Saturday, November 24, 2012

Desperate Cupcakes...


Photo credit - http://onlyhdwallpapers.com

Mrudula and Srini's anniversary is a day away and she wanted to make cup cakes because Srini loves them. (Aside...Srini loves most things edible and just about vegetarian). So...
Now. Mrudula bakes in her mom's oven. This is an aluminium round contraption that was born when an electric heater met a largish tin can. A constraint if want to make lot of cupcakes.

After writing her a longish mail to 'help', I realized that it will make for a good read for a whole lot of people. Of course the references are Mumbai (Andheri) centric but that can be easily overcome. So.. here goes.

First I asked her to have a look at http://www.cupcakerecipes.com/ and then I wrote...

"You can (and perhaps will) waste a lot of time looking for recipes and stuff. Here is what I would do:

  • Divide the effort estimate into two parts:
    1. The cup cake
      • I am assuming you have the baking tins for muffins/cupcakes. If you don't:
        • Borrow them from me along with the liners today
        • Buy them from Arif Le Mould (Get out of Andheri West station at the end of the road that passes by the McDonalds . Please buy normal liners. The fancy liners look pretty when you buy everyone ignores them when wolfing the cup cake down and you are not going to have a photo-shoot... So...
      • Please go buy three Betty Crocker instant cake mixes (Suggest 1 chocolate, 1 vanilla or something like that, 1 pineapple cake or something).
        Suggest you don't experiment with the Indian cake mixes. They make drier cakes and are slightly less tolerant to mistakes than Betty Crocker.
        With these:
        • It is easy to divide into half or quarter
        • Just crack an egg and add some oil and you are done with the batter
      • The other easy recipe is to have a 1:1:1 ratio of butter/oil, egg, and flour, add sugar, a pinch of salt and a little baking powder. Mix the solids together and then the liquids/butter separately. Sieve the solids into the mixed liquids and you are ready to bake :)
        Short-cut tip - If you add mashed banana into this, you get banana cup cake :)
    2. The cup cake decoration:
      1. Buy. Don't make as far as possible, since you have a small oven and part of a day:
        • I believe people eat cupcakes since they look pretty. So so and buy multiple colours of ready made icing. They squeeze out from tubes like tooth paste, cost quite a bit and save enormous amounts of time
        • Buy a can of 'spray-on' whipping cream or a pack of Blue-bird instant cream
        1. If really want to make from scratch make a chocolate ganache and dunk cupcake tops into it and put sprinkles or stuff on it.
          This explains how to make it...
          http://eatbhaieat.blogspot.in/2011/04/chocolate-ganache.html
        2. Here are some decoration ideas:
      • Put whipped cream on top of the cup cakes and:
        • Add a couple of pink or other coloured marshmallows on top
        • Add a tinned or fresh fruit like cherries, orange bits, banana, pineapple etc.  The fruit crunch and citric element balances the flavours and texture of the cake
        • Coloured icing from the tubes I wrote about earlier
        • Want to really get the taste-buds go bonkers? Top with canapés (e.g. Monaco biscuit with a lump of cheese etc.)"
    It sounds a bit domineering but then...

    Tuesday, November 06, 2012

    The pre-Diwali office pot-luck...

    I've always landed up in offices where people love to eat... IETS has been no exception. The gang from the BKC office has transported their urge to eat all things nice to the Saki Naka second office untarnished and if anything enhanced :)

    Sharp at 1 I got a call from Ophi summoning me to the second floor for the lunch...

    The alluring part for me about this feast was the fact that almost everything was home-made...

    The spread on the table started with Farrari Patties. Now this is something that is had during उपवास/upwas, so it came with a bowl of smooth and sweetened whipped dahi...
    Farrari Patties
    The term farrari relates to all things that are used during upwas. The potato enclosed and deep fried roundels themselves had a yummy filling of flaky hand grated coconut shavings with an interesting blend of fresh shredded herbs.

    Inside the Farrari Patties...
    The staples like chappatis and rice were bought to save the trouble for everyone...

    To go with the rice Rajesh's wife had made a very nice and homely Sindhi Kadi (सिन्धी कढ़ी) 

    Rupa had brought some Undiu--the quintessential touch of Gujarat. Awesome to eat, nightmarish in terms of logistics to make...



    Aishwarya made and got a light and fragrant pulao (पुलाव)
    A fragrant pulao
    ... and to go with it, a light and interesting mixed vegetable curry...

    Shobha introduced the flavour of the Southern reaches of India with Idlies and Mulaga Podi (also know as Gun Powder, Sambhar, and some awesome coconut chutney. 
    Idly


    Mulaga Podi aka Gun Powder


    Gingelly Oil


    Idly, Gun Powder (Mulaga Podi), in Sambhar
    Awesome coconut chutney
    I'd contributed a simple Bengali style Methi phorondiyey Phulkopi aar Palngshaker Torkari (মেথী  ফোড়ন দিয়ে ফুলকপি আর পালক শাকের তরকারি)  (Palak and Cauliflower Curry) ... Most of which was devoured by the time I landed up to click a photo for posterity... So I am guessing it was liked :)
    মেথী  ফোড়ন দিয়ে ফুলকপি আর পালক শাকের তরকারি  (Palak and Cauliflower Curry)
    After the spread was done, I moved on to the sweet bit. Ophi had made her hugely popular (and trademark :P) Mangalorean Coconut Cake
    Ophi's Mangalorean Coconut Cake
    A piece of Ophi's Coconut Cake
    Sujyothi and Beni contributed and got some yummy Kesar Jalebis
    A box full of Jalebis
    Jalebi
    The to end the desert section, Abhijit and Venkat enleashed tubs of Fruit Salad with Ice-cream from Aditi


    Of course good things in combination taste divine... So I dolloped some of the fruit salad with some coconut cake to make things happier still :)


    Combo of Fruit salad, ice cream and Ophi's Coconut Cake...