My ravings and rantings about Indian Food- Anjum Anand

Last weekend, I recently just got back from visiting my sister in very cold Kansas City. I ate at a few places I wish to review. More on that, next post.

I have been cooking a pretty nice spread for Adym every night. His request is for my next dinner to be Indian food. So here is my little blurb on Indian food trends in my eyes that is.

There is a new upcoming cook Anjum Anand. She makes cooking Indian food look so easy.
But it's crazy! I don't know how to find all the spices. I haven't visited my local Indian supermarket yet though. (That's what I love about Houston, variety in food and markets! )

You can watch her on www.youtube.com but you are not getting the full gamut.
I think she is on the BBC and the asian network.
Her website is: http://www.anjumanand.co.uk/
Check it out!

Cheers!

Healthy Bakes

Hi gang! Here is my latest cook up. My Mocha Cake and mini cupcakes turned out super fluffy, bouncy and delicious. I got the recipe from watching Ellie Krieger's show. I have to admit that I usually have indigestion after I eat some breaded sweets. But I did NOT have any issues with eating this. I think it is due to cooking with whole wheat flour. It was easy to find whole wheat flour at my local HEB supermarket. However, it was hard to decide on which kind to buy. In the end, I decided to go with the all purpose whole wheat flour. This is the most successful cake I have ever made from scratch. I have to admit though, I used a ready made cream cheese spread.

If you would like to have a go at it yourself, here is the recipe:

Moist Mocha Cake

Ellie Krieger Show: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Episode: Mood Food

For the cake:

Cooking spray
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups low fat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water
or you can use 2 tbsp of espresso from an espresso machine.
I have one, so I used it instead of espresso powder.

2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate

For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) bar Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese), softened
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur or vanilla
1 small square chocolate

Arrange rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together flours, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl, then sift ingredients through a fine mesh strainer. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and oil. Add eggs and egg whites and whisk to incorporate. Fold in yogurt, vanilla, sugar and dissolved espresso powder. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds or over a double boiler. Fold chocolate into batter.

Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated; do not over beat. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake has risen nicely and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

While cake is cooling, make the frosting: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until soft and creamy. Spread frosting evenly over cake and cut into squares. Finely grate one small square of chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the cake.

Celebrate

It's been a wonderful life! In november I lost my job. Thanks to my understanding husband I don't have to work until we move to North Carolina in April. I am truly thankful for the free time I have had to reflect. I have had such a great time this holiday season I didn't even blog. Every day seems to be filled with loving friends and family. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to everything I want to. All the days seem to be shorter and every day is cherished.

***

I have to say that Thanksgiving and Christmas was wonderful!!!! For christmas my husband Adym, got me a RED MIXER. It whips up dough so quickly. I LOVE MY Go RED himilton MIXER, (even though it's not a kitchen aid).

If you have eaten anything I have blogged about please post comments.
Also, if you have suggestions on a super fluffy cake, cinnamon roll recipie I would love to have it!

Cheers!

Cinnamon Rolls- Chef Le Leeds

Thanks to Hanh for asking me to Join a Leisure Learning class last year. We went to a cooking class taught at chef Lee's cooking school. http://www.cheflee.com/

I was always afraid to bake with yeast. And even though we learned how to do it in class months ago, I finally am brave enough to make it at home.

This was my first attempt to cook with yeast.
And as you can see in the picture, my cinnamon rolls look delicious!


Seeing as I would like more people to join Chef Lee's class, I won't be posting his recipie.
I have to admit, I like Cinnabons so much better.

Tip for extra fluffy rolls:

After putting the cinnabons on a pan before baking, put a wet towel over them again. Let it rise for 30mins. They will come out extra fluffy!

Gingerbread house

I made my gingerbread house from these directions: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/7512947c75dd4ce76f3a611041c1fe40/miscdocs/gingerbread.pdf This is simply hands down the best set of instructions I have found on the net. Above, you will see my 'modern' house complete with garage, caramelized sugar windows, Christmas tree, and gingerbread versions of Le and Adym.

For our x-mas party we cooked up alot of food. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of my spread. This house is much better than my gingerbread house last year! And my next one will be even better.

One tip before I go: Buy ready made wilton frosting which comes in many colors. It's pre-packaged in the baking isle. Packaging is very similar to toothpaste container. It takes standard cake decorating tips. All you need to do is add your own decorating tips and decorate!

Cake Decorations

I have been trying to work on my buttercream recipies. I still haven't found one that I truly like. This is a blueberry topping brushed with apricot jam. I microwaved 2 tblsp apricot jam for 55 seconds and brushed it on top of the cake.

I used a boxed cake mix and frosted each layer with buttercream and canned peaches.
Then I garnished with candied sugar.

I have to say both of my cakes looked very home made. But I thought I'd go ahead and post these to help keep track of my progress.

Girls Night Out x-mas: Marble Cake

I am apart of a group of wonderful girls who celebrate a girls night out once a month. Most of us have known eachother for over three years. It's great because we can also meet new girls with similar interests.



We have a game where you can trade gifts. Instead of buying something I baked a marble cake. This cake is really easy to make since I use duncan hines extra moist yellow cake mix.



After you follow the ingredients on the box for mixing.
Pour the batter into a square pan. Do not scrape the bowl.

(What ever is left in your mixing bowl will need to be reserved.) You will need 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. Pour it into your mixing bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix the left over batter with the cocoa powder. Mix the reserve batter with the cocoa until the cocoa has completely dissolved. Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the cake batter that is in the cake pan. You will want to pour the chocolate in swirly motion. You can mix the chocolate in the the batter even more by using a bamboo skewer or toothpick. Be sure not to over mix because you may loose the 'marble' effect.

This is what your cake will look like after baking and cut into squares:

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

At Adym's parents house, we had Cream Cheese Cake as one of the desserts for Thanksgiving.
Luckily, Linda was willing to share the recipe with me. I LOVE this cake. I love cream cheese so I love cheesecake and now this cake too!

I haven't been the best at updating my blog but
I have made it about 3 or 4 times now. It is a great cake that is always so moist.

For making any kind of bundt cake, I strongly suggest
that you invest in a silicone bundt pan. I purchased my silicone bundt pan at Marshalls for under 15 bucks!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Butter cooking spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Sticks of butter
8 oz pack of cream cheese (1 pack of Phillie cream cheese)
3 cups of sugar
6 eggs
1tsp vanilla

frosting
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tbsp white dessert wine
1 tsp zest of a lemon (garnish)
half a lemon's juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 325.

With a mixer on medium low speed cream the butter. Then blend in the cream cheese and sugar together well. With the mixer still on, add in one egg at a time. Next, gradually add the sifted flower. Lastly pour in the vanilla extract.

Spray your bundt pan with butter flavored nonstick spray. Lightly sprinkle sugar on the inside of the bundt pan.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until cake is fully cooked through. I test my cake with a bamboo skewer. When barley any crumbs cling to the skewer, your cake is done. This cake is VERY moist. The inside of the cake may look a little "wet". Be careful not to over bake it.

For the frosting/glaze

in a medium bowl, pour in confectioners sugar, white wine and lemon juice. The best tool for mixing this is a fork. (I have fancy whisks but the fork works the best for me.) Mix all the ingredients together to make a thick paste. You can add water until you have reached the desired consistency. I prefer the glaze thick but runny. Remove the cooled bundt cake from the pan. Place on serving platter. Drizzle the glaze on the top portion of the cake and let the frosting randomly drizzel down. Sprinkle the lemon zest for garnish. Serve.

*This cake is also very good with a fruit sauce or cream cheese frosting.

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite times of the year. This is the third or fourth year I have made a full thanksgiving feast. Because my husband works for a food distributor, we got a free turkey. I have never cooked a 25 pound turkey before! The largest bird I have ever cooked is about 18 pounds.

Although my parents are wonderful Asian Chefs, they really are not great at the American Casseroles.
My mom can make a great turkey with a honey glaze but one year we had a pot luck thanksgiving. On this year, my cousin was in charge of cooking the bird. It was delivered in tin foil and cooked in the oven with a slather of soy sauce. I guess he was trying to make turkey jerky? And this was the start of the time when my cousin Hanh and her family stopped sharing Thanksgiving with us. Our families are too big and spread apart so it's hard to share our holidays together. Ever since then, I always make sure that I cook thanksgiving dinner. Before I move on to the recipes and what my mom and I made on Thanksgiving. I have to give praise to a few people in my life whom have left an impression on me cooking for thanksgiving. I won't be mentioning food network stars since of course, that is an obvious source of inspiration.

Aunt Lesley: When we lived in New York, my aunt Lesley would come and visit us from Michigan. I was born in Lansing, Michigan. This is where my parents ended up after leaving Vietnam. They were sponsored by a church in Lansing. I am unsure as to exactly how we know Aunt Lesley. She is a towering blond with short curly hair. Has a light and fair complexion.

My need to mention Aunt Lesley because she is the one who taught my mom how to stuff and roast a turkey. When I was little, I followed my mom everywhere. So of course I was there to watch every step of this process. I remember that I was so short then, I could barley see over the over door when they opened it. (We had an oven in our small apartment that was set in the wall about four feet off the ground. Below, there were drawers.)

And lastly, one of my favorites my aunt Lesley taught my mom is Marsh mellows on top of mashed yams or sweet potatoes.


My Mom: As we got older we moved to Texas. And as with some relationships, time spreads
and the closeness of those whom we once knew. So we don't have thanksgiving with Lesley anymore. My mom didn't cook Turkey every year. But when she did, she eventually adapted her own style of basting a turkey and it is always with honey.


Ham: though we didn't eat it this year, my mom puts pineapple ringlets in a pan and places a large cut of cooked ham on top. She roasts it in the oven for thirty minutes (depending on the size of the ham.) Yum!



Hanh: Again, Hahn opens my eyes with food. One year we had a huge thanksgiving feast at King Food restaurant (King food is now run an owned by my cousins.) Must have been were fourteen or fifteen years of age. I didn't do much cooking this year. Hahn brings to the table green been casserole and candied yams. I think what is this? It was so foreign to me. Little did I know then that these dishes are a thanksgiving staple. (Please know I don't even remember what Hahn's green bean casserole tasted like.)


Gloria: The first year I made my turkey on my own I called Gloria. My brother's x-wife's mom. She told me the secret to cooking a moist turkey is an oven bag. And I have always cooked my turkey with an oven bag. So moist! Yum!



Linda: (Adym, my husband's mom.) The first year I ate her green bean casserole.
I never knew green bean casserole could taste this good! Linda is very good at making
casseroles. Thus, she gave me a new lease on making my own version of a gourmet green bean casseroles.

****

This year I arrived at my parents house to cook at 7am. Fortunately, I don't have a picture of my mom and I cooking in our pajamas. This is the first year my mom helped my cook everything. Which was great because I hate prep work. My mom is soo good with the knife a chopping vegetables. She's just like the chefs on tv. Ta, tah, tah, tah, dah! Just that fast and she is done chopping vegetables.


Thanksgiving menu:


Turkey+ Stuffing inside turkey
Dressing
Martha Stewart's Garlic Mash potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Adapted version of candied yams from Emeril Lagassi
My version of green been casserole
Creme brulee

My bird was so juicy. We were hungry and
cut the bird before I remembered to take a picture if it.
I made up own rub 2 cups of honey, two sticks of butter, 2tsp sage, 2tsp thyme, 2 tsp parsley. You can put all the ingredients into a food processor. I did not however, I just rubbed it all over the bird and under the skin. Place it in a oven bag with a thermometer. Place the thermometer in the breast. Put it all in an oven bag and place on your roasting pan. Pour 1 can of chicken broth. When the thermometer shows the apropriate cooked temperature, your turkey is done. Please always let your turkey rest. I forgot to cover the top parts with aluminum foil. So the honey burned the turkey skin, But it was soo good.



Reheating for dinnertime: With the help of my sister June, we cut up the turkey with an electric cutter placing all the pretty pieces on a plate. Pour out the broth from the bag that was in the roasting pan. The broth probably has doubled in quantity now from the turkey juices. You don't have to use all the broth. Just enough to fill half of the pan. Re-using the same roasting pan, I put all the cut turkey pieces and put it in the pan. Then back into the oven until it is hot enough to serve. When you have reached your desired temperature, place it on a beautiful platter. *We never carve the turkey in front of guests. It is a messy and unappetizing sight.







Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Pears

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
3 1/3 cups fresh cranberries (12 ounces)
1 tblsp fresh grated ginger
1 pear, diced



Directions:

Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add cranberries, pear, ginger, and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until thickened and cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 1 week).

Stuffing/Dressing


1 pound owens maple sausage
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3 cups onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley
chopped 6 cups croutons
2 cups chicken stock(low sodium),
1tsp dried thyme spice
1 tsp pepper
Pinch of salt (to taste)


Directions:

Saute sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling sausage with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Sweat the onions and celery in the same sausage pan.

In a big pot, pour in stock, onions, and celery, sausage, along with herbs and croutons, mix to combine. The mixture should be moist, but not soggy. Add more chicken stock, if necessary. Transfer stuffing to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top is golden.





Green Bean Casserole


Ingredients:1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL'S® Cream of Mushroom Soup 3/4 cup milk 1/8 tsp. black pepper 2
2 cans of green beans
1/3 cups FRENCH'S® French Fried Onions
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup of fresh diced mushrooms
Pinch of pepper





Directions:

1. MIX soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions and diced mushrooms. When mushrooms have absorbed the soup,
add in garlic powder and pepper.

2. BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.2. STIR. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.



Sweet Candied Potatoes

2 cans of sweet potatoes in heavy syrup
1 tablespoon Grand Marniefor
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of cinnamon for garnish
1 tsp orange zest
pinch of orange zest for garnish
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed juice of an orange

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Bake for thirty mins or until syrup bubbles over. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and orange zest then serve.





Garlic Mash potatoes (Martha Stewart)

Serves 8
2 large heads garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 pounds all-purpose Maine potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tops 1/4-inch off garlic heads, and discard. Coat heads with olive oil, and wrap heads in aluminum foil. Bake until tender and golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Carefully peel garlic cloves; set aside.
Place potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain in a colander, and pass through a potato ricer or food mill over a large bowl.
Heat butter and cream in a saucepan until butter has melted and cream is hot. Pour over riced potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine. Gently stir in the roasted garlic cloves; serve.

Creme Brulee (Alton Brown, modified)

1 quart heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks 2 quarts hot water


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.


There was alot of other food at the table but I didn't cook any of it so I don't have the recipies for them. I hope you have enjoyed my thanksgiving feast. Until next time, eat life up- happily!