Happy Holidays to all you dear readers of Collaborative Curry! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.
Showing posts with label Pecan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pecan. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Pecan Sandies & Happy Holidays !
Happy Holidays to all you dear readers of Collaborative Curry! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sour Cream Coffee Cake With Pecan Streusel Topping
Hello everyone ! Hope you all, the wonderful moms and moms-to-be out there had a terrific mother's day . I was supposed to post this before Sunday and wish you all a happy mother's day, but it just got late. I am not going to tell you all the silly reasons,why I couldn't do it on time. Here I am,with a great coffee cake recipe to wish all the moms, a wonderful journey throughout your motherhood !
I would love to share with you,two posts about Mother's day, that really touched my heart ! Most of you might have seen them both already. I am not going to tell anything about these posts, because you must read them yourselves if you haven't done so.'What I really want for mother's day' is a very beautiful post written by lovely Monica Bhide and this link will take you there. And the second one is from The little Red House.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Pecan Logs- A Guest Post For Ambika's Kitchen
I am so happy and honored to be a guest in Ambika's Kitchen, beautiful vegetarian kitchen ! Thanks Ambika,for this opportunity to get to know your readers.Also thanks for patiently waiting for this post even past the deadline,you are a sweet heart !
I have been blogging for almost 3 years now and I am so happy and proud about it. Blogging has given me a lot of new friends and opportunities to learn so many new things every day.I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful community !
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Cream Cheese Pecan Cookies
Hello ! Hope everyone in the US had a great July 4th week end. We had fun ,watching fireworks with friends. The fireworks reminded me of the Temple festivals in Kerala, though it was not even close to any of that. But I have no complaints, at least they are doing this much in a highly fire prone area.
It is getting really warm here and already the mountains had some fires. Last year Boulder had a couple of really bad wild fires. I hope this year will be much better. Because of the scorching heat, we cannot go out as much as we want to.So kids are home most of the afternoon and I need to engage them with something or the other and make a lot of snacks.Here is a recipe for kids,if you are a mom like me and for adults,if you do not care about the number of calories.
This is so easy to whip up, maybe a fun project for your elder kids.
Ingredients:
Butter softened- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 3 ounces
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Flour- 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Finely chopped Pecans- 1/2 cup
Method:
1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Mix the butter and cheese together.
3.Add the sugar and mix until it is creamy.
4.Mix the vanilla and add the flour. Beat until everything is combined and comes together.
5.Fold in the pecans.
6.Make 1 inch balls out of the dough, press between your palms and keep on the baking sheet.
7.Bake for 10-12 minutes.
8.Cool in the sheet for 5-6 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9.Store in an air tight container for a week.
Notes:
1.The sugar in this recipe is to my liking. You could add more sugar if you wish.
2.?When you take them out of the oven they are very soft. But they get firm on cooling.
Adapted from : Here
It is getting really warm here and already the mountains had some fires. Last year Boulder had a couple of really bad wild fires. I hope this year will be much better. Because of the scorching heat, we cannot go out as much as we want to.So kids are home most of the afternoon and I need to engage them with something or the other and make a lot of snacks.Here is a recipe for kids,if you are a mom like me and for adults,if you do not care about the number of calories.
This is so easy to whip up, maybe a fun project for your elder kids.
Ingredients:
Butter softened- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 3 ounces
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Flour- 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Finely chopped Pecans- 1/2 cup
Method:
1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Mix the butter and cheese together.
3.Add the sugar and mix until it is creamy.
4.Mix the vanilla and add the flour. Beat until everything is combined and comes together.
5.Fold in the pecans.
6.Make 1 inch balls out of the dough, press between your palms and keep on the baking sheet.
7.Bake for 10-12 minutes.
8.Cool in the sheet for 5-6 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9.Store in an air tight container for a week.
Notes:
1.The sugar in this recipe is to my liking. You could add more sugar if you wish.
2.?When you take them out of the oven they are very soft. But they get firm on cooling.
Adapted from : Here
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thumbprint Cookies
"Give me more!" I am telling you, these cookies have that effect! Hopefully, baking cookies is on top of your list because that’s what I have got for you today. Thumb print cookies with a dollop of preserves. Yummy!
Not only cookies, wine and other baked goods fill my mind, but also Christmas songs. I refer especially to the popular number “Jingle Bells". My lil imp can sing the first two lines of this one, and sometimes sings it at the most unreasonable of times, I should say. Check out what happened to us recently while shopping. It borders bizarre.
I prayed: May the earth open and take me into her chasm but nothing of the sort happened. The saving grace was the understanding customers and shop keepers. They took it jest laughed and smiled. However, I could not but over hear people say “Now angry child singing in frustration is a first!”
My daughter did this too! Is this strange????? Oh! Please do tell me you have had an experience like this with your child. If you don’t I will be forced to believe I am having some strange happenings going on with my kids.
Now to restore sanity lets all go bake!. Enjoy :)
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 cup
Egg,large- 1 separated
Unsalted Butter- 1/2 cup
Salt- a pinch
Granulated White sugar- 1/4 cup
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped,lightly toasted Nuts- ~3/4 cup
Jam/Preserve of your choice- 1/4 cup
Method:
1.Beat the butter and sugar till it is smooth and fluffy.
2.Add the egg yolk and beat until everything is combined well.
3.Add the vanilla and salt and mix well.
4.Now add the flour and beat well until it is mixed into the wet mixture.
5.Keep the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
6.Beat the egg white lightly, till it is frothy.
7.Spread the chopped nuts on a plate.
8.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.
9.Roll out the dough into 1 inch balls and dip them in the prepared egg white.Roll them in the chopped nuts and keep on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10.Now using your thumb/the back of a wooden spoon make indentation on the top of each cookie.
11.Do the same for the rest of the dough.Keep the cookies one inch apart.
12.Bake for about 15-16 minutes or until the nuts are browned well.
13.Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight container.
14.Fill the cookies with 1/4 tsp of jam just before you serve.
Notes:
1.You could use any nuts of your choice for making this. I used a mixture of Pecan and Almonds.
2.If you are planning to serve the cookies the same day you bake them, you could fill the jam before baking and you may have to extend the baking time for a couple of minutes. (I never tried this since I always store them for at least 2-3 days)
3.I toasted the nuts in microwave, on high for about 1 and a half minute.
Adapted from here and here.
Contributor: Namitha
Not only cookies, wine and other baked goods fill my mind, but also Christmas songs. I refer especially to the popular number “Jingle Bells". My lil imp can sing the first two lines of this one, and sometimes sings it at the most unreasonable of times, I should say. Check out what happened to us recently while shopping. It borders bizarre.
So, the other day we were in a shop, and my son with his endearing smile and big eyes won the shop owner's heart. It’s not a marketing tactic, but my sons charm is what I would like to believe, I insist. The lady offered him a pick of stickers from a loaded tray. She said pick up what you like, and my son grabbed the whole tray. Whoa! In my embarrassment and trying to teach my boy some manners I said ever so sweetly “No, not the tray just a couple of stickers.” Ah.. hem!, he turned around, rolled his eyes at me meaning ‘keep out of this!’ You know what happens next, I rolled my eyes and insisted, "No!" And then to my shock my son broke into singing, “Jingle Bells!” and hopping mad all at one! OMG! Can you see my embarrassment. It was palpable. I had a terribly upset child singing jingle bells hopping mad in a crowded department store! Can you believe this?
I prayed: May the earth open and take me into her chasm but nothing of the sort happened. The saving grace was the understanding customers and shop keepers. They took it jest laughed and smiled. However, I could not but over hear people say “Now angry child singing in frustration is a first!”
My daughter did this too! Is this strange????? Oh! Please do tell me you have had an experience like this with your child. If you don’t I will be forced to believe I am having some strange happenings going on with my kids.
Now to restore sanity lets all go bake!. Enjoy :)
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 cup
Egg,large- 1 separated
Unsalted Butter- 1/2 cup
Salt- a pinch
Granulated White sugar- 1/4 cup
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped,lightly toasted Nuts- ~3/4 cup
Jam/Preserve of your choice- 1/4 cup
Method:
1.Beat the butter and sugar till it is smooth and fluffy.
2.Add the egg yolk and beat until everything is combined well.
3.Add the vanilla and salt and mix well.
4.Now add the flour and beat well until it is mixed into the wet mixture.
5.Keep the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
6.Beat the egg white lightly, till it is frothy.
7.Spread the chopped nuts on a plate.
8.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.
9.Roll out the dough into 1 inch balls and dip them in the prepared egg white.Roll them in the chopped nuts and keep on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10.Now using your thumb/the back of a wooden spoon make indentation on the top of each cookie.
11.Do the same for the rest of the dough.Keep the cookies one inch apart.
12.Bake for about 15-16 minutes or until the nuts are browned well.
13.Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight container.
14.Fill the cookies with 1/4 tsp of jam just before you serve.
Notes:
1.You could use any nuts of your choice for making this. I used a mixture of Pecan and Almonds.
2.If you are planning to serve the cookies the same day you bake them, you could fill the jam before baking and you may have to extend the baking time for a couple of minutes. (I never tried this since I always store them for at least 2-3 days)
3.I toasted the nuts in microwave, on high for about 1 and a half minute.
Adapted from here and here.
Contributor: Namitha
Friday, May 21, 2010
Rugelach
This is an elegant cookie from the Jewish Cuisine, usually made during the time of Hanukkah. When my daughter saw the picture of this in the cook book I lent from the library, she asked me whether I could make it for her. How could I say no when I wanted to try them myself. I was super glad it came out looking pretty as I expected. Enjoy your weekend!
Ingredients:
Cream cheese- 8 ounce
Butter- 1 cup
Flour- 2 cups
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 tsp
for filling:
Semisweet chocolate squares- one 4 ounce square
Walnuts- 1 1/4 cup
Strawberry/Raspberry jam- 1/2 cup
Brown sugar- 1/4 cup
Cinnamon- 1 tsp
Method:
1.Beat the cream cheese and butter till they become smooth.Throw in the sugar and salt and mix well.
2.Add the flour and beat to mix well. Knead using your hands to make a soft and smooth dough.
3.Make 4 equal balls out of this and keep them covered in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
4.Make the filling ,meanwhile. Throw in the chopped chocolate and walnut into the blender and blend it till they have mixed well, but the nut is only coarsely ground.
5.Mix this and the jam, sugar and cinnamon and keep aside.
6.Preheat the oven at 375 degree F.
7.Take out the dough from the fridge and roll each of the dough ball into ~9 inch rounds using a rolling pin.
8.Spread 1/4th of the filling evenly on it.
9.Cut each round into 4 equal parts and then each 1/4th to 3 equal parts.This will give 12 equal pieces.
10.Now starting from the wide edge roll up each cookie and place them with the end tucked to the bottom.
11.Chill it for 20 minutes before baking.
12.Keep in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or till they start changing to a light brown color.
13.remove to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing in a airtight container.
Notes:
1.The filling is up to your imagination. You could replace the walnut with toasted pecan or almond.
2.Also you could avoid adding chocolate if you wish.
3.Chilling the rolled up cookies before baking helps to prevent them from spreading.
4.I baked them in two batches, using up two balls of dough each time.
5.You could give the cookies an eggwash, that will give a shiny brown color to the cookies. I didn't do it, since my family doesn't like the egg smell on their cookies :-)
6.If you are doing an egg wash, beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it over the cookies before baking.
7.The original recipe calls for Kosher salt an inevitable ingredient of Jewish cooking.
Recipe adapted from: Baking at home, CIA
Contributor: Namitha
Ingredients:
Cream cheese- 8 ounce
Butter- 1 cup
Flour- 2 cups
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 tsp
for filling:
Semisweet chocolate squares- one 4 ounce square
Walnuts- 1 1/4 cup
Strawberry/Raspberry jam- 1/2 cup
Brown sugar- 1/4 cup
Cinnamon- 1 tsp
Method:
1.Beat the cream cheese and butter till they become smooth.Throw in the sugar and salt and mix well.
2.Add the flour and beat to mix well. Knead using your hands to make a soft and smooth dough.
3.Make 4 equal balls out of this and keep them covered in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
4.Make the filling ,meanwhile. Throw in the chopped chocolate and walnut into the blender and blend it till they have mixed well, but the nut is only coarsely ground.
5.Mix this and the jam, sugar and cinnamon and keep aside.
6.Preheat the oven at 375 degree F.
7.Take out the dough from the fridge and roll each of the dough ball into ~9 inch rounds using a rolling pin.
8.Spread 1/4th of the filling evenly on it.
9.Cut each round into 4 equal parts and then each 1/4th to 3 equal parts.This will give 12 equal pieces.
10.Now starting from the wide edge roll up each cookie and place them with the end tucked to the bottom.
11.Chill it for 20 minutes before baking.
12.Keep in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or till they start changing to a light brown color.
13.remove to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing in a airtight container.
Notes:
1.The filling is up to your imagination. You could replace the walnut with toasted pecan or almond.
2.Also you could avoid adding chocolate if you wish.
3.Chilling the rolled up cookies before baking helps to prevent them from spreading.
4.I baked them in two batches, using up two balls of dough each time.
5.You could give the cookies an eggwash, that will give a shiny brown color to the cookies. I didn't do it, since my family doesn't like the egg smell on their cookies :-)
6.If you are doing an egg wash, beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it over the cookies before baking.
7.The original recipe calls for Kosher salt an inevitable ingredient of Jewish cooking.
Recipe adapted from: Baking at home, CIA
Contributor: Namitha
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Cherry Winks / Awards
We would like to share some awards and celebrate with a recipe for cherry winks. Please accept the awards and spot them on your sites. We thank you all for stopping by, leaving your comments and sharing your token of appreciations through awards.
The recipe for the day, cherry winks were made during Christmas. I am still sticking to my no sweets regimen and please pray with me I keep it that way for a while. Blogging has gotten me into a sweet binge and I am trying to cut down for a while. Coming back to the topic of discussion the recipe is from my friend who instead got it from her mother. These were collected in a cook book, brought out by the ladies of her neighborhood in Kansas City, in the ‘40’s. They are crunchy and very pretty spiffed up with the maraschino cherries. I hope you enjoy this time tested cookies as much as I do.
Kreative blogger comes with some rules. Namitha and I have shared it with you before. We request everyone who receives the award to follow the rules.
Namitha and I am would like to especially thank you guys who gave us these awards.
From Namitha:
Here is the 7 things that people may not know about me :-)
1. Have a love-hate relationship with rain.
2. Love Photography as much as I love cooking.
3. Get nervous about silly things (sometimes) but I face all the extreme situations confidently
4. Value friendships and glad that I have many friends whom I could count on :-)
5.A dessert maniac, and love almost anything that is sweet.
6.All through my life ,this is one sentence I've heard n number of times "you are getting thinner " :D
7.Love shopping for my kids
We were awarded by:
Renuka from love of cooking has shared the creative blogger award
S from Art, Food and Travel Chronicles Also shared the same award
Kitchen queen (Indu) and Soumya has awarded "happy 101"
Kalai of recipes diary shared Kreativ blogger
Spice of Spicebuds has shared Kreative blogger and beautiful blogger awards
Siddhi from cooked dil se has awarded us 'Happy 101' and Beautiful Blogger
Today's Recipe.
Cherry Winks:
Ingredients:
Flour - 2 Cups
Baking Soda - 1/2 tspn
Shortening - 2/3 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla Essence - 1 tspn
Dates - 1 Cup chopped
Baking Powder - 1 tspn
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - 3 Tbspn (add less to start with)
Pecans - 1 Cup chopped
Corn Flakes crushed - 2 Cups
Method:
1. Sift flour, baking powder, soad and salt together
2. Cream shortening, sugar
3. Add eggs in and beat followed by milk and vanilla essence
4. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix
5. Add pecans and dates mix
6. Drop a tablespoon each into corn flakes and roll till the doubh is coated.
7. Place on greased cookie sheet and top with 1/4 or 1/2 cherry
8. Bake in moderate over (350 D F) for 10-12 min
9. Cool and tin the cookies
Notes: The dough is sticky. Rolling in the flakes may seem hard, but if you use the spoon and lightly using your finger tip maneuver, you will be fine.
Contributor: Sunitha
The recipe for the day, cherry winks were made during Christmas. I am still sticking to my no sweets regimen and please pray with me I keep it that way for a while. Blogging has gotten me into a sweet binge and I am trying to cut down for a while. Coming back to the topic of discussion the recipe is from my friend who instead got it from her mother. These were collected in a cook book, brought out by the ladies of her neighborhood in Kansas City, in the ‘40’s. They are crunchy and very pretty spiffed up with the maraschino cherries. I hope you enjoy this time tested cookies as much as I do.
Kreative blogger comes with some rules. Namitha and I have shared it with you before. We request everyone who receives the award to follow the rules.
Namitha and I am would like to especially thank you guys who gave us these awards.
From Namitha:
Here is the 7 things that people may not know about me :-)
1. Have a love-hate relationship with rain.
2. Love Photography as much as I love cooking.
3. Get nervous about silly things (sometimes) but I face all the extreme situations confidently
4. Value friendships and glad that I have many friends whom I could count on :-)
5.A dessert maniac, and love almost anything that is sweet.
6.All through my life ,this is one sentence I've heard n number of times "you are getting thinner " :D
7.Love shopping for my kids
We were awarded by:
Renuka from love of cooking has shared the creative blogger award
S from Art, Food and Travel Chronicles Also shared the same award
Kitchen queen (Indu) and Soumya has awarded "happy 101"
Kalai of recipes diary shared Kreativ blogger
Spice of Spicebuds has shared Kreative blogger and beautiful blogger awards
Siddhi from cooked dil se has awarded us 'Happy 101' and Beautiful Blogger
Today's Recipe.
Cherry Winks:
Ingredients:
Flour - 2 Cups
Baking Soda - 1/2 tspn
Shortening - 2/3 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla Essence - 1 tspn
Dates - 1 Cup chopped
Baking Powder - 1 tspn
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - 3 Tbspn (add less to start with)
Pecans - 1 Cup chopped
Corn Flakes crushed - 2 Cups
Method:
1. Sift flour, baking powder, soad and salt together
2. Cream shortening, sugar
3. Add eggs in and beat followed by milk and vanilla essence
4. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix
5. Add pecans and dates mix
6. Drop a tablespoon each into corn flakes and roll till the doubh is coated.
7. Place on greased cookie sheet and top with 1/4 or 1/2 cherry
8. Bake in moderate over (350 D F) for 10-12 min
9. Cool and tin the cookies
Notes: The dough is sticky. Rolling in the flakes may seem hard, but if you use the spoon and lightly using your finger tip maneuver, you will be fine.
Contributor: Sunitha
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Russian Teacakes
In Kerala, where I come from, the tradition for Christmas is to bake fruit and nut cakes, fry diamond cuts, rose cookies etc. Here in US, I see the tradition is cookies. The last two days, I got together with my friend M and we baked and baked and baked. We made four different cookies Russian Tea cakes or Mexican wedding cakes, lemon laced cookies, pinwheel cookies and cherry wink. This is also one reason why I could not visit all my blogger friends. I will hopefully make amends for it today to see what you all have been upto.
I photographed some yesterday and it was a time well spent. As I am writing this I am glad I spend some quality time getting into baking because I am able to share it with you. The flip side or con of holiday seasons are we are always on a sugar high. Now then, what is the point cribbing.. lets all indulge and have some fun and then go on a diet the next week, what do you say? Anyways, here is Russion Tea cakes for you.. I remember something similar called nan cut when in India. I have made those and its pretty much the same if you avoid nuts.
Butter - 1 cup
Confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tspn
All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cups
Salt - 1/4 tspn
Nuts(add your preferred one I added pecans) - 3/4 cup finely chopped
Method:
1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together. I used a hand blender you could do without it as well.
2. Add flour, salt and nuts and incorporate together until the dough holds together to make small balls
3. Place the doubh balls on ungreased cookie sheets
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set but not brown in a pre heated 400F
Contributor: Sunitha
I photographed some yesterday and it was a time well spent. As I am writing this I am glad I spend some quality time getting into baking because I am able to share it with you. The flip side or con of holiday seasons are we are always on a sugar high. Now then, what is the point cribbing.. lets all indulge and have some fun and then go on a diet the next week, what do you say? Anyways, here is Russion Tea cakes for you.. I remember something similar called nan cut when in India. I have made those and its pretty much the same if you avoid nuts.
Butter - 1 cup
Confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tspn
All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cups
Salt - 1/4 tspn
Nuts(add your preferred one I added pecans) - 3/4 cup finely chopped
Method:
1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together. I used a hand blender you could do without it as well.
2. Add flour, salt and nuts and incorporate together until the dough holds together to make small balls
3. Place the doubh balls on ungreased cookie sheets
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set but not brown in a pre heated 400F
Contributor: Sunitha
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Pecan Pie and an Award
Marigolds and roses, Bees and flies
Oh, Isn't it a wonderful path ?
Butterflies and caterpillars, rainbows and lightning
Makes an extraordinary path together
As the Earth spins
We'll forever remember the path of Nature
No, it's not mine. It's my 8 year old's :-) When she was wondering what to do for the talent show in her class, she was confused and couldn't decide and I was no help either. After a lot of pondering, she made up her mind and told me she wants to write a poem and recite it. She doesn't write poems that often although she writes stories and gives her own illustrations. As such, I was flabbergasted to say the least to see this poem, titled "Nature's Path". I cannot figure out for my life where she comes up with these ideas. I knew then I had to do something to show her how proud I am of her efforts.
After deliberating about how to congratulate her I decided to make some goodies of her choice. There was this long awaited request from her to make Pecan Pie and being the official arbitrator on these matters made my decision. Pecan Pie, it shall be! I was supposed to make this for Thanksgiving but never got around to it for some reason. Either ways, my daughter won me over and I made her her pie. I think in all respects this was a good decision. Enjoy!
We tasted this pie in one of the Thanksgiving parties, soon after reaching US. It tasted divine and and my husband and daughter requested me to make it at home. Then I started searching the net and collected info from friends for making Pecan pie. Once you taste this, I am sure you will never like store brought pecan pie :-)
Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
It is the same as in Apple pie. Only thing I want to point out is that the crust becomes flaky only when you use butter and shortening together.
For Filling:
Roasted Pecans- 1 cup
Light Corn syrup - Little less than 1 cup
Brown Sugar -1/2 cup
Salt - A pinch
Melted Butter - 5 1/2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Eggs - 2
Method:
1. Prepare the dough for the crust and follow the method here.
2. Roast the Pecans in a microwave oven. This may take 2-3 minutes, turn the pecans after every minute and stop when you think it is roasted well. It took me 2 minutes in my microwave .
3.Cut the pecan halves into 2 when it is cool enough to handle.Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
4.Mix together everything except eggs listed under filling, using a spatula.
5.Whisk the eggs together in another bowl, very lightly.
6.Mix the egg also in the above mixture and see that the eggs are mixed well.
7.Roll out the dough to get a 1/8 inch thick disk.
8.Transfer this into the pie pan and cut off the extra edges.
9.Pinch the sides to get a wavy look for the sides. [Mine is not perfect, since I was in a hurry :( ]
10.Pour in the prepared mixture and sprinkle the pecan slices.
11.Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. It took me 60 minutes.
12.Take out from the oven and let the pie cool well before you cut it.Serve with whipped cream or ice cream of your choice.
Notes:
1.This pie recipe will give you a moderately sweet one, not too sweet like you get from the shops.
2.Roll out the dough on a rolling pin for transferring into the pan, since it is really brittle.
3.Please do not skip the roasting step, since it makes a huge difference.
4.Be careful when you add water to the dough. Use icecold water and pour only a spoon at a time. I had to add only 1 1/2 Tbsp. When I made it for the first time I added a lil more water and I had a hard time in rolling out the crust !
Award
Malar Gandhi of Kitchen tantra- tease your palate has shared a beautiful award with us. Thanks a bunch Malar, we really appreciate it
We would like to share it with all our blogger friends. Pl accept it and post it in your blog :-) Happy blogging and a happy Holiday season to all !!!!
Contributor: Namitha
Oh, Isn't it a wonderful path ?
Butterflies and caterpillars, rainbows and lightning
Makes an extraordinary path together
As the Earth spins
We'll forever remember the path of Nature
No, it's not mine. It's my 8 year old's :-) When she was wondering what to do for the talent show in her class, she was confused and couldn't decide and I was no help either. After a lot of pondering, she made up her mind and told me she wants to write a poem and recite it. She doesn't write poems that often although she writes stories and gives her own illustrations. As such, I was flabbergasted to say the least to see this poem, titled "Nature's Path". I cannot figure out for my life where she comes up with these ideas. I knew then I had to do something to show her how proud I am of her efforts.
After deliberating about how to congratulate her I decided to make some goodies of her choice. There was this long awaited request from her to make Pecan Pie and being the official arbitrator on these matters made my decision. Pecan Pie, it shall be! I was supposed to make this for Thanksgiving but never got around to it for some reason. Either ways, my daughter won me over and I made her her pie. I think in all respects this was a good decision. Enjoy!
We tasted this pie in one of the Thanksgiving parties, soon after reaching US. It tasted divine and and my husband and daughter requested me to make it at home. Then I started searching the net and collected info from friends for making Pecan pie. Once you taste this, I am sure you will never like store brought pecan pie :-)
Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
It is the same as in Apple pie. Only thing I want to point out is that the crust becomes flaky only when you use butter and shortening together.
For Filling:
Roasted Pecans- 1 cup
Light Corn syrup - Little less than 1 cup
Brown Sugar -1/2 cup
Salt - A pinch
Melted Butter - 5 1/2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Eggs - 2
Method:
1. Prepare the dough for the crust and follow the method here.
2. Roast the Pecans in a microwave oven. This may take 2-3 minutes, turn the pecans after every minute and stop when you think it is roasted well. It took me 2 minutes in my microwave .
3.Cut the pecan halves into 2 when it is cool enough to handle.Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
4.Mix together everything except eggs listed under filling, using a spatula.
5.Whisk the eggs together in another bowl, very lightly.
6.Mix the egg also in the above mixture and see that the eggs are mixed well.
7.Roll out the dough to get a 1/8 inch thick disk.
8.Transfer this into the pie pan and cut off the extra edges.
9.Pinch the sides to get a wavy look for the sides. [Mine is not perfect, since I was in a hurry :( ]
10.Pour in the prepared mixture and sprinkle the pecan slices.
11.Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. It took me 60 minutes.
12.Take out from the oven and let the pie cool well before you cut it.Serve with whipped cream or ice cream of your choice.
Notes:
1.This pie recipe will give you a moderately sweet one, not too sweet like you get from the shops.
2.Roll out the dough on a rolling pin for transferring into the pan, since it is really brittle.
3.Please do not skip the roasting step, since it makes a huge difference.
4.Be careful when you add water to the dough. Use icecold water and pour only a spoon at a time. I had to add only 1 1/2 Tbsp. When I made it for the first time I added a lil more water and I had a hard time in rolling out the crust !
Award
Malar Gandhi of Kitchen tantra- tease your palate has shared a beautiful award with us. Thanks a bunch Malar, we really appreciate it
We would like to share it with all our blogger friends. Pl accept it and post it in your blog :-) Happy blogging and a happy Holiday season to all !!!!
Contributor: Namitha
Monday, December 14, 2009
Short Bread Cookies
Hello everyone ! How are your Christmas preparations going on ? Most of you might be already set with an X'mas tree and other decorations. I thought of making some baked goodies for the holiday season and started with this simple cookie. Short bread cookies are traditionally known as a Christmas cookies and is quite versatile. You could turn it into a pecan/almond short bread cookie or X'mas sugar cookie or whatever your imagination leads you :-)Those who are calorie conscious may not prefer this Scotch cookies,because these cookies are really rich with butter as a main ingredient and if you replace butter with some other fat you cannot call it a short bread cookie. But I am sure about one thing, this will just melt away in your mouth and it is hard to stop munching on these utterly butterly cookies :D
Ingredients
All purpose flour- 2cups
Butter (at room temperature)-1 cup
Salt- a pinch
Confectioner's sugar-1/2 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Method
1.Beat the butter until fluffy using a handmixer, for 3-4 minutes
2.To this add the sugar and beat well for 2-3 minutes.
3.Mix in the salt and vanilla extract
4.Fold in the flour mixture.
5.Flatten the dough and wrap it in a plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour
6.Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line two baking trays with parchment paper
7.Flour a surface where you are planning to roll the dough.
8.Make small balls of dough and flatten it using the bottom of a glass.Use a cookie cutter or use a steel utensil (Like I did)to get a perfect shape.The ideal thickness is 1/4 inch. Prick them with a fork
9.Arrange them on the parchment paper leaving some space in between and chill them again for 10-15 minutes.
10.Bake for 9-10 minutes or till the cookies start turning to a golden brown color
Notes
1. You could roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut it into desired shapes.
2.I did this in 2 batches, because I was slow since I was multitasking (I have a 17 month old lil monster) and I got ~25 cookies, but some of them were small
3.You could store the cookies in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
[Recipe adapted from:Joy of Baking]
Contributor :Namitha
Ingredients
All purpose flour- 2cups
Butter (at room temperature)-1 cup
Salt- a pinch
Confectioner's sugar-1/2 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Method
1.Beat the butter until fluffy using a handmixer, for 3-4 minutes
2.To this add the sugar and beat well for 2-3 minutes.
3.Mix in the salt and vanilla extract
4.Fold in the flour mixture.
5.Flatten the dough and wrap it in a plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour
6.Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line two baking trays with parchment paper
7.Flour a surface where you are planning to roll the dough.
8.Make small balls of dough and flatten it using the bottom of a glass.Use a cookie cutter or use a steel utensil (Like I did)to get a perfect shape.The ideal thickness is 1/4 inch. Prick them with a fork
9.Arrange them on the parchment paper leaving some space in between and chill them again for 10-15 minutes.
10.Bake for 9-10 minutes or till the cookies start turning to a golden brown color
Notes
1. You could roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut it into desired shapes.
2.I did this in 2 batches, because I was slow since I was multitasking (I have a 17 month old lil monster) and I got ~25 cookies, but some of them were small
3.You could store the cookies in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
[Recipe adapted from:Joy of Baking]
Contributor :Namitha
Friday, November 27, 2009
Carrot Cake
I never thought of baking anything until I reached Germany a few years back.That was the first time I had an oven in my kitchen. My neighbor and wonderful friend, Barbara introduced me to baking. I really enjoyed her company, she is an amazing lady . I haven't met anyone like her till date. She wasn't fluent in English, but she refreshed her school lessons in English and always carried a German-English dictionary whenever we met. We are still in touch with her and I would love to meet her again if I happen to go to Germany.Thanks to her even my first cake came out well and that inspired me to do more ventures in baking :-)
This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com and I made a smaller cake.Also for frosting I used only cream and a little bit sugar since my family doesn't like it to be too sweet :-)
Ingredients
Eggs- 2
Vegetable oil- 3/4 cup
White Sugar-1 Cup
Brown Sugar- 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 Tsp
All purpose flour/Maida- 1 Cup
Baking soda- 1Tsp
Baking powder- 1Tsp
Salt-1/4 Tsp
Cinnamon -1 Tsp
Grated carrots- 2 cups
Pecan pieces- 1/2 cup
For frosting
Heavy whip cream-1 cup
Confectioner's sugar- 2Tbsp
Vanilla extract-1 Tsp
Method.
1.Sieve together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2.Beat the eggs and sugar well. Add oil and vanilla extract and beat again.
3.Fold in this wet mixture into the flour mixture.Fold in the grated carrots and pecan pieces.
4.Meanwhile grease 2 square 9x2 pans and keep ready.Also preheat oven to 350 degree F.
5.Divide the mix into 2 greased pans equally.
6.Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.
7.Take out from the over and cool for a few minutes before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool down completely
8.Use both cakes as 2 layers or you could bake it in a thicker tray(for longer time) and divide them into 2 equal pieces.
9.Whip the cream in a bowl which is kept on ice or cool the bowl and whisk in the refrigerator prior to use.
10.When the cream starts forming spikes ,stop whipping and add a tbsp confectioner's sugar and mix for a minute followed by the next spoon of sugar and vanilla extract .
11.Spread evenly on the layers of cake and serve it chilled.
12.I do not have any cake decoration gadgets , so it doesn't look perfect but it tasted great :-)
Contributor:Namitha
This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com and I made a smaller cake.Also for frosting I used only cream and a little bit sugar since my family doesn't like it to be too sweet :-)
Ingredients
Eggs- 2
Vegetable oil- 3/4 cup
White Sugar-1 Cup
Brown Sugar- 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 Tsp
All purpose flour/Maida- 1 Cup
Baking soda- 1Tsp
Baking powder- 1Tsp
Salt-1/4 Tsp
Cinnamon -1 Tsp
Grated carrots- 2 cups
Pecan pieces- 1/2 cup
For frosting
Heavy whip cream-1 cup
Confectioner's sugar- 2Tbsp
Vanilla extract-1 Tsp
Method.
1.Sieve together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2.Beat the eggs and sugar well. Add oil and vanilla extract and beat again.
3.Fold in this wet mixture into the flour mixture.Fold in the grated carrots and pecan pieces.
4.Meanwhile grease 2 square 9x2 pans and keep ready.Also preheat oven to 350 degree F.
5.Divide the mix into 2 greased pans equally.
6.Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.
7.Take out from the over and cool for a few minutes before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool down completely
8.Use both cakes as 2 layers or you could bake it in a thicker tray(for longer time) and divide them into 2 equal pieces.
9.Whip the cream in a bowl which is kept on ice or cool the bowl and whisk in the refrigerator prior to use.
10.When the cream starts forming spikes ,stop whipping and add a tbsp confectioner's sugar and mix for a minute followed by the next spoon of sugar and vanilla extract .
11.Spread evenly on the layers of cake and serve it chilled.
12.I do not have any cake decoration gadgets , so it doesn't look perfect but it tasted great :-)
Contributor:Namitha
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