Strawberry Parfait

Both me and D have a thing for strawberries, from strawberry milkshakes to cakes ( read cheesecakes) , from smoothies to ice cream,from fruit bowls with a large amount of strawberries to chocolate icecreams with chunks of strawberries embedded , we always find ways to include them. So it was only obvious that I would be making this small discovery while wanting to enjoy the goodness of fresh strawberries. This recipe would go as a perfect dessert when you want to entertain a group of guests. For this I would recommend frozen strawberries,  store bought concentrates are a strict no no.

Prep time - 10 mins

Serves 2 in medium sized cocktail glasses.

Ingredients:

Strawberries - 11 - 12, frozen
Greek Yogurt - 1/2 cup ( or more as per taste),
Oatmeal cookies - 3 - 4
Sugar - 2 tbsp

For Greek yogurt - Strain the yogurt on a muslin cloth to remove the excess water or whey.

Procedure:

Blend the strawberries and sugar till you get a crumbly homogenous mixture.

Whisk the yogurt to a smooth paste.

Crush the oatmeal cookies with your hands into coarse powder.

Assembling:

In your serving glasses layer with  1 -2 tbsp of strawberry puree, top it up with 3 tbsp ( or less ) of yogurt. Refrigerate and chill. Just before serving, sprinkle the oatmeal cookie crumbs.

Enjoy the chiilled dessert as it slowly melts in your mouth!

Masala Toast

Delicious and mouth watering offering which comes to my mind the first thing I get bread.. This takes somewhat a little time to make, and will probably suit you when you have some free time. But certainly compensated for by its taste!

Prep Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins

Ingredients:

Whole wheat brown bread - 8 slices
Green chutney - 5-6 tbsp
Aloo masala - 1 - 1.5 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Cucumber - 1, cut into thin slices
Tomato - 1, cut into thin slices
Onion - 1, cut into thin slices
Tomato ketchup - as per taste

For the Green Chutney:

Coriander - 1 cup, roughly chopped
Coconut - 1/4 cup, grated
Garlic - 2-3 pods, roughly chopped
Green chillies - 4-5 or as per taste
Water - as required for grinding
Lemon juice - 1 tsp or as per taste ( optional )

For the Aloo Masala:

Potatoes - 1 cup , boiled and mashed
Ginger - 1/2 inch, roughly chopped
Green chilli - 2 or as per taste , roughly chopped
Cilantro - 1 tbsp , finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1tsp

Procedure :

Cut off the edges of the bread and keep aside.

Preparing the Green Chutney:

Grind all the ingredients under the "for the green chutney" section into a smooth paste.

Preparing the Aloo Masala:

Grind ginger and green chillies into a smooth paste.
In a small wok , heat oil . Once hot, add in the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add in the curry leaves and saute for few seconds and add the mashed potatoes , turmeric, ginger- green chilli paste, coriander and salt and mix properly. Cook for 4-5 mins on medium flame and keep aside.

Assembling the Masala Toast:

Preheat the grill/ toaster.

Take two slices of bread and apply butter on one side of both the slices. Place one slice on a plate and spread green chutney generously on the side that was buttered and place 1-2 tbsp of aloo masala over the chutney . Top it with tomato , cucumber and onion slices and squeeze in some tomato ketchup. Complete it with the other slice of bread.

Place in toaster/ grill and cook till it turns golden brown. Repeat the same for more servings.

Best served when still warm and the bread slices are toasty and tasty!!

Dried Fruits Chocolate Truffles

D and me both are really fond of dry fruits,  we always end up adding more than needed for the recipe. On the side, we recently went to a herb Souk in a certain Middle East city and we got excited at the wide variety, quality and most of all enjoyed the taste. In a recent 'brainwave' abetted by an extreme craving for chocolates and dryfruits, I concocted this recipe of a nutty, smooth chocolatey byte! If you have a sweet tooth, then follow me, and drool at the different pictures and head to the kitchen to make and splurge on this delicious, decadent dessert! 

Prep Time - 25 mins

Ingredients :

Almonds -         1/4 cup, roughly chopped

Cashews -         1/8 cup, roughly chopped

Pistachios -        1/4 cup, roughly chopped

Figs -                 1/8 cup, roughly chopped

Golden raisins -  1/8 cup, roughly chopped

Apricots -           1/8 cup , roughly chopped

Heavy cream - 2- 3 tbsp

Butter  -           1 tbsp

Dark chocolate - 200 grams, roughly chopped

Procedure :

Dry roast the almonds, cashews and pistachios for 2-3 mins or till you get a nice aroma. Cool and ground it to a coarse mixture. Separately grind the figs, apricots and raisins to a coarse paste. 

Take a large pan and add water ( for double boiling method) . When the water starts boiling, place a bowl with cream and butter till you get a homogenous mixture. Add in the chopped chocolate and keep stirring continuously till the chocolate melts. Give it a good mix again and turn off the heat. Transfer all the contents to a big mixing bowl and add the dried fruits. Mix it with your hand till the dried fruits get incorporated into the melted chocolate fully. Take small portions and roll them into truffles. If you find it difficult to roll them , store the mixture in refrigerator for 10 mins and then roll.

Alternatively you can just mix the dried fruit mixture and roll them into small balls ( the figs, apricots and raisins mix will help bind the other dried fruits ) and dip those into the melted chocolate, but I prefer the first method where i get dried fruits and chocolate in every bite.

You can further roll these truffles in cocoa powder. Or one can melt white chocolate and decorate with simple words or just plainly drizzle on them. There are lots of ways to play around and make your truffles a success.

Store in refrigerator and serve. Can even be kept for  a week!