Burnt Butter Cupcakes

Burnt butter cupcakes

Ingredients

150 gm butter

125 gm flour

2 tsp baking powder

125 gm brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 190 degree C.First step is to burn the butter. Put the butter on medium heat. 

After it melts start stirring as the butter boils.

 Once it turns a golden brown color take it off the heat. Strain the butter as there will be sediments at the bottom. This is basically clarified butter.

Keep it aside till it starts to harden up a little.

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and butter.

Add the eggs and the milk to make a batter of dropping consistency.

Put them in cupcake moulds and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Almond Choco Chips Biscotti

Almond choco chips biscotti

I got bored of those same old biscuits and cookies. So, I decided to try out these biscottis. They are thin, brittle and crunchy biscuits which are double baked to give them that extra crunch. They are not as crumbly or flaky as the biscuits we ordinarily have. Dip them in tea or coffee and enjoyyyy.....

Ingredients

3/4 cup  blanched almonds

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup choco chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes and then chop them coarsely.

Beat the sugar and eggs until thick, pale, and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add to the egg mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the chopped almonds and chocolate.

Roll the dough on a well floured surface and shape into a log. 

Bake for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. 

Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 165 degrees C. Cut the log into diagonal slices. . .

Bake the slices for about 8-10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Dhaba Style Rogan Josh

Dhaba Style Rogan Josh

If someone told me to drop everything this instant and do the one thing I love the most I would pack up my bags, top up my car and just drive. There is something about the open road that fascinates me. Family trips around the country side is our most favorite thing. There is not much to be said about Indian roads but that discomfort aside it is an amazing experience.

And of course the food!!! We have traveled in our car all over Rajasthan, Gujrat, Punjab, Meghalaya, Sikkim...we have been to Moreh, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cherrapunji on four wheels and have sampled some of the best meals available on roadside. One meal that I will always remember is in a little hamlet in Manipur. We were hungry yet wary of what kind of food might be available. There was only one run down dhaba and we had no other choice. But the food I had there was awesome and that was not just because we were so ravenous. It was simple homely grub and nothing that I could identify. There were lots of green leafy vegetables, local veggies and local rice. And I realized that it is not the ambiance that counts, not the liveried waiters, not the Michelin stars, not the food reviews...it matters when you cook from your heart!

One thing I have not yet been able to understand is why does the food in a langar taste so yum? Why are we unable to replicate the taste of dhaba food in our kitchens? Is it is the earthiness , the sweat, dust and grime, the charcoal fire, the slow cooking on a tandoor???

This is a typical rogan josh recipe, however I have cooked it in the traditional way..not on a cooker but slow simmering on a charcoal tandoor. And it has made all the difference to the taste.


Ingredients

800 gm mutton, cubed
300 ml yogurt

Whole spices
2 black cardamoms
8 green cardamoms
5 cloves
2 tsp cumin seeds
cinnamon stick
10 Kashmiri red chillies
2 bay leaves

Spice mix

1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp fennel seeds, powdered
1/2 tsp black pepper powder

2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp green chilly paste

Fire up the tandoor.

Grind the whole spices in a mortar pestle to get a rough powder.

Heat some oil and fry the mutton pieces till well browned.

Add the ginger garlic paste and the whole spice powder and fry for about 10 minutes.

Add the Spice mix and continue frying. Add salt according to taste. Add the yogurt and wait till it starts simmering.

Then cover and cook for about 40 minutes.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Molten Chocolate Cake

Mmmmmmmm!!! Its chocolate time again!! A cake that is not a cake because there is no flour in it. So what does it have?? You guessed it right...lots of chocolate. It is molten, gooey, sticky and delicious.

And for all the nay-sayers..chocolate has its own health benefits. It is full of anti oxidants, is good for the brain and heart, is high in vitamins and minerals...and to top it all a mouth full of delicious chocolate dessert and all is well with the world again.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

170 gm chocolate, chopped

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.

You will require ramekin molds for this. Butter the ramekins and dust them with some white sugar. 

Melt the chocolate and butter and keep aside to cool. 

Beat egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar til it is thick, pale and fluffy. Add the essence.

Fold in the melted chocolate. 

Make sure that the chocolate mixture is not hot or it will curdle the egg yolks.

Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites. 

Whip the egg whites till soft peak stage.

Then add the 2 tbsp granulated sugar and beat till stiff peaks form.

 

Fold it into the chocolate mix. Put in molds and bake for 13 minutes til the edges are hard but the center is soft. 

Cherry Cupcakes

Cherry Cupcakes

I have a huge demand for chocolate at home. My son is chocolate crazy and he starts sulking when I make non-chocolate cakes. However it is fun to try out new recipes and so I decided to incur his wrath and make these cherry cupcakes. 

The recipe requires candied cherries and not fresh ones and they are easily available. Also they are not too sweet and the ground almond gives it a different flavor. The little red nuggets of cherries in the cupcake are very pleasing to the eye and the palette. Do try them out. 

Ingredients

225 gm flour

1 tsp baking powder

75 gm caster sugar

50 gm ground almonds

350 gm candied cherries, chopped

300 ml milk

3 tbsp lemon juice

50 ml butter

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 190 degree C.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the caster sugar and ground almonds. 

Add the chopped cherries. 

Whisk together milk, lemon juice, melted butter and egg.

Pour it into the flour mixture and stir well. Do not over-mix the batter.

 

Put the batter into cupcake molds and bake 20-25 minutes.