Crêpe with Strawberry compote and Pistachios

hen hubby introduced me to crêpes a couple of years ago, he called them the 'American Dosa'! These were the times when it had only been a short few weeks after I had arrived to the US after getting married and hubby was getting me acquainted with the local cuisine. There was this crêpe place near work that made the most amazing savory mushroom crêpes, he claimed. I totally loved them too. The sauteed mushrooms in a thick creamy gravy wrapped in a crispy yet soft crêpe. We went there several times. This was what seems like an age ago. Since then the place closed down and the exotic taste of the mushroom crêpe became a distant memory. Until one evening recently we drove down to a mall that is kinda far but we've always wanted to go there. We spotted a crêpe store in one of those food courts. This rekindled the memories of all the sweet and savory goodness of this great French dish.  We enjoyed all different kinds and now that I was a food blogger, I decided to make it for myself :)

Read more »

Hazelnut-Mocha Macarons

I have been an ardent admirer of this fabulous French dessert. I have been drooling for so long at all those pretty macarons on web, each time wondering if I ought to give it a shot. I usually take up a challenge, but the  horror stories of disasters with this beautiful but so temperamental dessert always made me take a step back. Well long-story-short, I did finally manage the courage to try it and as you can see from the results I think I earned myself some serious bragging rights... lol.

Here's a little excerpt with a little background -
(Dating back to the 18th century, the macaron is a traditional French pastry, made of  egg-whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. This sweet pastry came out of the French courts’ baker’s oven as round meringue-like domes with a flat base.
Macarons, also anglicized “macaroons”, are not to be confused with a similar pastry also called ‘macaroons’. Macarons are sandwich-like pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons are dense cookies made either with coconut or with a coarse almond paste.) 

Read on if you'd like to hear some bragging :)
I must admit, I was very much intimidated by these and had basically convinced myself that these were way out of my league and I should never think of making them. Watching the 'Master Chef India' episode on StarPlus and all the contestants making disastrous macrons, I just had to try it even if I failed. I started with google and zeroed in on this recipe on food network . I read it at least 100 times over, saw a few videos on you tube and with butterflies in my stomach reminding me of my math's tests in school, set upon making these beauties this past weekend with my hubby (who btw is the most amazing and talented sous chef in the world and my constant motivator). Each and every step was followed closely and when I finally put them in the oven... will they crack or melt or will they hold... no one gets macrons right the first time... the apprehension heightened by the fact hat you can not even take a peek... you have to wait patiently for the timer to run out... and then... moment of truth... 

Read more »

Mushroom Galette with caramelized onion, tomato and mozzarella

The cool thing about blogging is that it exposes you to so many different cuisines and styles of cooking. This is one dish that I'd heard so much about but never had a chance to either taste it or make it. With my love for baking this dish always had my fancy. It is a classic French dish which is more like a savory tart, somewhere between a pizza and a pie. After reading up about it and googling several recipes, I was able to come up with a version that fit my taste. With its free-form crust that makes for perfect main course and can also be served as an appetizer at a potluck or large party... it is relatively easy to make,  rustic, delicious, fun, and doesn't need as much expertise as pie and nor does it need lots of eggs to set as a quiche! A bite into a slice hits you with the creaminess and earthiness of the mushroom with a nice bite, followed by the crunchy crust which feels in between a pizza crust and puffed pastry and finishes off with the sweetness of caremelized onions. Not to brag but I was definitely very pleased with the results :)

Read more »