Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

My little one turned 6 yesterday and as has been the tradition in my half-chocolate half-vanilla lover family, I made a simple vanilla cake filled with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream for my vanilla cake lover.

It's a 2 layer 9 inch cake which required about 5 cups of Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I added about 3/4 cup of fresh strawberry puree to 1/3rd the frosting to use as a filling between the two layers and also for the crumb coat. However, as it was my first time piping ruffles I decided to do it with plain vanilla swiss meringue frosting rather than strawberry flavored. The ruffles didn't turn out to be as neat I would have liked them to be but as they say practice makes a man perfect.

After I finished piping the entire cake I realized that I didn't have any space to write the birthday girls' name. What good is a birthday cake without the birthday girl's name, so I decided to go in for a DIY bunting banner with my girls' craft supplies. All it took was a couple of straws, some construction paper, scissors, ribbon, stickers and marker and I had a beaming 6 year old, Alhamdulillah (all praises to Allah).

Pomegranate Souffle

After a long hiatus I finally found the time to return to blogging and decided to start the new year on a sweet note.

This is another one of my quick and easy dessert recipes which can be whipped up in under 15 minutes.

The recipe can be easily tweaked to make other fruit flavored souffles. I have tried it with orange juice and orange jelly crystals to make Orange Souffle and it tasted equally delicious.

Ingredients:

For souffle

1 tbsp gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 cup (200 ml) pomegranate juice
1 packet (3 oz) red jelly crystals (strawberry, raspberry or mixed fruit flavor)
1 tin (370 ml) evaporated milk
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.

For garnish

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1tbsp icing sugar
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Method:

1) Soak gelatin in water for .5-10 minutes
2) In a sauce pan add pomegranate juice, jelly crystals & soaked gelatin. Cook at low heat until gelatin and jelly crystals dissolve and the juice looks clear. Keep aside.
3) In a blender add evaporated milk & sugar, blend it for few minutes. Then pour jelly juice mixture and blend . Lastly add cream and blend until combined. Pour in bowl. Keep in refrigerator. Cool till set.
4) For garnish beat the heavy cream with icing sugar and pipe it on the souffle. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

Caffe Demetre: Restaurant Review

Whenever my husband and I are craving something sweet especially if it's late at night, the first place that comes to mind is Caffe Demetre. We have been a regular patron at their Courtney Park location for several years now and continue to be even though they opened up another location a couple of years ago near Square One which is much closer to our place. 

A couple of months ago I came to know that Demetre had launched a new menu on their 25th anniversary. I was eager to check it out but since I had been in Houston for the last couple of months I didn't get the chance to do so until last weekend.

The long lineups especially at the Courtney Park location vouch for the popularity of the place. Demetre is primarily known for it's artisanal ice cream which is churned daily, in-house in small batches. However, there's more to it than just ice cream. Now with the new menu they have introduced an even wider variety of exquisite desserts which include crepes, waffles, cakes, pies as well as beverages.

Toffee Snob

This time we opted for Toffee Snob (Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Honey Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Anglaise) and Tongue Depressor (Cocoa Chanel Ice Cream, Brownies, Belgian Dark Chocolate Sauce with Belgian White Chocolate Buttons). 

Tongue Depressor

 As always the portions were huge and the plating was elegant. I often skip dinner or have something very light if I am planning to go to Demetre for dessert.I loved the Toffee Snob even though by the end of it I felt that it was a bit too sweet for my taste. My chocoholic daughter loved the Tongue Depressor but it was impossible for her to finish it off alone and her little sister was happy to help her out.

The ambiance is nice and cheery, casual enough to satisfy a craving without bothering to dress up and formal enough for special occasions. The service is good too though it might be a bit slow when the place is packed but that's understandable.

I had contacted Mr. Gary Theodore, Founder and President of Caffe Demetre to know whether the items on the new menu were halal or not and he confirmed the following:

• "None of our menu items contain gelatin or animal based mono and di glycerides or any other animal by-products other than dairy and eggs.

• · The following cake items are Halal Certified (from the manufacturer): Plain Cheesecake; Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake; Salty Caramel Fudge Brownie Cheesecake.

• · Alcohol (Ingredient): In the new menu, we intentionally sought to eliminate alcohol (in all forms) from all of our ice cream flavours except one. Our new Honey Madagascar Vanilla Iced Cream (and our Dessert Crepe Mixes) contain a pure Madagascar vanilla extract which contains a small amount of alcohol.* As you may or may not be aware of, all high quality vanilla extracts require a small amount of alcohol to properly process the vanilla flavour in its purest and most concentrated form- this unfortunately cannot be avoided. In our research and development we did experiment with alcohol-free vanilla powder, however we found that it greatly compromised the flavour of the finished product and therefore could not use it. All of the other new ice cream flavours in the new menu (other than Honey Madagascar Vanilla) contain no alcohol. Our Dessert Waffle Mixes contains no alcohol as well. You should also note that for both the Honey Madagascar Vanilla Iced Cream and Dessert Crepe Mixes, Pure Vanilla Extract is used in the smallest quantity and only accounts for 1% of the total ingredients of both those products.

(*Regarding the issue of whether products containing vanilla extract are halal or not please refer to my previous post)

• · Alcohol (Liqueurs): Currently, 3 of our 12 locations also offer patrons the following 3 Liqueurs: Grand Marnier, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Kahlua. These limited liqueur offerings are not however, offered on our main dessert and coffee menu and are not usually promoted unless patrons specifically ask for them. Those locations offering Liqueurs are the Uptown, Whitby and Kingsway Caffe Demetre cafes. The rest of our locations (nine to be exact) are alcohol (liquor) free."

I am looking forward to try other items in the menu such as their shakes, smoothies, floats and coffee.I would definitely recommend this place to anyone with a sweet tooth.

Vanilla Extract: Haram or Halal?

I often receive questions about whether it is permissible to use vanilla extract or consume products containing vanilla extract. When I bake myself I do have the option of buying vanilla extract labelled as halal or use substitutes like vanilla bean, vanilla sugar etc. However, while buying packaged desserts like ice cream or baked goods or while eating out it is very difficult to find the kind of vanilla flavoring that has been used in that particular product.

In one of the issues of Halal Consumer, a publication of IFANCA which is a leading halal certifying agency in North America, there was an article on vanilla flavoring. It was mentioned that products containing vanilla in any form are permissible. However, to get further clarification I wrote to them and this was the response that I received:

Vanilla Pods

"When it comes to consuming any product, it is a personal decision. Everyone has to make up their own mind as to what is permissible and what is not permissible. Of course, not everyone is an expert in fiqh or food science, so we all find ourselves seeking information from authorities in each field. I say information rather than guidance, because we each have to decide for ourselves what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and we must feel at peace with our decision. After consultation with Islamic scholars, understanding the food science, and testing we have concluded that products containing less than 0.1% alcohol that is not sourced from an alcoholic beverage can be certified halal. That is to say, the alcohol cannot be beer, wine, hard liquor, etc. or anything that is a consumable alcoholic beverage. It must be alcohol used in the food industry as a processing aid for technical reasons. At less than 0.1%, our testing has confirmed it is not detectable by sight, smell, or taste and it is not intoxicating in any quantity (i.e., eating 10 gallons of ice cream with less than 0.1% alcohol in it will not intoxicate the consumer). On that basis, a consumer product such as ice cream containing less than 0.1% alcohol used for technical reasons would qualify to be halal certified. Now, the vanilla flavoring, which contains 35% alcohol would not qualify for halal certification but its use in the ice cream or other product does not automatically disqualify the ice cream or other product from being halal certified. Also, ice cream may contain other ingredients that are haram, so just because the alcohol may not be a concern, it should still be halal certified. If we certify an ice cream product, it means if it contains any alcohol, it is less than 0.1%, the alcohol did not come from an alcoholic beverage, and all the other ingredients are halal."

Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi in his seminar on Fiqh of Food and Clothing has also stated that it is permissible to consume food items containing vanilla extract in minute quantities. And of course, Allah knows best.

My interview on Sulekha.com

A few weeks ago I was contacted for an interview by Hamida who is the Content Manager for Sulekha US. For those of you who don't know, Sulekha.com is India’s leading online platform that enables millions of transactions in the country. Sulekha US-Canada helps NRIs connect with fellow Indians across the US and Canada.

As I sat down to answer the questions for the interview it was interesting to reflect upon my journey as a food blogger and ponder upon topics such as  my favourite cuisines, spices and even cooking disasters. Please head over to  Sulekha.com  to read the interview and let me know your valuable comments.

75 recipes for Paleo Ice Cream: Cookbook Giveaway

I am in Texas these days and with temperatures soaring upto 100 degrees F I can definitely have a frozen treat anytime of the day. If you too are looking for rich and creamy frozen treats that leave out unwanted dairy, refined sugars, and chemical additives check out Paleo Ice Cream, a new cookbook packed with 75 recipes. Follow the simple steps in this book (with or without an ice cream machine!) and delve into all your favourite flavors like Chocolate or Butter Pecan, new adventurous creations like Goat Cheese or Chai Tea, sorbets such as Lemon or Mango, custards like Cinnamon Swirl and much more.

“Contrary to what you would believe if you watched Fred Flintstone run around in his ice cream truck, ice cream isn’t usually part of the paleo diet,” explains author Ben Hirshberg. “But if you view paleo as a diet made up of nutritious whole foods, then ice cream can fit into that box quite nicely. That’s right: Ice cream can be a healthy dessert option if it is made with nourishing ingredients. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails, and make some ice cream!”

Quick Facts about the book

Title: Paleo Ice Cream: 75 Recipes for Rich and Creamy Homemade Scoops and Treats

Author: Ben Hirshberg

Publishers: Ulysses Press

Where to buy: Amazon or local bookstores

Price: $14.95 US $17.50 CAN

Ulysses Press is graciously giving away a free copy of the book to one lucky blog reader. The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents.Please enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ricotta Kofta Curry for Melt Magazine Bloggers Challenge

A couple of months ago I had posted a recipe for Ricotta Pound Cake  after which I received an offer from Tre Stelle to participate in the melt Magazine Blogger Recipe Challenge. I was asked to submit a main course recipe using Traditional Tre Stelle Ricotta Cheese as the main ingredient. I submitted this recipe for Ricotta Kofta Curry and it was an honor for me to be featured on the melt website along with four leading food bloggers of Canada.

Tre Stelle is also having a contest where readers are encouraged to vote for their favourite recipe. The winning recipe will be featured in the Fall/Winter 2014 issue of melt magazine. I would really appreciate it if you could please take a minute to vote for my recipe .

Ricotta Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

For Koftas:

1 cup 250 mL Tre Stelle® Traditional Ricotta Cheese
1 cup 250 mL cooked potatoes, mashed
2 Thai green chilies, finely chopped
1/4 tsp 1 mL cayenne pepper or Indian red chili powder
2 tbsp 30 mL golden raisins, chopped
2 tbsp 30 mL cornstarch
pinch salt
oil for deep frying

For Sauce:
2 tbsp 30 mL oil
1 medium onion, boiled until softened and pureed
1 tsp 5 mL ginger paste
1 tsp 5 mL garlic paste
2 Thai green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp 2 mL ground coriander
1/4 tsp 1 mL ground turmeric
1/4 tsp mL cayenne pepper or Indian red chili powder
pinch salt
4 roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and pureed
1/2 tsp 2 mL garam masala powder
1/4 cup 60 mL heavy cream
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped


Method:
Koftas
In a medium bowl combine Ricotta Cheese, potatoes, chilies, cayenne pepper, raisins, cornstarch and salt, stir to combine. With dampened hands form mixture into 1 1/2" balls. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. Deep fry in 375°F (190°C) oil. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until ready to use.

Sauce
In a medium skillet over medium heat add oil and pureed onions; cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, chilies, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add pureed tomatoes and cook for an additional 10 minutes; stir in garam masala and cream.

Place koftas on a serving plate; pour sauce over top and garnish with cilantro. Serve with steamed rice or naan bread.

Makes 2 - 4 servings.