Cannoli – Daring Baker’s November Challenge

When I logged in to check about November’s challenge the first thing I read was “no baking”,this was disappointing.After going thru the post,I wasn’t sure if I would be able to participate coz Cannoli is something that I have neither seen nor heard about.While shopping for some Baking stuffs in Sur La Table I came across these tubes and I was completely thrilled.I think this was the first time I made the challenge well in advance…..am thoroughly impressed.I still have these cute li’l tubes already made,it comes very handy when I have unexpected guests.

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Equipment:
Cannoli forms/tubes – optional, but recommended if making traditional shaped cannoli. Dried cannelloni pasta tubes work just as well!
Deep, heavy saucepan, enough to hold at least 2-3-inches of oil or deep fryer
Deep fat frying thermometer. although the bread cube or bit of dough test will work fine.
Metal tongs
Brass or wire skimmer OR large slotted spoon
Pastry bag with large star or plain tip, but a snipped ziplock bag, butter knife or teaspoon will work fine.
Cooling rack
Paper bags or paper towels
Pastry Brush
Cheesecloth
Sieve or fine wire mesh strainer
Electric Mixer, stand or hand, optional, as mixing the filling with a spoon is fine.
Food Processor or Stand Mixer – also optional, since you can make the dough by hand, although it takes more time.
Rolling pin and/or Pasta roller/machine
Pastry or cutting board
Round cutters – The dough can also be cut into squares and rolled around the cannoli tube prior to frying. If making a stacked cannoli, any shaped cutter is fine, as well as a sharp knife.
Mixing bowl and wooden spoon if mixing filling by hand
Plastic Wrap/Clingfilm
Tea towels or just cloth towels

Required: Must make cannoli dough and shells. If you don’t have or do not want to purchase cannoli forms, which I would never ask of any of you, you could simply cut out circles, squares, or any shapes you want and stack them with the filling of your choice to make stacked cannoli’s aka Cannolipoleons (directions below). If desired, you can channel MacGuyver and fashion something heat proof to get traditional shaped cannoli (6-8 inch sawed off lengths of a wooden broom stick or cane, sanded down and oiled, is THE authentic cannoli form!), or non-traditional shapes such as creating a form to make bowls, or even using cream horns if you happen to have them. Mini cannoli would be great too, and I’ve provided links to retailers of cannoli forms of all sizes.

Also, for those who don’t like to cook or bake with alcohol – grape juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, apple juice..any sweet juice of a fruit, especially ones used in or to make wine, can be substituted. Just add a little more vinegar to insure you get enough acid to relax the dough

6-8 inch long by 3/4 to 1 inch circumference cannoli forms aka your basic cannoli form size

Lidisano’s Cannoli
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:
Dough – 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling – 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying – 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble – 20–30 minutes

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/8.82 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners’ sugar

Note – If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note – If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Cannoli shell preparation, cutting out the dough circles, sealing the dough around the form, frying the shells, finished shells ready to fill

Pasta Machine method:
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through

2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.

3, Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

For stacked cannoli:
1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 – 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

Verdict: As I mentioned earlier,this a super duper recipe…am gona keep making them:)

Gulab Jamun for Indian cooking October Challenge

We are so used to the ready made Gulab Jamun mix,the thought about making this from scratch never occurred to me.Thanks Srivalli for this one…this was indeed a wonderful challenge and i enjoyed making them.I made them twice,played a li’l with the shapes.A must try sweet!!!!

Gulab(less) Jamun from The Yum Blog

Makes: around 25 jamuns

Ingredients

Khova – 11/2 cups/ 1 recipe
Maida – 1 cup
Sugar – 3 cups (if you want excess syrup i.e floating jamuns increase by a cup)
Water – 1 cup (increase if you’re increasing sugar)
Cooking Soda – 3 pinches
Cardamom – 4 pods
Saffron leaves – a few
Oil – 1 cup (for deep frying)

Method

1. Combine sugar and water in a flat bottomed broad pan and simmer on a low heat until sugar dissolves. Add cardamom powder and saffron leaves and remove from fire.
2. Knead khova, maida and soda and quickly shape into balls.
3. Heat oil on a medium flame. Fry the jamuns till golden brown over a low to medium flame, keeping oil temperature uniform. Oil should not smoke.
4. Drain the jamuns and soak in the warm sugar syrup.

Serve the jamuns after half an hour.

Verdict: They are delicious,very soft and easy to make.

Dobos Torta – Daring Baker’s August Challenge

Yet another month for the Daring Baker’s Challenge.This time it has been a complete new dessert for me,something that I have never tried,infact never heard of too.I have never tasted a “Dobos Torta” which is actually a Hungarian speciality,infact even the name sounded very new to me.When I went through the challenge,I thought am gona give up this time.But the thought of making something chocolaty kept me motivated.I halved the quantity of each ingredient as this cake was only for the two of us.I must say this was quite a challenge!

This was one of the “not so easy” cakes that I have baked so far,but must admit the end result was awesome.It is actually a five layer sponge cake,sandwiched between chocolate buttercream and surrounded by nuts and topped with caramel….ummmm ain’t this sounds delicious????? I believe the Dorbos Torta are circular in shape,since in the challenge the shape wasn’t a constraint I ended up with a square one.

The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. ,

Equipment

* 2 baking sheets
* 9” Square Cake tin, for templates
* mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
* a sieve
* a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
* a small saucepan
* a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
* metal offset spatula
* sharp knife
* a 7 1/2” cardboard cake square, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.
* piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times
* Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
* Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
* Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
* Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers

* 3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
* 1 cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
* pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

* 2 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1/2(200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
* 2oz (55g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
* 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

* 1/2 cup (100g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
* 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
* 4 teaspoons (20 ml) lemon juice
* 1/2 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

* a 7” cardboard square
* Original reciped called for Hazelnuts but I used a mixture of roasted(cashewnut,hazelnut,pecans)

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9″ (23cm) springform tin/cake tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle/square on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle/square should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn’t touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 1/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner’s (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don’t have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining confectioner’s (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a square-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8″ springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat square. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine’s note: If you’re in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Make sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you’ll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn’t just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela’s note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Verdict:

Though the process looks elaborate,it was not that difficult.Baking each layer separately is the main thing.My layers were not as thin as I expected them to be.However,the taste was jes perfect.Now am gona look around for this cake here.In three words,”Dorbe Torta rocks”!.

Chocolate covered Marshmallow Cookies – Daring Baker’s Challenge July 2009

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole of Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

This is my first experience at the Daring Baker’s Challenge and am looking forward to more of it.

Mallow experience –

I was very fascinated with the entire process.Though the time mentioned in the original recipe was very reasonable but it took a li’l long for me.I have never used marshmallows in my baking and this was the first time.I had some store bought ones which came handy.I had halved the quantity of the ingredients which means I should have ended up with 24 cookies but I ended up with 36 of them!

Mallows (Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies) Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Prep Time: 15 min (cookies only)
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hours or up to 3 days (cookies only)
Cook Time: 10 min (cookies only)
Serves: 36 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
¼ cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 eggs, whisked together
Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows(However I used the store bought ones)
Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1.In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.

2.On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.

3.Add the eggs and mix until combine.

4.Form the dough into a disk, wrap with cling film or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

5.When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

6.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

7.Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.

8.Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

9.Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

10.Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.

11.One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.

12.Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note:If you don’t want to make your own marshmallows,you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base.Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly,it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Prep Time: 5 min (marshmallows only)
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours (marshmallows only)
Cook Time: 10-20 min (marshmallows only, includes cooking sugar & whipping marshmallow)
Serves: About 4 dozen cookies at 1 – 1.5 inch
Homemade marshmallows:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites,room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.In a saucepan,combine the water,corn syrup,and sugar,bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage,or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2.Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.

3.Remove the syrup from the heat,add the gelatin,and mix.

4.Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.

5.Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.

6.Transfer to a pastry bag.

Prep Time: 5 min (glaze only)
Inactive Prep Time: N/A
Cook Time: 5-7 min (glaze only)
Serves: Enough to dip about 4 doz. cookies at 1 – 1.5 inch

Chocolate glaze:

12 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1.Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

Verdict –

The cookies even without the chocolate glaze tasted very well.I didn’t use a cookie cutter hence my cookies were quite big in size and the marshmallow on top looked too small.End of the day,I am satisfied with my experience with the mallows.It was tasty and very chocolaty.Since I had used store bought marshmallows,I had to bake it for few mintues.Guess I had left it for a longer time and they turned completely flat.Had to redo it.

I love the Peperridge farm Milano Cookies,was too keen on making them.However due to time constraint I had to choose between the Mallows and the Milano cookies.Chocolate always comes first,hence I decided on the Mallows.Will need to plan ahead of time in the future.Am eagerly looking forward to the other Baker’s post.

Whole Wheat Berry Pancakes

Okie am back again.After my long 2.5months India vacation,I thought I wudnt take a break again,but realized the break wasn’t enough.Now I blame it to the beautiful weather which has been terrific.Winter was more like a “Staycation” meaning a stay at home vacation.Hence,we want to make the best use of Summer.I haven’t been able to blog much,this is an old draft which am posting now.

There was a time when I envied my freedom of getting up in the morning and plan my day.It was only work,work and work that kept me occupied.Now I have all the time in the world and also the weather in favor, nothing stops me.We’ve been busy travelling and visiting a lot of new places,some new adventures,exciting vacations etc.

This month has been quite busy,started with an adventurous Houseboat trip – my first houseboat experience! Weekend in the water – that’s how I spent my July 4th long weekend.Well I have no words to describe.Here lakes are as huge as a Sea. Imagine you are in the water in a houseboat, jes given a Map for navigation,lake surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of islands,wudnt one get lost???? Which direction would one travel? Except for the radio base which cud be reached for help,there is nothing else other than water!Its a mini home kinda set up inside the houseboat with stove top,refrigerator,Oven,Bunk beds accommodating eight people,bathroom,dining table etc…wat more can one ask for?We docked the boat in different locations – at times in secluded places,once at the beach to feel the cold water.Too amused by our Vegas trip,we wanted to try our hands in the casino,so docked our boat at the casino too.We were abt 100miles away from Canada,that was exciting too.Am looking forward to more such trips in the future.Well this is how the houseboat looked.

Coming to the post,making a pancake always makes me happy.I ran out of whipped cream,but this tasted good even without it.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat flour – 1 ½ cup
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – a pinch
Sugar – 2 tsp
Egg – 1
Milk – ½ cup
Blueberries/Strawberries – ½ cup(only strawberries to be chopped)
Water – as required
Cooking Spray/Canola oil – for cooking.

Method:

Whisk egg and sugar together.Mix all the dry ingredients together.Add the wet ingredients to this and mix well.Add water,just enough to get a thin batter.Heat a pan,spray with cooking spray(you may use oil too),pour ¼ cup of the batter on the pan and cook on both sides just like Dosas.

Serve hot along with any syrup(maple syrup or any fruit syrup will do good).

Verdict – Its utterly delicious one.Soft and gui gui(with the syrup).Perfect for breakfast or Dinner.

Looking forward to more entries for FIC-Express your Mood.

Fruity Stacks

Sunday was eventful.Weekend in the wild,lovely..…..hmm before anyone gets me wrong,I was talking about my visit to the Zoo.Its been quite some time since I visited one. I was all the more excited when P mentioned that this place was more of a wild life sanctuary. He was indeed right and I was happy to see animals in vast open spaces amidst thick vegetation. I believe it’s cruel to put animals in cage and not giving them freedom to move around. It was a good five hour walk thru the vast area.I was able to spot the majestic Tiger,its agile cousin the leopard,fast and furious Puma,marathon winner Ostrich,wild wolf to name a few.It was also a treat to watch cute li’l kids feed to Giraffes. The trip would have been memorable if I had spotted my fav animal the mighty Elephant.The highlight of the trip was the Monorail which runs across the entire place,giving us a panoramic view of the wild life and vegetation.Yet again the weather favored us.Last but not the least there was a festive mood in the Zoo,thanks to the wonderful musical orchestra.

I had picked up a box of Strawberries,Blueberries and Raspberries from Sams thinking I would make something.We kept munching some on our way to the Zoo and before we finish the entire box I decided to make “ Fruity Stacks”.I guess this one is a perfect dessert when we end up with an unplanned dinner/party ,easy to make and great to relish!

Prep Time – 30min
Baking – 10min
Start to Finish – 40min

Ingredients:

Phyllo sheets – 3 (thawed)
Butter –2 tbsp( I used Butter spray,coz its easy to use)
Almonds and Pecans – 2 tbsp (sliced or very finely chopped)
Whipped Cream – 1 cup ( I used the fat free one)
Sugar – 1/4 cup
Fruits – You may use any fruits available (Strawberries,raspberries,Blueberries,Mango,Kiwi fruit,Banana,Apple,Nectarines,Peaches etc) – Chopped into small slices/pieces.

Method:

Place one Phyllo sheet on a baking tray.Spray/brush butter and sprinkle sugar,place another sheet on top and brush butter and sprinkle sugar,place the last sheet ,brush/spray butter and sprinkle the almonds pecan mixture.Cut the Phylo sheets horizontally into three strips,further cutting them into small squares.Bake at 350F for about ten minutes/until golden brown.Cool it completely.

In the meanwhile,beat the cream and a tbsp of sugar (this is optional,the cream had sweet so I avoided this).Just before serving,assemble the Phyllo square and fruits.Place one square,top it with Whipped Cream and fruits.Place another square and repeat the same.

This is off to “Strawberry Feast” hosted by Happy Cook,”Click” event hosted by Jugalbandhi and “Low Fat(Eggless) Baking event” hosted by Madhuram and Fruit n Nut hosted by Mansi

Low Cal Yogurt and Banana Frozen Dessert

Talk about Birthday parties,if it is ours its fun,if its our friends it all the more fun,what if it’s a small kido’s birthday?
After moving here,I have been attending Kids Birthday Parties more than ever before.While P doesn’t miss any of it,more so for the free meal(as always):-D,I often wonder how much he actually enjoys being a part of it.Initially,I used to feel a li’l out of place during these parties as most people had kids leaving the newly weds as minorities.However over a period of time I’ve started getting used to these, reminding myself that I wud be in the same boat sooner or later hosting my kids party.It also makes me realize the amount of patience and responsibility that I need to have before I become a parent.The birthday babies all decked up are blissfully unaware of the colorful surrounding ,clapping hands and multitude of new faces.They look extremely adorable and hog the limelight for the entire evening.Thanks to the technology – Digital Camera,Camcorders etc,these precious moments are captured and can be treasured lifelong.Shopping for gifts isn’t easy either,with tons of cute options available .I wish I were a kid here celebrating birthdays and receiving gifts:). How I wish?

The Birthday cakes again are so colorful and fascinating.Having a cake in the shape of Garfields,Barbie or Dora is so common these days.Its jes not the taste of the cake,the presentation and decoration makes it even more appealing to the taste buds.I realized after coming back from my vacation,I haven’t baked a cake/a pie/tart.Since I wanted to make something different,some thing simple and low on calories I made this yummy looking dessert.The recipe was from the book Smoothies and desserts,but I have tweaked it to suit my taste buds and yes it is a Low Cal Dessert,aint that good enuf to indulge on?:-P

Prep Time – 20min
Start to Finish – 3.5 hrs(including freezing time)
Servings – 10-12

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crumbs – 1 cup
Butter – 2 tbsp (Melted)
Pecans – 2 tbsp (very small pieces)
Sugar – 2 tbsp

For the topping:

White Chocolate/Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie filing mix – 1 pkt
Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt – 2 cups
Milk – ¼ cup( I used 1% milk)
Low Fat Whipped topping – 1 ½ cups – Frozen(thawed)
Bananas – 2 ripe and firm (chopped into cubes)
1 tbsp – chocolate syrup

Method:

Grease an 8 inch square baking tray,with fork mix crumbs,melted butter,Pecans and sugar until crumbs are evenly moistened.With hands,press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the plate.Bake at 375F for 10mins.Cool it well.This is the usual recipe I follow to make the crust.
In a bowl,mix the pudding mix,yogurt and milk,whisk for a minute until smooth(I used an electric blender for a min in low speed).Fold in the whipped topping,don’t try beating it.Drop the Bananas and stir in slowly.Spread this mixture onto the crust(Crust should be at room temperature or cold).Cover and freeze at least for 3 hours or until firm.

Remove from the freezer , let it stand for 10min and then cut into squares and top each squares with chocolate syrup. Always store the remaining covered in the freezer.

The second time I tried this,I didn’t bake the crust.I went by the original recipe – I spread the crumbs and placed it in the freezer for 10mins,did the topping and it was jes perfect.

Verdict:

Looks can kill,don’t they?During each bite, I could feel the banana chunks,it was very well coated with the cream and yogurt.In between l’il pecans made it crunchy.I could eat this guilt free not thinking much of calories.230 cals per serving for this wonderful dessert….ain’t that great?:P)

Am sending this to Sugar High Fridays “Fruit & Nut” (Banana & Pecans are the Fruit and nut that I have used)and since this doesn’t contain Egg and is Low on fat this is also off to Madhuram’s “Low Fat Baking Event“

Preethi of Preethi’s online Cookbook has passed on the lovely blog award.Thanks so much Preethi.

I am also asked to pass this on to 10 bloggers,so here I go – I would like to pass this on to Harini,Padma,Somoo,Priya,A2ZVegetarian,Parita,Divya Vikram,Pavithra,Prathiba and Varsha

Also, Varsha has tagged me for the “Honest Scrap Award” where am supposed to write 10 things about myself and guess I have already done this here.

Apple-Pear Crisp

Train rides have always fascinated me since childhood.Journey through the lush green agricultural lands,deep dense woods,the feel of wind gushing thru my face,the sound of the engine horn, the rumbling noise of the wheels,etc.I have enjoyed Mother Nature’s beauty most while travelling by train.Thanks to the numerous trips during Summer Vacations in India. Well this is how I spent my weekend….a nature lover would surely enjoy these.Indian Railways is the largest railway network in the world, one of the most profitable ones too and not to mention one of the largest employers in the world.I had expressed my interest to travel in train here several times to P and my request finally fructified this weekend.Well it was a pleasant surprise trip to Iowa.We took the scenic Rail ride across the Iowa valley in an Open top train.This reminded me of the “Chaiya chaiya song” from the movie “Dil Se”.The weather was beautiful making the trip even more pleasant.It was a good two hours journey through the woods and rivers.We saw pretty homes,wild life and some breath taking views.It was a good break from the usual grind.We have made sure to make the best use of Summer,Road trips,biking, canoeing,rafting and the list goes on.I hope atleast a few of them materialize in the next few months.

Coming to the recipe,few days back I came across Rachel’s blog filled with wonderful recipes.I am sending across the “Apple-Pear Crisp” which I made from her recipe to Coconut & Lime’s Annual Recipe Contest that she is hosting this month.

Preparation Time – 10mins
Start to finish – 40mins(Including Baking time of 30mins)

Ingredients:

Apples – 3 Large (cubed)
Pears – 3 large (cubed)
Light Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Cinnamon powder – 1 ½ tsp
Corn Starch – ½ tsp

For the topping :

Old fashioned rolled oats – ½ cup
All Purpose Flour – ¼ cup
Light Brown Sugar – ¼ cup
Butter – 3 tbsp(melted)
Cinnamon – ½ tsp

Method:

Mix the first set of ingredients and place it on a greased baking dish.Mix the toppings separately and sprinkle evenly over the fruit mixture.Bake at 350F until the fruit is soft or the top turns brown and crispy.

Verdict:

Surely a wonderful recipe,best when served hot with a scoop of Vanilla Icecream. I made this for breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed it.This tastes best only when made with brown sugar.

Note : I used Granny Smith Apples.While making it for the second time I reduced the quantity of all the ingredients as it was made only for the two of us.I had also added pecans and raisins for the topping.

This is also off to Shanthi’s Sweet Time event and Divya of Dil Se’s Show me your breakfast event.

Cinnamon Apple Cheesecake ….a celebration!

And it is so Cold..so very Cold. Its time for Summer and here am still feeling cold.The temperature is about 52 F and doesn’t seem to get any better. I am irritated to get back to the same old warm clothes..poor me! It was drizzling thru out the weekend too.Oh god, I wish I had a magic wand and change the weather the way I want it to be:)

In spite of the weather being bad,we didn’t compromise on our plans,especially on the Saturday. Weekends can be really quixotic and inspiring .P & I had a lovely day, “we” being formally dressed had a quiet and romantic Dinner at a classic American Restaurant, actually this is one of the finest restaurants here. Being a foodie I have been to all the kind of restaurants,have tried most of the cuisines and tasted best of the best foods, I guess very soon I should start blogging about my food and travel experiences too:-P.The restaurant pretty much had limited veggie entrée,but we were able to adapt a pasta dish (which was made veggie for us) called Linguini with fresh tomatoes (the original one had shrimp),we were happy to manage very well with the little that we could order.We also had Creamed Spinach which was served with Asiago cheese & some hand cut Idaho Potato fries,Bruschetta(grilled crostini rubbed with garlic and Virgin Olive oil topped with Roma Tomatoes,fresh Basil and Herbs).The dessert section was to die for – I had a Chocolate Lust cake ie., sinful layers of Devils food,Chocolate cheesecake and Rice Chocolate Truffle cake topped with Fudge Icing and Chocolate cookie crumbles…ummmm it was SINFUL!.

Well coming to the recipe, this is something I tried baking this weekend (Recipe taken from – the book “Taste of Home Desserts” along with my li’l variation) for something special…a celebration. I love cheesecakes and here is my endeavor with Apples and Cinnamon!

Preparation time – 15mins
Start to Finish – 1 hour(excluding the refrigerating time)
Yield – 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Butter – 1 stick/1/2 cup(softened)
Brown Sugar – ¼ cup
All Purpose flour – ½ cup
Wheat flour – ½ cup
Quick Cooking Oats – ¼ cup
Pecans – ¼ cup(finely chopped)
Ground Cinnamon – ½ tsp

Filling:

Cream cheese – 2 packages( 8 ounces each)
Condensed Milk – 1 can (14 ounces)
Apple juice concentrate – ½ cup
Eggs – 3 (lightly beaten)

Topping:

Apples – 2 medium( peeled and sliced,I used Pink Lady Apples)
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cornstarch – 1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon ¼ tsp
Apple Juice concentrate – ¼ cup

Method :

In a small mixing bowl,cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.Gradually add Flour,Oats,Cinnamon and Pecans until well blended.Press onto the botton of a greased baking sheet(1 ½ in. up the sides).Bake at 325F for tem minutes or until set.Cool on a wire rack.
In a large mixing bowl,beat cream cheese until fluffy.Beat in Condensed milk and Apple concentrate until smooth.Add eggs beat on low speed just until combined( the batter will be thin).Pour into crust.Bake at 325F for 40-45min or until centre is almost set.Cool and carefully run a knife on the edges to loosen.Refrigerate over night.
In a pan cook and stir in apples in butter over medium heat until crisp and tender.Cool and arrange over cheesecake.In a small sauce pan,combine cornstarch,cinnamon and apple juice concentrate until smooth.Bring to a boil.Reduce heat;cook and stir for a minute or until thickened.Immediately brush over Apples.Refrigerate for an hour or until chilled.

These cakes have to be consumed at the earliest(I mean it cannot be stored for long),else they turn a li’l harder. The original recipe doesn’t call for wheat flour,I wanted to reduce the intake of A.P Flour,hence used wheat flour .

Kesar Badam Phirni( Saffron Almond Rice Pudding)

Weather is a great metaphor for life.The change in weather gets me everytime.Just a week back in India,I was sweating like a pig at 115F,jes in a day when I reached here it was 60F and I needed a light jacket.Awww,I really admire mother nature for the way she has made things for us.As soon as I landed in Delhi,the first thing I enjoyed was to walk barefoot,no socks…..hurray!The weather was just so perfect,no sweater,no jackets,no ear protectors & no gloves. Here,towards the end of winter,I was a l’il irritated with everything white around me…I mean the snow,but now its Spring time,the greening of the grass,the leaves,flowers and blooms starting to come etc,it brings a whole new life together.Wonderful!

Well coming to the post, heard about “Phirni”? It’s a traditional Indian dessert,a rice pudding to be precise which is primarily made with milk,sugar and rice.This has been introduced to us by the Mughals.It’s very similar to the “Kheer” that we make.However,Kheer is Pakistani in origin,while Phirni is Indian.Though the original would always be the Kesar Badam Phirni, the variations to this are endless,the others include – Pistachios,Gulab(Rose),Chocolate,Mango,Apple & Banana Phirnis.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice/Sona Masoori Rice – 4tbsp
Milk – 1 Gallon
Almond(Badam) – ½ cup
Saffron – a pinch (soaked in warm milk for 30mins)
Sugar – 1 cup
Cardamom Powder – ½ tsp
Silvered Almonds – 1 tbsp(for garnishing)

Method:

Wash and soak rice for about an hour.Soak Badam for about 6 hours,peel the skin and blend it into a smooth paste along with the rice.Boil milk,add sugar & cardamom powder,continue boiling until it reduces to 3/4th quantity.Stir well in between.Add the paste and saffron(already soaked in milk).Allow it to boil until it thickens completely(custard like consistency).Pour into individual cups,garnish with silvered almonds and refrigerate for about 6 hours.Serve chilled.

The last time I made this,instead of soaking the rice for long,I microwaved it for 2mins.Also,if you are too lazy to wait for the milk to thicken,you may add 2 tbsp of rice flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water,this will help in thickening faster.Adding Mango to this would be Mango Phirni,adding Banana would be Banana Phirni and so on.

This is off to “Ravishing Rice” event hosted my Nags of the Edible Garden,originally started by Meeta of Monthly mingle