PASTRIES
Almond Roll
1 cup whole almonds (or one 8 oz can pure Almond Paste)
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
2 Tsp ghee
1 Tsp. kewda water
4 Tsp. finely crushed raw almonds
Soak almonds overnight. Peel them. Make single thread consistency sugar syrup using sugar and water. Let it cool. In the blender make a paste of peeled almonds using the sugar water. If required add more water with spoon. The paste should be fine. Cook the paste on medium fire, Keep stirring. After the paste changes color to off white then add 1 Tsp. Ghee. After the color is darker add the rest of the ghee. Stir well. After the almond mixture starts leaving the side of the pan, take it off the flame and let it cool. Add the kewda water. Make small elongated oval rolls with hand and roll them in the crushed almonds. Offer immediately, or chill and offer.
Andhra Puutarekulu
Sugar (powdered)
Filo dough
Melted butter
Grind the sugar to very fine powder. Set aside. Thaw Filo dough sheets. These are very delicate, so handle gently! Once they come to room temperature, separate each sheet and spread on a work surface. Brush melted butter on the sheet, cut each sheet into 4 inch wide, long strips. Spinkle the powdered sugar on this strip & roll it carefully to form the shape of puutareku. Set sugared strips aside for some time, to let them get a bit crisp, then offer.
Banarasi Backlava
Maida flour 2 cups
Butter 4 tsp.
Almonds few
Cashewnuts few
Shredded coconut 1 cup
Cardamom few
Powdered sugar 1/2 cup
Condensed milk 1/2 cup
Raisins few
Pistachio nuts few
Hot sugar syrup
Cloves few
Ghee
To maida, add butter and mix them well. Sprinkle water to obtain hard dough. Set aside for 1-2 hours. Mix ingredients together (except maida flour and butter for stuffing purposes.) Prepare hot sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in water, heating to get one string consistency. Flatten dough to approximately 3-4 inches in diameter and place stuffing on it. Fold the dough in such a way that the stuffing is securely held in place inside. One way to secure this filling is by piercing a clove through the folds. Fry this stuffed dough in ghee until golden then place them in the hot sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes. Backlava is ready for serving.
Coco Pista Pasand
(Coconut Pistachio Roll)
2 tbsp shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp white poppy seeds
1/2 tbsp milk
For the Coconut Casing:
1/3 cup sugar
5 cardamon pods ground in a grinder
1/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
4 tbsp condensed milk
To make the filling: Grind the pistachios to a coarse powder. Put the ground pistachios, sugar, poppy seeds and milk into a bowl. Mix a paste and set aside. To make the coconut casing: put the sugar into a small heavy-bottomed pan. Add 4 tablespoons of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until the syrup forms a single thread when a little is dropped from a spoon into a cup of cold water. Remove from the heat. Add the coconut and cardamom. Mix well. Add the condensed milk. Stir to mix.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. While the coconut paste is still warm, roll it into a thick 9 inch sausage. Put the coconut sausage horizontally on to the piece of plastic and flatten it to form a rectangle about 3-1/2 inches wide. Roll the pistachio paste into a separate sausage of the same length. Put the rolled pistachio sausage on the coconut rectangle, slightly below the centre, a little closer to your end. With the aid of the plastic, fold the coconut paste over the pistachio paste. Press down on the cling film to firm up the roll. Now continue rolling, being careful to keep the plastic on the outside of the roll, until you have a slim "Swiss Roll" (jelly roll). Press down evenly on the plastic to get a neat roll. Let the roll cool and harden a bit. Remove the plastic and cut crossways into ½ inch thick slices.
Patishapta #1
For the Covering:
Milk 1 cup
Refined Flour 4 tbsp.
Ghee
For the Filling:
Khoya 1 cup
For the Sauce:
Milk 3 cups
Sugar 9 tsp.
Cardamom 4-5 nos.(optional)
The Covering: Mix milk and flour. Heat 1 tsp. ghee in a frying pan. Spread a portion of the mix thin on the frying pan in the form of a circle of 4 inch diameter. Turn over when the bottom turns light brown. Fry till the other side turns light brown too. Remove from heat. Repeat process for other portions.
The Filling: You can either make khoya from scratch, buy it at an Indian grocery, or substitute with fine ricotta cheese. To prepare 1 cup khoya, heat 2 cups of milk on medium heat and stir till very thick. Add half cup sugar and continue to stir till it becomes almost solid.
The Sauce: Heat milk on medium heat and stir till thick, reduced by about half. Add sugar and stir a little more till sugar dissolves well. Add cardamom before removing from heat.
To Assemble: Place filling over the length of the covering, and wrap the covering from both sides to cover the filling. Serve the patishapta dipped in the sauce.
Patishapta #2
For the Covering:
Flour - 3 cups
Suji - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Full cream milk - 4 cups
Cardomom - 4
For the Filling:
Khoya - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Full cream Milk - 1/2 cup
Mix the ingredients together for the covering. Heat the non-stick pan and heat a little ghee. Take a tablespoon of the prepared solution and spread it evenly on the heated pan like a 'dosa'. Wait till it dries.
You can either make khoya from scratch, buy it at an Indian grocery, or substitute with fine ricotta cheese. To prepare 1 cup khoya, heat 2 cups of milk on medium heat and stir till very thick. Add half cup sugar and continue to stir till it becomes almost solid.
Mix the ingredients well for the filling. Now put this filling inside the Patishapta cover. Roll the cover to enclose the filling such that it takes an elongated shape. Take the Patishapta off the burner, and offer.
