Eggless Tiramisu and Kopi Coffee review

Life's been crazy busy over the last couple of weeks and I haven't taken a food photograph in a while. I haven't even recharged my camera battery which died on me 2 weeks back, to be precise, right after I took pics of the Tiramisu. I had my two BB team mates over 2 weeks back to sort out our goody bags etc etc for the event and I made an Italian spread. I usually make Tiramisu in a baking dish, but this time decided to do individual portions. I think its more convenient, both to serve and to eat, when its just 3 or 4 that you need to make. 

I have been making Tiramisu for a really really long time, and I think its one of the most easiest dessert recipes ever..that is, if you can get ready made sponge fingers (Savoiardi) and mascarpone cheese easily. I would never attempt it in India where I know I will have to make them both from scratch. Its possible, and there are loads of bloggers who have done the same. Just google it and you will not be disappointed. I had tried a recipe with eggs before and as good as it is, I somehow prefer the one without eggs, since you know the eggs are not cooked and such. I recently attended a bloggers day where we had to make the "authentic" tiramisu and boy we sweated it out whipping egg whites using a whisk. So that recipe used both egg yolk and egg white, and the outcome was really good, with absolutely no taste of the eggs obvious, and it was as creamy and silky as you'd imagine it to be. I shall try that out another time.

I also decided it was the best way to make use of the Kopi coffee samples that were sent to me, which I must say are simply amazing. The husband and I are hard core coffee drinkers and I for one need a really really good cuppa first thing in the morning. Kopi is an exclusive monthly subscription coffee club wherein each month the experts hand pick the finest single-origin coffee, freshly roast it and sends it over for you to enjoy. You can choose from different types of subscriptions and since the coffee is ground just 14 days before delivery, you can be sure of how fresh it would be. I was sent two different roasts to try. The Kenya Micro-lot Gatomboya AB with festive notes of marzipan, caramel, nutmeg and redcurrant is the kind of the coffee you'd like to wake up to on a Christmas morning. But my favourite however was the Java Jampit Estate Arabica which had very faint chocolate flavours, perfect for those after dinner coffee sessions. I decided to use the Arabica in my Tiramisu and it was a winner. The fact that the coffee packs can be sealed well even after they are opened, impressed me, and each time I opened the pack a strong whiff of the freshly powdered coffee used to hit me. Now that's what a good wake up call should be like :)

Coming back to the recipe...it is so easy to put together and the best part, you can make it a day or two ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Serve it cold or leave it out on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes, so its not tooo cold for your liking. 

Recipe adapted from here (makes 6 individual portions)

Sponge fingers- around 12 to 15

Cocoa powder- to dust

Mascarpone cheese- 220 gms

Vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp

Powdered sugar- 3 to 4 tbsp (as sweet as you prefer)

Double cream- 1 cup

Strong coffee/ espresso powder- 1 tbsp (I used the Java Jampit Estate Arabica coffee)

Boiling water 1/2 cup

Kahlua coffee liqueur- 1 tbsp (optional)

Sugar- 1/2 tbsp

 

Make the coffee, dissolve the sugar and keep aside to cool. 

Once cool, add the coffee liqueur (if using), stir well and keep aside till ready to use.

In a free standing mixer, using the paddle attachment beat the mascarpone cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract till just smooth. Don't over do it.

Change the attachment to a whisk and add in the double cream.

Whisk well till soft, peaks are formed. Don't over do it, or the cream will split and then you are doomed. (has happened tonnes of times)

To assemble, have the individual glasses/ ramekins ready.

Break each sponge finger into two and dip them in the coffee mix. they should not be completely soaked, but still slightly crispy on the inside. 

Line them (rather squish them) into the base of the glass. If you need smaller pieces, just break them off from the remaining fingers and use as required. Make sure the entire base of the glass is covered.

Add a generous dollop of the filling and even it out as much as possible and dust some cocoa powder on top.

Layer again with the sponge fingers dipped in coffee and continue till your glass is full. The top most layer should be the cream.

Dust with some cocoa powder and keep in the refrigerator, covered with cling film, for at least 5 to 6 hours for the flavours to catch on.

Notes: Use a thin sponge base instead of the sponge finger biscuits

While making the filling, if you don't have a stand mixer, then first mix the mascarpone with the other ingredients using a spatula, then in another bowl whisk the double cream till soft peaks form and then fold it into the mascarpone mix using a spatula.

Use the same measurements for a single dish of Tiramisu that would serve 6.

With thanks to Kopi Coffee for the review samples

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Blueberry-lavender gin and tonic

For the past couple of months a whole bunch of us (Nupur, Suchi, Preeti and I) have been busy planning Bloggers' Buzz- a food blogger meet, and its been pretty overwhelming thinking that the big day is in 2 days time. We have managed to rope in 25 bloggers and food enthusiasts and a good number of generous sponsors for the event. We will just have to wait with fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong on the day and the event is deemed a success.

There is a competition up and running for the event and its being judged by Jeanne of Cooksister, who is a well established blogger and photographer. In between all the BB work and some deadlines on the work front I couldn't whip up anything spectacular or innovative for the event, but the thought of winning a Hotel Chocolat gift hamper made me post something anyway.

I am not a big blueberry fan except if its in a muffin. So I was pleasantly surprised when the combination of lavender and blueberry in this drink made it to my top 5 (yes i have a top 5 in my mind). Lavender is quite over powering in this drink, but its such a nice and fragrant herb that I love using it in cakes, cookies and drinks. Here are two ways you can use up lavender l

Makes 6 servings

Water- 1/4 cup

Sugar- 1/4 cup

Dried lavender- 1/2 tsp

Blueberries- 2 cups

Gin- 1/2 cup

Tonic- 200ml (2 small cans)

Ice cubes- as required

 

Make a sugar syrup by boiling together the water sugar and dried lavender..

Boil, stirring occasionally, till the sugar is completely melted.

Close with a lid and let it steep for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the times up transfer the syrup into a glass and cool in the refrigerator till ready to use.

Meanwhile, wash the blueberries and tip into a saucepan with 2 tbsp of the sugar syrup and 2 tbsp of water.

Cook on medium heat till the blueberries break down and gets slightly cooked. It doesn't need to be that pulpy, just break them all down with a wooden spoon.

Cool and strain into a large bowl, diluting it with water if you find the juice is not falling through.

Add the gin and give a good stir. 

Do a taste test and if you need more sugar add the remaining sugar syrup.

Add ice cubes to the glasses and pour in the drink about half full..top with the tonic and enjoy :)

Notes: Add lemonade instead of tonic water for a change

Ignore the gin for an alcohol free version.

Muddle some mint leaves with the blueberries and I'm sure it would be great.

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Sponsored video: Samsung's Monkey Thief

I saw the above video and thought it was absolutely adorable. I mean I can soooo understand the whole 'monkey thief' campaign because during my short stint in Bangalore right after college, the apartment where I was staying had a temple next to it with a huge banyan tree and so so many monkeys (I dont know what their attraction to the place was though) and these cheeky things would just come through the kitchen windows and steal food and sometimes even spoons and the like. Needless to say I was super scared to walk out of the apartment if I could spot any monkeys monkeying around :)

This video reminded me so much of those days, and I couldn't help smiling while watching the same. Coming to which, the video describes how Samsung's new refrigerator is their target. The refrigerator, which offers a lot of new features, ends up being on their radar, that too after exploring another refrigerator that doesn't fit their criteria. 

One of the most important features of a refrigerator is space utilisation, at least according to me. This one fits the description perfectly by eliminating all dead space- large items can be put in the drawer and a wider and deeper door helps in accommodating big and tall bottles. The new bottom mounted feature has the superior digital inverter technology which means there is no unnecessary energy consumption and offers better cooling performances. Finally, the refrigerator also ensures optimal freshness which means we all get to enjoy a healthy eating style. The CoolSelect zone allows temperature control on specific compartments, the MoistFresh zone controls air circulation, maintaining the humidity needed for fruits and vegetables and the No Frost technology prevents ice build up and prevents water drop

formation which can harm the refrigerator. 

These monkeys know what they are looking for and finds its all in the Samsung refrigerator. They raid the fridge and sneak off, only to leave the owner with an empty fridge. Easy in, easy out! that sums it all.

To know more about the refrigerator and its features, check out their newsroom, website and also follow Samsung on Youtube

This is a sponsored post for Samsung

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Sour cream vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream frosting and a Tala cake pan review

As cliche as it sounds, here's wishing all you guys a Happy Valentines Day in advance. I used to get all excited about the day during my school and college days when cards, flowers, gifts etc. were all part of the fun. Now, if the husband wishes me, its celebration time :) Other than the one time just after we got married, we have never actually celebrated V-day. This year isn't any different and so the most I could do was make these cute lil heart cakes and call it a day.

Talking of which, how adorable are these hearts? I think they are the perfect size, especially in households like mine where its just two of us and don't want to bake a huge cake to satisfy those sweet cravings. Tala is a very popular brand in UK and their retro-looking products are a fave of mine. This mini heart cake pan is from their bake ware range and is perfect for a V-day treat. The springform base makes it easy to release the cake and the non-stick interior does its job really well. The only issue I had was the batter seeping through the base when it went into the oven, but like all springform pans, its better to line the interior or place it on a baking tray to catch all the drips. Other than that, I am very happy with the cake tin.

I didn't want to actually bake a cake in the pan, I wanted to do something different, but lack of planning and a busy schedule meant a normal vanilla cake it was. I had some sour cream in the fridge and thought of putting it to good use. Hence the sour cream vanilla cake. The husband will be disappointed because a lot of vanilla-ness has been doing the rounds here. He will have to bear with this one too. I, on the other hand, love plain vanilla cakes and this one was great as well. 

About the frosting...I hate butter cream icing and that's the very reason why its not made its mark on my blog. Today however, I broke my vow, and went ahead and made it. Since a very small quantity was needed, I thought it should be fine. The taste, I still am not a fan, but the fact that you can pipe it out in whichever design, shape etc makes it a winner. I shall not be trying it out again, but maybe incorporate butter into my cream cheese frostings to make it hold firmer..yes that's a possibility.

Recipe adapted from here (makes 2, 10cm hearts)

 

Plain flour- 3/4th cup

Sugar- 1/2 cup

Baking powder- 3/4th tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Butter- 4 tbsp (57gms), unsalted and at room temperature

Sour cream- 1/4 cup

Egg- 1 small

Egg yolk- 2 small

Vanilla extract- 3/4th tsp

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a the bowl of your mixer using the paddle attachments.

Into it add the remaining ingredients one after the other and continue beating on medium speed everything is mixed well. There shouldn't be any traces of butter or flour visible.

Increase speed and beat well till you get a smooth and satiny mix.

Transfer the batter into the pans (greased lightly) and bake in an over pre heated at 175C for about 30 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.

Take the hearts out of the oven and after 10 minutes release them onto cooling racks. 

Once completely cool, wrap them in cling film and refrigerate till ready to frost.

Vanilla buttercream frosting (recipe adapted from here) makes enough to fill and frost the cake as in the pic

Butter- 70gms, unsalted and at room temperature.

Powdered sugar- 85gms

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Milk- 1 tbsp

Red gel paste- a pinch

Beat the butter till light and fluffy.

Add the sugar, vanilla and milk and continue beating till they all come together. It should be smooth but stiff.

Add more milk (but by bit) to loosen the mix if needed or if too loose then add more sugar.

Add the red colour and mix till the colour is evenly spread throughout the  ix.

Fill the piping bags and pipe away.

Assembly

Bring the cake to room temperature and slice into half. It was really easy to slice these darls.

If you want, moisten the cake with some sugar syrup, or even coffee.

Fill with the butter cream and top with the other half. Pipe on the sides, and also fill the top if needed.

With thanks to Tala for sending me the heart shaped cake tin to review.

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Kale- two ways

 

I was introduced to kale a while back at this PR event where they served it crispy, and I loved it. From then on Ive wanted to try it at home but never actually got around to doing it. This time too I picked up a pack of curly kale leaves to make crispy kale, but obviously my mind (and tummy) had other plans. I decided to make a thoran and then half way through I suddenly changed my mind and decide to also make dal with half of it. Yes that's how my mind works, no planning, nothing :)

I have also started freezing anything and everything possible, and did the same with this as well. Both dal and thoran were put into freezer bags and stashed away for a day I would be absolutely lazy to cook. Replace the kale with spinach for spinach dal and spinach (cheera) thoran (shall be attempting this soon).

Kale dal

 

Moong dal- 1/2 cup

Green chilli- 1, slit

Garlic- 4 pods, roughly chopped

Water- 2 cups

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies- 2

English shallots- 3, finely chopped (or 1 small onion)

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida- 1 generous pinch

Fenugreek powder- 1/5 tsp (optional)

Tomato- 1, finely chopped

Kale- 3 cups, washed and roughly chopped

Oil- 2 tbsp

Salt- to taste

 

Cook the dal with the green chilli, garlic 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, salt and water in a pressure cooking till done (around 2 to 3 whistles on medium heat).

Remove from fire, open the life once the pressure releases on its own and lightly mas the dal with the back of a spoon. 

If you feel its too thick, add more water, put it back on flame and bring to a boil. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the cumin seeds and red chillies.

Once they slightly sizzle, add the shallots and cook on medium fire till they turn a golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the powders- turmeric, chilli, asafoetida and fenugreek- and continue sauteeing till the oil starts to surface slightly.

In goes the tomato. Cook till they get mashed and you get a thick masala.

At this point add the kale and mix it all in. 

Add salt and cover and cook till the kale gets wilted a bit (it doesn't get wilted like spinach though).

Pour in the cooked dal and give one good stir to mix it all in. Check for salt and add more if necessary.

Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes after which you can transfer to a serving bowl and have it hot with rice, pappad and pickle.

Kale thoran (kale with coconut and spices)

Kale- 3 cups

Dessicated coconut- 1/2 cup (I use frozen)

Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

Garlic- 3 pods, peeled

Shallots- 7 to 8, peeled

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Green chilli- 1

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Dry red chillies- 2

 

Grind together coarsely the coconut, cumin seeds, garlic, shallots, turmeric powder and green chilli and salt in a spice grinder or using a pestle and mortar. It need not be paste like. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed deep pan and splutter mustard seeds with curry leaves and dry red chilli.

Into this add the ground mix and saute for a couple of minutes, just to get rid of the rawness. Don't brown the coconut.

Add the kale and mix well. Pour in a tbsp of water and cover and cook for about 10 minutes on medium flame, stirring occasionally.

Check for salt, add more if needed, give a final stir and transfer to a serving bowl.

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