Kheer tarts

Its that time of the year when Calcutta dresses up in its fineries to welcome Ma Durga. The little nip in the air and the fragrance of the Shiuli phool (night jasmine or harshringar) are the heralds of Durga Puja - a festival which is incomparable to others. The zest and enthusiasm to dress up in new clothes and visit pandals all across the city is seen in every Calcuttan irrespective of them being Bengali or not. The intricacies of the beautiful work done in Pandals makes everyone hold their breath and wonder at the hard work that has been put in, only to be demolished after the Puja is over. 

As with any other festivity, Durga Puja is also synonymous to great food. Grand plans are chalked out which includes pandal hopping and eating out. From street vendors to five star hotels, every place is packed up with people and each place tries to give the best and attractive offers.

Since the blossoming of Shiuli phool marks the beginning of the month of this festivity, I wanted to incorporate it in my picture shoot. Along with Vishal, my husband, we hunted down many flower vendors but did not find any. While buying some vegetables, I asked the lady vendor in Bangla, "Didi, shiuli phool kothaye pabo?"(Where will I find Shiuli flower?) She smiled and said, "Aamake aage bolte, aamaar badi samne koto phool maati te pode thake" (Why did you not tell me earlier. In front of my house, these flowers are found fallen on the ground) She was sweet enough to ask me to come the next day and collect it from her. And that is how I got these humble little fragrant flowers for the shoot!

The idea of this recipe has an interesting story too. Last month while visiting a Gurudwara, 3 hours away from Calcutta, we happened to cross one of the small towns called 'Kheerpai'.The name intrigued us all and we were contemplating the place to be famous for a certain kheer served in a pie form. Since I wanted the dessert to be bite sized, I experimented with these Kheer tarts. I was fortunate to find some nolen gur from last year in my fridge. You can try the same with normal sugar and enjoy this month of festivity. 

Ingredients :

Tarts : Makes 6-8 tarts

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 25 gms butter, cut in cubes, cold
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp milk
• cold water, as required for kneading

Kheer :

• 500 ml milk, full cream
• 1 rice, washed (I used Gobindbhog)
• 2-3 tbsp nolen gur(date palm jaggery) You may use sugar or sugarcane jaggery

Procedure : 

Tarts : 

Take flour and butter in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture).

Mix in the powdered sugar and add milk.

Now add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not over knead.

Wrap the dough in a cling wrap or plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour. 

Take a little bit of the dough and press it against the tart mould. Starting from the center press out the excess dough and remove it. 

Take a fork and make holes on the dough in the tart mould. 

Refrigerate the tart moulds again for 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Place the tart moulds in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins.

Kheer : 

Pour milk in a thick bottomed pan and bring it to a boil.

Lower the flame and add the washed rice.

Let the milk cook, on a medium flame, stirring in between till it reduces to half its original quantity. 

Once the milk has thickened to the desired consistency, turn off the heat.

Wait for a couple of minutes and then add the grated/crushed nolen gur. Mix well. Adjust sweetness to your liking.

In case you want to use sugar, add it once the milk has thickened and still on the flame. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Add a spoonful of the kheer in the tart shells and bake for 5-10 minutes.

Cool and garnish with some chopped pistachios, cardamom powder and some grated nolen gur.

This recipe is part of Kolkata Food Bloggers ongoing event : Puja week-Mishti special 

Happy Durga Puja

Amrita

Fig tarts with pista crumble

24th of the month and it is time for our 'Sweet day' celebration. 

For those who do not know, every 24th I share a sweet creation to celebrate the birth of the little angel in our lives, our munchkin, our daughter Vaanya.

Next month Vaanya will turn 3 years old and we will have a grand family get together in Allahabad.

I love baking with fruits and look forward to seasonal ones to experiment. Having not much opportunity to find figs here in Kolkata, once I did I jumped onto trying 2-3 recipes with it which have been in the folder since months. 

This recipe was first viewed on Masterchef Australia where Gary Mehigan took a masterclass. The combination of pista with fresh figs intrigued me a lot and I was happy to finally out my hands on it. 

As usual I have reduced the recipe to suit our small family. I have modified the procedure to my ease and have used my tried and tested tart shell recipe. 

Recipe from : Adapted from Masterchef Australia

Ingredients : I reduced the recipe to get two 3" tarts 

Shortcrust pastry for tart shells:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cold butter
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• cold water for kneading

Pista Crumble :  

• 5-6 blanched, peeled and finely chopped pista
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp chilled butter

Frangipane filling :

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 small egg
• 1/4 tsp zest of a lemon
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 15 blanched and peeled almonds
• 20 blanched and peeled pistachios
• 2 tbsp honey

Garnish : 

• 1 fig, slices/wedges
• chopped pista

 

 Procedure : 

Shortcrust pastry :
Take flour and butter in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture).
Now add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not over knead.
Wrap this dough in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour.
Take out the dough and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll it roughly to the size of the chosen tart tin with 1/8" thickness.
Gently press the dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess dough.
Line all the tart tins the same way. Make holes on the sides and bottom with a fork and refrigerate for another half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the tarts for 15-20 mins or till they get a light brown colour.
Take them out and let them cool.

For a detailed step by step illustration refer here

Pista Crumble : 

Take a bowl and mix pista, sugar and flour. Rub butter into this mixture. Leave small lumps of butter in it. Keep aside.

Frangipane Filling :

Grind almonds and pistachios with honey till you get a fine paste. 

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. 

Whisk butter and sugar in a bowl till creamy. 

Add egg, lemon zest, flour and almond-pista paste. Mix well. 

Spoon the mixture in the prepared tart shells till 3/4 full. 

Sprinkle the pista crumble on it.

Press in the fig slices/wedges. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or till the top browns a little. 
Allow to cool.
Sprinkle chopped pista on top and serve.

Happy Fig tart enjoying

Amrita

Nolen Gurer tart

It all started with the first batch of Nolen gur I had bought for my experiment with the Mousse and since then I have been trying my hands on quite some unusual recipes. I tried a batch of Nolen gur muffins which was such a hit at home that we made it again and again and loved it each time. The natural brown colour that it imparts along with its sweetness gives an amazing experience. Sadly it is available only in Winters. No wonder that is the reason I have been making the most of it. 

The Nolen gur tart was actually an experiment during Diwali. I wanted to make something special for my parents and jumped onto this idea. The tart was a breeze and so was the mousse. The most difficult part was shaping the nolen gur sandesh into flowers. It took loads of patience and determination and I was somewhat happy with the end result. 

Ingredients : For 6 tarts

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 30 gm unsalted butter (cold)
• 2 tbsp nolen gur, powdered 
• little cold water for kneading

Nolen gurer mousse Filling : 

• 1/2 cup paneer
• 1/4 cup nolen gur
• 1/4 cup whipped cream

Topping-Nolen gurer sandesh :

• 1 cup milk
• a pinch of citric acid/1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp grated nolen gur
• red and green food colouring

Procedure : 

Tarts:

Take flour, nolen gur and butter in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture). 

Now add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not over knead.
Wrap this dough in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour.

Take out the dough and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll it roughly to the size of the chosen tart tin with 1/8" thickness. 

Gently press the dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess dough.

Line all the tart tins the same way. Make holes on the sides and bottom with a fork and refrigerate for another half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the tarts for 15-20 mins or till they get a light brown colour.

Take them out and let them cool.

  

For a detailed step by step illustration refer here

Nolen Gurer mousse: 

Dissolve Nolen gur in 2-3 tbsp warm milk.

Blend paneer in a blender till smooth without adding water.

Mix paneer with the dissolved nolen gur.

Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Fill cooled tart shells with a tbsp of the mousse and allow to set in the regrigerator.

Refer here for details.

Nolen gurer sandesh for topping : 
Take milk in a pan and bring it to a boil. 
Mix in the lime juice or citric acid and stir till you see the milk curdling and the whey separating.
Turn off the flame and let it stand for 2 mins. Meanwhile prepare a vessel by placing a muslin cloth or use a colander.
Strain the mixture into the muslin cloth. I usually save the whey to use it to knead my dough for roti or use it while boiling dal.
Bring the sides of the muslin cloth together and hang it to drain excess liquid for 30 mins. This is the Chenna.
Take the chenna in a plate and knead it with the heel of your palm for 5-10 mins till you get a smooth and doughy texture. 
Melt the nolen gur in little warm milk.

Add the kneaded chenna to a non stick pan on low flame and keep stirring continuously to avoid burning the chenna.

Add the melted nolen gur and mix with the chenna. 

The chenna will gradually change colour as it gets mixed with nolen gur and will become lumpy. This should take 10-15 mins of continuous stirring.

This is called 'Makha' or 'Ready to be moulded' stage. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle with hands.

Take a little portion of this nolen gur flavoured chenna and pat it flat to fit the top of tart over the mousse. Repeat the same for all the tarts.

Divide the remaining portion of chenna into two and add green and red food colouring to each. 

Make leaf shape with the green one and give vein impression with the backside of a knife.
Place it on the tart.

Take a little portion of the red coloured chenna and pat it to a rough rectangle with a longer side than width. 

Very carefully with the help of a knife, lift it and roll it gently from one end.

The chenna is very fragile, so be very gentle and patient with the rolling. 

Pinch off the end and place on the tart. Make three such rolled flowers for each tart.
Refrigerate before serving.

Happy Nolen gurer tart relishing
Amrita

Caramelized Onion Tarts

The Pudgy little hands that stole my tart!!

Family time is the best vacation!

A sudden vacation is not exactly what I had planned especially having to travel with a 20 month old baby but the incentive of having to spend some great time with family(and an extra nudge from hubby) made me pack my bags and leave for Punjab and Allahabad. I had a wonderful time in Punjab being pampered by Nani and Masi's, gorged on fresh produce of vegetables and dollops of homemade white butter  on yummy paranthas. Vaanya had a super time bonding with everyone and running around in the extra spacious houses. 

The next part of our vacation was homecoming to Allahabad. Our house is a 'Heaven Haven' for me. A place where I can leave behind all my worries and just soak myself in the luxury of the palatial house and the most beautiful garden. An amazing vegetable patch adds to the charm with fresh and unadulterated veggies being enjoyed everyday. The house was full on our arrival and we had the loveliest time with everyone except Vishal(hubby) who was missed terribly. One of the things I love and look forward to do here apart from relaxing and enjoying the yummiest food made by Amma(mother-in-law) is to bake!! My Baker's fingers jumped on to the recipe that I am sharing today to get warmed up and carry on my love to bake. 
I chose tarts as I love making and eating them and the best part is that once the shell is prepared you can play around with the filling to your liking, making it sweet or savoury.

Ingredients: 

For 6 tarts

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 
• 30 gms butter(cold)
• A little cold water for kneading

For Filling

• 2 medium sized onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp green chilli sauce
• a pinch of sugar
• a pinch of salt

For Garnishing

• tomato slices/pieces
• coriander sprigs
• fresh cream/mayonnaise

Procedure:

Tarts:
Take flour and butter in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture).
Now add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not over knead.
Wrap this dough in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour.
Take out the dough and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll it roughly to the size of the chosen tart tin with 1/8" thickness.
Gently press the dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess dough.
Line all the tart tins the same way. Make holes on the sides and bottom with a fork and refrigerate for another half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the tarts for 15-20 mins or till they get a light brown colour.
Take them out and let them cool.
 
For a detailed step by step illustration refer here

 

Filling:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt. Lower the flame and let the onions cook stirring occasionally till they attain a brown colour. This is called Caramelization where the sugar in the onions oxidizes resulting in a golden brown colour.

Add vinegar, soy sauce, chilli sauce and sugar and stir well.

Remove from heat and let it cool.

  

Assembly:

Take a spoonful of the caramelized onions and fill in the tarts.

Garnish with a drop of fresh cream/mayonnaise, a small piece of tomato and coriander leaf.

 

 

The most difficult part in the entire process was taking pictures!! The moment I would try and take a pic, my daughter Vaanya would come to pick one up!!  It was such a difficult task, keeping her chubby pudgy fingers away. Here she is, caught in the act.

Sending this recipe to  Bake fest #16

What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page

and Blogoversary event

Happy Tart eating

Amrita

Brownie Tart with Chocolate Pockets-For my 'Sweet day'

'Its a GIRL'!! 

These were the magical words I heard exactly one and a half years back. All through my pregnancy I was sure we were having a boy..I don't know why..I guess it was just a stupid instinct. I was so sure that even till the 9th month we could not think of a girl name.

I kept insisting Vishal to think of one in case we had a girl. Finally 'Vaanya' was suggested by Amma(mother-in-law) and we instantly liked it. 

Vaanya means Gracious gift of God' and she sure is the most beautiful and the most precious gift from the Almighty. We as parents feel so blessed and thank God for sending us an angel. 

Today as she turns one and a half years old, I wonder where time flew. Just yesterday she was this tiny baby  who could not move and today she is so swift that I can't keep up to her!! She is learning a new word everyday and says the most sweetest things in her most beautiful voice. 

Daughter are truly a blessing to parents. May God bless her abundantly always.

Daughter are angels sent from above to fill our heart with unending love-- J. Lee

This Brownie Tart is essentially a brownie baked in a tart tin. It is dense in texture as any brownie is meant to be. The chocolate ganache filled pockets which just melts in your mouth is the biggest 'Brownie point' about this bake.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Joy Of Baking

Ingredients: Makes a 9 inch brownie tart

• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped into pieces
• 1/2 cup(100 gms) unsalted butter, in room temperature
• A little less than 1/2 cup(85 gms) dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar, powdered
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup(85 gms) cream cheese or finely mashed Paneer
• 1/2 cup refined flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ganache:For the chocolate pockets

• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp cream

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 170 degree Celsius and toast walnuts for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and chop into small pieces.
Reduce the temperature to 165 degree Celsius.

Grease a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment/butter paper.
Melt chocolate on a double boiler or microwave for 1 minute. Mix in the butter.

Transfer to a larger bowl and mix in the cocoa powder and sugar in the chocolate mixture.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Now mix in the cream cheese/mashed paneer. You may have to use a mixer to get a smooth consistency.
Add the flour and mix just till incorporated. 
Stir in the nuts.

Pour the batter in the tart pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. The batter will be quite thick and will fill the pan almost to the top.
Place the tart pan onto a large baking sheet to catch any drips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Make the Ganache while the tart cools:
Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.

Make holes carefully on the top of the brownie tart with a greased spoon end or a small round cookie cutter or with a small melon scooper, like I did. 
Now fill the holes with the prepared ganache.
The ganache may sink as it cools so add more as required. 
Let the tart cool completely and then cover and refrigerate. 
Best to make this tart a day before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Linking this recipe to 60 days to christmas

and Christmas event

Happy Brownie-tart Eating

Amrita

Diya Tarts (Eggless)

Happy Diwali !
I know I am a day late but it was such a busy day yesterday from cleaning the house, (making vaanya eat her breakfast while she watched Teletubbies!), searching for the diwali decorations, (giving vaanya a bath), preparing the dough for the tarts, (snatching the unscrewed Odomos(mosquito repellent cream) from vaanya which was about to go in her mouth), receiving phone calls for diwali wishes from all near and dear ones, (making vaanya eat her lunch and put her to sleep).....My list may sound too long, boring and neverending but in all these daily activities, I attempted to try these tarts for my mother who very lovingly had asked me to make something for the traditional exchange of sweets on Diwali.

Diwali or Deepavali literally means 'Rows of lamps'. It is the festival of lights and is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.

'Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya' - meaning 'Lead me from darkness to light' sums the significance of celebrating Diwali. Diyas represent light or knowledge and are lit as a symbol of goodness, harmony and truth.

Ingredients: For 12 tarts

• 3/4 cup refined flour
• 30 gms unsalted cold butter cubes
• cold water as required for making the dough
• 6 roasted almonds
• 6 roasted cashewnuts
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate, in pieces
• 2 tbsp cream
• little cream, for decoration
• few drops of orange food colour, for decoration

Procedure: 

Take flour in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not overknead. 

Wrap in a plastic sheet and let it rest in the fridge for 1/2 hour. 

Roll the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface to 1/8 " thickness.

Gently press the rolled dough to the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess and make few holes on the dough with a fork.

Refrigerate for another 1/2 hour to set.

For a step by step pictorial demonstration refer here

I used a boat shaped shallow tart tin and just rolled the dough at one end to give it a diya shape.

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celcius and bake the tarts for 10-15 mins or till they get a nice brown colour.

With the leftover dough, roll out thin and cut rough flame shape with a stick(a leaf shape) with a knife.

Bake for 5 mins at 180 degree Celsius or till they get a brown colour.

For the filling:

Chop the roasted nuts (you can use any nuts and dry roast them on a heated pan)

Put them in the prepared tart shells

Melt the dark chocolate on a double boiler or microwave for 1 min. Add 2 tbsp cream and mix well.

Pour this in the tart shells over the nuts.

Mix few drops of the orange food colour in some cream and coat the prepared flames.

Fix the flames on the chocolate at the pointed end and refrigerate to set.

These super easy eggless nutty chocolate tarts were an instant hit and I was such a glad and proud Baker of the beautiful day.
Hope you had an amazing and safe Diwali.

Sending this recipe to Diwali Bash,
Celebrate Navratri/Diwali  brainchild of Jagruti,
My Diwali Basket Event

Bon Vivant# 10- Festive Feasts

Happy Diwali
Amrita