Ruth's Carrot Cake -Easy Microwave Version

'Eat Cake ' by Jeanne Ray talks about the life and its changes of Ruth, a mom of two.In midst of an unemployed husband,quarreling parents etc she sort of gains strength by baking cakes and that too with several and exotic variations.Well the book which contains 24 pages of recipes, is a delight foodwise and is a light read with an expected fairytale ending where all the things become right and 'you live happily ever after'. Well, eat you cake and day dream!. Out of the several recipes one I liked was 'Ruths carrot cake'.I halved it,made it eggless and spiced it up and then 'microwavized ' it and here it is

Ingredients:
Dry Mix:
Cake Flour: 1/2 cup (Substitute: 7 tbsp APF + 1 tbsp cornstarch)
Whole Wheat Flour (aatta): 1/2 cup
Cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg,ginger powdered,cardamom : generously use your choice or combo of spices: around 1/2 tsp +
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Wet Mix:
Yoghurt/Buttermilk: 1/2 cup OR 2 eggs
Vegetable/Canola oil: 1/2 cup
Honey :10 tbsp
(I used Honey + maple Syrup)


Carrots: peeled,grated 1.5 cups
Walnuts/Pecans/Cashew nuts: optional :1/2 cup (I used cashewnuts)

Preparation:

In a medium bowl,whisk together the dry items -cake flour,whole wheat flour,salt, baking soda,baking powder and your choice of spices.If you do not have cake flour,then you can substitute it by using All purpose flour and/or substitute it by mixing 7 tbsp of APF with 1 tbsp of for 1/2 cup of cakeflour.Cake flour makes the cake spongy and light and the substitutions work fine and I used the second one.

Peel,grate carrots and keep aside.

In a big bowl,whisk the wet items of honey,oil and yogurt together.Add in the dry mix and whisk together till well blended and a liquid batter is formed.Fold in carrots and optional nuts.I added cashewnuts.

Pour the batter in a microwave safe and completely greased container/dish -I used a heart shaped container and the batter came to a little more than half of the pan.

Microwave at 100% power (HIGH) for about 8 minutes or more until you see the cake pulling out from the edges of the container and the tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.Cool completely in the pan.Serve cutting into wedges with a frosting or whipped cream,ice cream or as such.

The cooking time depends on the machine.I started at 6 minutes but it took 2 more minutes and I pulled it out exactly when 8 minutes were completed.Also allow the cake to rest in the dish completely before cutting.I allowed it to rest just 10 minutes and then inverted it and found that an edge on the reverse side was not that browned and also the cake was crumbly.But still I proceeded with tasting and clicking pictures of the cake.The leftover cooled completely and I found that the cake looked perfect than I had clicked.So ensure that the cake rests for about 1-2 hours or let it chill in the fridge before cutting.

The recipe calls for honey instead of sugar and I used a mix of honey and maplesyrup .You can also substitute honey by using cornsyrup or mixing sugar and water and then adding it to the wet mix.If you are completely omitting honey then can remove the baking soda as well.The cake is correct tasting s honey is used and but not overly sweet .It is airy and light and little spongy due to the use of buttermilk/yoghurt.You can use 2 eggs instead of yoghurt or anyother egg replacer in which cake increase the baking soda to 1 tsp.The aroma from the oven was not that good and I was thinking it was a flop cake even afte the first bite,but second bite onwards it felt right.

Now lets see what other bookclub members have put forth and get ready for the cakefest:

Jaya was the first to post a review on the book here followed by Ann who came up with a Pista-Cardamom cake from the same book and Simran who gave a twist to the pista cardamom cake and made a tropical Almond cup cake with coconut essence!

The carrot cake is also on way to SriValli's MEC: September

Almond Soup - Spanish Style

Sopa de Almendras or Almond soup is a hearty Christmas soup in Spain. The filling soup is hearty and warm for wintery nights and is the first course in a traditional Christmas meal there.There are several regional versions for this soup some using potatoes instead of bread and some frying parsley along with the ingredients.I adapted a simple version from here where the soup is slightly spicy with the addition of cumin.

Ingredients:
Almonds: 1/2 cup blanched
Bread : 2-3 slices cubed
Garlic: 1-2 cloves chopped

Saffron: 1/4 tsp
Cumin
Peppercorns

Olive Oil
Salt
Vinegar:1/4 tsp
Veg Broth/Stock: 1 cup +
Parsley: for garnish

Preparation:
For blanching the almonds,I poured hot boiling water over almonds,let them sit for a minute and then drained them and poured cold water onto them and them drained them again and peeled them.

Heat olive oil in a pan,add garlic chopped and the blanched almonds.Saute till they turn brown.Remove the almonds and garlic and add to the blender.In the same oil add cubed bread and stir fry till they turn brown or golden brown.Switch off the stove and add in saffron.Mix well and then add three -fourth of the bread mix to the already roasted almonds in the blender.Alternately you can add in almonds and bread cubes and saffron and garlic together and saute.I did separately.Add in peppercorns,vinegar and cumin to the blender and blend in adding little of the broth to a fine paste.I went for a little coarse paste so that few almonds remained as such or broken.

Heat the rest of the vegetable stock and add the almond paste and salt to this.Bring to a boil,reduce to a simmer and cook for around 10-15 minutes till the soup thickens to a required consistency.If the soup is too thick add more stock/water.

Serve hot garnished with chopped parsley and remaining bread croutons and optionally extra blanched almonds and salt and pepper.

The soup is light brown and creamy and was filling and hearty.The soup is best when hot/warm and its no wonder its a Christmas soup.

Almonds are rich in monosaturated fatty acids and Vitamin E and thus help maintain healthy cholestrol levels and reduces heart risk.1 ounce of almonds a day can fulfill vitamin E requirement.They are rich in phosphorus and calcium and help maintain bone health and preven osteoporosis.The copper in almonds makes them useful in the production of blood haemoglobin and thus making them an easy homeremedy for anaemia.

On a lighter note,the 'A' in 'Almond' makes the soup perfectly eligible for the HOTM:A where the theme is hearty healthy dishes with main ingredients starting with the letter 'A' .Another hearty Almond soup tried and tasted is Indian Shahi Badam Shorba .

Simply Oats Cookies

These are actually simple cookies that uses oats alone without any flours.The actual recipe I found here uses egg whites and honey as binder.I halved the recipe and used Ener G egg replacer powder instead of egg whites.

Ingredients:
Oats: 3/4 cup
Almonds: 2-3 tbsp lightly toasted

Cinnamon Powdered: 1/2 tsp +/-
Salt: a pinch
Honey : 8 tsp
Ener G Egg :1 (1.5 tsp packed powder with 2 tbsp water beaten stiff ) OR 1 Egg White

Preparation:

In a big bowl, mix together the egg white/Ener G Egg with honey,cinnamon,salt.Add oats and toasted almonds.Mix well and then drop packed tablespoons of the mix onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10 -12 minutes till the tops are lightly browned.

Here egg whites and honey are used as binder .Since I used ener G powder as an egg white replacer,I tried to beat the egg powder mixed with 2 tbsp water with an electric beater,but could not beat it stiff.So when I added oats I got just a mix - it was neither a batter nor a dough just looked like a mix.So I scooped packed tablespoonful of this and plonked it in an ungreased but lined baking sheet (ungreased as mentioned in the recipe) and then slightly flattened it and patted into an almost round shape and baked it.After baking the cookies stuck to the sheet being ungreased and it took time to take them out.So always grease the cooking sheet even though you are lining it.Its a lesson I learnt after these cookies.

The cookies were soft but they held together.The honey and oatty taste were there though I had added cinnamon.So you can increase the cinnamon if you want or avoid it altogether.The nuts added to the taste.You can optionally add 1-2 tbsp of raisins/currants if you like.You can toast the chopped almonds by spreading them as a single layer in a baking sheet and toasting in the oven for 10-12 minutes while the oven is preheating.Also I pulled them out just as the tops started browning.The bottom side were lightly browned.I got nine cookies.

I feel the recipe requires more polishing as this was the first time I used a replacer for eggwhite and that too it was not beaten stiff though I tried.But the cookies or granola rounds turned out perfect tasting.The cookies being made of oats are on way to Madhuram's Whole Grain Baking :Oats at EgglessCooking.

The oats,honey and the almonds are heart healthy and hearty and filling or rather the cookies are surely guilt free snacks which makes them eligible for Healthnut Challenge 2:Guilt Free Snacks at HealthNut.

Carrot Macharmal-Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad

This is a simple recipe of Moroccan style spiced and cooked carrot salad.The recipe takes time but is great as a topping,side dish,spread etc and not just a salad.Normally salads are something that are cooked very less or has raw ingredients and has a dressing.But this salad is one where the carrots which can also be eaten raw are cooked thoroughly.May be each cuisine has its own variation.Earlier cooked salad I did was a Vietnamese Poached Eggplant Salad .This carrot salad -( do not ask me the meaning of the term macharmal coz I have no idea) also begins with the same way of poaching.I adapted this recipe from Cooking with Alia - a wonderful source of Moroccan recipes.

Ingredients:
Carrot: 3 big and thick
Garlic Cloves: 2 big or 3-4 small
Parsley: 2-3 tbsp chopped

Spices as per taste
Paprika
Cumin powder
Pepper :fresh grated

Salt
Olive Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Preparation:
Peel the carrots,cut lengthwise and remove the core. Then cut into cubes.Peel the garlic cloves.

Boil water in a vessel and add the cubed carrots and whole garlic cloves.Simmer and let them cook for around 15-20 minutes.Drain and keep aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet/pan/kadai,add the drained carrot and garlic and saute so that the oil coats the carrots.Add chopped parsley,mix well.Then add the spices and salt and mix well.Continue cooking and then start mashing the carrots with the ladle or masher.Continue this process till all the carrots gets mashed up and reduces in volume and the spices get cooked and blend well.This again will take around 15 + minutes.

Serve hot or cold as per season along with bread or as per your preference.You can also serve it atop lettuce leaves or lightly steamed/blanched/raw cabbage leaves or even as a wrap filling.

If the core of the carrot was used then there would be difficulty in mashing it and I suppose thats why it was removed.Well the time taken to make the dish was worth spent as the taste is great.Do check out the video of this recipe here.

The lovely salad being Mediterranean is going to NCR:Mediterranean hosted this time by Lisa and obviously is also a part of AWED:Morocco an event by DK and currently hosted by Pavani of CooksHideout .The salad is a part of Moroccan Ramadan speciality and is on way to Lubna's Ramadan Event- Joy from Fasting to Feasting

Tofu Bhurji

Paneer bhurji is an Indian dish made of scrambled Paneer and spices with other optional veggies.It is a dry dish and can be used as a topping for bread or sandwich filling or with rotis or for me consumed as itself.There are several versions of this dish and I know I need not say much more about it.

I decided to make a vegan version by using tofu instead of paneer.Several of the Indian dishes are vegan or can be veganized.I have already made Tofu Akuri where instead of eggs I used tofu and now I wanted to use tofu in a similar scrambled way with other spices replacing Indian cottage cheese Paneer.I am a fan of paneer and have also been using tofu.I have also simply replaced paneer in an earlier dish Peas and Tofu Masala and I could not feel any taste difference with this replacement.For the scrambled dish ,I have used wonderful DK of ChefInYou's hearty Tofu Burji recipe without any changes.

Ingredients:
Tofu:2 packet drained for atleast 1 hour on paper towels or 3 cups firm tofu grated
Peas: 1/2 cup
Capsicum/Bell Pepper: 1 big cubed
Red Onion: 1 chopped long & thin
Tomato : 1 cubed
Green chillies:2-3 slit


(Spices can be adjusted as per taste)
Garam Masala:1/2 tsp +
Turmeric Powder:1/4 tsp +
Jeera/Cumin seeds :1/4 tsp+
Coriander-Cumin Powder:1/2 tsp +

Ginger -Garlic Paste:1 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander: few sprigs chopped
Salt
Olive/Vegetable oil:1/2 tbsp

Preparation:

If your tofu comes in water-locked packets like mine,then make sure you drain it in several sheets of paper towels for atleast an hour changing the sheets as and when necessary.

Grate tofu in a big bowl.Add to it, garam masala,turmeric powder,coriander-cumin powder along with oil,clit green chillies and ginger -garlic paste.Mix well using hands till well blended and keep it aside covered for 15-20 minutes so that tofu absorbs the flavours.

In a deep dish pan/kadai/skillet,add chopped onions along with little salt.The salt brings out the water in onion which prevents them from sticking to the bottom of the skillet and also cooks/browns them faster thus avoiding the use of oil.You can add oil at this stage or any other stage though.

Once the onions are browned,add cumin seeds and saute for 1 minute, then add bell pepper and tomato and cook till soft.Then add tomato puree and continu cooking until the raw smell of puree disappears. Then add the spiced tofu mix and saute till everything is blended.Then add peas and stirfry till the peas gets .Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rotis,on top of breads or anyway you wish.

The dish was very hearty and I enjoyed it as itself.I couldnot feel any difference by using tofu in this dish also instead of Paneer.Hearty tofu bhurji is on way to IAVW:Indian,an event by Vaishali of HolyCow, and currently hosted by Graziana of ErbeinCucina .Hearty Thanks DK for the excellent recipe and also the lovely step by step pictures

Updated on 18th September 09: The yummy and spicy dish is also travelling all the way to MLLA:15 ,a legumy event by Susan,The wellseasoned Cook and hosted this time by Sia of MonsoonSpice .

Balsamic Roasted Potato Wedges

This is a simple recipe of roasted potato wedges, where it is made tangy with the touch of balsamic vinegar .The recipe is very easy and I adapted it from here.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 4 large cut into equal sized wedges
Olive/Vegetable oil/spray
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar: 2-3 tbsp

Preparation:
Scrub the potatoes and cut into wedges of almost equal sizes.Toss well in salt and pepper and oil/spray and lay in a single layer in a shallow baking dish/ baking sheet. Roast the potatoes turning once in a preheated oven at 450F for 2o-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar over the hot wedges and roast again for 1-2 minutes till the vinegar is evaporated.

Serve hot/warm sprinkling with 1/2 - 1 tbsp of vinegar and salt and pepper.

The wedges are tangy due to the addition of vinegar and nice difference from the regular /spicy wedges.The roasted wedges are on way to Weekend Wokking:Vinegar,an event by Wandering Chopsticks and currently hosted by Darlene of BlazingHotWok

Crispy Zucchini Sticks with(out) Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

When I just a few days old in blogging world.I had accidentally stumbled upon Egglesscooking.I kept on being a silent visitor and tried one recipe after the other.I had just started baking and the first recipe I tried was her AlmondButter Bread.Actually I brought a loaf pan for the first time for this recipe.And not just this,it was her Twirly Whirly Pizza that I had sent for MBP:Less is More by Nupur.(You can find my version here).After that I have been trying one dish after another and this one is the easiest among the bakes.The oven baked zucchini fries are actually from Parents magazine and Madhuram had modified it.

Crispy Zucchini Sticks

It is a simple recipe in which zucchini cut into sticks is dipped in yoghurt and coated in breadcrumbs and baked.Rather that the normal frying,baking provides a healthier option.Madhuram had spiced up the breadcrumbs with chilli and pepper powders.But since I wanted to try our a dip with it,I avoided chilli powder and reduced the pepper.

Ingredients:
Zucchini: 1 medium size

Breadcrumbs: 1/2 cup + as needed
Plain yogurt: 1/4 cup whisked
Chilli powder
Pepper
Salt

Preparation:

Peel (optional) and cut zucchini into sticks.Dip the sticks in whisked plain yoghurt,shake off the excess and then roll in breadcrumbs.Shake off the excess crumbs(I did not do this)Arrange in a lined/greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 20-30 minutes.It took me more than 20 minutes.The sticks came out crunchy outside and soft inside .But I had not shaken off the excess breadcrumbs so some of the coatings broke in crumbs.You can see it in the picture.Serve warm with or without dip.It is best when hot/warm.

Fire Roasted tomato and Chipotle Salsa:
I simply wanted to make use of the chipotles in adobo lying in my fridge and this led to the creation of the salsa. I roasted tomato, garlic and onion on gas and then blended it with chipotle chillies,lemon juice and little olive oil.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Onion: 1 small peeled
Garlic: 1-2 cloves peeled

Cilantro/Coriander: 1 small bunch
Salt
Pepper
Cumin (optional)

Chipotle :dried or in adobo sauce: 1 medium

Olive oil

Preparation:

Roast tomatoes in an directly on the gas burner till the skin blisters and it starts turning blackish.Keep aside and let it cool.Once cool,peel off the skin,chop into pieces and put in a blender.Thread the garlic and onion on a skewer or knife and roast the same way.You can remove the blackish skin of garlic and onion if you like but I did not.Chop into pieces and add to the blender.Add salt,lemon juice,chipotle chillies (adding little or no sauce) to the blender and blend coarsely adding olive oil.Adjust salt and add pepper or cumin powder as per taste.

The salsa can be served as a dip or spread or whatever way you like .I served it with zucchini fries though the fries can be served as such.Each dish can be consumed as itself -ofcourse the salsa is not goodlooking,but the taste is spicily perfect.

Obviously the baked zucchini sticks are on way to T&T:Madhuram's EgglessCooking ,an event by Zlamushka of SpicyKitchen and currently hosted by Poornima of TastyTreats . The salsa is going to spice up the HomeMade #6: Salsas at WhatsCooking Forum

Spaghetti with Garlic,Olive Oil &Red Chilly

Spaghetti all'aglio,olio e peperoncino is a classic pasta dish.It is actually a rustic pasta dish and was originated in the poverty stricken regions of Abruzzo in Italy.It started as a simple way of dressing cooked pasta in olive oil and garlic and peperoncino (chilli peppers (dried /fresh/crumbled) were added later and the pasta with these three ingredients became classic. The recipe which I adapted from here and also used the video here takes just minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti: 2-3 handfuls (almost 1/2 a box)

Olive Oil: 1/4 cup +
Garlic: 2-3 big cloves
Red Chillies (chilli flakes can also be used) : 3+ as per taste

Pepper

Garnish (optional)
CorianderLeaves/Cilantro
Parmesan /Grana Padano Cheese
Black olives

Preparation:
Cook spaghetti till al dente.

Meanwhile ,heat olive oil in a pan and add peeled and optionally chopped garlic into it.Add chilli flakes or chopped/crumbled red chillies and let it cook (fry) till it starts to brown.Your Aglio e olio (garlic and oil) sauce with peperoncino is ready. Optionally you can add chopped tomatoes into the oil or anchovies for the non veg version.Or if you go for Milanese style of this pasta then bread crumbs are also added to the sauce along with garlic and red chillies.I just went with the plain old recipe and used garlic and redchillies only.

Mix the sauce with the drained spaghetti,add pepper and optionally cheese,black olives and finely chopped cilantro.Serve in bowls.I mixed cilantro with the pasta and the rest was as per taste. Two people can have a hearty meal with this much quantity of pasta.

Peperoncino translates into paprika or cayenne pepper but traditionally the red chillies cultivated and then sun dried (or plainly speaking dried red chillies) in Abruzzo are used and this dish is a signature dish of Abruzzo that differentiates it from the other food bowls in Italy.There these chillies are also known as diavolino (little devil -may because of the heat they give).

Red chillies are usually part of Indian cuisine or day to day use for me.But I wanted to see whether they were as important in anyother cuisine and the first one I searched was in Italian cuisine as I knew chili flakes is a staple ingredient there.This pasta dish which was quite easy came as a surprise.

Interestingly the pasta has full blown olive oil taste with the cruncy red chillies adding a zing to it.It was nice to bite into the fried bits of garlic and red chillies.Make sure you add 1 or 2 more chillies than required as frying in olive oil reduce the heat.

The spicy spaghetti is on way to fire up the Think Spice :Red Chillies an event by Sunita and currently hosted by Lakshmi.

Apam Balik

Apam Balik or turnover pancake is one of the national dessert of Malaysia.Apam means thin cake while balik means back/turn over or turned over in this case.It is supposed to have originated from Chinese influence and is popular throughout the peninsula.It is also known as Marthabak manis in Indonesia.It is a yeasted pancake which is panfried and filled with peanuts,sugar,optionally creamed corn,butter,sesame seeds or whatever you like.These days several yeastless version with baking powder and soda are available.I had got the recipe from here and I have adapted it by making it vegan.There are several versions available though and the yeasted version can be found here.

The recipe I followed was perfectly simple with milk and eggs which I respectively replaced with soymilk and Ener G egg and made it vegan.Instead of Ener G egg replacer,you can even use cornstarch mixed in water or even soy yoghurt or whizzed tofu can be used to replace the egg replacer.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour :1 cup
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Baking Soda: 1 tsp
Sugar: 4 tbsp +/- as per taste

Egg:1 lightly beaten
(I used Ener G egg where 1 egg = 1.5 tsp of Ener G + 3 tbsp of water/soymilk)
Milk/Soymilk: 1 cup

Yellow colouring:2 or drops or 1 big pinch yellow colour powder
Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp

Filling:
Crushed toasted peanuts: several handfuls. I used honey roasted peanuts
Sugar
Creamed corn, sesame seeds ,bananas etc : optional I did not use

Preparation:

In a bowl mix together the flour,sugar,soda and baking powder.Add to this ,soymilk and EnerG egg and colouring and vanilla and mix well such that there are no lumps in the batter which looks like

Heat a non stick pan (optionally spray/drizzle little oil on it) and pour 2-3 big ladles of batter to it.Gently rotate the pan such that the batter runs to the sides as well.Allow it to cook.After 1 minute or so bubbles may appear on the surface like..

Add crushed peanuts and sugar and it looks like...

When the sides start browning and finish cooking,turn the pancake half over the other and remove from fire .It looks like...

I was under the impression that since only one side is cooked,it may taste a bit raw but no it turned out perfectly cooked and was soft and spongy. Cut into pieces and serve as a delicious dessert.It looks like...

The lovely yet simple Apam balik is onway to IAVW:Malaysian by Vaishali of Holycow.

The pancake were nutty as expected.This is the first time I had used EnerG in a pancake .Those who like sweet panckaes will definitely love this but those who prefer the savoury and vegan version can can be found at Vaishali's HolyCow.

KartoffelSuppe-German Potato Soup

This is a simple potato (kartoffel) soup (suppe) from Germany.The creamy soup is very quick to make and this version which I found here is practically vegan.There can be several additions of meat and veggies to this soup but the king ingredient remains potato (kartoffel).The spices used is minimum only bayleaf,if you leave out the salt & pepper which are a must-have in every soup.Also garlic though healthy is left out.It is said that Germans rarely use garlic as it leaves a bad breath!.It is only recently that garlic has been accepted due to the Italian and French influences. Well whatever it is the soup is hearty and delicious.

Ingredients:

Potato: 2 -3 medium
Onion: 1 small chopped
Carrot: 1 medium(The carrot is completely optional and is my addition)
Celery: 1 small stick with leaves and stalks

BayLeaf
Salt
Pepper

Water: as needed to cook the veggies

Preparation:
Peel and cube potatoes and carrot.Chop celery and onions finely.

Heat oil in a pan,add the chopped veggies together and saute till they get coated with oil and start cooking and the onions turn transparent.

Add little salt,pepper and bayleaf and water and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat,cover the pan and let it simmer till the veggies are cooked.This takes around 15-20 minutes.

Once done,with a masher or the ladle,mash the potato into the the soup.You can also use a handheld immersion blender.This gives it a creamy texture.Alternately,you can drain the veggies into the blender,keeping the cooked water/stock separate,then puree the veggies adding little stock water and then depending on the thickness you want keep adding more stock water or even milk which makes it look more creamy but actually thins it out,in which case heat through the soup,but do not boil.

I simply mashed the potato using a ladle leaving few chunks of potato and did not add milk . Serve ladling into bowls removing the bayleaf and adjusting salt and pepper.The recipe serves 2-3 people comfortably

The onion,celery and optional carrot I used acts like a stock base .Also instead of just carrot,you can add a whole lot of vegetables like turnip etc which enhance the stock and soup.Instead of/addition to the bayleaf you can add spices like dill/marjoram and fresh herbs like parsley.Such version can be found here

A warm bowl of soup is warming AWED:German ,an event by DK and hosted by Lakshmi

Honig brat Mandeln

This is a simple dessert recipe from Germany made from Almonds.Well,not much of a recipe as its very easy and also don't ask the pronouncication just enjoy the delicious sweet Honig brat Mandeln or Honey roasted almonds which I found from here.The dish takes around 15 minutes but less than that to be consumed.

Ingredients:

Almonds: 1 cup

Honey: 1 tbsp

Water: 1 tbsp

Vegetable /Almond Oil: 1 tsp

Sugar: 4 tbsp granulated (I used a mix of powdered+granulated)

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Spread the almonds in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.Bake in a cold oven at 350F for 12-15 minutes stirring periodically,till it gets roasted and start turning brown.I stirred once only.Take out and let it cool outside on the baking sheet itself.

Meanwhile,mix together sugar and salt and pour half of it in a wide bowl.

In a saucepan, bring to boil,honey,water and oil.Add the slightly cooled almonds to it and let it simmer till the liquid is completely absorbed and the almonds acquire a glossy shine.This takes about 5-6 minutes.

The journey of almonds from the raw,roasted and the glossy stages can be seen like........

where the rightmost one is the raw almond.

Once the liquid is completely evaporated,immediately put the almonds in the bowl where sugar-salt mix is kept.Put the other half of the sugar mix on top of this,cover it with a lid and gently toss it so that the mix gets evently coated on the almonds.

The sweet,very slightly soft almonds with a perfect roasted taste are ready to be consumed.And a fresh bowl is on way to AWED:German an event by DK and currrently hosted by Lakshmi.