Fruit Cake

Yet another late post. Looks like I have to stop cribbing about not being able to update my blog regularly and just do it as and when it happens. For this moment to arrive, I have been planning since the past one week. More so, when the recipe I am going to post is as old as the Easter weekend.

Though this was not an Easter speciality, but this what was my contribution to the potluck that we had at a friends place. She has a lovely patio, overlooking the canyon. The day was just a perfect sunny San Diego day. There was authentic uppam with stew, some yummy potpies, appetizers, and offcourse my cake. We ate, painted Easter eggs, and off course enjoyed lazying in the sun.

Even though I have made this cake quite a few times, I have never stuck to the recipe. Its a different recipe all the time. Well let me take that back, they are not very different, just a couple of ingredients here and there. But offcourse the basic funda is same for all. Lots of fruits, with just enough batter to hold them together, to result in this yummy, festive fruit cake.

I think I have written enough, I need to give the recipe now, here it goes. I found this recipe here

You will need

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup regular sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
Juice and zest of 1 orange.
3/4 cup almond-coarsely ground
1/2 cup pecans-coarsely ground
1 1/2 cups chopped dried fruits (cherries, candied peel, dry ginger, raisins, cranberries)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
2 tbsp of brandy or rum extract (essence)

You will have to

1. If using brandy, soak the chopped dried fruit, in the brandy a week in advance.preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take an 8 inch spring form pan and line it with butter paper.
2. beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well
3. Add the rum extract,(if not using brandy) orange juice and zest. fold in the almonds , chopped dried fruits.
4. In a separate bowl sieve together baking powder, flour and salt. fold this into the cake batter.
5. \Bake in oven for an hour. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degree and bake for another half an hour.
   
   The cake can be brushed with brandy too and can be wrapped and stored for a long time in the freezer. The cake is usually made way in advance and is nourished with brandy until its Christmas time. yummyyyyyy!!!!!!!

More later.

Tofu Frankies

Lavash breads are a staple of places like Turkey, Armenia, Iran. Here in the US, I came across Lavash breads at a speciality grocery store, that sells Mediterranean foods. It is quite similar to the roomali rotis we get in India, in fact they will work just perfectly with any curry dish.

I have been seeing the bread at Trader Joes (read my favourite store) for a long time now and wanting to try it out too. So I finally got it and thought of trying out wraps.

Why tofu? Well firstly my husband being a vegetarian doesn't get enough proteins and so I figured I need to give him protein at least once a day. Though he does have dals, but we don't have Indian everyday. So I really have to think hard in order for him to get his share of proteins for the day. He likes tofu, but only in Thai food, hence I figured that I need to camouflage it and serve it to him,and eureka!!!!!!, wraps.....What better way to camouflage, than to wrap it.

I don't think I am making any sense, here goes the recipe

You will need

• Lavash bread- 2 sheets, (or you can use tortillas)

For the filling

• 1 boiled potatoes
• 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
• tofu-1 cup (crumbled)
• tomato sauce- 1/2 tsp
• chily sauce- 1/2 ts
• Lemon juice- 1/4th tsp
• salt and pepper - to taste
• sour cream- 1-2 tbsp
• oil- 1 tbsp

You will have to

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. saute onions, till transparent. Add the bell peppers. saute
3. add the boiled potatoes, along with the tofu.
4. Add the salt and pepper, along with the tomato sauce and the chilly sauce.
5. Mix everything up , slightly mash the potatoes and mix it with the tofu. Add the lemon juice.
6. Heat the lavash lightly,
7. Place a spoonfull of the mixture in the center, add a little sour cream and roll the lavash all around.
8. Cut through the center.
9. Serve as is. Or keep it prepared and warm in the oven, everyone will love it.

Enjoy