Say Hello to Ceasar

Ceasar Awaits!

The most ridiculous thing that happens when someone talks of eating a salad is that you conjure the image of a rail-thin person, counting calories and gobbling greens. Eating salads should not be like that. In fact, when properly constructed, a salad is a meal unto itself. And with so many variations and possibilities available, it is a crime of sheer laziness, not to give the bowl of greens and much, much more a fair try.

So before you turn away, call me mad and what not, why don't you join me, as I walk you through making, easily and on the cheap one of my favourite salad. [As a side-note, it is indeed very good for you too].

The Kofta Connection

As a child I rarely, if ever had Kofta curry (meat-ball curry) unless there were guests coming to our house. Although the journey from the keema (mince meat) to a kofta seems rather simplistic, for some reason Kofta never got inducted into the routine repertoire. 

 

So as a child I always looked  forward to the holidays and the special occassions when there was a great influx of people in our house and naturally the kofta was there to impress.

 

Now take my word for it, making this curry is simple. Nevermind my peculiar family dinner dynamics. The recipe which I have for you here is my version of the Kofta curry. It is not the Bengali recipe that I am used to.  The pungent Mustard oil and the other spices that go into it is an acquired taste.

 

My friends are coming home tonight and none of them are Bongs. Keeping that in mind I re-worked the recipe. It is prepared with Punjabi tadka here. With Diwali right round the corner take the additional 10 minutes to make this gorgeous dish. A little would go a long way.

An Apple A DAy

The Bolzana Apple cake has become quite the rage since Scott Carsberg wrote about it in the New York Times. I followed that recipe and fell in love with the cake. It was a great mixture between a pastry and a custard. A marriage made in apple heaven.

However, this cake also reminded me was so much  of a strudel that it made me want to improvise and make something else. So I decided to make an apple pancake. Prepared much like the original cake yet with the textural integrity and lightness of a pancake. 

It is absolutely genius. So why don't you take my word for it and give this a try. I am certain, when you taste the vanilla butter ensconced apples held up by a gossamer batter you will absolutely fall in love.

It is very easy so enjoy!

Dinner With Friends: Halloween Edition

A head's up. There will be no recipes today. 

I threw a simple dinner for my friends as we geared up for the Halloween festivities. Not that it is culturally required but why waste a chance to watch scary movies, gouge down plentiful of comfort food and have a gala time at it.

So just to let you guys, this is what me and my friends had and the movies we saw while having the food.

Call of the Middle-East: Hummus

I am going to go out on a limb here and say I never had hummus before I landed in Bangalore. It was just something that was not as easily available in the densely Bengali world of Kolkata.

Though late, I lapped up the opportunity of savouring Lebanese and Middle-eastern food once I got exposed to it.

So you might ask, why Hummus? First of all, it is dang easy. So easy that you can say hummus and be ready with a spread to be had in less than 5 minutes.
Second, adding the caramelised onion and garlic like I did here, makes this hummus so delicious that you can base an entire meal around it without missing any protein.

Throw in a salad and get yourself some pita bread (ideally) or crackers and get into the world of this Mediterranean/ Middle-Eastern delight.

The Hot And Cold Chocolate Day

Is there anything more alluring than chocolate? I ask because although I am not a fan of chocolate in desserts (there are so many other flavours to explore), and hence don't use chocolate as much in my day to day cooking, you cannot deny its power.
So why not up the ante even further. Pair a gorgeously decadent dark chocolate fudge cake with a deliciously creamy and luscious white chocolate ice cream.
You can always choose a lighter option like whipped cream flavoured with white chocolate to go with the cake but this is what I whipped up for a recent dinner. So here's the recipe for both.

The Curry Delight

Chicken Keema Curry

The Spicy food that we Indians generally have is quite an addictive food pattern. Once you have gone the spicy way, and your tongue starts relishing the heat of the magic-box spices, there's no going back. Although there is one tiny problem. Some of the most alluring dishes are definitely time consuming to make. Plus, what about the novice cook or people just getting introduced to Indian cooking? 

My answer is mince chicken. Easy to eat, easy to make and so very versatile. Its absolutely idiot proof. So what are you waiting for? Just follow this simple recipe and start your 20 mins dinner plans today.

From Choux to Gougeres (Cheese Puff)

Cheese Puffs

I know making an eclairs or a profiterole seems pretty daunting. That baked dough with the airy texture might seem very elusive to the unseasoned baker. Yet, the heart wants them anyway. So here's what I make when I feel like eating something light and cheesy and wonderfully yummy!

So you have to master the basic choux pastry technique. I would say, stop worrying about names and just delve into the utter brilliance of these cheesy delicacy.

I have used Gruyère cheese for this recipe.  You can play around with a variety of cheeses like Romano and Parmesan, to see which of them tastes the best for you.

I have had quite a bit of success with adding cooked Bacon bits and goats cheese to the dough. In fact go wild and make it according to what suits your taste bud.

Cherry Custard Tartlet

Cherry Custard Tartlet

[I know I was supposed to provide the recipe for the passionfruit mousse cake that I had made for my friends last week. However, the pictures for the cake didn't come out as I had hoped and  so in spite of having a rather great recipe I will not able to post it right away. May be some other time. ]

So without further waste of time, I give you  the Cherry Custard Tartlet.

This is perhaps the most gorgeous tartlet you will ever make. Take my word for it. After all what is more festive and beautiful than cherries? Now imagine a flaky, light, buttery tart shell. Filled with creamy thick vanilla custard. And then slathered with cherry sauce. Its brilliant. So take my word for it, you absolutely have to make it.

The Dinner With Friends (Part 1): Quiche Lorraine

Over the past one week, I have been having a sort of nervous tick, to cook and bake as much as I can. And there is absolutely no way, I can eat so much. So I did the most logical thing. Invited my friends over for a dinner. 

I baked the desserts a day in advance. On the fateful day I made a rustic quiche lorraine served with a leafy green salad. Over all, this is what the menu looked like:

• Quiche Lorraine served with salad green
• Passionfruit Mousse  cake
• Carrot cupcake 

Yes, I know, my menu was more dessert heavy. However, the quiche is such a complete meal that it made no sense to have another entrée. So without making you guys wait anymore, let me explain how to go about making a foolproof Quiche.

What You Will Need:

For the quiche case: (makes 2 thin crusts)

What's Up With That Welsh Rabbit?

Welsh Rabbit

So what is so special about cheese on toast anyway, you may ask. Then I have to smile and tell you that although, for cheese and toast it is a bit of work, Welsh Rabbit or Rarebit bit (if you like it called by its non-cuddly name) is something you just have not tried yet.

What happens when you take an ordinary piece of bread, toast it and pour the most gorgeously luscious and creamy, hop-rich, aromatic beer-cheese sauce?

It turns into a bite of heaven, and transforms something as humble as bread and cheese into a dish meant for the royalties.

A Shot Of Açaí

Four Berry Breakfast Smoothie

Açaí berry is the new superfood that is widely growing recognition all over the world. Harvested from Amazonian palm, they have the right mix of mystery and difficulty of sustaining cultivation outside the equatorial belt to render it as the next exotic food must-have. Nevertheless, as far as the foodie in me goes, I do like their taste a lot. 

I often end up gulping shot glasses of Açaí berry juice raw without any accompaniment. Hey, but that is me. I definitely wouldn't recommend that  you do it, unless you are a juice aficionado.

Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

There is something inherently comforting about peanut butter. Be it sweet or salty, creamy or chunky, for about most of my school years, peanut butter was quite a staple.  And unlike the cucumbers and the apples that I have grown to not like as much (apples still are awesome but I eat them only in moderation) since they were the only things packed in my lunch box, peanut butter has still managed to remain adorable. 

A peanut butter jelly sandwich doesn't cut it for me anymore. So most of my peanut butter stock gets converted into these little dollops of joy that I like to call peanut butter choco-chip cookies. However, when the grown-up bones in my body want something more sophisticated and palette pleasing I have to go with my frozen peanut butter mousse pie.

Sweet Almond Cream Pudding

Sweet Almond Pudding

The other day I had this unusual hankering to have Crème brûlée. You know that incredibly thick and smooth vanilla custard topped with the crackling scorched sugar shell? Well I just wanted it.

However, it was 1.30 in the night and there was nothing I could do. So I improvised. I had to figure out a way to satisfy my sweet tooth and also make me not regret not owning a kitchen blowtorch (an essential equipment for making the French bad-babies). 

And so I made my incredibly think, incredibly smooth and wonderfully rich sweet almond cream pudding. 

The Joys of Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake in the Pan

I had a Mexican wave going through recently and more than the tacos and the guacamole my heart yearned for something really sweet. So I figured, what better stage than this to debut my Tres Leches Cake. 

Now for those not in the know, Tres Leches means three milks. Now before you scratch your head and pull out your hair for no reason, let me ask you to stop. Explanations are right round the corner and you needn't flinch while making this delicious yet simple cake. 

Its yummilicious and a must have in your repertoire. Dress it up and its fit for a party (like tonight). Just throw it together and it is still a slice of heaven.

So without much ado, here's my adapted recipe for an easy to use and sure to deliver cake.

The Punching Peppers

The Unripe Pepper [Courtesy: Wikipedia]

So you know that I am an Indian and therefore, I have an above average tolerance for hot and spicy food. I absolutely love my spice for that matter. However, when a horticulturist friend of mine from Assam sent me the infamous Naga Marich peppers I was in for the ride of my life. Initially painful but eventually once tamed, very worthwhile. 

Now for those of you who don't know, Bhut Jolokia or Naga Marich (perhaps more popular with the misnomer Ghost Pepper outside the Indian subcontinent) is the world's hottest chilli. A Scoville Score of 855,000 units is no joke. It is in fact so hot, that a small bite from this chilli would make your eyes water and give you a runny nose for no less than 5 hours. Need I elaborate the pain your mouth would be suffering from?

Anyway, getting on with it. I had a dozen dried bhut jolokia with me and I couldn't wait to try them out. Glove in hand (as directed and warned vehemently by her) I decided to try to make my spicy masala chicken curry. I often douse that home-y chicken with an insane amount of spice. It tastes brilliant no matter which rendition is being used. So I figured why not try it there.

Buttermilk Cupcakes With Pistachio Frosting

The Finished Goods

I have always loved buttermilk cupcakes. They come out rich yet subtle tasting. Quite unlike a regular vanilla cupcake. So today when I decided to make my go to recipe for the good old buttermilk cupcakes, I thought I would improvise on the pistachio buttercream frosting available at Epicurious and give it my little spin. After all no gathering of friends is complete without baked goods.


The result was a wonderfully moist cupcake with a sinfully delectable frosting. A must whip up since it takes so little time to make.
Recipe and prep photos after the jump.