Pana Cotta

Here is an easy peasy Pana Cotta recipe to sweeten your sweet cravings. As the days are getting warmer this is a perfect dessert for all the busy-bees who doesn't want to compromise on taste.

Ingredients:
1  (3  oz)  package  strawberry  jello( or you can use plain gelatin and instead of water mix it with fruit juice of your choice
1/3  cup  heavy  cream
2/3  cup  plain  yogurt
3  tablespoons  sugar
1  teaspoon  unflavored  gelatin
1/4  teaspoon  clear  vanilla  extract
   
Method:

  Make  a  strawberry  jello  according  to  package  directions.  we  used  only half a  package.  Instead  of  2  cups,  I  made  1  cup  jello.  (Add  1/2  cup  boiling  water  to  1/2  package  gelatin  mix. Stir  2  minutes  or  until  dissolved,  stir  in  1/2  cup  cold  water.)   Fill  champagne  glasses  1/2  full  with  jello.  Refrigerate  for  2  hours  or  until  jello  is  set.
     
To make Panna cotta
Dissolve  1/2  teaspoon  unflavored  gelatin  in  3  teaspoons  water,  for  2  minutes  and  heat  in microwave  2  to  5  seconds.Heat  heavy  cream  and  sugar   on  low  heat  do not boil.  Add  warm gelatin  mixture  to  heavy  cream,  stir.
Stir  in  2/3  cup  yogurt  and  vanilla  extract,  mix  well  and  strain through a  fine  sieve.  let  cool.
Carefully  spoon  the  panna  cotta  over  strawberry  jello  in  each  glass. Refrigerate  glasses  until  panna  cotta  is  set,  for  about  1  hour  or  more.

Basundi

I had been so busy lately that I didn't find time to update the blog for the past few weeks. Here is sweet dish from my drafts, which is an ideal one for you if you have some excess milk that needs to be used up.

Ingredients:
Whole Milk-4 cup
Sugar- 1/3 cup
Cashew nut-3 tbs
Cashew nut powder- 1 tbs
Almond Sliced-3tbs
Nutmeg powder-1/4 tsp
Cardamom-5 powdered
Saffron-1/2 tsp
Method:
Boil milk and when it starts to boil reduce the heat to low and add chopped or sliced cashew nuts and almonds along with saffron and nutmeg. Cook this at low heat stirring every other minute till the milk is reduced to one third. Once its reduced to one third of the original quantity add the powdered cashew along with sugar and cardamom. Stir well till well combined and cook for 3 more minutes. Refrigerate and have it cold.

Dulce De Leche Cheesecake

Today being the Valentine's Day and the fifth blog anniversary of Sugar'N Spice, I present to you a special treat - the Dulce De Leche Cheesecake.
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake combines three delicious flavors - the saltiness and sourness of creamcheese and the sweetness of Dulce De Leche. Dulce De Leche is condensed milk made almost to a jam consistency. Dulce De Leche is commercially available under different brand names, but if you prefer to make your own from scratch, here is a recipe for that. In my recipe, I used a store bought can of Dulce De Leche.

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 tablespoons unsalted, melted butter
Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup dulce de leche
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze:
2/3 cup dulce de leche
Method:
Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch metal baking dish. Mix graham crackers crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Pour crumb mixture into the baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crust is golden. Cool completely on a rack.
Filling:
Blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy with a mixer or food processor. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well between additions. Add dulce de leche and vanilla and blend well. Spread the batter evenly over the cooled crust. Bake until the center is slightly jiggly and the edges are puffed and slightly cracked. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes. Mine were done in 32 minutes, so start checking your pan at about 30 minutes to be safe. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze:
Heat duce de leche in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at about 10 second intervals until melted. Stir well,  Pour it or drizzle it  over the cooled cheesecake  Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Kalkandu Sadam/ Pongal /Rock Crystal Sugar Rice

I am always on the lookout for an excuse for make something sweet and this weekend as I was looking for one I realized Pongal/ Sankranti is this week. Having found a reason I went ahead and started this dish. Jai was in the shower when I started with the cooking and I wanted to finish the cooking before he was out of the shower as Jai always discourages me cooking desserts, the reason being it is  not good for health. So as I was in a hurry to finish the dish and accidentally put rock salt instead of rock sugar silly me :)
I had to start over and this time around I used rock sugar. To my surprise Jai when he came out of the shower didn't say anything and as soon as it was done asked me if he can have some and even asked for seconds. I think I have managed to convert him to be a sweet lover ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice/ raw rice
1 cup Milk
2 cups Water
1 cup Kalkandu/ Rock crystal sugar + 1/8 cup
4 cardamoms
2 cloves
A pinch of piece of nutmeg powder
2 tbsp Ghee for frying nuts and raisins and an additional 2 tsp
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Cashew nuts
Method:
Cook the washed rice in a pressure cooker along with the milk and water for 5 minutes till the rice is well cooked. Mean while heat the ghee in a kadai and fry the raisins and Cashew nuts,till golden brown and set this aside
Powder  one  cup Kalkandu with cloves, nutmeg and cardamom,till fine. Add the Powder into the pressure cooker along with 2 tsp ghee and 1/8 cup kalkandu mix well with the rice, till kalkandu crystals are almost dissolved.
Mix the fried Cashew nuts and raisins with rice. Enjoy while still warm.