birthday dessert ideas: November 2013

Bric-a-Brac

What is your favourite kind of shop?

I love bric-a-brac or junk shops, those dusty, cluttered places filled with other people's cast-offs, where burnt orange 1970s lamps sit beside hand-made pictures frames on antique roll top desks. Every visit to such shops is an adventure - you never know what treasure you might find.

Proper antique shops that take themselves seriously are so much less interesting, despite their glorious smell of linseed and beeswax polish.

Jerk Marinade

This is an incredible spicy, citrusy, flavorful marinade for chicken, shrimp or pork. I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but you probably have most of them already. Get them together and make this. It's so, so good. The scotch bonnet pepper is super spicy but tastes great with everything. Spice up your veggies and roast them with the jerk marinade.

Jerk Marinade Recipe

Ingredients

1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
2 green onions
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
2 tsp. allspice
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 orange, juice and zest
1 lime, juice and zest

Directions

Puree everything in a food processor. Use with chicken, pork, shrimp, veggies, whatever. Spicy and yum!

Friday Coffee with Friends

When we lived in Melbourne I had coffee with a group of friends every Friday morning. Most of us met when our eldest children were in the same class in their first year of school. We discussed relationships and kids, jobs and local events - all the things ordinarily discussed by mums over a cup of coffee. I still miss Alison, Sue, Margaret, Nada and Anne. I sometimes wish I had a time machine to go back to those wonderful times when our children were small.

When we decided to move to Adelaide in 2008 I wondered if I would ever make new friends as good as my coffee friends in Melbourne.

I remember entering my younger children's new primary school at the end of their first day of school in Adelaide. It was a cold, bleak August day and I walked into the schoolyard anxiously bracing myself to speak to someone, anyone, and introduce myself. I had encouraged my children to try to make friends, and I knew that I had to make an effort also.

The first person I spoke to was Chris, who introduced me to her sister Carly. They invited me to join a group of their friends who regularly met for coffee. I had heard that Adelaide people could be unfriendly and insular, but this was not my experience. This lovely group of women welcomed me with great kindness and generosity.

In the five years since we moved to Adelaide, Chris and Carly have become two of my dearest friends. We still meet for coffee on a Friday morning, along with Gill, Emma, and Andrea. Sometimes we are joined by Char, Amanda, Lisa and others.

I am so grateful to my current coffee friends and coffee friends from days gone by. They have smoothed my pathway through motherhood and and provided much-needed friendship and encouragement.

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Desserts with fruit just seem so much healthier, don't they. I know there is a lot of sugar but this crumble is packed with fruit and an oatmeal topping.

I thought about putting this into individual dishes but ended up just throwing it all in a big pan. Not as pretty but it seemed to work fine.

I think that peaches are my favorite fruit. Paired with blueberries, this was an excellent dessert. Somewhat healthy too.

Blueberry Peach Crumble

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

2 cups blueberries
2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced peaches (5-6 peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour (I used gluten free)

For the crumble topping:

1/2 cup flour (I used gluten free)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine blueberries, sliced peaches, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and flour. Gently toss until fruit is well coated. Let the fruit mixture sit while you prepare the crumble topping.

3. For the crumble topping: in a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together. Mix in the butter with your fingers until the mixture comes together and you have big crumbles.

4. Put the fruit mixture in a 9 x 13 in. pan or you can put it in individual ramekins. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the fruit. Place the pan on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Peaches turns one

“Peaches” is not the 1^stname we thought of. We infact ran through nearly 100 of them, scraping at each of them- Tiranga, 3 Rascals and what not, till finally we landed at “Peaches”, shares Raghu. Hailing from a family where his father was into business, Raghu met up with 2 other friends and after much brainstorming they decided to start the restaurant and see where it is headed.

They were 3 guys who were excited, passionate and wanted to do something new. Subsequently, they met with Chef Kaushik [Eatitude] who helped transform their idea into reality and get going on the restaurant.

After much deliberation, the trio decided to start a “Pure vegetarian” restaurant, esp since Velachery was an up and coming locality and pure veg is a cuisine that will work here. Locality was one thing they dint really have to deliberate over, and they knew there was going to be no compromise on quality of food they served either. Once the idea was in place, plans were drawn, they did a survey over 40days among people they knew and got them to test out the menu as well [12^th to 19^th Sep 2012]. On 20^th Sep 2012 is when the doors opened…

The menu too went through various stages, from being extensive, it was narrowed down, and over time a few dishes were chopped off the list, while others were added in. The restaurant was slowly evolving and getting ready to open the doors to the market. And today, they are a year and 2 months old. Today, they can serve 58 covers and are proud owners of the 1800 sq ft restaurant.

Targetting families who enjoy Indian food, and who are open to world cuisine, they designed the menu and kept coming up with new innovative dishes and festivals. Earlier this year, they had the Burrito eating contest, where a 2kg burrito was to be eaten in the shortest time. And now, they have launched Sizzlers, about 5 of them. We wonder what they are going to come up with next…

Venkatesh manages the kitchen and back end while Raghu manages the front and marketing aspect of the restaurant [thanks to his experience in marketing & servicing].

Some of their signature dishes which we got to taste were

Starters : Bread Mozzarella Sticks, Malai paneer tikka, Aatish-e-aloo and the Mushroom crostini followed by Phuket Paneer and Schezwan baby corn.

Drinks: Florida Sunrise and Lime mint cooker

Mains: It was raining sizzlers- there was the Oriental Sizzler, Italian sizzler, Tandoori Sizzler, Chettinad Sizzler and finally the Big Fat peaches Sizzler. The best of the lot was the Chettinad and Oriental Sizzler. The amazing thing about each of these Sizzlers was that the items on each of them was different, even the wedges and side of vegetables. There was the veg cutlet to the masala vada, the Chinese fried rice+noodles to Indian Biryani and the Italian gentle flavoured vegetables. These should make their way into the menu long term!!

Desserts: Hot chocolate fudge sundae, Banana boat and Mango sundae...

Here’s wishing them a great journey ahead!!! Next time you are around Velachery and in the mood for some good food, albeit vegetarian, head straight down the road next to Phoenix mall about 2kms to Peaches [above Andhra Bank]

You can read my earlier review here

Peaches

No.81, 9th Cross Street,
Rajalakshmi Nagar,
100 Feet by Pass Road,
Velachery, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu 600042
Ph- 044 4201 9454

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I remember grilled cheese night as a kid. It was just me, my dad and my brothers. My dad would cut the crust off of two sides of the bread. He'd stagger the pieces of bread so we wouldn't have as much crust on the sandwich. So nice, right?

One of my brothers would butter the bread, the other would open up cheese slices. Yup, we used the cheese in the little plastic packages. I was the oldest so I'd be the one actually making the grilled cheese. Our little assembly line was fun and resulted in one of my favorite dinners.

Well, my tastes have changed a bit over the years. We no longer use the processed american cheese and I like to keep all the crust on the bread. I also enjoy a little kick with my sandwiches, know what I mean?

This has a lot more than just cheese on these sandwiches but it's still a grilled cheese to me. This is ooey gooey cheesy but with a buffalo kick with the chicken. The veggies give it that bit of freshness and bite. So, so good. Looks like we might have to start a new grilled cheese tradition around here.

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Adapted from Closet Cooking

2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup Franks buffalo sauce
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1/2 cup celery, sliced
4 cups cheddar cheese
butter for the bread

Mix the chicken, hot sauce, ranch, carrot, celery and onion in a bowl.

Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Throw bread on a hot pan, butter side down. Top with a pile of shredded cheese, then a scoop of the buffalo chicken salad and then more cheese. Top with the other piece of bread, butter size up. Carefully flip sandwich until golden brown on both sides an ooey gooey all over.

Every Year

Every year at the start of November I decide that I am going to simplify Christmas. Instead of turkey and ham, Christmas pudding and home-made fruit mince pies, I will serve a suitably summery seafood platter followed by a fruit platter or pavlova.

Then suddenly, in late November or early December, some ancestral spirit (my grandmother, perhaps) possesses me and I long to make Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and home-made fruit mince. Without these things, Christmas just isn't Christmas. (We'll have seafood and pavlova as well, but they won't be the main event.)

As recently as yesterday I was still planning a simplified Christmas, but today the spirit struck. The Christmas pudding is made and simmering on the stove and if time allows tonight, I might even make a batch of Gran's fruit mince.

Ready to boil

Happy 1st Birthday Dessert Safari

The name is Dessert Safari… But that does not mean it is a place where you find only Desserts. They also serve up quite a range of Dishes, both veg and non veg. My 1^st visit here was on Sep 3^rd. The reason I remember the day so well is cos it was the eve of my Birthday and we had a blast. It was pouring and we were cooped up there till past midnight. I even got to cut a cake amidst lovely friends J

It was therefore quite apt that I was there to ring in their 1st Birthday!! So when I heard Dessert Safari was turning one and we were invited, I dint mind visiting [esp since the place held fond memories]. We were greeted by the Manager and the Chef {who has travelled the world thanks to working in Cruise liners and who also has worked with leading chefs around the globe, including Gordan Ramsay and Remy [from the famous Ratatouille movie]}. He is a true blue Mylapore boy who studied in Chennai but went abroad for better prospects and is now back home. He spent about half an hour talking to us, giving us insight into plans he had for the place, the new recipes, the Tandoor he had just installed and how he was working on a whole new range of Fusion food.

While I waited, I had a fresh Orange juice, which was quite refreshing. The 1st dish to arrive was the mixed Bean soup, it had chickpeas and black eyed peas among others and was quite rich, we also detected cheese in it. And that was it...we were off to a no "Naan"sense start.. We were served Plain butter naan with a handful of rocket leaves and a dip made with yoghurt and mint, and tamarind chutney. Following this, we tried the Naan pizza- two varieties- 1 with mushroom masala and other with spinach and paneer. Wait; there was one more dish with Naan. It was the naan sandwich- veg had spinach, peas and corn while the non veg had pullapart chicken with pickled carrots.

In between this we were also served a Rocket salad with carrots and shaved fennel. This had me curious and the Chef showed me what a Fennel bulb looked like. I was so excited seeing it, in real [ I had only seen it on TV cookery shows]

We also got a tour of the small kitchen, with the newly installed Tandoor. It was hot at 690-700 degrees and apparently is never turned off. A huge wok is placed on top to cool it off and a wet cloth used to cool down the walls in case it gets too hot, said the chef. Interesting!!

Coming back to the food, we were in for a treat with the desserts. There were quite a range of them- Chocolate cinnamon pie [ served warm]- delicious; and then there was the Chocolate cheesecake served with fresh cream and a dollop of ice cream. This is when Chef suggested we try the ice cream with his Balsamic reduction. And we were pleasantly surprised, loved the combo infact. Who would have thought vanilla ice cream and balsamic went together. This reduction had Dark balsamic vinegar and jaggery reduced down. Finally, there was the Mango parfait, which was similar to a mousse but better, with 4 little intriguing balls of sorts on top. They just popped as they touched our lips, a burst of sourness. We dint know what it was, but loved it and asked for more of it..

We also got to sample the Chef’s new sauces- one made with Coca cola and the other with coconut and Indian spices. All the sauces are vegetarian and these are what is used on the meat dishes as well, explained the Chef. We were curious to know more, and if opportunity arises, we definitely shall go back to try his innovative creations.

Happy Birthday Dessert Safari~!

Address:

107, Eldams Road, Teynampet, Chennai

Ph: 044 33824444

Directions- Dessert safari is down the road from Samco on the left [if you are coming from Alwarpet]

Disclaimer:The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)

2013 Norwood Christmas Pageant

One of the great pleasures of moving to Adelaide was discovering the Adelaide Christmas pageants.

The most famous pageant of all is the Credit Union Christmas Pageant which has been held in the city in November every year since 1933. So prominent is the city pageant that its date marks the first day of the 'official' Christmas period, with many Adelaideans putting up their Christmas decorations on the same weekend.

This morning my son participated in the 36th annual Norwood Christmas Pageant. The Norwood pageant includes floats from numerous community groups including local businesses, schools, kindergartens, scouts groups, dance troupes, brass bands and choirs. Today there were vintage police cars and belly dancers, magicians and stilt walkers, Morris dancers and bagpipers, and of course, Father Christmas on the final float.

My son marched with members of his cubs pack and had a great time waving to the crowds and wishing people 'Merry Christmas'. Even better, after the pageant he was given a can of soft drink, an enormous chocolate doughnut and a bag of Christmas marshmallows by some of the organisers.

A thoroughly satisfactory morning for a young boy.

Just before marching (with lollipop)

With State Member for Norwood and Leader of the Opposition, Mr Steven Marshall

Japan Vs China- The Food Debate, Pan Asian, Chennai

Vegetarian vs Non vegetarian

Paneer vs Tofu

North Indian vs South Indian

Coffee vs Tea

and now, things are going global. Yes, we are talking about the big debate between Japanese Food vs Chinese food. I was wondering what this was all about, what ITC Grand Chola was hoping to accomplish. Little did I know I was in for a visual and sinful treat.

They had flown down a Chinese Chef , pitted him against our very own Chef Vikram and the debate was on. I have been to Pan Asia twice before and both times, it has been quite a memorable experience. I have tried dishes filled with new flavours and textures, so I knew tonight was going to be no different. Just dint expect the surprise I was in for!

And this Debate was going to pawn all other debates, beating them hands down. It had the Oomph. The food was paired with Whisky, and no small brand, it was Johnnie Walker.

We were shown a menu, a set menu, one side of it belong to Japan and the other side to China and the dishes were paired with different kinds of Johnnie Walker whisky. After a brief round of introductions and hellos, we settled in and the evening just flew by. When our orders were being taken, I somehow went with the Japanese menu, but luckily friend chose the Chinese and so we got to taste both the dishes.

The 1st platter, the amuse-bouche was quite a visual treat, and then my taste buds did the tango wit every sip and bite. There was a mini martini glass with a drink [yuzo and vodka] and the rim was filled with celery salt. Then there was a soup spoon with little green balls that were basically celery, and a crisp tofu skin[sansho crisp] and a sake?white wine soaked cherry tomato. Every mouthful was like firecrackers in the night sky. The Celery salt was the highlight. Oh, how can I forget the glass of Rising Sun that I sipped on. Johnnie Walker whisky blended with Egg white, soya sauce and Wasabi mix. Loved it, absolutely loved it.

I knew then the party had begun! The soup was another treat- Edamame, beetroot, truffle in a subtle Broccoli broth and a ring made with rice and another Japanese ingredient. Reading the word "Truffle" brought memories of the movie "No reservations" and of shows I had seen where a dog was used to sniff it out in the wilderness. What amazing flavours. As the soup arrived, so did the 2nd drink, this time a Johnnie walker blend with Oolong tea and sugar syrup, served in a long stemmed Martini glass. Moving on, the starter I chose was Confit Green Apple Carpacio served with plum tomato ice, gold label sichimi emulsion. Carpcio was yet another dish I had heard and seen on TV, so trying it out was a new experience and Yes, I loved it. What a blend of flavours and textures. The Whisky paired with this was Johnnie Walker Double Black label, such a smooth drink.

Following this, came the main course- Grilled Artichoke hearts served alongside sticky rice, tobajan miso, water chestnuts. The drinnk for this was Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, yet another smooth drink. The dish was just amazing, loved the crunchiness of the Water chestnut [infact we had a debate amongst ourselves wondering what veg that was]. And then, it was time for dessert. We were all grinning and having a lovely evening. Once again, I went with the dessert on the Japanese section of the menu and boy oh boy was I happy. My dessert was Johnnie walker whisky soaked pear slices served with probiotic yoghurt ice cream. A vanilla milk of sorts was poured over the pear slices and boom boom the flavours took me to heaven and back. I am not joking nor am I exaggerating. I loved the creaminess and smoothness. This was served with the finest in Johnnie walker, the Premium drink.

Wait, Chef Vikram had yet another surprise in store for us. We were served another dessert, a dark chocolate one[75%], his signature chocolate preparation. He came over, chit chatted with us, asked for feedback and mentioned this dessert was just something he put together, no big deal... :-) What a humble man!! We also spent a few minutes chatting about some of his other creations and the Sunday brunch that he promised was going to be a one of a kind experience.

This Chinese/ Japanese set menu is priced around Rs 2500 [and if you include the Whisky, it would be Rs 4000ish]..

PS: Here are my earlier posts

Address:

Address:

ITC Grand Chola
#63, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai,TN,600032
Ph- 044 2220 0000

Black Bean and Caramelized Onion Chipotle Nachos

I don't have time to cook new meals every day. Many things I make in large batches so I can either freeze them for another night or have in the refrigerator for quick lunches and meals.

Chips are my favorite. My weakness, for sure. So turning delicious leftovers into a plate full of nacho goodness is fantastic! It's great with Guacamole too! Gosh I love leftovers.

Black Bean and Caramelized Onion Chipotle Nachos Recipe

1/2 cup Black Bean Refried Beans
1/2 cup Chipotle Caramelized Onions
1/4 cup Pico de Gallo
2 tbsp. cheese, shredded
Couple of handfuls of tortilla chips
Sour cream, optional
Guacamole, optional

Spread tortilla chips on a large plate. Top with remaining ingredients. Microwave for about a minute until everything is hot and melted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More recipes like this!
Sweet Potato with Chipotle Black Beans, Caramelized Onions and Guacamole
Black Bean Southwest Lasagna
Chipotle Black and Kidney Bean Taco Salad
Red Beans and Rice
Southwest Pasta Salad

Turning Stale Bread into Something Tasty

At our red house any leftover crusts or stale scraps of bread are kept in the freezer. Whenever I need bread crumbs, I thaw out the scraps of bread then whiz them up in the food processor.

It may seem crazy to save scraps of bread when at most the money saved is only a few cents. I mean, it's not as if I can't afford to buy a box of commercial bread crumbs, should I so wish.

I save scraps of bread for a number of reasons:

It does save money, even if only a small amount.
It reduces waste, although I am sure our four chooks would happily eat any stale bread I gave them
Fresh breadcrumbs taste better and are better than commercial bread crumbs for some purposes, such as poultry stuffings

Home made bread crumbs can be used for anything for which you might ordinarily use commercial bread crumbs, such as:

Poultry stuffing
To extend burgers or rissoles
To crumb schnitzels or cutlets
Mixed with a little melted butter, to top gratins

Vintage cook books provide numerous ways to use up stale bread. In particular, some wonderful, old-fashioned desserts make a feature of stale bread, most notably summer pudding and bread-and-butter pudding. Desserts using fresh bread crumbs include many steamed puddings and apple strudel.

Tonight I made Apple Betty, a recipe found in my 1950 edition of the Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook. This recipe achieved the double purpose of using up stale bread and using up four apples that had come home uneaten in lunch boxes. Notes are inserted (see italics) where I made changes to the original recipe.

Apple Betty

3 cups sliced apples (I peeled mine, as well as slicing them)

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup water

Mix apples, 1 cup bread crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in buttered baking dish (I used a corningware casserole) and pour melted butter and water over top. Mix remaining crumbs with a little extra butter (I added a little extra brown sugar and cinnamon) and sprinkle over top. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) 30 to 45 minutes (mine took 45 minutes using a fan-forced oven at 160 degrees C). Serve hot or cold with hard sauce (I served mine with home-made egg custard). Serves 6.

Scenting Drawers with Soap

My favourite way to scent clothes, bed linen and bath towels is with cakes of soap.

Soap holds its perfume longer than potpourri and doesn't create dust. If the soap is unpackaged I put it in a paper bag before tucking it away.

The Savon de Marseille soap in my scarf drawer in the photo above was a gift from a work colleague who recently visited France, but any soap with a fragrance you like will do the trick. I especially like rose-scented and citrus-scented soaps.

I just have to remember where to look when I run out of soap in the bathroom!

Old Man Lizard

Our back yard blue tongue lizard acts like a tired old man.

He used to dash out of sight if a human came near, but now he lies in the sun all day with his eyes shut, impervious to possible predators.

Last week we found him in the chicken yard, a crazy place to go for any creature that does not wish to be pecked to death.

I suspect the old fellow is living his final days. If he is to die, I hope he dies happily, lying on the paving in the sun.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Gluten Free

For the second year in a row, I am involved in a cookie swap hosted by Veronica's Cornucopia. I mail 3 dozen cookies to three people and they each mail me a dozen cookies. The kids can't wait until the cookies start arriving!

This year I wanted to get my cookies out early so as soon as I received my assignment for The Secret Recipe Club, I went straight to the cookie section in Taryn's blog. Her blog, Sweetly Serendipity has an awesome variety of recipes and I was pleased to see that I had many cookie recipes to choose from. I chose the Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies because one of my recipe swappers eats gluten free. This was a bonus for me as I eat gluten free too and love trying new recipes. I only ate one but they were really, really good.

I loved that there was maple syrup in here instead of sugar. Everyone who ate these loved them. Even the ones who claim they can "tell" when a cookie is gluten free, were blissfully unaware that they were gluten free. My kids were sad that they didn't get to eat too many as I had to package them up for shipping.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Gluten Free Recipe
Adapted from Sweetly Serendipity

2 ½ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup, (use the real stuff!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)

Preheat over to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt butter, then add maple syrup and vanilla, and mix to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour wet ingredients into the dry. Mix to combine.

Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. Mixture will be thinner than normal cookies but they will be fine. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.

Bake at 350° for about 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

Outside Flowers or Inside Flowers?

Do you prefer your flowers outside or inside?

I prefer mine outside in the garden. To begin with, I am a poor flower arranger and feel that nature does a better job than I ever could.

Also, I seem to neglect any flowers I put in a vase which means that they end up drooping and slimy and with their petals falling off. Outside they are happy and I figure, why not let them live in peace?