A Very Happy New Year to all of you! May 2012 bring you the very best in life! A lot of  you may be wondering about the long hiatus in posts at OhTastenSee. That is because I am currently on vacation in India. We had just moved to the new house – and just when the great job of unpacking was done, we had to start packing for our trip to India. I had very little time to capture the dishes I was making, and hence blogging sort of had to take a step back. I am enjoying my short vacation(only 4 weeks) with a lot of food and love. I decided to totally abstain from browsing and checking email – and truly be on vacation. However, I couldnt resist doing a New Years Post on OhTastenSee.

So here goes….This is a recipe I had bookmarked a long time back, and I had baked this cake just before I left for India – for a get together with friends. It was a super moist cake that was loved by everyone so much. One of my friends even said, that they would totally pay for a piece of this cake, if I sold it by the piece. It was so lovely. I had made changes to the original recipe  by substituting part of the dates with some dried cherries. You can substitute any dried fruits you have, I think it would still work the same. Here is the recipe I had adapted from here:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pitted dried dates, halved
1 cup dried cherries
1-1/2 cups water
2 tsps instant coffee powder
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Preapare a 9-inch round cake pan by greasing it with butter.

Place the water in a kettle or a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pour the hot water in a bowl and add the instant coffee powder. You can warm leftover coffee and use it as well. Chop the dates and cherries into bite sized pieces and put it in the hot coffee. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 15-20 minutes during which time you can prep the rest of the ingredients and the dry fruits absorb all the coffee and come to room temperature.

Start by sieving together the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until it gets fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract.

The dates and cherries should have absorbed most of the coffee by now. Place the plumped up fruits along with any leftover coffee in a blender or food processor and puree this mixture completely.

Gently add one third of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter and sugar. Alternate this with half the date puree. Add another portion of the dry and the remaining date puree. Finish it off with the remaining dry mixture. Do not over beat. Instead use a spatula to make the batter uniform. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with chcolate chips.

Place it in the preheated oven and bake for an hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, then gently turn the cake out onto the rack to cool further. Serve warm or at room temperature, as is or sprinkled with powdered sugar. Cover leftover cake with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Verdict: This cake is the moistest chocolate cake I have ever had. The flavor of the chocolate was beautifully complimented by the coffee and the vanilla. The cake in itself is not sweet by itself, the chocolate chip topping renders the required sweetness to the cake. If you choose to omit the chocolate chips, I would suggest increasing the brown sugar to a half cup. Again, it could depend on the type of dates used. I used California dates, if using Medjool dates, you wouldn’t need the extra sugar. You can also spread the molten chocolate chips – when the cake is just out of the oven to form a chocolate icing. This cake is a nice way to add some healthy nutrition to an otherwise sinful dessert.

Related posts:

1. 200th Post – 2 min Microwave Chocolate Cake
2. Steamed Banana Pudding Cake in Chocolate Sauce
3. Beurre Noisette Pound Cake(Brown Butter Pound Cake)

Carrot Cake is one of my favorite cakes – and it is something I had discovered only after coming here to the US. I especially love the cream cheese frosted – carrot cake cupcakes. One of my other all time favorites is cheesecake – the sinfully silky cheesecake is something I cannot resist. While browsing food blogs one day – I found a recipe that combined both my favorite recipes in one amazing dessert: Carrot cake cheesecake bars. I totally loved the idea and decided to try it.

This is a super easy recipe, as it uses carrot cake cake mix for the crust of the cheesecake, thus incorporating the carrot cake flavors into the cheesecake. Baking cheesecakes or other custards normally require a water bath, to provide the gentle heat – and often times this is seen as a difficult step in baking a cheesecake, but this recipe doesn’t require complicated steps. It is super easy and is done in no time.

Ingredients:
1 box of Carrot Cake Mix(I used Betty Crocker)
1 stick butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
small pieces of carrot/mint leaves for garnish.

Method:
Grease a 9 X 13 inch rectangular pan with butter and set aside. I didn’t have a 9 X 13 pan and used by 9 X 9 square pan instead, the layers of crust and cake are a bit thicker, but the taste doesn’t differ.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, the stick of butter and 1 egg until the mixture comes together in a dough. Gently press this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press with your fingers to compact the mixture – such that it forms a crust when it bakes. In the same mixing bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese and the sugar. Gently add the eggs one by one and incorporate into the mixture. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Pour this mixture over the cake mix crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 35 -40 minutes. Let cool in the pan and cut into squares.

Cut small carrots wedges and a few small mint leaves, sprinkle them with sugar and garnish on top of each of the cheesecake bars.

Verdict: This cheesecake was awesome – smooth and creamy and sinfully delicious. Makes a perfect dish to make for a party – as it is does not involve too much effort on your part, but makes for an elegant dessert. The carrot cake flavor was spot on, but I found it was a little too sweet – to be a crust. Note to self, to either add in some powdered walnuts to cut the flavor of substitute the crust with another cake mix.

Related posts:

1. Carrot Pineapple Prune Cake
2. Christmas Cookies III – Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars
3. Beurre Noisette Pound Cake(Brown Butter Pound Cake)

Here are the guidelines for the event:
1. You may send in any entry that is only baked in the conventional oven and is savory. Only sweet entries are allowed like cakes/cookies/pies etc.
2. Only Vegetarian entries are allowed. Eggs are allowed.
3. Please link back to this announcement page and also to Krithi’s page.
4. New entries are appreciated, however if you are sending archived entries, please re-post as latest (with a date in December 2011) and update with both the links to the announcement page and logo.
5. Usage of links and logo is mandatory.
6. Last date for submission of your entries is December 31 2011, however you can link until Jan 1st.
7. To send in your entries, just link your entries using the below linky tool.
8. Non-bloggers also can send their entries with a picture to the below email-id.
9. If you have a problem in linking email us your problem to serveit[dot]series[at]gmail[dot]com. We will try to resolve it.
Please note that if the entries are inappropriate to the theme we would have to remove the entries from the linky sans notification. If there are other issues like link or logo missing we would definitely notify through email.

Related posts:

1. Announcing Serve it Series – Savory Baked
2. Announcing Serve it series & Serve – it: Chilled
3. Announcing Serve it – Festival Potluck

I’ve always wanted to try yeast breads and for some reason I have always been nervous about how it would come out. My past two successful attempts were in summer – Foccacia bread and Oatmeal Batter Bread. But, given winter has already set in now, I was kind of skeptical of trying this again. But, I decided to take a risk, even if it means waiting patiently for the dough to rise. I chose to start the dough first on Saturday, while I had plans of cooking a few different dishes for the upcoming week.

This dough is a very easy recipe to make – and is also a batter dough. I have adapted the recipe from the blog ‘One Perfect Bite’, and it came out perfectly. It is a very versatile dough that takes additions nicely. I kept it simple by adding onions and chillies for the flavorings, but you can improvise and add whatever you like. Did I mention this is a whole wheat bread? Yep, this was one of my criteria – searching for which, I landed on the above link. I’ve used whole wheat atta – chapati flour and it came out nice and tender. You can use whole wheat pastry flour as well. Now, without further ado, the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour/chapati flour/whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter(softened)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped green chillies
1 medium red onion, chopped fine(approx. 1 cup of chopped onion)
2 tsp milk
2 tsp nigella seeds(kalonji) for garnish

Method:
Start off by blooming the yeast: Place 1 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl, along with the brown sugar and the yeast. Let sit until the yeast becomes frothy.

While waiting on the yeast, make the spice mixture: Heat one tbsp of oil in a pan. Add in the finely chopped green chillies and the chopped red onion. Saute until soft and translucent. Do not add salt to this, as it would draw out moisture and make the dough soggy. Set aside to cool.

The yeast should be frothy and bubbly now. Stir in the salt into the water. Gently beat in one cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Add the butter and incorporate the remaining flours. The dough is sticky, don’t add more flour. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the onion chilly mixture. Beat with the spoon for 15-20 strokes, or if using a dough hook, let it go for about 3-5 minutes. Cover this with a towel and let sit in a draft free place to rise for about an hour(I set it inside the oven – and of course the oven is NOT turned on). The mixture should be doubled by the 1 hour period.

Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with butter and scoop the risen dough into it. Taking care not to deflate the dough. Dust a kitchen towel with flour and lay it over the dough. Set it aside for another hour. You will see the dough doubled enough to rise above the rim of the loaf pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Just before you place the dough into the oven, brush the top lightly with milk, for the top to brown. Sprinkle this with the nigella seeds. Bake bread in center of oven until it is browned, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Verdict: Super soft, tender and flavorful bread. This was perfect, ever so slightly warm along with a cup of tea. Was also good toasted for breakfast. If you are like me, and prefer a savory breakfast, as opposed to sweet, then this bread is for you. I was extremely happy with the tenderness and holes in the bread that the yeast had created. I am happy to say – I have overcome the fear of baking with yeast. Yay!!! and in a very tasty way.

Sending this to:
1. Yeastspotting
2. Serve it Series – Savory baking
3. Breakfast club – Bread

Related posts:

1. Oatmeal Batter Bread
2. Whole wheat buttermilk scones
3. Baked Falafels in Home made Whole Wheat Pita pockets

Broccoli maybe one of the most detested vegetables..universally. It is so not the case in our house, I buy broccoli, almost every time I go grocery shopping and my toddler son just loves it. Serve it steamed, roasted, in a sandwich or in a soup – it is always a sure hit. Come fall season, we automatically reach for warm, comforting foods – and there is no better dish to fit this bill than a soup. This soup is particularly filling and also healthy from the addition of white cannelini beans. Even if you don’t like broccoli, try it in this creamy soup, and you will really like it.

Ingredients:
1 large head of broccoli, chopped(approximately 3-4 cups chopped broccoli)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 can cannelini beans/white navy beans
extra cheese, for garnish.

Method:
Heat the oil and butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add the chopped broccoli and the broth. Let cook until the broccoli florets are tender. Open the canned cannelini beans and rinse thoroughly. Add this to the broth and simmer for another couple of minutes. Puree the entire mixture either by transferring to a blender or using an immersion blender. Return the puree to the pan again, add the milk and the cheddar cheese and let simmer until the cheese melts. Serve hot, with a garnish of grated cheese!

Notes:
* You can add grated carrots along with the cheddar. It adds taste and also adds an extra orangey look to the soup.
* You may use a package of frozen chopped broccoli, instead of fresh, it doesn’t make a difference in the taste of the soup.
* For a richer soup, add half and half or cream to the soup instead of the milk

Verdict: This was the perfect soup for the weather we are having right now. Smooth and creamy, gooey and cheesey, rich and comforting! Not to mention that it is protein rich from the beans, calcium rich from the cheese and milk and vitamin rich from the broccoli itself. It was quite filling, with a side of bread and some fruit, made for a nice weekday dinner. YUMMY..

Related posts:

1. Crustless Broccoli and Cheddar mini Quiches
2. Grilled Broccoli Cheese Sandwich
3. Chipotle Corn Tomato Soup

So, why wait..
Bring on the baked goods..As long as its savory, you’re on.

Here are the guidelines for the event:
1. You may send in any entry that is only baked in the conventional oven and is savory. No sweet entries allowed like cakes/cookies. No Microwave baked recipes are allowed.
2. Both Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian entries are allowed. Although no beef/pork/alcohol entries please.
3. Please link back to this announcement page and also to Krithi’s page.
4. New entries are appreciated, however if you are sending archived entries, please re-post as latest (with a date in November 2011) and update with both the links to the announcement page and logo.
5. Usage of links and logo is mandatory.
6. Last date for submission of your entries is November 30, 2011
7. To send in your entries, just link your entries using the below linky tool.
8. Non-bloggers also can send their entries with a picture to the below email-id.
9. If you have a problem in linking email us your problem to serveit[dot]series[at]gmail[dot]com. We will try to resolve it. Please note that if the entries do not oblige to the rules we would have to remove the entries from the linky.

Related posts:

1. Announcing Serve it series & Serve – it: Chilled
2. Announcing Serve it – Festival Potluck
3. Announcing Serve it – Steamed