Speedy Shrimp - Guest Post by Shikha Bajaj

The blog has been silent for a while. No matter what I try, I am finding it hard to document all the cooking that has been happening. A great Mutton dish, the perfect greek salad recipe, a new way to eat healthy vegetable lasagna and many more recipes, are lying all in the various tummies and in my head. Mystically, To break the silence, and get the action rolling on the blog, my wonderful SIL, decided to send me this shrimp recipe with butter and lime, all the way across the seven seas. And what a wonderful way to start the day with this in your inbox :). Ironically, I never liked shrimp, until I had it on my visit to her place last year. I am a convert for sure, and after testing this recipe- I am sure you will be one too.

p.s Thanks for sharing this Didi. and a special thanks to the Sous Chef- I could see the little hands working hard! 

Nobody doesn't like shrimp.

This recipe to cook Shrimp (with butter and lime) is one of the quickest dishes one can make. It quite literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish.

Prepare your serving dish first. I like to use a bed of mixed greens. I happened to have some Radicchio, Frisee, Chard and Arugula (also known as rocket) mix in the fridge, so that is what I used. I am trying to eat better and recently went overboard in the produce section at whole foods.

Although the shrimp is the star of this show, my personal favorite part is at the end when I get to polish off the salad mixed in with the flavoured sauce.

Thanks Tanya for letting me do a guest post. I love your blog.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

My search for the perfect dense chocolate cake that can be used for layers has been on forever.

Ive spent the last year or so, attempting many a cakes, from various books and blogs and websites..but have not managed to find that perfect, quick and simple recipe that can be used for a simple cake, which could be dressed up in layers for a fancy occasion cake. Most often, the cake does not rise enough- and no, I don’t have 2 identical pans yet to bake them separately. I follow the traditional technique of slicing up the cake. After this recipe though, I will definitely buy 2 identical pans; the cake was so soft and moist and most importantly- well-risen, that I have decided to have some fun with layered cakes for all occasions this year. People around me should be glad- they may be treated to cakes, maybe often enough.

Anyhow, coming back to this cake, It was my little brother’s birthday –the other Ak in my life (well- not so little actually), who is far away, across the seas, studying hard to become one of the fancy management men, who will hopefully teach me a thing or two about managing a business.  At the moment, it is the husband Ak, who’s constantly teaching me more than just two things. Since the brother and me have been in different cities for the last many birthdays and I have been wanting to bake a cake for my dad for a while as well, I decided to bake a special chocolate cake- celebrating the chocolate lover’s birthday. Often, when I cook, I think of the brother and how much he would have enjoyed it, and then message him a picture. This time, though, I decided to find the perfect recipe, just for him. We all got together, celebrated with nice Punjabi dinner outside, and then came back home- to facetime the cake-cutting ceremony in two different time zones.  

I found the recipe on the Hershey’s website- It’s just BRILLIANT.

For most beginners at baking, I would recommend this website- I don’t think that I have tried anything here that has failed. The recipe was quick, since I didn't have much time before we left for dinner. I dressed up the cake (in the centre and on top) using the traditional frosting that I use- recipe can be found here, and then just garnished with roasted almonds and sprinkles.

The cake took an hour from start to finish- including baking time. Who said baking special birthday cakes was a challenge? Everyone thought the cake was quite pretty- and I already know I am baking it again this week. 

For the recipe, visit the Hersheys Website. (No- they  didn't sponsor this post! I do hope I get a lifetime's supply of cooking chocolate though)

p.s. In the rush, I used 3 eggs instead of 2- Although I am sure, that using 2 would be just fine. Unfortunately, due to the rush, there are no photographs of the process as well. The cake is so simple though- noone would need step-by step photographs.

Bloggers Table: Cypus Food festival, Eros Hotel (Hilton), New Delhi

Middle-Eastern food always fascinates me. In fact as I write this post, I have just finished cooking a Lebanese spread for some friends. So when The Blogger’s Table was invited to the Cypriot festival at Eros Hotel managed by Hilton, Nehru Place, New Delhi, I was pretty excited. This was more so because I had missed the Table’s events in the last few months- and I was looking forward to meeting everyone.

It was a perfect winter evening, not too cold; just right to be outside in the garden. The Spread was extensive, with a very elaborate menu. Unlike Traditional Indian hosting style, the focus was not on the appetizers but instead on the Main Course spread, which comprised of a wide range of salads, and anti-pastis. After a brief introduction on the festival itself and the chefs, Cocktails were served with a variety of marinated olives, crackers and a creamy yogurt dip. Other appetizers were pickled calamari, filled chicken breast roulade with poppy seed bread and tomato/feta mousse on multigrain bread. The flavors were nice, but the bread tasted like it had been laid out for hours.

Coming back to the Main course, Personally, for me, this was the best part of the evening. The salads were unique, only made with ingredients that we all use often. I loved haloumi cheese salad, even the one with white beans, the rocket and tomato salad- how simply they had removed the mozzarella, and added sesame seeds instead. 

The grills attracted a lot of attention too- people were almost queuing up. My experience was mixed- the meats could have been cooked a bit more, but maybe that’s just because there were so many people. Other traditional dishes that were a part of the menu Pork Afelia (Pork braised in red wine with crushed coriander seeds), Beef and Tavvas (Oven cooked beef and potato with cumin, onion, and tomatoes). The Keftedes (meat balls of Lamb and Chicken) were really, really good- only that they were deep fried! Freshly made, I could have gone back for a second helping of these. I did pass the pickled octopus though.

I didn’t try much of the desserts, but the ones made out of phyllo were nice. The festival offers a great variety of food, for those interested in a lavish spread. If you are a foodie and someone interested in a wider experience of Turkish food, the festival offers a great variety.

Others at the Table were :

Sid Khullar (Chef At Large)

Mukta Varma (Bake-o-Mania)

Charis Bhagianathan (Culinary Storm)

Sangeeta Khanna (Banaras Ka Khana)

Aishwarya Eats

Chocolate and Strawberry Cake

Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching.

- Randall G Leighton

No- this blog has not died yet. At least, not as of now. And Yes, I Know it’s been a while since I posted.

A lot happened since the last cake that I baked, and it’s almost after a month and a half that I baked something today. And while going through the camera, I found this. I realized that I must post this wonderful cake that I had baked early on for a New Year celebration, simply because it looks so pretty.  Also, it being Valentine’s, which I’m not really much of a believer in- This cake is perfect for those who would want to indulge in the reds and strawberries and the chocolate.  I adapted the Sponge Recipe from Passionate AboutBaking- one of my favourite blogs, and did the icing myself from a unique trial and test that I have done over the years. A must try, very simple to bake, this cake disappears sooner than one would imagine- the cousins for whom it was made, finished it within 24 hours. Serve it with some whipped cream or a scoop of Vanilla or simply have a slice by itself.

Most often, despite the troubles, it is only the simple things that add joy to our life.