PASSION CAKE

PASSION CAKE

100gm walnuts,toasted,chopped finey
340gm carrot,finely grated
100gm raisins,chopped
4 large eggs
300gm brown sugar
240ml corn oil
1 tbsp vanilla essence

Sifted together

260gm plain flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
11/2 cinnamon powder

 Beat the eggs until frothy,add the sugar and beat until the batter turn light coloured add in the oil and vanilla beating. add the flour mixture and beat until combine. With a spoon fold in the carrot,raisins and walnut. Pour into a greased and line 21cm square tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 1 hour
or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. remove from the oven and cool before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

130gm cream cheese,room temperature
75gm butter,room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp lemon jest
1 tbsp lemon juice

Beat the cream cheese and butter until blended with no lumps. Add the icing sugar,lemon juice and jest
beat until smooth.Spread on the cake and garnish with mints leaf and red cherries.

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LATTE CHEESE DESSERT

LATTE CHEESE DESSERT


Cheese Layer

11/2 tbsp jelly powder
700ml fresh milk
160gm sugar
1 tsp potato starch
250gm cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla essence

Cook all the above ingredients until melted and boiling.

Latte Layer

1 tbsp jelly powder
500ml water
100gm sugar
21/2 instant coffee powder
1 tsp coffee paste

Mix all ingredients cook until dissolved and boiling.

Pour 2/3 of the cheese mixture into a prepared pudding mould and leave to set in the fridge. Remove from fridge scratch the layer surface with a fork and pour 1/2 of latte mixture onto cheese layer. Leave to set in the fridge. Repeat the same method until the last layer.

VANILLA ICE COOKIES

125gm butter
1 grade A eggs yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence
100gm icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Dry ingredients
150gm plain flour,sifted
150gm cornflour
50gm milk powder
Decoration
Coloured rices
Egg white,beaten

1. In a bowl of electric mixer,combine well the butter,yolk,vanila,icing sugar and salt. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Overbeating will result in a hard cookies.
2. Roll dough out on a highly floured board to 5mm thickness. Cut using cookies cutters. Place cookies 2cm apart on a lightly greased baking trays. Brush top of cookies with beated egg white and decorate with coloured rice.
3. Bake in preheated oven at 175c for 20 mints. Cool before storing in an airtight container.

WHITE BUTTER AMETIS

180gm ghee
100gm butter
50gm icing sugar
250gm plain flour
200gm cornflour
Castor sugar
Paper cups

1. Beat butter,ghee and icing sugar on a medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Mix in the flours and mix into a dough. In case if you feel that you need a bit more butter or ghee add in.
3. Form into small ball about 2 tbsp each. Roll into ball and put into the paper cup and bake for about 15 mints 180c.
4. Let the cookies cool before sprinkling with the castor sugar.

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

300gm butter,at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
120gm icing sugar,sifted
400gm plain flour,sifted
30gm cocoa powder,sifted
Egg wash
1 egg white,beaten

1. Mix butter,vanilla,sugar and flour with electric beater or dough hook on low to medium speed until mixture forms a smooth dough. Divide dough into two portions. Mix cocoa powder into one haft. Chill dough until it firm enough to work with. Roll out plain and chocolate dough into squares of equal size,to 1cm thickness. Cut each sheet into 4cm-wide strips.
2. Brush 2 chocolate strips with egg wash and place 2 plain dough strips on the top. Brush the top of 1 strip with egg wash and stack the other strip on top s that you get a block of alternating coloured layers. Brush 2 plain dough strips with eggwash and place 2 chocolate dough strips on top. Brush the top of 1 strip with egg wash and stack the other strip on top so that you get a block of alternating coloured layers.
3. Cut each block lengthwise into strips of 1cm thickness,If dough is too soft,chill before working. Stack the strips to form a 4x4 checkerboard pattern,brushing with egg wash to bind between layers. Cut crosswise into 6mm-thick pieces and place on sheet pans lined with baking paper. Bake at 180c until gloden brown for 15 mints or at 160c for 20 mints.

JAM MELTING MOMENTS

250gm butter,diced at room temperature
50gm icing sugar,sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
240gm plain flour,sifted
60gm cornflour,sifted

Fillings

100gm bake-stable jam of you choice

1. Beat butter,icing sugar and vanilla essence in a electric mixer with beater on medium speed until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients on lowest speed until mixture is well combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
2. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm-wide fluted piping nozzle. Pipe 3cm-wide rosettes 3cm apart on ungreased oven trays. Make a depression in the centre of each cookies. Fill each depression with jam by piping or with a ball of pineapple filling. Bake in a preheated oven at 160c for 15 mints or until firm and golden. Thoroughly cool cookies on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

50gm butter
1 big onion,finely chopped
2 cloves garlic,finely chopped
375gm fresh button mushrooms or a mixture of oyster
 and fresh button mushroom thinly sliced.
2 tbsp plain flour
600ml chicken stock
150ml low-fat milk
Salt and pepper to taste
120ml single cream
Parsley basil or any kind of leafs to garnish.

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and fry onion,garlic and mushrooms until soft. Sprinkle over flour and stir. Gradually pour over stock and milk stirring to blend. Bring to a slow boil,then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 mints. Season to taste.
2. Stir in haft the cream. Remove from the heat cool a little,then puree in a blender. Return pureed soup to the saucepan and reheat gently. Stir in remaining cream. Spoon into individual soup bowls. Sprinkle with any garnish you like. Serve with rolls.

MERRY CHRISTMAS....

Even though I am Hindu(We follow my father who is a Hindu) my mother is a Christian so we always celebrate Christmas. I remember how much we looked forward to the delicious roast chicken,the mouth-water jam tarts that made an annual appearance during Christmas......

ROASTED CHICKEN

1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)

5 cloves garlic

4 thick sliced bread (baguette)

50gm butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments

1kg potatoes,peeled and halved,quartered if spuds are large

150gm fresh button mushrooms,quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

125gm shallots,peeled

1 tbsp butter for caramelising shallots

1 tbsp sugar for caramelising shallots

Gravy

250ml chicken stock,made with 1 stock cube and water.

1 bay leaf

1 spring thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Stuff the chicken with garlic cloves and bread. Truss the chicken. Place the chicken on its and not breast up and butter in a buttered roasting pan. Roast in a preheated oven at 180c for 20 mints,brushing every 5 to 10 mints with the juice and fat collected in the pan.

2. Turn the chicken over and allow it to rest on the other side. Roast for another 20 mints,basting every 5 to 10 mints as before.

3. While the chicken is roasting,place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and drain. Turn the chicken breast-up and place the potatoes around it. Toss potatoes in the pan juices and oil and roast for 15 mints. Season to taste.

4. Panfry the mushrooms until golden brown. Season to taste. Put the whole shallots,butter,sugar,salt and pepper into a saucepan then add water until the shallots are almost covered. Simmer until the water is totally evaporated and the sugar has caramelised. Once the water has evaporated,watch the shallots carefully to make sure that they do not burnt. Shake the pan to turn the shallots so that they are evenly caramelised. Remove from the heat when shallot are nicely-coated with a layer of caramel.

5. Add shallots and mushrooms and bacon into the roasting dish and cook with the chicken for another 5 mints

To prepare gravy

Remove the chicken ,potatoes,mushrooms and shallots from the roasting pan and place them into another dish. Allow the chicken and accompaniments to rest in the oven with the door open while you prepare the gravy. Place the roasting pan on the stove and brown the remaining roasting sediments. Skim off excess fat and add the chicken stock. Simmer over a low heat until liquid is reduced by haft. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Simmer for 5 mints and season to taste.

To serve

Portion out chicken and place on warmed serving plates with serving of potatoes,mushrooms and shallots. Season meat with salt and pepper and serve with the pan gravy.

Note: in the picture you will not see the mushroom or shallots because When I took the picture I forgot to add them in. Beside mushroom you can serve the chicken with boiled carrots and french beans. or any vegetable you like.