Sun-dried tomato and piquanté palmiers

A simple yet impressive canapé that is cinch to make - not to mention they come out looking so elegant. You can really experiment with the filling and they can be either sweet or savoury. They can be prepared in advance and refrigerated - just pop in the oven when you are good and ready.

375g pre-rolled puff pastry 

1/2 cup drained pickled piquante peppers

3/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (preserved in oil)

1 egg beaten for egg wash

Freshly ground pepper

handful of fresh basil leaves

Plain flour for dusting

It's easy to work with pre-rolled puff pastry. You can still use a block of puff pastry and roll it out so that it is  about 3 millimetres thick and 9 x 14 inch in dimension.

• Whizz the piquante peppers and sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor till they are finely chopped bordering on becoming a paste. You can use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar to loosen the mix if needed.
• Dust the surface with some plain flour and roll out the pastry sheet to the desired thickness and dimension. You don't have to be delicate about it as we don't really want the pastry to rise too much when baked.
• Spread the mix evenly covering the entire surface of the puff pastry. Tear the basil leaves over the spread and season with from freshly ground pepper.
• Roll both the longer edges towards each other so they meet in the middle. Brush a little egg wash in the centre so the rolled halves can stick together.
• Transfer the log to a baking sheet and refrigerate for half hour till its chilled well. This will make cutting easier.
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Remove the log from the fridge. Cut it into 1 centimetre pieces and place each piece flat on the baking sheet.
•  Brush them all over with the egg wash and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are crisp and golden brown.
• Remove from oven and cool on a baking rack before serving.

Mushroom crostini

A mushroom lover's treat particularly when this made with wild mushrooms. The topping can be prepared ahead of time and heaped onto the toasted bread slices shortly before serving.

500g mushrooms - I used a combination of chestnut, shitake and morels.
1 tbsp butter + 1/2 tsp butter
1 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 tbsp low-fat crème fraiche

1 baguette cut into 1/2 inch slices (about 10-12)
handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese (optional)

freshly ground pepper

Salt to taste

• Clean the mushrooms and slice them into smaller pieces. 
• Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the melted fat along with salt and cook them till they are browned nicely and all the liquid has evaporated. The browning concentrates the mushroom flavour. Do not overcrowd the skillet, otherwise the mushrooms will end up boiling in their own liquid.
• Remove the mushrooms to a cutting board and chop roughly when they have cooled down.
• Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining oil and butter. 
• Add the chopped onions and thyme and sauté till the onions just start to brown. Add the chopped mushrooms back to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Mix in 1-2 tbsp of creme fraiche and the chopped parsley.
• Remove from heat and keep aside till the time you need it. 

To prepare the bread slices -

• Warm the mushroom mixture in a pan or microwave it for 1-2 minutes.
• Pre-heat the grill at a high setting. Brush the bread slices with olive oil on both sides and arrange them on a baking sheet. Place them on the highest rack in the oven and grill for a few minutes till they are nicely toasted. Turn the slices over and do the same on the other side.
• Spread the mushroom mixture on to the bread slices and sprinkle some cheese on top before serving.

Pan roasted sweet potato subzi

I used to love sweet potato as a child. Mum bought this very infrequently, so it always felt like a special treat to have it. She used to steam them whole in a pressure cooker and I liked to have them plain - their natural sweetness needing no other additions.

The sweet potatoes we get back in India are the ones with the pink skin and white flesh with a delicate flavour. The ones we get here have brown skin and orange flesh and taste different from the ones I have had growing up. I didn't relate to this and wasn't even willing to try them for a number or years. It is only recently that I have started having them again.

This is the first time I have tried this particular recipe with sweet potato. I usually make it with squash. Either way it makes a nice accompaniment for rice or rotis. One thing to note is  that you may need to add a little extra spice and salt to balance their natural sweetness.

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes ( approx. 2 - 21/2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3 garlic pods, chopped finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

• Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium flame. Add the cumin followed by mustard seeds to the hot oil and let them splutter
• Add the chopped onion and sauté till they are softened
• Add the garlic and  continue to sauté for another minute to remove their raw flavour.
• Turn the flame to high. Add the sweet potatoes and stir fry them for 3-4 minutes. 
• Add turmeric, chilli, cumin and coriander powders along with salt and continue to toss them for another 2-3 minutes.
• Reduce the flame back to medium. Spread the sweet potatoes evenly in the skillet, cover and let them roast slowly till they are just cooked. Do not add any water. Stir them every few minutes so they cook evenly on all sides and don't burn or catch at the bottom. 
• Sprinkle the garam masala and lemon juice and mix well. Finish off with the chopped coriander leaves.

Prawns (or Shrimp) in coconut gravy

Prawns (or shrimp - I honestly don't know the difference) are the only seafood I have attempted making. I only take a crack at it occasionally as I hate the time it takes to clean them properly. Even if I buy them shelled and deveined, I still put in that effort as my husband reacts to it badly otherwise. Aside from this, the recipe actually needs very little time and effort to prepare.

250g king prawns or shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp whole peppercorns
2-4 whole dried red chillies
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1tbsp oil (coconut oil if you have it)

Tempering
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds

• Toast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorn, red chilli and fenugreek in a dry pan for a few minutes till they release their natural oils and become fragrant. Allow them to cool and then grind them along with the fresh coconut to a fine paste. You can remove the seeds from the chillies to control the heat.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to the hot oil and let them splutter.
• Add the chopped onions and turmeric. Fry in the oil till the onions soften and turn translucent.
• Add the ground coconut paste and fry till the oil starts to separate. This may take about 3-5 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent the paste from catching at the bottom.
• Add the prawns and toss them in the paste for a couple of minutes. 
• Add salt to taste and enough water to form a gravy. Bring to a boil first and then cover and cook on a low heat for 4-5 minutes. The prawns will turn opaque when they are fully cooked.
• Add enough tamarind pulp at this stage to give the gravy some sourness and boil for a few more minutes before turning off the heat.
• Serve with hot rice.

Pineapple fruit loaf

It's been a while since my last post. Following a busy phase at work and a mind numbing bout of cold, it was hard to dig up motivation to do anything. This weekend however perked things up a lot. Good weather and time spent with close friends - it's the best way to wipe away the blues. Taking advantage of this shift in the mood, I spent a few hours baking this afternoon. The attempt was to bake a cake, but the recipe seemed more suited for a fruit loaf. I experimented with both and given the density of the batter, the loaf turned out to be the better result. The makes a moist - for lack of a better word - cake. You can make it even more moist by feeding the cake with a few tablespoons of warmed pineapple juice while it is cooling down.

2 large eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups crushed pineapple( I used tinned, but fresh is fine as well)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Prepare a loaf tin by spraying it with cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and keep aside.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl for 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer till they are pale and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating for a few more minutes till the sugar dissolves. 
• Add the flour in batches to the above mixture and combine everything using a metal spoon using a folding action.
• Combine the melted butter and crushed pineapple. Mix it into the batter. This is a very loose batter.
• Pour it into the prepared tin and bake in the oven at 180C for 50 minutes or until a skewer or knife comes out clean.

Chicken kofta and chicken kofta curry

I come from a family of vegetarians. I have always been surrounded by people who weren't vegetarians but my real exposure to cooking non-vegetarian food was after marriage. Over the years, I have learnt a few recipes that I make well (at least that's the hope!) but I rarely go out of that comfort zone. Experiments are few and far apart and mostly after a lot of reading on the web. So when my husband brought home some chicken mince, I was at a loss what to do with it. He suggested I use it to make something akin to meatballs. That's how I ended up making this chicken kofta curry.

I didn't have any of the usual herbs or bread crumbs, but I did have some basil left over from last night's pasta dinner. The bread crumbs I improvised by toasting two slices of bread lightly and then whizzing them in a food processor. The amount of mince I had was way more than needed for the curry. So I baked them separately for another day. I think these would make good appetizers served with a dipping sauce.

For the koftas or chicken balls

700g chicken mince

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

3/4 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground pepper

2-3 slices of stale bread or 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

12-15 basil leaves

5-6 curry leaves

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil for shallow frying

• Place the bread (or bread crumbs) in the food processor along with the torn up basil and curry leaves and pulse a few times till everything is well combined but still coarse..
• Mix the rest of the ingredients and the prepared bread crumbs into the chicken mince. Add salt according to taste (probably need about 1-11/2 tsp of table salt)
• Form lime sized balls and place them in an oiled plate to prevent them from sticking.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan. When the oil is medium hot, shallow fry the prepared mince balls till they are golden brown on all sides. The intention is only to given them colour and not to cook them at this stage.  (Skip the next step if they are being used for a curry)
• Remove them into an oiled baking tray when they are nicely browned. Cover the tray with foil and bake them in a 190C oven for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

For the curry

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp Crème fraiche or double cream

3/4 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Few basil leaves for garnish

The koftas will need to be shallow fried as mentioned above. 

• Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds when the oil is hot and allow them to splutter.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté till they are softened and translucent.
• Add the tomato paste and ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle a little water to prevent this from burning or catching at the bottom.
• Next add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powder and sauté for a minute till the spices are well coated.
• Add a cup of water and allow it to come to boil. Add the koftas that have been fried to the sauce pan and add more water so they are just submerged.  Add salt needed for the gravy. Allow this to come back to boil. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame till they are cooked fully.
• Add the cream or  crème fraiche and garam masala and mix well. Continue to simmer till the gravy starts to thicken.
• Turn off the heat and finish off with some chopped basil.
• Serve warm with rice or rotis.

Crepes with warm apple compote

Easter break is here! Four glorious days of relaxation... OK - glorious is really stretching the truth given the weather outside but the rest still stands. The holidays have to start on the right note - so we breakfasted on scrumptious crepes accompanied with apple compote.

Crepes and pancakes are one of my fall back recipes because they don't take much effort or time to prepare and the ingredients are kitchen cupboard staples. I also always have some frozen fruits and berries in the freezer that I can use to make a sauce and if nothing else, they can always be eaten with some maple syrup or honey drizzled over. These crepes are made with half quantity of wholemeal flour. I like to use wholemeal when ever I can. I have used half and half here just because the crepes come out softer. All the flour in this recipe can be substituted with wholemeal flour. Be sure to use cooking apples to make the compote otherwise they will fall apart and you will end up with a sauce.

For the crepe
1/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
25g melted butter

• Mix the flour(s) and salt together in a bowl. 
• Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter in a separate bowl. 
• Combine this mixture with the flour to form a smooth batter. The consistency should be like pouring cream. Keep this aside for 30 minutes before using it.
• Place a non-stick skillet on medium heat and allow it to become hot. Season the skillet with some melted butter. This is only needed for the first crepe to ensure it doesn't stick to the skillet.
• Mix the batter thoroughly and pour a ladle-full slowly into the hot skillet. Swirl the skillet around while you pour the batter to allow it to spread evenly and form a thin layer. 
• Allow this to cook till the sides start to brown slightly. Turn it over using a spatula and allow the other side to cook for a minute.
• Remove and stack them on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring the batter each time before making the crepe. 
• Serve with the apple compote.

These can be made ahead of time. - just stack them with a paper towel in between each crepe, cover with a dish cloth and keep them warm in a low oven.

For the compote

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup (optional - 1 tbsp of sugar can be used instead)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and maple syrup and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved continue to cook till it starts to caramelize. Do not stir, otherwise the mixture will start to crystallize - just swirl the contents instead in the pan.
• Add the apples, cinnamon and half the lemon juice and continue to cook till the apples are softened. You can add more lemon juice or more maple syrup depending on how tart or sweet you want the compote to be. Add a table spoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Turn off the heat when the apples begin to soften. They will continue to cook in the sugar syrup.
• This tastes best when served warm.

Serves 2