Cupcakes, Cocktails & London

Where...?

2008-08-19T23:48:00.006+01:00

I meant to keep it up. Then I meant to say goodbye with a grand exit. And now this is where I am at. Somewhere I lost the enthusiasm to surf, to document and share but not to take pictures...so for now, I leave you with a few shots ....

A delicious Orange Caiparinha my husband made..

And, my attempt at homemade Kulfi...which ofcourse had almost melted by the time I got around to taking a picture!

Cheesy Zucchini Boats

2008-04-05T10:09:00.004+01:00

Zucchini...I do use it a lot but mainly in ratatouille and pasta. Thus, I was a bit skeptical about making zucchini the focus of the dish but was very surprised with the results. I think it's the nuts in the filling that helps take this simple dish to a very tasty level :)

And as expected, having successfully experimented on my dear husband, this was also served up at my next dinner party! Have to admit, 1 of the 9 guests did not eat the zucchini but sure did eat all the filling. Guess for some young boys, a vegetable is a vegetable - not to be eaten ;)

Ingredients

4 zucchini, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

1 green chilli, chopped

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (as usual I substituted with pralines)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and Pepper

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Using a small spoon scoop out the zucchini flesh, leaving a 1/4 or 1/2-inch-thick shell. Wrap the zucchini flesh in a paper towel and squeeze out any excess liquid; discard the liquid and set aside the flesh. Place the zucchini shells cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 15min.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the zucchini flesh, chillies and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 min. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 5 min. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the bread crumbs, and toast the bread crumbs for 2 min. Remove from the heat, stir in the nuts and oregano, then combine with the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.

Flip the zucchini shells and line the bottom with mozzarella (this prevents the stuffing from falling out). Pack in the filling. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top (have to admit, I put some grated Emmental on top as I had run out of Parmesan). Bake until zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork, 20-25 min.

Blogs@work & Cappuccino Muffins

2008-03-05T21:16:00.006Z

So, guess what - they went and blocked blog access at work. I get this huge warning sign whenever I try to visit any site that has the word 'blog' in it's address. The sign is visible like a mile away and sooo embarrassing... I mean, it' just a harmless food blog! Ok, I get it - work Internet access is purely for work purposes but give a girl a break, she needs to see all those lovely things people are cooking, drool a little, dream a little and return to working all energized!

Onto more positive things.... sweet stuff ofcourse :) I made Nicisme's fabulous Cappuccino Muffins this past Friday. I wont post the recipe here but encourage you to visit her lovely blog "Cherrapeno". The muffin recipe is very straightforward and super delicious and I say that with utmost confidence coz on Friday night, we had several friends over for dinner...9 of us and the recipe came to the rescue. ..The story is...Hubby and I came home late from work and had half the amount of planned time to cook dinner. Thus, we barely had a moment to think about dessert, forget starting it. Anyway, I had been drooling over the muffins and with a sudden burst of inspiration decided instead of serving just ice cream, I should make the muffin. I started just as people were wrapping up dinner. Batter was mixed quickly and while the muffins baked, I had the mascarpone ready and had pulled some icecream out of the fridge to thaw from it's rock hard state! 15 minutes were up and voila...the recipe yielded an amazing muffin (relabeled that evening as cupcakes). They do taste better warm (as Nicisme says) but are just as good at room temperature. The guests ate plenty and my husband and I too ate soo many over the weekend! Thanks Nicisme for sharing such a fab recipe.

Spinach Enchiladas

2008-03-02T10:50:00.000Z

This is an tried and tested recipe of mine. It could do with a little less cream but honestly, without the cream - it would not taste half as good. Besides, I did pull back from the original recipe (it's an Emeril Lagasse recipe so you can imagine the fat content!).

The rich enchilada balanced with a side of salad makes for a slightly different, yet simple meal when a few friends come over. Of course, since most of our friends are non-vegetarians, my husband often makes his salt'n pepper beef too. I'll just forget that for the moment :) and focus on the enchilada.

Ingredients

2 Poblano Chile Peppers (I end up using green bell peppers as I can't find fresh Poblano peppers in London)

2 pounds of fresh spinach, stems removed and well rinsed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped onions

3/4 tbsp chopped garlic

1-2 teaspoons chili powder

salt to taste - about 1/4-1/2 tsp

black pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

1/4 all purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup queso fresco or queso blanco (I end up using any mild cheese..)

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

8-10 corn tortillas

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. Place the blackened peppers in a plastic bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In batches, add the spinach and blanch for 10-15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in an ice bath. Remove and squeeze out the excess. Chop and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter, add the onions and cook until soft (3-4 minutes). Add the garlic, chilli powder, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a light roux (2 minutes). Gradually add the half-and-half, and cook, stirring, until thick (2-3 minutes). Add the spinach and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. If you want, run through the food processor if you want to combine the ingredients more (I usually do). Then fold in the queso fresco or blanco cheese and set aside.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium temperature. One at a time, add the tortillas to the hot oil and cook, turning, until soft and pliable, 15 seconds per side. Add more oil as needed. Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up into a cylinder. Place, seam side down, in a single layer across the bottom of a 9 by 9 inch casserole dish.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, to make another light roux. Slowly add the stock and cook, stirring, until thickened (2-3 minutes). Add the cream and cook, stirring until thick (1-2 minutes). Add the remaining poblano peppers and cook for a minute. Pour over the filled enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and enchiladas are completely warmed through (10minutes). Remove from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Nigella's Croque Monsieur Bake

2008-02-09T19:52:00.000Z

I know...I disappeared again and like the previous post, the following is a recipe my sis-in-law and I tried over the holidays (yes, the christmas holidays!). I really do want to post much quicker but what can I say, life has overwhelmed me a bit off late.... and I wont bore you with the details.

Anyway, to the recipe...don't worry, I did not put a vegetarian twist on Croque Monsieur..can one even do that? We just decided to create breakfast the night before we left for our day trip to Windsor Castle (knowing that the morning would be rushed and if everyone did not eat before leaving, we would be starving for hours)!

Nigella truly is amazing...the bake turned out great (so am told coz I obviously did not have any) and it was so simple to make.

Ingredients

6 slices of multi-grain brown bread

75g Dijon Mustard (or use your own judgement on the amount)

125g or 6 slices of Gruyere slices

70g 0r 3 slices of ham

6 eggs

1 teaspoonMaldon salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt

80ml full-fat milk (we used semi-fat)

4 tablespoons grated Gruyere, Emmental or Cheddar (we had Emmental at home)

Worcestershire sauce (good sprinkling)

Method

Spread each slice of bread with mustard. Make sandwiches by putting each slice of cheese against the grainy mustardy bread, and a slice of ham between them. Cut each sandwich in half to make triangles. Squish the sandwich triangles into an ovenproof dish apprx. 27x21x6cm.

Beat together the eggs, salt and milk and then pour this over the sandwiches tightly packed dish. Cover the dish with clingwrap and leave in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, preheat the oven to 200C. Take the dish out of the fridge and remove the clingwrap. Sprinkle with grated cheese and Worcestershire sauce and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Christmas Leftovers - Panettone Bread Pudding

2008-01-19T12:48:00.000Z

Ok - I started writing this post a while back but never finished it! So, unfortunately the subject is a bit dated...Christmas!!!!!!!

The history on this one ....My mother-in-law loves Panettone and since she and my father-in-law have spent a fair amount of time in Europe, we decided to get an Italian one..(well, from the Italian deli). We were also going to have 6 people in the house over the Christmas period so we splurged at the Italian deli and got a huge one! By huge - I truly mean HUGE and was wondering how we would finish it. It turned out to be very delicious and would have got over except for the fact that I was dying to try a Panettone Bread Pudding recipe I found in a magazine several years ago.

The pudding looked beautiful coming out the oven and smelt delicious. I had a bite...and oops, disliked it! I felt so sad that it did not turn out well coz the smell and look were umm....yummy AND, I had been treasuring this recipe for years, waiting for an opportunity to make it!

Anyway, I asked my sister-in-law to taste it. She liked it and said it was fit to be served. Okaay.. I was still unsure but went ahead and served it to everyone else. Some had it with ice cream and some without. Guess what, they all liked it!?! The pudding was almost over and honestly, I was shocked. Perhaps the lesson is - I don't like bread puddings! I have never had one before, so I did not know what to expect..!

Ingredients

1 loaf panettone (32-35 ounces) cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

4 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter for baking dish

Method

Heat oven to 325F. Place panettone in a bowl. In another bowl whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolk, sugar, zest and vanilla extract. Pour over the cubes of panettone and let soak for 5 minutes, stirring 2-3 times gently. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Midnight Dreams.....

2007-12-27T16:18:00.000Z

I know, it's been ages since I've posted. Many excuses for that and lot's of catching up to do. So, may as well get on with midnight dreams! Midnight Dreams is a result of dreaming about dessert and making do with the ingredients at home. Thus, an easy, last minute dessert.

-And to those still thinking about the fact that I dream of food :) , yes - sometimes I do dream about food. Come on, it's better than dreaming about my year end statement of benefits from the insurance company (I did dream about that too!). This year end has brought lots of odd dreams but as usual, I digress.

Ingredients

Blackberries - as many as you like..

Mascarpone - 250gms

1 Egg White

30 gms Caster Sugar

Crushed Vanilla Cookies or any sweet cookies

Honey

Method

Mix the mascarpone, egg white and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Then layer in the blackberries, crushed cookies and cream anyway you like it. Drizzle some honey over the last layer of blackberries and it's done. Simplicity!

Leftovers - Spinach & Potato Roll

2007-11-19T21:48:00.000Z

One of these days I was determined to make a meal with whatever ingredients I had at home i.e. no running out to the shop and buying some missing ingredient. Oh well, okay - I'll admit! I was being lazy about planning a proper meal and just wanted something warm to eat with whatever I had at home.

I had -

Spinach leaves - half a packet

2 medium sized boiled Potatoes (leftover from the day before)

1/2 slab of store bought Paneer

1/2 a medium Red Onion

An open packet of Garlic & Coriander Tortilla

2 green chillies

Chopped Garlic - in the bottle

Sandwich Masala (contains Jeera, Black salt, Black Pepper, Fennel, Tuj, Clove, Badiyan, Sindha Namak, Amchur, Chilli, Salt)

The experiment begins -

I washed the spinach leaves thoroughly. Diced the red onion and green chilli and sauteed lightly in about 2 tsp of olive oil. I then added the spinach leaves for about a couple of minutes until they started to wilt. I then added in about 1/4 cup of water and poured the mixture into the blender and pureed it. Next, I chopped the potato and paneer into small cubes and sauteed lightly with a tsp of garlic, 2 tsp of Coriander powder and 2 tsp of the Sandwich masala. I could have used the more commonly available Chaat masala but had the bottle of untested sandwich masala lying there and it seemed to just beg me to use it ;) ..Anyway, I added salt to taste, scooped the spinach mixture into the pan and heated it all together for another 2 minutes. I then warmed the tortillas in a separate pan, put one in a plate, spooned some of the paneer/potato mixture into the tortilla and rolled it.

Honestly, I was thinking...should have smashed the potato instead of cutting ...and that spinach may just taste horrible ...it looks dry from the ends but if I stuff more in, it will fall out. So, I added a little cheese to the ends of the roll and was very skeptical about the taste! Luckily...it turned out delicious! Not too 'spinachy', not too runny, a little spicy and while a proper paratha would have tasted better, the tortilla did just fine! Did not really need the cheese either. Whew...sometimes I can cook :)

Blackberries - Are they cupcakes or muffins?

2007-11-05T22:53:00.000Z

Firstly, referring to the title - I started to make cupcakes but since there is no icing, do they become muffins? Am sure there is a technical difference between both (other than icing) but honestly, I have not done a 'Google' search on it yet..I should :)!

Secondly, I wanted to use blackberries in my next recipe and since I don't eat the fruit much, I emailed my friends asking them how they liked to eat the berries....plain, with ice cream, yogurt etc... I received a variety of responses and one friend replied saying with yogurt. Fair enough. Sometime later she tells me her friend likes them in muffins. Makes sense. We exchange a couple of emails, I finally send her my idea for a new recipe... and that's when she emails me back from her BLACKBERRY telling me she thought all this time it was a joke and that I was asking how people would like to 'eat' their Blackberrys i.e. those technical gadgets that most of us can't seem to live without once we get them. Gosh, maybe not so funny now but it cracked us up that day, so had to share :)

Now lastly, am usually slow to post but reading Kate of Aaplemint's recent post inspired me to get a move on posting, as I too have been trying to avoid sweets (healthy recipe to follow in next post..this one is more abt the story). Anyway, what the abstinence from sweets leads to is a hubby who complains that he no longer gets dessert! So, I thought ..why not...let's bake but not eat...can't be that bad. Oh it was baaad....

I made blackberry cupcakes (let's just call them cupcakes for now) and they smelt like all baking does, heavenly and then - I had no clue how they tasted or turned out!! Well, okay. I had a tiny bite. And this time, let's call it a muffin so I don't feel too guilty abt the tiny bite. Besides, what's a tiny bite out of a mini cupcake..oops muffin?! Anyway, no self-tasting and a sweet hubby who had been denied homemade desserts - I needed additional opinions! Thus, a poll was taken at work and looks like the recipe was just fine! Obviously, there were a lot of suggestions that there be a weekly sample tasting session and that I should not stop baking since there are willing testers available Monday through Friday!!! Seriously !!! :)

Okay, enough stories!! Here is the recipe..not earth shattering and definitely not the 'new' one I had suggested to my friend, just a simple, comfortable one...

Ingredients

150g butter, softened with extra for greasing

50g caster sugar

200g self-raising flour

4 eggs beaten

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp almond extract

6-7 blackberries, roughly chopped

Makes about 15 cupcakes

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degree Celsius. Generously grease the non-stick muffin pan. Cut the butter and place in a large mixing bowl with the caster sugar. Beat with an electric whisk until pale, fluffy and combined. Sieve the flour into the mixture and add the eggs and beat together. Stir in the milk, almond extract and the chopped blackberries. Spoon the mixture evenly into the holes in the muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25minutes or until cakes are light golden. If you want to make a large cake, cooking time increases to about hour and half. If the top starts to look dark but the skewer does not come out clean when inserted in the centre, lightly cover the top with foil.

Perception.....

2007-11-04T23:04:00.000Z

Bananas going to go bad, very thirsty, lots of milk at home - what do you get? Banana Smoothie.

2 Large Glasses :

2 Bananas

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Glass of COLD milk

Run through the blender and taste. Add in more honey (or sugar) if you want it sweeter and add in some more milk if you want it thinner.

The picture above - little more than two glasses of smoothie made - one glass for me and one for hubby... Well, one glass never survived to be had by hubby! I was really thirsty and before I knew it ..there were a couple of small refills and all that was left ... fit into a tall shot glass which only looks huge next to my KLM houses!

Mung Sprouts...yummy??

2007-11-02T00:03:00.000Z

If you mentioned Mung Bean Sprouts to me before I moved to London, I would had made a long face and said 'yech'..or something like that! I know, they are a great source of protein but I never really had them growing up and when I did (if I did??), they did not make much of an impression. Things have obviously changed since I am dedicating this post to Mung Bean Sprouts!

Soon after we moved to London, a friend took us to a Indian store in Southall. The place was huge, full of Indian goodies and next thing I know, my husband and our friend are having this animated conversation over Mung Sprouts. Seriously, I am staring at the guys and wondering if they've lost it. Am looking at the sprouts thinking, what is this stuff?! Anyway, to cut to the chase, they brought home two packets, cooked it, added in a bunch of stuff and it ended up being one of the most delicious healthy snacks I have had! So, I am now a convert and love making the following recipe whenever I want a healthy, low carb (am guessing), yet filling and tasty meal...gosh that is a tall order, isn't it?!

Ingredients

230 gm Mung Bean Sprouts

1 Medium Boiled Potato

1 Medium Red Onion

1 Medium Tomato

2 Green Chilies (dependant on taste)

2 table spoon Chaat Masala

1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder

1 1/2 teaspoon Dhana Jeera Powder (Cumin & Coriander powder)

1 1/2 Limes (juiced)

Salt to taste

Method

Boil the sprouts in water for about 20 minutes on a medium flame until the sprouts are soft but with a slight crunch. Remove from heat, strain the water out and move the sprouts to a large serving bowl. While the sprouts are cooking, chop the potato, onions and tomato into small squares. Dice the chilies and add all chopped ingredients to the cooked sprouts. Add in the Chaat masala, red chili powder, Dhana Jeera powder, lime juice and salt to taste. Mix well with a spoon and eat away! Hope you convert like I did.

Chocolate Mousse, really?

2007-10-27T14:10:00.000+01:00

This is how this one goes -

Friends move into lovely large house. They know they will tire of unpacking over the weekend. So, they have us over for lunch on Sunday. Any chance I get, I like to make dessert and thus, I volunteered (the least I could do)! Now, as much as I thought I would prepare stuff well in advance, I was down to the wire as usual. And then I remembered, no worries - time to try out the Nigella Lawson Chocolate Mousse. Nigella Lawson recently published a book, Nigella Express, that focuses on quick meals. Am sure the book has the recipe but I saw one of her 'express' cooking shows and was fascinated with the chocolate mousse. Think Nigella Lawson is the UK version of Rachel Ray? Anyway, forget silly comparisons and other random thoughts. Back to the point. Chocolate Mousse was made and it was surprisingly like the real thing!

Ingredients

150g Marshmallows

50g Unsalted Butter

250g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)*

60ml Hot Water

284ml Double Cream

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Fresh Raspberries as needed. Ideal when using the dark chocolate!

* If you don't like Dark Chocolate, use regular cooking chocolate or mix the dark chocolate with some cooking/milk chocolate. This makes the taste less intense, easier for kids to have.

**Also, this recipe makes 6 large servings or 12 moderate to small servings (smaller servings are better when using rich dark chocolate, as the large serving can get too heavy after a nice meal). Mind you, we took a whole hour but we finished of the 'large' serving of mousse!

Method

Cut each marshmallow in half and drop the pieces in a heavy saucepan. Add the butter. Chop the chocolate into smallish pieces and into the pan. Add the hot water and put the pan on the heat, stirring occasionally until everything is smooth and melted. Remove from the heat. Whip the cream with vanilla extract until thick, then fold into the chocolate mixture until totally absorbed and smooth again. Pour into 6 small ramekins or glasses, and cover with cling-film. Put into the fridge to set, this will take at least 3 hours. Be careful as you transfer them to the fridge - klutzy me, I tipped a couple of the glass bowls as can be seen in the picture! :) Once set, top with raspberries just before serving. The raspberries taste lovely with dark chocolate.

Pasta Fagioli Soup (without Pasta!), Roasted Garlic and Salad

2007-10-14T22:04:00.000+01:00

I don't even know where to start with this one..... so many thoughts and in some ways - so much unconnected history behind the recipe that follows. So, I may as well get to the recipe quickly. It's healthy, mostly protein and if I may so - delicious! Perfect for these cold days - though, surprisingly - we had a great weekend in London. Almost warm and the sun was shining!

The meal consisted of Fagioli soup, roasted garlic + red pepper 'spread' with bread and some salad on the side. In my books, this meal falls into the express cooking category.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Ingredients

2 cans of Cannellinni (white) beans - I used dry beans and pressure cooked them in water for about 30 minutes the day before...

1 large can of chopped Italian Tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, mashed

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh Italian herbs - use your favourite - I used oregano and basil

1 carrot - cut into little squares

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

1/4 cup smallest macaroni like pasta - if you want the pasta

Method

In a heavy sauce pan, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Then add the herbs and black pepper and saute for another minute. Add in the beans and the tomatoes, mix well. If you thinner soup, add some water. Bring to a boil and add in the carrots and then add salt to taste. If you want pasta in the soup, add in just before serving, allowing 5 minutes of cooking time. Garnish with Parmesan and Basil leaves.

This is the only time I would recommend using canned tomatoes - the canned Italian tomatoes seem to be more juicy than fresh ones and have a tinge of sweetness- just the right touch for the soup.

Roasted garlic with Red Pepper Spread

Take as many garlic cloves as you think you will enjoy; cut off the top 'hard' part and rub olive oil over the freshly cut ends. Wrap in foil, put into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 150-180 degrees. I popped in the bread to warm at the same time. When you pull out the garlic cloves, quickly check that they have gone soft. If soft, they are done. Let them cool for a few minutes and then squeeze the garlic from the skins. Mash the roasted garlic slightly and add crushed red pepper, mix well and have with some warm bread. It warms the body and if I can stretch the imagination for garlic lovers - warms the soul :) !

Panini for Dessert?

2007-10-06T11:42:00.000+01:00

Yes, Panini for dessert. It's a Chocolate and Strawberry panini and fits my current theme ... quick, easy and something new! I saw this on FoodTV during my NY trip and could not wait to come back home and try it. It's a success with kids but us adults have been loving it to :)

Ingredients

1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommend Nutella...mmmm!)

12 (1/2-inch) thick slices pound cake loaf (known as sponge cake in the UK)

6 fresh strawberries, hulled and very thinly sliced

Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray (optional)

Vanilla Ice cream (optional)

Method

Heat a panini grill to medium. Even a 'George Foreman' grill will do. Spread the chocolate-hazelnut spread over 1 side of all of the pound cake slices. Arrange the sliced strawberries over 6 cake slices. Cover with the remaining cake slices, chocolate side down. Spray the panini grill with nonstick spray and grill each panino until the pound cake is crisp and golden and the fillings are warm. It takes about 2 minutes depending on your grill strength. Cut each panino in half and serve. For those who like the hot with cold taste, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. You know me...I can't keep away from ice cream!

You can also try the recipe with bananas if that's the preferred fruit.

Flat Bread with Mushroom & Corn ...and one with Crab..?!

2007-09-27T19:35:00.000+01:00

Without Cheese, With Cheese

Another quick meal - Seems to be a recurring theme with me nowadays and here is the genesis of this one.... It was a Saturday night and we decided to eat home. I wasn't really up for cooking. Thus, I tried to think of the simplest unconventional (i.e. anything but the usual) meal I could put together with whatever I had bought at the grocery store that afternoon. So, here goes.... I made flat bread with mushrooms and sweet corn with some salad on the side. Ummm...was tasty!

Ingredients

2 Flat breads (already had garlic and parsley added to it)

Sweet Corn

A box of Chestnut Mushrooms thinly sliced

1/2 Red Onion thinly sliced

Green Chillies - chopped

Emmental Cheese - grated

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add in the chillies and onions and saute for about 2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes until partially cooked. Remove from heat and spread the mixture over the flat bread; add the corn, sprinkle cheese, add salt and pepper to taste and pop into a 200 degree (Celsius) oven for about 10-15 minutes.

As you can see, there isn't much of a science to it. When using frozen corn, ensure it is defrosted so the water does not run into the bread as it melts, making the base soggy.

Since the flat bread was a hit with us, the next time round I made a CRAB VERSION for my husband. I used the same flat bread which had parsley and garlic already added to it. I spread crab meat (found easily at Waitrose) across the top, some chopped spring onions, chopped red pepper, chillies and Emmental cheese and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Voila - I had a happy husband! :)

Cupcakes - A new discovery in London

2007-09-23T20:50:00.000+01:00

One Fine Saturday Morning......

I was going to buy some strawberries from Partridges in Chelsea (a last minute request from a friend to bring two boxes over for lunch) and I walked right into their 'farmer's market'. I had forgotten about the farmer's market (since farmer's markets to me mean the one on Portobello road or Borough market).

Anyway, though I was in a rush, I could not help looking at all the stalls and guess what I find - some lovely cupcakes! The stall was run by Crumbs and Doilies. They sold only mini-cupcakes in about a zillion flavours and toppings...chocolate, lemon, carrot cake, gummy bear, sprinkles...you name it. Gotta try these........mmmmm..lip smacking and cute..quick pop into the mouth!

More from the Holiday but New York this time!

2007-09-23T20:44:00.000+01:00

Before Spain, we were in New York for a couple of weddings. It was so great to be back...surrounded with endless sky scrapers, endless sea of people and the endless electric buzz that is New York City!

At one of the weddings, we had this beautiful, creative dessert that I just had to share.... the menu below describes it...

..and here is a picture of the deliciously creative dessert!

After rehearsal dinner on a Friday night, we went out and ended the night in NY style i.e. with a quick bite to eat at what was it - maybe 2 or 3am?!? Yeah, I can still stay up that late ;)
There are loads of places to get food at that hour but a strong favourite (at any time of the day really) is 'The Kati Roll Company'. It is located in the West Village on MacDougal (& Bleecker...the cross street). They have mouthwatering rolls...Achari paneer, Aloo masala, Beef Tikka, Chicken Tikka, Shami Kebab and 'Unda' (Egg). If ever in NY, you must try these! It's mostly a take out joint though there is some seating and somehow, we always manage to score a place. There is another branch in mid-town (times square) which is a favourite with the office lunch crowd. And ok - I admit, the paratha is a bit oilier than one would like but guess that's what makes it so tasty!

Paneer Kati Roll

Aloo Kati Roll

The other place I really like (especially in the hot NY summer) is Jamba Juice. It's a chain of juice/smoothies stores that started out in California. Delicious smoothies, health booster shots (not that I believe in those) and good old down to earth fresh juices. They have got to have the best blend of orange and carrot juice I have ever had!

Not to be missed - especially on warm days when the juice is so refreshing and soothing!

Marbella Club

2007-09-17T21:50:00.000+01:00

Spain again - Had a lovely drink at the Marbella Club beach side bar. Citrus, banana...completely tropical. Ideal for the hot weather!

Luckily, the bartender spoke a little bit of English and between pointing at bottles and drawing the portions, I think I have the recipe for a soothing tropical cocktail.

1 part Grenadine

1 part Banana Liquor

1 part Campari

1/2 a glass of fresh Orange Juice

Shake well with ice. Garnish with Orange and Strawberry and drink up!

P.S. Guess I've never mentioned the reason for 'cocktails ' in the blog name. Well, it's very simple - I like cocktails and unlike the US, seem to encounter lots of creative cocktails in London. They look exotic and taste fantastic! The only cocktail ingredient I have not found often in London, is Guava. Aah..but I can always buy Guava juice at a store and make my own at home ... then again...too much work for just one drink!

Spain.....

2007-09-17T21:02:00.000+01:00

Mushroom and Prawns in butter sauce

Ok. Am not going to bore you with every detail. One of the highlights of our trip was dinner in a small city called Logroño. It's in the Rioja region and is a modern city, with a small historic quarter...ok..ok. All that's from the guidebook! We were staying about 20-30 minutes from the city, almost in the middle of nowhere at a beautiful winery. Anyway, one night we decided we wanted to get some local food and were directed to Logroño.

Calle Laurel, Logroño

In Logroño, there is a street called Calle Laurel that is filled with Tapas bars. It was a fantastic experience - the sights, sounds and smells! The area was filled with Spanish tourists - no one spoke a word of English and we spoke no Spanish...yet, had an amazing time eating (and ordering food)! Each tapas bar is known for a specialty and you order food and a small glass of wine or beer and then move to the next bar. We tried some delicious grilled mushrooms with prawns (I had to figure out how to order them without prawns), then we tried some typical pocket bread kind of sandwich, then meat skewers (not me) and yummy - patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) !!! There were lots of other types of food but we were so stuffed ...we decided to leave the rest for another trip ;)

It was such an amazing authentic experience; the food was delicious, the people friendly, the atmosphere buzzy! The two pictures above is probably where we really struggled on how to order our 'Rotos' i.e. sandwiches. They had four kinds, squid, sausage, egg/cheese and mushroom. Don't ask how..we managed to get one sausage and one veggie!

Meat Skewer

Craving a basic meal

2007-09-04T20:14:00.000+01:00

Am back and have a few holiday food pictures to share. But before I get to those - With over a week in Spain, we came back craving for some basic Indian food.. Dal-Rice!!

I made yellow dal and jeera rice the first night back. The second night (first day of work, a long day at that) we decided to have leftovers from the night before. However, I wanted something different and after racking my brains for a relatively quick and healthy add on, I had a eureka moment - how about Masala Papad??!!
The recipe/experiment is just from memory...memories of yummy masala papad served in indian restaurants.

Ingredients

Udad Papad

Red Chilli powder

Dhana Jeera powder

Spring Onion - finely chopped

Tomato - finely chopped

Coriander - finely chopped

Chaat Masala

Salt

Lime juice

Method

Roast the Udad papad - I did it over a the gas burner flame though do know of some people who microwave so they get a absolutely flat papad. I never have much luck and prefer the traditional method. Then I made two versions -

First version - I sprinkled the onions, tomato, coriander, red chilli and dhana jeera powder over the roasted papad. Squeezed lime juice liberally over the mixture to add flavor. The juice soaks into the powdered masala ensuring that the powder does not fly into your eyes when you bite into the papad.

Umm...honestly, I meant to put the lime juice - forgot and there went the red chilli into V's eyes and the light clicked on - I had forgotten the lime juice!

Second version - I kept everything the same except, skipped the Tomato and added in chaat masala.

It sure made the meal a little different from the night before.

Back from vacation but off again!

2007-08-23T09:18:00.000+01:00

Will leave you with my niece's painting - one of the many she created while visiting me. More on food when I return...

Italian Deli - La Bottega

2007-08-23T09:02:00.000+01:00

Found this little Italian Deli on Lower Sloane Street. It is lovely... quaint, tasty food, divine coffee and the best - chocolate cannolis! The chocolate cannolis are not made on the premises but wherever they are sourced from, they are 'heaven' sent! Like other little italian places, this place sells italian water, pasta, coffee.... a lovely place, slightly off the beaten path while shopping off Sloane Square.

Mexaroni!

2007-08-12T23:30:00.001+01:00

Simple dinner, simple fix for a Mexican craving and a quick dinner! One of my favourite recipes and probably the only meal I have made in the last couple of weeks. Cupcakes may count as a meal in my book but guess they don't really qualify, do they...

Ingredients

1/2 package of macaroni (250g)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoon chopped green onion

1 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1/2 green pepper (long slices)

1/2 red pepper (long slices)

3 1/2 tablespoons Taco seasoning (I usually find Old El Paso Taco mix packets in Waitrose or Tesco)

1 cup whole or 2 % milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

1/2 sour cream (optional)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

2 chopped green chillies

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup diced fresh Roma tomatoes

Blue Corn Chips (optional)

Method
Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water, 4-6 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in saucepan; add green onion, chillies and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add in green and red pepper and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning. In small bowl, combine milk and cornstarch, add to olive oil mixture cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in grated cheese; cook slowly stirring until melted. Add remaining ingredients except chips; cook until just heated through. Combine gently with pasta; serve immediately. Serve with corn chips. Amounts to about 4-6 servings.

Cloud Cakes

2007-08-10T01:01:00.000+01:00

With my nieces in the house this weekend, baking cupcakes was the activity of the day. Never mind that we had visited Hummingbird Bakery, eaten a cupcake each and also packed some for home. Well, you know me... I probably had something to do with the cupcake suggestion (baking and eating)! We decided to make 'cloud' cupcakes' i.e. strawberry cupcakes with 'fluffy' icing. It was quick and easy. The cupcakes turned out well and while the basic icing also tasted nice, we probably should have beaten it a bit more to make it stiffer. The kids had a blast with the process and with the result :)
The recipe is taken from the Australian Women's Weekly - Cupcakes & Fairycakes recipe book. The book has fantastic pictures and simple, yet creative ideas for cupcake decoration!

Ingredients:

Strawberry Swirl Buttercake

90G Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (10g) caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons strawberry jam

Fluffy Frosting

1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
40ml water
1 egg white

Decoration

Pink coloured sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to moderate (180 Celsius/160 Celsius fan-forced). Line 6-hole texas or 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in a small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour.
3. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface. Divide jam over tops of cakes; using a skewer swirl jam into cakes.
4. Bake large cakes about 30 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
5. Make fluffy frosting.
6. Spread cakes with fluffy frosting; sprinkle with coloured sugar.

My personal deviation from the above recipe - I skipped the strawberry jam for some cupcakes and added in chocolate pieces instead. Also, since I currently own only a mini-muffin pan - we made mini-cupcakes!

Fluffy Frosting
Combine sugar and the water in small saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Boil, uncovered, without stirring about 5 minutes or until syrup reaches 116C on a candy thermometer. Syrup should be thick but not coloured. Remove from heat, allow bubbles to subside. Beat egg white in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. While mixer is operating, add hot syrup in thin stream; beat on high speed about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and cool.

Pink sugar
Use granulated or caster sugar, depending on the texture you prefer. Place required amount of sugar in a plastic bag, add a tiny amount of colouring through sugar by 'massaging' plastic bag. Sugar will keep in a jar at room temperature indefinitely.
Sprinkle over icing.

Another Soup

2007-07-28T11:27:00.000+01:00

My mom makes something similar to the recipe that follows and as a kid, I almost never had the soup…any soup. Now I realise what I have been missing out on!
This soup only gets made when I do a Tesco run as I use ‘Dudhi’ (gourd) as the main ingredient. I know, that’s sounds scary to some but in a soup, it’s fresh and light. Try it…

Ingredients
One medium Dudhi, chopped
One medium Potato, chopped
One small Carrot, chopped
One medium Red Onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Tsp Coriander seeds
White Pepper & Salt to taste
Creme Fraiche (optional)

Method
Saute the onions, garlic and coriander seeds in about 1 tbsp olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Next add in the dudhi, potato and carrot and cook on low gas for another 10 minutes. Add in about 4-5 cups of water and cook until all vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes on low-medium gas). Add the salt and pepper. Run through the food processor or blender in batches until you have a smooth consistency. Heat again before serving (avoid boiling though not the end of the world if it boils). Add a little bit of creme fraiche and chopped coriander to each bowl if you want to make the soup a little richer.

Malbec

2007-07-25T18:53:00.000+01:00

Wine...

Malbec is my favourite. Think it's not just the taste but this silly feeling that I discovered it for myself. All I really did was read the Friday WSJ wine reviews and convince the husband to try out the wine....think I won him over.

A few days ago, we decided to open a good bottle of Malbec to share with my in-laws. The bottle was a Nicholas Catena Zapata, 2002. Nicholas Catena Zapata is made from a selection of the best lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the Catena Zapata Vineyards. The content is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon & 28% Malbec.

In very basic (non-wine) terms – it’s a rich but not too strong red wine….I like it! Don't forget to air it.

Old Fashioned Crumb Cake

2007-07-19T00:02:00.000+01:00

My fall back easy dessert. It's a crumb cake or also known as a coffee cake. Before I go any further, I have to thank an ex-colleague and his wife who introduced me to this recipe! It's a life saver and yummy! The cake is not too sweet (as everyone seems to want it nowadays), takes only 10 minutes to prepare and about 20-30 minutes to bake.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 cup brown Sugar

3/4 cup granulated Sugar

3/4 Oil

1/2 chopped Nuts (e.g. Pecans)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Egg lightly beaten

1 cup Buttermilk

Method

Sift together flour, salt and 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon into a huge bowl. Add sugars, oil and mix at medium speed of electric mixer until blended and fluffy. Measure out 3/4 cup of this mixture for topping and add nuts, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg to it. Add soda, baking powder, egg and buttermilk to remaining flour mixture and stir until smooth. Turn into well greased 9x13 baking pan and level top. Sprinkle with topping and press lightly back with back of a spoon. Bake at 350F or 180C for 30-35 minutes. Note the time will vary depending on the oven. In NY it used to take me the whole 30-35 minutes but in London it takes me about 20-25 minutes. If left in too long, the topping will burn.

If you only want to make a small cake, then just halve the ingredients above. That's what I do most of the time. We often have this plain, warm from the oven or serve with Pralines & Cream or Dulce De Leche ice cream.

Below is a picture of the BIG helping DH took....!

No cooking over the weekend...Aubaine..

2007-07-18T17:46:00.000+01:00

No cooking at home a couple of weekends ago. Instead, we tried out two new restaurants (having a good friend visiting from NY was the perfect excuse to expand our London restaurant horizons). I know, that was a couple of weeks ago and am posting only now.. ..I was waiting for my friend to get back to NY and download the one precious picture I took at the first restaurant. Given that I am new to blogging - I had forgotten my camera so had to request my friend to take a picture (and I only remembered when the dessert arrived..was too busy enjoying the food)! Anyway, now that she is back in NY and I have a picture (prefer to post with pictures)...here are my thoughts on the restaurants.

The first restaurant, Aubaine came highly recommended by a friend from work. He said it was French food so was a bit skeptical since French food does not always hit the spot with vegetarians. This one most certainly did! The ambiance is really nice, especially on a warm summer day. The entire front of the restaurant opens out onto the street, creating a bright and airy atmosphere and you don't feel like you are missing out on a beautiful day (those have become rare in London this summer). We went for a late lunch and between all of us we ordered Beef Carpaccio, Cauliflower soup, salad Aubaine, Roasted Vegetable tartine and Salmon tartine. All of it was fantastic! I had the soup and roasted veg. tartine and both were bursting with flavour. The topper was ofcourse, dessert! Normally we would have just looked at the menu and then skipped the temptation. However, the staff walks around with this little dessert tray and everything on it looks so beautiful and appetizing, we indulged in two desserts for the table! My favourite was this strawberry concoction (forgotten the name so looks like I need to go back!!). It was light, not to sweet and just gorgeous to look at which is finally when I remembered I should take some pictures. It was a lovely lunch and will definitely return to sample the brunch menu which has a eggs in addition to the lunch fare. The lunch fare had tartines, salads, sandwiches and mains. Dinner is somewhat similar with more mains on the menu. They also sell fresh bread and have a special bread of the week. Will definitely return here.

The second restaurant we tried was Tom's Kitchen. Again, loved the place and will post more on it once I go back and take some pictures of the food! We went for dinner, had some lovely drinks...husband loved the Dirty Martini and I thought my Caipirinha was good to. The non-alcoholic Mojito got plus points from my friend who said it was not super sweet, drowning in syrup. They had a brunch menu that mentioned waffles..I'll definitely be going back for that.

Peas Peas, some soup peas...

2007-07-17T23:55:00.000+01:00

Green pea soup....never even crossed my mind until I had the an incredible green pea soup at Chez Bruce back in June. It was unusual yet tasty and so light. So, I finally decided (after over a month) that it can't be that hard to make a good pea soup...and it was not!

Ingredients

3 cups of green peas (if using frozen, thaw and rinse)

8 chopped spring onions

2 cloves of garlic, diced

3 cups of vegetable stock

White pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Crème fraîche

Lambs Lettuce or croutons

Method

In a little olive oil, saute the onions and garlic until light brown. Add in the peas and saute for another 2 minutes. Add in the stock, cover the saucepan and simmer for about 10-12 minutes for young or frozen peas and up to 18 minutes for large or older peas, stirring occasionally. When the peas are tender, ladle them into the food processor or blender with a little of the cooking liquid, add salt and white pepper to taste and process until smooth. Strain the soup (if you don't want any bits) into the saucepan, add in a tablespoon of crème fraîche and heat through without boiling. Alternately, you can strain the soup and ladle into bowls for serving and then add a small dollop of crème fraîche to each bowl to give it a nice visual effect. Finish by adding a sprig of lambs lettuce to the bowl or croutons.

Quinoa

2007-07-15T22:09:00.000+01:00

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient food native to the Andean region of Central America. Quinoa has a greater protein content than most grains, and unlike other grains, contains all the amino acids needed to build protein. Thus, a recent favourite of mine – replacing pasta for dinner! Quinoa has a mild slightly nutty taste, firm texture and can be made slightly chewy or creamy. Quinoa should be rinsed or soaked before cooking. To cook it just put 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water, cover and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed. For a lighter, fluffier dish cook in more water for longer. Most quinoa available in the UK is yellow but it is also possible to get red quinoa which can be used in the same way.

Quick and easy recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa
2 cloves of Garlic (diced)
1 medium chopped Zucchini
1 chopped Red Pepper
1/2 chopped Green Pepper
1/2 chopped Red Onion
1 large red Chilli
1 small slab of Halloumi cheese, cut into small cubes

Method

Wash quinoa thoroughly. Add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of quinoa and cook until soft and fluffy. Separately, in a little olive oil, saute the garlic until browned, then add in the red onions and chilli and saute for 2 more minutes. Follow with the peppers and zucchini for 4-5 minutes, until cooked but slightly crunchy. Stir in the cooked quinoa and mix well. Lastly, add in the halloumi, cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add in a little salt - about half a teaspoon should be enough as the halloumi is quite salty. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve hot.

Have to mention that I only thought of using Halloumi when I saw a Quinoa recipe of Anne's blog. It tastes delicious.

Osteria Basilico

2007-07-15T21:42:00.000+01:00

Osteria Basilico is located in Notting Hill on Kensington Park Road. We discovered it when some family friends were visiting and looking for a casual Italian restaurant that served good pizza and wine. Osteria Basilico definitely fit the bill! The pizza's are delicious, thin crust and bursting with flavour. The staff was very accommodating and let us add additional toppings, essentially creating our own pizza. We ordered two pizzas - one with pepperoni, garlic and chillies and the other was a Margherita with garlic and chillies. Yes, we like our chillies.

We also ordered spaghetti with clams and a rigatoni matriciana. The spaghetti with clams was a big hit but rigatoni turned to be very cheesy and heavy. Dessert was the standard Tiramisu and the restaurant did fairly well here. It was light and fluffy and tasted home-made. Not the best I have eaten but definitely good. All in all, will definitely go back to the place. The staff was friendly and accommodating and we got a table on the ground floor by the windows, as requested. Would highly recommend sitting on the ground floor and not the basement which feels a bit stuffy.

Mmm.....Ice cream!

2007-07-12T00:54:00.000+01:00

Ever since I left India, a whole new world has opened up for me..... it's the world of Haagen Daz and Ben & Jerrys. I absolutely love ice cream. Favourite flavour for a while was 'Light' Dulce De Leche by Haagen Daz. Unfortunately, you don't get the light version in London so have to revert to the original. I do like the original but at times, it can be too sweet. Good old comfort, don't want to experiment ice cream is Strawberry (Haagen Daz) and the best ice cream bars are Caramel Toffee crunch (Dove) which I have found only in Minneapolis. Favourite ice cream place was the Edina Creamery in Minneapolis.

Anyway, ice cream mixed with cookies is a quick and easy last minute dessert. The other day I combined Dulce De Leche with some Ginger cookies from Tesco's 'finest' brand. It was a lovely combination, the ginger flavour gave the ice cream a refreshing twist without that strong pungent taste that is associated with ginger. Serve in a see through ice cream bowl or even a cocktail glass and it takes it up a notch.

Today, as I was picking up some last minute supplies from Sainsbury Local, I could not help walking by the Haagen Daz ice cream freezer. I was looking to replace the Dulce De Leche I gorged on yesterday and came across a 'Summer Berries and Cream' ice cream instead. It is technically summer, so I got completely taken in by the labeling and bought it. It tasted delicious - fruity, creamy and summery as expected. However, I wanted to add my little twist - just a simple one. So, I crushed a Marks & Spencer biscuit curl over the ice cream and stuck a mint chocolate stick (bought at a 50% off Godiva sale..) and served it up in a fancy glass. Mmmm...ice cream... someday I'll own an ice cream maker.

Black Outs..

2007-07-04T11:41:00.000+01:00

No, it's not an electricity cut. It's the name of the these beautiful deep reddish-black lilies I bought on Fulham road. I know it's not food...but the flowers are just so beautiful, I had to share! The photos don't do justice to the lovely colour. These are the most unusual lilies I have seen available so easily.... guess little things make me happy!

Amarula Martini

2007-07-03T22:07:00.000+01:00

Ingredients
1.5 parts Amarula
1 part Hazelnut chocolate Liqueur
1 part Vanilla Vodka

Mix with lots of ice in a cocktail shaker. Drizzle either some chocolate or caramel sauce inside the rim of the glass and voila...you have a dessert in a glass!

Genesis of this drink..have so many of these liqueurs at home from a party that I figured a cocktail was in order. So, I picked a few of them and threw them into a cocktail shaker. It's not hard to go wrong with the sweet stuff.

Incase you are wondering, Amarula is a South African liqueur that is made from the fruit of a Marula tree.
http://www.amarula.co.za/za/learn/amarula_roots/

The proof is in the pudding.....

2007-07-01T22:18:00.000+01:00

Last year when we had just moved to London, we got invited to a 4th of July BBQ and that's where I tasted a fantastic banana pudding. Am not really into puddings but this one was just delicious and I actually asked for the recipe. Magnolia strikes again - the recipe is Magnolia Bakery's Famous Banana Pudding. The recipe proportions served about 15-20 people so I decided it would be perfect for Di's BBQ today. Safe to say the pudding was a hit as the huge bowl got polished off! When you read the recipe, don't think of calories please...just enjoy the result! It's not that often we indulge in puddings...

Ingredients:

1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1.5 cups ice cold water

1 3.4 oz pack instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy (double) cream

1 12 oz. box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat together the condensed milk and water until combined. Add pudding mix and beat well. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before continuing. It is important for the pudding mix to set.

In a large bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, select a large wide bowl (4-5 Qt. capacity). Arrange 1/3 of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, then 1/3 of the bananas and 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or crumbs on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

That's the original recipe. I had to improvise slightly as I did not have an instant vanilla pudding mix. I had to cook the pudding (hot milk in saucepan type) and then let it set. I combined the whipped cream with set pudding and the can of condensed milk and it still worked. I think the result was that the pudding was not too sweet. I did get the Vanilla wafers and the pudding mix from the US but am guessing you can find Vanilla custard mix and plain Vanilla wafers (cookies/biscuits) in London. I need to look for a wafer substitute in the grocery stores here but am told that the Nabisco wafers are available at Partridges in the Duke of York square.

The Real Cupcakes

2007-06-30T19:54:00.000+01:00

Why cupcakes...they are cute to look at, you can eat a whole one and not feel like you've had way too much cake (or so I tell myself) and well, they are just fantastic. This love for cupcakes began in New York at the one and only, Magnolia. Magnolia is good but NY is 'cupcake capital' and there is a whole world beyond Magnolia. My favourite cupcake place is Sugar Sweet Sunshine in the Lower East Side. Anyway, that's NY.
Coming to London. Cupcakes - what are those? More often than not, they are referred to as Fairy cakes..yes, cute but where are they?? After some misses (terrible dry cupcakes with fondant!), I have finally found a place that makes cupcakes as good as the ones you get in NY! It was an accidental discovery made while walking by South Ken. station. It's a cute little place called The Hummingbird Bakery. I've tried Chocolate on chocolate, chocolate on vanilla, vanilla on vanilla, cappuccino...and I've only been twice! They make red velvet, peanut butter and keep trying out new flavours like baked cheesecake... The cupcakes I've had are moist, light and plain old scrumptious! The bakery has a small seating area and they serve Illy coffee and a few other bakery items such as carrot cake, strawberry loaf etc. These items keep rotating so you may or may not find them on a particular day. The South Ken location is actually the second location - the first is on Portobello Road. Each bakery makes the cupcakes on the premises so it's all fresh! They even do mini-cupcakes for special orders. If ever looking for cupcakes in London, this is the place!

I found this on another blog ... the British view of American cupcakes..oops..fairy cakes.. :)

http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/2006/06/magnolia-bakery-bleecker-street-new.html

It starts....

2007-06-29T18:04:00.000+01:00

Yes, I finally did it. Have no idea why it took me so long but here goes.... ofcourse the first real posting will be about Cupcakes!!