Sugar High and Tipsy

My blood sugar levels have hit the roof.

Well, no…not technically. But it seems so obvious considering the fact that I can’t come up with food that has absolutely no sugar in it (or honey,or molasses, or syrup, or…well you know the rest). And I’m not even talking about desserts.

I’m currently in a phase where I get fits everytime I see the sugar jar…and automatically give in to the temptation of dumping a spoonful of it into anything that’s stewing, or roasting, or boiling, or frying in the pan. I have started craving for sugary sweetness, which is unlike me in totality, after lunch, after dinner and even before bedtime.

Forget about being terrified of turning into my mother, I’m practically turning into all the women in my family. They love their sweets, believe me.

Now, I feel like a traitor after just blogging about how I stay away from ghee or syrup-dunked sweets. No excuse. I’ve even, to my own horror, found myself wondering how recipes are only totally and completely 100% savory, seasoned with only salt and pepper!

So, this is what the family GP had warned me about….hmmm.

And the rate at which Fauri keeps replacing the empty jar, all the while wondering where exactly was all the sugar magically disappearing to, is almost obscene.

Well, what can I say…I’m trying.

What the fudge…?!?!

The first droplets of rain in Mumbai, left streaks across the tiled terrace floor, almost washing away the dirt my gardener leaves behind every alternate afternoon. You could hardly call it “rainfall” since the drizzle was nothing compared to what Mumbai usually faces.

We’re all gearing up for the washout due 23rd or 24th of the next month. How lovely.

Meanwhile, I’m getting deliciously absent-minded, day by day.

I released the wrong set of drawings to the wrong consultant yesterday and then made his assistant drive back to the office and collect the right set. Not to mention the madness with which I cursed at myself while he was paying full attention to my instructions. His spectacles almost fell off the edge of his nose, I swear.

I typed a fantastically raunchy text message meant for the Lieutenant and then sent it to his best friend. Don’t ask me how that happened. I’m only thankful that M. is a very understanding guy and wasn’t really scandalized by the message.

I got inspired by the new book on chocolate that I bought and decided to try out the orangette recipe….I know, I know its technically not orange-season in India, but the tangy green ones are out. I just couldn’t help it.

It was destined to get all fucked fudged up really. Sorry Mom.

And hurriedly read through the directions, and instead of letting the peel strips cool in the sugar solution for 6 hours, I strained them out and left them in the open. By the time I came back from office, red ants were yelling out “Thank You Amrita!”

I know, I’m smart.

And if you’re wondering, then no, green peels don’t work as well as orange ones…they’re just not as sweet or easy.

Good Ol’ Chocolate Mousse

Fact 1: I’ve never met anyone who does not like chocolate mousse. No one.

(If you don’t like it, leave a comment telling us about it….

if you like it…well then,leave me a comment about that too!!)

Fact 2: Its easily one of the easiest desserts to make which provided maximum satisfaction.

Fact 3: Flavor options are…well, unlimited…since whatever flavor you choose is bound to work.

I, however, prefer the classic chocolate mousse, with nutty or fruity tones.

Intially the idea was to make a white chocolate mousse…but then I remembered, I already had one in the kitty, so decided to do the other “good ‘ol” chocolate Mousse. This one, is loaded with hazelnutty goodness.

What You Need:

– 250gms of dark chocolate (I used 60% cocoa), chopped in bits

– 100gms Hazelnuts

– 3/4 cup of heavy cream

– 2 egg whites

– 2 tablespoons of sugar (if you need it to be sweeter…I didn’t use it any)

– Whipped cream, white/dark chocolate shavings to garnish

How-To:

Preparing the Hazelnuts

– De-shell and roast the hazelnuts in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper at 275 F 15-20 minutes.

– Remove from oven before the nuts brown completely….golden brown is what we want.

– Roll a damp kitchen towel against the nuts and rub the skins off them.

– After the skins come off, roll then dry with paper towels and grind them to fine powder, in a processor.

The Mousse

– Halve the amount of cream in two separate bowls.

– Heat one half over a low flame, till bubbles start to appear. Don’t let it boil over.

– Add this cream to the bowl of chopped chocolate and let stand for a minute.

– Whip the egg whites and sugar (if you’re using any), till stiff. An electric beater works perfectly fine unless you’re willing to exercise your arms using a hand-beater.

– Add the egg white foam to the warm chocolate and cream mixture and gently stir centre-out till no white streaks remain.

– Stir in the hazelnut flour into the chocolate. Mix well.

– Whip the remaining cream into soft peaks that hold their shape. Pour the cream into the chocolate mixture and fold in gently.

– Pour in serving glasses/cups and allow it to set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

– Garnish with whipped cream (a little of the heavy cream whipped to peaks with confectioners’ sugar) and chocolate shavings (both dark and white, in my case), before serving.

Beating the Heat

With kalboishakhi and a luscious Espresso Slushy.

Kolkata has always seen sweaty, sunny hot summers. This year was much too hot for anybody to handle though. Going out  meant groaning and complaining while getting dressed. I barely left the house (on my four-day trip home), except for the ocassional dinner invitations.

Luckily enough, the kalboishakhi hit us just one day before my flight back to Mumbai!

And the city cooled down in ten minutes flat. Ten minutes.

Kalboishakhi is technically nor’westers, the wind that ushers in monsoon in India.

Its quick, super-destructive, cools like a chilly blizzard and blows with a vengeance.

Needless to say, we welcome it like an old friend really. The storm had almost become just a memory, considering the fact that I hadn’t experienced it in all the five years of staying away from home. This year the memory was refreshed! Of my Mother and the maid running around the penthouse trying to get to all the French windows in time, before the violent wind knocked the trinkets off their shelves and the paintings off the walls! Of my Dad chasing flyaway newspapers and of me and my brother standing in the balcony with our eyes closed (the dust blinds you) and arms wide-stretched hoping we’d get blown away!

The idea of getting blown away has always been rib-tickling!

This year, instead of doing a routine stand in the balcony I ran around along with my Mother, bolting the windows…

One glance through the window told me that Monsoon had arrived.

A couple of days prior to the storm, the sweltering heat literally forced me to bring out the coffee grinder and a handful of old coffee beans to whip up a slushy. The old beans, though old, did a fine job instead of instant or regular coffee powder. I could have gone for ice-cream I know, but I’m still one of the unfortunate ones who’re still confused about which ice-cream maker to buy (I’ve been saving up, by the way). Any suggestions???

Anyway, didn’t feel like undertaking heavy physical work beating up ice-crystals, so I let the old processor do my dirty job.

Ingredients:

– 2 tablespoons of coffee beans, ground to granules…or espresso mix or instant coffee powder does just as well!

– Half a cup of sugar

– One and a half cups of milk

– 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

How-To:

– Dissolve the cornstarch in half a cup of cold milk avoiding lumps and set aside for a couple of minutes.

– Add to the rest of the milk (1 cup). Add sugar and simmer on low heat, till the sugar dissolves.

– Take 1 tablespoon of the warm sweetened milk and add to the coffee powder in a cup and beat vigorously, till the mixture turns light brown in color and becomes creamy. This step takes a sincere amount of hard work and makes the slushy pop wth flavor.

– Add this to the heating milk and stir till the custard thickens and is able to coat the back of a spoon without dripping off.

– Take it off the heat and cool in an ice-bath for 10-15 minutes.

– Pour in a shallow freeze proof container and freeze for an hour or till the edges are frozen and icy.

– At this point if you churn this mixture in an ice-cream machine, you would get…well, uh, ice-cream…so go ahead and do it!

– Or you could churn it in the mixer or food processor. Pour it back into the shallow container and freeze for 2-3 hours and you’re done.

– Serve in a tall glass topped with softly whipped creamand hot chocolate!

(I, personally am off cream and chocolate for a little while, so apologies for the extremely boring photograph…)

Pears for Autumn

Late September and its already impossible to walk down the pedestrian pathway without ending up with leaves on your shoulders. I can literally smell the fumes emanating from the dhunuchi and the air is filled with sound of a dhak playing…radio stations trying to get everyone into the Durga Puja mood.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Neither is it sweltering hot, nor unreasonably chilly. I feel lazy and excited at the same time, now that the Indian festive season is upon us. I can’t wait for October!

Meanwhile, here’s an almost “funky” pear fruit recipe, to make mid-morning a little fizzier.

The pears in our refrigerator have been ripening since last Tuesday. I know.

So I pulled a couple of them out. Poached ’em in a lime-vanilla-cinnamon bath and added some fizz (which I honestly didn’t think would work)…but amazingly, it turned out yummy and fun!

Fizzy Pear fruit Drink (or soup, if you may) – Serves 2

– 2 medium sized pears

– 3 cloves

– 1 medium-sized cinnamon stick

– Half a pod of vanilla, bruised slightly (you could also use vanilla essence)

– Juice of 1 lime

– 2 cardamoms, flattened with your knife

– 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup

– 1 cup of water

– 7Up or Sprite to serve

Halve the pears and remove the seeds. I did not peel the skin off, but you can, of course, if you want. Set the water to simmer on low heat. Add the cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, lime juice, cardamoms and honey. Drop the pear halves in the simmering water, cut side down. Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the pears have softened considerably. Turn them over (skin-side down) and poach for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes. Chill the fruit in the refrigerator. Cut the halves into thirds. Put them in a shot glass and fill it up with 7up or Sprite. Top with crushed ice (optional) and serve.