Caramelised Onion And Goat Cheese Tartlets

 This is the tart you want to serve for cocktail party. Flaky,buttery pastry topped with creamy goat cheese and sweet caramelized onion. My mouth drooling while writing this particular blog..too much to resist. Frozen puff pastry comes handy and a saves a lot of my time in getting this delicious tartlets ready before my girls reach home from school. The girls enjoyed the rich and sweet caramelised onion and goat cheese tartlets for their evening snack and mom overjoyed watching them clean the plate in no time.

Ingredients

3 medium onions,roughly chopped
8 ounces goat cheese,room temperature
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp grounded black pepper
All purpose flour for dusting
Salt to taste


Methods

Preheat oven at 375'F or 190'C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a saucepan heat olive oil over a medium flame. Cook chopped onions,stirring occasionally for abt 15 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook till caramelized for another 15 more minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a small bowl add goat cheese and black pepper. Stir well.

Lightly dust a clean working surface with flour and using a rolling pin, roll out the puff pastry to a 1/2 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dough, scorch lightly with knive about 1/2 inch along the edges of the dough.

Spread goat cheese over the tart, leaving 1/2 inch border on all sides. Top with caramelized onion and sprinkle with thyme. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or till golden

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Egg Salad Sandwich

Easy to follow egg salad sandwich ideal for breakfast or a for a quick lunch. This egg salad recepi is one of the perfect egg spread for sane a sandwiches or crackers. Top them with a bunch of greens and crunchy zucchini and here you have a filling,creamy,fresh homemade sandwich. With just six ingredients you can make this healthy sandwich in a jiffy. I used French bread for my egg salad sandwich but frankly, any good bread will be great to go with it.

Ingredients

1 loaf of French bread
5 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp pepper,crushed
1/4 tsp paprika
1 zucchini,thinly sliced
1 bunch of butterhead/salad leaves,washed and roughly tear
Salt to taste


Methods

Boil water in a pot. Switch off the flame. Let the eggs stand in hot water covered for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from hot water, peel off the shell and mash the egg roughly.

In a bowl, add the mashed eggs,mayonnaise,paprika,salt and pepper

Halve the French bread, spread a generous amount of egg salad on both sides of the bread, Arrange butterhead leaves and sliced zucchini over the egg spread.

Serve immediatelt

Orange Sweet Rolls With Orange Glaze

As always orange sweet rolls comes with a rich orange flavoured filling but this time i'm baking orange rolls without filling. Too much orange in a roll is not my idea for a lazy Sunday breakfast. I want a fluffy, glaze dripping soft and sweet orange rolls at its simplicity.

This orange sweet rolls are lightest and best serve for weekdays or weekends breakfast. I got a dozen of sweet oranges resting in my fridge and i made a good use of them by baking this irresistible gooey orange sweet rolls and to enhance the sweet scent of orange flavour i made a orange glaze to drizzle over the rolls. The wholesome goodness of oranges in a humble sweet rolls for the extra boost of vitamin C.

Ingredients


3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp butter,room temperature
1 large egg,room temperature
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp salt


Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest


Methods

Line the bottom of 9x13 inch baking tray with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for 3-5 minutes or till the yeast foamy.

In a stand mixer bowl, add the flour,orange juice,butter,egg,sugar,salt,orange zest and the yeast mixture. Beat with low speed till and scraping down the sides of the bowl. The dough should be sticky and springy to a touch.

Lightly dust a clean working surface with flour and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a large greased bowl and cover with kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Transfer the dough onto lightly floured work surface and roll the dough using a rolling pin into 10x15 inch rectangle.

Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 14 even rolls. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray and cover them with kitchen towel. Let them sit in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 375'F or 190'C and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or till a skewer inserted in a middle of the rolls comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool them on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

For The Glaze

In a bowl, combine together the confectioners sugar,orange juice,orange zest and orange extract. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled rolls.

Serve along a cuppa

Ghee Ball aka Nei Urundei

When i think of Deepavalli aka Diwali nei urundai(ghee balls) is a must on our sweet table. Nei urundai is my father's favourite Diwali sweets thus, mom always make them in huge portion and store in a giant sized container. It will take only few days for dad to finish it off. He will snack them throughout the day...that much love my dad have for this cute little ghee balls. Wrapping them in a coloured paper has been a tradition in my household and during my childhood, i love to be in charge of the wrapping task/

Cardamom powder gives an aromatic spice note to the melt in mouth ghee balls. Golden fried cashew nuts added into the dough gives a nice crunchiness and the raisins compliment the rich taste of ghee in this humble sweet balls. Wrapped attractively ghee balls aka nei urundei is ready to be served to your family and friends

Ingredient

1 cup ghee
2 cups green gram flour
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 tsp cardamom powder
4 tbsp chopped cashews,fried till golden
3 tbsp raisins


Methods

In a pan dry roast the green gram flour for 5-7 minutes over a medium heat

In a large bowl, combine green gram flour,confectioners sugar,raisins,cardamom powder and cashew nuts. Mix well

In a pan melt the ghee and add ghee to the flour mixture little at a time and start making balls out of the dough.

Make equal size of balls

Store in an airtight container

Notes

The ghee should be hot enough to dampen the flour mixture so that it will be easier to shape the dough into balls.

Samosa

Piping hot samosas with a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day is a pure taste of heaven. Making samosas at home is not a difficult task with simple to follow methods. Crispy outer with spicy soft potato filling  samosas are mostly serve at roadside stalls and cosy restaurants. Samosas are one of many popular Indian snacks. Crispy,light and burst with delightful flavor samosas are great to serve as tea time snack.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp carom seeds/omam
Vegetable/canola oil for deep frying
Water as required

For Potato Filling

3 medium potatoes,boiled and mashed slighly
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger,finely chopped
1 green chilly,finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


Methods

For The Dough

In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour,salt,carom seeds,oil and mix well. Add water little at a time and keep kneading to form a soft dough. Cover with cling wrap and keep aside.

For Filling

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds sizzles, add chopped onion,green chilly and ginger. Saute till the onion translucent.

Add the turmeric powder,chilly powder,cumin powder,coriander powder and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add the mashed potatoes and coriander leaves. Stir well. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Mix well.

Make size ball from the dough. Roll the dough to a round shape with a rolling pin. Cut the rolled dough into half. Wet the sides of the dough with little water and fold it into cone by bringing both side of the edges to the center and overlapping the first.

Fill the cone with the prepared potato stuffing. Seal the edges by wetting it with little water and pleat the edges to secure the filling. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Heat oil in a wok or pan for deep frying. Drop a small piece of the dough into the oil, if it raises to the surface immediately, the oil is hot and ready for deep frying.

Reduce flame to medium, and fry the samosas both sides till golden brown.

Serve with a hot cuppa of tea

S'more Cookies

My very first blog in the year of 2015. Been exactly 3 weeks i'm away from blogging world and blame it for my hospitalization and the recovery process. It's a blessing to return to my blog and able to write my first blog of the year.

Enough story of me and we should talk about this gorgeous looking cookies. S'more cookies is one my long pending cookie recepi i wanted to try my hands on. Finally, i made them and it turns out perfectly. This cookie is the kind of gooey and melt in your mouth. The cookies packed with rich chocolate chips and gooey marshmallow bits and the goodness of graham crackers. No more campfire s'more with this one as the whole family will love it especially the kids. Serve with a glass of milk and watch them gone right under your nose.

Ingredients

3/4 cup graham crackers
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter,room temperature
1/2 tsp salt


Methods

Preheat oven to 350'F or 180'C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a food processor, crush the graham crackers till fine crumbs.

In a large bowl, whisk together the graham crackers crumbs,baking powder,all purpose flour and salt

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter,granulated white sugar and brown sugar for 2 minutes till light and fluffy on medium speed .

Add the vanilla extract and egg. Beat for another 1 minute.

Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat till well incorporated.

With a spatula, fold in the marshmallows and chocolate chips to the cookie dough.

Using a tablespoon, scoop and drop the cookie dough on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool the cookies for 10 minutes

Serve with a glass of milk