Cardamom Mango Panna Cotta With Honey Peach Sauce

No other fruit says sunshine better than mangoes.Revered as king of fruits in the Indian sub continent(the birthplace of mangoes),the tropical fruit is the most desirous fruit of the jolly good summers.For the love of mangoes,I could not help myself buying a load of, first batch of this seasonal tropical fruit in the market.The mangoes sold here are mostly grown in Mexico ,Caribbean and some travel as far from India.

While the heat is at its peak in my homeland,it still spring and just beginning to warm up in Columbus.The blooming flowers have a magical beauty after long bare winters.

A dessert to glorify the beauty of the season,Panna cotta,the Italian dessert made with milk,cream,sugar and gelatin.I made mine dairy-free using light coconut milk,incorporated with luscious mangoes and hint of exotic cardamoms,for a complete tropical makeover to the Italian classic.The honey peach sauce add warmth and sweetness to the dessert,skip the sauce if on low-sugar diet.


Intensely aromatic cardamom, is a common spice in South East Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine.The whole pods can be used to flavor the rice entrees and lentil stews ,the fine ground seeds are best in desserts and in spice mixes.Little goes a long way with the cardamom powder,adding extra does not yield a tastier dessert.
This special cardamom dessert is my entry for Priya's Cooking with seeds: Cardamoms.


Recipe : Dairy-free Cardamom Mango Panna Cotta With Honey Peach Sauce
Ingredients
For Mango Panna Cotta
1 large or 2 small ripe mangoes,peeled and chopped
2 cups light coconut milk(preservative-free)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon agar-agar * or 1 teaspoon unflavored Kosher\Halal Gelatin
1/4 teaspoon fine ground cardamom
1 tablespoon Agave nectar or 2 tablespoon brown sugar.

*agar-agar is a seaweed,vegan substitute for gelatin.Can be bought from Asian stores.

For Honey Peach Sauce
2 cups fresh or frozen peaches.
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup water.

Method
Puree the mangoes with coconut milk in a blender until smooth.
Heat water in a heavy bottom sauce pan,add the agar-agar or gelatin,stir to dissolve completely ,about 6-8 minutes.Turn the heat low.Add the sugar, mango mixture,cardamom and let it warm up for 4-5 minutes.
Pour the hot mixture in to 4 ramekins(4-6 ounce) or custard cups.Cover and
let set in refrigerator for 3-4 hours or over night.

Prepare the sauce by heating the water,honey and peaches on low heat for 4-5 minutes.Let cool for few minutes before drizzling on the panna cotta.

To serve,unmold the ramekins,run a small knife around to loosen.Then invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate and pour about a tablespoon of the sauce over,top with the slices of peaches and more diced mango.

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.

Curry in a Hurry

Preparing curries with tender vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli can be as easy as it can get.
Cauliflower is by far the best source of Vitamin K which is vital for bone health.More on nutrition of Cauliflower and broccoli

What you'll need is
1/2 lb Broccoli or Cauliflower florets
1 small onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Chilly powder( or more as per your spice tolerance level)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
few curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon each of mustard and cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil


To make the simplest curry ever
Heat Olive Oil in a Pan on Medium high. Add onion, mustard seeds,curry leaves,cumin seeds and saute for a minute before adding the spicy duo minced ginger and garlic. Add the golden spice turmeric ,coriander powder and the chilly powder along with the florets. cover and cook for about ten minutes. Cook for few more minutes if you don't like it crunchy. but if you are like me you'll just cook for about 8-10minutes . Serve with rice and flat bread(parathas). And taste one of the simplest curries in the Indian cuisine.


Health nut note
Veggies like eggplants and cabbage can be prepared in similar way.