Orange & Almond Cake and a Special Occasion

This past weekend, my husband and I took a trip to the Bay Area for a very special event; an arangetram (solo dance debut) by a talented, young dancer. We were floored by her graceful movements and wonderful expressions and the program concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation. 

Anyway, because this was such a special occasion, it deserved a fantastic cake. This recipe was shown on Martha Bakes, a few weeks ago and even though I was slightly apprehensive about experimenting with a new recipe, I just had to make this one.

I used a bundt pan, but you could make it into any shape you want. Also, I am no good at decorating cakes, so I decided to leave it plain. You could, of course, make multiple layers and slather them with your favorite icing.The prep-work for this cake is slightly tedious, but trust me, it is totally worth it. My kitchen and dining room were filled with an enticing aroma all through the baking process and I am sure you will love it too.

Ingredients

Egg yolks – 6

Egg whites – 6

Sugar – 1 cup + 3 tbsps

Fresh orange juice – 1 cup

Orange zest – 3 tbsps

Vanilla/Almond extract – ½ tsp

Finely ground almonds – 1 ½ cups

All purpose flour – 1 ½ cups

Melted and cooled butter – 1 cup

Pinch of salt

Method

Butter and flour a cake pan and keep ready.

Using an electric beater, whisk together the egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar. Keep beating until the mixture is light and frothy. Add the orange juice and continue beating for a minute. Add the orange zest, vanilla/almond extract, and the ground almonds. Beat until the ingredients are all incorporated. Add the flour, little by little and add the butter. Beat for a few more minutes, until the batter is well-mixed.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and 3 tbsps of sugar. Keep beating until the egg mixture starts forming soft peaks. Fold a little of the yolky, cake mixture into the foamy egg whites. Slowly add the remaining cake mixture and incorporate with a spatula. Do not use a whisk or a beater as it will deflate the beaten egg whites.

Pour into the prepared pan(s) and bake at 350oF for 25-35 minutes. Check to see if the cake has cooked thoroughly and remove from the oven. Allow it to cool, remove from the pan, decorate with icing (if using), slice and enjoy. Bon Appétit.

Introducing My First Home-made Pasta – Brown Butter and Garlic Gnocchi

I am a big fan of all types of pastas but one particular variety that caught my fancy a few years ago was the gnocchi (pronounced nyoki). About two years ago, Gomathi and I were out exploring an Egyptian museum in San Jose, and by around 1 pm we were so hungry that we had to take a break from our tour. The hunger pangs came on strongly because we had set our sights on an Italian restaurant right outside the museum :-).

Luckily, the museum allowed multiple re-entries with one ticket, so we hurried out to fill our growling stomachs. The menu was enticing and I finally decided on a gnocchi dish and Gomathi ordered spaghetti. As we finished our starter of bread with a side of olive oil and vinegar, our pastas arrived. The gnocchi with basil pesto, topped with Parmesan cheese was so aromatic and inviting that all it took was one bite and I was hooked.

Ingredients

Mashed potato – 2 cups

All purpose flour – ¾ cup + more for dusting

Egg – 1

Butter – 3 tbsps

Finely minced garlic – 1 tbsp

Fresh or dry herbs for flavor – 2 tsps (I used dried basil and oregano)

Water for cooking the pasta

Salt to taste

Method

Cook the potato (with skin) until tender. I used a pressure cooker and found it easier than cooking it in an open pot. Remove the skin, and mash well, leaving no lumps. All the recipes I saw recommended using a ricer; I do not have one so I settled for a fork. It worked well enough.

Spread out the mashed potatoes on a plate and allow them to cool completely. Take a wide mouthed bowl, add the potatoes. Make a well in the middle, add the egg and little bit of the flour. Mix the ingredients together, adding the flour at intervals. This dough does not need too much kneading, it just has to come together well. Keep adding the flour until the dough is no longer sticky Place a 3 quart sauce pan with water on the stove, bring it to a boil and keep it ready for the pasta. Season the water with salt to taste.

The remaining process is shown in the following videos.

Once the pasta has been shaped, drop them into the boiling water. As they start cooking, the gnocchi will start floating and once all of them are on the surface, remove onto a platter.
Heat the butter on medium heat till it turns slightly brown (about 2-3 minutes); add the minced garlic and herbs (fresh). Add the gnocchi and toss until it is completely covered with the butter. Add the herbs (dry), toss well and serve. Buon Appetito.

Note - Using a food processor is not recommended for kneading as it will make the potatoes gummy.

     You can cut the pasta into smaller pieces for smaller gnocchi. 

Omelette Bites

I had this at a friend’s place a really long time ago but never made it because I did not have a utensil to make it in. Now that I have my aebleskiver pan, I couldn’t wait to try it out. These itsy bitsy bites are the perfect evening snack; fun and simple to make and even more fun to pop into your mouths :-)

Ingredients

Eggs

Chopped onion

Chopped cilantro

Chopped green chilies

Garam masala (optional)

Water (1 tbsp for 2-3 eggs)

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for greasing the pan

Method

Beat together all the ingredients just like you would for an omelette. Heat the aebleskiver pan on medium heat and grease with oil. Pour a tablespoon full of the egg mixture to fill all the holes, cover and cook for about 3 minutes (until cooked). Remove onto a plate and serve with ketchup. Bon Appétit.

Note – I tired turning them over and they deflated on me; so, just cook one side and keep them fluffy.

Make sure you don’t over fill the holes because the eggs will rise and overflow. 

Thank you Renuka from http://renuka-pinchofsalt.blogspot.com/ for this lovely award.

The award requires me to tell a random fact about myself...so here goes, now that I am so into blogging and food photography, my camera has a permanent spot in my dining room.
I would love to share this award with a few of my favorite bloggers
Ashwini from http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/
Ruchira from http://thegreatcookaroo.blogspot.com/
The crew of Non stick, Nutty and Sous chef from  http://sweettoothcraving.blogspot.com/
Nivedita from http://www.panfusine.com/
Sobha from http://sobha-goodfood.blogspot.com/

Guest Post for Sobha @ Good Food

We would like to thank Sobha from Good Food for giving us this lovely opportunity to do a guest post for her. We are truly honored.
Here is a sneak peak to what awaits you there

Click here to visit her wonderful blog.