Flan or Caramel Custard

A delectable and sinfully sweet dessert just for all you sweet people out there. I have always wanted to make custard at home and this is the second time I made it. Successful on both attempts! It is not as difficult as generally said, as long as you are careful with mixing the warm milk and the eggs. This time I made in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker). You can also bake it in the oven but is a bit more complex then.

For this you will need -

2 Cups - Whole Milk
1 Tbspn - Vanilla Essence or 1 Vanilla Pod
4 Eggs
2/3 Cups - Sugar

1/2 Cup - Sugar for making the caramel

Method -

Heat the milk on medium heat with the vanilla. Bring it to just boil state that is small bubbles start to form along the edge. Take off the stove and keep aside. Then take the 1/2 cup sugar in a non stick pan and heat on medium to high heat. You can add one tablespoon of water if you like but the sugar will caramelize faster without the water. DO NOT STIR but make sure it doesn't burn by stirring the entire pan. Keep stirring till you get a beautiful golden color. This should take about 5 - 7 minutes. As soon as this is done, switch off the gas and pour the caramel into the vessel in which you plan to make the flan. This is crucial as the caramel will start to thicken pretty fast. I used a glass circular bowl. Once you pour the caramel, turn the bowl to coat the caramel along the sides as well. Let it cool.

In another medium sized bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar (2/3 cups) till you get yellow ribbon like consistency. Now add the warm milk to the eggs slowly. First a small trickle so the eggs don't cook and then a more steady pour. Once you pour all the milk, mix well and pour the custard into the caramel coated bowl.

For pressure cooker, pour one or two cups water in the cooker and place the heat proof bowl over a trivet or stand. Cover with aluminium foil to avoid condensation on top. I actually forgot the foil and it was fine but foil will make it safer. Pressure cook for 15 minutes in Instant Pot or 3-4 whistles in a regular pressure cooker. Allow pressure to release naturally and then take the bowl out. Cool on counter for about an hour and then in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours. Remove the custard by running a knife along the side of the bowl and turning it upside down on a plate.

If cooking in an oven, first create a water bath by pouring water in a deep dish into which your custard bowl will fit. Put about an inch or two of water. Place this in a preheated oven at 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes till set. Set meaning the color will turn cream like and the texture will be jiggly :)

Kadai Vegetable

One of my favorite dishes from an Indian restaurant is kadai vegetable. For one, it is filled with the goodness of all kinds of vegetables and the vegetables are crunchy. The sauce is just adequate to coat the veggies and it is tangy and spicy. A perfect dish to eat with rotis or naan.

For this you will need -

1 tablespoon - Oil ( Any odorless)
1 teaspoon - Grated Ginger
1 teaspoon - Grated Garlic
1 No. - Onion (small sized) Cubed
1/2 No. - Green Pepper Cubed
1/2 No. - Yellow Pepper Cubed
8 - 10 Nos - Green Beans (Chopped into inch sized pieces)
1 No.  - Carrot (Chopped into inch sized pieces)
10 -12 No. - Broccoli Florets
1 No. - Potato Cubed
1/2 Cup - Pureed Tomato
1 tablespoon - Ketchup
1 teaspoon - Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons - Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon - Red Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Amchur Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Garam Masala Powder
1/2 teaspoon - Kasuri Methi
Salt as per your taste
A dollop of butter

Method -

Steam the chopped beans, carrot, broccoli and potatoes either in a cooker (one whistle and quick release) or outside with a pinch of salt. In the meantime, put a slit tomato or two in water and boil for 10-12 minutes. Then cover and let it stand for a few minutes. Once cool, grind the tomato without the water into a fine paste. Then, in a kadai (wok), heat oil. Once hot, add the ginger, garlic and onions. Saute for a couple of minutes and add the peppers. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes till the onion and peppers are just cooked, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Now add the tomato puree. Saute a few minutes and add the steamed vegetables. Add the ketchup, turmeric, coriander and chili powders. Saute well on medium to high heat. Add the garam masala and amchur powders too. Reduce heat and cover the veggies. Allow to cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Then turn off the gas and add the kasuri methi. Finally add a dollop of butter on top.

 

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.

 

Avocado Chapathis with Soya Nugget Curry

These chapathis are super easy to make and need the fewest of ingredients. There is one caveat though - use all the dough at one go. Otherwise the avocados will oxidize. However the chapathis can be stored up to a day.
The soya nugget curry is a great accompaniment to these. Spicy, succulent and finger-licking good!

For the chapathis, you will need -

Atta (Flour) - 2 Cups approx.
Avocado - 1
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp.
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Water - About 1/2 a cup (depends on the flour )
Oil - 1 tbsp.

Method -
Mix all the ingredients except water and oil. This should form a semi-dough. Now add water little by little till you get a soft dough. Finally add the oil and incorporate it nicely into the dough by kneading it well. The dough will be very soft and such a treat to handle. The buttery texture of the avocados gives the dough a loving personality :)

Now make balls the size of your fist approximately and roll the out. You will have to use some flour for dusting. I tried making perfect circles but did not really succeed!

Cook it on a flat griddle, on both sides.

For the curry, you will need -

Soya Nuggets - 1/2 Cup
Red Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1 tsp.
Green Chilies - 1 fine chopped
Tomato - 1 fine chopped
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp.
Curry Leaves - 4
Salt as per your liking
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp.
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbspn.
Coriander Leaves - A Handful, finely chopped
Oil - 1 tbspn.
Water - 2 Cups

Method -

Boil the water with a pinch of salt and as it begins to boil, put in the nuggets. Allow to boil for 4-5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and close the lid on the vessel for another 5 minutes. Then thoroughly wash the nuggets in cold water. This will take away the raw smell of the nuggets.
Heat oil in a wide bottom vessel. Add mustard seeds and wait for it to crackle. Then add curry leaves, onions. Sauté for a minute or two and add chilies, ginger-garlic paste, salt and turmeric. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Now add tomatoes, cumin and sambhar powder.

Note - If you don't have sambhar powder, add one teaspoon each of coriander, pepper and garam masala powders.

Sauté really well till the oil frees itself from the gravy. Now add the nuggets and half a cup of hot water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

 

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Here's a wonderful secret I am letting you in on. This absolutely sinful dessert has no flour and no butter. Yes, you read that right! I was shocked too when I read the recipe but it is true and it is one of the best looking and definitely best tasting desserts I have ever made. Without further ado, I present to you, the exquisite chocolate swiss roll.

For this you will need -

15in by 10in Sheet Pan
6 - Eggs
120 gms - Baking Chocolate (semi sweet)
50 gms - Sugar
1 1/2 tspn - Vanilla Extract
1/8 tspn - Salt
250 ml - Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tblspns - Sugar
6-8 - Fresh Strawberries (blended), if planning to finish the Swiss roll the same day, else use
2- 3 tblspns - Strawberry Preserve

Method -

Prepare the sheet pan by lining with parchment paper and then applying butter on top.

Separate the yolks and the whites when the eggs are cold. Wait for thirty minutes to let them come to room temperature.

Ensure that your mixing bowl is dry and free of any dirt. Put the whites and start beating till it begins to froth. Now add the salt, just a pinch and keep beating till you get soft peaks. Since my mixer has only one bowl I put the beaten egg white in a different container, if you have two bowls, then leave the egg whites in the bowl you mixed.

Now, take the yellows and beat till you get beautiful ribbons when you lift with a spatula. Add the sugar and keep on beating till mixed. In the meantime break the chocolate into small pieces.

Melt in microwave on high for 45 seconds or when the chocolate just melts. Do not over heat, it will ruin the texture and burn the chocolate. Alternately, heat in a double boiler that is boil water on the cooktop and put the chocolate in another bowl placing it on top of the boiling water. The steam from the water will melt the chocolate. This will take longer but will definitely not burn the chocolate.

Add this melted chocolate and vanilla extract and beat till mixed. Now fold the whites into this mixture, making sure not to over mix but be sure to mix them well. Pour this batter on the sheet pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 180deg C for 15 minutes. It won't rise much. It shouldn't.

It will come out looking quite sad but don't be fooled by it's looks. To prepare the icing, beat the whipping cream with sugar, vanilla and strawberries (fresh or preserve) till soft and fluffy. To ensure a good icing, have all utensils and ingredients cold, straight out of the refrigerator. Spread the icing evenly on the cake after it has cooled.

Now, start to gently fold the cake from the shorter end. It is easier from this end. If you want a longer roll, then you can fold from the longer end. I have never tried that. A little bit of the cake may stick to the parchment paper, that is fine. Once rolled, use the remaining icing to spread on the outside and as much as possible underneath too.

Cut into beautiful slices and serve.

 

Rose Apple Tarts

My friend's mom is an innovative and adventurous cook. She keeps posting her delicacies on Facebook and this was one of her recent posts. They looked so divine, I had to try it. They are super easy and super quick to make. I bet you can impress anyone with these!

For this you will need -

1 Cup - All Purpose Flour
1 - Red Apple
2 Tbspn - Sugar
1 Tbspn - Honey
3 Tbspn - Water
1/2 Stick (approx. 50g) - Butter

Method -

Cut apple in half and remove core. Then slice each half into thin slices. Put these in a vessel and add the honey and water. Now cook these slices for about 3-4 minutes till just soft. Don't overcook as then they won't retain their shape at the next stage.

In a mixing bowl, add the butter, flour and sugar. Mix with a tablespoon of the apple water to form a soft dough. Refrigerate this for 15minutes.

Then, take it out and roll out to about 1 inch thickness. Once rolled, cut out strips of about 2 inches width. Take one strip, place it horizontally in front of you and then place about 4 -5 apple slices, overlapping, along its length. Try not to get any liquid. Now gently roll this to automatically form the shape of rose. Place gently in a muffin wrapper.

 

 

Continue doing the same for the rest of the slices. Bake these at 350 deg F for about 15 - 18 minutes. Once baked, glaze with honey and dust icing sugar.