Honeycomb Buns or Bee’s Hive Buns filled with Herb Cheese and Ham

 

It is that time again to post for We Kead to Bake and as always Aparna choosed a Excelent full proof recipe and ofcourse as usual I am writting the post the day itself.

I did make the bread few days after the recipe was announced and I do hope now while writting the post in a hurry why I never write a post and just keep in the draft which would make my life ofcourse easy.
But I guess I am not that Organized when it comes for posting in my blog :-(

The bread was super yumm.
I have decided with this dough I am going to try other shaped breads and I really have one in my mind but till now it just stays there :-)
I halved the recipe and also gave a egg wash before It was going into the oven.

 

Khaliat Nahal (Honeycomb Buns or Bee’s Hive Buns)

For the dough:
Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar (for sweet bread)
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
40gm butter, melted
2 tbsp milk for brushing the dough
2 tbsp white sesame seeds for sprinkling on top (optional; only for savoury bread)

For the filling: ( filling is for half of the bread recipe)
150 to 200 gm herb cheese ( I used Boursin)
200 gm of ham slice.
1 finley chopped chillie ( Next time I would not add the chillie as we agreed even though it gace a spicyness but it screw up the taste of the cheese)


Method:
Make sure your melted butter has cooled down a bit before using it. Put 2 cups of the flour, salt, sugar (if making the sweet bread only) and melted butter in the bowl of your processor. Run a couple of times to mix well.
Combine the milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl and keep for 5 minutes. Add this to the processor bowl and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough which is not sticky. Add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as you need to get this consistency of bread dough. I used all of 2 1/2 cups of flour for mine.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning it to coat completely with the oil. Cover and let it rise till double in volume, for about an hour.
Turn the dough out onto your work surface. You won’t really need to flour it as the dough is quite manageable as it is. Cut it into 2 halves. With your palms, roll out each half a “rope” about 9” long. Cut each rope into 1” pieces so you have a total of 18 pieces.

Take each piece and flatten it out a little and place half a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Pull up the sides and wrap the dough around the filling, pinching it closed at the top. Smoothen it into a round ball. Place this in a well-greased round 9” cake tin. Repeat with the remaining 17 pieces and the filling. Arrange the filled balls of dough in concentric circles, filling the base of the cake tin.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about 30 to 40 minutes. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle the sesame seeds over this. Don’t use the sesame seeds for sweet bread, only for the savoury one. Bake the buns at 180C (350F) for about 25 minutes, until they’re done and a nice golden brown on top.
Let them cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then on a wire rack.
 

Passion Fruit Curd

 

After almost three months, I had a whole afternoon just for myself, well it was me time from four in the afternoon today.
As usual I went by my FIL's home sat there for a hour or so and talked to him. ok he talks and I listen.
He is 86 years old and he has so much things to say mostly about the second world war, then his life in the police , his life with my MIL it goes on and on,
I have heard these stories in the last months so many times, but he still get excited about talking about all these stories that I just listen, just to make him happy .
When my MIL was still there if he talked too much she would say Brick be quiet now stop talking all your old stories.

So after saying bye to him and to Couscous ( the pet dog ) I walked towards the shopping street and  went to most of the shops.
Looked what they have new, or just walked around in the shop did a bit of shopping. And I was so pleased to have done that and now I am back home I said I will atlast write a post for my blog.

I love passion fruit, In kerala we used to have passion fruit in plenty and when we got them we used to just cut open them in half and add a bit of sugar and eat the pulp , there are even times if the fruit was not that sweet we used to add a bit of salt and eat the pulp.

Few weeks back when I went to the store and I saw passion fruit well I bought two packs and in my mine I said ok now is the chance to make passion fruit curd as I have been wanting to make them for a while.

Must say this is such a easy curd to make and the recipe is from BBC Good Food and I must say this recipe is a keeper.
Don't get panic if it doesn't get thick fast, have patience, things like this you can't do in a hurry.
If you just follow the recipe good you will end up getting a delicious passion fruit curd.

 



Ingredients

200g/7oz passion fruit pulp, about 6-8 ripe passion fruits

3 large eggs

140g butter, diced

250g golden caster sugar

2 tbsp cornflour

Method

1. Put the passion fruit pulp in a food processor and whizz to separate the seeds from all the juicy bits. Scrape into a sieve set over a medium saucepan, pushing through as much pulp as you can. Reserve 2 tbsp of the seeds, then discard the rest.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and set over a low heat. Whisk until all the butter has melted then, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the passion fruit curd has thickened to a similar consistency as lemon curd. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to speed up the process as the eggs will curdle; make sure you stir right around the edge, too, as this is where it might catch first.
3. Sieve the curd into a clean bowl to get rid of any eggy bits that may have curdled. Stir in the reserved seeds and cool, before spooning into jars and chilling. Curd will keep in the fridge for a week

Sali Murgh - Chicken and Apricot Curry With Potato Straws

 

I love watching cooking show, especially from the chefs I like.
And one of the TV chefs I like is Rick Stein and I do watch all his shows from BBC.
I think he such a passionate cook and I love that he gets so excited about a product or a particular dish, food etc...

So when I heard that his new TV Show Ricy Steins Curry is going to be shown in BBC, I was so excited and as it was in the summer holidays they were showing I even wrote in my calander the date when they programme is going to be show so that I won't miss it.
Ofcourse as you can guess I bought his book and I must say I love the book though I don't totally agree to amm the recipe from the book as some of them are not really authentic like the way I make them.

But then I say that because I know the dishes so I am like oh you don't do that but then I think someone who reammy knows about parsee cooking might say the same , they might read this recipe and say no no this is not the way we make.
So whater ever it is if it is authentic of not, we loved the dish. We loved the sweet and sour flavour of the dish and the crunch we get from the potato straws DELISH that is what Rick Stein would say :-)

I had put on my fb status i was going to make this dish and one of my parsee friends gave a tip, they said I should cook in a small pan, 6 extra apricots with 2 tbsp vinigar (they used palm but i don't have so used red wine vinegar) with 1 tbsp sugar boil for 5 minutes and then add to the dish in the end.

Which I ofcourse did, so it is up to you if you want to do this as below I am giving the exact recipe from the book.

As it is a BBC show they do have the recipe in their site

 

 

Ingredients

For the sali (matchstick potatoes)

• 250g/9oz chip potatoes such as Maris Piper or Sebago, peeled, cut into matchsticks or coarsely grated, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1–2 tsp salt

For the curry

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 black peppercorns
• 5 cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised with a rolling pin
• 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 4cm/1½in piece cinnamon stick
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 100g/3½z tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 4cm/1½in fresh root ginger, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala ( I added 2 tsp)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1kg/2lb 4oz chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 1kg/2lb 4oz chicken pieces, skinned
• 2 tsp jaggery or soft brown sugar
• 150g/5½oz ‘ready-to-eat’ soft dried apricots
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar (used red wine vinegar)
• handful coriander, chopped

Preparation method

1. Drain the potatoes and dry on kitchen paper. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan over a medium heat until hot (or heat a deep-fat fryer to 180C/350F). CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Deep-fry the potatoes in batches until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Season with salt.
2. For the curry, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan or karahi over a medium heat. Add the whole spices and fry for a minute until fragrant, then add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and golden-brown.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and salt and simmer for 2–3 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric and cook for a minute.
4. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, or until well coated with the spice mixture, then add the jaggery, apricots, vinegar and enough water just to cover. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender, and the sauce is reduced to a rich, thick consistency.
5. Serve with the potato sticks heaped on top, and scatter with coriander

Blueberry Lime and Mint Drizzle Cake

 

I love bluberries, and I love just eating them like that, ofcourse I only buy them in season even though we get them all year around , but I buy them when they are in abundence and then it is not that expensive.
Actually I think I do that with most of my fruits unless if I am giving a party and then I need a particular fruit for dessert then I might buy them, out of season.

First time I made this cake was in the begning of August when Shyama had six friends from her college for a weekend, ofcourse we have no place for so many people to stay, but my FIL is having a apartment which is not occuiped and Shyama is officially staying in that place as FIL doesn't want to give the place for rent anymore and the apartment is under his apartment.
So all of these kids stayed there for the weekend to the delight of my FIL as then there is lots of noise with kids going up and down plus they went upstairs to cook their dinner and also Sunday morning as it is traditional that they have crossiant, pistole etc... when he went to buy his sunday morning bread goodies he bought for all these kids and he asked them over for breakfast :-)

As a welcome things for the kids I made this cake for them. But then I coudn't taste it as I took the whole cake that side.
And anyway as it is still bluberries are aroung I thought I will make this cake for a sunday afternoon coffee and we all loved it.
I didn't add so much sugar and mint and I used lime.
Which I have written in a another color in the recipe.

Original Recipe from Delicious Magazine

 

 

Ingredients

1. 115g very soft butter, plus extra for greasing
2. 25g fresh mint, leaves picked ( Used only 2 tbsp of chopped fresh mint)
3. 250g fresh blueberries
4. Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon (used lime)
5. 250g plain flour
6. 2 tsp baking powder
7. Pinch of salt
8. 225g caster sugar ( 150 gm sugar)
9. 2 large free-range eggs
10. 120ml whole milk
11. 25g desiccated coconut (Didin't add the coconut)
12. 100g granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

Method

1. 1. Position a shelf in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin (it should measure about 11cm x 22cm across the top) and line with baking paper.
2. 2. Finely chop about a quarter of the mint leaves (to yield 1 tbsp). Put the blueberries into a bowl and stir ?in 1 tsp of the lemon juice and the chopped mint, then set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. 3. Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes until ?pale and slightly fluffy. This will be a little harder than usual because of the high proportion ?of sugar, but it will eventually come together and become much paler in colour. Beat in the lemon zest. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1 tbsp of the sifted flour with the second egg. Add the milk gradually, folding in large spoonfuls of the remaining flour until the mixture is smooth, then fold in the desiccated coconut.
4. 4. Spoon one-third of the cake mixture into the bottom of the prepared loaf tin and scatter ?over one-third of the blueberries. Repeat twice more, ending with a layer of blueberries. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes away clean.
5. 5. While the cake is cooking, make the topping. Put the rest of the mint leaves and 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar into a mortar or small bowl and pound with the pestle or the end of a rolling pin until it forms a bright green paste. Stir in the remaining lemon juice (about 3-4 tbsp) and leave to infuse. When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the minty lemon juice through a clean tea strainer into a bowl, pressing out as much of the juice as you can. Stir in the remaining granulated sugar.
6. 6. Spoon the minty lemon and sugar mixture over the cake and leave it to cool. Remove the cake from the tin, peel off the paper, then sprinkle the top lightly with a little more sugar. Serve cut into thick slices

Penne With Chicken Brocoli and Cheese

Here at home we love pasta. And if I am honest after rice , pasta is my second favourtie carb.
And I am always trying to find some new pasta dishes than sticking to the same ones. Well I usually do that but then suddenly I will be like I must try something new and then I try something like this dish.
Ofcourse not every body like the blue cheese like Gorgonzola so if you don't like the taste of this cheese then there is no use in trying it as you won't like it.
When I tried this cheese years ago I must say I didn't like it could be also I didn't had the habbit of eating cheese when I was in India.
But then bit by bit I started enjoying most of the cheese and one of the cheese I love now is this one.
We even have a cheesey sauce made with this cheese which we love and usually I make them when we have lamb chops .

Ingridients:

200 gm brocoli floretts
50 gm butter
2 chicken breast in small slices
2 garlic chopped fine
400 gm Penne pasta
120 ml white wine ( I usually open up a bottle and then freeze the rest of the wine in a bag so that I always have white wine for cooking when the recipe ask)
200 ml cream you wan use low fat
100 gm gorgonzola cheese without the crust.
Salt and pepper to taste ( take care there is salt in the cheese)
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top just before serving.

Cook the brocoli florettes ( I steam them) Keep them aside.
Add the butter in a hot pan when it is melted add the sliced chicken pieces with salt and pepper and fry them for couple of minutes.
In the mean time cook the pasta according to the instruction in the packet.
When the chicken is fried for few minutes add the white wine boil it for few minutes then add the cream and cook for futher for couple of minutes till the chicken is done  and the sauce is looking a bit creamy.
Add the brocoli florets and the pasta and mix it well. Then add the gorgonzola cheese and mix well.
Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and enjoy .