Tiramisu

I am big fan of Tiramisu may be because I am also a coffee junkie. This was one of our Christmas desert. I got the recipe from SBS's Food Safari's website. Thanks to Vanessa Martin.

Tiramisu

6 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
500grams of Mascarpone
Hot strong espresso coffee(I used 5 senses 24/7)
Liqueur (as much or as little you want - completely upto you. I used a mixture of Tia Maria, Bailey's and Frangelico)
Pavesini or Savioardi biscuits
2 Flake chocolate bars

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and white. Vanessa suggests to do it for a good 15 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth and just combined.

Combine the coffee with the liqueurs. Quickly dip biscuits, a few at a time, into the coffee mixture. Set aside on a plate to cool.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until thick and stiff.Gently fold into the mascarpone mixture.

Alternative layering the biscuits and mascarpone cream in the serving bowl. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or longer. Grate chocolate over the top before serving.

**I didn't get a chance to take a nice photo as my family was waiting to dig in.....all ready with their forks....

Best ever chocolate chip banana cake/bread

I had 4 over ripe bananas in my fruit basket and I had to do something with them other than throwing them in the bin. How about a banana cake or a banana bread. I came across this recipe of a banana bread which I have changed quite a bit. This was meant to be a banana bread but my loaf tin was not big enough so I used a square cake tin instead.

My banana cake

1 cup self raising flour
100g almond meal
2/3 cup soft brown sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
4 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line up a 4 cup loaf tin or a square cake tin(as I did) with baking paper.
In another bowl beat the eggs, banana mash, olive oil and the vanilla essence.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the chocolate chips. Mix well and pour the whole mixture in the prepared tin. Bake it for about an hour until the top is golden brown or until the skewer comes out clean when pricked in the cake.

Mango lime cheesecake squares with macadamia nut crust

It's summer which means the mango season is in full swing in Western Australia. I am not a great desert cooker....never comes out perfectly. While I was checking some creative spaces I came across Sophistimom's blog and found this mango lime cheesecake....it was just perfect....exactly what I was looking for. This is a really nice summer treat. I had to tweak the recipe a bit though.


Mango lime cheesecakle squares with macadamia crust


2/3 cup(112g) raw unsalted macadamia nuts
2/3 cup(125g)raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon rock salt
2/3 cup (100g) standard flour
6 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
3 x 250gm blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese
3/4 cup of raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons  standard flour
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
3 eggs
2 mangoes finely chopped into small pieces


Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 9inch pan with baking paper and set it aside. In a food processor pulse the macadamia nuts, sugar, salt and flour till it resembles a corse meal. Pour in the melted butter until the whole mixture comes together. press the misture down in the baking pan. Bake it for 20 minutes or just until the edges barely begin to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool.


In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese  and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla essence,lime juice, zest, salt,flour and cream cheese and beat until well incorporated.Add in the eggs one by one making sure that they get well mixed after each addition. Mix the mango pieces with a spatula.


Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the macadamia crust. Bake the mixture for about 20 minutes or until the centre of the cheesecake is almost not jiggy. Get the pan out of the oven and  let it cool. Refrigerate  for 2 hours or overnight.
Once teh cheesecake has set, use the side of the baking paper to gently lift the cake from the pan and with a warm knife cut them into neat squares. Garnish with fresh sliced mangoes.

Mini Orange Cheesecake with Cointreau Cream

Finally I got around to using my mini cheesecake pan. I was giving up hope and categorising it one of those impulsive purchase. I came across this recipe in Pinch my Salt. I had to change the recipe a bit as I dont think the dimension of my mini cheesecake pan is same as hers and I am a big fan of  Cointreau...so I ended up using that other than Grand Marnier.

Orange mini cheesecake

for this recipe you will need a mini cheese cake pan.

Crust:
2 cups of butter snap cookies or digestive biscuit crumbs
4 tablespoon brown sugar
76 grams of butter

Filling:
2 x 500 grams of cream cheese
2/3 cup of sour cream
2 egg + 2 egg yolk
2/3 cup of sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange

Topping:
2 cups of heavy cream
2 table spoons of Cointreau
4 tablespoons of caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a medium bowl mix the biscuit crumbs, sugar and butter with a fork until well combined.
Divide crumb mixture evenly between all the cups pf the pan. Using your fingers or the back of a table spoon, press crumbs firmly onto the bottom of each cup and set aside.
Combine sugar and orange zest in a food processor and process until the zest has been incorporated and sugar is fine.
In an electric mixer mix the softened crem cheese, sour cream, egg and orange sugar together.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture in all the cups. While doing this try to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible.
Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 180C oven.
Remove them for the oven and allow them to cool for about 30 minutes. Once cool carefully remove the cheesecakes from the pan and let them cool completely on the rack.
Just before serving combine cream, cointreau and sugar in a mixing bowl aand whip the mixture until soft peaks form.
top the mini cheesecakes with a dollop of this cream and seve.

Happy baking.

Pork Coconut Curry

I love Pork. I was looking for a really nice pork curry recipe and I came across this recipe on Ninemsn's website. Cooked it and I have to say...it was yummy....Here is the recipe...

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground chilli powder
800g diced pork
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large (200g) brown onion,
chopped 2 cloves garlic,
chopped 4cm piece (20g) fresh ginger,
grated 1 tablespoon water
400ml can coconut cream or coconut milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

 METHOD

 1. Combine the spices in a medium bowl; add pork, toss to coat.

 2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the pork in 2 batches, using the remaining oil, until browned all over. Remove from pan.

3. Add onion to same pan with garlic, ginger and water; cook, stirring, over medium heat until softened.

4. Return the pork to the pan with coconut cream, sugar and salt. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until the pork is tender and the sauce is thickened.

5. Stir in juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with coriander.

6. Serve pork curry with steamed rice, pappadums and a tomato and onion salad, if desired. Curry suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.

 COOK'S NOTES: Depending on the cut of pork the butcher used, the cooking time will vary. If the pork is diced fillet, the cooking time will be about 15 minutes. If it is a secondary cut, such as pork neck (pork scotch), the cooking time will be up to 1 hour 30 minutes for a tender result. The coconut cream gives a rich curry, but may curdle a little during cooking. Coconut milk is lower in fat, but still gives a delicious result.

Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffins

A while ago I was craving blueberry muffins and I came across this recipe by Martha Stewart. They were scrumptious. I have a good feeling whenever I eat blueberries as they are considered as superfood. Apparently it has a high amount of antioxidant in it. Oh well a great excuse to have home baked blueberry muffins. The smell when the hot muffins are out of the oven is just devine........

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

114 gm unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Process

Preheat oven to 180°. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 teaspoons flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and the blueberries.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined. Do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. If desired, in a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of muffin batter.

Bake, rotating pan halfway though, until muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn muffins on their sides in their cups, and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dal Puri - An Indian stuffed flat bread

This is my mum’s recipe. One of my favourites. This is stuffed flat bread. Dalpuri goes well with Aloor Dum(potato curry). My mum always have the stuffings done up and then she freezes them. I have started doing that. When guests arrive unexpectedly they come in real handy. Mum I miss you and miss your cooking.

Dal Puri

Ingredients

For the dough

All purposeFlour - 3 cups
Oil or ghee - 2 tsp.
A pinch of salt
Water to knead

For the filling :

1 cup Yellow Split dal/Chana dal/bengal gram

1 tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp Cumin powder
5cm nob of ginger

2 Green chilly

1 tsp Cumin powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

Enough oil to deep fry the puris

Method :

Soak the dal/lentil overnight or 4-5 hours in hot water. Process the dal/lentil and ginger to a fine paste in a food processor without any water. If the food processor struggled add 1 table spoon of water. The paste has to be smooth and not too runny (picture 1). Add the other spices and salt and give it a good mix.

Take a pan, heat 2 tbsp. Add the cumin seeds to the hot oil and wait for it to splatter.Now add the lentil mix to the pan. Stir until all the water evaporates. The lentil mixture will change it’s colour from pale yellow to deep yellow. Take it out of heat . Try to roll them into marble sized ball while the mixture is hot.

 Meantime, Add ghee and salt in the flour and mix, then add water gradually. The dough shouldn't be too soft and soggy. Knead the dough until it doesn't stick to your finger. Keep it aside for half an hour. Divide the dough into lime size balls.

Take a ball, flatten a bit, then place little filling ball in the center (picture 5 and 6).

Carefully seal from all sides and make a ball again (picture 7, 8 and 9).

Now take one stuffed ball and flatten the ball 3-4 inch wide pressing very gently. Take care not to break the outer cover. The filling should not come out of it (picture10).

Heat enough oil (the oil should be piping hot) to deep fry, carefully immerse each rolled out balls into the oil. Gently press the sides with a spatula to puff them out. When one side is puffed, flip to the other side. Fry till slightly browned and take it out with a spatula which has holes in it to drain the excess oil from the puri (picture 11 to 14)

Donna Hay's cheese and bacon muffins

I was going through a muffin phase. I found this recipe on the packet of flour I bought(I think). They are pretty good. Except I found them a tad bit bland. So next I will add a teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Donna Hay's cheese and bacon muffins

Ingredients

• 3 cups (450g) White Wings Organic Self-Raising Flour, sifted


• 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted


• 1½ cups (180g) grated cheddar


• 4 rashers bacon, rind removed, chopped


• 2/3 cup (160ml) vegetable oil


• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard


• 2 eggs


• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• 
  

Method

	Preheat oven to 180ºC (fan forced).
	Place the flour, baking powder, cheese and bacon in a bowl and mix to combine.
	Place the oil, mustard, egg and milk in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
	Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
	Spoon into a 12 x ½ cup (125ml) capacity muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Makes 12.

Scrumptious carrot muffins with maple frosting

The other day I was blog browsing....so many cool blogs. I came across this blog called culinary life in Berline and there I found this fantastic Carrot Muffin recipe. They looked so delicious that I had to try baking them. I have to say they were the best carrot muffin I have ever tasted....so so moist. I topped up the muffins with a Maple syrup and cream cheese frosting.....

CARROT MUFFINS

Ingredients

You will need 3 medium bowls to mix

3 cups finely grated carrots

4 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour (405)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1  cup of brown sugar 

1 1/4 cups of oil 

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup of raisins

Frosting

114 gms of Cream cheese

Procedure

1/4 cup of maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Butter and flour either two 9-inch-diameter cake pans or a large muffin tin.

In bowl 1, mix the grated carrots, walnuts and raisins together.

In bowl 2, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

In bowl 3, mix the sugar and the oil together. Then add in the eggs to the sugar and oil mixture 1 at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds are each.

Add flour mixture to this and stir until blended.

Finally add in the carrot mixture and mix until blended.

Divide the batter into muffin tins.

Bake the muffins until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. It took me about 20 minutes.

Make sure to cool the muffins in the pans for at least 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack. 

As the cakes are cooling, take out the packet of cream cheese and let ir Soften. Mix the cream cheese and maple syrup with a electric mixer and frost the cake. 

Aussie Barramundi in Indian fish curry

Aussie Barramundi in Indian fish curry – we can’t get more multicultural than that can we!!

I come from West Bengal in India. The staple food of Bengalis is Fish and rice. Not a single Bengali can ever get sick and tired of their fish and rice – I know I wont.

Wherever the Bengalis have migrated they have tried to recreate their “Macher Kalia”(Fish Curry) with the local fish.

I in Australia have tried to recreate my favourite fish curry with Aussie Barramundi and I have to say it turns out pretty good.

Ingredients

2 chunky Barra fillet cut into 5 to 7cm wide and 10cm long pieces. From those 2 fillets I got 8 pieces.

2 potatoes cut lengthwise. From I potato I got 6 pieces.

1 Tomato finely chopped

I onion finely sliced

5cm nob of ginger grated

2 garlic pods grated

2 green chilies

Few sprigs of coriander leaves

½ tsp turmeric powder

1./2 tsp cumin powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

5 to 6pods of cardamom

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

5cm cinnamon stick

salt to taste

Cooking oil 8 tb sp

Preperation

First wash the fish pieces and pat them dry. Now add a tsp of turmeric powder and ½ tsp of salt and mix the fish well. Add 4tbsp oil in a pan and fry the potatoes and keep them aside. The potatoes will become semi soft and translucent. Now, fry the fish in the hot oil. Both sides of the fish have to be golden brown. This is sort of like browning the meat before cooking a stew. Make sure not to over fry the fish. Fry the fish in batches. Rest the fried fish on a paper towel so that the excess oil is absorbed. If there is any excess oil in the pan discard it. I didn’t have any. But if I do I tend not to cook my curry with that oil as that oil may smell a bit burnt.

If you are going to use the same pan to cook the curry – clean it dry it and then pour the rest of the 4tbsp of cooking oil in the pan. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds, and the crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick (which I did in a mortar and pestle). Once they start sizzling add the sliced onions and stir them. Wait for the onions to get soft and translucent and add the chopped tomatoes. Mix them well and cover the pan with a lid. This will help the tomatoes to disintegrate. Open the lid and check the tomatoes. Now add the ginger and garlic paste. Mix them together and wait for a couple of seconds. Now in go the cumin, coriander and the turmeric powder and stir them very well. Once the spice mix gets separated from the oil add the potatoes and mix them well. Pour a cup of water and turn the heat down. Cover the pan and wait till the potatoes get cooked. Once the potatoes get cooked add the fish and mix everything well and wait for the whole curry to boil. At this stage you probably will need to add a bit more water depending on the consistency of the curry you want. Add the green chilies. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve it  with steamy hot rice.