Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant is a vegetable with several varieties, shapes and most widely known as Aubergine, Eggplant, Brinjal. The beauty is that this vegetable is used all over the world across varied cuisines. 

My memory of eggplant as a child is definitely "Sambal Terung" which is a eggplant cooked in a spicy chili paste and just fried eggplant seasoned with salt and chili powder. The fried eggplant would often be a condiment to Dhall (indian lentil dish) or a spinach stew called "Sai Bhaji" that is a dish that most Sindhi's cook. Now you ask Sindhis?? That is my ethnic origin native to the Sindh province of Pakistan (then India). 

Back to eggplants! As I travelled, I got introduced to more varieties and my favourites are the Greek Moussaka, Italian Melanzane alla Parmigiana, Middle Eastern Baba Ghanoush, Indian Baingan ka Bhartha, South Indian Eggplant Sambar and of course grilled strips of Aubergine seasoned lightly with olive oil and italian herbs make a great side salad. 

Ingredients

4 long medium sized eggplants

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups breadcrumbs 

5 tsp mixed Italian 

oil for lightly coating tray

Tomato sauce ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

8oz / 227g fresh mushrooms, chopped

16oz / 453g can of chopped tomatoes

3 tbsp tomato paste

5 tbsp mixed Italian herbs

salt and pepper to taste

5oz / 141g Mozzarella Cheese, grated

5oz / 141g Medium cheddar cheese, grated

3oz / 85g Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C.
2. Line a pan and lightly oil the baking sheet.
3. Slice the eggplants in 1/2 inch thickness. If you have the long eggplants, slice them long. If you have the round plump eggplants, slice them round.
4. Create an assembly line. Dip the sliced eggplants in the milk and then coat with breadcrumbs. if your breadcrumbs don't stick, press them down. Arrange the eggplants on the tray and bake for 25 minutes. 
5. Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add in the garlic, onions and mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Add in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. 
7. Assembling : Spread a layer of half the tomato sauce on the base of a 2" high bake proof dish. You can use a square, oval or round dish.
8. Arrange half the baked eggplants of top of the tomato sauce to completely cover it. Sprinkle half the Mozzarella, Cheddar and Parmesan.
9. Repeat the layering starting with tomato sauce, eggplants and cheese. Be gentle to ensure you don't mess up the first layer. 



Covered with cheese before baking

10. Bake in the over at 375F / 190C for 35 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is starting to brown. Slice and serve. A fresh salad would go beautifully with this! French fries would be the less healthy side option that go well with this!

Serves 6 to 8.

Mango Mania Triple Sampler (Mango Mousse, Mango Coconut Sorbet & Mango Brûlée)

Its MANGO MANIA for me all last week. I got my hands on some super sweet Mangoes from Mexico and after reading this article on "Health Benefits on Mangoes" I had more the reason to buy them.

What I love about this sampler platter is that all the recipe's take less than 30 minutes to make (excluding freezing and refrigeration time).

When I finally plated my platter and having eaten them all together, I do think that I could have broken the Mango flavour with some cream on the side. Having said that, I enjoyed the rich flavours of each dessert. I didnt want the palate to be clouded with the taste of cream. I can tell you that the cold of the sorbet plus the warmth of the brulee and the smoothness of the mousse was a perfect way to end the meal! 

First I must share the secret of making a good sorbet.

• Taste, taste, taste.... taste as you blend. Be careful not to be too generous with the sugar or sweetener.  The sweetness of a sorbet is enhanced when frozen. So if your sorbet taste just right before you freeze it, it will be probably too sweet when you serve it. So dont go "sugar happy"!
• Alcohol.... this is optional but adds so much more flavor to the sorbet. Since alcohol does not freeze, it also gives the sorbet a grainy feel rather than a super smooth texture. 
• To make any sorbet, you need 3 main ingredients.
• Any fruit of your choice - watermelons, berries, mango, peaches, lychees etc
• Acidity - lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar are the popular options
• Sweetener - simple sugar syrup, agave nectar & honey are natural and more healthy options of course, sweet wine, fruit juice etc.
• Be creative!!!
• Watermelon or Raspberries & Vodka
• Figs & Balsamic vinegar
• Lemon & Mint
• Strawberry & Basil

Mango & Coconut Sorbet
2 medium sized mangoes, chopped
1 lime, juiced
12 oz / 350ml unsweetened coconut milk (light)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp coconut rum (optional)

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend. Puree the mixture through a sieve to ensure you get a nice smooth mixture with no particles. 
2. If you have an ice cream maker, follow steps based on your machine recommendations to make sorbet. If not follow steps 3 & 4.
3. Pour into a freeze proof container and freeze. 
4. Once frozen (or almost frozen), break into pieces and blend again. Return to container and freeze again. Repeat this step again for a ultra smooth consistency. Remember that sorbets are meant to be soft like a frozen yogurt. 
5. Can be made 3 days in advance before serving. Ensure that the container is an air tight container. 

Mango Mousse 

1 packet Mango jelly

2 medium sized mangoes, chopped

1 cup cream

5 basil leaves

1. Make the mango jelly as per packet instructions but only make 3/4 recipe. So if the recipe calls for 2 cups water, use only 1 1/2 cups water with all the contents of the jelly packet. Add the basil leaves while the water is boiling before adding the contents of the packet. Allow to cool.
2. Once the mango jelly mixture is cool, remove the basil leaves and put mixture in the food processor with mangoes and cream. 
3. Blend until smooth. 
4. Pour into individual serving cups or large container. Refrigerate until set. 
5. Should be made 1 day in advance before serving. 

Mango Brûlée 

2 medium sized mangoes

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

1. Slice the cheeks of the mangoes on both sides leaving the stone. Slice as much flesh as you can getting close to the stone. 
2. Leaving the skin on, gently run your knife scoring crisscross pattern about 2cm through the flesh stopping at the skin. Be careful not the cut through the skin. 
3. Turn the skin inside out a little. Spread 1 tbsp of brown sugar per half.
4. Turn on your broiler on high, place the mangoes on a baking tray lined with foil.
5. Broil for 5 minutes of till sugar turns brown and crystalizes a little. 
6. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime wedge and serve warm!

Assembling the platter

1. Serve the sorbet into a small bowl and place on platter. Garnish with mint leaves or small coconut pieces
2. Place the Mango Brûlée on the platter while still warm.
3. Place the individually set Mango Mousse bowl on the same platter.

Serve quickly and see how it disappears as quickly as your served it!

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Many years ago, I had a Ferrero Rocher cake for my birthday in India. It was so delicious that I will never forget it. Last year I decided to make this variation to my standard cheesecake recipe. I made a Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake for a friend's birthday and it turned out perfect!

Last week I found another opportunity to make this cake again for another friend. 

It is so good, you are going to want more!

Ingredients

250g butter snap biscuits / option to use digestive biscuits. 

100g butter, melted

375g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup cream

3 tsp gelatin, disolved in 1/4 cup boiling water  

200g white chocolate, melted, cooled slightly (please use good quality chocolate for a rich and smooth taste)

18 pcs Ferrero Rocher chocolates

Method

1. Place biscuits in food processor and process into find crumbs. Add butter and process to combine. Press mixture into a greased and lined 18cm x 28cm slice pan and chill. I used a 10" pie pan this time and only lined the base as I could push the cake up once ready. 
2. Beat the cheese, sugar and vanilla with the electric mixer until smooth, then beat in the cream. Stir through the gelatin and white chocolate. 
3. Crack and crumble 10 Ferrero Rochers into the filling and stir through. 
4. Pour over the chilled biscuit base and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until set. 
5. Decorate the top with 8 Ferrero Rochers (or more) before serving.

Ready to be served!

Home Made Chicken Burgers and Fresh Mango Salad with Citrus Dressing

Chicken Burgers

These 2 dishes go hand in hand and make a lovely meal!

Ingredients

350g chicken breast pieces

Salt & Pepper - to taste

3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

3 cloves garlic - grated

1 large onion - cooked brown

2 tbsp parsley chopped finely

1tbsp thyme (fresh or dried)

1 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried)

Method

1. Chop onions and cook till brown.
2. Mince chicken in food processor or you can buy pre-minced chicken. 
3. Mix minced chicken, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated garlic, browned onions and herbs together. (optional to add chili flakes)
4. Make into small round patties. 
5. Lightly pan fry till cooked through. Turn over several times to ensure it is browned nicely on both sides. 
6. I decked up the burger buns with salad leaves, tomato, barbecue sauce and mustard before I put the burger patty on. 

Fresh Mango Salad with Citrus Dressing

Ingredients

2 ripe mangoes - Diced - large pieces

Salad leaves

Handful dried cranberries

Handful of walnuts

1 orange - juice squeezed 

2 tsp Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Layer your salad bowl with the green salad leaves. Put the diced mangoes on top of the leaves followed by cranberries. Place the walnuts on top of the cranberries in the centre.
2. Mix orange juice, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper for the dressing. 
3. So simple and refreshing!

Sticky Date Cheesecake Slice

Last weekend we were hosting my husband's colleagues for dinner and since all of them are originally from somewhere in the Middle East, I decided to make a dessert that had dates or figs in them.

I finally decided to make a Sticky Date Cheesecake. The cheese was silky and smooth. The original recipe called for butter snap biscuits but I used Graham Cracker crumbs as I didn't want a sweet base. You can digestive biscuits as an option too.

Ingredients
100g Graham Cracker (crumbbed)
80g butter, melted

375g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
2 tsp plain flour
125g fresh dates, chopped

Method

1. Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter in a bowl. Press mixture into the base of a greased and lines 9cm x 20cm load pan. You can use the back of spoon to even it out. I use my fist to even it out. Ensure it is tightly pressed. Chill in the refrigerator.
2. Beat the creme cheese, sugar, vanilla with an electric beater until mixture is smooth. Beat in the egg then stir through the flour and dates. Pour filling into the prepared base and bake in preheated oven at 160C / 320F for 25 minutes of until just set. Just set means it the mixture should not stick to your finger if you lightly touch it or it should be wobbly when you jiggle the pan! Cool i the oven with door ajar. Once cool, chill! I made it a day in advance but chilling for at least 3 hours before serving should be sufficient. 
3. Slice and serve. I added some sliced strawberries and caramel sauce on the side when serving that night.