The Classic Pineapple Pudding / China grass pudding / Moss pudding

When it came to desserts this was the family favorite and on any and every occasion my brother and I would always pester our Mom to make it. It’s simple to make and anyone can try this with utmost confidence as it will never fail them unless off course the China grass is of poor quality. Till today it remains one of my all-time favorites.




Ingredients:

Condensed Milk- 1 tin
Milk- 2 1/2 tin (measure in condensed milk tin)
Sugar- 5 dessert spoon (10 tea spoons)
China grass strands (Agar- Agar)-10 gm
Water- 1 1/2 cup
Pineapple chopped- 2 cups, heaped
Sugar-2 dessert spoon
Cloves / grambu-6 nos
Vanilla Essence-1/4 tsp
Vanilla Custard Powder-1 dessert spoon (2 tea spoon)
Thick Cream- 1/2 cup




Method:

• Stew chopped pineapple with 2 dessert spoon sugar and cloves. Removes from fire, when pineapple is cooked and there is 1/2 cup syrup. Keep aside.
• Chop China grass strands wash it with cold water and strain through a sieve. Soak china grass in 1 1/2 cups water and keep aside.
• Mix condensed milk and 2 tins of milk and heat stirring well. When this mixture gets hot add 5 dessert spoon sugar and 1 dessert spoon custard powder mixed in 1/2 tin milk. Keep stirring continuously and remove from fire just before the milk boils.
• Boil soaked china grass and when it dissolves strain into hot custard., and mix well.( make sure both the custard and melted china grass should be of same temperature).
• Cool the custard to lukewarm, add vanilla essence and 1/2 cup cream and mix well.
• Transfer to a dish and keep it in the fridge. When the pudding is half set, strew pineapple pieces with syrup over pudding and keep it back in fridge till completely sets and serve!

My blog turned 2 years!!! Happy Anniversary my bloggy dear :)

Basic Biscuit with Vanilla Icing

Basic Biscuit

Ingredients & Method:

Preheat the oven to warm 160C (315F/ Gas2-3). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat together 125gm (4 oz) cubed butter and 1/2 cup (125g / 4 oz) caster sugar until creamy. Add 1 egg and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence and beat well. Sift 1 cup (125g/4 oz) plain flour and 1 cup (125g/4 oz) self-raising flour and fold into form a soft dough. Turn out onto a sheet of baking paper, cover with another sheet and roll out to 5 mm (1/4inch) thick. Using biscuit cutters, cut out shapes and place on the tray. Bake in batches for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack, then spread with Vanilla Icing. Makes about 50 biscuits




Vanilla Icing

Ingredients & Method:

Sift 1 1/4 cups ( 155g/5 oz) icing sugar in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon cubed and softened butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence and 1-2 tablespoons boiling water. Stir until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Spread or pipe the icing on biscuits.

Sugarpaste Icing / Fondant Icing

Makes 350gms/ 12 oz/ 2 1/4 cups
Recipe Source: children's party cakes & cookies by Martha Day.




Sugar paste icing is wonderfully pliable and can be coloured, molded and shaped in imaginative ways.

Ingredients:

1 egg white
15 ml/ 1tbsp liquid glucose, warmed
350g/ 12 oz/ 3 cups icing (confectioners') sugar

Method:

• Put the egg white and glucose in a mixing bowl. Stir them together to break up the egg white.
• Add the icing sugar and mix together with a metal spatula, using a chopping action, until well blended and the icing begins to bind together.
• Knead the mixture with your fingers until it forms a ball.
• Knead the sugar paste on a work surface that has been lightly dusted with icing sugar for several minutes until it is smooth, soft and pliable.If the icing is too soft, knead in some more sifted sugar until it reaches the right consistency.

Tips:

• If you want to make the sugarpaste in advance wrap it up tightly in a plastic bag. The icing will keep for about three weeks.
• The paste is easy to colour with paste colours, add a little at a time using the tip of a knife or toothpick.
• Roll out sugarpaste on a surface lightly sprinkled with icing ( confectioners') sugar or a little white vegetable fat to avoid the paste sticking.

These are my last two years decorated Rich Fruit Christmas Cakes :)