‘Brownie’ points

Chocolate brownie baked bar originated in the United States at the end of the 19th century and became a popular dessert during the first half of the 20th century. The brownie is a cross between a cake and a cookie in texture. It comes in a variety of forms and flavours and chefs have always been experimenting with the way they bake, the way they serve and the way they want their brownie to taste.
They are usually accompanied by nuts, whipped cream, variety of ice creams, marzipan, powdered sugar, chocolates, cookies, crackers and many more.
A variation that is made with brown sugar and no chocolate is called a blondie. A variety of brownie options have been developed like flourless brownie, fudge brownie, hash brownie. They are especially popular in restaurants, where they can be found in variation on many dessert menus.
There are some stories about the origin of brownie first is like a chef making cookies added chocolate by mistake. Second is that the chef forgot to add flour in cake mixture which resulted in a brownie.

Grapefruit brownie

(Serves  4-6)
Ingredients
Butter unsalted 150g
Icing sugar 250g
Dark chocolate 250g
Egg 4 no
Flour 125g
Cocoa powder 30g
Baking powder 1tsp
Grapefruit 1no
Walnuts 30g

Method
Sieve baking powder with flour and keep aside.
Cream butter with icing sugar till light and fluffy.
Add eggs in the mixture and whip again for 5-7 minutes.
Melt the dark chocolate separately and pour into the mixture.
Add flour and cocoa powder and churn the mixture over low speed.
Remove the mixture and add candied grapefruit and mix lightly.
Grease and line a baking tray with butter paper.
Pour the mixture to make the tray half full as during baking the mixture will expand.
Sprinkle some grapefruit dices and walnuts on top for decoration.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 20- 25 minutes.
Also dip a knife in the brownie if it comes out clean, the brownie is ready.
Allow to cool and serve warm with sliced grapefruit on the side.
Note: You can add a variety of ingredients of your choice to make your brownie special and unique from the ones commonly available or made.

Skewered kebabs

Kebab is a wide variety of skewered meals originating in the Middle East and later on adopted in the Balkans, the Caucasus, other parts of Europe, as well as Central and South Asia that are now found worldwide. Also kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames, large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat, it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. Kebab is a topic which has a long list of books written on it. Kebabs vary from region to region and also the way they are cooked, served and consumed. The below mentioned kebab is a variant which is cooked on wooden skewers and is served on it as well.  

Lamb skewers

(Serves 2)
Ingredients
Lamb mince 500g
Bell peppers 1 no
Ginger paste 2 tbsp
Garlic paste 2 tbsp
Green chili 2 no
Coriander powder 1tbsp
Cardamom powder a pinch
Cumin powder 2 tsp
Egg 1 no
Garam masala 1 tsp
Onion 1 no
Parsley 3-4 sprigs
Coriander leaves 2-3 sprigs
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Method
Blend  ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander , cumin, egg, parsley, coriander  and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion till translucent, add diced bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the onions and the remaining spices to lamb mince and adjust the seasoning.
Allow to rest for 2 hour in refrigerator.
Roll on skewers and cook over medium heat in oven or open charcoal fire.
Baste kebab with butter so avoid drying up and will impart taste to kebabs.
Once the kebab is ready, serve hot.
Serve with salad leaves and cucumber tomato on the side.
Note: The lamb mince should not contain excess fat or moisture as this will make the kebabs fall from skewers while cooking. Also wash and soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.