DIY Graham Crackers

Now I don’t have the same story as most others who grew up on Graham Crackers and loved them so much they had to replicate it at home. My need for making these crackers stems more from curiosity than a trip down memory lane.

When I saw this recipe for Graham crackers on Smitten Kitchen, I was fascinated for I had never seen a graham cracker recipe before (or more appropriately, never looked for one)! Luckily, I knew what Honey Maid Grahams tasted like for I had tried them a few months ago and knew what to expect. Turns out, these crackers were better than the boxed version! Nothing beats fresh, out of the oven goodies, right? I had them warm just by itself, but I bet it'd be so good with some whipped cream. They were a little more dense and a little more chewy, but very satisfying!

Every recipe for cheesecake calls for a Graham cracker base and because of the unavailability of graham crackers here I’ve had to use locally available digestive biscuits. Now i know I won't have to and the next time I make cheesecake I'm going to make these homemade grahams and really live up to the term "baked from scratch!"

Graham Crackers
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons / 375g unbleached all-purpose flour (I swapped 1/2 cup AP flour for whole wheat)
1 cup / 176g dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp / 6g baking soda
3/4 tsp / 4g kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tbsp / 3 1/2 ounces / 100g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup / 114g mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tbsp 77g milk, full-fat is best
2 tbsp / 27g pure vanilla extract
Topping (optional, I skipped this because the crackers themselves were sweet enough for me)
3 tbsp / 43g granulated sugar
1 tsp / 5g ground cinnamon

1. Combine together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.(Alternately, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender).
2. In a small bowl or a Pyrex jug, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it and chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
4. Divide the dough into two halves. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8th inch thick.
5. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, score the dough every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. As you can see, I just rolled with the flow without any precise measurements. Lift with a metal scraper gently, the dough is sticky.
6. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping, if you’re using. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough as well as the remaining scraps of dough.
   
7. Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

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All-time Favourite on Foodgawker: Garlicky Baked Fries!

Remember the garlicky baked fries I posted not too many moons ago? Well, I just discovered that they’re on Foodgawker's “MOST FAVOURITED: ALL-TIME” page. Yipeeeee! :D

Just want to thank you all for for being so kind. You guys are the best!

Won’t say much; instead I will let the recipe shine through some reader comments:

Anonymous
“Oh, these are absolutely fantastic!! I've made them a couple of times now and they will become a staple in our house. Another lite alternative to the greasy stuff!

My husband even picked these today when I asked him what kind of potatoes he wanted ("the garlicky thingies"). I adore these with Ranch dressing, it's give a cool touch to the spices. They make the whole kitchen smell delicious.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

A feast for the eyes
“OMG! I made this recipe, and it was fantastic! I was not happy with my photos (too much company, no time to really stop and shoot)...so I will have to make them again (darn) to get better pictures. So good! Thanks you so much for this recipe. It's a keeper!”

emmainab
“I made these tonight and they were a big hit. I baked them at a lower temperature for a longer time to coincide with the timing of the main course being served. I turned them several times. My new favorite way to shine when company is coming, or not.”

The Little Teochew
"Hi Shaheen, I made them today! Love them! Thanks for sharing :D"

Marteen
“I’ve made these twice already and I love them. These are the best fries I've ever made.”

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Peach And Cherry Jam Infused With Vanilla Bean

This has been a bountiful season of peaches and cherries; I’ve eaten boxes of cherries and a whole lot of peaches with honey but sadly, the season is coming to a close. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find good peaches. Every time I see the velvety fruit blushing away, I have got to buy it! So like a crazy girl I kept buying the fruit in such copious quantities, that I ended up with more of it in the refrigerator than I had space for. The wonderful idea of canning them dawned upon me.

I’ve never made jam before, so I read up a lot of resources before finally arriving at a recipe that would work for the fruits I had in mind. It turned out just like what I wanted - sweet and tangy at the same time, with gorgeous specs of vanilla and the sweetest fragrance any jam could ever have. This is testament to the fact that real vanilla beans can make everything better! I was a little worried when in some places I saw people use pectin to help set the jam, but the jam set perfectly without any of it.

I love this jam on toast with ricotta cheese but I’m already thinking of ways to use this in my baking!

Peach and Cherry Jam Infused with Vanilla

14 oz / 400g peaches
7 oz / 200g cherries
14 oz / 400g sugar (my fruits were very sweet) Use up to 600g of sugar.
1-2 cups hot water
Juice of 1 lime
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and the gorgeous caviar scraped out.

1. Stone the cherries and cut into two.
2. Dunk the peaches in hot water and then cold water to remove the skin. Cut into chunks.
3. In a jar or a bowl add the fruits and sugar and toss to coat. Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Add the scraped out vanilla as well as the stick. Also squeeze out the lime juice. Let this sit overnight or until 24 hours.
4. If you like a smooth texture now is when you can use the stick blender to give you a more consistent jam. I like mine chunky so skipped this step all together.
5. The next day, transfer this to a large post and let it simmer, stirring frequently for 40-50 minutes or until the texture is a little more runny than what you’d like (because, as it cools it is going to thicken). Add up to 1 more cup of water whenever you feel that the preserve is rather chunky.
6. Once cooked, let it cool. Transfer to sterlised jars to preserve.

Excellent resource for canning and preserves: “How to make marmalades”

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Black Forest Cookies

Move over, you 'regular' Chocolate Chip Cookie, I have found nirvana!

Right out of the blue, I came across THE most supremely decadent Black Forest Cookies in this new book, Baked. This has got to be the first recipe I've made within just a day of getting the book, and that says A LOT about how interesting the recipes are (I usually flip through the pages, narrow it down to a few recipes and then begin to think about making them). This book is not your average baking guide, but is filled with nontraditional recipes that incorporate quirky ingredients and take baking to an all new level. Not surprisingly, these rich triple chocolate cookies with cherries are fittingly known as Black Forest Cookies!

The Black Forest region in southern Germany is a beautiful mountain range filled with a gorgeously rich population of trees and lakes. Here originated the Black Forest Gateaux, which consists of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream, chocolate, and cherries spread between each layer. It also regularly makes use of a form of cherry brandy called Kirsch.

My Black Forest Cookies, however, use some interesting substitutes, while keeping the integrity of the original Black Forest creation intact. So, white chocolate chips substitute the whipped cream, dried cherries replace maraschino cherries and well, chocolate for chocolate.

Be forewarned, waiting for the cookie dough to harden over 6 hours will be the toughest part when you know the chocolate to flour ratio is 12:1 (Oh sweet heavenly goodness!)

(chocolatey, not doughy!)

Given the huge amount of chocolate required, I made a third of the recipe; not a very wise decision because I had to literally fight with orangefoodie for the last few crumbs of the cookie! I have already put a bright pink post-it note in the book to flag it as my super-keeper recipe!

Do yourself a favour, make these as soon as you can, for you're no chocolate fan if you haven't.

Black Forest Cookies
Yield: 24
Adapted from: Baked - New Frontiers in Baking

3/4th / 80g. cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz / 450g dark chocolate (60-72% cacao)
10 tbsp / 150g. butter
6 large eggs
1 1/4th cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. white chocolate chips
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. dried cherries
A tbsp of kirsch if you like (I didn't add this)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. In a large bowl set over a double boiler, melt the butter and dark chocolate together until the mixture is silky smooth.
3. In a KitchenAid bowl or another large bowl, if using a hand held beater, beat the eggs and sugars in high speed until the mixture looks thick and pale. About 5 minutes.
   
   
4. Add the cooled butter-chocolate mixture and vanilla to the eggs until just combined.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix until it looks incorporated. Another 10 seconds.
6. With a spatula fold in the two kinds of chocolate chips and dried cherries.The dough will look more like a batter - don't worry, this is how it is supposed to be. Refrigerate this for 6 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
8. On a baking sheet linked with parchment paper or Silpat, drop the cookies by rounded tablespoons or better still, an ice cream scoop.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, until the cookie looks set and a few cracks begin to appear.
10. Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit before transferring to a cooling rack.
    

Serve warm with a slightly gooey centre. Add vanilla or any fruit ice cream if you like. Chocolate, if you're pure evil.
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Book Giveaway + Banana Nutella Crepes

I can’t remember how I heard about The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry first; I think I bumped into on Amazon where it was listed as one of the books customers bought along with the one I was looking at. When I found out that this story has Le Cordon Bleu as the main focus, I was overjoyed! I ordered a copy immediately.

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry is a lovely memoir of Kathleen Flinn who pursued her long standing dream of studying at the world’s finest culinary school. Once her job let go off her, her boyfriend encouraged her to follow to go to Paris and said, “Do you want to be on your deathbed, wondering why you never went?” 24 days later, she was at Le Cordon Bleu.

The book chronicles her way though cooking school with a little bit of life thrown in (though I would have loved to read more about what goes on in the kitchen). Through the book you will have gone to Paris and back.

Inspiring, riveting and emotional – I couldn’t keep the book down (even while climbing the stairs to my office!) I loved it so much - I want to give a new copy of this book to one of you! (Rules follow)

There are a whole bunch of recipes in this book, but French haute cuisine is not for me (just yet :)). However, I did make the Banana and Nutella Crepes from this book.

Banana and Nutella Crepes
Yield: 8 crepes
Recipe source: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

For the crepe batter
¾ cup / 80g all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup / 250 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling for the crepe:
Thinly sliced bananas
Nutella (the proportion of this can never be defined – dollop them on the crepes to your hearts content.

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, making a well in the centre.
2. In a Pyrex jug or another bowl, mix together the milk and the vanilla.
3. Add a third of the milk mixture and the eggs to the well, slowly incorporating in the flour.
4. Whisk in the remaining milk and melted butter.
5. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Heat a non-stick pan on a low-medium heat and dab or brush it with a little butter. (However, if yours is a newer non-stick it will be fine so you don’t worry about it sticking to it too much.)
7. Scoop about ¼ of the batter and pour it on the heated pan, making sure it is not too hot.
8. Tilt the pan to evenly cover with the batter.
9. The crepe is ready to flip once the edges are slightly browned. Stack them up.
10. Now with each crepe, spread some Nutella on it and line with slice bananas. Have it the no-fuss way by rolling it up or simply fold it over like an omlette and serve. YUM!

Rules for the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about what you are currently reading or which book is next on your list.
2. Facebook fans and e-mail subscribers, automatically qualify for the giveaway. To up your chances of winning, become a fan of The Purple Foodie and subscribe to my regular email updates!
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the give away, making sure you include the link to this post. The more you tweet, the higher your chances! Each time, come back here and comment with the link to your twitter status to qualify.
4. Stumble this post.

The giveaway is open to local and international readers until the 25th of July, 2009.

IMPORTANT! Please leave your email address or twitter ID in the comments section for me to reach you if you’ve won, won’t you? Especially when your name isn’t linked to a blog/online profile.

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Spicy Mango Chutney

With the monsoons setting in, the mango season is nearing its end. While mangoes aren't my favourite fruit, I do have a special place for them because they remind me of childhood summers when I'd visit my grandma's hometown with her. They had a huge house and the area surrounding the house was thick with mango trees. I couldn't climb the mango tree (the most I could was a stunted guava tree), so I'd aim my hand catapult at the closest raw mango. Many attempts later, I'd get my much prized mango back home, slice it and sprinkle it with salt and red chilli powder. Simple pleasures of childhood.

A few days ago I had my last chance and bottling the summery mango in the form of chutney – an opportunity I just couldn’t miss! Mom got me chutney/pickle mangoes and I got down to business.

Mango Chutney

2.2 pounds / 1 kg firm green mangoes, pealed, skinned and grated*
1/2 kg sugar
5 cups / 1.2 litres water, more if you’d like it thinner
4-5 bayleaves
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chilli powder (spicy kind, not the Hungarian paprika kind)
1 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan add the mango, sugar and water and let it sit for about 30 minutes and let it rest.
2. Post 30 minutes, let the mixture simmer on a low heat for about 30-40 minutes. Keep stirring. Add water if necessary to maintain consistency.
3. Now add the spices and salt and let it simmer away for the next 10-15 minutes.
4. Let it cool and transfer to a sterilised jar.
5. This can be refrigerated but is best had at room temperature.
   

* You can squeeze out the juice from the grated mangoes by either putting it in a muslin cloth and wringing it or simply squeezing it between your hands. I kept the juices in because I enjoy the tartness, but my mom usually gets rid of it so that she can have her batch to be less sour. Plus, lesser sugar is used.

The next time around (which won’t be until next year!), I think I’d tweak this a bit with some ginger. I can imagine the ginger bringing in warmth and adding depth to the flavour.

I love this chutney spread on roti and rolled up for a breakfast on the go. Sometimes I like to add some zing to the dal rice meal with this instead of a pickle. This would be great with grilled chicken, too. Some even like it with crackers and cheese. I’d say just keep the jar in sight and eat a little of the chutney with anything you’re eating and figure out for yourself what it tastes better with in your local cuisine.

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Herb Butter Mushrooms With Smoked Mozzarella

A few months ago when a friend requested I make mushrooms for an office potluck, I was instantly reminded of a recipe I had from my rounds at the city’s chic restaurants where the chefs demonstrate recipes, let you sample some and give you copies of the recipe. I loved going for these and making local foodie friends. Most places gave a bag of goodies and even spread out a buffet of the food demonstrated (much to my glee). At one such restaurant, I had the most delicious stuffed mushrooms topped with Danish mozzarella. Full of flavour and distinctly garlicky - YUM!

So as soon as mushrooms were requested, I went looking for my recipe file. I looked around the house and ended up finding it months later(today!) in the loft where mum had tucked away a gazillion recipe cut-outs, food books and magazines of mine. I was ecstatic!to finally find my recipe file! Oh, but wait a minute, the entire set from that restaurant was missing - back to the drawing cutting board.

With some button mushrooms at hand today, I craved for those plump stuffed garlicky mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese and grilled under the broiler until just done. I had to recreate it.

I wiped the mushrooms clean, twisted the stems, chopped them up and brushed the mushrooms with some olive oil. Next, I minced 4-5 cloves of garlic with a few sprigs of thyme (excellent fragrance; getting there!), mixed it with the chopped stems and stuffed the mushrooms back with it. How do I make them plump and moist, instead of making them look dry after coming out of the broiler? I cut up some cold butter into tiny cubes and topped the stuffing with it, so as it heats, the butter seeps in and keeps the inside moistened. Next, I sliced some smoked mozzarella and topped the stuffed mushrooms with it. Finally, seasoned it with salt and pepper and pushed it under the broiler. In a little over 5 minutes, the cheese was bubbling, the kitchen was fragrant and the juice in the pan was totally lick-worthy!

These mushrooms turned out way better than I expected. The next time I make it, I’m going to make sure I double triple the quantity!

Herb Butter Mushrooms With Smoked Mozzarella
Serves: 2

8 oz./225g button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 sprigs of thyme leaves
15g/1tbsp cold butter, cut into tiny cubes
Olive oil to brush the baking sheet and mushrooms
1 oz./30g smoked mozzarella or Danish mozzarella ( I prefer smoky flavours, any day)
Salt and pepper
Scant handful of chopped parsley for garnish

1. Brush the pan with olive oil and place the mushrooms gill sides up with the stem removed.
2. Chop the stem and mix it with the garlic and thyme and stuff it back into the mushroom.
3. Dot the mushroom stuffing with cold butter.
4. Brush with olive oil and top it with thin slices of mozzarella cheese.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Slip the pan under a broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the mushrooms fragrant.
7. Transfer to a plate, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately!

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Oreo Cookie Ice Cream

I *LOVE* Oreo Cookies. And if you’ve hung around here long enough, you’d know just how much I love them. I’ve made cupcakes, Oreo pie with Philly cream cheese and brownies with Oreo cookies. It has now been quite a while since I got my Oreo fix; making a wonderfully rich and creamy Oreo ice cream seemed like the perfectly indulgent idea in this tropical heat.

I referred to Dorie’s recipe from her book Baking From My Home to Yours and followed the steps diligently after I had overlooked an important point the first time - instead of gently heating the custard, I turned up the heat and messy scrambled eggs soon followed. The second time around, equipped with an instant-read thermometer, I made sure to keep my eyes on it all the time. The second it reached 170F/76C, I took it off the heat. Another way of determining the doneness of the custard is to see that it coats the spoon. You don’t really need a thermometer for it, but it feels really cool do things in a scientific way - feels like Chemistry lab all over. Well, much better actually

This ice cream turned out beautifully; rich, dense and creamy. It is absolutely lovely on its own and even better with the Oreo cookie bits thrown it. Try it, you will love it!

Oreo Ice Cream
Vanilla base adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours
Yield: 1 pint

1 cup/240ml whole milk
1 cup/240ml heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
6 tbsp sugar
6-8 Oreo cookies, crushed

1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or alternatively in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar together until very well blended and slightly thick.
3. While the mixer is on, pour in half a cup on the milk-cream mixture so as to raise the temperature of the eggs. Then add another half a cup. Blend well. Do not stop stirring if you’re doing it manually.
4. Now mix the custard mixture with the milk and cream in the saucepan. Stir well making sure all the sugar has dissolved (it’s best to do this before you turn on the heat source).
5. Cook this ice cream mixture on a low heat, stirring constantly till the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
6. It should reach at least 170F/76C, and not exceed 180F/82C on an instant read thermometer.
7. Just as it reaches this temperature, remove it from the heat source and strain it into another clean bowl.
8. Stir in the vanilla extract.
9. Refrigerate the custard before churning into cream.
10. Once cool (a couple of hours or overnight) then churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
11. During the last 5 minutes, when the mixture looks thick, throw in crushed bits of Oreo cookies.
12. Transfer into a container, top with more Oreo cookie bits and freeze for at least 2 hours for the ice cream to be firm enough to scoop. Serve!

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Six Cheese Mac and Cheese

Six cheese macaroni does sound over the top. But you’d do this too if getting your hands on some good cheese was as big an event for you as it was for me. This past week, I stumbled upon a variety of cheeses at my local supermarket. A dull day suddenly became a lot more exciting as I kept throwing in slab after slab of cheese into my cart. Soon enough I began thinking of all the ways I’d use my cheese. Cheddar biscuits had been on my mind so I got down to making them first. A good mac and cheese was on my list next.

Of course I didn’t start with six cheeses in my mind. When I began thinking about how I’d make my mac and cheese, a three cheese pasta was where my heart was first. But as I put together all my cheese on the table, I realised I could be a wee bit dramatic and instead make a six cheese mac. Just thinking about this, made me a happy, happy girl. I made a sauce that would combine my favourite cheeses and be tossed with some rigatoni and baked until golden with a sage, breadcrumb parmesan crust.

Six Cheese Mac and Cheese
Serves 4 hungry people

Pasta:
250g dried pasta (elbow macaroni/penne/rigatoni)
Salt
Water

Cheese sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp chilli flakes/red chilli powder
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups/500ml Cups milk
1oz/25g Blue cheese (you could use more, I ran out of it)
10z/50g Goat’s cheese (mine had added herbs)
2oz./50g Smoked gouda
2oz./50g Colby cheddar
20z./50g Sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste

Sage, toasted breadcrumb and parmesan crust:
2 oz./50g Parmesan
½ cup Bread crumbs, lightly toasted for 1-2 minutes.(sometimes, I add 1 tbsp butter)
5-6 sage leaves, chopped (you can sub it with your fave herb as well)

1. In a large pot, boil the pasta till just about done or al dente. Drain. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan heat the 2 tbsp of the oil and then saute the onions for 3 minutes. Add the garlic. Continue to saute until the onions are translucent, 2 more minutes.
3. Add in the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and add in the flour and stir till all the oil has been absorbed.
4. Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until all the milk has been incorporated and the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the cheeses until uniformly blended.
   
6. Toss the pasta in the cheese sauce and add salt and pepper as desired.
7. Toss the parmesan, sage and breadcrumb together for the crust topping.
8. Transfer this to a buttered glass baking dish or a gratin dish and top it with the bread crumb mixture.
9. Bake it in a preheated oven at 375F/190C for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown in colour.
10. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

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Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

The last time I made biscuits I was quite taken aback by the results. How could biscuits be soft on the inside? Here, cookies = biscuits so I just could not fathom why biscuits elsewhere would be any different. I was a little upset because I had followed the recipe to the T, yet they didn’t turn out to be quite like I’d imagined (from Jill O’Connor’s Sticky Chewy, Messy Gooey). So, when I went to the States a few months ago, one of the things on my agenda was to try some Southern style biscuits. When I had them, I was RELIEVED! My biscuits were just fine by this definition. :)

Today I had some cheese at hand - extra sharp cheddar, even! (I’m so happy that a variety of cheeses are now available from a local dairy and that too, not exorbitantly priced). I went looking for a recipe that’d fit my needs of having cheese and not using Bisquick and I found this one at Food and Whine. These drop biscuits were so, so easy to make. The baking in the oven is the only thing that takes up the time. Mix the dry ingredients together, slice in the butter, blend in the grated cheese, bind it together with liquids, spoon them on a Silpat and bake for 15 minutes. Brush with butter and they’re done!

These biscuits were sumptuous. Salty and cheesy with a hint of garlic, these were so good that my dad asked me to make him another batch. And these are certainly not something that would normally be categorised under his type of foods. So the fact that he asked for me turned out to be the ultimate compliment. I'll surely be baking another batch pretty soon.

They taste best when served warm, fresh out of the oven. But in case you are left with some and they're sitting out for a couple of hours, just refresh them by gently heating them in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

The only thing I’d do a little differently is add some more garlic powder or maybe even fresh garlic for a more pronounced garlicky flavour. YUM!

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
Adapted from: Food and Whine
Yield: 12 large biscuits or 18 small ones

2 cups/250g all-purpose flour (unbleached or regular)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 cup/75g butter, cold, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. canola or any flavourless, odourless vegetable oil
1 heaping/150-170g grated cheddar cheese (sharp flavoured is best, I used extra sharp)
1/2 - 2/3 cup or 120-160ml milk (I didn't need more than 1/2 a cup)

For brushing on top:
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes or 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder.
2. Add the cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut butter into flour until it is coarse, pea-sized (doesn't need to be fine).
3. Add oil, grated cheddar cheese and the milk. Stir till well combined and holds together.
4. Make sure to keep adding milk a bit at a time, just until the dough is moistened and you can no longer see any raw flour.
5. Drop approximately 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet or a Silpat using an ice cream scoop or large spoon.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F/.
7. While biscuits are baking, melt 3 tablespoons butter is a small bowl with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and the parsley.
8. When biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Do this a few times - it's fun to watch all the butter getting absorbed into the biscuit! Use up all of the butter. Serve warm.
   

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Bagels For The Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge

A few weeks ago Nicole of Pinch my Salt tweeted about starting to bake bread from Peter Reinhart’s Bread Bakers Apprentice and called out to all those that might be interested in taking up the challenge along with her. I loved the idea instantly. But I didn’t think I could participate because the local bookstores didn’t carry the book. When I told her how I’d love to hone my bread baking skills but won’t find the book, she instantly offered to send me a copy! I was touched. With a little research, I found an online resource where I could buy this and didn’t have to bother her. But thanks, Nicole, I really appreciate the gesture. :)

The book reached me just in time to try something I’ve had on my mind for a while – bagels! I’ve made soft pretzels before and thought this would be perfect to start with since I’m acquainted with the boiling method.

Now, besides those pretzels, the only kind of bread I’m comfortable baking is focaccia and pizza bread so when flipped through the pages to find the first 200 pages full of methods and techniques, I was flabbergasted. Information overload! I didn’t manage to read through all of it and jumped straight to the page on bagels (not the best thing to do). I’m going to start reading it over before I start with next week’s assignment.

For the bagels, I tried a sweet version – cinnamon and raisin bagels. I followed the recipe as closely as I could but when it came to boiling the bagels, I forgot to add baking soda and so my bagel looked quite ugly. Also, the dough had risen a lot more than I expected so it wasn’t holding shape too well.

Learning from my mishap, I shaped smaller bagels the next day and made sure to add the baking soda in the water before plonking in the bagels. And just by the look of it, I knew these would be perfect! For step by step instructions, you must check out Nicole's post on bagels.

Let me tell you, after making these bagels, albeit with a few bumps on the way, I feel so much more confident about making bread.

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My Love for Books and Chocolate Cake

I love collecting books on food and I’m also pretty darn proud of my collection thus far. And it is something to be a little reverent about, especially for someone living in Bombay where the David Lebovitzs and Ina Gartens continue to elude the bookstore shelves. From all the books I’ve got, some have been happy accidents (my OH, from now onwards referred to as *orangefoodie*, found Garlic and Sapphires at a bookstore), some have taken months of following up (Baking From My Home To Yours) and some are now making their way to my doorstep (Bread Baker’s Apprentice), thanks to the new online resource I found that ships them all the way here. And just when I thought I had exhausted my options of finding books, orangefoodie buys me a book I’ve been dying to get my hands on, and how?! He orders it from Amazon and has it delivered to the hotel his colleague is staying at during a business trip to the USA, just to make me happy (and bake him many more cakes in the bargain)!

So which is this book that I really wanted? I’d like to continue saying all the nice things about it now, but I will come straight to the point lest you bounce off. Well, it’s Molly Wizenberg’s, A Homemade Life. After reading her dreamy stories on her blog, people saying many lovely things about her book and bloggers raving about her recipes in it, I couldn’t help adding the book to my wishlist. So when I finally got this book about two weeks ago, I was instantly engrossed. And then I stopped. Why? Because I feared it may get over too soon! I love her stories of eating pain au chocolat in Paris with her father; it makes me imagine doing the same someday with my kids. Then there's the little story of when her father taught her to be unbiased about fruits and enjoy prunes when the rest considered it unfashionable. And another one of her memories of eating her mum’s pound cake when they’d all go for a picnic to the park. All these stories made me smile. :)

Along with books, I also love a good chocolate cake. Something that has a lot of chocolate, more dense than spongy and wonderfully moist. Today I felt like making a cake to satiate my chocolate cravings. Now, I already have a no-fail chocolate cake recipe, but looking at Molly’s description of this being “a dark fudgy one with yoghurt for moisture, coffee for depth of flavour, and two types of chocolate,” I had a feeling I won’t be disappointed. There was but one catch to it; I’m no fan of coffee so there was no way I’d like my cake smelling of coffee. For this reason I substituted the coffee with hot milk. But if you are a coffee fan, by all means, try it!

Double Chocolate Fudge Cake

Adapted from: A Homemade Life

Yield: 12 cupcakes or an 8" cake

1/3rd cup/ 50g semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup / ml hot milk (or coffee)

1 cup / g sugar

3/4th cup flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4th tsp baking powder

1/4th tsp salt

1 large egg

1/4th cup / ml canola oil or any flavourless, odourless oil

1/2 cup / ml yoghurt

1/4th tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

1/2 cup / 75g bittersweet chocolate (more if you'd like a thicker layer of chocolate)

1. In a small bowl, pour the hot milk over the semisweet chocolate and stir till the chocolate has melted.
2. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl (if mixing my hand or handheld beaters), beat the egg until pale yellow, about 1 minute.
4. Add the oil, yoghurt and vanilla.
5. Then add the milk and chocolate mixture and beat till thoroughly combined.
6. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir briefly.
8. Pour the batter in a line 8 or 9 inch cake tin or lined muffin tin. When using a muffin tin, be careful to leave enough room for rising; the batter is quite runny and there might be spillovers! If you are using silicone cups, make sure to spray it with non-stick cooking spray so that unmoulding is a breeze.
   
9. In a preheated oven at 350F/175C, bake 20-25 minutes in muffin tin and 40-50 minutes in a cake tin, or until a thin knife comes out clean.
10. Let the cake cool completely before glazing.
11. For the glaze: Simply melt the chocolate and spoon it over the cake. Spread it evenly with a spatula.

Update 1: I made the cake for the second time this week. This time, I made an 8 inch cake with a ganache of white and dark chocolate - delicious and gratifying. You have got to try this recipe! And be to make it at least 2 hours before you want to eat it for the best taste.

Update 2: I've entered this month's Click photography contest for the first time with the first photo of this post as the entry. The theme this time is Stacks and stack of books fit the theme perfectly! =)

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