Comfortably sharing space with grapes from my father's vine at home...yummy APRICOTS!!

Crisp & airy.....Meringues

Meringue is a type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and caster sugar. Some meringue recipes call for adding a binding agent such as cream of tartar or the cornstarch found in confectioner's sugar. Meringues are often flavoured with vanilla and a small amount of almond or coconut extract. They are very light and airy and extremely sweet. The notion that meringue was invented in the Swiss town of Meiringen by an Italian chef named Gasparini is contended. Typically, two whipped egg whites and 113g (4oz) of caster sugar are what compose a single batch cooked meringue.

I've dreamt long of making this meringue nest, neatly piped edges, with silken Chantilly cream piped inside & pretty fruit topping it. A drizzle of chocolate, a dusting of sugar...a dream! My first attempt didn't exactly roll out as perfectly as my dream because the monsoons hit us 2 weeks before time (first time in 108 years; is there a deeper meaning to all this?). After getting all ingredients to room temperature etc, I read that meringues are best made in dry weather, never humid! At 80% humidity, I threw caution to wind & marched ahead. Obviously didn't manage the dreamy nests, but got yummy crunchy meringues, crisp like no ones business; they even peeled off the foil! What fun...& a huge relief!

The precious fruit behaved perfectly like the book said it would...blanched & plunged, peeled & pitted, sliced & chilled...a breeze.

Recipe time now... First the French Meringue
Ingredients:
Egg whites -4 (at room temperature)
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Almond essence - 1 tsp
Yellow sugar for sprinkling...
Method:

• Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. (Make sure the whites are at room temperature, show no traces of yolk, the beater & bowl is clean of any fat etc....squeaky clean).
• Beat in half the sugar & almond essence.
• By hand, beat in the rest of the sugar till well incorporated & stiff. (Here's where I went wrong in my exuberance. I beat in the other half too; maybe that's why I lost out on a firm meringue mix).
• Pipe out 3" circles on a foil lined baking sheet, leaving room around each for a little spreading. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 100 degrees C for 1 hour. Then switch off the oven & leave them sitting in there for another hour until completely cool & dry.
• Peel off the foil very carefully. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Onto the Apricots then...
Ingredients:
Ripe Apricots - 250gms (reserve one for garnishing)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (I used vanilla sugar, which I made thanks to Rachel @ Tangerines Kitchen who was very nice to mail me some vanilla beans)
Mint leaves - a generous handful
Pits of apricots, peaches...(these give a nice bitter-sweet edge to the apricots)
Whipped Cream, 1 apricot & mint leaves for serving

Method:

• Bring a pan of water to boil. Keep a bowl of chilled water ready. Drop the apricots into boiling water for 10 seconds only, & them immediately plunge into a bowl of chilled water.
• Peel, pit & slice the fruit. Reserve the pits.
• Boil about 1 cup of water + 1/2 cup sugar with the pits & mint leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes, & then cool completely. Remove the pits, pour the syrup over the fruit & chill for at least 4-5 hours. (I did this the previous day & left the fruit to chill overnight with the mint leaves left in. The flavours matured very well. )
• Drain the slices in a sieve, pick out & throw the mint & reserve the syrup.
• Boil the syrup down to a third to get a nice thickish sauce. It will thicken like honey as it cools...& tastes finger-licking good. The son begged me for more...no, I didnt relent!!
  To assemble...
• Lay a meringue on a platter. Put a dollop of cream on it. Top it with apricot slices. Drizzle the sauce, add a sprig of mint & serve.

"A-meringue-ing we will go
we'll catch a little fruit &
Make it look real cute
And never let it go!!"

Cosmos means an ordered, harmonious whole....words that suit the flower perfectly! COSMOS is flourishing in our garden these days. The colour of cosmos, the flower, YELLOW, shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy as well as spark creative thoughts.

All the very best to you Bri! (read more about Bri HERE)

This post featured on

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YELLOW is the colour of hope & we're here blogging for Bri. Jai & Bee @ Jugalbandi have led the way to spread hope & have embarked on a very inspired edition of CLICK. I haven't had the good fortune of interacting directly with Bri, but have bumped into her at my dear friend Manggy's many a time, & at Bee's too.

In Jai & Bee's words ... "This is a special edition of CLICK, tinged with sadness and filled with hope. Yellow is the happiest colour in the spectrum. It signifies hope and enlightenment. Though the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer. This edition of CLICK is more than a photo event. It is a fundraiser for our dear Briana.

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.
Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

Beans & Lentils...Naturally beautiful!

FULL OF BEANS...

The theme for May 2008 is CLICK Beans n Lentils

BEAN there, done that!

Took a handful of those, & found myself reaching out to other lentils on the shelf. Settled for chick peas & horse gram too. I thought the combination was beeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful! I'm putting the post together for CLICK first, & will hopefully post the 'Sprouted Moong Dal Salad' sometime soon.

Day 1 & then Day 3

• Found this really interesting article about sprouts on Oprah.com, sprouts are called Superfood No. 9.

"Sprouts are a highly nutritious food. Grown locally year round, sprouts are a good source of protein and vitamin C. A sprout is produced when a seed starts growing into a vegetable. Sprouts can grow from the seeds of vegetables, grains, legumes, buckwheat, and beans. Sprouts vary in texture and taste. Some are spicy (radish and onion sprouts), some are hardy and often used in Asian cuisines (mung bean), while others are more delicate (alfalfa), and add texture and moistness to salads and sandwiches.

Also found something very interesting at Indira's blog @ Mahanadi. She's calling for mango based food art...for a creative event called Mango Manthram.

In her words, " The color and shape of the mango are an artist’s dream. Mango tree, mango leaves, mango fruit in various stages of development, and the scrumptious dishes we can prepare with mango - the magic of mangoes is a timeless tradition that is steeped in art, history and romance. Bring your own touch, and interpret your mango memories and experiences through Food Art. The field is wide open". So you can see how carried away I got. Had the time of my life; was transported back to gleeful childhood where I remember making fishes out of dal! Here I tried my hand making mangoes using the same dals! Was relieved when the boy said "Nice mangoes Mama", which meant they remotely resembled mangoes, & the daughter declared them COOL!!

My entry for Mango Manthram @ Mahanadi

Make Melons Part of Your 5 A Day Plan...

This year the prices are way more affordable because these pretty melons are being grown in nearby farms. Fresh, juicy & ever so sweet! That's why I went & bought a couple the minute I got to know. Just helps in looking after the environment in my small way & so I tend to buy locally. I also believe that fresh produce bought locally is more nutritious & hasn't been doused with stuff to keep 'em going for longer! Transporting, packaging, use of preservatives burden an already burdened planet which is struggling to survive. Give it a thought...eat what is seasonal & try to eat local!

Sarda...or Melon

• I just cut the melon in a zig-zag manner across the centre with a sharp steak knife. You can draw a light line with the knife if you like; I did it extempore.
• Then I took a sharp smaller knife & gently cut out the flesh of the melon & chopped it up. Be careful you don't puncture the outer skin.
• Tossed the cut melon pieces with craisins, walnuts, kiwi, grapes. Actually, that's all I had. For those who have access to colourful fruit, this would look lovely with oranges, berries, strawberries, cherries, watermelon etc too. You can use the melon baller for fun round shapes too. Top it off with fresh mint.
• I plaited some lemongrass stalks into handles for the baskets. (I have some growing in the far end of my garden). Secured them to the sides with wooden picks...& I was ready to go!

I got them ready for the kids afternoon snack...they were thrilled to see them. Even though the son doesn't enjoy the taste of melons, he polished off the smaller basket because it looked like fun! The daughter on the other hand relished each morsel, using wooden picks as a fork, & asked if she could have another basket! She said she felt like she was on a tropical island !! PHEW...I just sliced up the other melon for her the 2nd time round as the baskets took quite a while!!

This would make a nice picnic centre-piece...

...& seems like just the thing to send to Monthly Mingles where the chosen topic is Spring Fruit Sensations.The event is the brainchild of Meeta @ What's For Lunch Honey...a delightful concept which has been thoroughly enjoyed by foodies across the blogosphere. This month onwards, it's been passed on to different hosts & this times host is Abby of Eat The Right Stuff. In her words..."One of the things I love about blogging is the inspiration it provides me with. However, inspiration is only half the story. taking that exciting spark of an idea and turning it into something on the plate in front of me, is the real challenge. "

My thoughts are quite the same...the inspiration is untold!