Cake Hacking – Spiced apple buckle cake..

I seem to be running out of excuses about avoiding eggs. Yes, I have a teensy fear of  eggs. I enjoy them as much as anybody else, in custards, cakes, cookies & ice cream, but the mere mention of trying to buy a box, and my brain goes into an overdrive to come up with bizzarre excuses to get away from that part of the grocery store. I've analyzed & hyper analyzed it & am perfectly aware that I sound like one of those afflicted  patients described in V.S Ramachandran's book 'Phantoms in the brain', perfectly capable of acknowledging that my quirk is 'eggcentric' to say the least, but balk at the thought of doing something to overcome it.

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‘Karupatti’ Kaapi Brownies with Fresh Raspberries

You know you're passionate about something like blogging when missing out on one post for  a week sends you into a spiral of guilt & blanked out grey matter. The confusion, nagging feeling of  the high that invariably kicks in once you click on the orange 'Publish' button.

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4C shortbread

Shortbread traditionally has always been a Scottish biscuit, the ‘Short’ is indicative of shortening or the fat used in making these delicious & calorie rich treats.

Personally, I love making these since they do not involve the use of egg ( Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated by these protein packed globes that pop out from a hen’s rear end, but have this odd avoidance/ phobia about working with them.. It had something to do with a mildly traumatic incident involving my 8th birthday cake, a broken window… Someday If I write my biography, I’ll tell the tale!)

Food52 my favorite community blog, had this contest with coffee as the theme ingredient last week. & the  number of fabulous recipes that were sent in was simply amazing! The enthusiasm itself was worth creating a tribute dish for & the 4C shortbread was my contribution! The Inspiration came from 3 individuals and the dishes they had submitted for the contest.  Bevi, a food consultant from Vermont who had a fabulous recipe for a versatile shortbread with many options, Tiggybee from California with a fabulous recipe for a spiced Iced coffee and Pauljoseph from Kerala, who is an amazing source for wonderful recipes & morsels of amazing trivia related to food. You simply HAVE to check this wonderful site out! Something that everyone on food52 looks forward to, is Pauljosephs photographs of spices, herbs, fruit & veggies we so much take for granted in daily life, yet, know little of about how they look in their native habitat.

The spices and flavorings used in this recipe are are found in God’s own country, Kerala, Cardamom, cloves, coffee & Cream… it seemed fitting that these four terms should come together to form the ‘4C’ (which incidentally, is also a term used to describe quality in Diamonds! speaking of Diamonds… here’s a lovely ad for those shiny bits of coal… Disclaimer: Tanishq is NOT involved in Iyer n’chef!). The bonus is that my kitchen started smelling like I was brewing a cauldron of rich creamy coffee, that alone was enough for a wonderful buzz!!

For this ridiculously easy snack you need:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (taster’s choice french roast worked for me)
• 6 pods cardamom,
• 4 cloves
• 2 tablespoons light cream
• 1 1/4 cup All purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt 

1. Using a mortar & pestle, crush the cloves, cardamom seeds & the coffee granules to a smooth powder.
2. Cream the butter & sugar till well combined. add the spiced coffee powder & cream, whisk a little longer till light & fluffy.
3. Sift the all purpose flour and the salt. fold the flour into the creamed butter and work till the flour is incorporated completely and the mixture comes together into a ball. wrap in plastic wrap & chill for an hour in the refrigerator
4. Preheat oven to 350 F.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness (using extra flour for dusting). Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dough and place onto a cookie sheet.
6. Bake for ~ 10 minutes or until the lower surface of the cookies starts turning a golden brown. remove & cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight jar.
7. Serve alongside a hot cup of…..tea or hot chocolate!!

Really Large Ricotta stuffed gnocchi

Anyone familiar with the street food scene in India would invariably have come across a firm favorite: The ‘ragda patty’
This surprisingly nutritious street side snack consists of a pan fried potato patty drowned in ‘ragda’, a mildly seasoned curry made with dried peas, & liberally garnished with raw onion & cilantro.

In the early days of panfusine & this blog, I had created a version of ragda substituting the patty with gnocchi. The dish was delicious, but my inexperience in writing about its potential as a star recipe may have pushed it towards oblivion.
My interpretation of this dish consists of a rather large pan fried gnocchi stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture. The ricotta itself is seasoned with mint, coriander & lemon zest.
Its paired with a split pea puree, seasoned with ginger, scallions & garam masala.
I’ve resorted to including store bought tamarind sauce for the sake of convenience. A basic version of the recipe can be found on this link: http://www.food52.com/recipes/10460_sweet_sour_tamarind_sauce

Makes 8-10

Ricotta stuffed gnocchi:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely minced
• 2 small thai green chillies, deseeded & finely minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 cups boiled & mashed Idaho potatoes
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste
• 2 pinches fresh ground peppercorn (optional)
• 1/4 cup oil (for pan frying)
• store bought Tamarind sauce as per personal taste.

Mix the ricotta cheese, mint, cilantro, green chillies, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt & lemon juice till well combined. Place in refrigerator for 1/2 hr to allow the flavors to blend.
In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, cornflour & remaining salt (adjust as per personal preference) & peppercorn (if preferred). Knead well into a dough.
Divide the potato dough into 8 – 10 parts and roughly shape each one into a ball.
Placing one ball of dough in the palm of your hand. make a ‘well in the center using your thumb. Expand this well till the ball resembles a little cup.

Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the ricotta mixture into the well. Using your fingers, fold over the edges of the cup to cover & seal the ricotta filling completely. Flatten slightly into a disk.

Repeat with the remaining dough. You may cover these with plastic wrap & place in refrigerator till you’re ready to pan fry them.

Heat oil in a non stick skillet on medium high. When the oil is hot, fry the gnocchi in batches till golden brown on both sides. (~ 2-3 minutes)
When done, remove & place on a plate lined with paper towels. To keep these warm, cover with Aluminum foil & place in a warm oven (~ 200 F). Ask a question about this step.

Split green pea puree:

• 2 cups rehydrated split green peas,
• 4 scallions chopped (green & white part)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-chilli paste
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 pinch red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Lemon / lime juice
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves (~ 8-10 leaves)
• 1 pinch asafetida (optional)

To make the chilli-ginger paste, combine 1 inch piece of ginger (minced) & 2 small green chillies (chopped) & pound into a paste using a mortar & pestle. It need not be too fine, just enough to release the flavor since the puree will be strained in the end.
Cook the re-hydrated split green peas with turmeric powder till well cooked. Drain & set aside, reserving the turmeric infused cooking liquid.
In a pan heat the oil. when hot, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds sputter, add the curry leaves, the chilli ginger paste & the optional asafetida,
Give a quick stir & add the scallions. Saute till they get soft & the flavors of the ginger & scallions begin to combine.
Add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, the cooked peas, sugar and a cup of the reserved liquid.
Cover & cook on a medium-low heat for ~ 5-8 minutes.
Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree well and strain. Discard the residue.
Return to the stove, adjust the thickness of the puree as per your personal preference using either more of the reserved liquid or water if the former has been used up.
Add lemon juice, combine & remove from the stove.
To plate, spoon required quantity of the puree on to a plate. Place 2 gnocchi in the center, drizzle with tamarind sauce. Garnish with finely chopped mint & cilantro & serve with a wedge of lemon.

Schezuan pepper spiced South Indian ‘Sundal’

Oh boy, that recipe name almost qualifies as a tongue twister!,
‘Sundals’ are simple stir fries using lentils or beans as the key ingredient.
Primarily of South Indian origin, they are a staple holy offering during the Hindu festival of Navratri. While the choice of lentils & beans may be numerous, the basic seasoning is almost always a ‘tadka’ (mustard, a dried arbol & dehusked split ‘Urad’ dal, sputtered in smoking hot oil) and a pinch of asafetida powder. Certainly NOT toasted Schezuan pepper!
The inspiration for this recipe comes from Merill Stubbs of Food52.com who suggested this recipe
http://www6.food52.com/recipes/3098_shichimi_edamame created by chezsuzanne, a contributor on food52.
Asafetida is a spice pretty much confined to Indian cuisine & it was pleasant to discover that it paired very well with schezuan pepper. The pepper itself lends a nutty aroma that complements the dish beautifully.
Thanks Merill & Chezsuzanne for  helping me unlock the potential of this wonderful spice!

Serves 6

28 ounces can garbanzo beans 1 teaspoon schezuan pepper powder, toasted lightly 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon split dehusked Urad dal (optional) 1 dried arbol chilli pepper crumbled lightly 1 pinch Asafetida 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder 1-2 tablespoon juice of a lemon or lime 2 sprigs chopped cilantro for garnishing 2 tablespoons Olive oil Salt to taste

Drain & discard the liquid from the can of garbanzo beans. ( the precooked beans have sufficient salt to season the dish, but feel free to add more as per your personal taste)

Heat oil till hot and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds sputter & pop, add the arbol chilli and asafetida. Stir to combine.

Add the drained garbanzo beans, toasted schezuan pepper & turmeric. Mix well.

Lower the burner to a simmer, cover the pan & cook for 5 minutes till the flavors blend.

Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with lime/lemon juice & garnish with cilantro.

Given that Sundal is such a comfort food for a lot of Indians & its healthy, tasty & vegan to boot, I’m taking the liberty of sharing this recipe with Claire of Chez Cayenne for the house favorites : Vegan recipes. Do take a moment to check out the other awesome dishes!