Trying to be a MasterChef

Coconut cream with passion fruit jelly, lime curd, mango mousse and pineapple
It is Sunday morning and here i am sitting and writing a post for my blog.
You would be saying what are you doing writting a post on a sunday, normally on a sunday I hardly have time to come near the computer ( I am sure I have written that I never check on blog post on weekend) well this sunday is a exception.
I am home alone can you see my sad face :-) well Shyama went back to her college yesterday after beeing at home for 3 weeks and her exams starts on Tuesday, and Hans is having a Orchestra day so he left early morning.
So what do I do, I just vegetate infornt of the computer and then decided I will write a new post for my blog.
Oh I do have lots of work at home just that I am not in a mood to do all the houshold c

Now to the recipe, from the time they Started Showing in BBC Master Chef The Professionals and this year it has been the same.
And especially when it reach the semifinals then I watch it every evening.
So in the end I make hans watch it too not that he can escape it as when he comes home in the evneing I will say you know which programme is on TV and I watch it and he watch it with me as I tell him if i can watch all this Documentry etc.... he can watch this programme with me too.
So as Christmas was nearing, and the Masterchef was in full swing , he told me as I have been forcing him to watch the programme and making him drool for the food he sees in TV i should try something from the programme for the Christmas eve Dinner so that is what I did.
Made this super Delicious dessert, which did take a bit of time and effort but it was worth it as everybody LOVED the Dessert.
The recipe was from Steve one of the finalist and while eating the dessert Hans remarked now I know what they are tlaking about when the judges taste the dishes, the judges talk about diffferent taste, texture and taste exploding in their mouth, he said well when you eat this dessert you really know what they are tlaking about :-)

Normally when I make a dessert for a dinner party I hardly have time to take a picture, but this time I thought as i put so much effort into making this delicious dessert I should take the picture fast.
The pics don't do justice to the dessert as I was in a hurry to take them.

This tropical fruit dessert is the ultimate way to bring some island sunshine into the kitchen.

Ingredients

For the coconut cream

• 4 gelatine leaves
• 250ml/9fl oz double cream
• 80g/3oz caster sugar
• 250ml/9fl oz fresh coconut purée

For the passionfruit jelly

• 2 gelatine leaves
• 75ml/2½oz passion fruit purée
• 55g/2oz caster sugar

For the mango mousse

• 1½ gelatine leaves
• 175ml/6fl oz double cream
• 18g/¾oz icing sugar
• 125g/4oz mango purée

For the lime curd

• 2 free-range eggs
• 60g/2oz sugar
• 50ml/2oz double cream
• 2 limes, juice and zest

For the coconut tuile

• 45g/2oz sugar
• 20g/1oz butter   at room temperature
• 1 free-range egg white
• 15g/½oz flour
• 17g/½oz desiccated coconut

To serve

• fresh pineapple, chopped
• fresh mango, chopped

Preparation method

1. For the coconut cream, place the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water to soften.
2. Place the cream, sugar and fresh coconut purée into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine and add to the hot coconut mixture, stirring until dissolved.
3. Cover one end of four chef’s rings with a double layer of cling film and place onto a baking tray. Pour in the coconut cream, then place into the fridge to chill until set.
4. For the passionfruit jelly, place the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water to soften. Heat the passionfruit purée and sugar in a pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine and add to the passionfruit mixture, stirring until dissolved. Pour the mixture into a tray lined with cling film and place into the fridge to chill until set. Before serving, cut the jelly into small cubes.
5. For the mango mousse, place the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water to soften. Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
6. Heat 50g/2oz of the mango purée in a small pan. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine and add to the mango purée, stirring until dissolved. Stir this mixture into the remaining mango purée, then fold in the whipped cream mixture. Transfer to a container and place into the fridge to chill until set.
7. For the lime curd, place the eggs, sugar, cream and lime juice into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water), whisking continuously until the mixture thickens, about five minutes. Stir in the lime zest, then place into the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
8. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
9. For the coconut tuile, cream the sugar and butter in a bowl until pale and fluffy, then add the egg whites and beat until smooth and well combined. Fold in the flour and desiccated coconut until the mixture comes together to form a thick paste. Spread the mixture out on a silicone baking sheet, using a palette knife, until about 3mm thick. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.
10. Remove the tuile from the oven and set aside to cool for one minute before cutting out your desired shapes.
11. To serve, carefully slide a knife around the inside of the chef’s rings, gently peel away the cling film and turn the coconut creams out onto serving plates. Make quenelles out of the mango mousse and place alongside the coconut cream, then dot the plate with lime curd and passionfruit jelly. Garnish the mousse with the coconut tuile, then scatter the fresh mango and pineapple around the plate.



Chocolate and Banana Cup Cakes

I do hope all my friends and readers of MKT had a fabulous New year.

I know it is a tad bit late to ask about Newyear but then here they say the whole month of January you can wish new year :-)

I wanted to share a super dessert I made for Christmas eve party, but then I got this New lens from Hans as a present so I wanted to try that lens for taking food picture so instead of posting that super special dessert I am posting this simple and easy cupcake.

It is ages ago I made cup cake , I do love them though there has been so much cup cakes here in blog that I say to myself should I post again another one.

But then I think cupcakes are so easy to make especially for afternoons coffee which I have been doing ,has Shyama is home as she is having study holiday as her exams in college will start in middle of january.

So I try to spoil ehr with my baking and I for one is so glad that she is home and that I can bake :-)

Now to the recipe, I love chocolate and banana combination, that is a real classic combo.

Now about the frosting for this cupcake, I made the frosting and when I added sour cream the mix looked like it curdeled, so I started again throwing the firts frosting, and I was carefull when I mixed in the sour cream, but it still look a bit curdeld than the usual frositng I have which is always so smooth and fluffy. So i guess it is the adding of sour cream which makes it look like curdeled.

I was saying to my family maybe then i should not sue sour cream for the frosting and then shyama said oh no she loves the tnagy taste the sour cream gives to the frosting.

According to the author this makes a rich chocolate dark cupcake. ( I do agree)

Serious chocoholics should opt for a chocolate butter cream frosting which i will try next time as I love chocolate.
The recipe is from the Book Cupcakes by Janet Smith

Makes 24 regular size cakes.

1/2 cup ( 130g ) soft butter

1/2 cup ( 130g ) fine sugar

1 cup ( 130g ) self raising flourµ2 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder

3 eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 lever teaspoon baking powder

For the Whipped sour cream frosting. ( the amount which i given below is the amount given in the book, as they just gave a small amount I like lots of frosting so i doubled the recipe )

1/4 cup ( 50 g ) soft butter

2/3 cup ( 110g ) icing sugar

4 heaping tablespoon thick sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract ot to your taste

Food colour of your choice if you are using.

Preaheat the oven to 350° F (180° C/ Gas 4) and put 24 regular paper case into the cupcake pan.

Put the butter, sugar, flour, cocoa and eggs in a bowl and beat together until it is free from lumps.

Put the bananas in a another bowl and mash, leaving a few chunks.

Sprinkle the baking powder over the bananas and mix again.

Tip the banana mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir together.

Divide the mixture among the paper cases and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely risen and springywhen presses.

Remove the cakes and allow to cool on the wire rack/

Swril or pipe your frosting.

For the Frosting.

Put butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk with a electric hand held whisk until very pale. Add the sour cream and keep whisking to make it light and frosting.

Add vanilla extract to taste. And the food color if you are using.

Swril the frosting on top of the cakes.