Thursday, June 28, 2012

Honey & Butterscotch Muffin


Its raining crazily here in Chennai... A cup of hot coffee accompanied with the purrrfect combination of honey & butterscotch makes it a magical evening.

Honey & Butterscotch Muffin





Ingredients:
250gms Self-raising flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Salt

125gms Butter (salted or unsalted)

175ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Eggs

1cup Honey
1cup Butterscotch Chips



Tips:

ü  If using Salted Butter then don’t add in the salt in the batter.


ü  If self raising flour is not available, increase the quantity of baking powder to 3tsp.

 

Procedure:

·         Pre-heat the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius

·         Grease the muffin moulds with butter.

·         Place the muffin liners into the moulds.

·         Take two bowls, one for dry ingredients and the other for wet.

·         In one bowl, sift flour + baking powder.


·         In another bowl add in melted butter + milk + vanilla essence + eggs +honey.

·         Whip it all together for 5-8 minutes.

·         Now slowly add in the dry mixture into the wet folding it gently together.


·         With the help of an ice-cream scoop or a spatula fill in the moulds with the batter just 3/4th of the mould.

·         Place the moulds into the oven for 15minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

·         Check them with the help of a tooth pick it it’s done.

·         If it’s done take it out from the oven.

·         Demould it after 5 minutes

        
Indulge!!!




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Chocolate & Banana Muffin



A sumptuous Buffet laid out out for breakfast in a five star hotel and all that I lay my hands are on the varities of muffins kept.
The first thing that I always pick and relish and enjoy till the end.
So today I am posting one of the varieties a combination of Chocolate and Banana which are both healthy and tastes great too. 




Chocolate & Banana Muffin





Ingredients:

250gms Self-raising flour

50gms Brown Sugar

125gms Castor Sugar

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Salt

125gms Butter (salted or unsalted)

175ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Eggs

2 Ripe Bananas

100gms Chocolate Chips


 





Tips:


ü  If using Salted Butter then don’t add in the salt in the batter.


ü  You can add only castor sugar in the batter which means 175 gms of castor sugar.

ü  If self raising flour is not available, increase the quantity of baking powder to 3tsp.



Procedure:




·         Pre-heat the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius

·         Grease the muffin moulds with butter.

·         Place the muffin liners into the moulds.

·         Mash the bananas with the help of a fork.

·         Take two bowls, one for dry ingredients and the other for wet.

·         In one bowl, sift flour + baking powder.

·         Add in Sugar. Mix well.

·         In another bowl add in melted butter + milk + vanilla essence + eggs.

·         Whip it all together for 5-8 minutes.

·         Now slowly add in the dry mixture into the wet folding it gently together. 

·         Add in the mashed bananas and chocolate chip into the batter.

·         With the help of an ice-cream scoop or a spatula fill in the moulds with the batter just 3/4th of the mould.

·         Place the moulds into the oven for 15minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

·         Check them with the help of a tooth pick it it’s done.

·         If it’s done take it out from the oven.

·         Demould it after 5 minutes.

·         Serve.

Blueberry Muffin


Oh, do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man;
Do you know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane?

Oh, yes, I know the muffin man,
the muffin man, the muffin man,
Yes, I know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane

The nursery rhyme which we all must have sang in our childhood. While making a batch of these wonderful bread (Muffin) these lines came to mind? 
When I was a child I would have not even thought of actually making these. 
I tried these out with blueberries which has a great nutritional value. Its rich in manganese and helps in 
reducing cholestrol too.

Blueberry Muffin 






Recipe: Yields 12




Ingredients:


250gms Self-raising flour

50gms Brown Sugar

125gms Castor Sugar

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Salt

125gms Butter (salted or unsalted)

175ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Eggs

200gms Blueberry (Fresh or frozen or canned)

 




Tips:

ü  If using Salted Butter then don’t add in the salt in the batter.

ü  You can add only castor sugar in the batter which means 175 gms of castor sugar.

ü  If self raising flour is not available, increase the quantity of baking powder to 3tsp.

 

Procedure:

·         Pre-heat the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius

·         Grease the muffin moulds with butter.

·         Place the muffin liners into the moulds.

·         Take two bowls, one for dry ingredients and the other for wet.

·         In one bowl, sift flour + baking powder.

·         Add in Sugar. Mix well.

·         In another bowl add in melted butter + milk + vanilla essence + eggs.

·         Whip it all together for 5-8 minutes.

·         Now slowly add in the dry mixture into the wet folding it gently together.

·         Add in the blueberries in it.

·         With the help of an ice-cream scoop or a spatula fill in the moulds with the batter just 3/4th of the mould.

·         Place the moulds into the oven for 15minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

·         Check them with the help of a tooth pick it it’s done.

·         If it’s done take it out from the oven.

·         Demould it after 5 minutes.

·         Serve.





Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Watermelon & Rose Water Sorbet



During this time when holidays are planned, summer camps are organized, relatives are visited and all open spaces become playgrounds supporting a roaring multitude obsessed with the gentleman’s game, the need for an easy to make, refreshing, healthy and economical thirst quencher is universally felt. Thought there are a thousand homemade heat-beaters suggested by parents and elders ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Of all these one of the most effective is the ubiquitous and simple Sorbet or Italian Ice. It makes the perfect desert when the temperature rises.

Watermelon & Rose Water Sorbet

Mark Twain once commented “When one has tasted watermelon, he know what the angels eat” So surely watermelon is the fruit of the angel. I used this fruit alongwith the Rose water which gives a very refreshing flavour.









Ingredients:
3cups Watermelon pieces (deseeded)
3tbsp simple syrup
2tbsp milk powder
Juice of 1 lemon
2tbsp rose water
Few rose petals for garnishing


Procedure:
  • ·         Chop the watermelon, deseed it .
  • ·         Put into the food processor along with lime juice + milk powder + rose water.
  • ·         Churn it till it forms a smooth mixture.
  • ·         Now place it in a baking dish.
  • ·         Fold in the simple syrup into it.
  • ·         Place it in the freezer overnight.
  • ·         If u a have an ice cream maker then next day just churn it in the maker according to the manufactures instructions.
  • ·         In case you don’t have one, then next day take it out from the refrigerator, churn it again in the food processor.
  • ·         Keep it back in the freezer.
  • ·         Repeat this after 1-1/2 hrs.
  • ·         You can use a fork or an electric beater.
  • ·         Sorbet will be ready in next 8 hrs.
  • ·         Before serving place the glasses in the freezer.
  • ·         Scoop the sorbet and put it in the glasses
  • ·         Garnish with rose petals and watermelon slices.
  • ·         Serve chilled.
















Summer Special: Mango & Mint Sorbet

Temperatures rising, parched throats, and dry eyes are the few signs that says Yes its summers. We tend to stay indoors to avoid the onslaught of the Sun.
To bet this Summer heat, I tried out this Sorbet with the king of Fruit of Summers Mango.


Made with Fresh seasonal fruits and sweetened water a sorbet is different from slush and Icy Granitas. Sorbets can have milk products but is different from ice cream as no air is whipped into it. 
Mang0 & Mint Sorbet




Ingredients:
3 ripe mangoes
3tbsp simple syrup
Few mint leaves
Juice of 1 lemon juice

Procedure

  •      Peel the mangoes and cut into pieces.
  •     Put into the food processor along with lime juice.
  •     Churn it till it forms a smooth mixture.
  •     Now place it in a baking dish.
  •      Fold in the simple syrup into it.
  •   Place it in the freezer overnight.
  •    If u a have an ice cream maker then next day just churn it in the maker according to the manufactures instructions.
  •    In case you don’t have one, then next day take it out from the refrigerator; churn it again in the food processor.
  •  Keep it back in the freezer.
  •  Repeat this after 1-1/2 hrs
  •   You can use a fork or an electric beater.
  •   Sorbet will be ready in next 8 hrs.
  • Before serving place the glasses in the freezer.
  • Scoop the sorbet and put it in the glass
  •   Garnish with mint leaves.
  •  Serve chilled.