August 7, 2012

No Bake | Dark Chocolate Mousse, Peach Lime Cooler & Stone Fruit Salad …

“Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate.”
Jo Brand

My love for individual desserts in glasses knows no end, and I loved these glasses from Urban Dazzle the minute I saw them. Stunning and a million ways to use them, my first thought was dessert, maybe chocolate. Soon I proudly strutted Dark Chocolate Mousse with Balsamic Cherry Sauce in these beauties! They complimented each other beautifully … I think it was meant to be!Nice wine glasses said Mr PAB! Do you remember the Urban Dazzle goodies I received a while ago? I was lucky enough to get another lot of glassware to get creative with. This gorgeous set of glasses, goblet like, was something I’d never seen before, yet something I would instantly pick – pretty, versatile, stand out design, good quality glass, fabulous ridge and ever so attractive!I have a ‘thing’ for stem glass. I am also very skewed towards traditional glasses, crockery, cutlery etc. Modern design doesn’t normally catch my eye but these Alternato A.P tumblers were different. Functional and neat, appealing too, these are easily my favourite already. Despite being wine glasses, so much versatility!Thoughts flew through my head when I unpacked them {received them via courier, well packed indeed}. Tiger Shrimp Gamba like from the Leonardo day out at Olive recently! Ooh they would look great! Or a gazpacho … stunning red shining through?

I did a set of coolers as well, inspired too by the Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo Masterpiece Jug that was part of the parcel. Made a refreshing, full of flavour Peach Lime Cooler adapted from What Megan’s Making. I love the spout and the curves of the pitcher! The crystal clear glass shows off vibrant colours beautifully!Very artistic! It would look great on a picnic table with a vibrant punch, ice tea, cooler, or sangria. A true masterpiece of Italian make, this belly pitcher from Luigi Bormiolo is a chic addition to any serving set or barware. Urban Dazzle I also did a Wild Indian Java Plum Juice with all its purple goodness, and Raw Mango Panna too. The latter neither beautiful nor vibrant to look at, packs a punch in summer! I have begun using natural raw sugar {khand / bura in India}, palm sugar {gur} or honey for my coolers.I went on to make a Stone Fruit Summer Salad which was as refreshing as can be. The dieting diva immediately declared that I must make some everyday … I could see myself peeling peaches, plums and mangoes till kingdom came!! The salad – peeled and cut peaches, plums and mangoes tossed in a sugar lime syrup {about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 5-6 limes} and left to mature for half an hour …nice!The cherry on the cake was this Dark Chocolate Mousse with a Balsamic Cherry Topping that got made by default thanks to the power grid failure. My frozen cherries needed to get out of the freezer and be made into something! This was it!I had a cherry sorbet, pink and vibrant in mind for these glasses. But fate had other plans, and nothing frozen was going to happen in a while. My next best bet was dark chocolate which really pairs well with cherries. I used a similar mousse recipe from the Dark Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake I made in June. Dark Chocolate Mousse with Balsamic Cherry Sauce

So tell me dear readers, what would you use these glasses for, other than wine of course!

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Chili Mousse

Summary: A smooth as silk dark chocolate mousse topped with a balsamic cherry sauce. Seductive make ahead dessert. {Serves 6}

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:

Dark chocolate mousse
{adapted from the Thermomix cookbook}
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of cream of tartar
70gm powdered sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
1/2 t vanilla bean powder {or paste}
1 tsp chocolate chili powder {0r 1/2-1/2tsp chili powder} optional
50g unsalted butter
40g low fat cream, room temperature
170g dark chocolate, chopped
200ml low fat cream, chilled, beaten to medium peaks
5g {1t} gelatin powder dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp of water
Balsamic Cherry Topping
500g cherries, stoned {net weight}
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 vanilla bean shell from above

Method:

Recipe is for the Thermomix. I reckon it can be adapted with the same proportions for regular top of the stove cooking, like a creme patisserie.
Heat empty TM bowl for 2 minutes at 50C, speed 2.
Insert Butterfly. Place egg whites in TM bowl with cream of tartar and beat for 4 minutes on speed 4 with MC off.
Through hole in the lid, add half the sugar, 1 tsp at a time during the last minute. Set aside in a large bowl. remove butterfly.
Without cleaning, place yolks, remaining sugar, vanilla bean powder and scraped seeds, butter, 40g cream and chocolate into TM bowl. Cook for 4 minutes at 70C on speed 3.
Add a third of the beaten egg whites back into the bowl and stir for 10 seconds on reverse + speed 3. Add to the remaining whites.
Fold everything gently together, including gelatin. Divide between glasses and chill for about an hour until slightly set.
Balsamic Cherry Topping
Place all ingredients in a non reactive pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the cherries soften and give up their juice. Make sure you don’t overcook the cherries, else they wont hold shape.
Drain the cherries and reserve in a bowl. Return the syrup back to the pan and reduce until thick and syrupy. Pour back over the reserved cherries, cool and then chill. can be made a day or two ahead. It will thicken slightly in the fridge.

Recipe: Peach Lime Cooler

Summary: A great way to use up the bounty of summer fruit. Refreshing and ‘peachy’, this is a great summer cooler. Adapted from What Megan’s Making. Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

500g peaches, peeled and chopped
100g raw sugar {or honey; adjust according to sweetness of fruit}
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)
5 cups water {or soda}

Method:

In a sauce pan bring to a boil the peaches, sugar and water. Reduce heat, and simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), puree the peach mixture until smooth. Pour through a strainer, and press through to get out all of the juice. Cool completely.
Once cool, in a pitcher combine the peach mixture with the lemon juice, stir until well combined. Serve chilled over ice.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

June 25, 2012

Baking | Macaron à la Peaches et Crème … Vacation Macs!

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.”
Robert Orben

It’s been literally a mac-vacation for me, a vacation I dislike as it keeps me away from a challenge I love with a vengeance. I’m back on board to get in with the fun and beautiful Mac Attack Jamie and I host each month. This time our call was for Vacation Macs … and how better could I get there with my mac-a-vacations … Macaron à la Peaches et Crème {pardon my French please}The flavours are reminiscent of one of the best vacations we enjoyed a few years ago in the Himalayas. We’ve had some other fabulous ones include Goa, Sydney, Hong Kong, Gangtok … but the one the ‘now threatening to be quite terrible just turned 13‘ teen remembers every single day is this one at Ramgarh. Nothing like the serenity of the Himalayas to unwind!

That vacation filled in perfectly with our call this month. Our best macarons reminiscent of that ideal vacation or that perfect holiday spot. Mountains, seaside, tiny hamlet lost in the countryside, large, bustling city teeming with restaurants and museums, these are our inspiration. With the best vacation that comes to mind, from that thought, memory or distant dream, create a fabulous Vacation Macaron!

We stayed at a beautiful heritage cottage surrounded by peach trees and since it was peak summer, we walked by peach trees plucking fresh, juicy fruit right off the tree. This is where my lad became a peach monster and developed a deep love for the fruit.Summer is for stone fruit is my chant. I just cannot have enough of these delicious fruit that are reaching us in the foothills of the Himalayas; better quality and quantity every year! This summer I have had a field day with stone fruit…… Apricot Peach Sorbet, Dark Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake, Mini Quark Vanilla Cheesecakes with Balsamic Cherries, Black Forest Cake, Oatmeal Peach Apricot Mango Smoothie {yet to post}, Dark Chocolate Cherry Wholewheat Cakelets {yet to post} … and my fridge is full of cherries, peaches, mangoes and apricots!I have also been developing some food recipes for Del Monte for their website World Foody. The peach ice cream above is one I made last week from their canned peaches, beautiful cling peaches with a fabulous deep flavour. Will let you know when the recipe is up on the website; until then it’s Macaron à la Peaches et Crème!The macaron shells were going to be perfect, something deep within me said to me when I was done folding the macaronage. BUT … in my hurry to beat the power cut, I switched on the upper element instead of the lower one, so my feet popped out with the thermal shock and the skins developed a ‘peach‘ blush. It was too late to salvage the batch, and the little macronage left proved my feeling right! Aaaargh! And did I tell you that at 45C ice-cream melts SO FAST? I was RACING!I used the several times tried and tested David Lebovitz recipe that lives in my head. It never goes wrong if you mix the macronage correctly and let it rest! However, a little more advice follows …

Do you want to join us making MACARONS?

If you do, you are most welcome to join us for this challenge, or the next. You can find all the information at our dedicated macaron blog MacTweets. We generally post the round-up by the end of every month, following which a new challenge is posted!

… these cookies are fiddly creatures and are dependent on way too many things. egg whites {aged or not}, almond meal,oven temperature, room temperature, humidity levels, the hand that mixes them, the way you pipe them out … and above all, lady luck!

Before I get onto the recipe, I’d like to thank Chillibreeze for interviewing me. You can read it here if you like.I’d also like to thank the Financial Times, Times of India, for including me so generously in their feature ‘Gurgaon is Blogging & How‘ on Business Street, 21st June, 2012. Last but not the least, thank you Javelin Warrior for adding my Dark Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake in your delicious Friday Food Fetish.

Thank you all! I feel really honoured.

Monthly Mingle is the brainchild of the lovely Meeta @ Whats For Lunch Honey, and this month it celebrates Barbara’s spirit at the wonderful Jeanne @ Cook Sister with a Taste of Yellow. I am sending this to the MM for July 2012.

Recipe: Macaron à la Peaches et Crème

Summary: Vanilla macarons sandwiched with a home made low fat peach & cream ice cream. Perfect for those hot summer days!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes {plus resting time}
Ingredients:

Vanilla Macarons
{recipe adapted from David Lebovitz}
1 egg white {35gm} {I didn’t age mine}
2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar {I used granulated vanilla sugar}
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 tsp egg white powder
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
Peach ice cream for filling

Method:

Run the powdered sugar, almond meal, vanilla bean powder and egg white powder in blender until well blended. Sift into a bowl.
Beat the egg white until foamy, then add the granulated sugar and beat for approximately 2 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Fold in 1/4 of the dry mix until no streaks remain, then add the remainder of the dry mix and gently fold in until you get a lava like batter. {Donot overfold}
Place into a piping bag and pipe circles onto parchment paper.
Tap the trays sharply to get rid of air bubbles and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes.
Bake in double trays at 140C for 12-15 minutes, until the shells are firm and no longer jiggly. {My oven uses just the lower element for baking, so I place the double trays towards the top of the oven}
Cool and sandwich with softened ice cream. Store in freezer and serve directly from there.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

August 8, 2011

Baking| Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart … L♥V stone fruit!

“There’s your karma ripe as peaches.”
Jack Kerouac

Nothing inspires like stone fruit and foodie tweets! This tart was meant to be and touched all my favourite bases – fruit, bake, flavour, colours, texture … everything captured in this hugely satisfying Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart. Smooth and satiny like a cheesecake but with far fewer calories, set brilliantly, the peach pairing well with the pistachios, and a subtle orange flavour pleasing the palette!Just as I thought the stone fruit season here had drawn to a close, I was delighted to see some delicious peaches and loads of plums still showing up in the bazaar.Of course I hurried home with some, and with a bit of good luck, created this Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart … an original recipe that I was pleased as punch with!The other day, soul sistah Jamie tweeted that she had a plum ricotta bake on her list of things to do; she got me thinking instantly! Three days later … TADA … this Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart was born! {Jamie & I spent a great deal of time last night discussing ricotta tart recipes. Just what I love about food blogging – similar wavelengths!}The tart was the ray of sunshine in my otherwise packed day. Our little new pooch, Coco, is keeping me on my toes 24 X 7, growing NAUGHTIER by the minute! I had forgotten that a pup has SO MUCH ENERGY and has the potential to drive me to tears at times! But goodness, she’s a C.U.T.E. girl!She’s the proud possession of the teen, who struts her on the arm, showering her with love. As expected, neither of the kids can be shoved out of bed early to take her out… so all the dirty works landed on my platter!!Oh she is charming, photogenic and a bundle of joy! Those eyes can melt all my annoyance at the mess my garden and home is in … she shreds everything she can lay her little teeth on! Sigh …Right, food talk again! I had plums in the fridge too and though I googled for ricotta and plum ideas, leafing through an old cookbook I saw a ricotta kiwi tart. From that point onwards the mind wandered off onto an untrodden path … that’s the way stone fruit inspire me in!Why shouldn’t I do a peach ricotta bake like a cheesecake? Saw some pistachios on the rack. Hmmm … why shouldn’t the base have some for a change? My favourite nuts added beautiful specks of green to the tart shell and subtle flavour too, tying up nicely with the peaches!One thought led to another, and using this pâte sucrée from my Vanilla Plum Frangipane Almond Tart as a base, I set off. Oats – yes, flour – yes, pistachios – yes please! Experimentation with the Thermomix on hand is easy; you can throw in some more of this and that to get a firmer pastry dough … just what I did, and just what I love. The pastry was a little soft as the weather is still very warm and humid, so I gently rolled it out & and patted it with my fingers to line the tin. No trouble though as I pushed and patched the pastry, then allowed it to chill in the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven preheated.The filling was just experimentation too. I made ricotta the day Jamie tweeted about the plum ricotta tart, and let it drain in my curd cheese maker {love this contraption!}. I ran it in the Thermomix, adding stuff randomly, including some candied orange slices I had made last year … and got a satiny smooth, cake batter like filling. Happy Monday to you wonderful folk! It’s a good beginning to my week here. Bundled the kids off to school, tralalalala, fed the forever hungry pooch, turned on the radio to the ‘are you crazy’ levels, got on air and won a wonderful Body Shop gift hamper from Sarthak @ HIT 95 FM … and the weeks looking GOOD!

Recipe: Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart

Summary: Smooth and satiny like a cheesecake but with far fewer calories, set brilliantly, the peach pairing well with the pistachios, and a subtle orange flavour pleasing the palette!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes + chilling time
Ingredients:

1 recipe pistachio pâte sucrée {recipe follows}
Filling
240gms ricotta, drained well {homemade recipe here}
200ml low fat cream
2 eggs, room temperature
5 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1-2 slices of candied orange {optional}
2 tbsp cornflour
4-5 ripe peaches, each sliced into 8-10 sections { I left the peel on}
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1 tbsp apricot jam, melted
Pistachio Pâte Sucrée
125gms plain flour
50gms oats
50gms pistachios
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1/8 tsp salt
100gm unsalted butter, chilled, diced
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Method:

I used a 12X 4 rectangular loose bottomed tart pan, and 2 small 3″ loose bottomed round tart tins.
Pistachio Pâte Sucrée
Whiz the plain flour, oats, pistachios, sugar, salt, baking powder and scraped vanilla bean in the processor. {Thermomix: Speed 10/ 20 seconds}
Add the chilled butter and whiz briefly until you get a crumb like mix. {Thermomix: Speed 10, 15 seconds}
Add the vanilla extract and egg and briefly pulse till it begins to come together {Thermomix: Speed 6 / 10 seconds}
Turn onto work surface and pat together into a ball, handling the dough as little as possible. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes to help the dough relax.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Roll out the dough and line the tart pan, or if the dough is still ‘softish’, pat into pan {I patted it in as the weather was very warm and the pastry firm, but still soft}. Patch any broken bits with leftover dough, making sure there are no gaps visible.
Bake blind {line the unbaked shell with aluminum foil and place bean/pie weights on top} for 10 minutes. Remove weights and foil and continue to bake for a further 5 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t over brown. Cool in tart pans on rack.
In the meantime, make the ricotta filling.
Whiz the ricotta in the processor until smooth, then add the cream, eggs, vanilla bean, sugar, candied peel if using, and blend until satiny smooth. With the processor running, add the cornflour 1/2 tbsp at a time and process. {Thermomix: Add all above ingredients together and run TM – Speed 10/ 30 seconds}.
Lower the oven temperature to 180C.
Assemble the tart
Line the base of the tart pan with aluminum foil just in case there are cracks in the dough {else place a tray underneath}
Scatter the base of the tart shell with 2 sliced peaches, and pour the ricotta filling over. Top the ricotta with the remaining peach slices, arranging in a pattern if you like, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the ricotta is firm to touch.
Remove from oven and immediately brush the top with the the melted apricot jam {this seals the moisture in and keeps the fruit looking good}.
Cool completely on racks, and chill for 3-4 hours before serving!