Author: looper

• Cut pastry sheet in half. Repackage and refrigerate 1 half for another use. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining half into an 8-in. circle. Transfer to a 7-in. pie plate; flute edges.
• Line shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 4 minutes. Remove foil; bake 2 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and eggs until well blended. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Cool to lukewarm (90°), stirring occasionally.
• In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
• In another large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners’ sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter 15x10x1-inch baking pan and line the pan with wax paper; buttering the paper as well.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir in eggs and pumpkin until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick test in center comes out clean.
• Place clean kitchen towel on work surface; dust with 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar. Loosen cake around sides of pan with small knife. Turn out onto sugared towel, wax paper-side up.
• Fold 1 side of towel over short side of cake, then roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool cake completely.

For the Filling

• In a large mixing bowl; mix cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until well blended and smooth. Add walnuts if desirec.
• Unroll cake onto towel. Peel off wax paper. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cake. Using towel, roll up cake and place seam-side down on serving platter. Trim ends of cake.
• Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Sprinkle cake with additional confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

• Warm milk to 110F. Combine the milk, water, and sugar in a bowl then add the yeast and stir once more. Set aside for 5-7 minutes or until a foamy head develops. While the yeast wakes up combine the flour and salt in the bowl of your mixer and whisk together.
• Mix the egg and butter into the milk mixture then add the flour mixture into the liquid while mixing on low with a dough hook. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is elastic and smooth. Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Allow to double in size in a warm spot. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight. If you do, you’ll let it warm for an hour when ready to use.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface then gently spread out until it’s just under an inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Use a 3 inch cutter to cut your muffins then gently transfer them to the baking sheet. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until the dough is used up. Cover loosely and place in a warm spot to rise for 30 – 60 minutes.
• Preheat a large skillet over very low heat. Sprinkle the surface with cornmeal then carefully place 3-4 muffins on the pan. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Then carefully flip and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
• Clear the old cornmeal off the pan then add a fresh sprinkle and cook the remaining muffins.

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until light brown and fragrant, 7 minutes. Set aside 12 pecan halves to decorate the finished cake; chop the remaining pecans. Set aside 1 cup of the chopped pecans to use in the batter; reserve the rest for decorating the finished cake.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in the oil until well combined. Add the grated carrots, vanilla and 1 cup chopped pecans, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula, turn the cakes out and let cool completely, right-side up, on the cooling rack, about 2 hours. Remove the parchment before frosting.

For the Frosting

• Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, scraping down the side as necessary, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt; gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until the sugar is incorporated and the frosting is fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on medium-high, add the cream a few drops at time until it's all incorporated. Continue beating for 1 more minute until the frosting is slightly lighter in color and creamy.
• To assemble: Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate, and spread 1 cup of the frosting over the top. Top with the other layer, and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. Arrange the 12 whole pecans on top of the cake like the numbers on a clock face, and sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans in between.

• Using a sharp knife, slit the vanilla beans so the beans are exposed. No need to completely split the bean in half, just slit down the middle. If the length of the vanilla beans don’t fit into your bottle or jar, cut the vanilla beans into smaller pieces. Place beans into bottle or jar.
• Pour vodka on top. A funnel helps. Use a little extra vodka, if needed, so the beans are fully submerged. Shake a few times.
• Store vanilla at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Shake about once per week or once every couple weeks. Vanilla can be ready to use in as little as 8 weeks, but I recommend at least 6 months for optimal flavor. 12+ months is great!
• As you begin to use your vanilla, you can refill with a little vodka each time. Give it a shake after you refill and give it a shake before each use, too. If you’re gifting the vanilla or if you don’t have any more alcohol to refill, remove the beans completely after first use. The beans will become a little slimy if they aren’t almost fully submerged.

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts, if using.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
• Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together. See post above for freezing instructions.

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 13×9-inch pan. In medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
• In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and 3/4 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs until well blended. Alternately add flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups milk, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Pour batter evenly into pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Cool 10 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Gradually beat in melted chocolate until well blended. Immediately spread on cake.

• Rinse the rice. Rinse the rice with cold water in a large fine mesh strainer for 1-2 minutes, or until the water runs very clear. Drain well.
• Cook the rice. See details in the notes below for how to cook the rice either on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
• Make the sushi vinegar. While the rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture nearly reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. (Alternately, you can just heat the mixture in the microwave if you prefer.)
• Season the rice. Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Use a spatula to very gently fold the rice — more of a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing — until the vinegar is evenly mixed into the rice.
• Cool. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter (or in the refrigerator) until it reaches room temperature.
• Serve. Use the rice immediately in a recipe, or transfer to an airtight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Preparation

• Soak par boiled rice, raw rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, bengal gram, tur dal in enough water for 4-5 hours.

  Wash and grind everything together to a smooth texture adding water, little at a time. I used the wet grinder for grinding. Add needed salt and leave it overnight to ferment. The fermenting time differs according to the climatic conditions.

  Before making dosa, add a tsp of sugar, little water and mix well to get the dosa batter consistency. The batter is ready to make masala dosa. Now we will see how to make filling for masala dosa (potato filling or potato bhaji)

Preparation for Filling

• Wash and cut potatoes into half and pressure cook for 3 minutes. After it cools, peel the skin and mash it well.( not to a fine paste) Keep it aside.

  Cut onions lengthwise, finely chop green chilies and ginger.

Masala Dosa

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing, urad dal and channa dal.

  When dal turns golden brown, add thinly sliced onions, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes until onion turns pink. (do not brown the onions)
• Add turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and salt needed.
• Add 1/2- 3/4 cup of hot water, when water starts boiling, add the mashed potatoes. Mix well and cook for few minutes (around 5-6 mins) until everything gets blended well. Do not add too much water, then the dosa will become soggy.

  Switch off the flame. The filling ready.
• Heat a non stick or iron pan, add a drop of oil and rub half an onion on it. Once the pan is heated, bring the flame to medium and pour a ladle of batter in the center. Using the back of the ladle, spread the batter in a circular motion as seen in the picture below. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa and close it with a lid. (masala dosa should not be thick)
• Once the edges starts browning and the dosa is cooked, reduce the heat, add 2-3 tbsp of potato masala, a little butter (optional ) and fold the dosa. Remove from tawa and serve hot. Note – Since we are closing it with a lid, there is not need to cook the other side.
• Masala dosa is ready to be served. You can fold it into half or as shown above or into a triangle. Repeat the process for the rest of the batter. Serve with chutney and sambar of your choice.

• Place the diced tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley in a large salad bowl. Add salt and set aside for 4 minutes or so.
• Add the remaining ingredients and give the salad a gentle toss. Allow the flavors a few minutes to meld before serving.