Italian Almond Biscotti

When i first heard the name Biscotti a few years back, actually i was surprised ! The old ladies back home in India used to say Biscotti for Biscuits & we used to laugh at them. Were they trying to say it in Italian?? haha....i don't know how did they get this....


Saying about this recipe, these are twice-baked cakes or breads which could be stored for long periods of time.  Twice-baked in the sense that the loaf of dough is cut while it is half baked & then it's baked again till completely done.It is made dry and crunchy; just like our rusks. But inspite of the fact that biscottis don't need butter or oil, these are rich in almonds ,pistachios or any other dried fruits.

 When i made this first, the whole biscotti was crushed lik hell !! I was wondering what was my mistake!! I had followed the recipe as it was in the book, but what happened was my oven requires much less temperature than other ovens which i always forgets. So when it was time to cut the dough, it was overdone & i couldn't slice it accordingly. So this time , I was much careful; but still I think ,have to try some more attempts to get it right.


As a variation ,I had dipped half of the biscottis in melted chocolate . Kids just loved it...Even my daughter helped me in dipping & also u can see her zigzag designs on some of them...


Ingredients: (makes 48)


7 oz or 200 gm whole unblanched almonds( I took 150 gms only)
7 1/2 oz or 215 gm plain flour
3 1/2 oz or 100gm sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp saffron powder
1/2 tsp baking soda or bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
1 egg white ,lightly beaten


Method:
1. Preheat a 375 F/190 C/ Gas 5 oven.


2. Spread the almonds in a baking tray and bake until lightly browned, about 15 mts(only 10 mts n my oven). When cool, grind 2 oz or 55 gms of the almonds in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder until pulverized. Coarsely chop the remaining almonds in 2 or 3 pieces each. Set aside.Please don't cut the almonds in chunks which would be difficuilt to slice the loaf & not thin too.


3. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, saffron, bicarbonate of soda and ground almonds in a bowl and mix to blend. I didn't have saffron powder so i added saffron along with the almonds while grinding.Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Stir to form a rough dough. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until well blended. Knead in the chopped almonds.If it is sticky add a bit oil on your palms.


4. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Roll into logs about 1 in or 2.5 cm in diameter & press evenly. Place on one of the prepared sheets, brush with the egg white and bake for 20 mts.If you are doing it for the first time, then u may try with one log at first & bake it till it slightly turns its colour & almost firm to touch. Don't leave it to bake completely. In my oven, baking for 10 mts was enough. Remove from the oven. Leave it to cool completely.

5.  Line same baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut each log crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices with a very sharp knife.Stand biscotti upright, spacing about 1/4 inch apart, in 3 rows on prepared baking sheet. 

6.Return the slices on the baking sheets to a reduced temperature;ie;  275 F/140 C/ Gas 1 oven and bake for 20-25 mts more.(biscotti may be soft but will firm as they cool). Transfer to a rack to cool. 

((pic: 5 &6- simpledailyrecipes.com & dinnerwithjulie.com--googled for your reference)


7.Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 8 ounces chopped milk or white chocolate in medium glass bowl. (this is for half of the biscottis). Microwave for 1 minute. then mix it nicely. Or u can keep this bowl on pan of hot water & double boil it.

8. Dip 1 end or 1 side of each biscotti in chocolate; place on baking sheet. Chill until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
U can chill upto 5 days or freeze upto 2 weeks. (if dipped in chocolates). otherwise u can store it in room temperature stored in airtight containers.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Now this was my first ever experiment on cakes. I had no idea of baking at that time. I remember when this recipe was shown on Martha Stewart's show, my mom rang me up to switch on the tv ;but by the time the show was over ...still i could see a glance of this mousse cake & also her web address. So just browsed & found the recipe. Baked soon & the result was fantastic. I was a bit lazy & so greedy that i couldn't wait to prepare cake in separate ramekins & layer mousses. I just took a cake dish,baked in it & layered mousses in that dish all together; and u know wat?? i didn't prepare the mousse also...went to LULU, bought 2 types of mousses & layered over the cake.. The taste was awesome!! Since then, for 2-3 yrs, i have been making this more often ;this time, prepared mousses too; & finally, fed up of that...Now decided to bake this after 3 long years & that too as instructed by Martha...separate ramekins, layer mousses......hihi

First, we have to prepare 2 different chocolate mousses; one with bitter-sweet chocolate & the other with milk chocolate. The recipes given in her website is so clear that i didn't make much changes to it.

Individual Chcolate Mousse

Ingredients

Makes enough for 8 cakes

• 1 2/3 cups or 400 ml heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml sugar
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml light corn syrup
• 7 ounces or 200 gms approx. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Salt

Method:

1.Put heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 1 hour

2.   Put 4 egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and frothy, 4 to 5 minutes. 

3.Meanwhile, bring 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. 

4.Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bittersweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula.

5.Add one-third of bittersweet-chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining bittersweet-chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard any solids. 

6.Repeat entire recipe, substituting milk chocolate for the bittersweet.

So now u have 2 different mousses with you. You can proceed to make the cakes.U can prepare this in ramekins or even in your muffin tray..Just trim it after unmoulding...

The cake:

In this recipe, the cake layer is not of that relevance. That just acts as the base for the 2 mousses.

Ingredients

Makes 8

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2/3 cup or 160 ml all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup  or 80 ml unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder. u can use chocolate milk powder also if u don't want the bitter taste of chocolate.
• 2/3 cup or 160 ml sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml whole milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Individual chocolate mousse
• 2 ounces or 56 gms approx.  solid semisweet chocolate( to garnish)

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.(200 degree celcius). Place eight 6-ounce (3 1/2-inch diameter) ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray; set aside.

2.Stir flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 

3.Add egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water; mix on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

4.Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Run a knife around sides of cakes; unmold. Cakes can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.

5.Trim each cake to 1 inch high. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

6.Cut eight 10 3/4-by-4-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap a parchment collar around base of each cake, keeping bottom flush with baking sheet. Secure each collar with tape; set aside.(jst have a look into the picture). But i had made a taller collar & later on had to trim it. 4 inch s enough.

7.Transfer bittersweet-chocolate mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip . Pipe a 1-inch layer of mousse into each parchment collar. Refrigerate until mousse is set, about 20 minutes. Repeat with milk chocolate mousse, piping on top of the bittersweet chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight.Microwave semisweet chocolate until slightly warm but not melted, about 30 seconds. Scrape at a 45-degree angle with a vegetable peeler, forming curls. Before serving cakes, remove parchment collars, and garnish with chocolate curls.

Sending this entry to Taste Buds Choco Delite Event

Also to Suma's Anniwersary Event

Chappathi Porotta (Parantha)

I know, the name is a bit unusual. The story behind this name is quite funny. I still remember the day when my mom first made this. She told us that it was porotta ,but we kids denied as we could see no curls in it. Neither were we ready to accept that it was chappathi. Then she said it was Chappathi porotta as this was a mixture of both. Unlike in Kerala porotta,she used Atta (wheat flour) alongwith Maida (white flour) and the technique is also quite different from Kerala porotta. Since then, this has been named so ...

 This one is really easy to prepare ;once u learn the method, & yummy too. We don't have to prepare the dough early; but only just before cooking. The ingredients are simple too..


Ingredients: (makes 12 paranthas)


Atta (wheat flour) 2 cups
Maida (white flour)  1 cup
Oil 2 tbsp
salt
Ghee


Method:


1. Prepare dough using atta, maida,salt, oil & enough water. Roll into a big circle as we do for Chappathis.


2. Cut the chappathi using a knife or spoon from the middle of the cirlce to its end. ie; according to the radius of the circle. Spread ghee with a brush.


3.Dust flour on it so that we could easily get the layers separated.


4.Starting from the cut portion, roll into a cone; just like an ice-cream cone. You can have a look into the picture.


5.Then hold the cone in such a way that the pointed side faces downwards.


6. Insert the edges inwards.


7. Keep it on the table.this time pointed side upwards. Then press it just like the way shown in the picture.


8. Now roll it into Paranthas..


9. Cook on hot tawa or pan on medium flame. Use ghee or oil to brush on top while cooking to make paranthas crisp.


10. When it is done, beat paranthas from both the sides .Serve hot!!!!

Methi Chicken with Sweet Corn!!

Hi all
This is my first ever post in this world of bloggers!! I'm Hasna from a small part of UAE ;Umm Al Quwain.Thanks to Shabeena; (shabscuisine.blogspot.com) who ve been a wonderful friend since schooldays; cos of whom i ve thought of starting a blog; Thought of sharing some wonderful recipes; mostly my Mom's who ve got such a variety of recipe collections from almost all parts of world ;mostly Asian!! Her name is Khadeeja & this blog s named after her (Kachu-her petname).

So while thinking of recipes to be started with, Methi Chicken came to my mind which s absolutely delicious & creamy. We used to drool it like hell, when we were kids!!I think ths recipe is with her since 13 yrs.I remember there was my dad's friend who always accepted our invitation if we were ready to cook methi chicken.

Coming to the recipe, its a creamy chicken curry with the richness of Methi (fenugreek leaves ) & the sweetness of corn which goes along with all types of rotis, paranthas,puris,etc....Here goes the recipe

Ingredients
For marination

Chicken 1 kg
yoghurt 1 cup (only 1/2 cup for indian curds)
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
coriander powder 1/2 tsp
chilli powder 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
garam masala 1/4 tsp
salt

For gravy:

Onion 2 medium
Methi (fenugreek leaves) 2 cups. Fresh or 2-3 tbsp Kasuri Methi (dried one) can be used
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tbsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Sweet corn 3/4 to 1 cup ( i used frozen)
Nestle cream 1 can o

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with yoghurt & other spices mentioned in the marination ingredients & keep refrigerated for atleast an hr.

2.In a pan, add 2 tbsp oil, then saute onions till it turns slightly brown. Add ginger garlic paste & saute for a min. again.

3.Add chopped Methi leaves & saute for about 3-5 mts .You can add more methi leaves according to your taste.

4.Now add all the spices & saute again.

5.Add Chicken pieces & cook covered till done.

6.You can add corn now.

6.Beat Nestle cream nicely with a fork or spoon & add to this. Don't let it boil otherwise the cream would split.