Wednesday 28 June 2017

Dessert Crepes with sweet Apple Jam...



"The Doctor's Fruity Fairytale"

     -Tasty Crepes with cooked
apple jam which is generally
 the stuffing for an Apple Pie.

"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."
-JFK

So where should I plant the seeds of our today’s debate...(Well. The only people participating in this debate are 'Me' and 'My inner voice'). My gut feel says that we can talk about failures and success. 

People who are able to risk their lives can make their lives. Similarly, I have faced many failures till my 54th Kitchen Chronicle. I have burned multiple utensils, wasted lots of my ingredients and injured myself which resulted into scars and bruises. These failures never dejected my will, they help me everytime during my cooking. Experiences are essential for fulfilling dreams...(Not the dreams we see during sleep. The dreams that don't let us sleep). Experiences are brought by failures and sometimes education...(YES, 'sometimes'). 
....(Blah, blah, blah... Essay writing accomplished) 

Continuing with my current blog on my latest experiment, I have named it “The Doctor's Fruity Fairytale". The concrete reason behind this name is that the flavors reminds me, my childhood tales and Malus domestica has a reputation of keeping the Doctor away. 

I'm a kinda guy who never dishonors his words...(I had experienced an adrenaline rush while typing this statement). Another fusion food from the depths of my Cerebrum


MY STATUS (Comment me your reactions)
For more such fusion foods and humorous conversations, be sure to follow me on the web. For more interactions, comment down below.


















Friday 23 June 2017

The Classic Apple Pie...

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
 -Mark Twain 



Pie isn’t a trendy dessert in India. Yet I got a chance to taste one in a Bakery at Shimla, India. A pie filled with delicious apple custard and lots of caramel and butter. It seemed like I was in heaven with many flavors of apple, caramel and cinnamon. Also I had seen and heard about pies in culinary TV shows and Youtube videos. Since then I was determined to try an apple pie recipe.



Recipes which fascinates me at the first bite, encourages me to invent new varieties of the same. This is the sole-purpose of my life. 

                                                                                    ...(Says my Inner Voice)


I am resolved to create something new from anything old.
-Abhinandan Mukherjee

.....(Can it be a quote. Comment me your views)

I had made two new species out of a single concept of brownie ("Where India meets Ghana" and "The Bold Blonde") and my next strategy says me to do the same with Pies. Be ready to encounter a 'Mutated Pie' whose genes are tampered.....(Trying to act COOL and SCI-FI).

For more such weird conversations with my INNER VOICE, stay tuned with me on the web. Comment down to interact with me, "The Chef with weird thoughts".

  


Monday 19 June 2017

Sweet Raw Mango chutney fresh from my Linguistic Roots...

Trying traditional Indian foods with indigenous spices are a vital part of my culinary dream. Raw Mango Chutney is a unique traditional recipe throughout India. Raw mango is widely used to make chutneys and curries due to it's unique aroma and tanginess.


This recipe is one of my childhood favorites. 'Sweet Raw mango chutney' is a must during the summer at my home. Its basically a Bengali recipe. My grandmother and mother are the ones from whom I have learned this. This is a kind of salsa that compliments best with Rice and Sabji.


Ingredients:-
  • Raw mangoes 2 nos.
  • Oil 1 tbsp.
  • Sugar 3 cups
  • Water 4 cups
  • Turmeric 1 tbsp.
  • Cumin seeds 2 tsp.
  • Fennel seeds 1 tsp.
  • Cardamom 4-5 pods
  • Cloves 1/2 tsp.
  • Red chili powder 1 tsp.
  • Garam masala 1 tsp.
  • Salt 1/2 tsp.
  • Chopped coriander for garnish

Procedure:-
  1. Take a wok or kadhai and heat oil on medium heat. Add some cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom and cloves. Let them crackle. 
  2. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala. Cook for a minute or so.
  3. Add the diced raw mango with a pinch of salt. Stir until they are coated with the aromatic spices.
  4. Put water in wok to cook the raw mangoes. Stir well. Let the water come to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
  5. When the mangoes are soft, add the sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Continously stir the chutney as it will thicken and the sugar will start to caramalize.
  6. Once the liquid turns pale brown, garnish with some chopped coriander leaves.
  7. Enjoy with rice.

Sunday 18 June 2017

The Chronicles of my Brownie Experiments #2


"The Bold Blonde"
-Where the boldness of 
caramel is determined



My adventures with Brownies unfolds with a close variation of brownie called the 'Blondie or Blonde Brownie'. I am so addicted towards baking and especially towards Brownies that I can't think a moment where I am imagining different variations with Brownies. I am a "Brownidict"....(Bravo! I invented a new word).

Guys who haven't learnt about my Brownie experiment series can click here. This is part 2 of the series. For part 1 click here.

This time, the hero of my film isn't a Brownie or a chocolate cake, its a Blondie. A Blondie is brother from another mother of the Brownie but substitutes the cocoa goodness with vanilla and brown sugar.

I want to call this tiny beast of huge miracles, "Nutty Blonde Brownie with a glaze of sweet-salty caramel sauce and an almond for the garnish".

Simply named by me as "The Bold Blonde".

Its a quite simple dish which comprises of two components. The bar and the caramel. The bar is just made with combining eggs, vanilla, sugar, brown sugar, chopped nuts, salt, flour and butter. The tricky part is the 'salsa de caramelo'. I personally feel that making caramel with sugar on gas needs some experience. As soon as sugar turns pale brown, add the butter. Let the butter dissolve completely and then add the cream. Mix the cream until combined and this makes the 'salsa de caramelo' (caramel sauce).

For more such frank anecdotes, be sure to follow me on the web. Comment down below to interact with me.

Monday 12 June 2017

The Chronicles of my Brownie Experiments #1

"Where India meets Ghana"
                                 -A plate where Mango marries Cocoa...

As I had spoken before in my previous blog about Brownie (click here to visit the blog), I had promised to present a new range of variations in Brownie...

 

The description for this piece of beauty is
"Ginger flavored Cakey Style Brownies with delicious Turmeric-Mango Sauce and cookie crumbles"

The mildly sweetened sauce complements with the cakey brownies. It also makes the cake moist and juicy. There is a crunch due to the addition of chopped almonds into the cake. Along with delicious textures, comes the fragrance of spices such as Ginger, Cinnamon and Turmeric. They bring a sharp yet soothing aroma. Overall this dish is truly mesmerizing and unique.





Thursday 8 June 2017

"The Mattar Paneer Edition"

Super Crunchy Mattar Paneer Toast in the middle and Mattar Paneer stuffed 'Ninja Stars' around the platter...

The spiced veggie mixture of Indian Cottage Cheese and Green Peas is a classic household diet of the Indians especially the North Indian. The natives of Indian origin may commonly recognize it as "Mattar Paneer ki Sabji". Generally, it is a tomato based gravy with cubed paneer and boiled peas with other robust indigenous spices.

Today I tried something creative rather than the same old fashioned gravy. I made a filling out of grated paneer, blanched peas, onion, green chilies, etc and used some between the bread slices to make Toast and shaped some into stars to resemble Ninja Stars. Then I baked them until golden brown and evenly cooked.

To know more about my experimental foods and the story behind the curtain, be sure to keep following me on the web. Comment down below to interact with me.


Wednesday 7 June 2017

Fudgy Almond Brownies with a creamy chocolate sauce to fulfill my hunger...

These Brownies are a wonderful delight. They can be referred to a cross between a cake and a soft cookie in texture. I believe that Brownie is a finger-food as it is popularly eaten by hand. I recommend them with a glass of milk. They can be served with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or just walnuts and almonds, just like I did...

Ever since I was able to speak and recognize flavors and fragrances, I loved desserts. Being a Bengali, sweet dishes were essential to satisfy our hunger, so cakes and pastries were one of my top choices. I had always wondered how Bakers made these heavenly foods like Brownies and Cream Puffs.

Today was the day I practically understood "How Brownies were made and the secret why do they melt in the mouth".

For this, I won't upload a recipe as 'Brownie recipes on the web are like Bees in a colony'. Rather than that in the near future, I plan to reconstruct brownies into a whole new modified range of desserts and fusion foods.

So be sure to keep following me on the internet for the upcoming fusion foods and unique recipes. Comment down below to interact with me.


Tuesday 6 June 2017

Classic Garlic Bread just like the Domino's...

          

Today I tried reconstructing the Domino's Garlic Bread. For this I started with making a sticky dough. This bread was made using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour in order to make it healthier.

     Making the dough right is a crucial step for this bread. Using yeast increases the flavors of the bread. Instead of chopped Garlic, I used instant garlic paste. 

     After the dough rested for around two hours, it had doubled in bulk and possessed a great aroma. For additional flavors, I took some oil, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, black pepper and chili flakes and massaged the dough along the spices. 

     I had used corn meal to roll the dough flat as it gives a crunchy texture. Shaped the flat dough and had cut some marks to make breadsticks, I baked the bread at 200°C for 15-20 minutes. 

For more Culinary Short Stories, keep following me on the web. Comment down below for more interactions.



Friday 2 June 2017

Baked Samosas for evening snacks...

I have always enjoyed eating roadside street food as its a trend in India. Street foods in India are quiet unhygienic and unhealthy due to lack of cleanliness, low use of quality ingredients and pollution. Samosas are one of the most popular street foods and my most favorite ones still I try to avoid them as they are deep fried and very high on calories. Today I tried duplicating the one of the many "Wonders of Indian Cuisine" in my kitchen. To cut down the calories, instead of deep frying them in oil I just brushed them with little oil and baked them until golden brown and super crunchy.

They contain a potato-onion filling. The filling is made by sauteing finely chopped onion with cumin seeds, fennel seeds, asafoetida, ground pepper, coriander powder, salt and turmeric in some oil. Then adding the boiled potatoes and sauteing for about 2 minutes results into a simple yet flavorful filling.These samosas are a wonderful delight and can be enjoyed with any kind of green chutney or just tomato ketchup.

For more such kitchen chronicles keep following me on the web. Comment down to interact with me

Thursday 1 June 2017

Toffee and Chocolate Brazilian Truffles...

Toffee and Chocolate Brazilian Truffles a.k.a Brigadeiros made from Condensed Milk, some Butter Toffees and crumbled Chocolate Biscuits.They are quiet chewy yet flavorful.