Italian

Tiramisu Cake With Eggless Mascarpone Filling And Whipped Cream Frosting

July 7, 2023 by Bhawana

Wow, January of 2017 has already disappeared in the past. It’s February and its a birthday month of, “love of my life”, my son. Its been 10 years since God has blessed us with this beautiful gift. These 10 years has been full of love, happiness, hugs, kisses and baking. Yes! baking, cooking and blogging, coincidently I started my blog in the very same year he was born. When people fuss about cooking and cleaning with the new born baby , I don’t know from where I get the strength and courage to start a food blog. After so many years if I try to look back how I managed to cook and blog with no help and a new born baby, everything seems to be foggy and fuzzy. But the pleasure of being a creator gives me an immense satisfaction and happiness all through this journey.

Motherhood teaches you a lot. It really enhance your capability to love another person beyond measure to a extent that your life revolves around that small bundle of joy. Now that my son is entering in to double digits, its a big milestone for me. I am very proud looking at his transitional phase from a boy to a teenager but cannot hide my nervousness too. I am so used to of hearing mom all the time that I started missing that sound when he is not around. Though I am not ready to push him to live and learn by himself but still now a days I keep on telling him, you are 10, be independent, why you need mom for everything? That’s my duty to teach him how to fly…fly all alone!

Good parents give their children Roots and Wings.
Roots to know where home is,
Wings to fly away and exercise what’s been taught them.
Dr. Jonas Salk

I have no doubt in saying that my son is a huge fan of my baking. His confidence sometimes makes me feel guilty about the fact that I am not a trained baker. I am so embarrassed when he declares to the world that his mom bakes the best cakes. He likes whipped cream frosting better than butter cream frosting. I always try to customize my baking according to his taste. We don’t wait for occasions to bake a cake, all what it needs is any free time of the day in the kitchen, with lots of love and laughter.

He has always been my little helper, my taster, my admirer and a big motivator in the kitchen. Whenever I finish making cream frosting, he is always there to lick a bowl and a whisker. This is a ritual and even I make sure to make frosting when he is around. Now that he is growing up, I sometimes fear of losing these moments with him.

Dear Son,
I love you and will always there for you.
A very very Happy Birthday to you.
Big hug and lots of kisses!

Tiramisu Cake With Eggless Mascarpone And Whipped Cream Frosting

Author: Bhawana

Ingredients

Vanilla sponge Cake
For the coffee syrup–
2 tbsp. Instant Coffee Powder
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Sugar
Espresso extract–
2 tbsp. Instant Coffee Powder
3 tbsp. Hot Water
For the filling and frosting–
8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

For the espresso extract, whisk together espresso powder and hot water.
Set aside or use espresso from coffee machine.
For the coffee syrup, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract. Set aside.
For the filling, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. coffee syrup just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
For the frosting, beat the cream, 1/2 cup powderedsugar and 2 tablespoons Espresso extract until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup of filling mixture in it.
To assemble the cake, place one plain cake layer on a serving plate.
Using a thin skewer, poke holes in cake.
Pour coffee syrup over cake, then spread half of the filling mixture.
Place another cake layer; poke holes in cake.
Pour coffee syrup over the second layer and spread with the remaining filling.
Spread sides and top of cake with frosting.
Decorate the cake according to the taste.
Refrigerate before serving.

Pasta In Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

June 30, 2020 by Bhawana

If you are looking for a super easy recipe on a lazy day, you are at right place. This is one of my favorite recipe for such days when you don’t want to cook elaborate meal but still dinner makes happy faces. I made this recipe last night for dinner and sharing as quickly as I can in the morning. The most important ingredient you needed for this is Roasted Red Pepper Pesto. Making pesto is always easy, as you have to put everything in the blender and make it in to thick purée. But yesterday I prefer store bought pesto and whip a quick pasta ever.

pasta in roasted red pepper sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Pasta of choice boiled until al dente
10 Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Spinach, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 Pine nuts, roasted
1/4 cup Parmigiano- Reggiano Cheese, grated
2 tsp Olive Oil
Basil leaves
1 cup Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Method

Heat oil in a pan.
Add garlic and sauté for 20 seconds.
Now add mushroom and cook until the water cooks-off.
Add spinach, salt and pepper.
Give it a quick stir and cook for a minute. Pour pesto, pine nuts and cheese.
Mix all together and serve garnished with basil and additional cheese.

pasta in red pepper pesto

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Ingredients

2 large Roasted Red Peppers
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano, grated
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Sea salt

Method

In a food processor, throw in the roasted red peppers, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, fresh basil, Parmesan-Reggiano, crushed red pepper, garlic and pine nuts, and pulse until mixture is smooth and thick.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Birthday !

November 12, 2015 by Bhawana

Every Year I have the same question in my mind before my husband’s b’day. What gift should I give him this year?
What gift is more precious than a food cooked with love and care, keeping in mind the taste and the choice of the person . This is my gift for my husband on his Birthday.

Stuffed Shells

Large Pasta Shells-12 or as needed
Salt
2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Pot of boiling water.

Cook shells in boiling salted water as per directed on the box. Once cooked, drain the water and add olive oil. Mix it well with light hands. It helps shells stay seprated without sticking with each other.

Pasta Sauce- Homemade or Ready made Ur call, I used Marinara Sauce.
1 1/2 cup- Low fat Cottage Cheese
2 cups- washed and chopped Spinach
1 tbsp- Ready to use Chopped Jalapenos
2 tbsp – grated Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese to sprinkle on top
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 tbsp- Chopped Fresh Parsley (fresh makes lot of difference)
4- cloves garlic chopped
Salt and Pepper
oil

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, saute for few seconds and add chopped spinach. Cook 3-5 minutes, season it with salt and pepper. Cook on high flame for some more time until water from spinach evaporated. Keep it aside to cool down. Mix together cottage cheese, jalapenos, Italian seasoning, Parsley, Parmesan and cooked spinach. Taste it and season it according to taste. Spoon this mixture gently and carefully in to cooked shells.
Preheat the oven at 35o degrees F.
Grease baking dish and pour 1 cup of marinara sauce in to it. Spread it and prepare a bed for stuffed shells. Arrange stuffed shells in the baking dish. Spoon some of the sauce on the shells and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and bake covered on the lower rack for 30-35 minutes.

Stuffed Bread

I read the recipe for Cherry-Go-Round in Taste Of Home’s Holiday Celebrations. I liked the presentation of the bread. Its a sweat bread so I changed the stuffing and the recipe according to our palate. Thank U TOH’s.

For the bread-
2 tsp Yeast
2 tsp Sugar
1/4 cup Lukewarm Water
Mix well yeast and sugar in a water. Keep it aside for 10 minutes for proofing. It should rise and foam up.

2 1/2 cups Bread flour
1/2 cup Yogurt (that day was tuesday, no egg day for us)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup warm Milk

Mix oil, salt, yogurt and soda in to the flour. Now add risen yeast and mix it well. Knead it in to a soft and springy dough with warm milk as needed. (atleast 5 minutes) Cover and leave it in a warm place for 4-6 hours.

For the stuffing-
1 chopped onion
2 cloves chopped Garlic
1 cup crumbled Paneer
1 1/2 cup chopped Mushroom
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
salt
pinch of sugar
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a pan add garlic and onion. Saute until brown in color. Add mushroom, salt, sugar, and IS. Stir it well and cook for 5 minutes till mushroom are soft and cooked. Now add paneer and tomato ketchup. Give it a stir, check the seasoning and cook another 2 minutes. Keep it aside to cool down.

Take out the dough and punch it down. Now roll it into a evenly flattened rectangle. (it should big enough to make a ring when u rolled the stuffing) Spread the stuffing within 1/2 inch of edges. Now roll up Jelly-Roll style, pinch seams and tuck ends under.

Line baking sheet with the parchment paper. Place the dough seam side down on baking sheet and pinch ends together to form a ring. This is a tricky part, with kitchen scissors cut from outside edge 2/3 of the way toward centre of the ring at 1 inch intervals. Seprate strips slightly and twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled atleast for an hour.

Bake at 350 degree F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This was my first time, probably next time I can give more accurate pictures. All I can say is it tastes wonderful.

Strawberry Bundt cake was the star of the evening though Birthday boy had a soft corner for stuffed bread. My son was happy with stuffed shells. (We also had Fruit Medley and Brown Rice Fried Rice. ) And I was happy looking at two happy faces in front of me.

Touch Wood.

Onion Focaccia

April 1, 2014 by Bhawana

Foccacia

Onion Focaccia

Author: Bhawana

Ingredients

1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt
4- 4 1/2 cups Bread Flour
1 cup chopped onions
Herbs of your choice to sprinkle on top for garnishing.

Instructions

Stir the yeast, pinch of sugar and ½ cup of water together in a mixing bowl and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 8 to 10 minutes. (If foam does not form, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.)
Add ¼ cup of olive oil, salt, onion and remaining sugar and stir in bread flour 1 cup at a time and water until an irregular shaped dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Knead until the dough is smooth, slightly sticky and elastic to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
With oiled fingers, press & flatten the dough and give the oval shape or shape of your choice.
Grease the baking tray and place the dough and cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size. This will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
With your fingertips, make deep indentations all over the surface of the dough. Drizzle remaining olive oil & sprinkle herbs of your choice all over & keep it aside for more 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and Bake the focaccia in the hot oven until it is light golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature with salad of your choice.
Herbs choices are rosemary, sage, basil or oregano.