DILKHUSH...an Indian favourite my way!

In one of our telephone conversations Amma & I happened to speak about 'Dilkush'. We both had it in our respective hostels during our college days. It was served as a tea- time snack. When I mentioned it to Jobin that evening, even he remembered eating it. Actually we 3 had very fond memories of it so I thought of giving it a try. I knew it was not a puff pastry casing instead something in between rough puff pastry and shortcrust pastry and I had no idea as to how to make it. So I thought of using the rough puff pastry I made a few days ago.

I love the filling. You can really have it alone if you are craving for something sweet.I couldn't stop myself from digging into it while I rolled out the pastry shell. I don't know how far I was successful in it because I think this is the closest I can get to in replicating that sweet at home unless that Bakery guy shares his recipe with me.

Today (Feb 22) is Amma's birthday and I thought I'd post this for her. Last year, we were there in Kannur on that day to celebrate her birthday with her. This year we are continents apart from each other!

DILKHUSH  my way!
Recipe for the rough puff pastry- My grandmother's cookbook
Recipe for the filling- My own


Ingredients:
For the rough puff pastry:
150g butter
200g plain all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
125 ml ice cold water

For the filling:
1 c freshly grated coconut
3-4 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder, optional

1 egg, lightly beaten for glace

Method:
For the rough puff pastry:
Cut the firm but not hard butter into walnut sized pieces.
Sift the flour and salt together into a wide bowl and add the butter with lemon juice & water.Mix the ingredients lightly with a round bladed knife and maybe use your fingertips too, to form a soft elastic dough.
Turn out the dough to a floured surface & knead it lightly.Shape it into a rectangle and then roll it out into a strip about 3/4 " thick, 12" long and 4"wide keeping the edges straight. Butter will be clearly seen as yellow streaks in the pastry.
Fold the bottom third of the pastry up& upper third down.( It will look like a parcel)
Turn the pastry so that the fold points toward the left hand side, seal the edges lightly with the edge of the little finger.
Roll out the pastry again keeping it 1/2" thick and to a rectangle of 18" x6".Fold it once again.
Place in a plastic bag and leave it in a cool place for 20 mins. Repeat this 4 times more .
Rest the finished pastry for 10 mins before shaping .

For the filling:
Dump all the ingredients together in a pan. Cook on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and it becomes slightly sticky (about a minute or two).
Let it cool completely before you fill the pastry case.

Assembling:
Pre-heat the oven to 425F and position the rack in the centre.
Line a rectangular baking tray with parchment/butter paper.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out each part on a lightly floured surface or using a parchment paper.
Take one rolled out circle and place on the baking sheet.
Top it with the filling. Place the other rolled out pastry sheet over it and seal the edges using water.Fold it over to create a decorative edge.
Brush the top with the egg and cut a small X in the centre of the pastry (just a steam vent).
Bake for 25-30 mins or till it is golden in colour.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Verdict: I wouldn't say this was the exact same replica, it was definately different. This was more crunchier than the original. Jobin had a totally different filling idea and I didn't know that until he ate a slice. 'Oh this was not the filling that I had in mind but whatever this filling is, it's really good' was his reply after he had a bite!

LAVENDER INFUSED STONE FRUIT TARTELETTES

Whenever we go grocery shopping, I pick up some fruits, mostly which are new to me. But sometimes, and this 'sometimes' happen very often these days that I pick up stone fruits to eat and I end up baking with it. Talk about the sugar dose that I need quite often! ;-)

Luckily, these fruits are very ripe and sweet on it's own, so we don't end up adding cups and cups of sugar unlike cakes (wait till the fruit season is over! I bet I'll be back to cakes!) :-) Well, I would like to call them as healthy desserts, though some of you might not agree with me :)

I always adored lavender. I love love love it's smell in soaps, talcum powders, body lotions, shampoo etc. So when I got hold of a bag of lavender, I treasure it like gold! They stay fresh for about a year! The cupboard in which I store it smells of lavender now. It smells so good! All those who haven't ever smelt it, go ahead! Try it for yourself and see!

Lavender adds a beautiful flavour to whatever it is added into. It is very subtle and does not overpower the flavours of the main ingredients, unlike a lot of other flavouring that we get in the market. I absolutely detest almond extract for it's very strong taste. Vanilla is my all time favourite and now, lavender too!

So, this was another dessert that I made over the weekend for the friends get-together. This time we had an overload of desserts! Sometimes all the good things come at the same time leaving us with no space for more!

LAVENDER INFUSED STONE FRUIT TARTELETTES
Recipe source: Helene


Ingredients:
Crust:
Unsalted butter- 5 tbsp , room temp.
Egg yolks-3
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Flour-150 g
Cold milk- 2tbsp -1/4 cup

Filling:
Peaches, red plums, black plums- 2, each (ripe)
Sugar- 1/2 cup or to taste
Lavender- 1/2 tbsp

Method:
Crust:

• In a mixer, whip the butter on medium speed until light and airy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add the salt, and all  flour, and mix briefly. Add enough milk to moisten it. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.
• When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your prefered pie pan. If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 10-15 minutes until almost completely baked. Remove the weights and parchment paper. At this point you can refrigerate the baked crust for up to 3 days before using. Roll some extra dough to form lattice pattern on top if desired. You can also freeze the extra raw dough for up to three months.

Filling:

• Place the chopped fruits in a non reactive bowl. Rub the sugar and lavender together and sprinkle over the fruit. Gently mix with a spatula. Let the fruit marinate for about 20 minutes. 

Assembly:

• Divide the fruits among the tart shells, top with lattice if desired and bake 20 minutes. Let the tarts cool completely before eating. 

Verdict: A fruit lover's delight! I loved the pairing of the not-so-buttery crust with the tartness of the stone fruits.

It's tart time! ♥Buttery Jam Tarts♥

Jam tarts and my brother are the best friends! He can gobble up the whole batch in just one go...like how he did this morning :) I remeber baking a separate batch for him otherwise I would be left with just 1 or 2 to carry with me back to the hostel :P This has been an all time favourite with our family. Roshini, my cuz ♥ who is here with me for a week now wanted to learn to bake these jam beauties. And I am never hesitant to help someone with baking :P! And what you see here now is our effort ( LOL! it was a breeze making it actually) :)

These will melt in your mouth and they are so simple n easy to prepare. It hardly takes 20 mins right from preparation-cooking-eating time :)

And I have something very happy to announce today! This is my last day at work! Woo hoo!! So Ria will be an unemployed blogger from now on! :)♥♥

♥Jam Tarts♥

Makes 12

Ingredients:

Flour-115g

Butter-60g [chilled ]

Baking powder-1/2tsp

Water-4-5 drops

Jam

Method:

• Mix flour and baking powder together.
• Add the butter and rub it with your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Line the tart tins and fill 2/3 of the tart with jam. ( I divide the dough into 12, and spread in each tart tin separately by rotating the tin and spreading the dough at the same time)
• Bake at 180 degress for 15 mins or till done.
• De-mould when cooled (be careful, the hot molten jam with fall out on your hands otherwise! I had done it once! OUCH! )

If you are a jam-treat ♥ lover like me...be prepared to fall in love with these :) They are delicious to the last bite! Nom nom nom! :)

Happy weekend everybody!! It's the best weekend ever for me :) Just kidding! Love my work but had to re-sign so that I can start SHOPPING for my♥ wedding♥ which is on ♥15 Feb 2010 ♥