Category: Not sure

Triple chocolate cake

I am not a chocolate person, I know I know that sounds completely absurd , who can not like chocolate etc etc. I do like to have a bite of good quality dark chocolate but not crazy about chocolate cookies, cakes, brownies etc. So I don’t end up making a lot of things unless kids want it or some guests are coming over.

So today is my very good friend’s birthday. Last year for her birthday her husband brought a really nice mango mousse cake, but she kept looking for chocolate. It was so funny when he hubby said well there are chocolate curls that are on top of the mousse cake, and you should have seen her face. Anyway to say the least I knew that I had to make a special chocolate cake for her this year.

Until I tasted the chocolate in a museum of chocolate when I visited Antiqua Guatemala a couple of years ago. Antigua is a beautiful city in Guatemala. I fell in love with its cobbled stone streets, to beautiful architecture to lovely doors and so much more. I loved that however small the homes might be, each of them had a courtyard, and you know I am a sucker for courtyards. My dream home will have a large wrap around porch with a beautiful courtyard.

The chocolate museum was just fantastic It was fascinating to read about the history of cacao beans and how it was used as a currency in those days, and how the chocolate was made.

A stone on which the cacao beans are ground

So I started my research my focus was to make sure that it has rich chocolate flavor and also that I need to incorporate coffee in this. Based on what the man at the chocolate museum told me, coffee helps enhance the chocolate flavor and vice versa. I also had watched an episode of Pati’s Mexican table where she added a cup of boiling water in her chocolate cake to make it moist. So all of that combined and settled on this recipe very close to a recipe by Stella for the cake. Instead of using the Swiss buttercream, I decided to make a simple ganache frosting and it worked really well.

What I like about this recipe:

The cake batter comes together in one pot
You can make both the cake and the frosting base a couple of days ahead, and put it together on the day of the party
Its rich, decadent and yet not overly sweet

So if you have a special occasion or you are in a mood for chocolate cake, this is a perfect recipe.

I also have a video for the recipe, check it out !

If you give it a try, let me know how you like it 🙂

Bourbon Cherry Upside Down cake

Decadent chocolate cake with boozy caramelized cherries

Course cake, Dessert

Keyword cake, chocolate, dark chocolate

Author Anagha

Ingredients

For the Cake: This batter makes three 8inch round cakes

340 g Unsalted butter about 3 sticks; 340g
1 1/2 cup brewed black coffee alternatively take 4 tbsp of instant coffee with hot water
90 g Unsweetened cocoa powder
175 g Dark chocolate roughly 72%
450 g light brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tsp salt
6 large eggs cold from the fridge
3 large egg yolks cold from the fridge
250 g All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Baking soda

Cherry topping

1 Cup Sugar
6 Tbsp Water
6 Tbsp Butter
25 Pitted Cherries

Instructions

Method

Heat the oven to 375 F
Line , three 8 inch round cake pan line with parchment paper

Cherry Topping

Mix the cherries , sugar and butter together
Pour in the bottom of the cake pan
Cook for 10 min till the sugar is little caramelized
Take out the pan and add the bourbon & salt

Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
Combine butter and coffee steel pot over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat, then mix in cocoa and chocolate, followed by brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix in eggs and yolks, then sift in flour and baking soda.
Mix well till you see no dry flour spots
Pour the batter in the prepared pans
Bake until cakes are firm for about 30 minutes (a toothpick inserted into the center should come away with a few crumbs still attached)
Cool cakes directly in their pans for 1 hour, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off parchment, and return cakes right side up.

Tools used :

KitchenAid Standmixer

Wilton Cake pans

Tags anagha godbole, baking, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, delicious, dessert, easy to make, kitchenaid standmixer, saffrontouch, wilton

Cookies dessert Not sure

Mokonut cookies

I don’t bake cookies much through out the year but around the holidays I try to make different cookies, try new recipes, and give some as gifts.

My family loves chocolate and especially dark chocolate, in fact we don’t buy any chocolate that’s less than 60% cocoa. I love ginger in all forms- in my tea, in chutney, ginger beer and candied ginger.

So what can be better than a cookie that has bittersweet chocolate and candied ginger.. everyone is happy.

This year I did not make many since I am traveling during the holidays, but when I got the latest Global Baking issue of Saveur Magazine, I knew I had to try a couple of recipes.

I loved the Swedish buns recipe so I made these St Lucia Buns inspired by that article. Those turned out amazing. I have a quick video on that, do check it out.

For these chocolate ginger cookies, you need candied Ginger, you can always buy it but I feel that it is so easy to make it at home that I always prefer that. If anyone wants a recipe for candied ginger, let me know and I would be happy to share.

I ended up making Buddha’s hand candies as well. If you have not tried using Buddha’s hand, you must, it’s just incredible. I love how it looks and smells, and you can use it like a room freshener.

I’m trying to make quick videos of the recipes I make, so I have posted the one I made for these cookies.

Chocolate Ginger cookies

Fudgey center, dark chocolate, subtle heat from the candied ginger and the touch of salt flakes make for a decadent grown-up cookie. Perfect for the holiday parties or as a part of your dessert platter

Course cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword baking, chocolate, cookies, dark chocolate, Ginger

Prep Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 32 minutes

Servings 12

Author Anagha

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 cups All purpose flour
1 tsp Unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup Coconut oil
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Light brown sugar
3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1 large egg
4 Oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Oz Candied Ginger
Flaky sea salt(like Maldon) for sprinkling

Instructions

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, coconut oil, both sugars, and salt.
Cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, it typically takes 1-2 mins
Add the egg, and mix until combined.
On low speed, add the flour mixture, and mix to incorporate. Mix in the chocolate and ginger until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press and shape to form a 1-inch-thick rectangle, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
For baking :
Preeheat the oven to 375°F
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on top. Slice into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and transfer to the prepared sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between each.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake until the edges have crisped slightly, 10–12 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Dont be tempted to bake longer, trust me this time is enough

Note:

The first time I made a batch of these cookies I followed the exact recipe, but the second time I substituted the coconut oil with equal amounts of unsalted butter. Also, I added a pinch of dried ground ginger to the dry ingredients. Try this variation for flakier cookies!

Tags anagha godbole, baking, chocolate, christmas cookies, cocoa, delicious, easy to make, holiday, make ahead, masterchef, mokonut, paris, seasonal, xmas baking, yummy

Healthy foods Not sure salad Side dish

Roasted Cauliflower salad with lentils & dates

Post author By Anagha
Post date August 3, 2015
No Comments on Roasted Cauliflower salad with lentils & dates

Many times we just keep getting different magazines and don’t even bother reading it. I get a couple of food magazines, I scanned through, plan to make a couple of recipes but very rarely get to it. It was different this time. When I got this issue of Food and Wine, I was in love with this recipe. I had to make it. So a friend of mine was coming over for lunch and I decided to try this recipe on her. She is not a hard-core vegan but prefers not having dairy products. This recipe was perfect. I made a few changes and the result was great. I like making this since it does not need me to stand over the stove and cook forever. Especially when my friends are visiting I like to make meals that are easy to make so I can spend more time with my friends.

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw almonds
1 cup beluga or green lentils, rinsed
1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch florets
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
10 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 cups loosely packed spinach
2 cups loosely packed arugula

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the lentils with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, 20 minutes. Drain well and let cool. These lentils are called Beluga lentils since they resemble the ‘beluga caviar’. 🙂 On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the 1/4 cup of olive oil and the cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, turning, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. I must warn you this cauliflower is addictive. I always make one extra since I finish half of the roasted cauliflower before it makes it to the salad. 🙂

In a large bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, honey, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. If you want to make it vegan, you can use Agave in place of the honey.

Very often found in the Lebanese cuisine, tahini is a power food. It is a fine paste made from sesame seeds which are rich in protein, calcium and minerals. Sesame seeds are used very commonly in the southern and western regions of India. It has a beautiful nutty flavor. You can now mix in the lentil and cauliflower to the dressing if you want or you can leave the dressing on the side. Add the lentils and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Scrape the roasted cauliflower into the bowl and add the toasted almonds, dates, onion and spinach. Toss the salad, transfer to a platter and serve.

Tags beluga, dates, lentils, roasted cauliflower, tahini, vegan, vegetarian

Fish Healthy foods Main Dish Not sure

Grilled trout with herbs

I love summers especially since we can enjoy barbeque outside. There is something special about this time of the year when you get abundant vegetables and fresh herbs in the farmers market, all the produce is at its peak and taste great.

I love summers also because we can grill out side. You can just have meats and veggies ready and when everyone gathers, just throw them on the grill and you got yourself a meal. There are two camps when it comes to grill, the coal one and the non-coal one, we for sure belong to the first one. In my opinion nothing beats the taste of fresh corn on the cob just grilled to perfection on the coals. The chicken tikka with the smoky flavor of the coal tastes amazing. So as you can see we love grilling with coals.

So today we had a few friends over for BBQ. I had marinated a lot of veggies, made some stuffed pepper , there was fresh corn on the cob, some couscous, masala chicken and my son decided to make some fish.

When it comes to fish I am very picky, not because I want to be but because of the fact that I can only eat fresh water fish. I am ok with catfish, bass etc but can not eat salmon.

So when my son decided to make trout and that too whole fish, I was a little skeptical but decided to go along. He went and bought the trout from Whole Foods, and made it with very simple ingredients..but man it tasted so yummy. It was delicate yet flavorful.

Ingredients

4 whole fresh water trouts

few sprigs of dill

few leaves of sage

few sprigs of parsley

few taregon leaves

2 lemons sliced

salt & pepper

Olive oil

Method

With a sharp boning knife slice the fish horizontally.

Apply some olive oil both inside & outside.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Layer the inside with some herbs and lemon slices.

Let it sit for 10-15 mins covered.

Brush the grill with olive oil. And place the fish gently on the grill.Cook for 3-4 mins on the first side and then a couple of minutes on the other side.

To serve

Take the main bone out, take the fins, head and tail off. Make into fillet and serve. My son did an amazing job of taking the main bone out and filleting the cooked fish.

Tags fresh water fish, gluten-free, grill, healthy, herbs, tasty, trout

Appetizer Chicken Healthy foods Kids favorite Not sure

Chicken porcupine kabob

You hear all the time that kids are fussy eaters and you got to try all kinds of tricks to get them to eat good stuff. I must say I got lucky, both my kids never troubled me with eating, they eat anything & everything I make for them( may be barring ‘indian bitter melon).

I also see and hear that the kids want to eat junk and throw tantrums if they don’t get any. I have seen kids eat chicken nuggets everyday. Again, I can not complain here, my kids don’t eat junk at all, in fact if you open my pantry, you will not find any chips, cookies with vegetable shortening. Instead of eating something that is processed and full of preservative, excess salt and sugar, my family eats dry fruits, dehydrated fruits & veggies, nuts…I am very thankful for that.

As you can see, my pantry is loaded with nuts, dry fruits, healthy indian style popped lotus seeds etc. I have a designated place for everything so they find it easily. Most of my containers are clear and labeled.

So back to the making food for kids. I feel that if you make it fun, the kids enjoy and might try different things.

Today’s recipe is one such fun recipe. It is tasty, healthy and easy to make.

Chicken porcupine kabob

It is a very simple recipe and if you have all the ingredients, you can make it in under 30 mins.

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground chicken ( I use a combination of breast & thighs)

1/2 onion chopped really fine

1-2 cloves of garlic crushed

1/2 inch Ginger, chopped or grated

1 green chill finely chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin powder

3/4 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped mint

1 tsp chaat masala

Others

1/2 cup basmati rice plus 1tsp salt, soaked for 1 hour

1 tbsp oil

Method

Drain the soaked rice. Take it on a plate.

Start boiling the water to steam out Kabob.

Mix all the ingredient for kabob very well.

Take the oil in a bowl.

Make small balls from the chicken mixture. Dip it briefly in the oil, and roll in the rice grains.

Arrange them on the steamer dish.

Steam for 5-7 mins depending on the size of the chicken ball.

Take out one and check if the chicken is cooked through.

Edit

As you can see the rice is steamed and pluffs up nicely.

You can serve these with spicy mint chutney or a sweet and sour tamarind chutney or tomato ketch up.

Edit

Tags chicken, gluten-free, healthy

Cakes Not sure

Apricot Almond cardamom cake

Post author By Anagha
Post date January 22, 2015
16 Comments on Apricot Almond cardamom cake

Apricot-almond cake

My daughter is always looking for something to eat after school, she is picky… But in a good way..the snack have to be healthy, no soda, no chips, not processed food, should be easy to eat…

I am happy because she is making smart and wise choices and I want to support that anyway I can. So I ensure that there are good snack options available, nuts, fruits, dehydrated vegetables, dehydrated fruits etc.

Todays post is one such recipe which is very healthy and yet tasty. Today I added a touch of cardamom to this cake and I feel it complimented the almond flavor so well. Made from whole wheat flour, no butter, no sugar and no eggs…I don’t mind if she eats an extra piece

Apricot Almond cake

It has very delicate flavor and goes well as a desert with a dollop of whipped cream. It can be easily made vegan which I like, I can make it when I have friends who eat dairy-free, or don’t eat processed sugars.

Ingredients:

Apricot cake ingredients

18-20 Dried apricots
1 1/4 cups milk ( you can also use Almond milk to make a Vegan version)

Note: You may need to adjust the milk qty based on how dry the apricots are. The batter should be not runny but not overly clumpy or sticky either.

2-3 tsp sugar( optional, I do not add since the apricots here are sweet)
1 cup flour( I take 1/2 atta & 1/2 un bleached flour, all atta recipe makes it dense)
1/2 cup oil
1 tea spn baking soda
1 tbl spn almonds(or more if you are crazy about nuts like me)

1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Method:
Soak the apricots(save 2-3 to be chopped &added to the batter) in warm milk (3-4 hours is enough for the dates we get here)

Remove the seeds if not using seedless. Blend them to a smooth paste along with the milk in which it is soaked in.

Add oil and mix.

Add cardamom powder
Sieve together flour and baking soda. Add the flour one spoon at a time and mix slowly.

Taste and if needed add sugar. Add the nuts and mix.

Preheat the oven at 350F. Bake the cake in a greased oven dish for 35-40min

You are ready to dive into guilt free treat

Depending on the color of the apricots your cake might be orange or brown, so dont worry so much about the color as long as the cake tastes good. As you can see, two different colors I got since the apricots were of different colors.

Dark apricots:

Light Apricots

Apricot cake

Note:

I also make a Date-Walnut cake with similar recipe and it tastes just as yummy

Tags almond, apricot, butter less, cardamom, dairy free, sugar-less, vegan

Appetizer bread Breakfast Not sure

Cheddar Pimiento Harissa muffins

Post author By Anagha
Post date November 13, 2014
1 Comment on Cheddar Pimiento Harissa muffins

I am always looking for savory options for breakfast. So when I made Harissa, I decided to make these muffins and use Harissa for flavoring. I had seen a similar recipe in a Food magazine, added my twist to it.

I also make savory breakfast waffles which are also a great savory breakfast option.

I like this recipe since you can have all the wet ingredients mixed and in a container in the fridge and dry ingredients mixed as well. In the morning you just mix them together and you have yummy muffins for breakfast in 20 mins. You can also serve them as appetizers with some spread.

I also make these with some bacon bits and those taste yummy as well.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

2 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Wet ingredients

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp chopped jalapeno

1 tsp Harissa Paste

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

3 oz chopped pimiento

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Heat the oven to 375F

Line your muffin pan with liners.

Mix all the dry ingredients well and keep aside. You can adjust the spices in it as per your taste.

Beat the two eggs, add buttermilk, butter and mix again. Now add the harissa and mix.

Add chopped vegetables and herbs. Add the shredded cheese and mix well.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture 1 tbsp at a time. Immediately add to lined muffin pans

It is important that you don’t wait after the wet and dry ingredients are combined. The baking soda and buttermilk get to work right away and if you dont make it right away, the muffins may not rise.

Bake for 18-20 mins in a 375 F oven.

I also make savory breakfast waffles which are also a great savory breakfast option.

Tags cheddar cheese, harissa, Harissa Paste, muffins, muffins for breakfast, quick appetizer

Not sure Soup

Cauliflower soup with Pistachio Pesto & chili oil

Post author By Anagha
Post date September 24, 2014
No Comments on Cauliflower soup with Pistachio Pesto & chili oil

I have been making a conscious effort to eat local, what is in season. It can be challenging in the cold months since you have very few stalls in the farmer’s market and very few options for vegetables. One vegetable that is abundantly available in fall and winter, is cauliflower. I like cauliflower cooked in many ways. I make many Indian dishes with Cauliflower like Cauliflower parantha ( made two ways), curry, roasted cauliflower, fritters etc. Today’s recipe is a little different, it is a soup which is perfect for the cold weather and the pesto topping really perks up the otherwise bland tasting vegetable.