Macaroons all the way !!!

Macaroons are the French confectionery items made of cookie and filling. The filling or frosting is sandwiched between two flavoured cookies. I first got to know about them through Masterchef Australia where the contestants had to rebuild Adriano Zumbo's Macaroon tower. Was completely fascinated by the enormous structure created by him.

It actually took me a while to get my teeth over the Macaroons. In this vacation we went to Palladium Mall to have LE 15 Macaroons. It is owned by Pooja Bhingra. LE 15 PATISSERIE is a French style chocolate and pastry shop..

The items there are a bit expensive like the little chocolate tart is of Rs. 95 and a Macaroon will cost you Rs. 60 per piece. But anyways it is totally worth it !!! When i had the first bite I was like YUMMMM... Unlike its hard, crispy appearance, it is really light, delicate and mouth-melting with a little crisp at the top.

They had many flavours, we had PASSION FRUIT and COFFEE MACAROON..

I am so happy we had it. It was a delightful experience. It has inspired me to make my own Macaroon and I am gonna do it real soon...

 

LE 15 has a huge variety of cup cakes as well which look very cute and tempting.

MY LEMON PUDDINGS

Pretty much everyone who loves cooking loves Nigella Lawson. She is often regarded as “THE DOMESTIC GODDESS”. I myself am a huge fan of her and her recipes. Everything she cooks looks simply scrumptious!!

I was going through her site when I stumbled upon her lemon pudding recipe. They looked absolutely pretty. So I decided to make them. Her version included lemon curd on the top. But I used melted chocolate instead.

Ingredients:

·         125gm unsalted butter

·         125gm all purpose flour

·         125gm caster sugar

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 pinch of grated lemon zest

·         2tsp baking powder

·         Chunks of dark chocolate

   Procedure:

   ·          Mix butter, flour and sugar well

   ·         Add lemon juice and zest and mix it again

   ·         Grease the ramekins with butter

   ·         Add baking powder to the mixture

   ·         Pour the batter in the ramekins

   ·         Bake them in preheated microwave for 15mins at 180◦C

   ·         Melt the chocolate in double boiler and pour it ovr the puddings while serving

·        ·    You can decorate the pudding however you want. Get creative!!

●◊●It’s a pretty simple thing to make and is a perfect companion for evening tea ●◊●

It's PIZZA BY THE BAY

Doing Articleship at a CA's Office, I always have to visit Income Tax Office at Charni Road and Churchgate. At one such visit i saw “PIZZA BY THE BAY” which is just across Marine Drive facing the Arabian Sea. I fell in love with the place at the first sight and determined to visit this place with Munna.

The day after Munna's exam ended, we decided to have lunch there.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, we immediately had smiles on our face. Absolutely serene and tranquil place. It had an amazing view of the sea and of the Marine Drive. As the climate was a bit hot we decided to sit inside in A/c hall.

The decor is simple yet elegant. The restaurant is groomed in white with finishes of black long wooden tables.

The waiters taking order were inattentive, but the food was served to us quiet fast. The menu is very tempting- Pizza's of different types, Pasta's, exquisite appetizers and array of Mocktails and Cocktails.

We had ordered Spicy Chicken Melt, BBQ stuffed Pizza and Coolers. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was damn yummy and tasty. The Pizza was stomach filling. They have lunch buffet too which all seemed to enjoy except for a fuzzy eaters sitting at the table besides us. They even asked for feedback form to write down complaints. It was seriously surprising because the food was very great. I just can't understand people at times!!!

Anyways this place is amazing and a must visit!!! It’s a bit on the expensive side, though one can loosen up their pockets once a while.

Price for 2 - Rs. 1000-1200

MUST TRY: - Stuffed Crust Pizza, Alfredo, Spicy Chicken Melt.

Share your experience with us !!!

KANDA BHAJJIS

The winds are blowing hard. The monsoon has just begun. It’s time to take out umbrellas and raincoats. It’s time to soak in rain. To sail your paper boats. To wear gum boots and splash water.  And it is also time for KANDA (onion) BHAJJIS. Rainfall and Kanda Bhajji are the dynamic duo. Nothing can be better than munching the hot bhajjiyas by your window and watching the rains pour.

Kanda Bhajji is a pretty easy thing to make and it doesn’t even take a lot of time. Not only in rainy season but they can be eaten as a snack anytime or as accompaniment with lunch and dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

·         4 thinly chopped –long cut large onions

·         1 tsp red chili powder

·         Salt to taste

·         1 cup gram flour(besan)

·          Cumin seeds (pinch)

·         Handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

·         Oil to deep fry

PROCEDURE:

·         Take chopped onions in a bowl. Add salt, red chili powder, cumin seeds, coriander leaves to the onions and mix well.

·         Add gram flour and mix again.

·         Heat oil in a pan.

·         Drop lumps of batter in hot oil and deep fry.

·         Remove them when golden brown.

·         Put them on tissue paper to absorb excess oil.

·         SERVE HOT!!!ENJOY!!!

TIP:  Avoid adding water to the batter because it prevents bhajjis from being crispy.

Quoted Food

I read that Marco Pierre White had the quote” TO KNOW HOW TO EAT WELL, ONE MUST FIRST KNOW HOW TO WAIT.” on the cover of the dessert menu at his restaurant. This provoked me to find other quote related to food. So I goggled the topic and went through many pages full of quotes.

Below are my favorite ones:

Ø  Fat is the vehicle for the flavor to travel on. –Reese (Malcom in the Middle)

Ø  Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can’t even get into my own pants.

Ø  Fish sauce… for when you want that flavor of cat food and athletic sock…in a good way. –Alton Brown

Ø  Give me liberty or…OOooo….A jelly donut! –Homer Simpson

Ø  The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat. –Albert Einstein

Ø  Eating is really one of your indoor sports. You play 3 times a day, and its well worthwhile to make the game as pleasant as possible. –Dorothy Draper

Ø  A tavalo non si invecchia.—At the table no one ever grows old. (Italian proverb)

Ø  A buen hambre no falta salsa. –Hunger is the best sauce. (Spanish proverb)

One cannot eat breakfast all day,

Nor is it the act of a sinner,

When breakfast is taken away,

To turn his attention to dinner.

--WS Gilbert(Trial by Jury)

Would be glad to read more good quotes if you have any!!! JJJ