Sago Pudding

“All you need is Love;  but a little Dessert  now and then does’nt hurt”.

Valentines Day is here again.   And I’ve made nothing fancy this year;   though I had in mind a plan to have a Valentines Day Special Menu on the blog.   Sorry folks,  been neck deep in things that have kept me very busy.

For this year be content with this simple  ‘Sago Pudding’.  But remember that  it is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.

Happy Valentines Day to all our well wishers.

Recipe for Sago Pudding :

Serves: 10

10 cups water

200g pearl sago, soaked,  rinsed and drained

200g palm sugar (also known as gulamelaka),  or jaggery melted in 1/2 cup water over medium heat.

2-1/2  cups coconut milk

Directions

Soak the sago pearls in water for 30 minutes. Drain over a sieve.  Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  Gradually stir in the sago so that it does not clump. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Cook until the sago turns translucent, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.  Pour over a sieve, wash the pearls in cold running water till cold and drain again.

Warm the coconut milk and  gulamelaka syrup and when thickish add the sago and simmer on low heat. Refrigerate in individual containers.

Garnish with nuts.

Mini Jello-Delights

Are you looking for a Dessert that you can whip up in a hurry, needs just a few ingredients and can be served in individual servings ?   Look no further -  here is something that is colourful, yummy, easy to make and can be  served in individual servings.

Ingredients Needed:

3 packets of jelly (small) in  raspberry, orange and lemon green flavor
Water (use as required in the pack) –mine needed 2 cups per packet
Sweetened condensed  milk -397 grams
12 mini glasses or wine glasses

Wash and dry the mini glasses that you will be using.  Boil water in a kettle and keep aside.

Prepare the orange jelly as instructed on the packet.   Dissolve the jelly crystals in 1 cup of hot water and then add one cup cold water.  Stir till the crystal  are dissolved and wait for the mix to come to room temperature.  Open the condensed milk and add three tablespoons of  it to the cooled (but not set) Jelly and stir.   Do not be tempted to add before the mixture has cooled or it will curdle.   Gently pour equal quantity into each glass and keep in the refrigerator  to set – say  10-15 minutes or till firm.  {A tip, keep all the glasses in a large tray – as you have to take them in and out of the refrigerator a couple of times;  by doing this you can just remove the tray with the wine glasses and put them in and out of the refrigerator without having to remove the wine glasses one by one)

When the 1^st layer of jelly has set,  prepare the lemon green jelly similarly.  Pour equal quantity  on the orange jelly which has already set in the wine glasses.  Refrigerate till set.

When the 2^nd layer of jelly has set,   prepare the raspberry jelly similarly.  Pour equal quantity on  the lemon green jelly which has already set in the wine glasses.   Refrigerate till set.

You can either add another layer of lemon yellow jelly on top – or spoon in custard as the last layer (as I did).

Garnish with a slice of strawberry/raspberry/orange and  sprinkle a few chopped nuts on top.

Looks colourful and tempting especially to kids.   Warn them that if they  dont eat their food fast they will not be getting Dessert;  and watch how quickly the food disappears from their plate.  Ha Ha !!!!

{Note :  I made 12 mini wine glasses with the quantity above and still had extra remaining,  which I just put in layers in a small square bowl – lined with plastic wrap.  Pull it out after it is set and cut into neat slices or squares}

Semolina Cake

For the Cake:
250 grams  semolina  (dry roast and keep aside)
150 grams sugar (=3/4 cup)
100+50 melted butter
1/2 cup coconut (= grated coconut )
1/2 cup yogurt
1 ts vanilla

For the Syrup:
150 gr sugar
125 ml water (=1/2 cup)
juice of a small lemon
vanilla

Method  :
Preheat the oven to 350F /180 deg. C.   In a bowl mix the semolina with 100 gr of the melted butter.
Add the sugar and coconut and mix.  . Add the yogurt and vanilla and mix .
Pour the cake batter into a buttered baking dish .   Mark small squares/diamonds  on the batter.  Do not cut – just mark the outlines.
Bake the cake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.   Take the cake out of the oven and spread with the remaining 50 gr butter.    Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cake is golden- brown.-

In the meantime make the syrup.  Cook the syrup ingredients, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes); let the syrup cool until the cake is done.
Pour all the syrup at once on the hot cake.   After cooling and when the cake is s still warm cut into squares .  Best eaten warm;   though tastes equally good when chilled too.

Coconut Ice

Wrap up sweet childhood memories with our irresistible Christmas package…… “Coconut Ice”.    No cook, no bake.. and made in under 15 minutes,  this one is soooooooh  simple – you will be wondering if it will be good.

Stop being a doubting Thomas this Christmas and make this Coconut Ice as your Christmas Platter will surely look extra special with this addition.

Made with condensed milk, and Icing Sugar,  this one is packed with a lot of calories,  but its Christmas…. so shove all your weight conscious plans in the bin .

If you are making it,  don’t put more than a drop of colour, to get that pale pink and pale green colour – mine got a tad bit darker than I would have liked.

Made with just a few ingredients…… this one will soon become a permanent fixture during the Yule Tide.   Please do make it…and don’t forget to tell us how it turned out for you.

Ingredients :

395 grams tin of sweetened condensed milk
3-1/2 cups or 300 grams of desiccated coconut
2 cups or 330 grams of icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
A big pinch of powdered cardamom
1 or 2 drops of pink food colour
1 or 2 drops of green food colour

 

Using a wooden spoon, mix together the condensed milk and icing sugar in a large bowl. Work the coconut into the mix until it’s well combined – use your hands, if you like. Add the vanilla, cardamom powder.

Split the mix into two and knead a very small amount of food colouring into one half. Dust a board with icing sugar, then shape each half into a smooth rectangle and place one on top of the other. Roll with a rolling pin, re-shaping with your hands every couple of rolls, until you have a rectangle of two-tone coconut ice about 3cm thick.

Transfer to a plate and leave uncovered for at least 2 hrs or ideally keep for 1 hour in the fridge.  Cut into squares with a sharp knife and pack into plastic boxes. These will keep for up to a month at least, if stored in an airtight container.

Kazandibi – Turkish Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
1 Teaspoon butter
3 Tablespoons Icing Sugar
3/4 cups rice flour
1/4 cup cornflour
4 cups milk
1-1/2 cups sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
Cinnamon
Nuts for garnish
Method:
Grease a round 8 ” round baking pan with butter. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons icing sugar. Keep in a oven till the sugar turns a light caramel colour. Remove from oven and cool.

In a pan combine the rice flour, corn flour and 4 cups of milk and 1-1/2 cups of sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring all the time for about 10-15 minutes till it thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla and stir well.

Spread into the caramelized baking pan and bake in a 160 deg C oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and place in a cold water bath. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Chill. Turn over onto a flat platter, sprinkle with cinnamon powder (optional) and garnish with nuts.

Floating Island (France)

Ingredients:
for the Meringue:
3 egg whites
2 cups milk
pinch of salt
3 tbsps powdered sugar
for the custard:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
remainging milk after poaching Meringues, add one more cup milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp butter
Preparation:
Pour the milk in a container and allow it to come to a boil.
While the milk is boiling whisk the egg whites with salt and sugar till they form stiff peaks.
When the milk gets boiled, keep the container on the fire and let the milk simmer on very low heat. Now, with the help of a spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop the stiff peaks of egg and gently put them on to the simmering milk and poach them.
Once done, remove them on a moist plate and keep them in the refrigerator to set.
Finish the whole meringue (stiff egg white) in this manner.
Remove the milk from the heat.
The quantity of milk would have reduced. Add more milk to bring the amount back to half a litre. add the sugar and mix till it dissolves.
Take half a cup of milk (cold or at room temperature) and add the cornstarch and blend the well beated egg yolks to it.

Mix well and add to the milk and heat it over a double boiler. Let it gently simmer while continuously stirring it.
Once the custard is cooked, remove from the heat, add vanilla essence and butter, mix well and let it cool. Keep giving it a stir now and then to avoid the formation of a creamy crust on its top.

Once cool, refrigerate it and then serve it topped with the meringue.

Rose and Banana Cooler

Ingredients
2 glasses chilled milk
1 banana
¼ cup of rose syrup
Toppings
1-2 scoops ice cream

Preparation
Blend the ingredients together. Pour in a tulip shaped glass. Top it with one or two scoops of ice cream. Drizzle some rose syrup on the ice cream and garnish with sliced pistachios.
An easy cooler to make and enjoy.

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour one 9-inch round baking pan.
2. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to the mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.
4. Prepare RICH FILLING (see recipe below).
5.Using a long serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into two even layers. Place 1 layer on serving plate, the cut side up; spread filling over layer. Top with remaining layer, cut side down.
6.Prepare DARK COCOA GLAZE (see recipe below).
7.Pour glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to drizzle down sides. Refrigerate several hours or until cold. 8 to 10 servings.

RICH FILLING
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation:
In a double boiler, stir together sugar and cornstarch; gradually add milk and egg yolks, stirring until blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until cold.

DARK COCOA GLAZE
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons Cocoa
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat water and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; remove from heat. Immediately stir in cocoa. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating with whisk until smooth; cool slightly.

Fruit Trifle

A fresh and cool summer dessert,  made with sponge cake, fresh fruits, custard, jelly, nuts and cream.  This is a dessert which makes not only a pretty presentation but is also a sweet ending to a splendid lunch/dinner.    For those who say – “Oh ..its filled with calories”!!!!!…I say;   ”Indulge while you can”!!!!!!

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake      (Can refer to Vanilla Sponge Cake in Category -Desserts)
Cream  1 Pack
Rasberry/Strawberry Jelly
Custard -  (Either make at home or if in UAE, use Al Marai readymade packs )
Fruits of your choice (I used apples, oranges, strawberries, peaches and pears)
Sugar Syrup – 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts – chopped fine
 

Cut cake into chunks- keep aside.

Prepare Jelly as per instructions on packet and have it set in a bowl. Refrigerate till needed.

Prepare custard -keep aside.

Cut nuts fine and keep aside.

Beat cream till firm peaks form and keep aside.

Prepare Sugar Syrup – (1 cup sugar + 1 cup water add 2-3 cardamoms (which discard later) and boil till syrupy.  Keep warm.

Cut fruits into small squares. If using apple – just add a bit of lemon juice or some Tang to avoid the apples from discoloring.

In a deep Trifle Bowl,  put the cake chunks, sprinkle with little warm sugar syrup.  Don’t make it soggy – just moisten the top.   Just flatten it a bit.   Add a layer of custard,  then fruits, nuts, jelly and cream.  Repeat another layer similarly – so that the cream is the top layer.   Decorate with fruits or nuts or just flatten and then run a fork over the cream to get a design.

Chill for at least 2 hours.

Baked Cheesecake with Blueberries Sauce

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (unsalted) butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (preferably Philadelphia Cheese)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Sauce:
2 cups frozen blueberries
2-4 Tbsp sugar depending on the sweetness of your berries (I used 2)
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp water

Method:
1. For the Crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, press into buttered 8 inch springform cake tin to form crust on bottom and sides.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into crust.
4. Bake at 160 C for 35 minutes or until set.
5. Allow to cool to room temperature, and chill for 5 hours or more before serving.
6. For the Sauce: Place blueberries and sugar in a pan and heat until the blueberries release their juices. Combine cornstarch, juice, and water in a small bowl. Stir together until smooth.
Add the mixture to the pan and stir to mix completely. Bring mixture to boil for a few minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
7.When the cake is set, carefully remove the cake and slide onto a plate. Spoon the syrupy berries on top.