I didn't eat a single cupcake for a whole month! Yes that's right from the 25th of December till the 25th of Jan I was cupcake-free! So after some thought I decided to end my cupcake-fast at Lola's cafe in Selfridges (somewhere I've been meaning to visit for ages!) with a couple of their charity cupcakes.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Eating cupcakes for Charity
I didn't eat a single cupcake for a whole month! Yes that's right from the 25th of December till the 25th of Jan I was cupcake-free! So after some thought I decided to end my cupcake-fast at Lola's cafe in Selfridges (somewhere I've been meaning to visit for ages!) with a couple of their charity cupcakes.
Making dumplings with Mariana
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Strawberry Cake Ice Cream
Blog hopping and seeing the sea of recipes, I rued myself for not having tried more variety in the basic cake recipes. Though I had made the basic sponge just a few days ago, I was itching to try the same once more, just to know if slight variations would give the same results. I also wanted to test the new strawberry essence I had got from my latest expedition to Nilgiris. I tried this one from Deeba.
Strawberry Sponge
Ingredients:
- Eggs - 3
- Castor sugar - 1/2 cup
- Flour - 1/2 cup
- Strawberry essence - 1 tsp
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line, grease & dust a Swiss roll tin.
- Beat the eggs, essence & sugar till mousse like (almost 10 minutes). I added a couple of drops of pink food color.
- Lightly fold the flour in 3 goes in figure 8 movements (so as no to release the air bubbles).
- Gently turn into prepared tray & bake for 10-12 minutes till light brown & spongy. I baked the sponge in my regular cake tin as I do not have a Swiss roll tin.
- A packet of Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Simple sugar syrup 3/4 cup
Please Note: If the dessert becomes too hard, remove from the freezer and keep in the fridge till it softens. You could also try microwaving for a few seconds.
Try making this with Vanilla sponge and Chocolate Ice cream or Pista Ice Cream and nuts, Pista Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Vanilla sponge with coffee ice cream and praline etc.
Friday, January 29, 2010
i'm here to unload.
again: writing nursing policy papers suck. actually, all papers suck. i hate writing. if i ever consider graduate school i'm going to have to find my way back to this post to remind myself how much i hate writing and then maybe i'll reconsider.
thanks for letting me rant. i needed it.
this weekend is full of nursing policy for me, but i hope yours is fabulous!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Breakfast Experiment
Mocha Praline Cake
Whipped the cream, flavored with coffee, put in the fridge to chill. Mixed some instant coffee and water, no sugar (the cake was a little too sweet for my taste). Soaked the cake strips in the coffee, filled with whipped cream, praline. One more strip of soaked cake, whipped cream on top. Dust some instant coffee. Phew!! It sure took time to repeat this process till all the strips of cake were done with. Thank God! Am obsessed with just normal sane sized cakes and not Petite Fours:-))
The uneven strips of cake would hardly make a pretty sight! Sigh! Thought let me not waste any more cream and might as well freeze the rest. But then, my son helpfully suggested that I pipe something on each piece. After a frantic search for the missing coupler, I finally cut the cake into small pieces, piped some cream onto them.
The cake would not win the best looking cake award, but would surely delight any coffee lover. It took the soaking syrup really well, making the cake moist without making it excessively so.
Coffee.... what would we do without you???
Basic Sponge Recipe
Ingredients:
Eggs 3 large
Plain Flour 80 gms
Powdered Sugar 80 to 110 gms
Method: Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Sieve the flour, keep aside. Beat the eggs and sugar till very thick and double in quantity. Fold in the flour very gently with a metal spoon. Pour into a greased and dusted cake tin. Bake for 15 mins(Mine took about 5 mins more) till it passes the skewer test. Remove from the oven. Loosen sides with a sharp knife, invert over a wire rack. Cool and use as needed.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
What carrots do to your health?
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a cancer-preventive antioxidant that gives them their bright yellow-orange hue. Beta-carotene and other carotenenoids may also protect against hyperglycemia and diabetes. As if that's not enough, researchers now breed carrots with different colors, and the most promising include a red carrot high in lycopene (an antioxidant that helps protect against prostate cancer) and a purple variety that contains anthocyanins (the same cancer-preventive and anti-aging antioxidants found in blueberries). Furthermore, frozen carrots have the same beta-carotene content as fresh.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Cappuccino creams
Ingredients
550g/11⁄4lb fromage frais
2 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee
1 tablespoon icing sugar
17g/6oz dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids), grated
Ways of Working
Mix the fromage frais with the coffee and icing sugar. Spoon half of the mixture into eight individual ramekins or glass dishes.
Sprinkle over most of the grated chocolate, and top with the remaining fromage frais mixture, sprinkling the last of the grated chocolate over the top. Chill until ready to serve.
Serves 8
Orange ice cream
Ingredients
8 oranges
1 lemon
200g/7oz caster sugar
500ml/18fl oz double cream
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Ways of Working
Finely grate the zest of the oranges and the lemon, and put in a bowl. Add the juice of 2 oranges, and leave to steep while preparing the other ingredients.
Squeeze the juice of the remaining oranges, combine with the sugar and cook to reduce to a thick syrup.
Whip the cream to soft peaks. Stir the steeped juice and zest into the syrup. Add the juice of the lemon, then stir the syrup into the cream, which will immediately thicken. Add the Grand Marnier.
Freeze in a shallow container, stirring every 30 minutes for 4 hours, then leave overnight to freeze before serving.
Serves 4
Crab & ginger soup
Ingredients
1 carrot, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 bay leaf
900ml/11⁄2pt fish stock
2 medium cooked crabs
2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1⁄2 teaspoon ground star anise
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ways of Working
Put the carrot and leek in a large heavy saucepan with the bay leaf and the fish stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender.
Remove all of the meat from the crabs. Break off and reserve the claws; break the joints and remove the meat using a fork.
Add the crabmeat to the pan together with the ginger, soy sauce and star anise, and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the crab is heated through.
Season the soup with salt and pepper, then ladle into warm individual serving bowls and garnish with the crab claws. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Mini mushroom quiches
Ingredients
4 slices wholewheat bread, crusts removed
2 teaspoons butter
225g/8oz mushrooms, wiped with damp kitchen paper and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 eggs
100g/4oz Emmental cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ways of Working
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.
Roll each slice of bread with a rolling pin until flat, halve each slice and arrange in a greased muffin tray, pressing each slice into the cake mould. While the oven warms, bake the bread cups at a low heat until crisp and dry. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a small frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté, stirring regularly, for 3–5 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Break the eggs in a bowl, piercing the yolks with a small sharp knife. Pour the eggs over the bread cups, dividing the mixture evenly. Top with the mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the eggs are just set.
Serves 6
Love makes the world go round
How cute are all these Valentines cupcakes from The Gourmet Cupcake Company? I don't think anyone would be disappointed to receive a box of these on Valentines day! The lovely "will you marry me" ones in the top pic can be customised to say anything you require and the heart ones are available in your choice of flavour and colour, although I personally like the black hearts as they're rather anti-soppy while still being romantic!
hubs.
and since my mind has been on school all weekend i'm going to direct you to another blog...my husband's. he doesn't blog much but when he does, it's big. he wrote about his best of 2009 and not to brag...but i influenced many his of choices. plus, his favorites are my favorites.
for a good read go here.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Crispy rice balls (Seedai)
rice flour - 2 cups
urad flour - 2 tbsp
coconut (powdered / ground) - 2/3 cups
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
sesame seeds - 1 tsp
butter - 2 tsp
chilli powder - 2 to 3 tsp (adjust according to taste)
salt - about 1 1/4 tsp (adjust according to taste)
water - about 1 cup
Method:
Lightly roast the flour in butter and add all the ingredients. Mix well. Make a stiff dough. Roll out into small round/oblong shapes and deep fry till golden brown. Drain on a kitchen towel, allow to cool and store in an air-tight container.
Tomato Crepe (Dosa)
dosa batter - 250 grams
oil for frying
Method:
Cut tomatoes into big pieces and blend without water in a food processor until there are no lumps. Add to the batter. Heat a frying pan. Pour a small quantity of batter and spread into a thin crepe. Add oil along the edges. Fry on low heat till crisp (preferably without flipping). Serve with hot spicy green chutney.
Mung Bean - Carrot curry
Ingredients:
lemon juice - a few drops
Instant veg upma
oil - 1 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
black gram (urad dal) - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 stalk
salt - 1 tsp (adjust according to taste)
Method:
Take oil in a sauce pan. Add mustard, cumin and black gram. When it splutters, add green chillies and curry leaves. Add rice / semolina and fry for a few minutes. Mix vegetables and stir for a couple of minutes. Add 3 cups of warm water and microwave for 10 minutes until cooked and serve hot with chutney.
Bea-utiful cupcakes for your Valentine
Bea's of Bloomsbury always produce some of the prettiest, and tastiest, cupcakes and fortunately their selection for Valentines doesn't disappoint! I love them all, and I'm sure anyone would be happy to receive them as a Valentines gift.
Squash in Yogurt gravy (Morkuzhambu / Kaddu Kadi)
plain yogurt - 1 1/2 cups (beaten)
squash - 1
black gram (urad dal) - 1 tsp
grated coconut - 2 tbsp
corn flour - 2 tbsp
green chillies - 5 medium-sized (adjust according to taste)
currry leaves - 1 stalk
cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
carom seeds (ajwain) - 1 tsp
ginger - 1 inch piece (or 1 tsp ginger paste)
turmeric powder - a pinch
oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
coriander/cilantro leaves - a few
salt - 1 tsp (adjust as per taste)
Method:
Soak coconut, carom seeds and cumin seeds in warm water for 5 minutes. Blend with the ginger and green chillies into a coarse paste in a food processor. Cut squash into cubes. Take oil in a sauce pan and add mustard seeds, black gram and curry leaves. When it splutters, add squash, coconut mixture and half a teaspoon of salt. Cook until soft. Add 1 cup of beaten yogurt, corn flour, turmeric powder and the remaining salt. Boil for a few minutes. Finally, add the remaining yogurt and remove from fire when it just starts to boil. Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve hot with rice / chapati / tortillas.
Notes:
If the final blob of yogurt is boiled in the mixture for a long time, the gravy will become very dilute.
Vegetable Pancake (Uttappam)
Ingredients:
thick dosa batter - about 250 grams
grated carrots - 75 grams
finely chopped beans - 75 grams
green chillies - 2
fresh coriander leaves - a few
oil for frying
Method:
Heat a frying pan. Pour 1/4 cup batter. Sprinkle carrots, beans, chillies and coriander leaves. Spread a teaspoon of oil around the uttappam. Cook on low heat until golden brown. Flip and leave for a couple of minutes until cooked, but remove before it starts darkening. Serve hot with chutney.
Mango Lassi
Ingredients:
mango - 1 big or 2 small
yogurt - 8 tbsp
sugar - 4 tbsp (adjust according to taste)
mango nectar - 1 cup
Method:
Blend all ingredients and serve chilled.
Butch it up, Buttercup
This weeks Time Out New York has an article on where to buy 167 different flavours of cupcakes in the City, and highlights 3 cupcake bakers who offer out-there flavour choices for NYC's cupcake lovers, two of which I'd not heard of before; Butch Bakery and Robicellis.
I couldn't resist using the tagline from Butch Bakery's website as this post's title - it sums up their manifesto rather well I'd say: