“Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate.”
Jo Brand
My love for individual desserts in glasses knows no end, and I loved these glasses from Urban Dazzle the minute I saw them. Stunning and a million ways to use them, my first thought was dessert, maybe chocolate. Soon I proudly strutted Dark Chocolate Mousse with Balsamic Cherry Sauce in these beauties! They complimented each other beautifully … I think it was meant to be!Nice wine glasses said Mr PAB! Do you remember the Urban Dazzle goodies I received a while ago? I was lucky enough to get another lot of glassware to get creative with. This gorgeous set of glasses, goblet like, was something I’d never seen before, yet something I would instantly pick – pretty, versatile, stand out design, good quality glass, fabulous ridge and ever so attractive!I have a ‘thing’ for stem glass. I am also very skewed towards traditional glasses, crockery, cutlery etc. Modern design doesn’t normally catch my eye but these Alternato A.P tumblers were different. Functional and neat, appealing too, these are easily my favourite already. Despite being wine glasses, so much versatility!Thoughts flew through my head when I unpacked them {received them via courier, well packed indeed}. Tiger Shrimp Gamba like from the Leonardo day out at Olive recently! Ooh they would look great! Or a gazpacho … stunning red shining through?
I did a set of coolers as well, inspired too by theLuigi Bormioli Michelangelo Masterpiece Jug that was part of the parcel. Made a refreshing, full of flavour Peach Lime Cooler adapted from What Megan’s Making. I love the spout and the curves of the pitcher! The crystal clear glass shows off vibrant colours beautifully!Very artistic! It would look great on a picnic table with a vibrant punch, ice tea, cooler, or sangria. A true masterpiece of Italian make, this belly pitcher from Luigi Bormiolo is a chic addition to any serving set or barware. I also did a Wild Indian Java Plum Juice with all its purple goodness, and Raw Mango Panna too. The latter neither beautiful nor vibrant to look at, packs a punch in summer! I have begun using natural raw sugar {khand / bura in India}, palm sugar {gur} or honey for my coolers.I went on to make a Stone Fruit Summer Salad which was as refreshing as can be. The dieting diva immediately declared that I must make some everyday … I could see myself peeling peaches, plums and mangoes till kingdom came!!The salad – peeled and cut peaches, plums and mangoes tossed in a sugar lime syrup {about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 5-6 limes} and left to mature for half an hour …nice!The cherry on the cake was this Dark Chocolate Mousse with a Balsamic Cherry Topping that got made by default thanks to the power grid failure. My frozen cherries needed to get out of the freezer and be made into something! This was it!I had a cherry sorbet, pink and vibrant in mind for these glasses. But fate had other plans, and nothing frozen was going to happen in a while. My next best bet was dark chocolate which really pairs well with cherries. I used a similar mousse recipe from the Dark Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake I made in June.
So tell me dear readers, what would you use these glasses for, other than wine of course!
[print_this] Recipe: Dark Chocolate Chili Mousse
Summary: A smooth as silk dark chocolate mousse topped with a balsamic cherry sauce. Seductive make ahead dessert. {Serves 6}
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Ingredients:
Dark chocolate mousse
{adapted from the Thermomix cookbook}
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
70gm powdered sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
1/2 t vanilla bean powder {or paste}
1 tsp chocolate chili powder {0r 1/2-1/2tsp chili powder} optional
50g unsalted butter
40g low fat cream, room temperature
170g dark chocolate, chopped
200ml low fat cream, chilled, beaten to medium peaks
5g {1t} gelatin powder dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp of water
Balsamic Cherry Topping
500g cherries, stoned {net weight}
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 vanilla bean shell from above
Method:
Recipe is for the Thermomix. I reckon it can be adapted with the same proportions for regular top of the stove cooking, like a creme patisserie.
Heat empty TM bowl for 2 minutes at 50C, speed 2.
Insert Butterfly. Place egg whites in TM bowl with cream of tartar and beat for 4 minutes on speed 4 with MC off.
Through hole in the lid, add half the sugar, 1 tsp at a time during the last minute. Set aside in a large bowl. remove butterfly.
Without cleaning, place yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla bean powder and scraped seeds, butter, 40g cream and chocolate into TM bowl. Cook for 4 minutes at 70C on speed 3.
Add a third of the beaten egg whites back into the bowl and stir for 10 seconds on reverse + speed 3. Add to the remaining whites.
Fold everything gently together, including gelatin. Divide between glasses and chill for about an hour until slightly set.
Balsamic Cherry Topping
Place all ingredients in a non reactive pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the cherries soften and give up their juice. Make sure you don’t overcook the cherries, else they wont hold shape.
Drain the cherries and reserve in a bowl. Return the syrup back to the pan and reduce until thick and syrupy. Pour back over the reserved cherries, cool and then chill. can be made a day or two ahead. It will thicken slightly in the fridge.
Recipe: Peach Lime Cooler
Summary: A great way to use up the bounty of summer fruit. Refreshing and ‘peachy’, this is a great summer cooler. Adapted from What Megan’s Making. Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Ingredients:
500g peaches, peeled and chopped
100g raw sugar {or honey; adjust according to sweetness of fruit}
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)
5 cups water {or soda}
Method:
In a sauce pan bring to a boil the peaches, sugar and water. Reduce heat, and simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), puree the peach mixture until smooth. Pour through a strainer, and press through to get out all of the juice. Cool completely.
Once cool, in a pitcher combine the peach mixture with the lemon juice, stir until well combined. Serve chilled over ice.
“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
Pablo Picasso
It’s raining summer desserts at home. The mango crop has been fantastic {as has been the peach harvest}. How better to celebrate this luscious fruit than with David Lebovitz! The man is genius, and his Mango Sorbet an absolute winner! The Perfect Scoop is a favorite on my shelf; indispensable for ice cream lovers. Remember the Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream? Droolicious stuff!I’ve had this Mango Sorbet in my drafts for a bit. Then suddenly this week things took a turn for the worse … the power grid collapsed, not once but twice!12 hours without electricity, then back, then gone again for 4 hours! Just when we kind of resurrected, the second collapse came by, 14 hours this time! While newspapers and TV channels were crying themselves hoarse about the worlds biggest black out, 600 million folk without power, all I could think about was “my mango sorbet”!It was a good lesson in preparedness for the future that awaits the generations to come. As kids we’ve lived different times, a country traditionally having exposed its people to frequent power cuts, so it was no big deal as power would go off all the time. Add to it black outs during the Indo Pak war in 1971. Brown paper darkened the windows, jets flew low over the town, sirens echoed over the city, trenches were ready and waiting. No power and no back up … and it didn’t bother us!Cut to now! The power goes off and the inverter cuts in. Instant solution and the kids barely even notice. The grid failure was different however! They learnt a new lesson … when the national grip trips, NO ONE knows when the power will be back! And another yummy one … grid failure is time for smoothies, ice cream, loads of food cooked non stop by a mother who cannot see food wasted!Remember my frozen cherries I mentioned in the Fresh Cherry Quark Cheesecake Pie post?Ho hum… since they threatened not to be frozen for long, they were hurriedly cooked with balsamic vinegar and made to top a delicious dessert to fill these gorgeous Urban Dazzle glasses. Result – happy family who didn’t complain about power cuts! Recipe to be posted next …The mango sorbet is light, refreshing, delicious and screams summer! It’s also my tribute to a beautiful lady – Barbara of Winos & Foodie who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and sadly lost her battle recently. I was fortunate to meet her virtually on and off over her Yellow events; she was a fighter all the way!Monthly Mingle is the brainchild of the lovely Meeta @ Whats For Lunch Honey, and this month it celebrates Barbara’s spirit at the wonderful Jeanne @ Cook Sister. So positive, so full of energy, great sense of humour, always ready to share her experiences, Barbara held the food blogger world in awe, her love touching a lot of us. For years she successfully ran the Taste of yellow blog event. Of late, I had met her over Thermomix recipes after I bought one. RIP sweet Barbara … you were and are an inspiration to all of us!
{I am linking a few other yellow posts I did recently to this months Monthly Mingle}
Macaron à la Peaches et CrèmeRustic Peach ‘n Plum Summer GaletteFresh Peach Brown Streusel Coffee Cake
[print_this]Recipe: Mango Sorbet
Summary: The mango sorbet is light, refreshing, delicious and screams summer! Recipe adapted minimally from ‘The Perfect Scoop’, David Lebovitz.
“You see things and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and I say ‘Why not?’” George Bernard Shaw
It’s been a cracker of a July! I crept silently into Daring Bakers on the 2nd of July dreading what I would see. We’ve had the worse summer ever, the hottest, coupled with extended power cuts and monsoons that threaten to fail. Imagine my delight at seeing crackers … just perfect for the season. I had a go at two of the four recipes – Seedy Crisps {ah-mazing} and Health Crackers which were good too, maybe too healthy, but nice with cheese and onion jam!
Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.
Delicious, light, addictive, versatile and simple to make, crackers can’t get better than this. I love baking savoury crackers; to date my favourite were Ottolenghis Olive Oil Crackers. These Seedy Crisps are now vying for top place!
It was time to get a little creative as the dough was very simple to roll out. It rolls out really thin so I stamped out some fluted circles from the well behaved dough and baked a batch in my shallow tart tray. I was thrilled to see how well they came out, bite sized and perfect.
The good thing is that these seedy crisps for canapes are make ahead, healthy and a great discovery! This was the part of the challenge I loved most, the gentle nudge that Dana gave us towards getting creative! The little canapes filled with a creamy cheesy chicken topping stole my heart!
Beautiful little bites! Dress them up as you like … fill ’em up with a light chicken filling, or caramelised onion jam with blue cheese, maybe a mushroom – red onion olive oil filling, a salsa {peach, tomato, mango} … or get more adventurous and use seasonal fresh fruit and cheese. The pooch was uber delighted to get the little baked leftovers and came out of her bowl covered with sesame and poppy seeds. She is still as naughty as she is charming! I didn’t get a seedy picture coz by the time I grabbed my camera, Coco had made a meal of every last crumb! Crackers!!
I used the red harissa which I made recently in the chicken topping and tomato salsa. I served some crackers with the Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam I make often … good choices for both these crackers. I have included the remaining two recipes below and will attempt try them soon. Our talented host Dana hasn’t entered the world of blogging but has been a Daring Baker for a couple of years.
Cheeses can be swapped, flours altered and spices changed; I encourage creativity! As long as you a making small crispy platforms on which to add a myriad of toppings, you are on the right track, she says.
Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers (Roll with pasta rollers or by hand): Servings: Approximately 80 crackers Ingredients 1⅔ cups (400 ml) (235 gm) (8¼ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour 2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated pepper jack cheese, firmly packed 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (1 gm) dried oregano ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (½ gm) black pepper ½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) vegetable oil ½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) water Spice topping ¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1/8 gm) cayenne 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) kosher salt 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) sugar Directions: 1. Combine the spice topping and set aside. 2. Grate the cheese and put in the bowl of a food processor with flour, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. This can also be done by hand. 3. Add the oil and pulse until the consistency of wet sand is reached. 4. Add enough water for the dough to come together. 5. Form the dough into two disks, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 6. Heat the oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3. 7. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, either use a rolling pin or roll out in your pasta rollers to 1/8 of an inch (3 mm) thick. If you use pasta rollers, ensure the dough is well floured so as not to stick. 8. Cut the strips into cracker shapes or cut out using a cookie cutter. Transfer to a parchment lined cookies sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture. 10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium golden brown. 11. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days
Cheddar, Rosemary and Walnut Icebox Crackers (form into a log and slice): Servings: Approximately 48 crackers Ingredients ½ cup (120 ml) (1 stick) (115 gm/4 oz) butter, well softened 2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated aged cheddar cheese (the better the cheese, the better the cracker), firmly packed 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (285 ml) (190 gm/6oz) all-purpose (plain) flour 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt 1/2 cup (120 ml) (60 gm/2 oz) finely chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (1¾ gm) finely chopped rosemary Directions: 1. Combine butter, rosemary and cheese in a stand mixer and beat well (can also be done by hand) 2. Add the flour, salt and nuts and stir to combine 3. Form the dough into two tight logs and wrap with cling film 4. Chill for at least an hour and up to several days. The log can be frozen at this point for several months. 5. Heat the oven to moderate 160°C. 6. Slice a log into 5mm (1/5 inch) coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet 7. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown 8. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days 9. Try this recipe with different cheeses, nuts (or no nuts), and spices. Get creative!
It’s been a fun daringJuly with quite the perfect challenge which has opened up a whole new window to creative baking. Crisp, versatile and popular, savoury snacks are always welcome, and I’m looking forward to trying the recipes above. I ♥ Daring Bakers!
Summary: Delicious, light, addictive, versatile and simple to make, crackers don’t get better than this. I made some seedy crisps for canapes with the same dough too.
Servings: Varies depending on thickness; approximately 30 crackers and 15-18 canapes {I made 1/2 recipe which I’ve shared below, minimally adapted}
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes plus resting time Ingredients:
Crackers
1 cup/ 160 gm whole wheat four
1 cup/ 120gm all-purpose (plain) flour
1/3 cup / 40 gm poppy seeds
1/3 cup / 40 gm sesame seeds
1½ tsp table salt
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic powder/granules
3 tbsp /45 ml olive oil
¾ cup / 175 ml water {approx}
Chicken Topping for approx 20 canapes
2 boneless chicken breast, cut into 2 fillets each
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
{Marinade}
1 cup /250ml cultured buttermilk
1tsp red harissa {recipe here}
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
Tomato salsa
3-4 tomatoes, deseeded, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 lime
Fresh coriander, finely chopped
1/4tsp red harissa {recipe here} or finely chopped deseeded green chili
Salt to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Crackers
Mix the flours, seeds, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
Add the oil and stir until combined.
Add 1/2 cup of water to begin with, and then more as required until the dough comes together.
Knead the dough 5 or 6 times and allow to rest, covered, on the counter for 15 minutes. You can also chill the dough at this point and come back later.
Thermomix: Place all ingredients in TM bowl. Mix at speed 6 for 30 seconds, and knead in closed position for 2 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll out really thin on parchment paper, transfer to a baking tray and score with a pastry cutter.
Bake at 230C for 25-30 mins {I used the lower element only. If you use both elements, then it will take lesser time}
I used 1/4 dough to make about 2 dozen crisp canapes.
Crackers/canapes will keep for a week in an airtight container.
Chicken topping for canapes
Make the marinade by whisking together buttermilk, red harissa, lime juice and salt. Mix in the chicken and marinate overnight {or 3-4 hours}
Drain the marinade, then pan fry the chicken in 1-2 tsp of olive oil. Add the Worcestershire sauce once all the liquid has evaporated.
Chop up the chicken and add all remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. You can fill and refrigerate shells until ready to serve, else fill just before serving.
Tomato salsa
Mix together all the ingredients and allow flavours to mature for an hour or so.
Recipe: Health Crackers
Summary: Healthy in every way, these would go well with a thick dip or with a variety of toppings. {I made 1/2 quantity, about 40 crackers. The recipe below is for the full quantity}
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes plus resting time Ingredients:
3 cups /240 gm rolled oats
2 cups /280 gm plain all-purpose flour
1 cup / 80 gm wheat germ
3 tablespoons / 40 gm sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup / 180 ml vegetable oil
1 cup /240 ml water
1 large egg white
Cracker topping
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nigella (onion) seeds, salt
Salt for sprinkling
Method:
Mix the oats, flour, wheat germ sugar and salt together in a large bowl or bowl for the standup mixer.
Combine the water and oil and stir into the oat mixture until it comes together and a dough forms.
Thermomix: Place all ingredients in TM bowl. Mix at speed 6 for 30 seconds, and knead in closed position for 2 minutes.
Form dough into a disk and allow to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes but up to a day if you are making the ahead.
Preheat the oven to moderate 160°C.
Divide the dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time, allowing the remaining pieces to stay in the fridge as you proceed with rolling out the crackers.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/16 inch (1½ mm) thick and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet by carefully wrapping the dough around the rolling pin.
Brush the dough with the egg white mixed briefly with a tablespoon of water and sprinkle with seeds and salt of your choice.
Cut the dough with a pizza wheel and bake for 25-30 minutes until browned. Crackers that are not crispy once cooled may be returned to the oven.
Store in an airtight container and eat within two weeks.
Serve with cheese and Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam, or Salsa, or a roasted red bell pepper dip, or topped with the chicken above.
Note: You can omit the egg white for a vegetarian version. Roll the topping in gently on top.
“I think that you’ve got to make something that pleases you and hope that other people feel the same way.”
Thomas Keller
Ah summer! With fruit and colour in equal abundance, what more can one ask for! Yet with the Indian summer comes stuff I don’t need! Power cuts, high temperatures and no time to bake! Then 2 days ago, the monsoons appeared, schools reopened, and I got a tiny breather. The first thing I did was to roll out a Rustic Peach ‘n Plum Summer Galette.Whats not to love about a season that offers crumbles, crisps, sorbets, fro yos, cheesecakes, mousse, ice creams, panna cottas, coolers, sangrias, chutneys, preserves, … and so much more! HAPPINESS! And then there are galettes, moorish in every way, full of rustic appeal! A simple free form pastry filled with fresh seasonal fruit has got to be one of my favourite summer desserts {among a slew of others!} There is SO MUCH you can do with stone fruit, it’s amazing! This year the quality has been exceptionally good. I looked at the peaches and wondered if they were ripe enough to peel; I really wanted to see if I could slip ‘them off‘. The fruit was perfect and for the first time in years I looked at a bowl of perfectly peeled peaches. Plums next and success again! I have a friend, an old lady, who spoils me silly constantly sending me stuff from chocolates to tangerines, and everything in between. Her grandson is quite fond of my baking so I try and bake him a little something when he visits from Moscow where he works. He’s visiting these days and this was for him!Made one for him, and then had some fruit left, so made one for us too! Got me high fives from the family. The peach monster said it was ‘really really nice‘, and so did the dieting diva. “Pie, pie, pie“, she screamed, “I want more!“The pastry was nice and crisp despite all the fresh fruit it held. The cornmeal added a touch of texture and crispness. It’s a good tart to make. Serve it warm if you like, though we loved it cold!
Place the fruit in a bowl, add in the remaining ingredients {except flour} and leave to macerate for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
Drain out the juices and reserve the fruit in a large bowl. Place juice in a non reactive pan over low heat and reduce it till it becomes thick and syrupy. Add back to fruit in bowl with the flour and mix well. Chill until required.
Pastry
Combine flour, cornmeal and sugar in the bowl of your processor and pulse 2-3 times. Add chilled butter and pulse 4-5 times, or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the processor running, slowing pour the chilled water through the chute, processing until the dough begins to clump up. {It should stay together when pinched with the fingertips}
Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and quickly pull together to form a ball, flatten, wrap in film and chill for about 30 minutes or more if the weather is warm.
Assemble
Place the pastry on a large sheet of parchment paper. Starting at the center of the dough, roll out, forming a 14-15-inch wide circle.
Brush about an 8-9″ circle in the centre with the marmalade .{This will prevent the pastry from going soggy with the fruit juices}
Turn the prepared fruit filling over the marmalade keeping it within the inner circle, leaving a 2-inch border.
Gently fold the border over the filling, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds, using a touch of water if necessary. Place tray in freezer until the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Before popping the galette into the oven, brush the overlapping sides of the pastry with cold milk and sprinkle turbinado sugar over it.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes till the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. {Tent the top if the pastry browns too fast}
Remove to cooling rack, and brush the visible fruit portion with honey, and top with slivered pistachios, almonds etc.
Cool for at least 30 minutes to allow the pastry to firm up before serving. {Cutting it too quickly will cause the dough to crack}. We had it cold with a drizzle of single cream.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein
It’s been a summer of discontent here in North India, Gurgaon specifically as we’ve been subjected to the worse power cuts ever in a summer that’s been the worst in 33 years. The temperature touched 43-45C the whole of last week, and we went without power for 48 hours! It took a protest that blocked roads for hours to get heard. Meanwhile, everything in the fridge obviously threatened to spoil! One good thing … the stone fruit got perfectly ‘ripe for dessert’; hence these Stone Fruit Crisps!
Crisps are wonderful light and easy to make desserts that celebrate seasonal fruit. They have a streusel like topping which is baked ‘crisp’ and gives way to soft cooked fruit below! Crisps usually have oats, butter and brown sugar … and mine went gluten free! I love fruit bakes and something as quick as this is amazing! 2 days sans oven was enough to drive the baker in me mad! Even if I didn’t have the energy to bake, just the thought of perishables spoiling got to me. Exhausted with extreme heat, I found myself cooking up most of the stuff in my freezer! So we had good food all the time, and coolers too! Did I forget to tell you that the summer vacation got extended due to high temperatures? Yes, that happened too, so no respite for Mama!
I made a delicious Chicken keema with baingan {mince with eggplant} … strange combination but its what I had on hand, and it came out finger licking good. Incidentally I made it twice on one day as it got polished off the first time around, and I had more mince in the freezer {and no electricity of course!}.
I made summer coolers, many summer cooler … a strawberry mango punch, aam ka panna {Indian mango cooler}, a bel cooler {wood apple cooler which was definitely prettier than tastier}, a watermelon cooler. Anything that threatened to expire was tirelessly salvaged! To kill myself further, I even took pictures!
Then came …… another jar of HOTred harissa and some very reduced fat KFC style burgers! Sometimes one can hardly believe all the work that gets done when there is no electricity!! {In case you are wondering, we don’t use electricity for the stove. We use a gas supplied through a cylinder … so that is is probably a good thing!}
Oh and I made a Quark & Cherry Verrines too … no bake stuff!!Then sometime yesterday we had power restored and the kids looked so relieved, as did the poor dog in a fur coat. She was the first to race for the air conditioner, and slept the whole day through! So did the teens. It’s uncanny to think that as kids we lived through this as an accepted normal situation! Not a whimper, no backup yet happy go luck! Anyway, woke up this morning and my load of of stone fruit were ripe, ripe for dessert, so I set to work on something quick. While mixing the fruit I was curious to see if I could make the bake gluten free, so I tossed in some almond meal instead of plain flour to absorb the extra moisture. In the topping as well, I skipped the flour and added some almond meal. It’s always fascinating to see fruit crumbles and crisps bubble over the fruit juices! The crisp was delicious, bowl scraping good! Beautiful flavours!
Then I noticed that the colours of my little ceramic pots and bubbling juices were white, blue and red, so what better time to post this but now! Happy 4th of July to my readers from the US! Have a wonderful day.
Rustle up a crumble if you have 10 minutes, else stay cool and try this Summer Fruit Jelly that I created for Del Monte. You can find the recipe on their website here. It was fun and was made by my lad! Simple as can be yet stunning to look at, and delicious beyond expectation {if I may say so}!!
[print_this]Recipe: Stone Fruit Crisp
Summary: An easy, quick dessert baked with seasonal stone fruit. It’s quick to make and full of flavour… a summer classic with stone fruit which is gluten free too!
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Ingredients:
Filling
700g mixed stone fruit {6-8 peaches, 4-5 plums, handful of cherries, maybe two
Juice of 1 lime
20g demerera sugar
20g almond meal
1 tbsp Kirsch {optional}
Crisp topping
20g almond meal
20g demerera sugar
60g rolled oats
60g unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Place 6 ramekins on a baking sheet.
Filling
Stone the peaches and plums, chop with skin and place in a big non reactive/glass bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to mix. Divide between 6 ramekins, pressing down gently to level out.
Crisp Topping
Place all ingredients in bowl and food processor and pulse briefly in short intervals until a breadcrumb like mix is achieved.
Divide the topping between the ramekins to cover the surface. Gently press into place.
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top. If the top begins to get too brown, tent with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Serve warm or at room temperature. We are happy to have them chilled too!
Note: For gluten free baking, please ensure the oats are from a gluten free source.
“I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.”
Hamlin Garland
There’s something about saffron, something exotic, like a caress, light and beautiful! A tiny bit of this beautiful spice catapults a seemingly good dish into an extraordinary one. Pairing it with a panna cotta I learnt that something quite ethereal happened! We have never sat so long over dessert … S L O W L Y is how we ate it, not wanting it to finish. Thats just how sublime the Saffron Caramel Panna Cotta turned out to be.A good panna cotta is one of my favourite Italian desserts, possibly on top of my list. It’s been difficult to get the right consistency as whipping or heavy cream isn’t available here in India. I’ve made panna cotta several times in the past, but have never had much luck with turning them out perfectly, never a 100% satisfied feel!Must have been my lucky day as I experimented with a combination of low fat cream and gelatin and got the most amazing result. Amazing in taste and more importantly amazingly set! I set a few in goblets and the rest in metal molds with a saffron caramel {one in a ramekin too}. I had panna cotta on my mind ever since I received a mail from VAV Life Sciences, Mumbai inquiring if I was willing to review a ‘saffron extract‘ that their company produced. Saffron?Yes please! I’d never heard of saffron extract even though I use the normal dry saffron strands quite often … like here in Saffron, Pistachio & cardamom Kulfi {Indian frozen dessert}, Saffron Pistachio Yogurt Ice Cream, Saffron Rice Pudding, Hyderabadi Katchi Biryani, Yakhni Pulao etc.
Natural Saffron Extract : Saffron is a culinary spice that comes from the stigma of the crocus sativus flowers. Saffron Extract is a specially formulated food grade extract of saffron that has been treated to enhance the natural flavour of saffron, without losing any of its natural properties. There is a reduction in the amount of saffron extract required for imparting the same flavour, as compared to dry saffron. While the saffron leaves quickly stale and dry out, saffron extract does not lose flavour and can be stored upto 24 months. Liquid extract is easier to use and standardized in food preparations compared to dry stamens and can be dosed precisely compared to natural saffron. {For further details you can get in touch with Maitreyee Ghosh – logistics {@} vav {dot} in/ VAV Life Sciences }
With the tag of being the most expensive spice in the world, saffron is precious in many ways, especially its delicate flavour. Gentle and mild yet it elevates taste exotically perhaps like no other spice, saffron is associated with cuisines from India, Persia, Turkey, the Arab World, and even Europe. And I love the way it embraces both sweet and savory recipes so well.This versatile spice goes a long way, and the saffron extract was a pleasant surprise. It imparted the characteristic subtle saffron flavour and colour to perfection. It was easier to use as its already in an extract form so the need to soak it for the obligatory 15 minutes prior use wasn’t necessary. The flavours were deep and pronounced, as was the colour. Just a knife tip amount {about 1/8tsp} was good enough to beautifully flavour the panna cotta and another bit to flavour and colour the caramel.A panna cotta caramel? That morning my path crossed with Raquels who writes a stunning food blog in Spanish, The Tragaldabas. She had the most beautiful panna cotta posted there, and I found my culinary path instantly!! She used Werthers candy in her caramel, and the very idea of a panna cotta with a caramel had me captivated.I went my own caramel way, like how my mother used to make it for caramel custard when we were kids. I remember waiting with bated breadth for the custard to be turned over {always in a green bowl which was reserved for caramel custard}. All three of us sisters would cheer when like magic the well set steamed pudding would ‘plop’ out with this shining crown on top!That was going to be the caramel for my panna cotta, one I decided to flavour with a dash of the saffron extract. Since saffron is such a gentle spice, I kept from letting the caramel turn characteristically dark. Bitter caramel in pudding is yum, but with saffron I turned the heat off the minute the sugar melted and coloured slightly.Perfect Spring dessert, the panna cotta came together like a beautiful dream, lilting, mesmerising, smooth, perfect, like a dream you didn’t want to wake up from. The textures teased the palette and we ate it in silence, everyone enjoying the elegance and caress of this cooked cream. {I made it again yesterday, on request, and to ensure that the magic was for real. It was!!}
[print_this]Recipe: Saffron Caramel Panna Cotta
Summary: Perfect Spring dessert, the panna cotta came together like a beautiful dream, lilting, mesmerising, smooth, perfect, like a dream you didn’t want to wake up from. The textures teased the palette and we ate it in silence, everyone enjoying the elegance and caress of this exquisite Italian dessert.
Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes plus setting time Ingredients:
Saffron caramel
75gm granulated sugar
1-2gm saffron extract {knife tip full}
Saffron Panna Cotta
2tsp gelatin powder
3 tbsp cold water
1ltr low fat cream {18% fat}
110gm vanilla sugar {or plain}
1/8 tsp saffron extract {plus a teeny bit more for topping}
Pistachios, rose petals to garnish
Method:
Saffron caramel
Keep the serving molds/ramekins ready.
Place sugar and 1/8 tsp of saffron extract in heavy bottom pan and melt the sugar to a light caramel. Do not let it burn or it will gte bitter. Swirl the pan often and take off the minute all the sugar has melted. It should be a bright orange colour.
Immediately spoon about a heaping tsp into each mold/ramekin, swirling it about to distribute it.Continue for all the molds. Do this pretty fast as the caramel will harden rapidly. Just in case it hardens before you are place the pan over very low heat to melt again.
Saffron Panna Cotta
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for five minutes.
Place the cream, saffron and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and gently bring to a simmer, but not a full boil. Stir often.
Take off heat. Add 1-2 tbsp of this hot cream to the dissolved gelatin to loosen it further, and then pour the gelatin mix back into the hot cream through a sieve. Stir well.
Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes, reserve about 100ml {optional}, and distribute the rest among your serving bowls/molds/ramekins/goblets.
Leave to set for about 1-2 hours, then add a tbsp of the deeper saffron cream over the tops. Allow to set for another 6-8 hours/preferably overnight.
Demold loosening the sides with a blunt knife and serve with a sprinkling of pistachio nuts and edible dried rose petals if you like.
