CHEESE AND ONION QUICHE

What is a Quiche??...an open pastry case, filled with a mixture of eggs, cream and other savoury (= not sweet) foods, which is baked and eaten hot or cold

pronounced as -/kēSH/

This delicious flaky pastry shell filled creamy savoury treat is a perfect accompaniment to your evening Tea or Coffee.

Ingredients-

for the pastry  shell-

•  Plain flour-175 gms


• Salted butter-80 g


• Chilled water- a couple of tbsp.

For the filling-

• Milk-200 ml


• Butter-1 tbsp


• Onion-1 medium chopped


• Heavy Cream-2 tbsp


• Eggs-2


• Cheese-1/2 cup grated


• English mustard-1/2 tsp


• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the pastry shell-

• Sieve flour in a large bowl.


• Rub in the butter till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.


• Add chilled water, a tbsp at a time till the whole thing comes together as a stiff dough.

• Wrap in cling film and chill for 15 minutes.

• Gently unwrap and roll out pastry, grease and flour one large tart pan or 4 individual pans.

• Fit out the pastry and trim edges, return to chill for another 15 minutes.


• In the meantime preheat oven at 200 C, bake  the cases for 15 minutes and take out.

For the filling-

• 
  Heat butter gently, and  add onions, let sweat.Turn off heat when pink.


• Add the rest of the ingredients to the cooled onions, reserving only a little egg white.


• Brush pastry cases with the reserved egg white to seal in and prevent pastry from turning soggy.

• Gently spoon in the filling in to the shells and bake for 20-30 minutes till filling is set.


• Serve warm.

PEACH AND STRAWBERRY CAKE

Ingredients:

Peaches ........... 1 tin

Strawberries (fresh)... 600 gms

Sugar .................... 1/2 cup

Chantilly cream

For the cake:

Butter ........10 tbsp.

Eggs ............ 3

Sugar .......... 1/2 cup

White flour .... 1cup

Baking powder ..... 1 tsp.

Milk ...................... 3-4 tbsp.

Vanilla essence...... a few drops



Method:

1. To make strawberry crush blend 500 gms. strawberries and cook in a pan with half cup sugar.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder.

3. Beat the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy.

4. Now fold in the eggs, one at a time, adding the sifted flour after each addition and stir in the milk and the essence.Beat until the flour is mixed well.

5. Grease an oven-proof dish and place the peaches and pour the cake mixture on top.(Save the liquid from the can for moistening the cake later)

6. Bake it in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 mins until done. (You can check the cake by inserting a knife.)

7. Let the cake cool and remove the upper crust of the cake with a knife.

8. Mix a little sugar and few drops of vanilla essence in half the liquid from the can (about one cup)and pour it on the cake with a spoon.

9. Spread the strawberry crush and decorate the cake with chantilly cream and the remaining strawberries.



(For variation you can use any other fruits )

This recipe goes to FOOD PALETTE RED EVENT hosted by

http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com/rviewtoronto.blogspot.com/

'D' for Desserts-Hosted by - Suvidha's Kitchen



Berries- Strawberry-Dessert

@ Anu'z Healthy Kitchen

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES- Easy Step-by-step recipe

These are the perfect accomapaniment to your cup of Coffee,... crispy, crunchy, melt-in-the-mouth buttery goodness and so easy too! They are bound to become yours and your kids favourite too!! After all who can say no to protein packed cookies that are delicious and easy to boot!!

Here's the recipe-

Ingredients-

(makes 24)

• Plain flour-140 gms
• Soda-bi-carb- 1/2 tsp
• Salt-1/2 tsp
• Butter-115 gms (at room temp.)
• Egg-1
• Vanilla essence-1 tsp
• Crunchy peanut butter- 250 gms
• Sugar-165 gms

Method-

1. Sift together the flour, soda and salt and keep aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in the Peanut butter and blend well, stir in the dry ingredients.
4. Chill till firm.
5. Preheat oven to 180 C, Grease 2 baking sheets.
6. Roll out teaspoons of dough into balls.
7. Place on prepared sheets and with a fork, make a criss cross pattern as shown in pic.
8. Bake till lightly coloured, 12-15 minutes.
9. Cool on a wire rack.

STUFFED BUNS

Ingredients:
(For the dough)

White flour......... 2 cups
Fresh yeast ...... 1 tablet/cube
Salt .................... 1 tsp.
Sugar ................. 2 tsp.
Ghee .................. 2 tsp.
Luke warm water for kneading (you can also use water+milk)

For the filling:
Carrots ..............1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Potato ................ 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Green peas ....... 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Beans ..............1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Onion ................ 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste ...... 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder ......... 1/4 tsp.
Garam masala ................ 1 tsp.
Pav-Bhaji masala ........... 1 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:


1. In a pan, saute the ginger-garlic paste. Add onion and stir fry.
2. Add all the chopped vegetables, salt and stir fry for a minute.
3. Add the spices, sprinkle little water and simmer till done.(it should be dry)
Let it cool

.
4. Take the white flour, make a well in the middle.Put only sugar and break the yeast on top of the sugar.
5. Sprinkle the salt on the side (there should be no contact between salt and yeast)
6. Now take water and milk, (make sure the water is not HOT. just luke warm) pour it on the yeast, mix well and knead it, adding the ghee.


7.Knead the dough well for 3-4 minutes (preferably on the kitchen platform, using both hands)and keep it in a covered dish in a warm place till it is risen to double.


(about 15-20 minutes in summer ... in winter it takes a little longer)


8. Now take a small portion of the dough, roll it (do not use dry flour to roll ..if needed use oil with finger tip)


9. Place the filling in the middle and close it.


10. Place the stuffed buns on a greased baking tray, leaving enough space beween each.


11. Leave them in the oven again for 15-20 minutes to rise.(brush them with egg-white if desired,this gives a glossy look when ready)


11.Now bake them in the pre-heated oven. It takes 15-17 minutes.
(If you have not used egg-white to brush, you may brush them with ghee after they are baked and still hot.)


Using the same dough, you can make plain rolls of different shapes.

GOOEY CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR MY BIRTHDAY (eggless and healthy too!)

This is the cake I chose to bake on my birthday today, since a lot of my family and friends don't eat eggs.The cake is deliciously moist and tender due to the addition of yogurt, and intense chocolaty too due to the generous amounts of cocoa powder, a keeper all the way for sure, this is my go to recipe for an eggless cake!
The recipe is from the very talented Deeba's kitty and can be found here, I however played around with outstanding results, omitting eggs altogether whilst increasing the amount of yogurt.

 

Ingredients:

Flour – 1 1/2 cups

Wholewheat flour -1/2 cup

Cocoa – 2/3 cup

Instant Coffee – 2 tbsp

Baking Soda – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Salted Butter – 1/2 cup; at room temperature

Sugar (powdered/caster) – 1 cup

Thick and fresh Yogurt/curd – 2 cups

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp

Coffee Extract – 1 tsp (optional)

for filling-

Unsalted butter-50 gms

Chocolate-75gms

Icing Sugar 2 tbsp

for the frosting-

Full cream milk-2 cup
Cocoa powder-2 tbsp
Sugar (icing)-2 tbsp
knob of butter(1 tsp)

Method:

• Grease well & flour pan you would be using approx 9' one, & preheat the oven to 180C.
• Sift both the flours + baking powder + baking soda + salt + cocoa. Keep aside.
• Beat the butter & sugar. Add the coffee & vanilla extract & beat.
• Now alternatively add the flour mix & yogurt till well incorporated. Don’t over mix. The batter will be quite thick, ie, not a flowing one.
• Turn into loaf tins/round/bundt cake pan level out & bake for 45 mins to an hour/until done. Slide a sheet of foil over the top loosely if you see it browning too soon.
• Once done, cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out on rack. 
  For the filling-
  Microwave chocolate and butter till beginning to soften, mix well icing sugar(sieved) and beat well ,slice cake in half and sandwich.
  for the frosting-
  Take a small saucepan and add ingredients for the frosting, boil rapidly for 20-25 minutes till thick,add butter, let cool.Drizzle on top of the cake and add silver balls, chocolate savings etc. as desired.

PIZZA ROLLS

Ingredients for the dough:

Maida ........... 2 cups

Fresh yeast ... 1 cube (1 tablespoon)

Salt ............ 1 tsp.

Sugar ......... 2 tsp.

Ghee/butter .......... 1 tsp.

Luke warm water for kneading.

1. Take the maida, make a well in the middle. Put only the sugar and crumble the yeast on top of the sugar.

2. Sprinkle the salt on the side (there should be no contact between the yeast and the salt)

3. Knead the dough using the luke warm water.Add the ghee and knead it well for 2-3 minutes.

4. Cover it and leave it in a warm place till it is risen to double.

(about 15-20 mins. in summer....in winter it takes a little longer)

Meanwhile make the masala.

Ingredients for masala:

Onion ............... 1 grated

Capsicum....... 1/2 (shredded very finely)

Tomatoes ...... 2 (blanched and pureed)

Ginger-garlic paste .... 1tbsp.

Oregano ........ 1tsp.

Red chilli powder ....1/4 tsp.

Tomato ketchup ... 1 tbsp.

Salt .............. to taste

Oil ............. 1tbsp.

1. In a pan heat the oil. Add the ginger garlic paste, saute a little and add the onions.

2. Fry for a minute and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir fry till it is completely dry.

Let it cool

To make the rolls:

1. Take the dough and apply a little butter/ghee on a clean platform and roll it into a rectangular shape like a swiss roll.

2. Spread the masala on it and roll into a cylindrical shape as shown in the picture.

3. Using a fine thread cut into 1/2 inch pieces and place them close to each other in a greased baking tray (a 9'' deep baking tray will be just right)

4. Again let them rise till double.

5. Pre-heat the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.

NIGELLA'S CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE TOPPED WITH FRUIT

"This is the sort of cake you'd want to eat the whole of when you'd been chucked. But even the sight of it, proud and tall and thickly iced on its stand, comforts." what do you do when the cake is described as such?Bake it and frost it and eat it and go to heaven :-)
Well worth all the rave reviews on the net..this one is a keeper!The cake itself is pretty easy to pull together and has a fine, tender crumb but the buttercream frosting is a bit over the top, it calls for 250gms of butter which is a bit too much by any standards, I made it anyways but used it just to sandwich the cake and chucked the rest!, instead I opted for a lighter Chocolate frosting from one of my previous posts and also topped the cake with some fresh fruit, basically black grapes and kiwis, the end result...absolutely delicious!!.
Here's the recipe from Nigella's own website-

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 400g plain flour
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 100g light brown sugar
• 50g best quality cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 142ml/small tub sour cream(I used yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 125ml corn oil
• 300ml chilled water

FOR THE FUDGE ICING:

• 175g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 275g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream/yogurt and vanilla until blended. Using an electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water, at this stage I was quite amused and excited to use chilled water, something I have never used before, it did cause the butter to harden up again but continue and things will be fine. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.
4. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.
6. In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy.DO NOT SKIP THIS or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
7. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.
8. I did use a quarter of the icing for sandwiching the cake but used a lighter, glossier frosting(recipe here) for the top.Top with fresh fruit.

Serves: 10. Or 1 with a broken heart!