"Sweet Treats"-Ricotta- Kaju-Pista Rolls

For few years now, one of my Diwali favorites has been "Ricotta cheese Kesar-malai pedhas". This year I was trying to make variety of sweets from the same recipe( I made pedhas,kaju-pista rolls from same base recipe). I modified the 'Pedha' recipe a bit and viola! we have Kaju-Pista rolls. Actually Kaju-Pista rolls will be made a lot differently, but the texture issue with sugar syrup and cashew powder is a little daunting for me at times. So I decided to go the easier route....

Ingredients:
For Pedhas:
425 gms Whole milk Ricotta cheese
1 cup Carnation milk powder
3/4th cup sugar
1/4th cup milk
1tsp ghee
1/4th tsp cardamom powder (Elaichi)
1 pinch saffron (kesar)
Pista and almond chips for decoration
Silver leaf/ foil for decoration

For Kaju-Pista Rolls:
1/2 cup Raw Cashew powder
1/4th cup Raw pista powder
few drops of green food coloring

Method:
1) In a non stick kadhai/skillet, melt 1tsp ghee. On medium to low flame add the ricotta cheese. Stir for about 15 mins. First the cheese will melt and then start getting thick again. This is similar to Khoya/ Khava.
Ricotta can burn easily. So, use non stick skillet and keep the flame low/medium!

2) When it starts leaving the sides of the kadhai, add milk (mixed with saffron/ kesar), sugar and milk powder. Stir all together. Cook till it starts leaving the sides of the kadhai. This will take about 15 mins or so. The mixture will become thin first and then thick.

3) Add the cardamom powder. Mix well. Take off the gas.

4) Let it cool.
5) To 1 part of the pedha mixture,add 1 part Cashew powder.Mix well.To the other part add pista powder and green food coloring.

6) Roll out the Kaju mixture into rectangle on wax paper.Apply butter to the paper.

7) On top of that, place the Pista mixture log and roll out with a buttered rolling pin.

8) Make a 'log' by folding from both sides.It should look like green cylinder covered by white layer.

9) Decorate with Silver leaf or pista pieces.

10) Cut horizontally into 1-1 and 1/2 inch pieces.

11) Store in refrigerator.

These will surely make your Diwali 'extra' special!!

"Sweet Treats"-Kaju Katli and Kaju Flowers

Kaju Katli: A Cooking lesson
So today was the big day,when my friend 'V' (who still is modest and does not want to me to reveal her actual name to give her credit!) was going to teach me and my other friend 'P' ...how to make Kaju Katli. 'P ' and I decided to make 2 batches...one 'V' would demo us and other batch 'P' will make simultaneously. It was great to get a 'hands on' demo and the Kaju katlis came out much better than my last weeks experiment. We could cut perfect diamonds and put the silver leaf on to make it look 'authentic'. Thanks to 'V' ...I finally could make real Kaju Katlis! And Thanks to 'P' for lending me the 'Silver leaf' and making my katlis prettier!
Here is V's recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup Cashews
1tbsp Milk powder
~1 cup Sugar
1/4tsp Cardamom powder
1 pinch Saffron
1/4 cup water
1 pinch salt
1tsp ghee
Method:
1) Soak cashews in water for 1 hr.Coarse grind the cashews with about 1/4 cup (or as less as possible) amount of water. Measure the amount of paste.
2) Remove the paste in a nonstick pan.On medium heat,stir the paste.Add as much sugar as the quantity of the paste.(i.e.for 1 cup paste add 1 cup sugar)
3) Keep stirring the paste till it looks 'dough' like and starts to leave the edges of the pan.Add salt and 1tbsp milk powder and mix.
4) Add saffron and cardamom,mix well.
5) Apply ghee to the counter top/non stick foiled surface.
6) Roll out the Kaju katli dough with rolling pin on the flat surface
7) Stick the silver leaf on top
8) Cut into diamonds
9) Kaju Katli is ready!

Last Evening:
I was very excited last evening for today's cooking class but wasn't quite happy that I did not have the 'Silver leaf/Vark' to put on the Kajukatli to make it look 'authentic'.So,just to check if AC Moore would have it,'M' and I went to the store.But ..No..they did not have any:(
But what they had was....'Pearl dust' which is used to color 'fondants' for cake decorations.This dust is edible and comes in various colors.'M' encouraged me to be innovative..and said that I could make some other designs with the Kaju katli and decorate as I wish.I really liked the idea,and thought about making 'Kaju flowers'.I bought the 'flower' shaped fondant cutter and some pink pearl dust.I already had the 'sprinkles' to make the flower centers.Here are my Kaju Flowers:They look too good to be eaten!

"Sweet Treats"-My 'Kaju Katli' Saga

My 'Kaju Katli' Saga

I know what you are thinking...that's not how 'Kaju Katli' is supposed to look...that's a Pedha! Well..you are absolutely correct.....this was my try on Kaju Katli...which ended up being a pedha .

I was very excited yesterday,that I got the Kaju Katli recipe from my friend 'V'.

Both 'M' and 'E' love Kaju katli and today being 'Dussera' wanted to give it a try and surprise 'M'.

So this morning after dropping 'E' to pre school,stopped at TOPS on my way back, to pick up some raw cashews.Came home,pulled up the recipe given by 'V', and started to follow it.

The recipe calls for soaking the cashews in water for 1 hour and then grinding it into a coarse paste with very minimal amount of water.

Now, the problem is...I have this 'Hamilton Beach' Wave station blender....and to tell the truth..it's useless at times for Indian cooking. For most general applications where the water ratio doesn't matter..it's fine to use.But where you need to wet-grind without water or very little(like for medu vada's , for idli etc)....it practically can't! But surprisingly it can grind dry peanuts into a powder well!

Anyways....

So when I was grinding the cashew into paste,I ended up adding more water.In the latter steps I had to cook it longer than the recipe directions to form into dough. The when I tried to roll it out,it still was loose and sticky and wouldn't allow me to make those classic 'diamonds' of kaju katli.

I still had enough patience and enthusiasm,so I thought why not make 'Kaju Rolls' instead? So I mixed some green color and yellow color in parts of the dough and decided to make 'tri color' Kaju rolls. But in vain....

That didn't work out either....it was all sticky, wouldn't form into nice shapes...

So...finally with little (actually 'NO') patience left.....I rolled them into balls, like pedhas, and garnished them with sliced almonds(As seen in the picture above).

When 'M' came home for lunch, he said the pedhas look perfect and taste like Kaju katli..the shape doesn't matter..all that matters is the taste....etc.He also realized I wasn't happy with my current blender....so has offered to buy one ....which I like! Any Suggestions?

Till we buy the new blender,my friend 'V' had offered to demo the Kaju katli recipe for me...so will be posting the recipe..as soon as I learn it from her.

Till then..'Happy Dussera'!