I Sugges this Recipes

Today is Varusha Pirappu, or the day when a new year is born according to the traditional Tamil calender.

Heres wishing you a year full of happiness, love and prosperity and of course good food.

Looking for something to make for your New Year lunch?

Browse some authentic Tamil recipes here, or youll find a larger selection of Tamil food from across the food blogging community, neatly indexed over here.

I dont believe its any secret that I love to cook.

My specialties: Breads, pies and oh -- anything using ground venison. (When you marry a hunter, you learn to make yummy eats with a variety of dead carcasses. Im just sayin.)

But lately, Im having dreams of creating something new. Something different. Something fresh. And something beautiful.

Im what you would call uninitiated in the ways of traditional gourmet cooking, but I have decided to stop waiting on the sidelines and get in the game.

Just for fun.

We country gals can flex our culinary muscles every now and again. Right?

I cant hear you.

Right?

Right on. I heard you that time.

For my maiden voyage into the world of gourmet chefery - I prepared an Italian salad dish, Panzanella Caprese, based on this recipe I found on Gourmet.com:

Panzanella Caprese

Serves 6 to 8

1 (18-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons drained capers, chopped

1 1/2 lb tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup chopped basil

•Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

•Toss bread with 2 Tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper in a large 4-sided sheet pan, then spread out in 1 layer. Bake, stirring once, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

•Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in vinegar, capers, and remaining 1/3 cup oil.

•Add croutons to dressing along with tomatoes, onion, mozzarella, and basil, then toss. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Melissa Roberts

I wanted to do this one by the book, so I bought all of the necessary ingredients to prepare this dish. The total grocery bill: $20.00. The fresh basil and capers were the most expensive items. I didnt even know what a caper was until I bought a jar. I honestly thought they would be in the sardine section.

For reals.

What a nube.

But, being the thrifty sort that I am, I figured if I made the baguette and used my own homegrown garlic, tomatoes, onion and basil -- I would save $7.00. When my garden is ready, I will definitely make Panzanella Caprese again, using homemade bread and vegetables harvested from the Claeys garden.

Nancy come see me here

Ingredients
Goat or lamb blood -2 bowls
Small onion minced -30 or big onion minced -1 or 2
Garlic chopped –little
Curry leaf –little
Grated coconut -2 table spoons
Green chili -8 minced
Procedure
Wash and cook the blood in a kadai in 4 cups of water till it turns like liver. Allow it to cool. Then cut them into small pieces .

Simple and delicious. The key is tossing the spices with the potatoes and oil in a bowl and then on to the pan. The silicon mat we are baking on is a very nice thing to have in your kitchen.

These are baked for 15 min at 425 degree F. and then turned over and cooked for another 15 min., or until nice and crusty.


Ingredients:
2 Russet Potatoes
1 Tbl Dried Herb Blend, Like Herb De Provance
Olive Oil
Paprika
Salt and Pepper

2 eggs
175g (6oz) caster sugar plus 15g (1/2 oz) extra for sprinkling
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
75g (3oz) butter
75ml (2 1/2 fl oz) milk
125g (4 1/2oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 small or 1 large cooking apples
75ml (2 1/2 fl oz) double cream, to serve

20cm x 20 cm (8 x 8 in) square cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas mark 6. Line the sides and base of the cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, 175g (6oz) caster sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and the whisk leaves a figure of eight pattern (this will take about 5 minutes).
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan with themilk, then pour onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
4. Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices, then arrange them over the batter. They will sink to the bottom(this is meant to happen). Sprinkle with the remianing sugar and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C, 350F, Gas mark 4 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
5. Allow to cool in the tin , cut into squares and serve warm.


It is delicious, I served it with greek yogurt, rather than cream and the apples didnt all sink into the batter, some stayed on top and were nicely caramelised with the sugar.

NOT my Wartime Kitchen, but the other one, full of tempting treats and deliciousness!


The first time I tasted smoked salmon was at my Great Aunt and Uncles home in West Kingsdown in Kent.  We used to go down there at Easter and go on exciting trips into London!  I must have been about 7 years old and Aunty Phyllis made us smoked salmon sandwiches, she bought end pieces which were not so expensive, but I was so impressed (a very early foodie!) and loved the smoky saltiness of this delicate fish.
Smoked Salmon is not such a luxury  now with more farmed salmon but it often disappoints being wet or greasy.  Not so the MacGilvray Finest Smoked Salmon sent to me by The Handpicked Food 
Store. Here is what MacGilvrays say about their smoked salmon:

"All of our smoked salmon is sourced by fine food purveyors MacGilvray from the cold clear waters of the Scottish West Highlands.  It has been dry cured and oak-smoked in traditional brick built kilns and we believe it to be the finest available."

The salmon was firm, not too finely cut and just melted in your mouth.  The smoke was subtle and didnt overpower the flavour of the fish.  In fact, it was just how I remember that first taste of delicious smoked salmon in the 1960s!  The Handpicked Food Store is a new venture from the people who bring you well-established The Handpicked Collection  both are well worth a visit for gift shopping. 

Club Chocolat Francais Autumn Collection and a Giveaway

I am feeling really spoiled, first smoked salmon and now delicious french chocolates.  Ive reviewed Club Chocolat Francais before and I have to say that this collection is even better than the last.  There are some stunning flavours enrobed in the very best dark, milk and white chocolate.




This was my absolute favourite from this selection its the Citron Coriandre and it absolutely bursts onto your tongue with an incredible lemon and spice taste that Ive never encountered in a chocolate before.  I also loved the Petales Framboise, again the intensity and freshness of the fruit flavours are really not like anything you get in a standard box of chocs.



Club Chocolat Français comes is a family business, established 20 years ago in Southwest France, in the country side. Their workshops are surrounded by orchards. These orchards provide the plums and hazelnuts  used for the chocolate creations.


If you love Gourmet chocolate, have a look at the Club Chocolat Francais chocolate club, each month you get 34 luxury handmade chocolates delivered to your door  - mmm heaven!

GIVEAWAY

I have three full size boxes of Club Chocolat Chocolates to giveaway to three lucky readers.  Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget.
This competition is open to readers in the UK and Europe only as Club Chocolat Francais chocolates are handmade using the finest ingredients with no artificial preservatives added. The high quality of our products makes speedy delivery a necessity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A few weeks ago, Heidi at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi posted a recipe that she called Old-School Peanut Butter Squares. The recipe caught my eye because it does not call for marshmallows (we like marshmallows, but they arent always in the pantry). The only tweak I made was to substitute some of the sugar for a little honey (I love the taste of peanut butter with honey). I must say the treats were a big hit around here. With moms packing school lunches these days, I thought it would be a good time to repeat Heidis super simple and super tasty recipe.

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup white sugar (see note)
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups crisp rice cereal

Combine corn syrup and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir until well blended and cook on medium heat until boiling (stirring occasionally). Let boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix until well blended. Stir in cereal and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Lightly spray hands with cooking spray and press mixture into pan. Cool and cut into squares.

NOTE: I removed 2 tablespoons of sugar and replaced it with 2 tablespoons of honey.
NOTE: I let my syrup mixture gently boil for a full minute.
NOTE: I found that you dont have to spray your hands with cooking spray when you press down the mixture. If you dampen your hands and just shake them dry for about 5 seconds, it does the same thing without making the treats greasy.