Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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Ice Cream Sandwich
As we approach summer every year, I get many requests of recipes involving ice creams. One such recipe which revolves around the two most popular desserts of the world is the Ice Cream Sandwich which, as the name suggests, is a sandwich with the filling of ice cream. A brownie is used as a covering to complete the sandwich.
You can also substitute the brownie with crumbled biscuits mixed with soft butter. The name Ice Cream Sandwich also became popular after Google used it to name a version of Android, its popular mobile operating system.
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Butter unsalted 150 gm
Icing sugar 250 gm
Dark chocolate 250 gm
Egg 4 no
Flour 125 gm
Cocoa powder 30 gm
Baking powder 1 tsp
Grape fruit 1 no
Walnuts 30 gm
Vanilla ice cream 200 gm
Garnish
Hot chocolate sauce 120 ml
Walnuts 30 gm
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 and pour into the mixture.
Add flour and cocoa powder and churn the mixture over low speed.
Remove the mixture and add walnuts and mix lightly.
Pour the mixture in a greased and lined baking tray till the halfway mark, as the mixture will expand during baking.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 20-25 minutes, after which dip a knife in the brownie, If it comes out clean, the brownie is ready.
Allow to cool and slice horizontally and slice vanilla ice cream into half.
Layer the ice cream on top of brownie and place the other half on top.
Put the sandwich in the baking tray itself and freeze for 1 hour.
Remove from the baking tray and slice as required, microwave for 20-30 seconds per portion.
Pour hot chocolate sauce and sprinkle some crushed walnuts on top and serve immediately.
Note: it is important to heat the dessert in the microwave so that the brownie becomes a little soft otherwise the brownie will be very hard after being frozen.
Kerala Cuisine
One of the main tourist attractions in Kerala is the cuisine itself, which has its own traditional marinades, cooking methods and serving. Kerala Cuisine, which is sometimes also called backwater cuisine, has been influenced by the local available ingredients such as coconut, which is used grated, chopped, or as a paste to thicken the gravy. Coconut is also used as garnish or in the form of oil to cook the food. Also common is the abundant use of chilies, peppercorn, curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind and asafetida.
Seafood is a very popular thing in Kerala and is consumed in almost every meal. The local seafood variety includes King Fish, Sardines, Mackerel, Tuna, Crabs and Shrimps. Every region in Kerala boasts of its own fish curry recipe, like the Kerela fish curry or meen moilee or the fish fry.
Local vegetables like tapioca, jack fruit, yam, cassava, Kerala cucumber, beans, and cabbage form a part of the cuisine and have an array of recipes for each. One can’t forget the refreshing taste of the tender coconut juice which serves as a delightful drink for any time of the year.
Kerala Fish Fry
Serves 2
Ingredients
King Fish steaks 800 gm
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tbsp
Kashmiri chili powder 1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Black pepper crushed ½ tsp
Lime juice 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coconut oil 2 tbsp
To shallow fry
Coconut oil as required
Garnish
Onion rings to garnish
Lime wedges 4-5 no
Method
Wash and pat dry the King Fish slices.
Sprinkle some salt and lime juice and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Combine together ginger paste, garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili, turmeric powder, black pepper and salt in a ginger and make a smooth paste.
Marinate the sliced fish in the prepared marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Heat coconut oil in a fry pan and shallow fry the fish pieces one by one over medium heat.
Turn the fish slices until both sides are dark brown in colour.
Put a knife in the fillets to check for even cooking.
Serve hot with onion rings and lime wedge.
Tip: If the fish is sticking to the frying pan, sprinkle some corn flour on the fillets to prevent them from sticking. The fried fish will also acquire a crispy crust.
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich.
