Desserts Archives - Page 2 of 3 - THE BAKING SKILLET

A Very Grapefruit-y Trifle

January 13, 2017 7 Comments

Grapefruit is in season and many of us may have a bitter-sour relationship with it, but in dessert form it transforms into a sweet, tart, bright fruit that is far from the diet-food version of itself. Full disclosure – I struggled with this one. In my very first FBC newsletter I came across the call for recipe round-ups for January. It is citrus month and by the time I saw the mail, the deadlines for lemon and orange had already passed. Ofcourse I wanted orange. Who doesn’t want orange! Grapefruit and lime were still open opportunities so after giving it a thorough thought, I decided to go with grapefruit. Primarily because I have this hate-hate relationship with the fruit that began in Dubai when I went through a crash diet phase where I force-fed myself half a grapefruit every morning, before coffee! Yikes. I had held on to that for way too long. It was time to let go. Challenge myself and all! I had this amazing idea of making grapefruit kulfi. I did make grapefruit kulfi after grilling and pureeing the fruit and cooking the milk down to half and freezing the weird concoction that seemed wrong even before […]

Cakes, Desserts

Golden Milk Cake

January 5, 2017 2 Comments

Golden Milk Cake is the ‘cake’ version of golden milk or turmeric spice milk. It is warming and cozy and light and fluffy and full of aromatic spices. The cardamom glaze is sweet and sticky with a heady fragrance. To be honest, I am feeling like I am going back to office after two weeks of fun, awesome, indulgent holidays. You know, like it is my very first day at my first job and I know nothing, I am clueless about what to do, how to do and so I switch on my assigned computer, grab a mouse and rotate it on the screen or click random folders frantically to look busy. I feel the pressure of 2017 on me! Especially for the blog, like I need to give it more validation by investing more time and energy into it. And often, with stress comes, turmoil, indecisiveness, nail biting, day-dreaming and total blanket blankness. I planned to work on my new calendar – nothing, I planned to do a couple of recipes in advance – blank, I planned to study and experiment with Pinterest – nada. From time to time I find myself in this state of blank immobility. I […]

Cakes, Desserts

Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiced Chocolate German Buttercream

November 20, 2016 No Comments

The spiced chocolate German buttercream inspired by cozy fall evenings and Mexican hot chocolate, takes these moist and decadent chocolate cupcakes to new level of indulgence. Did I mention there will be some spicing up going on here? Here comes another one – for cozy, rainy, chilly or somber days when you feel like cuddling up with a spiced warm chocolate-y beverage but the craving does not stop there and you also need a decadent frosting-y cake but then you are terrified of your uptight self who will judge you for your weakness. Well it happens to the best of us! I am in one of those moods, not because of the weather – luckily we have been having gorgeous, sunshiny, crisp days here in Toronto, but because I have been thinking about concepts of happiness and reaching for more or reaching within yourself to find more, and transformation and courage and beauty and basically giving life a big hug! No, I am not having a mid-life crisis. And no, I usually don’t sit around with these thoughts for fun. I read this beautiful article on experiencing happiness by my very good friend and sister-in-law and it makes me smile […]

Cakes, Desserts

Spices in Desserts – a revelation

November 11, 2016 1 Comment

I think there will be a lot of spicing up going on here. A bit of heat is called for in the chilly months. Right? It is so strange my relationship with spices in desserts. When I was a kid, I hated it when I found whole cardamom pods or little pieces of nutmeg in Gajar Halwa or Rice Puddings or Mango pulp (Aamras) or Gulab Jamuns. It would put me off completely. I suppose that is how my love for chocolate and cakes began. There was no threat of hidden spice ‘landmines’ waiting to explode with every other bite! It was safe. Chocolate, vanilla and black-forest pastries along-with jam rolls fashioned after lamingtons was my idea of what comprised of western desserts. And that was good. They were all safe. Ofcourse as I grew older and especially once I moved out of India, the scope of ‘western desserts’ started to broaden and to my utter dismay I found out that spices (read Cinnamon) are extensively used. There were pies, and crumbles and fruit crisps, muffins, carrot cake (!)and what not and I ran away from them as soon as the scent of cinnamon hit my nostrils. I remember in my […]

Desserts, Indian Inspired

Gajar Halwa Cookie Cups

November 1, 2016 2 Comments

Many Indians get nostalgic at the thought of Gajar ka Halwa I suppose. It is a common dessert made at home and served at restaurants. I am not sure if the same goes for ‘nankhatai’ though – a kind of crumbly, melt in your mouth eggless cookie aromatic with ghee and cardamom. I am Trick or Treating right now and trying to write about Diwali. This is bizarre, I can’t wrap my brain around it. The two worlds are so far from each other. To me, this seems unusually quiet for a celebration that involves morbid costumes, dark house decoration and sugar highs – and it is busy on our street – I have handed out candies to atleast 100 kids and expecting a hundred more. Back in India, wherever you are in the city, you can hear fireworks going off. The sound of celebration in the air. Homes are decorated with strings of light, colourful lanterns and diyas. Those who celebrate Diwali, are dressed up in silks and chiffons, sequins and gold embroideries, the beautiful saris, vibrant lehengas and elegant kurtas. Of course, there is the sugar rush and food coma, mainly due to several fried foods, ghee laden […]

Desserts, Indian Inspired, Pies & Tarts

Phirni – Indian Rice and Coconut Pudding Tart with Granola Almond Crust

October 20, 2016 2 Comments

Coconut Phirni recipe Rice Coconut pudding

It is Diwali season in India – the festival of lights and crackers and sweets and gifts and pretty clothes. A rich, creamy rice pudding or Phirni is one of the popular desserts back home. This version is a take on the classic, served in a granola tart base. My head has been full of Halloween, just like the blogging world is full of Halloween desserts. Then the other day I was Skyping with my mom and she mentioned Diwali holidays coming up soon and I realized that it is indeed Diwali season back home. And just like there is thanksgiving and Halloween and pumpkin talk everywhere in this end of the world, plans for Diwali – shopping for clothes, crackers, lighting, home décor, sweets making, invitations – are being laid out in India. It is easy to forget when you are away from home, busy immersing yourself in a new culture, learning its ways and discovering new things; it is fun, but it is also equally fun to celebrate your own culture in small ways in a different country. To share the spirit from back home with new family and friends here. And although the two celebrations are as […]

Desserts, Pies & Tarts

Summer Galettes

August 1, 2016 No Comments

Make this super easy dough and keep it in your freezer. When you find yourself with lots of fruits that you got at the farmer’s market, make little galettes or one big mixed fruit tart and enjoy summer in its true lusciousness. I think what I really want to write is “10 tips for great Airbnb living”. I think that it has the potential to become a great post. Once I write it. Once I figure out those 10 tips. We are on our 5th BnB right now since we moved to Canada in January this year, and besides the packing and unpacking and the poor quality of beds, we manage rather well I must say. Right now we have settled ourselves in the first capital of Canada – Kingston, also known as the “Limestone City” due to the many buildings constructed using local limestone. This quaint little city, with its beautiful waterfront with hundreds of boats and thousands of seasonal tourists is our first pit stop on our summer escape from Toronto. They have a lovely farmers’ market at the Springer Market Square which is in the heart of downtown and very hard to miss. The quality of produce […]

Desserts

MioGelato – Kingston

July 30, 2016 No Comments

A string of sweaty people – kids and adults alike, sitting on the porch licking away happily on their gelato cones was what I registered even before I saw the sign for this Gelato shop. Right in the heart of Downtown Kingston facing the waterfront, this frozen treats shop seems to be the preferred choice for tourists after long walks, post lunch/dinner crowd, and too-hot-to-have-coffee folks. Name and Location – MioGelato – Ontario Street – Downtown Kingston Great for – Something cold and delicious on a hot summer day. Wide variety of flavors in the gelatos, sorbets. Ever changing flavor of the week. Lots of vegan options. Popular treats – Gelatos. Small and regular sized cups or cones with two scoops. Mix it up with a scoop of gelato and a scoop of sorbet for a killer creamy/tart combo. I am totally digging the – mini frostbites – basically a gelato on a stick dipped in crunchy chocolate coating and sprinkles indicating what flavor is hidden within. The ‘Meh’ – I don’t see the need to sell macarons and cakes when the gelatos are great. What you will shell out – $10 – $20 for 2 people depending on how […]

Desserts

Baileys ‘Ice-cream’ Sandwiches

July 9, 2016 No Comments

*This “grown-up” version of our favorite childhood dessert – the Ice-cream Sandwich is so quick to make and so satisfying! The Baileys Semifreddo comes together in a heartbeat and really can be sandwiched between whatever cookie you have available, eat it with a spoon directly out of the tin or put a big scoop in cold coffee! I spent days drooling over desserts made with Baileys… Cheesecakes ofcourse seem to be the popular choice… Also parfaits loaded with chocolate or coffee and spiked with the Irish Cream served between layers of whipped cream or cream cheese… Decadence overload! Everything looks good. Everything looks indulgent… I’ll be damned if I didn’t dream about chocolate and Baileys desserts atleast once in the last few days. When I think of Irish Cream, I think of watching movies or late night shows, curled up on the couch in Dubai, with a glass of Baileys on ice, mixed with a splash of milk. Sometimes there would be a chocolate chip cookie to go along (or a couple). So it made sense to finally make something with cookies and chilled Baileys and voila these Chocolate Chip ‘ice-cream’ sandwiches happened. Since I had recently made Semifreddo, I […]

Cakes, Desserts

Pavlova with Summer Berries and Cream

July 6, 2016 2 Comments

Is it weird that I made a Pavlova which is a typical Australian/New Zealand dessert for Canada day? Well in my defense, firstly, I did not know that (I just looked it up on Wikipedia). Its only a few months since I arrived in Canada, so I am still allowed to make such silly goofs. Finally, I only wanted to highlight the delicious summer fruits of this country and I innocently picked the Pavlova to be the white canvas on which to do so. I hope those are good enough explanations to redeem myself! That being said, I truly enjoyed my first Canada day weekend. We did not go to Ottawa for the fireworks, but in true Canadian fashion went away from the city for a chilled long weekend at the family cottage by the lake to spend our days lazily floating in the water, barbecuing on the sun-soaked deck, listening to hummingbirds flap their little wings and gazing at stars at midnight. For a city girl like me, it is hard to pick between the stillness of nature and the buzz of the city that I am used to. I truly enjoy the slow paced rhythm in the woods and […]