COGNAC COOKIES RECIPE

Ingredients
100 ml Cognac
250 g Pecans (finely chopped).
100 g Sugar (white granulated)
175 g Chocolate Chips (semi-sweet)
400 g Vanilla Wafers (finely crushed)
60 ml Corn Syrup

How to make cognac cookies:

• Melt chocolate bits on heat.
• Crush vanilla wafers very fine.
• Chop pecans very fine.
• Combine all of them in the melted chocolate with sugar, corn syrup and cognac.
• Stir in pecans and wafer crumbs.
• Make the mixture as smooth as possible.
• Remove it from the heat.
• Shape it into 2 cm balls.
• Roll balls in extra granulated sugar.

COFFEE DROP COOKIES RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Shortening
1 Egg (beaten well)
2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Cloves
3/4 cup Cold Coffee
1/2 cup Raisins (chopped)
1/2 cup Nuts (chopped)
1 tsp Vanilla

How to make coffee drop cookies:

• Mix shortening and sugar together to make cream type mixture.
• Combine egg.
• Mix well.
• Combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves together.
• Add alternately with coffee to make mixture wet.
• Combine raisins, nuts, and vanilla.
• Mix well.
• Combine more flour if required to make a drop cookie dough.
• Drop them onto greased baking sheet.
• Bake them at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.

BLACK FOREST PIE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 Pastry Shell (baked)
4 oz unsweetened Baking Chocolate
14 oz sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp Almond Extract
1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream (whipped)
21 oz can Cherry Pie Filling
Almonds (Toasted)

How to make black forest pie:

• Melt chocolate with sweetened condensed milk over low heat in pan.
• Remove from heat.
• Combine almond extract and stir well.
• Pour it into a bowl and let it cool completely.
• Beat it till it becomes smooth.
• Mix whipped cream.
• Place it into prepared pastry shell.
• Let it chill about 4 hours so that it is set.
• Serve it with the cherry pie filling.
• Garnish with toasted almonds.

Paaya Nahari Recipe

Ingredients:
8 nos. Trotters
2 nos. Onions
1 tblsp Coriander seeds
1 tblsp Jeera
4 nos. Brinjals
4 nos. Dagad phool
2 pieces Cinnamon
6 nos. Cloves
6 nos. Black pepper
4 nos. Cardamoms (green)
As per taste Salt

How to make paaya nahari:

• Clean and cut the paaya into three pieces.
• Tie the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves, dagad phool, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and cardamoms in a small muslin cloth and secure the ends to form a small pouch.
• Add enough water to the paaya and place over heat.
• Add the chopped onions and the spice pouch along with salt as per taste.
• Cook the gravy on slow fire, preferably over charcoal for 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the spice cloth and serve. Nahari is served in the morning.
• Narhari cooked overnight on a slow fire and served for breakfast is delicious.
• Serve hot with bread or rice.

BAKED BEEF RICE CASSEROLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb Beef (ground)
2 tblsp Bacon Drippings
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
2 oz Olives (stuffed and sliced)
2 cup Tomato Juice
1 cup rice
1 small Onion (chopped)
1 1/2 cup Water (boiled)
1/2 cup Cheese (shredded)

How to make baked beef rice casserole:

• Fry onion, ground beef and rice in bacon drippings.
• Pour off drippings.
• Combine all remaining ingredients except cheese and mix them well.
• Locate them in a casserole.
• Cover it tight.
• Bake it at 300 degrees for about 1 hour.
• Uncover it.
• Drizzle it with cheese.
• Bake it for more 10 minutes so that cheese is melted.

RAJASTHANI BHINDI RECIPE

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
250 gms ladyfingers (bhindi)
3 tsp bengal gram flour (besan)
1 tsp cumin powder
4 green chillies
1 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

How to make rajasthani bhindi :

• Wash and wipe the ladyfingers.
• Snip off the two ends and slit on one side.
• Mix everything bengal gram flour, 1 tsp fennel seeds and all other dry masalas except cumin and onion seeds.
• Mix in a tblsp of oil and salt and mix well.
• Stuff this masala into the ladyfingers.
• Heat up 3 tblsp of oil, mix in the remaining fennel seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies and onion seeds, fry for a minute.
• Mix in ladyfingers and stir fry for 5 minutes, cover and stir fry stirring till they are cooked.
• Uncover and stir fry till the ladyfingers are crisp.
• Serve hot.

APPLE RAISIN CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:

3 cup Flour (no sifted)
2 cup Sugar
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Milk
2 Egg
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp ground Cloves
3 cup Apples (chopped and peeled)
1 cup Raisins (seedless)
1/2 cup Walnuts (chopped coarsely)
2 cup sweetened whipped Cream with Cinnamon (for frosting and filling)

How to make apple raisin cake:

• Flour and grease 2 baking pans.
• Mix flour, sugar, mayonnaise, milk, eggs, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves with a mixer for about 2 minutes.
• Scrap bowl frequently.
• Combine in apples, raisins and walnuts.
• Stir well.
• Spoon batter into pans.
• Bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Let it cool in pans for about 10 minutes.
• Remove from pan.
• Let cool completely.
• Frost and fill with the whipped cream.

APPLE MAPLE SYRUP PIE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 Pie Crust
4 peeled and sliced Apples
1 cup pure Maple Syrup
1 tblsp Cornstarch
1 tblsp Margarine

How to make apple maple syrup pie:

• Blend maple syrup with the cornstarch in a blender.
• Shift blended mixture to a pan.
• Add margarine.
• Cook it over medium heat.
• Stir well till the mixture becomes thick.
• Place apples in the pie crust.
• Pour the maple syrup mixture over the apples.
• Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

ALMOND BISCOTTI RECIPE

Ingredients:


3 cup Flour
3 tblsp Brandy
1/2 cup Butter (melted)
1 cup Almonds (chopped)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 tblsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs (large)

How to make almond biscotti:

• Mix sugar and butter.
• Combine in brandy, almond extracts, vanilla, nuts and eggs.
• Mix them well.
• Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
• Shape it into loaves.
• Place loaves on cookie sheet.
• Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Take out of the oven.
• Let them cool slightly.
• Reduce into 1/2” diagonal slices and return again to cookie sheet.
• Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 F till both sides are brownish and toasted, it will take about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let them cool completely.
• Store them in an airtight container.

The finance minister also said the government was taking steps to bring down food inflation in the next few months.

In its budget last Friday, the government set its gross market borrowing target for 2010/11 at a record 4.57 trillion rupees, up 1.3 percent from the previous year.

Traders fret the market would find it difficult to digest the wall of supplies, with the central bank in a monetary policy tightening mode.

The central bank's bond auction calendar, which will detail the size, frequency of auctions and duration of bonds, expected later this month will set the trend for the near term.

In interest-rate futures on the National Stock Exchange, the March contract N10H0 implied a yield of 8.3123 percent while the June contract was not traded.

The benchmark five-year interest rate swap was at 7.02/05 percent from its previous close of 7.03/06. [IN-SWAPS] ($1 = 45.8 Rupees) (Reporting by Neha D'silva; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)

Indian bonds tread water; food price data awaited

* 10-yr yield down a notch but FY11 supply a concern

* Taking steps to ease food inflation in few mths-Fin Min (Updates to mid-morning)

MUMBAI, March 4 (Reuters) - Indian federal bond yields treaded water on Thursday as traders awaited food and fuel price data around noon (0630 GMT), while underlying sentiment was bearish on next fiscal year's borrowing concerns.

At 10:08 a.m. (0438 GMT), the yield on the benchmark 10-year government bond IN10YT=RR was down one basis point at 7.93 percent.

Volumes were low at 20.65 billion rupees ($45 million) on the central bank's trading platform.

"The market would remain rangebound with statements from policymakers eyed for further cues along with economic data," said a senior trader with a foreign bank.

"The 10-year yield would be in the range of 7.92-7.96 percent range during trade," he said.

The food and fuel price data are for the week ended Feb. 20. Prices had eased slightly in the previous week after rising for four weeks in a row.

India's economic recovery is still being driven by public spending and is not yet broad-based, the finance minister said on Wednesday, further clouding the debate on the timing of rate hikes by the central bank.

The Green State Dinner

On November 24th, 2009, President Barack Obama hosted the first state dinner, since his inauguration, in honor of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the honorable Prime Minister of India and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur. State dinners honoring foreign head of states are huge events and are attended by members of the top echelon of the society. The official White House fact sheet says:

The first State Dinner for a foreign head of state was held by President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant on December 12, 1874 for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii.

Since that first dinner, many traditions have been added to State and Official Visits – yet the common theme of forging friendships, exchanging knowledge and building bridges that last for years to come remain unchanged.

As the world’s two largest democracies, India and the United States share common ideals and strengths, and the United States and India are working together to address a number of global challenges of the 21st Century—from security to the economy to climate change to the health and education of our people.

Previous State Dinners at the White House in honor of India include those hosted by the following Presidents and First Ladies:

• President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush in 2005

• President William J. Clinton and Mrs. Hillary Clinton in 2000

• President Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Nancy Reagan in 1985 and 1982

• President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson in 1966

• President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy in 1963

The state dinner for Dr. Singh was held held under a tent on the South Lawn of the White House. The décor reflected the Obamas’ dedication to green and sustainable elements and featured a garden theme. Tables will be covered in apple green linens. Deep purple flower arrangements at each table pay homage to the state bird of India, the Indian Peacock. The centerpiece bouquets were composed of flowers that are evocative of the classic American garden: hydrangea, garden roses, and sweet peas in a rich palette of deep plum, purple and fuchsia. Arrangements of magnolia branches will surround the walls of the tent. Magnolias are native to both India and the United States. The magnolia, ivy, and nandina foliage used for the occasion were locally grown and sustainably harvested.

The tables were set with the following china from the White House’s historic collection.

Service Plates - Eisenhower : Porcelain, 1955, New Castle, Pennsylvania, Castleton China, Inc. U.S. Government purchase, 1955.

Service Plates - Clinton State China Service : China, 2000, Trenton, New Jersey, Lenox, Inc. Gift of the White House Historical Association, 2000. Commissioned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the White House.

Dinner Plates - George W. Bush State China Service : China, 2008-2009, Kinston, North Carolina, Lenox, Inc. Gift of the White House Acquisition Trust, 2009.

The dinner was prepared by the award winning guest chef, Marcus Samuelsson. Mrs. Obama worked with Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and her team to create a menu that reflects the best of American cuisine, continues this White House’s commitment to serving fresh, sustainable and regional food, and honors the culinary excellence and flavors that are present in Indian cuisine. Herbs and lettuces were harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden.

White House Executive Pastry Chef William Yosses and his team created the desserts. The pears were poached in honey from the White House Beehive. Desserts were garnished with mint and lemon verbena grown in the White House Kitchen Garden. I have attached the dinner menu at the bottom of this article.

The dinner entertainment included two Academy Award winning musicians, Jennifer Hudson and our own A.R. Rehman. The other performers included eight time Grammy nominee Kurt Elling, the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch and the United States Marine Band.

The star studded guest list included celebrities like Steven Spielberg, Blair Underwood, M. Knight Shyamalan, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Kal Penn, Bobby Jindal and many others.

Countdown to NABC 2010

The count down to NABC 2010 has started. In little more than seven months from now, Bengalis from all over USA and abroad will converge upon Atlantic City in New Jersey. Kallol of New Jersey, the host organization of NABC 2010, is working at a hectic pace to make it a great event. Most of the performers have been lined up, registrations pouring in and the committee members are busy working on the final details like scheduling and fund raising. On January 8th, 2010, a kickoff meeting/press-conference will be held in Kolkata in the presence of most of the artists and performers.

Lets take a look at some of the foreign performers who will grace the Atlantic City convention center stage. I’ll not be able to cover all of them in this article and plan to continue in future posts. At the 2010 NABC Kallol will be presenting some performers who are relatively unknown to the Bengali crowd in USA. One such group is Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop who will be performing at the opening ceremony. Sapphire Creations is a premier experimental dance company based in Kolkata and the only one of its kind in Eastern India performing regularly and popularly in festivals and arts events in India and abroad. Their objective is to integrate in its dance an awareness of tradition, a dimension of experimentation, an urge to entertain and a purpose to provoke consciousness to inspire us to reach brighter horizons

NABC 2010: Sahaj-Ma and Utpal Faqir

Few months ago, I wrote my wish list about the kind of performers I’d like to see at the 2010 NABC in Atlantic City, and the one artist I mentioned specifically was Sahaj-Ma. When NABC 2010 committee announced the name of their foreign performers, I was delighted to see Sahaj-Ma and Utpal-Faqir’s name on the list. I am not sure whether the committee members actually read my post and felt inspired to invite the duo, or whether it was a sheer co-incidence - I am glad and thankful to the decision makers for giving us a chance to watch these amazing performers on stage.
I heard Sahaj-Ma first on ETV-Bangla on a show called “Baranday Roddur” conducted by the famous Bangla Band Bhoomi. It was kind of a mix of a musical and talk show, and Sahaj-Ma mostly talked about her musical journey. She mentioned about her early training in classical music from her mother and then from Pundit M.R. Gautam and Srimati Sunanda Pattanaik. And when she performed, it was mesmerizing. She has a unique style and tonal quality that is very rare in a female Bengali singer. The next time I listened to her music was in another ETV-Bangla show, “Dada Didir Ganer Lorai”. In this show, whenever she went up to perform, it was almost magical. Although she mostly performs Baul and folk songs, but in this show she proved that she has mastery over all forms of Indian music. Continue reading NABC 2010: Sahaj-Ma and Utpal Faqir…

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Few months ago, a friend of mine forwarded me an e-book (a pdf file) titled “Indian Foods: AAPI’s Guide to Health, Nutrition, and Diabetes”. This book, written by a team of experts appointed by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) provides an invaluable guide to the Indians living in America to make some sense of their diet in terms of healthiness. The best part of this book is that it contains chapters pertaining to the regional foods of India. For example, in its chapter on Bengali and Oriya cuisine, the author provides a table (no pun intended) showing a typical Bengali diet and how it can be modified to make it healthier.
I’d like to welcome you all to download this book by clicking on this link. AAPI is distributing this book for free. I thank AAPI for providing this valuable resource.

indian food

All around us we find tons of books, websites, and other information about food and nutrition. What we should eat and what not, what foods to avoid for diabetes, what foods to eat to lower cholesterol and what foods to avoid for weight loss. Zillions of nutritionists , dietitians, physicians, nurses, body builders and quacks have made millions writing such books. Most of these books, however, cater to the western food habits. Their meal suggestions, recipes and nutritional information cover only the kind of diet that we Indians hardly eat in our daily lives. Some diet books lightly touch upon some of the Indian foods but they are severely limited to the typical north Indian recipes like tandoori chicken or chicken tikka masala. But if you are a Bengali, then CTM (as they call chicken tikka masala in UK) appears rarely on our diet. We would be interested in knowing whether chhaanar dalna is a healthier meal than shorshe ilish.