Practical magic

A couple of years ago, my husband gifted me a kitchen blowtorch on my birthday. The year before that, it was a refrigerator. I know what you're thinking. That these are hardly romantic, unique birthday gift ideas for your spouse. But really, I think sometimes he actually picks something only he knows I'll love.  The blowtorch was one of them. The refrigerator, not so much. But, let's face it - candles melt away and you can always pick the wrong shoe size. So, I guess he takes the worry out of selecting the best gift for me by picking something he knows I'll always love - a practical kitchen equipment to weave some magic.

Although I was very excited about the torch, I never really used it much. Just limited to the occasional de-moulding of fridge set cakes and desserts. I am not sure why. And then one day, as I was getting all set to create a sugar crust on homemade creme brulee, I discovered that the gas had run out completely. So, I abandoned the fancy dessert idea and just made creme caramel instead. Don't get me wrong, I like creme caramel a lot but who is not in love with the very sophisticated and very classic creme brulee? I also felt very disappointed in myself for letting the torch just lie there in a dark drawer, alone and forgotten . 

Recently, we refilled the gas in the torch and I finally used it to make that crisp top of just burnt sugar on a ramekin filled with baked custard. It looked like a dream and tasted as good. While creme brulee is a straightforward recipe, its seductive secret lies in creating the burnt sugar top that contrasts with the soft and creamy pudding. Torching it is what makes it memorable and restaurant quality. Now, the torch is my inseparable companion. I am using it to caramelize meringue peaks, make fruit garnishes and melt cheese.

For next year's gift, I think I would really love a pasta maker!

Orange Creme Brulee -

Ingredients:

1. Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
2. Egg Yolks - 4 nos
3. Cream - 1/2 cup
4. Milk - 8 teaspoons
5. Orange Zest - 1 tablespoon
6. Castor Sugar - 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. On a heavy bottom pan, heat on gentle flame the following ingredients - granulated sugar, cream, milk, egg yolks and orange zest. Make sure you don't boil but just heat through until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Strain this mixture into two ramekins.

3. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Place the ramekins on a baking tray. Pour some hot water on the baking tray such that the bottom of the ramekins are sitting submerged in the hot water, thus creating a water bath. The steam from the water will fill the oven and keep the custard moist, so that it doesn't crack while it bakes.

4. Place the tray with the ramekins in the oven and bake for approximately 20 mins, or until the custard is just a little jiggly in the centre.

5. Take the ramekins out, cool them and place them in the fridge. 

6. When cooled, sprinkle castor sugar evenly on the baked custards, use the kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the sugar and create that hard crust on top. If you want a harder crust, you can wait for this first layer to harden and then repeat the caramelizing with another tablespoon of castor sugar on top.

Happy Aubergine to you!

The Bengali word for Aubergine or Eggplant or Brinjal is 'Begun' (pronounced as Bay-Goon). When literally translated, it means 'without quality'. That's what I always thought of that vegetable. It had nothing going for it. As a child, I thought its appearance was hideous. The more varieties my mother introduced to me - long and pale ones, fat and glossy ones, stubby striped ones - the more I recoiled. It was slithery, caused my throat to itch and was just plain odd. It is a known fact that all children and even a lot of adults around the world dislike aubergines, so I had no problem citing examples of other agonized souls like myself and trying to make a convincing argument at home for not consuming the darned vegetable. I was always unsuccessful and frequently found myself trapped at the dinner table with a brinjal dish staring at me.

When I started to live and cook by myself at 17, a lot of things changed. I craved variety and soon understood that cooking with just the five kinds of vegetables I bought every week - beans, peas, carrots, potatoes and cauliflower - was rather limiting. Also, two of these are seasonal! So gradually, in came pumpkin, turnip, gourds and drumsticks. I think aubergine was really the last entrant. I tried to understand what the love sonnets my mother sang about brinjals were really about. Slowly, I discovered its versatility - you can fry them, bake them, broil them, even stuff them! And although I happily eat brinjals in any form today, I know that it is one of those foods whose taste and consistency varies dramatically depending on how it is cooked and prepared.

Last weekend, I came across a recipe for stuffed aubergines with ground meat. Although I haven't tried making that one yet, I know its an ingenious idea. But I did try a vegetarian version that the husband and I absolutely loved. It was creative, easy and not time consuming at all. I think you can make any stuffing you wish and serve it with chapatis, rice, bread, mashed potatoes or just a fresh salad on the side. I served mine with some burnt garlic rice and broccoli salad. Below is the recipe I used. Go on, make yourself a happy aubergine dinner tonight.

Ingredients:

1. 1 big aubergine, washed and cut lengthwise into half
2. 2 medium potatoes, boiled and diced
3. 1 cup corn kernels, boiled
4. 1 medium onion, sliced
5. Cumin and coriander powder, a teaspoon each
6. 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
7. 2 tablespoons oil
8. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Scoop out the flesh from the aubergines, leaving just a thin layer (say 1/4th inch) of the flesh behind. Coat the skin and the hollow inside with 1/2 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt. Leave aside

2. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions until translucent. Add the potatoes and corn along with the diced aubergine flesh and cook until the aubergine flesh is soft. Add salt, spices and chilli flakes. Sprinkle a little water to avoid any burning

3. Take off heat and fill the aubergines with this stuffing. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil on the tops

4. Place the stuffed aubergines onto a baking tray and into a 200 degrees C oven. Bake for 30-40 mins taking care to reduce the temperature if the aubergines or the stuffing start to char.

Love of the handmade

I don't have a pasta sheeter. Yet. So last week when I was desperate to make Ravioli from scratch, I just decided to do everything by hand. It seemed like a massive undertaking. It hadn't seemed so overwhelming in the beginning but as I started to look for videos and blogs about making Ravioli at home, I realised that every single one of them used the sheeter. That's when it started to seem very difficult. So, as with every hard journey I prepare for, I decided to spend a lot of time and do everything very slowly, without any hurry. 

I kneaded just half a kilo flour with eggs, rested it and then started to roll out little, even and very thin circles. While the dough was resting, I made some pumpkin filling by roasting pumpkin cubes, onions and garlic, and then mashing everything into a smooth paste. After almost an hour of rolling and cutting perfect circles from the dough, I had 30 pasta sheets ready to be raviolied! I mean, now I could place tiny portions of the thick pumpkin paste on each sheet and cover it with another sheet, sealing the edges with some eggwash. Next, I dunked them in threes into lightly boiling water for 3-4 mins and served them with some sage and lemon butter. They were beautiful. 

That gave me the impetus to make some Tagliatelle the next day. It was time consuming but all the rolling and cutting and drying flowed like wine. I made some pumpkin and chickpeas sauce and very proudly presented it to my friend for dinner. 

So this post is about making by hand. From scratch. And watching every step unfold quietly. Honestly, it wasn't at all so hard. Just a great lesson in patience. You will smile as you see those perfect Ravioli circles or those long strands of Tagliatelle. I don't know what it is about the slightly asymmetrical homespun stuff but it fills you with something and you swell out like a sail.

Sweet Paul has a great recipe for fresh pasta dough (if you want to try) and some beautiful pictures.

Unobviously Lemon-Basil-Olive Oil cake

Every once in a while, there comes a combination. Like olive green walls with soft pink trims. Like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. Like a lemon, basil and olive oil cake. Pairing them may seem chancy. But unusual combinations lead to breakthrough ideas. By marrying traditional Asian flavours like lemon-basil, some healthy olive oil and cake, this recipe has created a radical innovation that is proving very popular in my kitchen.

This isn't my original idea. I am just benefiting from someone’s ingenuity in putting together this combination. But let me tell you, it is an exciting combination. Olive oil lends the cake a bold aroma. It makes it moist, not greasy. And you will be surprised how pleasantly it matches the hints of lemon and basil in the cake. Basil is the dominant flavour, so don't miss serving it with the lemon glaze for that perfect balance. This really is a gourmet summer dessert, what with lemon zest and fresh basil. 

I followed the recipe from The Woks Of Life . You can find it at the bottom of this page too. In my version, I eliminated the vanilla essence only because I didn't want a sidekick interfering with my already strong cast. The batter was more runny than the usual cake batter but don't worry, it works (very well). Now you try it!

Apparently, a popular new variety of sandwich is rocket salad and curry. Purists may be horrified but I must try that one next.

Ingredients:

For the cake -

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 3/4 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup finely chopped basil

For the glaze-

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour a round pan or standard loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt

2. Using your fingers, mix the sugar with the lemon zest in a large bowl until the sugar has the texture of damp sand

3. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and mix well. Then add the olive oil, eggs and basil. Whisk until well-blended

4. Fold in the dry mixture until just combined

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean

6. Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Stir. When the cake is cool, drizzle the glaze over the top.