Daily Archives: December 16, 2015


Lemon parfait with strawberry sauce

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Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time      : 20 minutes + setting time over night in the refrigerator
Serves                : 8 members

Description

The spark of the bell to ring with in me to realise that food was my passion happened pretty late. Though through out my days in school as a kid or any time of my life till date, I have been the most happy when ever I get to play my simple or crazy tricks with food. As the saying goes… It’s always better late than never. Now coming to this dessert that was bought by Aanchal Chethan for the second anniversary celebration of sauté, fry n bake who is also a passionate foodie like me who has gradated from le corden bleu London. I was so very envious about her when I got to know she’s going to study there. How I wish, I could do some thing similar by just rewinding my cycle of life and adjust it accordingly. All of us at some point of time do think if only I could change things… Crazy breed’s we all are.. I just could not stop eating the tastefully crafted lemon parfait as the tanginess with the sweet just was epic and divine. I made sure to save the left overs for myself and managed to eat the French fatty culprit alone too. Deeply seductive dessert that is hard to stop with one serving. Umm a recipe from le cordon bleu , London does have its contemporary culinary canon and techniques required to master this dessert. I have been wanting to give it a try but some how, I have not gained the confidence yet to go ahead with it. I shall wait for the right moment to over come my fear for sure. Until then, I am eager to see all your trial and errors with this complete dessert.

Ingredients for lemon parfait

Ingredients
Quantity
Milk250 ml
Lemon juice150 ml ( add half the amount as Indian lemons are way too sour )
Egg yolks4
Castor sugar250 grams
Cornflour12 grams
Flour12 grams
Egg whites4
Lemon zest2 lemons

Method for lemon parfait

  • Boil milk and lemon juice separately. Combine and reboil. Add lemon zest.
  • Whisk egg yolks and 110 grams of sugar to pale. Add flour and cornflour.
  • Pour boiling milk and lemons juice onto the yolk mix, whisk vigorously.
  • Return mix to heat and boil, continue whisking vigorously until thick and boils a little from the centre.
  • Cook the remaining 120 grams sugar with water to 116 degrees. Whisk the egg whites and pour sugar syrup onto the egg whites to make an Italian meringue.
  • Gently combine the Italian meringue and lemon mix once cooled.
  • Spread mix in a shallow dish to set overnight in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for the strawberry sauce

Ingredients
Quantity
Sugar50 grams
Water20 ml
Strawberry purée200 ml
Lemon juice1/2 a lime ( omit this if using Indian strawberries )

Method for strawberry sauce

  • Cook sugar to 108 degrees.
  • Pour into the strawberry purée and combine. Boil adding lemon juice.
  • Pass through a sieve. Cool and chill.

To serve

  • Drizzle the strawberry sauce over the set lemon parfait and serve chilled.

Mushroom 65

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Preparation time  : 20 minutes + 3 hours marination time
Cooking time       :  5 minutes
Serves                 :  4 members

Description

From the first time I got to see mushrooms in colourful story books from our school library to wild mushrooms grown between the grass lands of the Nilgiris. This special fungus did make me ponder to think about its taste, texture and smell. Those days back in 1980’s it was not available in India like now a days. I remember, when on a weekend outing with my parents we dined at the fern hill palace hotel. As always, I was looking for out of the box dishes from the menu card and there it was in block letters ” MUSHROOM OMELETTE “. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of tasting mushrooms and placed an order. My dad, made sure to warn me ahead saying.. You are to eat the omelette even if you don’t like it looking at mom and my little brother, winking and making fun of me. My long awaited mushroom omelette arrived, excited, anxious me took my first bite of the omelette from my fork. As I started to chew, I felt a meaty textured, chewy bits mushrooms wrapped over eggs and melted cheese. I did like the taste and flavours of the mushrooms. The ambience of the Swiss chalet fern hill palace with its wooden carved bargeboards, cast iron gates and manicured garden with fir and pine tree’s sure did add in more glamour to the mushroom omelette which made me feel like a princess dining. My dad was curiously looking at me, checking out if I am going to waste the omelette. I told all of them it tastes really good and shared a bite with them too. My long quest of wondering about mushrooms came to an end with giving me a cherished memory itched with in me for ever. Coming to this dish, it’s just a vegetarian version done by substituting mushrooms instead of chicken following the chicken-65 recipe. Food always has its own way of surprising us.. I hope this humble recipe also does the same to each one of you.

Ingredients
Quantity
Button mushrooms1 packet cleaned whole
Ginger garlic paste1/4 teaspoon each
Chilli powder1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Curd1/4 cup
Cinnamon1 inch piece
Cloves2
Cardamom1
Pepper powder1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice1/2 lime
Vinegar1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste
Orange Red food coloura pinch
Cornflour1 tablespoon
Maida1 tablespoon
Egg1 ( optional)
Oilto deep fry

To garnish

Ingredients
Quantity
Onion1 sliced to rounds
Lemon wedgesFew

Method

  • Grind all the ingredients together except for the mushrooms to a smooth paste.
  • Marinate cleaned mushrooms in the masala paste for 3 or more hours.
  • Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry mushrooms in batches for 5 minutes.
  • First 1 minute on high heat and then on medium heat for 4 minutes. This way you get a crisp out side and a soft, moist cooked mushrooms inside.
  • Once the mushrooms are fried, drain. Garnish with sliced onions and lemon wedges over the mushroom 65 and serve hot .