Chocolate Eclairs for the Daring Bakers

A busy month of birthdays, anniversaries, yearly family get togethers culminating in a week of flu was a sure sign of me not doing this month's challenge.
But I sure was not giving up on this and managed to find some time for this.
This month's challenge is hosted by Tony and Meeta, and their choice was Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé.

The dough are to be piped either into mounds or strips, here as strips. These were baked until they puffed and were browned. During baking, cavities form and a few of mine collapsed as soon as I removed them from the oven. They were nicely browned on the outside but were moist on the inside. Thankfully my little daughter enjoyed snacking on it...
For the next set, I removed them from the oven during the last minutes of baking and the shells were pierced with a sharp knife. This helped in releasing the extra trapped moisture. They remained firm thereafter....

The eclairs were then spilt into two and filled with
1. Coffee cream filling and then the eclair was covered with a bitter chocolate glaze.

Coffee pastry cream: 60 g Sugar was beaten with 2 eggs to a thick mixture. 20 g of flour was gradually added in. A pinch of salt was added in too. Boil 250 ml of milk. Add crushed coffee beans and strain the milk after it has boiled. Pout this into the egg mixture in a thin stream. Cook this over medium heat and boil for a couple of minutes. Strain and cool.

Bitter chocolate glaze: In a small saucepan, bring 80 g heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add 100 g of bitter chocolate , stirring with a wooden spoon Stirring gently, stir in 20 g of butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

2. Vanilla Pastry Cream: The same above recipe was used. The coffee beans were substituted with a vanilla pod.

Chocolate Glaze: Same as above. Bitter chocolate was substituted with semi-sweet chocolate.

3. White chocolate glaze and vanilla pastry cream.

With the leftover choux dough, I piped thinner strips into hot oil and deep fried them. Served with a sprinkling of castor sugar, this made a yummy, crisp snack.



Visit them for more eclairs !!!

My earlier Db challenges.

Filbert Gateau

Danish Braids

An Opera Cake

Cheesecake Pops

A Party Cake

French Bread

Lemon Meringue Pie

Yule Log

Tender Potato Bread

O-R-A-N-G-E!!!

The pumpkins in my garden are orange, orange, orange,
Orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange
The oranges on my tree are orange, orange, orange,
O-R-A-N-G-E.

A rhyme that my 4 year old has been singing for the past two weeks..morning, noon, evening and until she falls asleep..

She was never fond of oranges until she learned this rhyme..brought her the below-photographed orange...She ate a segment and has stopped singing the rhyme since then :)

However, this is my entry for Click.

Navajo Fry Bread *Taste and Create*

The Taste and Create event is an event I try not to miss because if not for this..I would never have made a Navajo Bread. This month I was paired with Brooke of Victuals and Libations.

Amongst all her recipes, this is what I wanted to try the most.

For the history on the Navajo Bread, read this wonderful piece.

Recipe adapted from here

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon powdered milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup water

Oil for frying

Sift flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder. Stir in water and mix this to form a clump. Using your hands, without kneading make a dough that is sticky yet pliable. Flour your hands and cut the dough into four pieces. Shape and stretch each piece into a disk and set aside.

Heat enough oil for deep frying and fry each disk until they turn brown on either side.

I served some topped with honey and some sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Simple, easy and a very yummy snack and yes you cannot stop with just eating one... Equally loved by the two adults and the child.

Curious on what's in the oven this time? See what we have in store for you this time

Pasta with Lemongrass Butter Sauce

Pasta for me is ease of cooking, myriad varieties and definitely a comforting food. Pasta sauces when done in the traditional way is fattening with the amount of oil, butter and cheese that go into making a yummy sauce. I like the sauce in my pasta to be generous , so I ladle a generous amount over the pasta.

This delicate sauce is a mixture of egg yolks and butter, whisked over a gentle heat. You need Lemon Butter for making this sauce. What you do for lemon butter is to add lemon juice, grated zest, salt and pepper to softened unsalted butter. Mix them in well.

I have no exact measurements.. So here goes

Chop some shallots finely and bring about 4 tbsps of vinegar and the shallots to a boil. Cook until the vinegar evaporates and add about cup and a half of water and boil until it reduces to half the quantity. Strain the liquid and add in the butter in small chunks. Whisk continuously and add more butter until the desired consistency for the sauce is achieved. Add in chopped lemongrass and cook over low heat. Remember not to let it boil.

Options.

1. You can either serve it over pasta and serve it.
2. Pour it over the al dente pasta and bake for different flavour.

This is a rich accompaniment and is a very smooth, aromatic sauce.

I even sprinkled some dried herbs....it was best avoided.

Try it but judge and add in the ing. by what suits your taste.

Potatoes Roasted with Garlic and Lemon

Cutting down on fat in food does not mean cutting down on the flavour right? Definitely a no-no for me....What I present here is a traditional favourite of mine..but a low-fat adaptation...Although being low fat, I have not compromised on the flavour.

Personally for me, a vegetable makes food lovely to look at..No way am I turning a vegetarian because I just love seafood:)

Once in a while I plan an all-vegetarian meal, and this is a regular...Potatoes Roasted with Garlic and Lemon.


What you need are:



500g of small potatoes,scrubbed clean and unpeeled

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 large garlic separated into cloves

6 dashes of Tabasco Sauce

1 or 2 dashes of Worcestersire Sauce

1 or 2 dashes of Teriyaki Sauce

2 Tomatoes chopped into chunks

Jalapenos.According to your taste

5 Tbsps of Stock

Parsley

Oil-water Spray



Halve the potatoes lengthwise and lay them out on a roasting tray. Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the oil-water spray and the parsley. Spray once and transfer to a preheated oven and roast. Remember to stir occasionally and add tsps of stock if the liquid has dried up.


Remove from the oven when the potatoes are charred and the juices are syrupy. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

The potatoes absorb the flavours of the added ingredients and each is a mouthful that is succulent and flavourful and does not make you feel punished..Did you get the pun..If not..Figure it....

Grilled Cheesy Toasts....

A busy week had taken a toll on me. With birthdays and anniversaries taking an upperhand..I had no time to spare for blogging as well..

With all the lovely family time behind me now..I set to make breakfast for the small family of 3 of mine.

I would call this a wholesome Sunday family breakfast..

What you need are:

Bread Slices- about 6
Salami (Boiled)-6 (optional)
Tomato Sliced-6
Grated Cheese
Capsicum-1 chopped
Mustard Sauce-to suit one's taste

Cut out a circle each from each of the bread slices.

Butter the cut out circles of bread.

If using salami, place a slice each on each of the circles.

Top with a tomato slice and add the chopped capsicum.

Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese and grill until the cheese melts and the bread slice turns brown.

Dot with mustard sauce and serve hot.....

This is also ideal as an appetizer or when you feel the need for a quick snack..Either way..trust me....it will becaome a regular at your place :)

Three-in-One Mini Tartlets!!!!

Remember this? Our window sills had vines of passion fruits, both purple and the yellow ones...For more on what they are and the varieties..read this.

I got a dozen of yellow passion fruits from my hometown ofcourse..and this what I came up with...a blend of savoury, sweetness topped with tartness in the form of bite-sized tartlets.

What you need are:

For 10 (2"x2") bite-sized ready made savoury tart (short crust) shells

Coarse sea salt-1 tsp

Meringue filling

White of 1 egg

Castor Sugar- 50g

Mascarpone Cheese- 100g

Pulp of 2 passion fruits

Sprinkle the sea salt over the tart shells and heat them in a preheated oven for about 5 minutes.

Whisk the egg white until they form soft peaks. At this stage, addin the castor sugar gradually and continue to beat until they form thick, soft and glossy peaks. (note: Since this tart has uncooked fillings..I would suggest this to be unsafe for kids especially.). For a safer option, try this.

Once the meringue is done fold in the mascarpone cheese to a smooth filling. set this aside.

Scoop out the flesh from the passion fruits.

Lay out the heated tart shells.

Spoon in the meringue and cheese filling and top with passion fruit pulp and serve immediately!!!

A blend of three flavours all in a bite:

Savoury-tart shell
Sweet-meringue and cheese filling
Tart-passionfruit pulp

You could also make this with passionfruits..

Stir Fried Beef with Onions and Green Peppers...

What you need are:

Beef(500 grams) cut into 5mm thick slices
Oil- 1 tbsp

For the sauce

Sugar-1 tsp
Soya Sauce-2 tsp
Water- 2 tsp
Grated Ginger-1/2 tsp
Cornflour-2 tsp
Sauteed onions and green peppers- 1 cup

Heat oil and fry the beef slices until browned and well done.

Add in the sauteed onions and green peppers.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce and stir this into the beef. Cover and let it cook until done and also the required consistency is obtained..If dry and there is the need for a gravy add more water.

This served with plain basmati rice is divine and this was the result of an experiment of smell and taste :)

A Chocolate Torte!

What does one do when one has the urge to make a cake but there's no flour or like I was left with a few tbsps of flour...I did a search online and landed here.

I have never had a torte until I made this. The only factor that bothered me was the number of eggs that went into making this...probably to lend the soft texture I guess... And yes I did make it and did not regret it!

Tortes are cakes that contain very little flour or no flour at all. Bread crumbs or nuts serve the purpose of flour.

What you need are

1 cup unsalted butter
255 grams bittersweet chocolate cut into small pieces
6 eggs separated
200 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites while they are cold and cover until they reach room temperature.

Meanwhile, melt butter and chocolate in a pan over a bowl of simmering water.

Beat egg yolks and 100 grams sugar on medium high speed until thick and frothy. Add in the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 100 grams of sugar gradually and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in a small amount of egg whites to the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter. Add the remaining egg whites, . Do not over mix or the batter will deflate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

You will observe that when you remove it from the oven, the crust tends to collapse. Allow it to cool. The final product will have a cracked surface almost like a cake that has crumbled.

A pure chocolate experience that is not overtly sweet. Visually, it isn't appealing but this with a scoop of icecream is sheer bliss!!!

Plum Sauce and a New Something!

Igrew up in a hillstation that comprised of fruit trees in abundant. It was a town that was lush in greenery. My home was this pretty cottage that overlooked a valley and the sight of the misty hills is a sight that I miss in the city that I now live in. My two siblings, two other cousins and I grew up together until we all moved to the city for higher education. We had our share of adventure where we would go trekking with an elderly man referred to as "Maali", who used to take us to unexplored caves and waterfalls.. It was during these trips, that we got to see smalll meandering streams and it is claimed that water in these streams are the purest kind of water. It does taste sweet though. There are so many insects and flowers that are prettier than the common ones that we think to be the prettiest. The only thing that scared me the most was the constant twitter of insects or whatever.

Our cottage was surrounded by fruit trees, which bore blushing peaches, plums, custard apples, oranges,mangosteens, nutmegs, bamblimaas (I am still yet to find the english word for it),guavas and wild berries. Each of us had and still have a plum tree to each one's name and everybody else's tree would bear fruits and mine would be bare through the season. And I had to trade in knick-knacks for a plum from their respective trees. Although my tree didn't bear fruits..it was the prettiest tree with ever prettier branches, home to many a caterpillars and birds....

After we moved away to the city, our trees are still taken care of by my G'mom and her caretakers. Why I rambled all this is my plum tree has been fruiting for the past five years and what you see below is the bounty that my tree bore....

I find it easiest to make sauces from fruits..since they need very little of effort. The sauce that I made was sweetened and is ideal fo desserts or can be served on savoury food as well. I used some of these on bread, as a sauce for roast meat and here. Since plums bruise easily, it is best made into sauce or preserves for me.

What you need for the sauce are

500 g plums, stoned
100g brown sugar (more depending if the plums ae sour)
juice of 1 lime (orange can also be used)
100 ml water
Add all the above in a thick bottomed pan on a low flame and bring them to a boil all the while stirring. Add a stick of cinnamon and let it cool. I left the skin on..discard them if needed.

So there, make some of this tart and flavourful sauce to enliven the ordinary~

Ok do visit here for a something from Aparna and me.

This plum sauce is off to Food in Colours Event.

Sweetened Plum Sauce Bread Rolls

Some yummy rolls topped with homemade plum sauce and sugar crystals were made on a whim to satisfy the hunger of six tiny tots. The tots being, my lil one L, her friends R,A,A,S,D and S. They like to call themselves best of friends. I doubt if they really know what that means. While they were immersed in their fun, I set to bake some yummy rolls which were left to rise.

What you need for these rolls are :

2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
200 ml milk
1 egg
5 cups all-purpose flour (use
more if the dough is sticky)

Mix yeast into the warm water for 10 minutes. Add sugar, butter,salt, milk, egg, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Gradually add the remaining flour as neede until you get a soft dough . Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and pliable. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and set it to rise until dough doubles in size. Punch down and divide into balls.Roll them into long strips and coil them and pinch the ends. Brush the tops with melted butter and set aside for the second rise. Before you bake, make a deep hole in the center and put a 1/2 tsp of sweetened plum sauce into the hole and bake until done. Once done, remove and sprinkle sugar on it and serve warm.



The little girls and I loved the rolls. I packed some for them to take home as well...The rolls have a very soft crumb texture and to bite into the sauce smothered sugar layered crust was bliss. The plum sauce was homemade..and the recipe will follow soon..You could also use any flavoured jam instead.



These were made on a whim and are off to grace the event of Small Breads.