May 2014 - Cook By Book

Month: May 2014

30
May
2014

Fudgy White Chocolate Lemonies {Lemon Brownies}

categories: Baking, Brownies, Spring, Summer

Lemonies… It sounds so exotic and poetic. Some genius thought of this cool name for lemon brownies, I am not sure who did but genius, nonetheless! A simple reason for not calling them brownies has something to do with their color (They are not brown!!). These are pale yellow beauties adorned with bright yellow zest and white chocolate chips in each bite. They are so fudgy and buttery, dense yet light, just how I like my brownies.

These are the perfect treats for summer (or round the year, who am I kidding!?!) and totally irresistible. The lemon flavor really shines through and pairs wonderfully well with all that white chocolate. Be sure to use a white chocolate bar and not white chocolate chips for the batter. It makes all the difference! And have them chilled, straight from the fridge. You’re welcome. 🙂

Have a fun weekend!
xx

Fudgy White Chocolate Lemonies {Lemon Brownies}

Yields: 12-16 slices | Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: about 35 minutes| Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

9-oz block of white chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp white chocolate chips, to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºF / 350ºC. Grease an 8×8-inch square pan; line base and sides with parchment paper and grease with butter/oil (I used foil).
In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter in a microwave for 1-2 minute, stirring every 30 seconds. The mixture should be lump-free and glossy. Rub lemon zest and sugar together with the fingers and whisk in to the chocolate mixture. Set aside and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Once chocolate mixture is cooled down, whisk in eggs (one by one) and lemon juice until well combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour and salt and fold into chocolate mixture with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Pour the batter in a baking pan, sprinkle chocolate chips on top (optional) and bake for 33-35 minutes until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely in pan over a cooling rack. (If you’re in a hurry, throw it in a refrigerator or freezer for a while for easy cutting.)
Lift up the ends of parchment or foil liner, transfer the brownies to cutting board and cut into 9 or 12 squares. Store it covered in an air-tight container for a week in refrigerator. It tastes best chilled.

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22
May
2014

Vegetable Whole-Wheat Noodle Bowl ~ For Two

categories: Dinner, Fall, Quick Fix, Spring, Summer

This peanut butter-flavored dish is a cinch to throw together. So convenient on a weeknight or when you’re just lazy. Just boil a pot of water, saute some vegetables and whisk together some sauces from your pantry. Dinner is served!

Vegetable Whole-wheat Noodle Bowl

Serves:2 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For noodle bowl:

2 nests of whole wheat noodles
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch thin strips
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
Pinch of salt
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 small bunch of scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
1 Tbsp lightly toasted white sesame seeds*, for topping

*You may use toasted peanuts too instead.

For sauce:

3 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
big pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp of hot water (or a little more to achieve a thin yogurt-like consistency of sauce)

Directions:

Boil a medium sized pot of water. Add the whole wheat noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add oil and sauté garlic for about 30 seconds. Add red pepper and broccoli to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Whisk together all the ingredients for sauce, adding the hot water in increments at the end. You are going for a thin yogurt-like consistency.
Once the noodles are cooked and drained, toss together the noodles, sautéd vegetables and scallions.
Portion into small bowls and top with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

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14
May
2014

Leeks, Fennel, Apple + Walnuts Warm Salad

categories: Dinner, Lunch, Salads, Sides, Spring

Just popping in to say Hi as it’s been two weeks since we last talked! I am feeling unbelievably lazy and don’t want to write much so I’ll leave you guys with this quick recipe. I hope you guys’ll understand.

Salads are usually underrated but this one right here is a total stunner. Perfect for spring! It was my first time using fennel in my home kitchen so I was quite excited in terms of what to make with it. I’m a salad person so that is what I wanted to experiment first. The combination of leek, fennel, apple and walnuts works so beautifully and sounds quite exotic but mostly they are all simple, earthy ingredients bound together by a simple dressing. I can’t wait to turn these ingredients in to a soup once the rainy days arrive in full swing(which I hope will be soon!).

Enjoy!
xx

Leeks, Fennel, Apple + Walnut Warm Salad

Serves: as a side for 2/a hearty meal for 1 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 apple, cored & sliced (peeling is optional, I didn’t)
1 + 1 tsp lemon juice, divided
10-12 walnuts
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 leeks
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
1 fennel, small bulb, sliced
3-4 lettuce leaves

Dressing:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 and 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
freshly cracked pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions:

*Preparing Leek : Cut the ends off the leek and discard. Quarter the leek lengthwise, wash under running water to remove all the grit and cut them into slices.
*Preparing Fennel : Check this easy tutorial on The Kitchn

Wash, core and slice an apple. Toss with 1 tsp of lemon juice to prevent discoloration and set aside.
In a fry pan, add the walnuts and toast them on a medium-low heat until fragrant. Set aside.
In the same fry pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks and thyme leaves to the pan and sauté for about 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add sliced fennel, cook for another minute or so and remove it from the heat. Immediately stir in sliced apples and splash remaining 1 tsp lemon juice.
In a small jar, add all the ingredients for the salad dressing. Close the lid tightly and shake the jar vigorously until completely combined. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
In a serving plate, make a bed of lettuce leaves and top with salad. Garnish with toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

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01
May
2014

Baked Lemon Doughnuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze ~ Eggfree

categories: Baking, Cupcakes & Muffins, Doughnuts, Spring, Summer

Hello folks! April went by at a lightening speed. It was a total blur. A beautiful blur at that. Yes, I absconded again for the latter part of April. Well, I hope you didn’t miss me much. Sorry to say but I didn’t miss you guys one bit. Here is why. These past days were spent with my most beautiful angelic cutie pie tiny-little-peanut-sized-newborn-niece. She turned 12 days today. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives and welcomed her in to this world with lots of snuggles and baby talks. We immediately named her Cherry (lovingly, of course!) because trust me when I tell you this, she looks just like a ruby red cherry. She is such a doll, so adorable, so so precious. All the sleepless nights spent in soothing her back to sleep were totally, absolutely worth it. I’m back home now and miss her so so much.

The moment I returned home, I had to bake. To celebrate. I instantly thought donuts! I mean, come on, donuts=celebration. Summer is not treating us Bangaloreans well this year and lemons are always on my mind. Big, plump, juicy, organic, tart yet sweet lemons from my parents-in-law’s lemon tree. They are simply THE best. So lemon donuts it was. They turned out so amazing that the next day I made them again. This time around I doubled the recipe and baked it as an 8-inch single layer cake for my parents-in-law’s wedding anniversary. So if you don’t own a donut pan, buy one ASAP! These little things are addicting! For now, simply bake them as mini cupcakes or just double this recipe to get a cake.

The recipe is simplicity at its best. Almost refined sugar free. No eggs required. No mixer needed. Just one bowl and a whisk is all you need to make the sun shine brightest! You can even prepare the glaze in the same mixing bowl. I am always happy with less dishes and lesser clean up. So in these donuts, moisture is being imparted by buttermilk and oil. Honey shoulders the responsibility of lending sweetness. Truly ordinary ingredients create this extra-ordinary treat. These baked donuts are light, fluffy and just lemony which doesn’t make you pucker!

These donuts are then topped with lemon cream cheese glaze. The glaze is a perfect accompaniment for the donuts. Again, just lemony and just sweet. Decorate them with a sprinkle of yellow colored sanding sugar. Vibrant, just like our little one.

So celebrate life and all things nice with these lemon glazed donuts!

Baked Lemon Doughnuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze ~ Eggfree

Makes: 6 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For donuts:

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice (lemon enthusiasts may use 2.5 to 3 Tbsp)

For glaze:

Following measurements can glaze about 10-12 donuts.

100 gm (3.5 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
Yellow colored sanding sugar, to decorate

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 180ºC / 350ºF. Grease 6-count donut pan with oil. Set aside.
In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add sugar and lemon zest and rub together with finger to release oils from the zest. Whisk in honey, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract and lemon juice until the mixture formed is completely smooth.
Slowly whisk in dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter among prepared donut pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 8-9 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Then carefully turn out doughnuts directly onto rack to cool completely.
Glaze: Whisk together cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and sifted icing sugar to form a smooth consistency. Dip completely cooled donuts one by one into a bowl of glaze and place back on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with yellow sanding sugar just before serving as the colors will bleed. Donuts will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days stored in a refrigerator.

*You will have little cream cheese glaze leftover which is never a bad thing in my book. You may lick with spoon or store it in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Give the glaze a good whisk before using on baked goods.
*Double the donut recipe and bake it in an 8-inch cake tin. Bake for about 20-23 minutes.
*To make this recipe vegan, make your own non-dairy buttermilk. To 1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, add 1/3 cup non-dairy milk of your choice . Let sit for 15-20 minutes and use as a regular buttermilk substitution.

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