Fruit Salad with Icecream - Summer special

 Fruit salad with icecream is a delicacy and a perfect summer treat that is enjoyed by all . This is the best way to get kids eat the fruits by tempting with a scoop of ice cream . A very easy to make dessert with no cooking and stirring  at all. More so, there is no particular hard and fast recipe,we can add whatever fruits we like or have on hand and customize as per our wish .

If you would like to enjoy a guilt free  fresh fruit  indulgence, then you must definitely try the Fruit Chaat / Fruit bowl recipe on my blog. 

Fruit salad with icecream was a very pricey and prestigious dessert during my childhood days . I am sure the 80s kids will have an emotional connect with this yummy and tasty dessert . It used to feature on the menu of famous restaurants and on the occasional visit we would all crave for this and if lucky our parents would give in to the demands and treat us . I was lucky a few times to be privileged to enjoy this lipsmacking dessert at my favorite restaurant as a child . Also if we attended wedding reception during summer, the dinner buffet will always serve fruit salad with icecream for dessert .

Vanilla ice cream tastes best with this fruit salad or in summers you can top it with mango ice cream, but my personal favorite is vanilla icecream drizzled with some rose syrup . 

You can also use home made icecream of your choice . To make a creamy home made ice cream  check Priya's chocolate ice cream.

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - nil
Serves - 2 to 3 
Complexity - easy

Ingredients 

2 cups  of chopped assorted fruits 
(I have used mangoes , black grapes ,green grapes,  apples ) 

2 to 3 tbsp assorted chopped nuts 
(cashews   pistachios and almonds) 

2 tsp honey
3 to 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream 
Some rose syrup to drizzle (optional)

Method 

• Wash the fruits well and peel the skin from mangoes and apples .
• Chop the apples and mangoes into small chunks . Cut the grapes into halves .Makes it easier to mix and  eat it too.
• Mix the chopped nuts along with cut fruits ,drizzle some honey and gently mix it.
• Refrigerate until use .

To serve

• Take a bowl and add in the chopped fruits, place a scoop of icecream on the fruits,drizzle the rose syrup and serve immediately. You can also garnish with some more chopped nuts if you like.

Pin me up !!

Rose Kulfi - No Standing & Stirring : ready under 10 mins

 There is a popular saying by Bill Gates ; “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

This time around I was in a very similar situation where I had promised my family for rose kulfi to satisfy the parched throats but somehow I couldn't get into the groove and make it . The summer heat was killing me and it was getting impossible for me to stand for long  and reduce the milk on the stove top as it is traditionally done for setting a creamy kulfi . That is when it struck to me , why not use the microwave and reduce the milk and viola that is how this delicious and creamy rose kulfi mix was prepared in less than 10 mins. 

I always prepare another classic Kesar Malai Pista Kulfi in the traditional manner by reducing the milk on stove top and was skeptical about the microwave outcome for rose kulfi . 

To be truthful and honest, I found no difference in taste or texture and it was so much a breeze to prepare in the microwave alongside my other kitchen work as it saves a lot of time and energy too .

Myself and Archana were paired this time for the Shhh Cooking Secretly challenge's April Theme hosted by Pavani . Pavani chose "Frozen Treats" for the blazing summer and I really enjoyed preparing this kulfi for the theme as well as for my family who loves to enjoy icereams and kulfi. Archana gave me milk and butterscotch essence as the secret ingredients. 

Archana has dished out the classic Vanilla Icecream with a lot of nuts with the secret ingredients Nuts and cornflour that I shared with her. For kids who love to lick on Oreo Biscuits, Pavani's No Churn Oreo Icecream is the  best summer treat .

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins
Setting Time - 8 to 12 hrs 
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

500ml full fat milk  (boiled)
200ml condensed milk
Few drops of butterscotch essence 
3 tablespoon rose syrup
Roughly chopped Pistas for garnish 
1 tsp after mint (mukhwas) for garnish 

Method

• In a wide microwave safe mixing bowl , add the milk and condensed milk and mix it well with 1 tbsp rose syrup.
• Microwave it for 3 mins and take it out and stir once scraping the milk residue from sides and put it back in the microwave for 2 mins . The mixture would have thickened slightly .
• Remove it and add the balance rose syrup and microwave again for 3mins after scraping out all the milk residue . I have not used extra sugar as the rose syrup and condensed milk had enough sugar to sweeten the kulfi.  You may add some if you need .
• Remove and let it cool for 2 mins . Dip a spoon and if the milk mixture forms a thick coating on the back of the spoon, then your kulfi mix is ready ,else put it back on for 2 more mins .
• Even though we remove it from the microwave, the heat will be still enough to cook the milk further and reduce it .
• Add in the butterscotch essence, mix well and let it cool completely.  Donot cover with a lid ,leave it open or cover it with a netted plate or colander so that the condensed steam doesn't fall back into the milk mixture .
• Once the kulfi mix is cooled completely, transfer it to a steel box or any freezer safe box and cover with a clingfilm or aluminum foil and leave it undisturbed to set in freezer for 8 to 12 hrs .
• Scoop out the desired quantity in ice cream bowl and garnish with nuts and after mint and enjoy . You may also drizzle some rose syrup for extra taste and flavor .

Pin it up and enjoy !!

Orange Granita - Vegan Dessert

 Granita is a frozen fruit based dessert made using fresh fruit juice and a sweetening agent like honey or sugar and then freezing it . Granita has its origin somewhere in Italy and is popular all over Italy and relished in various flavors . 

Granita is also known as Granita Sciciliana as it was originally made in Sicily . 

To  me this Granita personally reminded of the Indian ice slush delicacy "Gola" ,"Chuski" or "Ice Gola"  where flavored syrup is poured over slushed /crushed ice and topped with some spices like chat masala. When I took a bite of this Orange Granita , I was transported to my childhood where we would occassionally get to indulge into a Gola and my favorite was Kala Khatta or Orange Gola.

I donot mind calling Granita as "Desi Gola Videshi Andaaaz mein"  

If you are wondering, why am I posting this Italian Dessert out of the blue especially when it is chill and raining in many cities in India , well you guessed it right ! It is Monday and time for our weekly post on Foodie Monday bloghop . This week it was Archana's turn to suggest and majority of us opted for Fruit Based Dessert and that is how Orange Granita was born in my kitchen. Archana has some delectable recipes on her blog "The Mad Scientist's kitchen" and true to the name she definitely experiments a lot like a Scientist with her ingredients and recipes. Some of her recipes on my To Do list are Ice Cream Loaf Cake , Samosa Chat . Do check out her space for some really delicious bakes and desserts. 

How does a Granita look like ?

Granita has a crystalline texture and resembles more like crushed ice .

How do we achieve the texture ? 

We must not let the fruit juice freeze completely. In intervals of 30 to 45 mins we must take it out of the freezer and scrape off the slushy mixture and this must be done till the entire mixture appears like crushed ice .

How long does it take to set the granita?

Minimum setting is around 3 hrs. It may take longer depending on the freezer's temperature control.

What is the shelf life ?

Granita stays fresh upto a week when kept properly stored in the freezer.

What are the main ingredients in a Granita?

There are just 3 main ingredients fruit juice , water and sweetener . Sweetener can either be sugar or  honey . Any kind of fresh fruit juice or even flavored fruit juice can be used . The quantity of sugar or honey to be used depends on the sweetness of the fruit juice. We can adjust the level of sweetness accordingly.

How is granita served ?

It is served more like a slush based drink in either small cups or little bowls with a spoon or straw.  Keep the granita frozen  until you serve.

Ingredients

300ml fresh orange juice. 

**you can also used canned orange juice if you donot have fresh oranges. 

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 to 3 tbsp sugar 

Method

Melt the sugar in 1/2 cup water  and boil until it melts. Let the sugar syrup cool for a while.

Now stir in the orange juice and lemon juice into the sugar syrup and mix it well.

Transfer it to a freezer safe container , cover it with a lid or cling film and place it in the freezer.

After 45 mins, take it out of the freezer and you can see that it has set partly and appears semi frozen. Take a fork or spoon and break all the semi frozen crystals and put it back into the freezer. The mixture will appear like a slush now. Donot worry about it.

After the next 45 mins take it out again and break the crystals . This time it would have frozen a little more than the last time. 

Repeat this process of breaking the crystals until the entire juice now appears like crushed ice and has a granular teaxture . Keep it frozen until you serve.

To serve, take a scoop and scrape out a mixture of the granita and place it a dessert bowl or small cups and serve. You can drizzle some honey for extra sweetness or garnish with some cherries or mint as well. 

Some delicious and unique fruit based desserts from my blogger friends that will surely interest you all -

Lip smacking Mango & Passion fruit paletas by Mayuri ji of Mayuri's Jikoni 

Innovative Watermelon Pizza by Poonam who blogs at Annapurna

Evergreen Mango Mastani by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds 

Healthy watermelon berry smoothie by Swaty who owns Foodtrails25

Refreshing Lemon icecream by Priya of Photowali

Granita is being linked to week 259 - Fruity Bites

Malai Kesar Pista Kulfi | Indian icecream | Indian Frozen Dessert

Kulfi or Qulfi is an Indian frozen diary dessert which is popular across the Indian Subcontinent . Kulfi is similar to ice cream but it is dense and creamier as there is no whipping involved in the process of preparation. The milk is reduced to a thick consistency and the necessary flavors are added to the reduced milk and then frozen . As the consistency is thick and dense ,kulfi doesn't melt as easily as an ice cream.
The typical flavors are elaichi (cardamom),pista (pistachio) ,saffron (kesar/zaffran) ,almonds + pista (badam + pista) and combination of various flavors like kesar ,pista,badam ,cardamom.

Today's recipe involves just 3 main ingredients and it can be made easily at the comfort of your home.
There are kulfi moulds in which you can set the kulfi or it can be set in a normal container and can be scooped out and served.

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 30 mins
Setting Time - 8-10  hrs
Complexity - simple

Ingredients

1/2 litre milk with minimum 4.5% fat .( You can also use full fat cream milk)

400 ml condensed milk ( I have used milkmaid)

handful of badam and pista (almonds and pistachios)

2-3 cardamoms

1/2 tsp saffron strands / kesar 

Method

• In a blender jar, pulse the badam, pista and elaichi into a fine powder . Donot grind it more as it will start releasing the oils from the nuts.
• In a thick bottomed saucepan or even a 3 litre pressure cooker , boil the milk . As the milk boils reduce the flame and add the saffron strands and keep cooking for 7-8 mins until the milk reduces and becomes slightly thick . Keep stirring the milk,else it will stick to the bottom and burn .
• Add the can of condensed milk and continue to cook for another 4-5 mins . (Do not stop stirring) 
• Add the powdered badam pista , quickly stir it so that the lumps are not formed and if you see any lumps, break them using the back of a ladle.
• Turn off the stove and completely cool the mixture till it reaches to room temperature .
• Transfer it into kulfi moulds or you can even set it in a food grade plastic container or a stainless steel box and freeze it for 8-10 hours. (Adjust the freezer compartment settings to Maximum)
• If setting in a container, make sure you put a cling film cover before you can close the lid. This will prevent crystallization of ice .
• You can scoop the kulfi out and serve in ice cream bowls or de mould from the kulfi mould and serve it 

Tips:

• While the mixture is boiling ,keep scraping the milk that solidifies or sticks to the sides of the pan . This will ensure the mixture doesn't burn and it becomes easy to clean the pan later.
• Remove the kulfi container or mould and keep it in the refrigerator compartment about 5-10 mins before serving .This will make it easy to demould or scoop .

Pin me !!