Tag: dessert

Cream Cheese and Pear Tart

Hot out of the oven!!

I haven’t been posting for a while now, since we were moving states. However, now that’s ere settled, I decided why not try making these tarts. This was my first baking project in the new house. Yes, we have finally graduated to renting homes! It’s a cute little house, with huge trees and flowering plants. For a first rental home, we couldn’t have found a better place. Anyway, back to the tarts…

I’m not a huge fan of cream cheese, since the taste and texture is similar to yogurt. However, I was able to eat at least one of these! This actually worked out well, since my husband loved them, and they didn’t last very long anyway. I just packed one tart for dessert with his lunch everyday. The tarts are also super easy to make, since I used frozen puff pastry for this. You can definitely make your own, but I think the frozen stuff works fine for most things. 😬

Servings: 6, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Whole Pears 2
  • Frozen puff pastry 1 sheet (I used Pepperidge)
  • Cream cheese 8 oz
  • White sugar 1/4 cup
  • Vanilla essence 1/4 tsp
  • Egg wash (optional)
  • Flour for dusting

Instructions

  1. Defrost the puff pastry sheet for about 15 minutes
  2. Cut the pears in half, remove the core and slice them along the length
  3. Combine the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar in a bowl. Make sure the mixture in uniform and there are no lumps
  4. Dust the platform surface with a little flour, then lightly roll the puff pastry till all the creases due to freezing and folding disappear
  5. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 6 equal rectangles. Fold the edges of the pastry to create an edge.
  6. Transfer the puff pastry rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  7. Add 1/6 of the cream cheese mixture the middle of the prepared puff pastry rectangles. Spread till the mixture reaches the edges.
  8. Lay the sliced pears on top of the filling.
  9. If using egg wash, brush the pastry edges with it at this point.
  10. Bake in a 400 F (200 C) oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
  11. Transfer on a wire rack to cool!

Tips

  • This recipe is really a technique post, since most fruits can be used here in the place of pears. Try it with apples, peaches, cherries or even mangoes!
  • I didn’t use egg wash, but it’ll give a nice brown color to the edges if you use it.
  • Store these in an air tight container in the fridge. They should last for 4-5 days

These were as heavenly as I imagined them to be. As s as first baking project, I couldn’t have chose a better dessert. You can also watch a video for this recipe on my Instagram. I hope you’ll try these out and as always, please let me know how it went in the comments!

Chocolate Almond Vegan Cookies

No picnic is complete without dessert, and we love to take these vegan chocolate almond cookies! I adapted the recipe from pick up limes. The original recipe can be found on this link: https://www.pickuplimes.com/recipe/almond-brownie-cookies-44. A lot of the quantities remain the same, but I used different methods and slightly different quantities for the wet ingredients.

The recipe is competent vegan and has a very strong chocolate flavor. Almonds provide a nice crunch to the cookies. The texture of the cookies is a cross between a cookie and a scone. Since these do not have eggs, the extra baking powder I added helps with the rise. It was completely by accident, but I prefer them this way. 😅

Servings: 8 cookies, Prep time: 40 minutes, Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients

  • Ground flaxseeds 1 tbsp
  • Water 2 tbsp
  • Vegan chocolate 2.6 oz
  • Coconut oil (solid) 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp
  • Brown sugar lightly packed 1/4 cup
  • Chopped almonds 2 tbsp plus more for garnish
  • Vanilla extract 1/2 tsp
  • Baking powder 1/2 tsp
  • Salt 1/4 tsp
  • All purpose flour 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
  • Plant based milk (I used oat) 2-3 tsp

Instructions

  1. Mix the ground flaxseeds with water in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes to gel
  2. Finely chop the chocolate. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a large microwave safe bowl, then melt in 10 second intervals. Stir between each interval so chocolate melts evenly
  3. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Then add the vanilla and baking powder, and mix.
  4. Add the gelled flaxseed, chopped almonds and salt and mix till well combined.
  5. Mix in the all purpose flour. Add the milk 1 tsp at a time until the mixture holds together when squeezed in the palm. Rest the mixture for 15 minutes
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to take the cookie mixture onto your hand and make a ball of it using your palms. Place on the baking sheet and press lightly. Press a few pieces of almond on the cookie surface for decoration.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven. Cool for a few minutes on a wire rack, then enjoy!

Tips

  • Add the milk 1 tsp at a time so the mixture does not become too loose. If you add all the milk before, the cookies will not bake right since they will be too wet
  • Since the cookies are brown, it’s easy to over bake these. Check the cookies after 8 minutes, then every 2 minutes. This will ensure that they cook perfectly
  • It’s tempting to put the chocolate in the microwave for longer intervals. However, chocolate burns very fast and it can also seize due to the smallest amount of moisture. So make sure you only melt in with 10 second intervals and stir after each one.
  • Make sure to transfer the cookies to a wire rack for cooling. This will ensure air circulation around the bottom of the cookies.

The cookies stay good at room temperature for 3 days in an air tight container. If you need to store them for longer, it might be better to freeze the raw mixture. Portion and shape the cookies, then freeze in a single layer on a baking tray. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure they will turn out fine if baked from frozen for 12-15 minutes. If you freeze them, let me know how they came out in the comments. I hope you try these and as always let me know how it went!😬

Ras Malai

Ras malai has been one of my favorite desserts since I was little. There is a very old sweet shop very close to my house in India. I used to love going there and eating ras malai in the summer. However, this dish was quite expensive and we couldn’t eat it every other day. This probably added to the it’s charm. After I moved to the US, I couldn’t find this childhood favorite anywhere. When I could get it, it wasn’t as amazing as I remembered. There was no other choice but to make it at home.

The dish is said to have originated in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is a milk based dessert, with hints of cardamom. It’s mildly sweet with pillowy sponges of chena (similar to paneer). It requires very few ingredients and the process is also quite easy. The trick is making sure the chena turns out perfect. There hasn’t been a time when I bombed this dish, not even the first time. That should tell you how easy it is!

Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 2 hours plus cooling time

Ingredients

For the chena discs

  • Whole milk (full fat) 1 liter/ 33 fl. oz
  • White vinegar or lemon juice 2 tbsp
  • Corn starch (corn flour) 1/2 tsp

For the sugar syrup

  • Water 3 cups
  • Granulated white sugar 1 cup
  • Cardamom powder 1 tsp

For the rabdi or thickened milk

  • Whole milk (full fat) 1 liter/ 33 fl. oz plus 2 tbsp
  • Saffron strands (kesar) 4-5 (optional)
  • Sugar 1/3 cup
  • Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
  • Chopped nuts (I used almonds) 1/4 cup

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 liter of whole milk till it’s almost boiling, then take it off the heat
  2. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and stir till the milk curdles. You can heat the mixture gently to encourage curdling, but do not let it boil.
  3. Layer a cheesecloth or a thin napkin on a large sieve. Strain the curdled milk through this. This is our chena.
  4. Rinse the chena in cold water till cool enough to handle. Then squeeze out as much water as you can. Tie the chena in the cheesecloth, place it in the sieve and put some weight on it. Let it drain for an hour or so. There should be no dripping water in the chena when we start making discs
  5. Add the saffron strands to 2 tbsp milk in a bowl and set aside to infuse.
  6. In the meantime, prepare the rabdi. Add 1 liter milk and 1/3 cup sugar to a shallow pan. Start cooking on medium heat stirring occasionally.
  7. Once a skin starts to form on the surface, stick the skin to the sides of the pan. Repeat this till the milk has reduced to 1/2 the original quantity.
  8. Add 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, the saffron infused milk and the chopped nuts to the reduced milk. Mix and set aside to cool
  9. Once the chena is dry, start making the sugar syrup. Combine 3 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp cardamom powder in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it cook uncovered for 10 minutes
  10. In the meantime, remove the chena from the cheesecloth onto a plate. Add the corn starch and knead for 10-15 minutes with the heel of your palm till smooth and soft. Divide into 12 parts and shape into small discs
  11. Add these discs to the sugar syrup, cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.The discs should swell to almost twice their size and float to the top.
  12. Switch off the heat and rest covered for another 10 minutes. Do not uncover the pan before the resting time is over.
  13. Remove the discs from the syrup using a slotted spoon and squeeze gently. This will remove the syrup and prep the discs for absorbing the rabdi.
  14. Add the discs to the cooled rabdi and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours.
  15. Add three chena discs to a bowl and top with rabdi. Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top if you want and enjoy!

Unfortunately, this dish is not vegan and I haven’t found a recipe which gets even close to the real thing. If you know of a vegan ras malaai recipe, please let me know in the comments.. As always, let me know how it goes! 😊