Strawberry Lemon Curd

Excuse the horrible picture, it's taken from my phone. Will try and update post later.

I feel like a broken record, each time I begin writing a post for this blog, the same words come to me 'sorry for being away for so long'! I don't know what it is or what to do, but somehow I just can't seem to find time to even bake, let alone blog. Must. Repair. Now. Hopefully you'll see a change soon.

Even when I do decide to make something, it doesn't go too well. It was time for this month's Secret Recipe Club post, and my assigned blog was A Teaspoon of Spice. This blog actually challenged me, since it's run by two dieticians! And everything I put on this blog is usually an indulgence, a dessert for when a person's down in the dumps, or just generally having a craving.



It's strawberry season here in India, and I was looking for something to make with them. I've been meaning to bake these cupcakes, or a strawberry pie since forever, but as you can guess, never got around to doing it. I found the perfect recipe, that I knew would work for the new lack of time Avanika. It was shamefully easy, but I think the kitchen was annoyed at being ignored, I had quite a mishap with the blender, I ended up covered in burning hot strawberry sauce. Buttttt... You guys ought to be proud, instead of giving up, I sat down to chop all 3 cups of strawberries again and re-made the sauce. I'm hoping this means the laziness has finally gone away.

This sauce isn't as thick as a lemon curd, but is the perfect breakfast accompaniment, along with some toast, or drizzled over some sponge cake and cream. The lemon balances out the sweetness of the strawberries, and there's just a hint of puckeriness. But probably the sense that is tingled the most on eating a spoonful of this is the smell. It is just divine, it makes you want to jump into a pool of the curd and never come out!

Strawberry Lemon Curd
Adapted from Teaspoon of Spice
Yield : About 2.5 cups

3 cups [250 g] fresh chopped strawberries
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp [110 g] sugar - adjust depending on sweetness of strawberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Instructions - 

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 7-8 minutes.
2. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes [Important, in case you have a similar mishap]. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour back into saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the egg yolks. Pour into the strawberry mixture, and cook on medium-low for about 1 minute, till it thickens and a finger swiped across the spoon leaves a clear path.
4. Add the salt and butter. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Enjoy :)

Chocolate Espresso Biscotti

Finally. I stepped back into the kitchen after almost 2 whole months. I'd been on this serious dieting = working out bender, to lose the extra pounds, and an added motivation was my sister's wedding, which just about finished. I've taken a week or so off from the gym+diet, so ofcourse the first thing I wanted to do was eat something chocolatey.

When you're craving something bad, deciding what to make is quite a task. Luckily, it was a made a little easier because I had to bake something for this month's Secret Recipe Club. I had Veronica's blog, My Catholic Kitchen as this month's assignment. Going through this blog was super fun, and one of the few where I had tons and tons of options. Since I was craving a fix bad, I picked the one whose ingredients were already at home. Biscotti has also been something I've always meant to try making, but never really gotten around to.



It was surprisingly easy to make too. About 10 minutes of prep and they were in the oven. Biscotti translates to 'twice baked', and the waiting period between the two baking bursts were the hardest part. I actually contemplated leaving one of the logs as is, and eating it like a giant cookie. But I was good, and I baked both the way they're supposed to be baked. These are so crunchy and light, they're the perfect start to my mornings. And, they're not even that unhealthy :)

  

 Chocolate Espresso Biscotti
Adapted from My Catholic Kitchen

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp espresso coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Also mix in the espresso.
3. Sift together the cocoa powder, baking powder and flour. Add to the previous mixture, it will be very thick. Mix in the chocolate chips.
4. Divide the dough into two parts, and shape them into flat logs, about 2-3 inches thick. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top feels done.
5. Remove from oven and cool for an hour on a wire rack. Now slice the logs diagonally, about an inch thick. Line the bars up on the cookie sheet. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the biscotti are crisp.
6. Munch on with a cup of steaming coffee :)

Baked Apples

 
Oh god. I can't even begin, can't believe my last post was two whole months ago! Thank you for all your concerned mails, they're the push I needed to come back and post. Nothing really happened for me to stop posting, but a lot has happened. I began working on the very day of my last post, and I'd been getting used to not having all the free time in the world. I was also getting over a bad breakup, so I went from having way too much time, to having absolutely none.

I've also been working hard to lose the almost 10 kgs I gained in the past year, with all the staying away from home and long traveling. So baking has been a complete can't do. But craving did strike the other day, one I couldn't ignore. Spent hours online looking up cheesecakes and chocolate cakes and pies and whatnot. Realised that none of those could be made without completely ruining the diet. Looked up some healthy stuff. Long story short, these baked apples were on the table within the hour
.


And they were quite amazing, surprisingly. I love apples baked into anything, but didn't expect to like a plain apple with some stuffing so much. This has saved me from jumping off a cliff in desperation because of the diet. It's made life quite bearable, each time craving hits, I just pop a few apples into the oven, it really is quite simple. The apples get perfectly soft, just a hair's breadth away from mushy, and the nuts provide a much needed textural complement. If you aren't on a diet, you could eat this hot, with some cold, melting ice cream scooped on top. HEAVEN♥

 



Baked Apples
Recipe from Simply Recipes


4 large good baking apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon - If you love cinnamon as much as I do, up this to 2 or 2.5 tsp
1/4 cup chopped pecans - I had walnuts on hand, used those, no biggie
1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup boiling water

 Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Wash the apples well. Remove the cores, leaving about 1/2 inch on the bottoms. If you don't have an apple corer, a paring knife will do just fine. Make sure to have about an inch wide hole, so that there's enough space for the stuffing. Use a spoon to clear it out. Place the apples in a 8x8 baking pan
2. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans/walnuts and currants/raisins. Divide this mixture evenly between all the apples. Top each apples with a dot of butter (1/4 tbsp each).
3. Pour the boiling water into the pan, around the apples. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until soft and tender, making sure to stop before it gets mushy. The skin slightly releasing from the rest of the apple is a good sign of when it's done. Test with a knife, the knife should meet no resistance. Remove from oven and baste several times with the pan juices.
4. Serve, along with some ice cream if you can afford to indulge :)

DIY : Homemade Whatchamacallit Bars

(Update Dec 2012: Picture of a new batch)
 (Sorry about the crappy picture, clicked these in the night and finished them, I'll make some more soon and update the post)

Who else loves these bars? They were quite the nostalgic trip for me, I remember eating them as a child, before we moved to India, and absolutely loving them. They still aren't available in India, but I had ordered a box of them while I was in the UK, so up until a few months ago I was happily enjoying them, being reminded of their awesomeness.

Ofcourse, coming here I missed them a lot, but never considered looking up a recipe for a homemade knock-off, even though I have made or seen quite a few other candy bars. Until I got this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment that is. Chris's blog, Mele Cotte, has been on my reader for ages, and all the desserts she posts has made it one of my top blogs. I was super pumped to get her blog this month. I went to her recipe index, totally prepared to spend a day or two trying to decide what to make, as I usually do. And while a lot of recipes stood out to me, as soon as I saw these bars, I was sure. I couldn't believe my eyes, and cursed myself quite a bit when I realised I could have been making these bars for ages.

They are super easy to make, especially if you have butterscotch chips. I didn't, and made my own butterscotch sauce, which took all of 5 minutes and has already become a staple in my house. I want to play with that recipe just a bit more, and I'll post it after I'm done. The most difficult part is waiting for the chocolate to set, and the anticipation of knowing how close they reach to the real deal, which is a LOT. I am in love with these, they are so good, and I know the pan's going to be over in no time. Luckily, its an easy recipe to be addicted to!


(Update Dec 2012 : Picture of a new batch) Look at that luscious peanut buttery caramel oozing out. There goes the diet.

Homemade Whatchamacallit / Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Caramel Bars
Recipe from Mele Cotte

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white corn syrup (I used honey)
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
6 cups Puffed Rice Cereal (like Rice Krispies) (for Indians, kurmura is about the same thing, though Iused Rice Krispies)
2 cups good-quality bittersweet chocolate

Instructions -

1. Grease and line a sheet pan. Set aside. Place the Rice Krispies in a large bowl, that allows space for mixing.
2. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, corn syrup / honey, and peanut butter. Melt, remove from heat and add the butterscotch chips/sauce. Stir until melted completely
3. Pour this mixture over the Rice Krispies, and stir/toss to coat evenly. Transfer into the prepared pan, and try to form a nice even layer. Refrigerate to set.
4. Once the Rice Krispies are set (about 10 minutes), cut them into large bars.  Re-line the same pan, or use another large pan lined with foil.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler / microwave. Using a fork, dip each bar into the chocolate, ensuring it is coated on all sides, and lay onto the prepared foil lined pan. Allow the chocolate to set ; enjoy.

Lemon Custard Cakes

[Update - Somehow an older draft got published, added the missing bits again. Sorry]


Somehow, even though I love the puckeriness of lemons, I don't really bake with them as much. This was a recipe that my Mom actually found. Yes, she still bakes on occasion, and this was while I was away so she couldn't get me to make it instead. Ever since then, she's been raving about it, also wanted me to try the recipe when there, but I never got around to it. After countless requests for it since I'm back, I finally got around to making it, and it was quite quick to make, so I don't even get why I was procrastinating. I think I don't do well with requests / orders, since baking is something I inherently do for myself.

Anyway, I made these, and there's some weird science magic that happens with them. You make a normal souffle sort of batter, but once it's baked, it separates into a lemon custard-y layer on the bottom, and a cakey, light souffle ish thing on the top. It's quite fascinating actually.



I made some in these little pans I got from Urban Dazzle, which is quite the awesome shopping site for kitchen stuff and home stuff, I've got my eye on quite a few things. I'm so happy that online shopping has finally arrived in India, and I can now buy my bakeware easily.

Since Mom was insisting on it so much, I doubled the recipe, and ended up baking some in mugs. The mugs had a tiny almost cake layer too, they provided quite a journey of texture, while the shallow pans provided a good crispy crust / custard ratio. I actually can't decide which I liked more, and I know I'm going to make them in both the next time I make these.

And there will be a next time, I'm sure. The lemon is perfectly pucker-y but not overly so, and the textures are just, FUN. You really should try this one.



Lemon Custard Cakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Yield - 6 ramekins


3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 to 3 tsp grated lemon zest,
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions- 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Place 6 ramekins in a large baking / roasting pan, there isn't any need to grease them since you'll be serving them in the same ramekins. Place a kettle of water to boil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the flour. Also whisk in the milk, lemon zest and juice.
3. In another bowl with clean beaters, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, along with the salt. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture, the resulting batter will be quite thin.
4. Pour into the waiting ramekins, about 3/4 full. Pour the boiling water into the larger pan, so that the ramekins are halfway submerged into the water. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the tops are nicely brown. Serve.