Tag: Serendipity

Saffron Pistachio Yogurt Ice Cream…Happy IWD

“I’d much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they’re the first to be rescued off sinking ships”
Gilda Radner
This frozen dessert came out more beautifully than I thought it would. I have been meaning to post it for a bit, but something or the other kept cropping up. The hub sang praises with every spoonful, & no, not because he wanted another helping, but because he truly enjoyed the flavours. Saffron & pistachio compliment each other perfectly, in colour & in soul! It was more creamier than I imagined it would be, it did have a slight tartness of yogurt which added to it’s refreshing taste. The chopped pistachios folded in towards the end gave added texture to this lively & low fat ice-cream. I created a saffron caramel sauce to go with it. It had a delicate saffron fragrance, & paired with it beautifully.
Frozen yogurt is a refreshing, tangy dessert that combines the flavors and textures of ice cream and sherbet. Frozen yogurt is a relative new-comer in the dessert market. The history of frozen desserts dates back thousands of years to Asia where water ices were first made. Although Roman literature describes how the Emperor Nero was treated to exotic fruit juices and wines chilled with mountain snow, it was not until the 13th century that Marco Polo introduced Asian water ices to Italy. The popularity of these frozen desserts spread throughout Europe and within a few centuries, European colonists introduced ice cream in the U.S. This post is out for International Women’s Day today. For all those wonderful bloggers who make our world better everyday. For the men too, but today, especially for the women. I can name a few to begin with, & could go on & on. A few who come to my mind as I write…
  • Amy @ Familia Bencomo…my first blog girlfriend who I met over Serendipity & her contest just a year ago. She’s gotten busy so doesn’t blog much, but we catch up on facebook now & then.
  • The Food Blogga gal, Susan, who amazes me with every post, but amazes me even more by reaching out to me from time to time with a mail to keep in touch. Susan…am lagging behind to. Have your mail in my things-to-do folder Susan.
  • Purnima @ Fantasy Cookblog who is my special friend in Kuwait, generous with words & praise, who constantly makes so much off my blog. The good thing is that I get a picture & am email from her the instant she tries a recipe.
  • Diva @ Sugarbar…a complete mad-hatter who always racing around with unbounded spirit; a sweetheart!
  • My new friend Kilvy (Vasiliki Karyda) in Munich who has been cooking since she was 5. Following my blog, among many others, she’s now very inspired to begin her own blog, & I’m trying to lend her a hand.
  • Meeta, whose was one of the first blogs I discovered, & was very charmed by her blog name What’s For Lunch Honey? Never has a lunch gone without that scream passing through my head ‘What’s for lunch honey?’
  • Nic who I met at Cherrapeno last year & we hit it off instantly. That girl is talented, that girl is fun & that girl is generous beyond words.
  • Dear dear Helene @ La Cuisine Helene who bought me a bag of chocolate chips on reading in a post sometime back that we don’t get chocolate chips here.
  • Hanaa @ Hanaa’s Kitchen who is also another new blogpal. Thrilled to learn yesterday that our wedding anniv falls on the same day!!
  • Nachiketa @ The Variable who can talk non-stop for hours, who has infectious levels of excietment & foodie enthusiasm.
  • Val @ More Than Burnt Toast, Ivy @ Kopiaste, & Giz @ Equal Opportuniy Kitchen, the 3 superwomen, 3 amazing bloggers who are doing a wonderful job with Blogger Aid. A GREAT initiative!!
  • Good ole Arundati @ Escapades who fun-lovingly takes all my nudges & banter, & has successfully been able to grow basil from the seeds I mailed her. So what if she killed them a couple of times…
  • Arfi @ Homemades who lives in paradise & makes the most of it. She is brilliant with her camera, her foodie creations, & has a BIG heart too!
  • Aran @ Canelle et Vanille, Helen @ Tartlette & Vera @ Baking Obsession…I know that each visit is going to be a virtual treat with unlimited eye candy unlimited, refreshing ideas & pictures to swoon over.
  • …& so many many more great women. Happy IWD to all of you!!

Inspired by Meeta’s last Daring Bakers post of Saffron Coconut Ice-cream, I set off to make this. It was one that I just couldn’t shake off my mind. SAFFRON PISTACHIO YOGURT ICE-CREAM
My recipe
Ingredients:
Hung yogurt (out of 1 1/4 ltrs of yogurt)
1 1/2 cups low fat cream
1 – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
A good pinch of safrom
1/2 cup of pistachio nuts, chopped
Saffron Caramel & pistachios for garnishing

Method:

  • Take 1/4 cup of the cream, add the saffron to it, & microwave it for 30 seconds. Leave to cool & for the flavours to mature for at least 30 minutes.
  • Beat the hung yogurt till smooth. It should be nice & thick, & hold peaks. Add the cream, the saffron cream, the sugar & beat well. Taste & adjust sweetness if required.
  • Put into a freezer box & beat every hour to distribute the crystals. ( You lucky ones with ice-cream machines, just carry on to the last step…)
  • After about 4-5 hours, when it’s beginning to get nice & thick, fold the chopped pistachios through & leave it to set for another 4-5 hours, preferably overnight.
  • For the Saffron Caramel Sauce, I simmered some caramel from my jar in the fridge with a good pinch of saffron for 2-3 minutes. then I just left it to cool for about an hour for the flavours to steep.
  • Remove the ice-cream to the fridge an hour before serving, drizzle with saffron caramel sauce, top with chopped pistachios & a few stands of saffron. 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
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