X-Box Cake

I know how Moms go crazy planning their kids' birthdays.  I had been planning since two weeks before the day. I do not usually throw a party or make it a big affair; but  try to make them feel special; feel loved. This time I had something else in mind. I wanted to celebrate his birthday with his dearest and one and only friend, Achal. Both share birthdays on the same week. They are best of the buddies. Football or cricket they have their team of two and no 11. They came to this world on the same week, joined playschool together, has been going to school in the same bus since 6 years, play together and the most interesting thing is that we have never witnessed them fight or disagree or debate. Masha Allah! They complete each other. If one is childish, the other is matured; one is interested in sports and the other in intellect games. Their schoolmates complain that Razin sits disconnected with the world when alone and as soon as Achal gets into the bus, he rules the bus. That's their friendship is about and we love them and wish that they may stay connected like this for their entire life.. Aameen!

Thinking about a theme for the cake, X-Box came into mind as both love Xbox and play for hours on weekends.  I started making figurines  a week ago. This was my first experience with gumpaste and I've no artistic background with which I could make caricatures or resembles them in some way. For this I love Anna Austin and her cakes. Hats off to the lady! I wish you were somewhere here in this desert. :) So, coming to the cake , the first figurine was ok. The second one I tried with a half sleeve and something somewhere went wrong and it showed some feminine features. I was upset and no energy or time to redo everything. It already took 3-4 hours. When Naw came in,  I asked her whether she knew who were they on the couch. She said yes, Razikkaka( Razin bro) and Mom ! :( I was really sad. Even the 3 year old could recognize the femininity in that figure. I thought of changing the theme to either Mom n son or Sis n Bro... But still, I was upset as he would be more happier if it was Unni (Achal). So I asked suggestions from a few friends of mine and changed a bit here and there. This time it was much better. The cake decors out here can find many flaws in this.. but I was happy and so were the kids. Now I learned what is gumpaste and I'm sure I can make a better figurine next time, Insha Allah! Both were so happy and couldn't control their laughs; while my small one could recognize at the first glance and shouted its Unnikkaaka and Razikkaka.

This cake has 4 layers of which 2 are of vanilla flavor and 2 chocolate flavored; filled with chocolate buttercream and covered with dark chocolate ganache. I have shared this cake recipe many a times; but sharing again here in this post

For Vanilla cake, use this same recipe and for chocolate cake, take away 1/2 cup of flour and add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to it.

Ingredients:

courtesy: Martha Stewart

• 
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 
• METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 170 C degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
3. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
4. Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment paper underneath. Using an offset-spatula or table knife, spread top with Whipped Frosting. Top with remaining cake; frost top, then sides.

Chocolate Buttercream:

• 50g Cooking chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• milk, to loosen

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the surface of the water.)
2. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft, then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add the vanilla extract and fold in the melted chocolate until smooth (add a few drops of milk if the mixture is a little stiff).

 chocolate ganache

• 
  
• 300ml double cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• 300 plain chocolate

Heat the cream, vanilla extract, butter and chocolate in a heavy-based pan. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk the mixture until smooth and thickened.

Cheesy,Chicken & Corn Quesadilla with Avocado Dip

Quesadillas are Mexican wraps which could be made with no much fuss in your kitchen. These are excellent choice for those who are looking for easy breakfast or a light dinner. The most important part of any quesadilla is the filling.  You can play with your choice of filling which varies from vegetarian options like beans, corns,mushrooms, spinach etc. to non-vegetarian options like chicken or beef or a mix of both veg and non-veg. You can choose your favourite cheese also; mozarella, cheddar, parmesan ..anything!

When you decide the filling of your choice , next is to decide on the ways to cook it; whether to fry, grill,bake or panini press them. When you fry, you get crispy wraps as you can see in the picture, whereas a little care needed as if you place tortillas before oil is heated, it may end up in oily & soggy wraps. You can use your panini toasters for zero oil wraps. It's more easier and takes less time compared to frying. But it's not advisable for super-stuffed wraps. Baking is better when you make for your whole family in a bunch; and yes, less oil. You can grill your wraps when you are out for a BBQ.

Ingredients:

Tortillas    1 packet of 6

Onion      1/2 (medium)

Tomato           2 (medium,red & ripened)

Red chilli      2 

Coriander leaves   1 tbsp

Sweet corn        1 cup

Chicken           1 cup , pan-fried and shredded

Pepper            1/2 tsp

Salt

Cheddar cheese    1 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Prepare salsa. For this, chop onion and tomatoes into fine and small pieces. Mix these with chilli, salt and coriander leaves. Keep this aside.

2. Boil or steam sweetcorn till it is done. 

3. Marinate chicken with salt; heat pan and roast chicken with less oil. When cooled down, shred into pieces. Mix chicken and corn together and season with salt and pepper.

4. If you are frying:

Heat pan in slow flame and add a tsp of olive oil or butter and when it is hot, place tortillas on it in such a way that oil is coated on whole tortilla. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of cheese on it. Now top it with 3 tbsp of salsa. Layer chicken and corn mix on top of that; cheese again. Now close this with another tortilla and press nicely. Turn the quesadillas upside down and fry the other side too. When that side turn crispy brown, take it out onto a plate, cut into 4 pieces and serve. If you are making in huge batch, place the fried wraps in a preheated oven until the next wraps are fried to keep it warm.

You can make it moon shaped also. When you fill your wraps, fill in half and when cheese starts melting, close the wrap in half (crescent/semi-circle shape) and fry on both sides.

5. For baking(170C for 20-30 minutes) , grilling or toasting, prepare quesadillas, brush a little oil on top and then cook in oven, toaster or on grill. 

6. Serve hot as it is or with dips/sauces of your choice.

Avocado Dip:

Ingredients:

Avocado   1

Yogurt     3 tbsp

Tabasco sauce/ chilli sauce  -to taste

Method:

Mash avocado with fork until smooth and mix in yogurt and sauce. Dip is ready to serve !

Yam Fries

Yam fry is a  very simple and tasty side dish. These could be made either spicy or non-spicy. Both are good in their own ways. Kids love this more than the spicy ones. They find this similar to their so called friend 'french fries'. And so they call these "kerala fries"  :) 

Ingredients:

Yam     3 cups

Turmeric powder   1 tsp

Salt   1/2 tsp or to taste

Oil to deep fry

Method:

Cut yam into small square chunks(1 cm cubes). Marinate these with turmeric powder and salt and let it stay for at least 15 minutes. Heat oil in a kadai(wok) ,enough to deep fry. Fry these yams in two batches in medium-high flame. The texture should be juicy inside and slightly crisp outside. When you fry in low flame, it will turn hard and in high flame it might turn undercooked inside. So take care of that. 

Mixed Seafood Biriyani

Mixed seafood biryani is my family's favourite dish since years. We can use any combination of seafood like prawns, mussels, clams,fish,squid,crabs etc. The choices are infinite. This way, your entire family is happy as there is a choice for them to have. Actually when you add fish only, the fishy smell/flavour predominates; whereas here, there is no such problem . A mixed flavour which is quite nice and devoured by all. The technique is as same as that in making Fish Biriyani.

 Ingredients:

Marinade: 
Mixed Seafood * - about 3/4 kg 
Red chilli powder
Salt
Pepper

Other ingredients:
Rice  2 1/2 cups

Ghee 1 tbsp
Oil 3 tbsp
Onion 300 gms/ 2 cups 
Ginger paste 2tbsp

Garlic paste 2 tbsp

Green Chillies 5 or more
Tomato 2 medium/ 1 1/2 cups
Red Chilli powder 1/2tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala ** 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves 3 tbsp
Mint leaves 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Marinate seafoods in marinade ingredients & keep refrigerated for about 1/2 an hr. Then shallow fry it. Keep a few pieces of prawns or some belly pieces of fish or so aside which could be used in masala.  

2.Wash rice atleast 3 times & drain. Make sure that no water is left behind.

3.Cut onions in chunks & pulse them in a food-processor or blender. Do not make paste of it. Just crush them. You can slice them too; but crushing makes it easier to cook.

4.Heat ghee & oil in a pan. Add crushed onions & saute for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute again for a minute more. You can either crush all of them together..ie; onion, ginger ,garlic and green chilly.

5.Now add tomatoes , red chilli powder & coriander powder. Cook masala nicely. Stir in between. Halfway through, add the reserved pieces (prawns etc.)which we kept aside. Cook till masala is done. It's okay if the fish in the masala break down into pieces.Add 1 tsp garam masala to this and turn off the flame.

6.By the time, cook rice. Add rice and salt to the boiling water and cook till done.Drain and keep aside

7. The dum : Take a large skillet. Layer a little rice at the bottom ; then masala; then rice,. Top with some garam masala( 1 1/2 tbsp) powder, coriander & mint leaves. If you are making in huge quantity, then you can layer masala in the middle also & then, repeat the procedure. Keep in dum for about 15 minutes.

10. Garam masala smells & tastes good if u make it at home freshly. I make it fresh ;a small quantity; whenever there are guests. It really smells awesome..

** Garam Masala (yields 2 tbsp)

Saunf 1 tsp
Cardamom 2
Clove 2
Cinnamon 1" stick
Black Cardamom 1(only the inner thing)
Nutmeg 1/2
Star anise 1/2
Mace 1

Heat this for min or 2 ..till a nice aroma gets out of it. then powder it using a garlic crusher.(spice crusher).