Sweet Sesame Crackers ~ Til Papdi

 It is always good to have friends and even better if you have friends, who you can share your interests with, like cooking or reading. I am blessed to be surrounded  by like minded people and the joy doubles when I can learn new things from them. This sweet sesame crackers is something I have learned making from my friend M. She had made them and bought to one of our 'Get Togethers'. It was such a great hit and we all enjoyed munching it. M was generous enough to show me how to make it before the day ended. The ones she made for me ended the very next day and since then I have been contemplating to try it on my own.

 After much procrastination, I tried them today and they came out good. Yes, I did call her to confirm the measurement and it is simple enough for any one to give it a try. All you need is sugar, sesame seeds and a little ghee. These sesame seeds crackers are generally made during Makar Sakranti, a festival is celebrated in the month of January. But, you can enjoy munching them at any time.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
3/8 cup sugar(basically the measure for sugar is 3/4th of sesame seeds)
1 tsp ghee for toasting
2 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tbsp ghee for dusting and greasing.

Click here for printable version

Process:

1. Heat a pan and add ghee for toasting into it. When melted add the sesame seeds and toast for about a minute. The seeds will not change colour. Transfer the seeds into a bowl.
2. Now melt the sugar in the pan. Stir slightly. While the sugar is melting, grease your clean work top area and spread a tbsp of sesame seeds on a small area. Grease your rolling pin as well.
3. When the sugar has melted add the toasted sesame seeds and using a spatula mix mix to form a sugar - sesame lump. Using a spoon put it over the sprinkled sesame seeds work top area. Now put another tablespoon of sesame seeds over the lump and run the rolling pin over it. Try to spread it as thinly as possible and as quickly as possible as it tends to set very quickly. If at any point the dough sticks to the rolling pin grease it again quickly and try sprinkling a little more sesame seeds over the sticky part.
4. After spreading it thinly, run a knife or pizza cutter over it to cut it into pieces. Move the pieces into another plate and cool to room temperature. Store them in an air tight container.

A very good snack to much on, but it can get addictive and in my place it gets over in no time! Linking it to Lets Cook#12 Sweet Somethings

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Banoffee Pots ~ For Sweet Punch

For January Sweet Punch Divya chose a gorgeous, sinful, decadent 'Banoffee Pie' recipe from Swapna's Cuisine. I was in a dilemma, whether to go for it or not. There were a couple of reasons. Banoffee Pie is anything but healthy, it is loaded with calories and calories and calories! But, it is definitely outrageously DELICIOUS, so much so that all your resolutions to eat healthy will go behind closed doors. Another reason was my DH loves banana as a fruit but not anything with bananas in it. So, cooking this only for myself didn't seem to be a very good idea (I nearly fainted when I stood on my bathroom scale last time. Sigh! Old story!).

Still, I went ahead and made it as making dulce de leche had been high on my 'to make list' and to justify it to myself I made them as trifles (small serving, so less calories). I made only 2 servings and the rest of dulce de leche is making something else. I will come up with that later.

First thing first: How to make dulce de leche?

It is nothing but cooked condensed milk. I went for the conventional method as suggested in the recipe. 

Put the can of condensed milk, unopened, in a large pan, cover with water, bring to boiling point and boil for 2 hours on medium heat. Top it with boiling water from a kettle as needed. The can SHOULD remain covered in water, otherwise there is a risk of the can bursting open. Remove and leave to cool completely. If you cook it for longer, it will have a darker color than that shown in the picture below.

 

This is how I made the Banoffee Pots/Trifles:

Click here for printable version

Ingredients:

3-4 rich tea biscuits powdered

1 tbsp butter

80 ml dulce de leche

1 banana, peeled and sliced

80 ml whipped cream sweetened to taste

Cocoa powder for dusting.

Process:

1. Mix the butter and the powdered biscuit and divide it into the two serving glass. Press it to form a layer. 

2. Pour dulce de leche into each glass equally forming a layer followed by banana slices and them top it up with whipped cream. Dust it with cocoa powder. Keep it in the fridge for an hour before serving.