Almond Cheese Tart

I've been using this recipe for many years. The combination of lemony cheese and the rich shortcrust pastry really boost up my appetite.

This tart keep very well in the fridge. I kept the leftover in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 100'C for 5 minute, it's still very yummy.

For the shortcrust pastry: 8" tart pan
1 egg yolks + 1 tbsp cold water
110g plain flour
55g unsalted cold butter, diced
10g sugar powder
pinch of salt

For the Cheese filling:

160g cream cheese

30g sugar

30g butter

2 egg yolks

1 lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

40g egg whites

2 tsp sugar

40g almond flakes

1. Mix the eggs yolks with cold water stir with a fork until well combine.
2. Place the flour, sugar powder into the bowl of a food processor, followed by the cold butter and the salt. Turn the processor on and pulse several times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add the egg yolk/water mixture and pulse again. Be careful not to overwork the pastry. Stop pulsing when the mixture has the consistency of chunky breadcrumbs.
4. Turn the pastry out onto a clean, floured work surface and, with floured hands, bring together to make a dough, but don't knead.
5. Shape into a flattened ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. You can keep the pastry at this stage for 2-3 days if not using it immediately.
6. Remove the pastry from the fridge. On a clean, floured work surface, roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it's slightly larger than the flan ring. Using the rolling pin, lift the pastry and lay it over the flan ring.
7. With your fingers, lightly press the pastry into the sides of the ring. Run a rolling pin over the top of the ring and pull away the excess pastry at the edges. Using your fingers, gently press the pastry up to slightly build up the height of the pastry at the edges. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.
8. Make a cartouche (a circle of greaseproof paper) slightly larger than the base of the flan tin and line the pastry case with it. Place some ceramic baking beans inside to weigh the pastry down. Place in the fridge to relax for about 20 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the pastry in the oven and bake blind for about 20 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack and make the cheese filling.
10. Beat the cream cheese with sugar until well combine. Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well. Gradually mix in the lemon juice and zest.
11. In other the clean bowl, beat the egg whites and two tablespoon of sugar until peak forms.
12. Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture and fold in half of the toasted almond flakes.
13. Pour the mixture into the tart and sprinkle over some almond flakes on top. Bake at 180'C preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Bread peas masala

Peas Masala(or kurma) goes well with bread and rotis. It makes an ideal tiffin on days when you have some left over gravy and a few pieces of bread. I used dried peas in this recipe.

Ingredients:
Dried peas-1 cup
Jeera-1 tsp
Onion chopped-1(small)
Tomatoes chopped-2(small)
Salt
Bread slices-3
Lime juice from 1 small lime
Oil-2 tbsp

Spice powders(measurements can be adjusted according to your taste):
Chilli powder
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves-to garnish

To grind to a smooth paste with 1/4 cup of water:
Coconut-1/2 cup
Cashews-12
Green chilli
Garlic pods-3
Ginger-1 inch piece
Cloves-4
Cinnamon-2 inch stick
Cardamom-2
Dhaniya-1/2 tsp

Method:
Soak peas overnight in water and pressure cook for 3 whistles or until soft.
Grind the above mentioned ingredients with water and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Tamper jeera. Add chopped onion and fry till golden brown.
Add tomatoes, salt and spice powders. Fry till tomatoes turn soft. Now add the ground paste and some water to desired consistency and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer and cook till oil starts to float on top(15 minutes). Add cooked peas and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Add lime juice and mix well.
Serve with rotis.

Use some left over gravy to make bread peas masala for afternoon tiffin/snack.
Cut each bread into 2-3 pieces and lightly toast with butter.
Top it off with peas masala.

Note:You may omit cashews if you want the gravy to be light.
Instead of grinding cashews along with coconut, you can dry grind cashews coarsely and sprinkle the powder in the end.

New Year's Eve at Sydney

New Year's Eve at Sydney!

Wish you a very Happy 2009! This post is not about food, and does not have my mother’s delicious recipes! However, I had to blog this…

A week ago, my new boss asked me if I was going to the harbour on New Year’s Eve. I suddenly woke up to the fact that we were in Sydney, the first part of the world to see 2009, and the city which offers the world famous Harbour Bridge fireworks display! With last minute scrambling we found all the ticketed events on and around the harbour were sold out. Anyway, neither that nor the fact that 1.5 million people attend this event and we would have to brave the crowds at the free vantage points, deter us from experiencing the spectacle live.

Armed with sunglasses, caps and a huge bottle of water, a few friends, hubby and I set off as early as 2:00pm to get hold of a good spot. The Town Hall station and all the roads to the harbour had become an ocean of people. After plodding along in the queue, we finally reached the Opera House area. Families had already parked themselves in every visible inch of space, with blankets, foldable chairs, large picnic hampers, umbrellas, radios, playing cards, guitars and some had even pitched their camping tents! We found a fast disappearing spot between three families and a flight of stairs and quickly pitched ourselves for 9 hour wait to 2009. The afternoon summer sun shone away fiercely with Vitamin D and UV rays fighting for supremacy to get under our skins! We did not feel the wait, as we watched various people and their antics. A boisterous college crowd from Taiwan waving their flag and yelling non-stop;school girls deciding which party tops to wear just before the fireworks; wild looking guys sporting pink hair and scary tattoos; girls dancing away while waiting in the queue to the ladies room; a family of 3 generations that stuck shiny pink stars all over each others faces in all seriousness; good old desi families from north, south, east and west carrying huge umbrellas and picnic hampers. On the terrace of the Opera house – elite folks waved even while sweating it out in their formal evening dresses and tuxedos. Every boat or helicopter that went by would trigger a cheer from the crowd. The Security group had happily hogged the best spot on a flight of stairs.. and not to forget, the small old wrinkled man nearby, who had secured a place right in the front, had a beer and then happily slept soundly throughout the entire din till midnight!

As the evening set in, there were aerial shows with the entire crowd trying to guess what was being spelt out across the sky as each smoke alphabet appeared. Smoke trails of advertisers spanned the sky. The sun finally set and at last there was some respite with a small ocean breeze. Coloured projections on either sides of the Sydney Bridge began welcoming the crowd to Sydney in multiple languages. At 9 PM, there was a count down and then the horizon burst into a riot of multicolored fireworks. The mini Family Fireworks had begun. As each flare sailed up and bloomed in the sky the crowds cheered, hooted and whistled in appreciation. This brief display only whetted the appetite for more. As the last fire balls died out we noticed an illuminated whale making its way slowly around the dark waters. We then saw another large fish, and was that a rose? And then suddenly a ghost ship too! Watching these mystical giant creatures slowly moving around was a dream-like and surreal experience. This was the Harbour of Light Parade where over 55 illuminated ships, charters and ferries made their way around a 15km circuit on Sydney Harbour. When these boats came closer to us, the crowds waved and cheered enthusiastically, and were fully reciprocated by several people partying on these boats!
As the time went by, folks began getting restless. Just 45 minutes to go for midnight, 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 10 minutes ….30 seconds …and then the count down projections on either side of the bridge began. TEN…NINE… EIGHT …. the crowd counted along ….SEVEN SIX …FIVE… …almost time…. FOUR…THREE… 1.5 million people chanting in unison…TWO …ONE .... all was quiet for a second, and then the sky erupted on all sides. Stunning explosions, myriads of color, dazzling flairs, and sparkling bouquets sailed across the sky. The Sydney Harbour Bridge came alive, with a central digital display, and choreographed fireworks, not only above, but also horizontally across the bridge. All eyes were riveted to the spectacular semicircle. Fire fountains and balls of light criss-crossed each other creating amazing patterns. There was even a giant golden water fall from the bridge into the ocean. The illuminated boats stood still to watch the extravaganza, and added to the magic. At the grand finale the whole sky was filled with light, fireworks went off from the tops of the tall buildings lining the harbour, and all the ships simultaneously blew their horns, competing with the roar from the enthralled crowds. Cries of 'Happy New Year' rent the air, as strangers and friends greeted each other. As per the news, the show involved 5,000kgs of fireworks with about 11,000 shells, 10,000 shooting comets and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects!
A walk back with the joyous crowds, a train ride, and two hours later we were home, tired and ecstatic; and filled with positive emotions that a year that begins this way, can only get better and better.
****

Photos by Loga, Aby and me. Thanks a ton Loga and Aby!