Baked Coffee Cheesecake

Baked Coffee Cheesecake

By Chef Ajay Chopra

From Hi Tea

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Method: Moderate

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Cheesecakes come in various flavours and this one will be particularly appreciated by coffee lovers

Ingredients

Digestive cookies 200 gms
Instant coffee powder 215 gms
Kahlua coffee liqueur 100 ml
Melted butter 100 gms
Dark chocolate, grated 50 gms
Chocolate chip cookies 100 gms
Cream cheese 500 gms
Sour cream 50 gms
Whipping cream 50 gms
Eggs 3

Methods

Preheat oven to 100º C.
Put cookies, melted butter, grated chocolate and chocolate chip cookies in a mixer jar and blend.
Transfer the mixture into a cake tin and spread evenly.
Take cream cheese in a bowl and whisk till smooth. Add sour cream and whipping cream and whisk. Slowly add eggs and whisk. Add Kahlua coffee liqueur and coffee powder and mix well.
Pour this mixture on top of the crust in the cake tin. Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 2 hours.
Cool down to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator. Cut into wedges and serve.

Tomatokeftedes

Tomatokeftedes

By Chef Shilarna Vaze (Chinu)

By Firangi Tadka

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Tomatoes

Tomato fritters with mint make great starters

Serving Suggestion : Serve with cocktails or mocktails.

Ingredients

Medium tomato, finely chopped 1
Fresh parsley or fresh coriander leaves, chopped ½ cup
Fresh mint leaves ½ cup
Salt to taste
Spring onions (hare pyaz), finely chopped 1 cup
Refined flour (maida) 1 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Oil to deep fry

Methods

Take tomato, parsley/coriander leaves, mint leaves, salt and spring onions in a bowl and mix well.
Take refined flour and baking powder in another bowl and mix well. Add this to the tomato mixture. Add ½ cup water, little at a time, and mix so that the batter is smooth and thick.
Heat sufficient oil in a wok. To test if the oil is hot enough, put a small blob of batter in it. If the batter surfaces up as a lump, it means the oil is hot enough for frying.
Put spoonsful of batter into the hot oil, in batches, and deep fry for 4-5 minutes, on high heat, till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper to soak excess oil.
Serve hot.

Greek Salad

By Chef Shilarna Vaze (Chinu)

By Firangi Tadka

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 0 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Tomato
Green capsicum
Cucumber
Olives
Cottage cheese

This crunchy Greek salad should ideally be eaten during the hot summer months

Ingredients

Medium tomato, seeded and cut into big pieces 1
Lettuce leaves, cut into small pieces a few
Medium green capsicum, cut into square pieces 1
Medium cucumber, cut into square pieces 1
Medium onion, cut into square pieces 1
Green or black olives, halved ½ cup
Cottage cheese (paneer), soaked in 6. ½ cup vinegar for 3 to 4 hours 100 gms
Carom seeds (ajwain) ¼ tsp
Garlic cloves, finely chopped 2
Mustard paste 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder ¼ tsp
White vinegar / lemon juice 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Olive oil 8 tsps

Methods

To make the dressing take carom seeds, garlic cloves, mustard, black pepper, white vinegar/ lemon juice and salt in a bowl.
Add olive oil and whisk till the mixture becomes creamy. The proportion of vinegar and oil should always be 1:4 so that it does not become to sour.
Take tomato, lettuce, capsicum, cucumber, onion and olives in a mixing bowl and mix.
Drain vinegar through a strainer and wash cottage cheese with drinking water. Crumble cottage cheese and add to the salad and mix well.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Transfer into a serving bowl.

Vegetable Souvlaki

Vegetable Souvlaki

By Chef Shilarna Vaze (Chinu)

By Firangi Tadka

Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Tomato
Zucchini
red-yellow-green capsicums

Vegetables marinated in a Greek style marinade and grilled to perfection

Ingredients

Medium tomato, seeded and cut into square pieces 1
Medium zucchini, cut into thick round slices 2
Medium red capsicum, cut into square pieces 1
Medium yellow capsicum, cut into square pieces 1
Medium green capsicum, cut into square pieces 1
Medium onion, cut into square pieces 1
Hung yogurt 2 tbsps
Garlic cloves, finely chopped 2
Lemon juice 2 tsps
Olive oil / vegetable oil 2 tsps + as required
Salt to taste
Carom seeds (ajwain) ¼ tsp
Black peppercorns, crushed ½ tsp
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped (optional) 2 tsps

Methods

To make marinade take hung yogurt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and carom seeds in a bowl and mix.
Add tomato, zucchini, red capsicum, yellow capsicum and green capsicum to the marinade and mix. Add onion and crushed black peppercorns and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours. You may add chopped coriander as well.
Soak skewers in water for 1 hour. Insert the vegetable pieces in any order on skewers. With this quantity of vegetables you can make as many as 10 souvlakis.
Brush a non-stick grill pan with ½ tsp oil and heat on high heat. Place souvlakis on it and grill.
Brush oil on every souvlaki and grill on high heat, rotating the skewers frequently for even cooking, for 2-3 minutes.
Lower heat and grill till all the vegetables are done. It takes about 10 minutes to cook completely.
Serve hot.

Greek Nut Cake

Greek Nut Cake

By Chef Shilarna Vaze (Chinu)

By Firangi Tadka

Prep: 50 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Rusks
Cashewnuts

The inviting aromas of orange and lemon zests in this cake is extremely inviting

Ingredients

Rusks, coarsely ground 2 tbsps
Cashewnuts, chopped 1 cup
Butter a little to grease
Egg yolks 3
Sugar 2 tbsps
Vanilla essence ½ tsp
Cinnamon (dalchini) powdser ¼ tsp
Clove powder ¼ tsp
Orange zest, grated ¼ tsp
Lemon zest, grated 1 tsp
Egg whites, well beaten 3
Baking powder ¾ tsp
Lemon juice ½ tsp
Sugar syrup
Sugar ½ cup

Methods

Preheat oven to 200º C. Grease a baking dish with some butter.
Take egg yolks in a bowl and beat with hand blender for 5 minutes or till fluffy and light yellow. Add sugar and beat till it becomes creamy and frothy.
Add vanilla essence, cinnamon powder, cloves powder, cashewnuts, rusk, orange zest, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix gently.
Add egg whites and baking powder and fold in gently.
Transfer the batter into the buttered baking dish and spread it evenly.
Keep the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile take ½ cup sugar in another bowl, add ½ cup boiling water and mix well to make sugar syrup.
Once the cake is baked take it out of the oven and set aside to cool. Pour sugar syrup on top of the cake and let it soak in the syrup.
Cut into slices and serve.

Saganaki

Saganaki

By Chef Shilarna Vaze (Chinu)

By Firangi Tadka

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Dessert

Type: Greek

Key Ingredients:

Cheese
Cottage cheese (paneer)

Excellent as starters, they go very well with cocktails

Ingredients

Processed cheese, cut into 1 cm thick long slices 100 gms
Cottage cheese (paneer), cut into 1 cm thick long slices 100 gms
Milk 1 tbsp
Egg yolks 1
Refined flour (maida) ½ cup
Olive oil 3 tbsps
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Lemon, sliced 1
Fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 tbsp

Methods

Take milk and egg in a flat-bottomed bowl and beat well.
Spread refined flour on a plate, add salt and mix.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Dip each cheese slice in the egg and milk mixture and then coat it with refined flour mixture and shallow-fry in the hot oil on high heat, turning sides till evenly cooked on all sides. Drain on absorbent paper.
Similarly shallow-fry the cottage cheese slices and drain on absorbent paper.
Arrange both cheese and cottage cheese saganaki on a serving platter and drizzle lemon juice over them.
Garnish with lemon slices and parsley and serve hot.