Just The Cutest Thing - Pumpkin Cheesecake

Amidst all the bad news coming out of Gaza today (just end it soon, you gobshite politicians/diplomats! GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH), there was this teensy weensy story that caught my eye. It was the only bit of news that managed to put a smile on my face. I was actually laughing by the end of it.

Two kids from Germany, a 6 year old boy (Mikah) and a 5 year old girl (Annalina), actually tried to elope to Africa to get married. They sneaked off in the middle of the night as their parents were sleeping. When asked "Why Africa?", they replied that they wanted to go somewhere warmer for their wedding because it was too cold where they were. They packed all kinds of things like sunglasses and sunblock in their little suitcases. The news report showed that these little scamps even had the presence of mind to bring along a witness for their marriage ceremony - Mikah's 7 year old sister. Of course, they didn't have any money for railway or plane tickets, so were stopped by the police who begged them to reconsider their decision, and were then returned safely to their parents.

Dear readers, let's take a moment to react to this.

MmmmmppphhhhhhhhAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA !!

Okokok ... I'm fine now. The news report also said that it was the boy's idea, because he was the one madly in love with the girl. The girl "liked" the boy so decided to go along with it. So what do you think, folks? Will this "love" last?! heh heh heh - I give that girl 2 weeks before the next cute boy in kindergarten gives her a heart-shaped candy ... then it's "be seein' ya" for poor Mikah! I've got to give the little dude some credit though; at least he wasn't afraid of commitment!

I have a 5 year old niece myself, so just imagining her packing up a little Dora suitcase to run away with the boy she "loves" ... I don't know whether to laugh or cry or just break out into a sheer panic! I have a feeling that after reading this news story, parents everywhere will be just a wee bit more paranoid about the girls and boys their little pre-schooler is hanging out with!

Well, no matter what, it is just the cutest little story in the news today. Deepak Chopra would've said something like, "See? Didn't I tell you that 'love' was the universal truth?". All I could come up with was to have a really 'sweet' post today. It's dessert time, folks! Numnum.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Ginger-Pecan Crust (inspired by Ree's sensational recipe on her blog, Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups gingersnaps
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup melted butter
2 rbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the gingersnaps in the food processor first and blend till you get a coarse crumb mixture.
3. Then add the chopped pecans and pulse a few times.
4. Combine all the crust ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Use a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Form the crust by pressing the crumbly mixture firmly to the bottom of the pan and an inch up the sides. Bake this in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.

Filling:
2 8-oz packages of plain cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
2 tbsp milk/cream
1 cup raspberries (garnish)

1. Mix all of the above filling ingredients in a blender, making sure it ends up with a super-smooth consistency.
2. Pour this into the cooled crust and place in the oven for 55 mins.
3. Remove when done and let it cool for 20 mins before trying to remove the sides of the springform pan. Arrange raspberries on top as you please!

Hello my pretty. You look lovely this morning. Your color makes me feel warm inside. And NO folks, I didn't eat that entire missing slice ... I shared ... some.

WARNING: Licking your computer screen is harmful, considering you can't even remember the last time you cleaned it.

The verdict? Readers, it is divine. This recipe is foolproof. So the top was cracked, big deal! Just the right amount of creaminess, accented by a balanced flavor of pumpkin, spices, cheese .. and that dose of ginger from the crust. The raspberries helped, giving it that kick to play off the richness of the cheesecake. Thumbs up - definitely IN my "impressive desserts" repertoire.

Magic Beans - Rajma

Do you believe in destiny? The protagonist in this year's sleeper hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" certainly does. How refreshing!

Y'know dear readers, it's so easy to become cynical in this world. Maybe it's a New York thing. Even when something good falls into my lap, I'll often have one of two immediate reactions: a) be a total skeptic and look for the "catch", OR b) get paranoid about losing it and hoard the good news all to myself till I'm 200% sure that no one will take it away from me! And Lord help the stranger who does something really sweet for me, for no reason! Pffffffffshhhh. My sick mind will instantly either go for "huh, what the hell's wrong with this person?!" or "walk away walk away ignore ignore ignore". *sigh* ah me.

There is good news though. My brain may be very slow to trust (because isn't that what it all boils down to?), BUT my heart can often kick-start it into action. I've learnt to give most people and situations the benefit of the doubt. And believe me, life is sooooooooo much less stressful that way! Now when good things happen, I celebrate them. When a person shows me some kindness, I smile at them graciously. And above all, I thank the Big Guy above for all my blessings!

It wasn't easy watching this movie "Slumdog Millionaire" the other day (go check it out because it's definitely playing in some theater near you). I get really queasy during uncomfortable scenes. Almost nauseous - but I made myself watch this (am I a glutton for punishment? Possibly. But that's a thought for another day!). It was tough to see people, especially kids, go through such hardship and cruel circumstances, and so emotional to see them emerge on the other side with a decent heart and strong hopes. We all hear about the American Dream. Well, this was a depiction of the Mumbai Dream.

So here's to humble beginnings and being thankful for all the good that comes your way! Rajma is a great dish that really exemplifies this. What could be a humbler ingredient than plain 'ol beans? The beauty of this dish lies in the simple and quick preparation, which results in some serious soulful, clutch-the-plate-to-your-heart-and-punch-the-air-with-your-fist flavor! This is a personal favorite of mine, so hope you enjoy it.Rajma (inspired by Mona's delicious recipe on her fabulous blog Zaiqa.net)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 can red kidney beans
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
6-8 tbsp coconut milk (thick)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
8-10 fresh curry leaves

Method:

1. Warm up the oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.

2. Throw in the sliced onions and saute till golden.

3. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.

4. Chuck the tomatoes in there and let them soften for 2 minutes.

5. Then add in the kidney beans (drained of all the liquid that was in the can), salt, garam masala, red chilli powder and half of the coconut milk. Stir gently to mix, then put the lid on and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.

6. Take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium and stir in the rest of the coconut milk. Mash some of the softened beans with the back of your spoon (this releases their starch into the gravy, making it thicker).

7. Throw in the curry leaves (mush them a little between your fingers first), check for salt and if it is coconut-y enough for your taste. Stir, then put the lid back on for another 5 mins. After that, turn off the heat because it's done! I love this with plain white rice, but I won't say "no" to parathas either.

Biryani Is The Ultimate Love Potion

For those of you who have made this dish before, you know exactly what I mean. If your man is a good 'ol boy from the motherland (Pakistan), and you make this for him on a lovely weekend afternoon, you know you can talk him into letting you get away with ... well, anything! Even though Bombay Biryani is a great party dish, it's even better when it's just you and your guy (and maybe the kids ... lord knows they won't leave the two of you alone!). Even as you're cooking it, the smell will be so intoxicating for him that he'll be poking around the kitchen every few minutes, repeatedly asking "is it ready yet?!". Then when he's finally able to dig into it, he'll keep shooting you worshipful glances with those puppy-dog eyes. Now listen, I don't encourage you to take advantage of your guy in this vulnerable state. BUT ... this may be a good time to mention that KitchenAid Stand Mixer (or any other desirable item) you've been lusting after.

With such charitable thoughts in mind, and knowing that 2009 needed to start off on a high note, I made this dish. For those of you who aren't too sure about it, biryani is a rice dish from the subcontinent (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh), usually containing meat, chicken or seafood with a mixture of spices and sometimes vegetables. There are many different styles of biryani, some more spicy than others, using different combinations of flavorings. These days companies like Shan Foods are producing packaged masalas (spice mixes) for the various types of biryanis. Personally I don't recommend using these spice mixes for everything you cook, but even I have to admit that Shan's Bombay Biryani mix is pretty spectacular.

Bombay Biryani (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 chicken, skinless, cut into small pieces

3 tbsp canola oil

3 large onions, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp ginger paste

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups of water
1 whole packet of Shan's Bombay Biryani mix (available in any indian grocery store)

4 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed

1 tsp salt

Handful of chopped cilantro

Yellow food color OR small pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp of warm milk (optional)

Handful of pre-fried onions (optional)

1 tbsp butter (optional)

Method:

1. Heat up a large pan with a lid. Add the sliced onions and saute till golden brown, on medium-high heat.

2. Add in the ginger and garlic. Mix around for a minute.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, mix, turn the heat down to medium, and cover the pan with the lid. Let the tomatoes soften for 5-7 minutes.

4. After tomatoes have become a little darker and have cooked down to a mush, add in the chopped potatoes.

5. Follow this immediately with the chicken, yogurt, masala mix and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for about 20 mins.

6. Take the lid off after 20 mins, turn the heat up and keep stirring the mixture till it thickens and reduces somewhat. Chicken and potatoes will be completely tender by now. Turn off the heat.

7. Cook your rice the way you usually do. For biryani, I take my stockpot, fill it 3/4 of the way with water. Put in one big cardamom pod and half a cinammon stick. When the water starts to boil, I put in the washed rice. Give it a stir and add the salt. I keep checking it every few minutes. It usually doesn't take more than 8-9 mins. Once the rice is just done (not mushy), I immediately pour out the whole thing into a sieve, so that all the water drains out from the rice.

8. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

9. To assemble the biryani, layer the bottom of a large pot (12" or more in diameter, and high sides) with the plain rice. Then layer the chicken mixture evenly over the rice. The remaining rice will go on top of the chicken, covering it completely. Then I sprinkle some fried onions, cilantro, food color/saffron milk and bits of butter. Make sure you cover the pot tightly with its lid, then put it in the oven for 15-20 mins.

10. Take it out of the oven, remove the lid and let it rest for about 5-8 mins. Then take a large serving spoon and gently mix the whole thing, so that the chicken mixture gets distributed. Serve immediately with raita (whipped yogurt with cilantro/green chilli paste). Leftover biryani will stay in your fridge for 4-5 days, as long as you keep it in an airtight container. Take it as your lunch to work and drive everyone nuts with the aroma!

Let me be honest. So far I've only said what this dish does to the guys. But ladies, you know if your guy actually made this dish for you, all by himself (picture him in an apron), would you not turn into a puddle of love at his feet? Admit it!