Peach cobbler

Summer in delhi feels like one of two things: Either you’re baking inside an oven or melting in the humidity. There are also exactly only 2 good things about summer.

Vacations. Lucky for me, I got to get out of hot , hot delhi and spend a week in Simla and then Thailand. New things I’ve eaten this month: Mango sticky rice, Rambutan, eggplant gyozas and a tiramisu magnum bar. You might have seen lots of this on instagram, in addition to pictures of me drinking beer (a rarity!!) and kicking sand around on the beach.

Coming back home to delhi would’ve been a huge downer if it wasn’t for Ben overreacting to my homecoming. Close second to seeing ben is the only other great part about summer in Delhi - the ripe juicy summer stone fruit. My fridge is stocked with the juiciest alphonso mangoes, himalayan cherries, peaches, apricots, litchis and watermelon. p o s s i b i l i t i e s.

Here is a summer dessert wishlist of sorts: Vanilla ice cream with frozen litchis. Mango Ice cream. Cherry muffins. Watermelon popsicles. Apricot jam. Cherry pie. Peaches and cream. 

Last year, I made a peach cobbler for Better Home and Gardens Magazine (july 2016 print issue). Delicious, fuzzy, juicy peaches, baked with a crumble on top and eaten warm with ice cream of choice of course (I’d recommend ginger Ice cream)!  

Here is the recipe, guys!

For the peach filling:

450 g sliced peaches
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cointreu
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the crust:

1/2 cup flour
60 g butter
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder 3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp almond meal

1 pint Ginger Ice cream

Process:

Place the sliced peaches in a saucepan over low-medium heat. 
Add the lemon juice, sugar, cointreau and vanilla extract.
Stir constantly and cook until the peaches are soft.
Pour the peach mixture into a baking dish and set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Stir well.
Mix in the flour, baking power and almond meal and combine with a spoon, until a sticky dough is formed.
slowly add in the milk and mix until fully combined.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter on top of the peaches in the baking dish.
Continue until the peaches are covered with the batter.
Don’t worry if there are any gaps. 
Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
When done, remove from oven and let it cool
 Serve with a scoop of ginger ice cream
 

chocolate cheesecake

This week has been an achievement, to say the least. I’ve successfully filled out my student visa application, inched closer toward finding an apartment in Chicago, cooked a vegan meal with my friend, started & finished Rupi Kaur’s Milk & Honey, and made progress on meditation durations (YAY!). 

My mum asked me to bake something for her dinner party and of course i did, but not without the usual ritual of drama that somehow always always makes its way when I’m baking for a special occasion. I decided to make my chocolate cheesecake (a slight variation from the Nutella cheesecake I made on Instagram story a few weeks ago) because it is quick and easy to make and everyone always loves it. But right after it finished cooking on the rack, I was carrying it to the fridge to put it in to set and it fell (!!) - literally slipped off my hands and shattered on the floor, crumbling into a disgusting chocolaty mess. 

Sigh. It happens. Eggs curdle, caramel burns, things that are supposed to emulsify don’t - i could go on. It always feels awful - every time! But the worst kitchen disasters are the ones when everything falls apart (in this case, literally) at the last moment. 

The good news though , is that I managed to make it all over again. I felt like a contestant on Masterchef, competing against the clock to get it done on time and it was delicious. Try making it, and brownie points (cheesecake points?) if you don’t drop it! 

Ingredients: 

200 g crushed oreo
50 g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
One jar Nutella (290 g)
120 g chocolate, finely chopped  
2 packets Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
300 ml cream
Pinch of sea salt

Process:

Line an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 180 ˚ C. 

Remove the cream filling from all the oreo cookies and set the biscuit part aside. If it breaks in the process, don’t worry. You're going to crush it anyway. .

Next, blitz all the oreo cookies in a food processor or Vitamix. If you don’t have this, then you can simply crush the biscuits manually. Put them in a plastic ziplock bag and run a rolling pin over it a few times until completely crushed. You should have 200 g crushed oreo. 

Using clean hands, mix the crushed biscuit and the butter until fully combined and crumbly. 

Lay the buttery biscuit mix in the springform pan and press it down using a spatula or back of a spoon. It should form a tightly packed base. 

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180 ˚ C

When done, let it cool on the counter. 

Meanwhile, blitz the cream cheese (all of it) for about 1 minute in an electric mixer. It will be fluffy. 

Add the sugar and mix again. 

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix. 

Add the vanilla essence and then the Nutella. Mix until well combined. It will be a faint brownish colour. 

Melt the chocolate in a microwave and add the melted chocolate into the mixture.* Add sea salt. 

Lastly, add the cream and blitz until well combined. Be careful not to over-mix because it will incorporate too much air into the batter which will later create cracks on the surface of the cheesecake.* 

Fill the oven tray with water (upto 1/2 - 3/4th of the tray).  

Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan and wrap the pan tightly with aluminium foil.* 

Bake for about 60 minutes. When it’s done it will be only slightly wobbly on the top and should have small cracks on the sides of the surface. 

Let it cool on the counter for about an hour, then transfer to the fridge for it to set (about 4 - 5 hours or overnight) 

Decorate with hazelnuts, strawberries, pecans, cherries, whatever you want! 

Slice and eat! 

Notes: 

When melting chocolate in the microwave, melt in short spurts of 30s and stir well between each. If you leave the bowl of chocolate in the microwave to melt for a few minutes without stopping to stir, the chocolate at the bottom will burn. 

Mixing the cheesecake until it's just about well combined is important. If you over mix, the batter becomes over aerated. This air will try to escape during the baking process causing cracks on the surface of the cheesecake. 

This cheesecake bakes in a water bath in the oven. The steam from the water makes for an even, gentle cheesecake. But be careful to wrap the tin in foil tightly so that the water cannot seep in. 

Almond meringues with strawberry, pomegranate & coconut cream (gluten free, dairy free)

Spring has sprungggg!!! Too soon, if you ask me! 2 weeks ago it was cold enough to wear a jacket, and now I’m drinking cold coffee in the mornings, just a few degrees short of AC weather.  But the good news is I love spring, almost as much as I love winter(almost!). It’s the only time of the year Delhi skies are kind of blue, and it’s breezy and floral, ben still likes hanging out outside. Wild roses are almost about to blossom in my balcony and it is the last few weekends to brunch. Speaking of last few, it’s also the last of the strawberry season (oh no!). 

The guys from Cosmo India asked if I’d want to do a healthy recipe for their march print issue - the issue is about the digital generation and I’ve worked on part of a food feature with four other incredible bloggers. The almond meringues you’ll find beautifully photographed are topped with strawberries and pomegranate and can be served with coconut whipped cream. They’re inspired by a recipe I read in one of Ottolenghi’s books. They are cloudy and delicious - the heated sugar makes them taste a bit like candy floss (!!) and the pomegranate and coconut cream are the ottolenghi-inspired flavours - next time, rosewater? 

Cosmo has printed an overview of the recipe, but here’s the complete version!

Ingredients: 

100 g powdered sugar
3 egg whites, room temperature  
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 cup strawberries & pomegranate
1/2 cup blanched almond flakes

Process:

Preheat oven to 200 ˚ C
Line an oven tray with a silicon mat
Spread the powdered sugar evenly in the tray and place in the oven for 6 minutes
Beat the egg whites for 1 min on high speed until frothy
With the mixer still on, gradually add the heated sugar into the egg white - a spoonful at a time. 
Add the almond extract and continue to beat for about 8 minutes, until egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks. 
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the egg white onto a baking tray and use the back of a spoon to create an indent
Bake in the oven at 100 ˚ C for about 1 1/2 hours. 
Turn off the oven and let the meringues rest inside for another 1/2 hour. 
Remove from the over and let them cool. 
Meanwhile, scoop out the top layer of thick cream from the can of coconut milk
Using a whisk, whip for 3 - 4 minutes. 
To assemble, take 1 meringue nest and place on a plate & add berries - you can use raspberries, strawberries or pomegranate! 
Add a dollop of coconut whipped cream
Sprinkle with blanched almond flakes and crushed meringue bits!

Notes:

Make sure the egg whites & the dish you use to whip them is completely clean & dry. It should have no drop of yolk no water.  

Now is the perfect time to make these. Very hot and humid weather won’t allow the egg to whip properly.