Coconut Tarts

Well, just baked Jam Tarts for the Sweet Punch in October and I wanted to do it again. Diwali falls on 26th and these Coconut Tarts were made as a trial ahead of the D day. It is always a delight when experiments or innovations turn out  the way you want them to. Therefore, tea time this evening was truly fun time for kids when Tarts come to the table like this ...........

I have used the Jam Tarts recipe by Ria for the tarts. The ingredients for the  filling is ...

Half a cup grated coconut
A Quarter cup semolina/ Rava
4 Tbsp s of Sugar
A pinch of cardamom powder
A tbsp of ghee

Heat ghee in a pan, add in semolina & coconut and fry on low heat, once the the mixture blends well ( need not wait till its brown), add sugar& cardamom powder. Mix well and take off heat.

Now line the Tart pan with the dough, Add 2 teaspoons full of the coconut - semolina mixture into the tarts. Pat then down with your finger , just to even it out . Fill out the 12 tarts with the filling........now press down with your thumb to make a small depression in the center. I have used a 1tsp measuring spoon to press it down so that it makes a neat little groove in the tart.

Heat 3 tbsps of Strawberry jam on very low heat and keep stirring till the mixture is clear off lumps and is smooth enough to pour out. Take off heat and pour the hot jam into the tarts.......and it would look like this.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees and set the tarts to bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

The coconut has browned a little , so did the semolina - yet they stay crisp.Wait until they are cool , and serve

This is one of things where you just cant stop at one :)For a closer look at the tarts........here is another pic..

The tarts ,the filling and the jam topping  - looks like the Diya :) ......well...I love my imagination :P

Am linking this post to the following Events :

                                                        Diwali Sweets by Tickling Palates 

                                         

                                       Anu's Healthy Kitchen - Diwali-Festival of LightsEvent

                                         

                                                    My Diwali- My Way by Khushi

                                                                                          

15 days to go for Diwali - Spread peace n stay safe - Happy Diwali.                                            

JAM TARTS

I missed the September round up of the Sweet Punch as I was on vacation and too busy settling kids in school and getting over home sickness. Should try those Chocolate Almond Biscotti some day. Well,things brightened up eventually and here I am , all set to link this post to the October Punch - Jam Tarts by Ria.

Ria's recipes are never complicated ........therefore, baking tarts was way too easy and I have followed it to the T.

Ingredients:

Flour - 115g ( thats about 1 Cup of sifted APFlour)

Butter - 60g chilled

Baking powder - 1/2tsp 

Water - 4 to 5 drops 

Strawberry Jam for the filling

Method:

• Mix flour and baking powder together.
• Add the butter and rub it with your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Line the tart tins and fill 2/3 of the tart with jam. The crumbs bind together quite well while lining the tart pan.
• Bake at 180 degrees for 15 mins or till done.

Tarts straight out of the oven .............

Note/Tip - I have used salted butter here, so the family comments say that the unsalted butter would've tasted better !!! will keep that in mind for sure :)

Lessons by a Pencil Maker

I read this in the newspaper some months ago, had managed to save  the paper cutting...........


A pencil maker taught his pencils 5 important lessons.

1. Everything you will do will always leave a mark.
2. You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3. What's important is what's inside you.
4. In life you'll undergo painful sharpening, which will make you a better pencil.
5. To be the best pencil,you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

That was something so nice to think about :))

COLORED IDIAPPAM

Last month.while I was packing to get back to Fujairah, Mom gave me some rice powder for me to carry, which she specially had it made ready to use for Idiappam................Such a huge time saver :)) Mom understands our rush more than we do............

 ...........Idiappam or String Hoppers .........is always a family favorite. They are made of rice powder and is usually white. So, the title of the post is just what I did.I colored them :))
Sometimes , we just gotta think out of the box, I guess !!! And an experiment that I got it RIGHT !!

STEP 1: Take One and a half cups of rice powder , add salt as appropriate make a dough with warm water.
Separate the dough into 3 parts. Three parts ..because they need color.
I have used Wilton icing color - the concentrated gel. A small drop would do - and knead the portion till the color blends evenly through the entire dough.
I kept one part just to play safe.......as i have confessed earlier this was a wild experiment...:) Thus, one portion took to pink , another took green and the third stayed white.

STEP 2: No rocket science henceforth, just use the idiappam press and have them steamed in a thali or an idli stand. I have used an idli stand here. when done they look like this.

Trust me , adding color has not altered the taste in anyway. Ideally served with coconut milk and sugar or some lovely spicy curry...the choice is yours...........

I link this post to The Kerala Kitchen - October round up ,hosted by Khushi