Red, white and blueberry cheese ball

Ingredients:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
Fresh herbs and blueberries for garnish (optional)
Assorted crackers for accompaniment

Combine all ingredients, except chopped red peppers, and mix well. Wrap cheese mixture in a piece of plastic wrap, molding it into a ball, mixture will be soft. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator and reshape into a ball as needed. Roll cheese ball in finely chopped red peppers to cover. Garnish with fresh herbs and blueberries, if desired.

Serve with crackers.

Makes 1 (16-ounce) cheese ball.

Baked Macaroni And Cheese

Ingredients

2 cups boiled elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely sliced
6-7 garlic flakes, crushed
1 large tomato
fistful of boiled sweet corn (optional)
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper as per taste
big pinch mustard powder (optional)
1 tbsp grated cheese for garnish
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnish

For white sauce:
1 tbsp maida
1 tbsp butter
1 cup low fat milk (room temp)
1 tbsp grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste

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Preparation

Cook macaroni in salted rapidly boiling water drain and keep aside.
Heat olive oil in a vessel, add the onions, capsicum and crushed garlic and saute till transparent.
Add the chopped tomato and salt
Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring once in a while.
Add the boiled corn and combine.
While the onion-tomato base cooks, prepare the white sauce.
Heat a pan, on low flame, add the butter and let it melt.
Add maida and keep stirring using a hand whisk over a low flame till well blended. Slowly add the milk, stirring continuously.
Next add the grated cheese.
On medium heat continue to stir until you have a nice smooth consistency sauce.
Once in a while, remove the vessel away from the heat for a few seconds and place it back while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
Keep aside.
Next add the boiled macaroni to the cooked onion-tomato base and toss for 2-3 minutes stirring well to coat.
Adjust salt, season with freshly ground pepper, mustard powder and sprinkle some grated cheese.
Turn off heat.Remove macaroni onto a baking dish and spoon the prepared white sauce along the edges of the dish.
Garnish with grated cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 mintes.

Ingredients:

White Bread Slices - 5

Sugar - 1 cup (more/less per taste)

Milk (preferably 'whole') - 1.5 cup

Clarified Butter/Ghee - 3 tbs

Cashews and Raisins - 0.25 cup

Elaichi/Cardamom powder - 0.25 tsp

Heat a skillet and melt 2 tbs of clarified butter. Roast the bread slices on both sides until lightly browned (you may use more ghee if needed). Keep aside.

Making a sugar syrup by adding 1.5 cup water to 1 cup sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Arrange the roasted bread slices in a deep dish and pour the sugar syrup over the slices. Allow it to absorb.

Boil Milk for approximately 10 minutes and gently pour over the bread slices. Fork the slices to break them down and become mushy.

Heat 1 tbs of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins. Pour on top of the bread slices. Sprinkle cardamom powder. Allow it to cool.

Tagliarini Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ripe tomatoes, or 1/2 can
• 1 can button mushrooms
• 10 dried red chilis
• 1 qt. Soup stock
• 10 pieces of celery
• 1 cup beef or chicken gravy
• 10 pieces of parsley
• 1 cup cheese cut fine
• 2 onions cup cheese grated
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• pepper
• and a little spice

Methods/steps

Plunge spaghetti into a kettle of boiling water; after ten minutes drain and rinse with cold water. Put on to cook in enough cold water to cover, and set kettle in a larger kettle of boiling water. Add the soup stock, gravy, button and dried mushrooms and their liquors, and the chile pepper pulp. Add bay leaves, celery, onions, tomatoes, parsley and spice, tied up in a piece of cheese clotn. Boil slowly for three hours, tightly covered, adding a little hot water when necessary, and stirring very little. Ten minutes before .serving stir in cut cheese. Pour into large deep platter, and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Be careful to have enough gravy and to remove spice bag before adding cheese. Prepare dried mushrooms by washing and soaking one hour in warm water. Drain and rinse, and soak over night. This liquor should be used.

Kaju Barfi

 

Kaju Barfi

150 gm cashewnuts
400 gm sugar
elaichi powdered
silver foil (optional)
500 gm khoya

Method
Dry grind the cashew
Mix khoya (grated) and sugar
Heat in a heavy pan, stirring continuously.
Once the sugar dissolves, add the cashew (powdered) and elaichi
Cooking, constantly stir till soft lump is formed and does not stick to sides
Roll on a flat surface to desired thickness and apply silver foil.

Shrikhand

Shrikhand

Ingredients:

 
1/2 kg. curds
300 gms. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pista & almond crushed

Method:
Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
Take into a bowl, add sugar and mix.
Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Making time: 20 minutes (excluding tieing and keeping time)
Makes: 6-7 servings
Shelflife: 3-4 days refrigerated
Variations: To make fruit flavoured shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron

Summer special Kiwi treats !!

Summer special Kiwi treats !!

Kiwi fruit Jam

 

Ingredients
3 cups sliced kiwi fruit
1 cup pineapple juice
1 packet pectin
4 cups sugar
A large saucepan
Sterilised jars

Method
Pour the kiwi fruit, pineapple juice and pectin in the large saucepan. Start heating the mixture, and slowly add sugar, stirring vigorously, until dissolved. Bring the kiwi jam to a boil. Keep stirring carefully and remove the occasional foam with a spoon. After 5 minutes, turn off the flame and let the jam set for about 20 minutes. Pour the jam into a sterilized jar, leaving about 1/4 inch free, and cork it. A slightly sour variation can be made by adding 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice! 

Kiwi fruit sorbet 

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
4 kiwis, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fine-grated lime zest

Method
Place water, sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and the mixture is clear, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Place the kiwi fruit and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blades. Process until pureed. Pour into a bowl and stir in sugar mixture and lime zest. Transfer to a shallow metal pan and freeze for about an hour just until firm but not rock hard. Scoop the kiwi fruit sorbet into a chilled bowl and whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Place the bowl back in the freezer for another 2 hours until firm enough to scoop and serve.

Badam Kheer

 Badam Kheer

Ingredients

Almonds (Badam) 1 cupMilk 4-6 cupsSugar same amount as almond paste (about 1 cup)Saffron 1/2
t.spoonKesari powder (color) a small pinch (optional)

Method Soak saffron in little cold milk, and keep it aside.Soak almonds in hot water for 1 hour. Peel skin and grind the
almond into a fine paste with 1 cup of milk instead of water.Measure the amount of almond paste, and keep the same
amount ofsugar aside.Cook the almond paste for 5-10 while stirring it constantly, till the flavour comes out. Now add sugar
and keep stirring. Add the remaining milk, and boil for 10-15 minutes. Add the soaked saffron and serve it cold.