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SHEER KHURMA



    I was so tempted to make Sheer Khurma this afternoon as there was a beautiful vibe of Eid celebrations all around the country where we are living at present. With the festive energy in the air, I was drawn to the lavish spices and richness of this sweet treat. It’s a popular dessert traditionally made in Indian, Pakistani, Persian or Arabic households during Ramadan and Eid celebrations, which is typically made with milk, vermicelli and lots of dry fruits. I learnt this dessert from the mum of one of my Muslim friends back in India and I was just 18 when I first attempted to make it, and perfected it over a period of time. Give it a try when you have friends coming over or any festive occasion.



    YIELDS: 20-25 portions

    COOKING AND PREP TIME: 45 minutes



    INGREDIENTS

    • 135g thin vermicelli

    • 3 ltrs full cream milk

    • 1 1/4 cup sugar

    • 75g slivered almonds, sliced

    • 75g slivered pistachios, sliced

    • 75g pitted dates, sliced

    • 50g green raisins/saugi/kishmish

    • Saffron threads, a good pinch

    • 1 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

    • 1/2 cup ghee

    For Tempering:

    • 2 tbsp ghee

    • 6-8 cardamom pods, bruised



    METHOD

    1. In a large pan, heat ghee, add sliced almonds and pistachios, fry for few seconds until slightly toasted and fragrant, take care not to burn them; remove from ghee on a plate and set aside.

    2. Now add dates in same pan and fry for few seconds, remove and set aside.

    3. In the same pan, now add raisins, fry for few seconds and remove.

    4. Break vermicelli into small strands about an inch and a half long; add it to the remaining ghee and fry for few seconds tossing constantly until it picks up golden color and aromatic, be careful not to burn it as vermicelli has tendency to burn quickly; remove from ghee and set aside.

    5. Pour milk in a heavy bottom cooking pot, bring it to boil, add cardamom powder and simmer for 10 minutes. Now add saffron, sugar, dry fruits and vermicelli, simmer it for 15-20 minutes. Until milk is little thick in consistency.

    6. For tampering, warm ghee in a pan, add cardamom pods, let the flavor gets released from pods. Pour the infused ghee along with pods to the milk and vermicelli mix.

    7. Serve it hot or cold.


    COOK'S NOTES:

    • Serve it hot or cold as desired and can also freeze for couple of months to savour later. Bring it to room temperature after removing from freezer before you heat it up to serve warm or stick it to fridge overnight straight from freezer to serve it cold.


    PISTACHIO MACARONS WITH PISTACHIO CREAM



      I like calling my friends over for a nice brunch at my place. It’s so lovely to take some time out and treat ourselves to some baked goodies that we try to avoid day-to-day. Having a little break from our jobs and taking care of the kids to just sip on some tea is a much needed activity that we all look forward to! Also, I love getting any chance to put out my fancy crockery and get those beautiful flowers to dress up my house. Macarons are a fail-safe easy dessert I like to serve, as they’re deceptively simple to make, and everyone loves it!

      YIELDS: 16-20 pieces

      PREP TIME: 30 minutes

      BAKING TIME: 12-15 minutes

      TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes



      INGREDIENTS

      • 75g Pistachios, unsalted

      • 175g icing sugar, sifted

      • 2 egg whites

      • 2-3 drops green food colouring

      For Filling:

      • 1 tbsp pistachio spread (store bought)

      • 1/4 cup double cream



      METHOD

      1. Grease oven trays lightly; line with baking paper.

      2. Process pistachios and 75g of icing sugar in a processor; blitz it to fine powder.

      3. Beat egg whites in a small bowl with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Add few drops food coloring and remaining icing sugar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff and glossy.

      4. Sift the pistachio powder over egg whites; gently fold with spatula, taking care not to over-mix.

      5. Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 1cm nozzle. Pipe 4cm (1 1/2 inch) rounds about 2cm apart. Tap trays on bench to release excess air pockets, stand for 20-30 minutes at room temperature to allow skin to form.

      6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160ËšC.

      7. Bake macarons about 12-15 minutes, or until firm but not browned; cool on trays completely.

      8. Whip double cream with wire whisk until thick, add pistachio spread and whisk again to blend well. Refrigerate filling until ready to spread.

      9. Carefully remove macarons from trays, sandwich with pistachio cream filling.


      COOK'S NOTES:

      • Keep unfilled macarons in an airtight container up to a week. Fill macarons just before serving.


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