Shrikhand & Boondi Trifle

It is fun creating a totally new recipe for any occasion. And yes I did something this diwali (Indian festival) also. I was planning to make a boondi ladoo (Boondi or boondhi is a fried Indian snack made from chickpea flour) which didn't happened so perfectly and turned out to be a serendipity. I used the same boondi to make this shrikhand and boondi layered dessert and was an instant hit among family and friends. Hope you enjoy doing this recipe as much I did.

Ingredients:

For Boondi 

Besan (Chickpea flour) :               1/2 cup

Oil:                                               1 tablespoon

Melon seed:                                  2 tablespoon

Sugar:                                           1/2 cup

Ladle with hole for making boondi

For Shrikhand

Turkish/ Greek yogurt:                   1 liter

Castor sugar:                                 1/2 cup

Saffron:                                         1 pinch

Cardamom powder:                       1/4 teaspoon

1) For Boondi make a fine paste of besan with 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup besan. The paste should be of a flowing consistency. Add tablespoon oil to it. Mix well and set aside of 15 minutes.

2) Make the sugar syrup adding 1/2 cup water to the sugar.  Cook until it start bubbling for approximately 5-6 minutes.

3) Heat some oil in a pan and using the ladle with holes pour in the besan batter over the hot oil. Small drop of batter will fall to make boondi. Fry it till golden and soak it it the prepared sugar syrup. Repeat the process until all the batter is done. 

4) Add dry roasted melon seed to it. Set aside and let it cool. You can enjoy boondi as it is or layer it with the shrikhand to make it more exotic. For variation add color to the batter and make it look more tempting.

5) For Shrikhand, hang the yogurt in a cheesecloth for overnight. Mix it with the castor sugar, saffron and cardamom powder until smooth and consistent. 

6) Layer the shrikhand at the base of your serving glass at the bottom, some boondi in between and top it up again with the Shrikhand. 

7) Refrigerate until served. Enjoy this exotic India dessert with a western look.

BON APPETIT..

Coconut Kalakand

Kalakand, (Hindi: क़लाक़न्द) is a popular Indian sweet made out of solidified, sweetened milk and cottage cheese. It is one of the most commonly available sweets in the shops during festivals in India.

Serve:  15 (medium square pieces)

Preparation time:  1 hour (plus cooling)

Ingredients:

Milk:                                       2 liter
Coconut powder:                    1/2 cup
Lemon juice:                           1 tablespoon
Sugar:                                     1/2 cup
Pistachio:                                15 pieces crushed roughly
Ghee:                                      1/2 teaspoon
Silver varq (optional)

Method:
1) Boil 1 liter of the milk in a large, thick-bottomed pan. Add the lemon juice to it. Once the chenna (cottage cheese) separates from the milk sieve the mixture with clean cheesecloth and strain the excess water. Wash it under fresh running water.
2) Boil another liter of milk till it reduces to half. Keep on stirring the milk with a spoon at short intervals so it doesn't stick at the bottom of the pan.
3) Now add chenna to the milk and stir it continuously. Cook the mixture till it gets thick and looks like mawa/ khoya. Add sugar and coconut powder to it and stir the mixture. Cook it till the mixture reaches the consistency of making a burfi.
4) Grease an aluminium tray with ghee. Pour the mixture into the tray and level the surface. Leave to set for a few hours in a cool, dry place or a refrigerator. When completely set, decorate with silver varq and cut into squares or diamonds. Sprinkle the sliced pistachios on top.

BON APPETIT..

Apple Sandesh

These delicate bengali sweet are famous for its melt in mouth, less sweet, velvety texture. For Bengalis, any celebration is incomplete without the customary 'sandesh'. Being an inherent part of Bengali culture and festivity, sandesh became a 'messenger' of auspicious news creating an atmosphere of joy and happiness in every household. So much so that people in Dhaka, Bangladesh, like to call the sweet 'pranhara' which is the Bengali of 'heart stealer'.

Apples sandesh is a fusion of an authentic classic recipe with a twist on some international flavours. Apple stuffing gives the soft sandesh a tangy chewy bite in the centre. It makes the dessert more exciting when you eat it.

 Serve:     10 pieces

Preparation time:     30 minutes (plus cooling)


Ingredients:

Cottage cheese:                  100 grams
Apple:                                1 large
Lemon juice:                       1 tablespoon
Sugar:                                 1/2 cup (powdered) + 2 tablespoon
Cinnamon powder:              1/2 teaspoon
Green Cardamom powder:  1/2 teaspoon
Saffron:                               1/2 teaspoon soaked in warm milk
Pistachio to garnish

Method:

1) Grate the apple and mix it with lemon juice and 2 tablespoon of sugar. Cook it on a medium flame until dry and apple is soft like a spread. Set aside to cool.
2) Knead the chhenna (cottage cheese) well with the heel of your hand to make it really smooth.  Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder, and knead again for approximately 2 minutes.
3) Cook in a non-stick pan on low heat for 5-7 minutes mixing regularly with a spatula. This is very crucial step and need to be done carefully. Remove from heat and knead it again for couple of times, divide into ten equal portions.
4) Carefully make a bowl like shape of the cottage cheese dough and stuff the apple filling, close it to make balls and carefully smoothen it around.
5) Make a small dent on the top, drizzle it with saffron milk and top it up with pistachio. Let it cool for an hour in the refrigerator and serve.

Note:  You can make cottage cheese at home by adding lemon juice (2 tablespoon) to the boiling milk (4 cups). Once milk curdles strain and immediately refresh it in chilled water. Put the cheese in a piece of muslin and squeeze till all the water is drained out.

BON APPETIT..

Espresso Cheesecake Brownie

If you in love with brownie & cheesecake WAIT !!! This recipe is for you. If you are a chocolate and coffee lover this is again a treat for you. This Espresso cheesecake brownie is certainly an over- overindulging recipe for me. The twin layer bottom is made with bittersweet chocolate brownie and topped with the espresso flavoured cheesecake. The flavor combination is impeccable and so is the texture. It a treat for your senses to have this cake starting with the soft velvety cheesecake and biting down to the firmly and fudgy brownie. You can almost taste it seeing the picture. It’s like falling in love for first time.

Minimally adapted from:  " Baking from my home to yours"  by Dorie Greenspan"

Makes:  16 Brownies

Preparation time:    1 hour (plus cooling)

Ingredients:

For the brownie:
All purpose flour:                   1/2 cup
Baking powder:                     1/4 teaspoon
Pinch of salt
Unsalted butter:                     5 tablespoon
Bittersweet Chocolate:          150 grams (coarsely chopped)
Sugar:                                   1/3 cup
Egg:                                      2 large
Vanilla extract:                      1/2 teaspoon

For the cheesecake:
Instant Espresso Powder:      11/2 teaspoon
Boiling water:                        1 tablespoon
Cream cheese:                      250 grams at room temp
Sugar:                                   2/3 cup
Vanilla extract:                      1/2 teaspoon
Egg:                                      2 large
Sour Cream:                         1/4 cup
All purpose flour:                  2 tablespoon

Method:
1) Preheat the oven at 180 degree celcius and butter a 9 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, tap out the excess.
2) Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter and chocolate together and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted.
3) Whisk in the sugar to the chocolate mixture. Add egg one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and whisk vigorously for few seconds.
4) With the help of rubber spatula or whisk gently sit in the dry ingredients until they disappear in the batter. Set aside.
5) To make cheesecake dissolve the espresso in boiling water and let it cool.
6) Beat the cream cheese using a stand or a hand mixer until completely smooth. Add sugar and beat for another 3 minutes until well incorporated.
7) Beat in vanilla and espresso mixture. Add the egg one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.
8) Lower the speed of mixer to low and add the sour cream followed by the flour. The batter will be smooth.
9) Give the brownie batter a few stir and pour it onto the prepared pan. Smooth the brownie layer and pour the cheesecake batter over it, tilting the pan as needed to even the batter.
10) Bake for 30 to 35 minute, or until the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan and the cheesecake layer is beige in the centre, lightly browned around the edges and puffed all over. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature. When the brownie are completely cool, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
11) The easiest way to cut this cake is to run the knife blade under hot water, wipe it dry and cut the cake as desired.
12) You can serve it as it is or with some dust of coca over the top of the bar. You can also serve the cold brownie with hot fudge sauce.


Few more love of chocolate and espresso combination:
Twin Chocolate Panna Cotta with Espresso Jelly
Quick Tiramisu Trifle
Cake Roll

BON APPETIT..

Semlor (Swedish pastry bun)

I found this lovely small pastry bun few days back surfing on a food porn site and bookmarked it to try. Today after little research and trying several recipe sites I am here with best of this authentic Swedish pastry. Semlor consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off, and is then filled with a mix of milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. Today it is often eaten on its own, with coffee or tea. Some people still eat it in a bowl of hot milk. In Finland, the bun is sometimes filled with raspberry jam instead of almond paste, and bakeries in Finland usually offer both versions. The semlor was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with the arrival of the Protestant Reformation, the Swedes stopped observing a strict fasting for Lent. The semla in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, semlor are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter.

Makes:                           12-15 buns (medium size)
Preparation time:             3 hours

Ingredients:

All purpose flour:             2 1/2 - 3 cups
Active dry yeast:              7 grams
Butter:                             75 grams
Milk:                               1 cup
Salt:                                1/4 teaspoon
Sugar:                             3 tablespoon
Cardamom powder:        1 teaspoon
Egg:                                1 (for egg wash)
Almond:                          200 grams
Heavy cream                   2 cups
Powder sugar:                 4 tablespoon (some more for dusting)
Vanilla essence:               1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1) Melt the butter in a saucepan; add milk, sugar, salt, and cardamom powder. Keep the liquid warm and add to the active dry yeast. Stir well.
2) Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with the liquid to make sticky dough, add more flour if required. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it stand at a warm place for about an hour to rise.
3) Work the dough on a floured surface and make about 15 round buns. Arrange it on a baking sheet and cover it with a kitchen towel again to rise for about 45-50 minutes.
4) Preheat the oven at 200 degree celsius.
5) Brush the buns with a lightly beaten egg. Bake it on the middle rack for about 30-35 minutes until it is light brown in color. Let it cool.
6) Cut the top of the bun using a sharp knife and make a small hole in between. Mix the inside bit if the buns with almond paste and 2 spoons of milk to make a smooth paste.
7) Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla essence together to soft peak.

8) Fill each bun with almond paste filling. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream over it and cover it with cut lid. 9) Dust the sugar over it and enjoy this Swedish delicacy with a glass or milk or some hot coffee.

BON APPETIT..       

Blueberry Basil Cheesecake (No bake)

I am happy, it’s no bake, its quick, its small, and it’s an individual serve size, perfect for a quick summer dessert. Cheesecakes have always been a fascination for me. I have not yet made any proper cheesecake for my blog but yes this recipe is definitely a good start towards it.
Cheesecake is a sweet dish consisting primarily of a mixture of soft, fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar; often on a crust or base made from crushed cookies or graham crackers, pastry or sponge cake. It may be baked or unbaked. Cheesecake is usually sweetened with sugar and may be flavored or topped with fruit, whipped cream, nuts, fruit sauce and/or chocolate. Cheesecake can be prepared in many flavors, such as strawberry, pumpkin, key lime, or toffee. Cheesecake is usually served as a dessert.
(Source- wikipedia)

Serve:      4
Preparation time :              20 minutes

Ingredients:
Graham crumb:              1 cup (substitute: Crushed digestive biscuits)
Butter:                           4 tablespoon
Cream cheese:               1 cup
Blueberry:                      1 cup (fresh)
Basil:                              5-6 leaves (finely chopped)
Heavy cream:                 1 cup
Sugar:                            4 tablespoon (powdered)
Lemon zest:                    1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice:                  1 tablespoon

Method:

1) Mix the crumb and butter together and spoon it in the bottom of the glass. Let it cool refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2) Crush half cup blueberry, add it to the cream cheese, add basil leaves, lemon juice and zest. Mix well.
3) Whisk the heavy cream until soft peak, add sugar and whisk again until stiff peak forms.
4) Gently fold the cream cheese mixture and heavy cream.
5) Spoon it over the crumb mixture in the glass. Top it up with fresh blueberry and some basil leaf.

6) Keep it cold until served.

BON APPETIT..

Devil's Food White Out Cake

This cake certainly needs to be special because today is the most special day for 13 Secret Sauce as completing one successful year with blogging and cooking. The cake was selected from my favourite and for all the amateur bakers favourite baking bible "Baking from my home to yours". This twin layered devilishly dark chocolate cake has the rich chocolaty flavor of cocoa, bittersweet and semisweet chocolate. This cake has dense, firm super fudgy brownie kind of texture which makes it really special. This cake can be made for any big of small occasions. This cake looks more spectacular when a layer of coal- dark crust is broken into crumb and pressed over the frosting.

Adapted from “BAKING from my home to yours” by Dorie Greenspan

 Makes:              12 Serving
Preparation:       3 hours plus cooling

Ingredients:

All purpose flour:                       1 1/3 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder:     1/2 cups
Baking soda:                              3/4 teaspoon
Baking powder:                         1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted butter:                         10 tablespoon
Light brown sugar:                     1/2 cup
White sugar:                              1/2 cup
Egg:                                          3 large (at room temperature)
Vanilla extract:                          1 teaspoon
Bittersweet chocolate:               50 grams (melted and cooled)
Buttermilk or whole milk:           1/2 cup
Boiling water:                            1/2 cup
Semisweet chocolate:                100 grams

For filling and frosting:

Cream cheese:          400 grams
Heavy cream:           400 grams
Vanilla sugar:            4 tablespoon

Method:

1) Preheat oven at 180 degree celsius and line a cake pan with butter and dust it with the flour. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
2) Sieve together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3) Beat the butter in a medium speed using a stand mixer or a hand mixer until soft and creamy.
4) Add sugar and continue to beat for another 3 minutes.
5) Add egg one at a time beating for 1 minute each. Beat in the vanilla extract.
6) Reduce the mixer to low speed and add melted chocolate. When fully incorporated add milk and alternately dry ingredient. Milk in 2 and dry mixture in 3 portions (begin and end with dry mixture).
7) Mix until the ingredient disappears in the mixture. At this point it looks like a thick frosting; mix the boiling water at low speed.
8) Using a rubber spatula scrap the mixing bowl and stir in the chopped semi sweet chocolate.
9) Divide the batter in two small cake pans if you require 3 layers or a single large pan if making twin layer.
10) Bake for 45 minutes if making a large single cake. Check if the tester comes out clean.
11) Cool down the cake on a wire rack. Slice the top crown using a long serrated knife gently in sawing motion. Set 2 layers aside and crumble the crown portion of the cake for decoration.
For frosting:
1) Beat using a stand mixer heavy all the heavy cream until stiff peak, add cream cheese and vanilla sugar mix again and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
For assembly:
1) Put 1 of the cake round layer on a plate or the cardboard base. Top it up with the about 1/3 portion of frosting spread it using a metal icing spatula. Top with second layer cut side down and frost the side and the top.
2) Smooth the frosting roughly. Now cover the cake with the cake crumbs gently pressing the crumbs into the frosting with your fingers. Refrigerate the cake until served at least 1 hour. Cover it loosely to avoid any smell from other food in refrigerator.

BON APPETIT...

Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

Chocolate & Cherry is definitely a match made in heaven so is this recipe. A quick, scrumptious, yummy "Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake". It is named so because u actually don't mix any of the ingredients and dump everything in a baking dish and after 30 minutes you get this beautiful gooey cake out. This rustic cake can be ideally made with a cherry pie filling and a chocolate cake mix. But I am making it here from scratch for all who doesn't have an access to these ready made mixes near them.

Serve :            2
Preparation time:     45 minutes


Ingredients:

For cherry pie filling:
Cherry:             2 cups (pitted)
Sugar:               1/2 cup
Corn starch:      1 tablespoon
Water:              1/4 cup

For cake mix:
All purpose flour:    1 cup
Butter:                    50 grams (cold cut in small pieces)
Cocoa powder:       1/4 cup
Baking powder:       1 teaspoon
Salt:                         1 pinch
Sugar:                      1/4 cup (fine granulated sugar, I am using Vanilla Sugar)
Vanilla essence:         1/2 teaspoon

To assemble:
Butter:                     1/2 cup (melted)

 Method:

1) For cherry pie filling heat a saucepan and add cherry, sugar, water at medium flame for 5-7 minutes until soft and cooked. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoon of cold water and mix it in the cooking cherry mixture. Let it cook for another couple of minute. Set aside.
2) Sieve together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add cold butter and mix it using a back of spoon or finger tip. It should resemble a fine bread crumb after mixing well. Add fine sugar and vanilla essence, mix well. Cake mix will look like a dry brown, crumb like of a powder.
3) Preheat the oven at 190 degree celsius. To assemble take a baking dish spread the cherry pie filling at the base top a thin layer or cake mix evenly.
4) Spread the melted butter over the cake mix using a spoon to make it wet.
5) Bake at 180 degree celsius about 30 minutes. The cherry will be bubbling from inside and cake topping will be hard to touch.

6) Let it cool for 10 minutes before you serve. Serve warm as it is or with a cold vanilla ice cream or cold whipped cream.

BON APPETIT..

Cherry Cobbler

You can never forget the name of this dish because of its uniqueness. Cobbler refers to a variety of dishes, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom, consisting of a fruit or savoury filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or pie crust before being baked. Some cobbler recipes, especially in the South, resemble a thick-crusted, deep-dish pie with both top and bottom crust.

The scone-topped cobbler predominates and is found in both sweet and savoury versions. Common sweet fillings include apple, blackberry and peach. Savoury versions, such as lamb, beef or mutton, consist of a casserole filling, sometimes with a simple ring of cobbles around the edge, rather than a complete layer, to aid cooking of the meat. Cheese or herb scones may also be used as a savoury topping.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Today's preparation is a yummy, juicy homespun cherry cobbler, where the base is of the soft cherry pie filling and the topping is a hard crusty biscuit. Enjoy this hot and bubbling cherry cobbler directly out from the oven.

Minimally adapted from Joy of baking

Serve:                  2

Preparation time:   45 minutes (including baking)

Ingredients:

Cherry:                300 grams (fresh or canned, about 1 cup after pitted)

Lime juice:           1 teaspoon

Sugar:                  2 tablespoon

Cornstarch:          1/2 tablespoon

Biscuit dough  

All purpose flour:    1/2 cup

Sugar:                     2 tablespoon

Butter:                    2 tablespoon (cold, unsalted, cut into pieces) 

Baking powder:      1/2 teaspoon

Salt:                       1 pinch

Vanilla extract:       1/2 teaspoon

Cream or milk:       1/4 cup (cold)

Method:

1) Cook pitted cherry, lime juice and sugar with 1/4 cup of water together. Let it cook till soft. Add cornstarch mixed with some cold water to the cooking cherries. Cook for another 1 minute at low heat.

Set aside.

2) Preheat the oven at 180 degree celsius. 

3) Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix into the flour mixture using your fingertips lightly. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

4)  Add the cream to the flour mixture to make soft dough. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface.

5) Roll the dough into a circle that is about 1/2 inch thick,cut the dough into rounds.

6) To assemble place the cherry filling at the bottom of the ramekin mould. Gently place the rounds biscuit on top of the fruit. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little cream.

7) Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a biscuit comes out clean.

8) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

9) You can relish it like this or serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Refrigerate leftovers and reheat before serving.

BON APPETIT..

"Black Forest Trifle" & "White Forest Trifle"

I am falling in love with these small dessert served in glasses or small bowls, absolutely. They call it "Trifle". Multiple layers of fruit, cream, cakes, jellies soaked in juices that delights your senses with so many colors and texture. Full of flavor in each and every layer make it a stunning dessert for any occasion.

Trifle ('trifle') is a dessert from the English kitchen. It consists of several layers served in a glass bowl. The classic trifle is lower layer cake pieces then sprinkled with sherry; across them some fresh fruit, such as strawberries or peaches and finally a layer of custard or custard. However, there are many variations are possible: the cake can be replaced by the cookies or brownies, and instead of the custard pudding may also be covered with ice.  

Today I am making a black forest and white forest trifle , definitely inspired by my last week's trip to "The Black Forest" (German: Schwarzwald). It is a wooded mountain range located in the southwest corner of Germany in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. And of course the market is flooded with the season's fresh cherries. All this was enough of a temptation to make this yummy trifle. I am going to share some amazing pictures from our trip which will justify the reason making this lovely dessert.

Serve:    4 (Makes 2 black forest and 2 white forest trifles)

Preparation time:  45 minutes.

Ingredients:

Basic chocolate sponge cake:               50 grams

Basic vanilla sponge cake:                    50 grams

Fresh or canned cherry:                        2 cups

Heavy cream:                                       200 grams

Vanilla essence:                                    1/4 teaspoon

Sugar:                                                  1/2 cup

Vanilla Sugar/ powdered sugar:            2 tablespoon

Balsamic vinegar:                                 1 tablespoon

White and brown milk chocolate to garnish

Method:

1) Cook the pitted cherry, sugar and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan for 5-7 minutes until soft and dark. Set aside to cool.

2) Whisk heavy cream to get a soft peak. Add vanilla sugar and vanilla essence and whisk again to mix.

3) Break both chocolate and vanilla sponge cake roughly using hands.

4) To set the trifle, take your favourite glass or bowl. Layer the chocolate and vanilla sponge cake separately in 2 glasses at bottom, top it up with the cherry and juices, put a layer of vanilla cream on the top. Repeat the layers. 

5) Put some shredded chocolate on the top, white chocolate for white forest trifle and brown chocolate for a black forest trifle.

6) Top it up with a fresh cherry and refrigerate it until served.

BON APPETIT..

French Cherry Clafoutis

Living and travelling in Europe has made me fond of lovely, French, Italian and Turkish desserts. From a no sweet person I have become a dessert lover. Today I am trying to make an authentic recipe from French origin.
Clafoutis is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm.
Traditional clafoutis contain pits of the cherries. According to baking purists, the pits release a wonderful flavor when the dish is cooked. If the cherry pits are removed prior to baking, the clafoutis will be milder in flavor.
(Source: Wikipedia)
You can use any other fruits or pitted preserved cherries for this recipe. Traditionally, what makes clafoutis a clafoutis are the cherries. In fact, purists may say that if there are no cherries, it is not clafoutis, rather a “flaugnarde” or “flognarde".  Adjust the sugar in the recipe according to the fruit you use.

Ingredients:

Cherry:                   1 1/2 cup (pitted) fresh or preserved
Full cream milk:       1 cup
All purpose flour:     1/2 cup
Sugar:                      1/2 cup
Vanilla essence:        1/2 teaspoon
Egg:                         2 medium
Butter:                      1 tablespoon (melted)
Salt:                         1/4 teaspoon
Oil to spray
Powdered sugar to garnish

Method:

1) Preheat the oven at 180 degree C.
2) Spray an oven safe pan with cooking spray. Arrange the pitted cherry in the pan evenly.
3) Mix the remaining ingredients onto a smooth batter, using a whisk. You can use a blender instead for a faster process.
4) Pour the batter over the cherry and let it bake for 25 minutes.
5) Serve it warm or at room temperature with sprinkle of powdered sugar over it.

BON APPETIT...

Twin Chocolate Panna Cotta with Espresso Jelly

If you are a coffee and chocolate person, you will definitely fall in love with this dessert. It is certainly a perfect ending of a grand feast. This recipe is a combination of white and brown chocolate with an espresso jelly topping. Just dig into the dessert and enjoy each bite of chocolate and cream with strong espresso shots.

Serve:          4

Preparation time:    3-4 hours

Ingredients:

Brown Milk Chocolate:                  50 grams

White Milk Chocolate:                   50 grams

Instant Coffee powder:                   1 tablespoon

Gelatine Sheet:                               3 sheets (Jelly sugar for vegetarians)

Heavy Cream:                                300 grams

Sugar:                                            3 tablespoon

Star Anise:                                     1 star

Method:

1)  Heat 150 grams of heavy cream in a sauce pan. Soak the gelatine sheet in cold water for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, and grated brown chocolate to the boiling cream. Reduce the heat and add gelatine. Mix it well using the whisk. Pour it in the serving glass and let it set in the refrigerator for 1 hour. I kept my serving glass and mug slanted using a muffin tin to set it diagonally.
2) After an hour, heat another 150 grams of heavy cream in a sauce pan. Soak the gelatine sheet in cold water for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, star anise and grated White chocolate to the boiling cream. Reduce the heat and add gelatine. Mix it well using the whisk. Take out the star anise and pour it in the serving glass and let it set in the refrigerator for another hour.
3) After the two layers of panna cotta is set, boil half cup of water and add instant coffee powder and 2 tbsp sugar to it. Add soaked gelatin, mix well. Pour it over the panna cotta and refrigerate it until the jelly is set to serve.

4) Serve cold with some chocolate garnish if required.

BON APPETIT...

Another experiment of flavours with Panna cotta 

Tutti frutti Biscotti (Twice Baked Italian Bread)

Biscotti is more correctly known as biscotti di Prato (English: Prato Biscuits), also known as cantuccini (English: Coffee Bread) are twice-baked biscuits originating in the Italian city of Prato. The biscuits are oblong-shaped almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven. The word originates from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked/baked." It defined oven baked goods that were baked twice, so they were very dry and could be stored for long periods of time. Someone boasted that such goods would be edible for centuries. Such non-perishable food was particularly useful during journeys and wars in olden days.

Since they are very dry, biscotti traditionally are served with a drink, into which they may be dunked. In Italy they are typically served as an after-dinner dessert with a Tuscan fortified wine called vin santo. Outside of Italy, they more frequently accompany coffee, including cappuccinos and lattes, or black tea. 
(Source: Wikipedia)

Today's recipe is a variation from the original basic recipe. I am using Tutti Frutti flavour to give this Biscotti and sweet punch. Other variations can be choco, hazelnut, almond pistachio and many more. Following double baking the biscotti can be dipped in glaze or chocolate to make it more flavoursome.
Basic Recipe minimally adapted from "Joy of Baking"

Makes:                     35 biscotti

Preparation time:       45 minutes.


Ingredients:
Egg:                            3 large
Vanilla extract:            1 teaspoon
Granulated Sugar:        3/4 cups
All purpose flour:         2 cups
Baking powder:           1 teaspoon
Salt:                             1/4 teaspoon
Tutti Frutti:                   1/2 cup(chopped)

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 160 degrees C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2) In a bowl whisk the eggs with the vanilla extracts and sugar until pale in color.
3) In a large bowl whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the egg mixture and tutti frutti and stir until a dough forms. 
4) Divide the dough in half and on a lightly floured surface roll each half into a 6 inch long & 4 inches wide log. 
5) Place the logs to the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
6) Transfer logs to a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut it into slices about 1/2 inches thick.
7) Place the slices of biscotti back on the baking sheet and bake about another 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake for another 10 minutes or until firm and crisp. 
8) Remove from oven and let it cool. Store in an airtight container enjoy it for several weeks.

BON APPETIT..

Quick Tiramisu Trifle

Tiramisu is definitely a dessert you will fall for the first time. Tiramisu is an Italian dessert. It literally means "pick me up" or "lift me up", name truly justify the taste of this finger licking recipe. It is made of ladyfingers (Italian: Savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese, and flavored with Marsala wine and cocoa. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of puddings, cakes and other desserts. Today I am trying to make this tiramisu in form of a trifle. This recipe is real quick and without any raw egg.

Make:                              4 small trifle glasses
Preparation time:              20 minutes (cooling additional)

Ingredient:

Ladyfingers (Savoiardi):               12 fingers
Instant coffee powder:                  2 tablespoon
Hot water:                                    1 cup
Marsala wine:                               2 tablespoon
Mascarpone cheese:                     200 grams
Heavy cream:                               100 grams
Vanilla sugar:                                1 1/2 tablespoon
Sugar:                                          2 tablespoon
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1) Mix hot water, coffee powder, sugar and Marsala wine in a large bowl. Let it cool.
2) Whip cream until soft peak. Add mascarpone and vanilla sugar and continue whipping until smooth. Add the 1 tbsp coffee mixture to the whipped cream and cheese and mix well to give that additional flavour.
3) Take the serving glass and starting layering up the trifle. Break the ladyfinger into half and soak it in the warm coffee mixture for about 5 second.
4) Put the soaked mixture at the base of the serving glass layer it with mascarpone cheese mixture. Again put a layer of soaked lady fingers and top it up with mascarpone.
5) Insert a dry ladyfinger at the side of the glass as garnish.
6) Powder some cocoa on the top generously and store it in fridge for cooling until served.

BON APPETIT..

Leaving you with few beautiful pictures from Belgium and France to enjoy with this Tiramisu trifle.

Ghent, Belgium Skyline

Royal tea set at Musée du Louvre, France

Brugge, Historic centre, Belgium

Old Mediterranean potteries, Musée du Louvre, France