Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 heaping cup mashed overripe banana (2 large or 3 small)
2 eggs, beaten
½-1 cup peanut butter chips (depending on how much you love PB), lightly coated in flour and coarsely chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F
Grease and flour a 9x5 bread loaf pan
In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda
In another bowl and using a hand or stand mixer, cream the sugars and butter until light and fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time then mix in the banana puree
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions, mixing until just combined
Working gently, fold the peanut butter chips into the batter
Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Loaf will be dark golden brown and will not rise much. It tends to look pretty flat and like you may have made a mistake but fear not!
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing. YUMMMM

Sour cream Coffee Cake

I made this cake for my residents that had to attend a lecture of mine at 7am. Sad!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups (300grams) sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups (16oz sour cream)
3 cups (375grams) AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp table salt


Filling:
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/3rd cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp

Method:

- Generously butter and flour a 10-15 cup Bundt pan and preheat oven to 350F
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add Vanilla.
- Add half flour then alternate with half the sour cream and mix until incorporated then follow with rest of flour and sour cream.
- Pour half of batter into bundt pan, add filling in an even layer. Pour remaining batter on top and cover filling
- Bake for 45-50 minutes
- Cool 10 minutes in pan before inverting on wire rack

Serve with powdered sugar on top. YUMMMMMM!

Mocha Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:

• 150 g (1.5 cups) Graham cracker crumbs (You could also do a chocolate cookie crumb base)
• 87g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 67g (1/3rd cup) sugar 
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 12 oz (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips (use the best chocolate you can get)
• 1 tsp espresso granules (or more depending how much coffee flavor you like)
• 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped cream (I added half a vanilla bean to my whipped cream and the flavor was perfect with the cheesecake) and strawberries for serving

METHOD:

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Set aside.

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate just until blended. Pour filling over crust.
• Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• Serve slices with whipped cream, strawberries and Abelour Scotch (or at least that's what we did :). Refrigerate leftovers. 
• Note: Can be made up to a day ahead and the leftovers on day 3 were actually even better.

Indian Night at Casa Burkapati!

Terrible photos but everything was delicious. Keema Aloo, Coconut and tomato Dal, Channa masala with pumpkin and spinach and Cucumber Raita. Served with Rice, Naan and Samosas.

Cardamom-Apricot Macaroons for Passover

These were a huge hit and might be the simplest dessert I have ever taken to a party! I adapted the recipe from Leites. I didn't dunk them in chocolate but I assume that would only make them better :)

Ingredients:
1 14 oz bag of sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-6 cardamom pods, seeds crushed into a powder (I used a mortar and pestle)
1/4 cup dried apricots cut into tiny pieces

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mix everything together in a bowl and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. I found this allowed the egg white to soak into the coconut a bit more
3) Using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, place tightly packed mounds on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper
4) Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how golden brown you want them. Watch them closely after 15 minutes
5) Cool on a wire rack and try not to eat four at one sitting

What's not to love about a Jewish holiday? :)

Lemon Currant Scones

Today was the annual residents high tea and as usual it was filled with butter, masala tea and lots of fun. The menu consisted of these scones, vanilla-cardamom panna cotta, chocolate chip cookies and tea sandwiches (egg salad, english cheddar cheese, and hummus and carrot).

Ingredients:
3 cups AP flour (375g)
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
zest 1 large lemon
1 cup currants
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 egg
scant 1 cup milk

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2) Add zest of lemon to sugar in a small bowl and use finger tips to work zest into sugar

3) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Add currants. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.

4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet

5) Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

We enjoyed these warm with whipped cream and raspberry jam as part of a High Tea Spread :)

Healthy Pumpkin Loaf

It's that time of year when canned pumpkin and nutmeg get in bed together and not a moment too soon! This bread is very low in sugar and has no butter at all. That means that it asks for a liberal slathering of salted butter before eating. I thought all the whole wheat and oat flour would result in a dry bread but it was super moist and absolutely delicious, probably due to the amount of pumpkin and applesauce in it. I ate two slices warm with butter for dinner and wrapped the other cooled slices in wax paper and cling wrap. I keep the extra slices double bagged in ziploc bags to prevent freezer burn. It is just the best to have pumpkin bread whenever you want it!

Recipe (adapted from www.immaeatthat.com)
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup oat flour (I made this by pulsing 1 cup of rolled oats in a food processor)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg (depending on how much you like nutmeg)
1/2 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 15oz can pumpkin
2 Tbspn Olive oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup apple sauce

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mix all dry in a large bowl
3) Mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl
4) Combine and mix well
5) Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour
6) Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then take loaf out of pan and cool completely on wire rack before cutting
7) Slather with butter and enjoy! Other delicious toppings might include cream cheese and maple syrup (OMG) and peanut butter.