Kronut - Baking partners challenge

   What is a Kronut?  Kronut is an hybird version, combining goodness of Croissant & Doughnut.  Though they look very much like doughnut, they are crisp and flaky unlike latter. This is because of  incorporating butter into prepared dough, resembling puff pastry process.   Also Kronuts are blessed with an pastry cream filling which makes them soo special and unique than normal doughnuts.

Actually they are called Cronuts (ie Cro from Croissant and Nuts from doughnut).  Since the founder has trademarked the name, it is unusual to use the original name.   Mr. Dominique Ansel is that proud founder and it is said that people thrive in lines before his bakery to get an sweet munch of this kronut.   When Swathi Iyer announced the challenge, I was scared because of my previous disastrous attempts with puff pastry making at home.  However she was kind enough to provide me tips.  With no perfect videos, I just went on with suggested recipe step-by-step.  And yes, got an awesome result.   So, thanks to Swathi and Reeni for suggesting this godly recipe.

Malai panneer tikka - Potluck party, cyber style

    Am back from Chennai from an function, and I was equally excited about my dish at party!  I soon recalled that I hadn't tried any starters, so here I am with Malai panneer tikka.  'Malai' means any dish cooked with milk cream and also adds on cashewnut paste.  In North India many dishes are prepared using this term, Malai kofta,  Matar malai, Rasmalai,  Malai peda etc.  Here, in an similar way paneer tikkas are prepared.

Roundup of Favourite event -Curries & Gravies in plate

    A month before, I had hosted 'Favourite Recipe event' run by Swathi Iyer, titled 'Curries & Gravies in plate'

I am happy with delecious collections and heartfelt thanks to all bloggers who contributed to this event.  Thanks to Swathi Iyer for letting me host the event.  

1.	Spicy Tangy Scrambled Egg Curry	8.	Navaratna Kurma	15.	Kadai Bhendi
2.	Stuffed Ivy Gourd Gravy	9.	Malai Kofta	16.	Chicken thanni kuzhambu & Chicken Peratal
3.	Mirch ka Salan	10.	Qorma Baamia	17.	Dry egg masala
4.	Sahi Paneer Kurma	11.	Moong Sprouts Usal	18.	rajma masala
5.	paan turia nu shaak	12.	Achari Bhindi	19.	Panchmel darbari Dal
6.	Chamagadda Pulusu	13.	Mughlai egg curry
7.	Kadai Tofu Curry	14.	Arti's pea kofta curry

Carrot cake with cream,cheese icing - a birthday treat for my lovely daughter

August month is always exciting for me, yes, it has my cute pie's birthday.  From the first week itself, all the planning starts.  With tonnes of cake variety online, it gets only harder to settle for one.  Nonetheless, the carrot cake won my heart.  Not only known for its simplicity - it will impress any mother, who wants to load her child's tummy with vegetables.  So a win-win for both!
   

The day started with going to the temple, offering prayers.  Back at school, we arranged a cake cutting from a bakery nearby.   So, this carrot cake was reserved for her evening bash.  The best thing about carrot cake is that they are  made with oil, rendering their texture so soft even when consumed directly from the refrigerator.

Tangy cream cheese frosting went along well.  So, let's buckle up and enjoy the cake in making....

Ingredients required

For carrot cake

• Self-raising flour - 2 cups
• Powdered sugar - 11/2 cup
• Egg - 4
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 11/2 cup
• Shredded carrot - 3no or 21/2 cups

For cream cheese icing

• 125 gm of Cream cheese
• 125 gm of unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp powdered sugar

Method

Stir in salt to the flour.  Keep aside.  

In a separate vessel break four eggs, add powdered sugar and beat well till they are combined.

Add in oil, vanilla essence and beat again

Slowly fold in shredded carrots.

Finally,  add in flour mixture in three batches till they are well incorporated.

Pour them on a parchment paper lined 6-inch round baking pan and bake at preheated oven 180 -degree celsius till done. Cooling the cake can be done by inverting them over the wire rack for two hours.   I got four muffins and an entire cake made of 6-inch pan.  

Now prepare cream cheese icing, in a blender blend in cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Later on, add softened butter/melted butter and blend again till you get a fine paste.   This is our icing.

After the cake has been thoroughly cooled, cut into two and ice them on centre.

Close over the other half and ice the entire cake.

You can also make spiky patterns on a spoon's back.  Refrigerate them to set.  

On her Birthday, cake cutting was done and here we go, a yummy slice for you all!!  :)

HAPPY BAKING :) :)

Tomato chutney - Potluck party, cyber style

    When I first looked into my partner's(Sutapa Ghosh) dish, I was happier  thinking that making chutney would be easier. Alas, this tomato chutney cooked in bengali style is not  an easy one.  The important ingredient required was ammsattva or mango leather which I had hardly heard off.  At this time, Sutapa Ghosh of sutapasindian blog suggested other names of ammsattva.  In Andhra pradesh, these ammsattva or mango leather is called as Mamidi Tandra or mango jelly.

      According to wiki, they are fruit leather, mixed with concentrated sugar solution, sometimes also an chemical called potassium metabisulphite and is poured over bamboo mats.  The texture of prepared mamidi tandra is unique because it is  made by consequent layering (only after before added layer dries away) over a period of month.  Over ripe thotapuri mangoes are specially used for this purpose.