Sheera

Sheera is one of the few sweet dishes I love. The combination with Kaala chana fry and Puri is palin awesome! I distinctly remember having this at a pooja where kids were invited. The taste from childhood still lingers...

Ingredients
1 cup sooji
¾ cup sugar
3 tbsp ghee
1 cup milk
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
¼ cup cashew pieces, toasted
2-3 cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
pinch of saffron
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

1. In a flat pan on medium high, heat the ghee and add the semolina when just melted.
2. Keep stirring continuously so as not to burn, til the semolina turns light brown in color and a nutty fragrance is emitted.
3. Add the raisins. This may take up to 5-6 minutes.
4. Simultaneously on another burner gently bring the milk to a low boil
5. Add the saffron and let it seep for 5 minutes.
6. Add the warmed saffron milk slowly, while stirring, to the toasted semolina, raisin and ghee mixture so as not to form any lumps.
7. Stir to combine well, reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 4-5 minutes.
8. Stir and add the sugar, nuts, freshly grated nutmeg and the cardamom pods.
9. Cover and let cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Bread Pudding

Milk...Yukkk! I hate milk, My mom had to catch hold of me every single day to make me gulp it down!

The other day I had some leftover milk with its expiration date approaching soon. There was no way I could gulp down so much milk in such a short time! I had been long wanting to make something out of it, that I could actually relish. I am so overridden with guilt every time I throw a gallon of expired unused milk.

I have been having these cravings for sweets of late...Chili's molten chocolate treat ummmm, my fav home made vanilla icecream, Surin's creme brulee, hagen daz' pistachio icecream, flan, black forrest cake and more cakes...and the list doesnt end here. I finally let go and made this easy-to-make bread pudding. I had a faint taste of my mom's bread, banana and chocolate puddings. This one's taste opened the memory gate.

Since I have 1% milk ( Yes! still trying to get slimmer) its not so rich and creamy as I would have liked it to be ( Now you know WHY I am still in the trying mode). But I imagine that with whole milk this would come out even greater. Ahhh, am off to my dream world again....

So here is the easy-to-make recipe that uses your leftover bread and milk.

Ingredients:

• White or wheat bread slices, crust trimmed - as needed to line pan bottom
• 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tespoon nutmeg powder
• 3 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins and cashews, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. Lightly butter pan with unsalted butter
3. Apply butter on one side of bread slice and arrange them on pan with buttered side up
4. Optional to put raisins/cashews/ or any kind of nuts you like
5. Heat milk till the edges start to bubble and add sugar. Stir till it dissolves.
6. Beat eggs till fluffy. A handmixer on medium would take less than a minute
7. Pour milk into eggs and stir.
8. Put vanilla essence and cinnamon and nutmeg powder and stir.
9. Pour this mixture over the bread in the pan.
10. Bake in oven for about 30-40 minutes till a pick inserted comes out clean. The crust should have become golden brown

Serve hot or cold. I prefer freezing cold.

Enjoy the pudding as is or top it with maple syrup. Mmmmm Yummy :)

Black Forest Cake

I had been having cravings for sweet of late. I imagined a moist sweet dark cake with white cream and revelled in the thought of a generous bite. I longed for monginis's black forest cake, my ultimate favourite one. Yummmy....the cakes here dont do justice to the ones from des. I am a big fan of Nupur from One Hot Stove. I came across this recipe sometime back and had wanted to try it from long. Finally it was done and made and had, and was it delicious. The pics doesn't do justice to the cake, it was simply heavenly!