Tag Archives: dessert

Blood Orange Compote

Posted on February 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

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It’s time blood oranges are brought into the culinary spotlight. They are full of vitamins, minerals, folic acids, and antioxidants. Not to mention fiber. They taste like a cross between a very sweet Valencia orange and a grapefruit. The interior is a beautiful, jeweled crimson hue. The anthocyanins in the blood oranges gives them the red color, which are flavonoids. Their season is short, making them all the more desirable. Also, they can used in savory and sweet dishes. Blood oranges have long been used in beauty products and elixirs as well. Also, they happen to be in season during Valentine’s Day. Their color speaks love and romance.

Blood Orange Compote
I use this compote to smear on toast, pancakes and french toast. Bakers can even use this compote as filling for cupcakes and cakes. It’s sweet and slightly tangy.

Try to pick blood oranges with a reddish exterior as well.

Ingredients
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar or muscovado sugar
4 blood oranges, peeled and cut into sections, membranes discarded
1/2 cup currants or black raisins
1/2 cup blood orange juice

Method
In a saucepan bring water, maple syrup and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add in the blood orange juice and blood oranges. Stir well and reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on it to make sure the liquids don’t completely evaporate. Taste the mixture and add in a bit more sugar if it’s not sweet enough. Stir in the currants and cover for 10-15 minutes, until you have a thick, sweet consistency. Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate overnight. Or you can serve it right away.

Stir compote before serving.

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Posted in Holiday Meals, Recipes

Tagged antioxidant fruit, Blood orange, brunch, Compote, dessert, fiber, pancakes, recipe, toppings, Valentine's Day

January Rules

Posted on January 3, 2011 | 5 Comments

The holidays were really fun- going from one party to another, learning how to make cookies from scratch, participating in cookie swaps, decadent dinners, brunches, and exciting Club Dine In! events. My favorite was Irvin’s dessert party. Irvin, a passionate baker and blogger, throws an annual grandiose dessert party. He bakes all of his desserts from scratch and asks his guests to bring only their sweet tooth. Irvin had 21 desserts, all displayed beautifully with name cards. I tried to take only bite-sized servings of the desserts I really wanted to try, but I decided that everything was sooo worth it. My favorites were the Red Velvet Cake with Whipped Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting and Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping.

I baked cookies from scratch! Pistachio+Muscovado Sugar+Egg Whites+Meyer Lemon

I don’t feel that guilty about my indulgent ways in December and have set goals to get back on track to healthy eating and living. Instead of making large, undefined resolutions such as “losing weight” I’ve decided to go to the gym at least four times a week, limit desserts to once a week, and appreciate food more. I’ve also decided to clean up my act a bit more by participating in January Rules. Remember, the October: Unprocessed challenge? Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules has come up with another challenge: January Rules. This challenge is much more lax and asks you to follow only three rules. I already follow these rules normally, especially #2, but I need to more vigilant.

When you eat grains, eat only 100% whole grains.
Don’t eat high fructose corn syrup.
Don’t eat hydrogenated oils, trans fats, or anything that’s been deep-fried.

Also, once a week, go ahead and “cheat.” Eat anything you want. I encourage all of you to kickstart 2011 with joining me on January Rules. Follow the hastag #januaryrules on Twitter for inspiration, motivation, and ideas. Follow me on twitter for more frequent ideas on how to satisfy your sweet tooth, make unprocessed choices, and pretty pictures of food and other musings.

Did you know that Club Dine In! is on Twitter and Facebook? Follow @clubdinein for daily health, fitness, and social news, recipes and delicious tips! Join the Club Dine In! community on Facebook to connect with like-minded people and find out about exclusive Club Dine! events.

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Posted in Eating Tips, Monday Confessions, The Sugar Series

Tagged andrew wilder, baking, dessert, eat the love, eating rules, goals, Healthy Eating Habits, High-fructose corn syrup, jackhonky, January Rules, New Year Resolution, October Unprocessed, Red Velvet Cake

Thanksgiving Without The Guilt

Posted on November 25, 2010 | 2 Comments

For the last 25 days you have 1) talked, thought, tested out recipes, and shopped non-stop for this meal 2) salivated over all the food blogs and TV shows, hoping someone can cook all that up for you 3) secretly dreaded the meal because you know it will mess with your health goals.

Image by _dbr via Flickr

It really is wonderful that you have been more conscious of your health and weight. You have made changes that will help you reach your health goals and you have been on track for sometime now. If you really have been on track, eating well and being active regularly, then fear not. Even if you have not been on track, still fear not. Thanksgiving is just one day and it is just one meal. It is the one day that you can allow yourself to enjoy creamy mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, macaroni and cheese, and decadent desserts. Here are some basic tips for healthy eating:

1. Enjoy the atmosphere. Take in the sights and smells of the food. Talk to the people at the dinner table.

2. Fill up your plate once and eat slowly. Bite, put your fork down, chew, enjoy the conversations, then bite again. Slowing down helps you digest and you can actually enjoy the taste of the food. If you are still hungry, go for seconds of only what you really only want to eat.

3. Leave room for dessert. Instead of saying “There’s always room for dessert,” actually leave room for it. Eat a little less of everything else so you can have a piece of that pie with whip cream sans guilt.

4. Start the day with a workout, brisk walk, or anything active that will help kick-start your metabolism. If you are too busy cooking, cleaning, or driving, just do 10 jumping jacks. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s better than nothing, will make you feel better, and it only takes 60 seconds. Or suggest the family go for a walk after the meal instead of sitting down in front of the television.

Overall, it is just one meal. If you overeat, don’t be so hard on yourself. It will not kill you or throw so off track that you can’t get back on. Your metabolism will adjust and you will burn off the extra 200 calories. Plus, you can get back to eating regularly and staying active the next day. Stop thinking about Thanksgiving as only about food and think about all that you have to be thankful for. It’s a time when you sit down and share the grand meal with people who mean something to you. Enjoy that thought. Happy Thanksgiving.

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Posted in Eating Tips, Holiday Meals

Tagged active, Cooking, dessert, eating tips, goals, guilt, holiday, metabolism, mindful eating, overeating, thanksgiving, tips

Earl Grey Cranberry Sauce with Dates

Posted on November 19, 2010 | 10 Comments

While thinking about how original I can get with the millions of cranberry recipes out there, it struck me like a bolt of lightning. Okay, I am being dramatic, but it was that exciting. A few months ago, I made an incredible (narcissistic self appraisal) Earl Grey Date Sauce as an ice-cream topping for a DIY Dessert Party at 18 Reasons. I don’t believe I have much dessert talent, except for eating incredible amounts of it at once, but the sauce was really well received. Someone even called it “Top Chef” caliber. So, I just added cranberries to the sauce and viola, I had an original homemade cranberry sauce. This sauce is not as simple or fast as most other cranberry sauces, but it’s worth it. It really only take five minutes longer. This sauce actually gets better with a night in the refrigerator and it will keep your guests guessing on the mysterious Earl Grey flavor. It’s subtle and seductive. Use it as a side dish, dessert topping, or any other way you prefer.

Earl Grey Cranberry Sauce with Dates

Ingredients Serves 6-10
1-2 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves
1/3 cup boiling hot water (for tea leaves)
3/4 cup cranberries (1 bag)
3/4 cup whole dates
1 tsp ground cardamom
2/3 cup water
sugar (optional)

Method
1. Add tea leaves in the boiling hot water in a mug. Cover and steep for 15-20 minutes, depending on how much intensity you want. I like it intense.

2. Meanwhile, seed and chop the dates into quarters (tinier chunks if you don’t like the texture of dates). Wash cranberries under cool, running water. Add dates, cardamom, water, and only 1/2 cup of the cranberries to the saucepan.

3. Stir mixture together and turn heat on high until it reaches a rolling boil. Turn heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce. If too much water has evaporated, add a couple of tablespoons of water, and cover. The sauce should be thick and about half of the water evaporated. Simmer for a few more minutes if it’s too liquidy. Stir occasionally.

4. After the tea is done steeping, strain it and pour the tea water into the sauce pan. Add in the remaining cranberries. Stir well and bring to a rolling boil again. Then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for sweetness and add desired amount of sugar if needed. Stir and let sugar dissolve about 1-2 minutes.

5. Transfer the sauce to a glass container or jar and refrigerate for at least a hour. The sauce will thicken and flavors will develop over time.

Pumpkin Pancakes

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Posted in Eating Tips, Holiday Meals, Recipes

Tagged breakfast, brunch, cardamon, Cranberries, Cranberry sauce, dates, dessert, earl grey, holiday cooking, Meatless Monday, recipes, sauce, side-dish, tea, Thanksgiving dinner, topping, vegetarian

Taking the Can Out Of Cranberries

Posted on November 19, 2010 | 3 Comments

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Canned cranberries. I thought that was the only way it goes, never even having seeing cranberries in their fruit form. Then sometime 5-6 years ago, I saw Ocean Spray whole cranberries being sold at a supermarket. I popped one in my mouth and was really sorry. I always thought cranberries were really sweet, but was I wrong! I would have never guessed that cranberries were so bitter because they are super, duper sweet when coming out of the can. I examined the ingredients and nutritional information on the can and compared it to the whole, fresh cranberries. Here is what I found:

Canned Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Corn Syrup and Citric Acid

Whole Cranberries
Cranberries

Simple, Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries, water, sugar

Notice the significant difference between the ingredients used to make homemade cranberry sauce and the canned stuff. Sugar is not exactly the same as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and corn syrup. HFCS are created in a lab and does not come from the earth. If you wish to believe the advertisements and propaganda put on by the industry, who have a lot of money to spare, I will not debate here. By the way, the industry is calling HFCS and corn syrup “corn sugar“ nowadays to make it harmless and simple. You can decide for yourself. It’s just bad for you and it’s in virtually every packaged, processed, pre-made product. The important message here is that you can control the amount of sugar you eat if you make the food at home. You can also choose sugar alternatives (Muscovado sugar, coconut palm nectar, dates, raisins, Agave nectar, raw honey, Stevia). Also, another thing that everyone should be concerned with is Bisphenol A. BPA needs its own post(s) altogether, but everyone should be cautious of it as it has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, obesity, just to name a few. BPA is used to line canned and pre-packaged food, which leaches into the food.

Cranberry sauce has to be the easiest Thanksgiving dish, ever. Of course, you can tap into you creative side and jazz it up by adding one or many spices, orange juice, or anything else you seem fit. I started taking pride in making my cranberry sauce when I read the recipe on the back of Trader Joe’s cranberries and the sight of canned cranberries just make me a little uneasy. Also, cranberry sauce can be made well in advance and actually thickens in the fridge. It’s also super easy (and cheap) to take to potlucks. Check out the recipes below on how to make your own cranberry sauce. Also, if you want to really surprise your guests, try my Earl Grey Cranberry Sauce with Dates.

Simple
Homemade Cranberry Sauce- by Pioneer Woman (who won the Thanksgiving Throwdown against Bobby Flay)
Gingered Cranberry by Sauce by Closet Cooking
Jellied Cranberry Sauce by The Bitten Word

Creative
Earl Grey Cranberry Sauce with Dates by Club Dine In!
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce by The Craving Chronicles.

via 5 Second Rule

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Posted in Deconstructing Food, Eating Tips, Holiday Meals, Recipes

Tagged breafast, breakfast, brunch, cardamon, Cranberries, Cranberry saucem, dates, dessert, earl grey tea, holiday cooking, holidays, recipes, side-dish, topping, toppings, vegetarian

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Posted on November 12, 2010 | 2 Comments

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I am not much of a baker (of desserts, that is), even though I have the biggest sweet tooth. Though, for the holidays I do like to bake batches of simple pumpkin pie and give it out to friends and family. It’s my hostess present. Since I have been a little more adventurous in the kitchen, I wanted to try baking something pumpkiny other than a pie. I decided to give this recipe a try, which was inspired by Paula Deen’s recipe. At the second time making it, I tweaked it to make it a little more spicy. I had never made my own frosting before, but after making this really, really simple cream cheese frosting, I was hooked! It’s tough to find unprocessed cream cheese at the regular grocery store, so I bought it from Whole Foods. I used all organic ingredients, except for the sugar, canola oil, baking powder and baking soda.

I was running late for SF Food Wars Ultimate Cocktail Brunch, so I quickly made this cake for Satish to take to a friend’s going away potluck brunch. Just mixing the batter and putting it in the oven only took me about 10 minutes. Since I did not have time to let the cake cool and frost it myself, I left it all up to Satish and prayed for the best. He actually made the frosting while I got ready…it was that easy. The cake was out of the oven before I even had my boots on, so I got to direct Satish how to put the cake on cooling rack for faster cooling. I love making food that doesn’t take much effort.

This cake is a light alternative to a traditional pumpkin pie and pairs well with Traditional Chai, Pumpkin Chai or Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Latte!

Ingredients
Cake
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
15 ounces pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground star anise
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

All of the ingredients needed to make the cake and frosting.

Eggs help bind all of the ingredients together.

Baking requires precision!

Combine all wet ingredients first and then pour in the mixed dry ingredients.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Mix the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with a mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt into another bowl.
4. Pour flour mixture into pumpkin mixture slowly and mix until incorporated and smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the baking dish and level out the batter.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the dish or frosting, about 15 minutes.
8. While cake is baking, make the frosting. Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix until smooth with a fork, whisk or electric mixer. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the sugar slowly until you reach the desired consistency and level of sweetness. Stir in the vanilla and mix well.
9. When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting over the cake generously using a butter-knife or icing spatula. Sprinkle walnuts over the frosting.

I used a large, shallow baking sheet to yield a thinner cake that baked faster. You could easily use a 9x13 pan to get a thicker cake.

Satish made the cream cheese frosting using an electric mixer, but if the cream cheese and butter are softened enough, you can easily whip it with a fork.

Satish dressed up the cake by sprinkling chopped walnuts over the frosting.

Serve it with my Traditional Chai, Pumpkin Chai or Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Latte!

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Posted in Holiday Meals, Recipes

Tagged baking, brunch, cake, chai, Cream cheese, dessert, holiday cooking, Paula Deen, pumpkin, pumpkin cake, Pumpkin pie, thanksgiving

A Perfect Cup of Pumpkin Chai

Posted on November 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

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Chai is a generic word for “tea”, but masala chai is a blend of spices and doesn’t necessarily include tea leaves. The basic masala chai consists of black tea leaves, milk, sugar, and an unspecific blend of spices. Each household and region also has their own blend of chai, therefore recipes vary slightly and greatly. For instance, chai from Kashmir (northern-most India) is typically made with almonds and green tea leaves. However, most regions of India use black tea leaves and does not add any nuts to the chai blend. Chai originally was used as an herbal, medicinal concoction throughout India and it wasn’t until the 1800′s that tea leaves were mixed in with the chai blend. Each spice in the chai serves a specific, healing purpose. Ginger is universally known for it’s antiemetic (anti-nausea) properties as well as soothing for colds, flues, indigestion and arthritis. Cardamom is a digestive stimulant and expectorant (getting rid of phlegm or mucus). Cinnamon is a calming spice, almost like ginger.

In the last century or so, masala chai has become a recreational beverage and even a necessity. Masala chai is sold all over the streets of India by Chai Wallahs and has spread throughout the world. As masala chai has globalized, so have the flavors. More and more tea houses, cafes, restaurants, and households are moving away from instant chai mixes and focusing on a brewing it from scratch and even innovating with the flavors.

Even though, I really enjoy my traditional cup of masala chai, I like to tinker with the recipes. To embrace Autumn, I have come up with the perfect pumpkin masala chai! This chai pairs perfectly with a warm slice of pumpkin bread or fresh pumpkin pie. It is easy to make in a large batch to serve at holiday parties or even after your Thanksgiving meal. You can blend the spices, pumpkin, and pumpkin butter up to a day ahead and leave it in the fridge. Also, after straining the chai, you can transfer back into saucepan, cover and leave it aside. Just reheat on low heat when you are ready to serve. Leave out the black tea and the children can enjoy this hot beverage before their bedtime to help them sleep or in the place of hot cocoa.

Everyone has a favorite holiday drink, weather its the White Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks, Muled Apple Cider, or Egg Nog. The Pumpkin Chai is my new favorite. What is your favorite holiday drink?

Pumpkin Masala Chai

Ingredients:
Serves 1
1/8 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/8 clove powder
2 peppercorns, crushed
1/4 tsp cardamom grounded
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp pumpkin
1 tbsp pumpkin butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup whole milk
5 strands of saffron, soaked in 1 tablespoon water for 30 minutes (optional)
2 tsp. Assam tea (optional)

Cardamom pods to ground cardamom

I grate ginger weekly and store it in an air tight container in my fridge for easy use.

Directions:
1. In a bowl whisk spices (except saffron), pumpkin butter and pumpkin to combine both well. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and add 1/4 cup water. Simmer on medium heat for two minutes.
2. Add the milk and give the saucepan a swirl. Lower the heat to low or simmer, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Periodically, check on the mixture and swirl the pan so the none of the ingredients get stuck to the bottom.
4. Add tea leaves and turn heat up on high. Remove from heat when chai reaches a boil.
5. Strain tea into a teacup, add saffron strands with its water, and enjoy warm!

*All organic, fair-trade ingredients preferred.

**Since the pumpkin butter is already sweetened, I do not add additional sugar.

***All ingredients can be adjusted to suit your tastes buds. More tea leaves will increase the color, caffeine and strength of the chai.

Try my traditional chai or Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Latte!

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Posted in Deconstructing Food, Holiday Meals, Recipes

Tagged beverage, breakfast, chai, dessert, Drink, holiday drinks, holidays, India, Kashmir, Masala Chai, Meatless Monday, origins, pumpkin chai, recipe, soothing

Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Latte

Posted on October 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

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When I hear the words Fall or Autumn, these images pop into my head:

Also, I am more inclined to use my oven to make vegetable roasts, poultry, and pumpkin pie. This time of the year, I like to try out new jams and experiment with anything that has pumpkin in it, except for pumpkin lattes at cafes. I remember paying $5 for a small pumpkin latte a few years ago and I threw it out after 5 sips. I couldn’t stand the flavors and haven’t been so inclined to mix pumpkin with espresso since then. However, Satish has a homemade espresso everyday and almost everyday I am tempted to make a specialty drink. However, he likes to keep it rather simple when it comes to his basic staples (coffee, cereal, rice) and prefers that I leave the experimenting to myself. I have waited a whole year to buy pumpkins, pumpkin purees, pumpkin spices, and pumpkin butter and I have been determined to make the best use of all my newly acquired pumpkin products. So when I woke up to rainfall yesterday morning, I knew that it was the day to make a pumpkin latte.

Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Latte

Serves 2.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk, organic preferred
2 tablespoons Pumpkin Butter*
1-2 teaspoons sugar, unrefined, unprocessed preferred**
1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder, fresh if possible
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3-4 strands of saffron, soaked in 1 tsp water for 15-30 mins (optional)
2 shots espresso or 1/2 cup brewed coffee***
1/4 cup milk to create a foam with espresso machine (optional)

1. Add milk, pumpkin butter, cardamom powder, soaked saffron with its water, and ginger in a saucepan. Gently whisk to combine all of the ingredients and make sure the Pumpkin Butter is mixed in well (no lumps). Taste the mixture and add sugar if needed.

We prefer to use Fair Trade coffee and espresso grounds. Shouldn't all coffee be Fair Trade?

Organic milk is humane, healthy, hormone-free and tastes pretty phenomenal.

Whisk and taste. Add sugar or anymore of other spices to your liking.

We prefer to use unrefined, unprocessed sugar. Mascobado is less sweet than refined white sugar.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat. Remove from the stove, and give the saucepan a whirl. While the mixture is coming to a boil, make the espresso or coffee. Also, make the foam using the milk steamer on your espresso machine or a foamer. Keep an eye on the mixture, though.

The scent will be strong and colors rich.

Pour in the steamed milk on top for extra velvety richness.

3. Pour into two mugs and add espresso on top. Add foam from steamed milk on top if desired.

**If using store bought pumpkin butter, read the ingredients! Simple, unprocessed pumpkin butter has the following ingredients: pumpkin, spices, apple cider or lemon, and sugar.

**The pumpkin butter is really sweet, so hold off until adding sugar until you taste all of the ingredients. Also, white sugar is highly processed and I encourage you to try alternatives, such as unrefined Muscovado sugar.

***Read why Fair Trade coffee is a better option and how you can help poor farmers by making the better choices here. This latte can be made completely Fair Trade by using Fair Trade coffee, sugar, and spices.