Friday 23 December 2016

Ginger, Orange And Date Cookies

I have been lazy.. ..plain lazy. I have all these posts in my head and that's just where they stay. All December I've been seeing these posts counting down to Christmas and told myself I have enough time to do all the posts I wanted to. And here I am two days before Christmas, scouring cookery books and websites for an apt Christmas dessert. We may not celebrate Christmas at home but it's always an occasion to take out the pretty plates and twinkly lights and raise a toast to the good times!

So, while I search for my Christmas dessert for the year, I made some cookies. Mama hinted two week back how she wouldn't mind if I baked her a batch of cookies to go with her tea. Of course, I procrastinated and finally with the Christmas inspiration all round, these cookies were thought of and baked this afternoon.


These are simple eggless cookies infused with the flavours of the season. I like the fact that the recipes uses fresh ginger as opposed to ground ginger. When they first came out of the oven, they looked so nondescript that I wondered how I could jazz them up. But, taste them and you realise that these cookies need no help. 

You will taste the ginger and the orange, and neither are overpowering. With the first bite, you might wonder if these cookies need a bit more sugar but once you encounter the dates, it all makes sense.


These are not fancy show-off cookies. These are regular cookies to go with your daily cuppa. And it helps that they hardly take any time to put together. Although, when you buy the dates, buy the pitted ones, something I clearly did not check while buying them myself!


I think I have narrowed down my dessert for Christmas and hopefully I can get it done in time, with a post to show for it. But, knowing my track record with this blog this year, I won't say much till I get the post done, for sure. So, fingers crossed!

But, what about everyone else? Anyone hosting a Christmas dinner or baking something special or any other special plans for the weekend? I'd love to hear about itl!


Saturday 5 November 2016

Hibiscus And Mint Lemonade

Where did the past few weeks go?! While I try and get my head round that question, I hope you had a beautiful Diwali, with your friends and family. As many plans with this blog this year, my plan for my annual Diwali post fell by the wayside. But, I do hope you managed to take time out for the occasion.

As for the year, cooler nights are here and I look forward to cooler days. I am a cold weather person. Maybe it helps that Winter never gets too cold in my part of the world. But, frankly I won't mind if it did get colder. I enjoy that crispness in the air that comes with Winter mornings. I am a different person in the Winters..more alive, more energetic and generally, more enthusiastic about life. And of course, my commiserations to all those heading towards sub-zero weather!


As I ease back into the blogging routine, which I hope I will be more regular at this Winter, I have a simple hibiscus lemonade that I tried my hand at over the Diwali weekend. The days are still quite warm to warrant a glass of lemonade. And as it happens that at this time of the year, the hibiscus trees are flowering and my little mint plant from last year is also thriving. So, you put the three together and you have this refreshing ruby coloured lemonade. 

Essentially, you brew a tea of the fresh, hibiscus flowers which you then combine with a mint, lemon syrup to make this lemonade. It is essential that you have access to fresh hibiscus that are not sprayed with any kind of pesticide. It would be better to avoid any hibiscus from the commercial market as they might run that risk. 


The lemonade is well, lemony, minty and tastes of something else that I can only attribute to the hibiscus. If all your ingredients are fresh, you will be able to taste every component. And if you like, you could replace the water with some sparkling water to give it some fizz.

Which also brings up the question, why hibiscus lemonade? Well, it's a fun twist to jazz up your regular lemonade. Although, I am told that red hibiscus has tremendous therapeutic value, especially for its cooling effect on the body which would make it ideal for the warmer months. But, it still works for me as the days have not yet cooled down here. 


Anyhow, this is something small that I wanted to share with you as I mull over all that I want to do this Winter. I really hope I can get back to blogging more often. I really do miss this space..I hope you've been well!

Saturday 10 September 2016

Lemon And Yoghurt Ciambella

The seasons are changing. It's been a good monsoon in my little corner of the world and I can now sense it's retreat. And this year, I have accepted every bit of the monsoon, without a word of complaint. I love the rains but there have always been spells before, when I said, enough, the rain need to take a breather. But, not this year. Not after that absolutely horrific and brutal Summer we had to endure. 

So, yes I have accepted every mood and every spell of the rains. From days, when the sheer excess of it swept away all that it came in contact with to the day when, it teased us with a little drizzle with the promise of more to come. I have enjoyed seeing the landscape turn from that dried-out, parched shade of brown to that playful, vibrant shade of light green that speaks of revival to that dark, saturated shade of verdant green that tells you that the monsoon has kept its promise. Little, white flowers whose scent were a Summer evening's only retribution have made way for rich, vibrant flowers, all in time for the upcoming festive season. So yes, its been a good season and the seasons are now changing. 


But, whatever be the season, there's always time for some cake. And this time, it's a lemon cake. For no other reason, that all my recent posts after the Summer have been chocolate based and that needed to change. 

This is a lemon and yoghurt cake, baked in a ring tin and then topped with a lemon, sugar drizzle. The recipe is by Donna Hay and it can't be simpler. You literally have to bunk all the ingredients in a bowl, stir and then put it to bake. 


And no, you cannot ignore that drizzle. I know my photographs don't do it photogenic justice, but trust me, you can't leave it out. That's what ups the lemon quotient and leaves that twang in your mouth, the kind you are left with after say, a lemon tart. But learn from me and let the sugar dissolve, just a wee bit so that the juices release and its a more spreadable consistency.

I've used demerara sugar as I now do with most of my baking and is the reason why my crumb is that shade of brown as opposed to a white crumb, if I had used regular sugar. Use whatever you have at home. I have used a bundt cake tin, but this cake can also be baked it a regular cake tin or even loaf tin.

Goes without saying, bake this cake only if you love lemons. Else, you are better off baking another cake.


I have called this cake a 'ciambella', that's Italian for a bundt cake. I could have called it a bundt cake but for some reason, I found the word ciambella (pronounced cham-bel-la) so evocative. You can just imagine the whole scene. One of the little villages along the Amalfi coast with its pastel coloured houses and the boats bobbing in the sea. The air is perfumed with the scent of lemons and while the catch of the day is being unloaded, you sit with your journal with a cup of coffee and a slice of this lemon ciambella. What a lovely way to start the day. Ohh..indulge a girl and her arm chair travels! 

Have a beautiful weekend, wherever you are, all you lovely people!


Monday 15 August 2016

Chocolate And Cardamom Scented Swirl Buns

There's something about the Olympics that grips me every time. I don't have an athletic bone in my body and I have hardly played any sport. And it's not just about watching sports being played at the highest level that has me fixated on the Sports channels. It is about watching these athletes pursue a goal, in exclusion of everything else in life, with a single minded focus and dedication. That years of preparation and training, against all odds, to compete at the highest level comes down to a result that is determined within minutes or in some cases, seconds. While the exuberance of watching the champion succeed is special, it is even more inspiring to watch other athletes who face disappointment but pick themselves up to fight another day. Add to that, the personal stories of these athletes and the challenging circumstances they overcome to pursue their dreams and you are left with nothing but the highest respect and admiration. 

It's been a real bummer that because of the time difference with Rio, we haven't been able to catch all the events as they happen. The events I look out for are gymnastics, athletics, synchronised swimming, archery and shooting. What about you??


As for these swirl buns, they are a product of a rainy afternoon when staying in was the only option. And afterall, is there anything more appropriate than a calorie loaded chocolate bun while watching these athletes perform with their beautifully toned bodies and washboard abs?!

I have been seeing these buns by Donal Skehan all over social media and had to give them a try. It helps that he has put up a video that explains the whole process in simple steps. It is a dough that is enriched with milk and butter that is then filled with a layer of dark chocolate and then twirled into these buns. The dough is flavoured with cardamom, in the tradition of Scandinavian breads, which pairs beautifully with the chocolate. The swirls and twirls all look a bit complex but see the video, it's actually quite simple!


What comes out of the oven are these beautiful, soft cardamom-scented buns with that swirl of dark chocolate. And despite all the issues that we have with metabolism, I insist that you should make them. And oh yes, do eat them warm, straight out of the oven!!


What could I have done better? I could have shaped the buns smaller and more compact and since, I didn't have any eggs at home, I gave the buns, a cream wash rather than an egg wash which would have resulted in a more richer golden brown colour on them. Pointers for the next time, for I'll be definitely making these again.


As for the Olympics, I think we all stayed awake at Midnight to watch Dipa Karmakar make history and show us the champion she is. Happy Independence Day everyone..I hope you've enjoyed the long weekend..x!



Thursday 21 July 2016

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was at the height of Summer, when the mind was too distressed to indulge in any kind of voluminous reading, that I picked up this slim book with a green cover and blue edged pages. It was Ruskin Bond's latest and was simply titled, 'A Book of Simple Living : Brief Notes from the Hills'. I figured since I couldn't make it to the hills, which in an ideal world I would escape to, for the three brutal months of Summer, I'd find some comfort in Ruskin Bond's words that have always celebrated the magic of the mountains. 

And what an enchanting read it turned out to be. The notes, most no more than a page, are written with the author's trademark simplicity, honesty and a certain childlike wonder. I simply let the words wash over me as he wrote about life's simple joys and even simpler truths. Be it the mountain view from his window as the season change or the daisies growing out of the rocks or the memory of a past love or the sound of a gushing mountain or simply, a sweet appreciation for the balm that solitude provides. So that even on an excruciatingly, unbearable Summer's afternoon, whilst stuck in an air-conditioned room, one was left with no option but to smile. 


And then a few weeks later, I would come across his very first book, 'The Room on the Roof', a special illustrated edition to mark it's 60th anniversary. As he himself explains, the book was written by him, when in a foreign land, terribly lonely, he wrote down all his memories of a time, when egged on by adolescent energy and rebellion, he broke off the shackles of authority and propriety to embrace a world of colour, adventure, angst, desire, excitement, envy, joy and a multitude of other emotions that one grapples with at that age.

It's interesting to place the two books, side by side. One, as Bond puts it, is a 'book about adolescence by an adolescent', capturing the emotions of one, on the cusp of life. The other is written by a man, who has just turned eighty, sharing his secrets of contentment, whilst acutely aware of his own mortality. What they both have in common is the honesty and simplicity that run through their pages which has the ability to look you in the eye, prompting you to pause and look within. With the two books, you are privy to one man's journey through life. And you are left with one of life's most enduring messages. That to shrug off life's rancour, hostility and disappointment and to arrive at your twilight years with a twinkle in your eyes, a smile on your face and laughter in your voice, is in living in the moment, moving on from the past, building a bond with nature and appreciating life's smaller and simpler moments. Because as he writes, "Happiness is a mysterious thing, to be found somewhere between too little and too much"



And talking about the simple things in life are these chocolate chip cookies that I baked. Choc chip cookies are one of those baked goods that everyone bakes, everyone has a recipe of and everyone has an opinion on. I zeroed in on a recipe that has popped up in countless blogs, with each one saying this recipe met the brief for what they were looking for in a chocolate chip cookie. Why, it even won BuzzFeed's Chocolate Chip Cookie Taste-A-Thon (yes, they do have something like that!), fending off some serious competition.

The recipe is by Tara O'Brady, the voice behind the blog, 'Seven Spoons' and this recipe appears in her debut cookbook by the same name. What draws me most about the recipe is how fuss free it is. You don't need to bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. You don't even need a hand mixer, a bowl and a whisk will do just fine. Although what is non-negotiable is that you should use chopped up chocolate chunks instead of standard chocolate chips. You choose whether you want to rest the dough or bake them right away, although I'd recommend that you let the dough rest overnight.

Because, the cookies that will emerge from your oven have nothing to fault them with. They are slightly crispy, slightly chewy and those little islands of warm, melty dark chocolate have the power to set the world right. I don't like to use the term 'best ever' but let's just say, I reckon your search for a chocolate chip cookie recipe will end with this one. So, when you do get the time, give it a shot.


Tom Alter, captured the essence of Ruskin Bond's work when he writes, "Ruskin knew that life was not a childhood game, but he also knew that the game of childhood was the only way to survive life".

Monday 27 June 2016

Chocolate Creme Caramel

Every time I come back to this blog after a while, I make my excuses and tell myself that I'll be more active, going forward. And yet, over the past few months, every time I've said that, there's been activity for 2-3 weeks and then complete radio silence. And it happened again, over the whole Summer. 

Anyone who knows me a teeny bit knows how I simply stop functioning during the Summer. And this time, it was as if the Summer had gotten personal with me. It seemed longer, more intense and more torturous that I've ever felt it. Every year I struggle and yet, this year it was a new high. Am sure, the rest of you in India felt it too. Add to that, the Internet connection at home went kaput. Something about 'ongoing upgradation of the network' that meant no Internet or Internet speeds from the pre-Jurassic era, which is worse than having no Internet. Trust me!


So, between an endless Summer and a non-existent Internet connection, I've been locked out of the kitchen and this blog. And honestly, one made the other worse. Summer would have been more bearable if I didn't have to rely on my phone for all my digital work and likewise, the problem with the Internet would have been manageable in any other season or so I tell myself. And of course, as these things work out, both issues shall get resolved in the same week. I told you.. someone's been making it personal with me! 

Easing back into normal programming on this blog with a chocolate creme caramel that I made sometime during the Summer. That moment when its too hot to go outside and you crave for something sweet and realise that your refrigerator has nothing to offer, you turn to the three ingredients that are always available in your pantry and make some creme caramel. And because, chocolate always makes everything better, you make chocolate creme caramel.


Always make a creme caramel a day before, it helps it set beautifully and lets the caramel leach into the custard. Creme caramels are fairly simple and if I could make it in the Summer, anyone can make it anytime.

And there's something to be said about that dark, bitter caramel layer that makes this dessert. And this is such a forgiving dessert, even if a little caramel chips off when you unmould it from the ramekins, as the photographs testify.

So, here's the question, is the chocolate version better than the original. You know how I always say, chocolate makes everything better but in this case, I'd cast my vote with the simplicity and honesty of a simple creme caramel with no-frills. There's nothing wrong with the chocolate version, but there's a reason why the original is a classic. It's honest, unpretentious and comforting and sometimes, that what you crave and want, which in my case, is more often than not.

I have brilliant recipe on the blog for the original, if you want to give it a shot. But, then that's my personal opinion and who's to say, which one you might prefer. 


It's not been an easy Summer at all.. but we've survived it. So, now that we can all breathe again, do tell me how have you been?? Raising a cheer to the monsoons, with love..xx!!

Sunday 20 March 2016

Honey Roasted Figs With Limoncello Cream / Homemade Limoncello

For all my experiments with growing herbs that I talked about in my last post, the truth is my mother is an avid gardener. Her garden and its produce have the subject of many of my posts over the years.Every year she experiments with something new in the garden and like every other gardener, she has her share of hits and misses. 

One of the highlights of her garden this Winter was her little Italian lemon plant.Two years back, the man at the nursery had asked if she would be interested in growing Italian lemons. We took a small plant, planted it in a pot and crossed our fingers. Two years on, this Winter we had a bumper crop of a dozen or so lemons. 


These were longer, yellower, thicker skin and more fragrant than the lemon we get in the Indian markets. Cut open one in the kitchen and the entire room and your fingers will be perfumed with this delicate, fresh, citrus scent. 

It's not everyday that one gets their hand on Italian lemons in India. So, we had to make something special in them. And what's more special than using Italian lemons to make some Italian liqueur. 


It doesn't take much to make limoncello except for the waiting period while the lemon peel steeps in vodka. It is the prettiest light lemon colour and it tastes zingy, lemony, delicately sweet and I must mention, it turned out more potent that I expected it to be.

My recommendation on a hot, summer evening, fill up a glass with ice cubes and then pour in a little shot of limoncello and savour it sip by sip and I assure you, by the time, you empty that glass of yours, you will be a much happier person!



Making a bottle of limoncello is the easy part. Deciding what to do with it, not so much. Not in the mood for much cooking, I settled in on figs roasted with honey and limoncello that is paired with some limoncello cream and toasted almonds and a teeny drizzle of honey on top.

You can use Greek yoghurt but as I mentioned in my last post, these days, double cream and I are having a moment. Diet be damned! Vanilla ice-cream would also go well and you could drizzle the limoncello on top for added flavour.  

This is a simple dessert but nothing to knock your socks off! It is a pleasant dessert to round off a hearty dinner. The options to substitute are endless. On the top of my head, substitute the figs with strawberries and the limoncello with brandy.  A matter of personal preference, but I liked all my components chilled.



Heading off for a short break over the long weekend and I'll see you next in April. A long weekend is coming up and I hope you get to spend it with family and friends. If you play Holi, please make the effort to use natural colours!!

Wishing you and yours a beautiful and fun Holi..xx!!

Thursday 10 March 2016

Roast Potato And Spring Onion Tartlets / Spinach And Walnut Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

On turning 95, one of India's most prolific writers and journalists, Khushwant Singh wrote on happiness and what one has to do in order to achieve it. As expected of anyone who reaches that age he had something substantial to say on the topic. And besides, his irreverence and honesty made it a refreshing read in today's politically correct world.

That article I talk about was a while back and among all the maxims that he had written, many of which one had read or heard elsewhere in some form or substance, one of them stayed with me. It said, "Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, and cultivate a sense of kinship with them."


I would be reminded of his words when I read Timothy Egan's article, "The Eight-Second Attention Span" in the New York Times. He writes how in the age of the ubiquitous smart phone and our need to always be connected and for instant validation, our attention span has been the biggest victim. And no amount of digital detox will help. What will help is to consciously engage and make time for activities on a daily basis that will work as an antidote to what he calls our 'shrinking attention span'. He recommends deep reading and gardening. He reckons there is no instant gratification in gardening. Sow the seeds and nature forces you to wait while it takes its course and decides whether to reward you or not for your efforts.

I don't know about you but I am some time away from owning my own piece of land or home where my gardening aspirations can come to fruition. So, instead I improvised this winter and grew my own herbs in little pots. We grew coriander, celery, mint, spinach, methi (fenugreek), rosemary and thyme. 


The celery, mint and spinach were outright successes. The coriander and fenugreek did well but somewhere along the line, the lack of experience showed up and both the plants got a bit messy and we reasoned that it was better buying them from the market where they are fresh and easily available. As for the thyme and rosemary, it was as if we hadn't even planted them. Not even a teeny  green shoot to boot!!

And I'll admit, the whole process was not only gratifying but it brought along a certain childlike fascination and excitement with it. Try it, and see how many times you check on those little pots looking for some sign of life and growth. In its own way, it creates an empathy and understanding about the entire food cycle and the challenges it faces. And see if you can resist showing off your homegrown produce at every instance! 


Fresh herbs are best used to enhance the flavour profile of any dish but when it comes to spinach and fenugreek, they are best made the hero of the dish. So, for a meal over the weekend, I made a spinach and walnut salad that I paired with some roast potato and spring onion tartlets.

The tartlets are from my all-time favourite 'Popina Book of Baking' to which I added some chopped celery for added flavour. While I adore roast potatoes, I did find them a bit too starchy and creamy in these tartlets. I recommend and would do so the next time I make them, to replace the roast potatoes with either some roast chicken or even mushrooms.

Luckily, in this case, the spinach salad came to the rescue. Tossed with the walnuts in the orange-honey vinaigrette, it cut all through all that creaminess. It was light, fresh and zesty and lightened up the palate. And the walnuts are always a welcome textural and nutty contast.


And to end it all, we had strawberries and cream. I am not a huge fan of cream but then the other day, I whipped up some cream with a wee bit of orange liqueur and I think I might have created a monster. Because from now on, that's the only thing I want to pair my strawberries with. For something different, I did macerate the strawberries with some ahem(!) homegrown mint. Such a small and simple twist, but a huge payback on the flavour front. I recommend you give it a try before the strawberries leave the market!

I know there are a lot of urban farmers out there. Any tips or suggestions that you have, I'd love to hear from you. The weekend's already upon us.. Have a lovely one!!

Sunday 6 March 2016

Strawberry Tarts

It's been so quiet for so long out here that I am not even sure how to begin this post. So, I'll get to the point straight away as to why I felt the need to put some space between me and this little blog of mine. 

If you are a food blogger, you will probably understand what I have to say...or maybe it's just me. The food blogging world is relentless with its constant bombardment and preoccupation with the visual imagery of food that it tends to get a bit overwhelming. It felt so intense that somewhere, in the multitude of food blogs that I follow on various social media channels, it all got a bit pretentious and all-consuming and somewhere along the line, I stopped enjoying this space.

And as I tuned off, I became critical of my own blog, especially of my posts over the past one year. The photographs seemed over-exposed/under-exposed, too grainy and lacking in focus and composition. And as for the writing, barring a few posts, it all read as repetitive and a tad boring, if I may say so myself. It was clearly time for a time-out!


But, as I stayed away, I kind of missed this place. I missed the creativity it sparked in me. I missed the baking and the little stories I wove around them. And yes, I missed interacting with the people I've met through this blog, even if this blog can boast of all of five readers!! 

This blog was never solely about the food. It was about the memories and stories that food evokes and about how food is the medium around which we create new memories. And somewhere in the social media onslaught, I lost touch with that. 

That meant clearing out my social media to follow a smaller bunch of food blogs that I can relate to. And of course, getting back to this blog with a resolve of keeping it simple. Of course, the critic within me tells me that I need to still work on my photography and my writing, which I believe will always be an evolving challenge.


These should be the last few days of the strawberry season and to ease back into the blogging groove, I kept it simple with these strawberry tarts. The base is a regular short crust pastry that I filled with creme patissiere, which is just the French term for a thick and creamy custard. And, if making creme patissiere seems like too much cooking for you, which it is NOT, you can use whipped cream or even hung yoghurt if that's what your palate prefers.

The main focus are those fresh strawberries on top that I macerated with a wee bit of sugar. Recipes will suggest that you brush them with jam to make them glossy but these were so fresh that they needed nothing. 


That buttery, flaky crust contrasts with that creamy, soft, chilled vanilla custard and then topped off with those fresh strawberries makes just the most delightful tea time treat for the weekend!

It's been a while but I hope life's been treating you well...xx!!

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