Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts. Dairy products, fruit and vegetables are things I love to splurge on! I would rather have an excess of these in my refrigerator, than wait to cook or plan cooking after a hurried trip to the store. The milk is boiled and refrigerated the previous day, a few tetra-packs of them stashed away for emergencies. Lassi and buttermilk in tetra packs come in handy always. And how can we not have paneer , and no we don't ever get tired or bored of it ubiquitous though it undoubtedly is! I mostly make it at home with 3% milk, though I prefer the firmer packaged variety for grilling. 

We eat yogurt like there is no tomorrow and I set it every night. Its an integral part of our breakfast, lunch , dinner and snacks. Chilled low fat yogurt sweetened with a bit of sugar and vanilla, topped with nuts is often my guilty pleasure post lunch! Blitzed with fruit it's a refreshing drink in the kids' snack box. The hunger pangs born out of boredom can often be remedied with some yogurt sprinkled with chat masala! Sounds very dramatic, but yes, not a day goes without yogurt!  

     

I made these little tarts filled with saffron scented yogurt cream, pistachios and peaches. Hung curd, sweetened, whisked with some saffron infused cream can't be anything but good of course! A bit of texture with chopped pistachios makes it even better. Light and delicious, a simple, make ahead recipe for Mother Dairy's  Summer Of Happiness Challenge. 

To participate, submit a recipe using any of these Mother Dairy products. Mother Dairy Paneer, Chach, Curd, Blueberry Yogurt, Mango Lassi, Aam Doi and Mishti Doi. More details and recipes by Chef Vikas Khanna here. 

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts (serves  6-8)

Delicately flavored yogurt cream and peaches in crisp buttery tart shells. 

Ingredients:

Short Crust Pastry (recipe below)

Mother Dairy Curd - Two 400 gram boxes to give about 1 1/2 cups hung yogurt.

Fresh cream, 25% fat (I have used Amul) - 1/2 cup / 120 ml

Saffron - 2 generous pinches

Powdered sugar - 4 tablespoons ( or more to taste)

Chopped pistachios - 1/4 cup

Fresh peaches (or mangoes), sliced for garnish

Method : 

For the tart shells: 

Flour : 175 grams

Butter : 113 grams, cubed and chilled till very cold

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Powdered sugar - 1/2 tablespoon

Ice cold water - 2 tablespoons (plus 1 tablespoon if needed)

Equipment : One Small and another large metal bench scraper. Chill these at least for 15 mins.  Alternatively you could use a food processor. 

A rolling pin.

Pie weights or kidney beans. Small squares of aluminum foil.

Cling film

Special instructions : Work in a cool kitchen.

Method : To make the pie crust : 

Mise en place.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt, transfer mixture onto your kitchen counter. 

Dump the cold butter on the flour. Toss the pieces in the flour so that the flour coats it. 

Using the bench scraper, briskly cut the butter into the flour till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. This will take a couple of minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour. Take 2 tablespoons cold water from the freezer and pour into the well. Gently gather the flour into the water using your fingertips. The dough will begin to come together. 

If you pinch some dough between your thumb and forefinger, it should hold together and not crumble apart. Though the mixture may look dry-ish at this stage, it will come together well. Add more of the chilled water just half a teaspoon at a time if the mixture doesn't hold when pinched. Remember, excess water will make the pastry tough. 

Once you have added the needed amount of water, divide the flour mixture into two portions.  Smear each portion gently once across the counter with the heel of your hand. Gather it back, the pastry will be smoother now. 

Flatten, wrap well in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Overnight is fine too.

When ready to bake : 

If the pastry is very firm, leave it (still wrapped) on the counter for 15-20 minutes or till firm but malleable enough.

Flour your counter very lightly. 

Gently roll out the pastry about 3-4 mm thick. Cut out circles . 

Slip them in gently into the tart molds, taking care not to stretch it or it will shrink later. (If I ever learn to do this neatly, will tell you how) Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour or overnight to suit your schedule. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with cling film and refrigerate. 

Pre-heat oven to 190 C/ 375 F. Remove cling film, place squares of foil inside the cups, put some kidney beans to weigh them down and bake for 18-20 minutes or till light golden and crisp. Store airtight till needed.

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream

Drain the yogurt in a muslin lined sieve, placing a large bowl underneath to catch the whey. Place in the refrigerator for about 8-10 hours  to get very thick yogurt.

Warm the cream with the saffron very gently over low heat. Refrigerate. 

Whisk together 1 cup of the hung yogurt, sugar and 1/2 cup cream till light. (vary proportion to taste) Stir in the pistachios. 

Keep refrigerated till serving time.

Just before serving, spoon the yogurt cream into the tart shells, top with the fruit slices and more pistachios.  Serve immediately. 

Creamy Carrot Kheer

Hubby, kids and I relish almost all kinds of desserts, but the rest of the clan can be a bit finicky at times. My sisters and sis-in-law are not as much in love with chocolate as I am, while my brother does enjoy the food of the Gods occasionally. When I wanted to take a dessert for him recently,  it had to be something which was neither a cake nor chocolate and without eggs (for my mother). I had little time on my hands to search and make something which would meet all criteria. Yet it had to be something delicious and new. Aren't good old Indian desserts best at times like this?

Carrot halwa is a familiar dessert and one I profoundly love, but carrot kheer? I had my first taste of this at a friend's place and it was so good! Incidentally, this friend of mine is not a desserts person at all but this pudding has the honor of being among the 2 sweets she loves... but then you have to try really hard not to love this dessert. Creamy, rich, aromatic with saffron and cardamom...and so easy to make!  A must have recipe in your books!

The recipe is friendly, and like most desserts of this ilk, can be tweaked to suit your taste and availability of ingredients. I have made this based on  Pratibha's recipe and it was an absolute delight! The taste of the carrots is almost indistinguishable allowing the creamy, nutty, milky richness to take center stage. Depending on the kind of milk and the presence or absence of condensed milk or cream and the quantity of nuts you would add, this can be made more rich or less rich.

I wouldn't recommend attempting a really low fat version of this kheer though, as you run the risk of it tasting more like baby food than the amazing kheer it is meant to be! But of course, making it rich translates to keeping the serving size on the stingy side.

Ingredients

Grated carrots - 1 1/4 cup, packed ( from about 3-4 carrots, I used the regular orange-ish ones)
Whole milk - 1 liter
Low fat cream (or sweetened condensed milk) - 1/4 cup
Sugar - heaping 1/2 cup or to taste (you may need very little or none if using condensed milk)
Ghee - 2 teaspoons
Almonds - 10
Cashew - 8-10
Saffron - a generous pinch
cardamom powder - about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste

Procedure:

• Soak the almonds and cashews for about 2 hours or more. Take the milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Once it boils, turn the heat to low, allow the milk to simmer till it reduces to almost 3/4 liter. Stir occasionally. Once reduced turn off the heat. 
• Soak the saffron in about a tablespoon of warm milk. 
• In the meantime, heat the ghee in another medium sized heavy bottomed pan. On low heat, toast the cashews (meant for garnish) till light golden in color, drain, keep aside. 
• In the same pan, keeping the heat low, saute the grated carrots for 3-4 minutes or till the raw smell is gone. Take about 1/4 cup of the hot milk and add it to the carrots. ( If you haven't had more time to soak the nuts, you can add them with the carrots and steam, says Pratibha) Cover and cook on low heat, till the carrots are soft. Turn off the heat.
• In the smallest jar of your mixie, process the cooked carrots along with any milk left with them, the soaked almonds and cashew till very smooth. Take about a cup of the reduced milk in a medium sized bowl, whisk in the cream (or condensed milk) and the ground paste. Ensure there are no lumps. 
• Mix this into the remaining milk, add the sugar (if using). Stir in the soaked saffron. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Check and adjust the sugar if needed. Turn off the heat. 
• Once cool, add the cardamom and the toasted chopped nuts.
• Serve warm or at room temperature or chilled. Check the consistency before serving, adding a bit of milk if needed. I prefer this at room temperature or chilled.

Thanks for this delectable recipe Pratibha, carrots will henceforth tempt me even more!

And do tell me what's your favorite, fail proof dessert which is no chocolate, no bake, egg-less and quick to make?