Mango flavored Chocolate Cream Cheese Tarts:

Mangoes are in season, and what better way than to make the most of it; than to have a mango flavored tart… 🙂 . Here is a recipe that is simple and easy to make.. The chocolate and cream cheese mix off set the crispness of the tart; while the mango lends a distinct flavor making this a heavenly little dessert… Take a look..

All that goes in: 

For the Tart Shells: I used

• 200 gms of All purpose flour
• 100 gms of butter
• 50 ml of cold water

Makes around 15-18 small/medium tart shells

For the filling: 6-8 shells depending on size of the shells (I used the ingredients more like a guideline than a real recipe; so do feel free to change the proportions to how you would like your filling to taste.. there aren’t any hard and fast rules to this.. 🙂 )

• 50 gms – cream cheese (unsalted)
• 50-60 gms of white chocolate
• 3-5 tbsps – fresh mango puree
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional depending on how sweet your mix is)

Making the filling: using a hand blender, whip up the cream cheese, making it light and airy… Add the melted chocolate in & mix well using a wooden spoon… Then add the mango and sugar and mix lightly till all the elements are nicely combined… (Don’t over mix or you could knock back the air that would have incorporated earlier)

Pour into the tart shells and let the mixture set.. Prep the shells around 15-20 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve with whipped cream or ice cream and bite right in!!

p.s: As you can see I’ve  unsuccessfully piped out the whipped cream into a squiggly swirly pile; not very pretty i know…  😦 …but…  what the heck it was soo much fun and ofcourse tasted so good that in the end it was all worth it!

TARTS, PIES AND MORE!!

Off late, I’ve been fascinated with making short-crust pastry… It’s so versatile that there is no limit to all that you can do with some great tart shells…

My earliest memories of any kind of pie making, were that of my grand-mother; bringing the butter and flour together with her nimble fingers and turning out this most light, flaky pie crust… Pure Heavennn….

And so, I finally got down to making mine… With lots of help from a Gordon Ramsay Youtube tutorial this one turned out superbly the 1^st time round and the next couple of times that I tried making it…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1siW_wm9TnA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8hMr3bxM1I

Now that I feel a little more confident, I am going to dedicate the next few recipes to celebrate just how versatile a short-crust pastry is…

Filling these mini bites with something sweet or savory is a great way have fun and re-invent the taste experience every time!!

LEMONY-MINT CHICKEN SATAY

With all this World Cup frenzy, some finger food toh banta hai… and what better way to celebrate a victory with some lip smacking chicken… 🙂

I tried a simple recipe and threw in some very basic ingredients…..I guarantee ( for the guys especially), that this one is a easy fix that takes only a couple of minutes to put together..but with match winning results !! 🙂  Take a look..

All that goes in:

– 250 gms of breast boneless chicken

– Handful of chopped mint (pudina)

– 1/2 tsp of green chilli sauce

– 1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

– 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste

– 1/2 tsp of salt

– Dash of Soy

– 1/2 tsp of Green chilly sauce

– 1 tsp of oil

– 1/2 tsp of cornflour

– Juice of 1/2 lemon (medium size); I also added a few tsps of orange juice (fresh)

– Satay skewers

Prepping the chicken: Cut the breast into slivers and use a meat mallet to tenderize and flatten out the pieces… (make sure the slivers are about the size of meat you get when you order a satay at a restaurant)..

Mix all the ingredients and apply onto the chicken… Let this rest for about 30-40 mins; allowing the chicken to absorb all the lovely juices…

Cooking the chicken: Give yourself a 1/2 an hour heads up before you’d like to eat the chicken… thread the chicken strips onto the skewers… heat up a non-stick frying pan on the side… and put in the skewers… cover and allow to cook…for about 2 mins… turn over and allow to cook for another 3-4 minutes..  (The meat takes very little time to cook given that it has been tenderized and the soy inclusion further aids the cooking process… the idea is to retain the moistness without drying it out… )

Don’t worry about the water residue in the pan… drizzle a little cornflour to mop it… turn up the heat a little, while you allow the mixture to thicken… (you need to work quickly here, while ensuring that the pieces are nicely coated with the slightly browned mixture…but be careful as the cornflour mixture is likely to burn and dry out the chicken in the process….)

Serving suggestions: Serve hot with ketchup or any other hot sauce you have at home… Or add some boiled veggies on the side and turn it into a mini-meal… Enjoy!!!

PARTY SPECIALS – 1 FIERY CHICKEN BITES

A hectic run up to the New Year meant lots of food and drink being consumed…Some of the food was just so good that being lazy about posting it, would have meant a great dis-service to it… So; without slacking any further, I am dedicating the next few posts to writing about some of these super recipes (some my own and others) – An great party menu ready reckoner in future!!

A fiery start to this segment, I made quick fix starter, that’s tasty and goes well with a variety of sides… A sure shot party hit!

All that goes in: 

100/120 gms of boneless chicken cut into medium sized squares

For the Spicy Sauce:

– 1 tsp of Red Chilli sauce

– 1 tsp Green Chilli Sauce

– 2 tbsp tomato puree (ready puree would do)

– 1 tsp Tomato chilli sauce

– 1/2 tsp of Soy Sauce

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 1/2 tsp cornflour

– 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Prepping the chicken: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and coat the chicken pieces.. Set aside to marinate for around 30 -45 mins.. keep the remaining marinade aside for the gravy..

Making the Chicken: In a frying pan, add a tablespoon of oil.. let it heat up and put in the chicken pieces… on a high flame cook the chicken pieces… turning them over…  as they start to brown and slightly char.. take them off the flame…

De-glaze the pan by adding 1/2 a cup of water and allowing the smoked flavor from the chicken to lend itself to the sauce… add the remaining marinade and allow the mixture to reduce.. add salt if required…

Once the sauce is reduced (just enough to coat the chicken pieces), add the chicken back into the pan… Turn up the heat and toss to ensure the pieces are nicely coated… and you’re ready to serve up this spicy treat!

Serving suggestions: Squeeze some lemon, and serve with a tossed salad/ pickled onion side.