1. Quarter the strawberries, and take 1/3 of them and mash with a fork. Combine the mashed strawberries with the quartered strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Allow to macerate for about a half hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (22o C). Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You can also combine the ingredients in a food processor and give it a whiz for a few seconds.)
3. Whisk together the egg and milk and pour into the flour mixture. Using a spatula, mix until the dough comes together. Turn it out onto a floured surface and flatten out.
4. With a knife, cut into 8 squares. Place the squares on a baking sheet prepped with parchment paper. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with extra sugar.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.
6. To serve: Place the biscuits on the serving plates, then split the biscuits lengthwise. Spoon the strawberry mixture on each biscuit and top with the creme fraiche.

Almost gone!

Links:
Crispywaffle: Strawberry waffles

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Place the dal in a dish and pick out any stones or sediment. Rinse under cold water in a colander. Combine the dal and the water in a medium saucepan. Add the cinnamon and bay leaves.
2. Over medium high heat, bring the mixture to a simmer (make sure not to let it boil over-- this tends to boil over really easily.). Scrape the scum off the surface of the water and discard. Lower the heat and partially cover, low simmer, for 25 minutes. The dal should turn yellowish and look a bit watery/mushy. When it is done, remove and discard the cinnamon and bay leaves, and add the salt.
3. While the dal is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee over medium heat in a small saucepan (that has a cover). Add the mustard seeds, give it a stir to coat it in the oil and cover. Wait until you hear popping (this is why it is important to cover it). When the popping has mostly subsided, uncover and immediately add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Stir to combine, then add the onion and garlic. Stir until the onions are soft and even a little bit brown on the edges.
4. Add the onion spice mixture to the dal when it is done. Cook over medium heat to combine the flavors for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cilantro over it and serve immediately with rice.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

Refreshing

Labels: the savory and salty, the sweet, travel

1. It has an egg custard base (hence, the name frozen custard).
2. It has a high butterfat content (it must have at least 10 percent butterfat, like ice cream, although my favorite custard, Kopp's, has 16 percent butterfat).
3. It has low overrun of only 20 percent, while regular ice cream has between 50 to 100 percent overrun (that's a lot of air!). This is due to the special, freaky-looking churner that spits out frozen custard in a giant vanilla or chocolate snake of frozen goodness. It churns more slowly, thereby preventing too much air being churned in.
4. Frozen custard is served at a higher temperature, normally 18 degrees Fahrenheit rather than the 10 degrees Fahrenheit that standard ice cream is served at. This prevents it from numbing your tongue, and because it is so dense, it doesn't seem to melt that quickly. Perfect!

Labels: the sweet, travel