Pistachios aren't really "Nuts" ...

Life is easy in Delhi with food stores , specially in Malls where you can shop your needs and buy groceries for your home . Living next to Select City Mall , Foodhall is my destination for all kinds of Kitchen necessities ( Right from Groceries , to imported fruits and Gadgets) . I often used to see their live demonstrations while shopping my grocery , then last week i got a call from Anushua Ghosh to attend one such live demonstration , which Foodhall had organised in association with American Pistachio Growers (APG). As I love to attend live demonstration of chefs , I couldnt refuse for the same . Foodhall's corporate Chef from France - Olivier Vincenot on last saturday ( 8th of August) demonstrated three of his best recipes using California grown Pistachios . You will find these American Pistachios in their rack now .
Talking about Pistachios , do you know it has some interesting names across the world . Pistachios in China is famous as " The Happy Nut" , while in Iran it is called as "The Smiling Nut " . "Smiling Pistachios" for Middle Easterns . These Happy Nut has some nutritional punch with protein , Magnesium , Thaimin , fiber and Phosporous . I like to have Salty and Crispy roasted Pistachios. Got some amazing recipes from Chef Oliver and I am going to try them in my Kitchen for sure . Let me share three of his easy-peasy  recipes here for my readers . 



Recipes .. 

Pistachio Cannoli 

Ingredients
serves - 35 ppl
Cooking time - 10 minutes
Preparation time- 20 minutes

For the Cannoli ( Waffle cone mix)
Diary Cream ( Amul) - 1/4 ltr
Vanilla Essence - few drops
Icing Sugar- 1/2 cup
Refined flour- 1/2 cup
Cinnamon powder- 1 pinch
Nutmet pd- 1/2 pinch
Corn flour - 1/2 tbsp
Refined oil- 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1tbsp

Method
In a bowl with a whisk, whip the cream with the vanilla until mousse like until slightly thicken ( it shouldnt form peaks)
Sift the remaining ingredients together and stir them into the cream to make a batter.
Let the batter sit or rest for 30 minutes
Heat the waffle cone maker and pour 1 tbsp of batter into it , close and cook till golden brown.
Fold immediately to form a hollow cylinder open from both ends. The Cannoli is ready for filling . ( Use a round handle about the thickness of the tom finger)
For the filling
Ingredients
Ricotta Cheese -1cup
Pistachio nuts - 1/4 cup
Pistachio Powder- 2 tbsp
Method
Place the ricotta cheese in a hand bowl and gently stir with a spatula to make in smooth.
Chop the pistachio nuts roughly and fold into the ricotta
With a piping bag, fill the waffle cannoli from both side and deep each end into pistachio powder .

Pistachio Blanc Mange 

Pistachio Blanc Mange
Serve - 6
Prep time- 40 mts
Ingredients
Whole Milk - 2cup
Pistachio Powder- 1/2 cup
Caster Sugar - 1/4 cup
Gelatin leaf- 1tbsp of powder gelatin
Whipped cream- 3/4 cup
Method
To make pistachio powder: if only pistachio with skin are avilable , boil some water in a sauce pan and place in the whole pistachio, simmer for a few mts and then put them in a cold water bath to cool down quickly., remove the skin and let the pistachios dry on a kitchen paper. Best if this is done the day before.
To make the pistachio powder, put them into a blender or a food processor , a handfull at a time, and blend until a powder is formed.
Heat together the milk and pistachio powder and let infuse for a few mts at low heat. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cover with a cling flim for 20 mts so that the flavour doesnt evaporate.
Pass the milk and pistachio through a thin sieve back into a sauce pan and add the sugar , heat up on medium heat until the temperature reaches 82C. Remove from the heat.
Soften the gelatin leaf in cold water. ( If no gelatin leaf, use the gelatin powder) by mixing it with 100ml of the milk until dissolved and further melting it using a microwave
Add the gelatin to the milk, stil until fully dissolved and cool down to room temperature while stirring .
Whip the cream and fold together. The mix texture should be slightly thick, not quite liquid like water.
Pour to the glasses to set
Decorate the top with chopped pistachios




HUMMUS ..

Hummus 

Hummus was served with Pita Bread sticks 

Pistachio Hummus
Serves- 2
Preparation time- 15 mts
Cooking time- 10 mts
Ingredients
Pistachio shelled - 1cup
Boiled chick peas - 1/2 cup -optional
Water- 1/2 cup
Olive oil- 2 tbsp
Cloves garlic - 2
Whole lemon juice - 1
Salt as required
Tahini paste -2 tbsp
Method
Boil the pistachios in water , drain and rub to take out the skin
In a food processor place pistachio , olive oil and half water and blend to a paste

Add the boiled chick peas made into a paste , garlic, lemon juice , tahini paste, and remaining water slowly and process till the desired hummus consistency is acquired . Add more water if required .
Adjust the seasoning and serve with chips or veggies .


Some more photos of the event ..

Chef Olivier preparing for Hummus 

Californian Pistachios 

Making of Cannolis 

Cannolis 

Filling up of Cannolis with Ricotta cheese 

Chef made all these Cannolis for us . :) 

Corporate Chef of Foodhall Chef Olivier Vincenot with Foodhall and team-American Pistachio Growers (APG)  

*The Kitchen Espion team wishes Food Hall all success into their venture and also want to thank Anushua Ghosh  for inviting me for such exciting cooking event . 

Carl's Jr .... The Chargrilled Burgers of California

I was expecting little more messy  

The much awaited Californian chain of Burger has been finally launched in New Delhi . Discovery of Margaret and Carl Karcher , this 70 year old  brand made its grand entry into QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) food market in Delhi over the weekend with its huge range of Burgers (both Nonveg and veg) .  Located in popular hang out spot in South Delhi, The Select City Walk, and like other American food chains ,Carl's Jr too has customised its menu to suit Indian Palate .

Carl's Jr specialises in Chargrilled Burgers which is being grilled in their special griller with high temperature . Their menu features 15 various Vegetarian and Non vegetarian Burgers with hand breaded chicken offerings . They also have a wide variety of hand scooped ice-creams shakes and Beer on tap .

Sana Chopra, the executive Director for the brand said " Carl's Jr. will satisfy Indian palate with their  rich and intense flavours of chargrilled burgers and Beer on tap and soft beverages bar". As a meat lover , I am little dissappointed to see only chicken as a meat on their menu but talking to their Marketing Executive Mr. Sameer Chopra got to know that very soon they are going to add seafood and Lamb meat in their menu.
Their chargrilled burger section  has a variety of options like "Star Burger with Moroccan spiced chicken with cheese , Mile High Burger with hand breaded onion rings topped with Santa Fe Sauce , Chargrilled Chicken fillet with Mango Jalapeno Pepper and many more . In vegerarian section , I saw the menu with Chargrilled Tandoori Paneer Burger , Paneer Tikka Masala with Mint mayo , 9 Jewel Burger , Fenugreek Burger and more . I must not forget to mention their "Wasabi-Fries" , this is one dish which i really liked . As wasabi is my favourite , i loved their idea to sprinkle Wasabi powder over fries instead of Indian Chaat Masala . Their onion rings are different from what we normally get in restaurant serving World's Cuisine .

According to Sameer Chopra , their target is to attract Young crowd with their unique marketing skills but I am wondering will their Beer-Burger combination stop "Adult Young Generation" ?

To reach
Carl's Jr Chargrill Burger
Select City walk, Souther part
(Back side of the mall ) .

Hand blended Starberry and Pinacolada Shake 

Mango Jalepino Chicken Burger 

High Mile Chicken Burger with "Wasabi-Fries" 

Strawberry Shake with whipped cream 

Onion Rings . 

Fenugreek Burger ( It gives a flavour of Indian curry "Aloo-Methi") 

Good way to promote the brand . 

Sameer Chopra , enjoying his Chargrilled Paneer Burger

Explore French-Vietnamese cuisine with Chef Luke Nguyen at TLC Channel

I always follow TLC Channel for some exotic recipes from celebrity Chefs and their travel programme on around the world. When i got to know about Chef Luke's progamme on TLC , I  thought to pen down the information for my readers. 

Chef Luke Nguyen 

A new series of  French -Vietnamese cuisine is coming up in TLC Channel . Chef Luke Nguyen who hails from France is going to showcase his expertise in Vietamese twist to French cuisine  which is going to be aired every weekday at 8pm as Luke Nguyen's France .



Luke's journey commences in Paris where he explores Parisian and tradition. In lyon, Luke cooks alongside the country's top chefs and home cooks. He travels along France's famed southern coastline from Nice to Biassitz and experiences the generiosity of the locals as they not only open up their homes but also share their treasured family recipes . Luke's journey will also take him through the iconic Loire Valley and later to Brittany where he enjoys French food heritage at its finest.   On his journey via TLC he will uncover the gallic influence in Vietnamese cuisine with an art of regional French cuisine .




We will discover France's diverse cuisine as Luke whips up tantalising dishes including classic recipes like melted goat's cheese on sour dough and French Vietnamese fusion .
So lets catch Chef Luke Nguyen on TLC Channel for French and Vietnamese cuisine ., every weekday at 8pm. Cnt wait for its telecast .



* Information sourced by
Liopnion group. 

Spirit -"ology" ... Lets Rock and Storm with Blue Eyes White Lily and Green Apple .

We drink for different reasons: to quench thirst, to loosen up or get drunk, because it tastes good, to enhance a meal, because we’re addicted, as part of a ceremony, to celebrate, to mourn. We drink when we’re happy. We drink when we’re sad. And then there are the non-drinkers, for whom abstaining may be as much of an issue as drink.Whatever  is the reason for others , I drink when I feel like to relax  with good company. 

 Last month I got a call from Silvicpr company to try  two newly launched Vodka ( Green Apple and Blue Eyes White Lily ) of  Rock and Storm Distilleries, I was thrilled to try their cocktail recipes .  Sometimes I wonder why didn’t I learned Mixing Spirits professionally., As I love to try new recipes of cocktails .  All the five recipes were fruit  and tea based , so I loved  all of them.  Let me share their all five recipes of Cocktails . These summer based drinks are perfect  for  Delhi weather . Blue Eyes White Lily Vodka is pure grained so it was nice to mix all kind of fuits and liquors to get a good punch.  Green Apple is a flavoured one , and it was going very well with Green Tea.

   








Blue Eyes Green Tea

photo courtesy : silvicpr 

Ingredients: Blue Eyes Green Tea, Green Tea Bags – 2, Boiled Water - 20ml, Gin - 20ml, Blue Eyes Vodka - 40ml, Sugar syrup, Lemon juice, Whisky - 2 to 3 ml, Sprite

Method: Dip 2 Green Tea Bags in 20ml boiled water in a Shaker, Squeeze a little, pour the water in a Glass already filled with Ice Cubes. Add 20ml Revolution Gin n Lime Duet with 40 ML Blue Eyes Pure Grain Vodka, Sugar Syrup & lime Juice to taste.

• Top up with Sprite

• Spray 2-3ml of Big Boss Whisky

• Garnish with Mint Leaves







**Blue Eyes White Lily

Ingredients:White Lily, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Lychee Juice - 60ml, Limca - 60ml, Lemon Juice - 2-3 drops
Method: Put 1/3 part of Crushed ice in a Glass, Pour 45ml of Blue Eyes Vodka, pour 60ml Lychee Juice, Limca 60ml & 2-3 Drops of Lemon Juice. Slightly Stir.Garnish with Fresh Lychee bulbs. 

**Blue Eyes Summer Crush
Ingredients: Summer Crush, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Tomato - ½, Cucumber - ½, Melon - 1/8, Sugar Syrup, Mint - 5-6 Leaves

Method: Blend Half Tomato, Cucumber & Melon in a Blender with Some Crushed Ice.  Add Blue Eyes Vodka 45 ML Add Sugar to Taste Pour in a Glass.

Garnish with Twisted Slice of Cucumber....

**

Blue Eyes Mango Sunrise

Ingedients: Mango Sunrise, Vodka - 45ml, Mango Juice - 45ml, Coke - 60ml, Crushed Ice, Gin - 15ml

Mthod: Put Some Crushed ice in a glass, Lock it on base and fix a Long shot Glass filled with 30ml Blue Eyes Vodka & 30ml Chilled Mango Juice In the glass. Pour Coke 60ml and Revolution Gin n Lime 15ml

Photo courtesy : Silvicpr 

**Blue Eyes Masala Twist 

Photo courtesy Silvicpr 

Ingredients: Blue Eyes Masala twist, Blue Eyes Vodka - 45ml, Lime chunks - 4 to 6, Mint Leaves, Brown Sugar, Chaat masala, Sprite

Method: Pour 45ml Blue Eyes Vodka in Shaker Put 4-6 Lime Chunks, add Brown Sugar Muddle Them Slightly , Add Tapped Mint Leaves, Add Some ice and Chaat Masala Shake Well and Double Strained in a glass topped, with Sprite, Garnish with Lime Chunk or Mint

**Let me share a brief description on the brand , which i have gathered from the PR of the company.
The company "Rock and Storm Distilleries " is a ventured by Arundeep Singla . It was launched in 2010 and has since then made its mark in Whisky, Rum , Vodka and Gin with both premium and semi premium brands. Distelleries is headquatered in Punjab and retail in Delhi. 

, 

Too much French for me - L'Opera - The Patisserie

Come birthday month, my people start discussing about Cakes and Pastries from L'Opera . For the

past three years , we have been regular at this French Parisserie . As my birthday is approaching , I overheard some chinese whispers at home about celebrations and immediately Mango Macaron of L'opera which i had at their Nehru place outlet ,came into my mind . This newly launched Macarons were very smooth in texture and just melted into my mouth .  I also had some fantastic cakes and toffees . Hang on , I must share this story in detail.

Although this story is two months back , but i must share it with you. When I got a call from my friend Veta Ratra about new Chef  and his new ventures , I joined her along with my blogger friend, Nimmi Vashi.  It was an euphoric moment to meet Chef Cedric along with Laurent Samandari , Man behind this authentic French Patisserie and his excellency Francois Richier , Ambassador of France. 

Pattisserie - L'Opera , Nehru Place 

After a brief discussion with Chef Cedric , got to know that he hails from a bakers family and his passion brought him to India and work at L'Opera .  He is planning to launch an extensive array of products including some sugar free pasteries and cakes . 

Chef Cedric giving a brief on his latest creations

inside view of the outlet . 

So talking about some of his creations which i had was Mango Macaron which is made with fresh mango and cream .,  Rum Truffle , Oats , Toffees ( Pistachios with White chocolate, Honey milk chocolate , and White chocolate and Museli) and Biscuits ( Oats and sesame and Green tea ) . I also had two newly launched Cakes at their outlet - Banana chocolate Chip and Carrot and Walnut Cake

Rockstar of the event - Mango Macaron

Toffees. 

Cakes . 

some more view of Toffees 

loved these Oats and Green tea biscuits 

I am not a very biscuit person but loved their Oats and Green tea biscuit . I can still feel the taste of Mango Macaron . I am sure on this birthday too , I am going to blow candles on L'Opera Cake . :)

Me and My Espion team wish them all the best for their new venture and many more such delectable innovations . My gratitude to Veta Ratra and Laurent Samandari , Co-Founder of L'Opera for giving me an oppurtunity to attend Chef Cedric event for show casing some of his fantastic creations . 




List of their outlets in NCR

*Khan Market
*DLF, Promanade Mall, Vasant Kunj
*Galleria Market , Gurgaon
*Hauz Khas village
*Epicuria Food mall , Nehru Place
*French Embassy
*Ravissant Blliis , New Friends Colony
*DLF Golf and Country Club , Gurgaon
*German Centre , DLF , Cyber City Gurgaon . 

* Although Espion pay their own bill but this event was on invitation by  Ms.Veta Ratra . 

COL- Chickens of Ludhaina - My love story of falling in love with Yellow Butter Chicken of Ludhiana .

My story of falling in love with the "Yellow Butter Chicken" started with a general discussion with my friend . I was initially not very surprised when he told me that he only eats chicken because i know people from Punjab love the "Kukkad" . I insisted on him to try out other meat too and so started the discussion on famous curries of Punjab ( Butter Chicken , Tandoori Chicken , Cream Chicken etc). When he asked me whether I have ever tasted Yellow coloured Butter Chicken, my curiosity to know more about it grew and then he told me about anewly opened outlet in Gurgaon  called "Col-Chickens of Ludhiana"  which is serving three famous curries of Ludhiana.

The menu

After meeting my friend , I couldnt wait for another day and asked my friends whether they are game for trying this outlet with me .So next day me  and few of my friends ( +lakshay gumber , +Shalini Pereira and +Naju Medhi )  decided to meet for lunch with some Ludhiana special food. Although it is a "Take away outlet" , they have seating capacity of 10 people .  While waiting for my friends , I got a chance to chat with the owner of COL-Chickens of Ludhiana , Amit Khanna. I was more curious to know about Yellow coloured Butter Chicken , because living in Delhi , Butter Chicken for me was red coloured gravy with huge amount of cream over it . Apparanently Ludhiana is famous for three curries - Butter chicken, Cream chicken and Rada Chicken. So according to Amit, during partition of Indo-Pakistan, when people from Pakistan moved to India, they brought their special  recipe of Butter Chicken , which is yellow in colour . Since then Butter Chicken curry is yellowish in Ludhiana with a base of  onion and cream. According to him , Amit has not compromised on the quality of the ingredients and they use their inhouse spice mix to maintain the authenticity of the curries .

After going through their menu, we decided to order all the three famous curries - Butter Chicken, Cream Chicken and Rada Chicken. As per my friend's recommentation, we ordered Mirchi Paratha to eat with the curries . For starters we ordered "Stuffed Tangri Kabab".

Stuffed Tangri Kabab 

Butter chicken was not tangy unlike what i get at most of the outlets in Delhi . It had a very distinct flavour . Cream chicken was perfect blend of onions, cream , black pepper and fenugrek . No ingredient was overpowering with other .  It blended  very well with Mirchi Paratha . Btw dnt get scared when you look at the amount of Mirchi over the Paratha , they use degi mirch for the colour and to make it mild spicy. Rada Chicken was slightly spicy than other two gravies , so we ordered plain Tandoori roti to polish the curry. Although spices used are their inhouse spices but i could smell the aroma of Javitri and Pipli .  I must say that all the three gravies had distinced flavour and aroma. Talking about Tangri Chicken , i think it should be talk of the town. They stuff the Tangris with a lavish amount of Keema and spices and serve it with refreshing mint chutney .

Cream Chicken . 

Rada Chicken .

t

Talk of the Town - Yellow Butter Chicken of Ludhiana 

Mirchi Paratha - layered with cream with a sprinkle of Degi Mirch 

Btw their menu has lot of options for Vegetarians too . They claim that their Soya Chaap and Stuffed Mushroom are high in demand . I have kept the list of veggie items pending to try out on my next visit .

Although we all were full but wanted to try something in dessert section , so as per Amit's recommendation, we ordered Fruit Cream . We all loved the dish and saw a smile at Amit's face as he proudly told us that its his wife's recipe .

Fruit Cream

With all the mentioned (half portion each) curries, one portion of Kabab with two Mirchi Paratha and one Tandoori Roti and dessert , our bill was 1500/-  which is quite reasonable .
Espion team  congratulates Mr. Amit Khanna for introducing such delicacies of Ludhiana and wish for his succcess in  his venture.

COL has maintained the tradition to serve Jaggery to their guest after the meal . 

To Reach
COL-Chickens of Ludhiana
Supermart - 1. DLF - Phase 4
Gurgaon . ( 9999-763723)
* They accept plastic money
* They are closed on Tuesday.
* A Lavish meal for two - 800/- 
* The Kitchen Espion pays their own bill to review .

Eat Organic - Drink Organic at FARM OUT , A Coffee shop and Sandwich and Salad Bar...

That feather which helped me to know about the Cafe and build friendship with the man behind this beautiful Cafe .

My story of Farm out begins with this Logo painted on the wall in first floor of  Farm Out - A Coffee shop , Sandwich and Salad bar in Gurgaon. Few months back I got a chance to attend their Organic Coffee event ,and to know about their products . While enjoying  their Sandwich and special Cold Coffee , my eyes were not moving away from the logo and i couldnt stop myself asking the owner Arijit Ganguli about the logic to paint the feather on head and to know more about  his Cafe.
So here is my discussion with him 

In this time of Fusion and world cuisine what inspired you to open this Organic Cafe. ?

Arijit - "The inception happened with the founders Arijit and Amit were sitting in a farm early in the morning thinking what to eat - finally ending up using some fresh veggies from the same farm and making some really healthy sandwiches and salads. The initial idea behind farmout was to use farm fresh ingredients in the recipes but doing some more market study and realising how much harm non-organic produces are causing silently, we decided on using organic produce and that actually add a higher value to the product offering". Is it all Organic ? Arijit - "All the vegetables, tea leaves, coffee beans used in the cafe are organic. We have tied up with few organic farms for the vegetables and plan to tie up with more in the coming months. The tea leaves we use are full leaf and organic and the arabica coffee beans are sourced from couple of organic farms in south India." Your Juices and Drinks are very different than most of the other Cafes. Is it your inhouse signature recipes. Arijit - "Most of our drinks are created in-house after lot of experimentation and trying out in different tasting sessions. For example - The Watermelon Mint chiller initially started with watermelon + mint juice. What we are serving is now is a thicker version where we blend them rather than juice them and we also added a tint of ginger to create a balanced taste"

You had mentioned about hindi classes for expats, is it in regular basis Arijit -

 "We organise events once in a week or two - it started with a coffee tasting session, followed by a session on Imaginary theatre and finally the last one was on learning Hindi in a restaurant setting that was more for travellers and expats"

------

A simple and cute ambiance 

While chit chatting with Arijit , I went through their menu and found some interesting list of beverages . While asking about them , I got to know that apart from 12 Hot teas , they serve 4 varieties of Ice Teas . The Ice Tea is prepared every morning (sometimes twice or thrice in a day) and do not use any concentrate or artificial flavours . The best sellers are Himalayan Spices and Tulsi -Rhododendron for Hot Teas and Mango Green and Orange Mint for Iced Teas.

Recently they have started providing the facility of Home Delivery within Gurgaon which is a boon for Gurgaon people in this scortching heat. Although I came out happy after enjoying a nice organic sandwich , Chilled Cold Coffee and chit chat with Arijit Ganguli , the suspense of adding the feather in the organic basket still exist . Let me keep it pending to know about it on my next visit . :D

Quinoa Salad 

Tea 

Oriental Bagoda 

Chicken Salad 

The Kitchen Espion team wishes a great success to the team of Farm Out and recommend the place for some refreshing salads and Beverages. To reach SF 116- First Floor Galleria Market, DLF Phase 4 Gurgaon. Buzz +911- 9599914161, +91 1244019060