Tag: in season

Eggless Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake

Eggless Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake. A ‘wacky’ vanilla cake topped with a delicately flavoured cream, then loads of fresh apricots, plums and cherries. With undertones of vanilla bean, cherry and almond, this tea cake topped with my favourite fruit turned out luxurious!

It’s summer in India, and the stone fruit season has to be my favourite season, my greatest fruit love! When summer meets the rainy season, everything screams monsoons in India. While the heat and high humidity is absolutely sapping, the fruit are another story!

The unbearable heat, the high humidity, then the ripe, luscious beautiful fruit all come together in a heady balance, one compensating for the other!

That balance of nature, where the Earth almost punishes you with temperatures over 40C and 85% humidity, then placates you with the best local produce ever! At times like these, stone fruit desserts bring endless joy. I made this Eggless Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake that was most delicious, a version of the Depression or Wacky Cake!

If you haven’t heard of the simplest cake to make ever, it’s time to Google! Depression Cake, Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake gained fame in the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Eggless, milkless and butterless, frugal ingredients still gave you cake. Also known as War Cake, it has several versions, the chocolate one being most famous.

Came about quite effortlessly. I ran out of ingredients that morning, still wanted to bake something. I had loads of great stone fruit on hand, one thing led to another and we had the most delicious tea cake. A wacky Eggless Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake, as pretty as it was tasty!

Do try it!

Catch me on Instagram if you’re there. 

Do tag me on passionateaboutbaking on Instagram if you try a recipe, or follow me if you like! I’d love to connect with you.

Print

Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake

A wacky Eggless Stone Fruit & Cream Vanilla Tea Cake topped with a delicately flavoured cream, then loads of fresh apricots, plums and cherries.
Keyword baking, dessert, eggless, homemade, sweet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Vanilla Almond Cake

  • Dry Mix
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup vanilla sugar {or plain}
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda {meetha soda}
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Wet
  • 1/2 tsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 2,5 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/2 cup Water

Vanilla Almond Cherry Cream

  • 400 g Amul Fresh cream, 20% fat
  • 50 g boora/raw or powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp agar agar
  • 8-10 cherries {optional}
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

To top

  • Fresh seasonal fruit and mint to top

Instructions

Vanilla Almond Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the sides and base of a 7" round tin with parchment paper.
  • LiStir together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Add the vinegar, vanilla extract, almond extract and oil.
  • Stir quickly to mix.
  • Pour in the water and stir to mix to a smooth batter.
  • Transfer to prepared tin and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the tester comes out clean.
  • Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then cool on rack

Vanilla Almond Cherry Cream

  • Heat the cream, sugar, agar agar, cherries and vanilla bean in a heavy bottom saucepan, stirring constantly.
  • Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
  • Strain into a bowl, pushing through the cherries for colour.
  • Stir in the almond extract.

Assemble

  • Place the vanilla almond cake on a platter and place an adjustable dessert ring around it. I lined the dessert ring with an acetate collar.
  • Pour in the vanilla almond cream.
  • Leave to set for 6-8 hours/overnight.
  • Gently remove the dessert ring/acetate collar.
  • Top with cut stone fruit, sprigs of mint etc. and serve.

Caramel Apple Tart with Cinnamon Cream in a buckwheat nut base

Caramel Apple Tart with Cinnamon Cream in a buckwheat nut base … when you have jars of salted caramel calling your name, imagine the possibilities!! That this is wholegrain, eggless with no refined sugar makes it better. Fruit in it? Yes, that too!

I had buckwheat flour {kuttu ka aata locally}, stewed apples and salted caramel on hand. That tart tin on the counter got me thinking, then this happened. It was fun, a whole lot of fun.

Do you use whole grains and non refined sugars while baking?

I began doing that several years ago when I had my eureka moment waiting for the kids at the bus stop {read several years ago}. I saw daily wagers buying empty calories/local snacks for their mid day meal and strangely that was my moment of awakening.

Raced back home and changed the way I baked forever. That day on, I looked at each recipe with new eyes. Anything that didn’t quite contribute on a nutritional scale was reassessed. My hashtag and driving force became #makehalfyourgrainswhole.

Slowly I began substituting half plain flour with a better whole grain flour. Also began using more pseudo cereals like buckwheat flour which is locally available as kuttu ka aata etc.

Basically it changed the way I looked at my food & in turn removed the monotony of expected results! Do you know what I mean …

Baking being quite fiddly & scientific, I was now really never sure of the taste, how the recipe would hold etc. That in turn gave me more reason to bake, to experiment, to shoot, to find meaning for my blog. I’ve had my share of failures yet, if you don’t experiment, how will you learn!

To cut a long story short, here’s a tart that reflects my way of baking now. Everything from scratch, beautiful natural flavours, inseason & a play of textures. Right from that first bite of the tart, you’ll feel the magic!

Print

Caramel Apple Tart with Cinnamon Cream in a buckwheat nut base

This Caramel Apple Tart with Cinnamon Cream in a buckwheat nut base reflects my way of baking. Everything from scratch, beautiful natural flavours, local ingredients, inseason & a play of textures. Right from that first bite of the tart, you'll feel the magic!
Keyword baking, dessert, eggless, fruit, glutenfree, homemade, sweet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Buckwheat nut tart shell

  • 1/2 cup 60g buckwheat flour/kuttu ka aata
  • 1/2 cup 85g walnuts {or almonds}
  • 1/4 cup 30g coconut sugar {or brown}
  • 2 tbsp 20g cornflour
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 cup 50g chilled butter cubed

Apple & walnut filling

  • 2-3 green apples cored, peeled, diced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar {or brown}
  • 1/3 cup walnuts chopped

Cinnamon cream

  • 150 g cream cheese
  • 100 g mascarpone
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Instructions

Apple & walnut filling

  • Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, until the apple is just cooked soft but still holds a bite.
  • Cool completely. You can make this a day or two ahead. Strain for an excess liquid {Add this to a smoothie, else reduce and pour back over to mix. Any extra moisture will make the base soggy.}

Cinnamon cream

  • Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and firm peaks.
  • Chill until required. Transfer to piping bag fitted with a star nozzle if you wish to pipe it over.
  • 1 jar salted caramel sauce, room temperature. (Recipe link 1/2 quantity - https://passionateaboutbaking.com/salted-caramel-sauce-back-to-the-basics/)

Buckwheat nut tart shell

  • Place buckwheat flour, walnuts, sugar, cornflour & salt in jar of processor. Process briefly until you get a fine meal like mix. Add the chilled butter and process briefly to get a breadcrumb like mix. The crumb should come together when pressed together between the thumb and fingertips.
  • Turn into 7" loose bottomed tart tin and place in freezer for 10 minutes, while you preheat the oven.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C. bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, then cool completely and chill. At this point I usually loosen the shell from the base slightly and then put it back in.

Assemble

  • Pour over the salted caramel and spread uniformly
  • Spoon over chilled apple & walnut filling, then top with the cinnamon cream.
  • You can spread it over evenly or pipe if desired.
  • Chill for a couple of hours before slicing. Note: This not a crisp tart shell. It's a soft to bite shell which holds its form quite well.

Bitter kumquat marmalade …when life gives you limes, lemons, calamondins & more!

 Bitter Kumquat Marmalade … when so little gives you so much! This is a marmalade I’ve been making for years each time the shrub in the yard gives me this citrusy fruit. We grew up playing with these beauties that caught the glad eye with their bright oranges. Referred to as Chinese oranges, tangerines or narangis, they had little use other than just being an ornamental fruit.We live and learn from others, and that’s just what I love about community. This recipe came to us several years ago from my mother’s neighbour who once sent across a jar of homemade marmalade. Of course we descended on the poor unsuspecting lady, quite fascinated that something as good could be made at home. The rest as they say is history! Jars of marmalade are constantly stirred in season, at least twice or thrice a year, then distributed among friends and family.Jam making is very therapeutic and rewarding. This one much more. Seldom does so little yield so much. In this case, these are just homegrown non-commercial fruit from a shrub widely found across North India, one which is quite sturdy and loves a good dose of sunlight. The secret is the setting agent, or pectin, which is found in the seeds of these bitter-tart fruit. So all you need for this glorious colour in this Bitter Calamondin Marmalade is fruit, sugar and water. Loads of patience to snip the peels and some time for stirring the pot! It’s always to do this when you have free time, no distractions etc. It can take a few seconds of neglect to get the jam catch the bottom. Once the marmalade is almost done, do a plate test to see if the pectin has done its job. Else cook a little longer, check again. I added the juice of 2 limes too but it’s not necessary. You can add ginger if you like, maybe a red chili for slight heat! This recipe of Bitter Calamondin Marmalade is for all those folk who asked for it on Instagram when I shared an image in stories. A kilo of fruit yields 4-5 jars, enough to dig into, enough to share around!

Print

Bitter kumquat marmalade

Bitter kumquat marmalade is one of the best ways to use up this tart fruit. Makes a for a great gift, and is also a wonderful addition to cake batters, frosting, pies etc. Makes about 5 jars.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 jars

Ingredients

  • 1 kg kumquat {chinese oranges, narangis}
  • 1 kg granulated sugar
  • 250 ml Water

Instructions

  • Sterilize 5 X 250g jam jars. Place a metal spoon in each jar {this ensures that the glass jar will not crack when the hot jam is poured in}.

Stove Top method

  • Halve the kumquat. Place the sieving bowl over a bigger bowl, and squeeze the seeds to deseed the fruit. We need to collect the seeds as they contain the pectin to set the jam. Make a bouquet garnet of the seeds.
  • Snip the peels with scissors into strips. {I got lazy and gave them a quick spin in the Thermomix}.
  • Place the cut peels, with the pouch of seeds and any collected kumquat juice, in a heavy bottom pan on full heat. Boil for a few minutes till the peel is tender, stirring constantly.
  • Add the water and continue to cook on high for 2-3 minutes. Now add sugar, stirring constantly.
  • Continue to cook over high heat for a further 20-25 minutes until the mixture thickens & the strips becomes translucent. Stir often else it'll catch the bottom. Don't leave unattended.
  • Do a plate test by dropping some marmalade on a cold metal plate to check if the jam is setting properly. After 30 seconds, it should congeal and look jellylike.
  • Put off the flame, discard the muslin pouch with the seeds and allow the jam to cool for 10-15 minutes. Stir to distribute the strips.
  • Now pour the marmalade into the jars, and seal after 10-15 minutes. {I refrigerate my jars}

Thermomix method

  • Place the peels in the TM bowl and slice at speed 10 for 2-3 seconds. Add the reserved juice to the TM bowl, with 250g water, and run on Reverse at 100 for 10 minutes, speed slow.
  • Add 800g sugar and the bouquet garni {which holds the seeds}, and run at reverse at speed 2 for 2 minutes. Add a further 450g sugar {small calamondins tend to be very bitter}, and continue to cook at reverse speed 2 for a further 8 minutes.
  • Now turn power to 100C, place the lid at an angle, and cook until the gelling action kicks in and the jam begins to set. {Do a stainless steel plate test. Drop some marmalade on a cold plate to see if it sets in under a minute}. Mine took about 7-8 minutes.
  • Put off the TM, discard the muslin pouch with the seeds and allow to stand in TM jar for about 15-20 minutes, and then pour into prepared jars. I refrigerate my marmalade.

Jamun {Wild Indian Java Plum} Mousse #dessert #inseason

“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway”
Michael Pollan

Jamun {Wild Indian Java Plum} Mousse … possibly the best way to bid adieu to this humble fruit. I had a bag tucked away in the fridge for long. Forgot about them, and life went on. Then we were at threesixtyone°, The Oberoi, Gurgaon, and along came the silkiest Jamun sorbet ever. It was so pretty too.

Ruchira captured the very essence in her post here …  “We were served the amuse bouche next – a Jamun or Java plum sorbet which was so creamy that it felt like silk in the mouth. The tang from the plum along with the roasted cumin and rock salt was extremely light and refreshing.”

Jamuns danced in my head all day. There’s something about the fruit. It’s astringent, and somewhat edgy. You develop a flavour for it.  I knew there was to be something jamun made soon. I still remember a sublime jamun mousse we had enjoyed at Sangeeta’s place a year ago. That had white chocolate in it. I had none on hand so was a little unsure if my mousse would hold.

It sure did. Beautifully. This mousse was quite delicious. I wasn’t sure how it would be received by the kids. They took to it quite happily. The daughter was in from uni for the Independence Day weekend. She was happy to be served dessert. It’s funny how she’s suddenly begun appreciating the little things in life!  Life teaches you. A lot.

There was a time when we used to forage for jamuns, climb trees, graze knees to shake the branches. Greedily picking jamuns off the ground and stuffing them into our mouths feels nostalgic now. They tasted sweeter, left our fingers and clothes purple. The stains never came off. Those memories will never fade either. There are few jamun trees left to forage now. Thankfully sales in the bazaar have increased since the wild Indian java plum has become commercially viable.

[print_this]Recipe: Jamun {Wild Indian Java Plum} Mousse

Summary: Jamun {Wild Indian Java Plum} Mousse is light, fun and a beautiful way to use produce in season. Use any seasonal berry if you can’t find these. It’s a sublime make ahead dessert option.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes {plus macerating, cooling and chilling time}
Ingredients:

  • 400g jamun
  • 50g sugar
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 400g low fat cream chilled
  • 50-75g sugar {as per taste}
  • 1tsp gelatin powder

Method:

  1. Toss the jamuns and 50g sugar in a bowl and leave to macerate for a few hours. Crush with fingers to remove pulp.
  2. Place pulp in a pan with sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook to jammy consistency. Cool completely, then blend to a fine puree. Reserve about 1/4 cup for topping if desired.
  3. Warm 25ml cream in a bowl, sprinkle over with gelatin and allow to soften. Cool.
  4. Whip the cream and sugar to medium stiff peaks. Strain the gelatin into the cream and mix. Then gently fold in the jamun puree into the cream. Spoon gently into serving glasses, top with reserved puree and chill for 4-6 hours.

[/print_this]

Don’t miss a post
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

Baking | Spicy Vine Tomato Relish … jars of goodness in season

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”
Lewis Grizzard

Spicy Vine Tomato Relish … I think this was a fitting end to my ‘harvest’ of cherry tomatoes. It was a tough choice. I waited forever, read almost 6 months, for the tomato plants to grow, then flower, then finally bear fruit.

Waited with baited breath to see if they would turn red, yellow or orange as the different packets of seeds suggested. Warded the hungry Coco off them as she took a serious shine to them and stole a mouthful whenever she could. I guarded them with my life. Literally.

Finally I got nice big bowlfuls to harvest, some cherry tomatoes and some plump bigger red ones too. I didn’t have the heart to eat them. I wouldn’t let anyone near them. Oh the irony. I could not bear to let them go!

This was the first time I had grown tomatoes and couldn’t believe my luck. They were so pretty. Nature never ceases to amaze. Fresh produce inspires like nothing else. I shot them whenever I could. They shone in every light. The shadows haunted me, in a good sort of a way that is. Thanks to Neel @ Learn Food Photography with his 30 Days of Better Food Photos, I dreamt, breathed, lived and shot tomatoes on the vine. All the time. Then reality struck! I had to get moving before they went away unsung. I headed for What Katie Ate. She always inspires. ALWAYS! I knew I had to make the Spicy Vine Tomato Relish. I whiled the day away experimenting with light again. So fulfilling. From pretty fresh tomatoes, to roasted on the vine tomatoes, to being stirred in the pot tomatoes, I lived it all. Tomato therapy!!

You might think I was walking the obsessive line, but I really enjoyed it. You might wonder what all the fuss about a simple relish is? This relish is like my baby. I feel emotional about it, have a deep connect with it. My heart sings each day when the lad comes back from school saying “That was the best sandwich ever. My friends think so too.“

I know what changed. Instead of tomatoes in his sandwich {with balsamic roasted vegetables, smoked chicken ham and cheese}, he gets a slathering of Spicy Vine Tomato Relish.

Serve it with crackers and crudites. Smoked chicken ham roll ups with a teeny relish hint within, mini burgers that get a spicy kick all make irresistible hors d’oeuvre. The spicy vine tomato relish is a great addition for the cheese board too. It’s something you can get creative with. With summer here, finger foods rule in our home. Yours?

Interestingly a recent survey in the UK by Ladbrokes Bingo found that 19% of women would prefer to bake or cook with their friends than hit the town with the girls. 40% said that they would put on a few nibbles & 23% said that they would lay on a buffet so finger food or food that is easily shared is popular!

Sign of the times to come? Never has food been so comforting, so uniting, so central to conversation, such an emotional experience. The more I immerse myself into this delicious world, the more emotional and connected I feel. I’d say join the party. Make relish! Have fun!

Bruschetta with some relish, feta and fresh herbs, a cheese platter with sharp cheddar and relish, chicken ham roll ups with mozzarella  relish and crisp bell peppers… the possibilities are endless. I even slathered a focaccia sandwich with it. Nom Nom Nom…

Yesterday I woke up early and headed to the kitchen to make one last batch to use up the remaining tomatoes. I wished I could just preserve the little beauties on the vine. Relish was the next best option!

[print_this]

Recipe: Spicy Vine Tomato Relish

Summary: A Spicy Vine Tomato Relish full of flavour and savoury goodness that celebrates the magic of tomatoes on the vine. It’s handy to have a few jars in the fridge. A great way to preserve an abundant crop. Adapted  from What Katie Ate

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:

  • 3 cups baby vine tomatoes
  • 1/2 a kilo fresh red tomatoes, peeled, chopped 
  • 1 head roasted garlic {I love garlic}
  • 3 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup spice vinegar
  • 1/4 balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp mustard paste {or powder}
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala {I didn’t have all spice}
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Method:

  1. Place tomatoes on baking sheet and roast until soft. Remove vines, if any.
  2. Place with remaining ingredients in a heavy bottom pan and simmer gently for about 1 1/2- 2 hours until reduced by about half. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
  3. Cool and bottle.

[/print_this]

Don’t miss a post
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

<

Please wait...

Subscribe to my newsletter

Want to be notified when the article is published? Do enter your email address and name below to be the first to know.
SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER NOW
Exit mobile version