Masala Dosa

One of my favorite things to eat is the masala dosa. It is a delicious evocative experience for the palate bringing back memories of carefree college days and youth.

Making it today was easier because I had readymade batter prepared by my mom and sis, along with the accompaniments, sambar, tomato chutney and coconut chutney. I just had to make the dosa! Thought of making a mint chutney too, but was too lazy.

Christmas 2013

It was around the Christmas of 2013 that I first heard of Springerles. I had to try my hand at making those. So among the sweet stuff for that Christmas I made those. Found a recipe and bought a couple of molds on amazon. 

Also, looked into  a couple of Goan specialties. Like the kulkuls and the layered Bebinca. and made those too, along with a few other cookies.

The Goan sweets

kulkuls

bebinca









And the rest of the sweets :

chocolate - cherry cookies

At the party place:

xmas cookies 2014

christmas plum cake 

Christmas centerpiece 2014

I made this centerpiece for the Christmas of 2014. Wanted to make a Yule log and also wanted to incorporate a gingerbread house and Frozen movie theme into it for my little niece.  Of course, Batman had to be there!

Yule log with meringue mushrooms, sugar paste elves and holly. Coconut flakes for snow. and then marshmallows, and gumdrops.Gingerbread houses were made in the Nordicware duet pan, using the recipe on the packing.

Frozen theme on this side going to the back half way

Before all that,

prep - elves ready

getting there

yule log close up

Sweet times!

plum cake 2014

macarons

cookies 2014

Blackberry muffins

Butternut squash soup with spiced cream garnish

Christmas 2017

Countdown to Christmas 2017

When Christmas arrives, Europe, especially England, calls. I have written about my liking for those quaint  olde English pubs, castles, cottages and of course, food. This year wasn't too crazy, I made just a few.

The rock cake and sticky toffee pudding are favorites of kids over there, I hear. And of Harry Potter too! But I did not make a sticky toffee pudding. Instead, I made a gingerbread cake and the sticky sauce of the toffee cake., because I wanted to make gingerbread. I substituted golden syrup for the molasses in the gingerbread recipe, and for treacle in the sticky sauce one. In any case, it was delicious. When eaten warm, it was heavenly!

As usual, the Kerala style plum cake was made ahead. Christmas cookies are the usual ones, except this time, my decoration is kind of sloppy. Also, forgot the nose on the snowmen!

Linzer cookie

rock cakes

gingerbread

warm gingerbread with sticky sauce

Christmas cookies

Christmas eve 2017


Appetizers

lamb chops

latkes

Soup:

butternut squash soup with spiced cream as garnish

and bread

pain d'epi

Should have diluted that soup a tad bit, but by then, the roast and the accompaniments were calling for my attention, and so, just served it as it is. It was a meal in itself!

For the main course, this X'mas eve, I prepared a typical English roast. Roast beef, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy. Gave an American touch with the creamed spinach.

roast beef dinner

Desserts:

Kerala style plum cake, creme brulee

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the clink of the spoon  against the caramelized sugar on top, and the softness of the pudding inside! yum!


On Christmas day, a pared down Nazrani Christmas. For breakfast, Paalappam and lamb stew. Just our fish in spicy coconut sauce, fried fish, Beef cutlets, and a vegetable. Paalalppam looks a bit tattered! waiting and transferring didnt go well.

paalappam and lamb stew

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paalappam and stew - an earlier better pic

Nazrani beef varattiyathu with leftover roast beef