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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Choco Lava Cake

Ever had your kids make your life miserable for something they want. If you haven't then consider yourself lucky. They say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Believe me, that's nothing. Hell hath no fury like a demanding kid ...atleast till the demands are not met.

My younger one had this craving for a chocolate lava cake...and that was not all. He didn't want the one available in restaurants. He wanted ME to bake him one. 3 days of persistent quizzing by him, on whether today was the day, emotional hijacks that I don't love him (and he is only 4), hunger strikes (I will only have food if the dessert is a choco lava cake), mass announcements to neighbors that his father will bake him a molten cake, I finally relented. Last Sunday, he  got his Choco Lava cake and yes! I did bake him one 6-7 so that he could have one for the next 3 days.

The choco lava cake (as my son calls it) is known by many names - Molten Chocolate cake, Chocolate fondant pudding, Chocolate Lava Cake. It's invention is disputed, with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten claiming to have invented this in 1987, and Chef  Jacques Torres(France) claiming that this dish existed in France from much before. Still, Chef Vongerichten did make it popular within the US and is credited with the same.

Choco Lava Cake

Make 8 Ramekins


Ingredients:
Chocolate (semi-sweet or bitter), chopped - 170 gms 
Butter, cut into pieces - 115 gms
Eggs, yolks & whites separated - 3
Granulated white sugar - 65 gms (For the egg yolks)
Granulated white sugar  - 1 Tblsp (For the egg whites)
Vanilla Essence or Extract - 1 Tsp
Cream of Tartar - 1/8 Tsp


For the ramekins/molds
Butter - 1.5 Tsp
Castor Sugar - 2 Tblsp

Method:
1. Prepare the ramekins/molds by buttering the insides evenly and then coating them with sugar. An easy way to coat with sugar is to drop a tsp into the buttered mold and then just swirl it around. The sugar will stick to the buttered portions and you can tap the excess back into another bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 200 Degrees Celsius.
3. In a medium heatproof bowl, add in the chocolate pieces and butter pieces. Put it on a double boiler (or over a pan of boiling water ensuring that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water but is just above it). Melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl, add in egg yolks and 65 gms. sugar. Beat till they turn white (very pale...almost white), thick and fluffy.
5. Add in the vanilla essence. Beat the egg mixture again till the batter starts to fall back in ribbons once lifted.
6. Fold in the melted chocolate and butter.
7. In another clean bowl, add in the egg whites and whip till they turn frothy.
8. Add in the cream of tartar and whip to form soft peaks.
9. Add in the 1 Tblsp of sugar and whip till stiff peaks form.
10. Gently fold these egg whites into the egg & chocolate mixture. Take care not to overmix or the batter will deflate. An ideal way is to fold it in batchwise. Do not worry, if certain streaks of white remain visible.
11. Pour into the buttered and sugared molds.
12. Bake for 10 minutes or till outside is set and middle appears wet. NOTE: Cracks may appear on the surface and that is normal.
13. Remove from oven. Rest for a minute and serve either in ramekins/molds or independently.
14. You can garnish with raspberries, sprinkling of icing sugar, coffee powder, whipped cream or ice cream on top.

NOTE: You need not rush to bake after pouring the mixture into the molds. You can also prepare this in advance and cover with a film of wrap and keep it in the refrigerator and bake later. Just increase the baking time to make up for the cold mixture. It keeps well for 4-5 days.

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Sooji Ka Halwa (Semolina Sweet Dessert)

Today happens to be Maha Ashtami (the eighth day of the Navratri festival) and it is fairly common in the Northern Part of India for households to celebrate Ashtami by doing the Kanjak Ashtami Pooja. Since these nine days of the festival are dedicated to the Hindu goddesses, on Ashtami people break their fast by calling young girls home and treating them as goddesses. These "Kanjak Devis" are called home, their feet are washed and they are offered the ceremonial food, which consists if puri (fried bread), chana (gram) and halwa. Apart from this they are also offered bangles, red chunni and some token amount known as a shagun.

Halwa means a dense sweet preparation and derives its name from the Arabic word Al Halwa meaning "Sweet Confection". Though there are numerous kinds of Halwa, made with different exotic ingredients, the ones made with Sooji (Semolina), Carrot (Gajar), Almond & Moon Dal (Mung Bean) are most common and popular. You also find a pistachio based halwa commonly in India, but people are unware that it is a kind of Halwa. It is called Soan Papdi in most places and its more denser preparation is called Patissa. In fact, if you have anyone going towards Doda in J&K, you should request them to get you some Patissa from a place called Kud. It is like nothing you ever tasted before. Similarly, if you manage to go down South of India or have some one going, Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu is a place to visit. Called the Halwa City, it is famous for it's sweet wheat based halwa.

 

Sooji ka Halwa


Ingredients:
Semolina - 3/4 Cup
Sugar - 3/4 Cup
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 6 Tblsp
Water - 1.5 Cups (Most suggest using Milk, but I prefer using water)
Almonds - 1/4 Cup
Cashews - 1/2 Cup
Raisins - 1/2 Cup
Pistachios- 1/4 Cup
Green Cardamom Powder - 2 Tsp

Method:
1. In a small sauce pan, combine water and sugar to make a light syrup. Keep aside.
2. Also, chop the nuts, keeping some aside for garnish. Fry the nuts in 1 Tblsp ghee. Keep aside.
3. Heat 4 Tblsp of ghee in a wok.

Add the semolina and mix well.

Roast the semolina while stirring consistently (to prevent sticking) till it attains a light biscuit color.

4. Add in the fried nuts and mix well.
5. Add the sugar syrup to the sooji (Semolina) and mix well.

Keep stirring and cooking till most of the water has been absorbed and the mixture has achieved a wet pasty form.
6. Add in the remaining 1 Tblsp of ghee. Mix well and take off flame.
7. Garnish with fried nuts.

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Chocolate Nankhatai

It was a busy last weekend. After weeks of delay due to rains, and laziness, I finally managed to get to the Walled City (Chandni Chowk and around) to sample the foodie fare available. And I did it 2 days in a row. With 65 places marked for me to try out, it is going to take me a few more trips. And when I finally complete the list the post (or posts on Old Delhi food) is going to be one amazing read. You need to keep watching this space, so that you don't miss when it does appear. Now I knew the regular items (read chaat, kachori, kababs) that I will eat in the bylanes of Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak etc., and some exotic food like Japani Samosas, Kullas that I will try out for the first time, what I wasn't expecting and came as a pleasant surprise was a vendor hawking Nankhatai's.

Now nankhatai's are Indian eggless cookies and the real easy ones at that. History points to Dutch colonizers of 16th Century with inventing the nankhatai and it was popularized by the Parsis who took over the bakeries started by the Dutch in Surat, Gujarat. Over time the nankhatai found their way to the streets in Delhi and from there to many a heart (and stomach). One early morning trip to eat the Nihari and I came across one of the hawkers preparing the nankhatai's on their very carts. Since it does not call for many ingredients, the hawker very easily makes the dough and cuts them into circles. He adds them to a round tray (which from far makes it look like a idli tray) and sets the tray in his oven made with hot coals. He covers the oven with his heavy skillet and waits for the nankhatai's to cook (or rather bake).

Going for Rs. 2.50 they are a steal and melt in your mouth. An ideal sweet after a heavy meal, when you crave for something sweet but not too heavy.

As I ate my nankhatai, I remembered my days in BTK (that is Basic Training Kitchen) in 1st Year Hotel Management, making my first batch of nankhatai's. It was almost 20 years and I had to get down making these lovely cookies. Though, I instinctively should have either reached for my 1st year recipe book (I have it somewhere in my pile of books) or gone the way the roadside hawkers do ( they use gramflour, flour, semolina, khoya, cardamom powder, sugar, soda bi-carb, baking powder and desi ghee), I decided to experiment a little. Since it is mandatory for all cookies to have chocolate in our house (my younger one insists), and my better half had tried the regular version a day earlier, I made Chocolate nankhatai's. I made them a little bigger (more appealing to a kid ...have one and don't come back for the second) and also used a little cinnamon (just a wee bit). The regular recipe and regular sized nankhatai will have to wait for another day ..and another post.

Chocolate Nankhatai
(Makes 16 cookies)


Ingredients
Flour - 155 gm
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 130 gm
Sugar, powdered - 150 gm
Cocoa Powder - 5 gm
Semolina - 5 gm
Soda Bi-Carb - 1 Tsp.
Cinnamon - 1 Tsp


Method:
1. Cream the sugar and ghee until well blended.
2. Sift the flour with the Semolina, Cocoa Powder, Soda Bi-Carb and Cinnamon.
3. Add this dry mixture to the creamed ghee mixture.
4. Knead into a dough.
5. Divide into 16 balls.
6. Flatten each ball a little and place on a cookie sheet. Keep some distance between the cookies.
7. Bake the nankhatai's at 180 for 35 minutes.
8. Switch off the oven and let them cool in the oven for an hour.
9. Store in an airtight container.

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