Homemade Happiness

Lemon Cranberry Cake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 12:26:00 +0000

This Lemon Cranberry cake is a hit with my family. It doesn't last a day! It has a great balance of sweet and tart. And makes a perfect snack with a cuppa tea.

RECIPE

Ingredients

1/3rd cup butter
3/4th cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 eggs
1/8th tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cranberries

Method

-Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius
-Cream butter and sugar till nice and fluffy.
-Add lemon juice, zest,eggs and vanilla. beat to mix.
-Alternatively add flour and milk in two batches. Mix each time.
-Fold in the cranberries.
-Bake for 30-40 mins. Once done, cool in the pan for 15 mins and then remove.
-Enjoy!

How To Make Chocolate Medallions

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:18:00 +0000

Chocolate Medallions are a super easy treat to make. And they look stunning! You can make them your own by adding any selection of toppings you want.

RECIPE

Ingredients-

100gms chopped dark chocolate
Your choice of toppings

I used-
dried cranberries
dried blueberries
almonds
walnuts
cashews
pistachios
marshmallows

Method-

-Melt choc over a double boiler or in a microwave.
-Set a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on a cookie sheet.
-Place spoonfuls of melted choc on the paper an inch apart. do three at a time.
-Place your choice of toppings on the choc before it sets.
-Repeat until you use up all the choc.
-Refrigerate for 15 mins.
-Carefully remove the discs from the paper. Store the discs in the fridge until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 12:10:00 +0000

We all know how essential it is to have a buttercream recipe in our repertoire. And a Swiss Meringue Buttercream is silky, smooth and fluffy in a way regular buttercream can never be. This is my ( dare i say foolproof) recipe for a delicious Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

RECIPE

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
250 gms butter, softened and cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

-Add the sugar to the egg whites in a large heat proof bowl and place on top of a double boiler.

-Whisk constantly to avoid the eggs from scrambling.

-Take it off the double boiler once the sugar has melted completely.

-Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer , beat the egg-sugar mixture until you get stiff peaks.

-Then add the first cube of butter and blend really well. Add the next cube of butter only after the first cube has blended in completely. Continue in the same way with the rest of the butter.

-Once all your butter has been added, add the vanilla and give the mixture a final blend. The buttercream is ready to use. Enjoy!

Note- The buttercream can be stored in the fridge for about one week and in the freezer for upto a month. Bring to room temp before using.

Banana Bread Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 11:54:00 +0000

Banana bread is one of my favourite things to bake. It's so easy and so customisable! I make this recipe plain, with walnuts or even chunks of chopped chocolate thrown in. And it delights each time. This Banana Bread recipe is a keeper!

RECIPE

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD

-Preheat the oven to 175°C and butter and flour a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

-In a bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. Add the butter and mix.

-Mix in the baking soda. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract.

-Add the flour in two batches and mix well.

-Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 mins or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

-Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 11:39:00 +0000

This Red Velvet Cake Recipe is a simple one bowl recipe and its rustic naked cake finish is easy to achieve. Click to watch the video for this Red Velvet Cake.

Recipe

Ingredients

¼ cup room temp butter
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp red food color
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk/ yoghurt
1 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar

Method

-Preheat oven to 175 degrees C and butter and flour an 8 inch round pan.

-Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.

-Add egg. Mix.

-Add cocoa, red food color and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

-Add half the buttermilk and half the flour. Mix. Add remaining buttermilk and flour. Mix.

-Add the baking soda and vinegar and mix on high speed for two mins.

-Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 35 mins. If the cake is not done after 35 mins, bake for another 5-10 mins.

-Cool for 20 mins, remove from pan and frost as desired. Enjoy!!

I have news!

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 10:19:00 +0000

Hi there! Seems like I drop in here only on an annual basis now. But I’m here today to share something I’ve been working on recently and it’s very exciting! I’ve been exploring the idea of making my own videos for a while now( a very long while) and I have finally put my ideas into action. I now have my own You Tube channel where I share my recipe videos. Having been in media for almost half my life it’s a medium I’m very comfortable with and I hope you guys like it too! Would love to know what you think so pls take a look, like and subscribe :)

Dark Chocolate Mousse

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 07:19:00 +0000

Recipe by Simply Recipes

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:11:00 +0000

My house has seen a flurry of painters and carpenters this last month. Between them and layers of dust all over the place (no matter how much you try to clean) baking had been impossible. We survived mostly on take outs or super quick one-pot meals. But now the last of them are gone and we are slowly reclaiming our home. The kitchen looks like our kitchen once again and the oven has been scrubbed clean.

When we emerged from under paint cans and wood shavings, it seems the rain gods have been busy too! The onset of monsoons is always exciting. Unless you have to wade through the water to get to work- then it ain’t pretty! Much like everybody else, I feel like chai and bhajiyas as soon as the showers start but what I crave even more is to bake something so that my house can smell heavenly even if it’s only for a while. And there is no aroma more delicious than a loaf of banana bread in your oven. This time I made muffins instead and added a few handfuls of chocolate chips for some glutton factor.

Recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from here

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 mashed bananas

¾ cup sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup melted butter

3 handfuls of chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line your muffin cups with liners.

- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder.

- In a bigger bowl mix the bananas, sugar, egg and butter.

- Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture and mix just until moistened.

- Add the chocolate chips.

- Spoon the batter into the cups and bake for 18-20 mins.

Notes

- I wanted the chocolate in every bite so i added 3 handfuls (apologies for not measuring by the cup) but you could reduce the amount according to preference.

- Enjoy!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mango and Spiced Figs

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:24:00 +0000

There is always something sweet to eat in my house. Usually a pack of store bought vanilla ice cream or some leftover cupcakes I may have made for an order or at least some ‘mithai’ of sorts. But if there isn’t, I turn to old favorites- recipes I have made plenty times before and am comfortable with. But I noticed that whenever I am in the ‘phase’ of updating this blog often, I find myself venturing out- trying new things, new desserts so I can share something new here. Like this panna cotta- even though it’s been on my to-do list for ages and everyone claims it takes almost no time.

Ready to be dressed up!

Even though I knew this one was a quickie, I was surprised by how quick! It literally was done in about 5 mins. Not counting the time in the fridge of course. I added some mango pulp n cardamom seeds on some of them. These days I cannot think of anything without mangoes. The mango season goes away too soon and I like to make the most of it. And some I topped with some spiced figs. Last week I poached some figs in a spiced syrup and the panna cotta seemed like the perfect vehicle for them.

Recipe for Panna Cotta via David Lebovitz

4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste/vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
6 tablespoons cold water

- Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste/ extract. (If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)

- Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 minutes for it to bloom.

- Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

- Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into cups or glasses, then chill them until firm, which will take at least 4 hours.

Notes

- For the mango pulp i just gave 1 mango a quick whizz in my blender, spooned it on top of the panna cotta and sprinkled some cardamom powder.

- For the spiced figs i used this recipe. Its basically just poaching the figs in a simple syrup with spices of your choice. I used cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black peppercorns.

- Enjoy!!

Chocolate Loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:35:00 +0000

If you’re anything like me you would need a snack every coupla hours. Post breakfast, pre lunch, evening snack, midnight munching. Besides the usual meals of course. If you’re anything like me, it would be a good idea to have this chocolate loaf around- steal a slice every time you need it. Its super yumm on its own but if you want you could dress it up differently each time- with some whipped cream, fruits, with a cup of tea or even some rich chocolate sauce to have as dessert.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-Preheat the oven to 175°C. Butter and lightly flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

-Add the egg and beat well, then the yoghurt and vanilla.

- Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda into your wet ingredients. Stir together with a spoon until well-blended but do not overmix.

-Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing and cooling further on a wire rack.

-Enjoy!!

Strawberry, Pistachio and Brown Butter Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:13:00 +0000

I have been eyeing this tart for a while now. It has all the things that make me swoon. Strawberries, pistachios and of course butter. This was actually the first time I used browned butter and I think I may have taken it a tad too far. But no harm done, it still tasted good. And im having a slice while I type this so I can safely say it tastes as good the next day as well.

Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille

Note- The pastry crust recipe I used makes enough for two 9inch tart pans so I halved it.

Pastry Crust

Scant ¾ cup powdered sugar
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
115gms of cold butter
1egg+1 yolk, lightly beaten

-          Whisk together sugar and flour.

-          Rub butter into the flour mixture till course.

-          Make a well in the centre and add the eggs.

-          Mix well. Then knead lightly till the dough comes together.

-          Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for min 2 hrs or overnight.

-          Lightly flour any cold surface and roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness and fill tart mould.

-          Refrigerate till you prepare the filling.

Strawberry, Pistachio and Brown Butter Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (50 g) unsalted and shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons corstarch
2 eggs
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole-milk yogurt
1 pound (450g) strawberries, hulled and cut in half

- Preheat oven to 400F (200C).

- In a small saucepan, cook the butter until the milk solids start to brown. Remove from heat, add the vanilla bean and its seeds and steep for 10 minutes. Remove vanilla pod after this time and reserve.

- In the food processor, pulse the pistachios, cornstarch and salt until they turn into a fine powder.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, yogurt, pistachio mixture, and brown butter.

- Arrange the strawberries on the tart dough and pour custard on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Serve at room temperature.

Roasted strawberries with balsamic vinegar

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:04:00 +0000

Each year I feel a little bit sad to see the strawberries go. Seeing them in the markets makes my mind buzz with a hundred ideas. I have an ever growing list of things to bake with them. But most times, the ideas remain just that. I end up just eating them by themselves- popping one into my mouth each time I pass by, until I have none to bake with. Towards the end of the season I like to freeze a few for later. But this time I thought I’d do something different. So I roasted them with a bit of sugar and balsamic vinegar before freezing.

If strawberries are still around where you are, you might want to try this. The roasting really brings out the sweetness and the balsamic gives it a bit of a tang. Its wonderful! I might use it as a topping for a cake or just make roasted strawberry ice cream with it.

I used this recipe. But you could adjust the sugar, like I did, according to the sweetness of the berries.

Fresh Start

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:33:00 +0000

I know I have been missing from this space for a long long time. Many things have happened since- I moved cities, changed careers and went from living alone to living with family again. Different things at different times kept me away from my blog. Every time I baked something new, I would think of sharing it here. But lack of time and life in general got in the way. But there is a limit on everything, even procrastination. So today without much ado, before I found yet another reason not to, I decided to post something- anything- whatever I could!

I have recently ( and finally..!) jumped onto the iPhone bandwagon. Though I loved my Blackberry, I must admit it will now always remain a thing of the past. So with my new phone has come an almost-obsession with Instagram. I love how simple it has become to make nice pictures. So I thought I’d share a few of my photos from there today. Some of the pictures I used are from earlier posts and some of the food we’ve been enjoying recently.

Apple and Carrot Shortbread

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Aren't we all glad that the summer is now over? For all those months I hardly stepped into the kitchen; couldn't bear to be close to an oven in that heat ( Except the one time I baked for my mom ). I don't think I had cravings for anything other than chilled water! But now with the onset of the rains, things are getting better. I love my masala chai and its a perfect companion for a rainy afternoon. But then I found myself hoping I had some cookies to go with it.

I had bookmarked this recipe a while ago and wondered how apples and carrots would go together. Now I know- they are fantastic together! So with this rich nutty shortbread and the comfort of baking again, I am enjoying the start of monsoon. Hope you are as well :)

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

1/4 cup / 2 ounces / 50g semolina flour
1 1/2 cups / 6 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
5 ounces (150g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup / 3 1/2 ounces (100g) light Muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)
2 ounces (50g) carrot, grated (about 1/4 cup)
1 ounce (25g) apple, grated (about 1/6 of a med. apple)
zest of one lemon
milk

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, or 180C. Sift the semolina, flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir the carrot, apple, and lemon zest into the flour mixture, and mix until well coated and evenly dispersed. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until a dough forms, then knead a couple times to bring everything together. Split the dough in two, flatten each piece into an inch-thick patty, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.

When you're ready to bake the shortbread, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface 1/2-inch thick/1cm. Use a metal cutters to stamp out cookies, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with a bit of milk and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown just a bit.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes- I used a mixture of all purpose flour and regular whole wheat flour. And I found my shortbread took almost 20 mins to be baked.

Cranberry n Lemon Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:34:00 +0000

My mother is usually saying that I don't bake much for her. The fact that we live in different cities may have something to do with that. But recently, due to some work, I had to stay back in Pune for almost two weeks. Wouldn't get a better chance than that! So besides some Caramel Ice- cream, I made this Cranberry Lemon Cake one afternoon.

This cake is just so fresh! The lemon really shines through, and cranberries are my favorites anyways. I was lucky to sneak myself a slice early on, because it was gone the same day!

Cranberry lemon cake

Recipe from Technicolor Kitchen
Cake:
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (300g) caster (superfine) sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup (240ml) milk
2 cups (220g) dried cranberries

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar, sifted
½ cup (60ml) lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Coat 4 mini loaf pans with vegetable cooking spray.
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, zest, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
In another bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add alternately with the milk to the egg mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Fold in cranberries.
Divide batter among prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes if making mini-loaves. Remove to a wire rack, but leave in the pans.

Make the glaze: in a small bowl combine the sugar and the lemon juice. Pour over the hot loaves and allow to cool completely before carefully removing from pans. Wrap tightly to store.

Apple Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:49:00 +0000

One of the first things I wanted to make when I started baking was an apple pie. Isn't it one of the most comforting things ever? But when I started to look for recipes I was spoilt for choice. There were apple pies, crumbles, cobblers, crisps, brown bettys...phew!! And for a new cook it can be a bit overwhelming. Though they all have very slight differences, I didn't know which one to try! And so for the past few months I have just been trying to go back n forth trying to decide. You would think its not such a big deal, right? Just make the bloody pie! But being a Libran, indecisiveness is a part of my nature and we like to mull over our choices till the cows come home. However small the issue may be.

But a couple of days back while I was loitering around in the kitchen deciding what to make, I saw two apples on the counter. And was suddenly hit with the urge to have an apple pie. And this time I was determined. I wanted to do something simple for the first time, just wanted the flavor of apples to shine through. A quick search led me to Smitten Kitchen and she had a recipe for the simplest tart ever! Just butter, flour, sugar and apples! Within the hour my pie was in the oven and my kitchen smelled like heaven.

This pie is so simple that I think everyone should make it. Not even the fear of tackling pie dough should stop you. Trust me, you'll be happy.

Recipe by Alice Waters via Smitten Kitchen

The changes I made were to reduce the sugar a little and sprinkle some cinnamon over the apples. I halved the recipe and made a free style gallette.

Ingredients

Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water

Filling:
2 pounds apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar
Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar

Directions

MIX flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.

DRIBBLE in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.

PLACE dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400#176;F. (If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the rack.)

OVERLAP apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

BRUSH melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples.

BAKE in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

MAKE glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth.

REMOVE tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

BRUSH glaze over tart, slice, and serve.

Daring Bakers make Crostata

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:30:00 +0000

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

A crostata is an Italian tart or pie. The base of a crostata is pasta frolla (or pastafrolla), sweet short crust pastry (or sweet tart dough) made of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Pasta frolla is versatile: it provides the base to make crostata with fruit preserves, pastry cream, fresh fruit, ricotta, and other ingredients, and, by itself, it makes very nice cookies.

The pastry was wonderful! It lends itself well to savoury tarts as well so this one's a keeper. We could choose whatever filling we wanted, so I decided to use pastry cream (I love it!). But I realised I had a bottle of great blackberry jam, so i added a layer of that over the cream as well.

I'm so glad I could do this challenge because this tart was lovely! My mom is not a dessert person but even she had a second helping! I'm definitely going to try this with other fillings as well, maybe fresh fruits next time? Thank you so much Simona, it was a great challenge :)

Pasta frolla

Ingredients:

1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1) or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar
1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option, see Note 2)
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

Note 1: Superfine sugar is often also referred to as ultrafine, baker’s sugar or caster sugar. It’s available in most supermarkets. If you cannot find “superfine” sugar, you can make your own by putting some regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender and letting it run until the sugar is finely ground.
Note 2: There are different ways of making vanilla sugar. I keep vanilla beans in a jar half-filled with sugar until I need to use them, for example, to make vanilla ice cream. After I remove the split bean from the custard that will go into the ice cream maker, I rinse it, dry it and put it back in the jar with sugar.
Making pasta frolla by hand:

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.
Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.
Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.
Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Making pasta frolla with a food processor:

Put sugar, flour, salt, and lemon zest in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
Add butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
Empty food processor's bowl onto your work surface
See step 3 above and continue as explained in the following steps (minus the lemon zest, which you have already added).

Variation for pasta frolla:
If you want, you can make the pasta frolla using a combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour.
If you choose to try this variation, use 1 cup [240 ml, 135 g, 4 3/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup [180 ml, 100 g, 3.5 oz.] whole-wheat pastry flour.

Assembling and baking the crostata con la crema:

Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].
Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.
To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.
If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.
Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.
If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.
Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.
Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.
Instead of jam or fruit preserves, cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with the pastry cream.
Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes. (Note: You can use dough scraps to make cookies: see the Additional Information section for some pointers)
Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.
Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
After 35 minutes, check the tart, and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue. (Note: Every oven is different. In my oven it took 45 minutes to bake the tart until golden.)
When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:21:00 +0000

There was this quaint little coffee shop I used to visit a while back. And each time I ordered the same coffee with a nice crunchy biscotti to dunk in it. And every time i took a bite of it, I thought "I have got to learn how to make this!"

Many different things inspire people to cook. Most often I try something at a restaurant (or a coffee shop in this instance) and immediately want to try it at home and see if I can replicate it. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes my attempts leave a lot to be desired.

Luckily this was one of the good times (Considering they were just cookies I don't know why I was worried!). I made chocolate biscotti with pistachios. In case they turned out well, I had planned to gift them to a friend.Well all I can say is, there are not enough left for me to send anymore.... next time sweety!

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheet
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for baking sheet
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a baking sheet; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add flour mixture, and stir to form a stiff dough. Stir in pistachios and chocolate chips.
Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet; form into a slightly flattened log, about 12 by 4 inches. Bake until slightly firm, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
On a cutting board, using a sharp serrated knife, cut biscotti diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet, and bake until crisp but still slightly soft in the center, about 8 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:57:00 +0000

A couple of days back I found myself craving chocolate (again...!!!). But I had been good the past couple of weeks ( I'm trying to diet ha ha ha ha) and not given in to any dessert cravings...except malpuas....but I guess that's ok right? One is supposed to eat malpuas during Ramzaan. And I also wanted an excuse to use these-

So I made me some super chocolatey cupcakes with a ganache frosting. And since that was not enough I also piped some ganache into the centre of the cupcake. And finally topped them with my fav new sprinkles.

I used a recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop. I've tried this recipe a few times before and each time it turns out like a dream. Pls try it if you haven't already :)

Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake
makes 24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.
Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

The ganache recipe can be found here.

Bloggers Night Out

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:23:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I got a mail from the lovely Rushina. Before this I only knew her from her blog A Perfect Bite. She was trying to put together an event to get together all the food bloggers from Bombay. This would possibly be the first of such an event. I almost jumped in excitement because I really wanted to meet the people behind these wonderful blogs!

We were all invited to Fifty Five East at the Hyatt.It is a casual dining restaurant with interactive kitchens. They offer Thai, Sushi, Lebanese, Western and Indian specialties. I had heard good things about the place so I was really looking forward to going there. Although it's supposed to be a buffet it doesn't function as one. Most of the food is made in single serve portions once you order it (Sushi, steak etc). But what really caught my eye was the dessert section. They had a great variety- all the usual suspects but a lot of fruit based ones as well.

But the highlight of the evening was of course all the wonderful people I met! I had interacted with a few of them before and really looked forward to meeting them. They were a charming lot. We had a fantastic evening getting to know each other and chatting about our favorite topic-food. It was great to meet Vikram Doctor who is one of our finest food writers. But I must say that a couple of hours was just not enough, we were too many of us and too little time! I really do hope that we have more of these get- togethers because not only is it a lotta fun but a learning experience as well. All these bloggers have been around way longer than me and I'm sure they have a lot of tips to share!

Images courtesy Jyotika

Here's a list of all the fantastic blogs-

A Perfect Bite- our host :)
Purple Foodie
Sunshine Mom
Bombay Foodie
Lulu Loves Bombay
Finely Chopped
The Nonchalant Gourmand
Eating Out in Bombay
Life On Simmer
LotsaFood
Follow My Recipe

Daring Bakers July '10

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:01:00 +0000

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. ~Ernestine Ulmer

It’s that time again. Time for new challenges and new lessons. And time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. This month again, was a dessert, I had never tried before. I just love the excitement of making something for the first time, I get butterflies in my stomach wondering whether I’ll do a good job with it.

The July 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

All the components were new to me, but it was the Swiss roll that seemed to be the most difficult. I was pretty sure mine would crack, tear, rip or whatever else that was possible with a Swiss roll. But when I did a trial version, it went quite smoothly, way better than I expected. So for the final version I made it with a fudge filling.

I had been toying with the idea of making ice-cream for quite some time. But since I don’t have an ice-cream maker, I didn’t attempt it. This was too good an opportunity to pass, so I started looking around for nice flavors which I could make without a machine. With so many great flavors, it took me days to finally decide to go with David Lebovitz’s Caramel Ice-cream and Chocolate Sherbet. I thought the caramel would be quite rich so I wanted to pair it with a lighter ice-cream.

All the components tasted really good by themselves. The Swiss roll was quite nice and fluffy, I was worried of the eggy flavor and taste, but it wasn't obvious at all. I had also added a bit of vanilla to it since I wasn't doing a chocolate version. The Caramel ice-cream turned out to be my favourite! I had never imagined it would turn out so yumm.. Even the Sherbet was nice, but it turned a little icy. But all the flavors put together were really something!! It all came together very well. My friends had come over to have it, and they all loved it. It's definitely something I would make again. For sure!
Thank you Sunita for a great challenge :)

David Lebovitz's Salted Caramel Ice-cream and Chocolate Sherbet
The entire challenge recipe can be found on Sunita's blog.

Pavlova- Daring Bakers

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:00:00 +0000

This time for the Daring Bakers challenge I was introduced to yet another new dessert. The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

This is an extremely rich dessert and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The crispy meringue and the smooth luscious mousse go so well together! In Australia, the pavlova is traditionally topped with some fruits. So I thought they would be perfect with some cherries on top.

I stuck to the basic recipe and the only change I made was the use of white chocolate in the mousse. It was my first time making meringues and I must admit it gave me some trouble. They turned out a little crisp but tasted great so I went ahead and used them anyways. And the rest of the components were a breeze! The mousse and the cream are to die for!

Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):

3 large egg whites

½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar

¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1/3 cup (30 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

3.Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)

4. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)

grated zest of 1 average sized lemon

9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped

1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone

pinch of nutmeg

2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Directions:

1. Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

2. Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)

3. Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone untilwell incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):

1 recipe crème anglaise

½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone

2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)

½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions:

1. Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):

1 cup (235 mls) whole milk

1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks

6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.

2. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat. .

3. Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:

Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

Banana N Cranberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Just something i made recently. Perfect as a snack to have around the house. Books,coffee and these muffins. Thought this recipe would turn out good but it was way better. It's a keeper!

Bursting with flavors- the sweetness of bananas, the tartness of cranberries. Just couldn't get enough. Wish i had made a few more dozens!

Recipe from here

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup oats

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (5-6 bananas)

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup cranberries

Directions

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. Mix well.

3. Beat together egg, bananas and melted butter or margarine until smooth.

4. Add to dry ingredients.

5. Stir to blend.

6. Stir in cranberries just until combined.

7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling almost to the top.

8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:20:00 +0000

Back when I had just started living alone, meals were the least of my concerns. Most of the times it was instant noodles. Or dal and rice if we felt like 'cooking'. My roommate and I survived on this for months on end. At that time I thought that if I wanted a good meal it would have to be cooked by my mom, it didn't even occur to me that I could make it myself! It took me a couple of years to realize that it didn’t really have to be like this, I didn’t really have to eat all this unhealthy ‘instant food’ crap. So then it was down to recipes of sabzis (vegetables) taken down over the phone and the little mess I would then make of them in my kitchen.

It’s been many years since and I can now say that I would be able to make most of the food that I like. Except. Baking. I don’t know why but it scared me to death. I had heard, as I’m sure everybody has, many horror stories about it. All the exact measurements and precise timings intimidated me. But I also love cakes, and couldn’t live with the fact that I could not make at least a simple one. So one fine day, I decided to sum up my courage and give it a shot. I thought I would do it when I was alone at home. That way if it turned out really bad no one would know. So there I was, alone with my oven, with the simplest recipe I could find- Banana bread.

Fortunately for me, it turned out just fine. And I was on a roll! Since then, I’ve almost given up cooking regular food. I’m lucky to have a full time cook now so whenever I find the time, it’s almost always some baking for me. Maybe it had something to do with the banana bread I chose to make- something so simple and homely- something about the aroma, the comforting feeling it gives you when you take your first bite…

So once again, many cakes and cookies later, I visited my good friend today. . This time armed with much confidence than the last. And needless to say, it was as good as the last time, maybe even better. And it reminded me why it would always be one of my favorites…

Recipe
taken from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Chocolate n Butterscotch Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Poonam) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:03:00 +0000

It's been many many days since my last post and I have really missed my kitchen. I'm happy to be reunited with it :) It was just one of those times when you get occupied with so many things that baking just takes a backseat...But finally yesterday I could take it no more and just had to bake something. And obviously at such times, when nothing makes much sense, only the goodness of chocolate will do. It was time to make some chocolate chip muffins!

Recipe

Taken from here

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup whole almonds

4 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2.In medium bowl, Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl stir in milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients to large bowl; beat well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, stir well.

3.Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Poke almonds into tops of unbaked muffins. Sprinkle muffins with sugar.

4.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.