Sugar Cookies

Christmas goody bag is incomplete without sugar cookies.  It is soft and sugary taste.  It can be shaped the way you like with a cookie cutter e.g.. Star, bells, Christmas tree, etc. Then decorate it with royal icing or sugar icing. 

So, try to make it this Christmas and impress your loved one with this special treat.

Ingredient

Maida/ flour – 2 cups

Butter – ½ cup
Caster sugar – ½ cup + 2tbsp
Egg – 1
Baking powder -1tsp
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
 

Method

1.  Mix together maida and baking powder.

2.  Cream together butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

3.  Now add egg and mix well.

4.  Mix in the maida  and knead lightly to combine.

5.  Cover in a cling wrap and keep in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hrs.

6.  Take it out. Roll it and shape into cookies.

7.  Bake at 180⁰c for 10 min.

8.  Cool and decorate.

Fresh Fruit Jam – Homemade

This is again a recipes which I got from my mother’s diary. As a child I never like it because I felt the bottled ones are better.  But now I feel this is better. 

Why I made this after years is a story.  I am going on vacation and my fruit basket is filled with fruit which I got from different sources.  As I was clearing up the dining table, I saw the fruits and wondered what to do with these fruit.  In a normal scenario it would have gone to my neighbor, but she is already gone on vacation. That’s when the childhood memories came back and I immediately call up my father to find by mothers diary and get the recipe. And he hunted for diary and gave me the recipe the same night.  I prepare it immediately. 

I enjoyed making it and became a little nostalgic. 

Anyway try it enjoy it with bread, roti and just a spoonful when that sweet craving walks in.  And don’t forget to comment back or put questions.

 

 

Ingredient

Mixed fruit – 1kg (cut into small pieces)

(I have taken 2 apple, 2 guava, 4 banana, 100gm grapes, 2 oranges.  But you can take a choice of any fruit) 
Sugar – 750gm
Citric acid – 1tsp
Sodium Benzoate – 1 pinch
Pink Color – few drops  

Method

1.  Remove the skin and cut the fruits into small cubes, peel the orange and de-segment it, then remove the skin and only use the pulp.

2. Cook this fruits in a heavy bottom pan. If required put a little water, so that it does not stick to the pan.

3.  When the fruits are half cooked add the sugar, mix well, cover with a lid and keep cooking till the fruits become into pulp. 

4.  Now strain this mixture. Use the pulp which is collected in the container and discard the remaining in the strainer. 

5.  Pour the pulp back into the heavy bottom pan and cook it in low heat, till it attains a thick consistency.

6.  Add citric acid, sodium benzoate and the colour, mix well and put off the heat.

7.  Let it cool a little and then transfer into glass bottle.

Note : Keep stirring in between.

 

Fresh Strawberry & Ganache Cake

It is strawberry season, and there are fresh strawberry available all over the market.  Chocolate and Strawberry  is a heavenly and romantic combination. So tried to make something special out of this combination. It was well appreciated.

Ingredient

For the Cake

Flour/maida - 250gm

Granulated sugar – 250gm
Butter – 250gm
Egg - 250gm (ie. 5eggs)
Baking powder - 1tsp
Vanilla essence - 1tsp

For the Icing

Dark cooking chocolate – 300gm
Cream – 200gm ( I use Amul Tetrapak cream)
Fresh Strawberry - 20
Silver balls - 20

Method

For the Cake

1. Sever flour & baking powder together .

2. Powder the granulated sugar .
3. Preheat the oven to 180⁰c for 5 min.
4. In a bowl beat the soft butter and sugar powder ( 1 min with a beater or 5/6 min with hand)
5. To this add egg and beat. ( 2 min with beater or about 8 min by hand).
6. Add essence and mix .
7. Now fold in the flour.
8. Grease and dust a 8” x 8” round container
9. Pour the mixture into it.
10. Bake at 18⁰0c for 45 min or till the knife come out clean
11. Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely about 2 hrs. OR you can prepare it overnight.

For the icing

12.  Boil the cream, when it starts boiling, switch of the heat.
13.  Add the grated white chocolate and mix well, the white chocolate starts melting.
14.  When the mixture becomes a thick liquid, sieve it with the big meshed sieve.
15.  When it cools down, it is ready for icing.

To assemble the cake

 
16.   In a bowl cut 5 to 6 strawberry in to small piece
17.   To this mix 2 tbsp of the ganache. Mix well .
18.   Cut the cake horizontally from the center to make 2 equal half.
19.   Place the bottom half of the cake on the icing stand.
20.   Spread the ganache and strawberry mixture evenly on this.
21.   Now place the other half of the cake on top of it in a sandwich form.  
22.   Spread the remaining Ganache on top of the cake and spread all over the cake and the sides, evening.
23.   Cut the remaining strawberry into thin slices lengthwise.
24.   Now decorate the ganache covered cake with these strawberry and sliver balls.
25.   Refrigerate this cake for a hour or till it sets.

Now it is ready to cut and taste.