Sugar et al, Author at Sugar et al

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita

27|02|2014

Mangoes were considered the ‘queen of fruits’ where I grew up. They still are. Everything about them screams summer. The vibrant sunny appearance or the sweet succulent refreshing interior. We owned a large orchard and summer time meant eating tonnes of fruit. The green unripe ones would be used for cooking and the ripe ones would make their way into every corner of the house. Boxes and baskets of fruit to be given away to friends and neighbours. The air subtly scented with smell of sweet mangoes. Meal times made special with platefuls of peeled, cut mangoes to finish off. The varieties endless and names so many that it was hard for one to remember.

Alas! A glut of mangoes today, is something that exists only in my memory or possibly in my dreams. In the part of the world where I live now mangoes can be expensive. And make a fleeting appearance. So, it’s case of ‘enjoy while it lasts!’ However, thanks to technology there are options. Like canned mangoes and mango juice. No substitute to the fresh ones in my opinion but okay when you crave for a taste of the glorious fruit.

If mangoes stand for summer, so does ice. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my share of ice creams and popsicles this summer, my freezer has been packed with trays of Granita. Using both fresh fruit and store bought juice. They are so fun to make with a bit of this and that. The best part is shaving the ice. You can do it over and over again. Melt, freeze, shave. It’s a great way of adding life into store bought juices. And one can enjoy them even when fruits are not in season.

The flavours of this Granita are sensational. You have to taste to know. Mint and lime add a burst of freshness in your mouth which balances the sweetness of the mangoes.

There are no hard and fast rules while making a Granita. One adds flavours of choice, sweetness as per taste. It can be served with fresh fruit, a fruit sauce or even yoghurt or cream. Store bought juices vary in sweetness, so the sugar may need adjustment.

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita
Serves 6-8

500 ml store bought mango juice
1/4 cup sugar (or as per taste)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes

Place the juice and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool slightly and add the mint leaves and lime juice. Pour into a shallow baking tray and cool to room temperature. Don’t discard the mint leaves. They get shredded and distributed during the process of shaving the Granita.

Carefully, transfer the tray into your freezer. Scrape at hourly intervals to form crystals until frozen (4-6 hours)

Tomato Garlic Prawn Risotto

23|02|2014

On my blog birthday, I was excited like a child. I wanted to do all things blog. Fortunately, the kids were at the day care so there wasn’t much coming in the way. Having the day to myself, I created and photographed 4 recipes. The caramelised white chocolate cheesecake was already sitting in the refrigerator. I wanted to cut the cake on the same day so picture taking was left till the last minute. Since, I wanted the berries to be as fresh as possible I had to pick them up on the same day too. With boxes of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries at hand and not wanting to waste them (Not using precious berries for recipes especially photography has been considered ‘wasting’ at our place since the time this blog came into being) I wanted to make a few desserts.

By lunch time, there were bowls of batter everywhere. Baking trays kept going in and coming out of the oven. My clothes had stains of cocoa and meringue. There were sweet things in excess and no lunch. I have no shame in admitting that had it been me alone I would be happy to lunch on cake batters and dessert. But since it was a question of feeding others…that too parents-in-law, I knew I had to switch gears to savory.

Like most times, lunch came out of tins and cans. Some pasta sauce, Arborio rice, frozen prawns, a splatter of parmesan, fresh herbs from the garden and lunch was on the table. Risotto is made frequently at our place. We are rice lovers so I stock up on all kinds of rice. Since risotto can be easily turned into warm and filling one pot meals, I can cook up one at a short notice.

I have used frozen prawns on account of convenience. Fresh is always a great option. I usually prefer to keep a pasta sauce with chunky vegetables to add nutrition to the meal. You can go with your preference.

Tomato Garlic Prawns Risotto
Serves 4-5

3 cups salt-reduced chicken stock
1 cup tomato pasta sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
20-22 frozen prawns
salt and pepper, to taste
a handful of fresh basil and parsley leaves

Place stock, pasta sauce and 2 cups cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until mixture starts to simmer.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until rice is coated. Add 1/3 cup stock mixture. Cook, stirring until stock has absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock, 1/3 cup at a time, until liquid has absorbed and rice is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the prawns. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.

Add prawns to the rice. Stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the parmesan. Top with basil, parsley and remaining parmesan. Serve.

No Bake Caramelised White Chocolate Cheesecake. And a Blog Birthday.

22|02|2014

I wanted to start this post by saying Thank You! It’s been a year only, yet I feel I have done this all my life. I don’t remember having a single day in this year that I didn’t enjoy coming up with recipes, styling them, photographing them and blogging about them. And this experience has certainly left a desire in me to do more. To create, share, bond, grow!

This has been such an eventful phase in my life. Exploring blogging and uncovering a whole new world out there while discovering facets of my own personality that were unknown to me. I came across incredible bloggers who inspired me every day. I found friendship across the globe. So many of them made me feel like I’d go out for coffee with them every other day had we been aligned geographically.

Caramelised White Chocolate is my favourite thing in the world. I created a recipe around it during my first few days of blogging and have been wanting to do another one ever since. So I thought it was only appropriate that I make a cake around that. If you are new to caramelised white chocolate, it’s the most delicious thing one can taste. The chocolate caramelises on cooking slowly in the oven and turns into a light brown shade. It is very similar in taste to Dulce de Leche. I use David Lebovitz’s method of making this and have had success each and every time.

Putting the cheesecake together is a breeze. I made the base out of chocolate cookies. Then it’s a matter of mixing the components and placing it in the refrigerator to set. I contemplated the addition of a dark chocolate ganache topping. I wanted the white chocolate to shine in the recipe so I skipped the ganache and added a good dusting of cocoa. Good enough to look like a layer on top. We are enjoying berry season at the moment so it was easy for me to visualise my cheesecake. But if you don’t want to use berries, use shavings of dark chocolate, Maltesers (or a mix of other candies) or pretty swirls of whipped cream.

There is more cake coming up on my blog. The celebration has just started. Well to be honest, I am all for Sugar. I love cakes and desserts. But I have to think about how to get them finished since I don’t allow my pre-schoolers to indulge…let’s say over-indulge. Now, with family around there is enough reason to bake cakes.

Thank you once again for the wonderful year gone by. I am so excited to have started another one with you..another year of Sugar…..et al!

No Bake Caramelised White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berries
Serves 8-10

220 g chocolate cookies
50g butter, melted
2 tbsp. boiling water
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
300 ml thickened or heavy cream
500g cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp. Castor sugar (more if you prefer it sweeter, taste as you go)
1 cup caramelised white chocolate (recipe from David Lebovitz, here)
generous dusting of cocoa powder, to serve
Berries, to serve (or chocolate shavings, chocolate ganache or whipped cream)

Grease a 19 cm round Springform pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
Place the cookies in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingertips, press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Pour boiling water into a small bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. Using a fork, whisk until gelatine is dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add in the caramelised white chocolate and combine. Stir gelatine mixture through cream cheese mixture to combine. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold through cream in the cream cheese mixture, gradually. Spoon over the base of the cookie mixture. Smooth out the surface with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle generously with cocoa. Serve with berries.

Yellow Tomato, Mustard and Thyme Chutney

20|02|2014

A good chutney is not just a condiment but a great way of sprucing up a dish. Whether you want something flavourful to accompany your cheese platter, jazz up your burgers and sandwiches or a tasty side to complement your meat dishes, a chutney is a handy thing to have in your pantry.

Chutney has been known to have originated in the Eastern part of India but have, over time adapted itself to the taste and local produce in regions across the globe. And that is perhaps why it is so versatile and accommodating. The core of a chutney rests on three basic elements. The fruit or vegetable, sugar and spice. The flavours are intense and would be a balance of sweet, tangy and spicy. One can literally play around with the components, add or remove and get creative with them. Having grown up in the land of the Chutney, I have sampled thousands of them loved them and make them frequently at home. Since it is so easy to make, most of my chutneys are a last-minute creation. Ripe peaches..make a chutney! Tomato season…make a chutney! Beautiful mangoes….make a chutney! Something to go with my roasts…make a chutney!

There is no such thing like a correct consistency for a chutney. Really, it is left to your preference. Some like it thin and runny, some prefer it thick and spoonable. Typically it would be somewhere between the consistency of a jam and a sauce and have a bite to it. And there in lies the beauty of this condiment. One doesn’t need a food processor or a strainer unlike a sauce.

Mustard seeds and red chillies go well with tomatoes in a chutney. They are childhood flavours I have a deep relationship with. They are flavours my mother’s chutney recipes always have. The heat is optional and the mustard seeds can be substituted with cumin seeds if not available. The thyme leaves lend an earthy woody flavour that goes well with the sweet and spicy tomatoes. I have to admit that I am in love with the little thyme plant in my garden so the leaves make an appearance in quite a few of my recipes. The recipe can be easily adapted to use red or green tomatoes. Sweetness can be adjusted as per taste.

Yellow Tomato, Mustard and Thyme Chutney
Makes 11/2 cups chutney

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
11/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
300 g yellow tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Fresh thyme leaves, to serve (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and dry red chillies and heat for 30 seconds or till the seeds splutter. Add the onions and garlic and cook till soft.

Add the tomatoes, lemon zest, thyme and water. When the tomatoes have softened and become pulpy, add in the sugar. Stir to mix. Cook till the mixture thickens, stirring in between to prevent burning at the bottom. Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency (about 10 mins) take it off the heat. Cool slightly and place in a serving bowl. (The mixture will thicken slightly on cooling).

The chutney will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Can be served warm or cold. Serve with fresh thyme leaves.