Well. It's been a heady, exotic, seductive journey over the past week for me...a week that included an in-depth, hands-on immersion into Indian cuisine. A journey that was over too soon...but won't be shelved! I can now put a bit of food memory...hands on memory into my next foray into this intriguing culture. From the child-like fascination of a new discovery...to exposing each of my senses to the tingling sensation of new and unexpected flavor and cultural tastes...to the actual moment I knew Indian food had made its way into my life...and kitchen...to stay. These two opposites...one creamy and smooth and cool
and refreshing...one tangy and fizzy and tingly
and refreshing...were two of our favorites on the table.
Yes, I know. I say that with every new post. Like I said. Whenever a bite/sip of one dish was in my mouth...it was my complete favorite! So, this is the final recipe post to accompany my
PFB challenge #3 entry:
A Taste of India (vote
HERE.
..click on the heart to vote). Enjoy and thanks for taking the Indian food journey with me over the last week or two...it was good to have you with me ☺.
Phirni
Light Rice Pudding
adapted from Climbing the Mango Trees
by Madhur Jaffrey
serves: 4
...but I doubled it...woulda trippled it if I'da realized how addicting it was!
5 tsp. rice flour (also called rice powder)
I ground up basmati rice until into coarse granules & powder
3 Tbs. plus 1 qt. milk
1/8 tsp. cardamom seeds
I used freshly ground ground cardamom
¼ c. sugar, or to taste
1 Tbs. chopped, shelled unsalted pistachios
I used salted
Put rice flour in a medium bowl. Slowly add the 3 Tbs. milk and mix to smooth paste.
Set remaining quart of milk to boil in a heavy, smallish pan, over med-low. Add cardamom seeds and sugar to milk. Remove from heat as soon as milk begins to boil and rise and it'll be thicker. Slowly pour hot milk into rice paste and whisk to combine. Pour it all back into the pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir often w/ whisk and simmer very gently for ~15 minutes. Pour into individual bowls or one larger, shallow dish and allow to cool and set slightly. Sprinkle pistachios over top and refrigerate. Serve cold. I waiting to sprinkle with the pistachios until just before service.
I LOVED the salty, nuttiness when combined with the creamy coolness of the rice. New addiction.
When trying to nail down the drink to accompany this meal, I opted for something non-alcoholic that all of the guests could enjoy.
Although some may prefer it with a kick. I'm not sayin' who. Just putting it out there. Those people could successfully put something all warm and fuzzy in their glass first...and then pour this over the top and that would definitely put some perma-grin into their day...
Neebu ka Sharbat
Sparkling Fresh Limeade
inspired by Jaffrey's
¾ - 1 c. freshly squeezed key lime juice
(from ~1 lb. limes)
½ - ¾ c. sugar
3 - 3¾ c. sparkling water
ice cubes
Stir the lime juice and sugar together and allow to sit for an hour or so...until the sugar is dissolved. Stir.
Put ice cubes into a pitcher/caraffe. Pour in lime/sugar mixture. Top off with cold, sparkling water. Enjoy!
*All the ingredients are really "to-taste". If you like it tarter, use less sugar (that's what I did)...or use regular limes. You can also use regular (as opposed to sparkling) water to make it a more "mellow" limeade. I loved it all tart and fizzy, though! Cleared the palate instantly, too. Ha!
Thanks again for taking this delicious, Indian ride with me...and thanks to all who have voted for me to carry on ☺...that support is what keeps me goin'! Tortilla Soup Questers...I haven't forgotten. Watch for the latest roundup tomorrow sometime!
, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian
, Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking
, An Invitation to Indian Cooking
, (movie for foodies) Today's Special
, (article) Saveur no.140- Making It Work: Sometimes the kitchen you want isn't the kitchen you get by Madhur Jaffrey
Strawberry-Lemon Puddings
from Dinner at my Place p. 81 by Tyler Florence
serves 4
2 c. strawberries, hulled & halved
1 Meyer lemon, juice only (personally, I think this fruit is made up..I've never been able to find one. I used 1/2 lemon, 1/2 orange)
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 c. powdered sugar, plus 1 Tbs. for garnish
1/2 c. store-bought lemon curd although I'm pretty sure you could use homemade ;)
1 store-bought pound cake ditto on the homemade
Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 Tbs. of powdered sugar in a small saucepan; place over medium heat. Cook and stir for 4 - 5 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Remove 4 strawberry halves from saucepan and reserve for garnish.
Whip heavy cream in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in the 1 c. powdered sugar and the lemon curd, a little at a time, until combined. Set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I actually used the toaster oven for this...it worked beautifully and I didn't have to use any gas or heat up the kitchen. Cut pound cake into 1/4" thick slices. Using an inverted 6 oz. ramekin, carefully cut out 8 rounds. (The rounds should fit snugly inside of ramekin itself). My pound cake wasn't big enough, so I put two slices together and cut with a jar the size of the ramekin. No need to worry about it being in 2 pieces, because you can't actually see them once it is assembled.
Break the remaining scraps of pound cake into coarse crumbs and toast on a baking sheet in preheated oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.
To assemble, start with a layer of lemon cream on the bottom of each of the ramekins, followed by a pound cake round.
Next add some strawberries and lemon cream.
Add another layer of cake. Drizzle the final cake layers with syrup from the strawberries.
Top with a swirl of lemon cream.
Sprinkle with toasted pound cake crumbs and garnish with a reserved strawberry half. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve!
And there you have it...a lovely, fluffy, sweet and dreamy whipped thing for this Tyler Florence Friday. And believe me when I say that this was divine. I think I'll make this for a special occasion or a party next time, because it looks like a lot of work, but it's not a lot of work...and a taste makes you roll your eyes back into your head. So...
Don't forget to head over to Tyler Florence Fridays to see what everybody else cooked up with Tyler today.
