Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake

Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake

Recipe Source : tasteofhome.com

I love upside down cakes, be it pineapple, apple, peach or pear. It is a great way to incorporate fruits into the cakes. Also the juices from the fruits soak into the cake while baking and they give the cake a unique flavour.

I have adapted the recipe from tasteofhome.com. However I have made certain changes. The original recipe called for molasses which I have replaced with jam. I have used Apricot jam but you can use any flavour you want. Also I have increased the quantity of eggs. And I have used warm milk instead of warm water.

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter, melted

 ½ cup roasted cashews, chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

2 large pears, peeled and sliced

½ cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup jam

1 ½ cups flour

¾ tsp ginger powder

¾ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp baking powder

½ cup warm milk

Pour melted butter in a 9” cake tin. Sprinkle nuts and brown sugar. Heat a little till the brown sugar starts melting. Arrange the pear slices on top.

Make the batter

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. 

Add eggs and jam. Beat well. 

Combine flour, ginger powder, cinnamon powder and baking powder. Add flour mix and warm milk alternately. 

Spread over pears. 

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes. 

One Pot Biryani

One Pot Biryani

You know what I would really like? I would like to make biryani the old fashioned way.

I love watching food channels. One of the shows was about Kareem’s near Jama Masjid. I have been to the original Kareem’s. It is a small little place in the bye lanes near Jama Masjid. It has the most amazing biryanis. In the show they showed us how they make biryanis still following the age old traditions. Their day starts at 4 in the morning when the marinated chicken or meat is layered along with the rice, kept in huge handis and then sealed close. The handis are then surrounded by hot coal. A lot of coal is also placed on the lid. The handis are left to cook this way for hours. The heat from the coals is not direct and the biryani is cooked in its own “dum”. That is how they get that awesome taste.

This method is very difficult to replicate in our modular kitchens. You need lots of open space, hot charcoal in large quantities and lots of time. Since time is a luxury now-a-days we always look for short cuts. Something that would not take too much time and effort. This One Pot Biryani is just right for those busy days.

Ingredients

700 gms chicken, boneless

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp salt

2 dry red chillies

2 bay leaf

1 javitri

1 tsp black pepper

2 green cardamoms

1” cinnamon

4 large onions, sliced fine

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 potatoes, cubed

4 tbsp biryani masala

½ cup curd

Salt to taste

2 cups long grained rice, washed and soaked.

Wash the chicken. Apply ginger garlic paste, curd and salt and keep aside. 

Heat some ghee. 

Add the dry red chillies, bay leaf, javitri, black pepper, green cardamom and cinnamon. 

Add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute till a fragrant aroma rises. Add the cubed potatoes and fry well. 

Add the sliced onions and cook till the onions are translucent.

 Add the biryani masala and curd and cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Add the chicken pieces and cook well on high flame. 

Cover and cook till the chicken is half done. Add the rice and 2 cups of water. Boil on high flame till almost all the water has evaporated. Lower the flame to sim, cover and cook till the rice is done.

Homemade Gnocchi

Homemade Gnocchi

I have bought this pasta machine but have been too scared to use it. Things seem pretty scary until you try them out. Same was the case with Gnocchi. My son has tried out Gnocchi in restaurants a few times and he loves it. When he stood first in his class his demand was that I make Gnocchi for him. That is how I finally ended up making Gnocchi at home.

Gnocchi means “dumplings” in Italian. They are made with potatoes and flour. The boiled potatoes are riced and mixed with flour to make dumplings that are then boiled. They can also be made with semolina, cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs etc. I have tossed the Gnocchi in Arrabbiata sauce.

Ingredients

For the Gnocchi

6 large potatoes, boiled

2 cups flour+1/2 cup flour

1 egg

Salt to taste

For the sauce

2 tbsp chopped garlic

1 ½ cups Arrabbiata Sauce
(Get the recipe here: http://apigeonnapie.blogspot.in/2015/07/arrabbiata-sauce.html)

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp oregano

Drain and cool the potatoes. Use a fork to mash them. Clean a working surface in the kitchen. Dump 2 cups flour on the surface. Sprinkle some salt. Add the mashed potatoes. 

Mix together. Add one egg and slowly bring the dough together. 

Do not knead the dough. You can add some more flour if you feel the dough is too sticky and is not coming together. However remember that adding too much flour will make the Gnocchi hard.

Put a big pan of water to boil.

Cut the dough into 6-7 portions. 

Now take each portion and roll it out into a thin rope. 

Cut small pieces of Gnocchi and put into the boiling water. 

The Gnocchi will float to the top after a few minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon. 

The Gnocchi is ready.

Heat some olive oil. Saute the chopped garlic on low flame till they are well fried. 

Add the Gnocchi and Arrabbiata Sauce and toss well. 

Put the Gnocchi in a baking dish. Spread the cheese on top and sprinkle the oregano. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island Dressing

Recipe source : food.com

Dips and sauces are an integral part of food. They might take up very little space on your dining table but the starters are incomplete without them. You can easily get bottled sauces from your nearest departmental store. However it is fun making your own sauces at home.

 Of course mayonnaise is the basic sauce to start with. And the best part is that you can keep experimenting. Just keep adding stuff and with every addition a new flavour is created.

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp sweet pickle relish

1 tsp white onion, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

Dash of pepper powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. The sugar will not dissolve so easily. Keep the sauce in a covered dish and keep stirring every once in a while so that the sugar dissolves eventually and all the flavours combine. 

Sweet Cucumber Relish

Sweet Cucumber Relish

Now no more buying that bottled stuff. This sweet cucumber relish can be made at home in a jiffy with very basic ingredients. It keeps well in the fridge for a month or two. Use the relish in your pizzas, sandwiches and dips.

Ingredients

5 seedless cucumbers, sliced very fine

2 white onions, sliced fine

2 tbsp whole yellow mustard

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp whole black pepper

3 green chillies, sliced

Put a big pan on flame. Mix together water, sugar and vinegar. Add chillies, whole mustard and black peppercorns. Boil till the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber and onions. Cook till the cucumber turns translucent. Cool completely. 

Chocolate Log

Chocolate Log

Recipe source : bbcgoodfood.com

It might not be Christmas time but then there is never a wrong time to do a right thing. The Chocolate Log is a very Christmas-y dessert but I simply felt like making it in these summer months.

The ganache is decadent. The cream filling is soft and complements the crackle of the ganache perfectly. And after all I am sure there is snow somewhere in the Southern hemisphere at this time.

Ingredients

For the cake

3 eggs

85 gm castor sugar

85 gm - 2 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

For the filling and icing

50 gm butter

140 gm dark chocolate, chopped

1 tbsp golden syrup

300 ml whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a 23x32 cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.

Beat the eggs and sugar till they are thick and creamy.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Fold it into the egg mix. 

Pour into the baking tine and spread the batter evenly. Bake for 10 minutes.

 Spread a big sheet of baking paper on the working surface of your kitchen. When the cake is a little cool then turn the cake tin upside down on the baking sheet. Tap gently so that the cake comes out. 

Peel off the baking sheet sticking to the cake. 

Now using the fresh baking sheet roll up the cake into a tight roll.  Leave it for some time.

Meanwhile make the ganache.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Add the golden syrup and 5 tbsp cream. Let it cool a little and your ganache is ready.

Beat the whipping cream till peaks start forming.

Unroll the cake. Spread the cream on top and then roll it up again.

Spread the ganache on top. Keep in the fridge for a few minutes till it starts to harden. Take it out and make cuts on the ganache with the help of a fork. This will make it look like the bark of a tree. 

Garnish with dusted icing sugar.