Other Sweet Treats Archives - Page 8 of 10

Croissant Pudding

20|11|2013

There is not much to write about a Bread and Butter Pudding since it is so popular and probably one of the simplest recipes that exist. I make it all the time for my kids with different fruits, nuts and accompaniments. It is one of those recipes that you make and eat without giving much thought to. Then one day while flipping through a cookbook, the words ‘Croissant Pudding’ caught my eye…actually it was the picture that got my attention. Neat slices of pudding cut and served onto a plate. The idea instantly appealed to me. After all looks do matter and variety is the spice of life! And for some reason nothing excites me more than a recipe makeover.

We are big fans of Croissants so the hardest part is to let it stale for a day. My husband was quite disappointed when he found out that they were meant for a sweet recipe and not being served with afternoon tea. However, the kids loved it and went back for seconds. The pudding is not too heavy or rich on account of soaking the croissants in custard for about an hour, as the original recipe stated. Serve it with fruit or cream or even caramel sauce. The best thing about this pudding is that it tastes great, warm or cold.

It has been a busy week for me and our weather has not exactly been the best. But I have been feeling happy planning my boy’s birthday and on account of a few things that have been happening to my blog lately. My Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin was featured on the Huffington Post and that made my weekend. This was exactly a month after the Golden Apple Ginger Cake was featured on the Kitchn. There have been others too but now I really don’t intend to blow my own trumpet. I just wanted to say that it means a lot to me to see all the hard work I do being recognised and appreciated. And to know that so many people out there give me their time…reading through my posts or pinning my pictures…following my recipes…I am overwhelmed…I am moved and I am ever so grateful.

Croissant Pudding (adapted with variation from the Delicious Cookbook)
Serves 6-8

4 croissants (preferably day-old), torn into large chunks
4 eggs
1/2 cup (110 g) castor sugar
300 ml milk
300 ml pure (thin) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
Caramel sauce, to serve
Toasted flaked almonds and seasonal fruit, to serve

Grease the base and sides of a 1-litre terrine or loaf pan and line with baking paper. Pack the croissants into the terrine or pan, then set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until just combined. Place the milk, cream and vanilla pod and seeds in a saucepan over low heat and bring to just below boiling point, then gradually pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add the orange zest and whisk well to combine, then pour the mixture over the croissants in the pan and stand at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the custard to soak in – this will make for a lighter pudding.
Bake the pudding for 45 minutes until just set and golden on top (cover with foil if it’s browning too quickly). Remove the pudding from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then turn out and slice. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with caramel sauce and scatter with almonds and fruits.

Date Night Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Ice Cream

12|11|2013

Whether you are about to crank up the heaters in the Northern Hemisphere or heading to the beaches (I know I am…our weather is just suited for that at the moment) in the Southern Hemisphere, I’ve got you covered in this post. Of course there are things that are neither bound by season or time and are great in any form. Yes, I am talking about Chocolate and unable to contain my excitement about this interpretation of chocolate, I just dedicated an entire Category to Chocolate recipes in my Recipe Index page.

Hot chocolate needs no introduction. I’ve added chocolate ice cream to it and the hot-cold combination is just so amazing. And to make it special or rather ‘Date Night’ worthy, I have added a splash of Kahlua. You can add any liqueur of your choice…I’m thinking Irish Cream next time!

Honestly, I was never intending to post this because my blog is about recipes that are carefully thought about and researched, experimented, given personal touches whether it is about creating them or styling them. And this one is a no-brainer! But the pleasure you derive out of this simple recipe just overrides everything else. So, whether you are on a romantic date or a busy couple looking for a quick little after dinner treat to share together after the kids have gone to bed, this one is for you. This has become our Friday night ritual..I make the hot chocolate while my husband is ready with two glasses where the Kahlua has been poured and little rounds of ice cream have been scooped out ready to go into the hot chocolate. We then race back to the couch to catch the dripping chocolate as it overflows from the glass. His glass is empty in seconds but I take my time enjoying the whole experience.

Date Night Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Ice Cream
Serves 2

2 cups half and half (1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk)
100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Kahlua or any liqueur of your choice
4 scoops of chocolate ice cream
Marshmallows/Chocolate Chips/Cocoa Powder to serve

Pour 1 tbsp Kahlua in two serving glasses and keep aside. Place the half and half and chocolate in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on medium heat and stir till all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth (about 5 minutes).

Pour into the serving glasses. Top with chocolate ice cream. Serve with Chocolate wafers or chocolate chips or a dusting of cocoa powder.

Kaju Peda. Indian Cashew Nut Fudge

31|10|2013

The last quarter of the year is certainly my favourite. From one celebration or festival to another and all the excitement in between. And with celebrations come great food…get togethers…some nostalgia filled cooking and the most awaited traditional dishes of the year. I am also fortunate that our beautiful Spring is just so perfectly aligned with this time of the year. Celebration is in the air!

Diwali, rightly called the Festival of Lights is moments away and I am in high spirits as I cook my way through the preparations for perhaps the most food-oriented Indian festival. I say that because, this is the time we splurge, we indulge, we over eat, we gorge on our favourite sweets. Could I be happier! That word you notice at the top of my blog title…yes, Sugar…I get to use it to my heart’s content! And there’s hardly a soul who would refuse at this time.

Talking of sweets the most loved sweet during Diwali are cashew nut based. Nuts do form an integral part of Indian desserts and people spend a fortune buying boxes of cashew nut barfis and other sweets to gift or eat at home. This year, I had promised myself that I wouldn’t buy a single one and make all of them at home. These cashew nut sweets are very easy to make and ready under 30 minutes.

There are hundreds of recipes for the Kaju barfi on the Internet so I wanted to do mine differently. My recipe is pretty simple and forgiving..there is little scope to go wrong. Rather than cutting it into diamonds, (which can be difficult if you don’t get the right consistency of the dough), I rolled out little rounds with my palm (Pedas) and inserted an almond in the centre.
The highlight of a celebratory Indian sweet is also the silver foil on top that gives it a shiny appearance. I have not been able to find it in Sydney so I have dusted it with icing sugar and decorated it with chopped pistachios and silver cachous pearls which is available in any bakeware store. Also, if you do not have access to cardamom powder, it can be made at home by running the seeds of 4-5 cardamom pods through a grinder.

Wish you all a happy, safe and prosperous Diwali!

Kaju Peda. Indian Cashew Nut Fudge
Makes 22-25 medium Pedas

250 g cashew nuts (plain)
1 cup icing sugar/powdered sugar
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup milk

To serve/decorate
1/8 cup icing sugar
22-25 toasted whole almonds
a few stands saffron (optional)
a few chopped pistachios (optional)
silver cachous to decorate (optional)

Soak the cashew nuts in 1 cup water for 4 hours, preferably overnight. Drain three-fourths of the water and grind the cashew nuts with the remaining water to a smooth paste in the food processor. You can check at intervals by rubbing the paste between your fingers to find out if the desired consistency has been reached. It should not be grainy.

Heat the ghee on medium heat in a thick bottomed pan or wok. When the ghee melts, add the cashew paste, sugar, cardamom powder and milk to the pan and stir to mix. Keep stirring till all the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. (It is important to keep stirring or the mixture can burn at the bottom). At this stage, the cashew nut mixture resembles a dough and is quite thick. To test, pinch off a portion of the dough and try to make a ball out of it by rolling it between your palms (like you would for a cookie). If you are able to do it with ease, then the dough is ready. If not, put it back on the heat and keep stirring to thicken up further. Also note, the dough thickens up slightly as it cools down.

Once you have the desired consistency, let the dough cool down for 5 minutes. Roll out portions (about 1 tbsp) of the dough between your palms to make rounds. Press the centre of the round slightly and insert an almond. Keep the cashew nut fudge rounds aside to cool completely. Once, cooled to room temperature, dust with icing sugar, garnish with chopped pistachios, silver cachous and saffron strands.

These will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Hazelnut and Pear Crumble

27|10|2013

As it turns out, I have had an overdose of pumpkin and pumpkin recipes lately. I really need a break and so I am turning to my favourite crumble for comfort. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few pumpkin posts lined up for you but at the moment I am a bit tired of this yellow-orange thing. Maybe it has to do with all the roasting and pureeing I have done this week..seriously I have never seen or handled so much pumpkin in my life. All I need now is CHOCOLATE!

This is an easy recipe. If you love chocolate, you should give this a try. I love the way pears take on flavours and pair so very well with chocolate. So, there is chocolate in the fruit and in the crumble topping. I have left little chunks of chocolate in the crumble so you can get little morsels of choclatey heaven when you bite into the crunchy topping. The fruit has a hint of spice, so that complements the bittersweet chocolate as well.

This crumble is based on a somewhat similar recipe I had seen in a magazine called Recipes+. If you are in a hurry, you can use canned pears instead of fresh ones.

Chocolate Hazelnut and Pear Crumble
Serves 4

4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2 cm pieces
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp mixed spice
30 g dark chocolate (for the fruit)
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
100 g butter, chilled and chopped
100g hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed and chopped
80 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (for topping)

Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Lightly grease 4 ramekins or oven proof bowls and place on a baking tray.
Combine pear, lemon juice and spice in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a plastic food wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until pears are tender. Stand fruit mixture for 1 minute. Add in the 30 g dark chocolate and stir.
Divide pear mixture equally among the prepared ramekins.

Place flour and sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter to make crumbs. Stir in the hazelnuts and chocolate. Sprinkle hazelnut mixture over the pear mixture in the ramekins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.