Blue Berry Ice Cream

Outside temperature is around 44°C, just a very beginning phase of scorching Middle East summer. What else, I can think of other then Ice Cream, just to cool myself. 

When, I look at my fridges, found fresh blue berry pack and left over fresh cream (need to consume quick, otherwise will expire) and immediately in to action so that, can have it in the evening, instead of tea.

Ingredients : 1 ½ cup of full fat milk    ;    ¾ cup of condense milk    ;    ½ cup of cream ;         1 cup of pureed blue berry        ;         2 tbsp of chopped almond 

Procedure : Blend together, the milk, condense milk, pureed blue berry in  blender till smooth and Add cream and continue to blend till all incorporated well. Finally add chopped almonds.

Pour the mixture in molds and transfer into the freezer to set. May take up to 3 – 4 hrs and then all yours !!.

Tofu Bread

After receiving overwhelming response to the  Choco - Tofu Cake, I thought of using  tofu in bread recipe and found its works perfect and glad to share.

Before going in to the recipe, a brief introduction to tofu would help to know about this bean curd. Tofu is made the same way of dairy cheese. i.e.  made by curdling fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block and then cooling it.

Though the origin of tofu was China, its become a quite popular in Japan. Tofu is an excellent food from a nutritional and health perspective. A good source of protein and contains all essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

Ingredients :   2 cup of whole wheat flour        ;         1/2 cup of all purpose flour        ;         2 tbsp of sugar           ;           30 gms of butter       ;      150 gms of tofu silken       ;       1/2 cup of milk           ;            1 tsp of instant yeast       ;           1 tsp of salt

 In a bowl, add Luke warm milk, sugar, yeast and mix well. Then add salt, butter and combine well and set side.

Meanwhile, open the tofu pack and chop into small piece and crumble. Add the tofu crumbles into yeast mixture and combine well.

By sieving method, mix the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour and add little by little into yeast-tofu mixture  to form a smooth and elastic  dough that is tacky but not sticky. 

Shape the dough into a ball shape and coat with oil and cover the bowl with damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise until double in volume. may take up to 60 – 90 min.

Deflate the dough well (not kneading), shape into loaf shape into pre greased loaf tin and cover again with damp cloth and allow for second rise for 45 - 60 minutes.

Transfer the loaf tin into the 180°c pre-heated oven and bake the bread for about 40 min or till it done.  Allow it to cool.  The protein rich bread is ready for your breakfast / tea time snack.

Caramelized Nutty Chocolate Bar

 

In my childhood, I always dream about having a whole Cadbury Dairy Milk (big one) bar all alone. Those days (early nineties), it was about Rs.24. I used to satisfy myself with Rs.10 version of it. (Can afford only Rs.10 bar with my pocket money)

Now, I become too health conscious and knowing the content of it, I avoid buying even the tinny bars.

After seeing the chocolate making competition in a face book group, I look at this competition as an opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream. Yes, I made even bigger chocolate bar and had it all alone. :-)

As usual, I go with 50-50 milk and dark chocolate combination and to enhance further, I caramel the nuts instead of simple roast.

Ingredients : 150gms of milk chocolate (chopped)      ;     150 gms dark chocolate  (chopped)            ;         1/2 cup of walnut         ;            1/2 cup of almond              ;            1/4 cup of peanut         ;   1/4 cup of corn syrup 

Add the corn syrup and all the nuts together and mix well to coat the syrup all over. And spread (individually) those on a baking tray prepared with parchment paper.

Transfer the baking tray into a 180°c pre-heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and caramelized. Allow to cool at room temperature.

 

Meanwhile, in a double boiler melt 100gms of (each) chopped milk and dark chocolate, stirring occasionally to evenly melt. Add the remaining chocolates and continue to stir slowly and gently until just melted.

Pour the melted chocolate into a loaf pan with parchment paper and spread it evenly. Spread the caramelized nuts on top and transfer into fridge for about 2 hour.

Lift the parchment paper from the loaf pan and Its all your……About a 300gms of Nutty Chocolate Bar !