Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

I absolutely love this recipe for everyday cakes. I love the fact that I can use up any berries left over from not eating them fresh which happens almost always. And I must confess - I love my berries real sweet. So more often than not the berries are a bit sour for my taste and I end up making this cake for a weekend breakfast/snack. Since I seem to be making this way too often I decided to make it a bit more healthy and substantial; just so a piece of this cake, a cup of coffee and an egg scrambled makes for a scrumptious weekend breakfast.

Any type of berries will work and I have tried blueberries and raspberries and they both turn out yummy.  I doubled the recipe and have used a 50-50 mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. If using whole wheat pastry flour then you can use that for the entire 2 cups that is called for in this recipe. The one thing with using whole grain flour is that the texture tends to be dense and the cake turns out just a wee bit dry than when using all purpose flour. So to overcome that I make an orange (or any other flavored syrup) to glaze/soak the cake in. This results in a very fruity flavored moist cake which surely is a keeper.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
11/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberry

Orange syrup
1/4 - 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 4 clementines)
1 tsp grand marnier
3 tbsp sugar (or more, adjust to taste)


Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and dust with flour.
2. In a bowl mix all the two flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer till it turns pale yellow and airy, about 3-4 min.
4. Add vanilla extract, the orange zest and eggs. Beat until well mixed.
5. Add the flour mixture in three batches and buttermilk alternately to the wet ingredients starting and finishing with the flour. Mix just until the flour is well incorporated.
6. Pour into the prepared 9-inch cake pan and evenly spread the batter. 
7. Scatter the blueberries evenly over the top. Bake for 40-45 min or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let it cool and then invert it on to a plate.  When the cake is cooling prepare the glaze/syrup. 
9. In a small pan mix all the orange juice and sugar. Heat it over a medium flame for 3-5 min until the sugar dissolves. Add grand marnier, let it boil on low for a minute or two more. Remove from heat.

Assembly - Poke a few holes on the cake with a toothpick or a fork. Spoon the glaze/syrup over the cake. Its ok even if it forms a puddle on the top. With time the syrup will seep into the cake. Let it rest for a few hours before serving.

Enjoy !!

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Happy New year to all of you and hope 2012 bring much joy and prosperity to all. I wanted to start the new year with a sweet treat and also these cookies are so yummy that I wanted to share it with you all today instead of it waiting in the drafts folder. These pecan cookies remind me so much of the "Sandies" that I used to love a few years back, soft yet crunchy, buttery and all that lovely pecan flavor. Its pretty hard to stop with just one !!

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Method
In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, corn starch, pecans and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter. Mix just until they are well mixed.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the balls just a little bit. Place the balls at least a couple inches apart.
Bake at 350F for 10-15 min just until the edges are lightly brown.
Cool. Keeps fresh for a week when stored in an air-tight container.

Enjoy !!

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

Here's the ingredient 11 of MMC challenge 

From the judge - " Congratulations on completing challenge 10. Looking forward to eating roasted Turnips. Your next ingredient, ingredient number 11 is your choice (you don't believe that do you!), Well.. its not your choice entirely. But the rules would make you believe you have a choice. I hope you like to eat Crystallized Ginger. How about some crunchy Vanilla Sugar Wafers or say tasting a spoon full of Molasses? Or the better, how about mixing them all.? I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine myself enjoying them as a mixture yet. So yep there it is, your challenge. But, then I promised that you have a choice. Yes, you do. Of the three ingredients you have to pick one of them as your main ingredient and the other two as add on. However remember that the flavors of all 3 ingredients should show up in the final product."

Three wonderful ingredient but have to choose one - this meant I had to weigh my choices wisely :-) The moment I saw the ingredients, I knew what my choice was going to be. I decided to focus on the gingery flavor ie. crystallized ginger mainly because the ginger flavor normally tends to overpower other subtle flavors. So in my opinion molasses and vanilla wafers didnt stand a chance when paired with the strong ginger flavor. This being Christmas season I thought making a gingerbread based sweet treat will be just the thing to do. Cheesecake has been in my to do list for a while now. But I did not have a springform pan that is normally used to bake cheesecake. So I decided to go the miniature version route. I used a 12-hole muffin pan to make these bite-sized cheesecake type dessert.

Notes:
These gingerbread bites are pretty heavy on the crust and light on the filling than you will find in the usual cheesecake. 
Add more or less crystallized ginger depending on how "gingery" you would like the filling to be. I used around 3-4 tbsp and found it to be a bit too much of ginger flavor to my liking. But if you can handle it feel free to use as much.
I have used a food processor to make the batter which I find is the easiest way - less dishes to clean later :-) But a hand mixer will do the job as well.

Ingredients
Gingersnap-vanilla wafer crust
10 gingersnaps
6 vanilla wafers
3 tbsp melted butter

Cheesecake Batter
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp allspice powder
Cyrstallized ginger, Vanilla wafers or  Gingersnaps for garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Add the gingersnap and vanilla wafers into the food processor bowl fitted with the steel blade. Process until the mixture resembles fine grains of sand.
3. Add the melted butter and pulse just until butter mixes in with the crumbs.
4. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with the cupcake liners.
6. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each hole of the prepared pan.
7. Press into the bottoms and up just a bit to the sides of the liner. (The thickness of the crust can be varied as per your taste. My preference is a thicker crust and lighter on the filling.) Set aside.
8. In a mixing bowl or in the food processor bowl beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and sour cream until light and fluffy (About 2-3 min if using a hand mixer). Dont worry if the consistency looks a bit runny.
9. Add the egg, mix well till the egg is incorporated into the batter.
10. Now add molasses, salt, crystallized ginger and allspice. Beat until well mixed. 
11. Fill each of the crumb lined hole with a few tablespoons of the cheesecake batter.
12. Bake for 15 min or just until the cheesecake batter is set.
13. Let it cool and then refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight.
14. Garnish with crystallized ginger and gingersnap before serving.

This will be my entry to the events "Yummy Desserts" hosted by Pranati and "Sinful Delights" hosted by Vardhini.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Orange Syrup

Baking is something I have come to like or should I say love. A few years back I would not have probably imagined I would bake as much as I do today. Though I bake year-round, my favorite baking season is between thanksgiving (pies!!) and X'mas/New Year (when I experiment with different cookie recipes). The cold weather makes it all the more reason to crank up the oven - enjoy the warmth and the aroma of the baked goodies that fill the house.

 
My latest addition to the baking collection is the bundt pan which I have been eyeing for a while. I love the presentation that a bundt cake provides and it sure is a crowd puller. Chocolate cake is one of the most loved cakes (at least in my household!) and presenting it as a bundt cake just makes it even more irresistible. The biggest challenge to baking chocolate cake is getting it to be moist. Even the best bakeries make chocolate cake/muffin that is very dry and crumb-y. Personally I like moist cakes and the recipe that I have adapted from here yields a very moist cake. I have replaced the ganache glaze with an orange syrup where the orange flavor melds extremely well with the strong chocolate flavor. And as the glaze soaks into the cake, each bite is lusciously moist.

Notes:

1. Proper greasing and flouring the bundt pan ensures that cake unmolds without sticking to the pan. So do not skip dusting with flour even if using a non-stick spray or non-stick pan. 
2. I find using oil yields a very moist cake esp. chocolate cakes. 
3. Use the best possible chocolate and cocoa powder to get a good chocolaty flavor. 
4. Under-baking rather than over-baking is suggested to keep the cake moist.

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp softened butter and 1 tbsp all-purpose flour - to prepare the bundt pan
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (either chips or bar, finely chopped)
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup strong fresh brewed coffee (at room temperature)
1 cup buttermilk

Orange Glaze 
Juice from 2 small oranges (I used Clementines that are in season now)
Orange zest for garnish
1 tsp Orange flower water or orange flavor
1 tsp Grand Marnier (optional)
1/4 cup sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of the orange juice)

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease the bundt pan with softened butter and dust with 1 tbsp of the flour.
Melt chocolate in a small pan on low heat or in the microwave oven. Let it cool.
In a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. 
Stir coffee and buttermilk in another small bowl. Set aside.
Scrape the chocolate into a mixing bowl, add sugar and oil. Whisk by hand or using a hand mixer until well combined.
Add the egg and whisk for a minute or so.
Add half of the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture along with half of the coffee/buttermilk mixture. Whisk until well combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture, coffee mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 min or until knife inserted close to the center comes out moist with just a few crumbs.
Let it cool completely before unmolding the cake.

Orange glaze: In a small saucepan combine orange juice and sugar. Set it on a low flame. Stir until sugar dissolves (about 4-5 minutes). Add the orange flavoring and grand marnier (if using). Stir and remove it from heat. Let it cool just a bit. 

Arranging the cake: Spoon half the glaze evenly over the cooled cake. Let it stand for a few minutes so the glaze is absorbed. Now spoon the rest of the glaze over the cake. Garnish with orange zest. Let it stand for atleast a few hours or overnight before serving.

This will be my entry to Pari's "'Only' - cakes and cookies" event. 

Enjoy !!

MAITRI - Mango-vanilla Pudding Pie

When Priya and Reshmi announced MAITRI- a friendship chain, I was very excited. I have read about the Arsuvai chain and always thought it was an excellent idea for bloggers to get to know each other as well as make blogging exciting by providing mystery ingredients to other blogger friends. Thanks to Priya and Reshmi for the initiative to start one such event in the US.

Savitha of Savitha's kitchen was chosen to send me the mystery ingredient. I was very excited to receive the package but USPS chose to dampen my excitement since the package that Savitha sent got lost in transport. Savitha was kind enough to mail me another package. This time things went smooth and I had the package in my hands in a few days.

I opened the package and there was the mystery ingredient in a zip lock bag and a set of measuring cups (sorry in my excitement I forgot to take a picture of the package). Thanks Savitha for the very useful measuring cups - I sure dont think a kitchen can have too many measuring cups :-) On to the mystery ingredient, a first look at the white crystals made me think it was sugar. I tasted it and it had a fruity flavor. I was confused - I havent ever heard of fruit-flavored sugar. So I decided to shoot an email to Savitha and her reply was that I was way off :-( It wasnt a simple fruit flavored sugar after all. She did provide me with a clue, which is that it is used to make dessert which can be moulded.

My simple brain thought it was gelatin but I have never used gelatin (for obvious reasons, me being vegetarian) and didnt think it wud taste sweet. So with the help of gtalk and a some back and forth guessing game, Savitha did nudge me towards the right answer - it was Mango flavored Pudding mix. I should have guessed but I have never used instant pudding mix before and it never occurred to me !! I was very happy that the mystery ingredient was something I havent used before.

I have been wanting to try graham cracker crust for a pie and so thought a pudding pie will be a good excuse for me to try graham cracker crust as well as make best use of the pudding mix. To make enough pudding mixture for the pie filling, I had to buy some more pudding mix and unfortunately I couldn't find mango flavor. So I added some vanilla flavor pudding mix to the one sent by Savitha and thats how Mango-vanilla flavored pudding pie was born !!


Ingredients

Pie crust
Graham crackers 11/4 cup (about 9 cracker sheets)
Melted butter 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 tbsp

For the Pudding
3/4 cup instant pudding mix(1 2.75 oz packet plus more)
2 cups milk (2%)
1/4 cup pistachio, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Strawberry and whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2. Crush the graham cracker in a food processor or using a rolling pin, until fine.
3. Transfer to a bowl. Add sugar and melted butter.
4. Combine until all the ingredients are well mixed.
5. Dump this into a greased pie plate. With your hands or back of a spoon spread the graham cracker mixture into an even layer. Make sure to press along the sides of the pie plate so as to get an even layer.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 or until the crust is set.
7. Set aside to cool.

Pudding:

1. Take 2 cups of milk in a sauce pan.
2. Add pudding mix and stir until the mix dissolves.
3. Keep it over a medium flame, stir frequently for 10 min or just until it comes to a rolling boil.
4. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. It will be a thick liquid at this stage.
5. Add pistachios and cardamom. Stir well.
6. Now pour the pudding into the prepared pie crust, spread it in to an even layer.
7. Arrange the strawberries on top if using.
8. Chill in the refrigerator for atleast 3 hrs.
9. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Enjoy !!

Pain au chocolat & au revoir NJ.....

Been a busy memorial day weekend. After an year of long distance relationship am so glad we can now get back to our routine together. Ah.. the simple pleasures in life that we take for granted. NJ was fun, a heaven for all things Indian. We enjoyed the company of our friends and it was sad that we had to say goodbye. Though we'd miss all that I am pretty excited to scope out the new place, make new friends and discover new tastes. Hopefully we have good things in store for us and we enjoy the place. Moving is crazy and I had just forgotten how difficult it can be until we actually started the process. Inspite of all the help its been one uphill task, packing/unpacking & cleaning. Unpacking and setting up the house looks like a never ending task but there's the silver lining - I can see the carpet now and not just brown boxes on the floor :-)


Obviously the first thing I set up was the kitchen but my pantry is not nearly as stocked as I would otherwise normally have. So I have been making simple, hassle free dinners. I was thinking of starting this first week at our new place with a dessert but I did not have butter. So most of my desserts were ruled out. But luckily, the savior of the day was the frozen puff pastry sheet that I had lying in the freezer. Fill it up with fruits/nuts and chocolate for a yummy dessert and thats what I did. Filled the puff pastry sheet with a mixture of chocolate morsels and nut, baked it for 15 min et voila dessert's ready.

Like I said, I was out of most of my pantry things. So I had to make do with the chocolate chips but using a good chocolate will make this an even better dessert. So I would recommend using good quality chocolate if possible.

Note:

1. Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator. I move the puff pastry sheet from the freezer to the fridge 5 hrs before I am ready to start filling the sheet.
2. You can also use chocolate bars for the filling. Just make 1 inch pieces of the chocolate and use that to fill the pastry squares.
3. Use a good quality chocolate for better result though nestle chocolate morsels worked fine.
4. I used egg wash to get a shiny brown crust but if need be you can substitute eggs with milk or cream.
   

Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg (for egg wash)

Method
Thaw the frozen puff pastry as per the package instructions.
In a bowl mix chocolates and walnuts.
Cut the frozen pastry sheet into 9 square pieces.
Place a spoonful of the mixture at one end of the square. Roll it tightly into a log. make sure the filing stays in place.
Alternately, you can place the mixture at the center and fold one edge over the other to form a triangle.
Brush the top with egg wash and place it on a cookie sheet.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake the pastry for 15 to 20 min or until its golden brown at the top.
Serve warm or at room temp.

Enjoy !!

MMC Ingredient 5 - Dates, Jaggery, Coffee

MMC ingredient(s) 5:

Here's what "M" had to say about it
For a change, this challenge will be different. You will be getting 3 ingredients and you have to use them all. It is not necessary that you use them in equal proportions. But the end thumb rule is, for a person who eats the final product, he/she should be able to identify all the 3 ingredients on his/her own.

The ingredients are Dates, Jaggery, Coffee (ground).

Here's what I made for this challenge.

Dates Crepe with Pear-dates Compote and Coffee Cream Sauce

When I think of dates, the recipe I almost involuntarily think of is dates chutney aka the sweet chutney we get for chaats. If the challenge ingredients were just dates and jaggery I would have surely opted for the chutney. But the moment I laid eyes on the third ingredient: coffee, I knew my recipe was going to be a dessert or a breakfast. I can safely say that the meal I enjoy the most in a day is breakfast, be it the simple toast/jelly or an elaborate weekend spread. And ofcourse always with a cuppa java, unadulterated (i.e no cream, no sugar !!)

I wanted to make sure I maintain the individuality of each of the ingredients yet make sure they complement each other well. Coffee has one of the stronger flavors and I kept it distinct by using it in the sauce. I used dates and jaggery in both the crepe and the pear compote to sweeten the dish. Though the ingredient list and the method looks a bit long, its actually quite simple. If the pear compote and coffee sauce are made ahead of time its just a matter of whipping up the crepe batter. This dish is a pretty delicious and sweet treat. Or if you would like it as a breakfast serve it with scrambled eggs or poached eggs on the side. Now that Mother's day is just around the corner, I think this will be a great dish for a Mother's day brunch !!

Notes:

1. Jaggery water: Most of the times I find that jaggery is contaminated with dirt. Dissolve 1/4 cup jaggery in 1/4 cup water. Boil until jaggery dissolves. Filter to remove dirt. Reserve 2 tbsp of this if using it for the compote.
2. The amount of jaggery listed here makes this dish a pretty sweet one. So adjust the jaggery according to the sweetness you'd like.
3. I use food processor to make the crepe batter. But mixing it buy hand works just fine as well.
4. For the coffee sauce I use instant coffee dissolved in just enough hot water. Freshly brewed coffee can also be used. Adjust the strength according to taste.
5. I had pears on hand, so used it for the compote but feel free to use any fruit that you like.
   
6. Both coffee sauce and pear compote can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Though warm before serving.

Ingredients
Crepes:
8 dates (pitted)
1/4 cup jaggery water (reserve 2 tbsp for the pear compote, if using)
1 egg
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
Salt, a pinch

Pear Compote:
1 pear, diced (ripe but firm)
1/4 cup dates (pitted, coarsely chopped)
2 tbsp jaggery water (optional)
1 tsp lemon

Coffee Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
sugar (optional)
1 tbsp instant coffee (see notes)
1/4 cup heavy cream

Method
Crepes:

1. Boil dates with jaggery water for a few minutes - just until dates get tender.
2. Let it cool. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Mix flour and salt. Set aside
4. In a food processor combine eggs and dates paste. Pulse for a few seconds.
5. Add the flour and keep the processor on.
6. Slowly pour milk starting with 1/4 cup and keep adding until the flour is incorporated and the batter is of a pouring consistency.
7. Finally add melted butter and transfer it to a bowl.
8. Heat a griddle or a crepe pan. Brush with a bit of melted butter.
9. Pour a ladle full of the batter. Swirl the pan to make thin circle of even thickness.
10. Cook for a few minutes, until the bottom browns. Flip, cook for a few seconds.
11. Fold and transfer onto a plate.

Pear Compote:

1. In a saute pan, combine pear, dates and jaggery water if using.
2. Saute for a few minutes just until the pear gets tender and all the ingredients are well combined.
3. Remove from heat, add lemon juice. Stir. Set aside.

Coffee Sauce:

1. Combine all the ingredients under coffee sauce in a pot.
2. Heat until all the ingredients mix well and the sauce gets a smooth consistency.
3. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Assembly:

1. Place 2 crepes on a plate.
2. Scoop a spoonful or two of the pear compote onto the crepe.
3. Drizzle with coffee sauce and serve.

This will be my entry to Panch Pakwan's Mother's day event.

Enjoy !!

Aamras (Mango milkshake/Smoothie)

I thought my post on mango will not be complete if I didn't add a quick entry on Aamras. I had some left over mango pulp from my last week's Mango bread and made Aamras for our weekend lunch. So figured why not blog that as well though the recipe itself is very simple. Blend the pulp with a bit of milk, flavor with spices that you like (I use cardamom) and serve chilled. It was our weekend lunch which meant I could splurge a little on the calories. So I used heavy cream instead of milk to get a richer and creamier consistency. But feel free to use either or both in your recipe.


Ingredients
1 cup Mango pulp
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp mixed nuts, coarsely chopped

Method

1. Blend all the ingredients (except nuts) in a blender or a food processor.
2. Chill for a few hours.
3. Garnish with chopped nuts before serving.

Serving Suggestions: Serve along with Rotis or as a dessert with fresh fruits or drink it straight up as a smoothie/shake.

Congratulations to Srivalli who is celebrating her three wonderful years of blogging with an event. This will be my entry to the "Thanda Mela" event.

Enjoy !!

Mango (quick) Bread

I cant wait for summer to be here. I have a love-hate relation with spring I must say. The first few days of spring, am very happy that winter is behind us but within a few days I get impatient waiting for summer that I start hating spring. Is that weird? I think not. I just love bright sunshine and the warmth and hence call myself a "summer girl". My husband finds this term pretty amusing :-) Maybe its because I am from Chennai or it may just be all the good memories associated with summer: summer vacation, meeting my cousins and of course the mangoes.

One of the delicious memories of summer/mango season is the mango pickle (avakkai) my grandma used to make. My mom and aunts used to gather in one household with my grandma leading the pickle making ceremony !! As a kid it was loads of fun just watching them make the pickle. And at the end of the day after the pickling was done and the cut mangoes had been divided into different jars, we used to get a taste of the fresh pickle in the form of avakkai rice (left over pickling sauce mixed with fresh rice and ghee). It was Oh so tasty, my mouth still waters just at the thought of it.


Another summer favorite of mine is the aamras my mom makes with fresh ripe mangoes. I think the most popular variety that we used to get in Chennai was the Banagenapalli variety - medium-sized round juicy mangoes. I loved the whole process of squeezing the pulp and mushing the whole thing with my hands, juices running all over. Yeh it was messy but I loved the feeling and the aroma. Aamras with fresh chapathi's is a combination that is so typical of my summer days. So anyway - all these nostalgic thoughts put me in the mood for tasting mangoes last week. But imho the mangoes available in the US market is nowhere close to the gorgeous ones we get in India. So whenever I feel a longing for mangoes, I reach for the mango pulp available in Indian stores.

I brought the mango pulp home and was thinking of best way to use it up. Aamras was my first option but we had guests over for the weekend and I wanted to a make some dessert. When browsing through my bookmarked recipes, I came across mango bread from Vaishali's Earth Vegan blog. So I adapted her recipe to a non-vegan version, added some pistachios and cardamom - both very Indian flavors. We all loved the final result - moist luscious mango bread.

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ts baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pistachio
1 tsp cardamom powder

5 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
2 cup mango pulp
1 cup sugar

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Grease a loaf pan. Set aside.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pistachio, cardamom powder) in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Mix until well mixed. Now add the eggs and mango pulp. Mix well.
4. Add the dry mixture to the mango mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are mixed evenly.
5. Pour this mixture into the greased loaf pan. Bake for 50 min or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
6. Cool and then slice the bread.
7. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

This post will be my entry to Nupur's "The Copycat Edition".

Enjoy !!

MMC Ingredient 3 - Beets

MMC challenge 3:

Beets Souffle with Cashew Nut Topping

When "M" gave me the challenge ingredient, Beets, I didnt have a brain wave immediately though I had a few ideas ranging from appetizer to dessert, traditional Indian dishes to out of the blue dessert dishes. One main challenge with beets is that fresh beets takes a long time to cook. Except for pressure cooking, everything else be it roasting or boiling on the stove top takes minimum of 40 min. Given that I had only 1 hour to prepare the dish, I had to think of something which fits the time constraint. But since I was allowed to use canned beets, I took that route and saved some time. Also, the last time I had made pearl onion sambar, M said he knew I'd make that. Obviously I wasnt too happy that I was so predictable :-) Hence I really had to think hard to make sure I was as innovative as possible.

This week it was my husband's B'day and as is our tradition I wanted to make some dessert. I thought why not use beets for the dessert I was going to make. My first choice was the Southern classic "Red velvet cake". I was looking for the recipe but nothing suited my taste as the "traditional" red velvet cake contains loads of red food coloring and not beets. After some more search there were red velvet cakes with beets which looked pretty promising. But the problem with cakes is that it is not the best of dessert to make when its just two people sharing it. I am sure my husband wasn't going to complain about eating it all but I do have to consider the health factor what with all the butter, sugar and the frosting.

Now that cake was off the list, I had to think of some other dessert that was easy to make, took just an hour to prepare and could be made in smaller portions. I've been meaning to make souffle for a long time now and so almost on a whim I decided to make beet souffle. I did some browsing to look for souffle recipes with beets and to my joy found it wasnt very popular or made often as I could not find too many hits in my short search !!

I found the basic technique and recipes for carrot souffle, modified it so I can include beets and other ingredients like cream cheese and cashews that I love. Also, to make things easy and less time consuming I have skipped the steps involving separating the egg whites, whipping it for a long time etc. I was a bit skeptical about this initially but the end product put my doubts to rest. Maybe just some day I might give the traditional method a try but till then this recipe will do...

Here is Beet Souffle my Way.......

Note:

1. Fresh beets can be used as well, though cook it before pureeing. If using canned beets, make sure it contains just beets and water and no salt or flavoring.
   
2. Different ovens behave differently and if you have one like I do, it has its own mind. When I made these souffle, my oven refused to cooperate and didnt go beyond 325F. Hence I had to bake mine for almost 40 min. But if you have a well-behaved oven, then 30 min should be enough. But keep a close eye on it after 20 min.
3. This souffle is a bit more dense than other souffles. Souffle does rise above the rim of the ramekins, but it deflates within a few minutes after you take it out of the oven. If you want the big "ta da" finish, I suggest baking it just before you serve. If like me you dont care for the appearance, then by all means bake it whenever you like. But I'd suggest serving it warm.
4. Depending on the serving size you would like use appropriate sized ramekins. This recipe doubles or halves very well. I fact I have halved this recipe to give just two portions. Feel free to experiment.
   

Ingredients
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 lbs cooked beets (or canned)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese (at room temp)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp minced ginger, fresh (or ginger powder)

Topping:
2 tbsp cashew (chopped into small pieces)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp melted butter

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease 4 to 6 ramekins with butter (only to three quarters of the height of the ramekins) and coat it with some sugar.
2. For topping: Mix all the ingredients for the topping. Set aside.
3. Transfer beets, sugar, baking powder, flour, cream cheese and ginger onto a food processor. Beat until beets are mashed. Add melted butter. Now add eggs and run it for 30 sec or so.
4. Pour this mixture onto the greased ramekins. Do not fill the ramekins to the top just until its 3/4th full. This will give some space for the souffle to rise.
5. Sprinkle with topping mixture.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 min or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
7. Serve warm.

Enjoy !!

Navrathri Special - Gulab Jamun

Navrathri is all done and now I cant wait for Diwali. Back home in India, Navrathri is one of the biggest festivals in our family. We still have elaborate pooja both in the morning and evening which the elders take care of while the "kolu" is taken care by us the younger ones in the house. Its been almost 8 years since I went home during navrathri and oh I so miss it - all the fun, festivities and the house-visits that we used to make as young kids, scouting for sundal :-) Anyway, now that we are far away from home, with a busy schedule over the weekdays our navrathri celebrations have been condensed to weekends and am just glad that we had 2 weekends to celebrate this time around. On Saraswathi pooja I made these yummy Gulab Jamun. I was debating whether I should wait until Diwali but my sweet tooth got ahead of me and I decided to make it for Navrathri.

Ingredients:
Jamun -
2 cup mawa/khoya (reduced solidifed milk, available in Indian stores)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
2 - tbsp milk
Sugar syrup -
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp powdered cardamom
few strands of saffron (optional)

Method:
Mix all the ingredients for the jamun. Use as much milk as necessary to make a soft dough (consistency should be softer than chapathi dough). Set aside and let it rest for 15 min or so.
Meanwhile, mix sugar and water in a large pan and set it on a medium flame.
Allow the mixture to boil for 5 min or until the syrup turns viscous.
Now add cardamom and saffron to the sugar syrup.
Keep the sugar syrup warm by adjusting the flame to lowest possible setting.
Now pinch a part of the dough and roll it into little balls.
Heat oil in a frying pan. When it is hot enough, drop a few balls and let it fry slowly. It may take 3-5 min depending on how hot the oil is.
Once the jamun becomes golden brown, take it out and drain it on a paper towel.
Even as they are warm, transfer them onto the sugar syrup.
Serve the jamuns warm or cold; they taste yum with ice cream.

Note: Be patient while frying the jamun. Use a low flame and fry until it turns golden brown. This will ensure a fully cooked and juicy jamun to enjoy.

This will be my entry to "Sweet series" event hosted by Sireesha of Mom's Recipes.

Enjoy !!

Rava Kesari/Saanja (Semolina Sweet Pudding)

I cant believe its been almost 9 months since I blogged.....When I started out I was pretty sure I would keep blogging no matter what, but as always, its easier said than done. Well, in my defense I did have a real busy few months with lotsa good things and a bit of recession induced not-so-good stuff. Anyway, things are promising to look better or so I would like to think :-) - enough personal stories I guess. Moving on to the recipe for my blog, I thought I should come back from my hiatus with a sweet treat. Here is a simple Indian dessert that I made for Varalakshmi viradham. This is one of the least time-consuming and easiest desserts that I know of and has always been my "go-to" one ....

Ingredients:
1 cup rava/semolina
1-1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste, can range from 1-1/4 cup to 1-3/4 cup)
2 cups water
A few drops of red or orange food color
1/4 cup ghee/melted butter
1 tsp powdered cardamom
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp cashew pieces

Method

1. In a large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee.
2. Roast the raisins until it plumps up; set aside.
3. Roast the cashews until golden brown; set aside.
4. Roast rava for a 3-4 minutes, until it turns light brown; set aside.
5. Boil 2 cups of water in the same pan.
6. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the sugar. Let it boil for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the water gets a little viscous.
7. Add the food color and then the roasted semolina.
8. Stir vigorously so that no lumps are formed.
9. Keep stirring until semolina absorbs all the water, about 3-5 min.
10. Add the ghee slowly, half a tbsp at a time.
11. After a few minutes the whole mass will start pulling away from the side.
12. Check to make sure semolina is fully-cooked (by now it should have).
13. Add the cardamom powder, raisins and cashews. Mix well, switch off the heat.
14. Serve warm.

Adjust ghee and sugar according to your taste. I sometimes add as little as 2 tbsp or so of ghee. The more fat you add, better is the taste but feel free to adjust the amount as per your requirement. Also, the ratio of semolina to water depends on the variety. If you are using a coarse semolina it might need more water. I normally start with a nominal quantity of water. If the semolina absorbs all the water and still looks uncooked, then I add a ladle full or so of boiling water and keep doing this until the semolina is cooked well. You can adjust the quantity of the ingredients in this recipe right until the end of the cooking process to get the desired result.

Enjoy!

Moong Dal Kheer (Yellow Lentil Dessert) - A Vegan Fare

Can't believe its been almost a month since I blogged. Past few weeks have been crazy and sadly one of the things that had to be pushed to the back burner was blogging and blog surfing. I think I have missed most part of the Dussera goodies that have been posted on the blogosphere. But I do hope to catch up with all of them very soon.

Here is a quick and tasty kheer I made for Dussera. Traditionally kheer is made with lots of milk but I wanted to make a dessert that would qualify for the "Sweet Vegan" event hosted by Vaishali. There is no doubt that being vegan is much more challenging than being a vegetarian but it is also fun to come up with a recipe which does not involve any dairy product. I wanted to make a traditional Indian dessert with a vegan twist and also something that did not require me squeezing my brain out trying to come up with one :-) My first attempt was jangiri which is very much a vegan dessert as is made traditionally if ghee be substituted with oil for frying. It came out well for the first attempt but I think it needs a bit more work before I can post it. I hope to do so pretty soon.

No festival goes without having some kind of kheer and in my family important festivals must always be celebrated with kheer made of jaggery (we call it "gulacha kheer"). So as per the tradition, I decided to make moong dal kheer which I so love. The long version of this kheer, the way my mom makes is using khus-khus/coconut paste, milk, moong or channa dal and jaggery. In order to make this a vegan recipe I substituted milk with coconut milk. I find it very hard to make a smooth paste of khus-khus with the food processor I have and I hate the grainy texture of partially ground khus-khus. Hence I skipped it altogether and there was no soaking or grinding involved which make this a perfect recipe for a weekday celebrations. Also molasses works amazingly well as a substitute for jaggery. And finally, need I say this dish is very healthy. It is almost fat free...er... if you discount the fat from the coconut milk :-)

Ingredients
1/4 cup moong dal
1/4 cup jaggery or as required
1 tbsp slivered cashew
1 tbsp slivered almonds
4 pods cardamom
1 cup coconut milk

Method

1. Dissolve jaggery in 1/4 cup water, boil for 3-5min or until the jaggery is well-dissolved.
2. Remove from heat, strain to remove any dirt and set it aside.
3. Dry roast moong dal until it starts to turn light brown and aromatic.
4. Dry roast cashews and almonds until light brown.
5. Boil moong dal, cashews, almonds and cardamom in 1/2 cup (or just enough) water.
6. When the moong dal is cooked but still firm add the dissolved jaggery.
7. Boil for 5 min and then add coconut milk.
8. Let this boil for another 3 min or so.
9. Serve this warm or cold.

And then there was this sweet surprise from Usha a few weeks ago. I should apologize for not having shared this award earlier, but guess its better late than never.
Thanks Usha for the lovely Dussera gift and I would like to extend my friendship award to these wonderful people: Anudivya, Sagari, Sireesha, VIJ, Arundathi.

Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

A Sweet beginning.......

Now that I have graduated to a more relaxed post-grad-student life, I thought what better way to utilize the extra time than documenting a hobby that I like the most, cooking....

My first blog is on one of the most popular dessert of all times - "cupcakes". I made a double chocolate cupcake inspired by black forest cake recipe (with a few twists of my own). Authentic black forest cake is made of chocolate cake with layers of whipped cream and cherries. Kirsch (cherry brandy) is an essential ingredient in an authentic black forest cake. I do not normally stock cherries or kirsch and so I decided to use something that I had on hand. Strawberries are now in season and on sale :-) We could not resist buying those succulent red berries and ended up buying way more than usual. We ate some, made strawberry jam and still had some waiting to be used. So I decided to substitute cherries in the black forest cake with strawberry and used the strawberry jam as a filling in the cupcake.

Here it is, my double chocolate strawberry filled cupcakes. I have used part-whole wheat flour, some honey instead of sugar and vegetable oil instead of butter for healthier cupcakes!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 vegetable oil
1 cup brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla flavor
1 cup strawberry jam (Warmed over stove top or microwave)
8 fresh strawberry (halved)
Whipped cream (optional)

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.
3. In another bowl beat the eggs, oil, brown sugar and honey until well mixed. Mix in coffee and vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture into wet mixture and stir until flour is fully incorporated.
5. Line muffin tray with parchment cups and grease well.
6. Half fill the muffin cups with batter and add a layer of warm strawberry jam. Fill the rest with batter and top it with halved fresh strawberry.
7. Bake for 20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream (optional). Yummmm..................