MANGO KESAR PISTA KULFI

Summer’s nearly here, the days are getting longer and warmer... and though all of this doesn’t sound too exciting for those of us in Oman, I’m sooo happy because my favourite fruits are in season - mangoes!!

There are a million ways I could eat this fruit, topped on breakfast parfaits, in mango smoothies, or even freshly cut as is! There’s no denying it’s the king of all fruits, so I didn’t waste any time in getting myself a couple of crates!

Wanting to beat the heat, I reminisced on how my siblings and I would run up to the kulfi-wala as soon as we heard the familiar ringing of the bell, just to savour the kulfi when we were young! It was such a treat that we would wait endlessly, even skip our afternoon naps, just to get our dose of Kulfi! Thus, I decided to make this quick and easy Mango, Saffron and Pistachio Kulfi! The rich saffron really stands out, both in taste and colour, which is also enhanced by the sweet mango... and a bit of pistachio adds a nutty crunch!

For those of you who haven’t had the joy of experiencing what a Kulfi is, it’s a beautiful, traditional Indian ice cream that’s made with the reduction of milk for hours, without adding any thickening agent such as eggs. It’s creamy and indulgent as it’s texture is smooth and just melts in your mouth instantly!

This version of kulfi is super quick and simple, it requires absolutely no cooking and it’s sure to bring a smile on anyone’s face - why don’t you give it a try?

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PREP TIME: 20 minutes FREEZING TIME: 8 hours

YIELDS: 12

INGREDIENTS

For Kulfi

• 4 Alphonso mango pulp, puréed 1 1/2 cups

• 280ml double cream

• 1 x 397g can condensed milk

• 1/4 tsp saffron threads

• 1/3 cup pistachio, skinned and sliced

You Need:

• 12 kulfi moulds

• 12 Popsicle sticks

METHOD

For Kulfi:

1. Peel the mangoes, remove the flesh and blend in an electric blender to make the purée. Pour mango purée, double cream, condensed milk and saffron threads in a blender. Blend for 2 minutes on medium speed until everything is well incorporated. Transfer the kulfi mix into a pouring jug.

2. Reserving 1 1/2 tablespoon of pistachios, gently fold in the rest in the kulfi mix. Keep the moulds in a stand, drop the reserved pistachios dividing equally in each mould before pouring kulfi mix.

3. Now, pour the kulfi mix in the moulds, tap down a little to remove air bubbles, insert the popsicle sticks in the center, keeping it a centimeter above the surface of the mould. Stick it in the freezer for minimum 8 hours or overnight to set.

4. To remove kulfi from the mould, dip the mould in a glass of water for 3 seconds, taking care not to fully immerse it, gently twist and pull it out. Serve immediately.

COOK'S NOTES:

• I used alphonso mangoes for this recipe, which has sweet and a slight tangy note to it. The taste of these makes it perfect for making kulfi as it balances the sweetness added with condensed milk.

• If you are using other varieties of mangoes, adjust the sweetness by adding or subtracting the condensed milk.

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MARBLE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

I was craving for a simple cake without getting into the fuss of whipping gluten-free or a vegan allergen cakes…went back to my memory lane and thought of this marble cake which I used to whip quite regularly decades ago, and after experimenting with a tons of new things, sometimes you wanna go back to those simple pleasures which were so familiar.

When I first started baking as a little girl, marble cake was one of the first things I learnt from my mum. At times we would also play with colours to make those rainbow swirls in the cake. When I was whipping up this cake I had those flashbacks and vivid memories of the time I use to spend with my mum when I was a little girl. It’s truly such a family favourite and for a good reason! It’s a treat for all senses - it looked beautiful and tasted divine, with the classic flavours of chocolate and vanilla topped with the luscious chocolate buttercream frosting that’s as good as a warm and comforting hug!

I planned to serve and photograph it with icing, as soon as I pulled this cake out of the oven, the marble effect looked too captivating to not to capture. So I took the picture when it was still warm without any frosting ( swipe left to see that pic), but by the time it cooled and I frosted it, the sun moved and I got a bit stressed.... but it was actually fine, as the moment I clicked a shot, it looked gorgeous! “That’s the one” I said to myself, and sat down to enjoy this luscious and super delicious cake!

Though I must admit this isn’t the healthiest cake but it truly serves your indulgence cravings. I sooo enjoyed baking and digging into this heavenly cake - cutting the first slice and seeing the contrasting swirls is a true delight that you must experience too — learn how to make this amazingly delicious cake and enjoy those simple pleasures!!

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PREP TIME: 20 minutes BAKE TIME: 25 minutes PASSIVE TIME: 2 hours FROSTING TIME: 20 minutes SERVES: 12-5 slices

INGREDIENTS

For Cake:

• 1 3/4 cup cake flour

• 3 eggs, room temperature

• 185g unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup whole milk/buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tbsp dutch process cocoa powder
  

For Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

• 125g unsalted butter, room temperature (soft but not sticking to fingers)

• 1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

• 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp cold milk or cream

• 1/6 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  

METHOD

For Cake:

1. Grease and line a 25cm long x 4cm wide loaf pan with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium high speed until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time while the mixer is still running, whisk well after each addition until well combined, at least 3-4 minutes. Add milk and blend on low speed to mix with butter mixture.

3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Remove bowl from the stand, and fold in half of the flour, once its well combined fold in rest of the flour until well combined.

4. Take 1/3 of the cake batter in a bowl and fold in the sifted cocoa powder.

5. In a prepared pan, pour half of the white batter, drop spoonful of the chocolate batter on top leaving a little gap in each spoonful of batter dropped. Cover it with rest of the white batter. With a clean table knife, create a swirling pattern by running it through the batter to create a marble effect. Do not over do it as your swirls will mix too much and your swirls will be lost.

6. Bake it in pre-heated oven for 22-25 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out on wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, milk and salt with mixer running on low. Once mixed, increase the speed to medium high and whisk until light and fluffy. Taste the frosting, if needed add a pinch more of salt if the frosting is too sweet. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of sugar if the frosting is bit soft, add bit more milk if the frosting is too thick.

2. On a cooled cake, spread the frosting all over sides and top with the offset spatula or a pallet knife. Serve immediately.

COOK'S NOTES:

• I used cake flour to make a fluffy soft texture of the cake but if you do not have cake flour you can make it at home. Measure one cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of flour from the measured cup and replace it with two tablespoons of cornflour. Sift the flours together 3-4 times as it’s an important step to fully incorporate with each other.

• Adding cornflour helps make the cake light and soft in texture. All-purpose flour has more protein than the cake flour which makes the cake bit denser in texture like a bread.

• I used dutch processed cocoa powder which is alkaline treated. It’s best to use dutch processed cocoa powder for richer chocolate taste and deeper luscious colour.

• Always use the cocoa powders as mentioned in the recipe for best results.
  

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GOOEY AND FUDGY STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Weather was beautiful outside yesterday evening. Drizzling rain drops and popping rainbow was making me eager to whip up something quick and easy to enjoy this beautiful weather with my cuppa.

Jumped up from the couch and hurriedly stepped down to the kitchen and my eyes went straight to the chocolate buttons in my pantry. The first thing that came up to my mind was, “ah I haven’t made my famous classic brownies in a while which are always my family and friends’ favorite!” Opened the fridge and pulled out the butter and eggs, and while I was grabbing them I saw a strawberry punnet and thought of putting it to a great use! Chocolate and strawberry is a classic combo and pairs so well...grabbed that to make them part of my classic recipe. Now brownie isn’t complete without adding a crunch of the nut, opened the freezer and pulled out the bag of pecans which I always stock up as they are one of my favorite nuts. Worked up the brownies batter and within in no time my gooey fudgy brownies were ready to gobble down...

If you yearning to eat something indulgent but don't want to stand up in kitchen for hours to curb your cravings, this classic brownies recipe modified with strawberries is just the perfect one for you to try which will be ready in minutes...

I’m sure you’re already drooling as who doesn’t love brownies - read the recipe down below!

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YIELDS: 9 large/16 small pieces

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

BAKE TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 185g dark chocolate buttons ( you can use semi-sweet)

• 125g butter, cubed

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 3/4 cup pecan nuts, roughly chopped

• 6-8 strawberries, sliced
  

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Bain-marie the chocolate buttons and butter together in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure your bowl is not touching the hot water.

3. Remove bowl from the pan, add sugar and vanilla; stir to combine. Add lightly beaten eggs to the chocolate mix, stir to combine well.

4. Gradually add flour to the chocolate mix, in three batches, fold gently to a lump-free batter. Fold in the pecan nuts. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan, place sliced strawberries on top and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

5. Leave to cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut them into slices and serve warm with a dollop of ice-cream on top.

COOK'S NOTES:

• Bain-Marie is a technique of melting or cooking something over a pan of simmering water. You can also do this step in the recipe using the microwave, but I prefer to do it over a pan of simmering water.

• Strawberries on top makes the brownies bit more gooey. The extra moisture which oozes from strawberries after baking makes them more moist hence they become more gooey.

• Do not over bake your brownies if you feel after 30 minutes of baking they are still soft from the center. They will firm up slightly and will become fudgy once cooled down.
  

#brownies #fudgybrownies #baked #baking #chocolatebrownies #bakedrecipes #strawberry #darkchocolatebrownies #pecannuts