GINGER & MANGO PANNACOTTA

We were at Napa Valley a few years back and that was the first time I ever tasted a Pannacotta. It was a Buttermilk Pannacotta with Berry Coulis which was totally delish! I came back home and recreated something close to that,with a twist. It was my Vanilla Pannacotta with Pomegranate Sauce. Ever since,Pannacotta ranks high on my list of favourite desserts!

A long time blog reader of mine,C,had invited us over for dinner last year and she carefully remembered my love for it and made the same from my blog. I was so touched! Everytime we go out, I scan the dessert menu to see if a pannacotta is on the menu. There's something about a cold creamy pudding.

A very close family to ours was moving from Minnesota and we had gone to their house to help pack up some of their stuff . I had volunteered to bring in the dinner because that's the last thing they should be worrying about when they have a whole house to pack up! So, along with a Veggie Pulao & Chicken Tikka Masala,I took some Ginger & Mango Pannacotta along with us.

This recipe is spiced with ground ginger and a pinch of nutmeg. For those of you who think they might not their desserts spiced up, feel free to leave it out. I made one batch and set it in small bowls so that everyone gets their share and helps in controlling portion sizes. You can of course, set it in one container and cut them out into desired shapes. Serve it with a drizzle of mango pulp and a few pieces of fresh mango along with a sprig of mint!

GINGER & MANGO PANNACOTTA
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 pouch /7 grams unflavoured gelatin
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar *
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sweetened canned mango pulp

Method: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over milk;let stand for 5 minutes to soften.Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat,gently whisk together cream, sugar,cinnamon & ginger; heat just until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat.

Stir in gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Whisk in mango puree. Pour into six to eight ramekins,cover with plastic wrap and chill until set.

*Adjust the sugar as needed depending on the sweetness from the mango pulp. The original recipe called for just 2 tablespoons of sugar but I added more to suit our taste.

I promise you, this would be the last of the mango related things you would get to see here for this year! I make sweet somethings with mangoes throughout the year because I used tinned mango pulp.I am a not a fan of the fresh mangoes we get here even during peak Summer.

It's getting a bit cooler in the evenings which kind of makes me happy because I will get to eat some Pumpkin Pies and Pecan Pies very soon!

Many of you tell me that a post without mentioning how Ian liked the food,is incomplete! :) Ian literally ran towards me when I brought the Pannacotta out of our fridge to photograph them. He stood beside me and I had a tough time pushing his eager hands away from grabbing my little bowls. He couldn't wait to taste it and from the way he behaved after that, I think he really really liked it. He's got his Amma's sweet tooth,for sure!

SIMPLE STRAWBERRY PIE

We have a Farmers Market every Thursday, a block away from our house.They sell a variety of produce, cheese etc and so,it's very convenient for the two of us.They even sell excellent Plantains, just like the ones we get in Kerala,soft and ripe. It's hard to find a good one here,otherwise. During my last visit to the Market, I bought some strawberries as we had company the next day,for dinner.

I had so many plans on my mind regarding them but then some things didn't work out as I had planned, therefore,I ended up making this delicious pie I spied on Jennifer's blog.
This is a very quick one to pull together, especially the pie crust because a lot of recipes call for a longer chilling time for the dough.I was just hoping that the filling would set up firm once the pie cools down after baking . It did and I was a happy baker! See, it's as easy as pie! :)

We make a lot of new friends in real life, which have a connection with this little food blog of mine.I am ever so grateful for that! I had to stress on the real life because today, it's all about virtual connection.
Imagine meeting those people who have been quietly reading this blog all these years and then they move to your city for work, this time all the way from India! And once we connect, we have so many common friends! That really makes this world so small.So I baked this delicious Strawberry Pie for our new friends. Welcome to our part of the world, J & A!

THE BEST STRAWBERRY PIE
Makes one 9 inch pie

Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
4-6 tablespoons ice cold water

Pie Filling:
450 g strawberries, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Crust: In a medium bowl,whisk together flour,salt& sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces,add it to the flour and rub it in till they form pea sized crumbs. Add the cold water by the tablespoon and form a soft,non-sticky dough. Divide it into two, clingwrap and chill it while you get the filling ready.

Filling: In a medium bowl, toss all the ingredients together.Set aside.

Assembling & baking : On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough to fit the bottom of the 9 inch pie pan and line the tin gently without stretching the dough. Spread the filling over it and level the top. Roll out the other portion of the dough and place it over the filling. Fold the raw edges over and crimp as desired. Make slits in the centre, to let the steam escape while baking and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 25-27 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before slicing in.

* If you want a shinier crust, brush the top crust before baking with a beaten egg mixed with a splash of water.

We really,really enjoyed digging into this delicious pie. I felt that it would pair well with some ice cream, so I served it alongside a Caramel Cookie Crunch Gelato. Ian loved it and learnt the name 'Pie' over the last weekend! So, I must say, it was a winner all the way!!
I hope you give this pie a try this summer, when the strawberries are at it's juiciest best! Go, share some love. Bake a Strawberry Pie today! I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as we all did.
 

CHERRY CRUMBLE

Burp! Oopsie! I should have known that would happen when I gorged on those red beauties. I just don't seem to get enough of it. Ripe.Sweet. Juicy. That's exactly how I would describe the cherries that we get here now. Too good! Everytime I buy them, I plan to bake with it. But it never happened until now.

As I picked the cherries and popped them into the bag, I was already making plans of baking a crumble with it. I can sometimes be so oblivious  because I am busy planning my next move! ;-)

I love warm desserts and cold too...basically I love desserts. So there is no way that I'll turn away from a dessert unless it has weird ingredients like prawns or something! Wait! I wasn't kidding! Last year we had a cake competition in Kannur and my mom participated for it. And me being an onlooker went around reading the name of the other participants and their cakes. My face twitched when I read 'Prawn and Almond Cake'. I thought it must have been a typo and it should have been 'Prune and Almond Cake ' (so much more soothing for the ears!).

Well, it was not a typo and when she presented her cake for judgement, we both could see bits and pieces of prawn sticking out of the cake! Eeeww! That was my instant reaction. I have no idea how the judges ate that! Anyway, my mom bagged the price and we went home happy! :-)

CHERRY CRUMBLE
Recipe source : My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
2 cups pitted cherries
1/2 c sugar
2 tbsp flour


For the topping:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 tsp baking powder & baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted

Method:

• For the filling: Mix fruits, flour and sugar together and divide them among 4 ramekins.
• For the topping: Mix all the dry ingredients together and pour in melted butter. Mix well and top the fruits completely with it.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven  at 350 F /180 C for 35 mins or until the topping is golden brown in colour.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Verdict: I must be repeating myself,but I don't care! We loved it very much. I loved the crunch of the crumble topping and the sweeteness of the soft cherries beneath it.
Make sure you choose the right fruit,if it's over ripe it will be a mushy business.

NECTARINE & BLUEBERRY GALETTE

I love summer for 2 main reasons : Stone fruits & BBQ. I was amazed by the variety of stone fruits that are available here. Off late I have been hooked onto cherries and nectarines. I must have bought some 4-5 lbs of cherries thinking I shall bake with them. Unfortunately it all went into my stomach the non- baked way.

I made these the last weekend because we usually meet up with our friends for dinner. And it was my turn to play hostess. For me, I have to make dessert even before I start thinking about the main course and appetisers!I opened my fridge and I see the juicy nectarines and ripe blueberries sitting pretty next to each other. That's it, their fate was decided! So Galette it was!

I must not have done a very good job in stoning the fruits as they were so ripe that they got squished between my not-so-delicate hands ;-)

NECTARINE & BLUEBERRY GALETTE

Recipe source : Susan

Ingredients:

Dough:

All purpose flour- 1 3/4 c

Granulated sugar- 1/3 c

Coarse cornmeal-1/4 c

Salt-1/4 tsp

Cold butter- 1/2 cup, cut into small pieces

Butter milk- 1/3 cup

Fruit filling:

Fresh blueberries- 2 1/2 c

Nectarines - 3 , chopped

Granulated sugar-1/2 c

Light brown sugar-1/4 c

Ground Cinnamon-1 tsp

Vanilla extract- 1tsp

Fresh ginger- 1 tsp, minced

Cornflour-3 tbsp

Egg white-1

Milk- 2 tbsp

Sugar-1 tbsp

Method:

• To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl and mix well with hands. Add butter and mix with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly pour the buttermilk and mix with fingertips until the dough forms a ball. Take the dough ball and adhere any remaining pieces of dough to it, then wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30-35 minutes.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

• To make the fruit filling, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently, making sure that the cornstarch is coating the fruit. (This will prevent too much juice from leaking out while the galette bakes.)
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Starting at the center of the dough, roll out, forming a 14-15-inch wide circle. Place the dough with parchment paper on a baking sheet. Add the fruit mixture to the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the filling, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds.
• Lightly whisk the egg white and milk in a small bowl. Brush dough with egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 1 hour, or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. (Cutting it too quickly will cause the dough to crack). It's best served at room temperature or slightly warm. 

Verdict: Perfect summer dessert! I love the pastry, it was crisp even after I left it outside for 4-5 hours! You can use any fruits of your choice to make this dessert. 

Our friends loved it, infact one of them went home with 2 galettes! :)