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I behave like a little puppy when summers arrive in hills. There is so much to look forward, the fresh bounty which includes fruits like, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, lychees, apples and pears. I cant seem to get over them. I just have to keep trying new recipes using these fruits. The summers are receding and monsoons is taking over us but then the excitement level hasn’t gone down. I am already through playing with peaches, plums and apricots. But when I spotted cherries my heart skipped a beat, I love them! – the taste, the shape, the colour. It’s like the best fruit for a food blogger. 

I had made Cherry Compote Cheesecake Glasses and Cherry Rosemary Focaccia Bread a while back and had also made lychee lemonade. This time I decided to make lychee icecream with cherry compote. The way they married each other was simply fabulous. You should try this recipe and the results will amaze you.

Directions:

1. Peel the outer skin of lychees and discard the pits. You will be left with lychee flesh.




2. Add the lychee flesh in a blender and churn it to make a smooth puree.




3. Whip together condensed Milk and Whipping Cream till you get airy light and soft cream.




4.  Add the lychee puree to the fluffy cream and whisk again till it blends well. 




5. Transfer the lychee cream to a icecream box with a lid. Smoothen the top with a spatula.


6. Cover the box with a lid and freeze it for about 1 and 1/2 hours.


7. For the cherry compote. Stone the cherries. You can use this easy hack to pit the stones without the use of pitter.  Add the cherries to a saucepan.


8. Also add sugar and water and cook on medium flame.




9. Cook till the cherries have lost their shape and become gooey, almost like a syrup.


10. Cook further till that syrup is thickened and its not liquid any more. Turn the flame off and bring this compote to room temperature.


11.  Spoon the icecream with cherry compote and then using a toothpick or fork create swirls randomly so that the compote mixes with the icecream and creates a swirl like pattern. Do not over mix for that effect will not come.





12. Freeze the icecream again with lid on for minimum of 4-5 hours or overnight. Scoop and serve and you will get the best creamy homemade Lychee and Cherry Ice cream!  

You can even try Instant Pista Badam Kulfi and Darsaan. 


[whohit]LycheeCherryIcecream[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’287′] 

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I have been doing a food consult for an Organic Village Resort in Mukteshwar, Uttrakhand by the name DyoIt’s a gorgeous property in the middle of an Apple orchard spread over 25 acres. It’s a divine lap of nature with organic fruits and vegetables. They offer ‘farm to table’ experience to their guests. Everything you eat there is all grown organically in the property. If you are travelling to this part of the country you must ensure you spend a few days with them for a ravishing experience into the wild. 

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When I went for my food consult last month I picked up two boxes of Apples for myself and my family. Apart from making other amazing dishes with Apples I utilized them in making this huge batch of delicious Apple Butter. It came out creamy, spicy and lip smacking. I smeared on my toast and for a second I was in heaven. You can use this to make Pan cakes, Cakes, Brownies and many other things.  This is usually made in a slow crockpot overnight. However I made it in a normal saucepan and it was still delicious and super quick! So if you have apples in abundance put them to right use by making this tempting Apple Butter.

Directions:

1. Take some fresh apples and wash them thoroughly under running water.


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2. Cut them into four pieces and core them discarding the seeds.Do not remove the peels.


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3. Further cut them in cubes and set aside.

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4. In a large pan add the cubed apples and add ground cinnamon and cloves.


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4. Squeeze in some lemon juice and add salt and maple syrup. 


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5. Combine everything together and cover the pot with the lid and let it cook on low flame for 30 minutes to 45 minutes or until everything is squishy squashy. Do not forget to stir it from time to time. Caution! at this point of time your house will start smelling like a cinnamon Bomb! Ummm aaha!


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6. I also added additional brown sugar to make it a lot more sweeter. You can skip it if your apples are very sweet and your maple syrup gives you the desired sweetness. You will now notice your apples are bubbly and syrupy. Continue to cook till the syrup is reduced.


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7. Once that syrup has reduced you know your apples are ready to be pureed. Put them in a blender and make a smooth butter like puree. 


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8. Let it come to room temperature before you transfer it to glass mason jars. Keep them refrigerated and it stays good for months. Just remember to use a clean, dry spoon before taking it out of the jar. Enjoy the deliciousness. 

Other recipes using apples you can try are: Apple CrispApple Raisins Streusel BreadApple Bulgar PuddingApple & Cinnamon Pancakes.

AppleButter_Featured4[whohit]AppleButter[/whohit]

[yumprint-recipe id=’243′]


Turai, tori, thurai, dodka, galka are all different names of Summer Squash known as Ridge Gourd. It is a very popular summer vegetable available in most parts of the country. It has a great nutritional value but not a lot of people eat specially kids for its bland flavour. I have heard many label these summer vegetables as LTT for Lauki, Tinda, Turai :P. My husband was also one of those who would despise tori. When I started cooking tori in the style of my mother he could resist eating it. Infact, I often receive requests from him to make tori, sometimes two or three times a week during season.


Now the question arises what makes my mother’s recipe so special? She makes tori with punjabi wadi, which are dried dumplings made with ground lentils and spices, dried in the sun. I remember as a kid my grandmothers would make them when I would visit them during summer vacations and my job was to keep an eye on them from birds and monkeys while they were being sun dried on the terrace. What lovely days! The fusion of tori and wadi makes this dish delicious. You can use these wadis in this Dal Ghiya recipe also.

 

Directions:

1. Wash and peel the skin of gourd.


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2.  Chop Onions, gourd along with green chilies. Keep aside.


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3. Take a small sized tomato and chop it. Too much tomato can make the dish more tangy. If you want to taste the real taste of gourd keep the quantity of tomatoes minimal.


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4. In a pressure pan pour some oil/ghee. Add cumin seeds. Let them cook and spatter for a minute.

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5. Crush one wadi and make small pieces of it. Add them to the pressure pan with onions. Cook it till onions become transparent.


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6. Add the chopped gourd along with tomato.


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7. Add Salt, Turmeric and Red Chili Powder. Add two spoon of water. Close lid and pressure cook for 5 whistles or anywhere between 10 to 12 minutes.

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8. Open once the pressure has released. You will see it has a lot of liquid. Turn on the flame and cook till all liquid is absorbed and evaporated.

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9. Garnish with garam masala and chopped Coriander leaves. 

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10. Serve hot with Rotis.

You can  even try Stuffed Touri which is also an incredible way to eat ridge gourd without making faces 😛

You can even try other dishes from Punjabi Cuisine like Bharwan Karela, Dal Makhni, Gobhi Danthal ki Sabji, Aloo Methi,  Punjabi Style Shalgam Ka Saag , Dal Ghiya with Punjabi VadiyanPunjabi Pethey Ki SabziPunjabi Style Bharwan TindaLangar Wali Dal Punjabi Style Dum AlooPunjabi Pindi Choley.

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’32’] [whohit]ToriWadiyan[/whohit]