Cheesecake Brownies - Chocolate cheesecake squares

Last week, I was taken by surprise when Taruna of Easyfoodsmith gave me the "Versatile Blogger Award". I am really flattered, that too, to be sharing this wonderful award with the likes of Sonali of Onlyfishrecipes, Jay of Tasty Appetite, Amy of Food Corner et al who are all my seniors in the blogosphere. Thank you so much for sharing your award with me, Taruna.

To celebrate the occasion, I'm posting this cheesecake brownie or chocolate cheesecake square recipe. It's a two-in-one recipe. The bottom consists of fudge-like brownies and the top layer consists of cheesecake with chocolate swirls. Initially, I was hesitant whether to make them or not. But I had some chocolate and a cream cheese box that I wanted to empty and I must admit that I'm glad that I made them because were deliriously delicious. This is one of the best bakes I have ever made. These sinfully delicious cheesecake brownies take some time, effort and precision to make but are well worth the effort in the end. The thing about brownies is that, unlike cakes, they will remain just as succulent on the second day (and after that) as they were on the day you made them.
Brownie:
115 g semisweet chocolate (chips)
85 g salted butter
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cheesecake:
200 g soft cream cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Prepare a 9*9 inches (23*23 cm) or slightly smaller baking pan. Line the bottom of the baking pan with aluminium foil or lightly buttered parchment paper and the sides as well.

Heat 1 inch of water in a bowl at below medium heat. Place a heat-proof bowl on top of it, that doesn't touch the water underneath. Melt the butter in the bowl first and then add evenly chopped chocolate. Keep stirring until it becomes completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat. Mix in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour and lightly whisk until the batter is smooth. Try not to incorporate too much air into the batter. Put aside about 1/3 of the chocolate batter. Now spoon in the remainder of the brownie batter evenly in the baking pan.

Prepare the cheese cake now. In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese until soft with a handmixer. Add the sugar and the egg and process until creamy, smooth and well-blended. Spoon in and spread the cheese cake batter evenly on top of the brownie batter. Now, take the brownie batter that you put aside and spoon small dollops of brownie batter evenly over the cream cheese batter. Then with a table knife or wooden knife, swirl the two batters (the cream cheese and the chocolate dollops) on top. Bake the cheesecake brownie in the middle part of the oven at 175 C (350 F) for about 25-30 minutes or until they look baked and the edges of the brownie are beginning to brown.

Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Cut them in squares once they have cooled down completely. You could also refrigerate them (after allowing them to cool to room temperature) to get a firm chocolate cheesecake squares. Keep them in an airtight container, in the fridge or at room temperature.

Sending this to Valentine's Day Special by Ancy of Anzz Cafe

How to make tomato sauce?

I love Italian cuisine and their ingredients, especially the herbs, pasta, cheeses... well the list is endless.
Pizza is an all-time favourite in our family. Since pizza is also very convenient to refrigerate and heat in the micro when you feel hungry, I was preparing pizza over the weekend to bring to work next week.
Ever since starting this blog, I have started to show some interest in making certains basic dishes from scratch that I hadn't earlier. Tomato sauce was one such thing we used to buy from the stores when we made pizza. But I have since sometime back discovered how easy it is to make tomato sauce completely from scratch. It is not only easy, it's also healthier in that homemade tomato sauce does not contain any preservatives. You can use this tomato sauce for pizzas, pasta, and parmigiana. Ever since we discovered how easy it is to make tomato sauce at home, we have stopped buying ready-made sauces from the store and I'm sure you would too.

In addition to be below mentioned ingredients, some people also add sugar and others also add some chili powder to balance the taste. Since everyone's tastebuds are different, I would recommend you to taste and adjust spices. If you find the tomato sauce a little acidic, add some sugar to balance out the taste. If you want some heat, you could add some chili powder. I personally like herbs a lot, especially oregano, so I add a large quantity of it. You can certainly reduce the amount if you like.

Ingredients:
3-4 tomatoes
1/2 cup water
3 tsp tomato purée
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbs dried oregano
1/2 tbs dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients:
Sugar (if needed and as required)
Chili powder (if needed and as required)

Method:
Prepare the tomato sauce ahead of making the pizza dough. The sauce should not be warm when you spread it on the pizza. To make the sauce, begin by slicing/cutting the tomatoes finely. Finely chop the garlic. If you want a really smooth tomato sauce, you could mash the tomatoes with a handmixer or mix them in a mixer, with the garlic, before cooking them. In a large pan, cook the tomatoes, water and oil. Mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix and cook on medium to below medium heat, until the sauce reaches your desired level of thickness. That's it.

Plantain fritters - Vaazhakkai bajji

I hope everyone has a dandy day and I want to wish everyone a Happy Pongal! I saw this recipe for vaazhakkai bajji posted on Tasty Appetite sometime back and the bajjis have been haunting me in my dreams, literally everyday since I saw them. Plaintains are a popular commodity at our home. As a matter of fact, ever since I told my family that I am going to make vaazhakkai bajji (which was about a week ago), every time I go into the kitchen to prepare something, they come into the kitchen and ask longingly whether I'm going to make bajjis. Today, I finally made them and they came out tasting good. Thank you, Jay, for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:
1 plantain (vazhakkai/vaazhakkai)
1 cup chickpea flour (besan/gram flour)
1 1/2 tbs rice flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp chili powder
A pinch of asafoetida
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
3/4 cup water
Oil as required to deep-fry

Carrot Cake

I'm trying to empty and clear the fridge and the pantry of some food stuff, which is a much welcomed move by my family who have been nagging that "my" food items were taking up so much space in the fridge. Among the things, I had an unopened small box of cream cheese and some tablespoons of hazelnuts, and the first thing that flashed through my mind when I saw these ingredients was carrot cake. I haven't had carrot cake in years now, so I decided to bake it. I made it with frosting but it is tasty without frosting as well (perhaps even healthier).

 

Ingredients:
2 cups grated carrots
1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon

American Pancakes

Pancakes. Doesn't that single word conjure up fond memories? It is the ultimate comfort food to many of us. When we make pancakes at home, we always make Swedish pancakes, which are very similar to French crepes. Even though I'm very fond of pancakes, I have never had American pancakes and thought it's about time I had one. I'm sure readers from across the Atlantic must be giggling at this post. American pancakes are something of a novelty (!) here and many are frustrated over not being able make these. I was able to whip up these for breakfast yesterday with the help of Mahi's pancake recipe and her virtual assistance. Thank you Mahi, they tasted really good! :)

This recipe yields about 10 small pancakes.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Oil or butter (to bake the pancakes)

Method:
First, mix all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and add and mix the milk. Sieve the dry ingredients in the egg-milk mixture. Mix carefully. If you whisk too hard, the pancakes will turn out stiff. Make sure there are no big lumps left in the pancake batter, some small lumps are ok. Heat some oil or butter, on a griddle or a pan, at medium flame. Pour about 1/4 cup batter on the griddle. Let it bake and then flip and bake the pancake. The pancakes should be golden brown on both sides. Serve them warm immediately with a slice of butter and maple syrup or honey, the American way, or with jam, fresh fruits, whipped cream or anything of your choice!

Anchovies Fish Fry - Nethili Meen Poriyal

I remember having anchovies or nethili/netholi, as we call it, occasionally while growing up. Nethili kuzhambu or anchovies curry cooked with potatoes was a favourite dish while growing up. But since fresh anchovies are hard to come by where we live, my mother used to cook with the sun-dried anchovies that are more saltish in taste and smaller in appearance. A couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to eat these large fresh anchovies and I have to say - what a difference! These fresh anchovies were perfectly seasoned and fried with utmost care. They were served with hot and spicy prawn curry (which is my most favourite seafood by the way), but even the spicy jumbo prawns paled in comparison to the anchovies. I never thought anchovies could be that tasty until then. Ever since eating that dish, I have been to wanting make some myself and the situation only presented itself recently when we got some large, frozen anchovies from a store in a nearby city.

Anchovies are a good source of calcium if eaten with the bones. You can also replace the anchovies with other small fishes, if anchovies are scarce in your area. Learning how to prepare anchovies is good step for beginners like me, who are daunted by the herculean task of cleaning a fish (scaling, beheading, gutting, cutting and/or filleting). This one is relatively easy to prepare in that sense. So let's begin. :)

Ingredients:
20 fresh or frozen large anchovies
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp red chili powder (adjust)
1/4 tsp (or a pinch of) turmeric powder
1 spring of curry leaves
1/2 egg
Salt to taste
Water as required
Coconut oil for deep-frying

Method:
Clean the anchovies and pinch/remove the head and make sure the gut comes off as well. Cut and grind ginger and garlic finely. Make a smooth paste out of all the ingredients, except the egg and the curry leaves, by mixing with a little water. Add the paste to the anchovies, the curry leaves and mix well. Allow the anchovies to marinade for one hour. If you want to marinade the anchovies for longer, keep them in the fridge. Beat and whisk an egg. Add half of it (or less) to the anchovies and mix carefully, prior to frying the anchovies. The egg mixture will help giving the anchovies a more crispy exterior, if well coated. You can exclude it, if you want to.

Heat some coconut oil for deep-frying at medium heat. The oil needs to be really hot to get crisply fried anchovies. If the oil is not hot enough the anchovies will get all greasy/oily and soggy. It will also absorb more oil if it is not hot enough. So don't rush and let the oil get hot. I can't help you with the temperature, as I do not have a thermometer. Drop a curry leaf or an anchovy to check if the oil is hot enough. The curry leaf should turn out crispy. Fry the fish in small batches. Fry until brown and crispy. Drain the excessive oil by placing a tissue paper or an absorbent paper underneath the fried fish. Serve them crispy with anything of your choice!

Fruit frangipane tart

This tart is similar to the pear tart that I made earlier. I prepared this tart with a different crust and decorated it with different types of berries and fruits, which gave it more acidity and freshness. You could, if you want to, give the fruits an apricot jam wash on top.

Crust (pâte brisee):
1 cup flour
100 g unsalted cold butter
3 tbs cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Almond filling (frangipane):
125 g unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup ground almonds
1 tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla sugar

Fruits:
Kiwi, strawberries, nektarines, raspberries, etc. (anything of your choice)

Glaze:
Apricot jam or gelatine-water (optional)

The crust should be made first. In another large cold, steel bowl, mix the flour with salt. Slice cold butter (5-6 pieces) and cut it into the dry ingredients with a fork or use your hands. Make sure all of the flour is mixed with the butter. Pour cold water and use your hand to pat together the crust. Wrap it up in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you could use a store-bought tart/pie crust.

Meanwhile prepare the almond filling. You can either buy blanched almonds or blanch them yourself to prepare the almond filling called frangipane. If you are going to blanch the almonds, it is best done a day ahead. To blanch the almonds, bring some water to boil and boil the almonds for a couple of minutes. Keep the almonds in the water because it's difficult to peel off the skin when they become dry. Peel of the almonds with your hands. Let the almonds dry up on a towel or some tissue paper overnight.

Slice the almonds before grinding. It will be difficult to grind them coarsely if they are whole. Grind the almonds together with the flour, to get the right coarse consistency. Put the ground almonds aside. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat in between. Lastly add the ground almond and the vanilla extract/sugar and mix with a spoon. Place the filling in the fridge covered (so that it doesn't pick any smells).

Roll out the crust on a well floured, preferably cold surface with a floured kitchen roller (this is very important, otherwise the dough will break and get sticky easily). The cold surface is also necessary so that the butter does not start to melt. Don't roll it out too thin. Carefully lift the tart bottom with the roller and place it over the pie plate. Cut it neatly and press the crust carefully so that it is steady. The tart crust has a tendency to "shrink" in the oven, so don't cut the edges too short. Stick the pie bottom with a fork and place a baking paper over the tart crust and fill it with beans to help the tart keep its shape. Place the tart in a preheated oven and bake at 150 C (around 300 F) for about 20 minutes, in the lower parts of the oven.

Take the crust out of the oven. Let it cool. Spoon in the almond filling and level it out with a spoon or knife. Bake the tart in the lower parts of a preheated oven for about 45 minutes at 160 C (around 320 F). Let the tart cool. Spread some apricot (or some other) jam over the frangipane. Decorate the tart with berries and fruits of your choice. I used blackberries, raspberries, kiwi and plums. Before serving, you could brush the fruits with some apricot jam. Alternatively, prepare a gelatine mixture, as per instructions, and spoon it over the fruits to preserve them. Keep this tart in the fridge. Good luck!

My entry to CEDD 6, hosted by Suma and Raven.
ABC Series: DESSERTS hosted by Ramya of Ramya's Recipe

A bountiful of Christmas wishes with Bounties

If you like Bounty, you will love these. :) Christmas is a time to relax, spend time with loved ones, catching up with old friends and reminisce good old times. Bounty is one of my favourite childhood chocolate bars and they are perfect to be served on occasions like Christmas and Valentine's Day. It is eggfree, gluten-free and you don't need an oven to make this. Even people who may not love bounty will be blown away by these homemade bounty balls. I could not stop licking the spoon and my fingers, while I was making these. If you want to shine with a recipe, this is it. :) And with this post, I want to wish you, one and all, a very merry Christmas!

Ingredients:
200 g desiccated coconut flakes
3/4 cup fresh heavy cream (35-40 %)
50 g butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup icing sugar

Coating:
150-200 g semisweet chocolate

Method:
In a large cooking pot, melt the butter at below medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the cream, maple syrup and sieve the icing sugar. Mix well and cook at medium heat, stirring in between, for about 6-8 minutes till the mixture thickens. Then add the dry coconut flakes and mix well for a couple of minutes till it is really thick firm and then take the cooking pot away from the stove. Allow to cool. When it has cooled down, cool enough for you to handle the mixture with your hands, take one tablespoon of the mixture and place it on a cool parchment paper or shape into small balls, and place them on parchment paper over a steel sheet. Allow the bounty balls to cool and stiffen for minimum one hour before coating them with chocolate. I put them in the refrigerator overnight to set.

Melt the semisweet chocolate over a hot-water bath or in microwave. Before melting, chop the chocolate evenly. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a cooking pot, and place a heat-proof bowl over it. Make sure there are no water stains in the glass bowl it has to be completely dry, and the bottom should not touch the water beneath. Place the chopped chocolates in a glass bowl and let it melt. Melt the chocolate over low heat, and while melting over hot-water bath, stir frequently, until the chocolate has melted. If you melt them in the microwave, follow the same instructions. Chop the chocolates evenly and heat them in the microwave. If you heat the chocolate in the microwave, it would be a good idea to not heat all the chocolate at once. Heat the chocolate in two batches. Take the chocolate out in between and stir. Stick a tooth pick in the bounty balls and then coat with chocolate, by dipping the balls in the melted chocolate and place them back on parchment/bakery paper. Coat all the Bounty balls and let them cool and stiffen before refrigeration. Keep these goodies in the fridge and serve them cool. Good luck!

Tiramisu

Typically the winter season is a depressing one for me, with nothing much to look forward to, except the Christmas holiday, but that too passes away as quickly as it comes. Luckily this winter has not been so severe and in the blogosphere there are always some fun and eventful happenings that keeps you upbeat and on your toes. Even if you don't win a give-away, you always win a few friends. The whole experience of participating and interacting with other bloggers and readers from keeps you in good, cheerful spirit. 

Although blogging can be addictive, it has turned out to be a rewarding learning experience for me in many aspects. Like many others in the blogosphere, ever since starting this blog, I have tried my hands at making some recipes and combinations that I otherwise would not have thought of or cared much for. I have even started to show some interest in learning some traditional recipes and methods from my mother, that I hadn't earlier. While some experiments go terribly wrong and the food goes wasted, leaving you in a state of discouragement and guilt, other experiments go extremely well, making you feel on top of the world.

My most recent experiment is Tiramisu, which had been on my mind for a couple of months now but for some reason I kept postponing it. This one needs no introduction, I think. You have probably seen and read about it in umpteenth food magazines, blogs, food programmes etc. This is a classic dessert but one that I have never tasted before. Tiramisu literally means "pick me up" in Italian, supposedly from the kick you get from all the caffeine in the coffee and the cocoa powder.

I was not too keen on trying the recipes that call for using raw eggs in the cream, so I finally made up my mind on Carminantonio Iannaccon's recipe. Since Carminantonio is an Italian and a chef, and this recipe was posted in Washington Post and featured in the"Daring Baker's Challenge" last year, I felt this recipe was a safe bet. It was much easier to make tiramisu than I had thought. The most difficult and brutal part of making it was to wait for it to set. I started making the zabaglione and the pastry cream on Monday and let it get chilled overnight. Made the whipped cream and assembled the tiramisu on Tuesday and then put it back in the fridge to set overnight. I got to eat it first for breakfast today, as I could not hold myself anymore. :) The tiramisu was very creamy and spongy and tasted quite refreshing mostly from the lemon. Unfortunately, the tiramisu started to melt when I was taking pictures.

Zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine (or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

Whipped cream:
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the assembly:
2 cups brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
36 store-bought ladyfingers
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Garnish:
Shaved nougat or chocolate (optional)

Method:
Begin by making the zabaglione. Have ready a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, place a pot with 1 inch of water on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl on it and make sure the bowl does not touch the water beneath. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, Marsala wine (or coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture, stirring constantly, at below medium heat for about 8 minutes or until it resembles an airy, lightly thick custard. It will bubble as it reaches that consistency. Continue to whisk and incorporate air into the custard. For me it took about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

Next make the pastry cream, by combining the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot. Add half the milk and the egg yolk. Whisk until smooth. Place the saucepan or pot and cook at below medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Add the remaining milk in small amounts, stirring. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, be free of lumps, beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don't worry; push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.) Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. I prepared the whipped cream on the second day, just before assembling the tiramisu. Beat with a large whisk, hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Put it in the fridge till you need it. Have ready a large rectangular serving platter to make the tiramisu. Combine the espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon - this will make it easier to mix without any lumps. Add the refrigerated zabaglione and pastry cream carefully, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set the cream mixture aside.

Working quickly, dip the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover and even out the mixture, all the way to the edges. Repeat to create 2 more layers, using the ladyfingers that are left and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture on the edges of the platter; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer. Cut into individual portions. You can garnish the tiramisu with shaved nougat as I did, or some shaved chocolate. Good luck! I am sending this as my entry to New Year - New Dish by UK Rasoi and Midweek fiesta 8 by Amy.

Egg Biryani

Today I made an attempt to make egg biryani, in the rice-cooker, adapting recipes from Vahchef and Sailu's Kitchen. This biryani was quite easy to make, as I did not include any meat that called for elaborate marinating and cooking. This biryani made for a hearty meal today. A biryani is as much about the flavours as it is about the aroma. Spices such as cloves, cardamom and cinnamon play an integral part in making the biryani, if you or anyone in your family don't like the pungency of whole cloves and cardamoms, you can grind these into a powder, instead of excluding them.

Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
Water (as required)
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1/2 tbs oil
1-2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

Masala:
2 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1/2 star anise
1/4 tsp shah jeera or cumin

Saute:
4-5 boiled eggs
1 onion
1/2 cup salted cashew nuts
3-4 tbs ghee or oil
2 green chilis
2 tbs coriander leaves (adjust)
2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 tbs curd or sour cream (adjust)
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the eggs and peel them. Put aside. Grind the masala ingredients into a fine powder. Slice the onion and green chilis. Finely chop and grind the garlic and ginger into a fine paste. In a large pan, heat some ghee or oil. Add the masala powder, chili powder, onion, green chili, salt and saute until fragrant and golden brown. Add the cashew nuts and saute. The cashew nuts have a tendency to get burnt if you add them initially with the onion so don't add the until the onion is sauted at least half way or pre-roast the cashew nuts.

If you like, you can add the boiled eggs at this stage and marinate them in this onion masala, slit or whole. Put aside the eggs and half of the onion-cashew mixture in a bowl. Now add garlic-ginger paste and the coriander. Add the curd and mix. You can adjust the amount of coriander and curd according to your preferences. Take the saute away from the stove.

Add the water required to boil the rice in the rice cooker and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the rice properly. When the water is boiling, add turmeric, salt, oil, and the spices (whole). Mix a little. Then add the rice into the rice-cooker. Add the sauted onion-curd mixture and lightly mix. Close the lid and let the rice boil with the sauted onion-curd mixture and all the spices into an aromatic one-pot meal. Serve the biryani with the boiled egg and the sauted onion-cashew nuts and other side dishes of your choice.

I have sent this post as my entry to the "Royal Feast - Biryani" event and a Giveaway at Kaarasaaram.