Christmas Fruit Cake [No Alcohol version]

It is that time of the year when the air is filled with the sweet scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange , mulled wine, log fires and much more ..

Not to mention about the classic festive bakes with doubles up as treats for family members and edible gifts for friends and colleagues..

Fruit & Nut cake is one such classic which makes us feel Christmassy in every bite. It is a perfect marriage of dried fruit & nuts and heavenly aroma of spices which is tied together with the fresh flavours of oranges and honey.

J.M.Bakes in Coimbatore was & is famous for its plum cake. The cake was sold as slices wrapped in plastic wraps with no glazed or extra toppings. We were so crazy about this cake that it was our weekend treat during school time. At that I didn't know about spices or dried fruit or glazed cherries or muscavado sugar but all I knew was that the cake tasted awesome.

For this recipe I did not add cherries as I wanted a cake that was light but at the same time rich with flavour. This is my preference but feel free to add glazed cherries if you prefer to.

Recipe reference : BBCgoodfood
I have made a few changes to the original recipe and it turned out well.

For the Recipe 
Unsalted butter [at room temperature]: 200 gms
Large eggs: 5
Plain flour:280 gms
Ground almonds: 85 gms
Mixed dried fruit: 400 gms
Light muscavado sugar: 140 gms
Ground ginger & cinnamon:1 tsp each
Ground cloves & nutmeg: 1/2 tsp each
Salt : a pinch

For the glaze and decoration
Fresh orange juice: 4-5 tbsp
Runny honey: 2 tbsp
Dried nuts [of your choice] : a handful

Preheat the oven at 180C/Gas mark 4/Fan 160C. Grease and line the base and sides of 23 inch loose base round cake tin.

Mix the flour, ground almonds and ground spices.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and the dried mixed fruit.

Mix lightly as to blend everything together.

Pour in the prepared cake tin and bake for 45mins to 1 hr. In the meantime mix the orange juice and honey together.

Once the cake id done, remove from the oven and let the cake cool slightly. Remove the cake from the tin. Brush the cake with the orange honey mix until well absorbed.

Decorate with the dried nuts.

Notes:
Instead of the mixed dried fruit, feel free to add 1 or 2 varieties of dried fruit - raisins, dates, cherries, stem ginger with any nuts of your choice.
Instead of the orange honey glaze you can also decorate with marzipan and fresh fruits like grapes and figs.
The cake keep good for almost a week without the orange honey glaze.

Merry Christmas every one .. Enjoy the holiday season..

Scribbled by Reva

Spiced Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

The past 2 weeks has been quite tedious and I can't blame anyone else other than myself. The problem was simple - My card expired last month and so the automatic renewal of my domain address [www.kaarasaaram.com] did not go through. Probably the responsible party might have sent a reminder email but I didn't receive any and I can't figure out why..???

Anyway, on 24/12/2012 I wasn't able to view my blog nor did anyone else. A call to the help desk of the company/site that provides domain names for blogger revealed that the domain name has already been taken up by some other party. The person who spoke to me said they could ask the present owner to sell the domain name but the price was nearly 9000$ and in addition I had to pay 70$ for the mediator as well.

Just to confirm, I emailed to blogger help [google] which revealed that they had sent one reminder email but also mentioned that it might have gone into my spam box. As it was Christmas it took 2 days for me to get a reply. They also mentioned as the account had expired nothing can be done...


First of all, I don't have that amount to pay and second, the reason given for charging so much was based on the net value of my domain/website. I was shell shocked....

After a couple of hours of thinking and kicking myself for being so careless, I brought another domain and all the information was automatically uploaded.

So friends, please be very careful with your respective blogs/ domains/ websites. Mine is a very tiny one with no adsense or much viewership. There are blogs which are ever so popular and have more than 1000 hits a day. There are people who watch like hawks and grab any opportunity to make money in any possible way.  

So now www.kaarasaaram.com has been changed to www.kaarasaaram.org. I am not sure wether you are receiving my blog updates but please do update the new web address. I would be very grateful for all the support....


So now that everything is settled, here comes a delicious sweet chocolatey recipe to start the Newyear. I am not a chocolate fan but since it is the favourite for almost everyone else, chocolate is the main ingredient in this recipe [both the drink and cookies]. 

Hot chocolate ... even the name sounds very tempting, isn't it..!!! There are quite a few flavours which are very popular. I have added the two flavours which are my absolute favourite - ginger and cardamom. They lend a lovely sweet aroma and warmth to the drink which is incomparable to anything else.

Perfect for a cold evening or an after dinner drink. It is immensely flavourful, so serve in small glasses with loads of whipped cream.



Spiced Hot Chocolate:
Semi skimmed milk: 400mls.
Dark Chocolate pieces: 75 gms.
Milk chocolate pieces: 25 gms.
Light muscavado sugar: 1 1/2 tbsp.
Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp.
Ginger powder: 3/4 tsp.
Single cream: 2 tbsp.

To garnish:
Whipped cream and 1 tsp of light muscavado sugar.

1.Take a heavy bottomed pan and add the milk, sugar, ginger and cardamom powders. Gently heat on low flame. Do not let the milk boil.
2.Once heated through, remove from flame and add both the dark and milk chocolate pieces.
3.Whisk until all the chocolate is melted.
4.Return to the flame and add the cream.
5.Heat gently for a minute or so, just to make sure the milk, chocolate and cream are well incorporated.
6.Remove from flame and pour into individual glasses.
7.Top with swirls of whipped cream and sprinkle with muscavado sugar.

Serve immediately along with chocolate shortbread cookies....

I am sure most of you must have tasted shortbread cookies which is thick, soft, all buttery and sugary. This is a simple variation to the classic recipe. Very easy to make and taste yummy, a sure treat for anyone who loves chocolate flavour.


The cookies have to be on the thicker side as it is very soft and crumbles easily. Don't aim for perfect shapes as the uneven look makes it even more appealing.
  
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies: Makes 25-30 depending on the size of the cookies

All purpose flour: 150 gms.
Caster sugar: 55 gms.
Unsalted butter [softened]: 125 gms.
Dark chocolate pieces:75 gms.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: 1 tbsp.
Salt: 1 small pinch.

1.Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C / Gas mark 2-3/315 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking trays.
2.Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water.
3.Stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat.Set aside to cool.
4.Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together twice. In a medium sized bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
5.Add the cooled chocolate, sifted flour and cocoa powder. Combine with the help of a wooden spoon until it forms a soft dough.
6.Shape tablespoons of the dough into balls and place them on the baking trays well apart.
7.Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
8.Allow to cool in the trays for 5 minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled store in air tight container. These cookies keep well for upto a week.

Notes: You can omit the ginger and cardamom powder and flavour the hot chocolate with cinnamon, chilli , nutmeg etc. Also alter the amount of dark and milk chocolate according to your preference.

Try using white chocolate instead of dark chocolate for new flavour...

For the cookies, try dusting wth drinking chocolate powder just before serving. For a varied flavour for the cookies, try using milk chocolate or white chocolate or combine flavours for a marbled look for the cookies.

Enjoy.....

Scribbled by Reva.

Christmas Cookies

  
Christmas has come but the snow hasn't, hhhhmmmm.....!!!!

All the neighbourhood around our house are decorated with beautiful lights and colourful Santa garden decorations. It looks so cute but the cold weather is a real hinderance to enjoy the lights up close. Anyway the decorations do lift up my soul as it is going to be a rainy Christmas.

Almost all the blogs are adorned with fruit cakes / cupcakes / cookies / edible gifts / drinks etc which truly speaks of festive season. I have been drooling over all the goodies as each and everyone of the recipes compete with each other in presentation, colour, flavours, ingredients etc and I almost forgot to post something in my blog ... Well done foodies..:))

These cookies are something that I made for my daughter for her playschool. It was a fun activity for me and her together - rolling the dough, cutting out shapes, baking, placing the icing and sugar decorations on the cookies. She enjoyed it so much that she didn't want to part with the cookies in her playschool..:))

There would be some imperfections in the cookies but hey, I loved it...:))

Christmas cookies are something similar to shortbread cookies but with less butter and a dash of orange flavouring. These cookies are very simple to make and freezable too. Just make the dough, wrap it up in a cling film and put it in the freezer [can be stored upto a month]. When time to make the cookies, defrost the dough for a couple of hours, roll the dough and cut out the cookies. Bake as per the recipe instructions below.

You can vary the flavourings and decorations as per your taste - vanilla, cardamom, lemon, lavender etc. These cookies are not just for Christmas but can be used for various other occasions and celebrations like kid's birthday parties, valentine's day or just for evening snacks.

For the cookies: 
All purpose flour: 150 gms.
Unsalted butter: 100 gms.
Caster sugar: 75 gms.
Orange zest : 1/2 tsp.
Salt: 1 pinch.
Yolk of medium egg: 1.

1.In a mixer, whiz together the flour and butter until it resembles bread crumbs. You can use your hands if you don't have a free standing mixer. I don't have a mixer so I used my fingers to make the dough.
2. Add the salt, sugar, orange zest and egg yolk and mix until just combined.
3.Tip onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4.Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/180 degrees C/Fan 160 degrees C.
5.Roll the dough to a thickness of 3-4mm and cut out shapes from the dough. Re-roll the trimmings and repeat until all the dough is used up.
6. Arrange the cut out shapes 2 cms apart on a baking tray lines with nonstick baking paper.
7.Chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator and bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm.
8.Cool on the tray for 5 minutes and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate:
Icing sugar: 4-5 tbsp.
Few drops of water.
Sugar crystals

Mix the icing sugar with a little water until smooth but not runny. Spoon into a piping bag and snip off the tip of 1mm diameter. Place tiny drops on the cookies and place a sugar decoration on top of the icing dot. Place the cookies in an airy place for a couple of hours and let the icing dry out.

Once dry, store the cookies in an air tight containers of fill up goody/gift bags with label tie ups ... perfect Christmas present for friends and family.

Notes: I used a zip-lock bag to pipe the dots which very well serves the purpose. You can make your own piping bag with baking paper or plastic sheet or get readymade ones. I have not used royal icing for decorating but you can if you wish to. If you wish you can actually draw various designs on the cookie and place the sugar decorations accordingly.

Add tints of colours to give a more festive look or use colour sprinkles instead. 

A Very Merry Christmas to all ....

Enjoy...


Scribbled by Reva

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

What is in your cupboard, all the time especially if you have kids or for that matter adults who gorge fried snacks and generally love to munch on home made snacks ... yes, it is ketchup. I still remember the "Kissan Ketchcup" during my school days and it was such a treat to have samosas and bajjis with gulgs of the red sauce. I often used to wonder how lovely it tasted..:))

I love it , love it , love it .... but after all the talk about MSG / excess sugar / salt / artificial flavourings and colourings etc , I became wary of having bottled preserved sides for snacks. Kids don't understand this, so we have to give way sometimes.

Hey...!!! wait, don't give up so fast... Whatever is available in the markets can be reproduced at home, if not 100% atleast the homemade ones come very close to the industrial production.

I can guarantee the satisfaction and joy that accompanies when something so simple and delicious is prepared at home is immeasurable, no matter what brand you buy in the stores. The satisfaction doubles when your little one gives you the thumbs up with your experiment.

You have to believe me when I say that I have stopped buying ketchup or for that matter chocolate spread from the shops... I make my own. After all you are feeding your little one who deserves the best and when it is homemade, you know what goes into the making of the sauce.

The internet is a blessing in disguise as when you enter some title something or the other related to the title pops open. So my search for tomato ketchup recipe led me here. It sounds very simple and easy. There are few other recipes but the amount of vinegar and sugar was not appealing to me.

I was skeptical at first but you have to try it to know wether it works or not. I did try and it was good, so I kept the recipe as it is except for adding a few and reducing the amount of vinegar. The spices gives an special flavour and my Indian palette demands flavour in everything I eat.

All the ingredients are fresh and easily available everywhere. It makes wonderful edible gift that would definitely amaze your friends. When everyone else are gifting cakes / cookies/ flowers etc I can guarantee that you can make your stand when you hand them a bottle of homemade ketchup.  This comes very handy when you hold festive parties or just to accompany your evening snacks..:)

For the recipe:
Ripe plum tomatoes :2 kgs.
Red onions: 2 medium.
Whole garlic pods: 3.
Fresh ginger: 1 inch piece [optional]
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp [optional]
Cloves: 2-3.
Mace: a small piece.
Chilli flakes: 1 1/2 tsp.
Bay leaves: 2.
Crushed pepper corns: 1 tsp.
Red wine vinegar: 100mls.
Water: 100 mls.
Light brown sugar: 3 tbsp.

1.Roughly chop the onions, tomatoes and garlic pods. Put them in a heavy bottomed deep pan with the water and chilli flakes. Place the pan on medium slim flame.
2.Cover and cook for atleast 45 minutes stirring occasionally until the veggies have turned into a pulp.
3.After 45-50 minutes remove the pan from flame and let the contents cool for 10-15 minutes.
4.Whiz the contents using a hand blender or a mixie. Pass the blended contents through a nylon sieve.
5.Rub the pulp until you have extracted all the pulp leaving behind the skin and seeds of the tomatoes.   
6.Meanwhile put all the other ingredients except the sugar in another sauce pan and place the pan on slim flame for 10minutes.
7.After 10minutes remove the pan from the flame and set it aside for the flavours to infuse.
8.Place a clean pan on medium slim flame. Add the extracted pulp and sugar. Filter the vinegar and add it to the pulp.
9.Mix well and let the contents thicken to ketchup consistency which will take around 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove from flame and transfer to sterilised bottles. Close the lids and let the contents cool completely.

Tie some labels around the lids with "Festive Wishes" and make this season even more festive....

Notes:
The ketchup keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of months. Make sure that the bottles are well sterilised and clean.

You can add more sugar if you want more sweetness to the ketchup. The given amount imparts a very mild sweetness.

All the ingredients can be altered according to your taste.

You can try the same recipe with green /yellow or orange tomatoes.

Sending this to Lets Cook Edible Gifts for Christmas by Nayna, Know Your Sweetness - Brown Sugar by Kirthi and Jagruti, Merry Christmas Celebrations by Sheelu.

Enjoy ...

Scribbled by Reva.  

Cardamom Pistachio Cookies

Hhhmmm.... it is raining, raining, raining everyday and that is not something that lifts your spirits. I mean, the first few showers are so exciting when the cool rain hits the soil, everything is so sparkling clean and the air is cool and light .... but after a few days of almost continuous showers , it becomes a bit of a drag.

Especially, when there is not enough light to take photos of all the prepared recipes for the blog, it becomes even more dampening to the mood [... just my mood].

Automatically, I turn to food for comfort .... Am I turning into a comfort eater ..????

I don't know but definitely my waist measurement and dress size will tell me in a couple of weeks time ...:)

Cookies have unfortunately become a part of the snack shelf but a tiny consolation is that the cookies are home made which makes it edible for my daughter.

I am not a big fan of chocolate [Oh, I hear gasps of horror ...!!!]. Yes, you heard me right, I am not a fan of chocolate in any form but I do dish out desserts and stuff with chocolate as everyone around me seems to die for chocolate.

I rely on simple recipes which calls for easy ingredients, with no complication or fuss or mess but promises to deliver great flavour in each and every bit of the finished product. Added to the fact that these cookies can be kept for upto 3 weeks in an air tight container makes it even more appealing for me.

Hey, not to mention it makes a wonderful edible gift for friends and family especially with the festive season coming up. It is so reassuring to have something stacked away before the party time begins so that the last minute madness is avoided.

I love cardamom flavour and to combine it with pistachio makes it ever so tempting. I guess you can substitute other nuts of your choice like cashews / hazelnuts / walnuts and also play around with the base flavour skipping the cardamom. I should imagine that the choices are endless ....

 Simple, flavourful and yummy...:)

 For the cookies:
Unsalted butter: 250gms.
Plain flour: 280 gms.
Rice flour: 60 gms.
Icing sugar: 85 gms.
Vanilla essence: 1/2 tsp.
Orange zest [grated]: 1 tsp.
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp.
Pistachio nuts: 50 gms [chopped]
Castor sugar: 1-2 tbsp.

1.Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2.Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the orange zest, 3/4 of the pistachio nuts and stir until combined.
3.Sift the flours and add to the butter mixture along with the cardamom powder. Mix with a spatula to combine everything together and form a soft dough.
4.Wrap with a cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C / Gas mark 2-3 /315 degrees F.
5.Remove the mixture from the fridge and shape tablespoons of the dough into balls.
6.Place them on the baking trays and flatten them slightly with your finger tips. Make sure there is atleast 1 inch space between each cookie.
7.Press a couple of pistachio pieces onto each cookie. Sprinkle some castor sugar onto the cookies and bake for 12-15 minutes or lightly golden underneath.
8.Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tray and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.


Store the cookies in an air tight container once cooled completely and can be kept upto 3 weeks time. Enjoy with a cup of steaming tea or coffee especially on a rainy evening ....

Enjoy....


Scribbled by Reva

Edible Gifts - Pistachio Choco Fudge

Wow, it is that time of the year where everywhere you turn there are lights, cakes, bakes, chocolate - the whole Christmas preparation with all the trimmings. Time to make edible gifts again... But with no time in hand to do anything really because of my laziness..:)

I want to relax, have a cup of tea, watch TV and play with my daughter - you know just have quality time for myself. At the same time I can't ignore my lovely friends and work colleagues....

I have to give something to you guys for Christmas and I know most of you are real "Chocoholics" and the rest have a liking for chocolate..:) This is my gift for all my blogger friends for Christmas as without your support, nothing is possible..:)


So, this recipe is for all the "Chocoholics" out there..:)) Even my hubby who is not that much into chocolates was impressed with this treat... How do you like that!!!!

This sweet treat barely takes 10 minutes to make and taste superb. I have used dark and white chocolate as the sweet from the white chocolate and bitter taste from the dark chocolate offers just the right balance of sweetness.

Also the streaked appearance of the chocolates is lovely to look at..:)  You can very well double the recipe quantity and make large batches of these edible gifts.

For the recipe:
Dark chocolate : 250 gms.
White chocolate : 100 gms.
Condensed milk: 300 gms.
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp.
Pistachios [unsalted and shelled]: 50 gms.

1. Line a 6in by 9in roasting tray or a square cake tin with baking parchment. Let the papaer overhang the sides lightly.
2.Chop the pistachios coarsely to bits.
3.Put the dark chocolate and the condensed milk in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water [double boiler method].
4.Stir occasionally and let this mix melt slowly.
5.Meanwhile, take the white chocolate in another heat proof bowl and place it on another pan with barely simmering water.

6.Melt the white chocolate slowly until smooth.
7.Remove both chocolate bowls from heat once smooth and shiny and let the chocolates cool slightly for a couple of minutes.
8. Stir in the white chocolate into the dark chocolate mix.
9.Mix very gently for  a couple of times as the fudge should have a streaked appearance.
10.Empty this into the prepared tray and level the surface. Sprinkle the chopped pistachio nuts on the surface of the fudge.
11.Press lightly, cover and chill for about 2 to 3 hrs.

Cut into squares and present as edible gifts.

Note: This fudge can be store for upto a month in the fridge. If you are putting the fudge into boxes wrap them in tissue first.
You can substitute white chocolate for milk chocolate or make the fudge entirely in one variety of chocolate... it is upto your taste and preference..:)

Sending this to Sinful Delights by Vardhini, Chirstmas Delicacy  by Julie, Winter Carnival by Radhika , New Year New Dish by Nupur, Love Lock with Sweets happening in Vidhya's Sweet Karam Kapi and Killer on the Plate and Innovative Pakwan by Swetha , Jingle all the Way by Kavi.

Enjoy...

Scribbled by Reva

Edible Gifts - Crystallised Rose Petals

Christmas is the time for presents and there is nothing like home made ones. Edible gifts are a sure way to cheer up our near and dear ones as they can be tailor made and they are very personal. There is no other way to make a person feel more special than to give a goodie according to their taste.

I have come across so many recipes which asks for crystallised flowers especially violets and rose petals. Searching the local super markets did not turn fruitful. At last I did find a small specialist store which showcases everything that is needed for baking, decorating cakes, sugar crafts etc etc etc..... But a small packet of crystallised flowers was a little over my usual budget:(

Then I started looking for recipes on how to make crystallised flowers at home and bumped into one which was quite simple. I didn't get any pink ones so I opted for red ones. I was quite apprehensive when I made them, thought they would have an eggy smell but they didn't. They were awesome and tasted sweet.

Be careful when giving them to vegetarian friends as there is egg white in it. I kind of played around with the drying time and method from what was mentioned in the original recipe.

Recipe source: The Pink Whisk

For the recipe:
Red roses [medium ones]: 5-6
Egg [medium]: 1.
Caster sugar: 250 gms

Instruments and trays:
Clean plate:1
Paint brush:1
Small bowl:1
Large bowl:1
Small fork:1
Small forceps:1 [optional]
Large baking trays: 2

1.Seperate the petals from the stems and wash them gently.
2.Dry them completely by laying them in a single layer on a clean surface.
3.Once they are dry, then you can start the crystallising process.
4.Seperate the egg white and yolk. You can discard the yolk. Take the egg white in the small bowl and beat lightly until frothy. Keep the brush along side the bowl.
5.Take the sugar in a large bowl. Keep the fork along side the bowl.
6. Take a petal. Brush the petal lightly with egg white with the help of the brush.

7.Just lift the petal with your finger tips or forceps [if using one]  and place in the sugar bowl. Flip the petal in the sugar with the fork. The sugar will stick onto the petal as it is wet with the egg white.
8.Lift the petal with the fork and place on the tray. Finish with the rest of the petals and arrange them on the tray in a single layer.
9.If there is any sugar left in the bowl, sprinkle on the petals. Keep the trays in an airy place for a couple of hours.
10. Preheat oven in the lowest setting and place the trays in the oven for a good 4 - 6 hours.
11. After 6 hours, the petals would have turned a very deep maroonish red and completely bone dry.

Once dry , store in air tight containers and use them to decorate cupcakes, cakes or crush them to be sprinkled on pancakes for breakfast...:)

Makes wonderful gifts when packed in small colourful containers or clear cellophane bags tied with fancy strings or ribbons..:)

Note: Make sure that the flowers are not sprayed with any pesticides. It is absolutely important that the petals are dry. Test the dryness in couple of petals. If they little wet or soft, keep them in the oven for a couple of hours more. If there is any moisture then the whole thing will go bad.

You can crystallise violets, lavenders, carnations etc... or even citrus fruits..:)

I discarded the yolk and egg white after finishing with the coating of the petals. If there is any sugar left in the tray after drying the petals, collect and use in baking cakes or cookies.

Enjoy.....


Scribbled by Reva