Lychee pannacotta with Ginger biscuit crumb and Coconut lemon curd

I am back to crazy 'Masterchef Australia' watching days. With the current season going on at number 8, I realized that I have missed many seasons in between my first tryst with the series. It all started with series 2 and I remember those days when Dinner was finished by 9 PM so that I could indulge in some non-stop gastronomic ride. My baby, Vaanya was then just few months old and needed attention all the time. Vishal and me would take turns to look after her while we eagerly watched each episode very religiously. 

This season my interest got rejuvenated and I have been ogling and drooling at all the artistic desserts that have been put up. Plating is the key in making even a simple dish shine and stand out in front of complex ones. With all this in my mind, I decided to try my hands in a simple dessert with different elements and a pretty plating technique. Firstly, I decided to hero the fruit-Lychee and pondered on all the other components which can go along with it. In terms of flavours, I decided to pair my lychee with ginger and coconut. So, the idea of ginger biscuits crumb and a coconut lemon curd came into my mind which sounded like a perfect harmony to my lychee pannacotta. 

I used some thickened grape juice to brush the plate and then very patiently decorated all the components on it. My over excitement led me to try 2 different platings with the same dessert. I am super mighty happy with the outcome. Do share your thoughts on the dessert. Will mean a lot to me. 

Components : 

• Lychee Pannacotta
• Ginger biscuit crumb
• Coconut and lemon curd
• Reduced grape juice
• Fresh lychees
• Mint leaves

Ingredients and Procedure: 

Lychee Pannacotta : 

• 1 cup cream (I used Amul)
• 9-10 lychees, peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp sugar, powdered
• 1 1/2 tsp gelatin powder

Blend the lychees in a mixer and strain.

Bloom gelatin in 1 tbsp cold water and allow it to get spongy for about 5 minutes.  

Heat cream and sugar on medium heat and add the pureed and strained lychee mixture. Do not let this mixture boil. 

When the mixture is warm enough to touch, add the bloomed gelatin and mix well. 

Pour in moulds of your choice. I chose my small spherical moulds and some silicon cupcake moulds. 

Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Ginger Biscuit : 

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp brown sugar, powdered
• 25 gms butter, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tsp dry ginger powder

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add baking powder, baking soda, dry ginger powder, salt to all purpose flour. 

Add flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture and mix well.

Knead the mixture to a dough and cling wrap it. 

Refrigerate for 1 hr.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Roll the dough and cut round shapes from it.

Place on a baking paper lined baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Coconut and lemon curd : 

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 25 gms butter, cut in cubes
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Take egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and put on a double boiler on low heat. 

Keep stirring the mixture.

Add butter cubes and mix well.

Add coconut milk and stir till it thickens for about 3-4 minutes.

Finish with adding lemon juice and mix well.

Allow to cool and then transfer to a piping bag. 

Plating : 

Brush your plate with the reduced grape juice which is made by simply putting grape juice in a pan and heating it till it thickens. 

Crumble the ginger biscuits and put them on the plate in a round shape, a little bigger than the pannacotta size.

Demould the Pannacotta and gently put on top of the ginger biscuit crumb. 

Add some fresh peeled and deseeded lychees.

Pipe the coconut lemon curd in intervals and finish with arranging fresh mint leaves. 

Happy Masterchef Inspirations

Amrita

Chocolate Salami

Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi has been a fairly simple festival in my house while I was growing. Being Sikhs, we have adapted a lot of our customs from Hinduism and therefore we celebrate a simplified version of it which means no tilak and Pooja. I remember seeing my Aunt perform the morning fast before tying the sacred thread on my Father and Uncle's wrist but as children we never had to do that. As children, I would tease my younger brother that being a girl is so lucky as you get 2 gifts in a year, one on birthday and another on Rakhi. At home, Mom would make some bread rolls for breakfast and thus our Rakhi would be over with some sweets. 

This year, Vaanya, my daughter will get to tie a Rakhi on my nephew. I see a part of my childhood in her and am looking forward to see her enjoy the day with her little brother. She is naturally too small to understand the importance of Rakhi but I am sure with time she will cherish these moments just like me. 

This year I wanted to try a rather very simple sweet. Something which does not require much work and is done in a jiffy. Therefore I decided to play with these Chocolate Salami where there is no definite recipe and you can add just about anything that you want. 

Chocolate Salami or Salame di cioccolata or Salame de chocolate is a traditional Italian and Portuguese dessert which is made from dark chocolate, broken bits of biscuits or cookies, butter, eggs and alcohol like rum or port wine.

A misleading name, Chocolate Salami is named because of its appearance where the dessert is shaped like a log and is cut in roundels while serving.

I skipped the eggs and got an intensely rich, rum laden chocolatey goodness in this dessert. For a children's version I used milk chocolate and skipped the nuts and fruits. Instead I added some cake pieces, biscuits of my daughter's choice and some almond powder. 

This dessert has endless variations. Go ahead and enjoy making and relishing it this festive season.

Ingredients : Makes around 7-8 slices of the chocolate salami

• 200 gms dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup cream(I used Amul)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3-4 pieces of Marie biscuits or any digestive biscuits
• 1/2 cup of assorted nuts and dried fruits(I used almonds, walnuts, cashews, pista and cranberries)
• 2-3 tbsp rum (optional, may be substituted with orange juice)

Procedure : 

Dry roast the nuts and chop them fine. Mix with the chopped cranberries and keep aside.

Roughly break the biscuits in medium sized chunks and keep aside.

Heat cream in a pan. Be careful not to burn it.

Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate to it. Mix it well so that the chocolate melts.

Now add the butter and mix. 

Throw in the nuts and biscuits and give it a stir. 

Allow this mixture to cool and thicken for around 4-5 minutes, or more if required.

Put this, now thickened mixture, onto a cling wrap and give it a log shape. Twist both the ends to secure it.

Pop it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. 

In between take it out and roll it to maintain the shape.

Slice it and serve.

Note : For a children's version I used milk chocolate instead of dark one and added digestive biscuits, chocolate biscuits, cake pieces. I also added 1 tbsp of almond powder instead of the chopped nuts. And yes, the rum has been omitted there. 

Happy Raksha Bandhan

Amrita

GulabJamun No Bake Cheesecake

 ''A new year is unfolding like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.'' 

- Unknown 

New Year !!
It is the regional New Year time all over India. Celebrated with different names, it basically marks the beginning of the harvest season and arrival of Spring.
It is called Vaisakhi in Punjab which  also marks the birth of Khalsa and is celebrated with lot of fervor. 
Poila Boishakh is celebrated in West Bengal which literally means first day of the first month. An auspicious time for marriages and beginning of all business activities, it is celebrated with traditional dressing and food. 
Vishu is celebrated in Kerala and is marked with Vishukanni which literally means"the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up".
Ugadi is celebrated as New Year's Day in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh. The name Ugadi is derived from the name "Yuga Adi", which means 'the beginning of a new age'

Chaitti in Himachal Pradesh, Mahavishuva Sankrant in Orissa, Navreh in Kashmir, Cheiraoba in Manipur, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Rongali Bihu in Assam are all names of the New Year Celebrations in the different regions of India. 

Unity in Diversity is such an apt example which describes  India's varied cultures.

Recipe Adapted from:Divine Taste suggested by Swetha

Ingredients:For a 5" inch round cheesecake

Crust

• 3-4 Digestive biscuits
• 2-3 tbsp melted butter

Filling

• 8-10 Gulab jamuns, medium sized, drained and slightly squeezed to remove extra syrup
• 1/2 cup Hung curd
• 1 cup Paneer/cottage cheese
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Gelatin/1 tbsp China grass

Caramel Glaze

• 2 almonds(soaked in water for 2 hours,peeled and slivered finely)
• 2-3 tbsp sugar

Preparation :

Tin: 

Since I wanted to make a smaller quantity, I chose a 5" round tin instead of a Springform tin.

Cut 4 long strips of butter/parchment paper 1" wide. Fold them lengthwise to make them 1/2 " wide. Lay them as shown in Fig.1 and staple from the center. Place it in the tin(Fig 2). These will be used to pull the set cheesecake from the tin.

Cut a 5" circle butter paper for the base and a side strip.

Grease the tin lightly and place the prepared butter paper in the base and sides of tin(Fig 3)

Hung Curd:

Take 1 cup curd and put it in a muslin/cheesecloth. Tie the ends and allow it to hang overnight in the refrigerator(You may try tying it to a spatula and  placing over a bowl)

This will give you roughly 1/2 cup thick curd.

Procedure:

Crust:

Crush biscuits (placed in a kitchen towel/Ziplock)with the help of a rolling pin.

Add melted butter and mix well.

Press onto the base of the prepared tin with the help of the back of a spoon. (Fig 4)

Keep in the refrigerator to set for atleast 1/2 hour.

Filling:

Take 2 tbsp cold water and sprinkle gelatin over it for 5-10 mins or till it gets spongy.

Take hung curd, paneer and sugar in a mixer jar and process till smooth.

Transfer it to a pan and heat it very lightly over low heat. Do not let it boil.(Alternatively, microwave for 10-15 secs) As soon as the mixture is just warm to touch, remove from heat and add the gelatin. Stir well to dissolve the gelatin. 

If using china grass, break it into small pieces and soak in 1/4 cup water for 10 mins till it gets soft. Place it in a pan over low heat and let it dissolve for 5-6 mins, stirring well. Do not let it boil.

Add this to the warm curd and paneer mixture and stir well.

Place 7 pieces of gulabjamuns on the crust(Fig 5)

Pour the cheesecake mixture on the gulabjamuns.

Cut 2 gulabjamuns in half and place them inverted on the top.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set.

Caramel Glaze:

Take sugar in a pan over low heat and let it cook and dissolve, stirring well. Soon you will notice it will leave water and begin to change colour. Keep stirring and when it dissolves completely becoming brownish in colour, remove from heat and add the slivered almonds. Pour onto the set cheesecake before it gets cold and hardens. Place some almond pieces on the gulab jamuns.

Slice up and serve this yummy 'very Indian' Cheesecake!!

Five days left for our 1st Anniversary and 3 Giveaways to end!!

Sending this recipe to Tangy Minds celebrate 1st Anniversary

 MJ Delights

Hearty and Healthy

Soul Food Show

Happy New Year to all of you!!
Amrita

Melting Moments-My Foodie Ode to Masterchef

There are certain things that come into our lives and  change our outlook and perspective completely. We suddenly start viewing things in a different light and analyze even the minutest detail. I am sure there are a zillion things creeping in your mind  that perfectly fits this bill.
What I am referring to is about the famous television cooking game show called 'Masterchef', a franchise which first started with the UK version of the show in 1990. The show is now produced in more than 35 countries worldwide!
Well, my tryst with Masterchef began by viewing its most famous Australian version. My story is like most of yours and I got hooked to the show instantly. Needless to mention that our little family is glued to the television everyday between 9-10 pm ( that is basically me and my husband Vishal as Vaanya our daughter all of 15 months is too young to understand or join our madness !)

Masterchef has aspired and enlightened us with the way we look at everyday food and it has made us talk and criticise about enough portions and presentations like seasoned chefs. Suddenly our foodie vocabulary has become full of unheard culinary words and food as a whole is being celebrated like never before. 

As a foodie family me and my husband have found our common love for cooking, experimenting and serving food through this amazing TV show. We discuss and debate over the finesse of the food presentation and aspire to recreate the same in our kitchen.

I have been bookmarking some recipes for the longest time but never tried them. The urge to start one and dig into my saved recipes from the Masterchef series came when one beautiful day I got an invitation from Anuja who is an avid Baker and has an amazing blog site simple baking. She is co-hosting an amazing event called Cook like a star-Masterchef series with Zoe@Bake for the Happy Kids and Baby Sumo@Eat Your Heart Out. 

The first recipe that came to my mind were these yummies called Melting Moments. They are basically two crispy biscuits sandwiched with rasberry jam and vanilla buttercream. The name itself speaks volumes. These biscuits simply melt in your mouth and keeps you mesmerized with their taste.
Today being Teachers day in India, this was a perfect recipe as an ode to a show which has been more of a teacher and a great inspiration to enjoy everyday cooking. 

Recipe adapted from here. I have halved the recipe and reduced the size of the biscuits.

Ingredients: For Biscuits(makes 4 sandwiched biscuits)

• 90g unsalted butter
• 30g icing sugar, sifted(or powdered sugar)
• 30g custard powder(I used Vanilla custard powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 90g plain flour

For Vanilla buttercream

• 50g butter, softened
• 1 tspvanilla bean paste/vanilla extract
• 1/2 cupicing sugar, sifted(or powdered sugar)

I used readymade rasberry jam for the filling. You can try other flavours too.

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line oven tray with baking paper or grease with a little butter.
For biscuits, cream butter for two minutes in an electric mixer. Add icing sugar and custard powder 
and mix until combined. Sift the baking powder and flour together then add to the dough and mix well. Roll dough into 30g balls, place on the baking paper lined baking tray and press each ball with a fork to leave an indent. Bake biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays 5 minutes to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For buttercream, whisk butter and vanilla until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat until mixture forms a paste, the consistency of thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.

To assemble, place jam on the base of one half of the biscuits. Pipe buttercream in a circle onto the base of the other half of the biscuits. Gently press one of each biscuit together to form a melting moment. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Note: The biscuits could have been thinner so next time I will make them weighing 20 gm or lesser.

Happy Baking
Amrita

Sending this recipe to Cook like a star co-hosted by Anuja@simple baking

 to Bake fest#11 with Vardhini

and to FunFair Food Event