Blueberry Muffins

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Ingredients:
All Purpose flour  -  360 g.
Caster sugar       -  360 g. *
Salt    -   1 tsp.
Baking powder  -    1 tsp.
Baking soda -  ½ tsp.
Buttermilk    -  375 ml **
Egg    -    1
Vanilla extract    -   ½ tsp.
Butter, melted    -    70 g.***
Blueberries       -    250 g.

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°c.
2. Combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl.
3. Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and beat on a low speed using a beater.
4. Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and beat until all the ingredients are incorporated.

5. Pour in the melted butter and beat until it has just been incorporated,gradually increase the speed of the beater and beat until the mixture is even and smooth.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries with spoon/spatula until evenly spread throughout the mixture.

7.Spoon the mixture into a 12 hole muffin tray lined with paper cases until each case is 2/3 full.

8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until a skewer comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown in color.
9. Leave the muffins to cool slightly into the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Note:
* Caster sugar is nothing but finely ground granulated sugar(not powdered).
** Make your own buttermilk by mixing equal quantities of water and curd/yogurt.
*** The melted butter should be bought to room temperature before adding it to the batter.(melt the butter before proceeding with the other steps)
# I halved the recipe as I did not have enough blueberries & I made 12 muffins as my muffin tray was smaller in size.
# If not stored properly, the muffin tops will become sticky.

Toasted Walnut Banana Bread

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Ingredients:
All-purpose flour                          -              1 ¼ cup
baking soda                                   -              1 tsp. 
salt                                                 -              ½ tsp.
cinnamon powder                          -              1 tsp.
eggs, large                                     -              2
vanilla extract                                -              ½ tsp.
unsalted butter                              -              ½ cup
sugar                                             -              ¾ cup
ripe bananas, peeled & mashed     -              3 (1 cup)
toasted walnut pieces                     -              ½ cup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease lightly with butter a  9 x5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and the sugar with a electric beater until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. Add one egg at a time and beat well.
4. Add the mashed banana combine well & slowly add the flour mixture & toasted walnuts and mix with a spatula until just combined.(Do not over mix)
5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 50 to 60 mins.
6. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool on a wired rack.
7. Click here for another banana bread recipe.

Notes:

• Check the bread after 50 minutes(time may vary). Use a tooth pick to check.
• Cool the bread completely before cutting(which i didn't & as u can see the bread was crumbling).

Recipe source: mykitchenintherockies

French Toast Roll Ups

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                                                This is a simple tasty snack  with customizable filling. I used nutella and banana filling. You can use a combination of cream cheese and strawberries or any other fruits, peanut butter & banana, Its up to you.

Ingredients:
White Bread slices     -              6
Egg                             -              1
Milk                            -              2 Tbsp.
Sugar                          -              ¼ cup
Cinnamon powder     -               1 tsp.

Method:

1. Lightly beat the egg and milk together in a wide bowl and set is aside. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in another dish and set aside.
2. Cut the crusts  of the white bread slices, and flatten each bread slices with a rolling pin.
3. Spread the desired filling on one side of each slice of bread as shown and tightly roll up the slice of bread. (you may seal the bread using little milk & egg mixture if needed)
4. Repeat the same for the remaining slices.
5. Melt  little butter(just enough to coat the inside of the skillet) in a skillet on medium flame..
6. Dip each rolls in the egg mixture and place it in the skillet. You can do it in batches of 3 or 4.
7. Gently roll the bread roll so that all the sides are browned. Remove from skillet and roll it in the sugar- cinnamon mix until completely covered and serve.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

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          I made this cake for my Hubby's Birthday. As you can see I am not good  at writing on the cake(need more practice, obviously). This recipe has been adapted from loveandoliveoil. I have used red wine instead of blackberry.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
Sugar                                   -          2 cups 
All-purpose flour                 -         1¾ cups 
Cocoa powder                      -         ¾ cup  
Baking soda                         -          2 tsp. 
Baking powder                    -          1 tsp. 
Salt                                      -           1 tsp.
Eggs                                    -           2
Buttermilk                           -          1 cup
Red wine                             -          1 cup
Olive or vegetable oil          -          ½ cup 
Vanilla extract                     -          2 tsp.

For the frosting:
unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes  -   2 cups (4 sticks)
powdered sugar, sifted                                   -   3¾ cup
heavy cream                                                   -   ¼ cup 
vanilla extract                                                 -   2 tsp. 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter and line three 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and combine well. Add eggs, buttermilk, wine, oil, and vanilla and combine well with a beater. Divide evenly among the prepared pans.
3. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
4. Run a small knife around the edges of the pan and gently invert the pan onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. 
5. To prepare frosting, beat the butter until creamy, add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add cream and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Add more cream or powdered sugar as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
6. To assemble, level each cake layer by cutting of the domed top. Place one layer, flat side down, on a serving platter and spread half a cup of the prepared buttercream on top. 
7. Place the second cake layer again flat side down on top and press gently, spread another 1/2 cup of buttercream.
8.  Place final cake layer, flat side up and cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This "crumb coat" will make frosting the cake easier. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow this crumb coat to set. 
9. Remove cake from refrigerator and frost with remaining buttercream. Return cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

• I decorated the cake with berries and Lindsay used chocolate glaze.
• It is better to freeze the cake before applying the frosting.
• If  decorating the cake with berries then do it just before serving, (coz.  fresh berries weep when thawed, lesson learnt!)

Spicy Pineapple Salad

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                                This is a simple salad just like the pineapple mint salad. Ajust the amount of chilly powder according to your taste.

Ingredients:
Pineapple, diced     -         2 cups
Onion, diced           -         1 small
Red Chilly Powder -         ½ tsp.
Salt as required
Mint leaves for garnishing (optional)

Method:
Combine all the above listed ingredients in a bowl & serve.

Pineapple Mint Salad

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                    Pineapple is my least favorite fruit apart from guava. I only like the core (weird uh..)which later I found was not consumed by many others. The fruit is way too sweet for me, so I used to add salt & chilly powder before having it. Anyways did you know pineapple can be cultivated using only it's crown?  This salad is very simple it just requires 2 ingredients as mentioned in the title, but then you can make changes by adding salt or onion etc., it's up to you. The salad is so refreshing, you can adjust the amount of mint leaves. Honestly I thought it smelled like a mint toothpaste. 

Ingredients:
Pineapple, diced                                              -                 2 cups
Mint Leaves (Pudina), finely chopped            -                2 Tbsp.

Method:
               Combine both the pineapple and the mint leaves and serve. Even better refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.

Red Currant Cookies

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              It was just recently that I came to know about currants. We do't get it in India (down south), living in The Emirates has it's own perks, the supermarkets are stocked with exotic fruits and vegetables. I came across these beauties this a few days back and was so excited that I couldn't wait to get home and pop it in my mouth. I returned home took out the currants washed and had one and guess what it was so SOUR! I was so disappointed , I had earlier made the same mistake with strawberries(it looked ripe :/). 

I mean look at them, they look sooo attractive and I seriously thought that it would be super sweet. Anyways I was in a fix, did not know what to do with the entire packet as I was hardly able to eat one, seeing my reaction my husband wouldn't even have one. Then as always google came to the rescue. I found a lot of recipes using red currants. I wanted to make a cake, but unfortunately the required amount of currants were more than what I had so ended up baking these cookies. I got the recipe from here. The cookies when baked & cooled is crispy and it becomes soft later on. The cookies where good, a combination of both sweet & sour.

Recipe source: eatinmykitchen
Ingredients:
All purpose flour                             -                   150 g.
oats                                                  -                    100 g.
salt                                                    -                   ¼ tsp.
baking soda                                      -                    a pinch
baking powder                                  -                    ½ tsp.
butter, softened(at room temp.)       -                     110 g.
granulated sugar                               -                    150 g.
ripe banana, mashed                        -                     1
Egg, small                                        -                     1
Vanilla extract                                 -                     ½ tsp.
red currants, ripe                              -                    150 g.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F  and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, oats, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. 
3. In another large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until fluffy with a beater. Add the mashed banana, egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined. 
4. Stir in the dry mixture with a spoon gently until you have a lumpy dough. Gently fold in the red currants. Do not over mix.
5. Drop a tablespoon of dough on the lined baking sheet, leaving enough space in between them as they will expand in the oven.
6. Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes or until golden, they will be quite soft at first.
7. Remove them from the oven and let it cool a bit, before transferring them onto a wire rack.
8. The cookie will be crispy the first day and will soften gradually.

Blueberry Puff Pastry Pies

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                                  Well I had a packet of blueberries and a packet of puff pastries, googled and I found this recipe, which is pretty simple to make and was pretty looking too. The original recipe used  whipped cream, i used vanilla ice cream. It is not that sweet, so the ice cream went well with the pies. This recipe makes 4 pies.

Ingredients:
blueberries                       -       1 cup
sugar                                -       3 Tbsp.
cornstarch                        -       2 Tbsp.
lemon juice                      -        1 Tbsp.
cinnamon                         -       ½ tsp.
salt                                   -       a pinch
frozen puff pastry, thawed  -   ½ kg.
butter                               -       1 tsp.
Egg                                  -       1
sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, stir together the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry (it should still be cold) into a 10-inch square(the puff pastries i had was square shaped so it did not roll it out). Cut into four quarters and place each piece on a parchment-lined sheet.
2. Divide the blueberry mixture between the pastry, dot each with a bit of butter, and fold the edges of the pastry about ½ inch over on all sides to contain the berries. Brush the pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden(I had to bake for 30 mins. Every Oven differs). Serve warm, with whipped cream(or ice cream). 

Kashmiri Pulao

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          Kashmiri pulao is a fragrant and mildly sweet dish and is very simple to make.

Ingredients:
Basmati or any long grained rice  -        1 ½ cup
Saffron strands            -        ¼ tsp.
Milk                            -         ½ cup
Water                          -          2 cups
Ghee                           -          3 tbsp.
Cashew nuts                -         10
Raisins                       -          10
Cardamom                  -         2 pods
Cinnamon                   -         2
Mace                           -        1
Cloves                        -         3
Sugar                         -         ½ tsp.
Onion                         -        1 large, finely sliced
Pomegranate seeds     -       3 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak the Basmati rice for 10 mins.
2. Soak the strands of saffron in milk for about 20 mins.(the milk turns light orange in color).
3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee  to a hot pan and roast the cashew nuts and raisins until they are golden brown in color and keep aside. In the same oil fry the sliced onions until they are golden brown, keep it aside.
4. Drain and reserve the water from the soaked rice.
5. In a large skillet, heat ghee and add the cardamom, cinnamon, mace, cloves and sugar & and saute for a minute on medium flame.
6. Add the soaked rice and sauté further gently(else the rice may break). Now add the reserved water and the saffron milk to the rice.
7. Add salt, close the vessel with a lid and cook on a low flame until done. Once the rice is cooked fluff it gently and keep it aside.
8. Finally garnish the rice with the roasted onion slices, cashew nuts & raisins and the pomegranate seeds and serve with a suitable accompaniment side.

No Bake Pineapple Bread Pudding

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                       This is a very simple recipe as it does not require to be baked. The pudding consists of alternative layers of cream, bread, pineapple and praline. I prefer using fresh pineapple rather than tinned. 

As I have used fresh pineapple I increased the quantity of sugar for the syrup. I made this pudding for a family get together and they all loved it (well almost all). Unfortunately it did not please my in-laws(too much cream). Well if you have a young group this will do. I would  tweak the recipe to suit the taste of everyone though, like decrease the quantity of cream in each serving and increasing the quantity of the praline. I used the small nutella jars for serving. 

Recipe Source: Marias Menu
Ingredients(Serves 6):
White bread        -  14 slices         
Whipping cream -  500 ml            
Thick cream        - 500 ml             
Icing sugar          -   4 tbsp.          
Chopped pineapple -  2 cups             

For sugar syrup:
 Sugar      -    1 cup          
Water      -     1¼ cup         

For Praline
Chopped nuts (i used almonds)  -   1 cup             
Sugar                                           -  ½ cup 

Method:
To make the praline
Heat the sugar in a non stick pan with 2 tbsp water, when it caramelizes, add the chopped nuts. Reduce the flame and mix well so that the nuts are coated well with the caramel. Pour the praline onto a baking paper. Allow it to cool and crush them using a rolling pin.(refer notes)

To make sugar syrup
 Mix together water and sugar. Heat it till the sugar dissolves and allow it to boil. Remove from fire. Let it cool completely. 

For the pudding

1. Beat the whipping cream and thick cream together gradually adding icing sugar, until the cream has doubled. Spread a thin layer of cream on the base of your serving dish.
2. Remove the crusts from the bread and cut each slice into four squares. Dip the bread slices in the sugar syrup and squeeze it. Make a layer of bread on top of cream, without any gap.
3. Cover with another layer of cream. Sprinkle chopped pineapple and praline on top of that. Repeat the layering process once more starting with cream and finish it off with sliced pineapple and praline.
4. Refrigerate for a  min. of 3 hours, before serving.

Notes:

Use a pipping bag for spreading the cream if using nutella jars.
The praline might stick to the parchment paper(Might help if crushed when still lightly warm)
Do not over beat the cream.(else it will taste of butter)
Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.
Two sets of layering is more than enough.

Kerala Fruit Cake

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Ingredients:

For soaking fruits:
Rum/brandy/wine  -      1 cup (can also use orange juice)
mixed fruit(Tutti frutti)   - 1 cup
Golden Raisins chopped   - ¼ cup
Cashew nut chopped         - ¼ cup 
Dates chopped                   - ¼ cup

For Caramel:
Granulated sugar  - ½ cup
water   - ½ cup + 1 tbsp.

For the cake:
All Purpose flour   -   1 cup + 1 tbsp.
baking powder       - 1 tsp.
Sugar  powdered   -       1cup
Butter    -      ¾c up
Vanilla extract -  1 tsp.
Egg                  - 2 nos.
Powdered cinnamon   -   ¼ tsp.
Powdered nutmeg       -   ¼ tsp.
Dry Ginger powder    -   ¼ tsp.
Powdered Cloves      -    ¼ tsp.


Method:

1. Soak all the chopped dry fruits, nuts and tutti frutti in Rum/brandy/wine at least 2 days before in a bottle in room temperature. Longer the soaking time better the flavor.
2. Combine  sugar and 1 tbsp. water in a sauce pan. Heat it & let the sugar melt. When the color of the melted sugar becomes dark brown, remove the pan from fire & add pour 1/2 cup of water very carefully to this and stir well. Set aside to cool.
3. Pre- heat oven to 350 F.Prepare the cake tins(grease the tins with butter and line with parchment paper use 3 sheets to prevent burning) and keep aside.
4. Sift the  flour with baking powder.Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks with vanilla essence in a bowl.
5. Cream butter and powdered sugar using a beater until its combined well. Add the egg yolks and the flour alternating between them and combine well.
6. Combine the spice powders(Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Dry Ginger powder, Cloves) and cooled caramel.Add the flour and fold it gently until combined well.
7. Drain the dry fruits and nuts and add half of it into the batter and fold gently. Coat the rest with 1 tbsp. of flour and set aside.
8. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed and fold gently into the above batter.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared tins upto half level of the tins smooth the top and add the dry fruits and nuts tossed in flour into the batter.
10. Bake for 45 to 50 mins. Use the tooth pick to check if done.
11. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 
12. When still warm prick the cake top with a fork and pour a tbsp. of wine on the cake top and set aside to cool completely.
13. Cut and serve.

Note:
The cake will be hard due to addition of caramel.
To soften, prepare the cake at least 2 days before and when completely cooled cover it with parchment paper and then with aluminium foil and leave it in room temperature until serving. 
Keep the cake tin on the top most rack of the oven to prevent burning.

Apple Crumble

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Ingredients:
Red apple                       -  3 or 4  nos.
All purpose flour            -   140g.
Cold butter, cut into pieces -  90g. 
brown sugar                         -   90g. 
oats                                       -  60g. 
mixed nuts, lightly crushed  -  30g. 
Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C
2. Peel and cut your apples into small cubes.
3. To make the crumble topping mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar,oats and the nuts.
4. Transfer the cubed apples into a baking dish and sprinkle over the prepared crumble topping.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the top has turned a golden brown.
6. Serve warm with ice cream.

Mango Panna Cotta

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Ingredients:
ForVanilla
Milk              -       1 cup
Cream          -     1 cup   
Sugar           -       1/4 cup 
Vanilla essence         -      1 tsp.  
Cold water                 -      1/4 cup
Unflavored gelatin    -       1½ tsp.     

For Mango
Mango       -      2 No's.  
Sugar       -      1/4 cup.
 Cold water       -    1/4 cup  
Unflavored gelatin  -   1½ tsp.   


Method:

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water and keep it aside to soften for 5 minutes. 
2. In a sauce pan heat milk,cream,vanilla and sugar to a simmer then turn off the heat.Whisk in the gelatin mix make sure that there are no lumps. Let it cool.
3. Pour into glass or bowls so that they are about half full.Cover with a cling film and let it set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until set.
4. Meanwhile peel and cut the mango into small chunks and blend until smooth.
5. Heat mango puree and sugar in a small sauce pan until sugar has dissolved. Add softened gelatin and mix well.Let it cool.Pour it over the frozen panna cotta.
6. Cover and refrigerate for another 1 hour or until the mango mixture has set. Garnish and serve!

Baked Apple

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Ingredients:
Red Apple   -  1 
Brown Sugar  -  2 Tbsp.
Butter   -   2 Tbsp.
Cinnamon Powder - 2 tsp.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190 C.
2. Wash and core the apple. Place it in a glass baking dish.
3. Place butter and brown sugar in small quantities inside the core of the apple and spread the rest of the butter and sugar along with cinnamon around the apple.
4. Place in oven and bake for an hour or until the apple is soft and wrinkled. The butter and sugar melts to form a syrup like consistency. Coat the apple in the syrup every 15 mins. 
5. Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice cream. The Syrup thickens and becomes chewy as it cools.

Sweet and Sour Mango Chutney

Ingredients:
Raw mango         –       2 Nos.(peel and cut in 1 inch sized cubes)
Black pepper       –       12 pods, crushed
Cinnamon stick   –       ½ inch
Sugar                   –       100 gms.
Turmeric power   –      ½ tsp.
Red chili powder –       1 tsp.
Fennel seeds        –       1 tsp.,crushed
Salt                      –        1 tsp.
Oil                       –         2 tbsp.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai  and add the crushed black pepper and cinnamon stick and saute for 2 mins.
2. Add the cubed mangoes in the kadai and incorporate it well and leave it for new 5 min on medium heat.
3. Add the turmeric,chili powder and salt and mix well for a minute or two.
4. When the mangoes turn a bit soft add the sugar and mix well until it dissolves. Add little water if required.
5. Cook for another 10 mins. and add the crushed fennel and remove from flame.
6. Allow to cool and store in a air tight jar in refrigerator (keeps good for a month). Serve with any kind of breads.

Fruit Salad with ice cream

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    I got this recipe from my sister(in-law). There isn't any quantity mentioned because I made this by tasting it at every stages. This is a very simple dessert which requires zero cooking and can be made in a jiffy {if you have already cut your fruits ;)}.

Ingredients:

Fruits of your choice - I used mangoes, oranges, grapes, apples
Fruit salad Ice cream - I used Kwality ice cream
Condensed milk        - according to the sweetness you require (add little at a time)
Chocolate shavings and nuts for decorating

Method:

  There's actually nothing much to do. 

1. Peel and cut you fruits in small cubes. 
2. Beat the ice cream using a beater until its creamy and a bit loose.
3. That's it all you have to do now is to combine the fruits and condensed milk to the beaten ice cream, decorate and serve.

Banana Bread

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Ingredients: (Makes 1 loaf)

3 or 4                  -     ripe bananas, smashed

1 1/2 cups           -     all-purpose flour

1/3 cup               -     melted butter

3/4 cup               -    Sugar 

1                        -     egg, beaten

1 tsp.                  -     vanilla

1 tsp.                  -      baking soda

Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. 
2. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
4. Add  baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. 
5. Add the flour and mix. Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan.
6.  Bake for 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean or almost clean. Cool on a rack and serve.

Note:
*  Any kind of nuts can be added.
* I used light brown sugar instead of the normal one and i got a very moist cake with a light  butterscotch flavour. 

Magic Cake

Yum

The magic is in the fact that you get a 3 layer cake with one batter; dense one on the bottom, custard-like layer in the middle, and a sponge layer on top. 

Ingredients:

Source: whiteonricecouple

 eggs, separated, at room temperature -  4 no.          
water                          -  1 Tbsp.   
Sugar                          -   150 g   
butter, melted             -  125 g    
 All purpose flour       -   115 g    
 milk, lukewarm          -   2 Cups    
vanilla extract              -  2 tsp.     

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 325 F. Grease a 8 inch x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish and keep aside.
2. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, water and vanilla until light.
4. Gradually add melted butter and continue beating for a minute. Then add the flour and mix it in.
5. Add the lukewarm milk  slowly and gradually and beat until well incorporated.
6. Gently fold in beaten egg whites using a spatula or a whisk.
7. Pour batter into a greased  baking dish and bake for about 60 minutes or until the top is golden.
8. Cool in the pan for at least 3 hours. Serve  with powdered sugar.