Madeleines are French tea cake with a distinctive shell-like shape, with pale stipes on the one side and a typical bump on the other. They are thick in size, but light, soft, and smooth in texture. Using fruit glazes and lemon flavour makes it a perfect summer dessert.
How to make this – makes 12 madeleines
Ingredients –
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp honey
2 eggs at room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla/almond extract
3/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
For the raspberry glaze –
1/2 cup frozen/fresh raspberries
2 tbsp sugar or more if the raspberries are too sour.
3 tbsp water
Method –
Whisk together – 1/2 cup butter at room temperature and 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1 tsp honey. Add 2 eggs (at room temperature), 1/4 tsp vanilla/almond extract, 3/4 tsp lemon zest.
Beat until the mix turns pale and thick (need to beat enough for almost 8-10 mins if using a hand whisk so enough air is incorporated in it).Whisk together 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup almond flour (pulse almonds in a grinder) and 1/4 tsp baking powder. Fold it in the wet mix. Do not overmix.
Brush the Madeleine pan with oil (use muffin pan as an alternative). Pour a scoop of batter in each cavity. Cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at-least 30 mins (refrigerating is imp).
Bake at 175 C for 8-9 minutes in a preheated oven or until the edges turn golden brown.
Remove from the oven and mould and let it cool.
Raspberry glaze-
In a pan, on medium flame, heat 1/2 cup frozen/fresh raspberries, 2 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp water. Let them simmer for 5 mins until the sugar melts and raspberries turn soft.
Remove from heat, let it cool and churn in into a blender. Sieve the mix through a strainer.
Dip the madeleines in the glaze and enjoy!!!
If you like this Lemon Madeleines With Raspberry Glaze recipe, do leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
I have been baking chocolate muffins ever since I learnt how to bake, like almost 8 years now. Even though I have used eggs most of the times, I am super pleased to finally perfect the recipe of eggless variation. The texture and taste is absolutely non compromised and trust me, kids and adults will love it alike.
How to make this – Makes 10 muffins
Ingredients –
1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup warm milk
3/4 cup raw sugar (add 1/2 cup more if you don’t want to frost the muffins)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup neutral oil
1/3 cup dark chocolate couverture – chopped in chunks
1 chia egg ( Mix 1 tbsp chia seeds in 3 tbsp water with a fork. Soak it for 5 mins and it becomes like a jelly. Use it to replace 1 egg in the recipe).
For frosting –
1/2 cup fresh cream
1 cup dark chocolate couverture
1/2 tsp instant coffee
For hazelnut praline –
1/8 cup roasted hazelnuts – crushed
1/4 cup raw sugar
Method –
Whisk/seive the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and coffee powder together.
Whisk sugar and oil for a minute and add and whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients. Fold the dry mix into the wet mix gently. Do not over mix here.
Add and fold in the chocolate chunks.
Line a muffin tray with either melted butter or muffin liners. Scoop the muffin batter into them and bake in a preheated oven at 170 C fan assisted for 15 mins or until the skewer test comes out clean.
While the muffin bakes, make the simple frosting.
Finely chop the chocolate. Heat/simmer cream in a pan (don’t let it boil) and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it rest for a minute and then whisk the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate melts completely. Put it in the refrigerator for 5 mins.
To make the hazelnut crunch, in a non stick pan, melt sugar on low flame. Mix in the crushed hazelnut and pour it over a tray lined with parchment paper. It would harden as it cools down. Crush it with a mortar and pestle.
Once the muffins are baked, leave them on a cooling rack to cool down to room temperature. Frost them with the chocolate frosting and top them up with crushed hazelnut praline.
Enjoy!
You can store the muffins in an airtight container for 3 days.
If you like this eggless triple chocolate muffins recipe, do leave me a comment below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
A pretty common lunch sight at our home. The comes together quick and uses just a few spices for this beautiful taste. Did I already mention, it’s vegan too! However, we either pair this with varieties of raita or tadke wali dal/ dal palak. You will find these dal recipes on my blog here too.
How to make this –
Ingredients – Serves 4
Cooking time – Under 30 mins
2 cups gms cauliflower florets
1/2 cup green peas – frozen
1/3 cup green capsicum – cubed
3 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida
3 green chillies – slit
1/2 tsp ginger – grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/jakhiya seeds
Salt to taste
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1.5 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp amchur/dry mango powder
1 tsp mint – dried and crushed
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/8 cup coriander leaves – chopped – or more if preferred.
Method –
Rinse the cauliflower florets and soak it in salt and turmeric water for 15 mins.
Heat oil in a pan, preferably iron kadhai and bloom the hing. Then let the cumin seeds and mustards seeds sizzle, add ginger and green chillies and sauté for a min. Add turmeric power in the oil. Immediately add the cauliflower florets in the pan. Sauté on medium flame until the cauliflower begins to get softened.
Mix in the green peas and capsicum. Add salt and let it all cook until all the veggies are tender as per preference. For example, I like a bite/crunch in my veggies but the family prefers soft and mushy veggies. So cook as per the desired preference.
Mix in the dry spices like red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mint and mix everything well. Add in the chopped coriander leaves.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Finish it off with garam masala and amchur powder. Switch off the flame and if using an iron pan, transfer the sabji immediately to a serving bowl.
Garnish with more coriander leaves, serve with phulkas and raita.
Enjoy!!!
If you like this Gobi Matar Shimla Mirch Sabji | Cauliflower Peas Capsicum Stir Fry recipe, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handles.
The one meal bowl which the family and I absolutely love. I have made this umpteen times and I usually need to make a big lot to last for at least 2-3 meals. Yeah! It only took this long to document one of my favorite recipes here which has been perfected for over the years.
How to make this –
Ingredients –
350 gms chole/chickpeas
2 large onions chopped roughly
4 medium tomatoes chopped roughly
3 tbsp scraped coconut (I promise you cannot taste coconut in the recipe, but adding this is highly recommended)
3 tbsp whisked curd
1/8 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp crushed ginger garlic and green chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp chole masala
2 tsp dried mint – crushed
1 tsp kasuri methi
4 tbsp cold pressed oil
1 tbsp ghee
Whole spices – 2 star anise, 2-3 cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1.5 inch cinnamon, 3-4 cloves, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf.
Method –
Soak the chickpeas overnight (add strained black tea while soaking).
Pressure cook the chickpeas to upto 3 whistles or until it’s fork tender. Drain and do not throw away the water in which it’s cooked.
Heat ghee and oil in a pan and sauté the whole spices except cumin seeds, until they turn fragrant. Remove them carefully from the pan. Now add cumin seeds and garlic ginger green chilli paste. Sauté for a minute.
Mix in the onions and let it cook until they begin to turn brown and then mix in the coconut. Keep the flame at medium. Add the tomatoes and salt and let it all cook until they turn mushy and releases oil. Switch off the flame and let the mix cool down to room temperature. By mixing 1/3 cup water blend the mix into a smooth paste.
Heat another tbsp of oil and cook the paste until it again releases oil on medium low flame. Lower the flame to low, mix all the spices in the whisked curd and then add that in the pan. Stir continuously until it releases oil. Let it cook for another 3-4 mins on low flame.
Now add the chickpeas and mix it well. Add the saved water and coriander leaves. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 20-25 mins on low flame. Remove lid and add kasuri methi and give it a good mix.
Serve with steamed rice, raw onions and a generous drizzle of lemon juice.
Enjoy!!!
Notes –
If you want to make it vegan, swap the ghee with more oil and curd with coconut milk.
If you like this chana masala recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
A holi festival staple for Indian homes is making and relishing thandai in various forms. This kulfi is made with homemade thandai paste which is a traditional recipe shared by my mom in law. However, making this kulfi is truly labour of love and needs elbow grease. I don’t use cornflour to thicken the milk but cook on low flame for hours for it to thicken and maintain that delicious taste. I use iron kadhai to cook milk until it reduces to the desired consistency but feel free to use any thick bottom kadhai for it.
How to make this –
Ingredients – makes 3 cups thandai paste and 6 kulfis (leftover thandai paste can be used later for thandai milk or more recipes).
Thandai paste ingredients –
25 gms of each –
Almonds
Cashews
Khuskhus/poppy seeds
Fennel seeds/saunf
Melon seeds/kharbuje ke beej
Whole black pepper
50 gms dried rose petals
3 gms cardamom
500 gms sugar
Method –
Soak poppy seeds, almonds, cashews and melon seeds overnight or for 5 hours.
Now make chashni (sugar syrup) of 2 string consistency and let it cool down. To make this, cook sugar and water on low flame until the syrupy consistency is formed. Now to test, using a spoon put a drop of syrup on a plate and let it cool down. Then put a finger on it and lift the finger and you will see two strings formed. That’s the cue to stop cooking the syrup further.
Mix all the soaked and other ingredients together and grind into a smooth paste (use a little water if needed). Mix it with the chashni and store it in a bottle in the refrigerator.
Kulfi ingredients –
1 litre full fat milk
1/4 cup dry fruits – chopped fine (I used more almonds and pistachios)
3/4 cup thandai paste
Method –
In a heavy bottom kadhai or iron kadhai, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Put it on simmer, and cook for 5 mins. Add the thandai paste.
Cook it until it reduces to 1/3 consistency. Keep scraping the sides to incorporate the cream back into the milk.
This requires frequent (read almost continuous) stirring the milk and it takes somewhere between 90 to 120 mins.
Mix in the dry fruits in the last 15 mins. Once the milk has thickened and reduced to 1/3rd consistency, switch off the flame and transfer it to another bowl. Let it cool to room temperature.
Fill it in kulfi moulds or in small steel glasses, cover with aluminium foil and let it freeze for at least 5 hours. Insert the stick half way through the freezing.
Enjoy!!!
If you like this thandai badam kulfi do let me know in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagramand Facebook handles.
A food stylist, photographer, and blogger. After leading Human Resources for several years in India and the US, my inner calling prompted me to work on a dream and a vision envisaged by my younger self many years ago. Being creatively inclined and with an interest in food, I decided to embark on my journey towards endless and limitless possibilities.
