Strawberry and Cream Sponge Cake

Strawberries and Cream are the quintessential pair that can never go wrong. So when I decided to cover a sponge cake with the two I dint go through any nervous birth pangs- I knew it will be good.

The question for many is- will the sponge cake in question will be spongy enough? I want to share how I make sponge cakes. I have followed recipes that have gone wrong but with this method you have a good chance of ending up with a light, airy, very spongy cake.

Heat oven at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. Grease and dust an 8 inch cake tin.

Separate yolks of 3 eggs. Cream together all 3 egg yolks, 1 cup of castor sugar, 1/3 cup butter or malai (the layer of cream that settles on boiled milk as it cools down). Using malai here sounds odd but you have got to trust me when I say it results in the moistest and softest of cakes. Continue beating egg yolks, sugar and butter or malai, whatever you are using, till sugar somewhat dissolves and mixture looks creamy.

Now seive 1 cup self raising flour (maida), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda together. As you seive this dry mixture, keep the seive few inches above the pan in which the mixture seives and falls. This will capture more air into it.

Mix the dry ingredients into the egg yolk, butter/malai and sugar mixture. Mix well but avoid overmixing.

Now beat the 3 egg whites you had. Beat swiftly in one direction till it becomes frothy and light and soft peaks start to form. You must always beat the egg white just before using them because it doesnt stand well. After just a few minutes it will loose all that froth you worked so hard for.

Fold in the egg white mixture gently into the batter. Mix into a homogenous mixture. Again, dont over mix.

Your batter is ready. Pour over the lined cake tin from a distance of a few inches or a foot. As the batter falls in sheets in the tin, it will capture more air.

Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

You can use smaller cake moulds and bake two of these instead of one big one. With two cakes, though smaller, you can have more layers.

Cool the cake completely. Slice horizontally into layers using a long sharp knife or a wet thread. Heat 3/4 cup of water with 1 tbsp of sugar till sugar dissolves. Cool and pour over the layers and let the layers soak in the syrup.

Whip 250 ml cream with 1/2 cup icing sugar till soft peaks form. Apply on bottom most layer. Place the next layer on top. Continue till you run out of layers. Cover the sides with the whipped cream icing.

Slice strawberries and arrange around the iced cake and on top in any pattern you like.

Fish En Papillote

This is an incredible way of cooking. En Papillote means cooking in an envelope. This is a self saucing recipe as all the juices run out and collect. Its creative and nutritious.

You will need:
Fillets of any skinless firm fleshed fish. Salmon, Seer Fish, King Fish, Tuna are good choices. You can also do this with prawns or lobsters.
Vegetables like zucchini, bok choy, spring onions, thinly sliced carrots, bell peppers- red, yellow.
Garlic, a clove each for fillets
Lemon Juice and lemon zest OR Orange Juice and orange zest
Parsley, salt, pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Olive Oil

Take some parchment paper or aluminium foil. Place the fillet in the center. Grate a clove of garlic on it. Place slices of veggies on top. sprinkle salt, pepper,and parsley. Grate some lemon zest and sqeeze a tsp of juice over. Alternatively grate orange zest and sqeeze 2 tbsps of juice. Pour 4 tbsp of white wine out on each filet.

Pour out about 2 tsp of olive oil all over the fish and veggies.

Fold over the foil from each side making an envelope. Seal edges to prevent steam from escaping.

Bake at 170 degrees for about 15 minutes for an inch thick fillet. Serve the parcels placed on a plate and the guest open their own parcels. Enjoy this healthy, different, delicious dinner with some herbed rice or bread.

Cognac Fruits Flambe`

Ever had those moments when your hubby comes back raving about the food that his friend's wife made and how good it was and blah blah blah? Its maddening isnt it...? And then they just dont get why we are mad at them? Sigh...

Anyway this is how you get back at them. Make them a dessert that will make them forget their favorite dessert destinations. The recipe I am about to share will make you look like a pro (with the flambe`ing and all) and will take you 15 minutes or less to prepare and serve.



Chop 1/2 cup Strawberries, 1/4 cup pineapples, 1/4 cup apples, 1/4 cup grapes(keep whole), and 1/2 cup bananas.
Heat 2tbsp butter in pan, Add the fruits and sweat for 4 minutes on high heat. Add 1 cup brown sugar and a drop of vanilla essence. Cook for another 3 minutest till sugar melts and fruits have released juices.



Now take about 1/4 cup cognac (use dark rum as alternative if cognac not available) and heat it. Do not boil just warm.
Light a matchstick or cigarette lighter. Pour the warm brandy over fruits touching the flame. the alcohol will catch fire and flambe`the fruits. Make sure to turn heat off otherwise the steam of the fruits will keep extinguishing the flame of the matchstick.

I served this on top of some roughly crumbled brownie. I am thinkin on serving this over a slice of plum cake with some icecream on the side..Yummm.. Cant wait...

Honey- Mustard and Ginger Roast Chicken

Another weekend has just gone by. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly these two precious days zoom past. After a long time I cooked on a Saturday evening on the insistence of my husband. This recipe has a preparation time of less than 15 minutes. The rest one hour your oven does the work for you. So you effectively need 15 minutes of your time on this.



Lets Go:
You'll need a whole chicken (this one was about 1.2 kilos) with skin on of course.
Wash chicken well, specially the cavity.
Rub the chicken with 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. You may replace red wine vinegar with 1/2 tbsp Soy sauce. They taste different but both work.
Keep in refrigerator for atleast 1 hour.
Take chicken out and dunk the following in the cavity: a whole pod of garlic, 4- cloves, one onion skin on.
Now grate some ginger all over the chicken. Rub enough butter to thinly cover the chicken. Tie chicken legs and wings to keep the whole chicken together. Use normal thread soaked in water.

Place chicken in an Oven at 170 degrees and rost for 30 minutes with the bottom (tummy) side up. After 30 minutes turn it over so that the chicken's back is on the exposed side. Roast for another 15 minutes at 170 degrees. Nor mix 1 tbsp of honey , 1/2 tbsp of mustard, 1/2 tbsp melted butter and mixed herbs. Rub all over chicken. Roast again for an0ther 15 minutes. The chicken is done when a knife is easily inserted in the thickest part of chicken and juices run clear.

Your Honey-Mustard and Ginger Roast Chicken is ready. Collect all the liquids that collect in the pan. Put heat on and reduce the liquids a little. Gravy is ready. Serve it along side with Roast chicken.

MOMOS!

Momos- Perhaps among the most popular street foods in India. A long lane in a Delhi marketplace seems incomplete unless it is dotted with a Momowalla selling these delicacies...at astonishingly low prices I might add, probably another reason why they got this popular.

Its amazing how good something so simple to make can taste. Be it fried or steamed. And its healthy too.

Recipe:

Make a soft (but firm) dough using maida (white flour) and a pinch of salt. Knead dough till it springs backs when pressed. Dont over knead. Keep aside for half hour wrapped in a cling film.

Filling:

Mix 1 small cup raw chicken mince with 1/4 cup chopped spring onions, 2 tsp finely chopped ginger, 4 tsp finely chopped garlic, 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves, 1/4 cup grated carrots, 4 tsp soy sauce, 2tsp fish sauce, and black pepper and salt to taste. I find adding about 2-3 meduim sized prawns, finely chopped to this mixture takes up the taste by several notches.

If making Sea Food Momo: Keeping the rest of the quantities same, reduce soy sauce to 4tsp and garlic to 3 tsp. Sea food reqires less salt and there is salt in soy sauce and fish sauce so be careful while adding salt.

Vegetarian momo: Use a medley of grated carrots, finely chopped cabbage, roughly chopped peas, sweet corn, spring onions, cauliflower any veggie you like basically, specially root vegetables like potatoes, even radish if you like it . Add to a cup of veggies, 3tsp soy sauce, 1tsp finely chopped ginger, 2 and 1/2tsp garlic, finely chopped coriander, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the following sauce: Its simple to make and will stay in fridge for a week. Tastes great with momos

Heat a tsp of vegetable oil in a small pan. Fry 5 tbsp of finely chopped garlic, and 2 tsp of finely chopped green chillies. After 1 minute, add 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and let boil till vinegar reduces a little- say, 5-6 minutes. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, tiny pinch of salt and red chilly paste. Stir. Take off Heat. Let cool completely before serving.

To make the red chilly paste simply soak dry red chillies for half hour in warm water and grind to a paste.

MUGHLAI PARATHA

Taking another step towards the world of super easy lunches I would like to share this recipe. As a kid one of my favorite favorite lunch box items though i have added my own touch to this age old recipe. Decent Health-meter rating too.

Knead dough using 1 cup maida (white flour) and 1cup atta (wheat flour), pinch of salt, 2 tbsp oil and for a cupful of flour 1.5 tsps of kalonji (onion seeds). I added kalonji as an afterthought and parathas turned out better. But its optional.

Make a largish chapati, not too thin, like you would a paratha. Spread it on a heated gridle or tawa. After 2 minutes turn it over. On both sides apply some oil.

Beat about 6 eggs. Add to it chopped green chillies, chopped onions, chopped coriander and salt to taste.

I also added a little grated ginger to the egg mix. Gave it great flavour. I had a quarter of cabbage lying in the fridge which I chopped up and kept aside.

On the side of the paratha you oiled pour the egg mixture taking care that it doesnt flow out into the pan and stays on the paratha. A little might find its way out but dnt worry about it.

Sprinkle chopped veggies if you want. You can add grated carrot, some shelled peas, sweet corn kernels... Hell! Add peanuts if you love them! Or Cheddar Cheese...Yumm. You can even add salami or boiled chicken pieces. Explore and get creative.

Let the egg mixture cook for a minute or two. Then fold over the chapati as shown. One fold followed by another.

This will seal the egg mxiture inside. Let cook for about 6-7 minutes on the medium flame. Add a tad more oil if necessary.

Serve with mint/coriander chutney. I like to eat this with good old tomato Ketchup, just like in school.

You can slice this in bite size pieces and have a good starter.