Winter Specials

Winters have always been my favourite season.  I know I am talking about the almost non-existent winters of my dear city Mumbai, but still you have to admit it though it does not get very chilly around here it’s by far the most pleasant time of the year. Everyone around just seems to be lot more happier and cheerful .  I wonder  if it's  the irreplicable sparkle of Christmas that is just around  the corner or a visit to the local market that is flooded with vibrant winter veggies that makes me look forward to these wonderful holiday season.

I have dedicated this entire page for the wonderful winter treats that I am planning to make this season.  Join me in this quest of trying out traditional and contemporary  recipes with my own little twist .

Winter Veggie soup accompanied with Potato & Cheese biscuits  

 

 

 

When it comes to winter the first thought that comes to my mind is comfort food, now What could me more comforting than a nice bowl of hot soup.  This golden winter veggie soup promises to be just the right dish to be served in cold winter evening  with my absolutely light and flaky potato and cheese biscuits’.
Ingredients for the soup

250 gms Red Pumpkin
200 gms  sweet potatoes
2 medium sized onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
2-3 fresh Red chillies.
600 ml of stock (veggie or chicken any would do)
200 ml of butter milk
Few sprigs of basil
Sea salt

Method

Keep your oven for preheating at 180 degrees

Slice the pumpkin, roughly cut the sweet potatoes and onions

Put all this prepared veggies in a roasting tray  sprinkle some sea salt and olive oil.

Roast this veggies for 25 mins .  Blitz this mixture in the mixer.

In a sauce pan blend together the mixture and stock and give it a boil. Finish it with butter milk.

The pumpkin and sweet potatoes both will be on a sweeter side therefore the  addition of  butter milk t gives the soup its balance of acidity

Ingredients for Potato and Cheese biscuit
1 ½ cup of refined flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
100 gms chilled butter
1 cup mashed potatoes
100gms cheddar cheese or even your regular processed cheese will do.
2 tbls cheese spread
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup butter milk
Sprigs of sage.

 
Method

In a bowl take some mashed potatoes, you may either go the traditional way of boiling and mashing potatoes or you can take a short cut just crumble some potato smileys which is easily available in any supermarket.

In that potato mixture add 2 table spoons of cheese spread, butter milk and garlic powder whisk it well.

In another bowl take the flour , baking powder and baking soda.  Add chilled butter make sure you mix the butter and flour with the tip of your finger.  The mixture sure resemble bread crumbs.

Now add the potato mixture and grated cheese in the flour and form in to a rough dough.

Don’t over work the dough just let  the ingredients form together.  As the lesser you work the dough you will get light and flakier biscuits’.

Flatten the dough with your hands to 1 inch thickness.

You can use a cookie cutter to get the round biscuit shape .

Keep this biscuits’ in a baking tray , Top the biscuits’ up with some sage and brush it some butter milk.

Bake this biscuits in a preheated oven  at 180 degrees  for 20-25 mins till it get a nice golden colour.




Home Made Muesli

With Christmas around the corner this is the season of giving.  By early next week the malls will be packed with people hunting for the perfect gift, this year I have decided to make the joy of giving much more meaning full by deciding to make my own edible gifts.

 Now ,making my own edible gifts does not mean I will be transforming my kitchen into a conveyor belt  and will be toiling my way before Christmas like an elf.  My edible gifts are extremely easy making easy to make and perfectly gorgeous looking which will definitely give me an edge over the overpriced store bought  ones.


My home made muesli is not only easy to make it is also extremely nutritious as it is laden with fibre derived from oatmeal, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, Flax seeds and protein from the nuts .The most important thing being it is absolutely delicious , you can have it for breakfast with a bowl of chilled milk and fruit, or as a snack in between meals.  I like it also a topping for my ice-cream Sundae.
 
Ingredients for my Home Made muesli (1 Kg)

200 gms Oats
100 gms Flax Seeds
100gms Sunflower Seeds
200gms Wheat Flakes
100gms Seedless Dates chopped
100gms Chia Seeds
100gms Dried Figs chopped
50 gms   Raisins
50 gms   Sultanas
50 gms   Almonds chopped
60 gms   Butter
60gms     Jaggery/Honey
10 gms     Freshly ground cinnamon

 

Method

·        In a thick bottomed sauce pan dry roast Oat meal, flax seeds , sun flower seeds and almonds.

·        Add the dried fruits , wheat flaxes, chia seeds, cinnamon powder

·        In a separate bowl mix together jaggery and butter microwave it for 1 min.

·        Add this to the mixture and mix well.

·        Let it cool down completely then you may store it in airtight containers

·        Alternatively you can gift pack it in fancy container

 

 

 

Chocolate Orange Pudding

 

 

 
 Christmas at Picardo's.

My shop is all geared up for Christmas.  Ours is a family run cake shop run by my brother Larsen and me After my graduation from Le cordon bleu, me and Larsen decided to start a cake shop . It’s been five years that we are in to this business in a suburb of Mumbai, Kanjurmarg.  I must say after all these years, its just not us but also my entire family and our staff  who have put in a lot of love and effort in successfully creating this shop. 

 

 Each of our products have been finalised after much trying and testing and I can proudly say that all our products are homemade from the breads used for our sandwiches to the pretty cake toppers for our cupcakes.  We at Picardo’s  emphasize a lot on flavour and serving the freshest in season, therefore as a rule we do not use any preservatives for our products.

This Christmas season also we have planned an entire Christmas specials using the fruits  in season . Come celebrate with us this season at Picardo’s or you can alternatively place your orders by calling on Mb no: 91-9833953320

 

Apple and ginger pie
Orange and chocolate pudding
Tangy lemon tart with white chocolate frosting
Pretty fairy cakes.
Rum Cake
Coconut Cake
Eggless banana walnut cake

From my entire Christmas  collection I have been most exited about  is the Chocolate and Orange Pudding .  This chocolate pudding I have baked inside  a Orange cavity making this simple chocolate pudding so awesome with its suttle orangey flavour  coming from chopped orange peel which I have added in the pudding and any which ways chocolate and orange have been a classic combination which never fails to impress

 

Ingredients for the pudding

6 big Malta Oranges
150 gms dark chocolate (I like using Cadbury Bournville)
50 gms butter
45gms Flour
15 gms good quality cocoa powder
75 gms of brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
55 gms of candid orange peel (http://veena-cakesbakes.blogspot.in/2011/09/preserved-orange-peel.html
Method

·        Slice a upper roundel of orange and scoop out all the oranges make sure you retain the shape of the orange

·        Now cover take a square sheet of aluminium foil and cover the orange with the foil just keep the top open.  Arrange this on a baking tray.

·        For the chocolate pudding melt together butter and chocolate

·        Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda

·        Mix chopped orange peel to the flour mixture

·        Add brown sugar to the chocolate and butter mix

·        After the mix has cooled down a little mix lightly beaten eggs.

·        Mix the dry and wet ingredients together

·        Now spoon this mix in the orange cavity. Take care not to fill it to the brim

·        Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 25-30 min

·        These puddings freeze very well .  Just pop it in a microwave before serving