Chocolate and Raspberry Pancakes!!!

My love affair with pancakes has existed since forever. It was an all-time favourite in our household, everyone lingering by the kitchen, with my mum ‘The Ultimate Pancake Machine’, flipping away the most magnificent pancakes in the world!!!

With Pancake day just around the corner, I couldn’t have asked for a better time for my long awaited pancake post!!

Ps: duhh alert - Todays Menu reads ‘Chocolate and Raspberry Pancakes’

Ingredients

  

I cup Self Raising Flour

1 Egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. Vanilla Essence

1 cup Milk

4tbsp Sugar

2 tsp. Cocoa

150 gms Raspberry

A pinch of salt

Method

In a large bowl   sift the Flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt; slowly fold in the egg using a spatula or whisk.

Now gradually add small quantities of milk to this batter, whisking continuously till a smooth batter is formed. Blend in the sugar and the vanilla essence. Add the raspberries as well.

Take a pan and get it really hot, and then turn it down to medium heat. Slightly grease the pan with a bit of butter, to prevent the pancake from sticking to the pan. Scoop the batter using a big spoon or a ladle and pour it onto the pan in one go. The pancake should ideally take half a minute or so to cook on each side till it turns mocha brown, so keep flipping it now and again so as to prevent it from burning.

To serve sprinkle some icing sugar and fresh raspberries, or you can maybe even go extra chocolaty with some decadent chocolate sauce!!!(YUMMMMMMM!!!)

The Proposal!

 Scene1:  Spring 1988,Exterior.

I walked out in a semi-clad white nightdress, as the morning sun peeked in;  walked to my balcony, overlooking the Mediterranean where I was welcomed by breakfast. I gasped in joy, a tiny breathe held, at the sight of the feast that lay before me, and that of him. He was sitting on one of the wicker chairs in his linen shorts, eyebrow arching at my semi-nude appearance, on his open sunshade. Picking a croissant, I walked over and sat on his lap, as he wiped my hair from my face. There we sat, painting our picture of love. It was perfect. It was simple. It was us. He brought out the ring, a family heirloom  and said he loved me, for the second time loud, and asked me if I thought it was time. I smiled, and let go of my fourth finger. He was speaking, but I heard nothing as the antique slipped past my knuckles, falling right into place, leaving room for nothing but my first teary kiss.

Scene 2: Summer 1997,Location-The Concert.

He sings.  Not just the plain karaoke sing, but the Sting kinda sing. He's not much of a performer though, hence it is only during our personal conversations that last into the night that the music in him has surfaced. The first time I heard it, it was nothing short of dreamy, and hence I shall remember the way I looked that night(oh man!) as the years go by . Later, I kept nudging him to croon a little but he was so stubborn not to, that I finally let go, calling him a spoil sport. 
Well this is the setting. The proposal was a stunner. We had gone for a concert by an Indian troupe with good taste and before I knew it he was on stage, spotlight on, singing Bruno Mars' marry you. And a beautiful night it was! I meant to yelp in joy, while my Christian Grey inspired inner Goddess ran on stage held another mike and sang back in return performing the best duet and making out for the world to see, but even my imagination wouldn't take me that astray. I stood in the middle of the quadrangle, the red carpet leading right up to me, with candles and white roses on either side. He was still singing as he walked up to me bend on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I said YES with the widest, gummiest smile I could muster. I was miffed.

 
I love proposals!I believe in the proverbial ‘Happily ever afters’, the  knighst in their shining armor, and the knee benders. Yes, I love them all. 

To let you in on an obvious secret, in my minds theater, you must know,  I’ve scripted, enacted, directed some of the most beautiful proposals that could have been  (Goosebumps!!!) .
 
From fairytales to Rom-Coms, I shamelessly know it all like the back of my hand, the juicy details to the finest ins and outs! ! Excerpts(?) The the blue jewel encrusted satin Manolo Blahnik heel which ‘Big’ used in Sex and the City to seal the deal with ‘Carrie’ ,OR  the epic proposal by Mr.McDreamy, in the notoriously famed elevator ,’I’m not gonna get down on my knee, I’m not gonna ask a question, I love you Meredith Grey and I want  to spend my rest of my life with you!’(dreamy i was!) 

 
..OR when Luke(Ed Harris) slid the perfect ring, into Isabels(Julia Roberts) dainty fingers  in the movie  Step Mom using a precariously tied knot, wowing  not just with words, but with a highly adept manoeuvre OR when Adam Sandler strummed beautiful chords to sing his way into Drew Barrymore’s  heart with 
‘I want to Grow old with you’  in the movie  The Wedding Singer.There exists so many of these timeless, magnificent  moments  in cinema and I've caught girlfriends and ahem(yours truly) watching these mementos of celluloid, over and over again, reliving every instant, taking in every word, and moping away at you had me at hello.  

 It’s is perhaps in the strangest of circumstances that we find the emotion by the name of love, romantics like me clinging on to amayy-zing moments like that make our stories for tomorrow. Needless to be said though, this month of love is not only dedicated to the fantasies we have lived through, but also to the little joys that don't hit the table topics while getting you from one day to another. To which any guy may ask, then why celebrate? Well for reassurance, the extra smile, and our next big story for tomorrow.  The small thoughts count, but that isn’t cue to dismiss the big ones now, is it? 
Happy month of love!Have  a good one.
 

Cupid to the rescue!!!!

Feb 14!!! (A hypothetical tragedy) ---As your sitting in your office,typing away that mail of utmost significance,it hits you like a thunderbolt that you’ve completely forgotten, not jus to get the gift, or the flowers,or make a reservation at the fancy restaurant, which at that precise moment would have been more than over booked!!!!

 Lucky  for you(!!), we have three simple ways to salvage this ‘Cant  get worse than this’ worst case scenario!!So scroll on and wiggle into your action pants!

 The best of romantic venues can  be even at the comfort of your house!!!

 With xmas lights and few photographs and memorabilia you can create your own memory wall!

 Places you’ve been this year,stories and voyages shared ..…the options are limitless and all you need is Christmas lights,washi tape/cellophane tape and lots of well printed pictures.

 

King Prawn and Squid Pasta with sautéed spinach

 Now this is definitely one of the easiest, and yummiest recipes I’ve come across!!I owe it to Mr Jamie Oliver  for sharing this one!

Tweaked this recipe and it’s a definite win-win

 Spaghetti

 4 cloves of garlic

 2 tsp crushed red chilli

 4tsb Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 300 gms King Prawns and Squid

 400ml tomato puree(I’ve made it using baby plum tomato)

 Juice of one lime

 3 tbs White vine

 A bit of fresh parsley

 Crushed Pepper( to  taste)

 Salt

 Parmesan cheese

 200 gms spinach

 2 knobs of butter

  

 Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the crushed garlic and chilli. Roast till the garlic is golden brown. Add the prawns and the squid and the white wine. Let this simmer for a bit. Add a  bit of crushed pepper for seasoning, and some lime juice. Stir in the tomato puree and allow the mix to simmer on low heat. Season with salt and pepper(I like my pasta spicy ,so added extra pepper).
 Cook the spaghetti  in some boiling water according to the instructions. Toss the pasta with the sauce made, and add the chopped parsley.

 For the sautéed spinach, heat  some butter in a pan ,add a clove of garlic, and then the pasta, sauté it for 2-3 mins till the spinach is just cooked. Season with some salt and pepper.
 Plate the pasta and sprinkle some parmesan cheese.Enjoy!

Orange Panacotta

 When  time is a critical parameter Panacotta is definitely a saviour.

 With little ingredients and  minimalistic cooking time,pana cotta is an all time delight!

 15oml double cream

 300 ml Whole milk

 2 gelatine leaves

 1 vanilla pod

 75 gms sugar

 2 Large oranges-zest and juice

 

 For the Orange Reduction

 Juice of two oranges

 2 cloves

 A bit of cinnamon

 2 tbs of sugar

 Separate the zest of two oranges and pop them into the oven until it becomes dry. Make they don’t get  burned.

I left it in the oven for 10 min at 200deg cel.

 Soak the two gelatine leaves in some cold water ,until the leaves become soft.

 In a pan, heat the double cream along with sugar and the zest of orange and the vanilla pod split length wise. Stir the mixture continuously on low flame.

 Add  milk to this mixture ,stirring continuously. Care should be taken to ensure that the milk doesn’t boil.The milk should be just warm.If it tends to become too hot make sure remove it  from the flame and put it back once it cools down.
Squeeze out excess water from the  soaked gelatine leaves and add it to the milk ,stirring continuously till the gelatine is completely dissolved.

 Pour the mix into ramekins/bowls  and put it in the fridge for 2 hours.

For the orange reduction, pour the juice into a pan  along with some sugar.

Add the cloves and cinnamon, and simmer the liquid on the flame until  its reduced to a fine syrup.

The pana cotta should ideally wobble when you take it out of the fridge,put the bowl upside down on the plate and serve it with the orange reduction and some berries if available.

 Enjoy!!!