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"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." La Rochefoucauld
 Pistachio Olive Oil Brownies...the healthy choice & TRUE!!
I made these yummy brownies & I made them with olive oil!! Believe it or not...they were scrumptious. If you are looking for butter laden, rich, dense brownies then these are not for you. But, if indulgence & counting calories are your kind of conflicting inclination, then these are right up your alley!! Was surfing the net a few days ago & found this very interesting sounding brownie recipe...interesting because they were brownies made with olive oil accompanied by a stunning picture by Sabra @ Cookbook Catchall. The recipe that comes from Faith Heller Willinger?s new cookbook, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover is a twist on the traditional brownie in butter terms. The original recipe has a fruity olive oil which I didn't have, but we loved how these turned out, & I was glad to be able to offer the kids a healthy brownie option.  I tried to make them healthier by adding some oats to the recipe & was worried that disaster might strike. They turned out just great & are are a lovely, healthy brownie option, specially for dessert. It was actually quite intriguing to learn that you can turn out olive oil brownies that taste so good!! My other alteration to the recipe was the use of pistachio nuts, my favourite pairing with chocolate in taste & visual appeal. The brownies had a semi-dry cracked surface & were moist within. I thought they were beautiful.
 Equal Opportunity Kitchen is running a second round of their very successful first event Tried, Tested & True. The lovely ladies wanted to provide a forum for recipe sharing that people could go to when they needed something that was already proven, that wouldn't fail and would shamelessly make them look great.  Take 2 is on now, but with a slight difference; it's calling for health-promoting tried, tested and true recipes. This time, they're attaching a cause of importance to them, organ donation. " Just think about a submission that's healthy and tastes good - that you would feed to someone you love knowing that you were promoting good, healthy eating." This is absolutely great; I think there couldn't be a better way to promote & spread the message. You've got until Monday, July 21st (EST) to rush in your entries. Also, do do stop by & read a wonderfully inspiring story at Ann's @ Redacted Recipes. It's heart-warming & beautiful.  Onto the recipe now as adapted from Sabra @ Cookbook Catchall
Ingredients:Dark / bitter chocolate - 100 gms (broken into pieces & melt in microwave) Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
Flour - 1/2 cup Rolled Oats - 1/4 cup
Sea salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Eggs - 2 large; at room temperature
Caster sugar - 2/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Pistachio nuts - 2/3 cup; chopped (save some to sprinkle on top if you like)  Method:
Preheat the oven to 175C. Line an 8-inch (20cm) square baking pan with a lightly oiled and floured piece of parchment paper that overhangs the pan on two sides (this aids in removal later). - Whisk the oil into the melted chocolate. Leave to cool.
- Whisk together the flour + oats + salt together in a bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale, thickened and billowy, about five minutes. Fold in the vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and optional nuts, stirring just until everything is combined. Pour into the prepared pan and distribute evenly. Bake for 22-26 minutes (note from the Traveler's Lunchbox: I would recommend checking earlier to avoid over-baking - mine were just on the verge after 22 minutes). The top will be dry and crackly, though a toothpick inserted in the center should emerge still a little wet. - Cool completely, then cut into squares. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
 Served with a cuppa coffee...bliss!!
"Do not be afraid to go out on a limb. . .That?s where the fruit is." 
Fresh Plum Spice Cake Blogging is greatly inspiring. It's opens the mind to new ideas & makes you look at everything differently. Food blogging for foodies like me goes even a step further. A fruit means more than just a chomp now; it eggs me on to try & widen my horizons!  ...am still on a fruit trail
Cherries have all but disappeared from the market; they show up for a very short period in summer. Peaches, plums & mangoes still rule the roost, with mangoes creating a sort of flood. I'm in a hurry to try out something fruitfully plummy because plums are gonna disappear soon too. Until now, a plum was a mere juicy fruit to dig your teeth into & get splattered with juice ; also a connection to a beautiful colour. Googling opened new vistas & I set forth to try & experiment with a fresh plum cake. Would have thrown some ground almonds in too, but almonds being expensive, didn't have the heart to take a chance. As an after thought, they may well have tasted wonderful. *Sigh*...next time maybe, but I am rapidly turning into a 'try everything at least once' sort of a person...& 'the everything at least once list' is rapidly expanding towards infinity; at the best of times is quite daunting! Also, have to balance calories, the bane of our existence!! What a challenging thing life is!! 
Serving up a slice of happiness... Ingredients:
Plums ? 8 ; pitted & quartered
Pistachio nuts ? ½ cup ; roughly chopped
Butter ? ½ cup
Sugar ? 1 cup
Eggs ? 2
Vanilla Extract ? 1 tsp
Almond Extract ? 1 tsp
Flour ? 1 cup
Cinnamon powder ? 1 tbsp
Baking powder ? 1 tsp
Salt ? ¼ tsp
Topping :
Sugar ? 2 tbsps
Cinnamon powder ? 1 tsp
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees c. Grease & line bottom of a non-stick Victoria sandwich tin.Sift flour + cinnamon + baking powder + salt. Keep aside Sprinkle ¼ cup chopped pistachios on base of tin (over the lining). Top evenly with chopped plums. Cream butter + sugar till fluffy.Add eggs + both extracts & beat well. Mix in the flour mix well. Pour this batter evenly over the plums & pistachios. Mix the cinnamon & sugar for the topping in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top evenly & bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then turn out onto rack & gently peel off the lining off the top, scraping back any fruit that might cling on to the lining.  Give it a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar & the remaining chopped pistachios. Can dust with powdered sugar before serving again. Serve warm with a drizzle of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.  ... in the plum of things & loving it!!
 That's the verdict!!
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." Voltaire Frankies served with a Sweet & Sour Mango Chutney...really experience your senses!!
The thoughts of what to make for lunch ring in the head every morning the minute I wake up. Inspiration on a daily basis is hard to come by...but this morning Meeta @ What's For Lunch Honey came to my rescue. Have been fascinated by her post on frankies served with a mango chutney ever since I saw it served on her blog. Thoughts turned into opportunity when spicy Zlamushka @ Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen mailed the other day announcing WFLH was the blog in focus for this month's Tried & Tasted. I have bookmarked the lemon squares & the apricot pistachio ice-cream, amongst many others off Meeta's inspiring blog. But with mangoes in every hue & colour flooding the markets, what better time to indulge & appreciate a great recipe...a finger licking good mango chutney served with these yummy paneer/cottage-cheese frankies.
 Bombay Street Food at it's best...
You must hop over to Meeta's & read up her interesting post on Bombay street food, which these frankies form an integral part of. DH gave these a big thumbs up, & said the chutney reminded him of the one his grand mom used to make. The flavours throughout both were beautiful. THANK YOU Meeta for the wonderful post, & for bringing alive fond memories of days gone by. The recipe for the chutney & paneer / cottage cheese frankies is HERE .
  Sweet, Mildly Spicy & Sour Mango Chutney...finger-licking good!
I made the chutney with a combination of 2 green mangoes & 1 ripe mango (made 1/2 the recipe), but if you don't get green mangoes, don't fret. The original at Meeta's has been made just with ripe mangoes. Play around with the spices as you like...this is a great chutney to have on hand.
 I made half the amount of the recipe & got 2 jars. Kept tasting it while making it...very addictive...maybe ate up half a jar doing just that. I increased the chili flakes & figured that the black pepper gave it a great flavour & an interesting dimension. Do try & make the chutney a day in advance so that it chills in the fridge overnight. YUM!!
 Thank you Meeta for the wonderful experience, & Zlamushka for the opportunity to express it!  If it's bookmarked it HAS to head to Ruth @ Ruth's Kitchen Experiments for her 'Bookmarked Event'. There you go Ruth...another opportunity to cherish & treasure great recipes!
"If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits?"
Erma Bombeck  Mixed Berry & Nut ClustersAaaaaaaargh...it's just another of those days when time begins to run out on you even before morning has nicely broken!! Day before was a busyish day. I made cookies out of dried berries & I made chocolate chocolate-chip muffins from Nigella's recipe @ Food network...asking for trouble to tell you the truth! The muffins were not nice at all, so not worthy of being posted. Had my dear friend's kids over from Ukraine, so then made chocolate morsel cookies too. The kids are complete chocolate addicts & will not touch anything even remotely 'berry'! Manggy, your brother's got company!!  To make matters worse...no cake in the fridge for early morning indulgence. Donno what I'm talking about? Check out this at Cakespy...to all ya folk who feel guilty at sneaking a slice of cake out for breakfast, cupcakes, muffins included..we've got proof. IT'S OK!! Jessie says so & Bill Cosby always said so!! Since the muffins were a disaster, I quickly made a Zebra cake. Coffee with the Zebra...
 'Bean Thinking Coffee'... my entry for CLICK : July 08 Coffee/Tea
Back to the cookies in question. I've had some dried berries lying around for a while. Actually bits & bobs of all sorts, so I decided to clear them one fine day...came up with quite a treasure. Some craisins, some dried blueberries,currants, raisins etc. Better use 'em up before it's too late...books opened & a recipe found. 'Mixed Berry & Nut Clusters' turned out to be yummy, healthy cookies, best devoured the day they are made or the next. I think they taste best fresh, warm out of the oven with a glass of chilled milk. The kids had 4 each just after I made them. Home made cookies always taste better; it's been eons since I bought cookies from the store. These cookies had oats too... Mixed Berry & Nut Clusters... Adapted from 'Cranberry & Orange Clusters', 'The Colossal Cookie Cookbook', pg 277
Ingredients:
Butter - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup Grated rind of 1 orange
Egg - 1
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Rolled oats - 1 1/4 cups
Dried cranberries, currants, nuts etc - 3/4 cup
Flour - 1 1/4 cup
Baking powder -1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt  Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
- Beat butter + sugar + orange rind till fluffy.
- Add egg & beat again.
- Stir in the oats & berries, nuts etc.
- Sift the flour + baking powder + salt into the bowl & mix until evenly combined.
- Put spoonfuls of the mixtures on the sheets, leaving space for spreading in between. Flatten slightly with a fork. Sprinkle with a little vanilla sugar or coloured sprinkles.
- Bake for approx 15 minutes until risen & golden brown.
- Cool on rack. They will be soft when you take them out of the oven, but will become firm as they cool.
- Dressed up a few with sprinkles I had on hand...just to give the kids happy smiles!
 Colour always works up magic!!
"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. " Henry David Thoreau
 Stone Fruit Crisp - Peaches & Plums... This is quite the best time of the year to get inspired by summer fruits in food. This summer is special for me. The blogosphere is constantly churning out eye-catching & delicious fruity delights a dime a dollar!! It's difficult to catch up & make each of them, but I'm getting on slowly & steadily... a real feast for the eyes. Here's a stone-fruit crisp I made inspired largely by this 'Triple Berry Rhubarb Crisp' posted by Susan's @ Food Blogga. A single type of berry is hard enough to come by here where we live, so 'triple berry' could only exist in my dreams. I decided to go ahead & use what I had on hand...using this recipe for a 'Plum & Peach Crisp' from 101cookbooks.  PEACHES & PLUMS ... YUM YUM YUM!!
Peaches, plums, cherries and apricots are a few of summer's sweetest treasures. Few culinary pleasures compare with biting into a ripe sweet peach bursting with juice or enjoying a sugary sweet plum at the peak of its season. Most of the luscious fruits of summer are known as stone fruits because of the stone-like pit at the core of the fruit. When fully ripe and at the peak of their season, there's no better way to enjoy stone fruits than simply eating them just as they are - fresh, sweet and full of juice. However, the exquisite flavors of ripe stone fruits lend themselves to many creative uses, be it fruit salads, cobblers or compotes. 
The crisp was to be done for the following day, but I decided to do the fruit on day 1. Not too sure if peaches & plums were a 'hot' combination, I muddled ahead anyway, trying to make the best of what I had. By the time the fruit was done, there was no ambiguity left.  The combination was finger licking good, & spoonfuls were doing the disappearing act, so the bowl was hurriedly bundled into the fridge. Baked the crisp the next day. Must say that the flavours that overtook the house were unbelievable... fruity wafts filled the air & the plummy-peach or peachy-plum syrup started bubbling over the edges.  They have been and are still called by various names such as cobbler, tart, pie, torte, pandowdy, grunt, slump, buckles, crisp, croustade, bird's nest pudding or crow's nest pudding. They are all simple variations of cobblers, and they are all based on seasonal fruits and berries, in other words, whatever fresh ingredients are readily at hand. They are all homemade and simple to make and rely more on taste than fancy pastry preparation.
Early settlers of America were very good at improvising. When they first arrived, they bought their favorite recipes with them, such as English steamed puddings). Not finding their favorite ingredients, they used whatever was available. That's how all these traditional American dishes came about with such unusual names. Early colonist were so fond of these juicy dishes that they often served them as the main course, for breakfast, or even as a first course. It was not until the late 19th century that they became primarily desserts. A really simple dessert to make...Recipe for Peach & Plum Crisp as adapted from 101cookbook
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Flour - 1/4 cup
Rolled oats - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup chopped
Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
Ground ginger - 1/4 teaspoon
Butter - 4 tablespoons / melted  Method: To make the topping combine the oats, flour, sugar, ginger, almonds and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in the butter & mix until everything comes together in a dough-like texture. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the plum and peach mixture.
Filling:
Chopped peaches -2 cups ; chopped (about 3-4 large peaches)
Plums - 12-14; pitted & chopped
Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
Cornstarch - 2 tablespoons Method:
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Cut the peaches and plums into bite-sized, 1-inch pieces. Gently simmer for 2-3 minutes with the ginger & cinnamon. Don't overcook; the fruit should retain it's shape. In a separate small bowl whisk together the cup sugar and the arrowroot. Sprinkle over the fruit, toss gently (but well). Allow to cool slightly. Put the fruit into an 8" baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the plum and peach mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is golden & the fruit starts bubbling over the edges. Best served warm or at room temperature... even better with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Enjoy summer at it's best...
"Non-cooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet."
Julia Child
 This month's challenge is being posted on a sad note. Lis, one of the co-founders of Daring Bakers posted this on the 21st, "One of our own, Sher, of What Did You Eat?, passed away yesterday morning of a sudden heart attack. Sherry was an active blogger and her posts were always a joy to read. She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful woman, a devoted wife, mother and good friend.You can read a lovely tribute to her by one of her closest friends, Glenna, HERE.We're going to miss you, Sherry!!!!! "
 Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream, From Great Cakes by Carol Walter.... ...The Daring Bakers challenge this month was hosted by Chris @ Melle Cotte
As the sweet Chris said, It's one of those cookbooks (in the small bookstore within in my home) I am a bit fearful of. Honestly! Honestly, she scared me too, but went on to say she was already beginning to bake the cake to 'troubleshoot' any blips that may come up. How sporting & encouraging!! Just seeing her completed post egged me on to complete this daunting challenge. Check out the recipe at her blog HERE. 
Filberts are unheard of here, so I went for almonds straight away. The gateau was easy to bake, came out beautifully, the ganache was a cake-walk...what got me to my knees was the buttercream. It made me WEEP!! I guess the culprit is the HOT HOT weather, & I admit I knew exactly what I was going in for. In fact, got onto this challenge after oscillating like a pendulum for days together. My madness is documented in my DB diary below. The gateau itself was a big hit & was polished off before I could say Jack Robinson!! A tad sweet by my standards, but a wonderful, elegant gateau for cooler days. Lovely!!  Thanks a lot Chris, & my apologies for oscillating! Would have been my loss entirely!
dear diary...
7 July 08 : Have been swinging wildly this month since the Db challenge has been announced. Am desperately trying to cut down on the amount of butter & cream in sweet nothings...& being a DB certainly isn't helping! Eventually decided to give it a pass, but some strange magnetism draws me back to the forum at regular intervals. The pictures of cake posted by the host, Chris @ Melle Cotta, swung me back to taking up the challenge. This is really very addicitive, this baking thing, & must confess that the family has never seen a better year! Sweet & fruitful in every sense. The exilarating feeling after last months challenge, Danish pastry, has convinced me to go ahead too. DH, who is witness, mostly mute, to my ungainly fickle behaviour, nodded positively when I said "How will I know the beauty of the cake unless I give it a shot? Last month's Danish pastry taught me this lesson!" He nodded too receptively & far too bright-eyed... I think he enjoys being part of this drama that emerges every month.19 July 08: Dear DB diary...2 weeks later panic has struck. Time is of the essence & I'm not even started as yet. It's Saturday & I have been mysteriously struck with laryngitis...so no voice to express myself. In other words, no voice to YELL!! Kids are pleased & over the moon; I am distressed & cannot bake. Feeling like it's a Bridget Jones type of moment again...aaaaaaaaargh!!
20 July 08: More panic...whatever shall I do. Nothing seems to happen with the kids at home. Tomorrow is THE DAY!! Bookmarked!! At least the cake HAS to be baked!! Firm resolve. All I comfortably have on hand is a bag of almonds & clarified butter...YAY!!
21 July 08: Lack of time looms large...but today has been bookmarked to make a definite beginning. The cake is finally in the oven, with the heart in the mouth, because electricity has been playing up of late. I am even practicing how to react if it gets up & goes halfway thorugh...real drama in my mind. Shall I just present a half-baked wonder & tell my tale on the blog; do I have the 'get up & go' to get up & make another one? Being a DB is not childs' play...this is serious business. Realised it on my first challenge; confirmed & reconfirmed it on every subsequent one!! O woebegone me...hope I live to tell my tale!! 5 minutes to go & the almond genoise shall be popped out of the oven. Halfway daring if nothing else!! Ciao for now, diary my dear!! P.S. Just came back to let you know that electricity upped & awayed 10 minutes after the cake was done...providential escape!! Must have done something good sometime to have narrowly missed high drama. Now the sponge is safely in the fridge, swathed in cling wrap & a plastic bag. Maybe, I shall endeavour to embark on the next step in a day. Got 3 days in the fridge!! Woohoo...
22 nd July 08 : Huge moment of indecision; am down with the viral & can feel the panic setting in. Can't make it today...maybe the freezer is a safer place. So now...phew...the blessed thing is sitting happy in the freezer.
25th July 08: 5 days to go & the DB pressure has been steadily building. What if all I have is a cake sans frosting...panic again. Praline time early in the morning. Doesnt become pasty as the recipe says, but is pretty close to it. Weather update : HOT HOT HOT; humidity 87%. NOT a good time to frost, but little choice left;the cake's out of the freezer. SOB!! No way will buttercream come together after reading so many buttercream horror stories, so I've decided to go the whipped cream way. See you in a bit... Am back & am ready to run away...migrate to the Southern hemisphere if need be. The whipped cream BROKE UP big time after the praline went in...so the freezer is busy again. The cream is in there!! Made the ganache, which is my all time favourite way of frosting...but no longer. Things are melting faster than the moments left to the deadline, & I've decided I hate frosting! The kitchen is HOT...only saving grace is that the kids are at school & DH is at work. I could SCREAM!! Am trying to calm down; this is a challenge after all... OK, am back again. Have patched the cake together with melted marmalade & melted whipped cream, poured the ganache over it. At 37 degrees C in the kitchen, hardly needed to grate the bar of chocolate to decorate my poor gateau...it almost dripped all over the cake. I drizzled the praline buttercream over the cake...looks so sad. It's back in the fridge as I'm getting outta here...don't think I can take it!  2 hours later, am back. Chris's words are still ringing in my mind. The praline has to be on the cake in some form & buttercream too. So, there is loads of praline paste/powder left...I've stuck it into the sides. Have also made some buttercream which I've piped on in a hurry. Topped the cake with a few flakes & almonds to make it look halfway decent...& I"M DONE!! This is definitely a winter cake. Will take it across to my parents place this eve...baked this for a belated birthday for my Dad. We shall know tomorrow, the fate of this DB. 26th July 08: What an absolutely beautiful day...Cake cut & devoured quite happily last night. Was a little on the sweeter side. This despite the fact that I didnt use even a 1/4 of the sugar syrup, & halved the preserves. Shouldn't have sweetened the whipped cream I think. Otherwise, was a brilliantly soft & moist cake with a subtle flavour. Almonds, chocolate & orange really compliment each other beautifully...but there wasn't a very pronounced almond flavour, even though I used loads of almonds. This is definitely a winter cake & will taste most yummy in cooler weather. The sponge had a lovely nutty yet light texture & the whole cake disappeared too soon. Maybe the next time I make it, will add ground almonds sans praline to the whipped cream, like I've done here, in this Chocolate Cloud Orange Gateau. That way the cream will stay firmer & less sweet too. Otherwise, a very elegant cake, with a load of work....a challenge indeed!  Thank you Chris, a delightful choice & a challenging bake.Do also stop by at other Daring Bakers across the blogosphere here & check out their delightful Gateaux & tales!!
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Blog Directory ID: 1032
Blog URL: http://passionateaboutbaking.blogspot.com/
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Blog Description: My blog catalogs my baking passion...with some recipes that I have created, and others I have tried. Its a passion for creativity which reflects in my food. Also has pictures of nature, photography, blog event entries...just to
show what fun the blogosphere can be! DO STOP BY!
Blog Tags: Baking - Healthy - Recipes - home made - Food Art - Photography 
Blog Category: Recipe Blogs
Blog Owner: Deeba
Blog Added: November 13, 2007 03:51:05 AM
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