Strawberry Panna Cotta

Hi all,

Phew !!! Finally I managed to come back to my blog after a looooong gap of 4 months. The past few months had been very very hectic and busy with summer holidays and BBQ parties many friends and relatives visiting us and not to forget my Lil boy keeping me busy througout the day and as many bloggers out there must be aware of how hard it becomes to get back on to blogging if you stay away from it for a long period of time. I really really meant to get back to my blog every day but somehow kept procrastinating it day by day and week by week and I can't tell how much I missed blogging and all my blog friends here. But I am soo happy that I FINALLY managed to sit down and write a post today :)



Today I bring to you the famous Italian dessert Panna Cotta. Its a very creamy, yummy and a very easy dessert. I am sure most of you know about panna cotta. but if you have not heard of it before hre is a little intro about it. Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. So, if you have never tried this elegant and creamy dessert go ahead and try it NOW and believe me you will be very pleased by yourselves for whipping up this easy dessert which requires only few ingredients.



STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA

Ingredients :
250 grams fresh strawberries-pureed
300 ml fresh cream,
1/2 cup sugar and
2-3 tbsp of agar agar flakes / powder.

Method:
Strain the pureed strawberries and in a saucepan mix together the cream, sugar and the pureed strawberries. Cook this on low heat for 8-10 minutes and remove off the heat. Let it cool slightly. Meanwhile in another saucepan, cook the agar-agar in 2-3 tbsp of water until it dissolves completely. Add this to the cooked cream stirring constantly and mix well. Pour into cups or ramekins and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

This can be eaten straight from the bowl in which it has been set or it can be inverted onto a plate and served topped with strawberry coulis.



STRAWBERRY COULIS

Ingredients:
200 grams of fresh strawberries,
3-4 tbsp of sugar and
1/2 tsp of lemon juice.

Method:
Blend starwberries in a blender(without adding any water). Add to a pan with the sugar and the lemon juice, bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Strain and let it cool completely. Spoon it on top of the Panna Cotta just before serving or you can top this sauce on the panna Cotta and let it set in the refrigerator till ready to serve.

Notes:
Gelatine is 'THE' ingredients that sets this dessert but as I don't use gelatine, I substituted it with agar agar(a seaweed), which is a vegetarian alternative to gelatine.
You can subtitute the strawberries with any other fruit of your choice like raspberries, black berries or mangoes. Or you can just make plain vanilla pannacotta by adding few drops of vanilla essence to the cream while cooking.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

The weather here in UK is soo sunny and bright these days and I am loving this lovely weather and enjoying it to the fullest and thus not getting much time to post regularly and also for blog hopping.

And today's post was in drafts from more than 2 months ago..finally it got some attention and light today :)

Bruschetta pronounced as brusˈketta is an easy an eye-catching appetizer from the country of Italy. There are many variations for the toppings but, I make it this way-which is easy and ready in few minutes, and also need very few ingredients.

TOMATO AND BASIL BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients:
1 loaf Ciabatta bread or any other hard crust bread,
2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil,
2-3 cloves of garlic,
5-6 ripe plum tomatoes,
few basil leaves ,
1/4 tsp pepper powder andsalt to taste.

Method:
De-seed and chop the tomatoes into small cube and chop the basil leaves finely. In a bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes and basil leaves with salt and pepper powder and also add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to it. Mix well and keep aside.

Slice the bread into 1"inch in thickness. Rub the slices with garlic clove ad drizzle some olive oil on the slices and toast them in an oven or over a griddle(tawa) until they turn crispy and light brown in colour. Spoon the tomato and basil mixture on the toasted slices and serve as an appetizer or a snack.

Variations: If you like your tomato topping to be soft and juicy, add some boiling water to the chopped tomatoes and mash slightly.
And if you want to make it more appealing, you can bake the slices after adding the topping and some grated cheese on top.

Note:
Traditionally Ciabatta bread loaf is used for Bruschetta, but one can use any Italian bread or any bread that has a hard crust.
Make sure the tomatoes used are ripe and red in colour,

Tiramisu Cake

Like many other bloggers out there, even I have a dream to join The Daring Kitchen someday..But, I feel I still need to learn a lot about baking, before I can join or atleast come close to those amazing and expert bakers. So, when I heard about Sweet punch , which was started to teach Novice bakers like me about baking...I knew that this group is for me :) And I am sure, I will love baking yummy goodies every month.

'A Sweet punch' is a new baking group started by Ria, Divya and Maria. This group is for all those people out there who are still learning to bake (like me) and Sweet Punch is for all those whose have a passion for baking because the mission of this group is to make baking easy for EVERYONE. And thus, our first baking challenge by Ria of Ria's collection was to bake this Tiramisu cake.

Tiramisu- I am sure everyone one knows about this famous Italian dessert. Traditionally Tiramisu is made using savoiardi (lady finger biscuit), which are dipped in coffee or rum and then layered with mascarpone cheese and whipping cream mixture and then, dusted with cocoa powder. And this Tiramisu cake is easy to bake and assemble and tastes Yummmmm.

Though I had never tasted this dessert before, I had heard a lottt about this dessert and I always wanted to make this at home. And Now,I have just fallen in love with this dessert and I am definitely going to try this again and again. TIRAMISU CAKE

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the cake layers:

2 cups cake flour,

2 teaspoons baking powder,

1/8 teaspoon baking soda,

1/4 teaspoon salt,

1 1/4 sticks/10 tablespoons unsalted butter(room temperature),

1 cup sugar,

3 large eggs,

1 large egg yolk,

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and

3/4 cup buttermilk

For the espresso extract:

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

2 tablespoons boiling water.

For the espresso syrup:

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

For the filling and frosting:

1 8-ounce container mascarpone,

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar- sifted,

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup cold heavy cream

2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips,

Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Getting ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To make the cake:

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.

Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.

To make the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

To make the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and set aside.

To make the filling and frosting:

Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.

Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

To assemble the cake:

If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.

For the frosting- whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld.Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa.

Notes:
The cake can be cut into small rounds and can be made as cakelettes or you can assemble them in a glass for individual servings.
I didn't use the whole syrup to moisten the cake, thinking it would become soggy. But I think the quantity given above should have been used to make the cake more moist.
And I have skipped using Kahlua or brandy for the extract and the syrup for obvious reason.
And as I didn't get chocolate covered express bean, I used choco chips to decorate.

Spaghetti Bolognese

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Ingredients:
500 gms minced meat/ kheema,
500 gms spaghetti,
1 can/ bottle of Bolognese sauce,
4 tbsp olive oil,
1 big onion- finely chopped,
2 tbsp chopped garlic,
1/2 tsp black pepper powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese powder (optional),
1/2 cup Parsley- finely chopped and
Salt to taste.

Method:
Heat 2 tbsps of Olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook till light brown,add the garlic and saute for few minutes. Now add the minced meat, salt to taste, pepper powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook till all the meat juices are almost dried up and the minced meat is cooked.
Now add the Bolognese sauce and cook for another few minutes (10- 15 minutes).
In another saucepan, boil water with some olive oil and salt (keeping in mind that already some salt has been added to the meat). Now add Spaghetti to this boiling water and cook till 'al dente' which means it should have a slight bite (means it should neither be uncooked nor over cooked ) . Drain the spaghetti in a colander and return it the pan. Drizzle with some freshly ground pepper.
In a large pan /plate, lay out the spaghetti in circular layer. Put the prepared meat sauce over it and top it with some Parmesan cheese and lastly garnish it with chopped parsley. Serve hot :-)

Tips:
The original Italian spaghetti does not ask for red chilli powder. I use it to make it a bit spicier for my Indian tatse buds :-)
Adding oil to the boiling water, prevents the pasta from sticking together.

Lasagna

BEEF LASAGNA
Lasagna is believed to have originated in Italy, made with alternate layers of pasta, bachamel sauce, meat sauce and tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg minced beef, 1/2 pack lasagna sheets, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 3 tbsp of oil, 1 onion-chopped, 1 tomato-chopped, 1/4 bunch parsley- chopped, 1 cup tomato puree, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper powder, 1 bottle of pasta sauce and salt to taste.

Method:
Heat oil in wok and add ginger garlic paste, fry for 2-3 minutes, add the minced meat, stir and add some water. Cook till the meat is cooked and the water evaporates.
Now add rosemary, oregano, salt, white and black pepper powder, mix the spices with meat. Add the chopped onion and tomato and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the puree and mix again. Finish it by adding chopped parsley.

For the Bachamel sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 ltr milk, 4 tbsp maida, 3 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper powder, 1 cup chopped parsley, 2-3 slices of cheddar cheese,1 pack grated mozarella cheese and salt to taste.

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the maida, and roast it in the oil stirring conitnuosly until its cooked. Make sure not to burn it. Keep aside.
In a saucepan bring milk to boil. Simmer the flame and add the above mixture little by little, stirring continuosly until the milk starts to thicken. Add rosemary, oregano, salt, white and black pepper and mix again. Now add the cheddar cheese and cook agin for 5 minutes. Finish it off by adding the parsley.

Boil the Lasagan sheets like any other pasta and Keep aside. If using pre cooked Lasagna sheets soak them in water for 10- 15 minutes before using them.

In a baking dish, apply thin layer of pasta sauce and arrange a layer of Lasagna sheets, then the meat and the bachamel sauce. Repeat the layers again ending bachamel sauce. Sprinkle grated mozarella cheese on top and bake in the oven at 200 c / 400 F for 30 mins.