Chocolate Peppermint Tarts with Currants & Berries

Ingredients:

For the Dough Mix

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling

4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
12 stems peppermint, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (from two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
6 ounces fresh red currants
1 pound strawberries

Method:

Directions
Make the dough: Pulse flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. With the machine running, add water in a slow, steady stream, until dough just holds together. (Dough should not be sticky.)
On a lightly floured work surface, shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).
Make the filling: Bring cream, sugar, mint, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat, and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 16-by-6-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 13 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch rectangular fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a sharp paring knife, trim excess dough flush with the edges of pan. Repeat with remaining disk of dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Line dough with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are dry, about 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until just darkened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks.
With a pastry brush, coat the bottom of each tart shell with an even layer of melted chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl. Let stand until softened.
Remove mint from cream mixture, and bring cream mixture to a simmer. Whisk in softened gelatin until it dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in yogurt.
Divide cream mixture between tart shells. Carefully transfer to the refrigerator. Chill, uncovered, until set, at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Carefully unmold tarts. Top 1 tart with red currants and 1 with strawberries. Garnish both tarts with mint stems. Slice and serve immediately.

EGG-LESS BLACK FOREST CAKE

Ingredients

Fina cake gel 50 grms
Flour 250 grms
Water 200 ml
Milk 300 ml
Sugar 250 g
Cocoa powder 50 grms
Whipped cream 300 grms
Chocolate shavings 150 grms
Sugar syrup 50 ml
Cherries 100 grms

Method

Take the first six ingredients together and mix properly. Bake the resulting batter at 200 degrees Centigrade for about 5 – 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and cool it. Cut into three layers. Apply sugar syrup on each layer followed by whipped cream and chopped cherries. Cover the cake with whipped cream and decorate with chocolate flakes and cherries.

Alphanso Mango Phirni

Ingredients:-

1 Kg milk
100 grams rice Powder
100 grams sugar
2 grams cardamom powder
250 ml Alhanso mangoes.

Method:

Cook sugar and milk till he sugar dissolves. Let the milk cool and mix Alphanso puree and cardamom powder. Add rice powder and cook till the rice is fully cooked. Ensure there are no lumps. Remove from fire and set in servicing bowls. Refrigerate a while before eating.

Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 cups pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
• 3-1/2 cups flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups chopped nuts, lightly toasted

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin, lemon extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Fold in pumpkin mixture. Slowly add flour mixture. Mix until completely combined. Stir in nuts and mix well. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Completely cool on wire racks or use 1-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. Raisins may be substituted for half or all of the nuts.

Dodol - Coconut and jaggery Sweet

Ingredients:

Coconuts (large) 3 nos.
Rice flour 1/4 kg.
Palm jaggery 1/4 kg.
Cane jaggery 1/4 kg.
Cashewnuts (optional) Few

Method:

Extract thick and thin juice from coconuts. Mix flour and thin juice and continue stirring all the time. Add some jaggery and continue stirring. As mixture thickens, add remaining jaggery and keep stirring. Then add thick coconut juice and stir, adding nuts. When mixture begins to leave the sides of the vessel and oil begins to ooze the Dodol is done. Pour into a flat plate. When cool cut into squares or diamond shapes.

Jalebies (Orange Whirls)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 teaspoon Bengal gram flour
1/2 teaspoon Fresh yeast
1 teaspoon Ghee
1 cup Sugar
2-3 drops Lemon yellow food colour
1/4 teaspoon Lemon juice
Few Saffron
As per requirement Ghee

Method :

For the jalebi batter:

Sieve the plain flour and gram flour together. Dissolve the yeast in 1 tablespoon of water. Mix the flour mixture, yeast solution, ghee, 1 tsp sugar and lemon yellow food colouring with 2/3 cup of water to make a thick batter, making sure that there are no lumps. Keep aside for 10 minutes till the yeast ferments.

For the sugar syrup:

Dissolve the sugar in ½ cup of water and simmer for 5 minutes till the syrup is of 2 string consistency. Add the saffron and lemon juice and mix. Remove from the fire and keep aside.

Method:

Heat the ghee in a large saucepan. The ghee should be approximately 1 inch deep. Fill the jalebi batter into a piping bag with a single hole nozzle or a thick cloth with a small hole in the center which is finished with button-hole stitch. Press out round whirls of the batter into the hot ghee working closely from outside to the centre of the whirl [approx.50 mm (2) diameter]. Deep fry the jalebis till golden brown and transfer into the warm sugar syrup. Drain immediately and serve hot.

Cashewnut Diamond Sweets

Ingredients:

Cashewnuts 100 gms.
Powered sugar 80 gms.
Cornflour 1 tsp
Rose essence 1/3 tsp.
Varak For decoration

Method:

Soak cashew nuts in water, for 1-2 hours. Then Drain and grind them to a fine paste on a grinding stone, using as little water as possible. Mix together the sugar and cashew paste. Cook in a karahi on a medium flame. When the mixture thickens, reduce the flame and keep stirring. When the mixture becomes thick and comes away from the sides of the pan (it should take 8 minutes) sprinkle cornflour, stir well, and remove from the fire. Immediately, mix in the rose essence and quickly turn onto a greased marble or wooden surface. Quickly, roll thinly with a greased roller. Spread the silver sheet over and cut into diamond shaped slices. Store in an air-tight container when cold.