Pumpkin Pie - A pictorial

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Hello everyone!  I’m sure the extended weekend was reason enough to give thanks!  How was your Thanksgiving dinner? How many of you filled up your houses with  Black Friday shopping? Did you  wait outside the stores to grab the door busters ?
Most of my shopping was done online or on Saturday.  I have never been to see the mad rush at the opening hours on Friday, and I don't think that I would ever do it sacrificing my precious sleep ;-)

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving Turkey dinner at our friend's place! Everybody had a great time with so much fun and lots of good food. My daughter made me promise to make a pumpkin pie for her this year and I did. It came out so well, and I'm glad to share the recipe with you all.  Next time I will try to make the pumpkin puree also at home :-)

My family loved it and I can assure you that it is much better than the store bought ones :-)And I loved the Pate Brisse



Now a pictorial of the process
Disclaimer: The pictures are not the best. I had to manage the process, the camera , a 9 year old and a toddler who is still in his terrible 2 ;-)

The first 4 steps of pie crust making.  Cutting the butter, mixing the flour with salt and sugar, mixing in the butter and adding water



Make a disc out of the dough, cover it and chill.Also rolling out



Transferring the disc and pinching the sides.



The final steps. Making the filling and baking the pie



And last but not the least, a slice for you ;-)



Ingredients

For Pie crust(Pate Brisse):

Flour- 1 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 2 tsp
Ice cold water- 3-4 Tbsp(I used 3 1/2 Tbsp)
Butter- 8 Tbsp

For Pumpkin Pie filling:

Pumpkin puree -2 cups (I used store bought organic puree)
Eggs -3
Brown sugar- 3/4 cup
White sugar -1/4 cup
Salt -1/4 tsp
Cinnamon -2 tsp
Ginger powder -1/2 tsp
Cloves -1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp
Heavy cream -1/2 cup

Method:

1.Whisk together the flour, salt and sugar or pulse them together in the mixing bowl of your food processor.
2.Cut the butter into 1 inch cubes and add it to the flour mixture.
3.Process till the mixture turns little crumbly, but still there is some butter fragments.
4.Add the ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and run the processor.Add a couple of tablespoons more and mix well.After adding 3 Tbsp, try to hold the mixture together. If it is coming together, you are done. If not add a little more water and mix again.
5.Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface using your hand, till everything comes together.Do not over knead. Make a dics out of the dough and chill it for at least half an hour or up to a couple of hours.
6.Just before you start to make the filling, take out the dough from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10-12 minutes.Also preheat the oven at 425 degree F.
7.For making the filling, mix together the eggs and sugars first.Addthe rest of the ingredients and mix well.
8.Roll out the dough into a 1/4 to 1/3 inch disc which is about 13 inches in diameter.I rolled it on the plastic wrap so that it doesn't stick anywhere.Or else you could flour the surface lightly and check frequently for the sticking dough.
9.Invert the greased pie pan on the top of the crust and invert everything including the plastic wrap.(This is much more easier for transferring the crust when compared to all other methods I've tried so far :-)
10.Take out the wrap and gently press in the crust to fit it inside the pie pan.
11.Now gently take out the extra sides hanging out of the pan. (I didn't have much though)
12.Pinch the sides carefully so that you get a nice pattern.
13.Keep the crust covered and let sit chilled for about 10 minutes. This helps the pie crust to retain it's shape. I didn't have time to do this step and you can see that, though I pinched the sides well the end product doesn't have a beautiful outer edge.
14.Slowly pour in the prepared filling and bake at 425 degree F for 15 minutes.
15.Then reduce the temperature to 350 degree F and bake for about 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Notes:

1.The filling is moderately sweet. If you like it sweeter please feel free to add more sugar.
2.If you do not have a food processor, use a hand blender to mix the pie crust dough.  You could use your hand too, but the warmth of your hand might make the butter melt.  If you need a really flaky crust, the butter should be in bits and pieces in the dough.

Contributor: Namitha
Recipe Courtesy: Various internet sites

Happy Thanksgiving

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  I made the pie following a recipe from a can and used a store bought crust.  Nami on the other hand has ventured out to do it from scratch so we will wait for her to enlighten us with her recipe.  Until then you have a great thanksgiving.  Count your blessings one by one and may you be pleasantly surprised at the abundance you have!

Apple Raita/ Apple Salad

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   I never imagined I would eat a cooked apple  until my time in Germany proved me wrong.  It started with Apple pie, and thereafter nothing could stop me.  Next thing I know, I was experimenting with baking apples, as well as other fruits.  But then again, I never thought I would be making savory dishes with apples, until recently.  Oh Yeah! I made this simple raita for lunch and everyone, including my toddler loved it.

 It's tangy and delicious.   Very simple to make - refreshing and tasty!

Two kinds of Green apples, for comparison,the Golden delicious is so sweet and the Granny Smith is tart and perfect for baking.





Garnish with mint or coriander leaves





Ingredients:

Granny Smith/Any tart Apple- 1/2, peeled and cored
Yogurt- 1 cup scant
Green Chillies- 1
Onion, finely chopped- 2 tsp
Ginger, finely grated- 1/2 tsp
Salt- to taste
Dash of lime juice (optional)

Method:

1.Finely chop the apple into small pieces.
2.Finely chop the green chillies too.
3.Whisk the yogurt in a mixing bowl.
4.Add the salt and other ingredients except lemon juice and mix well.
5.Chill,mix in the lime juice, garnish and serve.

Egg n' Cauliflower

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     I have been cooking, but not updating the blog (obviouslyJ).  No particular reasons – that’s just how it is some times!  Then I made some cauliflower and egg and thought, "now here is something to share!"  If you are like me,  on a rainy day like today, when husband decides to work from home, then this one is for you.  Quickly stirred up and yet satisfying.  It's double good becuase it goes well with both rotis and rice!

    A little crunchy onions here, the piquant thai chilies there, and ofcourse, eggs and cauliflower everywhere.  It's a simple, tasty dish and nobody needs to have any special culinary skills to put it together.

  If you stayed with me so far, go on and take a peek at the recipe.  You won't be disappointed.  It's too easy to pass.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower      - 1/4
Eggs                - 1
Green Chillies  - 2 (thai chillies)
Onions            - 1/2
Garlic              - 1 pod
Ginger             - a pinch grated or chopped fine
Salt                 - to taste
Oil                  - 1/2 tbspn

Method:

1. Heat a non stick pan (I prefer non-stick for this dish) with the oil
2. Add the onions and saute till translucent and add the ginger, garlic and green chilies sauteing well and chilies are cooked too
3. Add the cauliflower, lower the heat to a bare minimum and cook the cauliflower it will just take a couple of minutes to cook the cauliflower and yet keep it crunchy
4. Once done salt the cauliflower taste to make sure its enough
5. Beat the egg and pour over and mix in rapidly getting it scrambled



Serve with roits or rice.

Contributor: Sunitha

Chocolate Swiss Roll

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Do you remember jam rolls? I remember them from my childhood – they were a lovely yellow with a bright, red filling inside! The color and its effect on you are so strong that you could never leave the bakery without at least half-dozen tucked away in those infamous brown, bakery bags. Writing this much brings a plethora of other baked goods to mind. I used to especially love the horn pastry with snow-white cream filling embellished with a ruby-colored cherry! They resemble an ice-cream cone. Yumm! Just day dreaming about these sweets gives me a sugar high.

Moving on to what we are going to share with you today, although different from the jam rolls that are making my mouth water right now, these sweet rolls are delectable nonetheless! I have been practicing these rolls, and after a couple of mishaps, I feel confident enough to share with you now.

Sneak peek into the process.



This was the second time I made this and the roll disappeared in no time.(at the first time I couldn't even take a picture ! )



Ingredients:

Eggs- 3 large, separated
Granulated Sugar- 1/2 cup
Cake flour- 1/2 cup
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- a pinch
Cocoa Powder- 1 1/2 Tbsp
Hot water- 2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

For the filling:

Heavy whipping cream- 1 cup
Confectioner's sugar- 1 to 2 Tbsp
Pure vanilla extract- a few drops

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Grease and dust a jelly roll pan. (this recipe is for 10 1/2 by 15 1/2 inch pan). It's better to line with a parchment paper and grease it well.You could see that I didn't do it, so it was bit difficult for me to take out the cake.
2.Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
3.Beat the yolks with sugar. Add the hot water and beat again.
4.Add the cocoa and mix well.
5.Beat the egg whites till stiff peaks are formed.Make sure that your blades and the bowl you take is free from water and fat before you start beating egg whites.
6.Mix in the flour mixture into the yolk mixture.
7.Gently fold in the egg whites till it is completely incorporated.
8.Spoon into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly as possible, using a spatula.
9.Bake for 8-10 minutes or the cake springs back on touch.
10. Cool in the pan for 3-4 minutes.
11.Invert the cake onto a parchment paper dusted with confectioner's sugar.
12.Roll the cake with the short side facing you, along with the paper.
13.Let the cake cool completely before you roll it with the filling.
14.Meanwhile you could make the filling by whipping the cream till peaks are formed.Add the sugar and vanilla and beat till everything is mixed well.
15.Unroll the cake and spread the cream on it, evenly.Leave about 1/2 an inch space at one end.(I messed up this part. I left some space , but I was talking to my son and started rolling it from the other side !)
16.Now roll it without the parchment paper, but use the paper to make the roll by lifting it from the side slowly as you can see in the picture.
17.Refrigerate the roll for at least 3-4 hours before you cut it.
18.Use a sharp serrated knife or kitchen thread to cut the rolls.(I wasn't patient enough to wait,read my kids weren't, that's why it has broken in some points !)

Notes:

1.You may not get it all right at the first attempt, or even at second :-) But I can guarantee you about the taste and texture.
2.The main point you have to remember while making rolls is that you must roll it while it is still hot. This helps to avoid any breaking.
3.As you all know, chocolate is notoriously sticky. So if you use a parchment paper to line the pan it is lot more easy.
4.Please wait at least for a few hours so that the cake is chiled well before you attempt to cut it.

Contributor: Namitha
Recipe adapted from here