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Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

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A conversation about Wimbledon led me to bake these. I know the natural train of thought will be tennis and the Wimbledon cup and how the hell is it related to cupcakes? But let me lead you to it…famously….slowly …delectably. Now Wimbledon is synonymous with tennis but what it’s also famous for is the tradition of eating strawberries and whipped cream by the spectators. Every year about 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, together with 7,000 litres of cream. Phew! I salivate every time I think about it!! My all time favorite dessert is Strawberries and Cream. There – I’ve said it and it’s official now. So next time I claim something else is my favorite dessert you know I’m lying! I always know when its strawberry season in Bangalore. Am I some kind of seasonal food specialist? – Hell no! I just walk over to Corner House and when they start selling their Strawberries and Whipped Cream, the season has officially begun! And man do I tank up on them like there’s no tomorrow! So this recipe is inspired by Wimbledon and Corner House in January and a gnawing urge to stuff my face with more of the good stuff!

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
Prep time: 20 mins
Baking time: 25 mins
Makes: 8-12
What you need:
75g unsalted Butter, softened
¾ cup or 150 gms Castor Sugar
1 large Egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup plain Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/3 cup or 85 ml Milk
1/2 cup Strawberry puree
1/4 cup Strawberries (coarsely chopped to fold into the batter)
For the frosting:
1 cup fresh Heavy Cream whipped with 3 Tbsp Castor Sugar
2 Strawberries, sliced (to decorate)
What to do:
For the Cupcakes: Sift the cake flour with baking powder and set aside. Combine the strawberry puree and milk together, set aside. In another bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg along with the vanilla essence with the mixer on low speed for a minute. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and puree mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in the chopped strawberries gently.
Line a muffin tray with paper liners/ muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven of 170°C, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown or till a toothpick comes out clean, about 25-26 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Next, remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting: Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with the whipped cream (beaten  with the sugar) and decorate with a slice of strawberry. Are you in Wimbledon yet?

Roast Chicken Drumsticks in a Pomegranate and Honey Pepper Marinade

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I know the title is mighty long and a simple Anardana Chicken would have cut it, but where’s the fancy shmancy in that?!  I’ve never really found a recipe with pomegranate that caught my attention till today. Always ate Pomegranate by itself or sprinkled over a salad. I know using pomegranate and chicken together might jolt some of you, but trust me and carry on reading.  This recipe from the Good Food magazine, seemed too simple. It made me doubt whether that was all there was to it.  I love pomegranates and have always known heard that we use dried pomegranate powder (Anardana) in Indian cooking. However,  the spice mix in this recipe seemed very Middle Eastern and I had a niggling feeling that this maybe Moroccon! I read the ingredients thrice over before finally deciding to go for it! (After all, as the magazine says – Every recipe is thrice tested, so how badly could I screw up?). So how did it finally turn out? It was Fantastic – moist, juicy, peppery and tangy. Excellent bang for the buck. It’s something that you can whip up in a jiffy and just by throwing in some pomegranate jewels it looks so desirable. I call them jewels because they remind me of rubies or garnets and I can’t hide my love for color and bling. It’s also really good for the heart – the pomegranate that is, not the fat dripping chicken! Besides its kinda cool when you mix fruit and meat don’t you think? A most unlikely hit pair!  

 Pomegranate and Pepper Roast Chicken Drumsticks

(Recipe Courtesy: BBC Good Food India, Nov 2011)

Marinating time: 4 hrs or overnight
Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves: 6 as starter, 2 as mains

What you need:

6 Chicken drumsticks, skin removed
1 Tbsp dried Pomegranate powder (Anardana)
1 tsp Black Peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Honey
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds to garnish

What to do:
Mix the oil, melted butter and honey in a large bowl till well blended. Add the dry spices and salt till evenly mixed. Wash and dry the chicken drumsticks and into the marinade. Make 2 to 3 diagonal slits in the meat. Rub the marinade into chicken and coat all the six pieces. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate, allowing the chicken to marinate for atleast 4 hours. (Ideally overnight).

When the chicken is marinated, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the legs on a roasting pan and roast until the surface is golden and the meat is done. (about 30 mins ). Baste the chicken with the run off marinade in the pan occasionally.

Test for doneness by piercing the chicken at its thickest part, towards the bone. The juices should run clear. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds on each drumstick.

I would serve this as a starter but if you want to make a main out of it – Cous cous with a splash of orange juice and chopped parsley and pomogrante seeds folded into it would look gorgeous!

Note: The original recipe said 3 Tbsp of Honey, Oil and Butter each but I felt that was way too much. 2 Tbsp of each worked just perfect. Also I used a roasting tin with a groove around the edges that let the extra fat and oil collect. Perfect for basting without letting the meat wallow in too much liquid while roasting.

P.S. You get Anardana Powder (Dried Pomegranate Powder) in any Indian Grocery store. Make sure you store it in an airtight packet after opening it.

New Year Treat – Bestest Brownies I ever made!

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Here’s a treat for you and me this 2012 – the Bestest (ya, I know Wren and Martin are turning in their graves) Brownies I ever made. So first – HAPPY 2012! May we eat, drink and be merry cause tomorrow we may have to die-t! (Mayan calendar doomsday prediction and all). And second – you guys HAVE to try this recipe. Make it your New Year resolution. At least you’ll end up keeping one! Why is this so amazing? Well, its made of cocoa not tempered chocolate. Yes, you heard me – Cocoa. I know all the purist will disagree that only molten, melting chocolate can produce the best brownies but I have to admit, your preconceived notions will be shattered like mine. This recipe is all over the net for the best brownies ever – so a thousand or so people can’t be all faking it. And more importantly I would not tom-tom my a$$ off about some not quite there product! (Well, atleast not till April Fools Day ;). So go ahead and indulge. I on the other hand, will pray every day that you don’t get fatter this year. (I have to do something to absolve myself after leading you all into temptation!) HAPPY 2012!!!
Bestest Cocoa Brownies
Prep time: 15 mins
Baking time: 35 mins
Makes: 16 squares
What you need:
140 gms / 10 Tbsp unsalted Butter 

1 ¼ cups/ 280 grams Sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pure Vanilla extract
2 large Eggs, cold
1/2 cup all purpose Flour
2/3 cup walnut pieces (optional) – I din’t use any

What to do:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 160°C. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smoothens out once the eggs and flour are added. (Note: Many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. I din’t try it cause I din’t feel like :P)
Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. (I used a beater for 5 minutes.) Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 35 minutes (Medrich’s suggestion is 25 but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set.) Let it cool completely on a rack. (A better option is to toss it in the fridge for a couple of hours. This is only so that you can make clean lines in the brownie while cutting it.)
Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Serve with New Year aplomb! 😀

(Recipe Adpated from : Smitten Kitchen and Bittersweet)

 

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

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Some days you are just so lazy that the only option to a fulfilling meal = a Maggi. I have no shame in admitting that the choice for a meal for one, when the co-resident is away is to shove my face with the noodles in front of the telly. Their byline does it for me – Ready in 2 minutes. It’s another matter that its 400 calories of zero nutrition! (I still love you though, my darling Maggi Noodles!) What can I say, old habits die hard! One sunny Saturday afternoon (that’s when laziness is at its peak), I reached into the store cupboard for my customary lazy meal when … Gasp! I had run out of Maggi. Now the paramount rule of laziness restricts me from getting dressed to go to the store down the road to buy one. So my brain had to think of an alternative which would be ready in two minutes. That’s when I made my Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich! (Well technically two minutes for the assembly, as I already had boiled eggs). Also this one packs in loads of the good stuff – salad leaves, eggs, tuna. A high protein healthy lunch, if you ever needed one! I can feel myself getting leaner already 😉

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins
Grilling time: 5 mins
Serves: 2
What you need:
8 slices of Bread (use wholegrain, if you want to up the health quotient)
200 gms can of Tuna in water, drained
4 hard boiled Eggs, sliced
4 Tbsp Mayo
2 cups Mixed Salad leaves
For the Vinaigrette:
3 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp white wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
What to do:
Put all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar, close the lid and shake well until blended. Pour over the salad leaves and mix to combine.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of salad on the other. Top with the tuna and egg slices. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. Repeat for the other three sandwiches.

Lightly spray a heated grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Alternatively use a sandwich maker. Sit down to enjoy a happy meal!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes – for that Festive Feeling!

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    Featured in TasteSpotting.com – 5th Jan 2012 and Yummly.com – 23rd Jan 2012
Deck the halls with boughs of holly (fa la la la laa, la laa la la), Tis the season to be jolly (fa la la la la ….and thereabouts)! Yes, there is definitely something festive in the air this time of the year! Better TV programming, people getting drunk on home made wine, Brigade road lit up with fairy lights… Oh yes there’s something festive! I’ve always had a double whammy during this time, Mom’s birthday is on the 24th and then comes Christmas! The co-resident insisits on buying me presents and who says no during the season of giving 😉 So it’s only fair to say, it’s my favourite time of the year! (Apart from my birthday of course, which I always thought should be declared a national holiday…No? Ok fine… half a day? No?… Grinches!) Anyway this brings me to the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. Yes, you heard me right – it’s Triple = Three = Tres = more the merrier! It’s a Chocolate cupcake with dark Chocolate Chips and Chocolate Frosting. Too much? But we already established that ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ right? Go ahead lick the cream off one 😉  Happy Birthday Mumma and Merry Christmas Darlings!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 mins + 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Makes: 10-12 cupcakes

What you need:

For the Cupcakes:
½ cup unsalted Butter
1 cup granulated White Sugar
2 large Eggs
¾ cup Maida
½ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup regular unsweetened Cocoa Powder (not dutch processed)
½ cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2/3 cup mini dark Chocolate Chips

For the Frosting:
1 cup granulated Sugar
3 Tbsp Maida
1 cup less 2 Tbsp Milk
3 Tbsp Cream
¾ cup unsalted Butter
½ tsp Vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Chocolate Sauce (Hershey’s)

What to do:
For the Cupcakes: Pre-heat the oven to 170 degree C. Grease or line your muffin tin with paper cups. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. This ensures that all these ingredients mix evenly and lumps are removed. Mix the milk and vanilla extract in a cup

With an electric mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Start with a low speed and increase to high speed. This process incorporates maximum air bubbles, making the cupcakes, soft and airy. Add the room temperature eggs, one at a time. Beat for 30 seconds after each egg.

Now slowly beat the sifted dry ingredients into the mixture in three batches, adding the milk between each flour batch. Start and end with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required, and ensure that the batter is evenly mixed. Do not over beat. With a spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill ½ to 2/3 of the cups in the first muffin tin. Bake for 24-26 minutes. (I use a convestion oven). For a regular oven 23-25 mins should be fine. (I would use this time to make the frosting). Insert a toothpick into one of the cupcakes in the oven and ensure that it comes out clean. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Ensure that the cupcakes are completely cooled before you start to frost them.

For the Frosting: Mix sugar and flour in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add the milk and cream and bring to a boil. Simmer and stir frequently for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Set aside to cool. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes, add the butter and beat for another 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. Add the Chocolate Sauce and incorporate.

Make it look Pretty: Ensure that the cupcakes are at room temperature. This is very important. Lay the cupcakes on a flat surface. Fill a paper cone or a piping bag with a medium tip and frost each cupcake with the frosting. Mmmmmm………… 😀

(Recipe Adpated from The Cupcake Project and Bite Me Company)

Here’s what was featured in Tastespotting.com
Yummly.com featured me in their lucious frosting post on 23rd Jan 2012. 
http://www.yummly.com/blog/2012/01/luscious-frostings-to-top-your-favorite-desserts/

Methi Chicken with Coconut Rice

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I always hated all the weird green leafy things that my mom religiously included in atleast one meal of the day. It din’t matter if the greens were all different and tasted unique, just the fact that it was greens, was enough to make us wring our faces in disgust. We gave it a combined names of ‘Soppu’ which literally means ‘Greens’ in Kannada and left it at that. Methi or Fenugreek leaves was maybe the general of the green army. The fact that it was bitter elevated it to the hate list pretty quickly. Yes, it’s healthy and a fantastic source of Iron, but try getting that into our little brains. Now that my brain is slightly bigger (Ok, my head got bigger, fine?) I may have developed a taste for it….Gasp! (Don’t tell my mom!). Actually aging has a strange effect on the palate. You tend to appreciate other tastes apart from the sugar buzz that got you through high school! (Not saying that sweet somethings don’t get me all woozy brained and manic eyed but you get the drift…). One of my favourite recipes with Methi apart from Methi rice is Methi Chicken. The bitterness all but disappears and you’re left with a smokey flavor. Compliments the coconut rice beautifully!

P.S You can also serve the Methi Chicken with roti’s. That’s what I do when I’m pressed for time!

Methi Chicken with Coconut Rice

Cooking time: 45 mins
Serves: 4-6
What you need:
1 Kg Chicken, curry cut
2 cups Methi/ fenugreek leaves (fresh), chopped
2 Tbsp Vegetable/ Sunflower oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1 large Tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsps Kashmiri Red Chili powder
2 tsp Coriander/ Dhaniya powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
For the Coconut Rice:
3 cups Jeera Sambhar Rice (or any aromatic short grain)
2 medium Onions, sliced
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
2 pieces Cinnamon (1” each)
2 Bay leaves
3 Cardamom pods
10 whole Cashews
5 Tbsp Oil
2 cups Coconut Milk (I prefer the Homemade Brand)
3 cups Water
1 cup Grated Fresh Coconut, lightly toasted
Salt to taste
What to do:
For the Methi Chicken: Heat the oil in a large cooking pan. Once the oil ripples, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the onions and a teaspoon of salt and let it cook covered for 5 minutes. (The salt hastens the browning process, gives the curry a lovely colour). Sprinkle the turmeric, red chili and coriander powder. Reduce heat and saute for 2 mins, till the raw smell disappears. Don’t let the spice mixture burn. Mix in the tomatoes, raise the heat to medium-high and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken and mix well to combine. Cook covered for 10 minutes. After that add the chopped methi/ fenugreek leaves and cook covered on medium-low flame for a further 25-30 minutes. Don’t add any water and let it cook in its own juices. Finally, sprinkle some garam masala and season with Salt as per taste.

For the Coconut Rice: Soak the bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamom in 3 Tbsp of water for 5 mins. Wash and soak rice for 5 mins. Drain and set aside. Heat a pan/ cooker frying pan. Toast the coconut till it starts to just dry out and some strands turn brown. About 5 mins, then set aside. Heat the oil in a cooker frying pan. When it is hot add in the ghee. (This is to prevent it from burning). Put in the whole spices sans water (save it), reduce the heat. Toss in Onions and sauté on medium flame till they turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, fry well. Toss in the cashews, and sauté till golden. Now add the rice and stir well to coat the grains with the oil mixture. Pour in the water, spice water and coconut milk. Stir well to combine. Wait till the contents come to a boil. Pressure cook with weight on for 10 mins. Let it stand for 10 mins before serving or till pressure disappears. Now open the lid and fluff the contents with a fork – this ensures the rice does not stick together. Now gently fold in the toasted coconut.

Serve hot with Methi Chicken!

P.S. If you want a pronounced coconut-y flavor, increase the coconut milk to 3 glasses and reduce the water to 2 ½ glasses. Generally the rule for good fluffy rice is a rice to water ratio of 1:1 ½. However, since the coconut milk also has a solid component, we add more water to ensure the rice cooks to perfection.

Baked Yoghurt with Cinnamon and Orange Compote

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The BBC Good Food magazine finally arrived in India! (Ok, it arrived in November but I’m writing this post now…Sue me!) Like any food fanatic, I was over the moon. Promptly went and subscribed for it and ran around like a headless chicken to get the first edition in my hand. Yes, I do love books with pictures in it… especially food pictures! Got the magazine back home and devoured it from cover to cover! Bliss comes in different ways to different people. I religiously book marked recipes to try and went and did my grocery shopping. Ain’t I the model foodie? But, days turned into weeks and now weeks into a month and I still hadn’t tried anything. The next issue arrived and I was determined to cook something from the first edition atleast! So obviously I picked the recipe that looked the most difficult, the most beautiful, the weirdest, the most challenging, the easiest! This recipe is more about combining ingredients than actual cooking, but it turned out to be quite the dessert! Maybe a little less cinnamon the next time and I’m bookmarking this recipe for easiest dessert ever. (Other than serving Ice cream of course!)
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Baked Yoghurt with Cinnamon and Orange Compote

(Recipe Courtesy: BBC Good Food India, Nov 2011)

Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 6-8
What you need:
¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
200 gms Fresh Cream
200 gms Condensed Milk
200 gms Yoghurt (Set Dahi)
2 Mandarins/ Seville Oranges (where the skin sticks to the fruit)
4 Tbsp Sugar
1 Star Anise
What to do:
In a bowl, stir together the cinnamon, yoghurt, cream and condensed milk until it attains a consistent texture. Pour the mixture into ramekins and bake at 120°C until just set – approx 15 mins. Turn off the oven and let it continue to cool in the oven. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve chilled.
For the compote: Zest the orange making sure to avoid the white pith (that imparts the bitter taste). Cut the oranges into pieces and deseed it. In a saucepan, add the orange, zest, sugar and star anise and simmer for 12-15 mins until reduced. Serve warm spooned over the cold yoghurt.
P.S. The original recipe said ½ tsp Cinnamon, but I think it overpowers the yoghurt. So I’ve reduced it to ¼ tsp or lesser.
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Risi e Bisi

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All good food is comfort food but some rank higher in the list. And if it’s warm and soft and has ham and cheese in it… the points just go way up! When I first read the recipe, I concluded that I liked the name very much. Sounds just like ‘hot rice’ in Kannada! Risi e Bisi actually means rice and peas in Italian. It’s a classic Venetian risotto dish. Comforting for sure, but also simple to make. My version has sweet corn in addition to the peas, just because I think the sweet flavor complements the salty ham well. I use frozen peas in this dish. They are cheaper and are available year round. They also often have a better flavor than the fresh ones, as they are frozen at source immediately after being picked, which helps retain their sweet taste. I bought a kilo of very expensive risotto rice and am using it judiciously, but feel free to use Idly rice. (Apparently the final result is comparable). Don’t take my word for it… I just heard it from a little birdie. But I would love to hear from you, if the substitution worked in your favour. For a cold winter day – Risi e Bisi!
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Risi e Bisi
Cooking time: 50 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
1 ½ cups Risotto rice
1.25 litre / 5 cups simmering Chicken stock
6 Tbsp Butter
1 small Onion, finely chopped
150 ml White wine
1 cup frozen Peas
1 cup Sweet Corn kernels
100 gms cooked ham, diced
50 gms Parmesan/ Grano Padano, grated
Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste
What to do:
Wash the rice, drain and keep aside. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large heavy pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 3 mins, stirring frequently, until softened. Have the hot stock ready in an adjacent pan. Add the rice to the onion mixture. Stir until the grains start to swell, then pour in the wine. Stir until the wine stops sizzling and most of it has been absorbed. Then pour in a little hot stock, with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the corn. Stir continuously on low heat, until all the stock has been absorbed.
Add the remaining stock a ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding in the next ladle. Add the peas after about 20 mins. Stir to mix well and cook for a further 5-7 mins. The risotto should be nice and creamy and cooked. (Some people like it al dente, I like to be a little more cooked, say 3-4 mins more).
Now, gently stir in the diced ham and the remaining butter. Heat through until the butter has melted. Stir in the grano padano. (Save some to grate on top). Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Transfer the risotto to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.
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