Khara Biscuit

or Savoury Shortbread Cookies. I love the sound of Khara Biskut(love to spell it that way...just fits the product)

Thanks to Srivalli's Indian Cooking Challenge my dormant blog has been springing to life once a month(eyes rolling. This month Champa's Khara Biscuit or Savoury Shortbread Cookies was chosen.Savoury Cookies .....yummmmmmm, cudnt think about giving it a skip for two reasons:
a. I luuuuuuuuurve anything savoury
b. I never baked a savoury cookie before.




But this being the month of holidays and travel and all, I kept postponing the baking, till I saw Valli's mail this morning with the post. And then I knew I cudnt stall anymore. Back from work, was trying to put together the ingredients when I realised that I was really short on butter and on Kalonji/onion seeds that I wanted to put in the cookies for extra flavour.

So of course, the recipe was tweaked a bit but the result was still as great as all the comments I was reading through the day. I still want to make it the Champa way to know how the taste could change though.

Khara Biscuit

Makes :24 mini cookies/15 medium sized/8 large ones

Ingredients
All purpose Flour/Maida - 2 Cups
Softened Butter - 1/3 Cups
Sugar - 4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 6 chopped fine
Fresh Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp chopped fine
Yogurt - 3 tbsp or as required
Carom Seeds/Ajwain - 1 tbsp

To Make

1.Heat your oven to 160C and line your tray with lightly greased aluminium foil.Alternately you may chose to use parchment paper

2.Cream the butter and the sugar.Add the yogurt and continue to beat.

3.Add rest of the ingredients and knead them together lightly

4.Roll it out to 1/4" thickness and cut out the cookies in desired shapes

5.Bake for 18-20 mins. Rotate half time.

6.Cool to get a firm biscuit.




Preparation Time :15 minutes
Baking Time :20 minutes

Deviations & Notes

1. I was out of butter so I used equal amount of ghee/clarifies butter and vegetable oil

2. Champa suggests baking a while longer for crispier biscuits

3. Champa also advises favouring the biscuits with anything that suits your imagination and taste. I instantly thought of carom and onion seeds.

Lovely accompaniment to your evening tea or just something light to nibble at while watching your favorite soap...thats what I am doing!!

Bake it, you will love it!!

French Apple Cobbler

How would you like a easy bake cant-go-wrong dessert??? You want? then well here it is.

I first tasted this when my sis made it on a visit to my home. The entire family was absolutely floored by it. I always wanted to make it again but as most things I want to do that never happened. But when I read about Deeba's monthly mingle and the Apple & Pear Open Pie so reminded me of this dessert that I had to make it.

The recipe is from www.southernfood.about.com, however I am reproducing the same here for my furture reference. Afterall, its not everyday that you get a easy bake and reasonably guilt free dessert.

French Apple Cobbler

Serves : 6-8 generous Dessert portion

Ingredients
For Filling:

Green Apples - 5
Sugar - 3/4 C
Flour - 2tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp,softened
Water - 1/4 C
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Salt - A pinch
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp

For the Topping

Flour - 1/2 C
Sugar - 1/2 C
Butter - 2 tbsp, softened
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - A pinch
Egg - 1 lightly beaten


To make

1. Lightly grease/butter a baking pan (9 inch square)

2. Peel apples and cut into 11/2" cubes

3. Mix all the ingredient for the filling and put into the filling into the pan

4. Heat oven to 375F/185C

5. Combine all ingredients for the topping.Mix well but not for too long.

6. Drop the batter in small equal portions over the filling. Space evenly. The
batter will spread as it bakes.

7. Bake for 30-35 mintues till the crust is goldren brown.

8. Serve warm with whipped cream/icecream or cold just by itself.



Preparation Time : 15 min
Baking Time : 35 min




Just a few things you could keep in mind :

1.In the filling adjust sugar according to tartness of apple, if apple is not too
tart use lesser sugar

2.You can increase the cinnamon to 3/4tsp if you are really fond of the apple-
cinnamon combo

3.My sister skips the butter in the filling. The taste doesnt change much but I
feel it makes the filling a little drier.

4.You may replace the egg with about 3 tbsp milk in you dont eat egg. Egg eaters
please go with the egg.

5.Dont mix the topping too much. The graniness of the sugar gives a nce cruch to the
topping when baked.



I have to apologise for the pic as my camera has gone kaput and I took this photo on my phone.

I am sending this entry to Meeta's Monthly Mingle being hosted by Deeba this month.

This is my first time at Monthly Mingle and I am so excited as Deeba and Meeta are 2 of my favs from the Blog world. I look forward to their posts every single day. Feel so proud to be participating in an event hosted by them.

Hope you all enjoy it.

One for the Sea - White Chocolate Filled Dark Muffins

My BIL (Sis's Hubby) is the brother I never had. Whenever I am with him I would think this is exactly how my brother would have been if I had one. He is so like us in the way he talks, thinks and does stuff that it sometimes surprises me that I know him only for the last 5 years and that we haven't been bought up together.

However, he does beat me and my sis in one thing and that too hands down - Affection!! I am yet to see a more affectionate guy in my life. I, of course don't see him very often and in different situations but whatever little I do, I actually envy him the ability to being so loving to people - his sis or my Sunshine and more recently his own son DJ. I know you would say everybody loves their family but I am sure his affection is equally strong for his friends and others too.

Maybe his profession makes him really value people around him (He is Shippie!!). Whatever the reason be his next voyage starts tomorrow is going to be the first one since DJ's birth. I remember my sis telling me that when he saw Sunshine after she was born, he had said that I will never be able to leave for a voyage once I have a baby like that. Unfortunately destiny plays its own little games and for the betterment of his career - he is going to sail as Master for the first time - he has to set off on a 4+ month voyage.

I know its going to break his heart to leave DJ and go and there is nothing I can do to ease his pain but to let him know that we would try and take the best care of his wife and DJ.

And I wanted to bake something especially for him. He loves chocolate and here I have tried and create something especially for him :


White Chocolate Filled Dark Muffins

Makes - 12 nos

Ingredients:

Sugar - 1 1/4 Cup
Flour - 1 Cup
Dark Cocoa - 1/2 Cup
Egg - 1
Milk - 3/4 Cup
Vegetable Oil - 1/2 Cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder - 3/4 tsp
Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp
Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp
White Chocolate- 12 half inch cubes


To make :


1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree Celcius

2. Mix all ingredients except white chocolate together in a Blender - I know I am very very lazy!



3. Grease muffin trays, paper cups or ramekins.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared cups

5. Put in the white chocolate bit in the centre of each cup




5. Put in into the hot oven and bake for 15 mins.





Preparation Time : 10 min

Baking time : 15 min

You cant use the toothpick method to check if the cake is done as the
centre will be filled with molten white chocolate


Serve right out of the oven with Vanilla Ice cream or chilled cream.


Hope you love this S and have a safe trip and back.

Aye Aye Captain.....Bon Voyage!