Sunday, November 27, 2011
Lemon Poppy Seed Whipped Cream Cake
I was once conned into eating what I now know as the 'Whipped Cream Cake' by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
You see, there was this time a few years ago when I decided to go on a diet - nothing too drastic, all I was trying to do was stay away from desserts.
"Come off your diet nonsense and have a small slice," my friend ordered at a coffee morning she was hosting. The cake looked very moist and had a tender crumb and my no dessert resolve was getting a little weak. "Oh and by the way, it doesn't have any oil or butter," she added. That clinched it. I happily dug into the cake.
"How did you manage such a moist cake without using any oil or butter?" I asked her, my curiosity thoroughly piqued.
"Oh, sweetie, but this cake uses fresh cream. 40% fat," she said very nonchalantly.
I could have strangled her, but settled for the recipe instead. Months passed and I eventually forgot about the cake till recently when I started seeing this cake all over my FB wall.
High time I made it myself, I thought. So, I pulled out the recipe and set to work.
But how does the 'lemon poppy seed' part come into the picture, you might wonder. It might sound a little silly but after having lived the past almost 9 years in countries that have banned poppy seeds, I had made up my mind that whenever I moved to a country where poppy seeds where sold in grocery stores, the first cake I would bake would have poppy seeds in it. (In fact, a packet of poppy seeds was one of the first things I purchased when we moved to Johannesburg).
So that is how the Lemon Poppy Seed Whipped Cream Cake happened.
Lemon Poppy Seed Whipped Cream Cake
Ingredients:
Heavy Cream : 1 ½ cups
(Rose recommends 40% fat for a more tender crumb, this cream is not readily available off supermarket shelves and needs to be procured from speciality stores/restaurants or bakeries; mine had 34%)
Eggs: 3 (150 gms)
Superfine sugar: 1 cup + 2 tbsps
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Cake flour: 2 ¼ cups (or 2 cups All purpose flour)
Baking powder: 2 tsps
Salt: ¾ tsp
Poppy seeds: 2 tbsps
Lemon zest: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp, optional (I used oil to compensate for the lower fat % in the cream )
Lemon juice: 2 tsps
Method:
Pre-heat the oven at 375 deg F or 190 deg C ( 350 deg F or 150 deg C if using a dark pan) for 20 minutes.
Grease and dust a 10 cup metal fluted pan (I don't have one and used a bundt pan instead).
Whisk together the eggs and the vanilla essence until combined. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the poppy seeds and the lemon zest into the sifted flour, set aside.
Whip the cream till it thickens and forms stiff peaks.
With the beaters still running, pour the eggs mixture into the cream. The mixture will emulsify into a mayonnaise like consistency.
Next, beat the sugar into the mixture.
Fold the flour in 2 batches. Mix well until no streaks of flour are visible.
Finally, mix the oil and the lemon juice.
Bake for about 25-30 or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. (It took me about 40 minutes to bake the cake, but that could well be my oven).
For the lemon glaze:
Icing sugar: 1 ¼ cup
Lemon juice: 2 tbsps
Water: ½ tbsp
Mix together the icing sugar, lemon juice and water till smooth. Pour it over the cooled cake and let it rest until it sets, about 10 minutes.
Soft and moist, a slight crunch from the poppy seeds and a delicate lemony fragrance and taste, this is the perfect slice to have with your evening cup of tea. Enjoy!
You see, there was this time a few years ago when I decided to go on a diet - nothing too drastic, all I was trying to do was stay away from desserts.
"Come off your diet nonsense and have a small slice," my friend ordered at a coffee morning she was hosting. The cake looked very moist and had a tender crumb and my no dessert resolve was getting a little weak. "Oh and by the way, it doesn't have any oil or butter," she added. That clinched it. I happily dug into the cake.
"How did you manage such a moist cake without using any oil or butter?" I asked her, my curiosity thoroughly piqued.
"Oh, sweetie, but this cake uses fresh cream. 40% fat," she said very nonchalantly.
I could have strangled her, but settled for the recipe instead. Months passed and I eventually forgot about the cake till recently when I started seeing this cake all over my FB wall.
High time I made it myself, I thought. So, I pulled out the recipe and set to work.
But how does the 'lemon poppy seed' part come into the picture, you might wonder. It might sound a little silly but after having lived the past almost 9 years in countries that have banned poppy seeds, I had made up my mind that whenever I moved to a country where poppy seeds where sold in grocery stores, the first cake I would bake would have poppy seeds in it. (In fact, a packet of poppy seeds was one of the first things I purchased when we moved to Johannesburg).
So that is how the Lemon Poppy Seed Whipped Cream Cake happened.
Lemon Poppy Seed Whipped Cream Cake
Ingredients:
Heavy Cream : 1 ½ cups
(Rose recommends 40% fat for a more tender crumb, this cream is not readily available off supermarket shelves and needs to be procured from speciality stores/restaurants or bakeries; mine had 34%)
Eggs: 3 (150 gms)
Superfine sugar: 1 cup + 2 tbsps
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Cake flour: 2 ¼ cups (or 2 cups All purpose flour)
Baking powder: 2 tsps
Salt: ¾ tsp
Poppy seeds: 2 tbsps
Lemon zest: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp, optional (I used oil to compensate for the lower fat % in the cream )
Lemon juice: 2 tsps
Method:
Pre-heat the oven at 375 deg F or 190 deg C ( 350 deg F or 150 deg C if using a dark pan) for 20 minutes.
Grease and dust a 10 cup metal fluted pan (I don't have one and used a bundt pan instead).
Whisk together the eggs and the vanilla essence until combined. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the poppy seeds and the lemon zest into the sifted flour, set aside.
Whip the cream till it thickens and forms stiff peaks.
With the beaters still running, pour the eggs mixture into the cream. The mixture will emulsify into a mayonnaise like consistency.
Next, beat the sugar into the mixture.
Fold the flour in 2 batches. Mix well until no streaks of flour are visible.
Finally, mix the oil and the lemon juice.
Bake for about 25-30 or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. (It took me about 40 minutes to bake the cake, but that could well be my oven).
For the lemon glaze:
Icing sugar: 1 ¼ cup
Lemon juice: 2 tbsps
Water: ½ tbsp
Mix together the icing sugar, lemon juice and water till smooth. Pour it over the cooled cake and let it rest until it sets, about 10 minutes.
Soft and moist, a slight crunch from the poppy seeds and a delicate lemony fragrance and taste, this is the perfect slice to have with your evening cup of tea. Enjoy!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Announcing Back to Basics: Basic Desserts
In my last post, I mentioned how blogging had made me stretch my boundaries in the kitchen and pushed me into making things that I would otherwise never have attempted before.
While that statement would largely refer to things such as baking bread, making the baklava, or kouign-amann, one of the things that blogging has made me do is revisit the simple, easy things that I had hitherto not ever made at home. Things I always went into a grocery store and purchased. Things as easy as spice blends, butter and cheese, jams and sauces. I have now realised that making my own pantry staples is not just healthier but a lot cheaper too.
Back to Basics, started by Desi Soccer Mom, is an event that celebrates these very simple and basic cooking techniques. In its new form, the event now looks at a distinct theme every month.
Now, I've had these moments, I am sure you've had them too. That moment when you feel like having something sweet - mind you, it is not a craving for a dessert. Just that sweet something which would make your meal that much more satisfying. Sometimes, I simply mix in some jaggery with a bit of ghee and eat it with a roti. Sometimes, I reach out for a bottle of strawberry preserve and smear it over a slice of bread.
So, this month, let's look at quick and easy to make jams, jellies and preserves. That something which you can make and keep in your pantry and then eat when the craving strikes.
Here's what you need to do:
Post your recipe of an easy to make jam or jelly or preserve, then link it post to this post and to the Back to Basics event page.
Older posts qualify as long as they are linked to this event announcement and Jaya's event page.
If you don't have a blog, just email me your recipe for a favourite jam, jelly or preserve and I will include it in the round-up.
Send me your entries mentioning Back to Basics : Basic Sweets in the subject line on aquadaze(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com
Last date for sending your entries is December 20, 2011. I will post the round up in the first week of January.
While that statement would largely refer to things such as baking bread, making the baklava, or kouign-amann, one of the things that blogging has made me do is revisit the simple, easy things that I had hitherto not ever made at home. Things I always went into a grocery store and purchased. Things as easy as spice blends, butter and cheese, jams and sauces. I have now realised that making my own pantry staples is not just healthier but a lot cheaper too.
Back to Basics, started by Desi Soccer Mom, is an event that celebrates these very simple and basic cooking techniques. In its new form, the event now looks at a distinct theme every month.
Now, I've had these moments, I am sure you've had them too. That moment when you feel like having something sweet - mind you, it is not a craving for a dessert. Just that sweet something which would make your meal that much more satisfying. Sometimes, I simply mix in some jaggery with a bit of ghee and eat it with a roti. Sometimes, I reach out for a bottle of strawberry preserve and smear it over a slice of bread.
So, this month, let's look at quick and easy to make jams, jellies and preserves. That something which you can make and keep in your pantry and then eat when the craving strikes.
Here's what you need to do:
Post your recipe of an easy to make jam or jelly or preserve, then link it post to this post and to the Back to Basics event page.
Older posts qualify as long as they are linked to this event announcement and Jaya's event page.
If you don't have a blog, just email me your recipe for a favourite jam, jelly or preserve and I will include it in the round-up.
Send me your entries mentioning Back to Basics : Basic Sweets in the subject line on aquadaze(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com
Last date for sending your entries is December 20, 2011. I will post the round up in the first week of January.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kouign - Amann
Imagine this: a freshly baked loaf of bread. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Inhale the aroma. Hmmm.....wonderful, isn't it? To my mind, there is no other culinary aroma quite as enticing as the aroma of a freshly baked loaf of bread.
Now, slather some butter on a slice. Oh, and sprinkle some sugar on it. Eat. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a slice of bread with some butter and sugar.
Or is there?
Meet the Kouign- Amann.
The what? Yes, I hear you, for I had pretty much the same reaction when I first heard about the Kouign - Amann.
“There is a new bakery close to you house,” my daughter’s paediatrician excitedly informed me during one of our visits to her clinic, “and they sell the Kouign - Amann.”
“The what?” I asked her.
“Kweeneen Ahmann. It is a French bread. Lots of butter. Lots of sugar. Sinfully good. You'll love it!,” she told me, writing down the name of the said bakery and the bread.
Back home, I was googling away ‘Kouign Amann’ on the net.
The inimitable David Lebovitz has a recipe for Kouign Amann; why buy what you can make at home? So I rolled up my sleeves and got my fingers deep into the dough.
The first time, I followed his recipe to the letter. The second time, I used cinnamon sugar instead of caster sugar, which makes it a not so authentic Kouign Amann, but believe me when I say it, Kouign - Amann with cinnamon tastes heavenly, especially when had with a cup of strong, unsweetened black coffee.
The pictures, however, are from the first time and so you don’t see any cinnamon sugar in the pictures.
Ingredients:
Dried Yeast: 1 tbsp
Warm water: ¾ cup (I needed about a couple of tablespoons more)
All purpose flour: 2 cups
Sugar: 1 cup +1/3 cup
(to make cinnamon sugar, add 3 tbsp of powdered cinnamon to 1 cup of sugar)
SALTED Butter: 125 gms + 3 tbsps melted butter
Sea salt: 1/2 tsp
Method:
Cut the butter into cubes and let it chill.
Dissolve the yeast in a couple of tbsps of water with a tsp of sugar. Set aside till the yeast is foamy.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and mix it into the flour.
Add the remaining water in a thin stream till the flour comes together into a soft but not sticky dough. (If the dough feels too sticky, add some flour, a tbsp at a time. If too hard, add water, again a tbsp at a time. The second time, I needed to add some water).
Transfer the dough on a lightly dusted countertop and knead the dough till it feels soft and elastic and doesn't cling to your fingers or stick to the countertop.
Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rest for about an hour.
Lightly dust the countertop with some flour and roll the dough into a rectangle 12”x18” (the 12” side should be on your left and right, the top and bottom of the rectangle should be about 18” - mine was not as big, though I didn't measure the exact dimensions).
Place the butter cubes in the centre of the dough and sprinkle ¼ cup of the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Fold the left side of the dough over the centre of the dough, do so with the right end of the dough as well.
Now sprinkle ¼ cup of cinnamon sugar over the length of the folded dough and fold the dough once again into three.
Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and chill for an hour. (I chilled mine for over 2 hours).
Wipe the counter top clean and then sprinkle it with 1/3 cup of PLAIN caster sugar. Slide the chilled dough on the sugar covered countertop and press ¼ cup cinnamon sugar into the top of the dough.
(drowned in sugar, my entry to Susan's Black and White Wednesday)
Roll the dough into a rectangle once again (of similar dimensions as before). I found the dough more difficult to work with at this stage and so I rolled it for a bit and then finally stretched it with my hands.
Fold it into thirds, wrap it in a cling wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
(the first time, I made three small loaves. If you wish to do the same, divide the dough into 3 at this stage).
Pre-heat the oven to 425 deg F or 220 deg C (I thought 200 deg C worked better, I thought my cakes were a bit dry when I baked them at 220 deg C) and butter a 9” pie plate.
Open the cling wrap and shape the chilled dough into a disc to fit your pie plate. Lift the cling wrap and invert it over the pie plate. Sprinkle the last ¼ cup of cinnamon sugar over the top and drizzle with 1 tbsp melted butter.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the top is caramelised. Let it rest for a couple of minutes, slide onto a wire rack and cool for about 10-15 minute.
Taste it. Melted butter oozing out and mingling with caramelised sugar…..oh, utter bliss. The Kouign-Amann has been Yeastspotted, hosted by Hefe and Mehr.
It is customary to post something sweet, something decadent especially when marking blog anniversaries. This Kouign- amann celebrates my third blog anniversary. It is a very special recipe to me, because had it not been for blogging, I would never have attempted making something that isn’t pronounced the way it is written! Blogging has made me stretch my own limits in the kitchen and how!
I know I am not as regular as I’d like to be in posting recipes or in responding to comments, but I want to thank each and everyone of you for visiting my blog over the last three years, leaving me your comments and trying out my recipes.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Indian Omelet
One of the best feedback I have ever received about myself was from a colleague who I have since lost touch with and who I have never been able to thank.
“If you don’t mind, I want to tell you something,” he told me, just as he was on his way out of the office on his last day at work.
“Sure,” I told him. He worked in another department and I hadn’t interacted too much with him, so I really didn’t know what to expect.
“You cannot take compliments,” he told me flatly. “I have been observing this for almost a year now. Every single time, someone compliments you, you make excuses for yourself. You may not realise it, but it is rather putting off, you know. Anyway, you take care,” he said, hurrying out of the door before I could even recover from what he had said and thank him.
Later that evening, I was at a small get together at a friend’s house. Lots of booze, different varieties of chips and enough packets of cigarettes – we were all set to have a great evening. The music blared and the conversation flowed.
However, my mind was far away, brooding over what the colleague had said. Was that really true? Did I really have this habit of brushing off compliments? How long had been doing this, putting off friends and well wishers in the process, without even being aware of it? And how was I going to learn to accept compliments 'gracefully'?
Late into the night - it was almost dawn, actually - we all wanted something more substantial than chips to eat. A quick search of the fridge revealed lots of eggs, some chillies and some wilted coriander leaves and I offered to make some omelets for everyone.
His mouth stuffed with a huge bite of omelet and bread, a friend declared that this was the best omelet he had ever eaten. I started to say that it was not him, but the alcohol talking (which, in all probability, was the case). I almost said that there was no big deal in making omelets, that anyone could make great omelets (which is very much the case). But I stopped myself and just mumbled a “thank you."
It wasn't difficult after all. I was learning, trying and starting to accept compliments gracefully.
Indian Omelet
This Indian version of the omelet almost makes eggs sexy! A generous dose of chillies, ginger and coriander leaves makes the eggs aromatic, and the onion adds a bit of sweetness and crunch.
Ingredients:
Eggs: 2
Onions: 1/2 small, or about 3 tbsps chopped
Chillies: 3-4, or as per your personal spice preference
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Ginger: 1/3 tsp, chopped
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Milk: 1 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Butter or oil: 1 tbsp (I prefer butter as it browns the underside of the egg easily and quickly)
Method:
Whisk together the eggs and milk till the mixture almost doubles in volume.
(If you have the time, separate the whites, whisk them till frothy and doubled in volume. Mix together the yolks and milk and whisk together till smooth and then add it to the whites, whisk again for 2-3 mins. I almost never do this but it does make a very fluffy omelet).
Throw in the chopped onions, chillies, coriander leaves, ginger together into a bowl. Add the salt and turmeric powder and mix together with your fingers till the onions and the herbs start to release their juices. Add it to the beaten eggs.
Throw in the chopped onions, chillies, coriander leaves, ginger together into a bowl. Add the salt and turmeric powder and mix together with your fingers till the onions and the herbs start to release their juices. Add it to the beaten eggs.
In a non-stick frying pan, add the butter and once melted, spread it evenly all over the pan. Then pour the egg mixture into the pan. In about a minute, the eggs will start setting around the edges of the pan. Once that happens, turn down the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pan with a lid and cook the eggs for another 2-3 minutes or until they are completely set on the top.
(If you don't like to brown your eggs on the underside, cover the pan for about 2 minutes. Then flip the omelet over and cook uncovered for 1 minute).
When you make an Indian omelet, it is absolutely imperative to serve it with some tomato ketchup on the side. Everything else - grilled tomatoes, hash browns, even bread - is optional!
A few months ago, a Twitter conversation between @indianfoodrocks, @desisoccermom and @Soma_R about Indian Omelets led to posts on their respective blogs on how they make Indian Omelets. I am horribly late in posting mine, but I finally managed it. Here are the links to the other Indian Omelet posts:
Soma's Omelet
Omelet from Shulie’s Kitchen
Jaya’s Omelet
Sandeepa’s Omelet
Friday, October 7, 2011
Semiya Payasam
Growing up, I used to call semiya (or vermicelli, as it is known in English) 'worms'. Take a look at the picture - the semiya strands do look like (dried) worms, don't they?
So, much to my mom's dismay, I would never touch anything made of semiya. It was only when I was well into my teens and was forced to have it, out of courtesy, at a friend's place that I grew out of my rather brattish attitude to semiya.
Today, of all the payasams that I make - coconut milk payasam, rice payasam - semiya payasam reigns as my favourite. A lot of it is, I think, to do with how easy and quick this payasam is to prepare. Toss the semiya in some ghee, simmer it milk, sweeten it, simmer some more and it is ready - in almost under 30 minutes.
It is no wonder then that semiya paysam features so often on my menu, especially on festive days.
Semiya Payasam
Ingredients:
Semiya/Vermicelli: 3/4 cup
Low Fat Milk: 2 cups
Low Fat Evaporated Milk: 1 tin/ 380 ml
Sugar: 1/2 cup (this amount works for us, adjust as per your taste buds)
Cardamom: 10 pods, crushed into a coarse powder
Assorted nuts (I use 1 tbsp each of almonds, cashewnuts and pistachios)
Ghee: 2 tbsps
Method:
Heat ghee in a wok and roast the vermicelli till it starts to change colour from translucent to white and brown. Keep tossing the vermicelli continuously around the wok, else it will burn.
Transfer the vermicelli into a colander and rinse it in warm water. This step is optional, but doing this will wash the ghee away and therefore, you won't have any ghee floating on top of the payasam.
In a deep, thick bottomed pan, mix together low fat milk and the evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add the vermicelli to the milk. The uncooked vermicelli will sink to the bottom of the pan and so, give it a good stir occasionally till the vermicelli softens and cooks. Once cooked, the vermicelli will plump up.
After the vermicelli cooks, add sugar, chopped nuts and the cardamom powder and let the payasam simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve hot. I personally prefer to let the payasam rest for at least a couple of hours in order to let the flavours mingle.
Of Chalks and Chopsticks: September was being hosted here; unfortunately, I haven't had any time to work on my story. So, for very selfish reasons, I am going to extend the deadline to October 31st. If you, like me, haven't worked on yours yet, do it now!
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