Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Festive Nougat Lassi

12|12|2014

You might have heard of ‘summer in a glass. For me that glass is Lassi. If you are new to this term, Lassi is a cold yogurt based drink, popular in India. In the scorching hot sun, when my sister and me would come back home from school, our tired backpack laden shoulders and exhausted feet would fall in a slump on the couch. Our eyes would be searching the table where two glasses of freshly made Lassi would have been placed with loving hands. Who would know children better than Mum! Our thirsty lips would make an attempt to drink at a frantic pace. Lassi is of a thicker consistency than a juice or a smoothie. It is difficult to gulp it all down all at once though creamy silky taste is very tempting. Every weekday afternoon Mum would strain the home made yogurt to make Lassi and then place another bowl in a warm corner of the house for the active cultures to work in the process of making yogurt. This was common in a lot of Indian households. The home-made yogurt or Dahi was not as thick or rich as the commercially sold ones but it was an inexpensive and effective way of making something within the comfort of your kitchen.

In our Australian markets we have so many varieties of yogurt. Though I miss the lassi of my childhood, I love what Greek yogurt can do to a Lassi. It makes the whole process a breeze to make. Since, this is the time to bring some nougat into our lives, I thought I would add the flavours of nougat to my Lassi along with a dash of peppermint to turn it into a festive drink perfect for our summer holidays. This drink is certainly healthier than milkshake and would appeal to adults and kids alike.

For a spiced chocolate version of Lassi, you may want to check out this post.

Festive Nougat Lassi
Serves 2-3
1/4 cup pistachios, skinned
1/4 cups whole almonds
zest of one orange
2 candy canes
11/2 cups cold milk
11/2 cups greek yogurt (preferably vanilla flavoured but regular will work just as fine)
2-3 tbsp maple syrup/honey (depending on sweetness preferred)
Place the pistachios, almonds, orange zest and candy canes in the bowl of your food processor and process till finely chopped. Add the milk, yogurt and honey and blend till smooth.

Serve with or without ice-cubes and place a candy cane in the serving glass just before serving.

Raspberry Rhubarb and Chocolate Baked Alaska

10|12|2014

As a little girl,I had my favourite ice cream flavours and choices like most other children. Generally, restaurants we went to had a frozen dessert called Cassata on the menu which is the one I would always ask for. I later on figured out that it was inspired by the Cassata Siciliana, a true Italian beauty. The bright colours of the ice-cream layers and candied fruit would of course appeal to any child. When I grew up, the pastry chef in me was totally drawn to the layered structure and anatomy of the Italian classic. Perhaps you might have guessed by now that I find the whole layer thing of a cake or dessert very exciting. Then I came across the Baked Alaska. Though this one was a layered ice-cream cake too, the components were different. More specifically, it had a meringue coating. So this one naturally ranked high among my list of favourites. To make and to eat. And most of all, the reveal…as you slice through it’s very core.

The traditional Baked Alaska has a layer of sponge housing one or two layers of ice-cream and covered all around with uncooked meringue. The cake is frozen till it is hard so it can withstand a few minutes in the oven while the meringue is being toasted. The fascinating thing is that the ice-cream does not melt as the sponge and meringue prevents the heat from reaching the centre. So scientific and interesting, isn’t it? My version is a slightly simpler. The layers are one on top of the other, then covered in meringue which is then browned with a blow torch.

The bottom layer is my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I have used half the batter for this cake. You could bake the other half and freeze it for later use. The recipe is quite a flexible one so you can make your favourite chocolate cake recipe or a ready mix or a store bought cake as well. The next layer is a rhubarb-raspberry sorbet that has been on my mind since last summer. The topmost layer is a raspberry and pistachio semifreddo. So you can see that you do not need to take out your ice-cream machine to make this. The individual layers can be made way ahead and assembled the night before you plan to serve it. I have used used a swiss meringue to cover the dessert for stability but you could go with any meringue recipe you are comfortable with. I have got the dome shape from an old plastic pudding container in which I made this. A round cake pan would just work as well.

Needless to say, all the individual elements of this dessert can be made independently as a stand alone dessert. They are as delicious together as much as they are by themselves.

Raspberry Rhubarb and Chocolate Baked Alaska
Serves 8-10

For the chocolate cake (we will be using half the batter for this recipe)

1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
2 tablespoons plain flour, sifted
1 1/3 cups, firmly packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
125 g butter, cubed
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
3 eggs, lightly whisked

Preheat oven to 160 degree C. Grease the base and sides two 15 cm round cake pan and line the base with non stick baking paper.

Place the two flours together in a bowl. Place the sugar, milk and butter in a large saucepan. Add the cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into the pan. Place the pan over medium-low heat and use a whisk to stir until the mixture is smooth (don’t boil the mixture). Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Add the flour mixture in slow additions gradually whisking to mix. Add the eggs and continue to mix till well combined. Pour into the prepared oan. Smooth surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes before turning the cakes onto a wire rack.

For the Raspberry-Pistachio Semifreddo
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup thickened/heavy cream, whipped
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup frozen raspberries

To make the semifreddo : Grease a 6cm-deep, 15 cm round cake pan or pudding basin/mold. Line with baking paper, allowing a 5cm overhang on both long ends.
Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water over low heat. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until cool.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Gently fold in cream, pistachio and raspberries. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

For the Raspberry-Rhubarb Sorbet
250 g rhubarb, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped into chunks
250 g raspberries (fresh or frozen, I used frozen)
1 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup water

Place rhubarb, raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and water in a pan and gently cook until soft, around 15-20 minutes.
Allow to cool then blend mixture to smooth in a food processor.
Freeze in an air tight container stirring every hour to prevent ice crystals forming until set, around 4 hours.
Thaw for 30 minutes and spoon on top of the Semifreddo.

For the Meringue
3 egg whites
3/4 cup castot sugar
cream of tartar, a pinch

To make the meringue, place the egg-whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk continuously till the sugar dissolves (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and whip up the mixture with a electric or hand mixer to stiff peaks.

To Assemble, turn the frozen semifreddo-sorbet once it is solid, onto the cake and firmly press together. Place this back into the freezer for a couple of hours. Just before serving, remove from freezer and coat with meringue. Using a blow torch, brown the meringue all over. Top with berries. Serve. The Baked Alaska will be rock solid so it is best to wait a for 10 minutes before slicing it.

Easy Nutmeg Bars

7|12|2014

Nutmeg bars are so perfect for this time of the year when a substantial amount of baking is on the agenda and everyone is getting into the spirit of Christmas including our ovens and our kitchens. I have lived on my spices all my life but there is something magical about using them in sweet recipes around Christmas. Till about a few years ago, Nutmeg was a secret ingredient for me to enhance the flavours of Indian meat dishes and my favourite Biriyani. It was only when I tried it in a a cake that I found it equally amazing in desserts.

If you are looking for a recipe that is quick to make without hard-to-find ingredients and makes a great edible gift for friends and family, this is it. They are ready in no time. What impressed me the most about these, are the dual textures within the bars. We mix together some flour, butter and sugar like a shortbread mix, layer half the mix on a baking tray. To the other half, we add the rest of the ingredients and put together a cake like batter. We then pour it over the shortbread layer. The resulting bars have a slightly crunchy base with a cake like top. And they smell amazing as much as they taste great. The nutmeg is subtle but adds a special something to the caramel flavour that is so typical of brown sugar.

I came across this recipe on Taste. They looked so worth making that I made them in a jiffy and I had to share them. Next time I make them I am going to add dried cranberries for a more festive look.
Give these a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Easy Nutmeg Bars (adapted with variation from Taste.com)
Yields 12 bars

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
100g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup full-cream milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a rectangluar pan (28 cm by 18 cm) with baking paper.

Place the sugar, flour and butter in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread half the mixture in the base of the pan and sprinkle with the pecans.
Place the bicarbonate of soda and milk in a bowl, and stir to dissolve the soda. Add the egg and the nutmeg and stir to combine.

Stir in the remaining crumb mixture and pour over the base. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into squares. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Ginger Cake with Meringue

3|12|2014

Has your kitchen started to smell like Christmas? Mine has been smelling so much of spices and vanilla and brown sugar….all of the warm and nice things that go hand in hand with this time of the year. In the southern hemisphere, we don’t have a white Christmas. We are well into summer by then.Our Australian markets are flooded with the best of summer produce that allows us to be as diverse as possible with our Christmas baking and cooking. Our Pavlovas are loaded with juicy peaches and plums and raspberries and all the fresh fruits we can get our hands on. I have a few coming up for you but that does not stop me from dreaming up recipes with meringue, marzipan or nougat. My favourite bits of Christmas baking has to be the coming together of sugar and spice. Spices are a part of my heritage so popping open a container of powdered ginger or nutmeg delights me to the core. It fills up my senses with nostalgia.

I can see gingerbread recipes all over the Internet. I love so many of them especially the ones dripping with caramel sauce, white chocolate or lemon icing. I did not notice any with meringue though meringue is so perfect for Christmas. I have an individual soft spot for ginger cakes and meringue so I wanted to pair them. I was happy with the outcome. A soft, gooey spiced ginger cake with crispy sweet torched meringue. I have added a touch of ginger to the meringue as well. The cake has powdered ginger and glace ginger which gives it a bold punch of flavour.

A few weeks back I had made a rose cake for my twins birthday. It was a cake meant for a special occasion so I did not feel like cutting it open and styling it before the birthday and hence I did not post it. The rose-like appearance appealed to many so I had made a mental note to make another one along the same lines for the blog. I was excited at the idea of piping meringue roses and torching them to get the striped white-brown look. Even if you are not comfortable with piping it, spreading it on the cake like a frosting and torching will also give you a beautiful effect. I say this with conviction because at the very same time I piped this, I was covering another beauty with meringue for a Baked Alaska. You will get to see that too.

The cake itself is easy. One of the easiest I have ever made. No creaming butter or need to use a mixer. You can actually make it in a single bowl. In this case, a large saucepan maybe. The ingredient that gives the cake it’s rich brown colour and warm flavour is Treacle. If you like a good ginger cake or make a few during the year, Treacle is a great thing to have in your pantry. The intense caramel-like flavour is hard to replicate. I generally don’t replicate recipes…I try come up with my own. But this ginger cake from Good Food is a really good recipe. The only change I have made is add in a few spices. I have also provided the tentative measurements in cups for some of the ingredients that could help if you not always in the mood to weigh every little ingredient. This recipe will make a tall cake, enough to share with a a large group of people.

Ginger Cake with Meringue (cake recipe adapted with variation from Good Food)
Serves 8-10

200g butter
200g dark muscovado sugar (about 11/3 cup)
200g black treacle (about 1 1/3 cup)
2 large eggs, beaten
300ml milk
350g plain flour (about 3 cups)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
few chunks crystallised ginger/glace ginger, chopped

Meringue frosting
4 egg whites
1 cup castot sugar
cream of tartar, a pinch
powdered ginger, 1 tsp

Heat oven to 160 degreec C (140 for fan-forced). Grease and line a 19 cm round cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large pan and gently heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins.

Stir in the eggs and milk, then sift in the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, crystallised ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when pressed in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cooled, frost the cake with meringue frosting. Fill up a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe roses all around the sides and top of the cake. Alternatively, spread the frosting all over the cake. Using a blowtorch, toast the meringue.

To make the meringue, place the eggwhites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl that is placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk continuously till the sugar dissolves (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and whip up the mixture with a electric or hand mixer to stiff peaks. Fold in the powdered ginger.