Goa, India

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Month: September 2015

Chocolate Chip Mousse Bites

Chocolate Chip Mousse Bites

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
Ohh.. this is one of the best ways I use my leftover whipped cream and chocolate ganache( Sometimes, you just whip a little extra, and make some extra ganache too) or there are times when I need to purposely make these..as my son is just too fond of them.. they simply get vanished in a matter of few minutes.. I am sure you all will enjoy making and eating them as much as I do..and its really simple and easy to make..


Ingredients:
200ml whipping cream
200 ml chocolate ganache
1 table spoon gelatin
2 tea spoons cold water
2 tea spoons hot water
a few chocolate chips, both dark and white
Cookie cutters




Directions:
Whip the cream on high speed for about 10 minutes till stiff peaks are formed.
Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate ganache in to the cream.
Dissolve gelatin powder in cold water and let it soak for a couple of minutes, then add hot water and mix it properly.
Add this gelatine to the cream and ganache mixture.
Gently fold in a few chocolate chips into it.
Now on a baking sheet or a normal plate, arrange your cookie cutters.
Pour this mixture into the cookie cutters and fill up till the brim.
Tap it gently and garnish with a few more chocolate chips, and then let it set in fridge for about two hours.
Once it is firm and set, gently remove the cookie cutters and ta daaaah.. you have yourself mouth melting chocolate chip mousse bites..

P.S. Kindly do ignore the slightly untidy look of these bites as my son did not have the patience to let them set completely and removed them little before hand 🙂


Blackcurrant Swiss Roll

Blackcurrant Swiss Roll

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
 As compared to the common myth, swiss rolls are actually quite simple to make, and I bet you will enjoy the process and be very glad with the outcome, I remember when I made it for the first time and it turned out super cool, it seemed like an achievement,
and left me exhilarated. So lets get started..

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 125 gms castor sugar and a couple of spoons more for dusting on the surface
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 125 gms refined flour
  • 2 drops of purple food colouring
  • 1-tablespoon vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

  • Line the base of a 10 by 15-inches swiss roll pan with a baking sheet. Grease the base and sides of the sheet with melted butter and dust some flour.
  • Take a large bowl, and whisk eggs and sugar together, till light and fluffy, approx 5 minutes of whisking at high speed will give you the desired consistency. Then add water, followed by vanilla extract
  • Sift in the flour, about 1/3rd at a time and with a metal spoon, fold it in the egg mixture.
  • Now separate about 3 tablespoons of this mixture in another bowl and add 2-3 drops of purple food colour and mix gently.
  • Fill a piping bag with the mixture and draw a patter of your choice on the baking sheet. Put this in oven and bake for about two minutes to let it set.
  • Now pour the remaining white mixture gently into the prepared pan, and bake in the oven until the center of the cake is slightly springy and the edges have shrunk a little from the sides of the tin, about 12 to 15 minutes.
  • Spread out a piece of baking sheet, which is slightly bigger than the tin on a work surface and sprinkle evenly with caster sugar. Turn or invert the pan onto the sugared parchment paper, and then carefully remove the tin and parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
  • Put over a slightly damp kitchen towel over the cake and let it cool down for sometime, this will prevent cracks and breaking of the cake.

Ingredients for the filling:

2-3 table spoons black currant crush

Arranging:

  • When the cake is cool, spread the jam sparingly over the cake, leaving a 1-inch border.
  • Now with the longest side facing you, roll up the swiss roll away from you, then transfer to a plate to serve.
  • Sprinkle the cake with caster sugar or dust with icing sugar to finish and you have yourself an amazing looking and awesome tasting, soft and succulent black currant swiss roll.

 

 
 
 
Blueberry Cake with a Blackcurrant Twist…

Blueberry Cake with a Blackcurrant Twist…

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Ingredients for the cake:

15 heaped spoons flour
2/3 cup oil
1 1/3 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1 spoon baking powder
A pinch of baking soda
1/2 cup milk
3 spoons curd
1 spoon vanilla essence



Directions
Sieve together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, add sugar and eggs and beat them till light and fluffy. Add oil to this mixture and whisk gently, now add milk, curd and vanilla essence and give it another whisk. Gently fold in the dry ingredients to this mixture. Grease the cake tin and pour the mixture into it. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 170 degrees C or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
After the cake is done, let it cool for sometime, then remove and let it completely cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients for the Icing:
1 1/2 cup whipped cream
1/2 cup blueberry crush
100 gms icing sugar 
4-5 spoons blackcurrant crush
some purple food colour

Directions
In a large bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks are formed. Add icing sugar and whip some more. Then add the blueberry crush and whip till firm peaks are formed. Divide this cream into two parts. Let the first part be. In the second part, add 2-3 drops of purple food colour and fill in the piping bag. I used multi point nozzle for the same. From the first part, take a small amount a fill another piping bag using another nozzle, an open star or weaving nozzle.

Arranging

Transfer the cooled cake to a turn table, cut it in half from the centre. Moist the cake with sprinkling some water on it. Now generously spread the black currant crush over it and then spread the blueberry icing over it and cover the cake with top piece. Repeat the process of moisturising it with water, then spreading black currant crush and finally covering it entirely with the blueberry icing. Now using the blueberry cream-piping bag, create big flowers over the cake. Now using the purple coloured icing, create a grass like effect all over the remaining part of the cake. Use some coloured sprinklers on the flowers and you have yourself an amazing looking and awesome tasting blueberry cake with a twist of blackcurrant…!!


Chocolate Or Nothing- A simple pure chocolaty delight

Chocolate Or Nothing- A simple pure chocolaty delight

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Chocolate is definitely a stress buster.. and for me it doubles up.. as much as I enjoy eating the same.. I enjoy making it too.. the aroma of chocolate is a sure shot turn on for me.. so here it is .. a simple and divine chocolate cake for chocolate lovers..

Ingredients:
15 heaped spoons flour
2/3 cup oil
1 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1 spoon baking powder
A pinch of baking soda
3-4 table spoons curd
3 table spoons cocoa powder
1 spoon vanilla essence

Directions:

·      Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
·      In another bowl, add sugar and eggs and beat them till pale in colour and fluffy.
·      Add oil to this mixture followed by vanilla essence, beat a little more.
·      Now gently fold in the flour and cocoa cake mix in this batter.
·      Line a cake tin with baking sheet, grease lightly and pour the mixture into it, spread it out evenly using a spatula and then tap it against the stand to release any air bubbles.
·      Bake for 30-35 minutes at 170 degrees C or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
·      After the cake is done, let it cool for sometime, then remove and let it completely cool on a wire rack.



    Ingredients for the Icing:
    250 ml fresh cream
    250 gms dark chocolate
    50 gms milk chocolate
    3 table spoons strawberry crush
    Wafer sprinklers for garnishing

    Directions:

    ·      Using a double boiler or microwave, melt the dark chocolate.
    ·      In a pan, take 250 ml fresh cream and bring it to a boil.
    ·      Add this cream in the melted chocolate and keep folding till it becomes a thick dropping consistency mixture.
    ·      Let it cool a bit.

    Arranging:

    ·      Transfer the cooled cake to a turn table and cut in two equal parts from the centre.
    ·      Moist the cake with sprinkling some water on it.
    ·      Now spread the strawberry crush on the bottom half of the cake, then generously spread dark chocolate ganache on it.
    ·      Keep the top layer on cake and moist it once again with water, now cover the layer generously with chocolate ganache covering the sides as well.
    ·      Let it cool down a bit.
    ·      Now melt the milk chocolate either in microwave or on a double boiler.
    ·      Take a piping cone and fill it with the melted chocolate.
    ·      On a baking sheet, draw circular patters, or other patterns of your choice and let it set in fridge for about 10 minutes.
    ·      Once your patters are set, remove them lightly from the sheet and arrange them on your cake to decorate it.
    ·      Finally finish the border with some wafer sprinklers and you have yourself an irresistible chocolaty delight..


      Blueberry Cake Bites

      Blueberry Cake Bites

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      Well Well… this is an amazingly simple recipe and great to taste..for this recipe, you may bake a fresh vanilla cake or use a left over cake (which sometimes turn a little dry), I have used a left over cake, which did have a whipped cream icing on it.



      For the vanilla cake you may refer to this other recipe
      http://ikreatepassions.blogspot.in/2015/08/vanilla-cake-with-vanilla-ice-cream.html

      Ingredients for the base:
      2 cups cake crumbs (coarsely crumb your cake whether its a dry one or with icing)
      4-5 table spoons butterscotch sauce

      Ingredients for the filling:
      150 ml whipped cream
      food colour a few drops
      1 tea spoon gelatine powder
      60 ml cold water

      Ingredients for topping:
      100 ml Blueberry Crush

      Directions:
      Coarsely crumb the cake and add butterscotch sauce to the same, and knead it lightly. Wrap it in a cling sheet and keep it aside for ten minutes.
      In the mean while whip the cream till stiff peaks are formed. Add desired food colour and keep aside.
      Sprinkle the granules of gelatin over the surface cold water. Use 1/4 cup or 60ml. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
      Add warm water to it or heat gently stirring until dissolved. Add this gelatine to the whipped cream and whip it with a blender for a couple of minutes.
      On a plate, place different shaped cookie cutters as per your choice. Line the cookie cutters with a base of cake crumbs, pushing it with a spoon and even it out. Keep it in the fridge for about half an hour and let it set.
      Now fill in the second layer with the whipped cream, you can use a piping bag to layer it evenly.
      Put it in the fridge again and let it set for another 15-20 minutes.
      Now pipe in the last layer with the topping of blueberry crush and set it again in fridge for half an hour.
      After half an hour remove the plate from the fridge, now carefully take out the cookie cutter from each cake, so that they retain the lovely shapes.., now you may carefully lift them with a palette knife to a serving plate and ta daaahhh… delicious blueberry cake bites are ready…!!

      A useful tip: you may go with a completely no bake version of this by substituting the cake base with crushed biscuits base.
      Crumb the biscuits of your choice and knead them with some melted butter.



      Chocolate Truffle Cake-Ice Cream Cone Upside Down Design

      Chocolate Truffle Cake-Ice Cream Cone Upside Down Design

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      This cake is a real fun to make, though the pictures posted here are not of the most perfect one that I made, because this was made in a little rush when my little one just wanted to have it then…Nevertheless do try it out, with or without the cone, its equally interesting..



      Ingredients:
      10 heaped spoons flour

      1/2 cup oil1 cup castor sugar3 eggs1 spoon baking powderA pinch of baking soda3 table spoons milk
      3 table spoons cocoa powder1 spoon vanilla essence

      Directions

      • Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. 
      • In another bowl, add sugar and eggs and beat them till pale in colour and fluffy. 
      • Add oil to this mixture followed by vanilla essence, beat a little more. 
      • Now gently fold in the flour and cocoa cake mix in this batter.
      • Line a 10 inch cake tin with baking sheet and pour the mixture into it, spread it out evenly using a spatula and then tap it against the stand to release any air bubbles. 
      • Bake for 30-35 minutes at 170 degrees C or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
      • After the cake is done, let it cool for sometime, then remove and let it completely cool on a wire rack.



      Ingredients for the Icing:250 ml fresh cream200 gms dark chocolate
      50 gms white chocolate
      3 table spoons strawberry crush
      Some raisins
      1 ice cream cone, preferably waffle cone, though i used the normal one here..
      sprinklers for garnishing


      Directions
      • Using a double boiler or microwave, melt the dark chocolate. 
      • In a pan, take 200 ml fresh cream and bring it to a boil. 
      • Add this cream in the melted chocolate and keep folding till it becomes a thick dropping consistency mixture. 
      • Let it cool a bit.
      • Similarly make a chocolate ganache using rest of the cream and white chocolate.
      Arranging
      • Transfer the cooled cake to a turn table and cut in two equal parts from the centre.
      • Moist the cake with sprinkling some water on it. 
      • Now spread the strawberry crush on the bottom half of the cake, then generously spread dark chocolate ganache on it and sprinkle raisins all over it. 
      • Keep the top layer on cake and moist it once again with water, now cover the layer generously with chocolate ganache covering the sides as well. 
      • Just keep about two spoons full of chocolate ganache in a bowl and cool it in the fridge for half an hour. 
      • After half an hour, you will be able to roll this ganache in a soft ball. 
      • Place this ball in one corner of the cake, and put the cone on top of it, now dribble the white chocolate ganache on this ball and in and around the cone, giving it a feel of ice cream being dropped over the cake. 
      • Garnish with sprinklers..and woo hooo you have yourself a mouth melting cake that looks good too..!! Enjoy…!!



      Fresh Pineapple Cake

      Fresh Pineapple Cake

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      Well.. when I bake pineapple cake, I like using fresh pineapple in stead of the canned ones available in the market, though they may be softer and sweeter, but I like my pineapples in the natural way..the sweet and tangy taste of it..gives a fresh and refreshing feel to the cake.. you may opt for the canned ones if you like so.



      Ingredients for the cake:
      10 heaped spoons flour
      1/2 cup oil
      1 cup castor sugar
      3 eggs
      1 spoon baking powder
      A pinch of baking soda
      3 spoons curd
      1 spoon vanilla essence

      Directions
      Sieve together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, add sugar and eggs and beat them lightly. Add oil to this mixture. Now add the dry ingredients to this wet mixture, put curd and vanilla essence, fold in nicely. Do not mix rigorously or you will lose the air, fold in gently if you like your cake to be spongy and light.. if you like them dense, you may let some air release.Grease the cake tin and pour the mixture into it. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 170 degrees C or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
      After the cake is done, let it cool for sometime, then remove and let it completely cool on a wire rack.

      Ingredients for the Icing:
      1 1/2 cup whipped cream
      1 cup pineapple chopped
      100 gms icing sugar
      some pineapple pieces and gems for garnishing

      Directions
      In a large bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks are formed. Add icing sugar and whip some more. Divide this cream into two parts, in the ratio of 60:40. Add chopped pineapple pieces in the lesser part of the cream and fold gently. Keep rest of the cream for top coat and piping.

      Arranging
      Transfer the cooled cake to a turn table, cut it in half from the centre. Moist the cake with sprinkling some water on it. Gently spread the chopped pineapple icing over it and cover the cake with top piece. Spread the remaining cream (plain cream) on the top of the cake and fully cover it. Add some cream to a piping bag and decorate your cake as desired. Garnish with fresh pineapple pieces and some gems.

      Goan Surmai Fish Fry

      Goan Surmai Fish Fry

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      What a moment it is when the appetizing aroma of Goan Fish Fry mesmerizes my taste buds.
      It takes me back in time, when as a kid I learnt how to savor fish fry without being poked by its bones. And yes, the only competition if I ever faced was that of my pet; Tom cat.. 

      So, here’s the recipe which has been my all time favorite and Tom’s too… and I’d love to lend it for you all to cook and relish it.


      Ingredients for the Fish: 
      6 fillets of fish( I used Surmai fish here) 
      1 lemon
      1 tea spoon turmeric powder
      1 tea spoon red chilly powder
      2 table spoons freshly grounded ginger garlic paste
      2 handfulls of Rawa/Suji
      Oil for Shallow Frying

      Directions:
      Clean the fillets of fish, and keep them in a tray. Now take all the spices, i.e. turmeric powder, salt and red chilly powder, along with ginger garlic paste, and juice of lemon and make a thick paste combining all. Now using your hands generously apply this paste on the fillets of fish and let it marinate for an hour.
      After an hour, heat some oil in a pan, take your fillets of fish, one at a time, coat them completely in Rawa( you can spread the raw on a sheet of newspaper), and shallow fry the fish until golden brown from both sides. Remember not to over cook the fish, as fish gets done real quick.
      Take them out on a tissue paper to drain any excess oil, and serve hot with onion rings and a slice of lemon.

      Vanilla Cupcakes with Centre Filling( Butterscotch , Kiwi and Strawberry) Topped with Whipped Cream

      Vanilla Cupcakes with Centre Filling( Butterscotch , Kiwi and Strawberry) Topped with Whipped Cream

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      Ingredients for the Cup Cakes:
      1 1/3 cups flour
      1 1/2 cup castor sugar
      1/4 cup oil
      3 table spoons curd
      1 spoon baking powder
      a pinch of baking soda
      1 spoon vanilla essence
      2 eggs
      2-3 drops of green food colour


        Directions
        Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda.Set aside.In a large bowl, cream together the eggs and sugar until its light and fluffy. Add the oil,  and then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with curd and beat well. Add drops of food colour and give the mixture a stir. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

        Ingredients for the Filling
        3 table spoons butterscotch sauce
        3 table spoons strawberry crush
        3 table spoons kiwi crush
          
        Ingredients for the Frosting
        125 Ml Whipping Cream
        100 Gms Icing Sugar
        2-3 drops yellow food colour
        Coloured Sprinklers for Garnishing

        Directions
        Take the whipping cream in a bowl and using an electric mixer, whip till soft peaks are formed. Add icing sugar and whip agan till firm peaks are formed. Add colour and mix very gently, for a light lemon yellow colour.
        Now scoop out a little cake from the centre of your cupcakes using a cookie cutter, but be careful to not reach the bottom of the cake. Now take your fillings and fill the scooped out portion, 4-5 cupcakes each with butterscotch and strawberry fillings respectively. Now fill up your piping bag with shipped cream and make swirls of icing on top of the cupcakes covering the filling portion as well.
        Use sprinklers to garnish and decorate the cupcakes.. and ta daahhh.. yummy cupcakes and ready for savouring..


      Pancakes with Chicken and Vegetables Filling… A Long Forgotten Recipe…!!

      Pancakes with Chicken and Vegetables Filling… A Long Forgotten Recipe…!!

      Posted on by Aditi Malhotra
      This recipe has been my all time favourite, but I almost forgot to make it since a long time. I was just flipping through old photographs and suddenly saw this in one of the pictures.. right there on my plate.. it seemed as if the pancakes were asking me desperately to make them again and relish.. and I could not wait any longer.. it was the dinner menu along with some chicken pasta in red sauce( separate recipe).

      So here we go…



      Ingredients for the Pancakes: (yield about 5-6 medium sized pancakes)
      8 table spoon refined flour
      1 egg
      1/2 spoon ajino moto
      salt to taste
      two pinches black pepper

      Directions:
      Sieve the refined floor in a bowl, add the egg and fold in gently, add water to make a dropping consistency batter. Add the seasonings and keep it aside.
      In a non stick pan, add very little oil and rotate it all through the pan. Let it warm up a little. Now using a ladle, drop a scoop of batter in the pan, and rotating the pan, let it spread across it, just like an omelette. After two minutes flip the side and let it cook from the other side too. Keep flipping to cook until both the sides turn a little golden in colour and you can feel that the flour is cooked completely. It will rise a little just like an omelette. Once its done, remove it in a plate and add the filling in the centre, fold it and a yummy pancake chicken roll is ready..!!

      Ingredients for the filling:
      Boneless chicken strips boiled, 200gms
      1 capsicum shredded
      1 cabbage shredded
      1 onion ringed
      1 tablespoon soya sauce
      1 table spoon green chilly sauce
      1 table spoon vinegar
      1/2 teaspoon ajino moto
      salt to taste
      Oil to saute

      Directions:
      Add oil in a wok and add the onion rings and saute till they turn a little brown, now put the remaining vegetables, and saute on a high flame stirring continuously. Now add the shredded chicken and season the filling with the sauces and spices. Stir for another couple of minutes and let it cool it a bit. 


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