Do Your Recipes Measure Up?

When a very positively reviewed cookie, cake, or other pastry recipe and gets an atypically bad appraisal, it can often be traced back to flour measuring technique, or lack there of. I did this video a few years ago to illustrate the point, and since we’re heading into holiday baking season, I thought it’d be a great time to review.

This isn’t to say that people don’t occasionally post recipes with ingredient errors [clears throat nervously], but if a cookie gets mostly rave reviews, and yet you thought it was a little dense, there’s a chance it could be this common culprit. Anyway, this clip shows you why weight is better, and also how to properly measure by volume. Enjoy!

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Sagudana kheer (Porridge)

This is a quick dessert I made after watching the Junior master chef India  (06th October, 2013 episode). Master chef Vikas Khanna makes this kheer (porridge) with sugar cane juice and flavors it with mint and rose petals. But I gave a twist to the recipe by making the kheer with coconut milk scented with fresh rose petals and sweetened with cane sugar.
The kheer was just delicious! The coconut flavour combined with the scent of fresh roses was heavenly. We couldn't stop eating.

 Here's the recipe!

Ingredients: 
Sagodana pearls- 1/2 cup
Cane sugar cubes - 2 inch square or sweeten as per taste
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Rose petals - Fresh petals from one rose
Nuts - Almonds, pistachios etc (optional)

Method:
1. Soak the sagodana in 1 cup of water for at least an hour.
2. Dissolve the cane sugar cubes in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil.
3. Drain the soaked sagodana and add to the boiling milk.
4. Add a few rose petals.
5. Keep stirring till the sagodana pearls turn transparent and the milk is absorbed.
6. Turn down the heat and serve warm.
7. You may garnish with some strands of saffron and chopped nuts.

Tips:
1. Add honey or maple syrup instead of .cane sugar for a different flavour.
2. Add the sagudana to the coconut milk only after it boils.
3. Use a large saucepan instead of a small one, otherwise the sagudana would turn soggy.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake – Giving Thanks for Cheap and Easy to Use Kitchen Gadgets

I’d rather eat vegan for a week than write a blog post on why pumpkin cheesecakes crack, but I’m more than happy to explain how to get that perfect, creamy-custardy, probably-won’t-crack doneness you all deserve. Use a digital thermometer. Okay, that was a little anticlimactic, but it really is that simple.

If you turn off the heat when the cheesecake’s internal temp is between 155-160 F., and let it cool slowly in the warm oven, you should get exactly what you see here. The reason a thermometer is so key, is that going just by sight is hard to do. Even at 155 F., a cheesecake has a fairly jiggly middle, and really does look undercooked. Many cooks get scared and leave it in for a few more minutes, which can make all the difference.

This should take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Many factors are involved, but a big one is the temperature of your cheese and eggs. Mine were cold, which not only makes mixing harder, but also will increase cooking time, as a room temp batter starts cooking sooner. So, to recap, use a thermometer.

That covers the cheesecake, but what about the ginger snap crust? It was okay. The flavor was great, but it got a little gritty and gummy, and I'm not sure which, if any, of the thirty-five ingredients in the cookies was responsible. Maybe a little pre-baking would help, but I can't pretend to be overly concerned. Feel free to improve, or just go graham cracker.

This recipe was adapted from one found on my friend Elise’s blog, Simply Recipes. She’s one of my all-time favorites (food bloggers and people), and I insist you head over there to check out her gorgeous version as well. I (we) hope you give this easy pumpkin cheesecake a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 Pumpkin Cheesecake (10 slices)
Note: This is not a classic, dense, NY-style cheesecake, and has more of a creamy, custardy texture.

For the crust:

2 cups gingersnap crumbs

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 large egg yolk

Filling

4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temp

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 (15-oz) cans pure pumpkin puree

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoons bourbon whiskey

1/4 cup all purpose flour

*Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until internal temp is between 155-160 F. Let cool in warm oven, with door cracked.

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Gorgonzola Cream Sauce – Now with Cream!

Since we’re heading into rich and creamy sauce season, I thought I’d use a nice hunk of Gorgonzola as an excuse to post a tutorial for a classic “cream sauce.” 

Unlike what’s passed off as the real stuff at casual dining chains, a true cream sauce contains nothing but heavy cream, and is on another level when it comes to taste and texture. A regular diet of cream sauce isn’t recommended, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from the old 2%, and the technique is dead simple. Simmer cream in a saucepan until it reduces and thickens slightly, flavor it however, and toss in some hot (hopefully stuffed) pasta. Done and done.

I went with a fairly mild, crumbly Gorgonzola this time, but no matter which you choose, be careful not to “cook” the cheese. You just want to stir it in on low, until it’s almost gone, and then turn off the heat. Otherwise the cheese will “break,” and you’ll have a greasy mess.

Since my mini-ravioli delivery system featured a squash filling, I decided to finish with diced apples and toasted walnuts. It was perfect with the rich sauce, and I recommend it if you’re using a similar pasta. Since the sauce itself is so easy, as in one ingredient easy, you can spend all that extra brainpower thinking of things you can add to it. I hope you give this great sauce technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:

1 cup heavy whipping cream (36% fat)

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

6 ounces dry mini-ravioli (double to 12-oz if using fresh ravioli or tortellini)

1/2 apple, diced

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

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Bottle gourd (Kaddu/Lauki) Barfi

As a child I loved the kaddu (bottle gourd) ki mithai (as we called it) that my mom used to make. She would first cook it in the pan on the stove and then bake it in a huge silver plated brass pie plate with a heavy lid. As we had no gas or electric oven she used her primitive baking technique of placing it over a layer of burning coals and then adding another layer of burning coals on the lid. It was amazing to watch her bake using this technique whenever she made traditional sweets or indian pies and cookies like baked halwa pooris, nan khatai etc. 

I made this recipe based on estimates by tasting as my mom used to do, but I kept a tab on what and how much I was adding each time. My mom would dissolve the saffron in milk and add it to the mixture while cooking. But I decided to use it more as a garnish. I also added pistachios to complement the green color of the bottle gourd. The result was fabulous!  The intense sweet milky taste combined with the juicy and chewy texture of the gourd kicked up a notch. Indeed, it did taste like my mom's kaddu ki mithai that I used to enjoy. 

Here's the recipe: 

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd    - 1 cup  after squeezing out the water

Khoya            - 350 gms (dried milk)

Ghee               - 2 tbs

Sugar               - 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Milk                 - 2 tbs 

Saffron             - a pinch

Pistachios         - 2 tbs

Green liquid food coloring - a few drops

Method: 

1. Peel the bottle gourd cut off the stem, trim the bottom and cut it into two halves vertically.

2. Scoop out the pulp and seeds in the center with a teaspoon and discard them.

3. Grate the gourd finely, squeeze out the juice by hanging it in a cheese cloth overnight or for a few hours. 

4. Melt 2 tbs ghee in a non-stick sauce pan on medium heat and lightly fry the grated gourd till it turns translucent. 

5. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, mix well. 

6. Grind the khoya to a fine powder and add to the pan. Add 2 tbs milk, green food coloring and mix well. Add more sugar if needed according to how much sweeter you want it.

7. Cook on low or medium low heat only while stirring continuously. 

8. Allow the gourd mixture to thicken and when it starts leaving the sides of the pan, remove and put it in a baking dish greased with ghee at the bottom as well as on all the sides. 

9. Sprinkle the saffron threads and halved pistachios on top, cover with tin foil and bake in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 mins or till lightly golden at the bottom. 

10. Remove from the oven, allow it to cool down, then chill it in the refrigerator, cut into diamond shapes and serve chilled. The bottle gourd burfi is ready to enjoy. 

Tips: 

1. Cook very gently with patience on low and medium low heat only.

2. Take care not to over brown or burn the grated gourd shreds while cooking or baking. 

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Paneer Pepper Melange

This is a quick and simple paneer dish very easy to make but so tasty to eat! 

Ingredients: 

Paneer - cut into small cubes (1/2 of 340gm pack)

Red bell pepper - 1

Green bell peppers - 1

Tomato - 1 medium size

Green chillies - 2 small 

Cilantro for garnish

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2 medium size

Fresh garlic clove - 1 chopped

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Vegetable oil - 2 tbs

Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick saucepan. 

2. Add dried red chillies, cumin seeds, followed by chopped garlic. 

3. Stir in diced green and red bell peppers and fry them for 2 mins. 

4. Throw in the diced tomato, give it a good stir and quickly add the paneer cubes and green chillies.

5. Sprinkle salt, pepper and blend in all the masalas (coriander, cumin, turmeric and red chilly powders) with the paneer.

6. Turn over gently and cook till the paneer pieces are well coated with the masala and are soft and golden. 

7. Sprinkle garam masala powder, mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with chappatis, paranatas or puris. 

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Minty Kebabs

My failed attempts to make kebabs like the ones we used to enjoy at the Kareem's restaurant in Old Delhi left me frustrated. I still dream about their taste - so flavourful, juicy and spicy too.

My kebabs were always dry no matter what I did and when I tried to make them moist they would crumble and fall while they were being grilled. I always used extra lean meat to keep them healthy. But my husband would argue and justify saying: "It is the fat that keeps the kebabs moist. All the restaurants use some fat in their kebabs and all that fat drips off when you grill them", which took me a while to digest. Anyway, I decided to try them out with medium beef at his request, thinking, I am not going to make them often. Well I have an alternative for healthy eaters:  you could try my koubideh which are made with extra lean ground beef.

 The medium ground beef did do the trick and my kebabs did turn out well this time and did not fall off when I grilled them. Not only this, the Shaan's Chapli Kebab spices combined with fresh mint and cilantro enhanced their flavour.  I rarely use store bought spice mixes in my cooking except for a few selected dishes like Haleem, Nihari and Chapli kebabs as it turns out easy instead of an elaborate preparation.  The chapli kebab spices have whole coriander, cumin and garam masala spices in them with white flour. So I decided to grind them fine. Then I added the fresh mint and cilantro.  And I was very happy with the end result. They turned out not only juicy and flavourful but were very close to the ones we ate at Kareem's restaurant in Old Delhi.

My family loved them so much. I forgot all about the fat and enjoyed every bite of them.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
Medium ground beef - 350gms
Shaan's Chapli kebab Masala - 1/2 pack
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Mint - 1/4 cup
Vegetable oil - 1 tbs
Veg oil for basting - 1tbs
 Flat metal skewers

Method:
1. Rinse the ground beef quickly in running water in a strainer without making it soggy. Let it drain a bit so that it is not watery. You don't need to rinse it if the beef was washed before grinding.

2. Take half of the Shaan's chapli kebab masala from the pack, place it in a dry grinder and grind it fine.

3. Wash the fresh mint and cilantro and towel dry them, then add to the grinder and grind them all together.

4. Mix together the ground beef, the ground masala and one teaspoon of vegetable oil.

5. Brush the skewers with oil as this makes it easier to slide off the kebab when it is done. With clean wet hands take a golf size ball of the prepared ground beef and wrap it around the skewer till it holds together. Clean and wet your hands again and shape it into a nice, long, smooth and round sausage then with your index and middle finger mimicking scissors pinch the kebab from one end to the other alongside to form ridges. Smoothen the edges.

6. Repeat the steps for all of them. Leave enough room on either side of the skewers so as to rest them on the grill.

7. Set your oven to broil on high (or 550 degrees fahrenheit).

8. Take an old cookie sheet and cover it with tin foil. Place the skewers on the cookie sheet. Then place it under the grill in the top position of the oven.

9. Broil for 3 mins on each side. Do not over cook as they would harden. When you see them turning golden brown turn over and cook for another 3 mins till they are just done. Keep some tin foil ready. Remove them from the oven. Discard the fat/oil drippings. Wait for sometime till they cool off a bit. Slide them off with your hands (wearing clean oven proof gloves) into the tin foil and wrap them up immediately.  This helps in retaining the moisture and heat till you serve them. You have to be very careful and use oven gloves while handling the skewers as they are very hot.

10. Serve them hot with rumali roti (thin flat bread like a hand kerchief) or naan and yoghurt mint chutney which you can make by grinding together 1/2cup each of fresh mint and cilantro, 1 small green chilly, 1/2 an inch ginger, salt and pepper. Then add this to 1/2 a cup of whisked sour yoghurt.

11. You can spread the yoghurt chutney on the Naan or rumali roti, place a long kebab inside, top with sliced red onions sprinkled with lemon juice and chaat masala, roll it into a wrap and enjoy!

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