Moist Espresso Kahlua Brownies

One of my favorite chocolate indulgences comes in the form of these heavenly Espresso Kahlua Brownies; with chocolate, coffee and a hint of Kahlua liquer, there's hardly anyone who could resist these moist brownies! They are soft, cake-like, yet chewy at the same time, just how I like them! Its really easy to make these brownies, and you can experiment with several flavored coffee powders to make a version that works best for you. Though these are a perfect treat any time of the day, the espresso and chocolate make it an ideal choice for breakfast! A piece or two of these ultra-moist and delicious Espresso Brownies will be enough to get you up and running in the morning!

Ingredients
Makes 8-10 brownies - adapted from Epicurious' Kahlua Brownies

1 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup bittersweet dark chocolate - chopped
1/2 cup butter (1-stick)
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp instant espresso
1 tbsp kahlua liqueur (optional)
1-1/4 cup sugar (or adjust to your taste)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
confectioner's sugar(optional)- for dusting

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 11 x 7-inch (or 10" square) non-stick baking pan and set aside.

Melt the chocolates and butter over a double boiler & stir until smooth to make a ganache. Then remove from heat and keep aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and espresso. In another mixing bowl, beat sugar, egg and vanilla on medium high until light colored, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the chocolate until well combined. Add the flour mixture slowly into the egg mixture until well blended. Finally stir in the Kahlua liqueur. If you like your brownies a bit fudgy, leave it like this; but if you need a more cake-like texture, beat the mixture for another 1 min, to aerate it even further.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2 inched from the side comes out clean.

Cool completely, then cut into 8-10 rectangles. Dust them with a sprinkling of powdered (confectioner's) sugar if you like!

Tip: To make clean cuts of the brownie, allow it to cool entirely (about 45-60 mins) once out of the oven. Then use a plastic knife to cut into even slices.

Variations: You can use amaretto instead of kahlua, and use other flavored coffee instead of plain espresso.

Serve these classic Espresso Kahlua Brownies with a hot cup of cappuccino or top them with some whipped cream for a party dessert! Off these go to Dhangitt who's collecting Party Dishes for her daughter's b'day!

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Sour Cream Raspberry Brownies
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chocolate, desserts, brownies, cookies

Roti Indian Bistro - San Francisco, California

Located in the West Portal district of San Francisco, Roti Indian Bistro is a small yet wonderful restaurant serving eclectic Indian food. A place that's really hard to get reservations for, we were finally able to make it to this restaurant last week for dinner, and everyone at the table was happy with what we got. But as a chef and a food-critic who loves trying out new restaurants, I personally felt that it was a good experience, but I don't think it was one of my best experiences, especially with all the hype I'd heard about it. Neverthless, Roti Bistro is a better than average Indian restaurant in San Francisco, and surely deserves a few words of credit.

Located in the busy portal district, Roti Indian Bistro is a small place, compared to other grand indian restaurants I've seen elsewhere. But the cute place is nicely decorated to make the dining room a warm and inviting space with dramatic colors on the walls, soft light, and photos and paintings that portray the rich cultural essence of India. The kitchen at the end of the dining room can be seen from any seat, and you can watch the cooks in action. The owners, Rustom and his wife, are Burmese, but they are well-versed with Indian food, its tastes and methods of preparation. All of the wait staff is extremely well-trained, courteous and efficient. But they are not too helpful if you are new to Indian food and need real suggestions! Our waitress just recited the house specials as recommendations, and I knew she wasn't as conversant with indian food as expected.

Roti's is the first menu where we could NOT find "Malai Kofta" or "Paneer Butter Masala". Can you believe that? We went for the next best- Paneer Makhani, Bhindi Masala, which was tasty, hence compensated for us not finding our favorites on the menu. The appetizers are strictly ok, nothing glamorous here. The Tandoori section offers a better variety, but there's not a single vegetarian entry, not even Paneer Tikka! That was a huge negative for me!

They have a range of veg and non-veg curries, with loads of options for lamb, chicken and seafood lovers. The breads are also average; we simply ordered the Assorted Bread Basket which comes with Roti, Garlic & Basil naan, and Onion Kulcha - again, just ordinary. The Mango Lassi was $5.00, and I was shocked at the exorbitant price! The Drinks menu had quite a few indian classics, like Kingfisher beer and other premium wines. The Kulfi was really nice for the dessert, and I'd recommend it for sure.

Roti Bistro is a high-end restaurant, and you can expect a tab of at least $20-$25 per person. But be prepared for this - SFO now has a policy of mandatory health-care, and apparently, most of the restaurants add this to you bill, and at Roti Bistro, it was 4.5% of our bill; and that's besides a 15% gratuity!! I think that's outrageous, and would seriously make me think twice about visiting again!

To sum up, on the positive side, the food is good, and the ambience is pleasant. But there are several negatives to consider - very small space makes it difficult to get reservations, the open kitchen combined with the small space makes it a bit stuffy, especially if you are right next to the kitchen, and I think the food is definitely not worth the price. So I'd rate this restaurant a 3.5/5, maybe because I'd prefer Shiva's, Darbar or Amber India restaurant any day over this place. But for someone who's in the area and is looking for Indian food in San Francisco and doesn't mind blowing off some money, you can try to give Roti Bistro a chance and see for yourself!

Address:
53 W Portal Ave
San Francisco, CA 94127
(415)- 665-7684
Roti Indian Bistro

Chana Masala (Chickpea) Sandwich - Indian Bruschetta

"Chhole" or "Chana Masala" is a popular Indian recipe for curried chickpeas, boiled and cooked in a delicious tomato-onion sauce, and flavored with mild Indian spices. I love chickpeas, and I really really love Bruschetta, so its not hard to guess how this beautiful Chhole Sandwich aka "Indian Bruschetta" was born! It was a totally on-the-spur-of-the-moment appetizer that I cooked up one night, making use of some leftover chickpeas topped on grilled bread, with some tomatoes, basil, cilantro and parmesan cheese. But it was such a successful experiment that I am sure I'll be making this more often! I was actually quite surprised at how presentable it looked too! But looks apart, this is one of the tastiest open sandwiches one could eat, even if you don't have an Indian palate. In fact, I actually liked this Indian Chickpea Bruschetta version more than a traditional Italian Bruschetta!! now isn't that something?!!

Ingredients
4 slices of wheat or white bread
8 tbsp chhole (curried chickpeas) - recipe below
4 tbsp fresh firm tomatoes - chopped finely
2-3 tbsp shredded cheese (parmesan or mozarella)
salt & pepper - to taste
fresh or dried basil - to taste (optional)
some finely chopped cilantro

Chhole (Chana Masala - Curried Chickpeas)
2 cans boiled chickpeas
1/2 onion - chopped finely
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tamarind sauce mixed with 1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp yogurt (optional)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala or chhole masala
salt & lemon juice - to taste
water - if needed
3 tbsp oil

Method
Drain the chickpeas from the can and wash them well. Heat a saucepan, add the oil, and saute the onions till they become soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the tomato puree.

Next, mix the tamarind paste in the yogurt and blend well. Add this to the tomato puree. Add all the spices and the drained chickpeas, then cover and let it cook for 10-15 mins, until the chickpeas are thoroughly cooked and become soft. Check for taste, adjust salt, lemon juice and spices, then remove from heat and keep aside to cool a little.

You can cook the Chhole ahead of time and preserve it refrigerated for upto 24 hours.

Garnish your Chana Masala with some onion rings and choped coriander, and you can serve it hot with Breads or Rice.

Assembling the Chhole Sandwich
Take each slice of bread; remove the edges and cut into desired shapes if you want. Toast the bread slices in a regular toaster or in an oven for 5-7 mins at 300 deg F, till they are lightly browned and crispy.

Mix the chopped tomatoes with salt, pepper, cilantro/basil, and toss to coat well. Set aside for 5 mins to let the flavors blend.

Take the curried chickpeas; put 2 tbsp each of this mixture onto the toasted bread(you can spread a little butter if you want). Top with a spoonful of tomato mixture, then sprinkle some shredded cheese on the top. Microwave each slice for 2 mins to let the cheese melt, or you can reheat the entire batch in an oven on a cookie sheet.

Serve these delicious and beautiful Chhole Sandwiches as an appetizer or a party snack. They look great and taste great, and are high in proteins and fiber, and I can bet your guests would love this Indian take on Bruschetta!

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Shiitake Mushroom Crostini
Steamed Vegetable Timbales
Traditional Italian Bruschetta

Apricot-Ginger-Cranberry Muffins

Apricot and Ginger are great flavors when paired together, and you'll vouch for it yourself once you try these delicious Apricot Ginger Muffins; its like capturing the essence of summer in a muffin! Made with fresh apricots and melted butter, these muffins are very soft and moist. The shredded ginger adds the perfect amount of spice, filling your kitchen with a refreshing aroma. I decided to add a handful of craisins, because it made my muffins look prettier and taste better! A simple blend of fresh ingredients baked together, these amazingly moist and flavorful Apricot & Ginger Muffins have become one of my favorite recipes!

These are perfect breakfast muffins, and have become my preferred choice, with a cup of Ginger-Cardamom tea, so try it for yourself and see! Off these go to Aparna who's hosting BBD#12 featuring "Small Quick Breads" this time!

Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins

1-3/4 cups self-raising flour
*** use 1 cup AP and 3/4 cup wheat flour for a healthier version
3/4 cup fresh apricots - diced
*** or use one 8.5-ounce can sweetened apricot chunks - drained
1 egg
*** substitute 1/4 cup vanilla or plain yogurt for an eggless version
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp dried cranberries or craisins
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare muffins pans by greasing with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ginger.

Combine egg, milk, melted butter and chopped apricots in another bowl. beat a little to combine everything together. Now add this to the dry mixture just until combined. Do not over-beat. Fold in the cranberries and stir.

Spoon the mixture into the moulds and bake for 20 minutes, until the tops rise and become golden.

Let the muffins cool in the rack for 10 mins. Then gently remove then from the moulds and transfer to a wire rack to further cool for another 5-7 mins.

Serve the deliciously soft muffins with a cup of tea. The sweet apricots are balanced by the semi-sweet cranberries, and the mild taste of ginger gives them a lovely flavor. The ginger flavor will be stronger one day later, which I really liked! The melted butter gives these Apricot Ginger Muffins a soft and rich texture that's hard to ignore!

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Spiced Vanilla Tea Cupcakes
Low-Fat Pear-Almond-Yogurt Mini Cakes
Chocolate Muffins with Chocolate Sauce
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Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries - Easy Healthy Dessert

Summer means bountiful berries and delicious desserts, but when it comes to ripe and luscious strawberries combined with rich and dark chocolate, more often than not, a platter of Chocolate Covered Strawberries can easily serve to be the perfect answer for your dessert needs, without being overly heavy! The summer in California gives us huge red strawberries that can be amazingly sweet, and with a packet of Ghiradelli's delightful dark chocolate, you are all set to make a dessert that's pretty and healthy. So for our bbq last evening, I chose to make a dessert of strawberries dipped in chocolate ganache, and as expected, everyone loved it!

Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate - chopped
15-20 large strawberries - washed and dried very well

Method
Wash all the strawberries, and make sure to keep their stems.

Put the semisweet chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then turn off the heat; set the bowl of chocolate over the water to melt. Keep stirring until it becomes smooth and silky. (Alternately, melt the chocolate in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or so until melted.), in batches of 30 seconds each.

Once the chocolate has melted, remove from heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set the strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes, or you can refrigerate them for 15-20 mins too, or until its time to serve!

Drizzle your strawberries with some white chocolate if you like. Serve the beautiful chocolate-dipped strawberries with some cold coffee or a round of chocolate-coffee martini!

Related Recipes:
Chocolate-Banana Bread
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Liquer-Infused Chocolate Heart Cakes

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chocolate, desserts, fruits, healthy, entertaining

Creamy Asparagus & Mint Soup

Since my last adventure with grilled asparagus salad, I had been itching to try the creamy Asparagus Soup which is considered to be a favorite way to devour the goodness of these stems. Its really easy to make, and there can be several variations that you can try. I chose to make a simple one with creamy white sauce mixed with onions, garlic and spices. Asparagus has a strong flavor by itself, so cream and mild spices help to tone it down a bit, accentuating it in a nice way. I chose to add a few mint leaves as well to give it a nice color, and a wonderfully fresh aroma!

I took inspiration from the traditional Cream of Asparagus soup recipe, and modified it a little to add the mild flavor of mint. I also reduced the cream a little to make it healthier, and substituted that with regular milk. With a touch of thyme, butter and black pepper, this asparagus soup is as refreshing to eat as it looks! Off this goes to Dee's Herb Mania featuring "Mint" this month!

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

2 tbsp + 1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fresh cream (or whipping cream)
2 cups milk
3/4 pound fresh asparagus
1/2 white onion - chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic - chopped finely
3-4 mint leaves
water (as required)
salt and pepper - add to taste

Method
To make the white sauce, melt the 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Then add the milk and cream, and allow to cook and thicken, all the while stirring constantly, so it does not stick or get burnt. Once it starts to bubble, remove from flame, give a final stir, and set aside to cool.

Take 1 tbsp butter in another wok; melt it, then saute the onions and garlic in it to it becomes soft and glazed.

Wash the asparagus and cut in 1/2-inch pieces. Cook asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the cooked asparagus, and reserve the remaining liquid.

Set aside a few of the asparagus tips or pieces for garnish. Wash the mint leaves, and blend them with the cooked asparagus to form a smooth paste. Add the onion-garlic mixture to this, and blend again to make a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a food mill or press it through a sieve to remove smaller granules.

Now measure 1 cup of the cooking liquid and allow to boil on medium-heat; add water if needed. Then add the white sauce and pureed asparagus-mint mixture.

Heat thoroughly and check for taste; season with more salt and pepper if desired. Once done, remove from flame and allow to cool a little.

transfer the Asparagus soup into serving bowls. Garnish with a stalk or 2 of the reserved asparagus. Dash some more pepper on the top, or add some more cream if you like. Serve the hot and creamy asparagus soup with some breadsticks, and enjoy the goodness of the greens!

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend, and hope you have a great time with your bbq grills and your family & friends!

Related Recipes:
Tofu & Basil Thai Soup
Healthy Vegetable & Coconut-Milk Soup
Green Peas & Mint Soup
Restaurant-Style Creamy Tomato Soup

Handvo - Healthy Vegetable Cornmeal Cake

"Handvo" is a cherished gujarati recipe which can be called a savoury steamed vegetable cornmeal cake, and is filled with several nutritious ingredients. The flour used in Handwo generally consists of corn, rice and chana dal(lentils). It is then combined with yogurt, spices and healthy vegetables, then allowed to ferment before steaming in a vessel, leading to yield a soft and delicious, yet healthy snack which can be relished with chutneys or tea. It is a beautiful blend of spices, flour, fresh vegetables and yogurt to make a light snack, or in my case a fulfilling dinner!

"Handwa Flour" can be bought from any indian store, and would look like coarsely-ground idli-flour; it consists of chana dal, rawa and cornmeal, so I would recommend trying to get the actual flour first. If you simply cannot find it, then you can use yellow or white cornmeal. Please keep in mind that the latter has a typical corn flavor, which will dominate the flavor of the dish. I'm sending this traditional gujarati recipe to Pam who's hosting weekend-herb-blogging for Kalyn this week.

Ingredients
2 cups handva flour (or cornmeal, as a second option)
1/2 cup bottle gourd or zucchini
3 tsp shredded carrot
1/4 cup fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup spinach leaves (optional)
2 green chillies -finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
3 cups buttermilk (or yogurt mixed with water)
1 tsp soda bi-carb (fruit salt)
** increase it by 1/2 tsp if you don't feel its frothy enough
1 tsp each urad and channa dal
salt - to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

For Tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp oil

Method
Take buttermilk in a large vessel. Add salt, soda and flour and mix well. As the mixture begins to froth, cover and set aside for 6-7 hours for fermentation.

Grate the bottle-gourd or zucchi and squeeze out all excess water. DO this after the fermentation is done, as leaving bottle-gourd in air oxidises it and makes it turn brown.

Now add all the vegetables, bottle-gourd, spices and green chillies to the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a pan, add urad & channa dals, and the mustard seeds. Allow to splutter, then pour half of it into the batter and mix thoroughly.

Steaming
Pour the mixture into a steel or aluminium container. Place in a Steam Cooker and cook like idlis, for about 25-30 mins, then check to make sure its cooked through. Remove from flame and keep it covered for another 7-10 mins. Once cooled, you can slice it into wedges.

Baking
Put in a greased oven proof deep container. Pour remaining seasoning and sesame seeds on the top. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 300 and bake for another 30 minutes until done. Check by inserting a skewer or toothpick, which should come out clean. Slice into wedges and serve hot.

Individual Pancakes
You can even drop pancake-sized portions in a greased covered cook-top sauce pan instead of the oven, and let it cook for 10 mins, or until done. Its a little time-consuming, but works great when you want to dazzle your guests!

This goes to my Healthy Cooking event, and if you haven't cooked already, please do share you healthy recipes with us for the winner gets a copy of Pam Anderson's new cookbook!

Serve the Handvo with cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney; for me, I'll gladly have it with a cup of Masala Chai!

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Baked Green Rava Dhokla