Almond Tuile..or is it a Taco!

I had discovered the 'tuiles aux amandes' while on a visit to Paris 2 years ago. I shall blog about it in another post, but since that day, I am in love with this yet another French treat! But a wonderful twist to this biscuit came in the form of a dessert at a restaurant here in Zurich. It was a giant tuile - probably better to call it a taco, filled with fresh fruits, served with some chocolate sauce! It was wonderful! And the tuile was very light! The entire dessert made for such a wonderful end to an excellent meal.
I looked up the net, and found just the perfect dessert for the odd day when I have a lot of fresh fruit that I want to deck up and serve. Here is the quick and easy (of course!) recipe

- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 3 tablespoons sugar(of course you could double or triple(quadruple?) the sugar!)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
- Fresh fruit
- Chocolate sauce - either a ready made one - or melt your favourite chocolate!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, add in the almond meal (you could use almonds as well, and grind them to a powder), sugar, water and blitz for a few seconds. You should get a paste that is not too runny, but not stiff either - some sort of a goopy consistency means you are good to go. Line the baking sheet with wax/parchment paper. Drop the batter (batter?) onto the sheet, and spread it out into a thin circle - make the biscuit as thin as you can - the oven will do the rest.
Bake it for about 10 minutes. As soon as it is out of the oven, take the wax paper with the biscuit and make it into a U shape. Let it rest like that - you could place the sheet between 2 glasses or something. This is what will give you the taco shape.
Once cooled, place it on a plate with some chocolate sauce, fill in the taco with fruit, throw in a mint leaf for colour. There you have it. A light and refreshing dessert with all the goodness of almonds and chocolate. Share

Jelly roll

Do not forget to enter for the $100 giveaway on this blog. Open internationally! Link available here!

After my 2 ambitious and failed experiments, I decided to make something simple. And this is probably that last of my summer berry-licous posts! This time it is blackberries that I used. As usual, it can be replaced with any berry, even a frozen one. In fact, any kind of fruit preserve goes great here as well. A Jelly roll, also known as a 'Swiss Roll' or just a Roulade. Even though it is called a Swiss Roll, it isn't really a cake that originated in Switzerland - just happens to be one of those things where adding the word 'Swiss' would imply quality, precision and elegance. Not sure why we need them for a recipe as simple and quick as this!

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the cake tin by lining it with aluminium foil and grease it with oil/butter/cooking spray. Use a larger than usual cake tin for this recipe. I used a cookie sheet because this cake needs to be thin and long.


Here is how I made it. You need
3 eggs
1/3 cup water
3/4 cups flour
powdered sugar
1 cup blackberries.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar + 2 tablespoon for making the jelly (As usual, you may want to increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. I don't like it to be overly sweet.)
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (Or vanilla extract if you have)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Take a large bowl and begin adding the ingredients. First crack the eggs, and beat them so they are light and airy. Add in the sugar and continue beating. Now add the water and vanilla. Now slowly add in the sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Continue beating. Once it is all mixed in, pour it into your prepared cake tin. Bake for about 15 minutes. Once done, take it out of the oven. While still hot, take the cake out of the tin, and roll it up. I used a kitchen towel to hold the cake as I couldn't handle the hot cake. Once rolled, allow it cool for about 10 mins.
Prepare your jelly filling. Wash the blackberries, and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Use a muddler to crush the blackberries until they are reach a slight jelly consistency and are spreadable.
Unroll the cake, spread your jelly evenly, and roll the cake again. Sprinkle some powdered sugar, and enjoy!

Share

My beloved Citrus press

So you know about my love for a good, nutritious and healthy diet. ( I wanted to add 'fit' or 'fitness' also somewhere in the sentence, but alas I can't remember when I last worked out, so have to give it a miss for now..). Ok, so I think I am quite committed to eating and feeding my people nutritious meals. Of course my husband would argue that I use this excuse each time I am at the kitchen section at Manor gazing at the 'ultimate kitchen tool'. Haha...that would actually be quite true. I love to buy kitchen equipment making myself believe that this is just the kind of equipment I need to combat my laziness.

Anyways, so having experimented with a couple of heavy duty mixer-grinders for juices etc, I figured I am no good at it, and the Magic bullet is just what I need. But you see, it ain't good enough to juice an orange or the oh-so-nutritious grapefruit. (Of course, it's no good even at chopping onions, but we'll see to it some other time!)

So when this fabulous little (little?) equipment caught my eye, I decided to get it. A citrus press. It is not a machine - just a manual press that is quite sturdy, and the best part is that it is completely mess-free. Just halve your fruit, place it on the juicer, and press real hard. Voila, you have a fresh and refreshing glass of OJ!. Of course the juice you see in the picture here is not from the same oranges you see in the picture! We had only 2 of those 'orange' oranges left, so we used another variety which was quite yellow in colour (forget which one though). Needless to say, taking the picture took a lot longer than actually making the juice! :)
Anyways, there you have it - our latest acquisition on the road to a healthy diet. Share

Where did it go?

Where did it go? Summer! Why so early? I guess it's never too early for fall! Today is kind of an official start of fall. We have this end of summer festival in Zurich on September 15 of each year..which is the last of those beer-glugging-wurst-eating-cowboy-hat-wearing-half-naked crowd swinging away to some random beats! (That was a long one!).

Well we can't stop the summer, but surely can celebrate the onset of fall! The changing flora, the cozy evenings, cool mornings, bonfires..hot chocolate, pies, hearty soups and stews! And of course Halloween, Thanksgiving (and the Black Friday), Christmas and then New Year..

It is the beginning of change. Sure you'll see it here too..my berries are most likely to be replaced by chocolate! Apple, cinnamon, chocolate, mulled wine are to winter what berries, peaches, watermelons and mangoes are to summer!

Let us all enjoy the last few of those sunny and long days that we have on offer..and bring on the limoncellos, the barbecued fish, maybe some refreshing green salads..
umm..one more mojito for me pleese..hic Share

Nectarine Pie

After all my posts with berries, I thought of posting something with other summer fruits as well - no I am not done yet with berries - not until they completely disappear from the fresh fruit section of my grocery store! Just using more fruits in my recipes. This time it is nectarines - a nectarine pie. Usually when I think pie, I think pumpkin pie and of course, I think Thanksgiving. (yes, the name is awfully close to this very blog - http://snacksgiving.blogspot.com/)
Pies for me are usually a winter thing. But it's been a while since I made one, and nectarines and peaches are wonderful in pies. So that is what I made.
Of course I never go to the extent of making the pie crust myself - that is just too tedious and time consuming. Buying from the store is what I always do, and recommend as well!
So with the pie crust sorted - it's as easy as 1,2,3! Here is what you need



- 6 nectarines
- 1/2 cup sugar (I don't like my desserts too sweet, so I usually add a little less than that)
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- A ready rolled chilled pie crust

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F. Wash and slice your nectarines thinly. In a bowl mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Toss in the nectarines and mix gently for half a minute or so. Roll out your pie crust and place it into your pie pan. Mine was ready rolled in an over proof pan, so it was a breeze.
With a rubber spatuala, scrape the nectarines on to the pie, leave a few to be the top garnish. I placed the top ones as neatly as could, so they look good. Bake the pie 375F for 30-40 minutes. Once cooled, sprinkle some powdered sugar so it looks prettier!
This post goes to the Summer Holidays With Vacation Food event. Share

Raspberry smoothie

I think I have written enough in praise of berries in my earlier posts, that I love them, and how one look at all of them together is a celebration of summer itself! At the risk of repeating myself - 'I love berries' - all kinds! My favourite ones are blueberries but raspberries make for such a lush and rich red drink, or for garnish, along with strawberries, that I love them simply for their colour!

When I had bought my Magic bullet , I thought smoothies and juices would now be the order of the day. I guess I was on a high from reading all those 'Power juice' and 'Fasting with juice' books and how it will detoxify my system, make me 'live a fuller life' etc. I think I was just being too ambitious thinking I'd accomplish that! I still do have the intention of making a healthy concoction with veggies and fruits every morning, but it has remained just that - an intention!

Smoothies with fruits like berries are such a breeze! No peeling, no deseeding, no mess at all. Guess that's why I always have at least one berry in my weekend shopping basket.

Anyways, this is just one of the smoothies me and my husband are addicted to these days. Here's how I made it.






The ingredients are :
- 1 and 1/2 cup fresh raspberries. Of course you can thaw and use frozen raspberries too.
- 1 medium sized ripe banana
- 1/4 cup + about 2 tablespoons milk. I use whole milk.
- Sugar if you need, according to your taste.

The banana I used was nicely ripe and gave the smoothie just enough sweetness, so I didn't use any sugar at all.
So it's as easy as blitzing it all together into a lush red smoothie. Try it, you'd love it! Share

Blackberry cake

Do not forget to enter for the $100 giveaway on this blog. Open internationally! Link available here!

When I picked up a basket of blackberries this weekend, I was thinking more on the lines of blackberry coulis drizzled over an angel food cake, pancake, or just about anything sweet. But while I was grocery shopping, I saw this new ad showing a cup of coffee and a big slice of cake with all kinds of berries in it! I would have stopped and eaten it up right there - but I was alone, and eating alone isn't much fun as we all know. Also, I managed to prove one thing to myself - the oft-repeated "Do not go grocery shopping when you are hungry". I can tell you - nothing can be more true!
Anyways, so I came home and decided to make a cake, and eat it too! A blackberry cake. This is the version I made - although I usually prefer making a simple cake - like an angel food cake and dress it up with some cream cheese and berries. Here is the recipe


1/2 cup butter
1 cup fresh blackberries - washed and completely dried
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is lovely, although the powdered one works fine)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger powder
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees, grease your cake tin and sift the flour, and all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Now cream the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, and continue beating. Add the flour mix slowly and gently mix it into the butter-egg mixture. Add the buttermilk slowly else it will cause lumps to be formed. Gently fold in the blackberries. Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 55 minutes. Once done, add your choice of icing. I really couldn't wait to eat it up, so just sprinkled some powdered sugar, and chocolate gratings.

Of course, the berries never made it to a coulis :)

Share

Mango lassi

Ever seen that advert on CNN where they use a washing machine to churn out mango lassis but the bucketfuls? Never mind. Well I'm pretty sure that a washing machine is certainly not the must-have equipment for a good ole' mango lassi! Let's just leave it to doing what it does best!
Mango lassi is a sweet creamy yoghurt drink from India. And there is no reason why you should have it only when dining in an Indian/Thai restaurant. Try it at home, it is even more tasty when you make it yourself :)
There are 2 main ingredients in the lassi - mangoes and yoghurt. This drink tastes best if you use a variety of mango called the 'Alphonso'. They are only seen in Indian stores for about 2-3 months, and are a bit on the expensive side. But trust me, once you have had this fruit, you cannot but help get addicted to it. It is soo good! Just try it once, and you'll know what I mean. Now is the season to rush out and grab yourself a box (maybe 2). If you cannot find fresh mangoes, you 'could' use mango pulp from a can - but really, nothing beats the real deal.
Ok, so let's talk about the remaining ingredients




- 1 cup yoghurt.
- 1 cup ripe alphonso mango - peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons water(optional - use it only if you want a lighter consistency)
- A teaspoon each of chopped pistachio and almonds
- A pinch of cardamom powder
- 4 teaspoon sugar - adjust it according to the sweetness of the mango. If you are using mango pulp from a can, keep in mind that it is usually already sweetened, so you may not need the sugar at all.

Blend the mango, yoghurt, water. Taste it, and add sugar and/or water if you like. Pour it into your serving glass and garnish with the cardamom and nuts.

Share

Blueberry pancake

I am back with another of my summer breakfast staples. And no prizes for guessing - if it's summer can berries be far behind? Blueberry pancake. Made with fresh blueberries. Of course it can be a winter pancake too - you'd just have to substitute with the frozen berries - thawed of course.
Yes, we all know how to make a batch of nice, light and airy pancakes - no one needs a course on that. But what I like about the way this version is made is the way egg whites are used. Usually, you would sift the dry ingredients, beat the egg, milk and butter, and then combine the two. That is perfect! But this one needs the egg whites to have soft peaks - and that too contributes greatly to the airy and fluffy texture along with the baking powder giving a perfect pancake!

So here is how I make it



- Take about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries - washed and dried.
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg (seperated)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablepoon oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar

Seperate the egg yolk and white, and keep the white in a clean dry bowl.

Add the sugar to the egg yolk, and whisk it a bit. Add the milk and whisk it again. Now sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the egg yolk mix, and combine slowly. Do not mix it too much since it will make the batter glutinous and you will have a stiff rubbery pancake. Switch on the gas now and put it on medium high. Now quickly beat the egg white till it forms soft peaks, and fold into the flour mixture. Make sure you use a clean whisk to beat the egg whites - else you wouldn't get the peaks.

Add a few drops of oil on your hot pan, and place a dollop of the pancake batter. Place a few blueberries on the pancake. Turn it after about 1 minute or so of cooking, and let the side with the blueberries cook for another 30 seconds or so.
Serve with a knob of butter, and maple syrup or honey. Share

Blueberry cake

The farmers markets in summer are such a riot of colours! Just walking past it inspires me to make all kinds of fruit compotes, berry muffins, sangrias, mojitos and ratatouille. Wow! I love summer - well, who doesn't!

So I picked up some blueberries - they have to be my favourite berry - they aren't too tart and go excellent in any dessert. I am thinking cheesecake, muffins, pies, cobblers, shortcakes ... quite an endless and mouthwatering list.
Since berries have a very short shelf life, I decided to use them up in a cake while they are at their best. Sure you could use frozen blueberries too - just remember to thaw them. So herez how its made.




2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract(Since we don't get vanilla extract, I used vanilla beans this time. Usually I use vanilla sugar)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup blueberries
I don't use a mixer for this recipe, so its important to whip the egg nicely, and sift the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and the dry ingredients, and then gently fold in the blueberries. Pour to a greased cake tin, or better a silicon one. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes. Do the usual test - if a toothpick comes out clean you're done. They are great when served straight from the oven, and had with coffee. Share

Blueberry and peach Clafoutis

Clafoutis. No not 'klafootis', but its French so pronounce it 'klafutee'. Doesnt it sound beautiful, chic and sort of romantic? Actually all of French is so poshly romantic. I mean the language :). Oh and Paris too. Chic haute cuisine par excellence. Its all French. But the French fries are in no way french. They wouldnt give the fries a name so bland. I thought it must be an American version. A bit of googling later - its Belgian. The Swiss dont bother crediting any country though - we here simply call it Pommes Frites - meaning potato fries. Simple.

Today I wasnt in the mood to make crepes for breakfast. But was looking for something sweet and easy. And have the 3 buzzwords I look for in a recipe - nutritious, easy and tasty.

Clafoutis is a dessert, sort of like a baked custard traditionally made with cherries, but then who'd bother with pitting all the cherries. I used whole wheat flour, blueberries and peaches in my version. Herez how I made it


1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 and 1/4 cup whole milk
3 eggs
About a cup of blueberries
1 peach.
and of course the usual pinch of salt and vanilla essence. For some reason we dont get vanilla extract in bottles here in Switzerland the way it is available the world over (that, and packed brown sugar too ..sigh..). So I either use a table spoon of vanilla sugar instead or a vanilla bean.
And about a cup of blueberries, and 1 peach.

Mix up flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, milk and salt. Whisk it a bit. Add eggs. Whisk again. And you're almost there. Cut the peaches, wash the blueberries. Butter the pan nicely till the edges coz its going to puff up. Layer the fruit, pour over the batter. Bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 oven. C'est magnifique !

P.S. - I cant but resist sharing this snippet I read somewhere
Q :Why is it good to be French?
A : You can surrender at the beginning of the war, and the U.S. will win it for you. Share