Vegetarian canapés:
August 29, 2009
Ingredients: 6-7 rusk biscuits, 6-7 cheese slices, 50 gm mushroom, 1 large capsicum, 1 tablespoon flour, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground) 1 tablespoon butter , 1 tablespoon oil, salt to taste.
For garnishing ; chopped parsley or mint leaves(optional)
Method: Chop the mushrooms and the capsicums into very tiny pieces. Mix the flour in the milk to form a smooth paste. Heat the butter and the oil in a pan and sauté the mushrooms and capsicums for 2 minutes. Add the pepper and keep aside. Place a slice of cheese on each rusk biscuit and trim the cheese slice to the size of a biscuit. Top with a little of the prepared mushroom mixture and garnish with chopped parsley or mint leaves.
Chinese bread circles
August 29, 2009
Ingredients; 7 – 8 slices bread, 1 cup noodles (cooked) , 3-4 potatoes (boiled), 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (roasted) , ½ teaspoon ajino moto , 1 teaspoon soya sauce, ½ teaspoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon oil , oil for frying.
Method: Discard the sides of the bread and cut one circle from each bread slice with the help of a small bow. Keep the circles aside. Heat 2 tablespoon oil and mix the boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes, cooked noodles, soya sauce, vinegar and ajino moto. Mix well and cook over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and cool. On each bread circle place a portion of the prepared mixture. Top with some sesame seeds, Prepare all the circles in this way. Heat oil sufficient to deep-fry the bread circles. When the oil is hot, put in each bread circle, and fry for only a minute. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel and serve hot.
Italian twisters
August 27, 2009
Ingredients: 1¼ cups flour, 1 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt,
1½ teaspoon dry yeast (instant), ¼ cup warm milk, 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs, 1 tablespoon grated cheese.
Method: Mix the flour, butter, sugar, salt , yeast, mixed herbs and cheese. Add the warm milk and prepare a soft dough. Take small portions and roll them. Take two rolls and on a lightly floured surface, twist them together. Place these bread sticks on prepared baking sheets. Press down edges slightly to prevent twists from unravelling. Bake until golden brown. Serve warm.
Sweet canapés
August 27, 2009
Ingredients: 100 gm of flour, 2 pinches of salt, 2 teaspoon of sugar powder, 1 tablespoon of ghee
For the filling: 1 cup of cooked rice, ½ cup of sugar syrup, 3-4 saffron strands soaked in 1 tablespoon of lukewarm milk, cherries for garnishing.
Method: Sift together the flour, salt and sugar powder. Mix in the ghee and a little water and knead into a dough. Divide the dough into 7-8 portions. Roll out each dough into a small circle. Place each of these circles into a canapé or cooking mould. The size of your circle should be slightly bigger than the size of your mould. Bake the moulds in a preheated oven at 150 degree for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Alternatively you could buy ready-made canapé moulds.
For the filling – heat the sugar syrup and add the rice and saffron. Cook on low fire till the sugar syrup is fully absorbed into the rice. Fill the canapés with this rice and garnish with cherries and serve as a sweet dish.
Grilled oranges
August 24, 2009
Ingredients : 2 oranges, 2 tablespoon butterscotch sauce or plum sauce or any sauce of your choice.
For garnishing: nuts(chopped)
Method: Peel the oranges and remove the pith from the segments. Separate each segment. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut a slit in the segment so as to open out each segment. Remove the seeds. Spread the sauce over the segments.
Heat an oven or a grill to 180 C. Place the oranges on a non-stick plate and place it in the oven. Put off the oven, once the oranges are place in the preheated oven. Allow the oranges to remain in the hot oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove and garnish with chopped nuts and serve with ice-cream or custard.
Chicken with a hint of orange
August 24, 2009
Ingredients ; 400 gm medium-sized chicken pieces, 100 ml orange juice, 2 tablespoon orange rid(chopped) 2 tablespoon ginger-galic paste, 1 cup oil, 50ml tomato puree, 1 tablespoon pepper, salt to taste.
Method: Marinate the chicken pieces with the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, salt to taste, pepper and the orange juice, and leave aside for one hour. Heat the oil in a fry pan and put the chicken mixture and cover with a lid and cook over a low flame till the chicken is cooked and there is very little gravy remaining. Mix in the orange rind and stir gently. Put off the flame and serve the chicken with dinner rolls.
Green papaya salad
August 24, 2009
Ingredients : ½ kg green papaya, 1 clove of garlic, 2-3 red chillies (seeded) 1 tomato (sliced in strips) 1-2 tablespoon fish sauce (depending on brand and personal taste) , 3 tablespoon lime juice, lettuce leaves or cabbage squares, 1 lime(cut into wedges)
For garnishing; red chillies(optional)
Method; Peel and seed papaya shred. Grind together garlic and red chillies in a food processor or mortar. Mix together the papaya, tomato, fish sauce and lime juice; add in garlic mixture and toss lightly. Place a portion of papaya mixture into a lettuce leaf or cabbage square and form into a packet to eat. Serve with wedges of lime. Garnish with red chillies. Serves 4 persons.
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.
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.
