Mock Cheese Cake

Sometimes in the spur of the moment I tend to make something out of the ordinary.When I  create a new recipe ,I usually eyeball the ingredients and the dish emerges as the best I could have ever made.Lately   I have been playing around with custard powder inventing  new desserts which at the beginning became a total disaster but then with a lot of trial and error ,I learnt to use and balance the correct amount of ingredients  to make something  interesting.

I made custard pudding using fresh mangoes and apples , instead of the usual  pudding dish i used a  springform tray to set the pudding in .And what a transformation the springform tray did to my pudding.It had the typical  look of a cheese cake and anyone looking at it would think I had made cheesecake .At least a mock cheese cake to devour on a breezy afternoon.

For a thick  custard pudding ( my mock cheese cake)

1 litre milk

1 cup custard powder

1/2 tin condensed milk

1 small apple grated

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup sugar or to taste

1 tsp vanilla essense

A little less than a cup of water

For the pudding base

Tea biscuits to fill a springform baking tray ( single layer)

Hot coffee to dip biscuits ( not to soak)

1 tablespoon sugar

For the topping

2 big juicy mangoes

1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1- Dip the tea biscuits in hot coffee and in a single layer fill the springform tray.keep aside .

Step 2 -Make a thick paste of the custard powder using water.set aside.In a heavy bottom pan,add the milk,condensed milk,sugar and the custard paste and cook till it thickens.Then add the grated apple,lemon zest and the vanilla essense and stir it continuously till the the custard is very thick (the custard should not be creamy but very thick consistency) . Pour the custard into the springform tray and evenly level  it with the help of a spatula .Keep it aside to cool and then refrigerate  to chill.

Step 3 - With your  handy manual  kitchen grater ,grate the mangoes.It will have a kind of pureed consistency . Mix into it 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Remove chilled custard pudding from refrigerator and top it with the fresh  mango puree and refrigerate again for a couple of hours.

To serve, carefully remove the  top part of springform tray  ,place the pudding  on a serving platter with the bottom of the tray still intact.Cut into wedges ( how big the slice is according to your preference).

Coconut Almond Bars

Recently when my eldest visited us from Dubai, I made her a sweet made from scratch to take back home. Since the ingredients were available in my pantry there was no need to rush to the store.  This is my very own creation and I am glad it turned out well.

Ingredients
2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 cup almond powder
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoon water
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoon sliced almond
A drop each of almond essense, vanilla essense and rose water
1/2 teaspoon cardomom powder
A drop of food colouring (according to your preferences)

Method
Lightly butter a cookie tray and set aside
In a pan, add the water and sugar and let it boil slowly till it turns into a syrup.
Add the coconut, cardomom powder, almond essense and vanilla essense and cook for a few minutes
Next add the almond powder and keep stirring
Add a drop  of food coloring for colour and mix well
Add the condensed milk and almond slices
Continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Pour the mixture into the greased tray
Cover with cling film and smoothen it with a rolling pin
Allow to cool
Cut into squares and refrigerate until firm.          

Fruits With Condensed Milk

The fruits we had bought from the market the other day were not sweet and juicy at all.They were just idling in the bowl.Back in my home town ,when they are not sweet to the palate,we drizzle dashes of pepper and salt and eat them as 'acharu' - a sinhalese term for pickle.But I knew it would definitely go to waste if I tried to make a bowl of acharu with these fruits.The only  alternative was to make a fruit salad and sweeten it with condensed milk.And that's what I did last evening.I just couldn't believe .The children  enjoyed it.I cut a few mandarin,apples,pears,bananas and grapes.I coated the fruits well with a tablespoon each of lemon juice and sugar.And kept it in the freezer for half an hour and served it with sweetened condensed milk. 

                                            A variety of fruits could be used in a fruit salad.