Misc. Recent Pics

Miles found his tongue...

I need someone to yell at the TV with!

Miles & Papa :)

I wonder when he'll get sick of me taking pictures...

All bundled up for the tree lighting

Papa & the kids

Kisses for MoNK

My guys

Playing with his handmade toys.

Super lounger weekend

Story time w/ Papa

Brother Bear & Sister Bear

Kheer - Indian Rice Pudding

One of my new favorite dishes right here! I'm pretty sure I ate it for breakfast, lunch, snack & dessert the other day. It's a staple in our fridge now.

Kheer is traditionally an Indian sweet. You'll find it on the dessert table during celebrations or at the end of your local Indian Buffet. The latter is how I came across it. I have tried a few different recipes of Kheer and though I'd like to remain modest, I happen to like the kind in my fridge just a bit better. Everyone has their preferences and I suggest you cater this recipe to your own liking. Add a little of this and that, change the rice, get the milk consistency as you favor, adjust cardamom to your preference, etc. It's all an experiment, right?


Here's a recipe I've concocted:

Ingredients:

4 C whole milk
1.5 C water
1 C Basmati Rice
3/4 C sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C sugar
handful golden raisins
handful slivered almonds
pinch saffron
1 tsp. freshly crushed cardamom

Preparation:

Cook milk, water and rice in heavy bottomed saucepan until liquid is reduced 50% - about 10-20 minutes. During this process, take a spoonful of hot liquid from the pan, put in a small bowl or cup, add your saffron and let bloom. I also use this time to crush my cardamom using a mortar and pestle.
Add sweetened condensed milk and sugar to saucepan and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add saffron, cardamom, almonds and raisins - stir gently. Chill.

Notes:

* Some people like to eat their Kheer warm - I find it to be too sweet when it's served warm and think the flavors are at their peak when it has been chilled for a couple hours.

** The most important part of this recipe IMO is the freshly crushed cardamom. First, it does a number on my nose. Every time I smell cardamom it warms my heart. And second, it really makes this dish takeoff in the flavor department.

Divine Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

mmmmmmmmmm mmmm mmmmmm

You heard it: Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Now see it:
Wanna make it?

Ingredients:

Crust
9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (oreos w/o cream, teddy grahams or fancy wafers - my preference)
1 T sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling
10 oz. Valrhona Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups + 2 T sugar
1/4 C unsweetened (Valrhona) cocoa powder (super important to use high quality cocoa powder)
4 large eggs

Topping
3/4 C whipping cream
6 oz. Valrhona Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
1 T sugar
Bittersweet chocolate curls


Preparation:

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Blend cookies in processor until finely ground; blend in sugar. Add melted butter and process until well blended. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
Stir chopped chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate until lukewarm but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder in processor until smooth. Blend in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour filling over crust; smooth top. Bake until center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Chill overnight.

Topping:
Stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over center of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.

Release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Top with chocolate curls. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.

Notes:

* Seattle residents - you can purchase Valrhona chocolate at DeLaurenti's at the market in their bulk section upstairs. You can also purchase chocolate curls from the same section if you're lazy like me ;)

** Recipe adapted from Bon Apetite

*** The staple of this recipe is high quality, high cocoa content, dark chocolate. You shouldn't make this cake if you aren't willing to find the right chocolate or aren't a dark chocolate fan.

**** I added some raspberry sauce when serving - it went over well.