Showing posts with label cold desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold desserts. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Food Revolution Ambassador Monthly Challenge: February 2015

Good Bye February. You promised to be short and sweet and you were. Crazy too. But I am not complaining. I like this kind of a crazy. Infact crazy is my new normal. Before I say hi to March tomorrow morning a look back at the February monthly challenges.

If you are new here: At the beginning of each month the challenges are announced. These challenges are for inspiring the entire Food Revolution team and to make deeper connections with everyone (fellow food ambassadors, friends and family, anyone who wants to be a part of this challenge too), share our stories , whether we failed or conquered and more. The idea is to complete as many challenges as one can (Read about the October , November , December and January challenges).


For February:

Challenge 1: Cook for loved ones this Valentine’s day. Do you have a special recipe you cook for your loved ones? Whether it’s your kids, partner or a close friend, we want to see what dishes you make to win the hearts of your nearest and dearest. Find some sweet inspiration here. 

One doesn't really need a reason or a day to celebrate love. It needs to celebrated, acknowledged and respected each day of the year. But when the year gives you the 14th of February to tell those special people in your life that you love them , you should. For very often we love them but we don't tell them and sometimes it gets too late. Someone very wise (Read:Pooh) when asked, How do you spell LOVE? answered "You don't spell it, you FEEL it", he said. 


What is your LOVE LANGUAGE? Mine undoubtedly is FOOD. Nothing says I LOVE YOU louder than a rose kulfi and that is what I made for my loved ones this Valentines and hey rose does represent love.

Challenge 2: Embrace wonky veg! Jamie has been on a mission to cut food waste and get wonky veg back into our shopping basket. This month, we want you to embrace all leftover, wonky veg out there and try to reduce your food waste. Find out more here. 

A weird looking squash, a deformed potato, crooked carrots...you get the idea. Did you know that as much 20-40% of produce gets wasted because it doesn't look perfect. Hard to believe but true. Such a huge waste of fresh produce just because they don't look the way we have been used to seeing them in the supermarkets. Round, glossy, clean, perfect lines. 

But who is to decide what is perfect? As far as I remember WE WERE BORN TO BE REAL AND NOT PERFECT. A quote that holds true for both people and produce. 



I came across this wonky sweet potato at the local organic store. Sad and forgotten because no one was picking it up. I decided to give it a home and it was unlike most sweet potatoes I had worked with before. A gorgeous purple from the outside with "curves" and black and sticky from inside. After I baked it with some olive oil, rosemary and some grated cheese it tasted like a cross between a sweet potato and banana chips. A texture we loved.

So let the new mantra be I AM NOT WEIRD I AM LIMITED ADDITION. Lets pledge to pick up that "imperfect" vegetable/ fruit and give it a "perfect" recipe ; one that promises to make our taste buds sing.  

Challenge 3: Start planning your FRD! If you haven’t already, now is the time to start thinking about what you’ll get up to on Food Rev day. Sign up for the day and get your friends and followers to do the same at www.foodrevolutionday.com. Maybe you’re hosting a potluck dinner with your friends? Or perhaps you’re going into your local school to get cooking with kids. Whatever you’re planning, we want to know how you’ll be getting involved on the day! 


With the big day just a little more than two months away I am really excited. The month was spent thinking, planning, making contacts with people who "care" about what goes into the bodies of our little ones and want to give children the life skill called cooking.



So since there are so many wonderful people and opportunities out there instead of a Food Revolution Day it is going to be a Food Revolution Week. We are planning to celebrate food education through the entire week and the plans are just about taking shape. 

We already have a school on board who have shown great enthusiasm for bringing about a Food Revolution amongst their little ones (They even have a cooking club!).  We are going to sit down March end and make this happen together. More children will join us in making the Squash it sandwich at Galeries Lafayette’s Gourmet wing. The Culinary Director there strongly believes in cooking from scratch and is as excited as us about the Food Revolution Day. Also on the big day will be an event for Jamie’s Juniors; where else but at Jamie’s Italian!  The team at Jamie’s and I are looking forward to be working on it together.


Hopefully before the the end of the next month you will hear about more collaborations and I will have more specifics to share. 

To food revolution and to putting our heads and hearts into this, together. 

Also if you haven't signed up till now, do it here. There is something that I have planned for all you lovely readers for the big day as well and I promise you it will be a lot of fun. Invite your friends and family to sign up as well :)

EXTRA CHALLENGE We want to follow you! If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest account that we don’t know about, let us know so we can see all your amazing work and share it with others! 

Find me here : 

   


Get ready to welcome the third month of the year. Happy March everyone!

Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if  use those without my permission.Just ask! 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt.

I have fond childhood memories of wiping off bowls and bowls of jamun (with rock salt ofcourse). 

And in July, I was handed over several boxes of these, thanks to mom. After consuming many of these babies just the way we did when we were kids and comparing the purple colour on our tongues (like all mature adults are expected to) I was left with a huge batch resting patiently inside my fridge.
Like frozen yogurt? Like jamun?
Time for some Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt. 

And trust it was really the best fruit yogurt I've ever had/made. The flavor was really fresh, the texture was creamy, the colour...well simply gorgeous and the yogurt did total justice to the succulent and tangy jamuns. Its now the family's favorite yogurt. A pity that the jamun season has almost come to an end:(
Jamun (Java plum) frozen yogurt
Ingredients
500 gms jamun
400 ml yogurt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
1.Remove the seeds from the java plums and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar ,stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand for an hour.
2. Puree the java plums and their liquid with the lemon juice and the yogurt in a blender until smooth. Press the mixture through a strainer, if you wish.
3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacture's instructions.

Images and Recipe : Personal
While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. 
They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Coffee, vanilla and chocolate stripes and an award


Chocolate and coffee ? Together ? Whoever came up with that combination should have won a Nobel Peace Prize. Or at least a subscription to Reader's Digest.” 

Darynda Jones, Second Grave on the Left

If you've had a Mocha Latte and loved it there are good chances that you will love the marriage of cocoa powder and coffee in this cold dessert as well.

I have to be honest though, patience has never been one of my virtues and this one does require that in good doses. Not that its difficult to make; its the simplest of cold desserts to put together but the waiting time between the layers is what requires exercising immense calmness.

And if you whisk whenever the recipe asks you to (good to get some exercise before you empty the glass into your system:))  trust me you will end up with something that will earn you several compliments. These look really pretty in individual wine glasses though I am sure one big generous portion in a trifle bowl will do it justice too. 
Coffee, vanilla and chocolate stripes
Ingredients
serves 6
285 gms caster sugar
6 tbsp cornflour
900 ml milk
3 egg yolks
6 tbsp butter
1 generous tbsp instant coffee powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa powder


Instructions
1. To make the coffee layer, place 90 grams of the sugar and 2 tbsp of the cornflour in a heavy pan. Gradually add 1/3rd of the milk, whisking until well blended. Over medium heat, whisk in one of the egg yolks and bring to the boil, whisking.Boil for 1 minute
2. Remove the pan from heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the butter and the instant coffee. Cool.
3. Divide the coffee mixture among six glasses and smooth the tops before the mixture sets.
4. To make the vanilla layer, place half of the remaining sugar and cornflour in a heavy pan. Whisk in half the milk. Over medium heat, whisk in another egg yolk and bring to the boil, whisking.Boil for one minute.
5. Remove the pan from heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the butter and the vanilla. Cool. Spoon it over the  coffee layer. Smooth the tops.
6.To make the chocolate layer, place the remaining sugar and cornflour in a heavy pan. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk until blended. Over medium heat,whisk in the last egg yolk and bring to the boil, whisking.Boil for 1 minute.
7.Remove from heat, stir in the remaining butter and the cocoa. Leave to cool.
8. Spoon on top of the vanilla layer. Chill to set.

And in other news, Ruchira of the great cookaroo made by day by giving me an award. 
Thanks R. People if you haven't read her blog, please do. You will love it.

I 'd like to spread some love by giving it to five of my favorite bloggers. Liebster means dearest in German and these ladies are truly very dear to me:)

1.Patty of Colours Dekor
2. Sharon and Rekha of The Key Bunch
3. Anu of My Dream Canvas
5. Parul of  Radio Parul

Ladies, if you choose to accept this award:
1.Copy and paste the award logo to your blog.
2.Link back to the blogger who gave you the award
3.Choose five of your favorite blogs that deserve to be noticed
4. Leave a message to the chosen five, informing them about the award



Images : Personal Album
Recipe : 500 Best Ever Recipes CHOCOLATE
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