Party Pinching

Do your Christmas recipes need a little revamp, we have got you covered with some fantastic recipes. You fancy a change this year from the usual Christmas pudding and desserts to feed your guests don’t you? We can’t wait to gobble up these sweet delights, post the heavenly meals for those snow days…

Expert Chef Pawan Bisht gives us three delightful sweet delights to experiment with this festive season.

Mawa Cheese Cake

Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking: 35 mins
Servings: 05 portions

Ingredients:

Method:

For Base:

1. Take a bowl add crushed roasted cashew nuts, flour, sugar and melted butter.
2. Mix all the ingredients properly. Take moulds and put this mixture in the moulds.
3. Put the moulds in the preheated oven at 120 degree celcius and bake the base for 15 minutes.
4. Take out the moulds and let them cool down. These will be used as base of the cheese cake.

For mixture:

1. Take a pan put it on a slow fire range.
3. Pour the milk, sugar and mava and cook on a gentle heat till the ingredients reduces and forms a thick mixture.
4. Take this mixture out and let it cool down.
5. Once the mixture cools down add cream cheese, rose water, refined flour to it and whisk well so that all the ingredient settles down properly.
6. Put the mixture in the moulds and bake for 35 – 40 minutes at 120 degree celcits.
7. Once cooked take out the moulds and let them cool down.
8. When moulds will be at room temperature un-mould the mawa cheesecake.
9. Serve with Maraschino cherry and strawberry compote.

Strawberry compote:

One cup fresh strawberry
1. One tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2. Two table spoon sugar
3. Half cup orange juice

Method:

1. Take a pan and put it on a medium gas range.
2. Pour the orange juice and strawberries in the pan.
3. Then put lemon juice and sugar to it.
4. Continue cooking for 12 to 15 minutes, occasionally mashing the strawberries.
5. Remove from the heat and store in a jar after cooling down.

Lychee Panna Cotta

Preparation time: 20 mins.
Cooking time: 20 mins
Setting time: 1 hour minimum
Servings: 2 no.

Ingredients

Method:

1. Peel all the lychee and take out the seed.
2. Take a blender and puree 1 cup of fresh lychee along with 1 cup of cream.
3. Strain the lychee puree through a fine sieve set over a medium bowl.
4. In a bowl add gelatin and water, allow to soften the gelatin.
5. Take a pan and put over a medium heat add soften gelatin along with sugar, water and milk.
6. Cook over a very low heat. Once cooked let the mixture cool down and then add the blended puree to it.
7. Pour the mixture in champagne flute and let them settle down for at least 1 hour.
8. Serve chilled panna cotta with fresh lychee and pomegranate as a garnish.

Note:

1. Panna cotta can be refrigerated for two days.
2. If fresh lychee is not available then canned lychee can be used but using fresh products will give best results.

Apple Pie

Preparation :- 25 mins
Cooking :- 45-50 mins
Servings :- 10 portions

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 220C.
2. Cut the apples into dices.
3. Place a pan on the gas range and melt butter.
4. Add the apples to the pan and sauté well.
5. Add grain sugar and brown sugar and cook the entire mixture well.
6. Add cinnamon powder and raisins.
7. Let this mixture cool down.
8. Take small pie moulds and line them with short crust pastry.
9. Put the mixture in the moulds and cover with the strips of the pastry.
10. Cook in the preheated for 45 to 50 minutes, till the crust gets the golden color.