Corn chops
August 24, 2009
Ingredients : 1 corn, 3 medium sized potatoes, 3-4 slices of bread, ½ teaspoon ajwain seeds, 1 tablespoon red chilli powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon coriander leaves(chopped) , oil for frying, salt to taste.
Method: Discard the leaves of the corn and take out the seeds with the help of a sharp knife. Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Soak the bread slices in water for a few seconds and squeeze out the water and add to the mashed potatoes. Mix in the corn seeds, chilli powder, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Add salt to taste and mix well. Shape into chops and deep-fry in oil till golden brown.
Serve with tomato or chilli sauce.
Apple tart
August 22, 2009
(A classic French dessert)
Ingredients ; for fillings – 1 kg apple, 200 gm sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ cup raisins, 2 tablespoon butter,
For tart-shell – 150 gm flour, 75 gm chilled butter, 25 gm sugar, ice-cold water to mix.
Method: Place the flour on a work platform. Cut the chilled butter into very small pieces and gradually mix with flour with your fingertips till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add sugar and sprinkle ice-cold water as required, and form into smooth dough. Do not over-knead. (the cold butter and ice-cold water make the base flaky and crispy). Chill for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough onto a pie dish and blind-bake (blind baking is a procedure for preparing a pre-baked pie or tart shell) in a preheated oven at 180 C for 15 – 18 minutes; retain some dough aside for further use. Take out and cool.
Peel and de-seed the apples, and cut them into small cubes. Heat butter in a pan. Add apples. Add the sugar, cinnamon powder and raisins. The apples will cook in their own juice(approximately for five minutes). Place the apple mixture onto the blind-baked pie-shell. Make lattice work with the remaining dough(which was kept aside earlier) on the apple mixture and further bake it for 20 minutes at 180 C. Served best
warm with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.
Crème caramel
August 22, 2009
(caramel flavoured egg custard)
Ingredients
————-
250 gm sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
425 ml/ 1/3 rd cup milk
250 gm or 1 cup cream
5 large-sized eggs
2 egg yolks
Method:
———
Put 175 gm of sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan and caramelise it to a golden colour. Pour into a soufflé dish and swirl to coat the base. Bring the milk and cream to the boil. Cool for 15-20 minutes.
Whisk eggs, egg yolks and the remaining sugar into the hot milk. Strain the mixture into the caramel-lined dish. Cover with the foil. Place the dish in a roasting tin and pour enough boiling water up to half the dish. Bake the custard for 40-45 minutes till it sets. Cool and chill.
Carefully run a sharp knife along the edge to loosen the custard. Invert the custard onto a serving plate.
Apple tart
August 21, 2009
(A classic French dessert)
Ingredients ; for fillings – 1 kg apple, 200 gm sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ cup raisins, 2 tablespoon butter,
For tart-shell – 150 gm flour, 75 gm chilled butter, 25 gm sugar, ice-cold water to mix.
Method: Place the flour on a work platform. Cut the chilled butter into very small pieces and gradually mix with flour with your fingertips till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add sugar and sprinkle ice-cold water as required, and form into smooth dough. Do not over-knead. (the cold butter and ice-cold water make the base flaky and crispy). Chill for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough onto a pie dish and blind-bake (blind baking is a procedure for preparing a pre-baked pie or tart shell) in a preheated oven at 180 C for 15 – 18 minutes; retain some dough aside for further use. Take out and cool.
Peel and de-seed the apples, and cut them into small cubes. Heat butter in a pan. Add apples. Add the sugar, cinnamon powder and raisins. The apples will cook in their own juice(approximately for five minutes). Place the apple mixture onto the blind-baked pie-shell. Make lattice work with the remaining dough(which was kept aside earlier) on the apple mixture and further bake it for 20 minutes at 180 C. Served best
warm with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.
Crème caramel
August 21, 2009
(caramel flavoured egg custard)
Ingredients
————-
250 gm sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
425 ml/ 1/3 rd cup milk
250 gm or 1 cup cream
5 large-sized eggs
2 egg yolks
Method:
———
Put 175 gm of sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan and caramelise it to a golden colour. Pour into a soufflé dish and swirl to coat the base. Bring the milk and cream to the boil. Cool for 15-20 minutes.
Whisk eggs, egg yolks and the remaining sugar into the hot milk. Strain the mixture into the caramel-lined dish. Cover with the foil. Place the dish in a roasting tin and pour enough boiling water up to half the dish. Bake the custard for 40-45 minutes till it sets. Cool and chill.
Carefully run a sharp knife along the edge to loosen the custard. Invert the custard onto a serving plate.
Brussels sprouts soup
August 20, 2009
Prep time 15 minutes, cooking time 30 minutes, serves four;
Ingredients; 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion finely chopped, 1 garlic flake crushed, 1 large potato diced, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds crushed plus extra to garnish, 300 g Brussels sprouts trimmed and roughly chopped, 850 ml vegetable stock, salt and pepper to season; 1 pinch nutmeg grated, 4 tablespoon double cream.
Preparation: Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and potato for five minutes. Sprinkle the fennel seeds, then fry for 30 seconds. Add the sprouts and fry for two minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer until the potato is tender.
Remove the soup from heat. Blend in a food processor. Return to the pan, stir in the nutmeg and reheat gently. Ladle into four serving bowls and drizzle with the cream. Sprinkle the extra fennel seeds.
CELERY & ORANGE SOUP
August 20, 2009
Prep time – 10 minutes ; cooking time 40 minutes ; serves four;
For the soup : 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion chopped , 600 gm celery cut into chunks, 600 gm potatoes diced, 1.5 ltrs vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon saffron strands, lightly ground in mortar juice and zest(finely grated) of 2 oranges, salt and pepper , to season
For the gremolata; 1 garlic flake, 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1 handful flat-leaf parsley
Preparation: Heat two tablespoon olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion for three to four minutes until soft, but not golden brown. Add the celery and potatoes.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock, saffron, orange juice and half the zest. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Process until smooth in a food processor. Return to the pan and season with salt and pepper. To prepare the gremolata, use a pestle and mortar to crush the garlic and sea salt, then add the parsley and combine to make a smooth paste.
Reheat the soup and ladle into bowls. Spoon the gremolata on top, drizzle the remaining oil and scatter the reserved orange zest.
DATE AND APPLE PANCAKES
August 20, 2009
Ingredients for pancakes: 200 ml milk, 150 gm flour, 3 tablespoon sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence , butter to grease the pan.
For fillings: 2 apples, 2 tablespoon sugar, ½ cup water, ½ teaspoon lemon rind, ½ teaspoon cinnamon , 8 – 10 dates.
Method: for filling : Peel and core the apples. Cut into quarters. Bring the water to the boil and mix in all the ingredients and cook over a low flame till the apples and dates are cooked and soft. Continue to cook till the mixture is thick.
Mix all the ingredients to make the pancakes. Make a smooth dough. Grease a pan and spoon a little dough at a time to make pancakes. Fry the pancakes on both sides till a light golden brown.
Fill each pancake with the apple and date mixture, and serve hot or cold.
Sprout Macaroni Salads
August 20, 2009
Ingredients:
————-
1 teacup macaroni (cooked)
1 teacup bean sprouts
1 capsicum chopped
1 medium sized carrot(chopped and parboiled)
3 spring onions (chopped)
1 orange (segmented)
1 sweet lime
For dressing:
—————
¾ teacup thick, fresh yoghurt
3 tablespoon mint leaves( finely chopped)
¾ teaspoon mustard powder
¾ teaspoon sugar (powdered)
Salt to taste
Method:
———
Mix all the ingredients for the salad and chilli. Serve chilled with dressing.
Chicken Broccoli
August 20, 2009
Ingredients:
1 chicken weighing about 1 kg
250gm broccoli
3 tablespoon cashew nut paste
1 cup oil
Salt to taste
For paste:
2 onions, 5-6 pods of garlic , 1” piece of ginger, 3 dry red chillies
Method:
Clean and cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces. Cut the broccoli into florets.
Grind all the ingredients for the paste. To make the cashew nut paste dry-grind broken cashewnuts and then mix 3-4 tablespoon of water and grind again. Heat the oil in a fry pan. Add the chicken pieces and salt to taste. Fry the chicken over a medium heat till the pieces acquire a light brown colour.
Lower the heat and add the spice taste. Mix well and add 1 cup of water and cover with a lid. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
