“I’ve been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet. “
Erma Bombeck
BUTTERSCOTCH ALMOND SHORTBREAD (Eggless)
Butterscotch shortbread is the sort of thing that goes perfectly with the cuppa coffee…or tea, of course. Its got a slightly chewy feel to it, and tastes surprisingly different from the regular shortbread, which I love very much indeed.
What would we do without butter??
Ingredients: Butter – 125gms/at room temp White Sugar – 2 Tbsps Brown Sugar – 3 Tbsps Almond essence – 1 tsp Flour – 1 ½ cups
Salt-1 pinch Baking Powder – ½ tsp
Method: Preheat the oven to 150deg C Grease 2 baking sheets
Sift flour + baking powder + salt
Beat the butter + sugars + essence
Sift the flour mix into the butter mixture and mix to a dough
Chill till firm
Roll out on a lightly floured surface to ½” thickness
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story
Here’s a mouthwatering, scrumptious and totally refreshing combination.
An almond sponge cake,sandwiched with orange marmalade and chopped kiwi-fruit tossed in whipped cream. Then it gets better. Smother it with an icing of whipped almond cream, shower with ground almonds, top with sliced kiwi-fruit, and drizzle with melted white and dark chocolate!!! ….
Ingredients Sponge Eggs – 5 (250gms) Almonds – 100gms (grind in dry grinder with skin; be careful it doesnt get pasty) Flour – 2 tbs ( almonds + flour= half the weight of the eggs i.e. 125gms ) Baking powder – 1tsp Salt – 1 pinch Powdered sugar – 100gms ( less than half the weight of the eggs) Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp Almond Essence – 1 tsp
Filling/Topping Cream – 400ml (whipping/35% fat) Icing Sugar – 3-4 Tbsp Almond Essence – 1 tsp Kiwi-fruit – 2-3/depending on size Marmalade – 4 tbsp/heated well with 3 tbsp of water Almonds – 2 tbsp/ground with skin White and dark chocolate for drizzling
Method: For the sponge Preheat oven to 190deg C , reduce to 180deg C after 10 mins of putting the cake in. Grease and line a 9″ring tin; A springform cake tin is always better.
Sift the flour + baking powder + salt + ground almonds 3 times.
Beat the eggs and sugar well with beater till very thick ribbon falls and holds in place for at least 5 seconds (beat for approx 10mins)
Add vanilla essence + almond essence and beat for 1 min.
Gently fold in the sifted flour; mix lightly so that air doesnt escape.
Turn gently into tin and bake for 30-35mins till done.
Once done, remove from tin after 5 mins and leave on rack to cool completely. Cut horizontally into 3 layers.
Filling:
Peel and chop 2 kiwi-fruit into tiny pieces,and slice 1 for the top.
Whip 400ml whipping cream with 4tbs pwdrd sugar +1 tsp almond essence until thick and holds peaks.
Reserve 1/2 for icing the top. In the remainder of the cream ,fold in the chopped kiwi-fruit.
Place the bottom most layer of the sponge on your serving platter, spread half the marmalade across it. Spread it fast, or else it’ll seep into just one area. Top with half the fruit cream.
Place the middle layer over this, and repeat with the rest of the marmalade and fruit cream.
Topping:
Microwave the white and dark chocolate separately in 2 zip bags for 1-2 mins to melt it.
Spread the remaining almond cream over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with ground almonds.
At this point, I sometimes cut the cake into 12 equal portions, to make serving easier…pastry style. (see picture)
Now place a slice of kiwi fruit at equal intervals, drizzle with both white and dark chocolate, and chill well before serving.
“I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream… I know how the nuts taken in conjunction with winter apples, cider, and doughnuts, make old people’s tales and old jokes sound fresh and crisp and enchanting.”
Mark Twain
APPLE CRUMBLE
Ingredients:
Apples- 6-8 / 1 kg (crisp ones, a bit tart are ok) Juice of 1 lemon (increase if apples are sweet) Sugar (granular) – 2 Tbsps Raisins – 1 handful Cinnamon – 1 tsp Walnuts – ¼ Cup/ chopped Topping Flour – 1/3 cup Sugar- 2 Tbsps Cinnamon – 1 level tsp Butter – 2-3 Tbsps Rolled oats – 1/3 cup (this is soluble fibre!!) Method:
Core and peel apples…chop into small pieces. Toss these with lemon juice immediately after all have been chopped or they turn brown.
Toss this well with the raisins + sugar + cinnamon.
Put into shallow pie dish (9″ or 23cm or 1L) and press lightly into place.
Cook in microwave for 4 mins on medium to save time on baking. To prepare crumble
Mix flour + sugar+ cinnamon with a spoon in a dry bowl.
Put in cold butter cut into pieces and work with finger tips to make a breadcrumbs like texture.
Now toss in the oats lightly with a spoon.
Put this crumble over the apple mixture, covering the whole thing well up to the edges. Press down lightly.
Bake at 180deg pre-heated oven till top light brown and stewed apple juice begins to appear on edges/about 30mins. If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil until done.
Allow to cool in dish. Refridegrate.
Note:Warm in microwave before serving. Serve with either a dollop of whipped cream, or vanilla ice-cream.
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
Julia Child
My experiment with a cheesecake made from cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. The texture was slightly granular, but the taste was wonderful. Was wiped clean, with the son begging for more!! Didnt decorate it ‘coz was very unsure of the end result.
Ingredients:
Digestive Biscuits – 100gms
Butter – 2 Tbsps (melted)
Cottage cheese – 3 cups (Made mine from 2 ltrs full cream milk)
Eggs – 2
Yoghurt – 1/2 Cup (thick)
Cream – 1/2 Cup (20% fat)
Sugar – 1 Cup
Flour – 3 Tbsps
Lemon juice- 1/4 Cup
Lemon Rind – 1 tsp
Lemon Extract – 1 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Orange Marmalade – 2 Tbsps
Cornflour – 1 tsp
Water – 2 tbsp
Method:
Grind the digestive biscuits to crumbs. Mix in the melted butter.
Grease the bottom of a round springform cake tin (9″ ).
Make a base with the biscuit mix, pushing down firmly.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10mins on 160 Deg C.
Keep aside, and leave the oven on.
Blend the cottage cheese well in the blender till smooth. If you are making the cheese yourself, then its best blended warm.
Add all the remaining ingredients and process till nicely smooth.
At this point, you can take a cupful of the mix and mix in some yellow colour.
Pour the remainder into the cake tin, and drizzle the yellow portion evenly across the tin.
Marble gently with a skewer, keeping away from the base.
Bake at 160deg for approx an hour till set.
Meanwhile, put the marmalade in a pan on the fire, stir till runny.
Mix the cornflour into the water, and pour into pan, mixing constantly.
Pour this over the cheesecake while hot, and spread evenly.
Refrigerate till chilled (best left overnight, but approx 6 hrs work well too)
“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.”
George Miller
PENNE IN A CREAM MUSHROOM SAUCE
Here’s my entry for Presto Pasta Nights hosted by a great blog ‘Once Upon a Feast’ which I enjoy reading tremendously. You will find some great meal ideas here.
A versatile, simple recipe. I like to make this with penne because the sauce holds on better, though find it works well with even spaghetti. I have got great reviews on this, and always get a recipe request whenever I serve it. This is the vegetarian version. For a non-vegetarian version, toss in grilled/ chopped chicken when the pasta is mixed in with the sauce.
Ingredients:
Olive oil – 2 tsp Garlic – 4-6 cloves / chopped Onion – 1 / chopped Button Mushrooms – 200gms / sliced Red Chilly flakes – 1/4 tsp Oregano – 1 tsp Green chilly – 1 / chopped ( optional; however, it brings out a nice flavour) Milk – 1/2 cup / cold Cornflour – 1 tsp (dissolved in the milk) Light Cream/Half n half – 100ml Gouda Cheese – 2tbs/grated ( any cheddar does as well too) Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan with the onion and garlic put in. Simmer for a while till the flavours get released.
Add the mushrooms, chilly flakes, oregano and green chilly. Sauté till the mushrooms release their liquid.
Add in the cold milk, stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps. Once thickened, put on low heat.
Add the cream and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.Simmer till the cheese melts through. Once warm, blend the sauce to get required consistency. Don’t blend it too much. The sauce tastes better with a slightly chunkier,fullish consistency. Set aside.
Penne – 250gms (can use any short pasta; or even spaghetti)
Cook pasta on in plenty of salted,boiling water till aldente.
Drain and mix into the sauce. Serve immediately as the pasta continues to absorb the sauce the longer it sits.
Note: Leftovers can be reheated and served later, though most of the sauce would have been absorbed. Still tastes as nice though the sauce isn’t visible.
Serve with sauted vegetables, salad and garlic bread.
