Rich Mocha Flourless Cake - Gluten Free

This Rich Mocha Flourless Cake is my daughter's birthday cake.  Baked it the previous evening, left it to cool thinking that before she get's up in the  morning, would glaze  with ganache.   To our surprise, her friends came home sharp at 12 O clock to wish her.  They made her cut this cake without the glaze.  

They were so excited to see this flourless cake without almond meal.  They went into the kitchen took quarter plates and  helped themselves... the cake vanished in minutes.  One of them had it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and said it goes perfectly well with it.

Sad my husband and me did not get to eat a piece but had to taste the crumbs... will definitely make it again.

This flourless cake is so gooey, rich and intense,  perfect as party dessert.  A cake for those of us who can't tolerate wheat or gluten.  This cake is  flat and will not rise since there is no baking powder or soda. Since this cake cannot be overturned it has baked in wide and a loose bottom pan ( its a must) or else it will not bake perfect or probably burn, since the baking time will increase.

Since it's flourless, it's very soft so do not overturn, when it's completely cold,  then glaze.  After glazing, it keep it in the refrigerator to set if you want to transfer it on to another serving plate, carefully lift it along with the butter paper.

Ingredients

200 Grams Dark Chocolate - chopped
100 Grams Butter
3/4 Cup Level Sugar - powdered
2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee powder
1 Teaspoon Chocolate essence
3  Eggs
1/2 Cup Cocoa powder

Method

Sieve the cocoa powder to remove any lumps. Keep aside.

Melt the  chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside.   Stir in the  butter and coffee powder,  mix well till coffee dissolves.  Keep it to  cool till it comes to room temperature.

In a big bowl, beat eggs well till double in volume, add sugar,  essence and melted chocolate mix, beat again in very low speed for a minute.

 

At this point do  not use an electric beater, just fold in the cocoa powder, till it combines well. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 9” round loose bottom pan. 

Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 30 minutes,  the top will have formed a thin crust (see pic). Remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and turn it out onto a serving plate. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.  Enjoy .......

My Note:

If you are using unsalted butter then add a pinch of salt.  I have used salted butter.

Labels : Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten free

Shrimp And Fish Sliders #FISHFRIDAYFOODIE

I often make prawn cutlets and  always wanted to try a combo of fish and prawns.  But, was  apprehensive how they would taste, to our surprise these turned out delicious and succulent.  We loved having these sliders.   

Made the slider buns too at home.  While the slider buns were half way through the baking, the oven stop working, thank God, had the presence of mind to immediately start preheating the microwave convection oven, baked the last 10 to 15  minutes in it.  The bread baked well but was a little dry.  Anyways we still enjoyed it since I, made a Low Cal  Yogurt & Cream Cheese Sauce for the sliders, so that kept the sliders moist.    To get them small and even in size made in katoris, see pics below.  

Ingredients 
For the Cutlets

200 Gram Cleaned and Deveined  Shrimps / Prawns 

200 Grams White Fish Fillets - cut in pieces

2 Green Chilllies - chopped

8 Peppercorns- coarsely powdered

5 Cloves Garlic - chopped

1 Inch Piece Ginger - chopped

1 Scallion / Spring Onion - chopped

1 Egg - beaten

2 Slices bread - cut into small pieces

A Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

A Tablespoon Freshly Chopped Coriander

Salt to taste

Bread crumbs for coating 

Slider Buns made as per this recipe, used the same method and dough ingredients for it. 

Low Cal  Yogurt and Cream Cheese Dip 

1/2 Cup Hung Curd

1/2 Cup Cream Cheese

1 Teaspoon  Pizza Seasonings- Homemade

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper Powder

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Other Ingredients

1 Cucumber -  Sliced in roundels

1 Tomato -  Sliced in  roundles

Lettuce leaves as required

Butter as required

Method

To make the cutlets

Pat dry the prawns and fish with a kitchen towel. 

In a chopper add, prawns, fish, green chillies, pepper powder, garlic, ginger, , grind it till becomes smooth paste, then add the, scallion, bread slices, half of the  beaten egg, coriander, salt to taste and lemon juice, run the chopper for a minute till all ingredients blend well.  Remove it into a bowl, cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate it for an hour at least.

After an hour divide the mixture into even size cutlets.  Dip it in the remaining egg, roll in bread crumbs and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a  frying pan and shallow fry them till golden on both sides for 5 minutes on each side on medium flame.  Remove them on to  paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

To make the Sauce

Mix all the ingredients together  to make a smooth sauce.  Keep aside

To assemble the sliders 

Cut the slider buns in half and lightly butter and toast them.  

Apply  the sauce on the bun, place a lettuce leaf then the cutlet, top with cucumber and tomato slice, again apply the sauce to the other part of the slider.  Secure the slider with a toothpick and serve..... enjoy.... 

Sending these to Fish Fridays Foodies event for the month of August is Fish and Seafood Burgers our is Host Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez. Thank you Heather  for hosting this event.  Enjoyed making these sliders, had them for dinner. 

Labels : Fish, Sliders, Sandwiches, Chutneys & Dips, Fish Friday 

An InLinkz Link-up

Narali Bhaat / Jaggery Coconut Rice

Narali Poornima marks the end of monsoon season in Maharashtra. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Shravan. People offer coconuts to the sea. This festival marks the beginning of the new fishing season. Fishermen and fishing community (koli) in Maharashtra, worship the sea-god before sailing out over the mighty sea, for a safe fishing by offering coconuts . Hence, this special Narali Bhaat/ Jaggery Coconut Rice which is a traditional, age old dish is made on this day and is prepared mostly in Maharashtrian homes on this day.

Serves: 4 
Ingredients
1 Cup Rice
1.3/4 Cups water
3/4 Cup Packed Jaggery - grated
3/4 Cups Fresh Coconut - grated
1/4 Cup Desi Ghee
3 Cloves
2 Green Cardamoms
1/2 Teaspoon Cardamom powder
12 Cashewnuts - halved
A Pinch Salt

Method

Wash the rice well and keep it to drain in a strainer.

Keep the the water to boil in a pan.

In the meantime heat a heavy bottom pan / kadai with ghee, fry the cashewnuts in the ghee when browned remove and keep aside.

In the same kadai , add the cloves and green cardamoms. Saute for a few seconds. Add the drained rice and 2 tablepsoon coconut fry till rice is light pink. Add boiling water and bring it to a rolling boil, cover with a lid pour water on lid and reduce the flame to low. Keep it to cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Open when you see the rice is cooked and still moist, add a pinch of salt and lightly fluffy it, add the jaggery in a single layer, on top, then the coconut and sprinkle little hot water from the lid. Cover again with the lid with water on it, on low flame let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes open the lid and lightly stir in the rice so that the jaggery and coconut get well incorporated, again cover and cook it jaggery melts and rice is done, sprinkle the cardamon powder. If you feel it rice is still not done sprinkle little hot water from the lid and again cook it till done on low flame. 

Let it remain covered for 10 minutes without opening the lid. After 10 minutes lightly fluffy the rice with a fork. Serve this rice when warm . Enjoy this delicious grainy sweet rice.

My Notes:

If you want the rice more sweet then increase the jaggery to a cup.  But the quantity used had the just right sweetness.

Labels : Rice, Festival Sweets, Jaggery, Coconut

Chorba Beïda - Algeria

This month in Mena Cooking Club we are exploring the cuisine of Algeria. I choose to make this soup called
Chorba Beïda which is a White Soup. In Arabic Chorba means soup, and Beïda means white.  This is a comforting and filling soup. We had it for our dinner, enjoyed this simple and delicious soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients
250 Grams  Chicken breast - cut into strips
4 Cups Chicken Stock - See Notes

2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Onion - chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Coriander with the stem - chopped finely
1 Teaspoon Black pepper powder - freshly ground
3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt or as required
A Stick of Cinnamon
1 Cup Boiled Chickpeas
1 liter and half of water
100 Grams  Rice Vermicelli
Juice of a small Lemon
1 Egg yolk

Method

In a large pan on a medium flame,  add oil when its hot add the onion and  cinnamon stick, saute till translucent, then add chicken saute till it turns from pink to white, add stock, salt,  black pepper, and  the stems and  coriander leaves (reserve a little for garnishing). Satue till the coriander releases an aroma or for about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and the chickpeas, bring it to a rolling boil.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes on medium low flame. After half an hour add the vermicelli into the soup.

Whisk into a bowl the egg yolk and pour the whisked egg yolk into the soup and  keep  stirring till the yolk is cokked and let it simmer again for  another 10 minutes (stir from time to time).
Take off flame and and let the soup rest  for another 10 minutes.

Serve the soup into the bowls, sprinkle with a few leaves of coriander and drizzle with a little of lemon juice and enjoy ....

My Notes:

I used boneless chicken hence used stock.  If you are using  chicken with bones then do add stock, add the same quantity of water.

Labels : Soup, Algeria, Chicken, Mena Cooking Club, Chorba Beïda

An InLinkz Link-up

Sparkling Apple And Watermelon Lemonade Spritzers

Cool down and get refreshed with this fresh, tangy, glass of lemonade with a twist of apple and watermelon to quench your thirst.

Ingredients

2 Cups Seedless Watermelon  ~ cut into chunks
1 Apple  ~ skinned and chopped
¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
500 ML Sprite or Club soda - I used Sprite
Mint Leaves and Lime slices ~for garnish

Method
Puree watermelon and apple in  a blender until smooth. Add the lemon juice and pulse it 2 or 3 times.   Pour  this mixture  into  pitcher.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours .

When ready to serve, fill  glasses with ice cubes and 1/2 cup of the  mixture; top with sprite and garnish with lime slices and mint leaves. Get refreshed ....

Since August 20th is Lemonade Day. The event for Foodie Extravaganza {Party} for this month is Lemonade our Host is Lauren Everson . Thank you Lauren choosing such a refreshing theme.

Labels : Juices, Lemonade, Apple, Watermelon, Non-Alcoholic, Foodie Extravaganza Party

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Dairy-Free Frosted Lemonade by Cookaholic Wife
Frosty Raw Strawberry Lemonade by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Honey Mint Lemonade by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Lemony White Sangria by Hardly A Goddess
Papaya Lemonade (or cocktail!) by Caroline's Cooking
Peachy Lemonade by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pineapple Pink Lemonade Shaved Ice by Food Lust People Love
Shikanji (Indian Lemonade) by Tara's Multicultural Table
Sparkling Apple and Watermelon Lemonade Spritzers by Sneha's Recipe
Sparkling Blue Basil Lemonade by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sparkling Milk Lemonade by Our Good Life