Sugar and Spice

Date Nut Bread

2015-07-03T11:37:00.001+05:30

This sweet bread was my first baking experiment way back in grad school. It is a very easy recipe to follow and the result is mouth watering. Even though it says "bread" it tastes like a fruit cake. The original recipe (from a Food and Wine magazine - I do not know the exact issue) has morphed into the version I am going to post here. It's almost fail-proof and most people love it. It tastes better the next day after it's been in the fridge. Goes well with vanilla ice cream :). Here's the recipe. Scroll down for some notes (on egg substitute etc.) and pics.

1 cup = 240 ml (approx), 1 tsp = 5 ml and 1 Tbsp = 15 ml = 3 tsp

Notes:

In this recipe I have increased the amount of dried fruits and reduced the sugar content. In my opinion the bread will not taste the same without dates. If you don't have raisins or cranberries, add any other dry fruits you have.
I also add a little bit orange zest or orange essence because I like the smell.
You can substitute oil for butter or even applesauce or banana puree or a mix.
I usually use 1 egg + 1Tbsp of ground flax seed mixed with with 3 Tbsp of warm water. The flax seed powder with warm water is an egg substitute. This makes the bread more dense and flavourful. If you use 2 eggs as per the recipe above, the bread will be lighter in texture.
I whisk the egg a little before using it. I guess I do this because I almost always use only one egg (the other is the flax seed substitute).
If your sugar is coarse (like the sugar I get in India) grind it before using.
You can also brown sugar instead of white. It's even better :).
The recipe tells you to soak the date mixture for 10 mins. I don't always follow this. I have used it as soon as I mixed it. Worked well.

Whisk wheat flour, ground sugar, salt and cinnamon

Cranberries and coarsely chopped dates

Mix bak. soda with dry fruits and add oil and boiling water

1 Tbsp ground flax seed in 3 Tbsp warm water

1 egg lightly beaten with vanilla and orange essence

Coarsely chopped walnuts. (I actually broke it down a little more after I took this pic.)


Mix the date mixture, egg, flax seed mixture and flour gently with a whisk. Add walnuts and mix. Do not over mix.


Pour the mix (the mix will be thick) into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 deg F or 180 deg C for about 55 mins.

Refrigerate for best results. Enjoy!

Eggless pineapple cake

2015-03-20T14:03:00.000+05:30

I had this cake at my friend's house. She bought it from a lady who runs a bakery from home. I loved the texture, the intense flavour of the pineapples, the whipped cream filling... I had to make it :). So I went on a hunt for the recipe and came up with these two websites that suited my purpose.

This website had the eggless cake recipe I was looking for and this one had instructions on how to assemble the cake and the whipped cream filling. I have made this three times in the last month (pineapple season!!). Each time they disappeared within 24 hours :). This is a cold cake.

The websites I have listed above have all the pictures you need to make the cake. So I will keep this simple.

Ingredients: (1 cup = 250 ml - a little more than 1 US cup)

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup yoghurt
3/4 cup Powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter (or oil)
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the whipped cream and pineapple filling:

1 cup of heavy cream
a few drops of vanilla essence or pineapple essence
6 Tbsp of sugar (you can adjust this to your taste)
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup of pineapple finely chopped
1/2 cup pineapple slices to put on top of the cake
1 Tbsp pineapple juice (do not omit this)

Making the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C).
Sift flour and salt and keep aside.
Stir the sugar with the yoghurt until dissolved.
Add the baking powder and baking soda to the yoghurt mixture and keep for a few minutes until frothy. After it starts frothing, add vanilla essence and melted butter and mix well.
Gently fold the flour into the liquid mixture. (Do this as fast as possible)
Pour it a greased 8inx8in square pan or 8 in round pan and bake for 25 - 30 mins in a 350 deg F oven.

Note: You will want to get the batter into the oven as quickly as possible before the "froth" effect goes away.

Making the whipped cream:
Beat the heavy cream, sugar, essence and cornstarch until the cream is firm. Don't over beat or else you will end up with vanilla flavoured butter like I did!

Assembling the pineapple cake:
After your cake has cooled down completely take a sharp knife (a bread knife works well) and slice the cake to make two rounds (the bottom one and the top one).
Keep the top one aside for now.
Drizzle the tablespoon of pineapple juice on the cut portion of the bottom half (I wish I had taken pics!). Spread half the whipped cream and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of finely chopped pineapple.
Now lay the top round over the filling and spread the rest of the whipped cream on top. Layer the sliced pineapple to make it look pretty. Refrigerate and serve this delicious cake cold.

Thukkuda

2015-03-20T13:06:00.000+05:30

Thukkuda is what my mom calls these. I don't know any other name for it. It's basically made with whole wheat flour and some spices. Roll them out, cut them into shapes and deep fry them. They disappear faster than I can make them and it is never ever enough :).

Ingrdients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
salt to taste
hing (Asafoetida)
red chilli powder
1 Tbsp hot oil (or butter)
Enough water to knead it into a firm dough (like chappati dough)
Enough oil to deep fry the

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Rub in the oil(or butter) with your fingers. "Rubbing in" is to try to coat all the flour with the fat. Add enough water to make a firm ball of dough.
Let it rest for a few minutes (not too long).
Pinch of smaller balls and roll it out as thinly as possible on parchment paper (I think wax paper will work just as well). I use a bit of flour to make the rolling out easier.
Cut it into diamond shapes with a cutter or a knife and fry it in hot oil until they golden.
It is time consuming but well worth the effort :).

Note: Using the parchment paper makes transferring the bits to the oil much easier. Of course it can be done without the parchment paper as well.

Here are some pics:

Kneaded dough ball

A portion of the big ball rolled out

Cut into diamond shapes

Fry in oil

The thukkuda

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2015-01-30T21:59:00.002+05:30

I have only tried the recipe from the back of the Nestle Chocolate Chips cover. It works well every single time and has never failed. I have tried the exact same recipe and have, of course, made some changes to it over a period of time. You can find the original recipe here. The slightly modified recipe I use is as follows: (I have posted some pics below the recipe and some notes below that.)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 cup white flour (maida)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
~3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I add a little more. Don't like the smell of eggs in my baked product.)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used half chocolate and half white)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F (or 200 deg C).
2. Sift together flours, salt and baking soda.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (About 8 mins with a hand mixer).
4. Add vanilla and beat. Add eggs one by one and beat until well combined.
5. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined (don't over beat).
6. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if you like) by hand. Make sure you mix all the flour from the bottom of the bowl.
7. Line a baking tray (plate) with parchment paper or grease the tray and drop rounded tablespoons of the batter. Make sure there is at least an inch of space between the balls, as they spread while baking.
8. Bake for 10 - 11 mins. Less time means more chewy and more time means more crunchy.
9. After you take it out of the oven let the cookies cool on the tray for 10 mins. Then place them on a wire rack to cool them off completely.
Store in air tight containers.

Note:

1 I got about 50 cookies with this recipe this time. It varies depending on the size of the ball.
2. Sometimes when I use this recipe I use only 1/2 cup butter. The resulting cookies are softer and not as rich, but good nevertheless. It doesn't spread as much and so can make little "button" cookies. Great for a kid party.
3. This dough freezes very well. When I mix a batch, I bake half of it and freeze the rest. The way to do this is to place the balls on a tray and put the tray in the freezer. After the dough-balls have frozen, take it out of the tray and put it in a zip-lock bag and store it in the freezer. If you have a hankering for a cookie or your child cannot stop asking you for a choco chip cookie, pop a couple of them in the oven and bake for 13 - 5 mins at 375 deg F.

Birthday Cake

2014-12-11T20:14:00.000+05:30

Finally some colour on this blog :). It was my daughter's birthday last weekend and she wanted a "fish cake". Surprisingly a simple search yielded quite a few ideas. Wilton's website had a ton of good ideas on how to assemble the cake.


Fish cake

The cake itself is a basic sponge. This recipe makes two 9 inch cake rounds.

12 oz flour
12 oz butter
12 oz powdered sugar
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vanilla
6 eggs

1. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together.
2. Beat the eggs first until thick and creamy.
3. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. On low speed beat the egg mixture and the butter mixture.
4. Gently fold in the sifted flour mixture in the butter+egg mixture by hand. If necessary add some milk to reach desired consistency which is it must fall in blobs from the spoon (not flow).

Bake in a 350 deg F oven for about 30 min.

One cake made the body of the cake and the other got cut up to make the tail and fins. My daughter went crazy decorating the tail and fins with slices of jujube/jujips/gum drops :).

Note:
I have read that you can mix all the ingredients at once and not go through these steps. I will try it the next time and
update the post.

Something new:

I learned from the Wilton Forums that you can freeze the cake for up to 4 weeks. There is a good amount of useful tips and advice from expert bakers on that site. I am always rushed and don't have much time on the day of the event because of the cake. So this time I decided to make the cakes in advance (4 days) and freeze it. After the cakes cooled, I wrapped each cake twice in cling wrap and put it in the freezer, one on top of the other, on a plate (not much space in my freezer :)). On the day I wanted to frost the cakes, I took them out of the freezer and let it thaw with the cling wrap for about 5 hours. The amazing thing is that it did not change the texture of the cake! I was thrilled. Thanks to all the ladies on the forum at Wilton's website!

Ladi Pav

2014-12-11T17:42:00.001+05:30

I found this site - cookingshooking.in. He has amazing recipes for breads and some videos on youtube. I like the way he explains the process.
My daughter loves pav buns and so I decided to make them. I tried the exact recipe from the same site a few weeks ago and didn't get it right. I think I should have used the weight measurements instead of the cup. Well, last night I actually measured out the ingredients by weight and decided to use half whole wheat and half white flour. It turned out very well :).

Shaped dough before second rise


The baked pav buns

I also used a little bit less milk powder as I had only 10 gms.

This is the recipe I followed:

Ingredients

Plain Flour / Maida- 125 gm
Wheat flour - 125 gm
Milk - 190 ml
Salt - 5 gm
Butter - 20 gm
Milk Powder - 10 gm
Instant Yeast - 8 gm
Sugar - 15 gm
Milk & Butter - For Brushing
Herbs - 1 tsp
Butter - for greasing (since I used a stainless steel pan)

The procedure for making the dough is the same as making bread (proofing yeast, kneading well for 10 mins, first rise). After the first rise in a well oiled bowl, you shape it into 15 equal sized balls and place it a greased loaf pan so that they touch one another. Keep in a warm place and let it rise for another 45 mins or so. Brush with milk and (or) butter and bake for 20 mins at 375 deg F.

Note:

The site says you can make 16 balls and fit it in a 8x8 dish. I couldn't get that to work. I used an 8x4 loaf pan and could get 15 pavs (3 columns and 5 rows). They also had the pavs baking at 200 deg C (~ 390 deg F) for 15 mins . During my first time the pavs were undercooked on the inside when I baked at 400 deg F. So I made some changes.

Some Pics

2014-11-27T10:30:00.002+05:30

I made some bread using the recipe from the previous post. Managed to click a few pics as well :).

The pan is about 9in x 5in and with the left over dough I made some cinnamon rolls.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baking pan - 9x5 in

First rise

Shaped dough in the pan + left over dough ball

Dough after second rise

The baked bread

CINNAMON ROLLS


Roll out the extra dough and butter it. Cinnamon and sugar in a cup.Sprinkle.


Roll it tightly and cut it

Place the rolls in a pan so that it is fully covered.
Cover and let it rise for 20-25 mins.

Bake at 350 deg F for 25-30min

Powdered sugar, water and

vanilla essence in a bowl-glaze.

The baked cinnamon rolls with the glaze.

Tweaks to the bread recipe

2014-11-26T13:20:00.001+05:30

I am writing after a very long time and I have quite a few new ideas to share, many from my mom and my grandmother. Hopefully the posts will be more regular :).
The bread recipe has undergone some changes now. My original version (which I have not posted) needs gluten which is hard to find in India. So I have modified my trusted recipe as follows:
(All are US measurements - 1 cup ~ 240 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml)

For proofing yeast: (I)
1/3 cup - warm water (about 90 - 100 def F)
1 Tbsp - sugar1 Tbsp - active dry yeast (can use a little less)

Dissolve sugar in warm water and stir in the yeast. Wait for mixture to froth. While you are waiting, you can measure out:

2 cups - maida (white flour)
2 cups - atta (wheat flour)
2 tsp - salt
2 Tbsp - sugar
1/4 cup - oil
1 cup warm water
and any herbs that you want to add

Mix all the ingredients and once the yeast has risen, add that mixture(I) to this and knead well (very important step) for about 10 mins adding a little bit of flour at a time if it is too sticky. Try not to add too much extra flour as your bread will be dense. Place the kneaded dough in a large, well oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave it it a warm place to double in size (about 1 hour - depends on where you live).

Punch it down, shape it and place it in a well greased baking dish (use butter if using a stainless steel pan). Cover and let it rise in a warm until it doubles in size (about 45 mins - 1 hour). Preaheat oven to 350 deg F or 180 deg C and bake for about 40 mins.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing it with a sharp bread knife.

This recipe works well for cinnamon rolls as well. This recipe does not have eggs and vegetarians will prefer this. Bake the rolls at 350 deg F for about 25 - 30 mins. Top with glaze . Here's my cinnamon rolls recipe with eggs.

Bread making

2012-09-02T09:23:00.002+05:30

We moved to Hyderabad, India. It's a new experience and I'm liking it. Our temporary accommodation is very nice and spacious. I was excited to see it equipped with a microwave/oven. Yippee!! Not having any of my usual equipment like measuring cups and spoons, I had to resort to tumbler and spoon measurements. I also had to bake in oddly shaped stainless steel vessels. The results were heartening :). Usually we cook by smell and "feel" of the food not by exact measurements. I thought I would never be able to do that in baking. It is by no means the best bread I have ever made but not the worst either!

So here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3 Tbsp oil

3 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour (maida)
2 tsp salt

I used a small spoon as a teaspoon measure, a big one as a tablespoon measure and a medium sized tumbler as a cup measure.

Since my last post on bread making I have moved on to making it without the aid of a bread machine. So it was a bit easier, having had a lot of practice kneading.

1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm (not cold!) water and stir the yeast in (make sure your yeast is fairly fresh). Let that sit for 10 mins. It should bubble and become frothy. If it does not then the yeast may not be fresh. While waiting measure the flour and the salt.

2. Add the oil to the yeast mixture.

3. Now add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and knead for a good long time, say for at least 10 - 15 mins. The kneading process is very important as that helps develop the structure of the bread.

4. After kneading, place it in a covered, oiled vessel. Let it rise in a warm place for about one hour or until doubled in size.

5. Next punch it down and divide it into two equal portions and roll them into logs that will fit 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans. Butter the pans and place the logs in there. Cover them with a cloth and let it rise again in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in size.

6. Bake at 325 deg F (170 deg C).

Enjoy your bread!

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-10-26T10:55:00.000+05:30

I have been wanting to bake these for a very long time and finally did a few days ago. I got the recipe from the recipe book that came with the Breadman bread maker. (It was not a well made bread maker but came with some excellent recipes :) ). The recipe makes 1.5 lb of dough and makes 12 cinnamon rolls. I know, I know... You can count only 11 in the pan :). I actually made 14 smaller ones. The other three were in a smaller pan not in the photo.

Ingredients:
1 egg + enough warm (not hot) water to make 1 cup.
3 Tbsp oil        1 1/2 tsp salt                2 tsp yeast
1/3 cup sugar     3 1/2 cups white flour
Put the above ingredients in the bread maker and set it on dough cycle. If you don't have a bread maker, then you can knead it well (about 10 mins) by hand and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume- maybe 1 hour or so. I used warm milk instead of water in mine.

Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted    2 Tbsp cinnamon              1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar                 1/4 cup walnuts
(I didn't use the walnuts and raisins in mine.)

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar          1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp water
(I will use less water the next time. I thought the glaze was too runny.)

Method:
1. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12 in X 6 in rectangle.
2. Spread the butter. Mix the rest of the ingredients under "Filling" and sprinkle over the butter.
3. Roll tightly along the long edge. Cut 12 pieces an inch each in thickness. Place them in a lightly greased pan (I used a 9 X 13 in baking pan) leaving some gap in between. Cover and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in volume or about 1/2 an hour.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 deg F oven for about 25 - 30 mins or until golden brown.
5. Take the rolls out of the oven. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze until it's smooth. Drizzle over the rolls after they cool for about 20 mins.

Tomato Onion Chutney Using a Crockpot

2011-06-08T19:28:00.000+05:30

I recently bought a 4 qt West Bend for about 20 dollars. A slow cooker is an electric cooker that cooks food very slowly with less heat. The pot is heavy and is made of ceramic.

I have discovered that you can use it to make excellent tomato onion chutney with very little effort :). I add some oil, onions, tomato, a bit of tamarind, a pinch of brown sugar (or jaggery), salt and chilli powder and let it cook on high with the lid partially off. I do monitor it, that is, stir it from time to time so that it doesn't stick to the sides. After about four to five hours when the house smells nice and when the mixture starts coming off the sides of the vessel, I switch it off. I grind it after it has cooled and then fry it for a couple of minutes with oil and mustard. I am able to make large batches of this chutney.

My cousin in North Carolina makes khoa using the slow cooker. I have also seen recipes for payasam (kheer) and pudding.

Finished the hoodie!

2011-05-06T16:31:00.000+05:30

I am posting after a very long time. This a sweater I knitted for my nephew, Tejas, who is now about two weeks old. This sweater is supposed to fit 3m - 6m old baby. My MIL showed me how to sew the seams properly. I am hoping to start knitting one for my 4 year old. Starting is the easy part, finishing it is the hard part :).

Curry Leaf Plant

2010-11-24T10:14:00.000+05:30

It's been a while since I wrote. I have been somewhat occupied with my teaching and knitting. I bought a curry leaf plant (karuvappalai) plant from Logee's about a month ago. They did great job shipping the plant. The plant itself was pretty big (about six inches high) and I was pleasantly surprised. The first time I bought a curry leaf plant was when I was in Erie, PA. The nursery I bought it from shipped a plant that was about an inch and a half tall. Needless to say the teeny tiny plant did not survive the harsh, cold winter of Erie. I am having better luck with this and I hope it stays that way!

The scientific name for the curry leaf plant is Murraya koenigii. There is another plant that is referred to as "curry leaf plant". And this one apparently has leaves that smell like "curry" :). Who knew...

Badam (almond) Burfi

2010-10-22T11:15:00.000+05:30

This is a variation of the regular Badam Burfi- I use whole almonds. My daughter's most favourite treat :). I used to soak them, peel them and then make them. The skin just goes waste most of the time. So...

Ingredients:
1 cup whole almonds ground (it's okay if it's a little lumpy)
1 1/4 cup sugar (doesn't have to be precise)
enough water to cover the sugar with water.

Method:
1. Smear ghee on a plate and set aside.
2. Add the sugar to a thick bottomed and deep pan. Add just enough water to cover the sugar. Boil the mixture until you reach the one-string consistency stage (I didn't measure the temperature of the solution).
3. Add the ground almonds and stir. Add a tablespoon of ghee and continue to stir. Stir some more and then some more. And a lot more. When the mixture starts coming off the sides of the vessel and when it looks somewhat bubbly (with holes) pour it into the prepared plate. Cut it into squares soon after. Don't wait to do this! The burfis are quite difficult to slice into when they are cool.

Sweet Potato Patties

2010-10-18T08:42:00.000+05:30

I know that sweet potatoes are good for you. But I don't like the taste. I have tried baking them, roasting them and even making the chips in the oven. My daughter stopped eating them after she turned one. I was reading Mark Bittman's article about the food processor and he had a recipe for patties with shredded yams and other vegetables. Yippee!!! I didn't use the exact recipe- just the idea. These were made primarily for my daughter. So there are no chilies or chili powder in this preparation. This recipe is nice because you can use any vegetable you have on hand and any seasoning/spices etc. And, yes, my family loves it :).

1 large sweet potato
1 medium sized potato (I used russet)
1/2 medium sized onion
1/2 Tbsp of cumin and dhaniya (corriander seeds) powder.
salt to taste
1 Tbsp ground oats.

1.Grate all the vegetables in the food processor (or by hand).
2. Add a little oil to a wide pan, and when the oil is hot, add the cumin and dhaniya powders. Then add the shredded vegetables and saute until cooked partially. Add the oats and cook for a few seconds.
3. Let it cool, make patties and roast them on both sides in a tiny bit of oil on a pan.

This freezes well. So you can make large batches and freeze it. When needed roast it on a pan. It can be eaten as such or used in sandwiches.
I sometimes add mostly-cooked black beans to the shredded vegetables before making the patties. This will make a complete meal- important when one is a vegetarian.

Walnut Pie without corn syrup!

2010-09-28T10:05:00.000+05:30

I've always wanted to bake a pie but have been reluctant to venture into the world of crust making... that is, until I found this amazingly easy and tasty recipe http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/Easy-Pie-Crust/Detail.aspx for the crust. I love it! I'm not afraid of baking pies anymore! :). I used the pecan (in my case walnut) pie recipe from the same site http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pecan-Pie-V/Detail.aspx which does not use corn syrup (a big no no now). I didn't change either recipe too much (some minor tweaks). But I think I will definitely cut down the fat from the filling next time. Both my husband and I loved it. My daughter didn't like it the first day. She declared it "yummy" when I served it cold from the fridge the next day.

Recipe for the crust: (The crust takes on the smell of the oil you use. So I would add some flavouring- for example vanilla or almond)

Ingridients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place all ingredients in 9 inch pie pan. Stir together with fork. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust.
Bake for 12 mins in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Use as directed in favorite pie recipe.

While the crust is baking you can prepare the filling.

Recipe for the walnut filling:

Ingredients:
1 cup light brown sugar                  1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup white sugar                        1 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup butter                                1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs                                            1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
Pour into the above 9-in pie shell.
Bake at 350 deg F for 15 mins and then reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 55 - 60 mins, or until center is done.

Coffee Crumb Cake

2010-09-08T12:47:00.000+05:30

This is my daughter's favourite cake and she asks me to make it often. I got the basic recipe off of the C&H brown sugar bag. It's a light and airy cake with a crumb topping. I add a little more sugar to the cake than the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:
Cake:                                            Crumb Topping:
~ 1 cup brown sugar                      1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter (8 Tbsp)               1/4 cup flour
3 eggs                                           3 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
some orange peel gratings
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan (or two 9 inch round pans).
2. Make the crumb topping by mixing sugar, flour and butter until crumbly. Set aside for later.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Cream together sugar and butter. Add vanilla, eggs and orange peel, and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Batter will be thick. Spoon one half into prepared pan, sprinkle half the crumb topping, spoon the rest of the batter and sprinkle the rest of the crumb topping.
6. Bake for 40 mins or until a clean toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cashew Macaroons or Cashew Meringues

2010-08-23T03:13:00.000+05:30

I found a basic recipe for a meringue in a book called "Complete Baking" by Martha Day and I modified it to make the cashew macaroons. I also found some sites with the recipe for the Tuticorin cashew macaroons. I tried to make it using that recipe and it didn't work well for me.

Some things to know about meringues:
1. The whites should not have even a bit of yellow in them. If they do they will not whip very well.
2. The process is faster and better if the eggs are at room temperature before you start beating them.
3. The vessel you use to beat the egg whites in should be very clean and so should the beaters and the spatula.
4. If you reduce the amount of sugar the meringues will not be crunchy. So less sugar means softer meringues and more sugar means crunchier meringues. This is quite sweet and crunchy :).
5. Soft peaks are formed within a few mins of beating the eggs. When you raise your beaters, the peaks that are formed will be floppy. The stage of stiff peaks is reached when you raise your beaters and the peaks that are formed stay in place (does not droop). You can shape it anyway you want.
6. When you beat the egg whites you are actually beating air into it. So you have to be very careful in the last couple of steps when you fold in the cashews. Fold means you cut down with the spatula to the bottom of the bowl and then gently turn the mixture over.

The recipe I used is as follows:
Ingredients:
whites of 2 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
6 oz caster sugar (approx. 2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp)
(caster sugar is powdered sugar without cornstarch)
2/3 cup of coarsely ground cashews

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 225 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease the sheet).
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks are formed.
3. Add the cornflour slowly while beating and add the sugar a little at a time. Beat until it is glossy and the peaks hold their shapes (stiff peaks)- about 10 - 12 mins.
4. Stop the beaters, add the ground cashew and gently fold it in.
5. Gently spoon the mixture (or pipe it) onto the prepared baking sheet and bake it for about 2 hours. Rotate the pan halfway for even baking.

Pizza

2010-08-20T12:14:00.000+05:30

I make the pizza dough using my bread maker. It's also easy to do it by hand or a food processor. The basic crust recipe I use is as follows:

Ingredients: (makes 1 lb)
2 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast (dry)
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup warm water (about 100 deg F)
herbs (I used dried rosemary.)

Directions:
1. Place the ingredients in the pan in the order specified by your bread machine and set it on the pizza cycle.
     (a) If you don't have a machine then add the yeast to the sugar dissolved in warm water (about 100 deg F). This is called proofing the yeast. After it bubbles up mix in the rest of the ingredients. Knead for at least 10 mins. Let it rise in a well oiled container in a warm place until it is doubled in size. Proceed to step 2.
     (b) If you have a big enough food processor add the wet ingredients first along with the yeast and sugar, and slowly add the other ingredients and knead until it comes together as a ball. Take it out and knead it for a
for a few more minutes. Let it rise in a well oiled container in a warm place until it is doubled in size. Proceed to step 2.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F or (~ 220 deg C). Take out the dough. It should elastic. Punch it down and make it into a ball. Cover and let it rest for a few minutes.
3. Roll out the dough (makes one 16 inch pizza) on a floured surface or press it out onto an oiled pan. I find cast iron pans make the best crust. I used the 16 inch aluminium pan with holes today. Poke holes evenly with a fork. We do this to prevent the crust from puffing up when it pre-bakes. Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 15 - 20 minutes. You will find that the dough rises a little more.
4. Put the crust in the oven for 10 - 12 mins until the crust is lightly browned.
5. Take it out, top it and put it back for 15 - 20 mins until the mozzarella is melted, bubbly and browned in some parts.

The crust is crunchy on the outside and soft inside. It's delicious and smells heavenly!
The one I made today had 2 cups of wheat flour and 1/2 cup of rye flour. The resulting base was not too bad. But I think it can use some tweaking.
Today's toppings were pasta sauce (base), mozzarella, onions, baby spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and bell pepper.

Freezing the dough:
It is easy to double the recipe, punch it and freeze half the portion for another day. To make the crust, just take it out of the freezer, let it thaw for a few hours and start from step 2. You can even make mini pre-baked crusts and freeze these individually. When you want one take it out, top it and stick it in the oven.

Tips:
* Make sure your yeast is fresh and not old!
* You may need to add more water or less depending on the humidity of your place.
* If you use heavy flours you will need to use a little more water.
* Avoid using toppings that have high water content (eg. frozen spinach). It will make the crust soggy!!
* For even baking, rotate the pan halfway through the baking period.

Plants and Compost bin

2010-08-16T10:09:00.000+05:30

This is my first successful attempt at growing vegetables. I have tried in the past and have always failed. This time my parents were there and they provided me with some valuable advice :). We also made a compost bin- there is quite a bit of information on the internet to make your own. I was astounded at the amount of organic waste coming out of the kitchen everyday. My daughter helped dig for some worms and we had a working compost bin.

There are a couple of tomato plants and one serrano pepper plant. The pepper plant is almost always full of bugs. I spray it with a mixture of neem oil and water. That seems to help. It hasn't affected the output.
My cousin, who has a house of her own in NC, has an extensive garden. She advised me to install the stands for the tomato plants early on. I was negligent and waited until the day one of them nearly broke. I hurried to Home Depot got a couple of stands and tried to put it in without assistance. That was a big mistake. I put it in halfway, realized I needed help and took it out. I broke quite a few branches :(. It's doing well now.

Cooky Cookies

2010-08-14T09:19:00.000+05:30

I saw this recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cooky-Cookies/Detail.aspx . I followed the same basic recipe but made some (healthy?) changes. I used half the recipe, reduced the amount of oil and used whole wheat flour. The holes in the cookies were made by my daughter. She thought it was too plain.

This recipe makes about 40 cookies.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1-3/4 cups wheat flour

1/2 cup butter, softened (I used a little less) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup cornflakes cereal ground

1 egg 1/2 cup rolled oats ground

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped walnuts ground

1/2 tsp almond essence

Directions:

	1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
	2. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. This is important. Slowly add oil and beat until oil is well incorporated. Add egg, vanilla and almond essence and beat to mix.
	3. In a bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir just until mixed. Combine ground corn flakes, oatmeal and walnuts and add to cookie mixture; mix just until combined.
	4. Make one inch balls, place it on a cookie sheet and flatten it slightly. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 mins for soft cookies or about 14 mins for crunchy cookies. They have to be lightly browned. Since these are so rich, you can chill the individual balls of cookie dough and then freeze them in freezer bags. You can then take them directly from the freezer to the oven, just add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Rye Bread

2010-08-11T10:13:00.000+05:30

I read somewhere that wheat bread has a higher glycemic index than pasta, but if rye is added to the bread it lowers the glycemic index. Isn't that strange? So I had to modify my trusted whole wheat bread recipe for a breadmaker to incorporate some dark rye flour. This is a recipe for the rapid bake cycle and hence the large quantity of yeast.

This makes a two pound loaf.
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup dark rye flour
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup white flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp oil
herbs

Add the ingredients in the order specified by your breadmaker. If you make this without a breadmaker you could make do with less yeast and without the white flour. Rye flour is a heavy flour so it may need extra water depending on the humidity in your area.

Cake ball

2010-08-10T10:42:00.000+05:30

I loved the "pudding cake" at Adyar Bakery in Chennai which they've stopped making. It was delicious, very dense and intensely sweet. The cake ball, I am glad to say, is pretty much like the pudding cake. My brother sent me the recipe. It's basically crumbled cake mixed with frosting (icing) made into balls then rolled in a mixture of cocoa and sugar. It's a good project if you have young kids. My daughter helped with crumbling the cake and some of it went into her mouth in the process :). The original cake ball recipe calls for dipping the cake-frosting balls in melted chocolate. It was too messy and so I decided to go with the cocoa-sugar mixture. I am glad I did because it is not sweeter than it has to be. I had some left over butter cream icing from frosting cupcakes that I used. The best part about these cake balls is that you can use any kind of cake with any kind of frosting. So the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:
1. one 9 inch round cake (I halved this recipe and used butter instead of shortening
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Four-Egg-Yellow-Cake/Detail.aspx )
2. about 2/3 cup of frosting
3. 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp powdered sugar.

Directions:
1. Crumble the cake and mix it with the frosting.
2. Make balls and roll it in the cocoa-sugar mixture.

I like it cold so I store them in the fridge. Or what's left of them :).