Caramel Sauce

Oodles of caramel sauce drizzled over ice cream scoops or say cakes can make anybody's mouth water and crave for something sweet. Talk about making your own caramel sauce and a lot of people develop jitters considering it to be tedious, risky and working with thermometers. Well, its easy to make and only takes minutes to prepare and having a sweet, salty, buttery sauce to drizzle over your desserts is a must have in your cooking repertoire. Though it only requires minutes to prepare, those minutes are very crucial and demand your full attention while you are at it, so ensure all the ingredients are measured and within reach and anything that can take you away from the cooking range has been handled before you set out to make this sauce. The caramel sauce also stays well in  your refrigerator for upto 2 weeks, so its good to make yourself a jar that is within your reach when you are down and need a sugar kick or sweet therapy after a real hard day.

Coming to basics for this sauce, it is in simple terms a sauce made of melted sugar. Therefore it is essential to keep your focus while melting sugar. It goes from just right to a horrible mess in a matter of seconds. That is one of the reasons why I add little water to sugar. It sure makes it a little longer to melt and get the color, but makes the process a little easy to handle. A lot of people, and masters at doing this, usually prefer no addition of water (its called the dry method of making caramel sauce), but thats your call at how comfortable are you in doing this.

As I have said earlier, ensure all ingredients are close by at arms length to add into the sauce. Running around at the last minute will ensure you have a burnt sauce on your hands and some great deal of scrubbing to do on your pan.

Use a heavy bottomed pan, preferably with a light surface so that you can make out the color of the melted sugar. Also ensure the sides are a little high, as you do not want your sauce to spill onto your cooking range (more scrubbing) or on to yourself, especially when it foams.

Lastly, caramel is hot. Please ensure proper clothing and safety. Do not burn yourself while making it. There can be splashes while whisking so be careful. As it foams during addition of cream there can be some steam that will escape. Be careful.

 

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
Sugar, granulated - 210 gm.
Butter - 85 gm.
Sea Salt - 1 Tsp
Whipping cream - 120 ml.
Water - 1/4 Cup

Method:
1. Add the sugar along with the water to a heavy bottomed pan and heat on a moderate flame. As the sugar melts, whisk it around to ensure it browns evenly.

2. Once it is browned to an amber color (I prefer a little darker sauce, so I wait for a more dark amber), add in the butter and sea salt. Whisk well until the butter has melted.

3. Take the pan off the heat, and wait for 30 seconds. Add in the cream while whisking to incorporate the cream to the sauce. The sauce will foam up after addition of cream for a few seconds. It is normal. Continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth .

4. Allow to cool and transfer to a glass jar.
5. Store in the refrigerator and warm before serving.  

Serving Suggestions:
- Spoon it over Vanilla ice cream.
- Drizzle over brownies or chocolate cake.
- You can also dip your favorite fruit in it.
- Drizzled over pancakes
- Goes really well with Christmas pudding.
- I just eat a spoonful..it really tastes good by itself.

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Pesto Genovese

Its been a very long time since I posted on this blog and finally today I found the time to do so. I can tell you for one thing that it wasn't laziness and gastronomically speaking the time gone by has been my most active period when it comes to food and beverages. Even apart from food & beverages this has to be the most active time, period. After 16 long years in the corporate rat race, I decided to take a break and follow my dreams, mind you dreams, not just one dream and even though I thought I will take a nice month off and then get into the grind, it was not to be. Since then I have been working on various projects, two of which are starting a concept restaurant and consulting on a adventure resort for a close friend. There were several meetings with people, both for business and pleasure, and many meals in restaurants.

Infact it was on one such meeting at a friends residence that he showed me the basil that had grown on his farm and how he intended to make Pesto that day. Post making some pesto with him, I carried a pack of Basil leaves home with me to make some of my own. My better half loves Pesto and since she is extremely busy with her business, this being the peak season, this would have been a nice surprise. Though, various versions of Pesto exist, some that involve walnuts, sun dried tomatoes and believe me eggplants, the classic basil pesto has always had a special place in my heart (and stomach). A short detour to the grocery store fr some ingredients, and I was all set to make my own Pesto. 

Now there are few things that I always follow while making Pesto, and that because I'm a purist and like to do things the hard way. Believe me the result shows in the taste. For starters, I always blanch the basil leaves. Blanching the basil leaves gives the pesto a nice bright color and not too forget it reduces the natural bitterness that basil imparts to the pesto (And this is because I do not find young small basil leaves in India).Secondly, everyone that I have seen uses the food processor these days. I prefer using the good old mortar and pestle. It takes long that way, but somehow I love the pesto more. If you want more information on Pesto, its origins and variations wikipedia has a nice post on it.

Pesto Genovese

Ingredients:

Basil leaves, blanched in boiling water for 20 seconds and shocked in ice cold water - 3 Cups

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/2 Cup

Parmesan, finely grated - 1/3 Cup

Pecorino, finely grated - 2 Tblsp

Pine Nuts - 1/4 Cup

Garlic, finely chopped - 2 Cloves

Sea Salt - To Taste

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients, except the seal salt and half the olive oil in the mortar and pound them to a smooth paste. Continue adding the olive oil during the pounding.

2. Season with sea salt. 

Serving suggestions - You can add it to Pasta, Minestrone, and potatoes while cooking. I love taking a nicely toasted bread slice and spreading pesto on it and adding some shredded chicken or assorted vegetables. 

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Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)

Tamarind Chutney is a delicious dip that is essential to the preparation of many fast foods in India, especially the different chaats. The sweet and tangy dip is also served as an accompaniment to other dishes esp. samosas and pakoras alongwith the tomato based chutneys. My better half even does a fried rice dish with vegetables and tamarind chutney.  She has it with plain raita (yogurt) and is an ideal comfort food on those cold winter evenings when you want to grab a quick bowl and get into bed and enjoy while watching the TV.

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients

Tamarind, deseeded - 250 gms

Sugar (I personally prefer Jaggery) - 300 gms

Cumin Seeds, roasted - 2 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp

Salt - 1 Tsp

Black Salt - 1 Tsp

Ginger Powder (Saunth) - 1/2 Tsp

Water, boiling - 2 Cups

Method:

1.Soak the tamarind pieces in the hot water for an hour. After they have been soaked for an hour, mash them to take the pulp out of the tamarind pieces (Yes, using hands is preferred).

2. Pass this mixture through a strainer (pressing hard against the strainer to ensure all pulp is squeezed out) and discard the pieces.

3. Put this strained mixture on flame. Add sugar and mix well.

4. Add on the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Cook till desired consistency is attained. Take off flame and cool down.

Keeps well for over a month or two if refrigerated. I personally suggest making a thick tamarind chutney. You can use it as is for purposes of a dip. To use it over chaats, I thin it by adding water and mixing well.

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Lemon & Red Chili Chutney

Let me begin by wishing everyone a very happy new year. After a very long hiatus, due to work and family commitments, I finally put up a post on this blog. So whoever, thought this blog was dead, will need to wait some more. As a resolution, I plan to devote more time to this blog. So 2011 will see changes in its look and contents as we coast along experiencing this new year.

The current post is a small recipe for a fiery chutney (relish) that goes well with chips or some subtle croquettes. My spouse and I encountered some nice fresh chillies at the local once-a-week 'mandi' (Indian word for market) and we bought loads of them. Now that we had them, we wondered what to do with them apart from the usual Red Chili Pickle which everyone seems to be doing with chillies in Delhi at this time of the year. Thus was born this tasty yet hot relish that we seem to match with every started these days.

Lemon & Red Chili Chutney

Ingredients

Lemons - 4 No.s
Red Chillies - 16 No.s
Garlic - 2 Cloves
Sugar / Honey - 3 Tblsp.
Olive Oil - 4 Tblsp
Mustard Powder, lightly crushed - 2 Tblsp
Vinegar - 2 Tblsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 2 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Cut the lemons into small pieces and put them in a blender.
2. Chop the chillies into little pieces and add with lemons in blender.
3. Add in all remaining ingredients in the blender. Mix well.
4. Blend this mixture till it is coarse. If you want it fine blend more.
5. Check seasoning. Refrigerate.

Serves - 30 People.

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Kashmiri Akhrot Chutney (Walnut Dip)

Walnuts get their name from an old English term called wealhhnutu, meaning, foreign nut. It was called so as it was introduced to England from Gaul ( Present day France & Belgium and parts of Switzerland, Netherlands & Germany) and Italy. Apart from being an excellent source of protein they also have a higher Omega-3 Fatty acid content than other nuts and incorporating them in our daily diet can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Now the best walnuts are the Persian Walnuts or Royal Walnut, that comes from Balkans, Southwest & Central Asia. In English speaking nations they are also referred to as the English Walnut or Common Walnut. These walnuts are known for their delicious nuts. Other species include the Black Walnut, Butternut, Japanese Walnut & Hind's Black Walnut apart from various hybrids.
I spent a part of my childhood in Kashmir living in Srinagar in the Badami Bagh Cantonment. The entire areas was full of different trees. There were Mulberry, Apple, Almond and Walnut trees all around and being the naughty kids that we were, one could find us climbing those trees. Armed with a pen knife and a bag, it was good fun to have walnuts that were still not dried. The akhrot chutney was special as one of my classmates usually got it from home alongwith other Kashmiri goodies, needless to say his lunchbox was a much sought after item. I stumbled upon the recipe to make this dip some days back and since we were planning on a Kashmiri meal this chutney made its way to the dining table and once again into my life.

Kashmiri Akhrot ki Chutney

Ingredients:

Walnuts, shelled - 50 gm
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Yogurt - 60 ml

Method:
1. Put the shelled walnuts, salt and red chili powder in a grinder and grind until smooth.
2. Transfer this powder to a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well.
3 Chill before serving.

Variation:

Akhrot Muli ki chutney (Walnut Radish Dip) -Add 60 gm shredded radish to this chutney. Mix well till the chutney coats all the shredded radish.

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Diwali & Salsa

Diwali or the festival of lights, transforms the entire nation overnight. Everyone is in high spirits weeks before the festival. The malls are brimming with activity as everybody is busy shopping for gifts. You can hear firecrackers go off in the evening and mostly people are in a good, festive mood. The art of gifting during diwali has also witnessed a major shift in the past few years. The traditional sweet boxes made way for dry fruits which in turn gave way to designer chocolates. These are now making way for other innovative gifts.
We decided to step away from tradition this time and decided to gift some homemade salsa alongwith diyas (lamps). Salsa, or simply sauce, is attributed to Mexico and it's very name implies Mexican food. However, it goes beyond. Records date salsa back to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans. For more on Salsa and it's history, please visit this site.
There are various kinds of salsa with the most common one being a combination of tomato, onions and chillies. Variations without tomato, involving peaches, mangoes and cactus are common.The classic tomato salsa is also popularly known as Salsa Ranchero or Salsa Mexicana. Salsa Verde involves green tomatillos. Traditional salsas do not involve oil and rely on the fresh flavor of the vegetables. They are also a very healthy choice to include in your meals. My version below is not too classic,but does not deviate too much.

Happy Diwali 2009 !!!

Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

Tomatoes, ripe & firm - 10
Serrano Chiles, finely chopped- 3
Onion, finely chopped - 2
Cilantro, finely chopped - large bunch
Jalapeno Peppers, finely chopped - 2
Garlic, minced - 5 cloves
Juice of limes - 4 Tblsp
Olives, finely chopped - 6
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 2 Tsp
Black Pepper-2 Tsp

Method:
1. Blanch the tomatoes by cutting a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. Put them in boiling water for 10 seconds and refresh under cold running water.The skins will begin to peel back from the crosses. Remove the skins completely.
2. Deseed the tomatoes and chop finely.
3. Combine with all other remaining ingredients.
4.Mix gently so that all ingredients are coated with the lime juice and the sugar and salt have dissolved.
5. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

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Nadur Seekh with Mint Chutney

Last week we discovered Lotus Stem at our local mandi and I have since gone gaga on it. It's been ages since I had eaten lotus stem and I have been going back every week to get some more of this stuff. After trying out some traditional dishes with Lotus Stem which were mostly Kashmiri delicacies ( Lotus Stem is called Nadur or Nadru in Kashmiri language), I decided to get innovative. The seekh is a product of that "let's try something different"mode.

Nadur Seekh

Ingredients:

Lotus Stem ( Kamal Kakri) - 200 gm
Chana Dal - 100 gm
Ginger, finely chopped - 2 Tsp
Garlic, minced - 2 Tsp
Pistachio - 2o gm
Almonds- 20 gm
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 Tsp
Fennel Powder - 2 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil

Method:
1. Peel and wash the Lotus stems. Take care as there is a lot of dirt trapped in between.
2. Chop the lotus stems into slices. Keep aside.
3. In a flat pan, heat oil. Add in the ginger and garlic. Saute till they start to turn a little pink.


4. Add in the lotus stems. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the chana dal. Saute for 3 more minutes.
6. Add in the pistachios and almonds. Mix well.
7. Add in the spices and water. Mix well. Let it cook till all water has dried up. Take off flame.
8. Add in the salt and pass this mixture through a blender.
9. Holding a skewer in one hand, take a ball of this minced mixture in the other hand.
10. Press the mince to the skewer and shape into a sausage like kabab.
11. Heat up the grill or tandoor. Grill the kababs, regularly basting them.
12. Serve hot with mint chutney.


Mint Chutney

Ingredients:
Mint - 1 Bunch
Coriander - 1 Bunch
Green Chillies, roughly chopped - 2
Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped - 1" piece
Garlic, peeled and washed - 4 cloves
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Wash mint and coriander. Cut off their roots.
2. Put them in a blender along with all other ingredients and blend into a smooth paste.
3. Adjust seasoning. Chill and serve.

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Cajun Crab Cakes with Grapefruit Salsa

Sometime late last month, this blog quietly celebrated it's 2nd year anniversary. I was tucked away in the hills at Mashobara for a company offsite and amongst all the serene beauty and peace that the place provided me, I silently raised a toast to this blog. At the least it deserves this much.

Coming to this post, crab cakes hold a challenge for me. Getting them right and not having them disintegrate is the challenge. They require a certain dedication while preparing and an eye for the right amount of ingredients to ensure they taste well and retain their shape. I have tried my hand at making them in the past and failed. I have tried experimenting with different ingredients to find the right balance and come up with something only I will like. Last month, however, I had the time to visualize them in advance, plan everything and have the time to do justice to them. Sadly, I did not have anyone else to share them with...not that I mind that. They were good and the grapefruit salsa complimented them perfectly.


Cajun Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

Crab Meat - 250 gm
Onions, Finely chopped - 1
Celery, Finely Chopped -1
Bell Peppers, finely chopped - 1
Parsley, finely chopped -1
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Capers, chopped - 1 Tsp
Worcestershire sauce - 2 Tsp
Tabasco Sauce - 2 Tsp
Mayonnaise - 2 Tsp
Cajun Seasoning - 2 Tsp
Breadcrumbs - 2 Tblsp
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil





Method:
1. Heat oil (2 Tblsp) in a wok. Add in the chopped onions and garlic. Saute till they turn translucent.
2. Add in the chopped celery and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add in the bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add in the chopped capers and parsley. Mix well.
5. Add in the worcestershire & tabasco sauce. Cook for a minute.
6. Add in the cajun seasoning, freshly ground black pepper & salt. Mix well.
7. Add in the Crab meat, mix well and take off flame.
8. Stir in the mayonnaise and breadcrumbs.
9. Shape well into patties and chill for an hour.
10. Heat oil on a skillet. Place the chilled patties on the skillet and cook each side till golden brown (approx 3 minutes).
11. Remove excess oil and serve hot.




Grapefruit Salsa




Ingredients:
Grapefruit - 1
Onion, finely chopped - 1
Jalapeno, minced - 1
Bell pepper, chopped - 1 Tblsp
Mint - 2 Tblsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 Tblsp
Lime juice - 1 Tblsp
Black Pepper, crushed - 1 Tblsp
Salt



Method:
1. Slice off the top & bottom of the grapefruit with a knife.
2. Slice away the peel from top to bottom.
3. Remove the white parts as they are bitter.
4. Cut between the membranes and cut the grapefruit into small segments.
5. Roughly chop these segments. Collect the juice in a bowl.
6. Mix these roughly chopped segments alongwith the juice.
7. Add in finely chopped onions, jalapeno, mint & bell pepper.
8. Add in lime juice, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Mix well.
9. Refrigerate for an hour. Toss well before serving.

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