A.W.E.D- Indian Cuisine, Event Announcement

Hello Foodies,
   I'm really pleased to announce that A.W.E.D  is going to explore Indian Cuisine this month, yes you are right I'm the host for March 2011.

   A.W.E.D stands for A Worldly Epicurean's  Delight, started by DK of Chef in You.  Chef in you is a well known  popular site, she is known for her perfect delicious recipes with easy to follow instructions.  In DK's A.W.E.D was started basically to explore different cuisines around the world.  It's true that the more the cuisines which we explore, the better we understand the flavours.  Thank you DK for giving me this great opportunity to host your event.
  
Let me say a few words about Indian cuisine before going to the rules. Indian cuisine doesn't need introduction.  Indian curries, sweets and halwa are famous around the world.  Indian cuisine is not just limited with curries and sweets.  There is a vast cultural diversity starting from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.  If you say that the staple food of people who live in the north is wheat, for people in the south it's rice.  I wonder if any other cuisine involves so many wide range of spices and herbs.  Some of the well known recipes from India are Tikka masala, Naan bread, Hyderabad dum briyani, Idli, Dosai, Vadai, Roti's ,  Gajar ka halwa, Gulab Jamun, Rasmalai ....... and so many.  Actually I would say that to explore Indian cuisine this one month would not be sufficient.  Although I was born and rised in India, I haven't explored the whole of Indian cuisine.  So let's explore Indian cuisine this month with A.W.E.D.  Here are the few rules which you have to follow,

Rules for the event:
1. Prepare any Vegetarian dish starting from appetizer to dessert which fits the theme.
2. Multiple entries are welcome.
3. Give a link to this event announcement page and DK's announcement page.  I would really appreciate if you can use the logo in your post.
4. Mail me the following details at ayeesha.riaz@ googlemail.com
   a. Your Name:
   b. Recipe Name and Url:
   c. Picture of your recipe reduced to 200 px( If you couldn't reduce, no problem)
5. If you do not have a blog, you can mail me your recipe with a picture to my mail id.
6. Last date for your submission March 30th( Midnight 12- European Greenwich Mean Time)

I'm eagerly waiting to see all your spicy and sweet entries.

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Tiramisu

I know my past few posts are full of sweets and desserts and my blog is been loaded with high sugar and calories.  I don't know what's wrong with me, in the past few weeks, almost every week, I try minimum of 1 dessert or sweet.
 
I'm sure everyone will be familiar with the name Tiramisu.  Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, made with sponge fingers, mascarpone and zabaglione.  I used to think Tiramisu is a very  bitter dessert with coffee flavour and I never dared to taste that.  I know all Tiramisu lovers want to give me a lash.  One of my friend used to say that  her husband makes the best Tiramisu and everybody loves.  Since she mentioned about this Tiramisu in a few occasion I was so much intimidated to try this dessert and I decided to make my own.

                  I'm  not very good at making perfect looking slices, so it looks bit messy, but trust me it tasted divine.

  The very first time when I tried this, I made my own sponge fingers, zabaglione and custard.  The first spoon to taste, I had a bit concern.  Once I tasted that, Oh My! this has become my favourite dessert.  It tasted nothing so bitter.  The cream filling along with coffee soaked sponge, that was incredible.  But the picture which I took was very bad, so I decided take once again.  This time to make life easier I  used a store bought sponge biscuits.  This time I didn't make zabaglione and custard.  Instead I made something similar to a mousse, which I adapted from a youtube recipe here.  This method was suggested by my friend, her husband adapts this method, which everybody enjoys a lot.  My husband also felt this one was very light.  If you have concern with raw eggs, you can use custard and zabaglione.  If you haven't tasted Tiramisu so far in your life and you feel lazy to make your own, atleast buy one from shop and have a taste.  You'll never regret and you'll just fall in love with it and become addicted to this lovely dessert.   Meanwhile have a look at my recipe.

Recipe adapted from: I followed the recipe from here, watch the video for clear instructions.
Preparation Time:  45 minutes
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
Eggs- 6 separated
Sugar- 150  g
Mascarpone cheese- 250 g
Sponge fingers- 12 to 15
Coffee powder- 12 tsp
Cocoa powder to dust on top

Method:
Separate the egg white and yolks.  Take the mascarpone cheese in a large bowl, mix it with a spoon or spatula to make it smooth.  Then mix the egg yolks and 100 g sugar in a large bowluntil it looks pale.  To this egg mixture , add the mascarpone and mix until smooth.
   Next start beating the egg whites with a electric mixer in a clean bowl, until soft peaks form.   Slowly add the sugar little by little until it looks stiff and glossy.  Add 1 tbsp of egg white to the cheese mixture and fold in gently.   Then add the remaining egg whites little by little and fold it gently until it looks smooth.  This is your filling mixture.
   Mix the coffee powder with 2 tbsp of warm water and let it cool down completely.
 Take a 8 cm round tin or 10 cm square tray.  Dip the sponge fingers in the coffee mixture and line it at the bottom of the tin, until the bottom of the tin is completely covered with sponge fingers.   Spoon 1/3 rd of  the filling mixture on top of  sponge fingers.  Repeat the layers till the top of the tin.  The top layer should be the   filling mixture.  Level the surface, cover with a cling film and allow it to set overnight in the refrigerator.  Just before serving dust it with cocoa powder,slice into wedges and serve.

Linking this recipe with
It's a keeper thursday, tempt my tummy tuesday, Sweet Tooth Friday

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Any One Can Cook Series 18

Hi Foodies,
     Thank you everyone for your participation with Any One can Cook.  This is our successful 18th series.  Just to inform since we are moving out of Germany in 4 weeks time, it's just busy going for me with all packing and etc.  I will not be able to come and check regularly all the blogs.  Also once we moved to India I'll take a break from blogging for about 2 months, Any One Can Cook  will still be on, I'll draft and schedule the posts.  But when ever possible I'll check all your blog posts .
   For now we'll continue with Any One Can Cook Series 18, new readers check the event rules here.

Just remember a few rules before linking your recipe, your recipe should fall under any one of the following categories. When you are linking your recipe here, please give the short form as I have mentioned to make it easy for the readers. If your recipe falls under any of the two categories or all the three categories also you can mention it.  When you are linking if you forget to give the short form don't worry, no problem about that.

For Beginners- FB

With Less Ingredients- WLI

With Minimum amount of time- WMT

Archived recipes can be sent just by giving a link to the event in your post. 

If you find any trouble in linking your recipe please mail me your recipe link ayeesha.riaz@googlemail.com.

So let's coming cooking easy.....

The linky will be opened from Monday- Friday( till midnight 12) according to Europe- Greenwich Mean Time

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Panacotta in Eggshell- Daring Baker's Challenge for February 2011

Our challenge for February 2011 is to make Panacotta with florentines.  This challenge was given to us by Mallory.  Panocotta is a creamy and wobbly dessert, almost everyone will love this dessert. Along with this we have to bake a crispy florentine cookies.

   When I was a kid , puddings using agar agar is something very common in my place.  Although it din't have such a smooth texture as panacotta, still agar agar puddings are my favourite.  Particularly when my mom makes it in egg shell, I just loved it.  Yes, you heard it right, it's egg shell.  Don't worry it's not going to poison you.  We always name it as sweet egg and have fun with it.  So when I saw the challenge for this month, I decided to make it in egg shell, to bring back all my childhood memories and I did some in regular glasses too.

   Coming to the cookies, the recipe which Mallory gave us was a crispy and lovely cookie.  I spoiled it and made it as a bar.  I really didn't intend to do that. I had a very long hectic day with my little ones and after that when I was making these cookies, I poured the batter in a pan instead of making like cookies.  By the time I realized that it's not going to be like cookies, I was too tired to change it from the pan again.  My apologies to Mallory.  The good thing was the bars tasted good just like flapjack.  So there you go my panacotta in egg shell  with chewy oats bar.  Thank you Mallory for this wonderful challenge. To join Daring Baker's click here

Ingredients:
For panacotta:
Whole milk- 200 ml
Single cream- 200 ml
Honey- 2 tbsp
Sugar- 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
Agar agar- 2 tbsp
Mango puree- 150 g
Egg shell- 4( if you are using)

For oats bars:
Porridge oats- 120 g
Plain flour-60 g
Brown Sugar- 150 g
Butter- 100 g
Golden syrup- 40 ml
Whole milk- 40 ml
Dark chocolate- 50 g

Method:
Panacotta

If you are using the egg shell like me, first prepare the egg shell.   Crack your egg into half, take the inside out.  Wash the shells thoroughly ( don't use any soap).  Boil the water in a pan, when the water starts boiling, immerse the egg shells for 3 to 4 minutes.  Then take it out and allow it to dry completely.
Now prepare the pannacotta.  First prepare the white layer.  Soak 1 tbsp of agar agar in cold milk for 1 hour.  Add the soaked agar agar, 100 ml of milk, 100 ml of cream, 1 tbsp of honey and sugar.  Heat it in medium to low heat.  Keep stirring continuously without burning at the bottom.  Once the agar agar looks completely dissolved, add 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder, take it off from heat.  Carefully pour the mixture into the egg shells and the remaining into small glasses or which ever dish you decide to serve.   Allow it to to set for 3 hours.
   Next prepare the mango layer.  With the remaining ingredients , prepare the panacotta in the same method as above, at the end add the mango puree and mix it well until it looks smooth.  Pour the mixture on top of the white layer in the egg shell and glasses.  Allow it to set for 3 to 4 hours.

Oats Bars:
Melt the butter in the pan.  Once the butter has melted completely add the oats, flour, sugar, syrup and milk.  Mix it to smooth.  Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.  If you want to make it like bars like me, pour the mixture in a 20 cm cake tin and bake it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the sides looks brown in colour.
  To make like cookies, grease and line a baking tray, pour a teaspoon full of mixture in the baking paper.  Bake it in the preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes until it spreads and browns on the side.
Melt the chocolate and dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate and let it set until the chocolate dries out.  Store the cookies in an air tight container.
Enjoy these aromatic and creamy panacotta with oats bars.

Sending this to Western Dessert Recipes and Cooking With Fruits

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Baklava- Layered Sweet Pastry

Baklava is a rich sweet pastry, made with layers of thin sheets of pastry, filled with nuts and soaked in syrup.  It has been claimed by ethnic regions , some say it as Greek and some as Turkish....

   Wherever this sweet originated, this is just one amazing sweet.  Everytime when we buy a big box of baklavas, it disappears within a day.  Few times I failed in trying this baklava, however it's not a complete failure, I have to say a bit dry.  Still you can claim that as a type of baklava.  To me this one was perfect, completely soaked, perfectly cooked layers and the right amount of nuts.  If you are planning to make this sweet for your friends and family or any occasion , just make it a day ahead which will give enough time to soak in the syrup.  I made this last week , nothing has left now, still I'm dreaming about this delicious pastry.
So let's go to the recipe for my sweet little sweet.
Here is the link from which I followed the recipe with few variations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6mICkUdelQ

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 minutes
Makes 15 squares

Ingredients:
Phyllo pastry- 500 g( 20 sheets)
Walnuts- 100 g
Almonds- 100 g
Pista- 100 g
Cinnamon powder- 1/2 tsp
Brown sugar- 1 tbsp
Butter- 250 g
For the syrup:
Honey- 100 g
Brown sugar- 200 g
Lemon juice- 2 tsp
Cinnamon stick- 1/2 inch stick
Orange blossom water or rose water- 1 tsp

Method:
In a food processor , pulse the nuts along with cinnamon and sugar until looks coarse.
Next prepare the layers of pastry.  Open the pastry cover , place all the pastries in a wide flat surface, cover it with a damp cloth to avoid drying.
Take a 20 cm square tin.  Grease with butter and line with baking parchment paper.  Melt the butter completely until looks runny.
Take a sheet of pastry and lay it in the tin, brush with butter all over the pastry.  If the pastry sheet is hanging out of the tin, fold it over in the tin and brush with butter.  Repeat the same process until you get 8 layers of pastry.  Now spread the nut mixture on top of the pastry and press it with a back of the spoon.
Now again start layering the pastry in the same method as mentioned and finish with 4 layers of pastry.  Now again spread it with nuts and press with the back of the spoon.  Now again start layering the pastry  and finish with the remaining 8 layers of pastry.
Note:
Remember that when you are using a 20 cm square tin, you'll be able to fold each pastry into two layers and for each and every layer you have to brush the pastry sheet with butter.

Continuing...
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.  Make square shapes in the pastry using a sharp knife.  Make just insertions do not cut it out completely. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you can see that the pastry will be light brown in colour, at this stage cover the tin tightly with aluminium foil.  Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degree Celsius and bake it for further 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes remove the foil, increase the temperature to 180 again and bake it for further 20 minutes until the top layer of pastry looks brown in colour.  At this stage take it out, pour the syrup all over the pastry little by little.  If the syrup looks floating on top, allow it absorb for few minutes and then pour the syrup again.  Now cut the squares and completely and let them sit in the tin and soak in syrup for minimum 5 to 6 hours. You can leave it in the tin until it gets finished or place them in a separate serving plate.

To make the syrup:
Add the honey, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon juice along with 150 ml of water.  Bring it boil in medium heat.  Stir continually until the sugar gets completely dissolved.  Boil for 5 minutes until it looks syrupy.  Finally add the rose water to the syrup and take it off from heat.
You can prepare the syrup when the baklavas are baking in the oven.

This recipe goes to 17th Mediterranean Cooking event by Tobias Cooks, also sending this to best recipe of the month by Nancy.

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Strawberry Pizza

Well this is not a brand new idea of using fruits in pizza or making a sweet version of pizza.  You might have come across so many sweet pizzas in online or television , may be cook books.  There are so many sweet version of pizzas like using chocolate, fruits and cheese, coconut, dry fruits etc.....

The recipe which I have given here is just my own version.  My sweet version of pizza doesn't contain any cheese, rather I used homemade strawberry syrup and custard.  You can enjoy these as a naughty breakfast or as a snack.  Without any doubt my kids loved it, since they had everything which they needed i.e. jam, custard and strawberries...

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes+ rising time
Makes 8 wedges

Ingredients:
For the dough:
Unbleached bread flour or wholemeal flour-  300 g
Dried yeast- 1 1/2 tsp
Honey- 1 tbsp
Olive oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Warm water- 120 ml

For the sauce:
Strawberries- 200 g
Maple syrup - 3 tbsp

For the custard:
Custard powder- 1 tbsp
Milk- 150 ml
Honey-1 tbsp or Sugar according to your taste

For the topping:
Strawberries- 10

Method:
Prepare the dough:
Sift the flour in a large bowl, add the salt and yeast mix it well.  Make a well in the center add the oil, honey and warm water little by little to make a smooth elastic dough.  Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a clean and oiled bowl, cover with a cling film and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Prepare the sauce :
Place the strawberries and syrup in a sauce pan, heat it in medium to low heat.  After few minutes the strawberries get mashed and looks like a liquid.  At this stage remove it from heat and let it cool down completely.  When it's completely cooled it looks like a jam and easy to spread.  You can even prepare the sauce a day before and put it in the refrigerator.
Prepare the custard:
Mix the custard powder, milk and honey without any lumps.  Heat it in medium to low heat, keep stirring continuously until it looks like a thick custard consistency.  Take it off from heat and let it cool down completely.
Prepare the pizza:
Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.  Take the dough punch the air back.  Take a 10 cm round pizza tray or any baking tray.  Grease and dust it with flour.  Spread the dough in the shape of the baking tray.  Spread the sauce on top of the pizza.  Then spread the custard gently on top of the sauce without any mess. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Take the pizza out and spread the freshly cut strawberries on top it.  You can serve this warm or cold.  If you are planning to serve cold, arrange the fruits once the pizza gets cold.

This recipe goes to Yeastspotting, Only Cooking With Bread, Veggie/ Fruit A Month- Strawberries hosted by Foodelicious started by Priya Mitharwal, also linking this with Home Maker Monday , Made by you Monday, it also goes to the event Cooking With Fruits by Tastebuds

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Any One Can Cook : Series 17

   I can't believe it's already 17 weeks after starting this event, time just flies so quickly.  The success of this event was just because of all our dear fellow food bloggers,  who continuously supported this event by linking their recipes.  Last two weeks we had some confusion with the linky tools and the roundup was posted manually.  This week everything have settled, we are back to linky tools again, we got all our last information also.  So from this week onwards we'll start having the fun again with linky.
If you are new reader to this blog, view the event rules here.

Just remember a few rules before linking your recipe, your recipe should fall under any one of the following categories. When you are linking your recipe here, please give the short form as I have mentioned to make it easy for the readers. If your recipe falls under any of the two categories or all the three categories also you can mention it.  When you are linking if you forget to give the short form don't worry, no problem about that.

For Beginners- FB

With Less Ingredients- WLI

With Minimum amount of time- WMT

Archived recipes can be sent just by giving a link to the event in your post. 

If you find any trouble in linking your recipe please mail me your recipe link ayeesha.riaz@googlemail.com.

So let's coming cooking easy.....

reade more... Résuméabuiyad