Sandesh

This is another delectable sweet from West Bengal, a vibrant eastern state from India. Sandesh is also made from paneer. The method to make paneer is on this blog post. It is always preferable to make paneer at home for the fresher the cottage cheese the better the texture of your sweets. Of course if by some miracle you have access to real fresh paneer, then go ahead and buy that.

Sandesh is one of the easiest sweets to make and can be presented in very interesting ways. Here's one with rose petals looking so royal!

To make paneer, you will need. -

4 cups  - Whole Milk
2 tblspn - White Vinegar (mixed with 2-3 spoons of water)
Muslin Cloth

Once you have paneer, you will need -

1 cup - Sugar
Rose petals and rose essence (half a teaspoon)/ Saffron infused in milk/ cardamom powder

Method -

Knead the paneer really well for about 15-20 minutes. After kneading for 15 minutes, add sugar little by little and incorporate it into the paneer. You can reduce the quantity of sugar if you think it is too much. After that, take a wok or a wide bottom vessel and on low flame sauté the paneer sugar mixture for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell disappears. You can avoid this like I did when I made with the rose flavor. If you sauté, then sandesh will last longer, else you will have to eat it within a couple of days.

Now add the rose essence or cardamom powder if you are using any of these. Mix well. Make small balls and press flat. For rose sandesh - you add rose essence and garnish with fresh rose petals. For cardamom sandesh - just add the cardamom powder. For saffron sandesh - once you have shaped the sandesh, drizzle the saffron infused milk on each sweet. I did sauté the paneer while making the saffron ones, you can see the difference in the texture.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Honey Cake With Chocolate Ganache, Pecans And Strawberries

Luscious, golden and gooey - honey is one of my all time favorite ingredients. A spoonful of honey is something I have enjoyed all my life and my son loves it too! When I came across this recipe, I was delighted. A dear friend of mine posted the pic of her honey cake and I could already feel it's taste on my tongue! If this is not temptation, I don't know what is!

For this you will need -

250gm - Unsalted butter at room temperature
220gm - Honey
4nos - Eggs
150gm - Flour
150gm - Ground Pecans (you can use hazelnuts too)
1tspn - Baking Powder

For the ganache -

100gm - Dark Chocolate (70%)
1tspn - Butter
100ml - Single Cream
A handful of chopped pecans (or hazelnuts)
Strawberries - chopped in half

Method -

Pre heat the oven to 160deg C. Grease and dust a 24cm springform cake tin. Put a layer of parchment paper on the bottom.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter till light and fluffy. Then add the honey and beat till they combine. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the ground nuts and flour, making sure not to over mix. The dry ingredients just need to be folded in.

Spoon the mixture, level with a spoon and bake for about 45-50 minutes till the cake is completely baked. One can check by inserting a toothpick which should come out clean.

As the cake cools, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or on a double boiler. Once melted, add the butter and the cream, in a steady stream. Mix well. Allow to cool a little and it should thicken a little.

Take the cake out of the pan and pour the ganache over it and allow to over flow just a little. Sprinkle the chopped nuts along the edge and the strawberries in the center.