Nan Khatai (Indian Butter Biscuits)

Today marks a very special day in the Hindu calender, Diwali. Diwali is known as the festival of lights, and is a wonderful time of year for Hindu families. Little lamps are lit in homes to usher in good fortune and happiness in the Hindu new year. Vast amounts of sumptuous food is enjoyed as part of the celebrations, including an array of sweets!

Nan Khatai is a simple little sweet one often sees around this time of year in Indian homes. I have tasted many, and tried many recipes. However, this recipe is one I have come up with myself after a good bit of tweaking and now stick to year in and year out. I love the balance of flavours, and I love the tenderness of the crumb in these delightful (and addictive) little biscuits.

Although simple, there are a couple of things key to ensuring perfection in making nan khatai. First, only use freshly ground cardamom - pre-packaged cardamom powder doesn't even come close to the beautiful aroma of freshly ground cardamom. It is the most exquisite scent! Secondly, don't overwork the dough. Last but certainly not least, let the dough rest. Really, it is much like making pastry. If you overwork the dough and fail to let it rest, you will end up with a very tough final product.

Nan Khatai
An original Diary of a Ladybird recipe

Ingredients
90g salted butter
35g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
1/2 teaspooon freshly ground cardamom
150g plain flour
45g white rice flour

Method
1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butters, sugar and cardamom until pale and creamy.
2. Mix in combined flour until just combined, then tip out mixture onto a clean work surface. Squeeze together and shape into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Remove dough from the fridge and take teaspoon amounts of the dough and roll into balls and set aside. I keep in a spare plastic container with a lid. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
4. Place spaced apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees celsius. Bake for around 15 minutes or until just lightly golden.


And so to those of you celebrating, I wish you all a very happy Diwali! I hope you enjoy this recipe :)

xx

Cranberry & White Chocolate Bites

Around this time last year, I made white chocolate and macadamia shortbread cookies and packaged them up and gave them away as Christmas gifts. I wanted to do something similar again this year, but this time I wanted them to taste a little more Christmasy, so the inclusion of cranberries in a cookie seemed like a good idea.

I usually follow recipes that I come across and don't spend much time developing my own recipes, but this is something I'm very keen on doing more of, especially in 2011. So, in the spirit of getting a head start of new year's resolutions, here is my recipe for these little bite size Christmas treats. Quick and easy to make, these make a great gift for friends with little notice.

The recipe makes around 60 cookies that can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last!).

White Chocolate & Cranberry Bites

An original Diary of a Ladybird recipe!

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, softened

pinch salt

1/4 c caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c plain flour

2 tbsp rice flour

1/4 c dried cranberries, finely chopped

Half block (90g) white chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and pinch of salt. Add the plain flour and rice flour, then mix in the cranberries and white chocolate.

3. Roll small teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on the baking tray, and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden.

4. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'll be featuring a few more Christmas recipes over the coming days, including great ideas for food that can also double as homemade gifts. Stay tuned!


Ladybird x

Piña Colada Ice Cream

Cue the Pina Colada song, kick off your shoes and get that Hawaiian shirt on, it's time for Piña Colada ice cream!

Since I first got my hands on Nigella's latest book, I new I just had to try this ice cream recipe.This is another one of her fantastic no-churn recipes, so it's great if you don't have an ice cream machine (and even if you do have one)! I really love her no-churn margarita and pomegranate ice cream recipes, so I was sure this one would be good too...

No-churn pina colada ice cream
Recipe from 'Kitchen' by Nigella Lawson

125ml pineapple juice, from a carton
80ml Malibu (white coconut rum)
generous few drops coconut flavouring
2 teaspoons lime juice
100g icing sugar
500ml double cream*
75g sweetened shredded coconut (but not dessicated), to serve
* I used thickened cream as double cream in Australia has a much higher fat content than the UK equivalent

1. Pour the pineapple juice and Malibu into a large bowl, and add the coconut flavouring and lime juice.
2. Add the icing sugar and whisk to dissolve.
3. Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form.
4. Taste to see if you need more coconut flavouring or a squeeze of lime juice (and remember it won't be as strong once frozen), then spoon and smooth the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze.
5. Toast the shredded coconut in a dry hot pan until just turning golden and remove to a bowl. Sprinkle a little over each person's portion and leave the rest for people to add as they eat.

Freeze Note
The ice cream can keep for up to 3 months in the freezer, but will become icy, so it's better up to 1 month only and at its best within 1 week of making.

The Verdict
As with Nigella's other no-churn recipes, this one is quick and easy, and offers a pretty creamy result without the effort of making a creme anglaise and so on. I don't think it's quite as good as Nigella pomegranate ice cream, but this isn't bad at all. Flavoured with Malibu, lime and pineapple juice the ice cream is certainly a good tribute to its namesake cocktail. So if you like Piña Coladas (and getting caught in the rain) I say give this one a go!

Ladybird x

Sweetcorn Polenta with Aubergine Sauce

It's been a little while since my last mention of the Cookbook of the Month for September - Plenty by Yotam Ottelenghi. So without further delay, here is another great recipe from this wonderful book!

What initially attracted me to this recipe was the way the polenta is made - not from the dry grain, but rather, from fresh corn! The result is a much sweeter, softer and less uniform polenta. Because of the sweetness of the polenta, you really do need to add the feta cheese to balance it out. That combined with the aubergine sauce and voila, a delicious heart-warming supper :)

My polenta was a little on the runny side for two reasons - First, I neglected to properly measure the amount of water I cooked the corn in. Secondly, I was getting hungry and impatient!

Ingredients
6 corn cobs
500ml water
40g butter
200g feta, crumbled*
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper
* I used danish feta as it is lovely and creamy.

For the aubergine sauce
150ml vegetable oil
1 medium aubergine, in 2cm dice
2 tsp tomato paste
60ml white wine
200g chopped peeled tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
100ml water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp chopped oregano, plus whole leaves to garnish

Method
First make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan, then fry the aubergine on medium heat for 15 minutes, until nicely browned. Drain and discard as much oil as you can. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for two minutes on medium heat. Add the wine and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, water, salt, sugar and oregano, and cook for five minutes, to get a deep flavoured sauce. Set aside.

To make the polenta, remove the leaves and 'silk' from each corn cob, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Stand each cob upright on its base, and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels. You want to have 550g of kernels.

Place the kernels in a medium-sized saucepan and pour in the water, to cover. Add half the butter and cook on a low simmer for 12 minutes. Lift out the kernels with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a food processor. Process for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. If the mixture is too dry to process, add a little of the cooking water.

Now return the the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato consistency. Now fold in the remaining butter, feta, salt and pepper, and cook for two minutes longer. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Divide the polenta among shallow bowls and spoon some warm sauce in the centre.

Ladybird x

How to make gelatine free panna cotta

A short while ago, I wrote about agar agar as an alternative to gelatine and I promised you I would road test the ingredient in the kitchen. True to my word, I did. Panna cotta is a beautiful dessert that can be found on menus everywhere, but I wanted to see if it could be made using agar agar in place of gelatine.

The real test was to replicate the texture of panna cotta, famously decribed by Nigella Lawson when she said that it should have "the quiver of a 17th century courtesan's inner thigh". What a way to describe it! But really... how does she come up with these analogies?!

At any rate, I set about my task. It was a bit frustrating to begin with.. I found that agar agara is a far stronger setting agent than gelatine, so getting the amount right required lots of trial and error. However, 3 attempts later, I bring you successful gelatine-free panna cotta. It has the wonderful wobbliness and silkiness you'd expect of panna cotta, and is beautifully speckled with vanilla seeds.

I served this with strawberries in a simple balsamic syrup made by macerating the berries in balsamic vinegar and caster sugar to taste for about an hour (whilst the panna cotta was setting). Really though, there are so many ways to serve panna cotta. You could serve it with fresh fruit - whatever is in season and whatever takes your fancy :)


Vanilla Panna Cotta (egg, gluten and gelatine free)

an original Diary of a Ladybird recipe

(Serves 4)

300 ml pure (pouring) cream

1 vanilla bean

75g caster sugar

exact 1/2 tsp agar agar powder

sunflower (or other flavour-neutral) oil, to brush

1. In a small saucepan combine the cream and agar agar powder and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Add the sugar and split, scraped vanilla bean along with its seeds. Place over medium heat and gently bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly to stop the agar agar sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

3. Remove from the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, lightly brush 1/2 cup capacity moulds with a little oil.

4. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod, and straining the mixture through a sieve before pouring into the greased moulds. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for 1-2 hours minimum.

5. When read to serve, simply tip out onto the plate and add your chosen accompaniment.

So.. the verdict?

I was very happy with agar agar's results in this dish. It is an excellent gelatine substitute and is flavourless. Not only is it cheaper than gelatine, but it also sets in about an hour (not 4-5 like gelatine)! It requires a bit of trial and error to get the amount just right in a recipe, but when you do the texture and flavour is perfectly on par.

To read more about agar agar, check out my recent agar agar post here.

Ladybird x

Lemon Gelato

It's official - gelato is the most difficult thing to photograph. Ever!

I was reading an online article during the week in which a photographer described the challenges of his work, particularly when it comes to capturing shots of children or animals. Ridiculously, I scoffed.. "Clearly he has never tried to photograph gelato!"

The previous day I had pre-scooped and frozen the gelato, hollowed out and cleaned a lemon and set up my scene to photograph this lemon gelato. Despite being organised, it was nothing short of frantic chaos. You see, gelato melts incredibly quickly. Once you've served it, it's Go! Go! GO! It was worth it though. I managed to get some shots of gelato (as opposed to chilled lemon soup) hehe...

There are two main reasons why gelato melts so quickly. First, gelato typically has a low fat content than regular ice cream and secondly, its semi-frozen consistency. I really enjoy gelato, particulary after dinner because it is so light yet so flavoursome.

I adore all things lemony, and I especially love the refreshing and zingy hit of lemon gelato. I'm getting a bit sick of the cold weather here in Sydney, so perhaps a summery gelato will help bring on summer (?). A bit like a home cook's rain dance, only for warm weather! haha..

Lemon Gelato
Makes approximately 1L

1 cup water
220g caster sugar
1/3 lemon zest
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup double cream

1. Place the water, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan.
2. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. Whisk together the lemon mixture and cream in a large jug.
5. Churn in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions, before transferring to a container then freezing. Mine was a little runny after churning, but was ok once frozen.

Note: If you don't have an ice cream machine, never fear. To read advice from David Lebovitz (in my home, referred to as 'The Ice Cream Guru') about how to make ice cream without a machine, click here.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone :) If the weather is warm in Sydney, perhaps it will be the gelato that brings it on! Let's wait and see...


Ladybird x

Carrot Kheer

"Carrots and milk? Anna, that sounds gross..." Mr Ladybird warned - and so I threw down the gauntlet (in this case, an oven mitt)  and declared, "Game on!" Mr Ladybird is always rather frank is his opinions on food... so I do enjoy the challenge at times. At other times it can be a bit, well, pesky! But I could understand Mr Ladybird's hesitation. He has become somewhat of a kheer snob. There, I said it! Since I started making chaval kheer (a creamy indian rice pudding), he shuns others' versions (which is really rather sweet in a stubborn kind of way).

This recipe comes from British-Indian chef and author, Anjum Anand. I have had mixed success with her recipes in the past, but I was convinced the flavour combination would work a bit like carrot cake - sounds odd yet, somehow, it works.

Carrot Kheer
1L full cream milk
250g carrots, grated
1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds, finely ground
pinch saffron
3 - 4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp chopped pistachios to garnish
2 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)

1. Heat the milk in a wide, heavy-based saucepan, stirring and scraping the base with the spoon frequently to make sure the milk does not catch and burn. Keep cooking until it reduces by about one third - this takes about 25 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and continue cooking for another 15-25 minutes or until they are soft and the milk is as thick as you like it. (I like it at a just drinkable consistency) It will also thicken up slightly once chilled.
3. Stir in the sugar, saffron and cardamom powder, cook for another 2 minutes and taste for sweetness. Bear in mind chilling dulls the sweetness of food, so add a little more than you think you will need.
4. Cool and then place in the fridge for several hours, covered with clingfilm as milk absorbs flavours from other food in the fridge. Overnight is best to allow the flavours to infuse. When ready to eat, serve in bowls sprinkled with the nuts.

The result? Delicious, slightly carroty and beautifully scented kheer without the starchiness of its rice equivalent.

Oh.. and you'll never guess who came back for seconds ;)


Ladybird x

Eggless Dessert Café, Adelaide

From time to time one comes across a café or restaurant that makes you sit up and take notice for one reason or another. I had one of these moments during a recent trip to Adelaide. I was googling restaurant and café options in the city when I came across Eggless. The concept intrigued me, and I knew I'd have to pay it a visit. I was curious about this place because I know there are so many people out there who don't eat eggs out of preference or due to allergy. Eggless also had a great range of vegan desserts - great for people looking for dairy free dessert.

I headed to Eggless Dessert Café late last Sunday night, and luckily got a seat inside straight away (good thing too - it was very cold outside!). A friend and I wanted to sample a few of the eggless creations on offer, so we ordered the tasting plate for two ($18) with four small portions of desserts from the menu.

 Tasting Plate for Two $18

We ate our way from one end of the plate to the other.. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! :P We started with the ice cream.

 Sweetcorn Ice Cream

I was doubtful as to how the ice cream would be creamy without eggs or dairy, but it was quite creamy. It was quite light, and was lightly flavoured with the sweet corn and coconut milk/cream (not sure which). Delicious and refreshing on the palate. 

 

 Lychee and Passionfruit Pana Cotta

  This was a wonderfully refreshing and flavoursome dessert. I can imagine it would be wonderful on a hot summer evening. The pana cotta was a bit runny to be a pana cotta but it was gelatine free after all.

 Sticky date and raspberry pudding

I'm not normally one for anything with dates, but this dessert was great. Delicious and moist with a warm pouring sauce.

 Blackforest tiramisu

  So good, and my friend's dessert highlight for the evening. Yum :)

After dessert I asked owner and dessert creator Eelin a couple of questions...

Tell me a little about the concept behind Eggless

My parents were lacto-vegetarians (now vegan) and we've had a lot of trouble looking for desserts they could eat whenever we go out. So we then make our own food and desserts and have been doing that for many many years. I am also very passionate about desserts and understand  how difficult for people with dietary restrictions to find decent desserts so we thought that it would be nice to be able to provide a place for people to have nice desserts.

You have a wide range of desserts on your menu. What's your personal favourite?

 That's a really hard question...I do love lots of desserts but so far the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie is my favourite...can't really go wrong with the chocolate and peanut butter combination...it's also decadently rich but so lip smacking delicious!! It appeared a couple of times on our menu and it's also very popular with our customers.

So what's the secret? How do you create egg-free desserts without compromising on flavour or quality?

Lots of trial and error really...it's about knowing the ingredients and what they can do. I spend my spare time reading food magazines and recipe books for ideas and tips. I also try to use natural and fresh ingredients in my food to give the best flavours.

Do you have any tips for people wanting to create eggless desserts at home?

The internet is a fantastic source of heaps and heaps of egg free dessert recipes and has lots of good tips too. 

Eggless Dessert Café

162 Goodwood Rd

Goodwood, SA

(02) 8272 0777

http://www.eggless.com.au/

Pomegranate Ice-cream

Hi everyone :)

Hope your new year is off to a great start! I have been having a great time getting back to cooking since returning from holidays.. although I am still nursing my strange summertime cold/flu symptoms. Ice cream probably isn't the best thing for it, but what the heck! I saw this recipe on a cooking channel while sitting in a hotel room in Delhi and I promised myself I'd make it upon my return to Sydney.

Although I do love using my new ice-cream maker machine, the great thing about this recipe is that I don't have to get it out! This is a 'no-churn' recipe from Nigella Lawson, and I think it's a great way to use the beautiful pomegranates that are available at the moment. Plus, did you know that pomegranates contain more antioxidants than green tea or red wine?!

Ingredients
2 pomegranates

1 lime

150g powdered/icing sugar

2 cups double/thickened cream

Method

1. Half the pomegranates and reserve and few seeds for decoration. Squeeze pomegranate halves over a sieve in a bowl.

2. Squeeze lime into same bowl.

3. Put icing sugar in medium to large size bowl, and gradually whisk in juice.

4. Add cream and whisk until 'billowy' or 'floppy' as I would describe. So the cream should hold its shape loosely - it should not have reached the 'peaky' stage.

5. Pour into freezeable container and freeze overnight.

So, the result? Soft, creamy and delicately flavoured ice-cream. I am so impressed with this no-churn method of Nigella's, I will definitely be trying some of her other no-churn recipes.

Take care for now!

Love,

Ladybird x

Mangoes & Cream Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!! Oh yes we do, especially if it involves mangoes... I am loving the mangoes available right now. They are so decadent and summery, and I've wanted to make my own ice cream for ages, so yesterday I finally got the chance :)

I bought a Sunbeam 'Snowy' on Saturday and decided to christen it yesterday using a recipe I saw on Not Quite Nigella's blog a while ago. After 25 minutes of churning the mixture had thickened but was too runny to be softserve, so I scooped it out into a container and popped it in the freezer overnight. I took it out this evening and it was well frozen, so I put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to allow it to soften a little.

Snowy in action

I served it up using the ice cream scoop that came with the Snowy (very handy!) in martini glasses for a little 'posh factor' - another thing I've been wanting to do for ages! Thanks for the recipe, NQN (a.k.a Lorraine)! To check out the recipe, click here.

The scent was delectable and the texture was creamy but a lot denser than commercial ice-cream. The other great thing about this ice cream is that it is egg free - perfect for when my hubby's family are visiting.

Am definitely looking forward to making more ice cream in the summer months! :)

By the way, an interesting fact for you that might help when making frozen desserts like ice cream...

Did you know that cold temperatures numb the tastebuds? That's why frozen ice cream or yoghurt tastes sweeter when it's melted. So when you're making ice-cream and you want to make sure the level is sweetness is right for you before you churn and freeze it, just remember - having it on the sweeter side is fine because when you eat it frozen it won't taste as sweet.

Ladybird x