This season I tried my hand at making baileys and gifted a bottle to my dear friend Sunehra for hosting us at her gala Christmas party, easy to whip up and take it for someone for a party just like I did!!
Ingredients:
Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can (14oz)
Instant Coffee - 2 tsp
Chocolate Sauce - 1 tbs
Whiskey - 1 cup (I used just about a cup or slightly less)
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Combine all the ingredients into a blender and and blitz for about a minute. Bottle into a seal-able container and refrigerate. Shake before serving. This will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator.
AJ (my bro) just returned from his trip from Milan, hey he didn't go there for a pleasure trip; but as a part of his studies which he is currently pursuing. So while we were catching up on the culture and the place, he insisted that I concoct this drink? Pudding? It's a thick, dense and a definite chocolate rush - all in a cup.
From Milan With Love!!
Ingredients: [Serves - 4 cups]
Whole Milk - 1 cup, separated in 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
Heavy Cream - 1 cup
Cornstarch - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Granulated Sugar - 4 tablespoons
Chocolate - 4 1/2 ounces high quality, finely chopped
Whipped Cream - a cup
Combine the 3/4 cup milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the 1/4 milk and the cornstarch till smooth. Once the milk mixture starts to bubble around the edges, add the milk and cornstarch mixture. Whisk until it's heated through. Add the chocolate and whisk together, till hot and thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour into mugs and serve with whipped cream if desired.
Made a thermos full of hot chocolate and can't wait to give it to Him. Ratish (my bro in law) is right now just out of surgery, had to get his torn knee ligament done. Has been craving a something chocolaty ever since he landed at the hospital, I'm going over right now to do some justice...
Ingredients:
Whole milk - 21/4cups
Water - 1/4cup
Sugar - 1/4cup (suoerfine)
Unsweetened Cocoa - 1/4cup
Bittersweet Chocolate chips - 100gms
Combine the milk and water and sugar in a medium saucepan.Heat mixture over medium heat until it reaches a rolling boil. Add the chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Whisk into milk mixture and return to boiling boil. Mixture will thicken. Reduce heat to very low. Blend using immersion blender until thick and foamy. If the cup of chocolate is too bitter/sweet/ strong stri in some cream or add in more milk.
The current trend in our lifestyle is to scout for methods that would save time. Net result, we end up buying a tetra pack of whatever flavor of juice that is available without wasting time in preparing it. All this recipe requires is peeling, cutting the melon into pieces and switching on the blender to blitz everything in...try it out and see for yourself.....
Am sending this entry across for the event 'Serve me some' - Juices, Shakes and Smoothies hosted by Madhuri.
Ingredients:
Watermelon - 4cups de-seeded, without the rind and cut into small chunks
Cold Water - 11/2cups
Lemon Juice - juice of 1 whole lemon
Sugar to taste
Mint leaves a few
Blitz in all the ingredients except the mint leaves. Serve the juice immediately, with a lemon wedge and mint leaves.
I can have this anytime of the day, although I love the ambiance at Barista Creme located at the Leela Palace to enjoy this cuppa...my husband and I enjoyed this over a sunrise from our very own balcony today.
I also know of a friend who absolutely loves this tea...couldn't help think of him as we consumed this soothing rather invigorating beverage. BJ this is to you!
Ingredients: [Serves - 2]
Ginger - a whole piece, cleaned and sliced into thin slices with the skin
Honey - 2tbs
Hot water - 2cups
Black tea - 1/3rd cup (I used Lipton Yellow label)
Into two cups, pour the honey and then put the sliced up ginger and let it sit for about 5minutes. In the meantime boil water. Pour the hot water into the cups about three fourth full. Then spoon in black tea to fill the cups, stir and enjoy!
Again its me and the fruit vendor this time, I eye them and they give me the looks that spell 'do you want something, make up your mind'. I just ended up picking up this nice orangey pink papaya. Blitzed the whole thing into the blender with some cold milk and consumed it all!!
Am sending this across to Madhuri for her event 'Serve me some - Juices, Shakes and Smoothies'
Ingredients:
Ripe Papaya - 500gms
Cold Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - only if required ( I used just about a 1tbs for the extra sweetness)
Chocolate Powder to sprinkle
Peel and dice the papaya and chuck it all into a blender, pour the milk and add sugar and blitz away. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of chocolate powder.
Christmas dinner~ its a pure family time when everyone gathers around at the kitchen table to enjoy what my mums makes, the only person missing was my brother this time, never the less mum is sending me some of her Turkey roast on my route back to Bangalore tomorrow. That's right my holidays are over and its back to the grind and it's back to the workstation.
Our Christmas dinner menu consisted of Appam and Turkey Roast (Naadan style), Pan Seared Salmon. The drink~ Homemade Red Wine and for Dessert Christmas Cake.
Appam and Naadan Turkey Roast
The recipe on Appam has already been posted on 18 December, 2009. For the Kalappam that has been used here the batter has to be thick. Once the tava is hot enough, ladle a spoon of batter, cover and cook till done. And flip over the other side to cook as well.
Ingredients for the Turkey Roast
Turkey - 4.5kg with skin cut into medium pieces
Onions - 5 large ones finely sliced
Potatoes - 5 large ones peeled and cut into thin wafers
Coriander powder - 5tbs
Chilly powder - 3tbs
Ginger garlic paste - 4tbs
Cumin powder - 2tsp
Mustard seeds - 2tsp
5 spices whole - 3tsp (cardamom, clove, cinnamon, star anise and fennel)
Marinate the turkey with chilly powder and salt and set aside for half an hour. Into a large pan, dry roast the 5 spices and keep aside. Then pour in vegetable oil and fry the sliced potatoes till crisp and keep aside. Into the remaining oil, brown half the quantity of sliced onions and keep aside to garnish. Saute the remaining onions till almost brown, and tip in the turkey and fry the turkey pieces till brown. Cover and cook for 15minutes. Into another pan, splutter the mustard seeds, and roasted spices and saute the rest of the masala powders (ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder and cumin powder) till the fat separation happens. Transfer the sauteed masala to the cooked turkey and gently combine the masala and turkey. Once combined, put the lid on the pan and bake into a cool oven for 15mins at 140 C. Once baked spoon the fried onions and top with crispy potatoes. Serve hot with appams.
Pan Seared Salmon
Ingredients:
Pink Salmon - 250gms
Black pepper powder
Lemon juice - 2-3tsp
Salt to taste
Shredded cucumber and carrots to garnish
Rub salt and pepper onto the salmon and keep aside for 10minutes. Into a flat pan, heat olive oil and sear the salmon on both sides till done. Shred Lebanese cucumber and carrots onto a plate, bed the salmon on top and squeeze lemon juice and serve immediately.
Red Wine
Ingredients
Water - 12litres
Grape Juice - 12litres
Sugar - 4kgs
Yeast - 1-2tsp
Mix all the ingredients together and leave to ferment in a closed barrel. You would need to stir the liquid once everyday during the fermentation period. The process should take about 14-21 days. After the fermentation period, strain the liquid into another barrel or cask and let the wine age.
With temperatures being 10-11 Centigrade in the evening, I'm forever scouting for something to keep me warm. At the same time I don't want to overdo myself with several hot cups of tea and coffee both enjoyed equally with milk and sugar. I thought why not try something for a change. So here's a brew I enjoy now!!
Ingredients [Serves - 2]
2 cups of hot water
1 Yellow Lipton tea bag
1/2 cup of orange juice
1-2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1-2 tsp of lemon juice
Sugar to taste
Into a saucepan, boil water and leave the tea bag for about 3-4minutes along with the cloves and cinnamon let it simmer uncovered. Take it off the flame and add in the orange juice and lemon juice. Strain and add sugar to taste and enjoy the warm refreshing cuppa!
My son created an absolute ruckus, while we driving back from playschool past the Corner House (Ice cream Parlor) road in Kammnahalli. I was forced to stop and buy him a Strawberry Cone, while I treated myself to a Mocha Thick Shake. I thought I'd recreate the same shake at home...to treat my husband. So my version of the Mocha Shake.
Blitz in all the ingredients into a blender, and serve immediately. You could garnish it with some chocolate chips, sprinkles, gratings or even sprinkled coffee or cocoa powder.
Tip: You could use your judgment on the amount of coffee or chocolate sauce that is being used here to suit your preference.
Rasam is known to cure a fever, aid in digestion and also has antioxidant benefits. For a simple rasam you would require..
Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 2 ripe roughly chopped
Garlic - 3-4 pods crushed
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4tsp crushed
Mustard seeds - 1/4tsp crushed
Cloves - 2 crushed
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Fennel - 1/4 tsp crushed
Black Peppercorns - 10-12 crushed
Dry Red chilly -2-3 broken into pieces
Tamarind pulp - 1tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/2tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp for the tempering
Curry leaves - a sprig
Shallots - 7-8 finely sliced
Coriander leaves - 2tbs
Water - 3 cups
White pepper powder to sprinkle
Salt to taste
In a saucepan, bring the water to boil add all the ingredients except the mustard, curry leaves (kept aside for tempering) and coriander leaves. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Blend all the ingredients and keep aside. Temper the mustard seeds shallots and curry leaves. Put the blended mixture back into the saucepan, pour the hot tempering and lastly add chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle some white pepper powder just before serving.
Tip: Once the rasam is blended the mixture could be strained and the residue could be discarded. I prefer not straining the liquid because the goodness lies in the residue. Also if you are using tamarind pulp, about 50gms of tamarind should do. It should be soaked in warm water for 10minutes and then added to the rest of the ingredients and brought to a simmer.
