Surely, you jest!

This is what David Lebovitz wanted to say when first faced with this tart shell. And this was my reaction exactly when David unleashed the recipe on unsuspecting public. I mean, aren't tarts those pastry shells made delicately with cold, even frozen butter. Melted, hot butter doesn't come into it. But David's friend Paule Caillat says it does. I didn't believe it, but I wanted to try it.

Because it sounded rich, I decided to omit sugar in the shell and bake a savory tart. I also divided David's 9-inch tart recipe by a third to do my small 3 inch tart. First, mix 30 grams butter, a tsp of vegetable oil and a tbsp of water. I used salted butter so omitted the pinch of salt this warranted. I also omitted the tsp of sugar called for in the recipe, but do add it back if you are making a sweet version. David says to place this mix in a 210 C oven for 15 minutes. I put it in a small metal bowl and put it on the stove top on very low heat until the butter began to brown.

Remove it from the oven and quickly add 1/3 cup of flour. Mix until it forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a tart mold with a removable bottom and spread it a bit with a spatula. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell and press it up the sides of the tart mold. Prick the tart all over with a fork and bake in an oven preheated to 210C for around 15 minutes or until it starts to turn a golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool, then fill with whatever takes your fancy. I added steamed mix vegetables lightly sautéed in olive oil with some salt and oregano, then topped the whole thing with grated cheddar and put it under the grill until the cheese melted.

The result is the tastiest, flakiest tart I've ever created. It was also the easiest tart recipe I've encountered. So if you've been holding back on making that favorite tart, try this one instead.

MEC Roundup : Breezy Breakfast Ideas

You people are fabulous. I was nervous hosting my first ever event, thinking no one will send in an entry. And here we are, with 16 quick and breezy breakfast ideas to start your day instead. To Priya, who sent in four wonderful breakfast ideas and to bluespriite who sent in her first ever event entry and to everyone else who came up with these beautiful breakfast dishes : A BIG THANK YOU!

Now on to the roundup. I've divided the entries the way I divide the breakfast dishes in my head. For me, breakfast is either sweet and fruity or hot and savory. And then there are drinks. So it is in this roundup. First, the sweet breakfasts.



First on left are Priya's Muesli N Chocolate Bars. It's chocolate and it's healthy. What else can you ask for!

Next to it you see chocolate in a decadent version. Bluspriite says her Chocolate Cake is the quickest ever. I say it's the best breakfast idea I've ever heard.

Another healthy muesli recipe from Priya on bottom right. Her Swiss Muesli is one of the most colorful I've seen.

And on bottom left, you have my very own Peach Oatmeal Crumble.

Next are the nine savory dishes, but I divided them into seven vegetarian and two non-vegetarian ideas.



First up in the veggie world is bluespriite's Sprouted Moong Salad. She made it to take the guilt away from her previous chocolate cake entry.

Next is Preeti's Upma, the first thing she made in her microwave after the papad. I like her idea of adding milk to make it soft.

Then comes the brain behind MEC. Srivalli got inspiration on the last day of the event to make Mor Kali, a dish she loves but had never cooked before.

In the next row, we have Dipali's Rava Idli. A great sunday breakfast with minimum fuss.

Then comes my fellow Mumbaikar Prathibha with Savory Oats Porridge. And I've finally found a way to use those oats I bought to bake cookies.

And what it is with Priya and healthy eating. Her next entry is the very healthy Stuffed Vegetable Idli.

Finally, what you see lurking in that corner is my Sabudana Khichdi.



Non-veggies get a great choice too. You can heed Priya and make very delicious Poached Egg with Cheese.

Or go with Praveen who wanted something filling but quick on a weekday morning and came up with Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich.



And finally the drinks. You've had elaichi chai. But Bharti makes something different when she comes up with Elaichi Wali Coffee.

Lavi sends in a deliciously pink Oats Buttermilk

And to end it all, I have my new favorite drink. It's Sinful Hot Chocolate so good, it's addictive!

Happy Breakfast! I hope I didn't miss anyone. But drop me a line if I did, and I will correct the roundup promptly.

The Shadow of the Wind

It might not be the greatest book ever written, but the Shadow of the Wind is surely the best I've read in the past few years. Originally published in Spanish, this is a book about a book and it's troubled author. It's also a coming of age story for our protagonist who discovers the book as a child, on his first visit to the cemetery of forgotten books. Some parts of the book, like how the child's life mirrors the author and some love stories, are predictable enough. But the book has enough originality, and the right mix of romance and thrill to hold it together. All I'd say is, if you haven't read it so far, read it now. Even if you are not a book lover.

We chose to read the book for "This Book Makes Me Cook" in June. You would have noticed that we usually pick books with plenty of food references. This one was an exception. There aren't that many food references in a thriller set in war-torn Barcelona. But there is one. On the day hero, wet with rain and terrified after a fearful encounter, returns to the cemetery of books and to Isaac, the keeper of the books.

"Isaac threw a couple of blankets over my shoulders and offered me a cup of some steaming concoction that smelled of hot chocolate and some sort of alcohol".

Let's make this hot chocolate, the one that's pure sin. Take 2 tbsp cream in a small microwave safe bowl. Add a tsp of alcohol of your choice. Bailey's is preferable, but vodka will do. If this is your breakfast drink, skip alcohol and add a few drops of vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for 10 seconds or until the cream is bubbling. Add 30 grams of semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped chocolate). Mix until no chunks remain. Pop it back in the microwave for 10 seconds, then serve in an espresso cup. Recommended for fearful nights, or rainy mornings, or just about any time you want.

And the rest of the book club? I think it was hard to get cooking inspiration from this book. But we have a winner from Sweatha. She made the very Spanish Patatas Bravas with Sangria.

And Aquadaze came up with Spanish Omelette, inspired from a much-loved scene in the book.

In July, we are reading "A Space Between Us" by Thrity Umrigar. If you would like to join us, do leave a comment here and I will get back with more details.

That's about the book club. Now, a couple of other things. One, this sinful chocolate is on its way to AWED: Swiss being hosted by my friend Sweatha this month.

Two, I noticed this makes an excellent entry for Srivalli's MEC : Breezy Breakfasts that I am hosting in June. Two more days to go folks, so if you have any microwave breakfast ideas, send them over now.

Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding for Daring Bakers

Yes, you are reading this right. I am finally, officially a member of that daredevil club called the Daring Bakers.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Beginners luck, you can call it. Tarts are probably the only thing I make quite a lot so it didn't seem so hard. But Bakewell pudding is more than a tart. It's a shortcrust pastry, made the traditional "rub grated butter in flour" way. This is filled with jam and topped with frangipane.

The tart base was fine, I think I like the earlier ones I've made a lot more. But then, this recipe did not say to blind bake my tart which could have contributed to the slight sogginess (or uncrispness). My first layer of filling was my favorite cherry preserve. Again, I've used it before in tarts and I know what it tastes like.

And then frangipane kicked in and totally, completely blew me away. I'd never had it before so had no idea on what to expect. I certainly didn't expect something this delicious. To me, frangipane is what held this together. I am already thinking of other ways to use frangipane, minus the tart.

Do visit the Daring Kitchen to look at other members' versions. There are some beautiful creations out there.

Leftovers

You remember the other half of the pizza dough I had lurking in the freezer. I couldn't think of any breakfast ideas this morning so I took it out and let it defrost for half an hour. Rolled it into a square, then sprinkled some grated cheddar, tons of chopped coriander, salt and pepper, rolled it all up. Then cut it into 6 rolls and baked in a preheated oven at 250C till they were brown and pretty.

Decandent breakfast. And all I had in mind was using leftovers!

4-in-1 Pizza

For this month's taste & create, I have been paired with bad girl's kitchen. Not the host Min, but another "bad" girl : Shell. And thanks to this fabulous event, I have just discovered my best pizza dough ever. I don't know if it's the honey Shell adds or the extra olive oil but this was a really soft, slightly thick pizza.

I made half of Shell's recipe, which is just enough for two pizzas. So I halved the dough, then rolled it into a circle. This I then divided into four quarters and spread a different topping on each. The one on top is mixed veggies (sliced onions, spinach, corn) topped with my pizza sauce. Going clockwise, you next have plain tomato and cheese. Then comes spinach (pizza sauce, then a layer of chopped spinach topped with a layer of cheese). The last one's the same except we use onions instead of spinach.

A hearty weekend dinner, and enough dough in the freezer for a rainy day.

4-in-1 pizza also goes to Zorra who is celebrating the second anniversary of Bread Baking Day with a pizza party.

From A Year in Bread : Honey Wheatberry

I have decided to skip August in my journey through a year in bread and go straight to September. So I zip past the quick breads made with baking powder and what not, and land in the midst of whole grain breads. I picked Beth's Honey Wheatberry bread - I would claim that would have been my choice anyway but the fact is that was the only one I had all the ingredients for.

Beth made this bread to recreate the magic of Oroweat Honey Wheat Berry Bread. But there's a catch : the Oroweat bread was made with cracked wheat not wheatberries. So Bombay Foodie's bread is made with cracked wheat too.

Beth's original recipe is for two large loaves. What follows is 1/3rd of this original, enough for my shorter loaf. Pour 2/3 cup boiling water over 1/4 cup cracked wheat. Let rest for an hour for the wheat to fluff up and soften. To this, add 1/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour and a tsp of yeast. Mix and set aside for 15-20 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. Add a tbsp each of butter and honey, then add enough plain flour to form a dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle a tsp of salt and knead until the dough is smooth. I always need to add more flour at this stage to keep the dough from sticking.

Put the dough in a bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. I use straight plastic containers so it's easy to see when the doubling happens. Once the rise in done, shape the dough into a loaf, put it in a greased loaf pan and let rise again until doubled.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 175C. Bake bread for 45 minutes or until brown. If you want perfect slices for sandwiches, this needs to cool for at least an hour. If not, just tear chunks of warm bread and you will love it with butter.

Not quite macarons but...

This is the best alternative I got short of flying to London and buying the mini-macaron tray off Paul whenever the urge to eat these cookies strikes. I've had a couple of disasters making macarons before, so I did two things differently this time. One, I baked on parchment rather than directly on my nonstick baking tray. Two, I used a recipe by bakingbites that uses half the egg whites to bind together almond meal and sugar, and only makes meringue of the other half.

And one thing I learnt. There are some recipes you can't scale down too much. Nicole used 4 egg whites, I used one which means I was trying to beat 1/2 an egg white into stiff peaks. Doesn't work. Take my word for it, you can't get volumes from egg whites if only your mixer tips touch them. So instead of fluffly macarons with feet, I got chewy almond cookies.

They didn't look like macarons but they sure tasted like them. I was so sure I will fail that I hadn't even thought of a filling. But even almost-macarons need to be sandwiched. So I melted some cherry jam to fill my macarons. Just the right flavor blend for these chocolate and almond goodies.

The 60 Minute Rolls are not a myth

I agree with Em, the repressed pastry chef. When you need bread, you usually need it now. And once you get used to eating homemade bread, it's tough to go back to the store bought variety (unless you live in Paris, of course!). Which is why I was intrigued, interested and very keen to try the 60 minute dinner rolls that Em made a few days back.

I made 6 rolls instead of the original 24. And I made them in my brioche cups rather than muffin tins. Apart from that, the original recipe is perfect. In short, you give your flour too much yeast and it literally falls all over itself to rise.

Start by mixing 2 tbsp milk, a tsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tbsp butter. Melt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Also heat 3/8 cup of water to lukewarm - this is what happens when you 1/4th the recipes, but I just took water a little less than 1/2 cup. Add 1 1/2 tsp yeast to water, then add the milk mixture (it should be now lukewarm). Gradually add flour until it stops sticking then knead it for a couple of minutes. Or head over to Em's to see how to do this effortlessly in a stand mixer.

Make a dough ball, put it in a greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes. Divide it into 6 equal pieces and put each ball in a brioche/muffin cup. Now pick each piece in turn and using scissors, cut in half, then in quarters, and return all four pieces to the cup. Switch on the oven to very low (say 50C) and put the rolls in to rise.

After 15 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 220C and bake the rolls until they are golden. In my oven, this took another 15 minutes. So effectively, it was less than an hour. Ready by the time my pao bhaji got off the stove. And perfect as an accompaniment to the tangy, fiery bhaji.

A taste of Juhu Beach

It's really hard driving by Mumbai's Juhu Beach. You can smell pao bhaji when you are at least 5 minutes away still, and there is no way to resist that kind of temptation. And yet, you know it's not hygenic and are scared to eat what countless shacks on the beach are selling. I usually take refuge in Prithvi Cafe, just a few minutes away, and making probably the best pao bhaji in town.

I've often thought of making my own. I even have inspiration, for Nupur, facing the same temptation as me, came up with a recipe. A recipe countless foodies have first encountered with surprise (what! no onions!), then tried and confirmed as "the authentic street flavor".

I finally tried it last night. And Nupur's right. This does bring the fragrance and flavor of Sukh Sagar, and that of Juhu Beach to your home. Just perfect for RCI : Street Foods of Mumbai that Aquadaze is hosting this month.

I served this authentic bhaji not with pao, but with...hey! the bread's another story. Come back tomorrow.