Food Mamma

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dessert

burfi for my sister’s wedding

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It was so busy and crazy last week as we spent some time in Vancouver for my sister’s wedding.  It was kind of a reunion of sorts, people flying in from Calgary, Toronto, Austin, Dubai…. We also spent time with our Vancouver family and I got to meet nieces and nephews I hadn’t met before.  It was nice getting to know our lovely new family as well, my sister’s husband’s.  I still can’t believe she’s married!

You cannot have an indian wedding without sweets, and boy, did we have a lot!  Everyone contributed in making something.  From carrot cake to nan khatai, we had something to please every palate.

My contribution was burfi.  Burfi is a sweet confection made from milk and sugar, reminiscent of fudge.  Hubby’s aunt made a really tasty batch last year for my sister-in-laws wedding and she was happy to show me how to make it.  Thank you N!

To my sister and her husband, my wish for you is loads of love and
happiness!  I’m so happy you found each other.  Love you lots!

Burfi

500 grams milk powder
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup water
1/2 pound of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 can of evaporated milk
red food colouring
nuts, optional

Combine the sugar with 1 cup of water and allow it to boil for about half an hour, until it gets to the soft ball stage.

Remove the pot from the stove and add the butter, mixing until it has melted.  Add the milk powder and mix well.  Add 1/2 can of evaporated milk. The mixture should be like a thick batter.

In a 9″ x 13″ parchment-line pan, pour in half the mixture and push it to the corners so that it covers the entire dish.  Add a few drops of food colouring to the other half until you have a nice pink hue.  Pour this pink mixture onto the white layer.  At this point, you can sprinkle some nuts.

Refrigerate for one day before you cut it into pieces.  Do not cover while refrigerated to ensure that the burfi dries well.  Makes 40 to 50 pieces depending on the size.

coconut jam tarts

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I was looking for a quick sweet treat to make the other day for a gathering when I remembered my mom’s coconut jam tarts.  She’s been making these for years and, if you love coconut, these are the perfect indulgence.  It’s a great way to use up some of the jam you may have made over the summer and by using premade tart shells, this dessert takes only minutes to prepare.  The combination of the sweet jam with the flaky pastry and the buttery coconut topping is delicious! 

Coconut Jam Tarts

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups shredded coconut
35 mini tart shells
jam

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs.  Mix in the coconut.
Place 1/2 tsp of jam at the bottom of each tart shell.  Cover the jam with a spoonful of the coconut mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.

biscuit pudding

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It’s so nice to have my parents back home after their five weeks away in India.  Q was lost without them and couldn’t wait for their return.  We wanted to make them something to welcome them back home.  One of my dad’s favourite desserts is biscuit pudding and my aunt happily shared the recipe.

Biscuit Pudding

It’s the simplest thing to put together and is a comforting dessert.  The Maria biscuits absorb the sweet milk making it almost cakey in texture.  Kinda sorta like tiramisu, without the coffee.  The layers of cookies, whipping cream and nuts is comfort in a bowl.

Biscuit Pudding

biscuit pudding
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Ingredients

  • 1 package Maria biscuits
  • 1 can of evaporated milk
  • 1/2 can of condensed milk
  • 4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 TB icing sugar
  • 1 cup nuts
  • grated chocolate

Instructions

  1. Mix the evaporated milk and the condensed milk together.
  2. Whip the cream and the sugar to make whipping cream.
  3. Line a 13" x 8" dish with a layer of biscuits.  Pour 1/3 of the milk mixture over the cookies. 
  4. Cover the layer with 1/3 of the whipping cream and 1/3 of the nuts. 
  5. Grate some chocolate over the nuts. 
  6. Repeat for another 2 layers.  Refrigerate over night.
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celebrating 37 years with a turtle cheesecake

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My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary!  This definitely called for a celebration, and every celebration calls for cake.  Tired of making the usual though, I wanted to do something different.  I decided to do a cheesecake, a dessert that my dad loves.

I knew this cheesecake needed nuts, chocolate and caramel and after doing a search, this recipe was found on the Kraft website.  The layers of caramel and pecans are divine.  As good as it tastes when you first make it, it tastes even better the next day, if there’s any left!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  Love you lots!

 

Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg. caramels
1/2 cup  milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 pkg. cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 squares chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Microwave caramels and milk in small microwaveable bowl on high 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in nuts; pour half into crust. Refrigerate 10 min. Refrigerate remaining caramel mixture for later use.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over caramel layer in crust.

Bake 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Microwave reserved caramel mixture 1 min.; stir. Pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate and drizzle over cheesecake.

kulfi two ways

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In our house, we love kulfi.  Kulfi is a popular indian ice-cream. It is 3 types of milk mixed together and frozen in a mold.  It’s easy, and can be made by anyone since an ice cream machine is not needed.

Using my mom’s recipe, I made some kulfi and froze it in a glass dish, topped with some roasted almonds.  I got to thinking though (since I’ve kidnapped my dad’s ice cream machine) – would it taste better if placed in an ice cream machine?  Would the addition of air actually change the taste?  Using the same recipe, I placed it in the machine to compare.

The answer – YES!  The ice cream that came from the machine was more decadent than the kulfi that was just frozen.  Hubby was convinced that I used a different recipe since it tasted so different.  Don’t get me wrong, we love the kulfi that I have been eating for most of my life.  The machine version though, turned it into something very different, in a good way.  I just love ice cream experiments!

Kulfi

1 cup whipping cream
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
3 splashes of kewra essence
roasted almonds

Mix the milks and essence together and pour into a shallow dish and top with almonds.  The mixture can alternately be put into popsicle molds.  If using an ice cream machine, add the almonds in the last five minutes.

nutella ice cream with almonds

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As much as I enjoy chocolate, I can’t eat plain old chocolate ice cream.  I need add-ins, like roasted nuts or coffee or chocolate chips.  The combination of this chocolate ice cream with nutella (yum!) and roasted almonds is divine.  This is an easy recipe, perfect for those nervous about making ice cream with eggs, like me.  I am determined to try that one of these days, but for now, the simplicity of this creamy concoction will do just fine.  This is the perfect dessert to end a meal, even my parents agree.

Nutella Ice Cream with Almonds

3 cups whipping cream
1 300 mL can sweetened condensed milk
4 TB cocoa
4 TB nutella
1 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Whip together the first four ingredients until everything is well incorporated.  Place in the chilled canister and follow the directions of your ice cream machine.  5 minutes before your ice cream is ready, add in the roasted almonds.  Chill for a couple of hours and enjoy every heavenly bite.

remembering geneva – pain au chocolat aux amandes

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Hard to believe it’s almost been 2 years since our last visit to Geneva.  My sister worked there for a few years and it’s been one of my favorite places to visit.  The history, the lake, the chocolate, and of course, the food!  The one thing that stands out, besides all the chocolate, is the pain au chocolat aux amandes.  The day that we left for our swiss train ride, my sister ran to a nearby bakery and surprised us with these goodies.  Croissants filled with almonds and chocolate, sinfully delicious!  I’ve been addicted to these ever since.  She has even brought them over on a few of her visits.

I’ve been thinking about these lately and just had to have one.  We have some great bakeries in Calgary where one can easily find pain au chocolat or an almond croissant.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one that sold the combination.  I figured I would try my hand at it, a perfect project when cooped up at home with a cold.

When searching for recipes, most called for marzipan as the filling for the almond croissant.  Not willing to leave my house, I threw a few things together to make an almond paste.  To make things a little easier, I pulled out one of my favorite ingredients from the freezer – puff pastry!  Come to any party of mine and you will be sure to find something made with this buttery dough.

The result was a wonderful substitution for the croissant from Geneva.  A flaky buttery crust filled with chocolate and a subtle hint of almonds. A delicious but dangerous snack to have around.

Pain au Chocolat aux Amandes

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 TB softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 TB flour

puff pastry
chocolate chips
egg whites, for egg wash
sliced almonds, for topping
icing sugar, for dusting

Combine the first six ingredients to make a paste.  Roll out the puff pastry and cut into rectangles, approximately 8 rectangles per sheet.  Spread almond paste on each rectangle.  At the edge of each rectangle, put a line of chocolate chips, roll over once and add another row of chocolate.  Roll the puff pastry to the end and place on parchment paper, seam side down.  Brush the tops of rolled pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.  Dust each with icing sugar.

sinful chocolate squares

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When we were younger, my sister and I loved it when my mom made desserts with condensed milk.  We couldn’t wait to get our share of the sweet liquid.  Sometimes we would open up a can and eat it like pudding.  One of my favorite things to do with condensed milk is to make these squares.  Very similar to Eagle Brand’s Magic Cookie Bars, these are even more sinful with a chocolate crust.

Sinful Chocolate Squares

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (plus a little more for licking!)
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup almonds

Combine the crumbs and margarine and and press into the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ dish.  Pour the condensed milk over the crumbs followed by the chocolate, coconut and almonds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

chocolate cake with nutella whip icing: happy birthday mom!

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Today is my mom’s birthday! My mother is known for her wonderful cakes and she is kind enough to make them for all of our birthdays. I felt that she definitely deserved to have someone make a cake for her, so Q and I took on the task.  I couldn’t decide what to make but Q said chocolate so chocolate it was!  The recipe I used was Kraft’s Best Ever Chocolate Cake. I wanted a lighter icing though and thought what could be better than chocolately nutella and airy whipping cream.  We tried it out and the combination was delicious!  Along with the cream, I added a layer of nutella between the two layers as well.  Sprinkled with some grated chocolate chocolate, it was the perfect way to celebrate a classy lady.  Happy Birthday Mom!  Love you!

Kraft’s Best Ever Chocolate Cake
From Kraft Foods

2/3 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cups each flour and granulated sugar
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Magic Baking Powder
1-1/4 cups water
4 squares Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate, melted, cooled
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round pans. Beat all cake ingredients except eggs in large bowl with mixer 2 min. or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 min. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake 35 to 40 min. or until toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Nutella Whip Icing

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup nutella

Whip the cream until doubled in volume but right before soft peaks are formed.  Heat the nutella and gently fold into the cream and beat until completely whipped.  Refrigerate until ready for the cake.

mint chocolate chip ice cream

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A couple weeks ago, we went to sin city and had a fabulous few days there.  It was a nice break and we enjoyed some quality family time.  On our last day there, we stopped for some mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was the worst mint ice cream I have ever had!  When we got home, I was happy to find some cream in the fridge and found my easy recipe for one of our favorite flavours. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp mint extract
3 drops green food coloring
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Dissolve the sugar in the milk.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and chill the mixture for an hour.  Follow the directions of your ice cream maker.  Add the chocolate chips in the last ten minutes.  Enjoy!