Award and a MeMe:

I was thrilled to know a few of my blogger buddies consider my blog “yum” worthy and gave me the “Yummy Blog Award”. Dear Cham of Spice Club and Anjali of SupremeSpice have sent this award my way.

“Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with the most yummy recipes/photos”

Well, the award does come with certain ‘rules’, which is the best part actually.

Rules for the ‘Yummy Blog’ award Receiver:

The person who receives the award should display the "Yummy Blog !" logo on their blog and also the meaning of the award which is "Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos".

The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious :) dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten. Don’t restrict yourself to any dessert, chocolate bars also welcome.Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers who's blog they find "yummy" and let them know about the rules :)

The list of my favourite desserts I’ve made or eaten? Here goes,

Trifle Pudding
Black Forest Cake
Fruit Crepes
Mixed Berry Soup
Cham Chams
Rasmalais

Now it’s my turn to pass this award on to more yummy blogs, I confer this award to:

Suganya of Tasty Palettes
Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey
Sunita of Sunita’s World
Pastry Girl of Dessert First

Head to their blogs, you will know why they deserve this award! :)

I’ve also been tagged by Madhavi of Vegetarian Medley to do the below MeMe

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
Juno

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Err…Err…. Everyday with Rachel Ray – RR’s cooking magazine, it is a book right? :D

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
The MAD Game

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
Refer to question 2… :)

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Smell of the Earth with the first drops of rain ; Coffee powder; Oranges; Mom’s cooking :)

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Falling Rain, Chirping birds, kids’ laughter

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Loneliness

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Is it morning already???Sigh…..zzzzzzzzzz

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
Chilis

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
Hehe, haven't quite thought that far yet..

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D
Start my own cake shop/bakery

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Nope.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
If you can call my hubby a stuffed animal, then YES!

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Both – sometimes I’m fascinated and a sudden crash of thunder has me running helter skelter!

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
I’m yet to buy one.

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Mango and Chickoo Milkshakes

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
I do have a lot of time, no issues with that.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Yes

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
Burgundy

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Dallas, Atlanta

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Synchronized Swimming and Figure skating

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
She has a unique way of making her dishes look out of this world!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Cardboard boxes from our last move.

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Absolutely!

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night Owl

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny Side Up

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
On the couch

28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Blueberry Pie

29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR?
Chunky Monkey (B&J)

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Well, let me tag them first!! :)

Now I tag the following people to do this MeMe:

Lavi of Home Cook’s Recipes
Kalai of Samaithu Paarkalaam
Pravs of Simple Spicy
PearlsofEast of Anyone Can Cook

Jihva for Love – Ajji's adige

Two important people have influenced the way I cook today and they are my mom and my Ajji (grandma- mom’s mom) Both of them have their own style of cooking and mom still asks Ajji how to make this and that, like every daughter would. Me in turn, of course, ask mom, not every now and then but every single time..hehe..she is like my 1-800 number, the perfect go-to person for all my cooking queries no matter what time of day! This entire blog is dedicated to my mom, as she was the inspiration to actually start cooking and then eventually the blog. So I dedicate this post to my adorable Ajji.

My Ajji is all of 65, but still strong in the kitchen. With neatly combed hair and a big red kumkum bindi adorning her forehead she has always brought unique delicious dishes to the table, which sometimes involve vegetables I haven’t even seen or heard of(thanks to my ignorance and fussy nature - back then :D)! Ajji also has this interesting way of making a dish with a “surprise” ingredient and what follows is a guessing game. No prizes for the right guess, but it’s a whole lot of fun and hey, we have a yummy dish to dig into.

When Ajji turned 60, her daughters, i.e. my mom and her sister brought out a small cookbook titled “Ammana Adige” meaning Mom’s cooking with few special recipes, which are ajji’s trademark recipes. These are recipes which all of us enjoy no matter what, and something which only ajji can make, delicious and perfect every single time. This cookbook was printed and circulated among family and friends.

Ajji has been socially active all her life, even now. Inspite of all the activity outside the house, she has always made it a point to put a home cooked meal on the table beating all odds against time.

My adorable Ajji

One recipe from her cookbook for Poppindi or Chutney Pudi is an all time family favourite. Every time we visit India she sends us back with this pudi, but when the stock is exhausted I make it.

Poppindi

You will need:

1 Cup Hurgadale (Split Dalia)
15-17 Dried Red Chillies
Marble sized Tamarind
½ tsp Jaggery
½ Cup Dried Coconut gratings
3 Cloves of Garlic (6 small ones)
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Curry leaves

Separately dry roast the red chillies and grated coconut. Grind the hurgadale to a powder, keep aside. Now grind the red chillies, garlic (chopped), jaggery, tamarind, roasted coconut gratings and salt till combined and powdered. Add the ground hurgadale and blend to combine. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard. When it begins to splutter add the curry leaves and the powder. Saute till fragrant. Let cool completely before storing in an air tight container. Poppindi is the perfect accompaniment for Rice, Idlis, Dosas or even slices of bread toasted with ghee.

I have also made the Pineapple Gojju(click for recipe), Menthye Miryal Gojju and Mango Gojju from Ajji’s book. I recently told ajji I have been trying her recipes from the book, she said “Really?? When did you learn to make all these pudis and gojjus? When you were here you hardly came into the kitchen let alone cook anything!” Well, that’s me…a non-cook two years ago and now all into it!

This post is insufficient to write everything about Ajji, but I've tried to incorporate as much as possible. I am sending this over to Jigyasa and Pratibha for the event Jihva For Love.

I miss Ajji's cooking now, I guess its time to plan a trip to India! :D

Cheesecake Pops - Daring Bakers

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was the lip smacking good cheesecake pops. These frozen treats were apt for the season and were a big hit with whoever got a chance to grab a pop!

This was again my first time at making a cheesecake. I have tasted cheesecake only once before and it never occurred to me to make it at home. Being a Daring Baker is motivation enough to try the untried :-D



The recipe here is as provided to us, what I did is in italics.

You will need: (Makes 30 – 40 Pops)

5 8-oz. packages Cream Cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
30-40 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound chocolate, finely chopped (Milk, Dark, or a mix of both)
2 tbsp Vegetable shortening

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set a pot of water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well ( at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. I used butter to grease the pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes. I had to bake mine for more than an hour for the cheesecake to firm up completely. This depends on your oven, so keep an eye.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Once it has come to room temperature you will be able to tell clearly if your cheesecake is baked through and firm or not. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. I did not use any shortening while melting the chocolate. I used half semi sweet and half milk chocolate. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionery chocolate pieces) as needed.

I rolled few of the pops in a mix of chopped walnuts and hazelnuts and the rest in sprinkles. These pops were so much fun to make except shaping the balls part which was messssyyyy, but all in all, worth every bit of the effort. My friends had come over on Friday evening for a small tea party, and they all loved it, so I was glad I made the whole recipe (was planning to halve it initially)

It is important to work very quickly while dipping the pops in chocolate, because the chocolate sets on the pops in the blink of an eye and also the melted chocolate will begin to thicken too.

Thanks to Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell for this wonderful DB challenge.

Another truly tasty challenge completed! :)

Roasted Potato with Farfalle

I simply love Pasta( I don't know how many times I've said this already :D) and sometimes just can’t get enough of it!! All the various pasta shapes make me want to try each of them. You will surely find Penne, Farfalle and Elbows in my pantry anytime, and the occasional Rigatoni and Rotini/Fusili. I often replace one type of pasta in a recipe with another, with whatever I have on hand. It still looks good and tastes good, so no harm done.

I saw this recipe in Rachael Ray’s monthly mag and didn’t waste time in trying it. The actual recipe calls for Penne, but I used Farfalle since I had run out of Penne.

You will need:

2 Large Baking potatoes

¼ cup Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

2 Cups Farfalle or any small pasta

¼ cup chopped Basil leaves

2 tbsp Butter, at room temp

Preheat oven to 450F

Cut the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. On a baking sheet, toss the potatoes to coat with olive oil,salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer. Roast until golden and crisp at the edges, around 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile boil the pasta in salted water for 8-10 minutes till pasta is cooked through. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add the butter, chopped basil and a tbsp of oil. Mix to combine, add the roasted potatoes and toss well. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Two of my fav ingredients, pasta and potatoes in one dish, it couldn’t get better than this!!

Methi Malai Mattar

Back in India fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) is available in tiny bunches and the leaves are tiny too. Here we get large bunches with very visible leaves, and one bunch usually seems to last forever! It was not until recently that I found Methi was actually available here in the US too, ya ya I hadn't been looking in the right places before! :D Now that I had found Methi leaves, I finally made this curry which I had been meaning to try since long.

You will need:

1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh peas, boiled
½ cup Whipping cream
¼ cup Yoghurt
10 cashews soaked in hot water, and ground to a smooth paste
1 onion chopped
3 green chillies
1 pod garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp. garam masala powder
1 tbsp. oil

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the chopped methi leaves, cover and simmer for a minute. Drain, squeeze out excess water, separate leaves and set aside. In a blender make a smooth paste of the onions, garlic and green chillies.

Heat oil in a pan, add the prepared paste. Saute for a minute till fragrant. Now add the fenugreek leaves, boiled peas, cashew paste and garam masala powder. Season with salt to taste. Saute for a few minutes. In a small bowl combine the whipping cream and the yoghurt. Beat till smooth. Add this to the pan and bring to a simmer. Stir while it simmers and let gravy thicken.

Serve hot with Rotis/Rice/Naans.

Rasgollas:

We had a wonderful weekend getaway at Savannah and Tybee Island. We even snuck away to Hilton Head while we were down South. It definitely was a much awaited break away from work and the rhetorical everyday grind. I’m back relaxed and ready to cook again..hehe!

Back to the Rasgollas, I had made some last week but didn’t have time to write about it. Ever since I learned the easy way to work with soft paneer to make Bengali sweets, I can’t stop myself from making them more often than not.

The procedure is the same as for Rasmalais, only difference being you need to go a step further while making Rasmalais..you need to make the ‘Ras’. I am giving the recipe and procedure here again for the Rasgollas with a few pics as many had doubts regarding the kneading process.

You wil need:

4 Cups Milk

1/3 cup Lime/Lemon juice or Vinegar

4 Cups Water

1 ½ Cups Sugar

Bring milk to a boil on medium heat. When it comes to a boil, stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir till the milk curdles and the whey is separated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and drain. Immediately rinse under cold water to remove the citric residue.

Squeeze out as much water as possible, tie in a knot and let sit in the colander for 20-30 minutes. The less water the better.

Once the water has been drained completely, remove the soft paneer from the cloth onto a smooth clean kneading surface. At this stage the paneer will be crumbly and will not hold shape.

Begin to knead gently, and continue to do so until the entire mass comes together into a ball. At this stage, as you knead, your palms should become greasy. Knead for around 8-10 minutes. More than the time, the grease on your hand is a better indication. Also, pinch off a small piece and roll into a ball. If the ball holds shape then your paneer is ready to be used in the next stage.

Bring water and sugar to a rolling boil in a clean pressure cooker. Divide the paneer into 10-12 pieces and roll into a smooth ball. If the balls are falling apart even slightly, knead the whole mixture again and then roll into a ball.

This is a critical stage, if you don't knead well, the chances are the balls will not hold when pressure cooked. So make sure you take your time and get it right.

Drop these balls into the boiling sugar syrup one at a time. These balls will double in size when done, so make sure there is enough room in your pressure cooker. Do them in two batches to avoid crowding. Close lid and turn heat to high. Place weight on lid and after one whistle, turn heat to low and cook for 7 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool completely before you handle the Rasgollas. Refrigerate before serving.

There are several methods to make Rasgollas at home, but this one is the simplest with few ingredients. As long as I get to eat juicy soft Rasgollas at the end of the day, the method is the least of my worries! :)

Welcome Baby Cake

My friend had a baby boy on Monday evening, and I was so looking forward to his arrival because I had a very cute welcome cake in mind. We went to see her and the new born in the hospital couple of hours after the delivery. It was absolutely incredible to see a new born, I could stand there for hours just staring at the little one! He was sooo adorable and cutie cute! :)

This is what I made and my friend loved it! My friend and the baby came home last evening and that's when I gave them the cake. Baby Advait was curious to see it too :D

Welcome Baby Cake

Baby Booties and Bib made in Fondant

Baby Blanket with flowers made in Fondant

Baby Blocks in Fondant

This cake was a lot of fun to make and I'm glad it was for my friend and Baby Advait.

I'm off to Savannah for the weekend, so see you all next week! :)

Baked Rigatoni and Spinach:

I saw this on Dave Leiberman's show on Food Network. For me to try something that is shown on tv, all that matters is the dish should look good and be a simple one to follow. The very next day, its on my dinner plate. Absolutely loved this one!

I made a few changes based on what I had available at that time.

You will need:

3 Cups Rigatoni pasta
2 tsps olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
2 cups ricotta cheese or Creme cheese
3/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook rigatoni for 5 minutes in a pot of boiling, salted water. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

To make the Bechamel sauce:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute till softened. Add the flour and stir until a smooth paste forms. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste. Let cool slightly.

Transfer cooled bechamel to a large mixing bowl and add the spinach and ricotta. Mix in rigatoni and transfer to a greased loaf pan. Top with grated mozzarella. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned on top, and the sides are bubbly.

Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Kargadabu

It was a wonderful start to the New Year yesterday with more catering orders, hence a hectic day!!! Inspite of all the other cooking, I could slip in a few traditional dishes to celebrate Ugadi. Hope all of you had a wonderful one too!

As promised, here is the recipe for Kargadabu.


You will need:

For the Filling:

3/4 cup Tuar dal
3/4 cup fresh coconut gratings
1/2 Cup Jaggery powdered
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Outside Layer:

1/2 cup Fine Sooji (Chiroti Rava)
A pinch of salt
2 tsps oil
Water as required

Mix the above three into a bread crumb like consistency. Then add water and mix into a soft dough. Let sit for an hour.

Meanwhile cook Tuar dal with 2 Cups water (or as required)on stove top, till Tuar dal splits on the edges and is soft to the touch. Do not overcook as this will hamper the texture of the filling. Drain Tuar Dal. Grind this with coconut and jaggery to a smooth paste in a blender. Use as less water as possible. Transfer to a non stick pan and saute for a couple of minutes till the mixture tightens and becomes thick. Add cardamom powder and fry till fragrant. The mixture should be thick enough to be shaped into balls. If it is not, continue to fry on medium heat, stirring continuously till you achieve the desired consistency.

To make the Kadabus:

Tuar Dal filling (prepared as above)
Sooji dough
Oil for frying
Kadabu mould (if available)

Divide sooji dough into balls, the size of a whole Hazelnut. Roll out using a rolling pin. Dust with flour if required. Place this on the inside of a Kadabu mould. Place about a tablespoon of filling on one side. Moisten all around the dough using water. Close the mould shut and press. This should seal the Kadabu, remove excess. Repeat with all the dough.

If you don't have a Kadabu mould on hand, all you have to do is shape the dough into balls, roll into small flats. Place the filling on one half of the circle, close shut using water and pressing the sides to form a crescent. Using a mould helps make all the Kargadabus one size, but its ok to do it without a mould too.

Heat oil in a deep pan.Add kadabus one at a time and fry on both sides till light brown.

Serve immediately. These need to be refrigerated if not consumed on the same day, since the filling has coconut in it, it is perishable.

The rest of the festival platter

Click on Dish name for Recipe:

Tuar Daal Rasam/ Holige Saaru
Lime Rice/Chitranna
Beans Palya
White Rice & Papads

The same filling can be used to make Obbattu/Holige.

Steamed Kadabus are here.

Happy Ugadi!

Wishing all my Kannada and Telugu readers and blog buddies a very fulfilling and prosperous Ugadi!!

This is what came out of the kitchen today:

Chitranna, Beans Palya, Bele Saaru, Rice & Papad

Hoorna Kadabu (Kargadabu)

Recipes to follow! :)

Fondant Cake

My first try at a Fondant cake at class, as always we were allowed to choose our colours for the cake as well as the decorations.

This is a Basic Yellow Cake covered in Green Fondant, decorated with buttercream frosting.

The course we are doing now is all about Fondant and Gumpaste. So more fondant cakes to follow! :)

Pineapple Habanero Jelly

The last time I was at the Farmer’s Market I was drawn towards these bright coloured peppers and for some reason bought a pack of them too. Like all other things which reach my pantry with no pre-determined use or destination, the habaneros snugly sat in my fridge. The week after I bought them we were at Le gourmet Chef, a store which meets culimary needs and I happened to taste a Pineapple Habanero Jelly, which was very tasty.

The sweet from the pineapples hit the palette first and then came the fiery hot from the habaneros. Cute and small they are, but don’t take these Habaneros for granted; there's more heat packed in there than you think! A little sure goes a long way.

The taste of this jelly lingered in my mind for a long time and the next time I saw the habaneors peeking at me from behind the gazillion other stuff in the fridge, I knew I had to make this jelly. I set about looking for a recipe online and came across this one.

I have never made Jams or Jellies at home before this so I had to rely on what I've seen to get the right consistency.

You will need:

15 habaneros, seeded and deveined (any colour, I used Orange)
1 orange bell pepper (or a bell pepper the same color as the habaneros)

4 cups cubed pineapple
1 cup Distilled Vinegar
5 cups sugar
3-4 tbsp Fruit Pectin
Pinch of salt

In a blender, chop up the habaneros, bell pepper, pineapple and vinegar. Bring to a boil on medium high heat in a non-stick pan. Add fruit pectin and stir. The mixture should thicken as you boil.

For the above mentioned quantity of fruit:sugar:habanero, the quantity of pectin used was sufficient. You can increase/decrease it depending on how well your mixture thickens as you bring to a boil.

Pectin is basically a gelling agent used in the preparation of jams and jellies. It is available in most grocery stores.


The Pineapple Habanero Jelly serves well as a dip for Torilla chips, salted Pretzels or anything else you can think of pairing this with.


Fire up your taste buds!! :D

Rasmalais

Last weekend I had a catering order for Rasmalais. I was glad I had an excuse to make these yummy beauties and the best part is that, this is the only sweet my hubby will lay his hands on…all the others are frowned upon. So it was a good chance for me to ‘woo’ him with these cold, melt-in-the mouth Rasmalais. ;)

You will need: (Makes 22-24)

8 Cups Whole Milk

1/3 cup Lime/Lemon juice or Vinegar

4 Cups Water

1 ½ Cups Sugar

For the Ras:

4 cups Milk

½ cup Sugar

1/8 tsp Lemon Yellow food colour

¼ tsp Cardamom powder

Sliced Pistachios and Almonds

Bring milk to a boil on medium heat. When it comes to a boil, stir in the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir till the milk curdles and the whey is separated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and drain. Immediately rinse under cold water to remove the citric taste.

Squeeze out as much water as possible, tie in a knot and let sit in the colander for 20-30 minutes. The less water the better.

Once the water has been drained completely, remove the soft paneer from the cloth onto a smooth clean kneading surface. At this stage the paneer will be crumbly and will not hold shape.

Begin to knead gently, and continue to do so until the entire mass comes together into a ball. At this stage, as you knead, your palms should become greasy.

Pinch off a small piece and roll into a ball. If the ball holds shape then your paneer is ready to be used in the next stage.

Bring water and sugar to a rolling boil in a clean pressure cooker. Divide the paneer into 22-24 pieces and roll into a smooth ball.

If the ball breaks apart, knead and then roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the ball for Rasmalais.

Drop these balls into the boiling sugar syrup one at a time. These balls will double in size when done, so make sure there is enough room in your pressure cooker. Do them in two batches to avoid crowding. Close lid and turn heat to high. Place weight on lid and after one whistle, turn heat to low and cook for 7 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool completely before you handle the Rasmalai patties. Once cooled, refrigerate overnight. I prefer to do this so that the patties will hold well in the milk instead of breaking up.

Bring the 4 cups of milk to a boil on low heat, stir continuously to avoid burning.Stir in the sugar and cardamom powder. Also add the food colouring. The 4 cups of milk have to be reduced to around 2 ½ - 3 cups, this takes around 25-30 minutes. Yup takes time but well worth the wait. Squeeze out excess syrup from the patties and drop them in the milk once it has thickened. Let the patties boil for 3-4 minutes in the milk. Turn off heat. Transfer carefully to a container and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or more. Garnish with slice pistachios and almonds before serving.

I made around 50 of these last weekend, was a good experience! :) I didn't have time to take individual pics, hence these in a foil tray ready for pick up.

Tiered Cake

Last Tuesday was the end of Course 3 of the Wilton Cake Decorating Class. With every class I feel so much more confident and pleased with the techniques I've learned. Course 3 was all about Fondant cakes.

Fondant is nothing but a mixture of Sugar and water, cooked till it forms a dough. The texture is a little stiffer than regular play dough. More info on Fondant here.

Though its only sugar and water, after all the processing, the taste somehow appeals only to a few. As my instructor says, "you either like it or you don't"..no two ways about it. I am still deciding whether I like it or not :-D

During the course we learned how to make Fondant Roses and leaves, more Royal Icing Flowers like the Morning Glory, Poinsettia and the Easter Lilies. In the last class of the course we were taught how to assemble tiered cakes. We were allowed to bring cakes covered in Fondant or only buttercream (frosting). I did mine with frosting and used Royal Icing Flowers to decorate the cakes.

Royal Icing Flowers (Apple Blossoms) and String work
Easter Lilies made with Royal Icing

The lower cake was two 10 inch cakes and the top one was two 6 inch cakes. Don't ask me what I did with these cakes!!!! :D

The next course starts today, so more cakes to come!