Homemade Croissants

Yes...you read right. I made croissants!! I know!! Its totally unbelievable even to me. I think I'm floating about in a dream...I mean cakes are one thing but these buttery crumbly flaky crescent like pastries...are another...

But you'll be glad to know that after lots of hard work and sweat they turned out pretty good. Ah..what the heck!, they were absolutely heavenly. Not all of them, but most of them...
I dont think I can write down the recipe cos its really long and the process is time consuming... Its quite easy but u gotta do lots of folding and rolling the dough... And lots of butter, I mean...LOTS. These things are drenched in butter...
Yeah..I know they look like prawns..But they're NOT!!
A great breakfast or an afternoon tea snack. Heavy on the calories but light in your mouth!!

Cheesecake Heaven...

There is nothing more sinful than a well turned out cheese cake and certainly nothing better than a CHOCOLATE cheesecake...

I tried to present it the way its done at restaurants...Not so great I know.
It may look the colour of mud, but damn! that's some tasty mud!!

Base:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp cocoa
Cheesecake Filling
6 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate, chopped small
2 1/2 cups cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1tbsp custard powder
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks                                                            
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cocoa dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
Sauce:
3 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1tsp dark corn syrup (I used golden syrup)


Method:
  1. Process the biscuits to make rough crumbs, then add butter and cocoa.Process again until damp and clumping. Tip into baking pan and press to the bottom and a little up the sides with your hands or the flat of a spoon. Chill in the freezer while making the filling.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
  3. Melt chocolate on a double boiler and set aside.
  4. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add sugar and custard powder. Beat in the whole eggs then egg yolks and the sou cream. Finally add cocoa dissolved in hot water and then the melted chocolate and mix into a smooth batter.
  5. Layer the baking pan with foil twice. Place it in a roastin gtray andpour boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan.
  6. Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour. The top should be set but the bottom should be wobbly.
  7. Peel away the fiol and cool. Chill in the fridge with a plastic covering.

Chocolate Sauce:
Melt the chocolate cream and syrup either on a double boiler or in the microwave. Whisk into a smooth sauce. Cool and pour over the cake while serving.
Enjoy!!

Chocolate Loaf Cake

This is THE most amazing chocolate cake... Very rich in chocolate and tastes great too. Many of you must have seen Nigella Lawson make this on one of her TV series. I got the recipie from her site, and its quite simple and quite heavy. She asks that you strew the chopped chocolate on top of the cake after the cake has cooled off, but I put it straight fromt the oven. That way when you cut it you get gooey melted chocolate almost like frosting on top of the cake!! The batter also tastes great!!
 
Ingredients:
200gm plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder                                           
50gm cocoa
275gm caster sugar
175gm butter
2 eggs
1tbsp vanilla
80ml sour cream
125ml boiling water
175gm dark chocolate chips

Syrup:
1tsp cocoa
125ml water
100gm caster sugar

25gm dark chocolate

Method:-
  1.  Preheat oven to 170 degree C. Line a loaf tin with greased foil and leave an overhang all around.
  2. Process the flour, bak. powd, cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla & sour cream to get a satiny smooth batter.
  3. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and process again while adding boiling hot water.
  4. Then add the chocolate chips and stir. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for an hour.
  5. Make the syrup 5 or 10 mins before the cake is done. Place the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and   boil for 5 to 10 mins. It should be slightly thick, so boil longer if needed.
  6. Take the cake out and poke holes on the surface. Pour the syrup evenly as possible.
  7. Sprinkle with chopped dark chocolate. Cover the cake with the overhang and let to cool.
 Enjoy!!





Flan

We Indians know it by Caramel Custard. I like custard, especially the one with lots of fruits in it, though I'm not a fan of the eggy custard. Ok, let's face it, if we go to any restaurant in India, this dessert is seen ordered left and right. Though I myself have ordered it only a handful of times, I wasn't really motivated to try making it, until now...
Another thing... Caramel... Not a very simple thing. I mean, its simple but the process...You have to be very careful that you dont end up with really bitter and burnt sugar instead of caramel!!
Ingredients:
250gm sugar
50ml water

3 egg yolks
3 eggs
120gm sugar
2tsp vanilla
380ml milk
                                                       380ml half and half (or cream & milk mixed)
Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar, then swirl the pan until sugar is dissolved. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until thick and large bubbles form. Then uncover the pan and continue to cook until it becomes a rich brown colour.
  3. Pour into the bottom of the mould. Rotate to cover the bottom of the pan and up the sides a little.
  4. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar until well blended. Heat vanilla, milk and half and half until hot to touch. Do not boil. Slowly add to the egg mixture.
  5. Pour the custard into the prepared mould. Place mould in a baking pan. Boil water and pour in the pan so its halfway up the sides of the mold.
  6. Bake for 20-30 mins. Insert a kinfe and if it comes out clean its done.
  7. Cool completely, then chill in a refrigerator.
  8. Invert over a platter with sides to catch the caramel sauce.
Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cake

I wasn't sure whether this cake would be tasty enough, because of the cream cheese used. But it turns out quite good. Heavy but good... Can't have more than one slice though. :)
Ingredients:
1 8oz pack (228gms) cream cheese
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 tbsp butter milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf tin.
  2. Beat chesse, butter and sugar until smooth.
  3. Beat in eggs, buttermilk & vanilla. Sift in flour and baking powder and fold in along with chocolate chips.
  4. Spoon into pan and bake for 1 hr.
  5. Serve dusted with confec. sugar.