JESUS♥MY ♥TRUE♥ LOVE♥......

Flipkart.com

Friday, November 19, 2010

CARAMEL TOPPED SEMOLINA CAKE@THANKSGIVING@DORIE@AMFT

 I love stories, specially real stories, stories that bring a smile to ur face and glee to ur heart !
And if the story , is woven around food , its all the better!!
And around dessert, well i am all hugs and u'll have me donuts!
 I love love love the story behind recipes @ Around My French Table, DOrie rocks yeah ,in every way!!
And this delicious story goes to French Fridays with Dorie ,started by Laurie here
Hop by not only to catch all the deliciousness but join in too!
 I love how her better half ,Michael and Dorie discovered this one!!
Her narration takes me to the Picturesque,often pictured {ofcourse}, Place Dauphine, in Paris ,at the tiny bistro, where they first had this and how she went on to master this one!!
 I say master coz its absolutely fool proof, we find no cream of wheat nor farina here ,so i baked it with semolina and it was perfect!!
 So i actually lived up to the name of this recipe!

Absolutely delicious and didn last even a day @ our non dessert eatin family , me being the lone dessert eater at most times!!
 It reminds of goan sweets , lods of goodies with the portuguese influence, have semolina in them and i totally love them!
And this Cake reminds me of all those goodies + Pudim De Caramel, i ahve seen and helped mommy making caramel many a times !
 The caramel was awesome and had a delicious lemony tang to it!
 Even better , was when the next morning, my sweetest bro, who doesnt fancy desserts too muc, was looking for the lone star that was left, was so sorry that i had polished it off and he was actually eyeing it after breakfast and didn wanna over stuff himself!

Well lets begin this absolutely delicious dessert,shall we, its absolutely easy to put together!

 To begin with ,u need to center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degress, do this , u have to, and keep a 8inch tin at hand or mini little ones and more as i did!!

Ok ,now lets begin with the milk, u need to bring 2Cups Milk to a boil with 1/4tsp salt .
And coz its around thanksgiving and coz spice and all things nice are so in now ,i love them in my kitchen , i added cloves , cinnamon and cardomon to the milk ,while warming!
The aroma ,fantastic!
 And to make all things better , i added a whole vanilla bean too, hah look at those pretty tiny black babies!So good!
 And a Dash of something else too, yeah a Dash of something from Provence....u have to guesss....
 Yeah ur rite,lavendor, gorgeous lavendor buds , coz they are sooo goood!
 Now ,forgive me my tendency to think that Lavender is so French , these buds come from Provence too!
Now this is the semolina i used ,u get a finer one too but i picked it from a grocery store and didn realize to ask for that too,but this one worked super fine,13rd cup of it, i dry roasted it a bit , till the raw flavor disappeared and then have to add it to the milk , thats brought to a boil , and the semolina added at the sign of the first bubble!!
Cooked it on low heat, stirring constantly so that it doesnt scorch!
Now if ur using cream of wheat/farina, u'll have to check the cereal box of details!
When its well cooked and nice take off the flame to cool , remember it thickens a bit later.
 By the way i added lite cream and dry milk to the milk i used coz the recipe calls for whole milk and all i had was skimmed/toned milk!Worked pretty well!
 And while the Farina/semolina cooled ,i simply couldn resist zesting in some lime there!
 And now to begin making the caramel, in a saucepan ,u need 1/3rd cup sugar, 3 tbh water and fresh lemon juice!! I added some lemon zest too!
 Use the zested limes/lemons to squeeze the juice , this ,makes for some absolutely ,lovely lemony caramel that jus has that zing!
Now before u begin making the caramel , do slide the pan/molds placed on a lined tray, into the oven!
This is a terrific tip , the warm pans ,make it so muc easier to spread the caramel ,specially since i was using many small molds and the caramel sets pretty fast!

I tried gettn pics of the caramel making but they are so good, u'll find better pics here!Actually these are the time ,i made this for Pudim de caramelo and they are shot with a cell phone:-)
Now u need to bring the sugar ,water lemon to a boil over high heat , after giving the saucepan a few nice swirls to moisten the sugar!
As the sugar begins to take a caramello color ,swirl a few times for even browning and heating!
 And when its nice and a deep amber, pour into prepared molds/mold!
The now warm molds ,make ur moments here smooth and lets u gaze at the pretty caramel that has all those bits of zest in there!
 Now though i did halve the basic recipe, i didn halve the caramel and still needed more , that means i f i make the full recipe as above , i will need to double the 1/3 rd cup sugar and water , and i  love lods of caramel~Specially if its pretty~

Now after the caramel pans are ready, u need to beat in 2 eggs into the cooled Farina/semolina and add some chopped dry fruit!
Raisins are a first choice but i added Apricots , 2types , chopped!
 One tangy and one sweet!
Ok known my love for playing around i couldn help adding a few chips ,chocolate {milk} and butterscotch to 2 of the molds!
 Bake till everything puffs around and u have some mini caramel spurts around!Unmold while warm so u get all the caramel around!

Oh ,so lovely, the flavors hit the rite spot, in every bite{or gobble}
Bro, i sure wanna bake u lods of these stars soooonn..
Pretty ,pretty caramel, yeah thats what i got at the base of the flower mold, and it got curled ,around my fingers into a pretty pattern!
Am sending this Caramel topped cake with Apricots {apricot is a fruit aint it:-) } to the lovely host of this months Monthly Mingle, Deeba of Passionate about Baking , a truly delightfull blog filled with gorgeous bakes, and am delighted that this months theme is fruits, and fruity delights! Monthly Mingle was started by Meeta ,of another fantastic blog, What for Lunch Honey



49 comments:

  1. You have the most exciting posts...I just love seeing all the photos of everything. That little measuring spoon is so beautiful, what fun it would be to have that to measure with! All of it looks just great...that caramel is to die for! Great job, and thanks for sharing all your experiences with so many photos and great descriptions. I am going to make the pumpkin flans after work today, wish me luck as in my mind those flavors don't seem to go together, so we shall see...going out on a limb for sure on that one for me! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Kayte, am always thrilled to have u here, ur absolutely sweet and kind!
    Oh i totally love the measuring spoon too, and its a little set , i have a few others too, will try to fit them in ,in upcoming posts:-)

    Am totally lloking forward to ur flans, they'll be good, i didn know what to expect but loved them and they did pair well with the roast chicken!!
    Ur welcome and am truly happy to be of help!!
    Thannnx a ton again and happy to have u here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am completely jealous of how delicious your caramel turned out, especially the close up in the first picture! Yum! And, how adorable were your star-shaped ones?

    ReplyDelete
  4. @yummy Chunklet, now thats a compliment, thannk u!!
    Oh we all so muc lovedd the stars too!!
    super cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG, that cake looks incredibly scrumptious! A divine treat.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a gorgeous cake! Love that caramel on top and the star shaped one, these are absolutely tempting...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thannnk u ROsa,and TRIck & Treat, that was so sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cream of farina aka semolina...you are rocking the boat here Mia. I love the caramel & the fruit in there... mmmm
    Thank you for tempting me to try and bake late into the night. It's sweet dreams for moi today! HUGS!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, does this cake look delicious, Mia! I love the spices in it...and that caramel on top...yum! I love your cute measuring spoons!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a beautiful cake dear and love the caramel. I envy u so much for that lavender and vanilla bean.
    FOODELICIOUS

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh Deeba, ur a sweety heart!!, bdw, as i reply , im having my nite choco cup , today its french chocolate with nutella{lots of it}, marshmellow, and a good sprinkle of cinnamon ,a drop of Princess cookie flavor and ofcourse Vanilla:-)
    Sweet chocolaty dreamz to u !!

    ReplyDelete
  12. @FAith, thannnk u !!
    I loveeee this set of measuring spoons too!!!

    @Pari, oh dear ,wish i cud send ya some too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the stars - yours turned out so beautiful! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. looks wonderful 0 i love the star pan!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, my, your caramel looks incredible!!! This recipe is up next for me...can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Lizzy, thannnu u , and i coudn wait too!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh my dear, my eyes are popping out.
    Your post teases all the senses.
    Outstanding dish and photos.
    Have a great weekend ♥

    ReplyDelete
  18. Its a visual treat to visit your space, if only virtual world could have a scratch screen to smell and tasty it would be perfect.Beautiful dessert and so wonderfully illustrated at every step.Love the caramel stars.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ola Ana, mutissmo obrigado para palavres de amor e muito bom fim de semana tambem com bejinhos e abracos !

    Oh thats a fatastic cool idea Simply food and i wud so love that too:-)
    thannk u for all ur kind words~

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, Mia, My heart just missed a beat...LOL...This is the most beautiful photo of a caramel cake I have yet to see, and you did it!
    The colors, and the aromas, just pop out right thru the computer screen. The mini caramel flans are ever so beautiful!
    Love, love, love, evrything you do!
    Hugs,
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wowoa, the feeling is mutual, honestly, when i see u here, my heart skips a beat too, to see what u have to say , to have ur approval , nod and kind words and then thankkkk u so muc for it , coz it means so muc and its pals like u who make blogging all the more special!!
    Thannnk u very muc and will be back looking for u in a day or 2 coz i need some votes :-),please , wud lovee if u cud spare me some time , specially if u have access to more than 1 computer:-)
    Really dont mean to hassle u but i sooo muc want to win!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love your cooking tools...the spoons, the start...looks like so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Such gorgeous photos! I loved the molds that you used and your caramel turned out perfectly. Beautiful post.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thannnxx a ton lods Kris and Elaine for being here and making me grin, with glee!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love that your non-dessert loving family (are you sure you're related to them??) went crazy over this! I mean, I understand why because just LOOK at it. It looks like a dream!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mia, thanks for sharing such a COOL recipe! Isn't it exciting! Thanksgiving coming real soon and then will be followed by Christmas! yay.... Hope you're enjoying your weekend, darling!
    Blessings, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  27. @Jo , lol, yeah sure i am:-))))
    A part of the family are biggg dessert lovers but they are farrr away , when we meet someday , i wanna bake them lods of goodies!!

    Ur welcome Kristy , yeah super excitn it is!!
    Can so feel it in the air, i am and u have a super weekend too sweetest one:-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I just loved the star molds! Your pics are terrific. You really brought this recipe to life!

    ReplyDelete
  29. looks so pretty as all your recipes :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. @Steph, thannnk u babe, for ur kind thoughts in words, i loved this recipe!!

    @PJ, thannnk u sweets!

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is absolutely the best dessert post ever...
    That is one delightful caramel treat!
    Love the stars too :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. @magic of spice , am sooo thrilled u think so:-)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Each time, I come her, I am amazed at how you take a recipe and make it ever so special and then you take the same recipe and make it even better by a shape or decoration. You have to teach me some tricks.

    This is an exciting blog and we all love it and you.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Love the addition of lemon zest...sounds divine!

    ReplyDelete
  35. A refined and pretty dessert! Really marvelous.

    US Masala

    ReplyDelete
  36. That looks utterly amazing! Like I could reach into the screen and gobble it all up in one go! :O

    ReplyDelete
  37. Your photography is so wonderful that I feel as if I could just reach in and take a bite (or two or more)!! Deliciousness personified!

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  38. Such a beautiful recipe! These look delicious! I love the addition of lavender. Yum!

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  39. As requested, I have voted for you, all the best for the contest, seems you're leading...

    ReplyDelete
  40. I know I already left a comment on this, but I wanted to thank you for visiting me and to let you know that I went over and voted for your snickerdoodle this morning. I hope you win!

    Your photos are just mesmerizing!

    ReplyDelete
  41. FYI- voted for you..you are surely going to win this one!

    US Masala

    ReplyDelete
  42. I love your molds, and your "dash" spoon, but your photos are gorgeous! I made the cake, also, but now want to make it again, with the lemon zest, and in cute molds:)

    I voted for your entry:) Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  43. This looks absolutely delicious. Your photos are spectacular. I voted for you, by the way. Sending lots of luck your way. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  44. @Chaya, and every time u come here ,m excited about what u'll say, coz u make my day!!

    Love reading ur thoughts in words , they are always very special :-))
    Thannnk u for all ur love and support!!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh yeah Ananda , me loveddd the zestiness too!!!:-)

    thannnxx a ton AIPi.

    @Lorraine , thannxx a ton !!wish u cud:-)

    @From d kitchen , oh so wish u cud too!
    thannk u for ur kind thoughts, u make me smile:-)

    @Julie, me lovee lavendr too and happy thanksgiving to u too!

    @treak & treat , thannxx a ton :-)

    @Elaine ,loving having u twice over and thannnx a ton for the vote, every vote counts and am so looking forward:-)
    Thannk u for ur thoughts and love!

    ReplyDelete
  46. @AIpi, thannxx to u once again!!

    @LAna , i lovee the molds and the spoon too and lovee the zestiness lemon brings!
    U must try it with a lemony kick and tell me too!!
    Thannxxxa ton for ur vote and am grateful for that!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Oh Mary , thankk u for ur blessing and love and kind thoughts , always love to read them!!
    Thannnk u for ur vote too!!

    ReplyDelete

I love♥ love♥ love♥ ....LOVE UR ♥ TWINKLING♥SPARKLIN SPRINKLE♥FAIRIES♥......
and thanx a ton loads for hopping by....
Do leave ur blog link so i can visit u too....
And have a cheerfully rocking happy day♥Sparkling with the joys of SPRINGTIME and warmth of SUMMER..