Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down is one of my favorite cakes, if not my favorite!
I believe I first saw this cake when I was probably 10 or 11 years old on TV, being made by Sanjeev Kapoor. That used to be a time before the internet, and I would sit in front of the TV with pen and paper writing down the ingredients and procedure. Who does that anymore?
I took the recipe to my mom and we made it together. And our family loved it!! I eventually lost that recipe. But now we have the internet, and I found a good recipe of Epicurious.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake begins with melting butter with brown sugar until it starts to caramelize. This mixture is then poured into a cake pan and fresh pineapple slices (or you can use canned pineapple slices) are placed on top. If you like you can also garnish the top with maraschino cherries or candied red cherries (as shown in picture). A buttery cake batter is then poured over the pineapple slices and the cake is baked until golden brown. Once the cake cools, it is inverted onto a cake platter so the top of the cake features the pineapple slices that have become wonderfully soft and sweet from absorbing all that delicious caramelized sugar.

This is also one of the first cakes I baked after moving to the US, and my husband devoured it!
The second time I made it was a complete disaster, I'm guessing because I got a 'stick' of butter wrong and used 2, thinking I had half sticks. I didn't make it for a long time after that.
This spring, I came across a huge line of fresh pineapples at our local farm. I decided to buy one, as they come in really handy for snacking at the office. My husband however wanted the cake, so I decided to bake him one again. It turned out pretty close to the first time I tried it.
The recipe on Epicurious uses a cup of sugar, but I reduced it to 3/4 cup because I read many reviews suggesting it, and also I don't have a big sweet tooth. That was perfect for us. But if you like it sweet, go with 1 cup. Also, many reviews said that 3 tsp of cardamom powder was too much, or too overpowering. I used all 3 tsp since we love the flavor (we're Indians, duh!) and I thought it compliments the pineapple. If you don't like cardamom, then reduce it to 1.5 or 2 tsp, and you will get a more subtle flavor.
Also the recipe suggests you make this in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. I did not have one, but I highly recommend using it if you have. It will help get the pineapples nice and caramelized.
I used a 9 inch springform, which I regret because the caramel was oozing out the sides. I remedied it in time by wrapping the pan with aluminum foil. But next time I would use a regular cake pan, or hopefully a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients:

For topping:
1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup packed light brown sugar
5 or 6 maraschino cherries (optional)

For batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake (Black Seal or Myers would work great!)

Special equipment:
a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the cake pan.

Make topping:
Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Continue cooking, without stirring, for a few more minutes or until bubbles just start to appear around the outside edges of the mixture (the sugar starts to caramelize). Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly. You can also cut the pineapple into semi-circles and arrange them like in the photo below (taken when I made it the first time). I also arranged a few halved maraschino cherries upside down, for added color coz I had them lying around. But this is purely optional.
A traditional method is to have the whole pineapple rings arranged in a circle with a marschino cherry in the center of each ring. I find this pretty but there's a lot of wasted space and you may not get enough pineapple with every bite.
Note: The original recipe asked for 3/4 cup brown sugar. I used 3/4 cup initially but found there was still a lot of butter, so I added another 1/4 cup of brown sugar. What you're looking for is a sticky caramel sauce.

Make batter:
Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)
Tip: If you dont have a sifter for the dry ingredients, just combine them all in a bowl using a wire whisk.

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.
Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

This cake may be made a day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Honey Poppy seed vinaigrette - Salad dressing

Ingredients:

Apple cider vinegar - 3 tbsp
Honey - 1/4 cup
Dry mustard powder - 1 tsp.
Fresh lemon juice - 3 tsp
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
Salt and pepper
Oil - 1/2 cup (I used grapeseed oil)

Method:

Put the vinegar, honey, dry mustard, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper into a mason jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to start dissolving the honey. Or use a small whisk and whisk well. Now add the oil slowly and continue whisking. Taste to make sure that the balance is right. Sometimes I need to add a little more vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
This can be refrigerated for upto 3 weeks.

Make a salad with mixed greens (or baby spinach), halved raspberries (or strawberries), crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries and toasted almonds.

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Peach and Goat Cheese Tartine

This was a spur of the moment invention. I had some store-bought pizza crust, goat cheese, arugula and peaches that needed to be consumed immediately. So I combined them all on a lazy Sunday morning and it turned out to be pretty good. Even the photos turned out so good, I posted them on instagram instantly. CNN food shortlisted the above photo for their 5 breakfast ideas article. Click on this link to check it out. This was so exciting and rewarding!

Ingredients:

Peaches - 2 pcs., sliced thinly

Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp, melted

Goat Cheese - 2 tbsp
Cream Cheese - 1 tbsp
Mozzarella Cheese - 4 or 5 slices
Pizza Crust, half baked - small (square or rectangle shape preferred.
Arugula - small bunch
Olive oil - 2 tsp

Method:

First prepare the peaches by slicing them thinly and arranging them on a buttered baking sheet.
Drizzle melted butter over the peaches and brush them to distribute evenly (or pat them with the back of a spoon). Sprinkle brown sugar over the peaches. Broil in oven for 8 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese and goat cheese together. Spread it evenly on the pizza crust. Drizzle olive oil and bake for 10 mins in a 450 degree F oven, or until cheese starts to brown slightly. Take the pizza out and arrange arugula over the top. Then place mozzarella slices (optional). Arrange peach slices in groups of two or three as shown in picture. This would make it easy to cut the pizza into equal pieces.
Bake again for another 3 minutes. Divide into equal portions and serve.
You can also use slices of french bread (baguette) instead of pizza crust.

Goat cheese and peach tartine #breakfast #homemade #instafood #yum #cnnfood

A photo posted by Ancy Alexander (@ancyalexander) on Oct 4, 2015 at 10:30am PDT

So #thrilled to be mentioned on CNN.com for #cnnfood breakfast challenge! The Goat's cheese and #peach tartine was a spur of the moment idea for breakfast on a beautiful Saturday morning. Thank you @sophieeastaugh This is #inspiration to all foodies and small time bloggers like myself. Link in bio #cnn #excited #cheeseisforbreakfast #cheeselovers #cheeseloversunite

A photo posted by Ancy Alexander (@ancyalexander) on Oct 14, 2015 at 12:19pm PDT

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Fresh Apple Cake

Apples are in season. My neighbor, Kathy, made this amazing apple cake one weekend, and was kind enough to share two pieces with us. She even included a print of the recipe for us, in case we wanted to know if we were allergic to any of the ingredients, like nuts. Being Indians, I guess we're lucky not to be allergic to most ingredients. The cake was so moist and it had a beautiful glaze over it. We loved it so much that we decided to make a whole batch next time we got apples. And it was simply amazing, just like Kathy's! Special thanks to her.
The recipe was from the Deen family.

No pictures for this post. Sorry. Will post it when I bake this again.

Ingredients:

Honey Glaze:

    1 cup confectioners' sugar
    2 tablespoons honey
    2 tablespoons milk

Apple Cake:

    3 cups diced Granny Smith apples, about 2 apples
    1 cup lightly toasted chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 cups sugar
    1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
    3 eggs

Method:

Glaze: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir until smooth. Set the bowl aside.
If you don't have readymade confectioner's sugar like me, just powder some regular sugar in a spice grinder, until its fine like dust.

Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a Bundt pan or tube pan. I used a large rectangular pan for lack of these.

In a bowl, mix together the apples, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Using an electric mixer beat the sugar and oil, in a large bowl, until its well creamed for about 10 minutes. Break eggs into this one by one, beating well with each addition. Add in the dry ingredients and mix gently until well incorporated. About 10 folds and that's it, just stop and walk away. You don't want to mix it too much and activate the gluten. Now fold in the apple mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan, about 1 hour, and then turn it out onto a plate.

Drizzle the apple cake with some of the honey glaze, serve and enjoy!

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Date & Nut Rugelach

How can Christmas be complete without baking cookies! I was debating if I should bake a cake or cookies. I knew they had to have dates in them, because it reminds of my chidlhood and Christmas with my family in Saudi Arabia, where dates are always in the house.
I was searching for recipes on Epicurious and came across this recipe for a Rugelach. This seemed intriguing to me because they looked like mini croissants with a date filing in them. The recipe wasn't too complicated so I decided to give it a try. I also referred Ina Garten's rugelach recipe (video available in link) for the dough.
Initially I found it messy and difficult, but I played around with a few batches and got the hang of it. Refer my notes for pointers. They all tasted really good, so no problems there!
This brings an end to year 2013's series of Christmas recipes. Hope you enjoyed them, and try them any time of the year!

Ingredients:

For the dough:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

Confectioners' sugar for rolling out dough
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

For the filling:
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup fig preserves

Method:

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overwork it or the dough will become tough. (I combined the flour with my hands) Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, finely chop dates and walnuts and in a bowl with your hands toss together dates, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until combined well.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons fig preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough.

Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Notes: Chilling the dough is key. It will make it more manageable.
The first time, I rolled out the dough without any extra flour. It stuck to everything and rolling it with the filling was a nightmare. It did not shape very well and was all mangled. I thought it was going to be a disaster. I even cursed Ina Garten for ruining Christmas for me. But I decided to bake the messy globs anyway. The finished product was really tasty and I forgot all my frustrations.

The glob (first batch - Christmas dessert)

The next batch, I placed the chilled dough between two sheets of cling film. I then rolled it out. The dough rolled out much better this way. I removed the top film and dusted a little flour on the dough. Turned it over, and removed the other sheet. Spread the fig jam and sprinkled the filling, cut it into triangular sections and rolled them perfectly.
The last one, I did the same procedure while rolling it (between cling films). But then I stuck it in the freezer to chill, to avoid dusting flour on it. It turned out to be brittle, so rolling them into crescents were a bit difficult. I think the second option works best.
You can also use confectioner's sugar for dusting instead of flour - in hindsight, I wish I'd done that. Oh well, next time. :)

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Herb marinated Rack of Lamb

This was the main course for last year's Christmas. I served one rack of lamb among 4 people. We had several other dishes too. It was my first time grilling a rack of lamb, and yes I was nervous about serving it to guests. So I timed it exactly as mentioned in the recipe and it turned out medium (light pink center). I wasn't really able to enjoy the dinner because I was hosting too. So I decided to try it again this Christmas. Maybe this one's going to become a traditional Christmas meal for us? Time will tell..

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (about 8 to 9 ribs)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed
6 parsley sprigs, chopped
2 (4-inch) rosemary sprigs, crushed
6 thyme sprigs, crushed
4 rosemary sprigs, for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse Sea salt

Method:

Clean the rib bones well by scraping off meat and sinew with a small sharp knife. Cut the racks in 1/2 so that each has four ribs. Mix together the olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped parsley, crushed rosemary and thyme sprigs in a large bowl. Add the lamb and coat well. Grind some coarse black pepper over all. Wrap well and marinate the racks overnight. (I used a ziplock bag for this. Dump all the ingredients, close and shake it to coat well. Leave it in the fridge overnight.)

The next day remove the lamb from the marinade and scrape off as many herbs as possible. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the lamb well with salt; no additional pepper should be necessary, and sear fat side down until golden, about 7 minutes.

Turn over so that the fat side is up and roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Let the rack rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

To serve, cut each lamb rack into 4 equal pieces, 2 bones per chop and serve on individual plates or a platter with the accompaniments of your choice.

Notes:
1. Rack of lamb is simple to prepare and quite elegant for a proper dinner party. Racks have become so popular and expensive in the U.S. that chefs have turned to overseas sources to supply their restaurants at a much cheaper price. There are many New Zealand producers selling lamb with no added hormones or antibiotics. I buy a rack that's produced in Australia. The herb marinade for the rack really perfumes the meat if it is done a day or two ahead of time. The same marinade can be used for many other cuts as well. It is best to remove as many of the herbs and garlic before roasting as they will burn and create off flavors.
2. This year I added another 3 minutes to the oven time so the center wasn't pink (almost well done, but still juicy).
3. This maybe gross for some people. While searing the meat on the saute pan, you will notice some blood oozing out of the bones. I usually take a clean paper towel and press against those areas to absorb and remove the blood. I did this again when I got it out of the oven. Here's a comparison of the bloody and not so bloody rack:

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Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Another recipe I made last Christmas and again this year. This was served as a side to my main course of herb marinated lamb rack.

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Place the cubed potatoes into a baking dish. (The cubes of potatoes should be about 3/4 of an inch on all sides) You can spray the baking dish with a baking spray too to eliminate anything possibly sticking
Pile on the olive oil, garlic salt, salt, paprika, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Using your fingers, or a spoon if you feel inclined, get in to the potatoes and carefully mix everything around until the seasonings coat each potato.
Transfer the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the potatoes with a pair of tongs. Put the baking dish back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet and give them another toss and place them back in the oven and roast until they are golden and crispy.
Season with an little dusting of sea salt and extra parmesan cheese and serve.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I love making a soup as one of my Christmas dinner courses. Last year I made a delicious pea soup. I did not have the time to take photos and note the recipe down, since I had guests coming over and I was in a mad rush to get everything done on time. I think I'll make it again before the winter ends.

This year, I decided to use a vegetable I've never cooked or even tasted before. I was looking at the all the fresh seasonal vegetables at a local farm here, called Donaldson Farms. They have amazing chocolate milk there! I saw different types of squash on display, and they all looked beautiful! I've rarely eaten anything from the squash family (except for pumpkins) so decided to give butternut squash a try.

I made this in advance on Christmas Eve and served it as my second course on Christmas with Gougères.

I referred a few videos on how to cut this up. I must say, it was a lot of work and requires more strength than I had thought. Especially making the first cut in half.

I mostly followed the recipe on Food.com This recipe called for fresh parsley, which was then pureed along with the other ingredients. I feel pureeing parsley ruined the taste of the soup. It gave that raw green grass sort of taste, which made me feel like a cow eating grass! It also ruined the beautiful orange color of the soup and gave it a sickly green hue. So I would avoid this next time, and probably follow another video.
If I had watched this video first, it would have made my life much easier!

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, diced (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, large dice (1 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 apple, skinned, large dice (1 cup)
48 ounces chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped - my recommendation, do not use!!
1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, chopped
crouton (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Method:

1 Roasting: Preheat oven to 450. Peel and dice squash into 1/2 inch pieces (see tip at end). Dice onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss squash and onion with olive oil and spread pieces onto a large flat baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes - add diced apple - and continue roasting another 10-20 minutes (30-40 total roasting time).
I would rather roast the squash halves next time, and then puree it with sauteed onions, apple and herbs.
2 Tip: while you are roasting, make some "cheese toasts". Put some shredded cheese on top of bread rounds (we like gruyere or parmesan). Bake 10-15 minutes until crispy. These cheese toasts are fantastic soup toppers! I made Gougères.
3 Place roasted mixture into blender with about half the chicken broth; puree (keep hand on lid because hot liquids can cause the top to "explode" off with built up steam). Add remaining chicken broth, half-and-half, and herbs; puree.
4 Transfer mixture to saucepan; reheat gently.
5 Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a dash of paprika.
Tip: to prepare squash, first cut squash in half horizontally. Place flat end onto cutting board to stabilize squash and use a peeler to remove skin. Remove seeds. Then cut into lengths, and then into diced pieces.
Note: if you have leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving, add about 1/2 cup, which will thicken the soup and add a nice smoothness.
My notes: Other recipes used carrots, bay leaf and sage too. Worth trying next time instead of parsley.

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Baked Brie - Brie en Croute

Baked Brie!! This is a pleasant new discovery for me last month. Anyone who knows me, will know that I love cheese, and trying various cheeses. During my business trip to France in 2010, I was in heaven when my manager took me to a famouse cheese restaurant in Strasbourg called La Cloche à Fromage. Anyone visiting Strasbourg, I highly recommend this place - you will need an advance reservation and I hear its a little difficult to get in, but totally worth it! It has a huge cloche (a bell shaped cover) that is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest in the world. We were a table of four, and had the cheese fondue with a variety of breads. And also a cheese board, where you work your way up, so there is a particular order in which you have to try each cheese. It was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. Other tables were having the raclette, that I saw for the first time. But that's a LOT of cheese and I think its good if you are a large party.

At La Cloche à Fromage in 2010

Now I'm not really a big fan of cheeses that taste strong and musky, gives that sharp tart or bitter kick in the throat. It's hard to explain, but I've felt this with Camembert and Goat cheese. Particularly, the outer rind of Camembert. Or that fungal fumy feeling you get up your nose, like with blue cheese. I don't mind trying it during a cheese tasting, but I don't love it.
Now Brie is a like a milder cousin of Camembert. They're both soft white cheese. Initially I mistook Brie for Camembert and always avoided it. Then at a team dinner with my colleagues, the baked brie was ordered as an appetizer. It looked really pretty, covered in puff pastry and was accompanied by toast and a fruit compote. When it went around the table, I decided to take a small chunk of it. It completely changed my opinion about brie! It was warm, gooey and creamy in contrast with the crumbly flakiness of the puff pastry, just divine! After I came back from the dinner, I could only gush about the baked brie to my husband! I had to get some at my next trip to the grocery store. There were many imported ones, but I opted for a medium size round one by the Président brand. Next to it there was this pretty little bottle of fig and orange jam, from Croatia. This is one of the best jams I've tasted in my life! Not too sweet, and goes really well with toast.
The first time I baked brie, I only used the brie in the puff pastry, just like how I tasted it at the dinner. This was the appetizer for our Christmas dinner.
I tried it again this month, by also adding some fig jam in the puff pastry. I like both versions, depending on my mood - plain cheesy, or hint of sweetness.
The term "en croute" indicates a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven.

Here is a good video that I used to make my first one (he used the same brands as I had):

Here's another great video with some interesting variations:

Ingredients:

Président 8 oz Brie round
Puff Pastry - 1 sheet (I used Pepperidge Farm)
Egg wash - 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water (optional)
Fig Jam (or jam of your choice) - 2 tbsp

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Thaw the sheet of puff pastry. Lay it flat on your work surface.
Use the cover or the Brie wheel to lightly make an indentation in the center of your puff pastry sheet, to use as a guide as to where you're going to place the Brie.
In this circle, spread the jam of your choice, if using. If you want it on the sides as well, you can extend it a little outside the circle.
Unwrap the Brie. Place it over the jam in the circle. Now wrap the pastry over the brie, like a small package. Flip it and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
If you want the top to shine, you can brush lightly with an egg wash. Some people like to use some extra puff pastry, cut a design with a cookie cutter and place it on top for a pretty design (using egg wash as adhesive), like in the second video.
Place the wrapped Brie in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins in my oven to get a golden crust and a pastry that's cooked through.
This is an important step. Once the brie is out of the oven, leave it out to rest for half an hour. If it hasn't cooled before you cut into it, the Brie is going to ooze out everywhere and create a huge mess and you can potentially burn yourself.

Damage control tip: If for any reason, the puff pastry wasn't sealed properly or if there was a hole somewhere due to improper handling, and you notice that the cheese is oozing out, plug it immediately with a small piece of bread.

Note: If you're trying cheeses for the first time, I think Brie is a good way to start. Then you can work your way up from there. When you're ready you can go for something more stronger, try the Camembert. I think I'll try Camembert again. So far I've had it just on its own, and it was cold. A warm "en croute" may change my opinion about it. After that, try the goat cheese, and then a blue cheese, or an expensive one like Roquefort.
There is also a Light Brie available. I'll try it sometime. I'm guessing it's even milder than Brie, or maybe uses low fat milk.
Here is a good link on how to taste cheese

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Egg salad sandwich

This is a quick breakfast recipe. Would take roughly half an hour from start to finish.

Serves: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread - 4 slices
Eggs -  2
Green onions (spring onions) - 1 stalk, sliced finely. (can substitute with chives, dill or herbs of your choice)
Mayonnaise - 1 tbsp (or Greek yoghurt, I used half of each)
Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Immerse the eggs in water and bring it to a boil. Take it off the stove and let sit in the hot water for 8-10 mins. Drain and peel off the shells. Chop the eggs into small chunks.
Add the sliced green onions, mayonnaise, yoghurt, dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Mix it all well. Now you have an egg salad.

Toast the whole wheat bread slices. Spread the egg salad on a slice and close with the other.

Optional add-ons: Fried shallots, bacon bits, crumbled feta, celery, dash of paprika, curry powder, lemon juice, chopped red onions, chopped apples, toasted pecans. The sky is your limit.
I also like to have it as a salad instead of a sandwich, because sometimes I feel the bread makes it too dry.
If you have lettuce leaves you can add a layer of lettuce to your sandwich as well. If you like tomato slices, go ahead! Enjoy!

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Chickpea feta burger

I wouldn't call it a veggie burger because it contains eggs. It is a delicious and healthy option on a hot summer day. I served this with a nice dill tahini sauce.

Ingredients for chickpea feta burger:

200 grams chick peas soaked and boiled with salt
100 grams feta cheese crumbled
2 eggs
1 grated carrot
6 red pearl onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp oil

Ingredients for dill tahini sauce:

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup dill minced
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1tsp lemon juice
Dash of salt

To assemble:

Hamburger buns
Baby spinach leaves
Tomato slices
Iceberg lettuce leaves

Method fpr sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Method for burgers:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook pearl onions and garlic for 2 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a food processor. Add chickpeas, carrots feta and eggs and process until combined. Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and mix until combined. Divide mixture into golf ball portions. Shape each portion into a patty.

heat the remaining oil on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for 4 minutes each side or until brown and cooked through.
Toast the hamburger buns for 2 minutes each side or until lightly toasted.
Divide half the bun cut side up among serving plates. Spread with a little tahini sauce. Top with a lettuce, spinach, tomato and chickpea patty and other half of bun.

Assembled Burgers:

Dill Tahini Sauce:

Burger mix:

Grilling the burgers:

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Shrimp and Veggie Pasta Casserole

This is one my most favorite casseroles. I love shrimp and I love white sauce. Combine it with pasta, mixed veggies and you've got a solid meal!
This recipe is inspired from a mix of two recipes. One from the heritagecook and the other from stacey snacks.

Ingredients:

For shrimp:
Large shrimp - 1 pound (1/2 kg) - shelled and deveined
Garlic - 3 cloves - minced
Green onions (spring onions) - 2 stalks
Butter - 4 tbsp - softened
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

For garnish:
Panko breadcrumbs - 4 tbsp
Canola oil - 1 tsp
Parsley - 3 sprigs - minced
Grated parmesan cheese (optional) - as per taste

Pasta:
Linguine pasta - as per serving nos.
Water - to fill 3/4 of a stock pot
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

For Bechamel (white sauce):
Butter - 2 tbsp
Flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup (warmed or at least at room temperature)
Cream - 1/4 cup (optional)
Pepper - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For veggie mix:
Cooking wine - 3/4 cup (I used rice cooking wine)
Green onions - 2 stalks
Yellow onion - 1/2 chopped
Frozen mixed vegetables - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix salt and lemon juice with shrimp and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile mix all the other ingredients in the shrimp section to form a buttery paste. Add this paste to the shrimp and coat well.
Lightly cook linguine pasta in boiling water in a stock pot with salt and olive oil. Drain and place onto the casserole dish. This is your first layer.
Onto the sauce. In a sauce pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and also giving some time for the flour to cook. This mixture is called the 'roux'. To this add a small amount of milk and whisk so that no lumps are formed. Add the rest of the milk and cream if using. You could also use half and half. The sauce will thicken. Season with salt, pepper and paprika if desired, and your bechamel sauce is ready.
In a separate pan, heat oil on medium heat. Fry the onions and whites of the green onions until soft. Then add the thawed mix of frozen vegetables. You could also use a mix of fresh vegetables. You can use your preferred combination like green peas, french beans, carrots, broccoli, corn kernels. Add remaining green onions. Pour the white wine into this and allow to cook until its reduced and thickened (for about 2-3 minutes). The alcohol would evaporate at this stage, but you could leave the wine out if you dont want the flavor. Pour this mixture into the bechamel sauce and combine well.
Pour this mixture all over the paste in the casserole. Use a fork to shake it a little so that the sauce seeps through the pasta.
Now for the third layer - place the shrimp mixture over this.
For the garnish, mix the canola oil with the panko or breadcrumbs so that its lightly coated but still fluffy. Mix grated parmesan cheese if desired. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle chopped parsley over this.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. I had some leftover cooked bacon strips that I crumbled on top as well, so that I don't have to throw them away. It added more flavor to the already awesome dish!

Note: For a simple shrimp appetizer, you can just bake the shrimp mixture alone with the garnishing at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown and shrimp is cooked through.
Also the recipe of the bechamel sauce is very versatile and is used in many continental dishes.

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Canneloni Florentine

This is a dish I first ate at a vegetarian Italian restaurant in Bangalore called Little Italy. Its one of the fewest restaurants where I did not miss meat!

Ingredients:

Canneloni tubes - 12 tubes

For canneloni filling:
Butter - 4 tbsp
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Garlic - 6 large cloves, minced
Carrot - 2, peeled and grated
Spinach - 2 cups,chopped
White pepper powder - 2 tsp
Salt
Breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp
Feta cheese/Grated paneer/Ricotta cheese - 1/2 cup, crumbled

Cheesy Bechamel sauce:
Butter - 4 tbsp
Flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Shallot - 1, whole, peeled
Cloves - 6
White cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup grated
Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp. grated
Salt
White pepper powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - a pinch

Spinach layer: (optional)
Spinach - 1 cup, chopped coarsely
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Rosemary - a small sprig

Tomato pasta sauce - 4 tbsp (optional)
White Cheddar cheese for garnish - 1/2 cup, grated
Parmesan cheese for garnish - 3 tbsp

Method:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
Start with Bechamel sauce:
Take the whole peeled shallot and pierce cloves into it.
In a saucepan, pour milk and warm on low-medium. Place the piece of shallot with cloves into it, to allow the flavor to seep in.
In another saucepan, melt butter and add flour to make the roux. Mix for about a minute till the raw smell of flour is gone. Whisk in milk, little by little to get a creamy but less thick sauce. Add grated cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. Take a taste test and adjust salt (as cheese contains salt too). Add white pepper powder and nutmeg powder.

For filling:
Melt butter in a pan. Saute chopped onions and garlic till its translucent. Then add grated carrots and salt. Now add chopped spinach, white pepper powder and allow for spinach to wilt. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add crumbled feta cheese, breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp of the bechamel sauce.
Fill the canneloni tubes with this filling

Spinach layer:
Heat olive oil in the same pan used for filling. Add rosemary (rub it with your fingers first to release flavor). Then add chopped spinach and allow it to wilt.

Assembly:
In a casserole dish, first pour the cheese bechamel sauce.

Spread the spinach layer on top of this. Now arrange 6 or 7 canneloni tubes to form a layer. Pour more bechamel sauce over this. Sprinkle white cheddar sauce. Place remaining canneloni tubes to form second layer.

Pour remaining bechamel sauce. Spread pasta sauce or marinara sauce, if using. Finally sprinkle white cheddar and parmesan over it.

Bake the casserole for 40 mins.
Note: Do not make the bechamel sauce too thick, or the canneloni tubes will not cook.

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Spicy Corn Fritters

Its become sort of a routine to start the weekend with a "bread n eggs" brunch. We've been making omelettes for a while and decided to go for scrambled eggs for a change. I decided to make use of the sweet corn kernels lying in my freezer as an accompaniment. I did a quick search and found these simple spicy corn fritters.
Its actually meant to be eaten as a snack with a dip. I did not bother using any dip since it was just an accompaniment to the bread n eggs.

Credit: Simplyrecipes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon lebanese spice or garam masala
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup of corn kernels (frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
1 small onion finely sliced or chopped small (about a quarter cup)
3 green chillies sliced finely
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
canola, or gingelly oil (a high smoke point oil) for frying

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin, spice, red chilli powder in a medium bowl. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, green chillies and cilantro. Stir until just combined.
Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon as soon as it is in the pan. Work in batches. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.

Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated. Note that the fritters will likely splatter a bit as you are cooking. So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes while you cook.

Serve with a dip

Or use as an accompaniment with bread, eggs and sausages.

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Caramelized Apple with Maple Mascarpone

I had brought a few apples too from Riyadh and I was too lazy to eat them as such. I tried to find a more interesting yet simple way of having them, so I searched a bit and found this lovely quick and easy dessert.
It was so tasty we were licking it all off the plate!!

Credit: Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 apple (peeled, cored, sliced)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (powdered)
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the apples, sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon and saute until golden brown.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup and mascarpone. I used the small mixer of my food processor, so it blended perfectly. Just make sure there are no lumps of mascarpone and you get a nice creamy blended texture.
4. Top the apples with the maple mixed into the mascarpone.

You can also use icecream instead of the maple mascarpone.
But since I had mascarpone in my refrigerator that I had to use, this was just lovely.

I made this a second time the next day too, and allowed the apples to caramelize a little longer than the last time. It was delicious either both ways.:)



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BBC - Bailey's Banana Colada

This is a Pina Colada with a twist!

If you want to make a virgin one, just omit the alcoholic ingredients.

Ingredients:

Banana robusta - 1

Bailey's Irish Cream - 30 ml (I used the new hazelnut flavour, but you can also use the original version or the caramel one)

White Rum - 30 ml

Pineapple Juice - 60 ml

Coconut Cream/Milk - 60 ml

Amaretto - 10 ml (optional)

Crushed Ice

Method:

Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve!

Cheers!!

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Chicken Parmesan and Spaghetti

I bought a chunk of the original Parmigiano-Reggiano from Spar about a month back. I've used it while making different Italian dinners but have been wanting to try the Chicken Parmesan, and I decided to try it out when my sis came to visit me on a weekend. Oh, it was super tasty! I'm thinking of repeating it again for dinner tonight.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is the original Parmesan cheese from Italy. Its a bit grainy and salty to taste, so be careful about adding salt to your dish when using this cheese. You can identify if the cheese is original by checking the seal on the outer ring which has Parmigiano-Reggiano printed on it.

Inspiration: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/simple-chicken-parmesan/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

For one serving:
Chicken Breast - 1 breast half
Butter - 5 tbsp.

For chicken coating:
Coating 1:
All purpose flour (Maida) - 50 grams

Coating 2:
Egg - 1, beaten

Coating 3:
Bread crumbs - 100 grams
Parmigiano-Reggiano(Parmesan cheese) - 50 grams grated.
Oregano, Garlic bread seasoning - 1 tsp (optional)
Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp.

Pasta:
Spaghetti: A bunch

Spaghetti Sauce:
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp.
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced finely
Tomatoes - 2, chopped
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomato puree - 5-6 tbsp.
Water - 1/2 cup
Parsley - handful, chopped
Basil - 1tsp chopped (I used flakes since I did not have fresh ones :( )
Pepper - 1 tsp.
Sugar - A pinch
Salt - to taste

Method:

For Spaghetti:
Boil water in a pot, add a pinch of salt and put the spaghetti into it. Also add a tablespoon of oil into it. Allow it to cook. Make sure spaghetti has a thin layer of oil coating, otherwise it would stick to each other after draining. Drain and keep aside.

For Spaghetti sauce:
In a pan, heat olive oil. Do not heat it too much like other oils. Add garlic and allow it to start sizzling. Add onions and allow it to soften. Now add tomatoes and mix again for 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and a pinch of sugar. If the sauce starts to stick to the pan, add some water to it to get desired consistency. Add parsley, basil, pepper and salt. Simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm. If you have black olives, chop them and add that as well.

Chicken Parmesan:
Wash and clean the chicken breast. Put the chicken breast into a plastic bag. Take a heavy bottomed pan and whack the hell out of it! Lol.. just batter it so that its flattened until its about a quarter inch thick.
Spread out maida on one plate. Pour the beaten egg in another plate. And in a third plate, mix all ingredients of Coating 3 and have them all ready. Heat a frying pan and add butter into it.
Dip both sides of the pounded chicken into the flour first, then dip it into the beaten egg, now transfer it to the bread crumb and parmesan mixture. Make sure chicken is well coated. Now place it on the frying pan and fry till golden brown on both sides. Top each with a portion of the cheeses. Broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.

Serve with spaghetti and top it with the spaghetti sauce. Yummmm....

If you dont have Parmesan then you could try with Mozzarella or any other cheese you like..

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Buffalo sausage rolls

Made these for dinner on a lazy Sunday. You might think its junkfood, but I have packed it with lots of veggie nutrition. :)

Ingredients:

Buffalo skinless sausages - 1 per roll
Samoli/Sausage bread - 1 per roll
European cucumber - 1 sliced
Carrot - 1 grated
Tomato - 1 sliced
Remia Garlic sauce/Salsa Ali Oli - as required
American yellow mustard - as required

On the side:
Any fried/baked potato chips of your choice: French fries/wedges/criscuts/crispies/chips
Sauce of your choice - ketchup/garlic sauce

I used Cascade Wild West Buffalo skinless sausages for this recipe. You may try with any sausage of your choice.

Method:

Heat a pan and place defrosted sausages on them. Cover and allow to grill. Turn occasionally. I would keep the lid closed and move the pan around, allowing the sausages to roll around. I've noticed it oozes out some water and a bit of fat and this allows the sausage to cook and give a barbecued sauce effect outside.


Slice open the samoli or sausage rolls and pinch out some of the bread on the inside, so that the sausage and other veggies can be placed easily.


Add grated carrots in one side's depression. Then pour Remia's garlic sauce over it. Line up the cucumber and tomato slices on top.


Pour mustard sauce on the other half's depression. Place the fried sausage on this.


Close and serve with potato fries of your choice. :-) Bon appetit!

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