Profiteroles

This French dessert sounds and looks fancy but it's
so easy to make. Just in time for your special
Valentine!

 Choux pastry, filling and chocolate sauce...
what's not to love?

I made petite puffs and used ice cream
instead of the classic custard or whipped
cream for the filling.

A few very simple ingredients:
butter, flour, water, a little sugar and  eggs.

 In a small saucepan bring the 1/2C water,
1/2 stick butter, 1/2t sugar to a boil.

 Remove from heat, add the 1/2C  flour
all at once, beating rapidly with a wooden
spoon until the dough comes together.

Let cool for 5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time until
incorporated.

Beat until the batter is smooth,

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter 1" apart on
a sprayed baking sheet.
Smooth pointy tops with a wet finger.

Bake for 10  minutes at 425 then  reduce the oven

to 350 and bake until golden, 10-12 minutes more.

Let cool. Use a serrated knife to carefully
cut off the top 1/3 of each puff.
Fill with a scoop of ice cream.
Replace the tops and drizzle with warm
chocolate sauce. Dust with powdered sugar.

Profiteroles

1/2 C water

1/2 stick butter

1/2 t sugar

pinch salt

1/2 C flour
2 L eggs

• Heat oven to 425. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. 
• In a medium saucepan bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.
• Immediately remove from heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Beat rapidly until until the mixture pulls away from the sides, 
• about 30 seconds. Let cool 5 minutes. 
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well until the batter comes together.
• Drop by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls of batter 1" apart on the baking sheets. Smooth pointy tops with a wet finger.  
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 an bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool. 

• 6-Cut off the tops and fill with a small scoop of ice cream. (vanilla or coffee ice cream) Replace tops and drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

• Makes about 2 dozen petite profiterole puffs. Serve 2-3 per person.
• If you make these ahead you can warm and crisp them
•  up a bit in a 350 over for a bout 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Sauce

1 C semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 C half and half or cream

2 T butter

1/2 t vanilla extract, 

In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate

 and cream. Microwave for 1-1/12, stirring once, 

until smooth and pourable. Stir in vanilla

or:In a small saucepan slowly melt the chips and cream.

Stir in the butter to combine. Stir in the vanilla.

or: In replace the vanilla with 1T Kahlua or Grand Marnier 

Puffs Plus: You can make these ahead and store in an 
airtight container until ready to serve. 
Freeze extras in a ziptop bag.

 No defrosting needed:
 simply slice the tops off, fill and serve.

Puffs Plus:  For savory puffs, omit the sugar and
 fill them with items like;
tuna, crab, shrimp or chicken salad. 
Bake larger puffs for a luncheon. 
Bake these 10 minutes longer at 350. 

Enjoy!

Links: Common Ground,
The Charm Of Home,
No Minimalist Here,
French Country Cottage,
My Romantic Home,
Designs By Gollum,
Between Naps On The Porch,
A Stroll Thru Life

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Sundal Kulambu / Channa Kuzhambu | Indian Curry Recipes

I made this Sundal Kulambu for a cozy lazy lunch one day. I am proud to say this kulambu-rice combo does not need any side dish but papads would be a lovely pair if needed. This is my MIL's recipe handwritten for my DH when he first came to US. There are a handful of recipes, all his favorite foods which she had chosen to write. I have tried quite a few of them and this sundal kuzhambu is one of those few for which I got a thumbs up from him with "Just like Mom's!" That means something, right?! The others? The feedback was "Hmm..Good.. But not quite like Mom's". I am still working on those recipes :)

Ingredients:
Sundal / Dried chickpeas (garbanzo) - 2/3 cup - soaked overnight and cooked OR use 1 can of garbanzo beans - Click here to see how it is done
Tamarind - size of a lemon
Onion - chopped - 1 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves - halved
Olive oil / Canola oil - 2 tsp
Gingelly Oil - 1 tsp
Thalippu Vadagam/Badaga - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Make a paste:
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp (heaped)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp (heaped)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (Use 1 tsp if using Kashmiri chiili powder)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Soak dried chickpeas in plenty of water overnight. Drain the water and pressure cook for 3 whistles adding three times water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Drain and set aside. If using canned beans, drain and wash the beans to remove extra salt. Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract 2 cups of juice. Grind the ingredients under make a paste into a smooth paste, adding water as required.
In a kadai, heat oil and saute the onions and garlic until the onion turns soft. Add the cooked beans and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the tamarind juice, ground paste, salt and 1 cup of water. Check for salt and spice and allow it to boil in med-high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to simmer and allow it to cook for another 45 minutes uncovered. Yes, you read it right. The kulambu has to cook for 45 minutes for the flavors to meld and to be "finger-licking-good". But stir it once every 10 minutes to make sure the coconut doesn't stick to the bottom. After 45 minutes heat gingelly oil (kind of a mandatory item here) in a small pan and splutter the vadagam. Pour over the Kuzhambu and serve hot with rice. Enjoy!
Note:
1. The sundal can be replaced by black eyed peas, white navy beans, mochai etc.,.
2. Do not try to reduce the simmering time by increasing the heat and reducing cooking time. It is quite not of the same taste. Trust me!

Linking this up to Taste of the Tropics - Tamarind event by Mirielle; Favorite Recipes event; Walk through Memory Lane.

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Mushroom Asparagus (crustless) Mini Quiche

Do you want something quick for a busy mornings and do not want to stand near the stove cooking some dosas or oatmeal. Then these mini quiches are for you. These simple to make (bake) dish has all the goodness you need for the morning to keep you going until lunch. Eggs for protein, Milk and Cheese for Calcium and Mushroom and Asparagus adds up to your daily serving of vegetables for the day. Score!

Ingredients:
Serves - 4
Eggs - 6
Low fat Milk - 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)
Mushroom - 6 oz pkt
Asparagus - about 6 to 8 spears
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Grated Cheddar cheese (reduced fat) - 1/3 cup or as needed

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F / 175 C. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with oil.
Slice the mushrooms and saute in a pan with little oil until all the water evaporates. Drain on a paper towel. Saute the asparagus similarly until it is almost cooked. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and mix well. Pour carefully into the greased muffin tins until full. Bake for 30 mins or until the knife inserted into the center comes clean. Cool in the muffin pan for 15 mins. Remove carefully with a spoon and place in a plate lined with kitchen towel until cooled completely. Transfer to a ziptop bag and pop into the top shelf of the refrigerated and pull out as desired. Reheat in the Microwave for about one minute or as desired.
Alternate layering:
Divide the cheese into two and layer the bottom of the cups with half of the grated cheese. Layer the vegetables above the cheese. Now pour the eggs-milk mixture into all the pans until full. Now sprinkle the remaining (reserved) cheese over the pan equally. Bake like the method above.

Linking these beautiful mini quiches to Let's Cook - Healthy Breakfast; Mission - Breakfast; Breakfast Club.

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Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

 We wanted to go to a matinee movie so I popped 

this dinner into the crock pot after lunch. 

Coming home to a ready dinner is better than take-out.

 Slice the beef and chop the garlic.

  In the pot, combine the consomme, brown sugar,

 soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper

 flakes. Add the beef and toss to coat.

Cover and cook on hi for 5-6 hours. 

 Remove about 3T sauce from the pot and combine

 with 2T cornstarch. Stir back into the pot along

with the broccoli. Cover and cook on Hi for 

about 15 minutes until broccoli is just tender.

Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

1 C beef consomme or broth

1/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T sesame oil

1/2 t ground ginger (opt.)

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (opt.)

1-1/2 to 2 lbs beef chuck roast,

2 T cornstarch

broccoli florets about 3 C

Trim excess fat from the beef and slice into strips.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in the crock pot.

Add the beef slices and toss to coat. 

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove about 3 T sauce from the pot and

 combine with the 2T cornstarch to make a slurry. 

Stir into the pot. Add as much broccoli as you 

like. You can also use a bag of frozen florets,

 no need to defrost. Stir to combine, cover

and cook on hi for 15-20 minutes to 

thicken the sauce and cook the broccoli to

your desired tenderness. 

During this time you can cook the rice.

How To Cook Rice

1-1/2C rice

3 C water

1 t salt

Combine ingredients in a medium pot, cover and to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork add a pat of butter if desired. It's always a 1 part rice ratio - 2 parts water .  Easy to remember. 1 C rice to 2 C water.

tip: I like using my crock pot timer to start this recipe so that it will be ready when I get home. It will also stop the cooking and keep it warm until you are ready to eat.

tip: For Crock Pot Steak and Peppers,omit the broccoli and toss in 2 sliced green
       peppers.
    

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable,
Under The Table & Dreaming

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Roasted Parmesan Crusted Salmon

You can use any fish for this quick and easy

 oven roasted recipe.

We love salmon so that's what I used.

This is just over one pound of fish.

Rinse the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel.

Place on a foil lined pan. Salt and pepper. 

Cover the top completely with a mixture of 

3T mayonnaise and 2-3T grated parmesan. 

 Sprinkle on a bit of paprika if you like.

Bake @425 for 12-15 minutes depending 

on the thickness of the fish.

To serve, carefully slide a wide 

spatula between the skin and flesh. The

 skin will stick to the foil. Easy clean up too.

Dinner is served in 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Gollum,
Between Naps On The Porch,
My Romantic Home

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Celery Cilantro Chutney with a Surprise! | Side dish for Idli Dosa

These lovely little celery stalks are just for salads or snack. That is what I thought too until I tried this yummy chutney. This is a great side dish for Idli/Dosa or can even be used as a spread for a toast. Adding cilantro/coriander leaves gives a lovely green color and a fresh taste. What is the surprise you could ask? There is and it is walnuts. A handful of toasted walnuts in this chutney makes it creamy and a powerhouse of omega-3 acids. Check out the original recipe here.

Ingredients:
Celery - 2 cups
Onion - 1 cup
Tomato - 1/2 cup
Walnuts - 1/2 cup
Green chilli -  2 or 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic pods - 2
Cilantro - 1/2 of a small bunch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
For Tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Toast the chopped walnuts for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool and crush in a blender/mixie until coarse. Heat oil in a pan and add the celery, onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli. Saute until the onions and celery are almost cooked. Add the tomato with a little salt and cook until it turns mushy. Remove from heat and add the chopped cilantro. The cilantro will wilt in the residual heat. Allow the mixture to cool and grind in the mixie until smooth. Now add the crushed walnuts and salt and pulse for a couple of times. Heat oil in a small pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Pour over the chutney and serve with hot idlis.
Linking this to Bon Vivant #11 - Healthy Appetite; New "U" 2013; Winter Foods - 30 min challenge;

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Know Your Sweetness - Brown Sugar - Roundup

2012 ended on a sweet note! Here is the beautiful array of entries I received for Know your Sweetness - Brown Sugar. I would like to thank Jagruti again for this opportunity. I received 23 lovely entries ranging from Cakes, Cookies and Muffins. Now for the colorful roundup.

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Paal Kozhukattai / Thengai Paal Kozhukattai for Two Years of Blogging | Indian Sweet Recipes

Happy New Year everyone! For me 2013 is not the only reason to celebrate. This is Kavin's first new year and also my humble blog just turned 2 in December. Nothing is more special when it comes to celebrating with a sweet which is close to your heart. I celebrated our new year with this delicious Paal Kozhukattai. This is my favorite sweet and grandma makes it every time we visit her. True, it is quite an elaborate process but the end result makes all the effort feel lighter.

Ingredients:

Idly rice/Parboiled rice - 1 cup (wash and soak for 2 hours)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (or more if desired)
First Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Second and Third Coconut milk - 1-1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp + more for greasing
Cardamom powder - a pinch

Method:

Make coconut milk with one large coconut. Gently scrape the white flesh of the coconut and grind in a blender with little more than 1 cup of water. Extract the milk and set aside. This is the "first" milk. Return the coconut to the blender and add another cup of water and repeat. This is the "second" milk. Repeat for "third" milk.
After 2 hours of soaking, grind the rice to a smooth watery batter with a pinch a salt. A blender works fine for 1 cup of rice. Go for a wet grinder if using more rice. In a non-stick pan add oil and the ground rice batter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in medium heat until most of the water is evaporated and it comes to a big mass. Now divide this dough into four parts and work in batches. Keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying. Grease oil in your palms and fingers and pinch the dough (about the size of blueberry/ small gooseberry) and make small oblong kolkattais. Keep the rolled kolkattais covered until all the dough is finished.
Boil water in a heavy bottomed pan with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the kozhukattais in batches in two minutes interval. After about 4-5 minutes when all the balls are added gently stir from the corner. Stirring from the center may break the balls. At this stage the balls may stick to each other, that is perfectly normal. Dissolve the sugar in the combination of second and third milk and add to the boiling water. Allow the kolkattais to cook in medium high heat stirring once in a while until it is cooked (the kozhukattais will be shiny and soft but wont break) and the mixture thickened. At this stage the balls will no longer be sticking to each other. Finally add the first milk and cardamom powder and allow it to boil for 3-4 mins and remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
Notes:
1. If you are pressed for time use canned coconut milk.
2. To make first milk, mix canned coconut milk and water in 1:1 ratio.
3. To make second and third (combination) milk use coconut milk and water in 1:2 ratio.

Linking these up to Walk Through Memory Lane event by Gayathri.

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Guest Hosting "Taste of the Tropics" - Tamarind

Happy New Year to All! May this year bring happy and joyful happenings in all your life. I am guest hosting Chef Mirielle's "Taste of the Tropics" event this month. And the theme for this month is Tamarind. Hailing from a tropical region myself I was very much interested when I saw this event. I was delighted when she told me that there is an open slot in January. 
Tamarind, literally meaning "dates of India" is native to Africa. The fruit pulp is the edible part of the plant and widely used in cuisines across Asia. The pulp has a acidic and sour taste with a mild sweetness. The tartaric acid present in the tamarind is a powerful anti-oxidant. The pulp also has digestive and laxative properties.

Guidelines for linking:
1. Link up any recipe that uses tamarind.  
2. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed.
3. Link back to this announcement page and also the Chef Mirielle's page here.
4. New entries are appreciated, however if you are sending archived entries, please re-post as latest (with a date in January 2013) and update with both the links to the announcement page and logo.
5. Usage of links and logo is mandatory.
6. Last date for submission of your entries is January 31, 2013.
7. To submit your entries, just link your entries using the linky tool below.
8. Non-bloggers also can send their entries with a picture to the below email-id.

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