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BLACK SESAME SHORTBREAD…a fusion of flavours!

“Come and share a pot of tea, My home is warm and my friendship’s free.”
Emilie Barnes

Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies…

You think you’ve kinda lost it when you start dreaming Black Sesame Shortbread! That’s what has happened to me ever since I saw these wonderfully enticing cookies at Diva’s Sugar Bar. Shortbread is my all time favourite sort of cookie, & sesame in a cookie is entirely intriguing.

‘Cookies with a heart, from the heart’!…

So, after reading Diva’s delicious post, pretended to pull on my boots. Further pretended that I was walking down to Sainsburys. In reality, pushed my feet into a pair of slip-ons & drove down to our local Sainsbury…Reliance Fresh, which in all fairness, is an answer to many prayers, including Black Sesame ones! The store can’t be compared to Sainsbury, but has done well to offer much variety under 1 roof. Imagine my sheer shock when I nonchalantly checked out the spice shelf there & found black sesame seeds…thought I was still dreaming!! Have even found slivered pistachios there in the past,which is something unheard of here in India!

A fusion of flavours…shortbread which is so Scottish & black sesame which is so Asian!I’d call this a cookie across cultures……an intercultural cookie? Sesame seed is one of the first recorded seasonings. It grows widely in India and Asia. These tiny seeds come in shades of brown, red and black, but the most common color is a pale grayish-ivory. Sesame seeds have a nutty, sweet aroma. The black sesame seed is less common and has a more concentrated flavor than other sesame seeds. Black sesame seeds are especially good on salmon and other fish.

Black sesame appears frequently in Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes where meat or fish is rolled in the seeds before cooking for a crunchy coating. Black sesame is an ingredient of gomassio, the Japanese tabletop condiment, and other colourful rice and noodle dishes.

The recipe from Diva’s Sugar Bar (thank you Diva, these were great & very different too!)
Ingredients:
Flour – 2 cups
Salted butter – 225g / softened
Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup
Black sesame seeds – 3 tbs (generous) ; half ground (I did this in the pestle & mortar)
Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Vanilla sugar, for sprinkling (Diva used castor sugar)

Method:

Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Beat the butter till just soft and creamy. Add the vanilla extract, beat.
Now add all the dry ingredients and mix together.(I find it best to use your hands from here on and mesh all the butter and dry ingredients together, kind of like how you’d make scones but without the rubbing as you don’t want too much air in these guys…Diva’s expert advice).
Press everything together to form a dough ball and then gently form them into discs. Wrap each disc with clingwrap and fridge for 1hr, or until just firm. (Took a lot longer in our 40 degrees+ C…a hot Indian summer?)
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and grease 2 cookie trays.
Roll out flat to your desired thickness on a lightly floured work surface ; keep the thickness preferably just under 1cm. Cut out with cookie cutters.
Place on greased tray and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
Bake for about 15min or just before the edges get too brown.
Cool on wire rack. Eat them slightly warm with a steaming cup of tea!

Heave ho,heave ho…off to Ruth’s we go!! Another successful bookmarked recipe I’ve managed to try! YAY!! This is off to Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments for her Bookmarked event…

Superfood SPROUTS Salad…Sprouting healthy & tasty beans!!

“We don’t need a melting pot in this country, folks. We need a salad bowl. In a salad bowl, you put in the different things. You want the vegetables – the lettuce, the cucumbers, the onions, the green peppers – to maintain their identity. You appreciate differences. “
Jane Elliot

Sprouted Mung Dal Salad

Fresh mint & a squeeze of lime…

I posted some bits about this wonderful sprout on the CLICK post for May ’08, where the theme was ‘Beans & Lentils’. Sprouts are easy to make at home, & you don’t actually need special bowls or ‘sprouters’. I sprout the dal at home almost every week, & can hardly stop marvelling at the cute little ‘sprouts’ the dal obliges me with each time.

A super healthy salad, & a very fresh & crisp one at that!

Check out an interesting article about sprouts on Oprah.com, where sprouts are called Superfood No. 9. “Sprouts are a highly nutritious food. Grown locally year round, sprouts are a good source of protein and vitamin C. All nutrients necessary for life are contained in seeds—a food category that includes grain kernels, beans, legumes, and nuts. Because sprouts are so fresh, and do not sit for days or weeks in warehouses, we know that we are getting optimum nutrition. ”

Other Great Ways to Serve Sprouts
Use in coleslaw (cabbage, clover, radish)
Try in wraps and roll-ups (alfalfa, sunflower, radish)
Stir-fry with other vegetables (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean, lentil)
Blend with vegetable juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)
Mix with soft cheeses, tofu, yogurt of kefir for a dip (mung bean, radish)
Stir into soups or stews when serving (mung bean, lentil)
Top omelet or scrambled eggs (alfalfa, clover, radish)
Combine in oat, barley or buckwheat dishes (fenugreek, lentil, mung bean)
Add to sushi (radish, sunflower)
Sauté with onions (mung bean, clover, radish)
Puree with dried peas or beans (mung bean, lentil)
Add to baked beans (lentil)

“Why Sprouts?…

…There are a great many reasons to eat sprouts. As we age, our body’s ability to produce enzymes declines. Sprouts are a concentrated source of the living enzymes and “life force” that is lost when foods are cooked or not picked fresh from your own garden. Additionally, due to their high enzyme content, sprouts are also much easier to digest than the seed or bean from which they came. “

Sprouted Mung Dal Salad

Ingredients:

Mung dal beans – 1 cup / soaked for 3-5 hours (till you see them start splitting open)
Tomatoes – 2-3 / deseeded & chopped small
Spring onions – 2-3 / chopped fine (can use 1 small regular onion too)
Mint leaves – a handful / chopped fine
Cucumber – 1 small / peeled & chopped fine
Juice of 1-2 limes
Green chili – 1 / deseeded/ chopped fine (optional)
Salt to tasteMethod:

Once the dal begins to split, drain it & put it into a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a plastic colander, with a bowl underneath. Cover it keep it in a dark place for 10-12 hours or overnight.
Wash gently the next day, taking care not to disturb the roots (sprouts) too much, to enable them to grow long. Cover & keep in dark place again.
In summer, my sprouts are ready in a day & a half. Check to see if they are done, rinse gently, drain & refrigerate.
Toss all the salad ingredients gently & chill well. This can be made a couple of hours in advance. Try not to keep sprouts for more than 2-3 days as they tend to taste bitter after that. Also, fresh sprouts offer maximum food value.

My son asked me a ‘prudent’ question this evening while eating his salad, “Mama, if we plant these seeds, will these sprouts grow out on the branches?” Hmmmmmmmmmm….another long month of vacations!!

This salad is on its way to SnackShots # 4 ‘SALAD’, to Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet.

…& also to Lisa @ Lisa’s Vegetarian Kitchen for her colourful No Croutons Required which she is hosting for the month of June. The theme for June is soups or salads featuring legumes because beans and pulses are an important part of a healthy vegetarian diet. Whole, or split, big or small, anything belonging to the legume family qualifies. (Thank you Arundathi for letting me know!!)

Bon Appetit!

This post featured on

The Courier News Chicago Sun Times

MINGLING WITH APPETIZERS…Colourful Veggie Hors’Doeuvres!

Laughter is brightest where food is best.

Irish Proverb

Oven Baked Potato Cheese Breaded Bites

Cream Cheese, Bell Pepper & Cucumber Nibbles

Time for Meeta @ Whats For Lunch Honey’s Monthly Mingle. This months’ edition is being co hosted by Mansi @ Fun ‘n’ Food, with the theme for the month being Appetizers & Hors’Doeuvres. Their call…For this monthly mingle, we’d like you to share some fancy vegetarian appetizers. Cook something that’s pretty to look at and tasty to bite in, something that looks good on a plate and is irresistible to your guests! Am sending these colourful appetizers off to sunny California to Mansi @ Fun & Food, from more than sunny India. The first one is an “Oven Baked Potato Cheese Breaded Bites’ appetizer which I put together with potatoes…

Oven Baked Potato Cheese Breaded Bites
Ingredients:
Potatoes – 2 large / boiled & grated
Cheddar – 1/2 cup / grated
Coriander – 1 small handful / chopped fine
Green chili – 1-2 / deseeded & chopped fine
Breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup
Mozzarella – 50 gms (approximately)
Fresh mint leaves & chopped tomatoes

Method:

Mix the grated cheddar + coriander + green chilies into the warm grated potatoes & mix till smooth. Season as desired.
Make small bite sized balls out of the mixture, placing a tiny bit of mozzarella inside each. Roll firmly & chill for 30 minutes.
Prior to serving, drizzle them with some oil, gently rolling them around so they are evenly coated. Then take each ball, roll in breadcrumbs & place on a lightly greased baking tray.
Bake at 180 degrees for 15-25 minutes, turning once to ensure they are well browned all around. Top with fresh mint leaves & small bits & tomatoes secured with cocktail sticks. Can be served with a dip.

…& the second one is adapted from an appetizer which left me totally refreshed by just looking at it at Nicisme’s blog @ Cherrapeno… Boursin, Tomato and Cucumber Nibbles. This second one is also en route to Ruth @ Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments for her ongoing ‘Bookmarked event’.

I made my cucumber nibbles with Cheddar, cream cheese, cottage cheese & topped them with mint, coriander & bell peppers, but would have loved to try Nic’s version had I laid my hands on some Boursin! If wishes were horses…

…these nibbles would sail!!

Cream Cheese, Bell Pepper and Cucumber Nibbles…as adapted from Cherrapeno
(Amounts are approximate because it depends on the size of the cucumber. Nic used Boursin cheese, but you can use any cream cheese – she says one with herbs would be good. I agree…)
Ingredients:
Cucumber – 1 small; about 10-12 ” long, halved in length
Cream cheese – 1 small tub
Cheddar – 1/2 cup / grated
Cottage cheese – 1/4 cup grated
Coriander leaves – Small handful / chopped fine
Garlic – 1 clove / minced fine
Fresh mint & coriander leaves
Red & yellow bell pepper tossed in olive oil, (or even half a cherry tomato)

Method:

Cut the cucumber in half length-ways and slice a little off the bottom to make it sit flat on the plate. Peel as desired. I left a small strip on the top edges.
Scoop out the seeds and discard them.
Mix the cheeses + chopped coriander + garlic. Taste & adjust seasoning if required.
Fill the hollow of the cucumber with the cream cheese mixture, push in well & smooth top with a knife.
Cut the cucumber into bite sized pieces and top each one with mint leaf , bell pepper bit & fresh coriander, securing the leaf & pepper with a cocktail stick.
Drizzle with some of the olive oil from the peppers.
Chill until ready to serve.

I am trying include a bit of yellow in each post in support of the Click ‘YELLOW for Bri‘ !

PEACHES & CREAM…A truly sublime dessert!

“Chocolate’s okay, but I prefer a really intense fruit taste. You know when a peach is absolutely perfect… it’s sublime. I’d like to capture that and then use it in a dessert.”

Kathy Mattea

Peaches ‘n’ Cream…

As summer proceeds & the weather becomes even hotter & hotter each passing day, we are rewarded by fruits as luscious as peaches! Strange are the ways of nature, where we are subjected to harsh, scorching summers on one hand, & rewarded with fruits as sweet & juicy as nectar on the other! No reason to complain, so moving on from juicy plums, I decided to explore peach in a dessert! SUBLIME!!

There is a proverb that talks about a “Peaches ‘n’ Cream” … complexion, traditionally, I would think! The only peaches & cream I can think of is that which goes straight to the hips!! Amy, can you hear me? Life is like that; good comes hand in hand with not so good, so onward we go! That’s what I like about us foodies…

Colour my world…

So then, while looking for peachy pleasures, found this on one of my fave haunts, Food Network…Vanilla Poached Peaches with Whipped Minted Yogurt, a recipe adapted from Donna Hay, Flavours, Whitecap Ltd, 1999. I was sold on the idea the minute I read the recipe. A few changes had to come about since I don’t have vanilla beans; poached the pears with whole spices (cinnamon & cloves). Just added a tinge of flavour, which was just right.

I made this peachy delight in wine glasses because I like the idea of individual servings that can be put together ahead of time…& also because I like dressing them up! A cinnamon scroll, a sprig of mint, a sprinkling of chopped pistachios…colours came together beautifully. DH is already asking me when I plan to make this again, & the son is on my case to make it for his friends on his birthday; “With the cream Mama“, he adds! Hmmmmmmmmmmm….

Did you know that the peach is:

low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium
high in Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium

The recipe as adapted from Food Network, as adapted from recipe adapted from Donna Hay, Flavours, Whitecap Ltd, 1999

Ingredients:
Poached Peaches:
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 1 cup
Cinnamon stick – 1-2
Cloves – 8-10
Peaches – 10-12, split and seeds removed
Whipped Minted Yogurt:
Water – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1/4 cup
Mint leaves – 1 cup loosely packed
Low fat Cream – 1 cup
Hung yogurt – 1 cup
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Pistachio nuts, for garnish (chopped roughly)

Method for the peaches:

Place the water, sugar, and whole spices in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. I threw in some mint leaves too for good measure!
Once the sugar has dissolved, add as many peaches to the pan as it will hold without piling or crowding, and poach over a low simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove the peaches and finish poaching the remainder of the fruits.
When done, place the peaches in a glass baking dish, cut side down. Pour the syrup over the peaches, and refrigerate until chilled, for up to 8 hours. (I left them overnight).

For the yogurt:

Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup. (It becomes nice & thick when chilled; tastes like mint candy too).
In a bowl, whip the syrup and cream with a hand-held mixer until stiff. In another bowl, whip the yogurt until smooth and fold it into the cream mixture.

To serve the peaches: Place 3-4 peach halves in a wine glass, and dollop with some of the minted yogurt cream. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs, cinnamon scrolls and pistachio nuts. Serve chilled. (Can be put together in advance; I made it 4 hours in advance).

Everytime I see a peach, it reminds me of ‘James & the Giant Peach’, by Roald Dahl.

This post featured on

WNBC.com New York
BostonChannel.com Boston
Reuters.co.uk United Kingdom
nbc5i.com Dallas Fort Worth

BLOGGING FOR BRI…GOING THE YELLOW WAY!

“Hope” is the thing with feathers- that perches in the soul…
Emily Dickenson

YELLOW is the colour of hope & we’re here blogging for Bri. Jai & Bee @ Jugalbandi have led the way to spread hope & have embarked on a very inspired edition of CLICK. I haven’t had the good fortune of interacting directly with Bri, but have bumped into her at my dear friend Manggy’s many a time, & at Bee’s too.

In Jai & Bee’s words … “This is a special edition of CLICK, tinged with sadness and filled with hope. Yellow is the happiest colour in the spectrum. It signifies hope and enlightenment. Though the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer. This edition of CLICK is more than a photo event. It is a fundraiser for our dear Briana.

She was 15 when she saw her mother die of breast cancer. Now, she’s waging her own war. Bri is one of the 5% of women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 30. That was two and a half years ago. In August 2007, she started Figs With Bri – a serene, beautiful space where she shares with us her creative experiments with wonderful local organic ingredients. A month and a half ago, her worst fears came true. She learnt that her cancer has returned and metastasized to her lungs, her lymph nodes and several areas in her bones and is at Stage IV. (More at Figs with Bri)”

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.
Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

AMAZING MAIZE & CORNY COOKIES

“I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.”

James Beard

Bowled over by Cornmeal Pistachio Cookies

Then comes along one of those looooong lazy summer days where you want to bake something & for once you’d rather it wasn’t chocolate. It happens to me at times after a chocolate overdose in the kitchen. Something different has to be attempted; something which has a chance of turning out unexpectedly good or even bad, but different. Have started throwing caution to the wind & have begun treading on uncharted territory. Read on for my tale of good…& then bad, as in disastrous! It happens… & now I’ve reached a stage where I do not weep copious tears. Onto the good first…cookies made out of cornmeal with my favourite nut, the pistachio!

It’s nice to experiment with different grains, & coincidentally found a post on different grains at Food Blogga @ Susans‘…‘How Many Whole Grains Can You Name? Hmmm…test your knowledge there; I was surprised to hear of so many whole grains! A little about corn…the word “polenta“ can be used to refer to the ground cornmeal itself, or to a prepared dish after boiling cornmeal with water. Corn is a good source of vitamin B1, vitamin B5, folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorous and manganese.

Maize, also known as corn, is one of the most extensively cultivated cereal crops on Earth. Originally, the term “corn” could refer to any type of grain. When maize was brought back to Europe, it was called “Indian corn,” a reference to the source of the plant. The term was shortened to “corn” as maize became ubiquitous in many gardens. In Africa, it is known as ‘mealies‘.

I’ve adapted these cookies from The Great Big Cookie Book…a book that keeps me endlessly entertained . The original cookie is the ‘Sultana Cornmeal Cookie’…little yellow biscuits from the Veneto region of Italy. I didn’t used sultanas coz the boy won’t touch them anymore…so I substituted them with pistachios. Made a nice chunky cookie with a crunch to it! I didn’t have Marsala, so used vanilla extract instead. Go ahead & use Marsala…am sure they’ll taste wonderful! Made some nice biscotti with cornmeal too, but will post that another day…

Chunky Cornmeal Pistachio Cookies, adapted from The Great Big Cookie Book, pg 86
Ingredients:
Finely ground yellow cornmeal – 1/2 cup
Plain flour – 3/4 cups
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Butter – 1/2 cup
Granulated sugar – 1/2 cup
Eggs – 1
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp (or Marsala – 1 tsp)
Pistachio nuts – 1/2 cup; roughly chopped
Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease 2 baking sheets.
Sift the cornmeal + flour + baking powder + salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter & sugar; beat in the egg, followed by the extract/Marsala.
Add the dry ingredients & pistachio nuts & stir until well blended.
Drop heaped teaspoonfuls & bake 12-15 minutes till cookies are light golden.
Cool on racks. The cookies will continue to harden as they cool.

My almost ‘poifect‘ Macaroons a la espresso

Looks can be deceptive. Take a look at my almost perfect macaroons, no cracks & beautiful from above. But somethings missing…. This brings me on to my great disaster…which was my ‘Blueberries on the ceiling’ type of a moment for me. Having seen some great macaroons @ Cherrapeno & macarons @ Homemades, I naively got tempted into making these frightening things. The beginning was great & I was very impressed at the perfect creatures that I piped out. Left them to dry for an hour as the recipe suggested….looks good eh? What do you say?

So far, so good…

Popped them into the oven to bake & went off to do a chore for a couple of minutes & heard a shriek from the son, ‘There’s something alive in the oven…& it’s bubbling!!”. Almost had a heart-attack, but raced with macaroon-like poise to see all the cookie batter bubbling away merrily, in an ocean like gooey slime in a witches cauldron, & little macaroon caps floating on top. I was too shocked to take pictures then, but did manage to salvage all the airy (literally full of air) tops! Take a look…

Disaster. What lay beneath my very airy macaroons…just air!!

Can’t imagine what happened coz I followed the recipe to the t. Any clues anybody??? My only regret was the waste of precious almonds & my dreams of an opera macaroon floating away. The kids were too happy to oblige & quickly devoured the light left-overs. To make something out of nothing, am gonna send this off to Food Nerd who is graciously holding an appropriate event...“Blueberries on the Ceiling” is your chance to write about your most disastrous (and hopefully hilarious) kitchen mishap.

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