Strawberry Scones – Breakfast with Tea

 

 

 

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!

How did you all celebrate the day of LOVE? I am sure you all exchanged gifts and big bouquets of flowers, and wore red and had candle light dinners right?

Well, I woke up early to surprise my husband with breakfast in bed. I made fluffy pancakes infused with sprinkles and topped it with boozy chocolate sauce, fresh water melon juice and coffee. But just as I was pouring the last pancake and setting up the tray, he walks right out of the bedroom and wished me and starts snooping around (completely ruined the surprise I had planned 😦 ). So it wasn’t really breakfast in bed! Oh well. The rest of the day was also a disaster, details on “how my husband almost gave me a mental breakdown and made me realize how much I love him” in my next post. He’s super sorry though, Lol.

For now, here is the recipe for my simple no fuss scones that go so well with tea on a nice peaceful morning. I baked them while my son was asleep and I was so happy cause I figured I could take a few good photos, but just like his father he woke up in the middle of my shot and as you can see, I lost a few strawberries (he loves strawberries) and then rest was history :). To my inquisitive and nosy babies (yes nosy hubby is a grown ass baby!!), I love you no matter how naughty you both are.

Ingredients :-

1. Flour – 300 gms
2. Butter  – 100 gms ( cold, cut into cubes)- take it out of the fridge at the end just before you start cooking)
3. Sugar – 1/2 cup powdered sugar
4. Fresh strawberries – 2 cups ( cleaned, hulled and chopped)
5. Baking Powder – 2 tsp
6. Salt – 1/4 tsp
7. Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
8. Egg – 1  + 1 (for egg wash)
9. Yogurt – 1/2 cup

 

 

Instructions :-

1. Preheat your oven to 180 and line a baking tray with baking paper
2. In the bowl of your mixer / food processor combine, flour, baking powder, sugar, butter and salt
3. Pulse the mixture in the bowl for a second at a time for around 3 – 4 times. All you want is for the butter to break into the flour. (should resemble mud and stones)
4. Throw in the chopped strawberries
5. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract and yogurt
6. Finally mix the wet ingredients into the dry using a fork. Do not over work the mixture
7. Just combine till the mixture holds together (it should be firm and not sticky like bread dough)
8. Finally liberally flour your work counter and dump the dough over the floured counter
9. Bring the mixture together to form a round flat ball
10. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, cut into eqaul halves and move carefully to the prepared baking tray
11. Whisk the other egg and using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cut halves with the egg
12. Bake for 40 mins or till you see the tops of the scones turn nice and brown
13. After  they are baked serve right away with tea, butter or choice of fruit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chocolate Dipped Chocolate and Almond Biscotti

 

Seasons Greetings My Dear Wonderful Readers!!

We have been very busy baking this week but this time its for gifting and sharing. So I made a bunch of these biscotti for our Christmas party last week. Have you guys played secret santa? Well it was really fun when we played it in my office. Seven days of gifting and not knowing who or when and how they know what you like and yet the gifts that come are really cute! These biscotti’s were made for a dear friend as his secret santa gift from me 🙂 It was so much fun and for some  strange reason he thought my husband baked them.. haha . Anyway it was fun.. I am leaving you with the recipe and I hope you have fun making them!!

Ingredients :-

1. Flour – 2 cups
2. Coco Powder – 1/2 cup
3. Sugar – 1 cup
4. Baking Soda  –  1 tsp
5. Almonds – 200 gms
6. Salt – 1/4 tsp
7. Vanilla Extract –  1 tbsp
8. Eggs – 3
9. Chocolate – 200 gms
10. Sprinkles – as much as your like 🙂

Instructions :-

1. Preheat your oven to 180 and line your baking tray with baking paper
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat eggs and butter
3. Then add sugar and vanilla extract
4. While the eggs butter mixture are whipping, mix flour. coco powder, baking soda and salt
5. Now add the dry ingredients into the bowl in three batches
6. The dough will be very sticky. But it will come together to form a sticky ball
7. Flour your counter and empty the dough onto the floured counter
8. Kneed the dough for 4 – 5 mins and add more flour if required so that the dough does not stick to the counter
9. Finally roll into a long log and cut into the legal halves
10. Then roll each log to look like baguettes
11. Pop the rolled out logs into the oven and bake for 20 mins. The crust should be hard and almost like a biscuit
12. Then take the logs out of the oven and let them cool for 10 mins
13. Using a seated knife, cut the logs into long thin strips. I cut mine at an angle but you can do it anyway you like
14. Then arrange the strips back onto the tray and bake for another 10 – 15 mins depending on how brown or dark you like the biscuit
15. Once they are done set them on a cooling rack and bring to room temperature
16. Meanwhile melt your chocolate in the microwave at 30 sec intervals. Stir every 30 seconds to make sure you do not burn them
17.  Finally dip the cooled biscotti into the melted chocolate and sprinkle any kind of sprinkles you like
18. Enjoy!

Ginger Bread White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!

Some times I wish there were more hours in a day! I cannot believe how fast this week has gone by. In the back of my mind I think I have done so much but when I look around I figure there is so much more to do. Like this post which has been pending for over a week now. Time is a luxury for a mother of a 1 year old and as a person who loves to cook and bake, some times it feels like nothing is getting done.

3 days were spent trying to develop a biscotti recipe and after 3 failed attempts I nailed it. I will post that recipe soon. Needless to say “soon” could mean tomorrow or two weeks from now. For now this is the recipe for my Ginger Bread Cheese Cake. Have fun!

Ingredients  :-

1. Ginger Bread Cookies – 12 – 13
2. Butter – 100 gms
3. Cream Cheese – 400 gms
4. Eggs – 3
5. Vanilla Extract – 2 tbsp
6. White Chocolate – 250 gms
7. Icing Sugar – 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
8. Diary Cream – 3 tbsp

 

Instructions :-

1. Melt butter in a microwave and then cook to room temperature
2. Powder the Ginger bread cookies in a blender to fine
3. Now mix the butter with the powdered cookies
4. Grease your spring foam pan with butter and then tip in the butter + cookie mixture
5. Press down firmly into the pan evenly to create a nice even layer. Set the pan aside
6. Pre- heat your oven to 160 C
7. Heat water in a pan. Then in another bowl add the white chocolate and set over the boiling water
8. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water in the pan below
9. Slowly melt the white chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted, set aside to cool completely
10. In the bowl of your stand mixture, with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and cream cheese to form a nice smooth paste
11. Then add the vanilla extract. Once the extract has combined start adding the eggs once at a time
12. Finally add the white chocolate (at room temp) followed by the cream
13. Stop the mixer and crap down the sides of the bowl and give it one nice mix again
14. Slowly pour your white chocolate cream mixture into the prepare tin over the ginger bread layer
15. Pop it into the oven and bake for 50 – 55 mins
16. Now the only way you will know if the cheesecake is done is when the time is up, shake the pan a little bit the centre might be a little wobbly but the sides should stand firm
17. Now leave the pan inside the oven ( the oven turned off) and let it rest in the oven for 4 – 5 hours
18. You wil see that the little rise in the cheese cake, falls down. Too much rise and fall indicates that is has over cooked
19. After letting the cake rest, serve with a warm drizzle for caramel over the cheese cake and some ginger bread cookies:)

Rosemary & Strawberry Madeleines with White Chocolate

 

Hello Dear Wonderful Readers!

How are you all doing today? Is the Christmas season turning out to be wonderful for you as well? It’s been a month of many changes for us, starting with potty training my son (Phew!!) and introducing cows milk into his diet and making him learning to say ” Boww boww” when you see a doggy. My son has also started learning to eat on his own and when I mean eat I mean spill half of what’s on his plate and the other half may find it’s way to his mouth but first it has to be on a place on the table/floor (other than his plate) and then into his mouth! (Lol!!).  Its a long process but at the end I am so proud of him for every piece of fruit that he eats on his own. We have officially said “No” to keeping a nanny too, that means lesser number of posts (but more time with my son).

So I wanted to start my Christmas inspired baking with simple, sweet, light and airy madeleines and they are unbelievably yum! This one has rosemary infused with the sweetness of strawberries giving it a wonderful twist and the sweet and spicy aroma of strawberries, rosemary and vanilla is just delightful! The basic madeleine is just the right kind of sweet with a cup of hot coffee right? This one infuses fruit and herb to give  a delicious twist to the French Madeleine. Personally I think they are miniature versions of cupcakes which look like cookies! What do you say? Not really sure why they are classified as cookies! Yes I know some cookies are soft and gooey as opposite to crunchy and chewy but Madeleines are light and airy, soft and spongy like cake! Yup I am going to say they are like butterfly kisses sent from a cupcake 🙂 Ok so here is how I made them!

Ingredients :-

1. Butter – 120gms
2. Rose Mary – 2 tbsp (chopped)
3. Strawberry – 1 +1/2 cup
4. Flour- 250 gms
5. Sugar -150 gms
6. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
7. Eggs – 3 at room temp
8. Red colour – 5 – 6 tbsp
9. White Chocolate –  200 gms

Instructions :-

1. In a clean sauce pan, add the butter and melt. Then add the chopped RoseMary to the butter and let the butter simmer for a few mins ( Make sure not burn the butter). After 2 – 3 mins turn off the flame and leave the butter mixture to rest for 15 to 20 mins
2. Clean and de-stem fresh strawberries and chop them up into small pieces
3. Then using a stick blender, blend them into a nice thick puree. Your puree should measure to one cup
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, blend on medium till the eggs are nice and foamy
5. In another bowl add flour, baking powder and salt
6. Once the egg mixture is foamy add the strawberry puree and mix for combine
7. Then add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix only to combine ( do not over work the batter)
8. Now using a strainer, pour the melted butter into the mixer bowl making sure not to drop any chopped rosemary into the batter
9. Add as much food colour as required
10. Now butter and dust your madeleine trays with butter and flour and scoop out the strawberry batter into the moulds
11. Set the madeleine tray into the fridge for 20 mins
12. During that time pre heat your oven to 180 c
13. After 20 mins pop the tray into the oven and bake for 6- 8 mins
14. You will know when the madeleines are done when they become slightly golden from the sides
15. Once they are done, take them out of the oven and set to cool for 5 mins. Then take them out of the tray and place on a wire rack to cool
16. While they cool, melt your white chocolate in the microwave at 20 sec intervals (strict in between)
17. Once the madeleines have cooled completely, dip them into the white chocolate and place on the cooling rack to dry
18. Serve along with a hot cup of coco/coffee, as you like 🙂