Vegan Pudding

Serves 4

1 cup non-dairy whipping cream*
2 tbsp Maple Syrup (use honey or sugar as substitute though it won't be vegan)
2 over ripe Bananas (preferably plantains)
100 gms Dark chocolate
200gms Oreos (optional)



*Almost all whipping cream available in the market is dairy free and soy based. And trust me it is lighter, lasts longer and tastes better than the dairy version. Popular brands include Rich's, Topolite, MerryWhip & GoldTop. They come in 1kg packs, and since it's not an everyday ingredient, I just divide the contents into individually portioned containers and freeze it. Ensure you write the serving size (1 cup, 1/2 etc) and the date on top of the container. When you need it, just thaw out one container in the refrigerator for a few hours.

In a small bowl, mash bananas so that no big chunks remain. You can use the blender to get a smooth puree if you prefer. In a blender or using a rolling pin, crush oreos till it crumbs and set aside (you can skip the oreo crust if you're not up for it...but seriously...should you?)

In a large bowl, pour in the whipping cream. Using a whisk or hand mixer, whip the cream till soft peaks form. Now drizzle the maple syrup and add the bananas. Fold in the bananas and maple syrup so as to not deflate the cream.

You can use individual glasses to portion or a large serving dish. To assemble, spread the oreo crumbs at the bottom, topped with the cream mixture. Alternately, you can build a trifle with layers of oreos, cream and mashed bananas. Refrigerate for 30min to an hour to cool the pudding. Grate dark chocolate on top and serve!

Chocolate P&B Squares

I've been out of action for a while. Between moving houses, buying appliances and painting walls, life just caught up with me. I got a brand new KitchenAid, but now I also have a tiny kitchen with absolutely no shelves. Get the joke?

Cooking and baking in a makeshift kitchen is a real challenge. But these Peanut Butter & Chocolate bars are almost too easy to be true. With just 5 ingredients, it's no bake, no cook and absolutely no fuss. All you need is a bowl. Obviously it helps to use a grinder to get biscuit crumbs, but elbow grease and a rolling pin don't disappoint either. And obviously it helps having a microwave to melt chocolate or butter, but Indian summers are just as effective.



Adapted from Buzzfeed

100 gms melted butter

400 gms digestive biscuits crumbed

2 cups creamy peanut butter + 2tbsps

50 gms powdered sugar

300 gms dark chocolate 

Line a pan (preferably 9"x9") with aluminium foil and set aside.

In a bowl, combine melted butter, peanut butter, sugar and biscuit crumbs. Stir till well combined. Spread the mixture evenly in the lined pan and refrigerate. While the peanut butter mix is chilling, melt the chocolate. Once melted, stir in 2tbsps peanut butter and mix till smooth. Spread evenly over the refrigerated P&B mixture. Chill until firm (approx. 1hr). Cut and serve!

For a vegan version of these bars, just substitute the butter for 2 tbsps of a neutral oil.

Tip: When the chocolate is melted, sprinkle a pinch of salt. Salt brings out the inherent sweetness of chocolate :)

Note: I've used very little sugar because I didn't want these bars to be overly sweet. Obviously, if you have a huge sweet tooth, feel free to add between 100-150gms sugar.

Milk Cream

This Christmas sweet is always a winner. It's fudge like consistency and a biscotti flavour is a hit with everyone. And ofcourse, my mother-in-law makes it the best.

This melt in the mouth Milk Cream is a dream, but like all good things, it comes to those who wait and slog. It's tedious - make no mistake about that. This specific sweet demands a lot of elbow grease. Continuous stirring means that this recipe can get repetitive and monotonous, but wait till its done, you'll be grateful that you stuck it out till the end. It's amazing how with just 3 ingredients, one can whip up such delicious treats.



Recipe by Sandra Kamerkar:

1ltr milk
450gms sugar
100gms finely ground cashew nuts

On the lowest flame, bring the milk to boil (using a heavy bottomed non stick pan is the best). Keep stirring till the milk reduces to half it's quantity. This process usually takes atleast an hour. Add the sugar and keep stirring. The sugar will dissolve and the milk thickens further. Once the milk is thick i.e coats your spoon completely without falling like syrup, add the cashews. Keep cooking and stirring till the mixture thickens further and starts pulling away from the sides.



To test when its done, drop a bit in a cold water bowl. The mixture shouldn't separate/dissolve in water, and it should hold together i.e: you should be able to make a ball and it should be smooth and hold its shape. Alternately, you can stick your finger in the pan and the mixture shouldn't be sticky.

Take off the heat and remove in a bowl to cool and dry. Once cool, butter rubber moulds and mould the milk cream. If you don't have moulds, you can roll them into little balls. Or using an oiled rolling pin, roll it out and cut into squares.



Place on a tray and let it dry overnight. Store in an airtight container.

Note: I cannot stress the importance of stirring the mix continuously, failing to do so will burn the mixture. Do not take you eyes (or your spoon) off the mixture.



Once ready, the milk cream actually turns colour from white to off white or biscuity.

Fudgey Walnut Toffee

The next few recipes come from my mother-in-law Sandra Kamerkar. She is a treasure trove of recipes and I'd be a fool to not share her cooking on the blog. I asked her to show me some traditional christmas sweets and this is the first thing she made. It's pretty easy to make, which is why its perfect for those trying out xmas sweets for the first time.

You only need 4 commonplace ingredients. The crunchy, fudgey texture is just a party in your mouth. And its so addictive! I can eat these like pop corn.  It's bite sized which makes a perfect edible gifting option.



1 can condensed milk*
1/2 tin sugar
1/2 tin full fat milk
1 tin chopped walnut
2tbsp cocoa powder

*I've used the empty condensed milk tin as a measure for the rest of the ingredients



Mix all ingredients (except the walnuts) in a pan on a low flame. Keep stirring gently till the mixture leaves the side of the pan. Now add the walnuts and stir to incorporate. Let it cool enough that you can touch it without burning your hands. Once it's manageable, roll into bite sized balls. The mixture needs to be shaped while still hot. Once it cools down it gets rock solid and completely unmanageable. Wrap in chocolate wrappers if you desire to gift.



Tip: You can add additional flavouring (like coffee) to the milk mixture to give this toffee some zing.

Banoffee Pie

Anyone who has ever whipped up a banoffee pie knows that this dish is seriously simple, and unbelievably delicious. It is a wonderfully over-the-top dessert. It's crunchy, sticky, creamy, and so indulgent that it makes my mouth water just writing about it. Try it once, and it will soon become a real favourite for hassle-free entertaining.

Makes a 12" pie. Serves approx 10

2 cans of condensed milk
400gms biscuits (I recommend digestive biscuits, graham crackers or hob nobs)
100gms butter
5-7 bananas
200ml whipping cream



Fill a large pot with 3/4th of water and place over high heat. Once the water boils, submerge the cans of condensed milk. Ensure that the cans are fully immersed or it will end up exploding! Leave the cans to boil underwater for 2hrs. Remove from the water to let it cool.

Melt the butter. Crush the biscuits till a fine crumb. Now add the butter to the biscuit and combine. Transfer to your pie dish and press down to create an even base. Chill the tin in the fridge for 30mins.

The next layer of the banoffee pie is the best: sticky, caramel or toffee. The boiled condensed milk forms a thick, sticky, absolutely delicious toffee. Once cooled, spread the toffee evenly on top of the biscuit base.Thinly slice the bananas and lay them over the condensed milk toffee. Refrigerate for 20mins.

Pour whipping cream in a large bowl and whip till stiff. Spread the cream evenly on pie and refrigerate for another 30mins. Slice & serve. Its simply divine on its own, but if you are feeling indulgent, grate some chocolate on top and enjoy!



Note: Traditional banoffee pie calls for a shortcrust pastry base, but the biscuit base is popular for a reason. Not only is it delicious and adds some crunch, it also doesn't go soggy at the bottom and it helps cut the sweetness of the condensed milk

Tip: Tossing bananas in a little lemon juice makes the pie keep better and also lends a hint of tanginess to all the sweetness.

I'd also recommend add a dash of coffee to the cream as you are whipping it, to give some additional flavour

Beer & Cheddar Dip

The football World Cup finals are just around the corner and I know most of us will be holed up with a group of friends, eating greasy food and beer, and cheering one side or the other. So when I was thinking of a World Cup inspired recipe to dish out for the finals, I really wanted something that brings together all elements of a sports bar.



I love this show called Chuck's Day Off. Chuck Hughes is one of my favourite chefs and its not the first time that I've tried out his dish (my Summer Berry Pudding). I was viewing an episode where he makes these pretzels with a cheese dipping sauce. I contemplated making the pretzels, but then it struck me that the cheese sauce is the best thing to serve at the game.



The beer in the sauce is bang on, incase you don't find any during the game :P

Adapted from Chuck's Day Off

1 can of Beer (any brand, any variety)
2 cups of Cheddar cheese
1 tbsp flour
1 clove of garlic, minced
A pinch of pepper and/or chilli flakes

I liked my sauce to have a nice kick of heat so the ingredients below are optional
Optional:
1 tbsp minced Jalapeño
1 tsp paprika



In a saucepan, bring the beer to a simmer over medium heat. Grate the cheese in a bowl and dust it with flour. Add this to the beer with the garlic. Stir till the cheese has melted and the texture is smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir till combined. Keep warm till you are ready to serve.



Note: Beer and cheese are inherently salty so DO NOT add salt additionally to the dip.

Tip: This sauce is a pot of gold. It can go with anything. You can cheat it into a fondue. Use it for nachos or tacos. Pour it over cooked macaroni to make some instant mac & cheese, or even use it as pasta sauce. But it goes best with a bag of chips or fries.

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

There is nothing like being able to satisfy a sweet tooth craving on a moment's notice. In less time than it take for the oven to preheat, you can have these ready and waiting on the baking tray.



(Adapted from www.barefeetinthekitchen.com)

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius. In a bowl, stir all ingredients till smooth. Scoop into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can also roll into balls with your hands and press down on the sheet. The dough isn't runny so you can really mould it as you like. Bake for 15mins and then let it cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!



If you choose to add an extra egg (like I did), the cookie dough will not be firm enough to roll in your hands. You will have to use a scooper. They will also need a bit of time to settle as they cool and will be gooier.



Tip: You can also experiment with different flavourings like sea salt, chocolate chips or even rum.

And my favourite way to eat these are either sandwiched with jam or cream cheese. Yum!

Oreo & Peanut Butter Banana Pops

I did a ton of reading around Vegan desserts and most of them revolve around the humble banana. Its surprising what you can make out of one fruit and how diverse it is.

I got the inspiration for this recipe from BuzzFeed where I stumbled upon a video of someone rolling bananas in granola and chocolate for a tasty breakfast treat. So I thought to myself, why not combine my favourite vegan ingredients?

Serves 1 (Who wants to share?)

1 ripe green banana, chilled (not frozen)
1/2 cup melted dark chocolate
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp soy milk or regular milk if not vegan (optional)
1 pack or 12 oreos crushed as fine or chunky as you prefer
a pinch of salt

You will also need wooden skewers. I trimmed mine down as I cut my bananas in thumb-sized chunks. If using whole or half portioned bananas cut skewers accordingly.

In a bowl mix melted chocolate with peanut butter. Add a dash of soy milk if too thick. You can also add in a neutral tasting oil instead to dilute the mixture. But lets make this dish 'healthy' with soy milk alright? Add a pinch of salt. Salt actually make chocolate taste sweeter!

Place crushed oreos in another bowl. Peel and cut bananas according to preference. I cut my bananas into smaller portions but you can cut it in half or use whole if you prefer. Dip bananas first in the chocolate mix and then roll it in the oreos. Now get ready to dirty your hands. Pick up the banana and insert skewer in the middle.

Eat as is or chill in fridge before devouring!

 

Baked Chocolate Samosas

Samosas are my all time favourite tea time snack. There is nothing more comforting that piping hot samosas and chai...especially during the rains. And I think its so versatile. Traditionally indians use potatoes as stuffing, but I love meat fillings. And this got me thinking on sweet based fillings.

Being vegan really got me scratching my head for innovative desserts. I love sweets, and thats what I'm craving most. I had some left over spring rolls sheets from my previous recipe. And I recently discovered that dark chocolate (atleast the brand I used:Goldsmith) and Hersheys chocolate syrup are vegan!!! Hallelujah! I think I did a mini jig in the supermarket. So, I put the two together and omg it is divine! You have the crunchy exterior and beautifully gooey chocolate exterior. Its heaven in a bite. I made one and deep fried it. But it was too unhealthy and oily to eat beyond the first bite. Hence I tried baking it works just as well.

Ingredients:

Springroll sheets or samosa patti (both easily available ready made)
Dark chocolate bars chopped into cubes and frozen
Hershey's chocolate syrup

(No measurements here. You cannot put restrictions on chocolate :) Just ensure there is 1 cube of chocolate for 1 sheet)

It is essential that you freeze the chocolate before using. Room temperature chocolate will melt soon and ooze out leaving you with a big mess. Frozen chocolate with retain its shape and still give you a gooey centre.

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Place the spring roll sheet on a flat surface. Drizzle with Hersheys syrup. Use the back of a spoon to spread around evenly. This syrup not only gives an additional chocolatey taste but also acts as a glue to keep the rolls in shape.

Fold the sheet in half on the chocolate side. You should have a clean springroll surface again. Drizzle with chocolate syrup again. Place the cube of frozen chocolate in the middle and fold according to preference. I really experimented with shapes here. I did a traditional triangle, but also made springroll shapes.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place these rolls on top. Bake for 15mins or till slightly golden. If you aren't vegan like me, I'd suggest giving the rolls an egg wash before baking. You can drizzle with olive oil if you wish for a really golden crust, but I'm going for a 'healthy' version.

Pull out of oven, and let it cool. Enjoy the crispy and gooey treat!

Chai Panacotta

Panna Cotta is an italian dessert of sweetened cream that is chilled and set with gelatin. The best way to describe it is also the worst way to describe it...it essentially a milk cream jelly...kinda like a cross between a pudding and custard. But the beauty of this dish is that its so incredibly easy to make. If it takes you more than 10mins to make, you are definitely doing something wrong.



Pannacotta is also very versatile. It gives a lot of leeway while cooking, and you can experiment infusing it with anything under the sun. Traditionally vanilla was infused...but that is so vanilla! Bad puns aside, I'm infusing mine with these fancy teas (early grey & english breakfast to be more specific) I got from a trip to London. You can obviously use regular tea bags. Also, how cute is the mug?!

Adapted from www.davidlebovitz.com

Makes enough for 4

1 cup fresh cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp gelatin (see notes below on gelatin before using) 
2 tea bags (optional: If you don't like tea or just want to try making traditional pannacotta just skip the tea bags)



Heat the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan. Ensure the heat is turned on low. Stir occasionally to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Once all ingredients are combined add in the vanilla extract. If using vanilla bean, cut the bean in half and scrape the seeds from (both sides of) the bean into the cream mix. The pod is also flavour, so toss the whole pod into the pan as well.

I used vanilla bean pod here and let me tell you, there is ABSOLUTELY no replacing it. The flavour you get with just one measly bean! An essence can never deliver the same flavour. So while it maybe expensive, for dishes like these I'd really recommend spending that extra 200 bucks. I got two beans in one tube. I used one for this dish and the other I mixed with my icing sugar bottle to make vanilla sugar. So there you go, it is definitely not a waste and definitely worth every penny.



I'm digressing! At this point add in the tea bags as well. Cover the pan and let it infuse on a low heat for 10 mins. The mixture shouldn't come to a boil. If you think it is going to start boiling, remove from heat and let it infuse on its own for 10 mins. Remove the tea bags and vanilla bean once infused. Taste to check if its yum. Pour gelatin into the hot pannacotta mix and stir till fully disolved.

Lightly oil cups or bowls with a neutral tasting oil (I used sunflower). Pour the mix in the cups and let them cool down to room temperature before chilling in the fridge. Chill overnight or until the gelatin sets.

Run a sharp knife around the edge of each panna cotta and unmold onto a serving plate. Serve as is or with summer berries.



Tip: If you are lazy like me or pressed for time, pour the panna cotta mixture into martini or wine glasses and chill so that you can serve them in the glasses without unmolding

P.S: I know you will say that my Panna Cotta looks 'dirty'. Those little polka dots are flecks of Vanilla beans and if u ask me, it looks prettier this way

Note: I have only used powdered gelatin so far, and to be honest I haven't found sheet gelatin anywhere in Mumbai

Sprinkle granules over the surface of cold water. I used 1 cup of water for 1tbsp of powdered gelatin. Do not dump them in water as the granules in the middle wont dissolve. Let it stand for 10 mins. Heat gently to ensure all granules are dissolved. It is now ready to be poured into the pannacotta mix.

Everyone needs a breakfast dessert. My breakfast cuppa has never been this good.

• 

Spaghetti Carbonara

10 minutes. 5 ingredients. 2 bowls.

Crack eggs. Boil Pasta. Impress date.

If you don't know what a Carbonara is, all you need to know is that it involves life's 3 best ingredients: bacon, eggs & pasta. I'd like to tell you that its a really wholesome meal as it contains the main food groups: carbs (pasta), protein (eggs), fat (bacon) and maybe some dairy (cheese/cream) if you choose. And it is ridiculously simple to make. Its a classic Italian dish, which means a glass of wine is mandatory.

 Serves 4:

5 egg yolks & 1 whole egg
Bacon (who wants to put a measure on bacon? the more the better)
One fist full of Spaghetti (you can use any pasta, but spaghetti is best for this dish)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup cheese
2tbsp cream (optional)

Cut the bacon to bite sized pieces. Sauté on medium heat till the fat renders. Make sure you use a big utensil, like a casserole, for the bacon. This utensil is where the magic happens and will also double up as a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling water till al dente. Remove bacon from heat when done, and let it cool (the bowl should be warm not pipping hot). Add egg yolks and egg to the bacon and whisk to blend.

Drain the pasta once done, reserving some of the pasta water. Immediately add pasta to the egg mix. Toss to coat. Add some of the pasta water incase you find the mix too sticky and thick. Work the pasta in batches. Add some pasta, toss, and then repeat till all the pasta is added. Add a lot of pepper (atleast 3tsp). Keep tossing till sauce thickens. Add salt.

Taste. The mixture shouldn't taste eggy. The principle is that the pipping hot pasta is enough to cook the egg. In case you find the egg taste too pronounce, add in some cream and put on a low heat for 5-7mins stirring occasionally.

Divide among bowls to serve or do what I do and have it straight out of the serving bowl :) Garnish with cheese.




Note: It may not look it, but this is a very heavy dish. Serve small portions.
In case you find the dish too bland (and I know most Indians would), grate some nutmeg, add some chilli flakes and basil.

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