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PISTACHIO MACARONS WITH PISTACHIO CREAM


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    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 160˚C.

    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.


    MANGO COCONUT CHIA SEEDS PARFAITS


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      Sustaining this Omani heat by feeding our souls with this chilled breakfast on a hot summer morning, Mango and Coconut Chia Seed Parfaits. Made these for dessert last evening but saved a couple for the breakfast! Had it with granola on top this morning and it was just a perfect start of the day. Enjoy these summer beauties either at breakfast or as a dessert to end your meal...it’s that versatile. Replace the yogurt with your favourite alternative to turn this into a delicious vegan treat. What summer treats are you making with mango to start your day?

      SERVES: 6-8

      PREP TIME: It takes overnight or 4 hours for soaking chia seeds, 10 minutes to prepare mangoes

      ASSEMBLING TIME: 10 minutes



      INGREDIENTS


      For Coconut Chia Seeds Layer:

      • 400 ml coconut milk (full fat)

      • 4 tbsp mixed chia seeds (white and black)

      • 2tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup

      For Mango Layer:

      • 6-7 alphonso mangoes (medium to large), peeled and cut into cubes and keep 1 cup aside for topping

      • 1 1/2 cups of mango purée, made with the remaining mangoes

      For Yoghurt Layer:

      • 450g yoghurt

      • 2 tbsp caster sugar (optional)



      METHOD

      1. Soak chia seeds in coconut milk overnight or at least 4 hours until it’s swelled, slimy and thick. Add agave syrup, mix and keep aside.

      2. Peel mangoes, cut the cheeks of 4 firm mangoes and dice it into 1.5 cm cubes. Remove the pulp from rest of the the mangoes, blend them to a smooth puree. Keep aside to use later.

      3. In a bowl, take yoghurt and sugar and whisk together to make it smooth and creamy.

      4. To serve, arrange them in 250ml capacity glass goblets, drop few cubes of mangoes at the bottom of each glass, pour 3-4 tbsp of coconut chia mix, layer it with mango puree, then layer it with yogurt and finish with few more diced mangoes on top. Refrigerate to chill for 2 hours before serving.


      COOKS NOTES:

      • You can serve these for breakfast with granola on top. Replace the yoghurt with your favourite non-dairy yoghurt like coconut or almond to turn this into a delicious vegan treat.


      MANGO CHIA SEEDS PANCAKES


        ree

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        It’s summer and it’s predominated by mangoes in season. My grocer just keeps sending me messages for the new stock intake for the mango boxes they import from India. It’s gonna last for another month, so I don’t mind buying these in bulk and make the best use of it while it lasts.


        Alphonso and Kesari are my favorite variety of mangoes and my kitchen is exuding the aromas of these sweet mangoes, alluring me to keep making more and more recipes with this irresistible fruit. With some of the mangoes I just purée the pulp and freeze to consume later in my shakes, desserts and other recipes. Try this very simple and delicious recipe to beat that edge of usual pancakes. What are your favorite varieties of mangoes?

        SERVES: 4

        BAKING TIME: 15 minutes

        PREP TIME: 15 minutes

        TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes



        INGREDIENTS


        Dry Ingredients:

        • 1 cup plain flour (can be replaced with atta flour)

        • 2 tsp baking powder

        • 1 tbsp caster sugar

        • 1/4 tsp salt

        • 2 tsp chia seeds

        For Filling:

        • 1 cup milk

        • 1 egg

        • 1/4 cup mango purée (I used alphonso mangoes)

        • 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee

        To Serve:

        • Whipped cream

        • Agave syrup or maple syrup

        • Diced mangoes



        METHOD

        1. Sift all dry ingredients in a bowl, keep aside.

        2. In a separate bowl whisk together wet ingredients, pour it to the dry ingredients bowl, mix well to make smooth lump free batter. Pour it in a jug with lip for easy flow of batter.

        3. Heat a non stick shallow pan, add few drops of oil or ghee, coat the pan with oil with the help of kitchen paper wiping off any excess.

        4. On medium low heat, drop the batter in prepared pan until it spreads to 3 to 4 inch circle, let it cook till you see bubbles forming on surface, gently turn over with the help of spatula, cook for few seconds and remove.

        5. Serve with whipped cream, diced mangoes drizzled with agave syrup on top.


        COOK'S NOTES:

        • Serve it with whipped cream, diced mangoes drizzled with maple syrup or agave syrup on top.


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