Summer Berry Pudding

Adapted from Chuck's Day Off on TLC

Summer is here...well almost. We still have a few more weeks before the excruciating heat begins, but I can feel the temperatures rise slowly. Summer for me is official dessert season. Fresh tropical fruits are abundant, and you body is just begging to be served something cold and juicy. So I wanted to herald the start of summer, and valentines season, with this simple dessert. Ever since I've seen this episode, I've been waiting for berry season to make this pudding. The best part is that this pudding makes you look so good in front of your friends, and its hardly 5mins worth of prep time. Its so easy to make and even easier to lick clean :)

1 pack or 10 slices bread, crusts removed. The bread quantity really depends of your serving bowl. The larger the bowl, the more bread to cover it up.
4 cups of assorted berries. I used only strawberries.
1 cup sugar

In a large saucepan add the berries and sugar and cook in a low flame. Cook till the berries start releasing its juices. The berries should be soft and yet still hold its shape.

Line a large bowl with cling wrap. There should be enough plastic hanging off the bowl to cover it up completely as well. Remove the crust from the bread slices. Dip the bread slices in the berry juice and lay it into the bowl. Lay the bread to take the shape of the bowl, and ensure that there are no gaps.

Let berries cool to room temperature and then spoon it into the bread lined bowl. 'Cover' the bowl with a final layer of juice dipped bread and spoon over any leftover juices. Cover with the plastic wrap and add some weight on the top. Refrigerate over night.

To serve, gently invert bowl into a serving dish. Shake it lightly to loosen. Peel the plastic wrap off.

Serve with sweetened cream or whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Tip: Reserve some of the berry juice for serving and use as a garnish

French Onion Soup

Bonjour! I still remember the first time I had traditional French onion soup. Sitting in a brasserie, ordering a bowl to share with my friend...unknowing that we would eventually order individual servings instead. It arrived, bubbling and hot, like liquid gold. The aroma is something I can't get out of my mind. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. When I had a spoon of that savoury broth, that luscious bread, that molten cheese; I knew that this is a dish not be shared. And that bite was perfect. It was so good, I wanted that moment to last forever.

So today I want to recreate the moment. I know my soup wont be exactly the same. We don't get the same ingredients here in India. But I'm gonna try replicating this dish with local ingredients, without losing the integrity of this dish. I also bought a potful of concentrated beef stock from my trip to Paris and I think its going to be the perfect ingredient for my onion soup. What is a French onion soup without onions, and the onions you use make all the difference. I found this article which tells you the difference between each onion and what to expect out of it. Today I'm predominantly using red onions with a handful of white onions to cut out the sweetness.

The most crucial and time consuming past of this dish is to caramelize the onions. It means the onions need to slowly cook and wilt in butter over a low heat with constant stirring thrown in for good measure. It is what gives this dish its colour. However I have read somewhere that you can also do the bulk of the cooking in the oven. I'm however going to go the traditional way...just because. You should be looking at a colour similar to mine below.

The next important part of any soup is the stock. I've used beef as I got a potful of amazing beef stock from France. And the bottle says, it is intended for French onion soup....how perfect is that! But you can use chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you are a veggie.

Adapted from willcookforfriends.com
Makes a potful (serves approx.8)

10 large onions, sliced
5tbsp butter
8cups stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1tbsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste

In a large heavy bottomed pan, add the butter and onions. The onions will take a minimum of 30-40mins to be done on high heat. Be patient. The onions will first soften, then wilt, before starting to change colour. By then it will be half the original volume. You will need to give the onions your full attention so that it doesn't burn, while stirring frequently. Feel free to scrape the sides as well. Once the onions start sticking to the bottom and really go a deep brown colour, you can start ladling in the stock. I actually ladled in the initial spoons, and waited for the onions to absorb the flavour and evaporate the water, before adding in another spoonful.

Now reduce the heat and add in the stock. Add in the rest of the ingredients and let the soup simmer for about 30mins. Pull out the bay leaf.

To serve: Toast bread to really crunchy or fry till golden and crispy. Ladle soup into an oven proof bowl. Top with slices of toasted bread and generous amounts of cheese. Grill till the cheese has melted. Serve piping hot and fresh out of the oven. Et Viola!

Note: Traditional soup calls for crusty baguette and gruyere. The economical person I am used regular sliced bread and regular cheese. You may look like you are deviating from tradition, but its cheap and equally tasty.

Tip: You can substitute bread with fried potato slices as well.

I know it may not look as fancy as what you get in the restaurant...but there is just no replacing taste, flavour and a whole lot of love :)

No Bake Strawberry Pie

This dessert is a random recipe I came up with one fine day, while pondering on the contents of my fridge and pantry. I wanted to make something indulgent, but was too lazy to go marketing. And my no bake tart is born of such procrastination. And boy does it score.

This recipe is perfect for a valentine's day treat. Or any other day you want to stir up some romance. And the best part is, you don't have to make it before hand (ideally I would recommend you do, but its not necessary). And with just 5 ingredients, its way too simple to not try at home.

Ingredients:

200gms digestive biscuits (you can use any biscuit as long as its not salty and crumbs well)
75gms melted butter
200ml whipping cream
2 cups strawberry
50gms castor sugar
Strawberry Squash to garnish (optional)

Crumb the biscuits with melted butter in a food processor. Add to bottom of the pan and pat down. The aim is to form a crust. Pop it in the fridge to set.

While that is setting, whip the cream till thick and twice its volume. Gently fold in the sugar. Chop up the strawberry according to preference. Add the cream on top of the biscuit base and then top up with the strawberries. Set in the fridge to chill and set. Drizzle in the syrup before serving.

Tip: I know I called this dessert no bake, but you can also bake the crust in the oven for 10mins to really crisp up. You can also substitute the whipped cream with cream cheese.

Shakshuka

Shashouka means a 'mixture' in Arabic slang. Its a dish of poached eggs in a flavourful tomato sauce that originated somewhere in the middle east or north africa. Because egg is the star of this dish, it often features in breakfast menu. I find the dish very hearty, so its perfect for winter suppers. It is also a very community dish. It is usually served in the pan its made with some bread on the side. So you and your family need to just gather around the pan and dig in.

Never heard of it? It is also commonly referred to as eggs in purgatory. Buzzfeed even did a section on it!

Serves 4

1tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 can Tomato puree
1 Tomato finely chopped
2 medium Red Peppers chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1tsp Cumin
1tbsp Harissa (optional)
1/2 cup Cheese (optional)
4 Eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Note: I roasted the peppers (see directions below) before adding them to this dish, but omit this step if its too much effort and you don't feel like it.

Roast Peppers: Place the peppers on a hot grill or oven stove flame. It will starting 'popping' so don't be alarm by the sound. Once blistered, put in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it steam for 15-20mins. You can use them as they are or peel & deseed them to use.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. The pan should be large enough to hold the ingredients and shallow enough for the egg to not sink in. Add the garlic and onion and cook till its translucent. Add in the peppers, and cook for a minute. Now stir in the cumin, harissa and bay leaf. Add in the tomatoes & puree and let it simmer for 10-15mins. Stir occasionally. Discard the bay leaf and add in salt and pepper.

Now crack in the eggs. It helps to create a clearing or 'well' in the sauce and adding the eggs in it. You can now pop this in the oven to bake or cover the pan with a lid. I love the lid version as the whole egg poaches in the tomato sauce. Turn off the heat once the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny. I had some feta cheese from a food hamper someone gifted me. And I think it goes beautifully with this dish, but you can add in any cheese you have handy. Garnish with some coriander and dig in!

Tip: This dish is usually served with warm pita bread, but you can use any carb. I recently received a gourmet Mexican hamper, so I'm going to serve this dish with some exotic tortilla chips from it.
You can also go crazy with what you put in this dish. While I've made the veggie version today, you can add any meat or veggie combination. It is also an excellent dish to make with leftovers.

Almond & Chili Pepper Pesto

Ah pesto! What can it not do; toss it in pasta, marinate it with meat, add it to salad etc. The best part is how versatile and creative you can get with ingredients. According to me, as long as the core ingredients of olive oil, garlic and basil are present, it doesn't matter what you put in the blender to make 'pesto'.

So here is my version. I've basically used leftover basil from my previous recipe and whatever I could find in my fridge. I had these beautiful red peppers left over so my pesto has a real kick. Its not too spicy when you remove the seeds, but still, definitely not for the faint hearted.
Disclaimer: I'm using chilli peppers which is similar to capsicum, do not confuse them to actual red chillies.

2 cups Basil
1 cup Pepper
3/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup Cheese
3 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

The best part about pesto is how easy and quick it is to make. Just toss all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Blend till until its a fine mix. Drizzle in olive oil while the blender is mixing, until it forms a smooth paste.

Note: Using almonds completely changes the taste and texture of the pesto. Its a lot creamier, and there is a distinct nutty taste. Plus its a lot heavier, so cut down the generosity while spooning it over your pasta. The plus side is that this recipe also makes a fine sauce for noodles.
I also sprinkled the pesto with some lime to lighten it up.

How To Melt Chocolate

You can melt chocolate in a microwave or in a bain marie or water bath. My personal favourite is the microwave as its minimal effort, quicker, needs just one pan and is less messy. Here are the fundamentals:

• Chopped, uniform pieces of chocolate will ensure even melting.
• Water is kryptonite! Absolutely avoid any contact to water. Water will make the chocolate unworable so ensure that even your spatula and bowl are completely dry.
• Do not over heat or the chocolate will end up becoming grainy

In a Microwave:

The most critical part of using the microwave is choosing the right container. You want a bowl that is microwave safe and yet remains fairly cool or slightly warm to touch. If the bowl is too hot for you to handle after microwaving, chances are it is too hot for your chocolate to handle as well. 

It is also preferred to melt you chocolate on a lower power setting as you don't want to burn it. Another alternative is to heat the chocolate for short intervals, and stirring between each interval.

In a Double Boiler:

This is the more traditional way of cooking chocolate. The biggest plus of using this method is that you can see the chocolate progress so there is no risk of burning it. You want enough water to provide heat, but not so much that the bottom of the chocolate bowl touches the water.

Skinny Pasta with Homemade Pesto

All that baking does call for some healthy meals once in a while. And who doesn't like pasta? I think its one of the few dishes I am more than happy to chow down on even if it is completely vegetarian. That was actually one of the ways my mom got me to eat veggies growing up. So if you do find the odd cauliflower in your pasta when you visit home...don't say I didn't warn you!

Why is this pasta skinny? For the following reason:

• I've used dried whole wheat pasta. While this may be an improvement, pasta is still a complex carb, and a processed one at that. So I've cut down the portion of pasta and increased the portion of veggies/ meat used. 
• I also went easy on the pesto. I want it to lightly coat the pasta, not drench it and over power the flavour.
• I've used Olive oil, and very little of it. I'm using red meat which does release its own oils. Plus the pesto also calls for oil in good measure. I hate eating a dish where the oil is easily visible. Which is why I used the meat oil as a base.
• I used cheese sparingly. Now while you may argue that one must omit the cheese altogether, it is an important ingredient in any pasta. Unless you have rock solid will power, you will most definitely want some cheese.  

Now go make this pasta while I watch TV with a tub of ice cream :)

For the pesto recipe, check out this link.

200gms whole wheat pasta

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup meat of your choice cut into bite sized pieces. I've used some chicken and ham

Salt & pepper to taste
Cheese to garnish.

Cook pasta in boiling water and salt until al dente. Drain the water, but reserve a cupful. This water contains most of starch which will form the basis of the sauce. Add the pesto to the hot pasta and ladle in a spoonful of the drained water. Stir till the pesto coats all the pasta.

In a pan sautee the ham. Once the meat starts releasing its oils, add in the onion and garlic. Cook till onions are soft and translucent. Add in the chicken and sautee till cooked. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Combine with pasta in a serving dish and finish off with grated cheese.

Note: I haven't added veggies here as my pesto already has the goodness of spinach. However feel free to add any veggies you like.
Traditionally pasta is finished off with grated parmesan, but being in India this is an extremely expensive ingredient. Which is why I have used mild baby cheddar.

Spinach & Basil Pesto

Making pesto is so easy, you will never buy that jarred stuff again.

You will need:

2 cups spinach
1 cup basil

1 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/4th cup walnuts

salt and pepper

Add all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and turn on 'HIGH'. While its blending, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. We want the olive oil to emulsify the ingredients. Blend till desired consistency is reached.

Note: Traditional pesto calls for pine nuts, but its the priciest nut around. I substituted it for walnuts which worked beautifully. You can use pretty much any nut as a substitute except peanut. You can also experiment with different leafy veggies to make 'pesto' like spinach or kale .