CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate                    100 gms

Butter                                       50 ml

Eggs                                            2 No.s

Sugar                                      175 gms

Vanilla Essence                        5 ml

Flour                                         75 gms

Walnuts                                   50 gms

Method

a)     Melt the chocolate and the butter over a double boiler.

b)     Beat the eggs and the sugar stiffly, like for a sponge.

c)     Add the vanilla essence.

d)     Fold in the chocolate mixture.

e)     Fold in the mixture of flour and walnuts.

f)      Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate                    400 gms

Milk                                        200  ml

Whipped Cream                   200 gms

Brandy                                     18 ml

Method:

a)     Chop the chocolate and place in a steel bowl.

b)     Boil the milk and add it to the chopped chocolate.

c)     Keep stirring vigorously till the mixture gets homogeneously mixed.

d)     Let the mixture cool down to room temperature.

e)     Fold in the cream and add the brandy.

f)      Freeze overnight in the deep freezer.

Serve in cups or in tulip cups or over a sable biscuit, scooped out like an ice cream with the appropriate sauces

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Ingredients

Egg                                  6 No.s

Yolks                              2 No.s

Milk                            430 ml

Cream                         500 ml

Sugar                          100 gms

Raisins                         50 gms

French bread or white bread    1 No.

Butter                           50 gms

Method:

a)     Butter a oven proof dish with butter and arrange a layer of thinly sliced French bread on top of it.

b)     Sprinkle the raisins under and over it.

c)     Make a custard out of the remaining ingredients.

d)     Pour the custard over the sliced bread and let it soak in it for one hour.

Bake it in a double boiler at 180 C till fully cooked. It will take about 45 minutes

Banana Bread

Ingredients

No. of portions: 6

Oil                                           2000 ml                                             

Banana                                               2500 gms

Eggs                                            25 No.s

Sugar                                      2500 gms

Maida                                     1600 gms

Cornflour                                 500 gms

Cinnamon Powder                    35 gms

Walnuts                                   500 gms

Baking Soda                              50 gms

Method:

a)     Take ripe or over ripe bananas (as they will give a better flavour for the product).

b)     Mash the bananas and add to the oil. Keep aside.

c)     Beat the eggs and the sugar till it becomes light and fluffy, as for a sponge.

d)     Meanwhile sift the flour and cornflour, add cinnamon powder, lightly crushed walnuts and baking soda.

e)     When the egg is ready first fold in the oil and banana mixture and then the flour mixture.

f)      Pour into loaf shaped moulds lined with brown paper.

g)     Bake at 180 C for about 1 hour or till it gets a dark and rich brown colour.

h)     Preferably refrigerate overnight before serving, as this allows the flavours to ripen.

Note: Baking soda is just added to reduce the acidity in the ripe bananas.

Groundnut Chutney

Ingredients

1 cup roasted and peeled ground nuts

2 Green chillies

Salt as per your taste

1-2 Dry red chillies

1tbsp Tamarind paste

Seasoning: 1tsp mustard seeds , 1tsp urad dal , few curry leaves , 2 whole dry red chillies , a pinch of Hing (asafoetida) .

Method

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the red and green chillis and fry for 1 minute.

2. Grind groundnuts, red chillis, green chillies , salt , tamarind by adding water to asmooth consistency.

3. Heat 1 tsp oil and add cumin seeds and when they splutter add the rest of the seasoningingredients and fry till brown

4.Remove from heat and add to the groundnut chutney

5. Serve with idli/dosa/vada/upma or any snack of your choice.

Variation: You can add one chopped onion and 3 flakes of garlic and fry with the chilli still brown

Prunes Muffins

Ingredients

Butter / Margarine    100 gms

Icing Sugar                100 gms

Egg                              100 gms (2No.s)

Vanilla Essence            5 ml

Flour                           100 gms

Baking Powder             3 gms

Prunes 

(deseeded and chopped) 50 gms

Method:

a)     Sift the flour along with the baking powder and add the other dry ingredients like chocolate chips or raisins or dried fruit.

b)      Cream the fat and the Icing sugar till light and fluffy.

c)     Add the eggs one by one in a gradual manner. (or else it will curdle)

d)     Add the vanilla essence.

e)     Fold in the dry ingredients.

f)      Pour the batter into well oiled muffin moulds.

g)     Bake at 180 C for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients

No. of Portions : 6

Maida                         800 gms

Yeast                            48 gms

Salt                               22 gms

Oil                                 60 gms

Improver                        5 gms

Water                         420 gms

 Rosemary herb         3-4 sprigs

Method:

a)     Make the dough by straight dough method.

b)     Divide into rounds of 300 gms each.

c)     Rest for twenty minutes.

d)     Flatten by a rolling pin into circles 10 inches in diameter.

e)     Top with sliced onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and fresh herbs.

f)      Rest for 20 minutes.

g)     If the dough has risen too much. Roughly dock it with the tips of your fingers.

h)      Before baking, give a wash with basil pesto.

i)       Bake at 230 C with steam injection for 8 minutes and dry at 180 C for 30 minutes.

j)       After removing from the oven, brush with some more Basil pesto.

k)       For making Potato Focacia, substitute 250 gms of flour with 350 gms of mashed potato and proceed as for regular Focacia.

Lahsun ki Chutney

Ingredients

Portion size :  2

10-12 garlic pods

4 red chillies roasted

10gms grated coconut

oil 

5 ml tamarind 

Salt as per taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan then add red chillies and then add peeled garlic pods to it after cooking it for 2 mins add grated coconut to it and saute again for some time. Then add tamarind pulp to it and then reduce it and then grind all the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste and at last add salt according to your taste.

TIP: you can use mustard oil for a better taste.

Mint Chutney

Ingredients

Portion size: 2

50gms cleaned washed and drained coriander 

60gms cleaned washed and drained mint leaves (pudina)

3 green chillies

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 lemon juice

25 gms anaardana (pomegranate seeds)

Salt as per taste

Method

Chop the coriander, mint leaves coarsely.Put all ingredients in a small blender .Blend till smooth.Add very little water if required.Remove with a rubber spatula.Store in a clean dry airtight bottle in refrigerator.Use on buttered toast,kebabs, bread or in sandwiches as seasoning.

Sweet Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes

1 small dry red chilli

1tbsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp haldi powder
2 bay leaves
4-5 pieces of seedless dates
5gms amchur powder
8-10 kishmish (raisins)

4-5 tsp sugar

Method

Cut tomatoes into small pieces.Heat little oil in kadai. Add red chilli and bay leaves.When the chiili turns dark in color but it should not burn, add mustard seeds.After the mustard seeds starts crackling, add tomatoes.Then add very little salt .Fry it untill tomatoes are soft. Then add amchur powder, dates and kishmish. Stir and mix up. After 4 to 5 mins, add sugar.When sugar melts completely, take off the flame and allow it to cool. After it has reached the room temperature, keep it in the fridge and servechilled.