Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

Base

• 100g butter, melted
• 250g digestive biscuits, crushed

Filling

• 100g butter
• 100g dark brown soft sugar
• 1 (397g) tin condensed milk

Topping

• 4 ripe bananas, sliced
• 1 (300ml) tub whipping cream, whipped
• cocoa powder for dusting

Lets Get Cracking

1. Line base of a 20cm round spring-form tin with parchment paper, then grease base and sides.
2. For the base: Combine butter with biscuits and mix well. Press firmly into prepared tin. Chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Gently heat butter and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour in condensed milk and gently bring to the boil, stirring continuously until thick. Do this slowly, to avoid getting any lumps. Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool until just warm. Spread on biscuit base and chill for 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, fold 3/4 of the sliced bananas into the whipped cream. Spoon over toffee layer. Decorate with remaining bananas. Dust with cocoa powder and serve. 

Enjoy :) :) :)

Badam Kheer

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Almond (Badam)
• 2 cups Milk 
• 3 tblsp Sugar 
• 5 crushed Cardamoms
• a pinch of Saffron (Kesar), soaked in lukewarm milk 

Lets Get Cracking

1. Boil half a litre of water in a sauce pan . add the almonds when the water is boiling and cook for 2 minutes. remove from the flame and drain.
2. Remove the skin of the almonds and grind to a fine paste.
3. Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. when the milk begins to boil add the almond paste and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes over a low flame stirring continuously.
4. Remove from the flame.. add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamoms.
5. Allow to cool and serve chilled. 

Enjoy :) :) :)

Rasamalai

Ingredients

• 1 lt whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tbsps sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp cardamom powder
• 10 almonds (diced very thinly)
• 5-6 saffron (strands)

Lets Get Cracking

1. Sour the whole milk with lemon juice. Discard all the water (whey) and put solids (curds) in cheese cloth and press it with heavy weight. After 1/2 hour take out the weight and knead the chenna very properly. Make small balls of the size of dime. 
2. To make sugar syrup. In a sauce pan boil 3 cups of water and sugar together. When it starts to boil, drop in the chenna balls. 
3. On medium heat cover the pan and let it simmer for 1/2 an hour. If you have Indian style pressure cooker keep the lid closed with whistle on for 15 minutes on a VERY LOW HEAT(extremely important). switch off the heat.Frequently stir it so that the chenna balls don't stick to each other. 
4. In another pan boil heavy cream, 2 cups of whole milk and saffron strands. Add 5 tablespoon of sugar. Keep simmering for 20 minutes until the milk becomes thickened, taking care not to scorch. 
5. Now take out the chenna balls from the sugar syrup. 
6. While the whipping cream and whole milk is still simmering, drop in the chenna balls in it and simmer for another 15 minutes on low heat. 
7. Switch off the heat. Place the milk Rasamalai in a bowl, sprinkle cardamom powder and almond flakes and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Enjoy :) :) :)

Choco Lava Cake

Ingredients

• Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate – 4 oz (113g)
• Butter – 1/2 cup + to grease ramekins 
• Eggs – 2
• Sugar – 1/3 cup (75 g)
• All-purpose Flour – 1/4 cup (40g)

Lets Get Cracking

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Once melted and shiny, remove pan from heat and add in butter. Mix until the butter melts fully. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 mins by electric mixer, 5 mins by hand)
3. Add chocolate-butter mixture into the eggs, add all-purpose flour and mix until well incorporated.
4. Butter bottom and sides of ramekins (small glass/porcelain bowls) and pour in mixture until 3/4 way full.
5. Bake in a per-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C) for 10 – 15 minutes. Shorter for gooey (molten) inside, longer for stiff inside. I baked for about 13-15 mins.
6. Serve warm with ice-cream, fruits or whipped cream.

Enjoy :) :) :)

Chocolate Almond Delight

Ingredients

• butter - 200gms
• castor sugar - 150gms
• eggs - 4
• plain flour - 120gms
• baking powder - 1 tsp
• ground almonds - 30gms
• cooking chocolate - 100gms

Lets Get Cracking

1. Cream butter & sugar together. Add in egg yolks. Whisk egg whites until smooth. Fold in sieved flour, ground almonds, egg whites and melted cooking chocolate.
2. Bake in a loaf tin at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.
3. For the topping, melt 200gms cooking chocolate over hot water and pour the onto cake. Decorate with almond flakes and cherries.

  Enjoy :) :) :)

Caramel Banana Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 16 (about 1 pack) spring roll wrappers 
• 275g (11/4 cups firmly packed) brown sugar 
• 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar 
• 8 sugar (lady finger) bananas, halved lengthwise 
• 95g (1/3 cup) seeded jackfruit flesh, sliced 
• Vegetable oil, to deep fry

Lets Get Cracking

1. Working with 1 spring roll wrapper at a time, place wrapper at an angle on a work surface so it forms a diamond shape. Place 3 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp caster sugar in a horizontal line on the bottom half of the wrapper. Top with 1 banana half, then a little of the jackfruit. Using a pastry brush, brush the two top edges with water, then fold up the bottom corner over the filling to cover. Fold in the sides of the wrapper and roll up to enclose the filling. 
2. Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with oil and heat over medium heat to 170°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds). Working in 4 batches, drop spring rolls into the oil and fry, turning halfway, for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Roll in remaining 55g brown sugar, to serve.

Enjoy :) :) :)

 

Tiramisu Icecream Sandwich

Ingredients

• Chocolate sponge cake,sliced - 250 gms
• Instant coffee powder- 3 tbsp
• Vanilla ice cream - 500 gms
• Mascarpone cheese - i cup
• Cocoa powder- 1tbsp

Lets Get Cracking 

1. Warm half a cup of water, add two tablespoons of instant coffee powder and stir to dissolve.
2. Arrange the cake slices on a plate and spoon the coffee decoction over them to soak them well. Squeeze lightly.
3. Take a spring-form cake tin, arrange these cake slices along the side and the base of the tin. Take vanilla icecream in a bowl and whisk to smoothen it.
4. Add mascarpone cheese and mix well. Pour half this mixture over the cake slices in the cake tin. Arrange the remaining cake slices over the ice cream mixture to cover the entire surface.
5. Mix the remaining instant coffee powder into the remaining icecream mixture well and pour it over the cake slices. Take cocoa powder in a sieve and sprinkle over the icecream mixture in the cake tin. 
6. Place the cake tin in the freezer till fully set. Demould onto a serving plate, cut into wedges and serve immediately.  

Enjoy :) :) :)   

Shrikhand

Shrikhand is popular sweet dish of India. Here is Shrikhand recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg. Curds
• 300 gms. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
• Few strands saffron
• 1/2 tbsp. pistachios and almond crushed 

Lets Get Cracking

1. Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
2. Put into a bowl and add sugar .Mix it.
3. Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
4. Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
5. Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
6. Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
7. Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
8. Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
9. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy :) :) :)

Delicious Crepes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (purpose)
• 12 cup soy milk (buttermilk)
• 12 cup water
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• vegetable oil (butter and vegetable oil to cook the crepes)
• 2 eggs

Time Required - 10 mins

Lets Get Cracking

1. In a large bowl, put your flour and make a well in it. Pour your milk, water, butter and vanilla extract in it and start whisking.
2. In a small bowl, whisk you eggs together and then add them to the crepe batter.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the microwave and add it to the batter. Mix well.
4. In a pan, melt a teaspoon of butter and a tiny bit of olive oil together on a medium high heat. Move the pan around to evenly distribute the butter and oil.
5. When the pan is hot, pour in about 1/2 cup or a bit less of crepe batter. Move the pan around to evenly distribute the batter. Cook until bottom side is cooked and has brown spots. Flip your crepe and take it out of the pan when the bottom side looks like the cooked side. Repeat and enjoy!
6. I usually put my oven at 180F and put my cooked crepes in it in the meantime. 

Keeps them warm. Enjoy :) :) :) 

Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies

Ingredients

• 3.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)  
• 1 cup granulated sugar  
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt  
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks, divided  
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk  
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided  
• Cooking spray

Time Required - 45 mins

Lets Get Cracking

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Combine 1/2 cup chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir in butter, vanilla, and eggs. Add milk mixture, 1/2 cup chocolate, and 1/4 cup nuts to flour mixture; stir to combine. 
3. Pour the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup nuts. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 20 pieces.

Enjoy its flavor with some Vanilla ice-cream :) :) :)