Saturday 27 November 2010

Crosata filled With Pecan and Caramel - Daring bakers November 2010

I so much wanted to make a savoury tart this month as we could choose our own filling, and in the foroum iI dod see so many savoury delicious creation, and if I had made a savoury one my dear hubby would have been really Happy B.
But the sweet lover in me went and did the sweet any ways :-)

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of  briciole .She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Ingredients:
•1/2 c. minus 1 tablespoon [105 ml, 100 g, 3 ½ oz] superfine sugar (see Note 1)
or a scant 3/4 cup [180ml, 90g, 3 oz] of powdered sugar
•1 and 3/4 cup [420 ml, 235 g, 8 1/4 oz.] unbleached all-purpose flour
•a pinch of salt
•1 stick [8 tablespoons / 4 oz. / 115 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
•grated zest of half a lemon (you could also use vanilla sugar as an option, see Note 2)
•1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl

1.Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.

2.Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice
3.Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).
4.Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.
5.Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.

6.Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

7.Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Now, you can roll out the dough then fit into the tartlet tins. Or, pinch about 1 -1/5 tsp of dough and press into the tins to distribute the dough evenly. Just remember not to create a very thick shell.


Grease the tartlet shells. You can roll out the dough then fit into the tartlet tins.
Place the tart tins on a baking tray. Bake these tartlet shells for 10-12 mins at pre-heated oven of 350F (170c) or until lightly golden. Cool. When the tins are cool enough to touch, squeeze each tin gently with your thumb and forefinger, turn it upside-down and let the tartlet shell drop into the palm of your hand.

½ cup (100g) castor sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
½ cup pecan, toasted and chopped
2 tsp honey
Method
Put sugar un a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally with wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, without stirring, until the sugar caramelized with nice dark color. Turn off the heat, add butter, then, cream. Stir until everything blends together. Stir in the chopped walnuts and honey white the cream is hot. Cool for at least 30 mins, then spoon about 1 tsp of filling into each baked shell.



Thursday 18 November 2010

Raspberry Fruit Tart

Each time I talk to my sister she is going on telling me I should post something savoury or a pasta dish. And I have been telling her I will do them . And yesterday when we were skyping, I told her I will add today a savoury dish,

But then Today morning when I went to FB and saw Deeba's Status saying
Anyone Baking with Fruit this month? You got until the 22nd of November to send it to Meeta's Monthly Mingle which I am guest hosting,
So i went and looked in my collection of pictures and there was this Raspberry Tart which I made in May.
Can you imagine I had this delicious looking Tart and I didn't post it.
To be honest I still have some more delicious stuff to post, just that I am so lazy to write the recipe etc....
But theb Deeba is a dear friend and I love her baking so I really wanted to join in the event she is guest hosting.

The Original recipe is from BBC food

90g/3½oz butter, softened
65g/2½oz caster sugar
3 free-range egg yolks
200g/7oz plain flour plus extra for dusting

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until well combined, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time until full incorporated into the mixture.
Mix in the flour until the mixture comes together as a ball of dough.
Tip the pastry out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Alternatively, it can be frozen for use at a later date.

Roll out the pastry, using a little flour if necessary, to form a round shape turning the pastry as you go. Roll it as thin as you dare.
Roll the pastry around the rolling pin and lay over the tin.
Using your hands and being careful not to stretch the pastry ease it gently into the edges of the tin. Leave the trimmings to hang over the sides.
Make a circle of greaseproof to cover the inside of the tin by folding a square of greaseproof paper into 6 and tearing the edges.
Put the paper into the tin and add baking beans/rice and place in the fridge to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Place in a preheated oven 200C/400F/Gas6 for 15-20 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven to brown the base.

For the filling.
400 gm Raspberries
500 ml thich-k cream
Vanilla essence 1 tbsp
Few tbsp of powder sugar plus if you want to dust on top of the tart
Pistachios for sprinkling ( optional)


Whip the cream with the essence and the sugar till soft peak.
Assembling the tarts
Fill each tart shells with whipped cream , arrange the raspberries on top if the cream, sprinkle with powder sugar and the pistachios.
Enjoy with a cup of tea/coffee

Sunday 14 November 2010

Jangris

When I was home and from the time I can remember, most of the time when my mom went out for shopping, paying the electric bill, visiting her family or anyother things, she always came back home with a small packet from the Bakkery.
And we three girls knew that she would always have something, like a Ladoo, Jalebi ( that is what we call this in Kerala at least what we call ) but it is normally called Jengiri.

Can you imagine kids beeing really happy now a days because their mom brought them goodies from the bakers.
Isn't it funny as kids we were so happy with these small things a least we kids were.
Now to makes kids happy one has to spend so much money.

The christmas is not yet there but we get now itself folders from the shops what ll new toys and games are there and they all cost so much.

Now to the recipe this is one of my favourite Indian sweet and from the time when I saw in Rak's Kitchen I have been wanting to make it, but then I am always so lazy to grin dal etc.... but then 2 weeks back priya was asking in FB what sweets to make for Diwali and I told her make this from Rak's place and the temptaion for me was too much, I went straight to te Kitchen soaked urid dal and in few hours was munching on these delcious sweet with a cup of tea.

I did exactly as Rak's did the only difference I did was, I made double the quantity of sugar syrup as I wanted the jengiri to be soaked really good.

Whole white urad dal 3/4 cup
Rice flour 1 tsp
Orange food colour
pinch Salt
Oil for frying


For Sugar syrup ( I doubled up the below quantity of the ingrients of the syrup, which is given below)
Sugar 3/4 cup
water
Just to immerse the sugar
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
Rose essence 4 drops
Orange food colour

Soak urad dal for 2 hrs and grind with very little water .
The batter should be fluffy and smooth.
Mix a pinch of salt,food colour and rice flour and mix well.


Heat the sugar with water just to immerse it and after it starts boiling,let it boil for 3-4 minutes.Add lemon juice,food colour and lastly essence and mix well and switch off the stove.

Take a pastry bag cover and make a tiny hole.

Fill the pastry bag with the batter and first practice doing in a plate .

Then heat a broad,flat bottomed pan(keep the flame in low) with only little oil say 1 inch depth.
The oil should notget fully heated,when it starts forming small,small bubbles in the bottom,then draw jangris in the oil,repeat the same to make many.
Once the jangris gets cooked and becomes light,turn over and cook till crisp and then take out carefully and transfer to the sugar syrup.

Dunk the fried jangris in hot sugar syrup for 1-2 minutes and take out carefully and arrange it a plate. Wait for half hour before serving.
I have stp by step oics but tghe loader of my old camera canot be found so when i findh it i will post the making of the jangri.
Sending this to Mina for complete my Thali event which she is hosting, which was started by Jags of Joy of Cooking.

Sending this to M

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Brownie Buttons


It was a long weekend here and Shyama was home for four days which was a delight.
And in these four days we had party four evenings well I have to say I can't stand anymore special food, after eating so much for days.
And hubby is on a week of holiday so I am sure we will be opening up bottle of wine here at home or in the evening go to my inlaws place and then MIL will say shoudn't we have a glass of wine and we will tell her sure and then won't stop after one glass.

Oh and I bought baking stuff online today morning which was absloutley a delight , but have to admit I love buying things from a shop than online, I like to feel and see the things I buy, but alas I coudn't resist the temptaion for buying online.
These cute looking Brownie Buttons are made from one of my favourite book Baking from My Home to yours from Dorie Greenspan. i love her book, everything which I have tried from this book have come out perfect and delicous just like these brownies.

Ingridients:
Grated zest of 1/2 Orange (optional)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/4 cuo plus 2 tablespoon all purpose flour.
Pinch of salt
1/ stick ( 4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 1/2 ounces bitterswet chocolate, coarsley chopped
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
For the Glaze ( optional)
2 ounce of white chocolate , finley chopped

Getting ready.
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly butter two miniature pans each with a dozen cups, and place them on a baking sheet.
If you are using the orange zest, combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl, rubbing them inbetween your finger tipsto blend, set aside.
Whisk together the flour and salt.

Melt the butter , chocolate and brown sugar in a medium pan over low heat, stirring frequently with a heat proof spatuala and keeping an eye on the pan si nothing over heats or burns. When the mixture us smooth remove fro the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla, egg and the zest , if you are using it, into the chocolate mixture,
When the mixture is well blened, add the flour and stir only untill it is incotporated. You should have a smooth glossy batter.
Spoon thte batter into the cups, to fill each cup three quaters full.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or untill the tops of the buttons spring back when touched.
Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 3 minutes before carfully removing them.
Cool to room temperature on the racks.
To make the optional glaze:
Melt the chocolate in a smal heat proof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water.
Stir constantly and don't leave the chocolate even for a minute - white chocolate scorch easly? As soon as the chocolate is smooth remove from the heat.
One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the chocolate, twriling the buttons so that you get a swril at the center of each one.
Refrigerate the buttons for 15 minutes to set the glaze.

I will be busy till 11 th, so will come and visit your delicous blogs after that or inbetween when I get time.