For Pate Brisse ( pie crust ) - Flour - 2 cups Butter - 110 g Salt - a pinch Ice water - 4-6 tbsp Pie plate - 9 inch Filling - Apple - 6 (peeled, cored and thinly sliced) Butter - 4 tbsp Flour - 4 tbsp Sugar granulated - 1/2 cup Brown sugar - 1/2 cup Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Water - 1/2 cup 1 egg yolk, 3-4 tbsp Milk and granulated sugar - for glaze Whip cream - 200 g (whip the cream with 1/2 cup castor sugar)
Method - For the Pate brisse - Pate Brisse is the typical flaky pie dough and a versatile unsweetened short crust pastry, that has a buttery flavour and crumbly texture ideal for savoury pies, tarts and quiches.
1. Cut the butter in cubes and keep it in a fridge minimum for 1/2 an hour or the best is to keep it overnight. 2. Take a big bowl and put flour in it, add the butterand salt and start mixing it with a spatula, cutting thebutter in the flour, rubbing until it resembels breadcrumbs. 3. Put 1 tbsp water at a time, using enough water to bind it, work on it on a platform to make it a smooth dough. Do not over kneadthe dough. 4. Divide it in two portions, Gently shape it into two disks, put it in a cling film or zip lock bag and refrigeratefor 2-3 hours or overnight. 5. Take care that while making the dough if you are rubbingthe dough with fingertips then make it fast so the heatdoes not melts the butter, and the water is also ice coldif you want a flaky crust.
For the filling - 1. Take the apples as soon you have cut it and apply lemon juice, 2-3 tbsp of white sugar, nutmeg and cinnamonpowder over it to stop colouring and keep it aside. 2. After the dough has chilled take one portion of it andgently roll it over on a floured surface enough to fill the pie plate. Keep dusting the platform to avoid the piefrom sticking and even rolling. 3. Brush off any excess flour and gently lay it over the pie plate, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the pie pan. Place it in a fridge and roll out the other discfor the upper crust. 4. In the meanwhile melt butter in a pan, add the flour andstir for 1 min, add the brown sugar, white sugar, water and let it simmer for few minutes, stirring it continuously. Take it off the heat. 5. Take out the pie crust from fridge and transfer the filling on the bottom crust gently pressing the appleswith hands and mounding them slightly on the center,Pour the prepared sauce over the fillings evenly, apply water on the edge. 6. Place top crust over apples, trimming and fluting edges.You can also tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust and then crimp the edges using a fork. Using a sharp knife, cut 2 inches steam vents at the top of the pie. 7. Beat the egg yolk with milk and glaze the top with it and sprinkle with sugar. 8. Bake it in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 min oruntil the juices start to bubble through slits.Take extra care that the edges should not be over brown, cover it with a foil paper while using the upper heater. 9. Slice this Mouth watering apple pie and serve it withwhipped cream or vanilla ice-cream and enjoy the rich taste of it.
Note- If you want a lattice pattern on top then while rolling out the upper crust you have to cut the crust into stripesabout 1/2 inch in width. Divide it in two portions, oneto cover it horizontally and the other for covering vertically. Start covering it vertically, placing the smaller strips on the outerring and the larger ones towards the middle. When placing the horizontalstrips, place it in such a way that it looks like a weave pattern by removingthe vertical strips alternately and placing the horizontal strips on it.
Minced meat - 1/2 kg Garlic cloves minced - 7-8 Onion finely chopped - 1 med Ginger minced - 1 inch Carrot grated - 1 big Green Chillies minced - 2-3 Red chiili flakes - 1 tbsp Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp Lemon grass chopped - 1 tsp Bread crumbs - 1 full cup Eggs slightly beaten - 2 Hard boiled eggs - 3 Tomato ketchup - 4 tbsp + 2 tbsp American mustard sauce - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp Butter - 2 tbsp Olive oil - 2 tbsp Salt - to taste Brown sugar - 1 tbsp
Method -
1. Grind the meat in a grinder to make a smooth paste. 2. Heat oil and butter in a wok, fry the onions in it until light brown, add minced garlic-ginger, green chillies and saute for a while, add carrot and fry it further for 1 min. 3.Take ground meat in a big bowl and Mix the onion mix,Chilliflakes, black pepper, lemon grass, breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, tomato ketchup, mustard sauce and salt. Mix it nicely toincorporate all. 4. Take a loaf tin and grease it nicely or line it with a foil or parchment paper. 5. Divide the meat mix in two portions, arrange the halfof the meat mix on the bottom of the loaf tin, arrange the hard boil eggsover the meat mix, cover it completly withthe remaining meat mix so the eggs are not visible from outside. 6. Pack it tight and keep it in the fridge for 4-5 hoursor overnight. 7. Mix the 1 tbsp ketchup, mustard sauce and brown sugar.Pour it over the loaf evenly. 7. Preheat oven and bake it for 1 hour or until done. 8. Take care to switch over the upper and bottom heateraccordingly. (for 1/2 an hour i put it on the bottomheater only then taking care to switch on the upper one to give it a crisplayer and a beautiful dark brown colour.) 9. Cut it in slices before serving and enjoy your X-Mas lunch/dinner with this beautiful loaf as one of the dishes on your dining table. "Bon Appetit"
All purpose Flour - 2 cups Sugar granulated - 1 cup Brown Sugar - 1 cup Butter - 125 g Eggs - 3 Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1 tsp Soda bi carb - 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Milk - 1/2 cup
For the Syrup -
Canned Cherries - small can (drained weight 225 g) Sugar - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Cornflour - 2 tbsp Water - 1/2 cup Cherry brandy/ kirsch - 2 tbsp (optional) For frosting -
Fresh cream - 300 g Icing sugar - 1 cup Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp
Beat the cream with sugar and vanilla essence until it is light and fluffy, keep it aside for later use.
Method -
1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and creamy. 2. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. 3. Sift baking powder, soda bi carb with flour and mix in alternating with the milk and cocoa powder. Beat until smooth. 4. Divide evenly into 2 greased and lined (9 in) sandwich cake tins and bake it in a moderate oven until a skewar comes out clean wheninserted. 5. Take it out after 5 minutes and put it into a wire rack tocool. 6. Allow to cool completely and cut each cake carefully through the center making 4 layers.
For the Syrup -
1. Drain the cherries. Remove stones and cut it into halves, reserving some cherries for decoration. 2. Put the syrup in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil. 2. Let it simmer for 2 minutes and take it off the heat. Add the liqueur if using. 3. Pierce the layers of the cake so the syrup penetrates nicely. 4. Pour few spoonfuls of the syrup on each layer to make it moist. 5. Take the remaining syrup and again put it on heat, put2 tbsp of cornflour, 1 tbsp sugar and let it come to boil, put cut cherries into it, and take it off the heat, if it is too thick to spread then few spoons of water could be added.
For Frosting -
1. Take a cake stand and place one piece of cake on it. 2. Apply a generous amount of frosting and top it with chopped cherry mix. 3. Place the second piece of cake on top of it and apply frosting and topping.Repeat each step until all the syrup, cherries and cake have been used and about half the whipped cream. 4. Cover the cake completely with cream. When all layers have been placed, spread the whipped cream over sides and top of cake. Decorate with chocolate curlsand shavings. 5. Fill a pastry or plastic bag with more whipped cream with a star nozzle and pipe it at the bottom and around the cake for a decorative top border and place cherries on top of every swirl. 6. Decorate the top with cherries, fresh or cannedonce your cake is frosted. If using canned cherries, drain thoroughly before using as the liquid, though tasty, may cause the frosting to run. 7. Finish it off with a toss of chocolate shavings and your cake is ready to impress.
For the Choux Pastry - Plain all purpose flour - 75 g (3/4 cup) Butter - 60 g Salt - a pinch Eggs - 2, well beaten Water - 155 ml(2/3 cup)
Filling n decoration -
Chocolate - 100 g Coco powder - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1/2 tsp (dissolved in 2 tbsp water) Castor sugar - 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup Coffee - 1 tsp Cream(double heavy) - 200 g + 2 spoon
Method -
1. Sift the flour and salt. 2. Put water and butter in a shallow frying pan and bring to boil. 3. When boiling fast,reduce the heat and pour in the flour. Using a wodden spoon, beat it vigorously until the mixture forms a soft ball and leaves the sides of the pan. 4. Allow to cool a bit before mixing in the eggs, one at a time, beating nicely until it incorporates well in the mix. 5. Line a baking tray with parchment or foil paper,put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe either small buns or in a finger shape on to the baking sheet. 6. Bake at 200Cfor 10 min. then reduce the heat to 180C for further 20- 25 min or until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. 7. Peirce the ends of the eclair shells right after removing otherwise the heat trapped inside, if not piercedwould make the eclairssoggy. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Filling n decoration -
1. To decorate, melt the chocolate in a pan over low heat, add the cocoa powder, 2 tbsp castor sugar, 2 tbspcream, cornflour and bring it to boil, take it off the heat and allow to cool. 2. Beat the cream, sugar and coffee together until its light and fluffy and fill a piping bag with a small nozzle, push the end through the side of the eclairs and fill the centre with the mocha cream. You can also slit the sides of eclairs and spoon the cream into it. 3. Dip both the ends of the eclairs into the chocolate sauce. 4. Home made delicious eclairs are ready to be served and win many a hearts specially the little ones.