In 'Fusion' - Tea

I think infusion is on top of my mind right now. First the infused oils and now tea. 2 most consumed things of my life. Now, lets get onto the tea, shall we?

Infused Hot Tea

I love the spa like treat, that's why I keep buying these scented candles, a bundle of toiletries and drink cups and cups of tea. Different kinds, but yes, tea. Today I tried something on my own.I do make these once in a while, by sometimes adding a stick of cinnamon or sometimes a little honey.

This is the easiest recipe ever. Take a cup and fill it with water, drop in a tea bag that you like, I used Earl Grey, but even mint would be great! Added few peppercorn, may be about 10, about 5-6cloves, a tiny piece of lime, 3 thin sticks of cinnamon a tablespoon of honey (for that 'un' sinful dose of sweetness) and then put it in the microwave for a minute and a half. And you are done. Burn a candle alongside, that you love and get into a warm bath. You'll love it!

In 'Fusion' - Oil

I love infused oil. I use it in everything, salads, pastas, breads, marinade, herb substitute or sometimes just frying that omelet. Here are a few of my favorite kind of infused oils that I make over and over.

-o- Basil Infused
1 and a 1/2  cup olive oil and about leaves of fresh basil.

Take a few leaves in a mortar and pestle along with a tbsp of oil and grind it. Put it back in the oil. Take the remaining leaves, bruise them and put them back in the oil.

Store for a week.

-o- Red Chilli Infused
1 and a 1/2  cup olive oil and about 8-10 red chillies.

Take the oil in a pan, crush the dried red chillies and heat the oil. Make sure the chillies doesn't burn. Once cool, strain and put them back into the bottle, with additional 3 red chillies.

Store for a week.

-o- Lime Infused
1 and a 1/2  cup olive oil and rind on an entire lime. Keep a pinch of the rind aside.

Take the oil in a pan, add the rind and heat the oil. Make sure the rind doesn't burn. Once cool, strain and put them back into the bottle, and add the remaining rind that was kept aside.

Store for a week.

-o- Spice Infused
1 and a 1/2  cup olive oil and about 8-10 black peppercorns, cloves and 1 bay leaf.

Put the bottle of oil in the microwave and heat for a minute and a half. Put all the spices in.

Store for a week.

Enjoy!

A Weekend Brunch - and the Labor of 'Love'

A weekend brunch is very special in my house. At least one of the days between Saturday and Sunday, we need to have that. Its the time when me and M are together in the kitchen, preparing for that big meal, and chatting, listening to some loud music in the background, with and occasional dance or a jig or 2. It clearly is the fun time.

Today's was special too. I made an avocado meal sandwich.

Ingredients:

-o-4 slices of garlic flavored bread. (that's what I used, but  you can use whatever you feel like having that day).

-o- 2 avocados. Half of 1 avocado sliced rest mashed.

-o- 1 whole Oil cured red pepper

-o- 4 slices of bacon. Low fat variety

-o- 2 Eggs

-o- Salt & Pepper

-o- olive oil

Recipe:

-o- Cut 4 slices of the loaf and heat it gently.
-o- Mash the Avocados and mix little salt
-o- Cook the bacon and the 2 sunny side ups
-o- Assemble:
--o--Place the slices
--o--Drizzle olive oil
--o--Put the mashed avocado
--o--Place shards of red pepper
--o--Then Bacon,
--o--Place the 2 slices together and place the egg on top. Repeat.

Please do try this at home and let me know, what you think

    

I Heart Greek!

I love Greek food. Actually I have figured that I do, after I visited Tavern Kyclades in Astoria, NY last time. Its a Greek seafood restaurtant, and what I love about it is the the atmosphere, the quantity, which is huge, the bread and their greek wine.

 I love seafood, and we usually order for the Kyclades special platter, which has Scallops, Prawns, A white fish, and they are all baked in a traditional grill. We usually pair them with a house white or a greek local white wine.

 This time we were served a a dessert, very generously by the restaurant as a complimentary treat called Galaktoboureko. Its is Greek dessert of semolina-based custard in phyllo.See here for the recipe. Its obviously so awesomely good. Overall a great evening!

Bosie Tea Parlor - Quaint and Cute

We discovered this place accidentally last year on Valentine's day. We intended to go to another restaurant (another favorite) but it was so crowded that we decided to walk around and landed up at the Bosie Tea Parlor.

This place was an instant love.. Their wide variety of tea and pastries are so amazingly lip smacking that you wont be able to  get over them, even when you get back home and are dreaming! They are that good. My personal favorites are the millicrepes and the Darjeeling macarons.

They have a wide collection of teas..

This time around I went over with a friend for lunch and ordered for their standard tea set, which has these amazing scones with clotted cream and jam, 3 tea sandwiches of your choice, tea cakes and macarons. We ordered one set each and had to get them home in doggy bags.

Its such a cute little place that you wont feel like leaving. I never want to. And being a tea person, their huge selection of tea keeps me glued to this place. They have an interesting way to give their bills too, its inside the book called "Here is New York" by E.B.Whites!

Do you have a favorite tea parlor too? then tell me.

Madeleines - And my scandalous love affair!

Would you believe if I say that I didnt know of its existence, till a couple of years back?

Have you experienced true love? You meet somebody in a way, as if it were meant to be, and then you stick around together, no matter what, as if there was no other way it could be. Thats what I am talking about. My love affair, with these tiny shell- like sweet darlings :)

I love my cup of tea, or several cups of tea as I am a self-confessed tea-addict. And what I love even more are these madeleines to be an accompaniment while I have my cuppa.

Here is my recipe, which is not an exclusive recipe and everyone probably make their's the same way. But then, this is how I do it:

Ingredients
-o- 1 Special Madeleine baking tray
-o- 2 Eggs
-o- 1/2cup All-purpose flour
-o- 1/2 Slab Butter
-o- 2 Tea bags of Earl Grey
-o- A pinch of Salt
-o- 1/3 cup Sugar
-o- 1tsp Vanilla extract
-o- Little over a cup of Milk or as much needed to achieve the desired consistency

Method

-o- Set the oven at 350 F
-o- Melt the butter and dip the tea bags. Keep it for half an hour.
-o- Add sugar and beat well
-o- Add Eggs. Beat.
-o- Add  Vanilla extract. Mix.
-o- Add flour + salt. Mix
-o- Mix well
-o- The consistency should be pouring, Add milk to achieve it.
-o- Grease the baking tray with butter
-o- Pour 1 tbsp at a time into each slot. Make sure to fill just half way, as it tends to swell.
-o- Put it in the oven for 20mins or whenever it achieves the desired golden brown crust.
-o- Bring it out and cool it.
-o- Enjoy!

The last of snow...

We visited Killington this weekend.Before the snow bids adieu, we had to be there. 

Now before telling you about all that, here is a little introduction. I am from a place where it doesn't snow. Forget snow, there is no winter, its Mumbai. Fabulous city, but no winter. You need the AirCon to keep you in good spirits all year long. 

 So, when I first attempted skiing, I was literally in tears as I couldn't even manage to get onto my skiis and stand straight on my own. And mind you, if you didn't know that already, I am not 5yrs but on 6times the multiple of that. I have my days when I think to myself...Am I old?

However, it was delightful to be on the Vermont slopes of Killington, and try my feet. I, of course took classes, and I have to mention that the instructors are experienced, thorough and fabulous. And yes. That means that after 3 sessions of coaching I have finally learnt to skii now. So kudos to me!

 However, I have to confess, that the charm of going for this trip is just not the skiing. Its the regular trip to the cafeteria for the Beef Chilli and Hot chocolate (with a sufficient topping of marshmallows of course:))

I think it was such a great trip, that we might go back again next year. Actually we would, even if I have a broken feet, just to have the beef chilly and the hot chocolate and watch the snow and the sun and stare at its beauty.

Gaajar Halwa - Carrot Pudding

This really is my mother's recipe! And I think its delicious and surprisingly healthy. Its an Indian recipe and is a recipe that every Indian mother cooks to perfection! However, with today's lifestyle, we might want to change a few thing in the recipe, and kudos to Mom, she did. She realized the importance of healthy living and shared this recipe and I thought why not share it with you too. Am sure you'll love it!

Ingredients

• Carrot - 1 Pound
• Milk - skimmed (I used Lactoid fat free) 2 cups
• Honey - As per taste
• Cardamom - 2
• Bay leaf - 1medium
• Saffron - 1/2 tsp
• Crushed Dry Fruit (any nuts and raisins of your choice)
• Rose water 1/2 tsp

Method

• Shred the carrots
• In a medium sized vessel, add all the ingredients except dry fruits and simmer
• Reduce it to a thick paste.
• Serve it hot or cold, but don't forget to sprinkle the dry fruit before you do.

Enjoy!

Spinach, Ricotta, Pork stuffed Manicotti

 

I tried this for the first time last year, when my parents were over, and fell in love with this dish. I made it a little differently last time, this time I made it different. Used up the healthy spinach, low fat ricotta and meat.

Its healthy and sinful at the same time. By sinful I meant the taste-bud of course. What did you think?

Ingredients:

• Manicotti -9
• 3 Bratwurst Sausages
• Spinach - 3cups
• Egg -2
• Ricotta cheese - 2cups
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oregano
• Tomato pulp -3/4th of a can (3cups)
• Mushroom - 2 big Portabella Mushrooms
• 3 kind Cheese
• Olive oil

Method:-

• Shred the spinach.

• Take a pan and heat oil. Add garlic and then spinach and cook till its reduced to half.

• Boil and then fry the sausages separately. Once done, grind it in a mixer.

• Take a bowl add the Spinach mix, Ricotta, Egg, Sausage, shredded basil and mix it all together.

• Boil the manicotti, half way through. They will break if over-cooked, and also, will be difficult to stuff.

• In a separate pan take the tomato pulp, add fresh basil, mushroom, salt and pepper alongwith oregano and boil till it reduces to half.

• Assembling:

• Now, take the stuffing and stuff it inside the manicotti.

• Once all are stuffed place them carefully in a baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over it.

• Now pour the tomato concoction over these stuffed manicottis, and bake in a preheated oven of 375degrees for 30minutes

• If you have the stuffing left, because I did, I put it all in a baking dish, topped up with some cheese, then the tomato sauce I just made and then cheese again and baked it at 300 degrees for about 45minutes. That tasted quite awesome too.

Enjoy!

Raspberry white chocolate muffins

So that's how I cook! I start to make something, then something else catches my attention and that's what I end up making. This time it was a box of Raspberries. Like, really!

However, I cant blame the poor raspberries too much because they made the muffins turn out to be delicious... mmmm

And now, the time has come my dear readers, to share this amazingly simple recipe with you. You don't need anything fancy but just the usual baking stuff.

There goes the ingredients..

Method.

• Melt the butter and add sugar. beat it in well.
• Add Vanilla
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix well.
• Add eggs and milk (as much needed)
• Add the white chocolate chips an raspberries
• Heat the oven to 400degrees
• Put the batter into cupcakes, and bake for 20-25minutes
• Check with a toothpick if it is cooked.

Decorate with icing and decorations. Enjoy with hot cup of tea :)