Caramel Custard or Flan

Caramel custard, as I have known it most of my life or flan, as I have come to know it in the last few years, is possibly my favorite dessert. I still remember the first time I ate it in Delhi eons ago. It was absolutely delicious. I wasn't a big fan of sweets while growing up but this was one of those desserts that I never turned down. I am absolutely fascinated by the beautiful shades of golden and the rich brown top layer. Of course the best part of the dish is the sweet, deep golden brown caramel flowing over the top. I must absolutely have a big serving of the caramel over my caramel custard.

I know that it is easily available in grocery stores next to the puddings or can easily be whipped up from an instant mix. However, there is nothing like the authentic thing sans the additives and preservatives. Give me home made anytime!! It is also a quick recipe, so it is a perfect dessert for a weekday. I made this dessert recently and the entire family enjoyed it. I am already waiting for the next time! Can't wait to make it again.

Ingredients
2.5 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the caramel sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Method
To make the caramel
Add sugar to a pan and then add the water. Do not stir or mix the sugar, (such that it dissolves into the water). Heat the pan, till the sugar starts to dissolve and it will then caramelize. At this stage, you can swirl the pan, but do not stir with a spoon. Once, it had turned a deep golden brown, turn off the heat and then pour it into the base of your mould.

Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Mix this till the miuxture is frothy and light yellow.
Heat up the milk till you can see bubbles on the surface and then turn off the heat. Once it has cooled down to a luke warm temperature, pour  it slowly into the sugar and egg mixture. It is very important that you keep stirring the egg mix as you slowly add the milk in. This will ensure that the eggs do not get scrambled. The resultant mixture will become custardy. Add the vanilla essence and mix. Pour the mixture a sieve. Then pour this into the mould over the caramel sauce.  Now, place it in a pressure cooker (without placing the weight on the cooker) or a steamer, steam cook it for 15-20 minutes. At the 15 minute stage, open the lid and check if it has set. It will be wiggly and look soft in the center.  If not cook for a few more minutes. See tips for how to cook it in the oven.

Cool on a cooling rack and then keep it in the fridge for at least an hour befor unmoulding. To remove from the  mould, run a knife around the sides and then place a plate on the mould. Then turn the plate and mould (together) upside down.

Tips
Do not let the caramel cool down before pouring it into the mould. It will get sticky and you will not be able to pour it out.
You can also use a water bath to cook the caramel custard in the oven. Place the mould in which the caramel is to be set into another oven proof vessel which is deep enough to hold water. You should be able to add enough water, such that the water level comes to halfway up the sides of the mould. Use hot boiling water and then place the pan in the oven to be cooked. Preheat the oven to 350F and cook it at this temperature for five minutes and then turn down the temperature to 325F and cook for 30-40 minutes till the caramel is set and the center seems firm but wobbly.

French Butter Cookies - Sables

As December comes around, you can find stacks of butter cookie tins everywhere. They are probably available year round, but you just can't miss the huge stacks of tins during the holiday season. They are so delicious that I do cave into temptation and end up buying a couple of boxes. The ones that I see stocked in the local store,  generally are called "Danish" cookies and over the years I have come to associate butter cookies with being Danish.  A few days ago, I was watching the cooking show "America's Test Kitchen" and they demonstrated a cookie recipe called "Sables". Now they kept calling it a a French cookie. Their cookie platter looked delicious on the show and reminded me of butter cookies. Of course, I made fervent notes and jotted down the detailed recipe with all the tips they provided. I couldn't wait to try out the recipe, so I prepared the cookie dough (rather late at night) and then baked them the following day. Oh the result!!! Absolutely delicious and decadent. It was just like the butter cookies that I indulge in during the holiday season. So, based on this experience, I must conclude that I love all butter cookies. I have also learnt that they taste delicious and similar, irrespective of what they are named and what country they come from.

Ingredients
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 yolk of hard boiled egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1.5 cups all purpose flour/maida
1 egg white
1 tsp water
2-3 tbsp sugar (garnish)

Method
Mash up the egg yolk so that it is soft and lump free. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat together the butter, sugar, salt and yolk for a couple of minutes. Once the ingredients are mixedd together, add vanilla essence and mix. Then add the flour a little at a time and mix till the flour is completely incorporated into the mixture. At this stage, the mixture will have a soft dough like texture. Bring it all together and roll out the dough into two logs. These will be about six inches in length and about 1.75 (1 and 3/4) inches in diameter. Roll up these logs tightly in parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate these rolls in the fridge for at least an hour. Then take these well chilled logs and cut them into diskettes about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place these on a baking sheet. Don't crowd the cookies, leave about an half to an inch space around each cookie. Then, make an egg wash by mixing together egg white of one egg and water. Brush the top side of each cookie with this egg wash. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each cookie. Bake the cookies at 350F for 10-15minutes.

Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets itself, then transfer these to the cooling rack. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

Tips
Process the egg yolk through a sieve using a spoon to mash it up and squeeze out of the sieve. This will ensure there are no big chunks or lumps. The butter should be room temperature, but still solid. You can freeze the dough once you roll it into a log and you can bake the cookies when you are ready to eat them. The egg wash helps the cookies get a shine and also helps the sugar stick to the cookie.

Bread Pudding

This is a fantastic bread pudding. It is very quick and easy and delicious. In this recipes I have used French bread. However, you can use any bread that you want. White bread is probably tastier than using whole wheat bread. This is a great dessert or even a great breakfast dish. I got some really terrific pictures this time, hope you enjoy them as well.

Ingredients
half a loaf of french loaf or 6-7 bread slices, cut into cube of about an inch
2 cups milk
3 eggs - well beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar (optional - use this if you like sweeter dishes or if you are making this for dessert)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder
2 tbsp butter, diced into small pieces
3 tbsp raisins
handful of pecans

Method
Spread the bread pieces in a layer at the bottom of the baking pan. Dot/sprinkle the bread with the diced butter pieces. Also sprinkle the raisins and pecans over the bread. Beat together the milk, sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon powder. Add this mixture to the beaten eggs. Mix it all together. The resultant mixture will be frothy. Then pour this mixture into the baking tin. Make sure that all the bread pieces get soaked with the mixture.
Bake this at 350F for 40-45 minutes.

Eat warm. It tastes great with a whipped cream or vanilla ice cream topping.

Tips
The raisins do add some more sweetness to the pudding, so you can adjust the sweetness based on your specific tastes. Also, white sugar is sweeter than brown sugar, so you can substitute based on your preference. This is a very forgiving recipe and easy too, so you can experiment with it.

Baked Pasta - A Healthy Spin on Ziti Al Forno

I was in the 8th grade when my friend and I came across a recipe to make a baked dish with macaroni. Of course, we decided to wait until the next time Mom was out of the house and then made it. We went to the store, got all the ingredients and made this perfectly delicious baked macaroni dish. I still remember the excitement and pride, especially when my brother (a particularly finicky eater) praised it to no end. So after that almost everytime I had an opportunity, I prepared this dish. The following is a cross between this baked dish and the baked ziti al forno that I ate at an Italian restaurant. I am generally not inclined to make a dish whose sauce consists of five different types of cheeses as the main ingredients. So I decided to experiment, and finally came up with this variation. Definitely a healthier option and delicious!

Ingredients
1 packet of penne pasta, cooked per the instruction on the box
1 cup whole milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp, Italian spice mix
4-5 tsps of crushed tomato
1 tbsp butter cut into small pieces (optional)
white pepper, to taste
salt to taste
cheese, to top the pasta dish (you can use a mix of shredded cheese, or parmesan cheese)
3-4 tbsp bread crumbs

Method
Mix together the milk and egg. Add the Italian spice, crushed tomato, pepper and salt to this. Mix the cheese and bread crumbs together and keep aside. In a baking dish, layer the pasta, then pour the milk and egg mixture over the pasta layer. This will fill the spaces between the pasta. Then add a layer of cheese and bread crumb mixture (add as thick a layer of cheese as you want). Add the butter pieces. Bake this for 15-20 minutes at 400F. After 10 mins, cover the dish with aluminium foil (do not wrap it as you want the water vapor to escape), so that the layer of cheese doesn't burn. Insert a knife into the center of the dish and if it comes out clean, the pasta is completely cooked.

Tips
You can also bake the pasta without the cheese layer. Then add the cheese layer to the pasta, switch the setting of your oven to broil, and broil it till the cheese melts. Make sure that you pan is broil safe.
You can also added some vegetables along with the pasta layer, like diced carrots, beans, peas or corn.

Egg Curry

Egg Curry is a dish which always reminds me of Dad. He introduced me to eggs and how tasty the various preparations could be. It’s funny how I associate the dish with Dad though it was Mom who always made it. I made this quite frequently as a student and a few friends came to associate this dish with me. So whenever it was my turn to cook, this dish was often requested. I generally make a lot of gravy with it and serve it with some white rice. It tastes great with some hot chapati too. Add a side salad of onions, green chillies and it is a wonderful meal. This dish tends to taste better after a few hours or the next day when the eggs have had some time to absorb the spices.

Ingredients
2 tbsps oil
2 black cardamoms
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 red onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
red chilli powder to taste
1-2 tsp garam masala (add 2 tsp for spicier taste)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 inch ginger, grated/crushed
3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced into two along the length of the egg
1-2 cups water
salt to taste

Method
In a pan, heat the oil and add the cardamom, cloves and the bay leaves to the oil, fry till you can smell the aroma, but take care not to burn them. Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry this till the onion is well browned. Ideally, cook this on a medium heat setting and fry the onions till you see a little oil being released. Then add the tomatoes, and cook till the tomatoes are browned. Add garam masala, red chilli powder and cook for another minute. Then add the water. Add salt. Boil this till the gravy thickens to your liking. Gently, slide in the eggs to the gravy. Boil the gravy for a few minutes with the eggs, so that the eggs absorb the spices. Serve hot with white rice or chapati.

Tips
The eggs should be hard boiled, so that the yolk does not run into the gravy. When stirring the gravy take care to not damage the egg halves. If you want to adjust the seasoning, scoop out the egg pieces, stir the gravy and then add them back in. If the eggs are boiled in the gravy, they get well marinated and tasty.
To reheat, if possible do not use the microwave, as eggs tend to burst. You can scoop out the egg pieces, heat the gravy for a longer time till it is piping hot. Then, heat the eggs for about 30 seconds in the microwave and add them back to the gravy.

Whole Wheat Waffles

What a wonderful Saturday it has been so far!! I was allowed to sleep in today and woke up to the wonderful aroma of waffles, apples and cinnamon. It was such a great way to start the day. My husband had prepared breakfast along with some really good tea. It was a nice treat. The morning was cloudy and gray and with such a delicious breakfast, I was transported to a far away place and felt  I was on a holiday.

At one point in time, I thought making waffles was almost next to impossible and had to rely on the readymade frozen variety. But ever since I got the waffle maker, I can never go back to the cardboard like frozen version. Nothing tastes better than the homemade version. Add to this a compote of fresh berries and thats one of the best breakfast menus I can think of. The waffle recipe is so easy and quick that I even make it on those rushed weekday mornings.

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp oil
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (whole or skimmed) or water

Method
Beat the egg well. To this add the vanilla essence and mix well. In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. To this add the oil and egg mixture. Then slowly pour in the milk and mix together to form the batter. The batter should be thick but easily pourable. Adjust the quantity of milk to adjust the batter consistency.

Tips
Ideally you would want to separate the egg yolk and white and beat the egg white till you have a nice foam. Start out with the egg yolk and vanilla essence and then add the other ingredients. Then fold in the egg white once the batter has been created. Do not overmix the batter. You should mix it just enough so that all the ingredients get incorporated.