Monday, November 27, 2017

Orange & Chocolate Flapjacks(Video Recipe)



I have always loved this season when the heavy morning fog and the dip in the temperature make me look forward to lots of Christmas baking. Winter is still nowhere in sight this year, that's a disappointment! Buying fresh oranges at the local market, making candied orange peel, trying out new recipes, while also wanting to make those old favorites again. The deluge of tempting food pictures on social media, the rush to post recipes on time, all very familiar. Only, in the past 2 years, since I started my YouTube Channel, there is also the added anxiety and urgency to shoot Christmas videos on time. 

If you are not a YouTuber yourself, let me tell you making videos is a lot of work, especially if you need to shoot 6-8 in a day. I am now trying to put together my own set of equipment, so I can eventually learn to shoot my own videos. Exciting, scary and liberating at the same time! Moving in that direction, my editor shot this recipe for Chocolate And Orange Flapjacks. Friendly stuff for an experimental shoot. Turned out pretty decent, so there is hope! Have you subscribed yet?

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Think of flapjacks as luxurious versions of the humble granola bars. These are  basically tray bakes with oats, butter and golden syrup as the main ingredients. You can, of course, play around and toss in some dried fruit and nuts for flavor variations. So easy, even kids can make it. Delish enough without a zillion kinds of dried fruit, nuts, coconut and the kind, making it great for fussy eaters. Quick snack box treat, a good last minute gift. Reason enough for you to give these a try? 

An ingredient that deserves special here is golden syrup. It gives a very nice flavor to the bars, Lyle's is a highly recommended brand. You can find this online, check at speciality stores like Godrej Nature's Basket,FoodHall and the kind. I have seen recipes which use honey, maple syrup etc, but I haven't tried it. Do let me know if you do. 




Here is the super simple recipe based on the recipe on the Lyle's website.

Ingredients

Soft unsalted butter - 84 grams
Golden syrup - 1/4 cup(60ml) plus 1-2 tablespoons, read note
Zest of one really fresh orange
Pinch of salt
Quick Cooking Oats - 150 grams
Dark chocolate - 50 grams, chopped. 
Optional add-ins, cinnamon, cardamom, walnuts, dates, figs. 

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8'' square tin lined with baking parchment leaving an overhang.

Melt the butter and golden syrup in a heavy saucepan, keep stirring. 
Grate the zest of the orange directly into it. 
Stir in the salt and oats. 
Press the mixture into the lined pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a nice golden brown on top. 
Remove and cut into squares using a bench scraper.
Scatter the chocolate on top, return to the oven for a minute.
Remove and cool completely before breaking into squares. The bars will crisp up as they cool.
Store airtight. 

Please note: You can use a tablespoon more or less syrup according to your preference. More syrup makes them sweeter and chewy, less makes them crisp.
Golden syrup comes in a green tin, not to be confused with golden syrup topping in a squeeze bottle.
You can top the mixture with some walnuts, use warm spices like cinnamon and cloves with orange zest.
Dates and figs, cashew nuts sounds good to me!



Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Baking Stuff From The USA Every Baker Dreams Of!


A question I am asked quite often, my husband or friend will be traveling to the USA, what baking stuff can I get from there? Counting my blessings, the scenario is much better now in India, but here are some things you might want to buy from the USA or elsewhere. Way better prices, great quality, all those premium brands. They are also so much more easier to find and shop. This Black Friday, 24th November, (and later) don't miss that chance to get some precious things you will love using!

I haven't personally used all of the products and brands mentioned below, I have used a few. I have mentioned the brands after referring books from David Lebovitz and Rose Beranbaum.

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Oven thermometer - Helps you cross check the temperature inside your oven and helps you set it accordingly. Especially important if you use an OTG (Oven Toaster Griller).These thermometers go from simple to sophisticated and expensive, check these out. 
 I use a simple one from Taylor. Check this here.  Buy this in the USA

Baking pans: Good quality non-stick pans of standard sizes, 8 and 9 inch round and square tins(unbelievably not so commonly available here!), springform tins, gorgeous bundt pans. I would kill for those from Nordicware! Standard size loaf pans, standard and mini size muffin trays, Madeleine pans, mini loaf pans, mini bundt pans, tart tins, tube pans, Pullman loaf pans and lots more! 

Check Chicago Metallic, USA Pan, Wilton, Nordicware. I love my Wilton tube pan for baking chiffon cakesNordicware Heritage Bundt panNordiware Mini Bundt panLoaf pan, my 8'' square pan among other things. Check USA prices here for tube panNordicware Bundt PanNordicware Mini Bundt pan,  Loaf pan , 8 inch square pan




Non-stick baking matsSilpat is the most popular brand. Get them in the size suitable for your oven size. You could use it for baking cookies, breads etc. Check USA price  here

Vanilla extract: You can make your vanilla extract own at home of course, but commercially made extract is supposed to be far superior, so get this if you have the chance. Premium vanilla beans like Madagascar, Bourbon, Tahitian. Sigh! Check out vanilla paste. Good vanilla is expensive, so beware of cheap vanilla. 

Check Neilsen MasseyFlavorganics Vanilla Queen, Rain's Choice
Also check Sprig and Goodness Vanilla in India. 

Other flavored oils, essences and extracts: Citrus oils lemon oil and Pure orange oil) from Boyajian are supposed to have pure flavor without bitterness Would be great in frostings, cookies and the kind. Rose Beranbaum recommends essences from perfumer Mandy Aftel. Check organic extracts from Flavorganics. 




Chocolate, chocolate chips: You get lots of premium brands and variety, with labels specifying the chocolate mass and more details. You can get Bittersweet, semi-sweet and even unsweetened chocolate. Good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips etc. 

Lindt,Valrhona, Callebaut,Guittard, Scharffen Berger are a few good brands you could check. 

Be sure to use chocolate with the cacoa percentage recommended in the recipe for best results.






Liquid & solid measuring cups: Get a good quality heat proof one.Those from POURfect and Achor Hocking are supposed to be very accurate and recommended by Rose Beranbaum. Also check Oven Basics. I would love to have this glass measuring jar, perfect to use in the microwave!

Measuring spoons: Get standard size spoon set of a good brand( I use sets from OXO), get one with a 1/8 tsp measure included. Buy this in the USA. There is also an odd size spoon set and yeast spoon, but those are not absolutely essential. Nice to have though. Also check POURfect.


Zester: A good zester is a great tool to have to make those desserts and bakes with citrus zest. I love my Microplane Zester. The same thing will be quite expensive in India. This zester makes pretty garnishes





Cocoa, Dutch processed cocoa: Dutch process cocoa has always been on my wish list to try. You can use this in recipes which specify the use of this cocoa and get those cakes with that gorgeous color! Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Green & Black's, Van Houten, Pernigotti, King Arthur Flour,  Droste are some brands of cocoa you could check.








Baking powder: Aluminum free baking powder is recommended for better tasting bakes. Especially helpful in recipes like muffins where more of baking powder is used as more of baking powder leaves a kind of aftertaste. Get multiple smallest size boxes available, bigger ones if you bake commercially. Rumford, Bob's Red Mill. I use Rumford.

Baking spray: Basically a mixture of flour and fat, this makes preparing your pans easy, really neat release of your cakes and other bakes from the baking pans. You do absolutely want those bundt cakes to come out intact, don't you? I use Bakers Joy




Cooling racks: Check racks which have the wire spaced close together as these racks are designed to support delicate cakes and cookies. A good one to have! Here is a simple one, the kind I use. Check those tiered ones if you bake professionally. 




Candy thermometer: A candy thermometer for making those candies, caramels, custards and more. Check here

Pastry blender: For making your pie crusts. Check this one



Speciality Flours: You can make your own cake flour and pastry flour, bread flour, but commercially sold ones are supposed to give way better results. Check out whole wheat pastry flour, Wondra flour, white whole wheat flour, almond flour, coconut flour and what not! King Arthur Flour  is a well known name. 

Color gel: Good quality gel colors for your cakes and desserts. Unless you bake professionally a small pack should last a long time. I use Wilton.




Instant read thermometer: An instant-read thermometer is especially useful for checking if your bread is baked. In most recipes, if you insert the thermometer into the center of the loaf, the temperature must read 200F or more. Go by recipe instructions. I love using mine from  Taylor. Check this in India

Books: Books by renowned authors like Rose Beranbaum, Dorie Greenspan, David Lebovitz, Alice Medrich, Pierre Herme, Peter Reinhart. I could go on and on! Start building that precious collection! Check my post on baking books here



Cake lifter: Can help you lift your cakes easily, but I love using it for making puff pastry. Makes it so much more easier to move around the rolled pastry without tearing it. Check this non-stick one from Nordicware here




Danish dough whisk : Helps mix that sticky batter bread dough very easily. You can also use it for muffins and pancakes where you don't want to over mix the batter. Check this to buy in the USAhere to buy in India




Cake caddy: Store and transport cakes easily. No fridge odors, no accidentally spoiling the decoration. Get one with firm clasps, a large round one may be more useful than a square one. I have this one. Check USA price here

Molasses: Grandma's unsulphured is recommended by many bakers. You could use it in breads, cookies,cakes etc for that dark color and flavor. 


Yeast: You do get good instant yeast here thankfully, Gloripan is the most commonly available one. But it comes in big 500-gram packs. Once opened the pack needs to be stored in the freezer. Lack of freezer space and lo..ong power cuts give me the nightmares. I find these single-use sachets very handy. If freezer space and power is not a problem, try SAF instant yeast. Also check Red Star, Fleischmann's yeast sachets


  • Cake decorating Am no cake decorator, but I think you surely must check those cake decorating tools, rolled fondantCrystallized flowers from Sweetfield, leveling knives, meringue powder and a zillion other things!
  • Dried fruits and nuts - Check Trader Joe's.
More miscellaneous things! 
  • Pumpkin pie spice 
  • Almond paste, praline paste,
  • Sheet gelatin
  • Maple syrup, agave syrup, 
  • Cheese powder,
  • Canned pumpkin puree, 
  • Egg replacer powder(such as EnerG) 
  • Framboise, Kirsch, kahlua, Orange Flower water, 
  • Thai Canned coconut Milk ( check Chaokoh brand)  
The list goes on and on!

This post is going to be work-in-progress for sure, I will add more with links as I come across stuff. Make your list quick, Black Friday or not! 

DISCLAIMER:*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and buy through the link, I will earn a tiny commission on the same. I recommend products which I have used and found good or those I would consider buying myself. 


You will be paying the same price as mentioned on the website, there will not be any variation here. This commission will help me with me costs of running the channel and bring out more videos for you. Your support will be greatly appreciated!


Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Unbelievably Easy Eggless Yogurt Cheesecake! 4 Ingredients, No Fail (Video Recipe)




So you have yawned your way through all those videos, posts and manuals about ovens, those tins, tools, ingredients. You got your oven. Now you just can't wait to bake in it! 

Who in their right minds wouldn't love an impossibly easy recipe which also gives delectable results as the first ever bake? Take it as just saying hello to your oven and actually doing all that preheating stuff blah, blah. No great list of ingredients, no fussy weighing, preparing pans, no nerve-racking tricky techniques. The best thing - this will be all done in 15 minutes flat. You can style the dessert and serve it feeling very Mastercheffy( I know there is no such word!). Then sit back and enjoy the compliments.

So let us call this the Unbelievably Easy Cheesecake with just 3-4 ingredients, no eggs. This may not be the 'real' cheesecake, but it is called one and tastes pretty good. You can play around with the recipe, flavor it as you please. This is a recipe everyone must know, as a dessert emergency knows no novice and veteran!

Watch the video! 

Unbelievably Easy Yogurt Cheesecake. Based on Tarla Dalal's recipe. You can also watch my 90-second video of the recipe.
Ingredients
Condensed milk - 3/4 cup/180ml (I have used Amul Mithaimate)
Full fat yogurt - 1 cup / 240 ml ( I have used Nestle A plus, do not use low fat)
Cornflour / cornstarch - 1 tablespoon
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Flavor variations - Stir into the cheesecake mixture 1 tablespoon thick strawberry puree/plum puree, orange/lime zest, saffron, cardamom, vanilla bean. Make sure the consistency of the mixture doesn't get diluted by the addition of the fruit puree or sauce. Serve it with a sauce which complements the flavor of the cheesecake.
Method: 
  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F. 
  • Place 4 small 120 ml/ 1/2 cup capacity tart tins( or 1 large tart tin) on a baking tray. Do not use tins with loose/removable bottoms. There is no need to grease or line the tins with baking parchment. 
  • Placing the tin on a tray makes it easier to keep in and remove the cheesecake out of the oven.
  • Whisk together the condensed milk, yogurt, cornflour and vanilla extract, ensuring there are no lumps.
  • Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tin up to till it reaches 3/4 way up.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheesecake sets gently. If you touch the center of the cheesecake, it should feel firm and not liquidy at all. It will rise only slightly in the oven and settle down again.
  • The baking time will vary if you would be using a tin of a different size. Do not overbake.
  • Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Place the cheesecake tins on a cooling rack, cool completely
  • Cover the cheesecake(still in the tin) with clingfilm and chill for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cheesecake. Invert on a serving plate and tap to release it.
  • The baked cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. Go out for the strawberries and prepare the sauce while the cheesecake is chilling.

Strawberry Sauce
10-12 strawberries
Sugar - 3-4 tablespoons or as needed

  • Wash and hull the berries, chop them roughly. Take the berries and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook on low heat till they are mushy, about 5 minutes. Keep stirring in between. Smash with a fork. Add a tablespoon of water or so if needed. Cool and refrigerate.

Mango Rum Sauce. Adapted from David Lebovitz
Mangoes - 250 gms, peeled, pitted and cubed 
Water - 1 tablespoon
Sugar - 2 to 4 tablespoons 
Rum - 2 teaspoons
Freshly squeezed lime juice - 2 teaspoons
Blitz together all the ingredients, add more sugar/water to adjust the taste and consistency.

Serve the cheesecake topped with fresh strawberry /mango-rum/plum/cherry sauce. Be sure to have more sauce to pass around later. 

That is it! I can't think of a simpler recipe for anyone to try as the first bake. So if you have that can of condensed milk and yogurt, try this soon! And yes, please do leave your comments for me. 










Wednesday, November 8, 2017

How To Preheat A Convection Microwave(Video Post) | Oven Series | Baking For Beginners




Most recipes in baking begin with instructions to pre-heat your oven, a very important step. I have written about this in brief in my post How To Use A Convection Microwave. A little more in detail about pre-heating a convection microwave in this post. You can also watch my video on preheating(above).

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Whenever we bake anything, before we keep the batter in to bake, we need to bring the microwave to the temperature specified in the recipe. This is called as pre-heating. This is an important step and the first thing you do even before you start mixing your batter. We want the oven hot and ready so that the tin with the cake/brownie batter can go in without any delay. Never keep the cake or brownie batter waiting as it can alter the texture.

But remember to follow recipe instructions always as there may be a few exceptions.  Some cookies and pie crusts can be baked soon after the dough is mixed. Sometimes you may need to chill the cookie/pie dough before rolling and baking. 

Oven Thermometer: When we talk about pre-heating and oven temperatures, I must definitely mention an oven thermometer. This helps you cross-check the temperature inside the oven. Ovens can sometimes act funny. You set it at 180, the actual temperature may be 200C ! So you may end up ruining your bakes. Get yourself one of a reliable brand, you can buy online, do read reviews from other users.  Of course, all of these things are better purchased on Amazon.com if someone can carry it for you. 

Buy in India
Buy in the USA*
Do compare prices!


Oven Thermometer Brands I use one by Taylor. Rose Levy Beranbaum, renowned baker and author recommends infrared or point and shoot thermometers. She uses a laboratory cable thermometer from Omega ( model HH22).These thermometers are sophisticated, accurate and yes expensive too! No harm in checking it out and putting it on your wish list though!

So here is how I pre-heat my LG convection microwave (MC 8040NSR), please take this as a general guide. Of course, to know how to pre-heat your microwave of a different brand and model, you would need to refer that boring manual to see how you pre-heat it. If you can't find it as it happens often, look for it online. 

Preheating Time Microwaves usually take about 5 minutes to pre-heat, so I have the luxury of waiting till my batter is almost ready. But safer not to. I tend to forget once I get involved in the mixing process, so I start pre-heating ahead. If you are not as forgetful as me, by all means, wait until you have 5 minutes to go before the batter gets ready.

How-To Preheat (Finally!): To pre-heat, we will first need to keep the short rack inside. We need to keep the oven thermometer on the rack and put the microwave in convection mode. By default, the microwave will set at 180C. If you want to increase the temperature, keep pressing the same button. It will keep increasing by 10 degrees every time you press until it reaches 250C. That is the maximum in my microwave, I wish it went up higher, would be great for making pizza from scratch.

Then press start. Now the turntable will start rotating. When the oven reaches 180 C it will display the temperature on the panel and sound a beep too. The oven will stay on(at 180C in this example) for about 20-30 minutes. In case you do not put something in and set the timer, it will get switched off after 20-30 minutes.  If that happens as it sometimes does, you will need to preheat again.


Normally in my microwave, the temperature on the thermometer and the panel match and I have no serious complaints about the way things bake in it. Touchwood!  If there is a lot of variation between the temperature you set and the temperature the thermometer displays, and your bakes are not turning out properly, please get your oven checked by a qualified technician. 

Once you hear the beep, quickly remove the oven thermometer( as there isn't enough space to keep it on the rack along with the baking tin). Make sure the rack is in the center of the glass turntable and steady. Keep your baking tray in, set the timer as needed and press the Start button.

One great thing about convection microwaves is it takes very little time to pre-heat. About 5 minutes to pre-heat to the maximum temperature of 250C.  Once you turn the oven off, you can hear the sound of the oven cooling.

Assume your recipe specifies 'bake 30 minutes at 180 C'. You set the timer for 30 minutes and remove the cake, you find that it needs a few minutes more. So, if you have just removed it from the oven just a few seconds earlier, immediately put it back in, set the temperature and the timer for say 5 minutes and press start. I don't find the need to pre-heat all over again. If the oven is turned off, be sure to put the oven back in convection mode, and then set the temperature and the timer.

But if has already been a couple of minutes, the oven will have started cooling( you can hear the fan). You will need to pre-heat again and bake as needed. Check how your oven works, how long it maintains the temperature once it is turned off and you will get a better idea. 

If you would be baking multiple trays of cookies, try to keep next tray ready before the one inside the oven comes out.  If in doubt, pre-heating the oven again is a safe bet. 

So this was about pre-heating, here are a few more videos about ovens you may like to watch. 

How To Use A Convection Microwave. 



Compare  A Convection Microwave And OTG


Please share these videos if you find them helpful, it will help me in reaching out to more people! And of course, do not forget to subscribe to my channel for more videos! 

Please note:*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and buy through the link, I will earn a tiny commission on the same. I recommend products which I have used and found good.You will be paying the same price as mentioned on the website, there will not be any variation here. This commission will help me with me costs of running the blog and channel. Your support will be greatly appreciated