Spiced Fruit and Nut Christmas Bars

Hope you guys are having fun time with your family and friends. A little late though, but I am happy I managed to post this for the holiday season. Travel to Mangalore with my family kept us busy. Packing bags and cleaning up the refrigerator took a deal of my time. Packing bags was never this challenging as it was offlate with the baby. The baby bag almost took the entire world in it, all in minature sizes! The chill Bangalore weather just added more winter clothing to the travel bag making it heavier. Phew!

With all this, I had least expected I would bake. Hubby was back from his adventure trip and demanded a fruit cake. I rebeled initially, given the amount of work I had at hand, but later couldn't resist the thought of baking for Christmas, to bake and pack something that we could carry for our trip too so that our family could enjoy.

Spices, fruits and nuts make such a quintessential part of Christmas baking, that without them the holiday's celebration does not sound complete. This is the coldest time of the year and the spices and liqour soaked fruits and nuts give all that warmth to make the winter holiday season eventful.

Baking a cake didn't figure out in my list this year, that's probably because a spiced fruit cake uses exotic ingredients like the best of fruits and nuts, soaked in liquor, tossed in homemade spice mix and baked to lend warm, heart rendering flavors to the cake. When there's so much of pre-planning and process involved, I ensure I make it with utmost care and caution. And that calls for time and attention. Instead on the lines of similar flavors, I had in mind these spiced bars that I baked the morning we left outstation, so that we could enjoy them through our journey with ease.

I apologize for these snaps. They aren't the best and do not justify the burst of flavors these bars have. I photographed them in a hurry and packed them off to be relished later.

Spiced Fruit and Nut Christmas Bars

Inspired by Panforte Di Siena from Big Book of Baking

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4th cup all purpose flour
3/4th cup brown sugar
3/4th cup butter
1 tbsp mixed peels
1 tbsp honey
1 cup Kahlua/Tia Maria/Coffee liquor
1 cup mixed fruits and citrus peels (raisins, sultanas and dates)
1 cup mixed roasted nuts (almonds, pistachios, melon seeds, walnuts, etc.)
All spices homemade mix

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a square cake tin. If you prefer wedges, use a round baking tin.

Chop the dates finely. In a saucepan, add in kahlua, honey, brown sugar and butter along with raisins, sultanas and chopped dates and bring it to a rolling boil. Boil for about 6-8 mins. By this time the raisins and sultanas will swell. Add in the citrus peels and all spice mix. Turn off the stove and allow to cool a little. As the mixture cools down, add in the all purpose flour and stir well. Finally add in the chopped roasted nuts to this mixture and toss them together. The batter is bound to be stiffer than the regular cake batter. Transfer it to the prepared cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool a little. Slice them to bars or wedges as desired.

These bars were inspired by Panforte Di Siena from Big Book of Baking, but with a difference. They are a cross between cake and cookies, sort of like fudges. These bars are rich and buttery, so you may reduce the butter to half a cup as well. I used Kahlua to flavor them. The hint of coffee liquor comes out subtly against the warm coziness from spices in an earthy backdrop from brown sugar. A touch of Christmas with a mélange of vivid flavors.

With just 3 days to go, New Year 2012 will be here. The advent of new year comes new hopes and new possibilities. I hope this year brings good luck, joy and happiness to all and brightens up every life. Here's wishing all my readers a Happy New Year 2012.

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Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins

You know Christmas is here when your eyes tune to seeing shades of reds and whites everywhere. I am eyeing at the holiday season which is all set to beckon us with some travel, which means loads of fun and excitement with family and friends, which I am eagerly looking forward to. To all my fellow readers, I extend my warm and hearty wishes for Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Seriously, I can't imagine Christmas without a fruit cake of any kind. Christmas is already here and my fruits aren't soaked yet. I would probably settle for a store bought one. Sweet cravings of plum cakes and rose cookies flood my memories as I think of them. The deep amber cakes dotted with dry fruits and nuts lining the stretch of glass shelves in bakeries and cake shops tempt me further and the aromas linger, hanging on so strong and etched.

Last week my hubby and dad set out on a biking expedition to greener pastures to enjoy the serene country side. The nature lovers that they are put the two of us, mom and me into trouble! With their trip came additional responsibility of bag packing and baby sitting my daughter. And you know that with a nine month old baby at arm all the time, who craves for the best of our attention, it can't get any easy for us. With more in my hand than I can ask for this year, I doubted if I could really extend myself to bake for the Christmas course.

Right before the day they set out on their trip, I scuffled through my pantry to pull out packets of roasted pistachios fervently, all of which I have been zealous to put to use for long. I put together pistachios and chopped chocolate chunks to make half a dozen ultimate pistachio chocolate chunk muffins for the ultimate adventure biking trip! These muffins were not only eggless to boast for, but also rich and luxuriously decadent that with every bite their energy levels boosted to the zenith!

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
(or 1 cup all purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
1 tbsp corn flour
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup minus a tbsp of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp chopped pistachios
Fistful of chocolate chunks

DIRECTION

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line muffin liners on muffin pans. Sieve together all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda. Keep aside. Beat the butter and sugar till it's light and frothy. To this add vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and toss gently till they are just combined. Finally add the chopped pistachios and chocolate chunks and give a final stir. Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 30-35 mins or till top looks golden brown done.

I draw inspiration from dozens of recipes I see flooding across the net, all hosted in style and glamor for the holiday season. Every click takes me to a new recipe and it tempts me further. As I bake a fruit cake of some sort every year, this year too plans weren't any different. I would have probably exhausted myself pondering hard what best I could do to revamp the traditional fruitcake I have been making since couple of years.

When I came up with these muffins, I was so glad the way they turned out, moist and crumbly, yet not utterly sweet and the buttery richness lent it a decadence which both the men enjoyed through their journey. Again, dad being particular about eggless cakes, these eggless muffins were enjoyed by him too without complaining. With pistachios and chocolate chunks you know they can't go wrong. Pack off to be given to your family and friends this holiday season!

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!!

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Besan Cheela (Vegan Gluten-free Omelette)

Being a vegetarian never came to me as a forethought. That's the way I was brought up at home, in a way my identity too which I was secretly proud of. Never did the urge to try out meat strike at me. And though it's not about being rigid or religiously steadfast, I am content just being vegetarian. Though I do believe for the ones who have been living on meat throughout life, treading the path of being a vegetarian or vegan is not an easy venture at all. It's enduring, challenging, gutsy and calls for exuberant will power to quit all that you've loved eating throughout. My salutes!

If I see from the view of a convert, it can be hard to be a vegetarian or vegan eater. If you’re out to eat, the restaurant might not have options that fit your diet, especially if a vegan. If you mostly cook at home, it can be hard to find recipes that fit into your vegetarian or vegan meal plan. Don’t get me wrong, there may be plenty of recipes that will work, but what about the times when you find an awesome recipe that contains ingredients, like gelatin or eggs you would rather not use? That’s when it’s time for substitutions, the smart way.

One of my readers, Carolyn recently shared her thoughts on being vegan and cooking vegan food. She says substitutions can be easy, but some not really. When it comes to spices and flavor enhancers the idea is simple: Find something that tastes similar. For example, if your recipe calls for lemon or lime juice, they can usually be interchanged without any issues. If you need cinnamon but don’t have any, you could use nutmeg or allspice instead. These types of substitutions are fairly easy, but what about when it comes to more substantial ingredients in the dish? Tofu is a decent substitute for some kinds of meat, but you might be better off just leaving it out altogether. For dairy, there are many soy alternatives available that are almost exactly the same as the original.

When it comes to baking and sweets, it can get tricky. Also comes the egg conundrum! One of the biggest substitution issues, especially in baking, comes with eggs. It can be challenging to get the right substitutions, so always start by figuring out what role the eggs play in the dish. In pancakes, for example, eggs don’t play much of a role in structure or taste. If you understand what substitution works where, you’ll be surprised at how many more dishes you’ll be able to add to your cooking repertoire.

Personally for me, though I consume eggs in camouflaged form in desserts, I have never liked anything beyond that. Infact, in the past year and half, since my pregnancy and delivery, I never bought eggs home. I can't stand the smell of eggs fried on an open pan and the air wafting from omelette stalls even in far distance make me pukish.

On similar lines of what is stated above, I often make this Besan Cheela, a pancake made with spiced gram flour (also called as chickpea flour, garbanzo flour or besan) batter for our breakfast. Besan Cheela, a popular North Indian street food snack is sure to satisfy your rumbling appetite.

Besan Cheela / Vegan Gluten-free Omelette

INGREDIENTS

2 cups besan (also called as gram flour, chickpea flour, garbanzo flour)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp chopped green chillies
1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
1 cup water
Oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and gradually add a cup of water to get smooth, dropping consistency batter, similar to the one we get when an egg is whipped.

Heat a non-stick pan/tava on a medium flame. Grease it well with a teaspoon of oil. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Cover it with the lid and allow to cook for 4 to 5 minutes on a medium flame or till it browns in colour and the edges crisp. Open the lid, drizzle some oil and turn it upside down and cook the other side till it turns to brown in colour and crispy. Repeat the same process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Served hot with either green chutney or tomato ketchup, this Besan Cheela is a lip smacking dish that easily makes up for an excellent eggless, vegan and gluten-free omlette with similar textures and flavors to that of it's egg-y counterparts, ofcourse devoid of that awful smell or taste from eggs. Gram flour has relatively high proportions of protein in comparison to other flours, so you'll not miss out on that. Though this is quite satisfying for our breakfast, this is a fantastic tea-time snack too. Simple and easy to make, it can be put together in less than 5 mins and is a good rescue for bachelor cooking or to serve at-the-drop-of-hat guests.

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Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

To forget the real world outside and just being glued to the big screen for three hours, there’s something almost magical about the way movies can whisk you away to another place and time, all without leaving your seat. My husband and me are such big movie buffs that we are often found at the theater on weekends. And no, that does not account for watching a DVD at home. It has to be a theater. Period.

If there's something I miss the most, it's camping at a theater on the weekends. I can probably watch the same movie at home on a DVD, but it can't beat that theater experience. I am eagerly waiting for my daughter to grow up... with a hope that we can go back to watching movies, pick up those nachos and popcorn, sit back and relax to catch up movies in theater together as a family and revive that experience on 35 mm screen. For the moment, there's enough on my plate, that I can't seem to find enough time for movies or other entertainment.

Weekends have been catching on me like crazy, we did pretty much nothing but stayed back at home. Rest, rest, rest, that's all my body cries for... and weekend seems to be the only time I can catch a bit on my sleep, personal space and hobbies. I love it that I have so much in hand, hopping around like a bunny all the time with so much to complete that I have no time to think about anything.

Of-course, I missed baking through the week so much that I promised I would dedicate an entire afternoon doing just that. This Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna was my effort to make a gloomy weekend peppy. I think I was pretty much fruitful at that. :)

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

Lasagna sheets, about 8-10 numbers
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 ltr milk
A tsp of nutmeg powder
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 pack Button mushroom (about 200 gm)
1 bunch spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the lasagna sheets as per the instructions on the pack.

Bechamel Sauce

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat and stir in the flour and saute until the mixture darkens slightly (about 1/2 min). Gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring continuously until the sauce is smooth and begins to thicken. Add in a bay leaf. Reduce the heat and stir until it boils. Stir constantly as it tends to settle and burn at the bottom if unattended even for a minute. Heat until the sauce thickens to a thick-custard consistency (about 5 mins). Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix in generous tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese.

Prepare the vegetables

Pick, clean and wash the spinach and mushrooms. Chop them roughly. Heat some oil in a pan and throw in the spinach. Cook till they are wilted. Add in the mushrooms and saute them for 2 minutes. Do not over cook else they will turn soft and mushy. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembling the Lasagna

In an oven-proof dish, layer the lasagna sheets first, followed by a layer of spinach and mushroom mixture. Follow it up with white sauce and spread it well. Layer lasagna sheets again, another layer of the spinach mushroom mixture, followed by the cheese sauce, then another layer of lasagna sheets followed by the remaining veggies and then the remaining cheese sauce. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake in oven at 180 C for about 30 mins or till the top cheesy layer browns.

Cook the pasta a little less than done (al dante), since it absorbs liquid from the sauce and cooks further when you bake in oven. The amount of cheese to be used is your choice, reduce if you are on a diet. But I suggest you use a big helping of good cheese since the paste per se lacks spices, especially if it uses the white sauce (as against my comparison with Indian cuisine), it's only the cheese that offers a rich taste to this dish. The lasagna is a meal in itself. Pair it with salads and they'll make a complete meal for you.

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Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

I am bidding an adieu to November and giving a warm welcome to cold Decembers which I am eagerly looking forward to. While the Western countries have almost set foot into holiday season with Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas to look forward to, my blog hopping takes me across to sites with numerous recipes posted marking the holiday season. Foodbuzz, Tastespotting and Foodgawk have been bubbling with tempting pictures of food ranging from pies, cookies, cakes, roasts, et al., all for the holiday season.

With Diwali going by the last month, I pulled down the lights and diyas only to put it aside for some time. On the back of my mind, I knew Christmas will be here soon and these would be put to use again. I have been scuffling through my cabinets to pull out the decorative baubles and tinkles which have not only left me fascinated over years, but also draw my daughter's attention these days. The vivid colors from wreaths and ornaments have caught her undue attention and the tinkling sound from bells seem to keep her engaged endlessly. Christmas has caught up with her and the lights fascinate her beyond anything. We'll soon put up the Christmas tree, light it and decorate our home. I don't think I even need a reason for celebration!

I decided upon the quintessential baking of fruit cake this year too, which may sound usual since I do it every year during Christmas. It's neither tradition nor a norm I follow, it just makes me feel good. For a long time now, I pushed burning my oven to Christmas, since baking needs precision in measurement of ingredients and with a baby on my arm most of the time, I can hardly imagine doing that.

The weather I guess has been a good motivator for these biscuits. And though the sun comes out occasionally beneath the silver lined clouds to warm up overcast skies, yet there's an exhilarating nip in the air which has been my real boost for these Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits.

Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup salted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450°F and grease the pan with a teaspoon of the melted butter.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut chilled butter to small cubes and add it into the dry ingredients. Rub using your fingertips until resembles bread crumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix briefly, just to incorporate it. Try to work gently, do not overwork the dough else the biscuits will not be delicate and light.

Gently mix in the cheddar and black pepper. The dough will be fairly sticky. Place the dough on a smooth, well-floured surface and pat with your hands to about 3/4 inch thick. At this stage you can either wrap them and place it in freezer or continue to bake. Roll and cut out the biscuits, using a cookie cutter. Dip the cutter into flour between cuts to keep from sticking. Place the biscuits on the prepared pan. Prick them with fork. The remaining dough may be gently gathered together and rolled out again for more biscuits. Brush the tops lightly with melted butter.

Place the biscuits in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool a little. Lift them from the baking tray and serve warm.

The dough is fairly sticky, hence refrigerating it helps in better handling of the dough. Roll them thinner than I did and they will end in crisp, nibbling biscuits. Roll them thicker and they will make scones. Serve them with some sliced tomatoes and cheese and they make raving starters for any party.

I love my biscuits warm and spicy. Adding a dash of chilli flakes pepped up the biscuits and added warm notes to it. We paired them with a warm cup of tea and these spiced flaky biscuits made a great companion for a relaxed chill, rainy evening.

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