Orange Tian with Kumquat Marmalade and Saffron Citrus sauce

The 2010 March Daring Baker�s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse�s Cooking School in Paris.


Orange Tian is a dessert sure to tickle your taste buds with sunny citrus flavor shining through in every layer.The dessert is made of 4 luscious layers: a pate sablee with orange marmalade, a cream layer topped with fresh orange segments and served with an orange sauce.The dessert is assembled upside down and unmolded,so that the bottom layer (the orange segments) becomes the top layer.We had the liberty to use any kind of citrus and fortunately I had access to a range of citrusy delights,I went for distinct citrus element in each layer.With Orange and Grape fruit in the segment layer,followed by orange blossom in the cream,finally kumquat marmalade over the zesty pate sablee.


Recipe : Orange Tian with Kumquat Marmalade and Saffron Citrus sauce
A notable change I made for the cream layer is of use agar-agar(the extract from seaweed available in most Asian markets),vegan substitute for gelatin to stabilize the light cream,it worked perfect.Also I did not treasure any cookie cutters,so for molding ,the used olive tin cans were an economical substitute.Just had to carefully cut the other end of the can like the opening end.



Makes 8 round desserts(about 3 inches diameter)
Ingredients
For the Pate Sablee
All-purpose flour 1 /2 cup(200grams)
Baking powder(alum-free) 1 teaspoon(4 grams)
1 Organic Egg
2 tablespoon dark brown sugar or palm sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder(optional)
1 teaspoon Orange zest
Unsalted butter 2 tablespoons ice cold, cubed
Salt 1/3 teaspoon


Directions:
Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
In a separate bowl, add the egg, orange zest and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogeneous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a 1/4 inch thick circle.
Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Kumquat Marmalade or Orange Marmalade:
Freshly pressed orange juice 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
8-10 kumquats or 1 large orange
pectin 5 grams
1/4 cup brown sugar or palm sugar

Method
Finely slice the kumquats or orange. Place the slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water.
For kumquats no blanching is required ,cook 20-22 minutes until tender.
For Oranges ,Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them(kumquats or oranges).In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:
For this step you will need 4 oranges and 1 large Grape fruit or 6 oranges.

Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.


For the Saffron Citrus Sauce :
2 cups fresh squeeze Orange juice
2 tablespoon brown sugar or palm sugar
pinch of saffron
1/4 teaspoon agar-agar(for thicker sauce)

Place the juice ,saffron and sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.Reduce to 1/2 its original quantity and dissolve agar-agar for a little more thicker sauce.Cool in fridge.


For the Light Cream :
Light cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
3 tablespoons of hot water
2 tablespoon Agar-agar or 1 tsp Kosher\Halal unflavored Gelatin
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon Orange blossom water

Bring the milk to a slow boil,add the gelatin or agar agar,stir well and cook until completely dissolved.Turn off heat.Mix in blossom water.Let cool just until the mixture starts to set.Then proceed to layering it.

Assembling the Dessert:
Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.

Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.

Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.

Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snugly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of prepared cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.

Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.


Check out other daring beautiful attempts of Tian at DB blog roll.

A Slice of Royal Feast :Sheermal and Badam Kheer

The city of Lucknow is the melting pot of cultures,once ruled by lavish Nawabs who left behind there legacy in the fine lucknawi(Awadhi) cuisine.The city is also home to some of most famous poets ,remember Muzzafar Ali's Umrao Jaan?.Though I'm a mediocre when it comes to understanding the classic urdu shayari(peotry),but do enjoy the rhyme and sounds depicting the beauty of the language with Persian roots.
The Royal cuisine of Lucknow,true to its name,with frequent use of one of the costliest spices "Safforn"(Zafraan)[thankfully a pinch goes a long way with this spice] in many of its authentic dishes,from spicy kababs to an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian "Dum"(slow cooked) biryanis and curries.The cuisine is also enriched with variety of flat breads and desserts like shahi tukdre ,reminiscent of hyderabadi double ka meetha.The Sheermal is a rich saffron milk bread usually relished with meat stew or shorba.I was in mood for something lightly sweet so I paired it with a rich Badam(Almond) kheer ,for an affordable Lazeez treat. For more delectable food from lucknawi cuisine join in RCI :Lucknow,hosted by Lavi.The RCI food event was started by Lakshmi.

Recipe :Sheermal

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter at room temperature
1/4ounce(7g) 1 Pack active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup of reduced fat Organic Milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 pinch saffron
handful of dried cherries or raisins,coarsely chopped
1 Organic Egg glaze(optional)

Method
Prepare the Dough
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of milk and sprinkle the yeast and allow rise until it gets frothy, about 10 minutes.Warm rest of the milk in a saucepan,add butter,sugar, and saffron ,turn off the heat when butter is all melted and sugar is completely dissolved;about a minute.
In a large bowl combine the flour with the yeast mixture and saffron milk.Apply some oil on the sides of the bowl cover and allow to the dough to rise until double it size about an hour.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350F.
Sprinkle some all purpose flour on the work surface and knead the dough for a minute until smooth ,then divide in 4 equal portions.Take one portion at a time,roll out using rolling pin to a square or circle shape.Score using a knife,use back of a wooden spoon carve 4 holes in to each rolled potion.Also using a fork prick all over the dough and place on a greased baking sheet .Whisk the egg and brush on the bread.sprinkle the dried fruit.Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.Serve warm with soup or stews.


Recipe Badam Kheer

Ingredients
1 cup Raw Almonds\Badam
2 cups reduced fat Organic Milk
1/4 cup white or light brown sugar
2 green Cardamom
Pinch of Saffron

Method
Soak almonds overnight.Drain all water.Bring 2 cups of water to a boil,add the soaked almonds and allow to boil for 15 minutes.Drain and peel the skin.Grind the almonds to a smooth paste in a blender or wet grinder or food processor,add 1/4 cup of water while blending it.
In a thick bottom vessel,bring milk to a slow boil along with the cardamom and saffron.Add sugar and the almond paste,stir occasionally ,allow to cook for another 10 minutes until smooth and thickened a little.Fish out the cardamoms.Serve warm with bread or simply slurp it.

Almond Stuffed Dates

Dates
Abundant in the Middle East,sometimes referred as "Bread of the dessert" ,Dates are a bundle of nutrition.Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) recommended them as ideal food to break the fast ,for its has just the needed nutrition which our body needs after long hours of fasting in Ramadan.The Sweet dates were in fact the only fruit ,Maryam(May Allah be pleased with her),the mother of Prophet Jesus(peace be upon him) had taken to rejuvenate herself after the exhaustion of labor and delivery.The fruit also has stimulants that strengthen the muscles of the uterus, which helps with dilation at the time of delivery and reduces the bleeding after delivery.They are also beneficial for the new born babies,as it enriches the mother's milk.

Almond Stuffed Dates

On visit to Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah,the travelers never miss buying the the sweet dates of Madinah stuffed with whole almonds,a perfect gift for family back home.I was fortunate to get this delightful gift on many occasions.

The sweetness of dates pair perfectly with the bland nuts. Almonds are my most favored nuts,I've learned so much about its nutrition benefits ,that's it clearly one of the best nuts. For long I just knew of using them in gravy ,breads or tossed in to salads,then most recently the almond milk .Since I frequently make the almond milk,and always have to find ways to use its pulp leftover after straining out the milk.Stuffing the dates with this left over almond pulp turned out to a perfect dessert.Extra flavor from saffron and roasted pistachios enhances sumptuousness of the dessert,soon to become one my favorite simple sweet treats.

(Recipe adapted from myrecipes
Ingredients
12 Medjool dates ,lengthwise slit and pitted
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup milk
pinch of saffron strands
1/4 cup roasted pistachios,coarsely ground.

Method
Soak the almonds over night in clean cold water.Next morning skin them and grind to a fine paste,add about 2 tablespoon of water to make the paste.
Warm the milk in a small saucepan,stir in the saffron and the almond paste,cook on low heat until mixture is dry.When all dry,mix in the pistachios,reserve a tablespoon to sprinkle later.When cool enough to handle,stuff about a teaspoon full of mixture in each of the dates.Sprinkle with reserved pistachios and serve.

The Almond stuffed dates are my entry for Weekend Wokking : Almonds,host of the month is Darlene of Blazing hot wok.

Rosa's Cuchaule (Lighty sweet Saffron Bread)- Yummy Yum!

The moment I saw Rosa's Yummy Yum Cuchaule,my eyes were captivated by its gorgeous looks and my senses were craving for it ambrosial flavors.Cuchaule is a rich festive Swiss harvest bread made with saffron(Sold at price of gold in this part of the world).I baked it following the original recipe closely,except for the itsy bitsy bit of turmeric that I added for little more color.I guess my Cuchaule doesn't look as pretty as Rosa's,mine needed more deeper cuts while pattering it.Never mind the amateur patterns,I relished the bread for its richness and the mild succulent saffron flavor. Thank you Rosa for the decadent bread recipe:)
Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
4 tablespoon butter at room temperature
1/4ounce(7g) 1 Pack active dry yeast
1 and 1/4 cup of reduced fat Organic Milk
1/2 a cup light brown sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 pinch saffron
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 Organic Egg yolk for glaze(egg yolk gives a darker glaze,use whole egg for a lighter glaze)
Method:
Prepare the Dough
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of milk and sprinkle the yeast and allow rise until it gets frothy, about 10 minutes.Warm rest of the milk in a saucepan,add butter,sugar,turmeric and saffron ,turn off the heat when butter is all melted and sugar is completely dissolved;about a minute.
In a large bowl combine the flour with the yeast mixture and saffron milk.Apply some oil on the sides of the bowl cover and allow to the dough to rise until double it size about an hour and half hour.
Proof and Bake
Preheat oven to 350F.
Sprinkle some all purpose flour on the work surface and knead the dough for a minute until smooth ,then shape the dough in to a circle and place on a greased baking sheet and proof for another hour by covering and allow to rise one more time before baking.
Before baking ,whisk the egg yolk and brush on the bread.Using a knife make a crisscross pattern.

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.Cool for at least 10 minutes on a rack and slice with a serrated knife.
Guess someone here can't wait that long,wants to taste the bread right out of the oven,its the curious toddler in the house.


Swiss serve this bread with butter and spicy mustard based spread,wish we had that kinda spicy spread in stores here.I slathered mine with some nutella.Any leftover are great for bread budding.

For more such colored breads don't miss the BBD:Colored bread event. This yeast bread is also sent for Susan's Yeast Spotting

Saffron Dry Fruit Sevia(Vermicelli)

Saffron(derived from arabic word Zafaran), is the most expensive yet affordable spice, very little is sufficient to impart a golden aromatic flavor to any food. This rare spice grows widely in Mediterranean ,Iran and Kashmir in north India.Saffron is known not just for its unique flavor but also for its medicinal value.

Cultivating saffron is the most labor intensive work. The delicate purple saffron flower blooms for just 1 or 2 weeks in late autumn.The red stigma is delicately plucked , about 150 flowers yield just 1 gram of saffron.I bought my box of Spanish saffron for the exorbitant price of gold ,$7 for 2 grams(.07 ounce).Gifting a box of this exotic spice is a novel idea.


Lavish Saffron enhances Flavorful rice or curries or desserts with a hint of royalty and exotic flavor. A plain vermicelli gets an ambrosial make over with just a pinch of Saffron, sure to cheer up your guests.Reserve this high sugar dessert just for parties or festive occasions.I'm sending it to EC's WYF: Party foods event.

Ingredients
2 cups Thin Vermicelli,break in to smaller pieces(Available in Asian or Middle Eastern Stores)
3/4 cup Sugar
2 whole cardamoms
1/2 cup of any of your choicest dry fruits like Almonds,Cashews,dry dates,Pistachios and Raisins
3 tablespoon Ghee(Clarified Butter)
Big Pinch of saffron

Method
Blanch and roast the dry fruits
In pot of boiling water ,drop the dry fruits and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and peel the almonds and pistachios,remove the seeds from the dry dates. Slice the almonds,pistachios ,dry dates and halve the cashews.
Heat 2 table spoon of ghee in a kadai(deep pan) and saute each of the dry fruits separately in batches until nice and brown. And set aside for garnish.
Roast the Vermicelli
In large pan add a tablespoon of ghee and roast vermicelli until nice and brown,set aside.
Make the Syrup
In a medium saucepan prepare syrup by heating a cup of water,sugar ,cardamoms and saffron. Simmer until water is of thick syrup consistency.
Cook the Vermicelli
Add the roasted vermicelli in to syrup and cover . let cook on low heat until vermicelli is tender.Occasionally stir and add few drops of water if needed . When tender ,mix in the dry fruits and serve warm.

Hyderabadi Biryani with Carrot Chutney(Raita)

This biryani is my entry for Mona's( Zaiqa.net ) RCI :authentic Hyderabadi Cuisine Event

Hyderabadi Biryani is my ultimate recipe for a flavorful rice. The bite of protein,the aroma of spices,the tang from lime,sweetness of onions and touch of herbs make this biryani a top favorite of my family and guests in any daawat.

Two kinds of Biryani are commonly made in hyderabad, "Kacchi" and "Pakki". "Kacchi" literally meaning raw is prepared by layering uncooked meat. The "Kacchi" Biryani ,requires a thick bottom vessel for meat to cook through without burning and rice has to be precisely half cooked while promptly making layers before rice cools. I prefer making the easier "Pakki" biryani in which cooked meat is layered with rice.The following recipe is of "Pakki" Biryani.

Ingredients you'll need are
4cups Basmati rice
2lbs lamb or chicken cut in medium pieces,most of the white fat trimmed.
1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
1 cup Fat free Yogurt
1 tablespoon Ground spices cloves, cinnamon ,coriander seeds and cumin seeds(aka Garam Masala)
1 cup Chopped cilantro and mint
2 medium Onions
1/2 lime juice
2 green chillies
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoon salt
pinch of saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoon warm milk
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To make the Biryani

Marinate Meat
Clean the meat by trimming any white fat. Run through some cold water and pat dry. Marinate cleaned meat with yogurt and other spices for 30 minutes.
Cook the Meat
Heat EVOO in a medium saucepan with lid .Add the marinated meat ,cover and cook until meat is tender the water is all absorbed about 35-40minutes and set aside. If using a pressure cooker cook for about 12 minutes.
Fry Onions and Cook Rice
In meantime wash and soak rice for 15minutes. In a medium Saucepan heat 3 tablespoon of Olive oil and add thinly sliced onions and pinch of salt. Saute until golden brown and remove from the oil and lay on plate to spread on layers later. Now add about 8 cups of water along with whole spices and 2 teaspoon salt in the same sauce pan and bring to a boil.Drain all the water from soaked rice and add to the boiling water. Let cook while occasionally stirring and partially covered with the lid. Cook until its 70% done.
Make Layers and Cook Some more
While rice is cooking gather all the ingredients to make the layers promptly.

Drain the rice in a strainer\colander, quickly before the rice cools. Keep the same saucepan back on medium heat. Add a table spoon of EVOO. Spread half the rice as the first layer.

Next spread a layer of all the cooked meat mixture. Sprinkle the lime juice ,and chopped greens ,half the fried onions around the meat mixture.


Lastly layer the rest half of rice .Sprinkle with onions,saffron mixture and remaining greens on top and cover.

Cover tightly and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat until you see steam escaping from the lid.

Wait another 20 minutes before removing the lid.

Mix Layers
Before serving properly mix all the layers and serve with cooling yogurt chutney.


Carrot Yogurt Chutney(Raita)
Whip 2 cups of yogurt. Mix in 1 cup grated carrots, finely chopped green chilly ,2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and season with Salt.Temper the Chutney by heating tablespoon of Olive oil in a small saucepan and add 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds,cumin seeds and couple of dry red chillies. Wait until mustard seeds splutter then mix in the yogurt mixture and serve


Other Authentic Hyderabadi Recipes
Hyderabadi Haleem
Mirchi Ka Salan

Other Yummy Biryani recipes Posted here:
Kachchi Lamb Biryani
Soy Biryani

Vegetable Biryani

Fish Biryani

Lunch in Patriotic Colors : Saffron Spinach Rice with Mango Parfait

Born and brought up on Indian soil, the Indian Independence day has many unforgettable memories for me. Usually sunny in August , We dressed up in all white for the school and there were many reasons to be happy about the day. Starting with the parade , drills , patriotic songs and most awaited moment, the candies for a happy end of the day.A salute to all those martyrs of freedom struggle. This lunch is in sweet childhood memories of Independence day .
Big thanks to Pooja for the creative Patriotic theme.



Saffron Rice

Ingredients needed
1 cup long grain Rice like Basmati
1/2 teaspoon salt
For syrup
1 cup water or milk
1/4 teaspoon saffron
1/2 cup white or brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cherries or raisins
1/4 cup blanched almonds or cashews
3 cloves ,cardamoms and 1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon Clarified butter or ghee.

To make the Saffron rice.
Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes. Cook in 21/2 cups of salted water until 75% done. Drain all water using a colander.
While the rice is cooking prepare the syrup. Heat ghee in a saucepan, roast the cherries and nuts,set aside. Add the whole spices ,roast until aromatic add water or milk along with saffron and sugar. Stir and simmer until reduces to half its quantity.
When reduced mix in cooked rice and cover ,let cook for 5-10 minutes until all water is dry. Wait for 10 minutes before removing the cover .Garnish with roasted fruits and nuts.

Spinach Rice

2 cups rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup spinach
1/2 teaspoon mustard and cumin seeds
2 green chillies
1 small onion chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon Olive oil

To make Spinach rice.
Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes. Cook in 41/2 cups of salted water until 75% done. Drain all water using a colander.
In meantime puree spinach with 3/4 cup of water and set aside
Heat Olive oil in a saucepan, add the seeds,chopped onions,chillies and saute for a minute.Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until lightly brown then mix powdered spices. Stir in the spinach puree and cooked rice and cover. let cook for about 10minutes. Garnish with cilantro or mint leaves.

Mango Parfait
Take a wine or parfait glass and layer the cubed mangoes ,blueberries with ice cream or yogurt.