Gajar ka Halwa

  

Ingredients
1. Carrot, grated - 1kgs
2. Milk - 1 Litre
3. Sweet Condensed Milk - 400gm (1 tin)
4. Sugar - 1/2 cup
5. Cardamom, powdered - 4-5 nos
6. Saffron strands - a few
7. Almond, chopped - 5-6 nos
8. Raisins, chopped - 5-6 nos
9. Ghee - 4 Tbs

Method
1. Grate the carrots & keep aside.
2. In a wide heavy bottom pan, heat 3 tbs of ghee. Add the grated carrot & stir for 2-3 mins.
3. To this mixture, pour the milk, keep stirring occasionally till the milk is reduced & the mixture is semi dry.
4. At this stage, add condensed milk & sugar. Keep stirring occasionally & remove from flame when the mixture is almost dry.
5. Fry the almonds & raisins with 1 Tbs of ghee.
6. Add cardamom powder, almond & raisins to halwa.
7. Garnish with almonds & saffron strands.
8. Serve chilled.

Chocolate Fruit Cake

I have been making this cake for the last four years for Christmas. And its always a hit with my family & friends. I saw this cake been baked by Nigella Lawson on a TV program & tried it....of course with some personal touched added to it. 

I usually make this cake three weeks in advance & keep brushing it almost everyday with Drambuie Liqueur. The Drambuie Flavour mixed with the Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur to bake the cake make the cake awesome. I haven't clicked any pictures till now, but if I bake it this year, for sure, there will be a picture of the same. 

Ingredients

• 350 grams dried soft prunes, chopped
• 250 grams raisins
• 125 grams currants
• 175 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 175 grams dark muscovado sugar
• 175 ml honey
• 125 ml coffee liqueur 
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 2 tablespoons good quality cocoa
• 3 free-range eggs, beaten
• 150 grams plain flour
• 75 grams ground almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For decoration:

• 25 grams dark chocolate-covered coffee beans
• Edible glitter
• Gold mini balls
• About 10 edible gold stars
• 
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Line the sides and bottom of an 8 by 3 1/2-inch deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of baking parchment. When lining the tin with the parchment, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip)
3. Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
5. Pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
6. Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
7. To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange the gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole cake and sprinkle the top with edible glitter.

Source : Recipes from Feast by Nigella Lawson, published by Chatto and Windus