REINE DE SABA AVEC GLACAGE AU CHOCOLAT (CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE) : A TRIBUTE TO JULIA CHILD

“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. The you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.”
― Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

This is my heartiest tribute to the culinary legend Julia Child, in honour of her 100th birthday on 15th August, 2012. There are lot of chefs arround the world I admire, Julia Child is one of them. A chef, a writer or she is such a personality who introduced French cuisine among Americans. The late American culinary icon is being celebrated with dinners, events and parties in Boston and across the United States. Her popular TV show, "The French Chef" changed the way Americans cooked, ate or even thought about food.

Now, I am for the first time a part of the group called Baking partners, a baking group hosted by Swathi Iyer. Being part of the 'Baking Partners - A Group of Home Bakers' our challenge for this month is Julia Child's famous Reine de Saba Avec Alacage au Chocolat which is Chocolate Almond Cake.

This is a chocolate almond cake with chocolate-butter icing and almond meal, absolutely delicious. Very rich in chocolate, flovored with spiced rum and almond extract, simple and short time baked cake. Not so much fluffy, but still moist inside, really delectable one. It is just one layered cake, easy and simple chocolate icing with almond dressing just perfect and luscious for any special occassion. Rum enhances the flavor of this cake while mixed up with the chocolate...

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE FOR 9" SQUARE PAN:
4.5OZ / 4&1/2 Squares / 127.57 gm Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate)
2&1/3 tbsps Spiced Rum (Sailor Jerry brand)
4 OZ / 1stick + 1 tbsp / 127 gm Softened Unsalted Butter
3 Eggs (yolk and white seperated)
1 cup Granulated Sugar
A pinch of Salt
1 tbsp & 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup / 73.12 gm Pulverized (ground) Almond
1/2 tsp Almond Extract (use less if you don't like too much almond flavor)
2/3 cup or 64 gm All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Corn Flour

FOR CHOCOLATE ICING:
2.25 OZ / 2 + 1/4 squares / 63.7 gm Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate
2&1/3 tbsps Spiced Rum
7 tbsps Softened Unsalted Butter
Note: Add about 3/4 cup sliced almonds to the ingredients for decoration. Instead of rum, you may use coffee.

METHOD:
FOR THE CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set aside.

In a steel bowl mix chocolate and rum. Place it over another larger bowl with boiling water. Chocolate will melt after 5 minutes. While chocolate melts, let proceed with the recipe. Measure all rest of the ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow fluffy mixture. Beat the egg yolks until they well blended.

Beat egg whites and salt in a seperate bowl until soft peaks are formed (gradually increase the speed of electric hand mixer and blend for about 5 minutes). Sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in the ground almonds and almond extract. Immediately stir in one-fourth (1/4th) of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third (1/3rd) of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one-third (1/3rd) of the flour and continue folding. Alternate repidly with more egg whites and more flour untill all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter upto its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2&1/2 to 3 inches arround the circumference are set so that a toothpick plunged into that area comes out clean; the centre should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a toothpick comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife arround the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for two hours; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

To serve, use the chocolate-butter icing recipe below and then press a desigh of almonds over the icing. 

FOR THE ICING:
A bowl filled with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them and set aside.

Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and set in a larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over the cake cake with spatula.

Place cake on platter or tray. Scrape icing onto top center. Using small offset spatula, spread icing evenly and thinly over top and sides of cake.

Then press a design of almonds over the icing.

If you want to either share or enhance your baking skills, join us for a monthly baking adventure at Baking Partners!

 

Sending to: Cooking made easy with chocolates / Cocoa @ Spice n Sugar Tales



PANEER TAWA MASALA

Source of the recipe & acknowledgement:
http://www.ticklingpalates.com

Dear Radhika,
Thanks a lot for this lipsmacking recipe. Little changes I have made according to my taste and choice.

This is a such cottage cheese gravy which is absolutely lipsmacking. Very flavorful, delicious & fabulous gravy with tomato and cream, with grilled spicy cottage cheese, tempts anyone's attention. Grilled tasty paneer cubes, itself a very good appetizer and goes well with soft/hard drinks. Caraway seeds, carom seeds and dry fenugreek leaves give an ultimate delightful touch in it. So, enjoy this Paneer Tawa Masala!  

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm Cottage Cheese (paneer)
1/3 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera)
1/3 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
2 medium Onions (finely chopped)
4 Tomatoes (pureed)
2 tsps Ginger paste
2 tsps Garlic paste
4 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tsps Chaat Masala
3/4 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsps Dry Fenugreek Leaves (kasoori methi)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Milk
4 tbsps Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Make puree of tomatoes. Chop onions finely. Keep aside.

Cut cottage cheese in cubes.

In a bowl, marinate cottage cheese with 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, chaat masala, 2 tbsps dry fenugreek leaves, 1 tbsps oil and little salt. Mix thoroghly, so that cottage cheese cubes are coated well with the spices. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cover a baking tray with alluminium foil. Spray little cooking oil on it.

Spread cottage cheese cubes on the foil, keep a little room between every cube.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake the cottage cheese for 12-15 minutes. You can see the cottage cheese would be dried up. Keep aside. (You may also shallow fry these cubes on griddle, instead of baking, but it consumes more oil).

Now heat oil in a pan. Add caraway seeds and carom seeds. When it crackles, add onions and fry till it turns golden brown. Now add remaining ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chillies, remaining red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala to it. Saute for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree and salt in it. Fry till tomatoes leave oil from the side of the pan.

At this time add 1 cup of water in it. Mix well.

When water starts boiling, add cream in it. Fold well.

At this time add baked cottage cheese cubes in it. If the gravy is too thick, add milk in it. Fold nicely for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat now.

Garnish with dry fenugreek leaves. Serve hot with rotis, naan or pulao.

 

TIPS: This grilled cottage cheese cubes also a very good snacks or appetizer. You may use this as a
         flavorful starter with any type of drink.

KHEJUR PAK / DATES BARFI

Today is Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, also known as Krishnashtami, Gokulashtami or Srikrishna Jayanti. So, today we, most of the Indians are offering our devotions to Lord Krishna and celebrating his birthday. As an Indian, I made Khejur Pak, an authentic Indian dessert to offer Lord Krishna. It is made by dates and different dry fruits. Coconut gives an extra enhancement and poppy seed gives more extra flavor. Very simple dry fruits rich 'Khejur Pak' recipe is stated below:

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb/500 gm Dates (khajur)
2 tbsps Poppy seeds
1/2 cup grated Coconut
1/2 cup chopped Cashew Nuts
1/2 cup chopped Almonds
1 tsp Cantaloupe seeds
1 tsp Dried Cherry
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
1 tbsp grated Coconut & few Almonds for garnishing

METHOD:
Chop dates finely.

Heat clarified butter in a frying pan. Add poppy seeds and coconut in it.

Saute till it turns golden. Now add chopped dates in it, fold well.

Reduce the flame on low. Stir continuously and mix well. Dates are getting soft and mashy now. Mix up very nicely after 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the mixture on a tray covered with aluminium foil. By pressing with your both palms, spread the mixture on aluminium foil evenly.

Sprinkle with cashew nuts, almonds, cantaloupe seeds and dry cherries on the mixture.

Now fold from the side and make it roll on the aluminium foil.

Slowly give a shape like cyllinder by both palms. Press slightly.

Sprinkle little grated coconut on the top of the cyllinder and roll on it.

Cut in horizentally and give a square shape to each barfi.



Garnish with almonds and offer to Lord Krishna..............................

Enjoy this absolutely delectable Khejur Pak!!!

Linking to: Pari's 'Only'-Recipes From The Royal Kitchens @ Divya's culinary journey

Linking to: Virtual Eid Potluck party @ My culinary adventures



DAL TADKA

Source of the recipe and acknowledment

http://www.tomatoblues.com

Dear Anusha,
Thank you very much for this easy and wonderful healthy recipe.

I feel really great that I cooked this dish first time today. A recipe which comes out really scrumptious and fabulous one. I made little bit changes according to my taste, but it is exceptionally delicious and nutritious too.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Whole Red Lentils / Puy Lentils
1/4 cup Yellow Lentils (moong dal)
4 Green Chillies (chopped)
1 large Tomato (finely chopped)
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
1 tbsp minced Garlic
1 1/2 tbsps minced Ginger
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
2 dried Red Chilli
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 tbsps finely chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
2 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash both lentils thoroughly. Pressure cook the lentils with chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and turmeric powder. Cook till 5-6 whistles. Allow to cool it naturally.

Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chillies, mustard seeds, asafoetida and nigella seeds in it. Saute for 40 seconds. Now add onions in it. Fry till onion turns golden brown.

Now add cooked lentils alongwith sour cream and salt. Fold well.

When it starts to boil, add chopped coriander leaves and clarified butter in it. Switched off the heat and keep it covered for another 5 minutes. Mix well.

 Serve hot with rice or rotis.

DIMER DALNA / EGG POTATO CURRY

This is a simple Bengali recipe, very quick, can be made ready within 30 minutes. You may call it 'spicy egg curry with potatoes'.  The best thing is to crinkly, shallow fried skins of hard boiled eggs, which put further in spicy curry, really makes significant difference.

INGREDIENTS:
4 hard boiled Eggs (peeled)
4 small Potatoes (peeled & parboiled)
1 medium Onion (half diced & half paste)
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
3/4 cup Tomato puree
3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Jalapeno (seeded and minced)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsps fine chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
4-5 tbsps Mustard Oil or vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut peeled eggs two/three shallow slits diagonally. Smear with little salt and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Cut each potato in two pieces.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Fry potatoes and eggs seperately till those turn into golden brown. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and set aside. Leave remaining oil in the pan.

Add bay leaf, sugar and cumin seeds in the remaining oil. Saute for 30 seconds. Now add diced onions and jalapeno in it. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add onion paste, garlic and ginger paste in it. Fry another 4- 5 minutes in medium heat.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute for 2 minutes. Now add tomato puree with salt in it. Fry for another 4-5 minutes, till tomatoes well mixed up with the spices and masalas, leaves oil from the side of skillet. Add fried eggs and potatoes in it, Fold well for 2-3 minutes.

Pour 1 cup warm water in it. Keep it covered on low flame for another 5 minutes. Add coriander leaves and clarified butter in it. Mix nicely. Remove from heat.

Serve hot with steamed rice, roti or naan.