Panna Cotta

I was on a look out for a light and tasty dessert , which at the end doesn't make u feel all stuffed up, after dinner and I came across one in Betty Crocker's recipe book Panna Cotta .

This is an Italian dessert for cooked cream , an unbaked egg free custard with a silky texture .This is super easy recipe made with few ingredients, and the best part tastes great!!!

I just made a little addition as mango is fruit of choice in my family , and accepted in any shape or form I added mango pulp to the Panna cotta , it blends well with the vanilla flavor.

What u need:

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon full unflavoured gelatin (usually found in the cake aisle)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon full vanilla
• 2 tablespoon Kesar mango pulp
• dash of salt


• Pour half and half in a pan , sprinkle the gelatin evenly over cold half and half , let it stand for 10 mins. Heat half and half mixture for 5-7 mins, stirringly constantly until the gelatin is dissolved and just before it begins to simmer.


• Stir in sugar, vanilla , mango pulp and salt .



• Pour this mixture into custard cups , cover with plastic wraps and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.when ready run a knife around the edge , and dip the bottom of the cup in very hot water for few secs , immediately placing it up side down onto a dish & enjoy!!

Show me your cook books

Cookbooks have always been my weakness most often I don't make a whole lot of recipes from them , but love to read the stories related to the recipes as to why the author chose or wrote about a particular recipe. Not to mention the wonderful pictures that are a huge selling point for any cook book.

My favorite cookbook cuts down all these barriers and is a straight down and simple Indian cookbook with the most mouthwatering recipes. Malabar Muslim Cookery book has been a great find for me, among all the other treasured book collection I have so far, I love the non-vegetarian dishes mainly.

Growing up in a catholic family never got hold of these delicious recipes luckily I came across this book. This book is one of a kind as most of these recipes in the book are the ones which are made at home on a daily basis or on special occasions too ,but are usually passed thru generations from family to family.

The author of this cook book Ummi Abdulla introduces the readers to gourmet Muslim cooking with the subtle flavours of pathiri, egg roast, Malabar Biriyani , Meen Biriyani etc. Although it misses out on pictures as a strong element but then your imagination can fill in the void.

This is my entry for the upcoming event "Show me your Cookbooks" hosted by Nags of
For the cook in me .

Stuffed meat Stromboli

I am a regular viewer of Food network especially on my free days, I am always on a look out for new recipes ,ideas, and above all for the joy of cooking. It feels so good to see a well designed cooking event where everything goes as planned no mishaps ,and at the end the dish turns out a success um um um umm ummhh!!!

Few months back I came across a Pizza dough recipe by celebrity chef Tyler Florence ,it is a pretty simple recipe , but instead of making a pizza thought of adding a twist to the recipe why not stuff it with meat...like a Stromboli.


So I decided to give this idea a try and voila !!!

It turned out great!!!!

Here's the recipe:
Flour (maida): 1 cup
yeast : 1 teaspoon full
salt : 1 teaspoon full
Olive Oil : 1-2 teaspoon full
water as needed.

Mix the above ingredients to make a dough , remember to soak the yeast in little warm water before mixing it with the dough so that it gets activated . After the dough is mixed to the right consistency add oil to make it soft .Leave this for 1/2 hour with a lid, after that the dough will almost become double it's size , mix it up again and set aside for another 1/2 hour.

Stuffing:
Meat (chicken , pork or beef) :1 lbs
onion : 1 finely chopped
green chillies : 2 finely chopped
ginger & garlic : 1 teaspoon full finely chopped
Cilantro: 1 tablespoon chopped.
turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon full
garam masala : 1/2 teaspoon full
Black pepper : 1/2 teaspoon full
Olive oil : 1 -2 teaspoon full
salt to taste.

Boil the meat with salt and turmeric for 15-20 mins if in cooker till 3 whistles blow or else till well done. After it cools down mince it in a food processor , or u can use ground meat too for this dish I prefer minced meat gives a different texture .

Heat up a pan add the oil , then add the chopped onions , ginger, garlic and chillies cook for few minutes till translucent, add turmeric, garam masala black pepper, cook for few mins more,then add the meat .This has to be of a dry consistency so no need to add water, lastly add the salt and sprinkle the chopped cilantro leaves, let this cool down.

Next step is to roll out the dough on to a base , remember to oil the base or else the dough will stick, arrange the meat mixture on to the dough and fold it over to seal the ends. Cut in desired shape or size and bake at 375 C FOR 20 Mins . Serve with tomato sauce or mint chutney!!

Shrikand

Growing up I always thought shrikand was a difficult delicacy to make,lil' did I know it is so effortless, tastes good and healthy too. I usually make this as breakfast dish along with puffy puris made of wheat flour, this also tastes good with plain chapathi, or even bread. My lil' one loves to just eat this by it self in a bowl.

It is one of the main desserts in Gujarati cuisine and a common side dish in Maharashtrian cuisine, this can be made with different variations like adding saffron, or mango, or even strawberry.

How to make:

yogurt : 1 cup u can use store bought plain yogurt or home made

sugar : 1/2 cup

saffron : few strands

warm milk : 1 tablespoon

cardamon crushed : 1/2 tsp

pistachios : 1 tsb

u can also add almonds if needed

Hang the curds in a muslin cloth in a cool place for approximately 4-6 hours until all the liquid has drained off.In a small bowl mix saffron into the warm milk until it dissolves. Mix together the hung curds, sugar, saffron mixture and cardamom in a bowl and churn using a hand blender. Place in the refrigerator, garnish with pistachios . Serve with puffy puris or rotis.