There is something about lemon

There are summer desserts (the ones with berries) and there are winter desserts (lots of chocolate and alcohol mixed in with spices). Also in between are the fall desserts (everything pumpkin). In India, fruits and vegetables aren't as seasonal in nature as in the West. But still, I understand the lure of the sweet tartness provided by berries in summer and the warmth of spices in winter.

If there is one type of dessert I refuse to sort is anything made of Lemon. It provides the required freshness and tartness desired in summers and also to me provides the comfort of tang in the winters. I see myself tucked into a quilt digging into a warm lemon pudding. It reminds of the summer to come.

Which is why I think I baked this lemon pudding cake twice, once in April for the boy who was moving to start a new job in a different city, and once again in Feb, just because.

Look at that above picture. Don't you want to grab a spoon, gather around the cake tin and just dig your way through it? Which is exactly what the boy did (single-handedly) in April, and what my roommates and I did recently.

This is kind of cake you would bond over, fall in love over.

This is also the kind of cake that will stand out in a fancy dinner party, just bake it in individual ramekins.

Go on, head over here for the recipe.

Flaming Chocolate Whiskey Cake with a Meringue Icing

I have been living by myself for about eight months now (not including my stay on campus during my PG), I have never really felt lonely or missed my family all that much. Except when festivals come around.

When festivals come around, I feel this need to replicate the customs of home. Obviously in my case customs mean food, so I am usually on the phone with my mother jotting down recipes as I try to re-create home. Ganesh Chaturthi had me making modaks (kozhyakottai) and Diwali saw me make coconut and almond barfi. 

Chirstmas isn't celebrated at home, but is a festival I love, because it gives me an excuse to listen to carols and to bake a cake. This time though, I decided to be a bit gimmicky. We threw a big Christmas lunch (16 people is a big deal for 4 girls who are used to cooking for no more than 4-5 people), and went all out with the decorations, so obviously the cake had to be at par. 

Presenting the FLAMING CHOCOLATE WHISKEY CAKE WITH MERINGUE ICING. 

I used the New York Times recipe for the cake. I would suggest baking the cake a day earlier than when you need it, resting makes it incredibly moist and beautiful.

Browned tops of the meringue icing

 For the meringue I looked up a bunch of recipes on the net and just whipped up 8 egg whites till they formed soft peaks and added a cup of sugar, and beat it till the peaks were stiff. No cream of tartar, because I don't know where in India would I have gotten it. 

The cake on fire

The cake was set alight by a cup of brandy which I heated on the gas till it became unstable and caught fire by itself. Once it is burning just pour it on the golden meringue. 

It looks really fancy, but it is one of the easiest cakes I have made. Do give it a try!

Pancakes

Bombay is expensive. We all know that. But you start noticing how high the prices are only when you live in another city.

In Ahmedabad, students like me can actually think about going to a 5 star for a buffet. And we do, regularly. To the Courtyard Marriott. The breakfast buffet there costs Rs. 450 and they also have a 25% discount for students from select institutes.

So the all you can eat features fresh fruits, salads, 3-4 kinds of cheese, croissants, muffins, breads, any egg preparation, Indian breakfast, some chinese-y things, a huge range of fruit preserves, a range of muesli and chocos and fruit juices, waffles and pancakes.

Their pancakes are great, I love having them with a generous dollop of butter and trying them out with all the preserves and jams.

So, this post is really about pancakes. We have all tried to make them at home for breakfast and for dinner.

I like mine buttery and slightly salty. This recipe is just that. The outsides are so crispy and nice and the insides soft. It takes a while to cook. But follow the directions and it will be heaven.

A cupcake shop!

I know a lot of people who love food, they are the best kind, and most of them want to have a restaurant of their own sometime in the future. 

Future.. when? After we are all done paying our student loans (me), having slaved for the corporate overlord and or having satisfied your parent's expectation of having a nice, well-paying and settled life. Everybody needs some capital to start a restaurant business, and according to Mr. Bourdain 95% of them tank. 

Honestly, I can't wait that long, or even to see whether it will succeed or not. So, I have decided to open a cupcake store from home, only for a month.

Why? Because Navi Mumbai needs cupcakes. There isn't a single cupcake store here. 

All that said and done now, please head over to my facebook page to know about the menu and to know how you can order. 

What happens when you have to leave your city

I have not blogged for almost 3 weeks now. It feels weird. It wasn't intentional, no. I just couldn't help it.

I left Bombay on the 23rd of this month to start my PG at MICA. Before that it was just 2-3 weeks of whirlwind shopping, goodbyes, farewell lunches and dinners and baking.

I have been at MICA for a week now and have had absolutely no time to come online for more than 15 minutes. Our classes haven't started yet, but the orientation keeps us busy.

I baked a lot (thrice) in the 2 weeks before I left, my waistline is proof of that. Here is what I baked.

It was my sister's 17th birthday, so I decided to make something lavish. This cake is called a Rich Dark Chocolate cake. Why? It has 250 grams of dark chocolate in it. This cake means business. It is a round hunk like gouda and has no allusions of being spongy light.

To make it a but more jazzy I slathered the cake with a Cointreau sugar syrup. Which is just equal measures of sugar, water and cointreau. The icing is a white chocolate icing from here. I added 2 tbsps of Cointreau to it too! 

This is what the cake looked like after 10 minutes of being cut. 

I had promised a Khushi that I would bake cupcakes when she visited me, in exchange for a ballet performance. I baked 40 mini cupcakes. The cakes were Devil's Food Cake and the icing a white chocolate butter cream icing. 

Then came my friend's 21st. So I baked yet again, last time before leaving Bombay. This cake was also the Devil's Food Cake generously doused in the Cointreau sugar syrup and topped with a Cointreau butter cream. It was a big hit!

Any icing imperfections can be hid under chocolate shavings. I learnt that when I baked this.

There! That is what I baked. I will post again about what I was fed.

My first meal in Ahmedabad was also great. A yummy Gujju thali.

How have you all been? Any views on mess food? My mess is pretty amazing. 

Mother's Day Special: Oreo Pie

Kraft buying Cadbury has to be a good thing. It has made Oreo cheap and widely available in India and I hope that they start producing other range of craft products here too.

My sister and I were obsessing over Oreo's since their recent launch. We would find just about any occasion to buy them. While thinking about making an Oreo inspired dessert, I thought of cheesecake, and while looking for recipes I found this by the Purple Foodie.

The recipe calls for Philadelphia cream cheese which is available in India (supermarkets like Hypercity) but costs a bomb (Rs.400 for 8 ounces). So I decided to make it for the big lunch I made for my friends and also thought it would be fit for mother's day.

Why Mother's Day? Well because after tasting it, my mother who was in a migraine induced half sleep stage, got up and came to me all bright eyed to tell me how awesome it was.

INGREDIENTS: 
Oreos: 45 (I ate 3-4 while preparing the dessert)
8 ounces/ 226gms Cream Cheese
200ml whipping cream
1/4cup melted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar

METHOD

• Crush around 28 cookies.( Make sure there aren't any big pieces left. Use a mixer is necessary.) Mix with butter and line the dish. 
• Beat the cream cheese with the sugar till it is fluffy
• Whip the whipping cream and add it
• Mix in the rest of the crushed cookies
• Pour in the dish and let it set for about 4-5 hours

Make sure you use Philly cream cheese as it gives a slight sour taste to the pie, which is just heavenly. 

Eat, serve and enjoy. Also, you will love the compliments which will come your way.