Elegant Desserts For Perfect Indulgence!

Pineapple Exotic - with pineapple pieces and ice cream!

Fresh pineapple - 1 cup (chopped)

Fresh pinapple, grated - 2 cups

Vanilla Ice cream - 1 cup (or more by choice)

Brown sugar - 2-3 tbsp

Simmer the chopped pineapple with 2 tsp sugar , covered, in a saucepan, on a low fire, till just soft.

Blend grated fruit, brown sugar & ice cream, thoroughly.

Mix & freeze.

Just before serving, thaw for 5 mts, liquidise for a minute & mix in the the boiled fruit.

Serve, garnished with cherries.

 

Fresh Fig (Anjer) Ice cream - something very different!

Select ripe fresh figs(Anjer) & chop them.

Chopped figs - 1 cup

Milk - 1+1 cups

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Sugar - ½ cup, heaped

Fresh cream - 200 gms.

Liquidise figs with 1 cup of milk till smooth.

Mix the other cup of milk with cornflour & sugar.

Simmer to boil, stirring to prevent lumps.

Cool completely & add fruit mixture & cream.

Blend everything & freeze.
Transfer to an airtight container & keep in the freezer.

Aftr about 8 hrs, take out, break into chunks & whisk with wisking blades of an electric hand beater. The volume will double. The ice cream becomes light. Do not use blender or hand blender. Only whisking gives the aeration & light texture.

Now put back in an airtight container in the freezer.

 

5 in 1 payasam - for festive occasions!

1 level teaspoon each of:

Raw rice, moong dhal, sago, Bombay rava and poha.

Heat 1 tsp ghee & first fry sago till it puffs up.

Remove & fry rice first & moong dhal next & remove after 2-3 mts.

Next in the reaining few drops of ghee, fry poha & remove.

Finally add rava & roast lightly.

Powder the first 4 ingredients together slightly coarse (like rava) & add rava.

Milk - ½ litre

Sugar - ½ cup (or to taste)

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Chopped cashews & raisins - to garnish, fried in 1 tsp ghee.

Boil milk & first add the powder mixed with 2 tbsp of cold milk.

Simmer till cooked on the Simmer-Rest
Do not stop stirring to prevent lump formation.

When all the grains are well cooked, add sugar.

Do not boil, but simmer for 3 mts & switch off.

Add cardamom powder & keep covered.

After 10 mts, open, mix well & garnish.

This is an ideal payasam for Navarathri, for offering as naivedyam.

Can be served chilled also.

 

Cashew Payasam - recipe given by an ILite!

The original recipe of a Chef has been modified by me to suit domestic preparation.
The consistency is one’s choice. I made it like basundhi.

Basmathi - ¼ cup

Ghee - 1 tsp

Milk - ½ litre (more, if necessary to suit consitency)

Chopped cashew - ¼ cup (powder like rava – not fine)

Sugar - ½ cup, heaped

Saffron - a pinch (warm & powder)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Sliced pista - to garnish

Roast basmathi in ghee till well roasted.

Add 1 cup of water & cook till very soft.

Lightly mash & add 1 cup of milk.

Cook till it reduces slightly.

Now add the remaining milk +cashew powder.

Continue to ccok till you get the desired consistency.

Lower the flame, add sugar & mix well.

Do not boil, but switch off.

Add spices & garnish.

 

Bombay Rava Kheer - simply rich dessert for deepavali!

Milk - 4 cups

Rava - ½ cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Cashew & raisins - 2 tbsp, each

Extra cashews - 6 (soak & grind with part of the above milk)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Roast cashews & raisins in ghee & remove.

Then add rava and roast on a low flame till a nicely roastd aroma comes – this is important.

Boil milk & add roasted rava, stirring well or whisking to prevent lump formation.

When it boils, simmer & cook for 10 ms.

Add cashew paste & simmer again for 5 mts.

Next add sugar & cardamom powder.

Do not boil, mix very well & switch off.

Keep covered for 15 mts & add roasted cashews & raisins.

Serve hot, warm or cold.

 

Cabbage Kheer - no apprehensions, please!!

I promise you, unless you reveal, NOBODY will find out!!

Finely grated cabbage - 1 cup

Milk - 2 1/2 - 3 cups

Sugar - ¾ cup (or less, by choice)

Condensed milk - ½ of 400 gms tin

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cashews - 8-10 (soak & grind with a little from the milk given above)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Boil milk and keep aside.

In a pressure pan, heat ghee & sauté cabbage on a low flame for 5 mts.

Add 2 tbsps of water & cook in a vessel inside a pressure cooker or pan for a whistle.

Cool, open & add milk & cashew paste.

Cook till it starts thickening, say, for 10 mts.

Add condensed milk & sugar.

Simmer & cook on a low flame for 5 mts.

Add cardamom powder & switch off covered.

Keep covered for 10 mts for the flavours to blend.

Serve hot or cold.

 

Cashew-Khus khus Payasam - a typical Karnataka dish!

There are many recipes for this. I tried, following a friend’s recipe.

Milk - ½ litre + 100ml

Khus khus - ¼ cup

Whole cashews - 10

Sugar - ¾ cup

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Edible camphor - pepper size grain.

Dry roast khus khus on a low flame till light brown.

Add cashews & swich off the flame.

In 5 mts, transfer to a small mixie jar and grind as fine as possible.


Add 2 tbsp cold milk & grind very fine.

Mix with remaining milk from 100 ml.

Boil ½ litre milk.

When it boils, add the paste, stirring well to prevent lump formation.

When it starts boiling, simmer for 10 mts for the khus khus tocook well.

Keep the flame low, add sugar, cardamom powder & edible camphor.

Switch off & keep covered for 10 mts.

Open, mix well & serve hot.

 

Stewed Peaches - serve them in style!!

Select firm, ripe peaches.

Peaches - 6 (deskin, dessed & chop into 4)

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Cinnamon - 1 “

Cloves - 2

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Water - ¾ cup

Mix all ingredients in a MW bowl.

MW Hi for 6 mtes.

Cool & chill.

Serve plain or with custard.



The same can be cooked on stove-top also.

 

Moong-Cashew Kheer - let us start 2009 on a sweet note!

Yellow moong dhal - 2 tbsp

Cashew chopped - 2 tbsp

Milk - ½ litre + 1-1½ cups (depending on the consistency you like)

Sugar - ½ cup

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Saffron colour - a drop or two


Lightly roast on a dry kadai, moong dhal & cashew to a light brown colour.

Powder as fine as possible in a mixie.

Boil the milk.

Mix into it the powder mixed with ½ cup milk, stirring continuously.

Simmer to boil well – cook on a low flame over the simmer-rest. Only then the powder will be well-cooked.

Lower the flame & add sugar.

When the sugar dissolves, add cardamom powder & remove from flame.

Can be served hot or chilled.

 

Sweet Kichdi Dhal Pongal - I learnt this from a TV programme!

Kichdi dhal - 1 cup

Basmathi - ½ cup

Water - 3 cups

Sugar - 1 cup (more is optional)

Coconut milk _ 1 cup (1/2 cup grated coconut+3/4-1 cup of water)

Ghee - 1 tbsp


Mix rice & dhal, wash well & soak for 30 mts.

Drain, add 3 cups of water & transfer to a pressure pan.


Add 1 tsp ghee, close with weight when it starts vigorously boiling.

Do not wait for whistle, but simmer & cook for 10 mts.

Cool, open & lightly mash.

Add sugar & coconut milk.

Mix well, simmer for 5 mts & serve hot topped with ghee.

This goes very well with pongal kuzambu.