Saturday 21 May 2011

OREO SOUFFLE


That’s right, its not Oreo ice cream but soufflĂ©. 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.
  1. 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
.





Monday 2 May 2011

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.