Saturday, October 25, 2014

Apple Betty

A "betty" is apparently an old-fashioned baked fruit dessert prepared with crisp bread cubes. 

I was perusing through Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, which happens to be the one and only cook book owned by my husband from his bachelor days. How the book came to his possession is a funny story in and of itself, but the fact that it has faithfully kept its place on the bookshelf, is funnier still. The book has a lot of American classic recipes, so I have referred to it on many occasions. 

We went on a merry apple picking expedition a month ago, and I was confident that I would put the two generous bags of apples we plucked to good use. And I did, while internally repeating the saying - "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away". But like losing those last few pesky pounds, it became a task to finish the last bunch of apples. I was running out of ideas, so I flipped through the above said book, and landed on a recipe called "peach-berry betty".  Betty? Intrigued, I went through it, and it seemed easy and different; it almost wholly showcases the fruit without the addition of too much sugar, so I tried it out by using apples, and everyone quite liked it. 

It is a simple, comforting, and spicy dessert for a Fall evening. The smell of baked apples and spices evokes the flavors of Fall like no other. Who needs scented candles, when you can bake and eat this aromatic dish.



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a rich, melt-in-your-mouth delicacy of fried globules of milk solids that are dunked in a sweet syrup flavored with rose-water, cardamom, and saffron. It is one of my all-time favorite sweet indulgences. 

While there are several easy to prepare gulab jamun mixes that are available in the market, I decided to prepare this from scratch for Deepavali, and I am so glad I did, because it is extremely easy to prepare and is quite fail-proof. Usually, mawa or khova/koya is kneaded along with all-purpose flour to prepare the balls, which are then deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup. I wasn't too keen on spending time preparing khova, so my mom suggested that I use milk powder instead, and the jamuns turned out great - soft, luscious, and delectable in every way. 


Happy Deepavali to everyone!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Wheat Thattai

Tomorrow is Deepavali - the Indian festival of lights. As the most celebrated and popular Indian festival, Deepavali symbolizes the entry of light and goodness in everyone's lives. 

Specialized sweets and savories, firecrackers, and shiny new clothes are just some of the many indulgences that the festival brings with it. 

Half away around the world, during a quiet Fall weeknight, people like me celebrate Deepavali by invoking the spirit of warmth and cheer. I usually prepare at least one sweet and savory dish to mark the festival. This time, I thought of trying a slightly different version of thattai - a crunchy snack. Instead of rice flour, I used wheat flour, thanks to the inspiration from Meenakshi ammal's cookbook.