Cheese and onion pull apart bread

This recipe had been doing the rounds on Pinterest a while back and I had bookmarked it then. I did make it once, since it had all things yum and was too good a recipe to keep for another day. It was so easy to put together and I did take pics with the intention of blogging it, but like loads of my recipes, this one got lost among those Picasa folders.

Yesterday I made this for dinner and that's when I realised I hadn't blogged it. Searched around and found the folder. Its a perfect appetiser idea, or if you want to serve bread with soup, then this is most certainly it. Its not something you'd want to have on a daily basis but once in a while its a treat and you deserve it. Make this if you want to feed about 5 to 6 people and like I said before its a great appetiser idea, where you can just tear and share the bread. 

The first time around I managed the whole thing on my own, but yesterday with the slicing and stuffing, I found it a bit difficult without an extra pair of hands. Ro, much to my annoyance, couldn't remember ever eating the bread. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to try new things. Well to be honest its more for my benefit, but that's rant I shall leave for another time.

What's everyone's plans for New Years. No crazy party this year for us, just gonna chill out at my sister in laws place with some Champagne and good food, and maybe if we are up to it, head out to a club (just the ladies that is). Before signing off, here's wishing you all a Happy New Year and may you have a year filled with all goodness possible. 

PS: If you want to win a mini fridge for your home, don't forget to enter the giveaway

Recipe adapted from here

 

Sourdough bread- 1 loaf (I used a French Boule)

Cheddar cheese- 250 gms, thinly sliced (if you have a cheese slicer that's best)

Butter- 1/2 cup (i used a mix of garlic butter ans salted butter)

Green/ spring onions- 1/4 cup, roughly chopped

Poppy seeds- 1 1/2 tsp

 

Preheat the oven to 176C and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.

Slice the bread lengthwise and widthwise without going all the way to the bottom. Don't fret about it too much, it doesn't need to be of equal size and such. Do whichever size is convenient, just make sure you don't go all the way through to the crust.

Place the bread on the foil and insert the cheese slices into the sliced crevices of the bread. Try stuffing it as deep as possible and between all the cuts.

Melt butter in the microwave and into it add the spring onions and poppy seeds.

Pour this on top of the bread as evenly as possible.

Wrap the bread with the foil and bake for about 15 minutes.

Unwrap the bread and continue baking for another 10 minutes or till all the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

 

Notes: Original recipe calls for mushrooms as well. if you want to do so then saute 250gms of finely chopped mushrooms in 1tbsp of butter for about 3 to 4 minutes or till they start to sweat. Then add about 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and continue cooking the mushrooms till all the water has evaporated.

Transfer on to a plate and leave aside to cool. And just after you insert the cheese slices, pour the mushroom over the bread, again trying to stuff in as much possible between the cuts.

I have adjusted the measurements according to what the French boule could take. 

The cheese in the original recipe is Provolone. I couldn't get them here, so used Cheddar and it worked just fine. I also tried it with Gouda, but it wasn't up to mark.

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Cream cheese frosting

Here's wishing all the readers of Look Who's Cooking Too a very merry Christmas. May your day be filled with loads of good food and great company.

I shall be flambeeing my Christmas pudding which has been maturing right next to our wine collection and hopefully it would taste good, considering I steamed it for 7 hours. If not, I still have 2 more puds stashed away, thanks to Asda and Harrods. I would thoroughly miss the early morning Christmas service in church (cant go to a church here because public transportation comes to a standstill on Christmas day), the appam and stew at my grand moms, opening gifts and the rest of the day spent catching up with family and friends. Sigh!

 

I shall not dampen my spirits here, so leaving you all with this kick-ass cream cheese frosting recipe which I must say is my favourite so far and is an absolute keeper. I have tried different combinations and proportions but this is so far the best ever. The fact that there is no butter itself makes me wanna jump in glee, and anything with double cream is a hit. It is also the first time I have managed to pipe out the frosting which means the consistency was absolutely perfect. The other frosting method I have used, do work when there is no piping involved, and it was my go to recipe till I discovered this. So henceforth no more cream cheese butter cream or cream cheese-mascarpone frosting, just plan ol cream cheese and double cream. 

I made these velvets a couple of days back to gift some friends and neighbours and I'm kicking myself for not making more as Ro and I were fighting for the last cake. I also had big plans of posting a beef roast recipe, but then, laziness gets the better of me most of the time and so leaving you with perhaps the shortest recipe on LWCT. I just had to post it here for posterity. Once again, Merry Christmas and have an extra shot of boozy eggnog for me.

Recipe adapted from here (frosts 12 cupcakes)

 

Cream cheese- 226 gms, at room temperature (I used Philadelphia cream cheese)

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Icing sugar- 1/2 cup

Double cream- 2/3rd cup, cold

Using the paddle attachment of your free standing mixer or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese till smooth and fluffy, for about a minute on medium speed.

Add the vanilla extract and sugar and continue beating till no traces of sugar is seen. (Is using any colour add at this point).
You can also add any other flavouring like coffee or Baileys or any other liqueur in place of vanilla extract. The consistency might slightly vary, so add double cream accordingly.

Change the attachment to a whisk and gradually add the double cream, whipping till the frosting is of  piping consistency. Do this on high speed but keep a close watch, as you don't want to over do the whisking and cause the double cream to separate.

Add more cream if your desired consistency is not reached. Mine was perfect with 2/3rd cups of cream.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag and frost away.

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Giveaway: Win a Beko under counter fridge {this competition is now closed}

I presume everyone's busy with Christmas preparations?? We had our Christmas party yesterday and I'm still recovering from all the cooking, eating and drinking. Christmas is going to be low key this year and I'm a bit bummed about not being with family, but on the other hand, I'm totally looking forward to some retail therapy on Boxing Day (provided the husband does NOT accompany me) ;)

With loads of cooking and baking being done during the festive season, I'm sure you all wished you had another fridge to store everything? I most certainly did, or do so on a regular basis, especially the days before a party when you need to prep things before hand and store them (ah..all that extra freezer space...). And if you cant deal with a big fridge, then under counter fridge units serve the purpose, with its small size and affordable price. That's where Argos, a leading general-goods retailer in the UK, comes into play.

Whenever we need to pick up anything for the house, we make it a point to check out Argos before making up our minds. In fact, a lot of our cooking equipments, appliances and even the sofa is from Argos, and we haven't had any trouble with them so far. Especially if you are new home owner, then make sure you visit Argos for washing machines, reliable gas cookers, bedding, fitted kitchens and interior decorations and if not, you can still check them out for a good collection of jewellery and watches, children's toys, cameras, mobile phones, and even clothing.

Being a big fan of Argos, I was thrilled when they offered the readers of Look Who's Cooking Too an opportunity to win a Beko White Under Counter Fridge this holiday season. All you need you do is leave a comment on this post saying what your New Year resolutions is. However, this is not mandatory, and if you don't have a resolution just leave a comment with details like name, email id and location so the winner can be notified. The competition is open till the 31st of January, 2013 so you have loads of time to enter. If you are not based out of UK, then feel free to pass on the info or enter for anyone who has an address in the UK.

Terms & Conditions

• Delivery will be within 28 days of Argos receiving the winner's address, and the competition may vary at the discretion of Argos
• The prize as described will be supplied direct from Argos, and there is no cash alternative
• This competition is open to UK residents only.
• The winner will be picked at random and contacted via email. If he/ she does not respond within a week, then another winner will be picked.

With thanks to Argos for paying me and for the opportunity to host the give-away on their behalf

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Turkey and chickpea pilaf

There are some things in life you need to do once. Roasting a turkey is definitely one of them :)

And that's exactly what we did. 

I have never cooked a whole chicken (poussin exempted), leave alone a 5kg turkey. So when Asda asked if I would like to review a Turkey from their Butchers selection, I was a bit sceptical, but the husband was 100 percent confident he could handle it and so I said yes, why not! I decided to give him full responsibility of handling and cooking the turkey and I must say he did a really good job.

We did some research and decided to do a turkey roast- Indian style and boy are we glad we did so. Most of the turkey roasts I've had are bland, but doing an Indian prep took care of that. The marinade was a basic chilli powder, lime juice, salt, pepper, ginger-garlic paste one and Ro made sure he got the marinade under the skin all throughout the turkey. He also put some onions, lemon wedges, bay leaves, garlic pods and carrots into the cavity for the flavours to catch on. He then nicely doused olive oil over the bird and rubbed it in, followed by seasoning generously with salt and pepper. The cooking method we followed was from here and we managed to get a golden, crispy roast turkey, but the last 10 minutes of cooking on high heat somehow burnt it a wee bit, but no complaints there as we loved the flavours.

We were only a few of us for lunch when we did the roast turkey and so had tonnes left over. After packing off some to friends and relatives, the remaining batch was divided into two. One went into the freezer for future use, and I made this turkey and chickpea pilaf with the remaining. This is a very quick lunch preparation if you have all the ingredients at home and can actually be a one pot meal if you are not obsessed with precooking the onions before hand. Either ways, we loved it. I am hooked on to cooking rice in the microwave now and cant think of doing it any other way. Try this easy peacy pilaf with your left over Chritstmas turkey, and you wont be disappointed..seriously!!!

Recipe adapted from here

> Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Onion- 1 small, finely chopped

Garlic- 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Ginger- 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Green chilli- 1, slit

Curry paste- 1 heaped tbsp (I used Sharwoods korma paste)

Chickpeas- 150gms (from a 400gm can. Drain and use 150 gms)

Turkey- 150 gms, shredded

Basmati rice- 1 cup, washed and soaked in cold water for 15 minutes

Stock*- 2 1/4 cups (I used chicken stock, feel free to use vegetable stock as well) 

Lime juice- from half a line

Coriander leaves- to garnish

Salt- to taste

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions till they turn light brown.

Add the garlic, ginger and green chilli and continue frying for 2 to 3 minutes till their raw smell disappears.

Add the curry paste and cook for a further 1 minute.

In goes the chickpeas and shredded turkey. Saute till all the masala gets coated well.

Drain the rice and add to the pan, fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously. 

Add salt (remember, the stock will have enough salt, so add accordingly), give a final stir and transfer the mix into a microwave safe bowl.

Pour in the stock and lemon juice, give a stir and place in the microwave.

Cook on high (700W) for 15 minutes.

Once done, check if all the water has been absorbed and then cover and leave aside for 10 minutes.

Fluff well using a fork and garnish with coriander leaves just before serving.

Make a meal of it with a side of yoghurt, pickle and poppadoms.

Notes: Replace the turkey with shredded chicken

I use a stock cube. I dilute it in the required amount of boiling water and use that.

If you don't have curry paste, then use a meat masala or curry powder in its place.

With thanks to Asda for the turkey and gift voucher.

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Sponsored video: Blacksticks Blue Cheese

We love cheese. Period. 

When we were in India, the only cheese we used to get were the processed ones, which in all honesty was no where near the real 'cheese.' Since that was the only option, we thoroughly savoured it and didn't complain one bit about it not being 'the ultimate cheese.' I even remember buying a very expensive block of cheese from a supermarket back home, grating it on pizza and patiently waiting for it to melt. The pizza was done, but the cheese was rock hard and wouldn't even budge. Yes! that basically sums up our cheese experience in India. I am sure things have changed a bit in the big metros, and it is only after experiencing the varieties of cheese abroad that you realise what you were missing out on. Blue cheese was one of the cheeses introduced to us after we got to the UK, and we took a liking to it. 

If you are looking to do a cheese platter this Christmas then make sure you include the Blacksticks Blue Cheese- an exciting British Blue cheese created by hand at the Butlers Farmhouse Cheese dairy in Inglewhite, Lancashire. With three generations of cheese making behind the family, and loads of awards to their credit, the Butlers' aim at making their cheese to a very high standard in every possible way. Added to their range of high quality farmhouse cheeses is the Blacksticks Blue cheese, a soft, blue veined cheese with a creamy, smooth and tangy taste. The distinct amber colour makes the cheese stand out on any cheese platter, which is more than enough reason to have it on you Christmas menu this year. You can also choose from Blacksticks Creamy, Blacksticks Silk and Blacksticks Velvet, which are some of the other cheeses in their range.

From including the cheese in a variety of recipes, to just enjoying it with a cracker on the side, your options are endless. After all, celebrity chefs like Simon Rimmer, Nigel Howarth and Glynn Purnell can never be wrong with their choice. So pick one up for your party this year and you wont be disappointed. In the mean time, enjoy this fun video that sums up the cheese beautifully.

The cheese is available at most of the leading supermarkets and online as well. Check out their innovative website for more details, and also follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates. 

This is a sponsored post by Blacksticks Blue Cheese.

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Harrods luxury Christmas hamper (review)

With Christmas less than 2 weeks away, I am sure everyone's gone into either merry-making mode, or panic mode like me about the number of gifts I still need to pick up for friends and relatives. It does become a bit tricky when it comes to picking up gifts and the more options we have, the better isn't it? 

Harrods, the upmarket department store, has some really fancy Christmas Hampers this year and if you want to treat someone a bit more than the others, then you definitely have to check these hampers out. I have also been drooling over their luxury chocolate hampers and I still haven't decided if Ro is on the naughty list or nice list, but if he does qualify, then I am thinking of splurging on one of the hampers for him :) 

I was really happy to receive the Chelsea Hamper from their collection this year and it was everything I imagined it to be. The hamper came in a beautiful wicker box with a classy leather top and honestly I didn't feel like opening it. But as expected, curiosity got the better of me and I, as daintily, as possible took it apart. No opened it. Perfectly packed were a wide variety of food products, guaranteed to make you feel special.

The hamper included a box of Harrods Christmas Spice Loose Tea, a tin of Christmas Spice Ground Coffee, a jar of Brandy Butter (we have been spreading this on everything from biscuits to bread to just easting it on its own), a jar of Strawberry and Champagne Conserve, a gorgeous Christmas Pud, a pack of Brandy Butter Shortbread (what a fab idea to use up the brandy butter), a box of Chocolate Praline Selection and a cute lil red Harrods Christmas Bauble. That's right, everything you need for a cosy Christmas day with your family.

The products are all of excellent quantity and we have been thoroughly enjoying the coffee, shortbread and chocolates. The pudding, however, shall be opened only on Christmas day and I'm sure that's not going to disappoint us either.

There is still time to buy these hampers, so go on..put them on your Christmas list and get shopping.

With thanks to Harrods for the gift hamper.

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Smoked salmon- two ways

It's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas this side of the pond. Temperatures have significantly dropped and a white Christmas is predicted for London this year. We did have our tiny stint with snow recently, but thanks to a drunken night out, I happily missed the snowfall (or flurries??) by sleeping in late. It wasn't that strong in Central London and since it didn't even settle on the ground, there was no proof that it actually snowed. I was, needless to say, a bit bummed that I missed the first snow fall of the season, and added to it was everyone flaunting snow pics and status updates on FB. I am praying it does snow like crazy one of these days, much to the husbands annoyance :)

I know we are all running around trying to get gifts sorted in time for the big day. If you want some cool Christmas gift ideas visit The Handpicked Collection online store for some inspiration. The pretty heart shaped chopping board in the pic was my Christmas gift from the lovely people over at The Handpicked Collection. Also, they have launched The Handpicked Food Store online which features award winning smoked salmon and other fine foods from artisan British producers, handpicked by food experts. I was sent a smoked salmon taster to review from the store, and I decided to go ahead and use it wisely in a dish, or two.

Smoked salmon-cream cheese sandwich (makes 4 finger sandwiches)

 

Smoked salmon- 3 to 4 thin slices

Green cucumber- peeled and sliced into 8 small rounds

Whole wheat bread- 2 slices (use white if preferred)

Cream cheese- 2 tbsp

Chives- 1 tsp, finely chopped

Salt and pepper- to season (optional)

Mix together the cream cheese and chives and spread the mix on the sandwich slices.

Top with smoked salmon slices. Trim to required length, if necessary.

Place the cucumber rounds on top of the salmon and season with salt and pepper.

Finally, top with the remaining bread slice, cheese side facing downwards.

Using a serrated knife slice the sandwich into quarters and serve with some crisps.

Notes: Use a mayo-chive mix if you don't have cream cheese.

Slice off the edges from the bread if you want to, but we keep it on 

You can flavour the cream cheese with lemon, garlic, parsley etc etc.

Smoked salmon breakfast bruschetta (makes 2)

 

Sour dough bread- 2 slices, toasted just before assembling

Butter- 2 tbsp

Eggs- 2, well beaten

Tomato- 1 small, cut into rounds

Salt and pepper- to taste

Chutney- 2 tsp (optional)

Smoked salmon- 2 thin slices, diced into long strips
Chives- finely chopped, to garnish

Heat a non stick frying pan and melt 1 tbsp of butter.

When bubbling, add the tomato rounds and fry on medium heat till done and slightly charred. About 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip the rounds and fry for a further 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with enough salt and pepper.

Into the same frying pan, add the eggs and scramble till the eggs are cooked, but don't dry it out too much.

Season with salt and pepper, give a final stir and transfer to a bowl.

To assemble, place the toasted bread on to serving plates and butter them well using the remaining butter.

Add a layer of chutney (if using) and spread it as evenly as possible.

Top with the grilled tomato followed by scrambled egg and slices of smoked salmon

Drizzle some of the chutney on top of the salmon, garnish with chives and serve immediately.

With thanks to The Handpicked Collection and Handpicked Food Store for samples 

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Mysore masala dosa and an event announcement

Before you go ahead and judge me by saying, omg another dosa recipe, who needs that? let me confirm that its actually for my benefit than yours because i really had to have a fool proof recipe on record since my life was wasted searching the internet for chutney and masala recipes. I don't make my own dosa batter, let me make that very clear, and am very happy with the results the ready made dosa batter gives me. 

I also suck at making a normal sambar and an even simpler chutney which is why I like to serve dosa with chicken curry (for dinner that is) and idli with fish curry. Have you tried the combo? Its divine, really it is! But on some very rare occasions, I feel like going all out and the Mysore Masala Dosa was an after effect of one of those days. 

I have fond memories of Mysore masala dosa and I don't think i have had any as good as the ones from Sangeetha restaurant in Nungabakkam, Chennai. My hostel was just around the corner from the restaurant and on Sundays, usually after a hang over from hitting the clubs the previous night, we would all wake up by around 11 or 12 and conveniently miss breakfast at the hostel (which would be upma or something uninteresting like that). With rumbling tummies we would then start discussing brunch/lunch options. Ideally it would be Crescent hotel which we would want to go to, for their yummy Prawn biryani (which btw if you haven't tried, YOU SHOULD!), but mostly we would all be broke and so Sangeetha Vegetarian restaurant would be our next best choice. And the Mysore masala dosa there is perhaps one of the best i have ever had. Let me assure you, this is no where close to what they serve, but it was good enough to shut me up about Mysore masala dosa for a while.

I would suggest you make all the items a day ahead so you dont ruin the whole assembling process. My dosa making skills are not so good and mostly the first 2 or 3 dosas always get dumped. Either the heat is not right or the spreading is not correct or something usually goes wrong. I also like my dosas crispy and so this time I was determined to make them right so I could take a few pics, which is no easy feat. One, because there are not many ways to make a dosa look appealing and two, they don't really stay crisp for that long. So this was the best I could do :)

For a recipe for perfect dosa batter, check out this informative post by Sala here

If it's idli's you are looking for then Nags has summed it up pretty well in her post here

I, on the other hand, use the store bought batter for both idli and dosa. I always freeze the batter the day i pick it up and it stays for a really long time. I thaw it at room temperature and use it as desired. I usually make idlis the day I open it. I mix a tsp of baking soda to the batter and leave it for about an hour. This has fetched me really really soft idli's. I then thin down the batter with some water for using it in dosas, or if I'm up to it I separate them in the beginning itself and use them accordingly. But really, if you are up to making your own batter, follow the above mentioned links like the Bible :)

Mysore masala dosa

Dosa batter- around 1 cup

Ghee- enough to drizzle

For the filling

Idli podi/ mulaga podi- here & here (I buy mine from the store. Yes, I am a disgrace to the food blogger community)

Onion chutney

Red onion- 1 medium, roughly chopped

Garlic- 4 to 5 pods, peeled and roughly chopped

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Tamarind paste- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and some salt

Sauté on medium heat till they become a light brown in colour.

Add the chilli powder and continue to cook for a minute or so. 

Remove from heat and leave aside to cool for a while.

Add the cooled mix, garlic and tamarind paste and blend to a smooth consistency.

Resist the urge to add water, but if absolutely necessary, add a tsp or so and increase gradually.

You can do the above without cooking the onions by pulse all the ingredients in a blender. I find it a bit too overpowering and so I cook the onions.

Potato masala

Potaoes- 2 medium, quartered and pre cooked

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- a sprig

Asafoetida- a generous pinch

Onion- 1 medium, thinly sliced

Ginger- 1.2 inch piece, thinly sliced (optional)

Green chillies- 2, slit

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

Break down the pre-cooked potatoes using a fork, but don't mash it up. Keep aside.

In a kadai heat the oil and temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.

To this add the onion, ginger and green chillies and cook till the onions wilt and turn a light brown colour.

Add the turmeric powder and cook for a minute or two after which you dump in the potato and give a good stir, making sure the potatoes are well mixed with the masala.

Check for salt, add a dash of water to prevent it from drying out and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes after which you can transfer the masala to a serving plate and keep ready. 

Accompaniment

Sambar- here & here

Coconut chutney (recipe adapted from here)

 

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Shallots- 1 small, roughly chopped

Ginger- 1/2 inch piece, peeled and roughly chopped

Chilli powder- 3/4th tsp

Water- 2 tbsp, adjust accordingly

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves- a sprig

Grind together the coconut, shallots, ginger, chilli powder and salt with the water in a blender till you get a smooth paste.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Keep the heat to medium and pour in the coconut paste mix along with about a 1/4 cup of water.

Cook, stirring continuously, till you see the steam coming from the spatula when lifted off the chutney. 

make sure the chutney doesn't boil.

Also adjust water according to taste. I like mine a wee bit thick, so i reduced the water.

Assembling

Keep a non-stick dosa tawa over medium heat.

When ready, add a ladle full of dosa batter and spread it in a circle.

Drizzle a spoon full of ghee over the spread out batter and along the side, lightly dabbing it into the batter. Wait for the dosa to slightly cook.

Spread a spoon of the onion chutney, sprinkle some idli podi and cook till the dosa slightly crisps.

Finally top one half of the dosa with a generous serving of the potato masala, fold over and cook for a minute or two after which you can transfer to a serving plate.

have them warm with a side of the chutney or sambar.

Bloggers' Buzz event announcement

A bunch us food bloggers met early this year in London and we had such a blast, we thought it was high time we took this whole thing to another level. So we brainstormed a bit and came up with Bloggers' Buzz, a platform for like-minded people to come together to share their passion for one thing- FOOD.

This is going to be a one day event with food blogging related master classes like basics in food photography, ethics and copyright, monetising your blog etc. and there will also be loads of networking opportunities with those attending. If that's not good enough then wait till you see the fabulous sponsors that we have roped in for the event and we assure you, you will be leaving the event with a big smile, some new friends and a goody bag full of surprises.

If you are a food blogger based out of UK or Europe or someone who simply fancies food in general, then this is definitely where you need to be. Do check out our official event blog http://bloggersbuzzuk.blogspot.co.uk/ for more details and updates and register right away as we have some really cool prizes to be won for a few competitions we will be running from Jan onwards. If you would like any more details regarding this, drop in a line to Nupur at bloggerbuzzuk@gmail.com or just leave a comment on this post :)

We are counting on you guys out there to make this event a success. So do book a place and feel free to spread the word. The more! the merrier!

With loads of love and Christmas cheer,

The Bloggers' Buzz Team

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