OREO SOUFFLE

That’s right, its not Oreo ice cream but soufflé. I came up with this when I needed to prepare a cold dessert in a few hours and didn’t have anything to make it with but milk cream and our favourite biscuits 'Oreo'. It’s not the same as the ice cream but certainly was a sweet treat. Though I’ll admit I had mixed reviews. I hope all those who try, enjoy it too. Let me know your opinion.

Ingredients:

½ liter milk

200ml thick cream

5 tbs sugar

1 tbs cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbs cold milk)

1 tbs gelatine (soaked and dissolved in 2 tbs warm water)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 pack Oreo Cream biscuits (crushed into chunks)

1. Heat the milk and cream in a thick saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and add the cornstarch mixture. Keep stirring to avoid lumps from forming. Beat till it is smooth and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Remove from heat and add the vanilla essence. Allow it to cool down.
4. Then add the dissolved gelatine, and beat for 2 minutes by hand.
5. Finally add crushed Oreo biscuits, mix and immediately pour into the bowls.
6. Keep in the freezer till it is set. Then put in the chiller till ready to serve.

FRUITY FRESH LIME JUICE

Fresh lime juice is the instant coolant in the summers. The sliced or chopped fruits in it instantly turn it into an exotic punch with a hint of fruity flavours. The lime juice is loaded with vitamin-C and the fruit slices also give you the added fibre and the goodness of the fruit added. Serve it chilled and allow the fruit to soak for sometime to allow the flavours to infuse.

Ingredients:

8 tbs Fresh lime juice

12 tbs sugar

Apples or any seasonal fruits thinly sliced

Water and crushed ice as required.

1. Combine the lime juice and sugar in a jug. Mix with 4 cups of water.
2. Add the fruit slices and let it soak in the juice for 1 hour in the fridge.
3. Add served with crushed ice as required.

NOTE: You can use fruits like strawberries, melons, orange segments, grapes etc. that you feel will compliment with lime. Don’t use mushy fruits like bananas, chikoo, mangoes etc.

WATERMELON AND PINEAPPLE SORBET

Watermelons are abundant in the summers and so are fresh pineapples (you can use the canned ones too). Both these fruits compliment each other well in this sorbet. It was an instant hit with my family when I tried it for the first time. You can adjust both the sugar and the lemon juice to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped and seeded watermelon

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

4 tbs sugar (or as needed)

1 tbs lemon juice

Mint to garnish

1. Liquidise all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Use an ice cream maker to make a soft and fresh sorbet (follow the direction of your ice cream maker).

OR

Put in an airtight plastic container (I use the ice cream tubs I save from our previous binges) and freeze for 6 hrs. Once it is partially set remove and again using a hand blender beat it into a soft slush. Refreeze for at least overnight.

3. Leave it in the fridge for 10 mins before serving.

Note: The sugar should be adjusted according to the sweetness of the fruit but keep in mind as the sorbet freezes the sweetness decreases a bit.

Summer chills and thrills

Summers are a regular part of our life, yet every time they knock on our doors we start complaining about the heat. Let’s beat the heat this year by churning out some really cool stuff from our kitchens. I shall be putting up several recipes that will help to drop the temperatures.

If you too know of any such recipes please put them up or email them to me as a guest post (don’t forget to add the photos, if you have them). So, as the summer temperatures kill, its time to chill

.

Lets have DATE

An soft and truly delicious date truffle....that is easy to make and a sure hit as after dinner pass- it -over dessert. Enjoy!!

DATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted/seedless dates
1 cup almonds/pistachios/walnuts (grind them a lil)

1 Tbsp honey
1/5 tsp cinnamon powder

 Coconut flakes/ Cocoa powder (to cover the truffles)

Directions:

1. Put a lil water in saucepan and add dates and mix them till they get a lil soft.Then grind them just little to make a paste.
2. Keep it aside to cool down.
3. Add nuts, honey and cinnamon powder to the date paste and mix them together.
4. Make balls and roll them in coconut flakes or cocoa powder.
5. Serve elegant and sophisticated looking truffles made in a jiffy.

Chilling under the Sun

With the summer sun blazing , its time to chill with some healthy drinks to help u sail through the Indian summers. Bottle gourd sounds unusual, but its the perfect cooler in this lemony tangy drink. Its known for its cooling effect in Ayurveda.and its use during summer prevents excessive loss of sodium, quenches thirst and helps in preventing fatigue. Serve it icy cold and enjoy!!

Refreshing Lemon Gourd Cooler

Ingredients:

1 small Bottle Gourd (Dodhi in Hindi)

2 lemons

1 cup sugar

½ tsp rock salt (optional)

1. Peel the gourd and cut into big pieces.
2. Boil these with a little water in a pressure cooker until mushy.
3. Add sugar while the gourd is still warm and stir it to melt the sugar.
4. Remove into a tall jug and blend it with a hand blender till smooth.
5. Add the juice of the lemons.
6. Mix chilled water and crushed ice and adjust sugar and lemon to suit your taste. Add rock salt if u are using it.
7. Serve with a slice of lemon. Enjoy!

Spicy Bhel, or is it a salad??

Easy and yet very nutritional, this salad is as tangy and spicy as the Indian bhel ( a snack made of a mix of rice puffs, peanut, fried grams and lentils and lots of spices). This salad can also be garnished with Sev or bhujia, though the simple version is equally yummy. This no guilt salad can be a weight loss dieters escape from the bland and boiled. Enjoy!!

CORN BHEL SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels

1 large cucumber – finely chopped

1 large tomato – finely chopped

2 tbs spring onion - finely chopped

1 tbs coconut - grated

1 tbs green chilles – finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Mix well all the ingredients and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Lime juice and green chillis can be adjusted to suit your taste.

Kuch meetha ho gaye.....

Meetha, sweet, dessert.....my favourite part of the meal. Anyways, its the Indian way to start anything good with something sweet. So here's a classic Indian dessert prepared at most homes across India. Here I have given it a richer taste with use of milk and beautiful colour, subtle flavor and aroma using saffron. Its ingredients are simple and mostly available in the pantry, to prepare it quickly.

KESARI SUJI HALAWA

1 cup semolina (suji)
2 tbs clarified butter (ghee)
A generous pinch of saffron
1/2 cup milk
4 tbs sugar
Water as needed
Chopped nuts( almond and pistachios) to garnish

1. In a thick bottomed or non stick pan, heat the ghee and roast the semolina and saffron on low heat for about 5 mins. Take care it does not change its colour.
2. Then add the milk stirring all the while and also add a little water at a time. The semolina will soak up all the liquid but take care not to make it soggy. 
3. Finally add the sugar and stir till it melts and mixes well. 
4. Serve warm, garnished with chopped nuts.

Obsessed

I have been obsessed with food ever since....I cant even remember when. From school days, " Whats for lunch?" questions, to today when I make elaborate shopping lists, so that I can try out my newly acquired recipe. I have boxes full of cooking books, magazine, and tattered pieces recipe cutouts arranged in a file, waiting their turn to be aired and tried. My family and friends know that nothing will make me happier than to receive a new book on cakes or curries and even the sizzler plates and fondue sets. My dad-in-law brings me photocopies of recipes that he finds interesting and my hubby forwards me emails on food and buys a recipes e-book online 'just for me' :) cute nah!!


But that makes me think am I obsessed or is everyone making me obsessed, by constantly reinforcing 'FOOD' in my head.....such that my every waking hour is spent  thinking about something to eat or cook. Maybe its in my genes and I cant escape it. Also being married to a foodie whose love for good and lots of good food has turned me into a maniac cook of epic proportions.


Anyways, I can keep on ranting on why food, cooking, eating and related things have possessed my life and made me its slave. But am I the only one???