Flourless Mandarin Cake and Mascarpone

Tis the season for Oranges...

I got such rave reviews with the last orange cake so I am making this new invention with Mandarins this time. Again you can use any oranges that you have available. I just like to experiment with new flavors.

If you have been following my blog you already know about my inspiration to cook comes from my exceptional mom and her love for food. This is my way to carry on her legacy with my writing and recipes.

This cake reminds me of the winter days when we used to sit out in the sun as a family and enjoy the ripe juicy and oranges, brings back so many precious family moments. During the winter months, Oranges were abundant and my mom insisted on making some home-made marmalade which I never cared for at the time. It was too pungent and strong for me but now I miss having my mom live close by and make it for me. Anyhow, this is my way to recreate some of those amazing aromas wafting from her kitchen and I am using the same technique that she used to cook the oranges for the marmalade.

To macerate, means to soak and soften in liquid and in this recipe we are cooking whole mandarins in simmering water to soften and plump them to later add to the cake batter. This eliminates some of the bitterness from the orange peels but they still have that bitterness from the oil i the peels. This is definitely an adult tasting dessert and very marmalady (that's not even a word)

The velvety richness from the almond paste and the intensity from the Mandarins makes it incredibly delicious.

RECIPE: Flourless Mandarin Cake and Mascarpone

Ingredients

For Mandarins:
4-5  Mandarins
1-2 Sticks Cinnamon

For Almond Paste:
2 Cups Almonds, blanched
2 Cups Confectioners Sugar
2 Egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Cream or milk

For Cake:
6 Eggs
2 1/3 Cup Almond Paste
1 tsp Baking powder

For Garnish:
Mascarpone
Cointreau or orange liqueur (optional)
Orange, peeled and cut into thin circular slices.

Method:

1. For Mandarins: Put mandarins in a pot of cold water with the cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 hours and let cool. Drain water and cut mandarins into fine dice with pith and peel and all :)
2. For Almond Paste: Put 2 Cups blanched almonds in a food processor and process until smooth. Add 2 Cups confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 egg whites and 2 Tbsp cream or milk and process it into a very smooth paste.
3. For Cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease any medium size pan or bowl that is deeper than a cake pan. You can use a bundt pan too. In a bowl beat all 6 eggs. Add almond paste, 1 tsp baking powder and the chopped mandarins. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour till the skewer test is clean. Cover cake at the 45 minute mark to prevent browning the top.
4. For Garnish: Garnish the cake with finely sliced mandarin rounds and a drizzle of Cointreau on top. Slice it and serve on to plates with a dollop of Mascarpone.

Step-by-step process,

For Mandarins: Put mandarins in a pot of cold water with the cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 hours and let cool. Drain water and cut mandarins into fine dice with pith and peel and all :)

For Almond Paste: Put 2 Cups blanched almonds in a food processor and process until smooth. Add 2 Cups confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 egg whites and 2 Tbsp cream or milk and process it into a very smooth paste.

For Cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease any medium size pan or bowl that is deeper than a cake pan. You can use a bundt pan too. In a bowl beat all 6 eggs. Add almond paste, 1 tsp baking powder and the chopped mandarins. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour till the skewer test is clean. Cover cake at the 45 minute mark to prevent browning the top.

For Garnish: Garnish the cake with finely sliced mandarin rounds and a drizzle of Cointreau on top. Slice it and serve on to plates with a dollop of Mascarpone.

This turned out AMAZING!! Enjoy making it and don't forget to leave some feedback. Thanks.

10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss

Hope you are enjoying making these recipes. I have had a lot of fun creating them and for today's dish we have a low-carb, low-fat but rich in protein and nutients recipe. The kids ate Indian stuffed naans for dinner last night and I was in no mood for a carb-rich dinner. So once I had the kids in bed for the night I rummaged  through my fridge to look for what I could make for my own meal. I had been craving meat and veggies after all the vegetarian food I had been eating lately :). I also wanted to keep it low-carb since it was late in the day and I absolutely did NOT want another Salad...

Anyhow, I got Tuna steak from my freezer and found kale and green beans that were almost wilting so they needed to be cooked soon. Let me tell you that some of my best creations have been through these random cravings. Lets get this cooking. I was not planning to document this but I got a few pictures so you will get the picture of what I am talking about.

RECIPE: 10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss
Ingredients
Olive Oil Spray
4-5 Oz Tuna Steak, fresh or frozen cut into cubes chunks
1/2 Onion, chopped into big
1 Cup Kale, chopped
1 Cup Green beans, chopeed into 2" long segments
5-7 Garlic cloves, peeled 
1/4 Cup Marsala wine
Salt to taste
Red peper flakes (optional)
2 tsp Garam Masala, Roasted and ground (how I like it, from scratch)

Method

1. Spray the non stick pan with some Olive oil and throw in the whole garlic cloves. Keep it on hight heat and let them sizzle to a light brown. Add the Onion chunks and cook till caramalized, still on hight heat. Don't let it burn. This should take 3 minutes.
2. Add the marsala wine to get them all glazed and juicy. Reduce heat to medium and add the kale and greenbean. Saute for a couple of minutes till the kale wilts and the green beans are a little soft. I like to keep my veggies crunchy and bright colored. Overcooking not only loses the vibrant color but also depletes the flavor and nutrients.
3. Add the tuna and cook for a couple of minutes. Tuna does not take very long to cook. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.
4.  Add salt, pepper flakes and garam masala. give it a good toss and there you have a perfect meal that is not a salad.

Onion and Garlic

Garam Masala, roasted and ground

This has been the best meal in a long time and totally hit the spot. Enjoy!!

Creamy Carrots and Red Bell Pepper Curry

Carrots and Bell peppers!!! Really!

That might sound a little off but believe me this combination of red bell peppers and carrots rocks. This curry does require a little cream but is worth every extra calorie. I tried it for the first time several years ago not knowing what to expect but since then have loved making it for friends and family. It is super quick and looks and tatses amazing. Lets get right to it.

RECIPE: Creamy Carrots and Bell Pepper Curry
(adapted from Ammas Kitchen)
Ingredients
16 Oz Carrots, peeled, washed and cut diagonally
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 tsp Paprika powder
2  Red Bell peppers
1 Tbsp Olive oil
3/4 Cup Cream or half and half
Coriander leaves for Garnish

Method

1. Peel, wash and cut the carrots into thick diagonal piece. Set aside.
2. Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and veins. Spray oil on the skin side and roast/bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes till they are soft but not browning on the top. Let them cool a little.
3. In a skillet, heat Olive oil and add the garlic paste. Saute it for a minute.
4. Add the carrots, sugar and salt. Cook on hight heat and let the carrots brown and caramalize on the edges. The sugar we added helps hasten the process. Keep flipping it over every few minutes so they don't burn. This should take 7-10 minutes.
5. While the carrots are cooking, blend the cream with the cooked red bell peppers to a fine puree.
6. Add paprika powder and white pepper powder. Now add the Bell pepper, cream puree and let simmer for about 5 minutes. The curry will automatically thincken a little.
7. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and swirl a tsp of cream on top. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Step-by-step process,

Peel, wash and cut the carrots into thick diagonal piece. Set aside.

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds and veins. Spray oil on the skin side and roast/bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes till they are soft but not browning on the top. Let them cool a little.

In a skillet, heat Olive oil and add the garlic paste. Saute it for a minute.
Add the carrots, sugarand salt. Cook on hight heat and let the carrots brown and caramalize on the edges. The sugar we added helps hasten the process. Keep flipping it over every few minutes so they don't burn. This should take 7-10 minutes.

While the carrots are cooking, blend the cream with the cooked red bell peppers to a little chunky puree.

Add paprika powder and white pepper powder. Now add the Bell pepper, cream puree and let simmer for about 5 minutes. The curry will automatically thincken a little.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and swirl a tsp of cream on top. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Hope you enjoy it :)