Bombay Foodie

Do you get amazed by the amount of food blogging facts I don't know. Take this example. For a long time, I had no idea who David Lebovitz is. And for a really long time after that, I had him filed away as "that icecream book guy". It's only recently that I discovered this American in Paris as not just a culinary genuis, but also someone whose writing style I enjoy. The very first recipe I bookmarked when I was reading David's blog was Strawberry Frozen Yogurt . And with strawberries season about to end in Bombay, and the summer heat about to set in, this was a perfectly simple recipe to make. Slice 400 gms strawberries into small slices. David tossed them in a bowl with 2/3 cup sugar, but I remembered just in time that the strawberries here are sweeter so I reduced the sugar to less than half (around 3 tbsp). In around an hour, when the sugar had dissolved, blend the strawberries with a cup of yogurt and juice of half a lemon. I don't have the fancy...

This is what David Lebovitz wanted to say when first faced with this tart shell. And this was my reaction exactly when David unleashed the recipe on unsuspecting public. I mean, aren't tarts those pastry shells made delicately with cold, even frozen butter. Melted, hot butter doesn't come into it. But David's friend Paule Caillat says it does. I didn't believe it, but I wanted to try it. Because it sounded rich, I decided to omit sugar in the shell and bake a savory tart. I also divided David's 9-inch tart recipe by a third to do my small 3 inch tart. First, mix 30 grams butter, a tsp of vegetable oil and a tbsp of water. I used salted butter so omitted the pinch of salt this warranted. I also omitted the tsp of sugar called for in the recipe, but do add it back if you are making a sweet version. David says to place this mix in a 210 C oven for 15 minutes. I put it in a small metal bowl and put it on the stove top on very low heat until the butter began to brow...

David Lebovitz is my favourite blogger. He's witty and charming; he lives in Paris and goes travelling for food around the world and he runs chocolate tours and writes ice cream books. David's list of places to visit in Paris was my travel guide when I visited and I wasn't disappointed at a single place that he recommended. His blog is also chockful of some brilliant recipes and I've made a few of them my favourites over the years. So when I found myself with a jar of dulce de leche, courtesy my friend Rachana , I immediately thought of David's recipe for dulce de leche brownies . Dulce de leche is caramalised condensed milk. You cook the tin of condensed milk slowly, until it changes flavour and colour to become a jar of candy you can scoop out with a spoon and eat. Which is what I did with most of my tin of dulce. Added flavour bonus if you also sprinkle some sea salt before digging it. But I still have half a tin left after a few days and that's what w...

I first saw this black bean soup on David Lebovitz's blog about a month back. I made it almost immediately and loved it. Then I made it again and then I made it a third time. I have been tinkering with the recipe and while I think the soup is now perfect and one of the best I've ever made, it no longer bears any resemblance to what David made. Which is why it seems right to share this recipe here before I forget it. The key difference is that I use canned ancho chillies and other pantry goodies whereas David uses a lot of fresh vegetables. They are both great so pick the recipe depending on what you have in the pantry or fridge. Here's my version. Ingredients 1/2 cup dried black beans 1 small onion 2 cloves garlic 1 ancho chilli (I have a jar of ancho in oil) 2 tbsp pitted green olives 1 tbsp capers 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp chipotle powder To garnish sour cream dried mint crushed nachos Wash and soak the b...

I have always been a big fan of Christmas. Now remember that when I was growing up, Christmas did not even register as a festival on social calendars as it does now. There were no trees, no overly decorated shopping malls filled with Christmas music and certainly no gifts. But for our family, there was a difference. Up until high school, my family lived on the first floor of this two storey house. Our ground floor neighbours were Catholics and when you live in the same house for as long as we did, you practically think of them as family. As a kid, I wondered at the Chistmas tree when they invited us to visit and marvelled at the wreaths and holly and their traditions of midnight mass. And on Christmas day, I looked forward to cake. Every year, like clockwork, they would show up on the morning of 25th December with a plum cake. In 1990s Amritsar, this was both rare and fascinating. I loved Christmas then and I've never stopped loving it since. I love the Christmas markets, even t...

When I planned my trip to Paris, I paid little attention to museums and art and all those things first time tourists think about. In fact, I only had two spots on my to-do list - Pierre Herme and Laduree. But because you can't live on pastry alone (well, you can, but let's say you need some variety!), I also bookmarked this highly informative post from my favorite American in Paris, David Lebovitz. I stayed pretty close to the program, even though an occasional trip to Eiffel Tower or art gazing at a museum crept in, a temporary diversion from the feast in Paris. From all those meals, I've culled for you five things you should not even think about missing if you find yourself in Paris: 1. Start your day at Pierre Herme with a fantastic croissant. Or better still, a kugelof or a buttery koign amman. 2. If you find yourself at Pierre Herme after breakfast time, treat yourself to an ishpahan. 3. Or go to Laduree instead. You can linger in their tea room. But what...

I don't know how to get a flaky tart with shortcrust pastry. I've tried a few times already and have been less than impressed with the results. So I'm resorting to other options. Like this molten butter tart from David Lebovitz. No frozen butter, no delicate mixing - yet the crust is light and flaky. My recipe is for a mini 3 inch tart so do go over to David's for the full recipe. Also, I always use salted butter in my baking but this is one recipe where you want to go hunt for unsalted butter (a rarity in India but essential this time round). First off, put 30 grams butter, a tsp of canola oil (or other neutral oil), a tsp of sugar and a tbsp of water in a small saucepan. Heat on a very low flame until the butter starts of brown. Quickly dump in 1/3rd cup of flour and mix until it forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a tart mold with a removable bottom and spread it a bit with a spatula. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell and press it up...

This has to be the easiest way to impress your dinner guests. Just after main course, when your dinner party is looking forward to that store bought pudding, drop in (as casually as you can) - "oh! I'd just go and make some icecream". With an emphasis on make. Both times I tried it, this resulted in a bit of mayhem with guests telling me that I should let it be, it would be too much effort, that they didn't want dessert anyway. Followed by a stunned silence when, 5 minutes later, fresh churned ice cream emerged from the ice cream maker. Then one time, it also became a bit of a crowd puller as fascinated friends stood by the kitchen counter watching my bowl of liquid cream turning into frozen dessert. The ice cream base itself is so easy to make that it should count as cheating. The recipe comes from David Lebovitz of course. You need about 10 minutes the morning of the dinner party. First, make sweetened sour cream by mixing 2/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup cup sour cr...

Let's take a moment to talk about snacking cakes, the unfussy, girl next door version of the cake world. These are cakes that last at least a few days so you have them around when sudden appetite for cake shows up (like when you have to wait 24 hours for cinnamon rolls but want something sweet NOW). By definition, you are looking for a cake that's easy to put together. Which means that anything that requires softened butter or whipped egg whites is out. Frosting is out too - instead, you are looking for something that can be simply dusted with icing sugar (or not) and has enough flavour on its own. My favourite snacking cake to have around at this time of the year is something akin to a gingerbread. Instead of the hardy gingerbread houses or gingermen cookies, you are looking for a soft cake that's sweet and spicy and super quick to bake. I picked the recipe from smitten kitchen , and made a few adjustments like omitting the fresh ginger. I also replaced molasses ...

Panacotta - for isn't that just another name for cooked cream - as the new friend for first strawberries of this season. David Lebovitz said that you are doing something wrong if you need more than 5 minutes to make panacotta . It actually took me less than the allotted five minutes to get the panacotta ready, pour it into shot glasses and put it in the fridge to set. Topping the panacotta is a balsamic strawberry coulis. Start with one cup of sliced strawberries. This goes into a blender with a tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp basil leaves and a tbsp of caster sugar (more if you like your strawberries sweeter). Blend into a puree. Once the panacotta has set 2-4 hours later, carefully pour the coulis into the glass. Chill some more, then enjoy the newfangled strawberries and cream.

I've done it again. After telling myself that I have way too many gadgets and no space to put them in, I've gone ahead and bought the one gizmo I've been eyeing for years - an ice cream maker. It isn't anything fancy. In fact, it was the most basic and the cheapest model around. In this version, you get a tub that you put in the freezer for about a day. This frozen tub does the actual freezing and the rest of the ice cream maker is just to churn the ice cream to make it nice and soft. I still haven't mastered the art of making custard without scrambling eggs so the new gizmo was christened with David Lebovitz' strawberry yogurt . Once blended, it took around 15 minutes to churn into delicious frozen goodness. The tub's now gone back into the freezer and I am now on the lookout for my next ice cream flavour to be churned tomorrow. With small batches I can eat in a day, it's practically like having your own ice cream parlour. Now how cool is that...