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Friday 29 June 2012

"Shepherd's Pie"


The old rustic countryside has its own charm. The untouched beauty of the old wooden houses, vast fields, water streams and aroma in the air connects to your heart & soul.
The clay ovens and the open barbeque makes you go weak in your knees as you desire to take a bite of all those beautiful dishes.Its a proven fact that you eat more merrily and heartily at such places without sacrificing your health.
Keeping the purity of countryside in mind and getting back to the old classic recipes, I would like to share Shepherd's Pie with all of you.
Shepherd's Pie is an absolute stunning dish which has the richness of meat and the mushiness of the soft potatoes. 
Relax and unwind with this country dish this weekend and do share your thoughts & feedback.


"Shepherd's Pie"

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk , chopped ( optional)
Thyme or coriander leaves - chopped
300 gms lamb or mutton mince
1/2 cup tomatoe puree
salt to taste
1 tsp black pepper powder
500 gms potatoes 
25 gms butter
6 tsp milk
chopped parsley ( you can replace it with coriander)
fresh herbs, to garnish ( you can the use the italian seasoning mix)
Grated cheese 

Preparation:
  • Preheat the oven at 200*C for about 15 mins before cooking. 
  • Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions, carrot and celery. Cook over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until softened and starting to brown.
  • Add the thyme/coriander and cook for a min. Add lamb and tomatoe puree. Mix well.
  • Season with salt and pepper and let it cook for about 20-25 mins till the lamb is perfectly cooked and dried.
  • Remove from heat and keep aside
  • Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender. Peel and let them dry out. 
  • In a bowl, mash them till creamy, adding milk, butter ,parsley/coriander.
  • Season with salt,pepper and italian seasoning mix as per your taste
  • Transfer the mince mixture to a shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon the mash potatoes over the filling and spread evenly to cover completely. 
  • Fork the surface, place on a baking sheet, then cook in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the potatoe topping is browned and the filling is piping hot.
  • Garnish with herbs, seasoning or cheese and serve.


        

Thursday 21 June 2012

"Eclairs Tart"


"You never forget a beautiful thing that you have eaten or made, cause'
Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always"
Our love for Eclairs pastry has grown with every year passing by. This is one sweet treat which has never missed the shelf of a good bakery. The chocolaty crust with the creamy filling provides contentment to your heart and soul with every bite.
So this one is my take on Eclairs with a twist.
Using the remaining pastry dough from the Spinach & cheese quiche I prepared this tart.
Keeping the originality of the choco crust & flavorsome creamy filling, the tart has its own unique flavors to offer you.
So do try this recipe & Enjoy the Dreamy Eclairs Experience !!!!


"Eclairs Tart"

Ingredients:

1 recipe pastry dough - refer to the pastry recipe in Spinach & Cheese Quiche post

For Cream Filling:
100 gms cream cheese
2 tsp sweet lime juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp rind of lemon
1 tsp rind of sweet lime
4-5 tsp sugar - powdered ( you can adjust the sugar as per taste)

For Chocolate Crust:
1 bar plain dark chocolate
3 tsp butter - softened
3-4 tsp sugar - powdered
3 tsp strong black coffee
4-5 drops vanilla essence (optional)

Preparation:
  • Roll the pastry dough on a floured surface and with the help of a rolling pin layer it on the pie or tart mould. 
  • Press the sides and cut out the remaining dough. Refrigerate it for 30 mins
  • Heat the oven at 180*C for 10 mins. Prick the pastry dough with a fork. 
  • Cover it with a baking sheer/ butter paper and fill it with beans to add weight & blind bake it for 15 mins.
  • Remove the paper and beans and bake the pastry for another 20 mins till its brown and firm all over.
  • Kee aside to cool . 
  • In a bowl, whip the cream cheese till smooth , add sugar, lemon juice, sweet lime juice and rinds. Mix well.
  • Pour it in the pastry case and let it chill for 30 mins.
  • Melt chocolate in microwave or on a double boiler and let it cool
  • Whip butter and sugar seperately till it becomes soft and of a smooth consistency
  • Add cooled chocolate in the butter and mix well. Add black coffee and vanilla essence and mix it properly. 
  • Pour over the cooled pastry and keep it back in the refrigerator for 30 mins till chocolate is firm and set.
  • Before serving dust a little icing sugar on top.
  • Slice & serve.
Note : If you dont like tangy or fruity flavours then you can ignore the lemon or lime juice in this recipe.

Monday 18 June 2012

"Spinach & Cheese Quiche"



Monsoon has finally arrived and so has the tastebuds .
Raindrops, cool wind, dark clouds and a lazy day ... The only thing that makes this day complete and enjoyable is a good snack and coffee.
Today's recipe is for the rainy weekends when you want to cuddle up at home enjoying a warm,mushy snack in front of your television watching your fav show.
Quiche or Pa^te Brise'e, as it is called in French, is one of the most beautiful and appreciated snacks all over.It goes perfectly well with coffee or hot chocolate and can be eaten at any time.You can use any filling as per your choice and taste. It can be made as a savoury or sweet snack.
Today I am sharing the recipe for a Spinach and Cheese Quiche.
Do try it and share your feedback and experiences. Enjoy the monsoon & keep baking !!!

"Spinach & Cheese Quiche"

Ingredients:

For Pastry:
Flour 300 gms plus extra for dusting
Butter 150 gms ,cubed and chilled plus extra for greasing the mould
Eggs 2 
Cold Water 3 tsp

For Filling :
cream 250ml ( you can replace 1/2 of the cream with milk to make it lighter)
eggs 2
salt as per taste
black pepper 1/2 tsp
nutmeg grated ( optional)
Spinach 1 bunch
cheese 150 gms ( goats cheese or cheddar cheese)
processed cheese 50 gms , grated
Italian Seasoning - optional

Preparation:
• To make the pastry dough, put flour into a big bowl. Rub in cold butter with your fingers till it resembles breadcrumbs. 
• Add eggs and mix well. Add iced water and knead in a soft dough.
• Add a little flour if it gets too sticky while kneading. Make it like a round ball and wrap it with a clingfilm.
• Refrigerate it for two hours.
• Rub butter on pie mould and dust with flour. Keep in the fridge to chill.
• Dust rolling area with a little flour and roll out the chilled dough with a rolling pin till it is around 2 inches bigger than the pie mould.
• With the help of the rolling pin, life it gently and place it on the pie mould to cover the entire base and sides. 
• Press the sides of the mould with the dough and cut out the remaining dough ( you can make small pastries with the the remaining dough later)
• Chill the pie again for 10 mins in the fridge
• Heat the oven at 180*C. Prick holes in the pie dough with a fork,line with baking paper and put kidney beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. ( if you don't have baking sheet then just prick it properly with a fork and bake)
• Remove paper and beans and bake it further for 5 mins. ( At this stage you can brush the pastry with egg wash before baking it again)
• Blanch the spinach, squeeze out the water and finely chop it.
• To make the filling,mix eggs,cream,processed cheese,salt,nutmeg & Italian seasoning in a bowl.
• Line the pastry with the spinach and pour the egg mixture.
• Put cheese on top and bake for 25-30 mins at 180*C till the quiche is firm and fully brown on the sides.
• Cut slices and serve

Note: You can try making the quiche with onions, mixed veggies, ham & cheese, etc. I like to decorate this quiche with crusty fried ham pieces for an added taste. 





Wednesday 13 June 2012

"Lamb & Pasta Pie"

" The first law of Pies -- No Pastry, No Pies"
Lets give a break to our sweet tooth for a while and indulge in some Savoury baked dishes. 
Puffs,Pies,Tarts, whatever it may be, all these baked savoury dishes are absolutely mouthwatering.
Today's recipe is of Lamb/Mutton mince and pasta. So if you are a non vegetarian and love to indulge in mince dishes then you're in for a great treat.
For vegetarians, just replace mutton mince with any vegetables of your choice. The recipe remains standard but the filling can be changed as per your choice and taste. 
Remember there is no right or wrong about cooking a dish. Its your mind and technique which makes it special.
Enjoy this recipe and do post your feedback. 
Keep watching this space for a lot of more savoury dishes this week.. 

"Lamb & Pasta Pie"

Ingredients : 

400 gms plain white flour
200 gms margarine or butter
( you can replace 100 gms of butter with white vegetable fat if available)
pinch of salt
1 egg - seperated
50 gms butter
50 gms flour
450 ml milk
salt and black pepper
225 gms macaroni
50 gms cheddar cheese
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion - chopped
1 garlic clove- crushed
2 celery sticks - chopped
450 gms lamb/mutton/chicken mince
1 tbsp tomatoe paste
400 gms chopped tomatoes

Preparation:
         
For the Pastry :
  • Preheat the oven to 190*C for ten minutes before cooking
  • Lightly oil a round spring foam cake tin.
  • Add flour,200 gms of butter/margarine and salt in a bowl and mix with hands
  • Add cold water and knead it in a pliable dough
  • Roll out 2/3rd dough to line the base and sides of the tin.
  • Brush with egg whites and keep aside.
For the Pasta :
  • Melt 50 gms of butter in pan, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and stir well to avoid and lumps and cook till it becomes like a thick white sauce
  • Season with salt and pepper and keep aside
  • Boil a large vessel with water and salt and add macaroni and cook according to the instructions on the packet or until al dente.
  • Drain and add it to the white sauce with the grated cheese.
For the mince filling :
  • Heat oil in a pan, add onions, garlic,celery and lamb mince and cook for 10-15 minutes till the meat is properly cooked.
  • Add salt, pepper, tomato paste and chopped tomatoes and cook further for more 10 mins. Cool slightly.
Arranging the pie :
  • Place half the pasta mixture, then all the lamb mince mixture in the pasty lined tin.
  • Top with a layer of pasta.
  • Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out a lid.
  • Brush the edge with water,place over the filling and pinch the edges of the pastry together.
  • Use trimmings to decorate the top of the pie in different shapes.
  • Brush the pie with the beaten egg yolk and bake in the pre heated oven for 50-60 mins,till its equally cooked and turns brown.
  • Let is cool for 15 minutes before turning out.
  • Cut slices and serve
Note : Vegetarians - you need to only replace the mince filling section with a mix of sauted vegetables . My suggestion is to use sauteed spinach,cottage cheese,peas,cabbage and capsicum. 

Monday 4 June 2012

"Luscious Mango Cake"

In keeping with the mango season, here's another recipe i tried this weekend & it was absolutely divine. 
Vanilla cake can be frosted with practically anything and everything.You can run your imagination wild with the things available & create a super dessert for any occassion or day. So this time I decided to make complete use of mangoes and chocolate to create this dessert.
I hope you liked my previous mango recipes and would love to try this one too.
For cake sponge please refer to my "Eggless Tea Cake" or "Britannia Fruit Cake" recipe. Else you can make any of your favourite plain vanilla sponge cake recipes.

Enjoy this delicious dessert & do post your feedback. 

"Luscious Mango Cake"

Ingredients :

8" vanilla sponge cake 
250 gms cottage cheese or cream cheese
2 mangoes - ripe ( small)
4 tsp thick curd
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup thick cream
1 bar chocolate - optional
2 tsp chocolate powder or cocoa powder
mango or cherries for decoration

Preparation :
  • Grease a cake mould with little butter or line it with cling film to set the cake pudding
  • Blend cottage cheese or cream cheese with mango pieces in a blender till smooth 
  • Add curd and sugar and blend again till it becomes smooth and silky
  • Whip cream in a seperate bowl till light and fluffy. Fold this into the mango mixture gently to avoid incorporating any air or bubbles
  • Cut the sponge cake into two halves.
  • Put one layer in the bottom of the tin and pour half of the mango batter to form an even layer
  • Place the second piece of cake on top and pour the remaining mango mix. 
  • Decorate it with chocolate pieces, mango pieces and cherries
  • Dust the cake with chocolate powder
  • Freeze it for 2-3 hours till firm and set
  • Unmould it gently, cut slices and serve chilled
Note -- for decoration, you can melt chocolate and design the top of cake into various designs with the help of cookie cutters. To make mango rounds use any small round measuring spoon.