Easy Strawberry dessert

The holidays have come to an end and life has started on normal mode once again. An entire month of gorging on yummy goodies can disturb a lot of your body equilibrium but then life is all about enjoying what you like, within limits though. I have been procrastinating the idea of getting back to my exercise schedule which I followed very religiously till my daughter Vaanya was born. Being a Phyical therapist, I very well know how the human mind keeps the idea of exercising at bay. I have had hard days convincing my patients the benefits and joy of exercising. I guess its time to repeat those lines of advice to myself. 

Coming back to the recipe that I am sharing today, it was basically done with left over strawberries and some cream that I had from my Chocolate cloud roll. I crushed some oreos and layered the dessert in no time. Some fancy decorations and you have a yummy and impressive dessert. 

Ingredients : I am not sharing any measurements because frankly speaking I just went with whatever I had

• 3-4 oreos, crushed
• 3-4 strawberries, chopped
• Whipped cream, about 1/2 a cup
• Strawberry crush, 2-3 spoonful (I used a brand called Mala)

Procedure : 

Take plastic serving cups like the ones I have used or any other serving glass and press some crushed oreos at the bottom.

Mix the strawberry crush with the whipped cream with gentle hands and spoon some on the crushed oreos.

Sprinkle some chopped strawberries and make another layer of oreo, whipped cream and strawberries. 

Dress it up with a dollop of piped whipped cream and a wafer chocolate stick. 

My daughter, Vaanya, enjoyed her favourite flavours, strawberry and chocolate, in the dessert and finished it in no time.

Happy quick dessert relishing

Amrita

Easy Strawberry Icecream

Vaanya, my four and a half year old daughter, is at a 'I love everything Pink' stage. Pink is not just her favourite colour but the only colour she wants everything around her to be in. Her fetish is not just limited to clothes but even food. She chooses to eat her oreo biscuits in strawberry flavour because it is pink! If she could, she would have painted the entire city pink.

Last month when we got a box of strawberries home, this simple and quick recipe was on my mind for my darling pink daughter. As I thought, the mere all natural pink colour of this ice cream made her eat spoonfuls straight from the container. The super easy recipe worked perfect and I did not have to use any artificial colour. 

Ingredients : 

• 1 cup whipped cream
• 1 cup condensed milk
• strawberries, chopped, as required

Procedure : 

Take a little less than 1/2 cup of whipping cream (to achieve 1 cup of whipped cream) and whip it to stiff peaks. 

Fold in the condensed milk and whip it again.

Fold in chopped strawberries and put the mixture in a freezer proof container and freeze for 3-4 hours. 

Scoop out and enjoy the soft serve type ice cream.

Happy Pink ice cream relishing

Amrita

Chocolate Cloud Roll with Strawberry cream filling

Winter time marketing is so much fun as you get to see and buy such a fresh and colourful range of vegetables and fruits. Fresh strawberries boxes are nowadays seen with every fruit seller and with the prices now reduced to almost  half with what it started off, I decided to do a strawberry recipes marathon. 

My first thought was to simply fill a tried and tested Chocolate cloud roll recipe with whipped cream tossed with strawberries. This particular recipe has been made by me many times but has never been documented in the blog. Amongst all the baking books sitting pretty on my bookshelf, Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum is my favourite for many reasons than one. Firstly she gives scientific explanations to her bakes and her recipes are very detailed and easy to follow. Her Chocolate Cloud roll recipe is as delicate as it sounds and has a melt in mouth texture.

As Rose mentions, this is more of a flourless souffle than a cake. With no flour to give it a definite texture this cake is very very light and is just about sweet. I have usually filled the cake with a dark chocolate ganache but this time tried a whipped cream and strawberry filling. The cake can have endless fillings from a jam, chocolate ganache, coffee flavoured cream filling or just a plain whipped cream with fruits filling. 

Do not forget to follow the baking tin instruction which mentions a grease, line,  grease and then flour. This is very important as the cake otherwise will stick to your butter/parchment paper. 

Recipe source : Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients : I have reduced the recipe to 1/2 and baked in a 11X8 " jelly roll pan

• 3 eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp and a 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar, separate 
• 50 gms melted dark chocolate
• a pinch of cream of tartar (optional)

Strawberry cream : 

• 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 4-5 chopped strawberries

Garnish : 

• melted dark chocolate
• chopped strawberries
• icing sugar

Procedure : 

Preheat oven to 176 degree Celsius.

Grease your jelly roll pan and then line it with butter/parchment paper and then grease it again and lightly flour it. 

Take egg whites in a bowl and beat till foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat again till soft peaks form. Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp sugar and beat again till stiff peaks form. 

In another bowl beat 3 tbsp sugar and egg yolks for about 3-4 minutes till light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate and beat again till incorporated.

With a rubber spatula or a whisk, fold 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk-chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture.

Pour batter in the prepared tin and spread with the spatula. Bake for 15 minutes.

Take a piece of butter/parchment paper the size of the tin and sprinkle it with cocoa powder. Invert the cake on it and let it cool. Remove the parchment paper to spread the strawberry filling and roll the cake gently. 

Garnish with a dusting of icing sugar/powdered sugar, melted dark chocolate drizzle and chopped strawberries. 

Slice and serve.

Happy cake relishing

Amrita

Fraisier-French Strawberry Gâteau

This Valentine's day completed 5 blissful years of my marriage with my best friend, my soulmate Vishal. Time has certainly flown by and it seems like just yesterday that we had limited time to spend with each other. We kept our distant relationship alive on letters and stuck by each others choice even with family's disapproval. It is really amazing to think back of those days and imagine at the conviction we had in each other. I guess that is the reason we were united with our family's blessings. And what better day for that!

Valentine's day is also my in-laws anniversary and therefore the choice of date for our marriage. My parents had no objection to it but since we had a Gurudwara wedding, it was important that it should be a Sunday. Sikh weddings rituals take place in the morning and Sunday being a holiday for all is naturally the most convenient day to invite people. Believe it or not 14 Feb 2010 was a Sunday!

With such a mushy story, I needed a mushy cake for the grand 5 year celebration. This particular cake caught my fancy as it more of the technique in assembly than the bake in itself. A fairly simple method with lovely results, is exactly what I wanted for the anniversary celebrations. Fraisier is a gâteau which has structure made up of strawberries and pastry cream supported by thin layers of sponge. The fraisier gets its name from the french word “fraise” which means strawberry. Traditionally this cake has a marzipan top. The elements can be made few days in advance which makes it easier to just assemble it a day before required. 

My maiden attempt, thankfully, went off well and once the gateau was out on a plate to be photographed, my daughter Vaanya kept pulling me asking for the chocolate decorations. With some hurried pictures, the gateau was all hers. There is no joy comparable to the one you get when you see your tiny one enjoy what you have made. Vaanya was all over the cake licking off the cream, pinching off the chocolate decorations and pulling the strawberry slices from its place. 

Ingredients : For a 6" round gâteau

Genoise cake:

• 2 eggs
• 25 gms butter, at room temperature
• zest of half a lemon
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup self raising flour (substitute with 1/2 cup all purpose flour+3/4 tsp baking powder+1/8 tsp salt)

Pastry Cream filling:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 egg (beat one egg in a bowl and use half the quantity)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 1/2 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup whipped cream

Sugar syrup :

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

You will also require:

• 9-10 strawberries
• Chocolate decorations

Procedure : 

Genoise : 

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Grease and line a 6" round baking tin.

Place sugar, eggs and lemon zest in a bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water as a double boiler. Take care that the water should not touch the bowl of eggs. 

Whisk the mixture over medium heat till it doubles in volume. You will know the right stage once the mixture forms a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted.

Sift in 1/2 of the flour and gently fold in the whisked mixture with a metal spoon. 

Add the remaining flour and fold again.

Gently fold in the butter. 

Pour the mixture in the prepared tin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool and cut cake in half.

Pastry Cream filling:

Pour milk, vanilla extract and salt in a saucepan.

Place over medium heat and stir. Bring it to a near boiling point.

Add cornstarch and sugar in another bowl and whisk.

When milk is ready, gently and slowly add to the egg mixture and stir simultaneously. 

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to cook over low heat till it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Pass through a fine mesh and allow to cool.

Whisk in the butter. 

Cover cream with a plastic wrap pressing on top of cream to avoid skin formation.

Chill in fridge. 

Can be stored upto 5 days in refrigeration.

Sprinkle gelatin over water and allow to soften for 3-4 minutes.

Take 1/4 cup cream on a double boiler and heat it.

Add gelatin and whisk. Add in the remaining cream.

Mix in the whipped cream well and transfer the pastry cream in a piping bag and store in fridge till  further use. 

Simple Syrup : 

Combine sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil. 

Allow to cool.

Can be stored in fridge for upto 1 month.

Can be flavoured too. 

Fraisier Assembly : 

Cling wrap the entire inside of the 6" round pan with some extra hanging out. This will be useful to pull out the gateau from the tin. You may also use a springform pan to make it easier in which case you will only need to line the sides of the pan with cling wrap.

Fit bottom cake layer in the pan and moisten with sugar syrup. 

Slice strawberries in arrange around the sides of the pan.

Pipe cream in between the strawberries and a thin layer across the top of cake.

Chop the remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake.

Cover them with the pastry cream and smoothen top.

Place the second layer of cake on top and moisten with sugar syrup. 

Cover top with some remaining pastry cream or whipped cream.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Pull out the gateau carefully from the tin with the help of the overhanging cling wrap.

Place on a plate and decorate with strawberries and chocolate decorations.

Our anniversary celebration was made delicious with Vishal's Chicken biryani which followed by a visit to a newly opened cafe for some coffee and cupcakes. 

Happy Valentine's day

Amrita

Strawberry Fool

''Any darn fool can make something complex, it takes a genius to make something simple.''― Pete Seeger

1 Year and 11 months old!!
How did she grow so soon?? Wasn't it just yesterday that she fitted in my arms and gave me the most sweetest unselfish smile, filling up my days with her sunshine presence and giving me the most beautiful reason to live. She is all of this and a lot more now. She is my daughter Vaanya.
I understand Time flies..but why so soon! It so seems like just yesterday that we were anxiously waiting..first for her to come out, then for her to turn, sit, crawl, stand and walk. How selfish we become as parents, wanting them to learn everything fast, and once they do, we want time to slow down! I guess that is what Parenthood is. 
Our children teach us so much, at times completely transforming us. I think the best thing they teach is to have patience and the ability to love unconditionally. They teach us to admire and love the most simplest and silliest of things. They teach us to move on and be happy with whatever we have. Most importantly they teach us to be a child all over again!
Vaanya continues to add that special spark, that special reason to live life fully and that special presence which can never be replaced. We as parents feel truly blessed to have her. Every 24 of the month is dedicated to something sweet on our blog to signify Vaanya's utmost sweet presence and we call it our Sweet day. 
Today I am sharing a super simple and super pretty desert. It hardly needs any skill and is sure to stun your guests. 

Ingredients: For 6 servings

• 1/2 packet of strawberry jelly
• 1 cup milk
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp strawberry custard powder
• 1/2 cup vanilla sponge cake crumbs(I used my leftover Ombre cake, you may try with store bought small sponge cakes like Britannia and churn them in the mixer or use your hands to crumb it)
• 6 strawberries chopped and a few for garnishing
• whipped cream and mint leaves for decoration 

Procedure:

Strawberry Jelly
Make jelly as per the instructions on the packet. Basically you need to mix the provided powders and pour boiling water and mix. 
Add the chopped strawberries in it and let it cool a bit. Do not wait to long as the jelly will set.
Pour jelly in the chosen glasses or bowls. 
I used an angled effect, therefore placed the glasses at certain angle over a towel roll and let it set. 
As soon as they cool to room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator, maintaining the angled effect. I put the same roll of towel in the fridge and let the glasses tilt on it. This is crucial as jelly being jelly is very slippery and may get ruined if you keep the glasses straight.

Strawberry custard:
Boil 1 cup of milk and add sugar. 
Dissolve custard powder with some cold milk and add to the milk, stirring well.
As it thickens to the desired consistency, remove from heat. Let it cool a bit and add the sponge cake crumbs.
Very carefully spoon this custard in the same glasses till the top. 
Let it set in the refrigerator, this time keeping the glasses straight for at least half an hour.
Garnish with whipped cream, strawberry slices and mint sprigs. 

Getting set in the fridge

Ready to be served

I tried another version which was suggested on the back of the jelly pack and which turned out to be a quick,pretty and yummy desert.

Make jelly as per instructions(I used the leftover half) and mix equal quantity of whipped cream with it. Whip/blend this mixture well.

Pour in desired glasses/bowl for serving and garnish.

Set in a bowl and garnished with whipped cream and strawberry fan

Set in individual glasses topped with whipped cream and strawberry bits

Happy Strawberry Fooling
Amrita

Dark Chocolate and Strawberry Panna cotta-An Indulgent Celebration

Happy Women's day to all you lovely and beautiful ladies. 

I know I am yet again late with my post, with Women's day being celebrated 2 days back on March 8. Like I said before, better late than never!!

International Women's day, originally called International Working Women's day, is celebrated on March 8 every year.The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women. I so hope that this promise is kept and that the inhuman and brutal cases of violence against women come to an end and all those who have suffered and been victims get justice as soon as possible.

Coming to the post, this is my first attempt at trying my Baker's fingers to make this desert which does not require the oven. Panna cotta (means cooked cream) is an extremely popular Italian desert made by simmering cream and sugar, mixing with gelatin and allowed to set. Yup, you read me right, that's it. The only thing you actually do with this desert is Wait to set!! 

Authentic Panna cotta is vanilla flavoured and served with fresh fruits. I obviously chose the sinful route!! Dark Chocolate and Strawberry. The best part being, having the privilege of using Homegrown Strawberries from my Amma's(mother-in-law's) amazing and beautiful garden.

The beginning

The wait

Ripe and ready, fresh and luscious

This is a super easy, no hassles and a winner desert . Every bite is a sinful delight. This is definitely NOT for the 'weak sweet toothed', you need the strongest sweet tooth to devour and enjoy the smoothness and silkiness of a Panna cotta with zero guilt!!

Ingredients:For 3-4 servings(depends according to the size of serving glass/bowl selected)

• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate, melted
• 2 tbsp strawberry puree
• few drops of red food colouring
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp powdered gelatin/agar agar(for vegetarians)
• Fresh Strawberry for garnishing
• Tempered chocolate twigs

Procedure:

First (bottom)Dark Chocolate layer
In a bowl, add 1/4 cup cold water and add 1 tsp of gelatin. Allow to bloom for 5-10 mins till gelatin becomes spongy. 
(If using Agar agar, dissolve 1 tsp of agar agar in 1/4 cup of hot water. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 5mins. Mix well with warmed ingredient.)
Meanwhile take 1/2 cup cream in a pan on low heat and add 1 tbsp sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Melt 1/2 of the dark chocolate on a double boiler or microwave for a minute/till melted.
Mix chocolate in the cream, stirring well.
Mix the gelatin/agar agar and stir well to dissolve while the mixture is warm. If it doesn't dissolve, gently heat the mixture to just warm and add gelatin.
Pour the Dark chocolate in selected glasses and refrigerate for an 1/2 hour or till set. To get the angled effect, keep the glasses tilted with the help of a roll of towel.

Strawberry layer
Bloom 1 tsp gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water or agar agar in hot water as instructed above.
Dissolve 2 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup cream over low heat. Remove from heat. Add food colouring, vanilla extract and strawberry puree. Mix well. 
Add gelatin/agar agar and stir to dissolve.
Pour in the glasses over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate for another 1/2 hour or till set, angled against a roll of towel. 

Second Dark Chocolate layer
Repeat the same steps for the first layer. 
Pour on the strawberry layer and allow to set in the fridge for 1/2 hour or till set, glasses to be kept straight this time.

Strawberry Fan
Make 5-6  longitudinal cuts (not all the way through) and then gently spread using little pressure.

Tempered chocolate twigs
Take about 1 tbsp chocolate and melt on a double boiler or microwave for a minute. Give it a good whisk.
Pour the chocolate in a plastic cone, snip off the end and draw twigs on a butter/parchment paper, very carefully. Keep in the refrigerator for 5 mins to set. Peel and keep aside. 

Garnished Panna cotta with a strawberry fan and tempered chocolate twigs

Sending to What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page
Only Continental Cooking brainchild of Pari

 

and Women's day event sponsored by Cuponation.

Happy Women's day and Happy Indulging
Amrita