Tuesday 27 March 2012

Vanilla Cupcakes with butter cream frosting


Ingredients for cupcake :
All purpose flour - 195  gms or  1 and 1/2 cup ,
Salted butter - 113 gms or 1/2 cup - room temperature ( i have used salted butter ,if you use plain butter add 1/2 tsp of salt when you sieve the flour .
Sugar  granulated - 130 gms or 2/3 cup ( i had to grind it since my sugar crystals are big ),
Egg - 3,
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp ,
Lemon  zest - 1 ,
Baking pwd - 1 and 1/2 tsp ,
Milk - 1/4 cup ( 60 ml ).


Method :
Pre heat oven to 177 C or 350 F .
Line in the muffin cups with paper .


Sieve flour and baking pwd and salt ( if you are using plain butter ) otherwise omit  salt.
Take out the zest from the lemon and sprinkle on the sieved flour .
 Mix  with a spoon .
Take a bowl and put butter in it and beat with a mixer for a minute till light and pale . 
Add sugar and beat for 1/2 minute till light and fluffy .
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition .
Beat in the vanilla extract .
With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and milk .
First put 1/3 of the flour, beat, then add 1/2 of the milk ,than again beat, than add flour ,than add the remaining milk .
Beat  ,than add the rest of the flour .( three addition beginning and ending with the flour )
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed .
Evenly fill the muffin cups with batter  using  a icecream scooper or spoon .
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or just until set .Insert a tooth pick into the cupcake and if it comes out clean than the cupcakes are ready to be taken out from the oven.
( always check a few minutes before the slated baking time .  Do not over bake or the cupcakes will dry )
Remove from oven and place on a wirerack to cool  .If you frost with icing of your choice than the cupcakes have to be at room temperature .
Makes 15 cup cakes.




Butter cream frosting ( Confectioners frosting )
Ingredients :
Confectioners sugar or icing sugar - 200 gms ( powdered and sieved ) ,
Salted butter - 113 gms,( room temperature ),
Vanilla  essence - 1 tsp ,
Milk - 2 tbsp .


Method :


Cream the butter until smooth and well blended  with a  mixer .
Add vanilla essence 

With the mixer on low speed ,gradually beat in the sugar .
Scrape down the sides of the bowl .
Add milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy ( 3 to 4 minutes ).
If you like to add dressing colour  to the frosting ,add a drop now .
Run the blender for 1/2 second.
Take a piping bag and fill the frosting with it and decorate the  top of the cupcake with it .

Saturday 24 March 2012

Healthy Chicken Salad

 
Ingredients for marination :
Boneless chicken breasts - 2 ,
Yogurt - 2 tbsp ,
Lemon - 1/2   ,
Tandoori pwd - 1 tbsp ,
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp ,
Red chilli pwd - 1/2 tsp ,
Salt to taste .
Oil - 2 tsp .


Ingredients for green salad :
Since i could not get lettuce or baby spinach i used green cabbage .
Green cabbage - 8 to 10 leaves ,
Carrot -  2 small ,
Tomato - 2 ,
Cucumber - 2 ,
Onion - 2 .
Ingredients for yogurt mint dressing :
Yogurt - 2 tbsp ,
Mint - a handful ,
Honey - 1 tbsp ,
Salt and pepper ,
Lemon juice - 1/2 .


Method :
Take a small bowl and mix  yogurt ,tandoori masala ,red chilli pwd and ginger garlic paste and keep aside .
Put the chicken breast on a plate and sprinkle salt ,black pepper and lemon juice on both sides of the chicken .
Coat the tandoori yogurt paste on the chicken breasts ( both sides  ).
Cover with a cling film .
Let the chicken breasts marinate in the fridge overnight or for 4 to 5 hours in the fridge .


Take a small size cabbage and  discard the lower hard part .
Gently peel  out  8 to 10 leaves of the cabbage .Discard  the  lower central  hard  vein of each leaf .
Blanch the leaves for a minute in hot boiling water  and let it rinse in cold ice water for  5 minutes .
Squeeze out the water and keep in a plastic bag and put in the fridge and take out  only when you assemble the salad  .
Like wise chop all the salad vegetables and  then put them in fridge .( not the onions )
When the chicken is marinated take out from fridge and let it stay in room temperature for 1/2 hour .
Pre heat oven to 180 C.
Take a grill pan and  when the pan is hot put 1 tsp of oil  .
Toss the chicken breasts   into the pan for  1/2 minute .
Pour 1 tsp of oil on  the top side  .
Turn side and let it brown for 1/2 minute .The purpose of tossing the chicken in hot pan is that the chicken is slightly browned  .
Transfer the chicken breasts on to a greased baking tray and let it cook for 45 minutes in pre heated oven . 
After 45 minutes  chicken is cooked  .( check by a cooking thermometer  which should  read 170 F or   check by piercing a knife) .
 Cooked chicken will give out clear juice and there is no rawness in the  flesh .
Take out the baking tray and cover with a foil so that the chicken remains moist .
Cover for 15 minutes .
 Slice the chicken  pieces .
As the chicken is ready we prepare our salad plate  . 
Place the cold cabbage as the base and spread the sliced carrot ,tomatoes ,bell pepppers ,cucumber  and rings of red onion .
Place the sliced baked chicken on top and drizzle the yogurt mint dressing .
You can serve it right away or cover with a cling film and put in the fridge to cool  for sometime and serve it as a cold salad .
It is very healthy and delicious salad even the children enjoy this salad as the tandoori flavoured chicken is enjoyed and liked by all .


Yogurt mint dressing -
Put all in the ingredients in the blender and run the mixer for 20 seconds or till the mint leaves are crushed and blends in with the curd .
Take out in a bowl and keep in the fridge for sometime .



Tuesday 20 March 2012

Cinnamon Rolls ( Buns )


Ingredients for dough :
All purpose flour - 4 1/2 - 5  cups or 590 - 660 gms ,
Active dry yeast - 2 tsp or 1/4 ounce ,
Butter - 75 gms ,
White sugar - 1/3 cup or 66 gms ,
Milk - 1 cup or 240 ml ,
Egg - 3 .
Ingredients for filling :
Light brown sugar - 3/4 cup or 160 gms ,
All purpose flour - 1/4 cup or 35 gms ,
Ground cinnamon - 1 tbsp ,
Chilled butter - 1/2 cup or 100 gms ( cut into small chunks ),

Raisin - 1/4 cup ( you can add  almonds or walnuts too ) .

Method :
 Combine 2 1/4 cup flour and yeast  in a bowl in which you will run your mixer .
Put a saucepan in low heat and  pour 1 cup of milk, butter  and 1/3 cup sugar . Stir constantly till the butter  almost melts and the milk is slightly warm .
Close gas .
Gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed .
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition .
Scrape down the sides of the bowl .
Then beat this  mixture on high speed for 3 minutes .
Spread  some flour on your work station and knead the flour  by hand with the remaining flour  ( 2 1/2  cup .
Knead the flour for 3 to 5 minutes till you have a soft dough that is smooth and elastic but not sticky .
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl turning once so that both sides are oiled .
Cover  with a plastic wrap and let it  rise in a warm place  ( oven ) until almost  doubled ( 1 and  1/2 to 2 hours ).
Gently punch the dough to release the air and let it rest for 10 minutes .

Meanwhile make the filling .
In a bowl mix together brown sugar ,flour  ,cinnamon pwd  and cold butter .
Cut the butter  with a pastry blender or  a fork  until the mixture is crumbly .

Roll the dough into a 12 inch square .

Sprinkle the filling evenly over the rolled out dough and top with raisins .
Lightly brush one end of the dough with little milk or light cream to seal the edges .
Roll the dough to form a log starting at the end opposite the edge you brushed with cream .
( do not roll the dough too tightly or the center of the dough will pop up during baking ) .
Slice the log into eight equal sized pieces .
Since  the log is 12 inch , make a cut in the center .You will have two logs now 6 inch each .Then again make a cut in the center of each logs .
You will now have 4 logs 3 inch each .
Make a cut again in each pieces and you will have eight evenly cut rolls .
Arrange each roll in a greased tray  13 x 9 x 2 inch with 1 inch space in between.
I have baked in a small tray lined with wax paper and could  only bake  6 buns at a time .
Cover the rolls with a lightly greased plastic wrap ,leaving  room for rolls to rise at room temperature until almost doubled ( about 1 hour )
( At this point you can refrigerate the cinnamon rolls overnight - next morning remove the rolls from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap and let it stand for 30 minutes )
Lightly brush rolls with milk .
Bake    in  190 C or  375 F for 25 to 30 minutes or till lightly brown .
Insert a toothpick into the inner side of the bun .
If neccessary cover lightly to prevent the buns  from over browning .
Cover losely with a foil the last 5 to 10 minutes .
Take out from oven and brush lightly again with light cream or milk .
Leave it to cool for  5 minutes along with the wax paper and then transfer to a tray .
Enjoy the cinnamon rolls with hot cup of tea or coffee .
Makes 8 buns.

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