Macarons {3 ways}

Last week, a couple of us food bloggers went to the Royal Albert Afternoon Tea Tour in association with Breast Cancer Care. It was an afternoon of fun, eating and oohing and aahing the gorgeous, gorgeous vintage style tea sets that were used to serve the cupcakes and tea in. Just a few days before, we were oohing and aahing their collection at one of the department stores and Id seen this one particular cup and saucer set with tiny flowers inside, and I even remember exclaiming to a fellow foodie that some pretty and dainty macarons would just look gorgeous in them.

Little did I know that two days later I'd actually get the exact same cup and saucer from Royal Albert in my goody bag at the tea party. I HAD to make macarons and I even had a clear idea what colour and how Id style and photograph it. I am very pleased with how they have turned out and even had a small afternoon tea party at my place. The tea tour will be heading to different locations around London, so please do drop by, enjoy some tea and cakes and support the great cause.

Thursday 12th and Friday 13th- Bloomsbury Square

Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th- Parsons Green

I always follow the basic macaron recipe from Ottolenghi (Recipe here) which fetches me around 22 to 24 medium sizes macarons. For a full, detailed post on macaron making, follow this link. The fillings are for 12 macarons. I always halve the batter and add two colours. I get around 12 macarons in each colour.

Pineapple cheesecake filling

The filling for the purple one was Pineapple cheesecake a really pleasant one made with the Castello Pineapple Halo, a soft cheese coated in pineapple and almonds. Castello has this fabulous range of cheese which go great with white wine. My favourite however is the pineapple flavoured one which works great as cheesecake (trust me on this, I tasted it at the Castello event and loved it). So inspired by that I made the cheesecake filling for the macarons. It was a hit. (I added some yellow colour to emphasise the pineapple bit)

Castello pineapple halo cheese- 1/3 rd cup, at room temperature
Double cream- 1/4 cup
Honey- 2 tbsp

Whisk the double cream till soft peaks form.
Fold in the soft cheese slowly, till well mixed and no traces are seen.
Add the honey (or icing sugar) and mix well.
Refrigerate till ready to use.

Raspberry jam buttercream filling 

 

The pink macarons made specially for Breast Cancer Care were filled with raspberry jam filling. This is a really easy one and quite versatile because you can use any jam and make it into a filling.

Butter- 4 tbsp, at room temperature
Raspberry jam- 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract- a drop (optional)
Icing sugar- 2 tbsp (add more if you like it sweeter)

Whisk the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl, till light and fluffy
Add the jam and vanilla and continue whisking till they all come together.
Refrigerate till ready to use.

Cardamom cream cheese filling

 

I love cream/ soft cheese fillings and frosting and my macaron fillings are almost always cream cheese based. I used the Lactofree soft white cheese for this and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it tasted. Lactofree products are perfect for those who are lactose intolerant and doesn't have to give up dairy altogether. I had the privilege of tasting some of their products and you wouldn't even be able to make out the difference. Check out the website for more details.

A couple of us were invited to Preeti's place for an Indian themed lunch and while breaking my head on what to take for her, Suchi came up with the idea of the tricoloured Indian flag theme. The party was just two days after Indian Independence Day and it was the perfect theme. It looked gorgeous when put together and I filled it with cardamom to give it an Indian touch. Personally, I find cardamom to be an over powering spice, and I prefer it in the mildest possible dose, so this was not really my favourite. I did get good reviews about it though.

Cream cheese- 1/2 cup
Icing sugar- 3 tbsp
Vanilla extract- a generous splash
Cardamom powder- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (powder the cardamom seeds to make enough)

Whisk the cream cheese and sugar gently using a wire whisk. Make sure it doesnt become too loose.
Fold in the vanilla extract and cardamom and continue mixing till they all come together.
Do a taste test and add more cardamom if required.

With thanks to all the brands for inviting me to the events and for the samples.

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Mixed fruit salad with rose water and pistachio

Its over guys, its over. Summer is on its way out and I can already feel the slight chill in the air post 5pm. Although it was a pretty decent summer, I feel it ended too soon and I am not willing to let go as yet. I think the coming week is the last of 20C weather we'd get to enjoy. Sigh!

So on a warm-ish Saturday I made this mixed fruit salad to enjoy the best of British bounty. The strawberries were sent across by Sweet Eve Strawberries - one of the best I've actually tried. They are British born and bred and deliciously sweet and full of flavour. I am not very lucky when it comes to strawberries as the ones from the stores are never really sweet. But the Sweet Eve strawbs were a welcome change- almost all of them were really sweet and I kind of finished half of it at one go. With the rest I whipped up a nice smoothie and this summer salad which was a hit. The pistachio nuts add that extra crunch and the next time I do this, I'll try it with other fruits and a generous sprinkling of almonds or so.

Rosewater is one extract I've never really tasted or experimented with and was pleasantly surprised by the Nielsen Massey rose water which did lend a very Moroccan flavour to this salad. That said, it can be a very over powering flavour and not a favourite of many (the husband included). A very small quantity goes a long way and so watch how much you put in. I had guests over last weekend and I made some poached peaches with rose water and served it with vanilla ice cream and pistachio nuts. it was divine! 

Recipe adapted from here

Strawberries- 100 gms

Mango- 1 ripe, peeled and sliced into cubes

Peach- 1 ripe, diced

Rosewater- a splash (optional)

Caster sugar- for sprinkling

Pistachio nuts- enough to sprinkle, chopped fine

Mix together the fruits in a large bowl.

Add a splash of rosewater and toss well.

Divide the mix between two or 3 bowls

Sprinkle the caster sugar followed by pistachio nuts and serve cold.

Notes: Add any fruit of choice, except maybe bananas

If not for rosewater a splash of Marsala wine or Sherry would be good

With thanks to Sweet Eve Strawberries and Nielsen Massey for the samples.

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Beans thoran and Mooru kachiyathu

I decided that this year was going to be the year I learn how to make all those sadya dishes that I see around all the blogs and draft it here..maybe I'll have them all documented in time for onam and make a feast. That's highly unlikely, but its nice to think I may do it.

A friend of ours was relocating to India (a while back) and we decided to do a session at ours before she left. The husband decided to cook crab and for the two of us in the gang (yes me and this other friend) who didn't eat crab, I made beef fry. I actually suck at making mallu food which is why I rarely make them when I have people over. Even something as simple as a moru kachiyathu I can ruin, leave alone avial and such. But with crab masala as a main dish, I had no choice but to do a mallu centred meal. It was an elaborate two day expedition and the final outcome..was just about average I would say. Not even close to what my mother-in-law in Kottayam makes (on a regular basis).

The reason I'm posting two really simple recipes here is because each time I need to make these, I have to open recipe books and blogs and do searches and stuff. This way, I can just fall back on my blog and not waste time. That said, I still do end up searching for different versions of the same and pinterest-ing for photography inspiration. Do the same preparation with kale, Brussels sprout, asparagus etc. 

Beans thoran (beans sauteed with a spicy coconut mix)

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Green chilli- 2, slit

Small onions- 2 to 3, roughly chopped

Garlic- 2 cloves, optional

Oil- 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 2 sprigs

Dried red chilli- 2

Green beans- 250 gms, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Water- 1 tbsp

Into a grinder throw in the grated coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, green chilli, small onions and garlic. Pulse once or twice, just to mix it well and don't grind to a paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a heave bottomed pan and splutter mustard seeds.

Throw in curry leaves and dried red chilli and saute till they turn slightly crisp.

Add to it the coconut mix and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to get rid of the rawness.

Finally, add the beans, salt and water, mix tem all together, close with a tight lid and cook on medium-low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. I like it a bit crunchy, so i don't cook it longer than that. But feel free to do so.

Turn off the heat and leave the pan closed till ready to use.

Serve with rice and mooru kachiyathu.

Moru kachiyathu (spiced buttermilk) Recipe adapted from here

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds- a pinch

Curry leaves- a sprig

Dried red chilli- 1

Small onions- 2 to 3, roughly chopped

Ginger- 1 tsp, peeled and grated

Green chilli- 1, slit

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Whisk together the buttermilk with salt. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds followed by fenugreek seeds.

Add all the remaining ingredients except buttermilk and sauté till the onions turn light brown.

Pour in the buttermilk, and on medium heat keep stirring till you see steam coming through the spatula. If you are not careful, the mix can curdle.

Serve hot.

Notes: If using yoghurt, dilute it with water to make a loose mix.

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Chocolate and hazelnut laddoo (truffles)

First of all a huuuuge thanks to all those who left comments on the ad post. I am a wee bit embarrassed and at the same time overwhelmed at the outcome. Its weird watching myself on telly and I hope I get used to it soon :)

Those who attended Bloggers' Buzz beginning of this year might remember Devnaa who sponsored a box of sweets for the goody bag? Or let me put it this way, those of you who attended BB will not forget Devnaa and that amazing box of Indian-inspired sweets in the goody bag. I remember a lot of you writing back and saying that was the best part of the goody bag- the well packaged, colourful box with delicate chocolates. Started by brother-sister duo Roopa and Jay Rawal, the journey of Devnaa began at their kitchen table with praises flowing in about Roopa's home made sweets. They decided to take this interest further by starting Devnaa, a collection of sweets and desserts combining authentic Indian recipes and artisan chocolate techniques. 

Now, I am not a big fan of Indian sweets and desserts, with maybe gulab jamun and gajjar ka halwa being an exception. So in all honesty I was not too excited about the box of chocolates. But of course I had to give it a try and must say I wasn't too disappointed. I mean i did have a few favourites like the saffron and pistachio caramel and the cinnamon praline, and my not so favourite were the ones with ginger. Ginger or not, I think the whole concept of Devnaa is quite interesting.

They also sent me their cookbook and ingredients for two recipes. I have bookmarked a whole bunch of recipes from the book, but like a million other recipes I have bookmarked, God alone knows when they will actually make an appearance on the blog. The recipes are pretty descriptive, but being a big fan of food photography, I would have liked some better pictures. I mean desserts are so pretty to photograph and I would have loved to see some cool styling and stuff. 

These chocolate and hazelnut laddoos did not disappoint, but i would def try them with dark chocolate next time. Gave it to some friends at a party and they loved it. They are really easy to make a do a good job of being pretty, presentable and tasty. Do some cool packaging, and they would double up as return gifts for guests. 

Recipe adapted from Devnaa- Indian Inspired Desserts

 

Condensed milk- 200 gms

Cocoa powder- 1 tbsp

Milk- 2 tbsp

Milk powder- 100gms

Milk chocolate- 100 gms

Chocolate-hazelnut spread- 1 tbsp (say like Nutella or equivalent)

Hazelnuts- 60 gms, slightly roasted and crushed or chopped finely

Dessicated coconut- 20 to 25 gms (optional)

 

Mix together the condensed milk, cocoa powder and milk in a saucepan and heat gently. (It would make it a lot more easier if you sift the cocoa powder into the condensed milk, because it was a bit of a trouble for me with small bits of cocoa powder dotting the mix. I had to use my spatula to break them down and still couldn't manage to do it all. So my mix was speckled with cocoa).

Keeping the heat on low-medium, add the milk powder and stir until the mixture starts forming a smooth dough that comes away easily from the sides of the pan. This may take about 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure you don't leave it unattended and that you keep stirring till you get the desired consistency.

Take the mix off heat and leave aside to cool in the refrigerator. The recipe called for just leaving it aside to cool, but still warm and pliable. I did as mentioned, but the dough was just too loose to work with. So I chucked it into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, and waited for it to become completely cold (like with truffles) and then it was easier to handle.

Scoop out 1 tbsp of the dough at a time and roll into a smooth ball. Mine were slightly bigger in size so I got a total of 12. Leave on a tray lined with baking paper.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave.

Stir in the chocolate-hazelnut spread and make sure that the mix is not too hot, but warm and runny. If it hardens up when you are ready to dip, then just give a burst or two in the microwave and stir again to mix well.

Arrange the chopped/crushed hazelnuts on a plate.

Dip the rolled dough balls into the melted chocolate, trying to coat them evenly on all sides, followed by generously rolling them in the chopped hazelnuts.

Carefully place them back on the same lined baking tray. Continue with all the dough balls and chuck the tray back into the refrigerator till the chocolate hardens, say about 30 minutes.

Serve them at room temperature.

Notes: I generously rolled the dough balls in hazelnuts, so I didn't have enough to roll the entire batch. So i used dessicated coconut and did the same rolling process.

Feel free to use chocolate of any type for the dipping...dark, white, flavoured etc.

With thanks to Devnaa for sending me the book and the ingredients to make two recipes from the book.

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The New Finish Quantum TV advert

Sooooo.... here it is finally. My first ever TV appearance for the New Finish Quantum ad. I am not going to ramble on, but instead let the video speak for itself. 

It goes on air tomorrow morning at 8.45am on ITV during the Lorraine breakfast programme, and although I'm a bit nervous at how the reactions are going to be, I cant help being all diva-like and excited about it.

Over the next couple of weeks Danny and I will be sharing some exciting tips on the Finish Facebook page, along with some cool competitions and such so don't forget to like the page and join in on all the fun.

Thanks a bunch for all your support, and yes, please do let me know your honest opinions. Hope you like the ad (and will switch and see the difference) ;)

xx

Nisha

PS: Camera adds 10 pounds, so it's technically not my fault that I look all chubby and well fed :)

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Sponsored review: Twinings Moroccan mint tea mojito

 

Both Ro and I enjoy a good cuppa tea every once in a while. Mostly weekends, we try making all these different types of tea and enjoy it with some biscuits and such. I particularly love experimenting with it..like making a macaron flavour with it, different flavours of iced tea's with it, the occasional masala chai and our favourite the mint tea.

I received a couple of boxes of Twinings tea to review and after enjoying some with our biscuits and cakes, I decided to try something new. I had never made a cocktail with tea, and my love for everything cocktail made me try this Moroccan inspired mojito. Its such a cool recipe..i mean it combines my favourite mint tea with rum and really, what's not to like about that?

 

I also absolutely love the whole Afternoon Tea idea. I find it incredibly romantic, to dress up and go to a fancy hotel for some tea. I have been wanting to throw a tea party at mine for a long time, but haven't had the time to do it. But I did whip up some macarons for an afternoon tea-ish session with friends beginning of summer. I served them with Twinings Earl Grey (my favourite), English Breakfast and Assam tea- all great tea's. The English breakfast makes a mean mint tea as well. But be careful to not let it steep too much, or else your mint tea is gonna taste bitter. I have wasted waaay too much tea with that mistake.

Recipe adapted from here (Makes 2 to 3 glasses)

 

Twinings English Breakfast- 2 bags
Boiling water- 1 1/2 cups
Cardamom pods- 20, crushed
Sugar- 3 tbsp (adjust accordingly)
Mint leaves- 10 to 15
Lemon juice- 3 tbsp
White rum- 3 oz
Ice

 

Into a measuring cup put in the tea bags and bruised cardamom pods.
Pour enough boiling water to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid in total.
Seep for about 2 to 3 minutes, remove the tea bags, but not the cardamom and store in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Meanwhile, muddle the mint and sugar together in a cocktail shaker and keep aside.
When ready to serve, add the tea mix to the cocktail shaker, followed by lemon juice, rum and some ice cubes.
Shake away and then pour into individual glasses, top with a sprig of mint, a lime wedge and some ice and you are good to go.

 

Notes: The drink was not sweet at all, so the second batch i made, I used sugar syrup (1/4 cup) instead of sugar and added it to the tea mix when it was still warm. The mint leaves were muddled on its own.
Add more rum if you want it super boozy :)

With thanks to Twinings for the samples

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Caribbean Jerk marinated poussin- a post in association with Schwartz

I know.. 3 posts in a week. Pat on the back for me right?

Well, truth be told.. loads of pending posts and me being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my blog (OH MY GOD did I just say I was a perfectionist???), I end up taking a looot more time on a post with editing and re-editing and sometimes even re-cooking (is that a word?) and re-shooting. In spite of all this Ro finds grammatical and spelling mistakes in my posts. Seriously..he cant just say the picture is nice, or that dish was so yum , you should make it again or generally something nice about me.. but no, he says my grammar is rubbish and i need to pay someone (Jane, you in particular actually) to edit my post. Of course if i could pay someone to do my job, then I would have done that in the beginning itself wouldn't I? Anyway, who needs compliments from the husband when I have all you lovelies sending me all the encouragement and push needed to carry on blogging. Big hugs :)

Coming to the recipe. I first tried jerk chicken at the Nottinghill Carnival and liked it. Not loved it , but liked. That was around 4 years ago and then it was recently at Manjiri's place that I tried it again. She was enthusiastic enough to make the spice from scratch, but I was just plain lazy and picked up the Schwartz Jamaican Jerk spice blend off the shelves to give it a go. One word..loved it! Makes life so much more easier and it tastes absolutely fine. The recipe I followed was from the Schwartz website and it was a really simple one at that. I jazzed it up a bit and served it with rice and beans (again Caribbean in Nature), but its not really necessary. You can find other chicken recipes from Schwartz here

Caribbean Jerk marinated poussin (Recipe adapted from here)

 

1 small poussin/ chicken- 500 gms

Schwartz Jerk spice blend- 1 1/2 tbsp

Soy sauce- 1 tbsp

Vinegar- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Vegetable oil- 1 1/2 tbsp

Onion- 1 small, roughly chopped

Garlic- 5 pods

Lemon- 1 half

Mix together the spice blend, soy sauce, vinegar and vegetable oil in a bowl.

Check for salt and add if necessary.

Place the chicken and garlic pods in roasting tray and pour over the marinade.

Rub it into all parts of the chicken. Try and get it under the skin if possible.

Keep aside for about 30 minutes. I skipped this part and baked it immediately.

Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and add it into the tray.

Pre-heat over to 200C and bake the chicken for 30 minutes.

Take the chicken out once the 30 minutes is up and baste with the juices from the tray.

Scatter the onion around and on top of the chicken and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes more. If you want, you can turn the chicken up side down. I didn't.

During the last 10 minutes or so, you can change to grill mode and broil it to get a charred effect.

Check if the chicken is done by poking the fleshiest part with a knife or skewer and if juiced run clear you are good to go.

Notes: Feel free to use cut chicken- legs, thighs anything.

The garlic gets roasted nicely and emits some great flavour, but not a must. Same with onions and lemon.

Its not a spicy dish (as opposed to the actual) one, so add some chilli powder if you want it hot.

Here is the recipe for the jerk chicken spice from scratch.

Rice with beans (Recipe adapted from here)

 

Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

Onion- 1, finely chopped

Green chilli- 1, slit

Garlic- 2 cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Rice- 1 cup, washed and drained

Kidney beans- 200 gms, drained

Coconut milk- 1/2 cup

Chicken stock- 1 1/2 cups

Thyme- 1/2 tsp

Kidney beans- 200 gms, drained

Salt- to taste

Heat oil in a chefs pan and fry the onions till they soften and turn a bit brown.

Add the chilli and garlic and saute for a minute or two.

Throw in the rice and stir it slowly, making sure it is well coated with oil.

Pour in the coconut milk followed by chicken stock, and also stir in the kidney beans.

Bring to a gently boil on high heat. You can check for salt at this point and add if required.

Then reduce heat to low, put on the lid and let it cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or till all the liquid has been absorbed.

Open the lid and sprinkle thyme.

Keep closed for another 5 minutes after which you can fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

Notes: The coconut milk I used was from powdered coconut and I may have diluted it too much, the taste of coconut was not obvious at all. Do use a good can of coconut milk for this recipe.

Replace kidney beans with gungo peas or black eyed peas.

This is a post in association with Schwartz

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Food and wine pairing {Loire blogger competition}

First of all, a huge thanks to all of you who wrote in congratulating me on the ad appearance. I am overwhelmed and loving my lil blog family even more. I will definitely post the ad on the blog and make sure none of you miss it :)

I was sent two bottles of Loire wines- the Muscadet and Rose d'Anjou- for a blogger challenge wherein I had to match the wines with food of choice. I only recently started this whole pairing business and even though I'm not an expert, I kind of have a few favourites I'd like to pair with the food we have. Now that summer is in full swing, the white and rose wines were gladly accepted and we put them to good use.

Before we go into my food selection, here is a bit about Loire Valley wines. The region, mostly central France, is situated along the Loire river and is home to some great wines. There are 65 appellations that include all types of wine- red, white, rose, sparkling, still, dry, sweet and so on. As opposed to other wine growing regions in France, the wines here are thoroughly affected by the Loire river and are lucky enough to benefit from the minerals matured by the clay minerals in the river. This results in wine that is truly distinct with a lot of intensity and variety.

I love a good white once in a while. From preferring the really sweet ones to the dryer ones, I think my taste in wines have kinda improved with time. The cool thing about Muscadet wine is that it is left to age all winter to bring out as much flavour from them as possible and it sure didn't disappoint us. The wine is very light in colour and I was sure it was gonna be dry, but then one sip you take and its one of the sweeter wines...something I wasn't too thrilled about, but then I decided to pair it with some spicy chicken malai tikka kebab and I thought we had a winner. You smell the wine and its like summer in a glass. Crisp and delicious with some fruity flavours (I definitely got citrus, but I cant really pin point the other flavours present). The husband thought it was more floral and agreed that the spring-like tones of the white wine was definitely brought out by the strong masala's used in the chicken. Contrary to usual pairings of the Muscadet with seafood, I picked chicken tikka because it is something we regularly have at home and to find wine that would match food that you are so used to is the winner for me.

The Rose d'Anjou with its pretty pink colour was too good to resist and so that's the bottle we devoured first. I preferred the medium sweet flavours of rose with the spicy chicken malai tikka. It completely broke down the oiliness of the tikka and replaced it with sweet fragrant taste of berries. After a few sips we realised it would have been great with dessert as well. So after glugging down half a bottle we kept the remaining to test with dessert. I made some cherry clafoutis tarts and decided to serve with the wine. It wasn't too bad, especially because the tarts were not cloyingly sweet and so didn't over power the subtle sweetness from the Rose d'Anjou. More than anything, I'm a sucker for rose wines as its the first type of wine I got familiarised with. Sweet memories (no pun intended) ;)

Both the wines were thoroughly enjoyed and they are perfect for the summer days, especially for those barbecue parties where you have a lot of grilled meat and vegetables. More than anything, its a pleasure to know that fabulous wines like these are not exorbitantly priced, and at 8.99 (Muscadet) and 7.99 (Rose d"anjou) a bottle, they make a bloody good deal. I served the light meal of chicken malai kebabs with cous cous salad (thanks to Nupur for the fabulous recipe) and washed it down with the wine. The white would be a good after meal aperitif as well, the husband says as an after thought. But I'm absolutely happy with the pairings I figured out :)

Recipe for the chicken malai tikka kebabs were adapted from Soma's eCurry- a recipe I've tried so many times and has never failed me. I followed it to the dot, except for the red food colouring which I didn't add. The cherry clafoutis tart recipe can be found here. I made it for the Great British Chefs website to celebrate National cherry week :)

With thanks to Loir wines for the sample bottles.

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The big news..

Ok... so here goes..

Beginning of this year a couple of us food bloggers were invited for a one day casting event hosted by Finish dishwasher tablets. Those who are on my facebook list will know what the event was about.. if not anything, you will definitely remember "the day I ate an octopus" album which pretty much was the highlight of the day for me. Well, apparently, that was just the tip of the ice berg. Little did I know that the event would give me an opportunity to be the new face of the Finish ad. Yes, you heard that right..the casting day which involved a lot of cooking and one on one interviews was to select food bloggers to appear in the Finish ad, and me along with Danny of Food Urchin were the lucky ones. The ad is due to air in August. :)

So emails went back and forth talking contracts, what to cook, how the ad was going to be shot, what we were expected to do, prop lists etc etc. We even had a wardrobe fitting day which was so so much fun. I tried on all these fabulous clothes, shoes and accessories and sashayed around, and given a choice I would have worn each dress for each shot, but unfortunately that's not how it works. After breaking our heads, we decided that I should make paneer tikka masala pot pies, tandoori fish with curried chips (a fusion take on the traditional fish and chips) and macarons. I also had a food stylist working with me to source props for the food I was going to photograph and she even came home and collected some of my prop to make the hired kitchen look a bit more like mine. 

I was so nervous about having to cook in front of people and I almost broke down thinking about all those things that could go wrong on THE day. Nothing goes down in my life without drama. The macaron shells were to be made from home and the filling procedure alone was to be shot. Me being me, decided to wait till the day before to tackle the macaron monster (well at that time it was). All hell broke loose when the macarons decided to have a mind of their own. You can read the detailed story here, but to cut it short, I had to dig out 5 decent pairs from the 4 batches I made, to work with. Here's something about me...I work best under pressure, which is why I leave a lot of things to the last minute. But that day, I cursed myself fir not being organised and having it all under control. You may think I learnt from my mistake, oh well, that's a whole post on its own ;)

So anyway, came THE day and I was a nervous wreck. I was dropped off at the venue at 7.30 and everyone was busy setting up the place. I was so intimidated by all that was going on but everyone there put me at so much ease that by the end of the day it was like one big family. They ushered me off to the dressing room and I was made to look presentable. I don't think I wore that much make up even for my wedding and was pleasantly surprised at the final outcome. We started shooting at around 10 am and WOW, what an experience it was. I will never ever under estimate the work done by cast and crew, be it a 30 second ad or a 3 hour movie. You see an ad and you think, oh is that it, that's pretty easy. Well, how do I even explain what its like. Its anything but easy. I was lucky because I had very little "acting to do". The director, who was prompting me with questions and telling me how to go about the whole process was so so helpful. He thoroughly put me at ease right from the beginning by telling me to just be me and to inform them if I felt uncomfortable at any point. Strangely for me, after that initial starting trouble, it was a breeze. I did a few cooking scenarios, talked about cooking and recipes, did the whole styling and photography thing and finally the blogging bit. The whole concept was very fresh and something I've not really noticed before.

Over the next couple of weeks the lovely people over at Finish will be introducing me to their Facebook fans and I will be doing some cool stuff out there like giving tips and whipping some some recipes and stuff. So do check out the Finish Facebook page if you dont want to miss any of the action

Talking about my experience with the New Finish Quantum Power Gel.. its quite awesome. No I'm not saying it because I was part of the ad campaign, but because I have first hand experience with how nicely it works. Especially for Indian cooking which uses a lot of oil and spices. You know how these pressure cookers are right? I used to chuck them into the dishwasher after cooking dal or rice and it would never come out clean, making my job tougher. I used to hate having my dishes come out with food still stuck on it, that at one point I even thought it was easier to just wash them by hand. Finish somehow did the trick for me...well mostly. Really oily pots and pans and even glasses came out perfectly clean. Out of the three - original, lemon, and apple and lime blast- my favourite is the apple and lime blast which just smells so so good. 

Because I use a lot of props for my food photography, I always have loads of dishes to wash at the end of the day and I don't think twice about chucking them into the dishwasher because I am sure they would come out clean. Also, glasses need to be sparkling clean, otherwise its easy to spot those ugly marks when the pictures are uploaded on to various platforms. The Finish Quantum with Power Gel tablets also come with salt function which means you don't need to keep filling the machine with salt, something we don't miss at all. It used to be a pain to store the huge packs of salt and also keep filling them, especially after we load the dishwasher and then realise that the salt levels are low. I also find the compact square design of the gels very convenient to store. I was given the Finish tablets to compare with and try it on dishes with different food products and except for one or two instances where the food was just too stubborn to come off, I was truly satisfied with the outcome. I switched and have definitely seen the difference. Now its your turn to give it go :)

It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I would like to thank all the fabulous people behind it for helping me with the whole process. I hope I did a good job :)

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What I've been up to...

I threw a summer party beginning of the month and this was the table

Things have been pretty crazy at my end with a few new projects I've undertaken and a part time job with Bobo Macarons in full swing. I must say, although its a complete shift in profession, I am so so so enjoying it, especially the baking bit. Of course I have a long way to go but having a really patient boss helps when it comes to learning something new. 

There is also some really exciting news coming your way (no, not involving babies and such), and I cant wait to share it with you all. I will be revealing it end of this week, so head back here around that time and you'll know what it is :) :) I know..the suspense is killing me too, but you just have to wait :)

I am in the process of giving my blog a new face lift because like everything in my life, I got bored with the look. After breaking my head on a logo and after trying out so many different options I decided to go with the one on the header. I also got my business cards printed and although I'm not damn happy with the outcome, it serves the purpose for the time being. My friends convinced me its "soo totally me" and so I think I'm a bit relieved. 

I have also been attending a lot of really cool events with my partner in crime Suchi of Kitchen Karma and I thought I'll pen down some of the fun events I attended. Its going to be a photo overdose post, so scoot if you are bored already :)

AGA Rangemaster

We attended a fancy evening of cocktails and canapés at the glamorous Violin Factory in Waterloo to celebrate the launch of a couple of new products from AGA Rangemaster. Truth be told, I don't think I'll be able to afford an AGA any time soon, but yes its up there on my wish list. Highlight of the evening was meeting the adorable Mary Berry of Great British Bake Off fame. She, I think, is one of the most down to earth celebrity chefs I've come across. Not that I rub shoulders with them every other day, but you know, in general. She is the new face of AGA and entertained us with a fun talk about her experiences with the brand. 

Dotcomgiftshop Blogger's Christmas evening

Yes, you read that right, Christmas plans are already under way for a lot of brands. The event was to showcase the selection of Dotcomgiftshop's Christmas gift ideas and also their new AW 2013 collection. It was a prop haven for prop obsessed people like me. We also got this really pretty cup and saucer which I converted into a table centrepiece at my summer party.

Food For Media's Media Market Place

Last week the entire Bloggers' Buzz team attended the Food For Media's Media Market Place event which was like a networking event with loads of interesting brands and such. We had a very productive day talking shop and also got to take home some fabulous goodies. The bread from Flour Power City Bakery was perhaps my best. Its been 5 days since I've got the loaf, and its still soft and tasty. Another interesting find was the Divino gelato made with the finest of fruits and served in the fruit itself. So its like a peach gelato is served in a peach and you can eat the entire thing.  Other brands on display were Bonne Maman, Squires Kitchen, Little Devil, Farrington Oils, The Saucy Fish Co. and so on...

Gordon Ramsay Bread Street by Royal Doulton

Photo courtesy Suchi

To date this is definitely the highlight of my blogging career- to have met THE Gordon Ramsay. We had an exclusive breakfast with GR to celebrate his new Bread Street by Royal Doulton tableware and took home a gorgeous coffee mug by the brand and an autographed book by the chef himself. We were so excited that when he came to talk to us, we just giggled like smitten school girls. The breakfast was amazing with Suchi's eggs Benedict topping the charts and my ricotta cakes with banana and butter a close second. The collection will be available at leading stores soon and since I've started with a mug it would be unfair to not complete the set wouldn't it? That's a hint Roshan :) 

With thanks to all the brands for inviting me to these events.

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Potato and chickpea cakes

Are you all enjoying the weather wherever you are? Too hot? Too cold? Too much rain?? or is it just perfect? Too many questions??? :) :)

We have had gorgeous sunny weather for the past few weeks and its been good. Well most of the time that is. I have been out galavanting with friends, attending events and generally being busy which sometimes drains me out in the heat. But I'm not complaining.. Work has taken a back seat for the time being and I'm glad it is so, because I really do need to figure out how to handle the backlog of work that has accumulated over this past few months..yes, you read it right, months. I'm slowly finishing it off and hopefully will learn how to manage time more efficiently. My husband would be very glad I've even declared this in public because he has the biggest issue with me not managing time responsibly and planning well.

Coming to the recipe. No offence to all the vegetarian, but I have the toughest time cooking for them. Its not because there are no recipes available, but because I suck at it. My vegetarian dishes don't really come out nice and paneer, potatoes and spinach are the only options I usually play around with. Its become boring and I've run out of ideas. This combination of potatoes and chickpeas however was a welcome change. The recipe is by Alfred Prasad from Great British Chef's Vegetarian Recipes and a very easy one at that. Few ingredients needed, can be put together in no time and you get a decent vegetarian starter.

I had a bit of trouble with cooking the patties, since there was nothing to really hold them together like egg white or bread crumbs. So after two failed attempts at getting perfect shaped cakes, I decided to try the method mentioned in the recipe (I know, I should have just stuck to it the first time) and then it worked. I happily ate the first two that didn't turn out well without any complaint though. The recipe is apt for kids, but I don't have kids and so chucked in a green chilli which was such a fab idea. Serve it with just ketchup and you have a perfect snack to please your guests

Recipe halved from Great British Chefs

Potatoes- 2 large

Cooked chickpeas- 100 gms (I used canned)

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Green chilli- 1, finely chopped

Coriander leaves- 1/2 cup, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Slice the potatoes into quarters and steam in a dumpling steamer for about 15 minutes or so. I find steaming much easier than boiling. But feel free to boil till tender and a fork goes through easily.

Cool for a while and then peel. Break the potatoes with a fork, but don't mash it completely.

Into a big bowl add all the remaining ingredients except oil and mix well using a masher or even better, your hands.

Again, they need not be completely smooth, a few chunks here and there is fine,

Heat the oil in a frying pan.

While that's heating, shape the potato mix into small discs.

Cook each cake in the pan, making sure you press it down so it gets cooked evenly.

Drain on paper towels and serve hot with ketchup.

Notes: Don't add a lot of oil, the cakes will only fall apart and make life difficult. The 1 tbsp oil was enough for all the potato cakes, but if you feel you need more oil, add bit by bit and fry.

The recipe calls for refrigerating the cakes after shaping them, which i didn't. I'm thinking this would sort the falling-apart issue.

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Tomato and cucumber salad with Fleur de Sel

Its only after I starter food blogging did I come across so many different types of ingredients and methods. Fleur de Sel, meaning flower of salt, was one such ingredient that made me wonder what it tasted like. The numerous recipes that called for Fleur de Sel, like salted caramel and chocolate tarts, I had no choice but to use normal sea salt since I just couldn't get my hands on Fleur de Sel.

Eco Market is an online marketplace where you can buy natural products directly from the sellers that make them. I think its a really cool concept and so didn't think twice when they asked if I wanted to review any of their spices, herbs, and seasoning. I had spotted Fleur de Sel on the list and thats exactly what I wanted. It came as part of the French stack from Steenbergs, a set of 3 organic French culinary essentials - Fleur de Sel, Herbes de Provence and black pepper. Neatly packed in small glass containers, these would definitely make a great gift for those with a culinary side. 

It was my first time with fds and I didn't know what to expect. I opened the bottle to find really moist salt flakes, and worried if it was supposed to be otherwise, I immediately wrote to Sophie, owner of Steenbergs. This was her reply: 

'No that is exactly how it’s meant to be. The salt is sun dried in traditional salt pans in the Algarve so it always retains some moisture, as opposed to factory dried which removes it all. The salt is part of the slow movement group and has nothing added or taken away.'

She also added, 'The Fleur de sel means it is the cream of the crop, the flakier salt that goes to the top of the pan. Not for grinding.'

That was so helpful and off I went to make something with the gorgeous looking salt. It had to be a salad, simple and summery with a generous sprinkling of fds. This tomato and cucumber salad thoroughly did justice to the authentic taste of the salt with the saltiness cutting through the acidic tomatoes and cool cucumber. The pepper container hasn't been open as yet, but I did use the Herbes de Provence for my roasted potatoes and they were delish. 

If you have tasted fds, then its very difficult to actually go back to using normal sea salt. That said, they don't come cheap. Although I would like to sprinkle it on every possible salad, fruit and chocolate, the fact that it is expensive and not readily available in my local grocery store makes me stop and think twice. But hey, that's what Eco Market is for right? :)

Over to the recipe. There is no precise measurement for the salad, you kind of eye ball it and add/ reduce stuff. 

 

Mixed baby plum tomatoes- 400 gms, sliced in half

Salad cucumber- 1 large, peeled and diced (around 1 cup)

Red onion- 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Oregano- 1 tsp

Olive oil- a generous splash

Lime juice- 2 to 3 splashes

Fleur de Sel- 1/2 to 3/4th tsp (adjust as per taste)

In a salad bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients, one after the other.

Toss them well so that the oil and lime juice and oregano gets mixed well with the vegetables.

Just before serving, sprinkle the Fleur de Sel on top of the salad and serve generous portions.

We had it with some grilled fish and garlic bread.

PS: A special thanks to Finla for the gorgeous bowl in the picture. Its been treasured :)

With thanks to Eco Market and Steenbergs for sending me the sample stack to review.

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