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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Bread Upma

I haven't even heard of bread upma until the day I made it. My hubby suddenly had a craving for it, and told me about this dish that used to be very popular in Tamil Nadu during his childhood. Before chaats from north India became popular and invaded the snack scene in south India, these were a regular item in most tea shops. Nowadays, you can never find this in a restaurant menu. So he asked me to look it up and make it for him. I went through a few bread upma recipes online and mostly followed Preethi's.

Ingredients:

Bread - 6 to 8 slices
Ghee - as required
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Green chilli - 1, chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch, minced (optional)
Tomato - 2, chopped
Vegetables of choice - like crumbled potato, green peas, carrots, beans, chana (garbanzo), chopped and cooked. You can also add cooked ground meat.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts - handful, broken
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Tomato puree or water - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - minced (or coriander chutney) - to taste
Lemon juice - to garnish

Method:

Toast bread pieces on a skillet with ghee. (You can skip toasting the bread, but I felt this step made the dish really tasty!) Cube them into bite size pieces. In a wok, heat ghee and splutter mustard seeds. Add chana dal, urad dal and cashewnuts. Stir well so that they fry evenly. When they brown, add onions, ginger and green chilli. Fry till onions turn translucent with salt. Then add tomatoes and fry till they mush up. Then add cooked vegetables and combine. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, red chilli powder and garam masala. Sprinkle some water or add tomato puree and cook for a few minutes. Finally add the cubed bread pieces and combine well. Garnish with cilantro chutney and squeeze a bit of lemon juice. Serve hot.

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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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Egg and Vegetable Stew (with variations for chicken, beef or lamb)

This stew is a traditional Syrian Christian curry served for breakfast with Appam (lacy rice pancakes). I like to have it any time of the day with toasted bread, if there's no ready batter for appams. It's very rustic and hearty, like the filling of a pot pie. (Maybe I will try it in a pot pie someday).

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4 large
Onion - 1 medium size, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Green chillies - 3 or as per your spice level
Chopped Vegetables - 2 cups (preferably potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, french beans, green peas)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 1 large broken to small pieces
Cloves - 4-6
Green cardamom pods - 4
Bay leaf - 1
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (optional)
Black pepper corns - 6-8
White pepper powder - 2 tsp (optional)
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Red chilli powder - a pinch (optional)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Garam masala - a pinch (optional)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Oil (vegetable/canola) - 2 tbsp (For authenticity, use coconut oil - its an acquired taste)

Method:

Hard boil the eggs and keep aside to cool. Meanwhile chop all the vegetables and store in a mixing bowl.
In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add mustards seeds and let is splutter. Add the whole spices - cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, peppercorns. Once their aroma starts to exude, add the chopped onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until the onions are translucent. Then add the powdered spices - turmeric, white pepper, black pepper, red chilli powder, coriander powder. Mix for a minute. Then add the chopped vegetables and enough water to just cover the vegetables. Cover and cook until the vegetables are cooked through. Meanwhile peel the cooled eggs and halve them, if desired. Once vegetables are cooked, reduce the heat, and pour coconut milk. Let it cook and reduce until you get the desired consistency of gravy. Finally sprinkle garam masala and add the hardboiled eggs. Serve with appams, chappathis or toasted slices of bread.

Note: You can make different variations of this stew. Leave the eggs out and it becomes a vegetable stew. Add cubed chicken pieces instead of the vegetables and it becomes a chicken stew. For beef or lamb stew, cook the meat separately with a small amount of water or even pressure cook it, before adding it to the stew.
If you don't have coconut milk, use regular milk.

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Dessert Crepes - Nutella and Apple-Cinnamon

Crepes provide a wide spectrum for displaying creativity and variety. They can be both sweet and savoury. I have not tried the savoury version yet. I prepare the sweet ones on some weekends for breakfast. I have tried a variety of fillings such as Nutella - the irresistible Chocolate n Hazelnut spread, Crunchy Peanut butter, Morello Cherry jam, Rasberry or strawberry jam, coconut-cardamom mixture (madakku saan), caramel toffee spread, and most recently, an apple-cinnamon mixture.

Making the crepes is super simple. I've already explained it in my previous post for madakku saan as well.

Ingredients:

For the crepes:

• Flour/Maida - 1 cup
• Water - enough to make a loose batter
• 1 egg
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Salt - a pinch

Method:

Mix all ingredients of the batter to get a dosa batter like consistency. Fry them on a non-stick pan (no need of any oil) by placing a dollop of the batter with a steel ladle and spreading it in a spiralling motion from the center. Allow one side to cook, flip using a spatula when air bubbles start to form on one side. If it does stick to the pan, then dab a little oil in a gauze or kitchen towel or tissue and just wipe across the pan. I got a batch of about 8 from this mixture.

To make Nutella crepes:

As simple as spreading the nutella mixture on one side and rolling it!

To Make the Apple-Cinnamon filling:

Credit: Hungry-Girl (altered as per my liking)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. granulated sugar/brown sugar - I used brown sugar as it tastes better
1/4 tsp. corn flour
1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 cup diced Washington apple (about 1 apple)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice (about 5-6 drops)
1 tbsp. cream cheese, or Mascarpone, at room temperature
Maple syrup (optional)

Method:

In a small nonstick saucepan on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, butter, cinnamon, and salt with 2 tbsp. cold water. Stir to dissolve. Add diced apple and lemon juice and stir. Bring to medium heat and cover. Cook until apple has softened and liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes, uncovering often to stir.

Remove pot from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl. Allow to cool for several minutes. Thoroughly stir in cream cheese or mascarpone. Add maple syrup if desired.

Lay crepes flat on a dry surface. Evenly distribute apple mixture between the crepes. Fold each crepe up envelope-style, first folding the sides in, and then folding/rolling it up from the bottom.

Plate your crepes and drizzle them with caramel dip or maple syrup. If you like, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Try not to pass out as you dig in!

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Love Letters / Madakku Saan

Madakku saan is an authentic snack from kerala. Its a wonderful crunchy crepe thats just not too sweet but feels good in the tummy. They're also given the nickname "Love Letters" coz of the lovely sweet coconut mixture rolled up like a letter or packed in an envelope. :) It would make a cute gift to prepare for loved ones.

Ingredients:

For the crepe:
Flour/Maida - 1 cup
Water - enough to make a loose batter
1 egg
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

For the coconut filling:
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom powdered - 1 or 2 tsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp

Method:

Mix all ingredients of the batter and fry them on a pan (no need of any oil). If it does stick to the pan, then dab a little oil in a gauze or kitchen towel or tissue and just wipe across the pan.
Mix all the coconut filling ingredients in a bowl. Place a tablespoon full of the mixture onto the center of a crepe and roll. Allow the filling to spread towards the ends.

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Vegetable Uppumavu/Upma - Salt Mango Tree ;-)

I'm not exactly a fan of this preparation as I find this dish absolutely boring! Proabably because when my mom used to make it, it was a very dry form without the vegetables - but with chunks of ginger, chillies and curry leaves which i had to keep picking at and still pieces would get in my mouth and irritate me. So it was quite unpleasant. And then the one with the vegetables, the soft and moist one used to be served in my hostel, which I liked at first. Then when I used to buy it from bangalore sagars, the chow chow baath, I liked it at first but later just despised it!!
After staying away from it for a long time, I decided to make one myself to see if I can stand it. Afterall, its a no fuss, easy to make, nutritious and takes less time to prepare. Turns out, I'm still not much of a fan, but I can eat it with bananas mashed into it.

Credit: http://www.mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/vegetable-upma
A nutritious breakfast to substitute your daily toasts & cornflakes & its filling too. It tastes great with egg roast.
Really? I've never tried that combination but that's what Maria says!

Ingredients:

1.Semolina (rava) – 1 cup
2.small onion – 4
green chilli – 2
ginger – 1/2 tablespoon
3.cooked carrot & green peas – 1/4 cup each
4.mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
5.Ghee/refined oil – 2 tablespoon
6.water – 2 cups
7.curry leaves
salt

Method:

Toast the semolina (without oil) for 5 minutes. Heat oil/ghee in a pan & splutter mustard seeds. Saute small onion, green chilli ginger& curry leaves for 4 minutes.Add cooked carrot & green peas & stir well. Add 2 cups of water & salt. When the water starts boiling add the toasted semolina & mix well. Serve hot.

My note: When I toasted the rava, I toasted it for more than 5 minutes, and waited for it to turn golden brown. Although I feel thats a mistake as the uppumavu did not taste as its supposed to be. So next time, I'm going to toast it only for 5 minutes as the recipe suggests.
The picture above is the one from my second try which was successful :)
I like eating upma with yelakki bananas or regular bananas. Bee likes it with achar. There are different ways of eating this.

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Chocolate Pancakes

Made these delicious pancakes for breakfast today. I was all out on sugar, so compensated with sweet cocoa powder (by Cadury's) and brown sugar, and it was fabulous!
I put in all the powders together in a bowl, then added a cup of milk and whisked it a bit. Broke an egg into the bowl and whisked it again. Added melted butter and then started to make the pancakes. Simple!
I will be posting its pictures soon as I have finally bought a DSLR camera.. photographs undergoing post-production processing now.. oh yeah! gonna learn all the details about photography too!

Credit: http://www.versagrain.com/chocolate-pancakes.html
These chocolate pancakes are beautiful, fluffy and decadent! We have more delicious chocolate pancake recipes at the bottom of this page. Plus suggestions on how to make this recipe whole grain without compromising flavor. Try it! And tell us what you think at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

(Makes 10)
Time: 20 minutes

1 cup milk, warm
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour(see suggestions)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips (optional)

Suggested Toppings
Fresh bananas, strawberries, whip cream, powdered sugar

Method:

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and butter.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Stir just until moistened (lumps are okay).
Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup pancake batter for each pancake. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of each pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve warm with your favorite topping.
Follow this recipe then experiment with your own ingredients, using our tips and techniques, to create pancakes just for you!



Suggestions (for you) by substituting the all purpose flour for a whole grain flour. Whole wheat flour is an obvious substitute. Worried about compromising flavor and texture? Don't be! There are many types of whole wheat flours that are sweeter and lighter. Hard white wheat flour creates similar results as all white but is much better for you. There are other choices, too, like kamut flour, spelt flour, oat flour, and teff flour. These are all healthier alternatives. So explore...discover...and ENJOY!

Make this chocolate pancakes recipe even better
(for you) by substituting the all purpose flour for a whole grain flour. Whole wheat flour is an obvious substitute. Worried about compromising flavor and texture? Don't be! There are many types of whole wheat flours that are sweeter and lighter. Hard white wheat flour creates similar results as all white but is much better for you. There are other choices, too, like kamut flour, spelt flour, oat flour, and teff flour. These are all healthier alternatives. So explore...discover...and ENJOY!

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Banana Pancakes

Another ripe banana used for breakfast today using this recipe. :)

Credit: http://www.easy-banana-recipes.com/caramel-banana-pancakes.html

Servings: 10-12 pieces (depending how big you make them)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Comments:
Caramel sauce can be prepared days ahead, and kept in refrigerator. When needed, simply warm in pan or heat in microwave. To serve pancakes, place cooked pancakes onto a serving plate, topped with the sliced bananas and warm caramel sauce. Delicious!

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Pancakes:
2 ripe bananas, 1 diced/mashed (for batter) and 1 sliced (for serving)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups fresh milk
1 1/2 tablespoon castor sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Caramel Sauce:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup whipping cream

Method:

1. Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in sugar and salt.
2. Whisk milk, butter and vanilla essence together until soft. Add to flour mixture and mix until combined, but still lightly lumpy.
3. Add bananas to the batter and mix.
4. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a little extra butter. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan and use a spoon to spread batter out to a 12cm (diameter) circle. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles start to appear on surface. Turn the pancake over and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing pan in between pancakes.

Directions to Prepare Caramel Sauce:
1. Place all ingredients in pan and bring to the boil over moderate heat, stirring all the time until sugar dissolves.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often until nice semi-thick consistency is reached.

My note: I did not prepare the caramel sauce, as I already had ready made pancake syrup (Goody Pancake Syrup) which worked well with these pancakes. Good part about this pancake recipe as eggs are not being used in it. So makes it more healthy. :)

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Banana Poori

This was today's breakfast.. or rather brunch.
As I said in my previous post, I had this ripe banana that I had to use before it rots and I would have no choice but to throw it away.
It just the regular chappathi dough to which you add mashed banana in the end. Since it would be too sticky, I kept adding more atta till I got the right consistency to roll it.

Credit: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art24948.asp

Pooris are a delicious deep-fried Indian bread and the addition of ripened bananas makes them even harder to resist. Pooris (or puris) are enjoyed throughout India and are eaten particularly on festive occasions and holidays. This particular recipe is a favorite among both kids and adults alike. This dish is a great way to use over ripe bananas, in fact, the more ripe the banana the better! These pooris can be eaten for breakfast or as a light snack or meal and are especially great for picnics since they travel well.


BANANA POORI

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
a few tbsp of all-purpose flour, as needed
1 large very ripe banana
salt to taste
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
oil for deep frying
water as needed

Method:

Peel and mash the banana, set aside until needed. A fork works really well for this task.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and the salt. Mix together and slowly add the water while kneading until a soft dough is formed. If the dough is sticky, add a little all-purpose flour. Add the mashed banana along with the freshly grated nutmeg and carefully mix them into the dough adding a little extra flour if needed.

Using a clean work surface sprinkled with some all-purpose flour, gently knead the dough and divide it equally into round balls (roughly ping pong ball size). At this point, you can use a poori machine (similar to a tortilla press) or a rolling pin to make the pooris. Roll them out evenly into round circles (4-5 inches in diameter). Heat a deep skillet with enough oil to deep fry. When hot, carefully add the pooris (2-3 at a time) and fry until golden brown. You may need to fry them in batches. Drain well and serve immediately with your favorite sweet chutney and yogurt.

Variations:

Instead of using freshly grated nutmeg, you could add a pinch of saffron or a pinch of freshly ground cardamom instead. You can even make banana pooris using chai masala (¼ tsp) and they will be a huge hit!

You can also caramelize the bananas in a skillet with a little butter. Peel and cut the banana into small pieces and brown in a skillet on medium high heat with a tbsp of butter. You can add a pinch of cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg along with a tbsp or so of brown sugar. The bananas should break down and caramelize along with the sugar. Mash the mixture if needed. Let the mixture cool entirely before adding it to the dough.

Banana pooris can also be served along with shrikhand (sweetened yogurt).

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Fluffy Omelette

I tried this recipe from the Kairali channel's Magic Kitchen show. I like Lekshmi Nair because of her presentation skills and enthusiasm for cooking on this show. She does a good attempt at bringing modern cooking to the typical malayalee. Its amazing how she cooks with so much of jewellery on her lol! Especially those bangles and rings.  And shez got lovely manicured polished long nails. Simply amazing! All the same, shez sweet and chirpy!

Ingredients:

Ingredients (for 1 large omelette):
For the omelette:
Eggs - 4 nos.
Milk - 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter: 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt

For the filling:
Sausages : 4 long pieces sliced into medium thickness
Onions : 2 medium (I used half a white onion) chopped
Oregano - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt
Chilly garlic sauce/Sweet chilli sauce : 1 tbsp
Cheese slices: 2 (or grated mozzarella)

Method:

For the stuffing:
Heat butter in a pan. Add onions to it and saute till it becomes translucent. To this, add sliced sausages. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes. Now add pepper powder, oregano and salt to it and mix well. Add chilli garlic sauce to this mixture and saute for another minute. Keep this filling aside in a bowl.

For the fluffy omelette:
Separate the eggs. Yolks in a bowl and whites in another.  Make sure the bowl into which you are adding the whites is completely dry as even the slightest bit of moisture will not allow the whites to froth when beaten.
Take the bowl containing the yolks, add whisk lightly with a fork. Now add milk to it and mix again. Add baking powder and whisk once again.
Now whisk the egg whites vigorously to form a thick froth (so thick its tough to get it off the bowl when tilted) using an egg beater or with ur hands and a whisk. Add a bit of salt in between. Once beaten fully, heat butter in a pan. Now you need to start acting quickly because once the egg whites will start to lose its froth if you let it stand (Just like how froth of soap will lose its volume in time). While the pan is getting hot, add the egg yolk mixture into the whites and combine gently with a fork.
Now add this mixture onto the pan and even it out with a spatula so that its spread out on the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and let cook on a very low flame for about 10 minutes. In between, open to check the cooking of the insides of the omelette. Make a few slashes on the omelette to allow the insides to cook well. Once omelette is cooked, add the sausage stuffing on one half of the omelette. Now place the cheese slices on top of this stuffing. Once the cheese starts to melt, switch off the flame of the stove. Slide this open face omelette onto the serving plate. Let it rest for a minute. Fold the omelette in half. Cut it into quarters and serve 1 half for each portion. Serve with buttered bread toast. Yum!

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Cheese Omelette

Credit: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a-cheese-omelette

Ingredients:

Step 1: You will need:
•2 eggs , beaten
•50 g mixed cheese , grated
•4 tbsp clarified butter
•salt and pepper
•parsley , for garnish
•1 non-stick frying pan
•1 spatula
•1 brush
 Serves: 1
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
10 minutes

Method:

Step 2: Prepare the pan
Place a pan over a medium heat. Allow it to slightly warm through and brush the bottom with some of the melted butter.
Step 3: Cook the omelette
Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and gently stir continuously until they begin to set. Angle the pan so that the raw eggs run to the side and cook. Add the cheese into the middle of the omelette, in a line then gently fold it up in three rolls. Take the pan off the heat and slide the omelette onto a serving plate, the open side first.
Step 4: Garnish and serve
Just garnish with and little parsley! And serve it immediately. The melted cheese should ooze from the centre of the omelette when you make the first cut!
My note: Make sure the pan is over lower than medium heat or the underside of the omelette will burn before the top even cooks. Make small gashes in the omelette so that the uncooked egg goes below and cooks. Or u can bring the sides to the center so that the uncooked egg flows to the sides and cooks.
Serve it with some buttered toasts, fried cheese and onion chicken sausages and a tablespoon full of baked beans. :) Its just awesome!

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French Toast

No credits for this one as it is a universal recipe with tons of them floating around. I just make it using my own proportions.

Ingredients:

1. 2 eggs
2. 3 tablespoon sugar, optional
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 cup milk
5. 10 to 12 slices bread
6. butter
7. maple syrup or other syrup

Method:

Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in sugar, salt, and milk. Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine. Not really required if using a non-stick pan. 
Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Soak/coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time.
Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup.

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Pancakes

Credit: http://southernfood.about.com/od/pancakesandwaffles/r/bl30320v.htm

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Method

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter. If the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; turn and brown the other side. Recipe for pancakes serves 4.

My note: Make sure that the batter is consistent like that of dosa batter. Not too runny and not too thick to pour. Also if there are a few lumps in the batter, its alright. I melted the butter by adding some thick butter from the fridge into a stainless steep cup, and holding it above the stove flame with the help of a stainless steel deep frying spoon. Some small improvisations to make melted butter in a kitchen without a microwave oven :)
Also I find its better to pur the liquids into the flour mixture than the other way round because this avoids too much lump formation in the batter. And this is the traditional way of making these pancakes. Enjoy!

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