Double Chocolate Mousse With Strawberry Sauce

Two types of chocolates in one lovely mousse and strawberry sauce giving it a beautiful look.

Ingredients

For Dark Chocolate Mousse

½ cup roughly chopped dark chocolate

2 tbsp milk

½ tbsp powder sugar

¾ cup whipped cream

2 drops vanilla essence

1 tsp honey

For White Chocolate Mousse

½ cup roughly chopped white chocolate

2 tbsp milk

½ tbsp powder sugar

¾ cup whipped cream

2 drops vanilla essence

2 drops lemon juice

For Strawberry Sauce

½ cup mashed strawberries

4 tsp sugar

½ tsp lemon juice

½ tsp cornflour

Method

For Dark Chocolate Mousse

Melt dark chocolate & milk on double boiler, making sure that no lumps remain. Cool & keep aside

Combine whipped cream & sugar in a bowl & keep aside.

Add chocolate milk mixture to whipped cream & fold gently.

Add vanilla essence & honey & fold gently. Keep aside.

For White Chocolate Mousse

Melt white chocolate & milk on double boiler, making sure that no lumps remain. Cool & keep aside

Combine whipped cream & sugar in a bowl & keep aside.

Add chocolate milk mixture to whipped cream & fold gently.

Add vanilla essence & lemon juice & fold gently. Keep aside.

For Strawberry Sauce

Combine all the ingredients with ½ cup of water in a deep non stick pan & cook for 4 to 5 minutes, while stirring continuously.

Remove from fire & keep aside to cool completely.

How to proceed

Take 4 deep bowls or long glasses.

Take two piping bags and pour chocolate mousses in each bag. Cut the tip to make a hole.

Take dark chocolate mousse bag n pipe the mousse in the bowl.

Carefully pipe the white chocolate mousse over the dark chocolate mousse layer.

Pour the cooled strawberry sauce over the white chocolate mousse layer.

Repeat in to make 3 more glasses.

Refrigerate for 3 hrs or till the mousse sets.

Serve chilled, decorated with silver balls & chocolate chips.

Tips

Fresh strawberry sauce tastes better, but when the fruit is not in season you can use strawberry crush; however, omit the sugar in that case to avoid over sweetness.

You can also use chocolate sauce instead of strawberry sauce.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Looks good & tastes divine :)

Ingredients

For The Batter
1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
60 ml melted butter
3/4 cup condensed milk

1 tsp sugar (avoid if you like it less sweet)

For The Fruit Arrangement
Few pineapple rings, cored
3 tbsp honey
Few glace cherry
1 tbsp butter

Method
For the batter

Mix the flour, baking powder, soda bicarbonate, melted butter, sugar and condensed milk, water (approx. 75 ml) and beat well. The batter should be of dropping consistency. Keep aside.

For The Fruit Arrangement
Grease a 200 mm. (8") cake tin with a little butter.

Pour honey evenly on the base of the tin. Arrange the pineapple slices decoratively on the top of the honey & place a glazed cherry in the centre of each ring.

How to proceed
Preheat the oven to 180◦C

Pour the batter carefully into the cake tin and smooth down the top of the batter.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown and the cake leaves the sides of the tin.

Remove and allow cooling.

Run a knife around the sides and invert on a serving dish.

Cut into small portions and serve.

Tips

You can make this cake as muffins too. Just arrange in same manner in your muffin tray. And keep in mind that Muffins take little less time to bake then cake, so check it sooner.

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberries and ice make this drink a delicious addition to any get together. Serve this and your guests will really have something to remember :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemonade

1/2 cup strawberries

crushed ice

Strawberries & a little umbrella to garnish

Method

Add lemonade, strawberries, and 5 ice cubes to  blender. Blend until slushy. Add more ice if needed.

Garnish with strawberry and umbrella. Serve in Margarita glass.

Tips

You can use cold water instead of ice. 

Oats & Besan Chillas (Pancakes)

Healthier version of our very own Besan Chilla :)

Ingredients

1 cup oats

1 cup curds

½ cup besan

1 cup grated bottle gourd

½ cup grated carrot

2 tbsp finely chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp finely chopped cabbage

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

½ tsp finely chopped green chillies

Salt to taste

Oil for cooking

Method

Soak oats in curds for 30 minutes

Add everything else & mix well.

Make chillas or pancakes on semi hot non stick girdle.

Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chatny.

Tips

Don’t add water in this mixture as the vegetables will leave their own water.

Still if you feel mixture is thick then add very little water, taking care of its consistency.

Always cook chillas on slow flame, or vegetables will not cook.

Greek Salad In Vinaigrette Dressing

Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a rough country salad of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, feta cheese and plump kalamata olives.

Ingredients

1 cup lettuce rinsed, dried & chopped

¼ cup pitted black olives

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1 cup cubed feta cheese

Vinaigrette Dressing:

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1/2 tsp Mustard powder

1/2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

3/4 cup Vinegar (red or white)

Method

Place the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. GARNISH the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Tips

You can add chopped onions in salad and garlic powder in dressing.

It can be served as a side dish or as a light meal with some crusty bread.

Cold Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is the perfect party food & this one is original with little help from Tarla Aunty :)

Ingredients

1 cup boiled pasta

½ cup Tomato deseeded & cut into cubes

¼ cup carrot cubed

¼ cup French beans chopped

¼ cup baby corn rounds

¼ cup capsicum chopped fine

Few lettuce leaves

For salsa dressing

½ cup tomatoes finely chopped

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chopped coriander

½ tsp chopped green chillies

For vinaigrette dressing

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

1/2 tsp Mustard powder

1/2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

3/4 cup Vinegar (red or white)

Method

For salsa dressing

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl & mix well while mashing with the back of spoon for few minutes. Keep aside

For vinaigrette dressing

Place the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. Keep aside.

How to proceed

Steam carrots, French beans and baby corn. Cool and mix all ingredients except salt and dressings. Refrigerate it till you have to serve.

To serve, sprinkle salt on top.

Add salsa dressing and 1 tbsp of vinaigrette dressing. Toss well and serve.

Tips

Can make it in advance & refrigerate without adding the dressings & add dressings just before serving.

Waldorf Salad

This very easy, simple salad has a long, rich history. It was created in the 1890s at New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel by maître d' Oscar Tschirky. The original salad contained only mayonnaise, apples and celery, but today is usually served with walnuts and other ingredients. This recipe serves four to six.

Ingredients

1 celery stalk chopped along with leaves

1/2 cup green grapes

1/4 cup walnuts broken

2 Green apples chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 lemon

Few leaves lettuce

Method
Place the apples, grapes, walnuts and celery in a bowl.

Add the mayonnaise and sour cream and stir everything together.

Add lemon juice & stir well, and taste - the lemon juice should be almost undetectable.

Arrange a large whole inner leaf of lettuce on each plate and top each one with a scoop of the salad.

Serve Chilled.

Tips

You can use any colour apples and grapes.

Can use cabbage leaves if you are out of lettuce leaves.

Feta Cheese

  Feta Cheese is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. It is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads, pastries and in baking, notably in the popular phyllo-based dishes and combined with olive oil and vegetables. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as part of a sandwich or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

  If Feta Cheese is not available then here is an option for home made version. Well, an almost close to original option :)

  Make Cottage cheese from milk. Mix a brine of 2 tbsp salt with 2 cups water in a jar or plastic container. Place the cheese in the brine, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Use as required.

Sour Cream

Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats (can be made in lighter variety, the way I made it) obtained by fermenting a regular cream. It is used primarily in the cuisines of Europe and North America, often as a condiment. It is used as the base for some creamy salad dressings, can be eaten as a dessert, with fruits or berries and sugar topping.

Ingredients
1 cup Cream
1 tsp curds

Method
Churn the cream slightly so no lumps remain.
Add curds & keep it covered for 24 hrs. (Do not refrigerate).
Churn it with spoon & it will look like whipped cream.
You can refrigerate after 24 hrs. & use this cream within a week.

Tips
* If you are making homemade sour cream for any of your dish, remember it needs time to set so remember to make it beforehand.
* I used low fat malai (cream) that forms a layer on hot milk, you can use Amul cream too.
* Add chopped parsley, salt & chilli flakes. Serve chilled with nachos, tacos, quesadillas or Mexican rice.