Vietnamese Iced Coffee Panna Cotta

Start writing a food blog and you will find yourself revisiting old food memories. For instance, my daily fix of iced coffee in the Summer traces back to my school days. Coffee was an absolute no-no then, the mysterious substance that was meant only for adults. But, every once in a while, during our summer holidays, as a special treat, we would be allowed to add the teeniest, tiniest amount of coffee powder to our glass of cold milk. We probably wouldn't have been able to taste the caffeine but it did change the colour of milk from white to the palest brown and gave us our rightful place in the adult world!

 

 

And the fondness for iced coffee has remained, ever ready to try out different variants. So, if it was the Greek frappe in University, my current fascination lies with the Vietnamese version. Also known as 'Ca phe sua da', it is finely ground roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal filter that drips the brewed coffee into a cup containing sweetened condensed milk and ice. If you haven't tried it till date, it comes highly recommended!!

 

And talking about Vietnamese iced coffee, reminds me of this recipe by Zoe Francois that I had bookmarked almost a year back. It is a layered panna cotta inspired by the Vietnamese Iced coffee.

 

 

You have a panna cotta layer that consists of cream, condensed milk and coffee. And the creamy panna cotta is broken into with a layer of coffee jelly in the middle and on the top. There is nothing complicated about making this dessert but it does get tedious waiting for each layer to set before you can pour the next layer.

 

 

But, trust me when I say the effort is worth it. This is an elegant and sophisticated dessert for the adult palate. Needless to say, you have to love your coffee to love this dessert. I feared this would be a cloyingly sweet dessert that would be on the richer side. I couldn't have been more wrong. The panna cotta is as creamy as it should be with the hint of coffee being discernible and not domineering. The after taste is that of coffee and not sugar, just how it should be! 

 

And don't miss out on the coffee gelee. It is a thin layer but for me, this is the layer that makes the dessert. It not only cuts through the creaminess of the panna cotta but also subtly accentuates the flavour of the coffee, the star of the show!!

 

 

Talking about food memories, one look at the coffee jelly had my mother reminiscing about the coffee jelly from her days in the Delhi University canteen of the late 1960s! How's that for a retro food memory?!!

 

With the monsoons still some days away and the oven out of bounds because of the heat, this dessert is perfect for the season and the mood. Now, how 'bout you share a Summer food memory of yours??

 

Mini Pavlovas With Mangoes And Cream

I've been missing in action for the past few weeks. Blame it on the heat.. in fact, these days, I blame the summer heat for everything that doesn't go my way!! Summer is at its peak and if you've ever experienced the Indian summer then you know how the heat has this unique ability to sap you of all enthusiasm that you might have towards life. It induces a certain lassitude and inertia that reduces life to spending much of your days indoors, till the better part of the day is over.

And yet, like the proverbial silver lining, summer has its redeeming features. The first, for me, would be the fragrance of summer flowers that come alive in the evening. As the sun sets and the blinding heat of the day recedes, a gentle wind picks up. And it brings with it the sensual and seductive scent of flowers that are unique to the tropics. Mostly white in colour, these are flowers such as jasmine, mogra, tube roses, champa, raatrani and frangipani. Step out of your indoor confines and as the heady waft of these flowers washes over you, it brings a much-needed relief and calm that makes you understand why poets and writers alike, have waxed lyrically about summer evenings!!

 

The second redeeming feature of the summer is mangoes. I had written last year about India's love affair with the fruit. The fruit is best enjoyed on its own and if it used in any dessert, it deserves that it remains the star of the show. When I first made a pavlova back in January, not only did I fall in love with this Aussie classic but I remember saying to myself that mangoes would be a good fruit to pair with the pavlova.

 

So, I went with a miniature version of a pavlova and paired it with a simple combination of mangoes and cream. While I abhor going anywhere near an oven in this weather, the beauty of a pavlova is that it can be made in advance during the cooler part of the day. And it takes no more than fifteen minutes to prepare before you pop it in the oven. Once in the oven, it can be forgotten until the prescribed time tells you to switch off the oven and leave it to cool down.

Mangoes and cream is an unbeatable combination but the pavlova base elevates it to the level of an elegant dessert. The light, chewy base is perfect for the summer where a cake or tart base would have been a tad too heavy for the season. And most importantly, the mango remains the star!!

I reckon and hope that these are the last days of the Indian summer as we count down to the monsoons. As we reel under a heat wave, the rains can't come fast enough!! Till then, simple pleasures remain our last refuge!!

 

Brownies : 'TWD : Baking with Julia'

Work your way through baking blogs, you will notice that some recipes will always find their way into the recipe index. You are almost certain to find a sinful chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies that the author will assure you are the best you've ever had, a creamy cheesecake with a fruit compote, meringues, macarons from those who've figured out the mystery behind making them, blueberry muffins, lemon tarts and lest we forget, gooey, fudgy brownies!

 

 

And of course, if you were to look at that list, you'd realise that this blog has a long way to go. So, to set things right, I bring you brownies. These were made by the 'TWD: Baking with Julia' group, way back in October. Having missed making them then, they've been on my mind for a while and finally decided to give them a go. After all, Julia Child does refer to them as the 'best ever' brownies!!

 

 

The recipe is not much different from any other recipe that you might have come across. The only difference I noted was that the egg-sugar mixture is beaten until the volume doubles before it is mixed with the chocolate and the butter.

 

Not sure on the significance of that step, but the brownies that come out of the oven get top marks. They are everything you expect from a brownie - dense, fudgy, chocolaty, soft and creamy. You'll be hard pressed to find fault with these brownies. A small piece of them can make the world seem right again... Yes, they are THAT good!!

So, how do these match up to your favourite brownies that you've had or baked?? I always refrain from using the term 'best ever' because invariably, there is a beautiful memory or story attached, when something becomes your favourite!! In this case, it could be the brownies your mother baked when you were a child or the brownies you and your girlfriends always order for your gossip sessions or for that matter, it could be the brownies that will always remind you of a very special date!

And, no recipe, however good, can compete with those memories. But, I will say this much, this recipe has the power to create some very beautiful memories of its own. That should be reason enough not to miss out on these brownies!!
 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I have a confession to make!! When I first started baking and the recipe would ask for vanilla extract, I would reach out to this tiny bottle labelled 'Vanilla Essence' that was available in most Indian stores. It is only once I started blogging and reading and sharing that I realised that I was doing it all wrong. Turns out that tiny bottle was all fraud! I read closely, and horror of horrors, the label had not a mention of the word "vanilla" in the ingredients list. Instead, I read the word "artificial" and even worse, "caramel flavouring"!!

 

  

Well, you learn! While vanilla extract is still not easily available in the Indian market, the even better option is to make the stuff at home. All you need is a clean glass bottle (in my case, an old soya sauce bottle that I sterilised), some vanilla pods and vodka. The only hitch, you have to wait for eight weeks before it is ready for use. Else, you will land up with vanilla-flavoured vodka!! (Label credit, here)

 

This takes barely about two minutes to put together and you will see the difference for yourself! 

Chocolate Mousse

Watching a chef work with molecular gastronomy is a bit like watching a mad scientist at work. You see unheard of ingredients and never before seen techniques come together to create food that has textures and flavours, beyond anything you can imagine. It challenges and defies all conventional ideas and norms that one has come to accept when it comes to food. While there is a scientific rationale behind it all, to the lay person it is a bit like magic!

 

 

It is not only about creating new textures and new flavours, it is also about achieving a conventional result with an unconventional technique. So, while I believe molecular gastronomy is best left to the professionals, I couldn't resist giving this chocolate mousse recipe a shot. This recipe was invented by a French physical chemist, Herve This, also known as the 'Father of Molecular Gastronomy'. It turns on its head everything you know about making chocolate mousse as well as about working with chocolate and yet, results in the creamiest, silkiest and chocolatiest chocolate mousse you've ever had!!

 

 

The first rule when you work with chocolate is that it should never come in contact with water. This recipe breaks that rule irreverently by having only two ingredients, water and chocolate. The two are melted together and the resultant mixture is transferred to an ice bath. It is then whisked and as air is introduced into this mixture, it emulsifies like a mayonnaise and achieves the desired mousse like consistency. And you are done!!

 

It seems strange but that is all that there is to it! No cream, no yolks, no butter, no sugar.. just chocolate and water!! And yet, like I said, this mousse is creamy, satiny and luscious. You won't believe it, until you try it for yourself!! In fact, Monsieur This is said to have remarked, "I invented it — but it was so easy, I'm embarrassed!"

 

Just keep two things in mind. Use the best chocolate that you can lay yours hands on because that's what you will taste. There is nothing behind which the chocolate can hide itself. And secondly, be very precise with your measurements. If you want to introduce a liqueur, subtract the same amount of water as the amount of liqueur you are going to use and then introduce the liqueur.

 

This is a very intense, chocolate dessert and a small amount goes a long way! And since I didn't have the requisite serving ramekins, I dug into my shot glass collection. An unconventional dessert deservedly demands an unconventional showcase!!

 

 

As the original mad scientist, Einstein once said, "make things as simple as possible, not simpler"! This chocolate mousse is testament to the spirit of that statement.

 

Victoria Sandwich Sponge Cake

As a young girl, if reading were one of your interests, I have no doubt that Jane Austen and her novels would have figured prominently in your reading list. And one of her most memorable books would be 'Pride and Prejudice'. You realise the enduring appeal of her books, when it comes to light that this year would mark two hundred years(!) since 'Pride and Prejudice' was first published.

 

It is a testament to the allure of Jane Austen's writing that two hundred years after she published her work, its plot and characters, set in 19th century English society, would not only stand the test of time but also find a certain resonance in today's society, even in 21st century India.

 

 

Most young women would identify with 'Elizabeth Bennet', one of the main protagonists of the book. She is intelligent, sensible, witty, not given to frivolous and vacuous considerations, has a mind of her own, is not afraid of voicing her opinion even if goes against the accepted norms of society and marriage is not the only goal of her life. I told you, she could be one of us!!

 

And then, there was 'Mr.Darcy'! If you ask me, he is the real reason why women will always love this book. In equal measure, he would be handsome and haughty, intelligent and proud, rich and modest, aloof and generous, arrogant and chivalrous as the plot progressed. But his appeal, I believe, would lie in the fact, that he wasn't intimidated by Elizabeth Bennet's wit and intelligence but admired her for it and the very reason for his attraction towards her. Did I just hear a rueful sigh from every intelligent woman out there??

They say, Elizabeth Bennet would be the one character closest in nature to Jane Austen. I then believe, she created the character of Mr.Darcy as the man she was looking for but never found. 

 

This book would show Jane Austen not only as a keen observer of the society she lived in but would reveal her understanding of the nuances and subtleties that define relationships. And therein lies the inherent strength and appeal of her books!

 

 

And this Victoria sponge cake would have found itself both in Mr. Darcy's Pemberley as well as the more modest Bennet home of Longbourn. Much like the book, this cake is a baking classic. A traditional, English, tea-time treat, it is essentially two sponge cakes that sandwich a layer of jam and cream.

The cake is one of the easiest to make. And this recipe by British food legend, Mary Berry, guarantees a perfect result. The sponge cakes rise well and have that quintessential buttery taste that is expected of them. I urge you to use a good quality jam. I went with a homemade strawberry jam that I had made a few weeks back. It made all the difference. The freshness of the jam, where you can taste the fruit helps the flavour profile of the cake, which would otherwise have been just sugar and butter.

 

 

There's a reason why some things become classics. Their appeal endures the passage of time, much like this cake and the book!

 

Thank you Jane Austen! Two hundred years on, Mr. Darcy's appeal hasn't waned and neither has the appeal of your books!!

Bhapa Doi - Steamed Sweetened Yoghurt

This week, we in India, will celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. Holi marks the arrival of spring, of good harvests and fertile land. It is celebrated in a boisterous manner by throwing water and colour on each other. You may find that either exhilarating or rambunctious, depending on your inclinations. And like every other Indian festival, this is also a time for friends and family and the good food that inevitably goes with it.

 

 

But, in these days of global warming and rising temperatures, Holi is beginning to feel like it signals the arrival of summer rather than spring. I won't get into another of my hate speeches about the Indian summer but you will agree that summer is all about food and flavours that are light on the palate. So, this Holi, I decided to make this beautiful yoghurt dessert, from the eastern Indian state of Bengal.

 

 

Until my friend Vinati showed me otherwise, this dessert was always shop bought. You can rely on Vini and her collection of recipes, that she has painstakingly collected over the years, to show you a way to replicate the classics at home. What won me over was that this dessert took all of 5 minutes, from start to finish!

 

This is not a traditional method of making this dessert but is a cheat's version. It uses yoghurt, condensed milk and a microwave. But, when you see and taste the final product, you will never guess at how easily this was made. I turn to a recipe by Tarla Dalal and believe me, the cooking time for this dessert is one minute!! You won't believe me and I too, did not believe it, until I tried it out for myself. One minute... seriously!!!  

 

 

The texture of the final product, as Anjum Anand puts it, is between a panna cotta and a ricotta cheesecake. It is neither cloyingly sweet nor heavy on the palate. It is beautifully light and a perfect dessert for the weather. I am partial to cardamom and so, the addition of crushed cardamom powder. But, that is completely optional and according to your taste and liking.

 

This dessert is ideal after a heavy, Indian meal when you want a sweet ending which is neither greasy nor overpowering. And I am confident that once tried at home, it will be a dessert you return to again and again!!

 

 

Wishing all you beautiful people a very Happy Holi!! Much like the bright colours of Holi, I wish you and your loved ones, days full of love, laughter and optimism!