Brownie in a cup - Microwaved

I realized I've not been fully utilizing the microwave. I've so far used it for just re-heating dishes and steaming vegetables and at times, making pulao. I always thought I needed an OTG to make / bake certain dishes. I am not a pro baker and my portions are going to be mostly for two. There are fundamental differences in the way a microwave and an OTG operates. If we understand this, then perhaps we can work wonders (on a smaller scale, of course. And I will also refrain from the heated debate - is the microwave good or bad)

I've been trying to lose weight and have been moderately successful. To celebrate a milestone I made this microwave brownie (recipe adapted from Cheryl Rajkumar's Kitchen Kemistry).

The recipe itself is fairly simple and calls for ingredients that we can normally find in our kitchen - Flour, Butter, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Chocolate syrup. What I didn't have was chocolate chips. Instead, I used about 2 squares of grated Bourneville (dark). I also reduced the amount of sugar(and hoped it'd alleviate some of the sin.). The original recipe called for 11/2 minutes but mine cooked in a minute. The cooking time varies with each microwave, so it's recommended to start with a minute and increase as required.

I brought the cup and fork to my bed, sat down to message Cheryl and even before I could hit Send, I'd finished eating the brownie. It was delicious and a perfect dessert for that late night craving without having to spend too much time cleaning up.

The experiments with the microwave have begun!

Amadora - A Gift of Love

So yes, after a hearty meal at Crimson, someone suddenly yelled ice-cream. We were stuffed so much that we couldn't even get off our seats but the mere word ice-cream and the word that followed "Amadora" made us all grin. We slowly pushed ourselves up (from the chair) and down (the stairs).

Amadora is located in the quaint quiet Wallace Garden, 3rd Street, Off KNK Road. Maaria was already drooling at the thought of the PB&J ice-cream. We walked the little walk and found ourselves staring at the myriad display of ice-creams. Rich flavors, different themes and then my favorite tables. Shaped in the form of a jigsaw puzzle, you can just stuff yourself in the gap and not fall off ;-)

Deepak Suresh, owner of Amadora, greeted us all. He scooped a bit of the flavor that we wanted to taste in little pink colored sticks and we lined up to collect them from him - nothing short of kindergarten kids, if you will.

I so wanted the waffle cone and was pleasantly surprised that Amadora had them. Deepak was tempting me into getting one but I knew I had to share (for the first and last time ever - I ain't sharing this delicious thing anymore) my ice-cream with the rest of the folks, so decided to cup-i-fy the saffron ice cream with slivered almonds. I don't remember who ordered what - but these were some of the flavors that I'd tasted - PB&J (peanut butter and jelly), Saffron with slivered almonds, Mami's filter kaapi, caramelized white chocolate (I simply loved this one).

If you are looking for some amazing flavors, and if you love a quaint little place, then Amadora it is, for you. And no, I don't have pictures for this one as well. Check out their FB page and drool all you want.

And yes, I am going back there for more! :-D

Meet the bakers - Part 2

I'm super hungry after reading an email from Nanditha; So here I am, gorging on some left over penne pasta in basil sauce, topped with generous portions of olive oil and some herbs, and I wonder - do all men like "penne"? ;-) Technically, they should also be liking spaghetti (oh but that'll be on a penne - if you get what I mean? ;-)  - S - I'm so sorry; couldn't resist this one *grin*).

Alright, now that the tummy stopped grumbling, I am going to concentrate on the main theme of this post. Part 1 of this series talked about the bake fest and the man behind it. This post is going to talk about one, no make that two, of the leading ladies of the event. (Update when I was half way through this: I decided each baker should have their own post, they sure deserve it, so this one talks about Nanditha of Sugar Hut Fame)

I'd sent her a 3 line email on what I was looking for, and she sent me a 3 page response. :-) No wonder, such enthusiasm  has spilled over in managing and multi-tasking a rock band and a dessert band ;-). The rock band called No idea is her first baby (I have no idea why she named it no idea; perhaps she has some idea? May be not?). Sugar hut is the second baby and going by the kind of desserts she's been whipping up, I'm sure she's partial to the second one. She's also a darling of the press and you can read the articles on her Facebook page.

Excerpts:

D: Why HBG?
NS: It is unfortunate that most don't have the kind of finances to open their own store. A shame really considering the mind blowing talent. While we all stick to authenticity and a whole lot of love  in our cooking, seems only fair we all get the same credit as those established restaurants, cafes and so on. There really is nothing better than home cooked food mainly owing to the amount of care and that personal kind of customization that comes only from those who really  want to please the people they care about. The thrill that comes from seeing the look on the face of someone when you have exceeded their expectations is just so rewarding.

D: Why the fest?
NS: It's not enough that we make and sell it, but the feedback is just as important. The reason KP and I decided to go all out on the Baker Showcase, with the help of Nikhil Moturi, is because of the number of bakers and dessert and baking enthusiasts who are now valued members of Home Bakers Guild. We never expected it to grow so fast. This made it easier for us to go ahead with this guns a blazing. The purpose of this is so each an every Baker gets the platform to sell their goodies and be judged solely on merit :). We have provided the platform and now it's about these beautiful talented women taking people's breath away. Not only do they get to show off their goodies to their heart's content but they also can ask for any help like about supplies and anything that will make their life a tad easier.

D: Advice to home bakers / participants in this event?
NS: What I would like those aspiring home bakers to know is that if you have the love for it, there is definitely a place for you in the food business in some form. :) It will be grueling but worth every minute you spend committed to it. I would say that The Sugar Hut is as successful as it is only because I aim to not only make something really delectable but also imprint in their minds a truly memorable experience. I think my fellow Home Bakers will agree :)

D: Your theme for the bake fest?
NS: The Sugar Hut will be introducing newer flavours like Lavender, Brownies and Cookies with brown butter, several kinds of cheesecakes, cupcakes draped in Salted Caramel,  Mojito Buttercream Cupcakes and so on. I'm looking to excite the taste buds with new flavours and combinations :)


OK, now I really can't wait for 30th. KP - Can't we do a sampling session earlier on? wink wink

Side note: KP: She did thank you profusely ;-)
Side note 2: She did thank me too, but I am just brushing it aside :) You are welcome :)


And ladies and gentlemen, that's Nanditha Sashidharan for you - Take a bow girl !

Psst: She looks as pretty in a saree, as in any other costume :) Loved you in the blue (or was that green?) saree ! 

Summer special - Kulfi

Who said summer ended in Chennai? The sun is on full action, even though the humidity has far reduced. And, it wouldn't hurt to dig into something sweet and chilled ;-)

I'd bought these small kulfi moulds from Currimbhoys, Adyar, a few months ago, and they were, for some reason, relegated to the back shelf. As I cleaned the kitchen a couple of months ago, I found them sitting there and had been deciding to put them to use ever since.

So, one evening when I was feeling pretty (oh yes, I feel pretty sometimes :-P), I just paddled around the kitchen - dumping about 3 cups of milk, 1 cup milkmaid, a few spoons of sugar (added later on, because I felt it wasn't sweet enough), some vanilla essence and coarsely pulsed nuts (pista, badam, cashew, pine nuts and whatever else was there in the tin of mixed nuts), and let it thicken on simmer. 45 minutes later, I let it cool, poured it into moulds, covered with foil and gently placed them in the freezer) and conveniently forgot about them. 


S always likes dessert after lunch / dinner and I remembered about the kulfis sitting in the freezer. What I didn't remember was the frequent power cuts ! I'd set the moulds out on the table for a couple of minutes, so I could remove them nicely (this being my first attempt and all). When I inserted the fork to pull the kulfi out, it was then I realized that the power cut had already melted it to an extent, so I could have removed it then and there. Still, I got the pieces out safe and sound.

Served it to S, who was curious as to how I got the liquid that was nicely served around the kulfi ! (haha.. with a sheepish smile, I had to explain the power cut phenomena). And R wanted me to get this to office DUH ! :P


And I got a thumbs up and a pass mark from S (and that's tantamount to vashistar vaayala brahmarishi :P).