Toasted Bread with Burrata and Arugula

Ingredients

• 6 3x2-inch pieces friselle or crusty ciabatta bread, halved horizontally
• 5 tablespoons (about) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, halved
• 1 8-ounce ball burrata cheese,* cut into 12 wedges
• 1 1/2 cups (about) baby arugula
• Finely grated peel from 1 lemon

Preparation

Finely grated peel from 1 lemon Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill small bowl with water. Place bread halves, cut side up, on baking sheet; brush bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toast bread in oven until crisp and light golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Lightly brush each bread half with water (do not soak). Rub cut sides of bread halves with cut sides of garlic halves.

Place 2 bread halves, cut side up, on each of 6 plates. Drizzle each bread half lightly with olive oil. Top each half with 1 burrata wedge; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toss arugula with 1 tablespoon olive oil in small bowl; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mound arugula salad atop burrata on each bread half; sprinkle each with grated lemon peel and serve.

* A soft, fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

Dried Cranberry, Walnut, and Lemon Scones

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup (or more) chilled half and half, divided

 Preparation

Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in bowl for glaze.

Whisk flour, baking powder, lemon peel, salt, and 1 cup sugar in large bowl. Add chilled butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Mix in cranberries and walnuts. Add 1/2 cup half and half and1 tablespoon lemon juice. Toss with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more half and half if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Press out each half on floured surface to 6-inch-diameter (1-inch-high) round. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet; brush with glaze.

Bake scones until golden and tester comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Orange Sandesh

Ingredients:
250 g - sugar cubes
200 g - paneer
1 - small orange
a few drops - orange red colour
golden foil

Method

1. Rub sugar cubes nicely over the surface of orange to absorb the colour and flavour and then crush to a powder.
2. Grind paneer to a paste.
3. Mix together paneer and the sugar and cook over a slow fire till the mixture turns thick and leaves the sides of the vessel.
4. Remove from fire, mix in colour and put in a greased thali.
5. Cover with foil and cut when cold into pieces, or you can also shape the
6. mixture into small oranges.
7. stick an angelica in the centre of the oranges to resemble leaves.

BBQ Prawns

Ingredients:
18-20 jumbo prawns - cleaned & deveined ( I leave the tail on)
2 cups mixed colored bellpeppers & onions- cut into 1-inch pieces
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp djon mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander pwd
2 tsp jeera/ cumin
1 tbsp corn flour
1/4 cup any BBQ sauce
Salt
1 package wooden skewers
3 tbsp dark low-sodium soy sauce (optional)
4 tbsp fish sauce or oyster sauce (optional)
2 tbsp white wine (optional)

Method

1. Soak the wooden skewers in water to prevent them from burning while bbq-ing or broiling.
2. Marinade all the ingredients together & set aside for 20 mins.
3. Skewer the prawns with pieces of bell-peppers & onions in between, leaving enough end-space to flip-over.
4. Grill on a bbq or broil in your oven for 3-4 mins each side, until white (no longer pink & translucent). Char a bit & then braise with butter on each side.
5. Don't over-cook them, else they will get rubbery & hard.
6. Serve with some tartar sauce, bbq sauce or any sauce of your choice.