Cake House

In a sense this could be a Thai recipe, combining salt (herring) with sweet (mayo, beetroot) and sour (gurkins, vinegar, capers, Granny Smith)).  Basic ingredients are equal parts of boiled potatoes and beetroot , in 5x5 mm dices. The dressing is made from mayonaise and horse radish , but I added a little apple vinegar.   A quarter Granny Smith , finely diced, slices of a shallot , spoonful of capers and finely cut gurkin or cornichons. Spoonfull of dill .  Mix and taste, leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Taste again, now you can always add more of one of the ingredients. Or if sour is not your favourite use a sweet apple and leave out the vinegar. Mine was served with samphire . I like the raw, salted herring on top, but others mix the herring with the salad.

E legant palmier cookies  are one of my all time favorites treats. These are melt in mouth, buttery, flaky, layered cookies. This is a super easy dish which is prepared using puff pastry sheets and sugar. The cookies are also called as elephant ears, french hearts, french palmier cookies. I first had this amazing cookies, when I went for a potluck. Among the desserts, I saw these delicious cookies and tasted one. I fell in love with the light, flaky, buttery layers. I googled and was shocked to see that with just two ingredients a luscious, delectable, appetising dessert is made. Ufff!!!! I don’t have words to describe these cookies. During this Ramadhan fasting time, I thought of baking and this was the result. Everybody will love it. Not only sugar, you can also experiment by adding cinnamon, dried fruits, candied ginger as a filling for the cookies. Try this out and let me know... Ingredients: Puff Pastry Sheets- 1 sheet Granulated Sugar- ¼ Cup Method: Thaw the puff pastry sheet...

Start with the salsa verde: a handfull of parsley , basil and in my case wasabi rucula with a clove of garlic , salt (to take away the bitterness), pepper and olive oil. Use a blender. Then add finely diced gurkins and c apers . Done. Fry a finely sliced shallot and garlic clove in some butter till soft (to be used in the mash) Put the oven on 200C. Boil some potatoes . 5 minutes before they are done start with the cod fillets. Use a plastic bag with some flour to cover them lightly. Fry them in butter, 3 minutes on one side, 3 minutes on the other. Stick the pan in the oven. In the meantime mash the potatoes. While they are still hot stir in the shallot and clove and some watercress (or, as I did, wasabi rucula if you can find it). Then small, halved cherry tomatoes (3 pp) and a spoonful of sour cream . Now the fish is cooked, so serve as shown. A great recipe from Koken VTM, the Belgian tv channel.

T oday I am going to share something from my home land, also called as “God's Own Country”.The flavors of coconut milk will take this simple fish curry to another level. A fail proof dish, which my mom makes  within minutes. A perfect and a delicious dish on a lazy day, which can be prepared by anybody, any time. In Kerala, for a seafood lover, a meal is never complete without rice and a fish curry. During lunch or dinner time, in almost all the houses a pot of fish curry is served. A rice based dish(puttu, appam,...) is often accompanied with a fish curry. A variety of dishes are made with fish. In this the fish pieces are simmered along with the spices and coconut milk. The curry tastes good the next day and even more tastier if made in an earthen pot. The sauce is a mixture of tangy, spicy and salty. Kokum gives sourness to the dish along with a smoky earthy flavor. Chunks of meaty fish fillet like the salmon, basa, tilapia best suits this dish. Do try this out and let me know. ...

Sour Cream Cinnamon Cake, with a Cinnamon Drizzle This is a lovely recipe that I found in a very old book many years ago. So easy to make and made in minutes. I bought myself a natty plain ring tin a couple of weeks ago and have used that, but you could also use a loaf tin, or a 7” round one. Ring tins [bundt] as very easy to decorate and even easier to slice. I just cannot understand why we do not use them more often. Pre heat your fan oven to 150C and prepare you choice of tin. With a ring tin, I grease well and toss around some extra flour, tapping out any left over. 10 fl oz Sour Cream [300ml] 9 oz caster sugar 2 large eggs 9 oz plain flour 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and caster until very thick and very pale. Add the slackened Sour Cream. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Tip into your prepared tin and bake for about 55-60 mins. While it is cooling on a rack, make up som...

Whiskey Infused Fruit Loaf I love fruit cakes and it never ceases to amaze me that just by tweaking the ingredients, you get a different cake. I have posted many fruit cake recipes since I started my Blog/page and I do hope you will enjoy this one. The perfect indulgence. Great sliced with some butter slathered on it!!!! Clotted cream as well. You will need a 2lb loaf tin, lightly oiled and lined along the long side, hanging over the edge to help you lift it out. Start off the day before, with the fruit….. In a medium mixing bowl, add: ½ pint very hot strong black tea 8 oz soft dark brown sugar Stir until the sugar has dissolved then add: 10 oz sultanas 6 oz currants 4 fl oz whiskey Cover with a plate and leave [at least] overnight, stirring occasionally. Pre heat your fan oven to 150C 2 medium eggs, beaten 8 oz plain flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 - 2 teaspoons mixed spice [your choice] runny honey for the top Next day - in the bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the b...

This is my 4th consecutive year since I have become a member of Joy from Fasting to Feasting IX , hosted by " Yummy Foods ", the awesome blog by my friend and a fine blogger Lubna. When she asked me to send a iftar special recipe, I choose this kozhi ada which is an authentic Kerala iftar snack and also a very special dish to me. To know more about the dish just check this blog page about kozhi ada and let me know....

A perfect filling drink for iftar. Dates are good source of energy, have a rich source of protein, fiber and also rich in vitamins. Since they have natural sweetness, no need of adding sugar in the milkshake, which is good for health. For iftar I have made this and just with a glass full of this amazing drink, you will feel energized, refresh and rejuvenate your body and no need of having anything else. Nowadays for iftar I am making fresh juices out of orange , apple and so on. Now this has become our favorite drink. Just try this out and let me know….. Ingredients: Banana- 1 no Dates- 6-7 nos Mixed Nuts( Cashew,Almonds and pistachios)- few Bournvita- 1 tbsp Milk- ½ Cup Water- ½ Cup Method: In a blender, process the dates along with milk at high speed till it becomes smooth. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend it to a fine smooth puree. Pour into serving glass and garnish with chopped dates and nuts.

Cheesy Ham and Bacon Cake A great picnic standby, now that summer is here! Better still eaten warm with a salad. So versatile and easy. No Cornish elements to this, I am afraid but I did use Davidstow cheddar! Grease then line the long sides [hanging over to help lift it out] of a non stick 2lb loaf tin. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C The cake is done in stages. Prepare each stage before making the “cake”. In a frying pan, lightly fry until soft: 3 oz finely chopped bacon 1 med-large onion, finely chopped [I used a teaspoon of chilli infused oil, to add a little extra depth of flavour] Set aside for a mo to cool. In a measuring jug, whisk together: 4 large eggs 4 fl oz white wine 4 fl oz sunflower oil sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste In a bowl, place: 12 oz plain flour 1 teaspoonful baking powder 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 6 oz chopped ham [I used a chunky offcuts pack from Aldi] 5 oz grated mature cheddar Tip the cooled bacon and onion into the flour and cheese. Mix ...

T he holy month of Ramadan is here and many will be busy praying. By the time of sunset, it will be iftar i.e evening meal, which we have after long hours of fasting in summer. Iftar is usually enjoyed with friends and family. A variety of foods are prepared for iftar which includes fruit juices, appetizers , main meals, desserts and so on. Each region has there own special iftar dishes. During Ramadan fasting, we have to take care of our health and so we have to eat healthy. In India, during fasting, at the time of sunset we will have some light food like pathiri , chole bature , falafel , appam so on, and after praying we will have heavy meal like rice/ chapatis. But after coming to US, because of the long hours of fasting, by the time of iftar it will be night and so we will have direct dinner. No need of spending much time in kitchen. But my daughter was not happy as she cannot eat any appetizers  or light snacks and so when she insisted, I thought of making something that we...

K erala cuisine is full of flavours and spices and so Kerala is called as the “Land of Spices”. Almost all the dishes are flavored either with grated coconut or with coconut milk as coconut is in abundance in Kerala. Sea food is very popular in Kerala. There are many different varieties of dishes made out of fish, among them karimeen pollichath and fish molee are some of the popular dishes.   This fish molee, I have made some n number of times, but I am surprised that it never got posted in my blog. This fish molee which is my one of the best dishes,have never been in my blog. I am a bit lazy and whenever I make this dish, I will be like next time I will take a pic (as frequently I will be preparing this dish) and so it got delayed for so long. This dish goes well with chapathis, appam, bread and so on. In this the fried fish pieces are slowly simmered in the flavorful coconut milk until done. The creamy and mild spicyness of this dish is good for kids. One of my mom’s wonderful di...