Chocolate Silk Raspberry Tart

It finally feels like spring in Minnesota! I am glad that the snow showers and the extreme cold are done with atleast for a while! Now starts the time of getting together with friends and celebrating some good times before the next strike of winter, which will be here sooner than desirable in MN :-(
I am also glad its a Friday (TGIF)! - been looking forward to this break ever since Monday ;-). I thought I would also share with you a dessert that I recently tried when we had some friends over at our home. This is one delicious, smooth, creamy and rich dessert! It's relatively easy and can be prepared ahead of time. The recipe isn't as complicated as its name "Chocolate Silk Raspberry Tart". I found the recipe on Betty Crocker website. Chocolate Silk Raspberry Tart

Ingredients: 20 creme-filled golden sandwich cookies, crushed (2 cups) 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 2 cups whipping (heavy) cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 1 cup fresh raspberries 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

Directions: Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. In 9- or 10-inch springform pan, press mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the whipping cream over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted. Stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Beat in chocolate mixture until creamy. Set aside. In another large bowl with electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/2 cups whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold half of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until blended. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon into cooled baked crust. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. To serve, arrange raspberries around edge of tart. In small microwavable bowl, microwave jam on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted; lightly brush over raspberries. Remove side of pan. Cut tart into wedges. Store in refrigerator.

MY VARIATIONS: I layered the crushed cookies on the bottom only of a springform pan and baked until golden brown and set. I made the dessert the day before and refrigerated until serving. Instead of using raspberry jam, I bought a frozen bag of raspberries. Thawed it by immersing the puch in water for 10-15 minutes. Kept the thawed raspberries refrigerated. Unmolded the tart from the springform pan and just before serving, spooned the raspberries with the juice (not heavy syrup and hence not extremely sweetened) along the sides of the tart. A few sprigs of mint and some chocolate shavings completed the decor. It sure looked and tasted amazing!

VERDICT: We really enjoyed this dessert as did our guests! They gave me rave reviews! My lil girl who isn't much receptive even to desserts, enjoyed this immensely. With the cream cheese in it, it definitely tasted a lot like cheesecake which was amazing! It sure was pure creamy dreamy heaven! The slightly tart raspberries were amazing against the sweet smooth chocolate filling. The baked crushed golden cookies added a crunch and character to the tart. I am a fan, for sure! Please do try this out and I'm sure you'll looove it!

Cheese balls - great party appetizers!!

Happy New Year, everyone!! I know its been almost a month since the new year, but better late than never I guess! I have been meaning to share this recipe with you since after Christmas but finally today, I got to make this post on Tasty treats! Yes, things are really hectic over here, I just dont know how to manage my time. Its totally weird that even now, I cant really say that I have adjusted to having to work, spend a chunk of my spare time in commute and still having to be a mom and a wife, all the while wishing to keep my blog going!! I had to skip the Daring Baker's challenge for December becuase I just couldn't figure out a time to do it! All the working food bloggers out there, please give me pointers!! :-)

Anyways, we had a quiet but nice Christmas meal with just the three of us. I had tried roasting Cornish Hens for the first time, along with a few other new recipes, which I am hoping to share with you soon. We had these amazing cheese balls as appetizers. These are very quick to put together, but they would definitely impress your guests in their looks, not to mention its wonderful taste. The texture of the soft, melting cheesy balls add onto the great appeal of these easy appetizers. Make sure to serve them warm, so as to keep the cheese melted.

I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine at work, in a small ad for Viva Paper towels. The recipe has been shared by Jeannine Williams. I really didnt make any changes to the recipe except for that I didnt have garlic powder (I thought I had it, but it turned out on the day of cooking that I didnt!! - should have checked first!). So ours were probably lacking the flavor, which we absolutely didnt notice, because they were delicious!! The tomato ketchup dip is definitely the perfect accompaniment for these golden-brown fried cuties!

Recipe (Makes approximately 44 balls) :

Ricotta cheese (15oz. container) - 1

Eggs - 2

Shredded Mozarella Cheese - 2 cups

Seasoned bread crumbs - 2 cups, divided

Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp

Vegetable oil - for frying

Tomato sauce - for dipping

Method:

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot or deep fryer until the termometer registers 360F.

Mix together ricotta and eggs.

Add mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs and garlic powder.

Roll cheese about the size of golf balls, toss in remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.

Carefully place in oil.

Fry a few at a time, about 1 minute 30 seconds.

Drain on paper towels (Viva ofcourse!!) and serve warm.

Tips:

1. We got about 20 big cheese balls (not golf ball sized for sure!!)
2. Serve warm so that the cheese is still melted.
3. Coat the balls well, with bread crumbs. If the cheese portion is exposed, it might melt and stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. I used plain toasted bread crumbs and not seasoned crumbs.

Have a great week ahead!! See you soon with more recipes...

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Hello and welcome back to Tasty treats!! I sure do miss posting more on this blog, but my work is taking up most of the time and I dont get to try out new recipes very often nowadays. But when I do, I make sure to take some pictures so that I can share it with you all.

Pineapple upside-down cake is one of those special cakes that I remeber from when I was young. My aunt used to bake it once-in-a-while and I remember that the name used to intrigue me! Eventhough it was like an exotic cake back then, I never got around to trying it out myself when I started baking. But finally I got a good recipe from a cookbook and I made this pineapple upside-down cake during the 4th of July weekend, when we had some friends come over to our place for a lunch get-together. I had baked the cake the day before, with two extra single serve cakes in ramekins so that we didnt have to wait until the next day to try it.

Just as soon as the picture session was over, we dived into our ramekin single serve cake shares. I must say, I really enjoyed the caramelised taste of the melted brown sugar and butter over the pineapple slices. The cake was really soft and delicate - the kind thats fluffy and delicious, with the caramelized pineapple piece in each mouthful. The reviews from JM indicated that he also enjoyed it really well. But unfortunately, I fell sick when the guests came over the next day and I was in bed!!!! So I had to forfeit the pleasure of serving the 8" cake and my guests served themselves. From what I could see, they really enjoyed the cake as well, with their little boy happily eating the cake. My friend asked for the recipe, the biggest acknowledgement of all.....

Hope you enjoyed the rceipe. Give this recipe a try and enjoy!!

Recipe (Makes 8 servings) :

Pineapple slices in juice - 2 cans (8oz each)
Butter or margarine - 8 tbsp (1 stick), softened
Brown sugar - 1/3 cup, packed
Cake flour (not self rising) - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Granulated sugar - 2/3 cup
Egg - 1, large
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/3 cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Drain pineapple slices in sieve set over bowl. Reserve 2 tbsp juice.

Cut 8 slices in half and drain on paper towels. Refrigerate remaining slices for another use.

In a 10" oven-safe skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until smooth.

Stir in reserved pineapple juice and heat to boiling; boil 1 minute.

Remove skillet from heat.

Decoratively arrange pineapple in skillet, overlapping slices slightly to fit.

In a small bowl, with fork, mix flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat the remaining 6 tbsp butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, frequently scraping the bowl with a spatula.

Reduce speed to low, beat in egg and vanilla until well blended.

Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat just until blended.

Spoon batter over pineapple, spread evenly.

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; 40-45 minutes.

Immediately run a thin knife around the edges to loosen cake from the side of the skillet.

Invert cake onto serving plate. (If any pineapple slices stick to the skillet, remove and replace on cake).

Cook 30 minutes to serve warm, or cool completely to serve later.

Source : Good Housekeeping Best Loved Desserts.

Tips:

1. I used a 20 oz can of pineapple rings.
2. Instead of baking in a skillet, I used an 8" round cake pan and 2 ramekins.
3. I didnt cut the pineapple rings in half, but used about 7 whole slices to line the base of the 8" cake pan and 2 more in the ramekins.
4. The cherries were placed in the middle of the pineapple slices after baking, for presentation.
5. I served the cake with a scoop of icecream on the side, though I should say, it tastes awesome just as is.
   

Hope you all enjoyed the recipe for today. Have a great day and an awesome weekend!!

Molten Chocolate Cake

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a great 4th Of July weekend! We had music and fireworks at a performance center near our home and eventhough we didnt go, we could see the fireworks from our patio!! It was really amazing, I really enjoyed it.

I had planned to post this cake last week, but unexpectedly got really sick. So I was in bed the whole weekend (darn!). But I went to work for a couple of days this week and so is taking today off. Sadly lil LM and JM are sick as well, so all's not well.

Anyways, this is a molten cake recipe that I tried a couple of weeks ago. It is also known as molten lava cake. The cake is very simple to prepare and as the name suggests, the cake will only be cooked for about 5-10 minutes so that the edges will be set. But when you cut into the cake, the center will still be liquid and will flow out of the cake in a chocolate-y ooey gooey lava. The recipe given is for 8 individual cakes, but I halved the recipe and made only 3 cakes. I let them bake in the oven for the 8 mintes mentioned in the recipe, but that almost cooked through the cake. So in my understanding, if you are making the entire recipe, bake for 8-9 minutes and if reducing the recipe, reduce the time accordingly. Slightly moist interior can be found in the last set of pictures.

Eventhough the center didnt flow out when cut into, the cake wasnt cooked dry, so each bite was really moist, creamy and decadent. It was unlike any cake that I've had before. It sure was melt-in-your-mouth goodness!! Give this recipe a try, and I'm sure you all will love it!

Recipe ( Makes 8 servings) :

Semi sweet chocolate - 4 squares (4oz), chopped

Butter or margarine - 1/2 cup (1 stick), cut into pieces

Heavy or whipping cream - 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

All-purpose flour - 1/4 cup

Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 2, large

Egg yolks - 2, large

Confectioner's sugar - for dusting

Whipped cream or Vanilla icecream (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease eight 6 oz custard cups. Dust with sugar.

In a heavy saucepan, heat chocolate, butter and cream over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter and chocolate have melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove pan from heat and add vanilla extract.

With a wire whisk, stir in flour just until the mixture is smooth.

In a medium bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat granulated sugar, eggs and yolk until thick and lemon colored, about 10 minutes.

Fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture, one third at a time, until blended.

Divide the batter evenly between the custard cups.

Place cups in jelly-roll pan for easier handling.

Bake until edges of cakes are set but the centers still jiggle, about 8-9 minutes.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 3 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges to loosen cakes from the sides of cups, invert onto dessert plates.

Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Serve immediately with whipped cream or icecream, if desired.

Source: Good Housekeeping Best Loved Desserts.

Tips:

1. I only made half the recipe, just reduced all the ingredients by half.
   
2. Reduce the baking time to 6 minutes or so (if you halve the recipe), since my cakes turned out almost well cooked. One of them was still moist inside, but the others were cooked through. But still they were creamy and decadent once in the mouth!! :-)

Stay healthy and have a great weekend!!

ATTENTION:

Some of you contacted me about the fact that you cannot open my blog with Internet explorer. I am having the same problem with error messages coming up everytime. I am currently using a different browser. Earlier on, refreshing the page a couple of times helped. If anybody knows what the problem could be, I would really appreciate the help. I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you!

Cream Cheese - Mixed fruit bits Strudel

This time I should say I completed my challenge with time to spare, though just two days before! Yes, once again its time to reveal the DB challenge for the month of May. The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

First of all, I want to mention that the support and the rapport of the DB members in the DB forum is praise-worthy!! I had almost given up on my thought of attempting this challenge. Thankfully, I went through the posts of the DBers on our members only forum and I was in awe of the combinations that everybody had made. There were many who had done multiple versions and had gone really creative with their flavor combinations. Everybody offers each other support, suggestions and advice and it really inspired me to atleast attempt the challenge and I am happy to say that I did.

I really was not sure if we would like the strudel because we do not usually like dough based desserts (like pies - that doesnt mean that we wouldnt eat it, though!!). The recipe seemed really simple so I wasnt entirely happy with my decision to pass this challenge. But finally, on an instinct, I started putting the dough together on Monday. I actually used bleached enriched all-purpose flour. The dough came together well and it was allowed to rest for an hour and a half. The dough was stretched at first by rolling out and then by hand. I got a few tears but I didnt care! I was happy that I was even doing it!

From the date the challenge was revealed, I knew I wanted to do something with a cream cheese base. I saw quite a few of cream cheese cherry combo, so I decided to go with a fruit medley. I used the dried mixed fruit bits available and soaked it in rum extract and fruit juice for about an hour and a half. The cream cheese was beaten until smooth along with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. The soaked fruits were then folded into the cream cheese mixture.

I divided the dough in half and worked with one half at a time. I stretched each half as much as I could, initially with a rolling pin and then with my hands. The stretched dough was smeared with melted butter and generously dusted with toasted breadcrumbs (store-bought). I divided the cream cheese mixture between the two strudel dough and the rolled the dough as instructed. I shaped one of the strudel logs into a horse-shoe and the other one was left as is. The top of the strudel was smeared with some melted butter and was sprinkled with a bit of breadcrumbs. After about 20 minutes of baking, I brushed the top of the strudels with an egg-wash, and baked for another 10 minutes.

The strudel was allowed to cool for another 30 minutes. The strudel was served with a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate and strawberry coulis.

My only complain is that in my horse-shoe shaped strudel, the most filling of cream cheese leaked out through the few tears in the dough and so when cut, there wasnt much filling left! So I was left wondering how it would've tasted! Be aware of the cons of the tears. But finally when I cut the log shaped one, it had a thick amazingly delicious cream cheese filling inside. I got quite a few layers in each strudel and they were delicate, thin and crisp to perfection. I refrigerated the left overs and yesterday evening after work, I tasted some straight from the fridge and it was awesome!! I would recommend it cold! It hadnt turned soggy at all, it was crisp and delicate just as before.

VERDICT :

Eventhough I was a little apprehensive about trying this challenge, I am really happy that I did. This is not the best among the DB challenges for me, but still I really like the simplicity and the results of this recipe. The dough takes no time to put together and is very simple. Once you figure out the combination of the filling that you want, you can get the filling together while the dough rests. The stretching of the dough, if done a bit patiently, will work out perfect - its easier if done in half. The strudels were crisp, flaky and delicious. I got many delicate layers which baked to a perfect golden brown color. I was just ok with the taste on the day I baked them, but I was amazed with the delicious flavor after a day in the fridge. The pastry was still flaky and crisp and the filling was cool, creating a great feel in your mouth! I would like to make this again, with different fillings. It is not at all time-consuming when compared to some of the past DB challenges and is great as a home baked goodie which does not need days of preparation! :-) Thanks Linda and Courtney!!

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes
15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the fillin
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

Apple strudel from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbsstrudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.


Strudel dough from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try
;- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster.
;- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves.
;- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table.
;- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney's notes- She could't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable;- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

My notes- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a standmixer so I don't know how it compares.- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;- I used bread flour;- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further.

Here's a link to a strudel making video that might help you a bit. Check out the DB bloroll for more ideas.

Caramel Custard Pudding - One of my favorites!!!

Caramel custard pudding is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I love the texture, the taste and the feel that this dessert brings. The smooth, creamy, cool feel of this amazing dessert in your mouth, can be best described as heavenly!

I dont remember the first time I had this wonderful piece of heaven, but I do remember that my mom used to make this at home for special occassions and sometimes, just because :-). My brother and I were ardent lovers of mom's caramel custard and it isnt surprising at all that I learned the recipe for this before any other!! My mom used to cook the custard in a pressure cooker (without gasket) and basically steam it. My brother and I would fight like crazy for the liquid caramel that forms once its cooked.

After coming to the US, I searched for a recipe that didnt require the custard to be steamed, but rather could be baked. I came across this amazing recipe at Chef De Cuisine. I tried these out and they came out really well. Since then, I have made this recipe a zillion times since then, mostly in half the quantity, and have always been happy with it. So I thought that its high time that I shared this recipe which has given me good results consistently. JM is also a big fan of caramel custard and there's no doubt that this will be our go-to recipe forever! The pictured custard was gone in two days, I mean TWO days!!! (Actually we started working on this last Friday night, and it was gone by Saturday evening!!). Do try this out and I know you will love it! I will be happy to answer any questions that you might have, so please send an email to jz.tastytreats@gmail.com.

Recipe (Serves 8) :

For the caramel :

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Water - 2 tbsp

Heat the sugar and water together in a saucepan. Melt the sugar and wait until the sugar is caramelized and turns dark brown. Remove from heat and pour into a large mould or individual moulds. Swirl to cover the bottom of the mould/s and allow to cool completely.

For the custard:

Eggs - 6

Milk - 1 quart (32oz)

Granulated sugar - 1 cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method :

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until well blended.

Boil the milk in a saucepan.

Add the boiling milk into the egg-sugar mixture and mix until uniform.

Stir in the vanilla essence.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into the single large mold or individual molds.

Bake in a water bath for about 30 minutes for a single mold and 20 minutes for smaller individual molds.

Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Before serving, run a knife through the edge of the mold and invert onto a serving plate.

Enjoy!!

Source : Chef De Cuisine

Tips:

1. The recipe can be halved and it still works.
2. Before pouring into the caramel coated mould, cool the custard mix slightly so that it doesnt melt the caramel coating.
3. For the waterbath, place the mould in a bigger oven-proof pan/skillet and pour hot or boiling water atleast halfway up the sides of the custard mould. The waterbath helps the custard to cook uniformly without drying up.
4. Caramel custard can be also served with fresh fruits. I just served them plain with some caramel juice, which is just the way we like it! :-)
5. The caramel custard can also be cooked by steaming.
6. Make sure to add the milk to the egg-sugar mixture and not the other way around, theres a chance of the mixture appearing curdled, if you do.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great day!

Iced Chocolate Nut Gateau

I have been eyeing this dessert since I bought the "Desserts 500 delicious recipes" book. It has all the stuff that I love - its sweet, its frozen, it has nuts and whipped cream with delicious sponge fingers. I finally got a chance to make it last weekend. My dad was visiting us from my brother's in Seattle, on his way back to India. I took it as a chance to try out a new dessert as it was an excellent chance to divide the calories ;-).... Am I evil, well, I dont think so! It was an awesome dessert, perfectly sweetened and light. The whipped cream made fresh at home and the light sweetness imparted by just the right amount of confectioner's sugar is remarkable. I personally love the taste of hazelnuts and this reminded me of the delectable Ferrero Rocher, one of my favorite kind of chocolate. The sponge fingers lend the spongy texture of a cake, and the whipped cream gives the feel of an icecream. The chopped hazelnuts and morsels of chocolate were exceptional, making for a delicious bite among the light and fluffy whipped cream! My favorite part of this dessert was the hazelnut bits and the soaked sponge fingers.

I believe that this will taste just as delicious with almonds or cashews as well. Once the gateau is thawed in the fridge for about 10 minutes, the dessert will be ready to be sliced and served. I served the dessert with a simple decoration of cool whip swirls and a few cherry chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Try these out and I am sure you will love it. It makes for a really simple dessert with which you can impress your guests. Dust with a little cocoa and sugar and it will look stunning. Enjoy!!

Recipe (Serves 6-8) :

Hazelnuts - shelled, 3/4 cup
Sponge fingers - about 32
Cold strong black coffee - 2/3 cup
Brandy - 2 tbsp
Double (heavy) cream - 2 cups
Confectioner's (icing) sugar - 2/3 cup, sifted
Semi-sweet chocolate - 5 oz, chopped into small pieces
Icing sugar and Cocoa powder (for dusting)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Spread out the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes until golden.

Turn the nuts onto a clean dish towel and rub off the skins while still warm.

Cool, then chop finely.

Line a 5 cup loaf tin with cling wrap and cut the sponge fingers to fit the base and sides.

Reserve remaining fingers.

Mix the coffee with the brandy in a shallow dish.

Dip the sponge fingers briefly into the coffee mixture and return to tin, sugar side down, to fit.

Whip the cream with the icing sugar until it holds soft peaks.

Fold half of the chopped chocolate into the cream with the hazelnuts.

Use gentle figure-of -eight action to distribute the chocolate and nuts evenly.

Melt the remaining chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Cool, then fold into the cream mixture. Spoon into the tin.

Moisten the reamining fingers in the coffee mixture - take care not to soak the fingers, otherwise they will collapse.

Lay the moistened fingers over the filling.

Wrap and freeze until firm.

To serve, remove from the freezer 30 minutes before serving to allow the icecream to soften slightly.

Turn out onto a serving plate and dust with icing sugar and cocoa powder.

Source: Desserts 500 delicious recipes; Edited by Ann Kay.

Tips:

1. I didnt use brandy with coffee. I used a bit of hot cocoa powder along with the coffee powder to make the dipping.
2. I used about 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate.
3. I just had 24 sponge fingers (while the sponge fingers were in storage at my home, some in-home thieves stole the rest!), so I didnt top the dessert (when served, it lines the bottom) with moistened sponge fingers.
4. The gateau was served decorated with whipped cream, whole hazelnuts and cherry chocolate chips.
5. The dessert is very lightly sweetened. So if you are into sugar-high desserts, add more confectioner's sugar to the cream before whipping.

Have a great day!!

Spinach Cheese Swirls

Things are definitely getting more hectic around here... I am going to start volunteering at the U for a couple of months. So each day is packed with actvities like preparing for the work, finding a pre-school for lil LM and finishing up the house-hold stuff before things get real crazy around here!! I am trying to enjoy the last few days of freedom and savoring the time alone with my lil girl. Even before starting work, all those days whining about sitting at home have started to seem like a bad idea ;-). Eventhough I know that if we were in India, LM would've started Kindergarten, it feels hard to let go!! SIGH!! JM is wondering why I am sad about sending her to pre-school for the whole week. Well, it might be because I am used to being with her 24/7!! I am so sorry, am I bringing you all down? I just had to let it out somewhere..... Anyways, lets get into our recipe for today!

I got this recipe from a small recipe booklet of Pepperidge farm puff pastry sheets. This is a very simple and straight-forward recipe made easy with the ready made pastry sheets (Check out the home-made flavored pastry sheets for Daring Bakers challenge here). I substituted a few of the ingredients with my own. Check out the original recipe here. These cute lil cheese swirls were simply irresistible. "No one can eat just one" if I could quote the Lays potato chips ad! This is one delicious hors d'oeuvre or appetizer that you can serve your guests which is guaranteed to be an instant hit! Sorry for the not so great pictures, we just didnt have the patience to wait around for re-taking the pictures!!

We all are not-so-great spinach lovers and these made me doubt if I am missing out on something! The spinach goes well with the cheese and other ingredients in these savory cuties and the flavor and texture of spinach is well pronounced, but wonderful! Try these out and you will be definitely making more of these - thanks to the puff pastry sheets!! :-)

PS: A special thanks to everybody who dropped me a word appreciating my song in the previous post.

Recipe:

Puff pastry sheet - 1/2 of a package (1 sheet)
Egg - 1
Water - 1 tbsp
Colby & Muenster Cheese - 3/4 cup
Parmasen - a dash
Green onion - 1, chopped
Italian seasoning - 1/4 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Frozen Spinach - 10 oz, thawed and drained well

Method:

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or according to package instructions.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Beat the egg and water in a small bowl.

Stir the cheeses, green onion and seasoning in a medium bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.

Brush the pastry sheet with the egg mixture.

Top with the cheese mixture and spinach.

Starting at the short side closest to you, roll up like a jelly roll.

Cut into 20 (1/2-inch) slices.

Place the slices cut-side down on the baking sheets.

Brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the swirls are golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips:

1. The actual recipe use Parmesan and Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese.
2. I have omitted the garlic powder in the actual recipe and added some Italian seasoning.

Enjoy the recipe! Have a great day!!

UPDATE:

I would like to send a few of my archived recipes to Sudeshna's First Blog Birthday event : Event for eggs.

Egg Biriyani
Egg Curry with Coconut Milk
Pineapple Fried Rice
Onion-omelette-sandwich with mushrooms

Happy 1st Birthday to your blog, Sudeshna!!

Mango Kulfi & Kudos to Blogger Aid

As many of you know, the food bloggers from across the globe have joined forces and have formed a group named BloggerAid. The growing group of international food bloggers have united in efforts to alleviate World Hunger. "Our vision is a world which provides for and protects the welfare and human dignity of all of its people. A world in which all children can grow, learn and flourish, developing into healthy, active, caring members of society".

BloggerAid has decided to support World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations frontline agency, in its goal to provide food to the less fortunate. For nearly 40 years, WFP has been the largest operator of school meals programs in the developing world.

BloggerAid members are planning to publish a cookbook with the help of all the food bloggers and YOU! and 100 % of the profit from the sales of the cookbook will be directed to School Meals. The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by November/December 2009. Check out the announcement for more details. Non-bloggers can also submit a recipe.

I thought that since I have a strong sweet-tooth, I should be submitting a Dessert!! My contribution to this cookbook is Mango Kulfi. This is the result of my experiment in submitting a recipe to this endeavour. I must say that it was very succesful and I am proud to be contributing this recipe to the book.

As I am not allowed to publish the recipe before the book is released, I can only give you some tempting pictures and a description of how it turned out. The mango kulfi was really creamy and decadent with the perfect texture of authentic Indian Kulfi. The tantalizing flavor of mango turned out to be in an excellent balance with the other ingredients. The flavor of the "spices" added make the kulfi all the more delicious. I garnished it with some chopped mango and pistachios. It is a must-try for all the dessert lovers out there. JM was asking for more every time he tasted it. I am sure he would've finished the entire thing if would've had let him!! I have also fallen in love with this recipe. I definitely will be making more of this. For now, I hope you all like the pictures of this awesome dessert.

The cookbook will contain contributions from many of your favorite food bloggers. I will update you all on the progress of this effort and you can also help by supporting the cause in ways that you can. Thank you all for reading this post with a cause! ;-)

The round-up for Lets go nuts : Almonds will be posted this week. So stay tuned for all the amazing entries from our participants!!


Have a great day!!

Pineapple Pudding - the one you'll go nuts for!!

Once in a while I come across a recipe, which I would be absolutely excited about, which I am ready to guarantee success for. It makes me wish you could all taste how awesome it is from my post or I could give you samples from my kitchen! This pineapple pudding recipe is one such recipe which is truly out-of-the-world.

I tasted this awesome dessert at a gathering of friends here in MN. We were all blown away by the delicate flavor of the pudding, wanting more and more. My dear friend Jilby gave me the ingredients that went into the pudding and it was so easy to make. Since then I have made the pudding twice, once for a gathering of some other friends of mine (where it was an instant hit) and last weekend, for JM is absolutely crazy about this one!! I experimented with the recipe to find a proportion of ingredients that suited me.

I cant say enough about this pudding! The pudding is very light with no overwhelming sweetness. The tartness of the pineapple chunks against the pudding works really well. The pineapple flavor as a whole, transports you to an exotic island where it is utmost ecstasy for your taste buds. The cool whip gives a very light airy texture to the pudding where as the heavier elements like crushed pineapple and almonds sink to the bottom. After refrigeration, the pudding sets softly because of the gelatin in the Jello. I know this is one recipe that I am going to make for guests and gatherings.

I guess I would also experiment with other flavors of Jello and its corresponding fruit/s. But I am sure nothing would give you the comfort that you would get from this Pineapple Pudding. Thanks Jilby, for the recipe!!

Recipe (Makes enough for an 8*8 square pan):

Jello, Island pineapple flavor - 1 packet (3oz)
Water - 2 cups, divided
Condensed milk - 1 can (14oz)
Cool whip - 1 tub (8 oz)
Crushed pineapple - 1 can (20oz)
Slivered almonds - 1/2 cup

Method:

Prepare the Jello according to package instructions. For that boil 1 cup of water and add to the jello powder. Mix well to dissolve. Then add 1 cup of cold water and mix well.

To the Jello, add the condensed milk and stir well.

Fold in the cool whip gently until no lumps remain. Use the whisk to do the final mixing.

Drain the crushed pineapple.

Add the pineapple pieces to the pudding mix.

Toss in the almond slivers and stir well.

Transfer the pudding into an 8*8 square pan or individual serving molds.

Decorate with a handful of almond slivers.

Refrigerate atleast for 4 hours, or until the pudding sets.

Serve chilled and enjoy!

Tips:

1. Instead of crushed pineapple, pineapple chunks can also be used.
2. The amount of pineapple can be changed to taste.
3. Use almond slivers or blanched almonds chopped coarsely.
   

I am sending this almond rich dessert to "Lets go nuts : Almonds" being hosted here right on Tasty treats. Check out the event announcement for more details. The last date is March 31, 2009 and multiple entries are welcomed.

Have a great day!

Egg Biriyani & Pista Kulfi for an awesome treat!

I just dont know how fast each week passes by! Dividing my time between taking care of a 3 year old, her pre-school, JM's busy schedule and household chores, I just know that Monday (the dreaded day!!) comes by just as soon as the previous one is over! So these days, I havent done much of baking or cooking "specials", for that matter. I am inviting you to share two excellent recipes that I had tried out earlier, from two other talented bloggers. The first one is Shn's Egg Biriyani and to finish it off with a sweet note, there is Sujatha's Pista Kulfi.

This egg biriyani caught my interest the first time I came across Shn's post on the recipe. Immediately I bookmarked it in my favourites. Last year at Christmas, I decided to give this a try. Just because it was just the three of us on Christmas, I didnt feel like preparing an elaborate meal. And coincidentally I fell sick the two days before Christmas. By that time I really needed something simple. We were all happy with the egg biriyani which is actually a little more complex than the name suggests. One would expect the biriyani to be biriyani rice and masala with just hard boiled eggs. But this recipe is a bit more complex with egg omelettes and homemade masala. I was a bit overwhelmed with all the steps, probably because I was not feeling well. Anyways, try this out and you wont be disappointed.

Check out Shn's Egg Biriyani at Mishmash!

I really dont have to say how much I love desserts. When Sujatha posted this Pista Kulfi recipe, I was itching to make it as soon as possible. But since I am on a small sugar-high dessert ban, I had to be patient. The recipe remained attractive among all my bookmarked recipes. Finally a few weeks ago, I made the kulfi and it was out of the world!! I am not kidding, it was awesome! It was melt in your mouth kind which no one would be able to resist. The best part about the recipe is its simplicity and can me mixed together in minutes. JM absolutely loved it, he was willing to have it for breakfast, if I would let him! The recipe was enough for probably 12-14 kulfi-sicles but they were gone in a day! I just cant thank her enough for this delicious dessert. Dont believe me?, try it out for yourself......

Do try out Sujatha's Pista Kulfi recipe at Spicy Khazaana.

My dear friend Ivy of Kopiaste has bestowed upon me, the Adorable Blog award. I thank her immensely for remembering me while passing on the award.

I would love to pass it on to,

Asha of Foodie's Hope and Aroma

Divya Kudua of Easy Cooking

Priya of Priya's Easy N' Tasty recipes

Trupti of Recipe Center

Aquadaze of Served with Love

Soma of eCurry

Finally, dont forget that Lets go nuts: Almonds is the "happening thing"/ ongoing event on Tasty treats. Do check out the event announcement and rush in your delicious entries with almonds in them, before March 31.

Have a great day!