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I am sure all of you who blog have created something to post for an event, in the end have decided not to post the recipe  because the end p...

Cone Cup Cake : A Big Disappointment

I am sure all of you who blog have created something to post for an event, in the end have decided not to post the recipe  because the end product does not meet your expectations. I have had a lot of disappointed outcomes. Having a food critic at home helps in these situations. These days, everything I make have to be approved by my panel of 2 -3 people. My husband, my daughter and sometimes if there are left overs my sister. They each give a score and based on the score I decide on whether to blog or not to blog. It is such a big help because all that I post is for my online recipe book which I can refer to anytime. Even after I post the recipe I have this person who tries to reproduce everything and lets me know if it is something she liked or gives me a review on where she ran into problems. I have to thank her for doing that. I might look at a recipe but its hard for me to follow it, I always make some additional changes to it often, but Harry in Denver does critical evaluation. So over the past few months I have had a few rejected recipes.One such recipe is the one posted below. If anyone can figure out where I have messed up, please do drop me a line so that I can make the adjustments.




A few months ago I totally got inspired by an idea in Real simple magazine and decided to make cup cakes using ice cream cones. I thought it was such a cool idea then. I used a regular store bought cake mix and filled the cones and baked them at 350 degrees F until they passed that tooth pick test. I removed it allowed to cool.  When I was done with the photos my daughter and I helped ourselves to a cone cake. Though my daughter was totally excited about eating a cone cake, it was very disappointing for me. What I imagined  and what showed up were poles apart.

Here are my findings:

1. The cone in the bottom started to loose the crispness and got a little soggy and hence the texture messed up the eating experience. It is as if all the heat trapped while baking make the cones made it sweat when cooling.


2. As I cooled the cones the cake started to shrink and there was a gap between the cake and the cone.
3. I tried reheating in the oven and that was not a  great help.
4. Some cones split into two and spilled the cake out like a lava.




For those who have baked before using a cone and know the answer to the challenges I have encountered, please do leave me a comment with your suggestions so that I can try it again. Looking forward to hearing form all the bakers. I appreciate your time and suggestions. Thank you.



21 Comments:

Last night for dinner we had Mexican paratha. When I suggested that to my daughter she asked me "Mexican Paratha! what is that ?...

Mexican Paratha : An Indian Mexican Fusion

Last night for dinner we had Mexican paratha. When I suggested that to my daughter she asked me "Mexican Paratha! what is that ?" Its a regular paratha dough stuffed with pinto bean mixture, rolled into paratha and cooked like one. These hot paratha's were served with pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and chips on the side. It was one of my crazy fusion ideas that I wanted to experiment with. This could be served as an appetizer or a part of the main course in any party. My daughter gave me a big thumbs up at the end of the meal. So for all you parents who have a picky eater that loves Mexican food maybe this is a good recipe to try.


Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Pan
Cutting Board
Knife
Rolling pin and Board
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowls
Potato Masher
Spatula
Griddle 

Ingredients:

For Pinto Beans Filling:

Pinto Beans - 3 cups cooked
Onions - 1 sliced
Garlic - 3 pods
Cilantro - one bunch
Chipotle Sauce - Home made or Store bought ( this decides your spice level so add or subtract accordingly, mine was super spicy)- 3 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp

For Paratha Dough:

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 cups
Salt
Oil - 3 tbsp
Water 


Preparation:

1. Mix flour, salt, oil and then water to make a soft dough.

2. In a wok add oil and cook the onions, garlic and then add the beans, salt, pepper, chipotle sauce and cilantro, water and mash together. Allow this mix to cool. The mix will tend to become dry as it cools.

3. Take a golf ball size dough and roll out into a 3 inch circle. See to it that the dough is thick in the center and the corner is rolled thin. 

4. Place the golf ball size of the pinto beans mix in the center and cover the mixture well. 

5. Flatten it and roll it out into a parata and cook it on a flat pan or griddle on both sides with some oil and serve them hot with your favourite salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.

14 Comments:

It all started when I wanted to make something sweet to add to the food basket that I was going to bring to my friend Ashley. With bab...

Coconut Burfi/Cake In 15 Minutes


It all started when I wanted to make something sweet to add to the food basket that I was going to bring to my friend Ashley. With baby Johnathan here I thought preparing her a basket with home cooked food would make life easy for her. I wanted to make something healthy and sugary treat for the baby and the mother.After a lot of thought I decided to use the fresh coconut and create something simple. On mentioning about this in my conversation with my sister Sowmya, she told me that I have to make it in the microwave so that she can make it sometime. She does not enjoy spending too much time making sweets in the kitchen so I had to shift from the stove top to the microwave. Personally, I am not too fond of microwave style of cooking, but had to do this for my Sis. It scored a 9.2 out of 10 from  my in house food critics.



Gadgets:

Wok
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Greased Tray
Knife



Ingredients: Makes 15 pieces ( 1 /12 inch squares)

Shredded Fresh Coconut - 2 cups
Condensed Milk - 1/2 tin
Cream Of Wheat/ Rava/ Farina - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Cardamon - 3 pods powdered




Preparation:

1. Heat the wok with 2 tbsp of butter and allow it to melt.

2. Add the coconut and saute to get the raw smell off and to equally distribute the melted butter.(If you wish to continue on stove top just add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the mix leaves the sides, thickens and comes together.)

3. Add this coconut mix, cardamon powder, rava and condensed milk and mix well.

4. Place in the microwave and cook it for 5 minutes. Remove and mix well. Put it back and cook it in 2 minutes increments, until the mixture comes together. (Please note that each microwave has its own power levels so please pay attention to that)

5. Line a pound cake pan with parchment paper and spread the mix evenly. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and place in the fridge to set. In 10 minutes it will be ready to serve.

28 Comments:

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi! Vinayaka (a.k.a Ganesha) is known for his love for modhakum. During his birthday, sweets and savories f...

Ellu Kozhakatai / Sesame Modhakum


Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi!

Vinayaka (a.k.a Ganesha) is known for his love for modhakum. During his birthday, sweets and savories filled modhakums are offered to him. Sesame seed and jaggery poornum/filling is commonly prepared during this celebration. Sesame seeds come in black and white colors. The one used for this filling is mostly made from back sesame. Modhakums take different shapes. The sesame seeds filled modhakums take the shape of Ganesha's  ears reminding us to hear carefully and use that information to make the right decisions.

The reason for making Ellu/Sesame seeds filled kozhakatai is because: Firstly, Ganesha is the one apart from Hanuman who has escaped the effects of seven and half Saturn. Myth has it that one day when Saturn appeared before him and requested that he effect him for seven and half years, Ganesha showed his back to him and asked him to write " Naalai Va" ("Meaning come tomorrow) and he would be ready for him then.. When Saturn showed up the next day Ganesha tricked Sani (Saturn)by showing this note on his back to him. So  every time he showed up at Ganesha's door, he was able to evade the power of Sani. Since, Sani or Saturn is assosiated with the sesame seeds it is significant to make this modhakum and offer it to Ganesha  to re-enforce his victory over Lord Saturn.

Secondly, healthwise sesame is good for fueling the brain and its performance and since Ganesha is all about wisdom and knowledge they are prepared to celebrate his day.

Gadgets:

Blender
Wok
Spatula
Fine Mesh colander
Steaming plate
Pressure or Rice cooker
Measuring Cups and Spoons



Ingredients:

Roasted black sesame seeds - 1 cup
Jaggery/brown sugar - 1 cup
Cardamon - 2 pods
Bowl
Rice flour dough(modhakum dough) - 1 recipe



Preparation:

1. Soak sesame seeds in water and wash them well to remove dirt.
2. Pat dry with the towel and dry roast them in the wok on medium heat until they start to pop.
3. Cool and blend them into a powder with cardamon and mix them with jaggery or brown sugar.



4. Take a small amount of dough and make a smooth ball out of it. Maybe the size of a quarter.




5. Form a cup with the dough. The cup must have the dough evenly distributed thinly.





6. Fill in the cup with 1-2 tsp of the sesame filling.





7. Seal the 2 edges of the cup mouth half way through.





8. Seal the cup mouth from the other edge and clip it half way through.





9. Seal the other opening of the cup mouth. It would resemble the ears of an Ganesha.





10. Steam the modhakum in a idli plate for 10 minutes until the dough changes color and looks transpatant.






If you like this post you might also like
Coconut Poornum Modhakum


0 Comments:

The three day weekend was sure fun. I needed the break after the schools reopened. On Sunday my daughter informed me that it was her doll...

Banana Bread With Pecans And Craisins For Maya

The three day weekend was sure fun. I needed the break after the schools reopened. On Sunday my daughter informed me that it was her doll Maya's first birthday. This means we had to make her something special to celebrate. As usual, I thought we were going to pretend play with her doll food, but no she was very serious about it. She told me Maya will not like doll food and would love real cakes. She came up with a lot of suggestions as to what we had to bake for her. It was very interesting as to what kids can recommend. In the end I told her that I had some over ripe frozen banana's and maybe I can make something with that. Immediately she told me Maya loves banana bread and told me that she would help me with the preparation. So we came up with our own version of banana bread.  We had such a blast adding ingredients that we found in out  pantry. I must say after baking the bread for an hour we celebrated Maya's birthday and in the end enjoyed some warm banana bread that night. Both of us agreed that the bread was very moist and that we liked it a lot but we did not get the same approval from Papa.


Gadgets:

Loaf pan
Mixing bowls
Spatula
Wooden spoon
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Fork

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Pecan Meal - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Frozen Butter - 1tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Super Ripe Large Banana - 3 
Pecans = 1 cup chopped
Eggs - 2 eggs
Almond Extract - 1 tsp
Craisins - 1/2 cup


Preparation:

1. In a bowl mush the bananas and eggs well.
2. Add sugar, oil, almond extract and mix well( wet mix)
3. In another bowl mix 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, pecan meal, baking powder and mix well ( dry mix)
4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches to the wet mix.
5. Add chocolate chips, craisins, pecans to a bowl and coat them well with the all purpose flour. ( this step helps in evenly distributing the chocolate chips, nuts and dry fruits evenly. If they were added with the dry mix they might sink to the bottom of the bread)
6. Add this to the batter, mix well and transfer to a loaf pan.Then cut 1 tbsp of frozen butter into tiny pieces and spread them on top of the batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or it passes the tooth pick test. Serve it warm with some butter.

11 Comments:

Au Gratin is a very popular French dish that has veggies or meat covered and drenched in white sauce topped with bread crumbs and cheese ...

Vegetable Au Gratin

Au Gratin is a very popular French dish that has veggies or meat covered and drenched in white sauce topped with bread crumbs and cheese and broiled in the oven to create a toasted crust. For years I have been trying to recreate an Au Gratin that tasted similar to what I had tasted some years ago. Dasa, a very popular restaurant in Chennai and Coimbatore had vegetable au gratin on their menu. It was a dish that I enjoyed a lot and have always thought of preparing it at home. I recollect that it was not too cheesy nor did it have a strong cheese smell or taste. All I remember was the creamy silky texture in every bite. So after a lot of trial and error I felt that the one I prepared for dinner last night was the closest to the Dasa Au Gratin.


Gadgets:

Ramekins - 6
Cutting Board
Knife
Sauce pan
Heavy Bottom Vessel
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Spatula

Ingredients:

Vegetables ( Cauliflower, Carrots, Beans, Corn) - 3 cups
Water - 5 cups
Salt

White Sauce:
All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbps plus 1 tsp
Milk - 4 cups
Cheese - 3 tbsp ( white cheese that can melt)
Salt
Nutmeg - 1/8th tsp
White Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper
Cream- 1/4 cup

Topping:
Bread Crumbs - from 1 slice
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp
Olive Oil - 3 tsp


Procedure:

1. Cut the veggies and cook them in boiling water with required salt. Some like them cooked with a bit of a crunch to it but I like it well done but not mushy. Its important to get the vegetables to hold their form.

2. Drain the vegetables into a colander and let all the water drain out.Allow it to cool.

3. Set the saucepan on low heat. Add 2 tbsp butter and when it starts to melt add the all purpose flour and mix well. You will see a froth forming. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add 1/2 a cup of milk and mix well again to always see to it that there are no lumps forming. Mix in the rest of the milk a cup at a time.

4. Add the cheese, salt, nutmeg and peppers and mix well to form a thick sauce ( ketchup consistency) and remove from flame.

5. Prepare the ramekins by coating it with a little butter and add the veggies to it. Using a tbsp spoon the white sauce so as to coat the veggies and fill them up.

6. Mix the bread crumbs, cheese and olive oil and spread it on top of each ramekin to form a crust.

7. Broil it on low until the top looks roasted ( 10 minutes)

12 Comments: