Choco Crunch Meringue Cookies

By now, i am sure enough is known about the association of my Happiness with the idea of baking. Perhaps, the greatest joy of baking a sweet or savory, is the idea of getting floury, sticky and wholly involved. 

Today, was one of those days, when i wanted to cook (out of sheer Happiness as always), but had no fixed idea of what, and had no actual meal to prepare to justify fiddling about in the kitchen. It was then that i convinced myself that there were some quick easy cookies that needed to be made. What a Joy!!!!! Cookies are mostly free form kind, you either spoon them onto a tray or roll them into balls between your hands to shape them but then what i invented was a complete an experiment.

I had a lot of unused stuff stocked in my refrigerator waiting to be consumed. Half a dozen eggs, few oranges and a handful of almonds.. How would i make cookie out of it?? What would that taste like??!!?? Cookie baking with a list of restricted ingredients seemed distant, but then if one's thinking cap is on, then an archaic practice of cookie baking can also be modernized. 

Cookie baking has to be, however innocently, one of the great culinary scams: it implies effort, it implies domestic prowess, but believe me, this delight from my kitchen is a heartthrob of all and an incredibly easy one. 

Ingredients:-

Choco Crunch Meringue Cookies

    3 oz eggs whites (about 3 large eggs)

    3/4 cup granulated sugar

    2 tablespoon powdered sugar

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

    226 gms chocolate, melted and cooled

Orange Drizzle

    1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

    2 Tbsp honey

    2 cloves

    ½ inch cinnamon stick

Almond Praline

    30 gms castor sugar

    30 gms almond unskinned

Steps to Follow:-

Orange Drizzle

Combine the honey and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Throw in cloves and cinnamon. Turn the gas on a low flame and let the mixture simmer until half the quantity. Let it cool when the quantity has been reduced to as desired.

Almond Praline

Heat a pan. Add sugar and almond and allow the sugar to melt. Keep the flame low. Do not stir the mixture. Instead you may swirl to ensure the sugar melts uniformly. Cook caramel, until deep golden. Cool the praline on a parchment paper until hard, about 15 minutes. Chop praline or you may blitz to a rough textured powder.

Choco Crunch Meringue Cookies

1. Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment. 

2. Place egg whites in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk and whip until soft peaks hold. Gradually add in both sugars and then vanilla and vinegar. 

4. Increase speed and whip until mixture is free of sugar grit when rubbed between two fingers and the meringue holds stiff and glossy peaks. 

5. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue whisking until the meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks. 

6. Once the meringue is stiff, drizzle a some cooled chocolate (from the 1st step) on top of the meringue – DO NOT MIX IN.

7. Unmixed chocolate drizzle is what gives the meringues their interesting swirls. 

8. Use a 3-tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to portion out a meringue onto the prepared baking tin. 

9. Continue drizzling chocolate over the meringues before scooping until all the meringue batter is used. 

10. Bake meringue for about 40-50 minutes or meringue easily peels away from parchment paper. Cool on a wire rack. 

11. Plate the meringue cookies on a platter and drizzle some orange syrup topped with some nutty praline.

Suffering from sweet cravings but running short of time or in a hurry?? Then this recipe of new-aged cookie, as i term it to be, can be made to augment a tub of good, bought ice cream to ridiculously great effect. And to everyone's surprise this sweet treat is easier than making any dessert you could think of.

Rose & Cardamom Panna Cotta

Often its the case that things happen because they were destined to take place. There is no connection, no association, yet, when such incidents occur, they leave one wondering why did that happen really?? Sigh!! But its only a little later that you realize, the reason. 

Here's my story when i was struck with something that was completely clueless about! 

I was on a look out on a recipe of a savory to contribute for a food event on an FB group, that i am a part of. I picked my key ingredients as Rose and Cardamom, still clueless with what to cook. This Italian dessert, delicately named, Panna Cotta, was one such case that just stormed up suddenly in my kitchen that day. I was completely uninformed about the ingredients of this dainty looking Miss, until i found myself in a local store frantically collecting stuff for my sweet cravings! 

I can't recall how and when i happened to hear this name, but i remember whenever its was, since then i have had an apprehension towards this jello, that making it would be a daunting task! Ha ha ha ha..Really??? I mock at myself now, laugh at my own presumptions and wonder how stupid i could be! The little did i know that this was THE one of the easiest sweetsomes to master! Finally, i attempted it, and it was all done in 30 mins!!! Yes, thats all! Mine was a royal amalgamation of Rose and Cardamom, sound exotic, Isnt it?? Trust me, it tasted similar too. An easy peasy pudding for which you could have varied versions of flavors - Vanilla, Saffron or Chocolate or may be Mango..You are permitted to think aloud with its flavors coz this dame will never give you a tough time...I bet!

Try it yourself to conquer your fright just like i did..ha ha ha!

 

Ingredients:-

1.5  cups heavy cream

¼ cup Sugar

1.5  tsp powdered Gelatin

3 tbsp cold water

½ tsp freshly grounded cardamom powder

2 tbsp fresh rose petals – Churned in a blender with little milk

2 tbsp chopped pistachios

Flavorless oil for ramekins

Steps to Follow:-

1. Line the ramekin with slight oil and keep aside. 

2. Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a bowl and let it stand for 5-10 minutes, until soft.  3. Heat the heavy cream with sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved.  

4. Add in the pureed rose petals and thoroughly mix. 

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cardamom powder. 

6. Add the gelatin to the warm panna cotta mixture & stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. 

7. Divide the mixture and pour into 2 ramekins and refrigerate (Freezer compartment) of atleast 3 – 4hrs. 

8. Garnish with finely chopped rose petals and pistachios  juliennes. 

So here It is..the gorgeous beauty, absolutely drool worthy, waiting to be yours truly! Try this Italian pud and grab appreciations galore!

NOTE: De-moulding these lovelies could be tricky, so when out of the snowy zone, heat some water in a pan and give it a boil. Dip the ramekins in the hot boiling water for NOT more than 5 secs.  Run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and invert it on a serving platter. If the panna cotta doesn't de-mould right away, tap the ramekin lightly on the countertop to loosen it. If it still doesn't de-mould, return it to the hot water bath for another five seconds and repeat. Still doesn't, don't panic, Panna cotta can also be served without de-moulding. :)

Dates & Almond Kheer

'Kheer' is synonymous with Indian Households. It is the best way to cherish sweet moments with family during festivals and a perfect prasadam for pujas at home. We Indians just love to be traditional, don't we? :) 

Be it a Rice Kheer or Sabudana Kheer, we simply dote on it! Its a culture which has cascaded down from generation to generations - from our Grand Mothers to our Moms and then to us. 

If you yearn for the goodness of your granny's or mommy's home-cooked sweet delicacy, try this Dates & Almond Kheer and it will bring back the authentic flavors of Nostalgia!

Ingredients:-

Milk - 500 ml

Water - 100 ml

Dates (de-seeded) - 30 gms

Almonds (soaked in water for 3 hrs) - 20 gms

Pistachios - 15 gms

Kishmish - Handful of them

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Rose water - 2-3 drops

Sugar - As per taste

Saffron - 2-3 threads

Ghee - 1/2 tbsp

Steps to Follow:-

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the milk and water and give it a boil.  (Set aside 1/4 cup of milk)

2. Let the milk simmer in low flame. Meanwhile, peel off the almond skin and coarsely grind around 20 gms of Dates and 10 gms of skinned almonds in a mixer along with the milk kept aside.

3. Add the dates-almond paste to the milk and stir thoroughly and let it simmer for another few mins.

4. Chop the remaining dates, skinned almonds & pistachios and add them to the mixture.

5. Add rose water, cardamom, kishmish to the kheer.Give it a stir.

6. Check for sweetness and if you wish to add sugar, add it as per your taste.

NOTE: As per the sweetness required, you can replace sugar with condensed milk as well. 

7. Once the milk has reduced a bit in quantity and has slightly thickened, turn Off the flame.

8. Let the kheer cool and transfer in a bowl and garnish with saffron and almond at the time of serving.

Quick Tip: You may garnish with chopped fresh rose petals as well and for sure your dish will steal the show! A luscious treat to the taste-buds and to the eyes. :)

Stay sweet and spread love!