Monday, December 20, 2010

Thanks giving menu - 2010

- Roasted stuffed cornish hen
- Paneer / soya chunk penne alfredo
- Tomato - veggie soup
- Spinach, mango, cucumber salad with raspberry viniagrette
- garlic herb bread
- Baked mushroom paneer
- Apple pie
- Pineapple grape cake
- Bread pudding
- Sugar cookies

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pistachio brittle

Ingredients:
Pistachio 3/4 cup chopped
Sugar 3/4 cup
Ghee or butter 2 tbsp

Process:
On a non-stick tray or aluminum foil, lay out the chopped pistachio.
In a thick bottomed pan, on low heat, heat the sugar and ghee/butter.
Stir the sugar to ensure it does not get burnt.
Once the sugar starts boiling, check on it every minute by dropping a tiny drop of the boiling sugar in water. If the drop hardens like a candy, take the pan out of the stove. This process will not take more than 5 minutes. Note that it is very easy to burn sugar so be very careful.

Pour this sugar melt on top of the pistachio in the tray (be careful, this is really hot!)
Let this cool down - it will harden like a candy.
Break into pieces and enjoy.

Kheer - from the 'Makhani' locker

Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 gallon
Uncooked Rice - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Sugar (to taste - next time i will remember to measure it)
Elaichi/Cardomom - 1 tsp or 10 pods
Almond + Cashew nuts chopped - 1/4 cup or less
Saffron - few strands - optional

Process:Grind the uncooked dry rice in a food processor (with no water) till most of the grains are broken. Soak the broken rice for 30 mins.
Heat milk in a thick - bottomed pan in medium heat. Add the chopped nuts, saffron, cardomom and sugar to the milk. (Add sugar in increments till you are comfortable with the taste - when the taste is just right, add 2 more tbsp of sugar).
When the milk has reached boiling point, drain the soaked rice and add it to the milk.
Continue to cook on low heat for 20-30 mins until the milk is reduced and the rice is soft and cooked. (Note: if you can identify rice grains floating in milk, you need to cook it some more).

Serve cold or hot.