1. JELEBI CARAMEL CUSTARD
Serves 6 - Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
6 Jelebis (available in any Indian Sweet stall)
3 eggs beaten
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ litre milk
6 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon butter
Take a flat bottomed baking dish and grease it well with butter. Boil the milk and keep aside. Pre heat the oven till slightly warm. When the milk is slightly cold add the eggs, vanilla essence, flour and sugar and beat well till there are no lumps. Pour a thin layer of this mixture into the baking dish and let it set in the warm oven till it forms a base. Take out the dish and arrange the Jelebis in it. Pour the rest of the mixture over the Jelebis and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes till the custard sets and is golden brown on top. The custard should be moist and not dry. Garnish with sliced pistachios.
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2. MARMALADE ROLL
Serves 6 - Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
250 grams flour / maida
250 grams butter
200 grams sugar
3 eggs beaten
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon orange essence
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons marmalade
¼ teaspoon salt
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar together in a suitable bowl. Add the beaten eggs, orange essence and mix well. Fold in the flour a little at a time. Add a little milk if the mixture is too thick. Pour into a greased and floured cake tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or till the cake is cooked and brown on top. Take a sheet of thick brown paper and sprinkle a little water on it. Sprinkle sugar liberally on it. While the cake is still hot, turn it out on to the dampened paper. Cut it horizontally in the center without going to the ends and open it out so that it becomes a square. Spread warm marmalade on it then roll it tightly with the paper to form a roll. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. When required cut into round slices and serve.
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3. SEMOLINA COCONUT BARFI
Makes 30 pieces – Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
2 cups grated coconut
1 cup roasted fine soogi / Rava
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
½ cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon ghee
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon food colour either pink or green
Roast the semolina with a teaspoon ghee till it gives out a nice aroma. Melt the sugar with the milk and condensed milk in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the grated coconut and mix well. Cook till the coconut is soft. Add the semolina, essence, food colour and ghee and mix well. Simmer on low heat till the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides of the vessel. Pour on to a greased plate and cut into squares.
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4. CASHEW NUT TOFFEE
Makes 24 pieces – Preparation time 45 minutes
Ingredients
½ kg good cashew nuts, broken into bits
250 grams sugar
1 teaspoon ghee
Powder the sugar and keep aside. Roast the cashew nuts lightly then dry grind in a blender till smooth. In a thick-bottomed pan, melt the powdered sugar with ¼ cup water, boiling only once. Reduce heat and mix in the ground cashew nuts. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes then take it down. Remove from heat and pour on to a greased plate. Flatten with a wooden spoon or rolling pin. Cut into squares or diamond shapes.
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5. DRY FRUIT FUDGE
Makes 35 pieces – Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
1 tin condensed milk
300 grams sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
200 grams chopped almonds, cashew nuts, & walnuts
100 grams chopped raisins
100 grams desiccated coconut
1 cup milk
Melt the sugar with the milk and condensed milk in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the desiccated coconut and mix well. Cook till the coconut is soft. Add the chopped almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, raisins, vanilla essence and ghee and mix well. Simmer on low heat till the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides of the vessel. Pour on to a greased plate and spread with a wooden spoon. When slightly cool cut into squares.
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Bridget’s recipes featured on RwB:
(Bridget White Kumar is a Bangalore based author of 5 Cookery books specializing in Anglo-Indian Cuisine.)
October 30, 2007 at 9:32 am
This is awesome stuff
I needed some simple recipe which I could cook without investing too much of time.
October 30, 2007 at 12:37 pm
WOW….nice recipes RK. Looks like Deepavali will be fun to celebrate with all those sweets. Thanks for sharing..:-)
October 30, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Can there be substitute for egg in the custard and marmalade roll. These recipes are tempting. Thanks for sharing them.
October 30, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Hi Anjali
You could try substituting egg with condensed milk. Use about 4 tablespoons of condensed milk. However the taste would be different from the same dishes using eggs. Happy Diwali
Bridget
October 31, 2007 at 3:12 am
Great recipes! Its gonna be tough for people who are trying to diet!