Tag: Pistachios

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.

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

CREAMY HOME-MADE MANGO ICE-CREAM…ON A CALCIUM HIGH!

“Condensed milk is wonderful. I don’t see how they can get a cow to sit down on those little cans.”
Fred Allen
On a calcium high…Goodness that’s fruity & cool!
This creamy, delicious mango ice-cream’s en route for something I support whole-heartedly & have always believed in…Beautiful Bones: An Osteoporosis Food Event, hosted by one of my favourite bloggers Susan @ Food Blogga. Susan is funny, her posts are evocative, beautifully presented, & come with a fair share of humour, meaning… & much more. Thanks to her, ‘Dermadoc‘ is gaining notoriety as an avid foodie critic too!! Ha Ha…sorry Susan, was hilarious when he dropped by my place a while ago, & then I saw him at Nicismes’ recently too!
I have made this ice-cream twice already to celebrate mango mania in the merry month of May.
Once here…
…&, on popular demand, here again!
It has been my endeavour to ensure both my kids have always been ‘high on calcium’. Thankfully, it’s become a habit after all these years; the 2 glasses of milk & 2 bowls of home-made yogurt daily are inbuilt into their everyday routine ! I sometimes have to refuse the 3rd bowl of yogurt…such is the love of yogurt! These are simple life-style changes that can be incorporated in everyday meals as an investment in the future! They have now come to love grilled cottage-cheese, the panna cotta (yogurt one too), cottage-cheese cheese cake, fresh broccoli, oranges…all wonderful sources of calcium. I too have 3 glasses (yes 3!!) of milk a day (not a tea person), in addition to yogurt etc. Personally, for me, a glass of chilled milk is a great way to fix hunger pangs…glug it down!!

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) osteoporosis is “a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break.” May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month. It is never too early or too late to start your prevention program. Osteoporosis is largely preventable for most people. Prevention of this disease is very important because, while there are treatments for osteoporosis, there is currently no cure.

Four Steps to Prevent Osteoporosis
By about age 20, the average woman has acquired 98 percent of her skeletal mass. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis later. A healthy lifestyle can be critically important for keeping bones strong. No one step alone is enough to prevent osteoporosis but all four may.
  1. A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D;
  3. A healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake;
  4. Bone density testing and medication when appropriate.

An easy and economical way to boost the calcium content of many meals is to add nonfat powdered dry milk to puddings, homemade cookies, breads or muffins, soups, gravy, casseroles and even a glass of milk. A single tablespoon of nonfat powdered dry milk adds 52 mg of calcium, and 2 to 4 tablespoons can be added to most recipes.
You may add:
3 tablespoons to each cup of milk in puddings, cocoa or custard
4 tablespoons to each cup of hot cereal before cooking
2 tablespoons sifted into each cup of flour in cakes, cookies or breads

Enough said… so now onto the ice-cream…the inspiration for which came first from Arundati’s @ Escapades where she had posted an eggless Star Anise Ice-cream using condensed milk. That stuck in my mind! I was also inspired by the Floral Mango Ice-cream that Mike @ Mike’s Table had posted…the colours & combination were explosive, but for the eggs. I am quite a non-eggy person, so I put my own ideas & measures together & made this. Lovely & creamy ice-cream…& maybe would do even better in an ice-cream machine (whinge, whinge)…I used my arm!!

Ingredients:

Fresh cream – 500ml
Condensed milk – 1 can (14oz)
Mangoes – 2-3 / pureed
Pistachio nuts – a handful / optional

Method:

  • Beat the cream & condensed milk well. Add the mango puree & roughly chopped nuts & whisk again.
  • Put into a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid & put into the freezer.
  • Whisk the ice-cream every hour to break the crystals that form from the edge inwards, at least 5-6 times (whinge-whinge), & then leave to set for 6-8 hours or overnight.
  • Top with slivered pistachios & sprigs of mint! It’s absolutely delicious.

DH commented…”Better than Ben & Jerry’s”!! YAY!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

MALTED OAT ‘n’ PISTACHIO COOKIES & A DISTINCT AWARD…GASP!!

“Food…can look beautiful, taste exquisite, smell wonderful, make people feel good, bring them together, inspire romantic feelings.
…At its most basic, it is fuel for a hungry machine.”
Rosamond Richardson
Malted Oat ‘n’ Pistachio Cookies
I made really simple healthy cookies the other day. Had some oats which were beginning to look really sad just sitting there, so out came the cookbook. …’The Great Cookie Book’. Wasn’t in the mood for some long drawn recipe; found this one which seemed as laid back as I was feeling!
Made a few changes as I obviously would want to. Added nuts to add to crunch & taste; had to be pistachios which have found loads of favour with me these days. I think even walnuts would be a great option. The original cookie was supposed to be a crisp ‘n’ crunchy cookie…ideal to serve with morning coffee! In my great laziness, didn’t realize that we needed malt extract (help, what’s that???) until I had tossed all the dry ingredients together!!!
Aaaaaaaaaaargh…very Garfield moment in my life, just like it says on my fave coffee mug you see in the pic – ‘FACE IT’ , & I had to!! I used corn syrup instead. Maybe 1 tsp would have turned out a crisp cookie, but 2 tsps turned out beautifully chewy, delicious cookies. They were wonderful warm too!
Here’s the recipe as adapted form ‘The Great Cookie Book’, pg 34.’
Ingredients:
Rolled oats – 1 1/2 cups
Brown Sugar – 1/4 cup
Egg – 1
Sunflower oil – 4 tbsps
Corn Syrup – 2 tsps ( original has malt extract???)

Method:

  • Mix the rolled oats, pistachios & brown sugar, breaking up lumps in the sugar, if any.
  • Whisk the egg + sunflower oil + corn syrup in a bowl.
  • Add to the above, mix well & leave to soak for 15 minutes
  • Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Grease 2 baking sheets.
  • Place small heaps using a teaspoon onto the sheets. Push them into a round shape with your fingers if need be. Leave some room for spreading.
  • Sprinkle with slivered or chopped pistachios (optional)
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen chewy cookies.

Got my eyes set on you….

Am also excited to tell you about an award I got from sweet Saralynn @ Kooky Kids; an award for a ‘Blog of Distinction’.

Hey Saralynn, thanks a million, I am thrilled to get this lovely one…YAY!! This award was created by Working Mum On The Verge. Here are the rules:

Pass the award on to five blogs that make you Laugh, Cry, Think or Sigh…I love it!! I’d like to pass on the ‘Blog of Distinction’ to the following 5 who’ve made my life quite entertaining!

  • Amy @ Familia Bencomo who has me in splits, be it with soaps & stuff to entice DH with, or with trying to head here to buy spices (freshest on Indian soil Alfredo, she pleads). Tanti baci dear girl!
  • Manggy @ No Special Effects…plenty of special effect here where he claims ‘all tags come to die’. He’s quite the King of being tagged & meme’s. If you’re wondering where all the meme’s have gone, it’s all his fault!! Ha ha!! I’ve stopped thinking of learning from him; he’s far too accomplished…Sigh!
  • Ben @ What’s Cooking US…the child in him makes me laugh; his twists to food make me think! Distinct his style is!!
  • Susan @ Food Blogga…who makes me sigh when I see her posts; each more enticing than the next. Also her animated conversations with her Mom & DH are so real, they have me in hysterics! Ever heard of ‘lettuce that bites you back’…head for Susans‘! She’s got an osteoporosis event ‘Beautiful Bones’ on for May… she makes me THINK!!
  • Amanda @ Held By Love, Baked From Scratch…she has a most unique writing style, full of emotions *ponder*, *sulk* *+-=* (feelings in equations too); keeps me laughing & then crying; no time left to think or sigh!

Thanks again Saralynn for passing on such a wonderful award to me, & for giving me an opportunity to pass it on.

Got a funny fairy tale in the mail yesterday…read on if you have the time!

One day, a long, long time ago…….

…there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.But this was a long time ago…….and this seems unbelievable !
The End
Have a great day you lovely folk.
Posted by Deeba @ PAB

MANGO ICE-CREAM SWISS ROLL DESSERT…ROLLIN’ IN MANGOES!

“Ice cream is happiness condensed.”
Jessi Lane Adams
Simple ‘n’ Sensational…an Ice-cream Swiss Roll
This is by far the simplest & most versatile baked dessert that I have tried several times over & in many combinations. The Swiss roll is very pretty, is adaptable to personal taste, & also makes a fab frozen dessert.

DH & the kids were ruing the absence of exciting dessert for many days. A bite of after dinner chocolate seemed to work for a few days, but not too long. I had some mango ice-cream left-over in the freezer & thought we could polish that off. But the foodie in me got the better of my laziness, & I decided to make something with Equal Opportunity Kitchens‘ first foray into blog events, ‘Tried, Teste d & True’ in mind.
When I saw the 3 T‘s at Equal Opportunity Kitchen, I was ecstatic. I love the idea of tried & tested. At least you are on safe ground, true, & also within virtual reach of the maker!
The Swiss roll is a very simple sponge which gets whipped up in less than 10 minutes (begin preheating the oven) & by the time the oven is hot, the batter is ready. It also bakes in about 10-12 minutes. Such a breeze!! All you need is 3 simple ingredients & flavouring as desired.
Mangoes & Pistachios
I made my Swiss roll vanilla flavoured & used pistachio nuts with mango ice-cream because I love the colour combination yellow & green. I like to work with whatever I have on hand…in this case it was the above! Have to add that the taste was quite sensational & the flavours were beautiful! ‘Ooooohs & aaaaahs’ echoed when the slices were cut…looked very pretty indeed!
Ingredients:
Eggs – 3
Castor sugar – 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
Flour – 1/2 cup
Filling:
Mango Ice-cream -approx 350ml
Pistachio nuts – roughly chopped up / a handful
Pistachio slivers – 2-3 tbsps if desired
White chocolate ganache to drizzle

Method:

  • Line a Swiss roll tray / cookie tray with butter paper.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Whip the eggs + sugar + extract for 5-7 minutes until thick & mousse like.
  • Fold in the flour, 1/3 at a time, gently in figure 8 movements, so as to not release the air beaten in. The beaten in air helps the sponge to rise since there is no raising agent here.
  • Sprinkle with slivered pistachios & bake for 10-12 minutes till done.
  • While the roll is baking, lay out a cloth kitchen towel flat on the counter top, dust with Castor sugar.
  • Turn the sponge onto the towel, remove the tray & gently peel off the paper.
  • Hold the end of the towel, & roll up the sponge into a tight roll, & leave to cool completely.
  • Once cool, unroll the sponge. Keep the serving platter ready. We need to work fast now.
  • Soften some mango ice-cream ( I had a 3/4 portion of a 500ml tub left-over), & quickly spread evenly over the open sponge. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios (optional), & quickly roll up.
  • Place on the serving platter seam-side underneath, drizzle with white chocolate ganache & roughly chopped & whole pistachio nuts. Put into the freezer until needed.
  • Slice & serve straight out of the freezer. Makes about 8-9 slices per roll.
“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”
Voltaire

Caught him guarding the freezer…& framed him!!

Some other Swiss roll recipes you might enjoy:
Posted by Deeba @ PAB

CHOCOLATE-CHIP PISTACHIO COOKIES…& SERENDIPITY!

“Me want cookie!”
Cookie Monster
Chocolate-chip Pistachio Cookies
This was the day after making the chocolate pistachio fudge. I was plenty inspired with the great combination of chocolate & pistachios & decided to explore it some more. Time to substitute the walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies with pistachios! Oooooooooooh…for a nut which is not quite popular or as visible as pecans or walnuts, I’m amazed at the potential it has! This cookie tasted great; very nice indeed.
I’ve also seen some great pistachio panna cottas on the net. Another delightful thing about pistachios is the visual appeal. They add a burst of colour to whatever they are added to, more so as a garnish. I’m so glad I’ve discovered these pretty nuts…
Chocolate-chip Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients:
Butter – 1/2 cup / 100gms
Brown sugar – 1/3 cup
Granular Sugar – 1/3 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
Flour – 1 cup
Wholewheat flour – 1/4 cup
Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Chocolate chips – 1/2 cup
Pistachio nuts – 1/2 cup; roughly chopped up

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
  • Sift flour + wholewheat flour + baking soda + salt. keep aside.
  • Beat butter + sugars + egg + vanilla extract till creamy.
  • Fold in sifted flour mix + chocolate chips + pistachio nuts.
  • Drop spoonfuls on the sheet, with a spoon or cookie scoop, flatten gently with a fork if desired, & bake for 15 minutes/until golden brown. Push a nut into the top of each cookie.
  • Leave on baking sheet for a minute & then cool on cookie rack. The cookies will continue to harden as they cool.
These tasted absolutely divine; the kids were nibbling on a couple of warm ones…& then the bell rang. Surprise, Surprise! It was the postman… he delivered a parcel from overseas, which had this exciting stuff within!
‘Serendipity soaps’ from 2 rocking soapchix, Ashley & Tiffany, all the way across 7 seas from rural Colorado! A while ago Amy @ Familia Bencomo ran a virtual competition, ‘Serendipity Bake-off’ for the ‘Most Pleasing Dessert’; the prize was sponsored by Serendipity & was not a virtual one. Marie @ Proud Italian Cook won the well deserved prize; I got honorary mention & a prize too. Woo hoo!! My entry to the event is pictured below…‘Chocolate Strawberry Cake’.
YAY!! I didn’t know I won a little something too until Miri wrote to me.

Miri is my blogpal @ Peppermill who I met & linked my part of the blogging friendship chain to. She was nice enough to drop by the other day; we had a fab time talking non-stop & munching. She blogged about it here.

Wildly lucky soaps…

Do read about the Serendipity Soapchix HERE; they are committed to local resources, they are committed to the environment, they don’t like chemicals & preservatives…& they are wildly lucky!! (The soapchix ladies were largehearted enough to send me 2 bars coz I had to wait for so long!! They rock!!).

“‘Serendipity‘ means luck, or good fortune, in finding something good accidentally. English author Horace Walpole coined the word serendipity in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip.”

I quickly mailed Amy, & the soapchix too. Amy is sold on serendipity soaps & loves them! Amy, being Amy, immediately wanted to know which the scents had come my way. She forewarned me with useful warnings about how her DH, Alfredo, LOVES these soaps, & how my DH would love ’em too!! She is absolutely hilarious & great fun! Thanks Amy… who would think good luck, friends & joy would come by way of a combination of ‘soaps & bake-offs’!! For me it’s another great combo; like chocolate & pistachios!!
Some other recipes on my blog that use pistachios:

“Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer’s daughter.”
Julius Comroe Jr.
Posted by Deeba @ PAB

IS IT A BAR, IS IT A COOKIE? Guess what…It’s a BAR COOKIE!

“In the nut, nothing is lost, except perhaps the noise it makes when breaking.”
World Wide Walnut
Pistachio, Cranberries & Golden Raisin Bars

Was flipping pages of one of my favourite cookie books, ‘The Colossal Cookie Cookbook’, wondering what snack to make for the kids snack box for school. Thought I’d quickly do a batch of brownies, got the tin ready, lined it etc, & then had a change of heart. Wanted something other than chocolate…I like introducing them to as many flavours as possible, when they are still willing. Found something I liked the sound of… ‘Cranberry & Golden Raisin Bars’ hmmmmmmm. Passed a handful of golden raisins to the boy, who gave them a disdainful look, but tried one…& decided they weren’t that bad after all. Then the pistachios were chomped happily & the craisins too, which were a big hit! (The craisins were Ocean Spray’s ‘Orange Flavor Sweetened Dried Cranberries’ that I had lying around for a while. They are seriously good & healthy as a snack too.)

Having passed the litmus test, I set to work…

Bar Cookies are cookies that the dough is baked spread-out in a pan. The cookies are cut into “bars” after baking. Most drop cookies can also be made into bar cookies. Bar cookie dough is pretty stiff/firm like a cookie dough. They are usually simple & straight-forward cookies, that are fun to make!

Bar cookies consist of batter or other ingredients that are poured or pressed into a pan (sometimes in multiple layers), and cut into cookie-sized pieces after baking. Brownies are an example of a batter-type bar cookie. In British English, bar cookies are known as “tray bakes’.

The recipe as adapted from ‘The Colossal Cookie Cookbook’ , pg 393.

Ingredients:
Butter – 100gms (or margarine)
Brown sugar – 1/2 cup packed (soft brown)
Eggs – 2
Vanilla Essence – 1tsp
Flour – 1 cup ( the original recipe has 1 cup of self-raising flour)
Baking powder – 3/4 tsp
Salt – 1 pinch
Ground Almonds – 1/4 cup
Craisins – 1/2 cup
Pistachio nuts – 1/2 cup / chopped roughly
Golden raisins – 1/2 cup

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 10.5″ X 6.5″ or 8″ X 8″ pan with a 2″ depth. Leave a bit of overhang on the lining paper.
  • Sift the flour + baking powder + salt. Set aside.
  • Beat the butter & sugar till light & fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs one by one, followed by the vanilla essence.
  • Now gently fold in the flour + ground almonds + craisins + golden raisins + pistachio nuts.
  • Turn batter into tin & level out evenly with a spatula/butter knife.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown on top & done. Test with a wooden pick if need be.
  • Take out of oven & cool on rack for 10 minutes, then gently lift out of tin (holding the lining paper) & cool completely. Remove lining paper once cool.
  • Cut into bars or squares as desired, only once cooled. Dust with powdered sugar.
  • Best stored in the refrigerator, as per the book. (I’ve left them out as the weather is till cold & the houses here aren’t centrally heated.)
Enjoy a cookie with a cuppa tea or coffee…or a glass of chilled milk!
Posted by Deeba @ PAB
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