Caramel Bread Pudding

Got this from Google Images

Hellooooo! :)

I'm back with desserts! Now here is a pudding I simply love. When you have guests coming and have lots to prepare this is something u can whip up quick and refrigerator until serving time. And if you are a person who love a more thick and creamy kinda pudding this is perfect for you.... The Bread Pudding! :)

 All it requires are:

• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 8 small bread or 6 large ones

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender. Keep aside. 

This pudding is made by steaming so keep a pan or bowl or whatever you want to set the pudding in aside making sure it can withstand steaming.

Now take:

• 2 tbsp sugar and
• 1 tsp water

Heat it in a pan. Keep stirring until the mixture turns a dark golden brown. The caramel is ready. Take it off the flame and pour it into the dish you kept aside. Coat the bottom well. Give it a minute or 2 to set and pour in the bread-milk mixture. Place this bowl with in a pressure cooker or a deep bottom vessel for steaming. (Just do what you do when making idly). Steam for 25-30 minutes and check if the pudding has set. If not let it steam for a while longer. When its done take off flame and let it cool. Then refrigerator (minimum 2 hours is good) until you have to serve. 

I simply love this dessert. My husband loves it when I make it without the bread. I garnished it with some chopped pistachio. Gave it some lovely colours.

Now I have noticed that covering the bowl of pudding before placing it inside the hot water vessel for steaming is not a good idea. I have made this once without covering and once covered with aluminium foil (poked some holes too for steam to escape). The covered one took a long time to cook and still the centre was a bit watery. You can see that in my pic. But the one I made without covering was well done. I guess it was the water dripping onto the pudding from the foil while steaming.
The steaming vessel will be covered so no need to cover the bowl inside it too... got it?

Try it out! And enjoy! :)

Banana Meringue Dessert

My aunt had introduced me to this. I almost always make stuff with chocolate in it but this recipe according to my aunt was awesome. My cousins loved it, it seems. No matter what my aunt makes it's always yummy :)

Here's the recipe:

For the bottom banana layer:
- 2 and half cups of caster sugar
- 6 medium bananas
- half cup water

For the Custard Layer
- Sweetened condensed milk (400ml)
- Milk 600ml
- 4 Egg yolks
- 2 heaped tbsp of corn flour
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp oil/butter

For the top Meringue Layer
- 4 Egg whites
- 8 tbsp caster sugar
- Zest of 1 lime

Preparation:
First we make the banana layer
- Add sugar and water to a big deep frying pan on medium flame. Let the sugar brown.
- Peel and cut the banana into 1 inch pieces.
- When the sugar has turned deep golden brown (if syrup too thick add half cup boiling water to thin it) add the banana pieces to it.
- Turn over the banana pieces gently to make sure they cook and soften on both sides. When they turn dark brown all over turn off flame. Pour them into a pie dish and set aside for cooling...

Now for the custard layer:
(You could always use the custard powder pack we get to buy in stores for easy custard. But for this recipe making a custard from scratch is best or else the egg yolks would get wasted. But if u could use it elsewhere, well and good :))
- Mix condensed milk and the milk in a pan.
- Sieve the 4 yolkes into the mixture.
- Add vanilla extract
- Add corn flour and whisk it in until fully dissolved
- Now put it on the stove on high. Stir constantly until it forms thick paste.
- Remove from heat and add butter/oil
- Stir well and gently pour it over the banana layer in the pie dish and let that also cool..

For the meringue layer beat the 4 egg whites into hard peaks using an electric egg beater and add in the sugar and lime zest...

Spoon the meringue on top of the custard layer and spread  well. Use the spoon to make small peaks..

Place it inside a preheated (220 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes. This is only to slightly brown and cook the meringue. Make sure not to over cook.

Annnd it's readyyy!!
I decorated the top with some Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips :)

Planning on trying this with pineapple too... :)

Jelly Slice

I had guests over for dinner Friday night. And I finally got to try out the jelly slice recipe my sister, Shurooq,  had told me about. I'd bought all the ingredients required a month ago but never got into the mood to make it until now.

Like I said, Hafizka is not into sweets much so I didn't want to make unless I have people to eat them. Or else it would end up in my tummy... adding more pounds :-| ... and that's not good as I've been struggling to get rid of all the excess weight pregnancy has given me.

I had over 2 families... 5 kids and 4 adults.... just the occasion to make it!!

It's a simple enough recipe:

First I put one packet (85g) of Cherry Jelly powder(use any flavour u like) in a cup of warm water... stirred until it dissolved completely. Kept it aside.

Then I made the crust with 6-7 digestive biscuits and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Pressed it firmed to the bottom of a medium sized square baking dish... then put it in the fridge for firming...

Next I made the middle gelatin + condensed milk layer... in half cup warm water I put 3 teaspoons gelatin powder. After it had completely dissolved I added the condensed milk (395g) ... mixed it well and poured it on top of the crust I made...

After the gelatin layer had firmed I added the jelly. For me it took hardly 10-15 minutes for each layer to firm. Check whether the gelatin layer is firm enough before pouring in the jelly...

Simple Ingredients. Easy to make. And Yummy yummy! :)

My guests seemed to love it. Hafizka liked it too. I'm not a big fan of anything jelly... but it was beautiful to look at. Everything we make should be beautiful coz first we devour with our eyes.. then we taste.. :)