Pavlova

A Pavlova is a meringue based dessert with a crisp crust outside and a soft marshmellowy inside. It was originally created to honor the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It is a celebratory dish and is usually made for special occasions. I usually reserve this dish for Christmas lunch and the white and red colour scheme of this dessert just adds to the holiday season. 


4 egg whites
225g castor sugar
1tbsp icing sugar
1tsp cornflour
1tsp vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar) 
1/2 vanilla pod or 1tsp vanilla essence
300ml double cream
1 lemon, zested
500g berries (you can use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or a mix of all)




Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius. 
In a bowl, whisk egg whites with the help of an electric beater. Add sugar, a couple of spoons at a time, in between whisks. Whisk till all the sugar is used up and the meringue is stiff and glossy and stands up in peaks. Now whisk in the cornflour and vinegar.


Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spoon the mixture in. The traditional Pavlova is circular, however you can use any shaped tray you like. Turn the oven temperature down to 120 degrees and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Once meringue is cooked, leave in oven to cool.


Once the meringue is cold, put it on a serving dish. In a mixing bowl, add the cream, vanilla and lemon zest, and whip. Spoon the whipped mixture on the meringue. Mix the berries and spoon it on top of the cream. Dust with a little icing sugar and viola! your Pavlova is ready to be served

Ultimate Red Velvet Cupcakes

Credit:http://bestcupcakerecipes.blogspot.in/

These are rich chocolate cakes characterized by their distinctive red colour, originally given when unprocessed cocoa reacted to the acid in the buttermilk. Today, red food colouring is used. You can however substitue the synthetic red colour for beetroot juice. Don't use too much though or you will end up with Red Velvet Beetroot Cupcakes!


This is a popular cupcake flavor, so naturally there are millions of recipes out there. It took me a lot of bad cupcake batches to finally zero in on the perfect recipe. Believe you me...I have tried every conceivable ingredient combination and  recipe out there...and this one is spot on. It makes the cake so moist and at the same time crumbly...its so delicious and now my mouth is watering!


2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder
50ml red food colouring or 125 ml beetroot juice
1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt


Per-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl mix food colouring* & cocoa to form a paste and set aside.


In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Be careful as it will fizz so don't do it in a shallow bowl. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. 


Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter until they are a little under 3/4 full. Place muffin tins in your preheated oven. Bake for approximately 20mins, rotating pans halfway through. The cupcakes are done when you are able to pat the tops and the cake springs back up. If it sinks down they are not yet complete. Or you can insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake in the center of the tin and if it comes out clean they are done.

Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. Serve with Cream Cheese Frosting 

*If you are using food coloring powder, mix about a teaspoon of the powder to the buttermilk, stir so that no lumps are formed, and add to the cake mix.

Chocolate Caramel Cake

I just had to share this cake recipe (courtesy BBC Good Food). This rich cake definitely commands attention on the table and is just delicious.

• 300g butter 
• 300g light muscovado sugar or  castor sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 85g cocoa powder
• 225g plain flour
• 225ml soured cream
• 300ml pot double cream
• 5 tbsp caramel sauce
• 25g caramel flavoured chocolate , finely chopped 

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Lightly grease two loose-bottom cake tins and line with a circle of baking parchment. 

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, then add the baking powder, cocoa and a third of the flour. Mix well to combine, then stir in half the soured cream. Alternating between adding the flour and soured cream, mix everything until just combined. Spoon into the prepared tins, then smooth over the surface with a spoon. Bake for 30 mins or until the cakes are firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

When you're ready to serve, whip the double cream with 2 tbsp caramel sauce until soft peaks form. Place 1 cake on a serving plate and spread with half the cream, then drizzle over the remaining caramel. Top with the other cake, then spread the remaining cream on top. Sprinkle with the chocolate. Chill until ready to serve.

Tip: The original recipe calls for sour cream, but I prefer using buttermilk instead. It gives a lighter batter and make the cake really moist.


To make this cake even richer, use white chocolate along with the double cream and caramel sauce to make the icing. I'll guarantee you will be licking your fingers. 

Spinach, Mushroom & Cottage Cheese Quiche

A Quiche is an open-faced, savoury dish with a filling of cheese, meat and vegetables. It is often considered as the savoury equivalent  of the sweet custard tart. There are many variants of quiche which include a wide variety of ingredients. My favourite though is this vegetarian one with Spinach and Mushrooms. I usually use Feta cheese with this recipe, but today I'm going along with a cheaper alternate - Cottage cheese ( Paneer as it is known in india).  I am too lazy to make a crust and this recipe is just so fast and simple without one. But if you just cannot live without the crust, try this pie crust recipe to make the crust.

1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 big handfuls of Spinach
1 handful of roughly chopped Mushroom
1 Onion
4 Eggs
150ml Milk or 1 cup of Cream
200g Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a pie dish with butter or oil.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook till translucent. Now add the mushroom and saute for about a minute. Add the spinach and cook until its soft.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and cheese. Add some salt and pepper. Add the spinach mixture and mix well. Pour into the pie dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until eggs have set. Cool before serving.

Tip: While this is a basic vegetarian version, experiment with different meats, cheeses and vegetables. Ingredients like bacon, ham, corn, cream cheese also work very well

Basic Pie Crust

This recipe makes one pie crust, enough for one tart. If you are making a pie with a top crust as well, double this recipe and form two discs of dough.


1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour (Maida) plus extra for rolling
1/2 teaspoon sugar (make it 1 1/2 tablespoon for a sweet pie)
8 tbsp or 1 stick of unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
3 tbsp ice water


In a bowl sift in flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter to the flour mix. Since the butter is cold, use hands to 'massage' the butter into the flour mixture. Combine till the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.


Add ice cold water (without ice!) slowly, about a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together. If you pinch some dough and it holds together, its ready, if not add a little more water and combine. Remove the mixture from the bowl and place on a clean, smooth surface.


Use your hands to press the crumbly dough together and shape into a ball. Work the dough only enough to bring it together. Over kneading the dough will make it tough. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for alteast 1 hour. Make sure the dough sits out of the refrigerator for 5 minutes atleast before rolling out.


To roll the dough, remove from refrigerator and place on a smooth, lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as desired. For a 9-inch pie dish, roll out dough to approximately 12-inch circle to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch.


Grease the pie dish and place the dough on the dish. Gently press down and guide the dough to take the shape of the dish. Add filling and bake according to recipe.




Tip:
The colder the butter the more flaky the crust. Hence cold is good.
Too much water will make your crust tough, hence keep the water to a minimum.
The dough can last for several months if you freeze it. Just defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.


Uses for Pie Crust:
- Fill with your favorite meats, veggies and cheese to make a quiche
- Fill with custard and fruits to make a sweet treat
- Experiment with various fillings and let your imagination run wild!