Gourmet tips news

This rich & colorful strawberry/Raspberry sorbet is a perfect treat on a hot spring�s day.  It has a wonderfully light and refreshing flavor with a grainy consistency and  very  simple dessert to make at home; just mixing together freezing fruit, water, sugar, and lemon juice. I have used fresh strawberry and raspberry for this recipe; you can use the frozen fruits. Ingredients: 1 cups water 1 cup sugar 2 pounds of strawberry 1 pounds of raspberry 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup fresh orange juice 2 tbl spoon rum (optional) Directions: Put water and sugar in heavy saucepan over high heat until sugar dissolves. Boil 5 minutes. Leave it to cool. Puree berries in food processor until smooth. Add the puree , orange and lemon juices,rum to cool sugar syrup; stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.  If you are making the sorbet in ice-cream maker process strawberry/ raspberry  mixture in ice cream maker according to manufact...

Today is the beginning of my official return to blogging! Really, I promise this time.  With that in mind, it is also the beginning of summer, fresh vegetables are aplenty and I have a plethora of posts in my head.   I made this zucchini tart so I could experiment with store bought puff pastry.  And let me tell you, there is a significant difference between ordinary not all butter puff pastry and Dufour puff pastry.  I've made puff pastry from scratch, roll, add more butter, fold, roll and repeat- about a hundred times. I did not have my home-made version next to it, but truly- once baked I could not have told the difference.  What I figured out was that some of the other brands have additives and are not 100 percent butter, Dufour is nothing but flour, water, butter. I never said it was low fat- but if you're going to make puff pastry, lets do it right please.  To make this lower in fat, the zucchini can be placed directly on a lightly greased glass pie pa...

Native to the Andes Mountains , the nutty, protein-rich grain, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is   complete protein , meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. This is a well balanced meal, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid   lysine , which is essential for tissue growth and repair.  In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. This is a very easy recipe to prepare and make a substantial side dish that's delicious with poached eggs or roasted...

Ingredients Burger Salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp of tamarind paste 2 potatoes (boiled and mashed) � cup corn Finely chopped veggies 1 onion 1 carrot 1 bell pepper 6 oz beet root 4-5 cilantro stems Coating 1 egg white 1 cup of bread crumbs Garnish Tomato � Poblano Pepper Sauce 4 tomatoes � garlic 1 poblano pepper � bunch cilantro 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Sliced Veggies Tomato, Onion, Bell Pepper Others Shredded jack cheese Preparation Tomato- Poblano Pepper Sauce � Prep Time � 45 minutes Coat chopped pieces of poblano pepper with olive oil. Bake in oven at 425 F for 25 minutes till you see the skin darken and wrinkle. Take out pieces and store in paper towel for 5 minutes. Peel the outer skin. Stir fry chopped garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes and add 4 tomatoes and some cilantro and stir fry till most of liquid is gone. Blend the stir fried veggies with the poblano pepper, olive oil and remaining cilantro. Sauce is ready to serve. Burger Preparation � Prep Time...

Cashew nut curry is a famous vegetarian dish in Sri Lankan cuisine, this is a must add item for any party menu. Soaked cashews are cooked in aromatic coconut milk and spices gives the creamy texture makes the flavorful pot of richly-colored curry. This is such a wonderful, easy recipe and is a perfect with bowl of plain white rice. Ingredients: 250 g (8 oz) raw Cashews 3 Cups thin Coconut milk (or water) 1 medium Onion, sliced 2 fresh green Chilies, sliced 2 cloves Garlic, crushed 5 cm Cinnamon stick 8 Curry leaves 3 tbs olive oil 1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbs Curry powder � tsp ground cumin 1 Cup thick Coconut milk or fresh milk 2 pieces Goraka (Optional) Directions:? 1. Place the cashews in a bowl, add boiling water, close with lid and soak for about 4 hours or overnight. 2. Drain the water from cashews and add salt, turmeric, raw curry powder, goraka and mix well until cashews are well coated. 3. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan then add onions, green chilies, crushed garlic, cinn...

Preparation Time - 30 minutes Serves - 2 Ingredients: 1/2 pound Large Button Mushrooms 1 tbsp   Minced Garlic 3/4 tsp Cumin Powder 1/2 tsp or to taste Red Chili Powder 3/4 tsp Black pepper powder 12 Curry Leaves 1/4 cup Besan or Chickpea flour 1/4 cup Corn Starch 1.5 tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 1/4 tsp of haldi Thai chili pepper flakes: to taste Lime: to taste Sea Salt per taste Directions: 1.   Dry the cleaned mushrooms with paper towels. Detach the stems from the mushrooms and cut them into four pieces. 2.   Make a thick batter of corn starch and besan, gradually adding water to the flour.   (Make sure the batter is not watery or else it won't form a coat on the mushrooms.) Add a bit of salt, red chili powder, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and haldi to it. Dip the mushrooms in this batter. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the coated mushrooms in a skillet.   Cover the skillet to create an oven effect.   Once cooked, remove to a paper towel and keep aside. 3. ...

For those biriyani connoisseurs, there is nothing like cooling it with a raita dip that offers refreshment. This recipe is courtesy of my cousin, aninda. Carrot/Mint Raita Total Preparation Time : 20-25 minutes Ingredients 1 medium red onion 12 baby carrots 1 cucumber 1 cup of mint leaves 1/2 lemon 3 cups of yogurt 1 tablespoon of sour cream 1 tea spoon of roasted cumin powder Salt and Red Chilli Powder to taste Few leaves of cilantro and mint for garnish Vegetable Preparation (10-15 min) Use a shredder to make long length shreds of the cucumber and carrots. Use a knife to cut thin slices of red onion and finely chop the mint. Raita Preparation (5-10 min) Pour yogurt in a mixing bowl and toss in the shredded/chopped vegetables/herbs to the yogurt. Stir in the sour cream till you get a smooth consistency. Add the lemon juice and salt and chilli powder and give it a final stir till it looks uniform. Garnish with cilantro and mint leaves.