Apple Sauce

Apple sauce or applesauce is a purée made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and a variety of spices (commonly cinnamon and allspice). Flavorings or sweeteners such as sugar or honey are also commonly added. Apple sauce is an inexpensive and readily available food. Here is the simple recipe for home made apple sauce.

Ingredients 

3 Apples, peeled, chopped & cored

About 1 cup Water

2 tsp lemon juice 

4 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

Place the apples in a pan & pour water.

Bring to a boil; then, cover & reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Use a potato masher to mash the apples to your desired consistency.

Add the lemon juice and any sugar or cinnamon that you wish to include.

Tips 

* Can be served as a dessert or used as spread. 

* Apple juice can be used in place of water.

* Taste and then add sugar & if apples are sweet then you can avoid sugar altogether. 

* You can make this and deep freeze for later use.

* It has been suggested that it can substitute for fat (e.g. butter/oil) in baking.

* Read on Wikipedia, that since it is high in pectin apple sauce is a homemade remedy to combat diarrhea.

* Use more than one apple variety, & avoid sour apples like Granny Smith to get the best flavour.

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from un-skimmed milk enriched with additional cream.
Cream cheese is often spread on bread, bagels, crackers, etc., & used as a dip for potato chips and similar snack items, & in salads. It can be mixed with other ingredients to make spreads, such as yogurt-cream spread, can be used to make cheesecake & to thicken sauces and make them creamy. It is sometimes used in place of or with butter when making cakes or cookies, & cream cheese frosting.
Cream cheese is easy to make at home, and many methods and recipes are used. Here I am giving the recipe I use for making cream cheese at home.

Ingredients
1 cup cottage cheese (homemade)
1 tsp curds or cream

Method
Take the water out from cottage cheese completely by hanging it for an hour.
Churn cottage cheese & cream in a mixer and your home made cream cheese is ready.

Tips
* Cottage cheese should be completely without water & it should be fresh.
* I made my cottage cheese using curds but if you are making it using lemon, then wash it before squeezing the extra water as we don't want that lemony taste in our cream cheese.
* I always use homemade cream cheese for all my preparations.

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.

White Sauce

Here I am giving 2 recipes of white sauce. One is without maida & other is with maida. I won’t say that there is no difference in taste, recipe with maida definitely tastes better, but there is not really a great difference and you can actually enjoy without maida recipe without feeling guilty ;). 

Without Maida
Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped cauliflower or chopped bottle gourd (doodhi / lauki)
2 tsp whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 tsp low fat butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) powder to taste

Method

Boil the cauliflower in 1 cup of water until soft. Blend in a mixer to a smooth purée. Strain and keep aside.

Heat the butter in a non-stick pan, add the flour and cook for ½ a minute.

Add the milk and cauliflower purée and heat while stirring continuously till the sauce thickens.

Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Use as required.

With Maida

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour (maida)
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and black pepper (kalimirch) powder to taste

Method

Melt the butter. Add the flour and cook on a slow flame until froth appears, while stirring throughout.

Add the milk gradually and stir continually until the sauce thickens.

Add salt and pepper and mix well. Use as required.