Pan Roasted Persimmon With Fresh Mozzarella

Looking for a simple yet delicious hors d'oeuvre? Here is an idea -

What you need
2 persimmons washed and sliced into 1/2 inch discs to display the beautiful starry middle :)
About 10 slices of Fresh Mozzarella
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Juice of 1 orange
1 tsp soy sauce
pepper & a pinch of salt

Method
Roast the persimmon in the oil
Add half the orange juice, the soy sauce
Allow to cook for a minute before removing from heat
Pepper and salt
Transfer to a serving plate
Add the sliced mozzarella to the pan and cook for just a minute
Drizzle the rest of the juice over it
Pepper and salt to taste
Serve chilled

TIP: Add a sprig of basil for added flavor and or as a decoration.
I placed the mozzarella over the persimmon to serve --Sadly I did not take a picture of it before it was served to guests!

Marmalade with Tangerines - The best evah!

Gotta have the spoon shot!

What does one do when you have a child in Orchestra in school. They sell stuff to sponsor trips and they make money of their parents primarily - This is how I got suckered into getting 2 BIG crates of oranges and tangerines all the way from Florida. They tasted like nectar, that's for sure and truth to tell, it did not take much arm twisting for me to agree to buy grapefruits, navel oranges, tangerines and oh-so fresh strawberries. I made strawberry coulis, and jam and I ventured for the first time to make some marmalade. The oranges - I want to say about 12-14 yielded 3 16 ounce jars, two of which vanished before i could say Jack Robinson (an old expression of my dad - which I still use often if only to keep him in my thoughts on a daily basis.

So easy to make and so delicious you've got to try this and feel the rush and the power of making your very own, homemade, marmalade -

Ingredients

• 12-14 good sized tangerines, pitted (see how to below)
• 1 cup of White Sugar
• 1cup of sugar in the raw
• 3/4 -1  cup of orange blossom honey
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1tsp orange essence

Method

1. Wash tangerines thoroughly and dab dry with paper towel or kitchen towel
2. Soak in the honey for about 30 minutes
3. Peel them in such a way that you get some big pieces that can then later be cut
4. Cut the orange sideways to reveal the wheel. For pitting it, I took a blunt knife and simply ferreted out the seeds
5. Chop the tangerines slices roughly. 
6. Strain the juice and keep separate
7. In a large 5 or 6 quart pot, add the sugars and the juice and allow it to thin 
8. Once it gets a syrupy consistency, add the tangerine pieces and honey and the rinds
9. Allow this to simmer for about 20-40 minutes or until you see the jam thickening to the preferred consistency. This would be the time to grate the nutmeg into the pot and stir
10. 
    
11. Cool and store in Jars. (you can see how to sterilize the jars here)

The best orange peeler by tupperware, almost as old as my hubby! 

Combos that are da bomb with this delicious marmalade are - yogurt (Mama Mia) hot toast, english muffins (Mama Mia) Hot butter and marmalade over croissants (Mama Mia) and over crumpets -

For the well-adjusted Indian, this is a super combo with dosais and better yet with adais!
Enjoy until the next recipe!

Papineberry Juice

This is an adaptation of a recipe that was presented in the Dr. Oz Show last week which gives a great kickstart to the day. It contains all the goodness of papaya, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, flaxseed meal, a dash of ginger powder and a little sage to make it aromatic, this drink will have you hit the ground running.

Ingredients
1 cup papaya
1 cup pineapple
1/2 cup blueberries
1kiwi
2tbsp flaxseed meal
3leaves of sage
2tsp of ginger powder
1tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of ice cubes
1cup of water

Grind them into a flowing shake and drink up and let me know what you think :)

Papaya Marmalade - A Tribute to an Inspirational Woman & Blogger

Jayashree Satish of Kailas Kitchen

Priya MahadevanJayasree Kailas Kitchen

Hi Jayasree Kailas Kitchen, just read that you are from Pune - lots of family there and my base in India :)

Like ·  · 29 July at 14:11 ·

Harini Rupanagudi my brother is currently posted in Pune too :)

29 July at 14:55 · Like

Jayasree Kailas Kitchen ‎Priya Mahadevan, Harini Rupanagudi - nice to know you have base/contacts in Pune. Its going to be a year since I moved to Pune. Hope to meet you both during your next visit to Pune.

30 July at 00:43 · Unlike · 2 people (that was me and Harini)

The shock of reading of Jayashree’s passing on Niv Mani’s post really had me reeling in disbelief!  I was very, very, very, distraught –I could not sleep from the shock and my husband and kids were so understanding, so sweet trying to console me! --We are not aware as we make new friendships, virtual though they may be nowadays, how close we become and how strongly an incident like this can affect and shake you up – besides drilling home the fact that life is so fleeting, it has you thinking about how to lead it and while you still have a chance to make sure that you have only spread sweetness and love to those around you and leave fond, lasting memories in the hearts and lives you’ve touched –Make the memories count!  This is truly what Jayashree has done for me – Our interactions were not many, but from the get go, from loving the name of her blog, and her simple and clear cut recipes right down to the wonderful, encouraging comments I received from her every time, I only always have had a positive image of her and from the conversation above, you’ll understand what a warm and welcoming person she was J -   The devotion and the enthusiasm with which she celebrated every festival and supported so many wonderful and worthy causes – yes, I did spend a couple of hours going through her Facebook account and trying to get to know this person who had passed, but who had entrenched herself in my life in some indelible way and enriched it. She loved life and I am kind of mad at the Gods for taking someone who was so full of joie de vivre away so young, so suddently – But then I turn around and I pray to the same Gods, Satya Sai Baba and Shirdi Baba to give her loving family the strength to deal with this enormous loss – I know she would have thrown herself and celebrated Deepavali in a grand manner and shared with us her efforts of dedication – So I hope I and far more importantly, her family and people who knew her well can salute her spirit this coming Deepavali Like I already said on her FB page, she will set up her Kailash Kitchen for the Gods above, in Lord Shiva's heavenly abode :)


To all my blogger friends and followers of this blog, let me tell you one more time how much you mean to me and how much I value our friendship, virtual or otherwise. Love you! 

My small tribute in her memory, I make this Papaya Marmalade in her honor from her wonderful collection of recipes.

Ingredients

1/2 a ripe papaya (about 1 cup)
Juice of 1 orange
Zest of 1 orange (used for juicing)
1/2 cup of Agave nectar
1/2 cup or Orange blossom honey
3 cloves crushed

Preparation

Roughly dice your papayas since you are grinding it anyway
Juice your orange and zest the rind and keep
Measure the honey and agave
In a blender, add the papayas, orange juice, agave and honey and crushed cloves and spin until it's a smooth blend
Pour in a deep saucepan and start cooking on high flame for 5-7 minutes stirring the sides
Then reduce flame and cook for  15-16 minutes in installments of 5 - 5- 3- 3 -
By this time, it has reduced to 1/4 of its original amount and has thickened considerably
Test by dipping the ladle in and it should have Jam sticking to it as opposed to running down

Cool for 10 minutes, put in a clean jan and refrigerate  - Enjoy with Toast, english muffins, crumpets and pancakes, just to name a few :)

Here are some pictures - Also stay tuned for some Pineapple Jam from Jayashree blog that I plan to make for tomorrow's post.
Also Check out the other Bloggers in this Marathon

Orange Chutney

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 This idea came about as I was talking to my sweet friend - who was making an orange marmalade (which will hopefully feature in my next guest post as of now scheduled for either November 2011 or Jan 2012) She asked me to come up with a good recipe for an Indianized orange chutney and this is what I came up with - It is truly a chutney for all cravings with its sweet, sour and spicy flavors. A must try for those who like to have a preserve which can be used in more ways than one - My recommendation is to have it with yogurt rice - Heavenly my maties

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This is the 3rd day of the blogging marathon started by Srivalli and my theme is Cooking with Fruits

Ingredients

2 Oranges with rind

1 cup of Jaggery (unrefined sugar) (Increase amount to 1 cup if you desire a sweeter chutney)

3-4 dried red chilies (reduce or increase based on need)

2-3 mint leaves

1 tbsp grated ginger

Juice of 1 lemon

1tbsp sesame oil

1tbsp urad dal

Zest of the 2 oranges (that are being used) and 1 lemon (that is also being used for juice)

Preparation

Soak the zest of the 2 oranges and the lemon in the lemon juice along with the grated ginger

Remove pith and any pips and cut into small bits

Measure 1 cup of jiggery and add to the orange bits in a deep saucepan

Heat oil in a small shallow pan

Add the red chilies and the urad dal and fry until the dal is golden brown

Cook the orange and jiggery for 2 minutes exactly and remove from flame and grind into a coarse paste

Add back into the saucepan and continue cooking

Once the chilies and urad dal are cool, grind them up with the soaked zest juice

Make sure this is a finely blended

Now, add this to the orange jaggery mix and let it all cook for another 2 minutes – Now you will notice that the chutney /relish is thickening and slightly brown from the jaggery

Remove from flame – taste to see if you want to add more jaggery/red chilies

If you find it dancing on your tongue like I did, put in the fridge to cool it down and use it as desired, with toast, chappatis or dosais and idlis!
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Bon appetite! 

Steps in Pictures

Preserve in a Jar

Caramelized Pear Tart

Starting my blogging marathon # 9 with Srivalli with a bang :)
Verge has got the better of me, again and this time some homegrown pears given to us by a friend was a recipe in the making – The luscious pictures in the book were calling out to me. OF the 6 or more pear recipes I decided on the tart –

Now who knew that making the pastry base was such a long and rather complicated process not to mention super highly caloric – I really had no idea! I thought it was like any other dough for breads – Mais non,mes amies, it is an overnight process!

I made it nevertheless, following his instructions to a T – But since then I have scoured the web and found far easier and less caloric ways of making pastry dough – Pardonez moi, Mr Verge, I mean no offense when I say that we have to wean ourselves away from those huge amounts of butter!

The recipe for the pear preparation resulted in exquisite, perfect tasting caramelized pears – mama mia!

Without much further ado, I present to you Mr.Verge’s Caramelized Pear Tart  - Ingredients and preparation instructions have been give verbatim from the book!

PUFF PASTRY
This is the most complicated dough to prepare(Verge) (so I, Priya a novice baker is not the only one)You cannot use a food processor. Everything must be done by hand, with care and precision. But in the end, what lightness, what crispiness-what a delight!
(Sorry I could not photograph the entire process since i was too flustered and buy getting my pastry to work)

INGREDIENTS- YIELD: THREE 3-INCH TARTS
2 ½ cups sifted flour, plus extra for flouring work surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound butter: 
7 tablespoons for binding and the rest for the butter layer, chilled1 cup cold water

Preparation

• Bind the dough with water. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Form a hole in the middle and fill it with the cold water and 7 tablespoons of slightly softened butter, cut into pieces. 
• Blend rapidly with your fingers. Form a ball of dough and shape it into a square. 
• With a knife score the top with a grid pattern. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Work the butter. 
• On a lightly floured board, roll out the rest of the butter into a 3 x 6-inch rectangle. 
• Add a little flour to the rolling pin as needed. Refrigerate. For everything to work well, the dough and butter must be the same temperature. 
• Combine the dough and butter. 
• On a floured pastry board, roll out the dough until you have a rectangle that is about 8 x 12 inches. 
• Now place the butter rectangle in the center. Fold the edges of the dough completely over the butter, starting with the long sides and then the short sides, pressing the edges of the dough together. 
• Roll out this package until you have a new rectangle measuring approximately 20 inches in length and 8 inches in width. 
• Fold it into thirds, folding back and under the short edges. 
• Turn the board a quarter turn. Roll the dough out again until you have a rectangle of the same size. Again fold into thirds. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Repeat the above steps twice: roll out the dough, fold into thirds, let rest. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or overnight, if desired. Just before using the dough, repeat the steps one more time. 
• Finish. 
• Cut the amount you need. Roll out to the desired dimension. Wrap the leftover dough; it will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Caramelized Pear Tart
This recipe will remind you of a traditional tarte tatin. Have you ever tried to make one with pears? Personally, I almost prefer the pear variation. If you want to stick to tradition, replace the pears with pippin apples and the pear brandy (which is optional) with Calvados

Ingredients

4 ripe pears

Juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons pear brandy (optional)

5 tablespoons butter

½ cup sugar

1/3 recipe puff pastry or short pastry dough

Equipment

cast-iron skillet with high sides, or any frying pan 9 ½ -10 inches in diameter with a heatproof handle.

Preparation

1.Peel the pears. Slice into 6 sections and remove the core and the stems. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and brandy.

2.Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit

3.Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the sugar, stirring, and remove from the heat when the mixture is smooth. Arrange the pear slices in the pan, forming a circle with their tips toward the center.

4.Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pears are completely coated with the caramelized sugar.

5.In the meantime, roll out the dough into a circle equal in diameter to the pan. Prick with a fork. Once the pears are caramelized, remove the pan from the oven and cover with the dough, taking care to seal or fold along the sides. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a beautiful golden color.

6.Remove the pan from the oven. Gently heat for 1 minute on the stove. Shake gently to make sure that the fruit is not sticking to the bottom. Wearing cooking mitts, turn a plate over onto the crust; in one quick movement, flip the pan over. The caramelized fruit should now appear on top. Serve warm. 

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Fig Mascarpone

This is one of the easiest deserts to put together, if you have some figs, some mascarpone cheese, fresh rosemary and some maple syrup handy – Let me rephrase – equip yourself with these ingredients to make this incredibly delicious dessert – It takes all of 10 minutes start to finish and I must thank 5 minute live videopedia http://www.5min.com/Video/Fig-Mascarpone-Recipe---Under-One-Minute-60117976for my resource where the chappie on the video claims it cam be done in under a minute – true if you have this recipe – The baking time I used was 10 minutes but I would recommend 5-7 minutes tops @ 350 if you don’t want you Mascarpone to melt and flow like a river (which mine sort of did). But it still tasted completely delicious

Here is the recipe

Ingredeints

4-5 sprigs of Rosemary

3tbsp Mascarpone cheese

8-10 ripe figs

2tbsp Maple syrup

1 square sheet of aluminum foil

Prepararion

Set oven at 350 degrees

Wash figs and from the conical top, make 2 cuts like an X and pinch the bottom of the fruit so it opens up like a flower

Lay the aluminum sheet flat

Arrange the sprigs of rosemary in the middle

Place the semi-diced figs over the bed of rosemary

Scoop 3tbsp of mascarpone cheese into a bowl

Add the maple syrup and gently mix so as to not liquefy the cheese

Now place a good-sized blob over each of the fig cuts

Bake for about 5 minutes

See If the cheese has melted half way into the fig

Leave for a minute or two longer and remove from oven

Place in a serving dish and serve hot or cold