Spring Onion Bread

Spring Onion Bread

 While browsing the internet I came across many versions of this bread and I liked the way it looked.  I was sure it would taste good and so many days later, since I happened to have a surplus of spring onions in my refrigerator I made this bread using my convection oven and the result was a bread that tasted like a crusty pizza.  Super yum.

For original recipe go to 

http://kirbiecravings.com/2014/12/chinese-sesame-bread-with-scallions.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+KirbieCravings+(Kirbie+Cravings)

I made a few changes.

The Recipe:

       2 1/2 cups bread flour; 1 tsp brown sugar;   1 tsp olive oil; 1 tsp sesame seed oil for oiling pan; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup warm water;     1 tsp instant yeast; 1 cup chopped spring onions;  4 tbsp white sesame seeds.

     Place the flour, salt, sugar, water, oil  and yeast in a large bowl.  Using the dough hook of your mixer combine ingredients until the dough comes together ( I used medium speed 3).   Lower speed to 2 and knead for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic and one smooth bmass.  Grease a glass bowl and place the dough in it.  Cover with cling film and leave to rise for an hour until it doubles in size.  

     Roll out the dough into a rectangle on a floured surface.  Spread the spring onions on it and roll it up  and then coil it into a spiral.  Gently roll out into a large round.  Sprinkle both sides with sesame seeds and rest for about 30 minutes.  Oil and heat a non stick pan and cook the bread for 1 minute each side.  Transfer to an oiled pizza pan and bake in a preheated oven at 400F or 200 C for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp.  Cool and slice.

     This bread is so tasty, it can be eaten plain.

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Chewda

Mixture

My grandma used to make chewda in large quantities and we loved it as children, picking out the nuts and raisins and leaving the rest for the adults.  I like to make this during Christmas in vast quantities to give away and also to last well into the New Year.  It's easy to make, a very quick treat and delicious too.  Quite often we finish a large container between the three of us while watching a family movie.  And then I make some more!

The Recipe:

5 cups cornflakes; a handful each of peanuts, almonds, cashewnuts; roasted bengal gram, and raisins; 5 sprigs of curry leaves; 1 tsp chilli powder or to taste; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp oil.

Bake the cornflakes, and nuts seperately in a preheated oven at 100 C for 10 minutes each.  Heat a nonstick pan and add the oil, curry leaves and raisins.  Stir fry till curry leaves are crisp- this takes a minute.  Switch off and add the chilli powder, salt and sugar.  Mix together.  Add the rest of the ingredients and gently mix together.  Cool and store in air tight containers.

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Recipe For Life

With the aroma of garlic bread wafting through the house, I bid goodbye to 2015.  It has been an eventful year and this is my last post for 2015.   I thank everyone who has stood by me and supported me in all my endeavours and look forward to 2016, to life and to laughter.  Happy New Year everyone.  

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Macaroon Fruit Cake

  Macaroon Fruit Cake

This is a one of a kind cake.  Fruit Cake and Macaroons are two of my favourite Christmas eats.  Put them together for a combination beyond compare.

The Recipe:

1 small cake, any type; 50 gms of Macaroon  mixture

Place the 50 gms Macaroon Mixture in the centre of the cake leaving room for expansion.  Bake in pre heated oven at 200C or 350F for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed up and done.  Remove and cool.

To Make the Macaroon Mixture:

250 gms sugar, 75 gms cashew kernels or bits, 9 cardamoms (seeds only), a squish of lemon juice; one medium egg white; a pinch of salt.

Grind sugar and cardamom in blender. Place in mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, salt and cashew kernels and mix with spatula. Add egg white a little at the time until the mixture becomes a dough like consistency.  Discard unused egg white. If too sticky add more sugar.

Reserve 50 gms for the Fruit & Macaroon Cake.    Make the rest into Macaroons.  

Arrange the 50 gms on the cake and bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes till puffed up and pale brown.  Cool and serve.

Break off pieces from the remaining Macaroon Mixture  and place on baking tray 2 inches apart. Preheat oven to 350 F or 200 C.   Bake 15 to 20 minutes until done or slightly brown. Remove and cool.

NB:  I used a sugarless cake as the combination of Macaroon and Sugarless Cake is just right.  Cup cakes would be a good option as the topping is very crumbly and it is best to avoid slicing this cake.  For cup cakes about 25 gms of Macaroon Mixture should do.

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Edible Christmas Wreath

This has to be one of the prettiest recipes I have done.  A few weeks ago, I saw a video on how to make an edible wreath and made up my mind to do one this Christmas.  I changed the ingredients from tuna and dressing and chips to just green peas with tamarind sauce and cherry tomatoes. This makes a beautiful centre piece for the dining table and it was very regretfully that we all dug into it.

The Recipe:

500 gms frozen green peas; salt and pepper to taste; 3 cloves garlic, smashed; 1 inch ginger, smashed; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera powder; 1 large onion, sliced.

Mix all ingredients together and pressure cook for 5 minutes without adding water.  If using fresh peas, add 1/2 cup water.  Cool and smash.  Oil a spring form pan and put the peas into the pan leaving space in the middle.  You can put a glass, rim down in the middle and firmly press the mashed peas all around in an even layer.  Freeze for 15 minutes.  Take out and gently unmould.  Serve with mixture and tamarind sauce or any sweet sauce of your choice.

Tamarind Sauce:

50 gms tamarind, soaked in 1 cup water for 15 minutes until soft and pulpy.  Strain into a deep bottomed cooking vessel.

Brown sugar or jaggery( unrefined sugar) to taste; 1/2 tsp jeera ( Cumin seed powder) ; 1 inch of ginger, smashed; black salt to taste.

Mix tamarind water and other ingredients together.  Bring to the boil on high heat.  Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes or until honey consistency is reached.  Cool and bottle.  Use as and when required.


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Christmas Bread

Stollen – Christmas Bread

I have included this amongst my cake recipes because this is a bread that tastes like cake and makes your house smell like Christmas Cakes are baking.  I got the recipe from a book given to me by a good friend Dr. Susan D’souza and I have had a really good time going through the book . 

This bread has to rise for 5 hours, so start early in the morning.

The Recipe:

85 gms each of red and green tuitti fruitti, mixed; 55 gms  raisins, chopped; 2 tbsp candied peel, chopped; 2 tbsp whiskey; 55 gms salted butter; 375 gms unbleached bread flour plus extra for dusting; 1 tsp mixed spice; 2 tsp instant yeast; finely grated rind of 1 large lemon; 1 egg , beaten; 40 gms almond flakes; olive oil for brushing; 175 gms marzipan coloured pink; melted butter for brushing; sifted icing sugar for dredging.

Place the mixed fruits in a glass bowl, add the whiskey, mix together and cover and keep aside. Place the butter, milk and sugar in a pan over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.  This takes a few minutes.  Cool until lukewarm.  Sift the flour and mixed spice into a bowl.  Add the instant yeast.  Nix together with a wooden spoon.  Make a well in the centre and stir in the milk mixture, grated lemon rind and egg.  Beat into a dough using the dough hooks. 

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Knead in the soaked fruits with the whiskey and the almonds.  Transfer to a clean, oiled glass bowl.  Cover and let stand in a warm place for up to 3 hours or doubled in size. ( This is when you make the marzipan).  Turn out onto a floured work surface, knead for 2 minutes, then roll out to a 25 cm or 10 inch square.  (I rolled it out on the back of my 10 inch cake pan).

Roll the marzipan into a sausage shape shorter than the length of the dough.  Place in the centre.  Fold the dough over the marzipan overlapping it.  Seal the ends with a little water.  Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet, cover with cling film and let stand in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.  Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C or 375F for 40 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding when tapped.  Brush with melted butter, dredge with icing sugar and cool on a wire rack.  Slice and serve.  This is my idea of heaven.

Marzipan

500gms almond meal; 250 gms icing sugar; 250 gms caster sugar (blend in mixer); ¼ tsp. almond essence; white of two medium sized eggs; squish of lemon juice; food colouring to colour eggs. 100 chocolate nutties. Baskets for decoration.

Place almond meal in bowl. Add the icing sugar and powdered caster sugar. Mix together. Make a well in centre and fold in the almond essence and lemon juice. Add the egg white a little at a time until the mixture in the bowl becomes a soft dough. Discard remaining egg white. Divide into portions and wrap with cling film. Add a few drops of desired food colouring to one portion and knead until marzipan is evenly coloured.  (I used pink food colouring in this recipe).  Use as and when required.

This has been my most ambitious project to date and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Orange Liqueur Cake

I soak my fruits in January and make a list of cakes to make for Christmas early in the year.  There was this Orange Liqueur lying around and so I thought I may as well use it up.  The resulting fruit cake has a lovely, moist texture and a subtle, orangy flavour.   This is one of the most extravagant cakes I have made and well worth the effort.

The Recipe:

250 gms butter;  2 cups brown sugar; 3 cups flour; 5 large eggs; 1 tsp mixed spice; rind and juice of 1 large orange; 1 tbsp orange peel, chopped fine; ½ cup tuitti fruitti; ½ cup red cherries, chopped; ½ cup golden raisins; chopped; ½ cup black raisins, chopped; ½ cup almond meal or almond pieces ( can used cashew nuts also); 1 cup Orange Liqueur; a few hazel nuts for the top.

Soak the dried fruits in the orange liqueur as long as you can.  I soaked mine in a glass jar for nearly a year. Shake the jar every other day or when you remember to.

Sieve the flour and spice powder together. Add the almond meal and mix with a wooden sppon.

Whisk butter and sugar until creamy and pale yellow in colour.  Add eggs, one by one and gently mix.  If the mixture curdles, add a little flour and mix well.  Gently fold in the flour a little at a time until everything is used up.  Sir in the orange rind and orange juice.  Mix well.  Now add the fruits and liqueur and stir very, very gently to combine.  Batter should be of a thick, flowing consistency.   By this time you will be salivating as the fragrance assails your nostrils.  Be patient.   Pour into 10 inch by 6 inch greased and lined pan, arrange the hazel nuts on top and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes.  Reduce to 150 degrees Celcius and continue baking for 45 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.  Switch off the oven and cool the cake in the oven itself overnight.  Next day, unmould, make holes with a skewer all over the cake and drizzle some additional Orange liqueur over the cake if desired.  Pack in foil and put away till required.  Keeps well.

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