Mascarpone Cheese - from scratch

   Mascarpone cheese is a soft, creamy cheese.   Originating from Italy, this cheese is the main ingredient in Tiramisu.  They are also used in other recipes like Cheesecake and pasta.  Provided they are very costly and are very rare to find, it is best to prepare them at home.  So, given below recipe is my interpretation, as derived from Wikipedia.

Ingredients required

• 200 ml Amul fresh cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice

This batch yielded me about 125 grams of mascarpone cheese, 

Method

Heat Amul cream in a milk pan, till they bubble up on the sides and is hot to touch.

Add in lemon juice and stir them well using the spatula.

Simmer the flame, You will notice that within few seconds, the cream will get thick and start bubbling.  This will coat  the back of the spatula.  

Pour them on muslin cloth lined bowl.  

Tie the muslin cloth and hang them over the counter.  

Let it drain for 2 hours.  You can use the whey for cooking purpose.

Store them in  an air-tight container and use within a week.  

Happy Baking  :)  

Lemon salt soda

My unique thirst for Lemon salt soda started, during my pregnancy period, about four years back.  I found them quite relaxing and soothing my taste-buds.  They were too addictive, to resist.  I used to order them during every restaurent visit, and even Shama grew fond of them.  It was like, one day, I thought to myself, 'why can't I make them at home?' When I googled, found that there was not accurate proportion or ratio existing between lime juice, water or plain soda.  The ratio can be experimented according to one's use.  I found following ratio quite adaptable to mine.  :)  And yes, there is no super-difference between lemon salt soda and lemon sugar soda :P , since latter requires addition of few more levels of sugar . 

I have dedicated this drink to lazy sunday afternoons, you get neck-to neck in preparing lunch and hardly there is any dessert left at refrigerator.  So, lemon salt soda comes handy in such cases :)  :)  Beleive me, it also relaxes any intense stomach from heavy sunday lunch :P :P  And, prepartion is sooo easy, that even Varsha can mix  and serve :)  Speaking about Varsha, offlate she is watching me a lot at kitchen, I can presume that she will be an wonderful chef, one day :P

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: one

Ingredients required

• 1 tbspn freshly squeezed lime
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• 1 cup of cold water
• 1/2 cup of Kinley's plain soda
• Mint leaves, lemon slices and roasted cumin powder, to garnish

Method

Mix freshly squeezed lime with salt and sugar.  Lateron, add water, soda.  Garnish and serve chilled :P

Happy sundayss............. :)

Detox salad

Hi guys........  How are you all :)  And how was your new year celebrations?  We, celebrated ours @ Paradise :P  Yeah, that is an advantage of being an Hyderabadi, you know??  So, after an hectic schedule and exotic party foods, you must now feel to cut down some fat, opt for an brisk walk or prefer your green tea??  If so, then,  this salad is perfect for you :)  :)  Detox is nothing but, De + Tox, that is removing (De) the toxins/poisons from your body.  This is done by intaking fruits/vegetable known to nourish such properties.  

Detox salad, is an colourful platter of  such healthy vegetables and fruit in an glossy and sparkling dressing :)  I dressed them with olive oil, brown sugar, lime juice and crushed garlic.  Garlic, again is an pure anti-oxidant and I am used to eating them raw earlier days in order to get releived from monthly menstrual pain.  (Beleive me guys, garlic always does an ABRACADABRA magic to  periods pain)  If you guys are not used to raw garlic, you can avoid them and go with other dressings :)  I have also included spinach here, again it is not at all problem to include canned or raw baby spinach leaves.  I have used paalak, one can use mustard/Amaranthus too :)

Cooking time: 30 seconds

Cooling time/drying time: 15 minutes

Assembly: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients required

For salad

• 1/2 cup of  beetroot, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup of carrot, cut into thin strips 
• 1/2 cup of pineapple, cut into thin strips
• 10 spinach leaves

For dressing

• 2 tbspn of olive oil
• 1 tsp of brown sugar
• 2 garlic pods, crushed
• 1 tsp lime juice

Method

Blanch spinach leaves in hot water, for about thirty seconds.  Remove and dry them for fifteen minutes.  Tear them into long strips.  In an bowl, mix all dressing and toss beet, carrot, spinach, and pineapple sticks into them.  Enjoy....

       Happy cooking and happy detoxing :P  :P  :P  :)  :)  :)