:19.600+05:302012-07-28T17:47:19.600+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Till date, this blog has been only about the things that I baked that <em>worked</em> (mostly, I&#39;ll come back to that some other time). Anything else has been kept deliberately out of this space mainly because I was too nervous to even try to write about something that didn&#39;t quite work. So what changed now? After blogging for 4 years (ahem, regularly for about a year) I figured it&#39;s time to explore the other side too. No? Plus, I really thought that bread was something that I understood - biology student and all - obviously not the case in what follows.<br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eOAj0VTmF2c/UBEW53N1doI/AAAAAAAABuQ/v3lrGFTJJsQ/s1600/Baked+focaccia+with+olives.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eOAj0VTmF2c/UBEW53N1doI/AAAAAAAABuQ/v3lrGFTJJsQ/s400/Baked+focaccia+with+olives.JPG" width="300"></a></div> <br> For a long time I had set my sights on making a Focaccia. To be completely honest, I haven&#39;t had a true Italian Focaccia, so I know nothing of how it should taste, what it should look like and how it bakes. The Internet tells me that it is similar to Pizza dough - so I am guessing the texture should be airy - with many air pockets, light, crusty but still moist. Focaccia is an Italian Bread, which is patted out on a baking sheet, left to rise, dimpled and then doused in olive oil and topped with herbs and olives or tomatoes. By dimpling the dough you create wells which hold in the olive oil. The oil seeps into the surface when you bake - giving the focaccia additional flavour. <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/07/tale-of-focaccia.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=Zzd1b8dLJX4:JBy5Z16_4vg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/Zzd1b8dLJX4" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/07/tale-of-focaccia.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-58018196180599365702012-07-11T17:14:00.001+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.733+05:302013-05-22T17:21:09.733+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> If I invite someone for a meal, I often want to make something extremely complicated and beautiful and delicious (Like, I <em>want </em>to make  the <a href="http://adrianozumbo.com/the-v8-cake/" target="_blank">V8 cake</a> from MasterChef AU... but do I ever plan to make dessert well in advance? I&#39;ll let you guess.) And if I don&#39;t get around to making these complicated creations, I am left wondering as to what is that one dessert that&#39;ll come together easily and still be something  beautiful and delicious and something that only looks complicated. So this is what fits into my definition of all that. Caramel Custard. Or Creme Caramel. Or as it&#39;s more commonly known - Flan.<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwAU_BVk0l4/T_v_TiRCIxI/AAAAAAAABsI/JtZz40arX9o/s1600/IMG_3338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="steamed not baked" border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwAU_BVk0l4/T_v_TiRCIxI/AAAAAAAABsI/JtZz40arX9o/s400/IMG_3338.JPG" title="caramel custard" width="265"></a></div> <br> Caramel Custard is one of those lesser known desserts - it&#39;s not something you find easily on a restaurant menu. They&#39;ll probably have stuff like <em>&#39;orange scented creme brulee&#39;</em> or <em>&#39;spanish style creme catalana&#39;</em> or some such thing, but not many include this incredibly humble, age old dessert. Which is a shame really. It used to be favourite in European restaurants somewhere in the 20th century, but I hardly see it on restaurant menus in India. The taste is subtle, the custard is smooth (although mine wasn&#39;t, well...smooth - but I&#39;ll come to that later) and the caramel just sinks into the creamy white pudding making it the best topping a pudding can have.  It has no adornments on top - and what you see below is leftover caramel that I was trying to make into some kind of a candy creation - it didn&#39;t work, but tasted good - I know, I ate all of it. <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/07/caramel-custard.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=LKoZg1cKrvQ:vLxgNONdDyI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/LKoZg1cKrvQ" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/07/caramel-custard.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-36400662245838400572012-06-28T07:52:00.000+05:302012-06-30T08:32:27.724+05:302012-06-30T08:32:27.724+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> As I much as I have wanted to, I don&#39;t own an Ice Cream maker. And that&#39;s just as well, because if I did, I&#39;d stock my freezer with nothing other than cream and milk and sit next to the machine, churning ice cream all day. But then when I do want to eat ice cream, I have to make the effort to go out and get it (so here&#39;s and idea for entrepreneurs: <i>would you start an Ice Cream delivery service?</i>)<br> <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jM9tV3czs4E/T-manD16roI/AAAAAAAABrg/VmTj4ySPIo0/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mango ice cream- no egg, no churn" border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jM9tV3czs4E/T-manD16roI/AAAAAAAABrg/VmTj4ySPIo0/s640/IMG_3262.JPG" title="Mango Ice cream" width="426"></a></div> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/06/from-memory-mango-ice-cream.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=zGH7DLnxJlM:YmyIv7LX1B4:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/zGH7DLnxJlM" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com1http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/06/from-memory-mango-ice-cream.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-63745398034740274242012-06-16T08:12:00.002+05:302012-06-20T08:56:34.105+05:302012-06-20T08:56:34.105+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Another item on my to-do list was to make Pineapple pastry. It&#39;s not rocket science really, but I never managed to make it at home. It&#39;s not too difficult to make, it doesn&#39;t call for fancy ingredients, but it was one of those things I never got around to making. So when I got the chance to make a Birthday cake, I knew which cake was calling me. This. And I knew everyone liked Pineapple pastry. So there. <br> <br> (Also in the interest of full disclosure, I did make the cake in <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/bakers-confessions.html" target="_blank">the class</a> but ate it too fast, to get a single photograph - I had made it the first time, so I couldn&#39;t be bothered about photos and such, all I wanted was to taste it. Please don&#39;t judge me)<br> <br> You know, this one cake which is one of those deceptive looking cakes that&#39;s a standard in any and every bakery in this city. There will always, always be the standard &#39;Pineapple Pastry&#39; stocked in the bakery counters. But like I said, deceptive. A well made Pineapple pastry is so refreshing to eat - it&#39;s light as air, and despite all the cream, not rich. The sweet and the tangy hit from the pineapple syrup and pieces of pineapple in between the layers contrasts really well with the sweetness of the cream and the airy texture of the cake (<em>Uhhh...ummm.. did I just sound like a cookery show food taster?).</em> <br> <br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h29xD3F_9gQ/T9sWvQzgTNI/AAAAAAAABrU/8lTCYw2t84c/s1600/IMG_3014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pineapple pastry, cake" border="0" height="444" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h29xD3F_9gQ/T9sWvQzgTNI/AAAAAAAABrU/8lTCYw2t84c/s640/IMG_3014.JPG" title="Pineapple Gateau" width="640"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My improved icing skills</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/06/pineapple-gateau.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=_AWp79RrvhI:mbHzh_20RLg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/_AWp79RrvhI" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/06/pineapple-gateau.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-31110136898297300352012-05-31T16:39:00.000+05:302012-06-08T19:28:50.501+05:302012-06-08T19:28:50.501+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> A long time back I wrote that I was elbow deep in flour, baking. I now know, with authority, that I did not <em>know </em>what it means to be elbow deep in flour. Elbow deep means just that. When I decided that it was time to polish my baking skills, I joined this intensive baking course. I always wanted to add &#39;Professional baker&#39; to my Bio.  Because although home baking may get you far, in my books, getting some kind of professional training is always a good thing. So now, I am not self taught. I get to officially call myself a <em>baker</em>. <br> <br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJOVFXCM5wc/T8dD95DSTVI/AAAAAAAABpw/3z6ikTWQR3g/s1600/16042012204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rolls, Buns, bread" border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJOVFXCM5wc/T8dD95DSTVI/AAAAAAAABpw/3z6ikTWQR3g/s640/16042012204.jpg" title="Bread: Dinner Rolls" width="640"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Sesame seed buns, dinner rolls, and Sausage rolls: by me.</em></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br> I joined the course expecting to create sky high, buttery creations as I breezed through the course, returning everyday with goodies to munch on, and getting some more the next day. I was right. What I did not expect (OK fine, I knew it, expected it, but chose to ignore it) was the hard work. Note this, and beware I might sound like the MasterCard Advertisement: <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Outside temperature: 38 degree C. </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Temperature of the giant industrial oven inside the bakery : 170 degree C. </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Water from the taps: steaming. </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Refrigerator in the room (<em>to stick your face in every ten minutes for the cool air</em>) to chill the iced cakes: One. </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #444444;">The satisfaction of creating and then eating the sky high buttery creations: <em>Priceless</em>.</span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_dmsAVgOMk/T8dEAQ4AxcI/AAAAAAAABp4/2Qw_1UkKYcw/s1600/IMG_2937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="cherries, chocolate and cream" border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_dmsAVgOMk/T8dEAQ4AxcI/AAAAAAAABp4/2Qw_1UkKYcw/s640/IMG_2937.JPG" title="Black forest cake" width="640"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Black Forest Cake - made by the author of this post and the sky high creations I so wanted to learn</em></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/bakers-confessions.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=RXfy8INIc8Y:w1FRxDuHsHM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/RXfy8INIc8Y" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com3http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/bakers-confessions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-7238601982305426932012-05-16T16:00:00.002+05:302013-05-22T17:23:32.733+05:302013-05-22T17:23:32.733+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> After gawking at all the oozy cinnamon rolls spread across food blogs, after eating the famed rolls of Cinnabon, after finally finding them at a small bakery counter at one of the supermarkets, I decided that it was about time for a home-made version. Why then am I talking about Chelsea buns? At the core of the dish, they look the same to me. Baked bread with a butter, cinnamon and sugar filling. The differences lie, I suppose in their geographical origins and the fillings &amp; toppings that go with the roll. Cinnamon rolls, as I see originated in northern Europe - supposedly Sweden (or Scandinavia)<br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isOFRewLXa8/T7HRiSzAmHI/AAAAAAAABcY/tL6PVQ4Qk5o/s1600/IMG_2958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chelsea buns, classic English Chelesa buns" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isOFRewLXa8/T7HRiSzAmHI/AAAAAAAABcY/tL6PVQ4Qk5o/s640/IMG_2958.JPG" title="Chelsea Buns" width="425"></a></div> <br> But Chelsea buns, now these have a worthy history. These rolls or buns, as they are better known, are named after the place they were first made at The Chelsea Bun House. The Bun House shut down in 1839 but was apparently popular with the Royalty in its heyday. It’s not very hard to imagine this – a lovely cobbled street, women in their voluminous dresses and large hats, men in their coats and breeches, 17th century horse carts, roadside bakeries with wood fired ovens, Royalty in carriages popping down to eat sweet buns hot from a bun house. (I have obviously watched too many movies with a <em>time machine</em> in it.)<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFX7EKUWqbI/T7N7cO_OMzI/AAAAAAAABcs/2smskKI0TEI/s1600/IMG_2966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/chelsea-buns.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=wbFWTvf3cto:8lXg9qpevcQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/wbFWTvf3cto" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com1http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/chelsea-buns.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3109677057232464182.post-11157996002883632232012-05-04T11:27:00.000+05:302013-05-22T17:23:32.721+05:302013-05-22T17:23:32.721+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> No, I am not trying to fool you. It&#39;s just that trifle is<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/poll/2009/dec/21/perfect-trifle-jelly" target="_blank"> never a trifle matter</a>. And I also thought I got it all the <a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-trifle-tipsy.html" target="_blank">last time</a> I worte about this wonderful creation. Turns out, there&#39;s so much more. Lots. More.<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TkOcQdJbIjg/T6NeOjqkSZI/AAAAAAAABaU/cBwwOK3EgVE/s1600/Trifle+pudding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TkOcQdJbIjg/T6NeOjqkSZI/AAAAAAAABaU/cBwwOK3EgVE/s640/Trifle+pudding.JPG" width="640"></a></div> <br> I realise that trifle is a winter pudding. It&#39;s after all a Christmas time dessert. But I hold my own opinions about desserts and when I want to eat them (don&#39;t we all?). So this for me becomes an all year pudding. When I wrote about trifle almost a year ago, I didn&#39;t think I could write more about it, but two years later, I think I can. I&#39;ll restate some parts that I wrote before:<br> <br> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #666666;"><em>...It’s also called Diplomat Pudding, Tipsy Parson, Creole trifle, Tipsy Laird, Bizcocho Borracho...</em></span></div> <br> Such fantastic names, these! Some more unusual names for the pudding: HEDGEHOG pudding, fruit creams, tansies, syllabubs, flummeries, junkets, trifles!<br> <br> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #666666;"><em>...the Victorians loved the trifle, English clubs served them, the Ritz has it on their menu and it’s held in reverence by the NDA cadets!...</em></span></div> <br> Yes, <a href="http://www.nda.nic.in/" target="_blank">NDA</a> cadets know this as tipsy pudding - Whether this pudding is really tipsy or not, I can&#39;t say for sure - but its one pudding that everyone demands to eat. It is a thick layer of cake yellow sponge cake, pink jelly (I can&#39;t be sure if it&#39;s raspberry or strawberry), layered with fresh fruit (which usually consists of bananas, apples, and any other seasonal fruit) and doused with fresh cream garnished with cashews and raisins - and any more Tipsy Pudding Expert advice out there is accepted. <br> <br> <br> </div><a href="http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/not-trifle-matter.html#more">Read more...</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?a=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker?i=ZdnQK1rJF6s:0k5iyK5-yjY:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DarkChocolateAndTheGlobetrekker/~4/ZdnQK1rJF6s" height="1" width="1"/>Kshitijahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381704766844973616noreply@blogger.com0http://chocolatecoffeecream.blogspot.com/2012/05/not-trifle-matter.html