JDF: British Vanilla Ice Cream.

Now there's a reason why I call it BRITISH vanilla ice cream because the main difference is the ice cream in England has a lovely, rich, light yellow colour which makes it look so wholesome as opposed to the Indian ice creams we buy which is a tasteless spotless white colour. This was the first time I made ice cream and it turned out great! Since I don't have an ice cream machine (yet) I did the next best thing Jamie advises to do: Go to the freezer every twenty minutes and stir the ice cream mixture to give it that amazing, creamy texture and so that it doesn't taste like icy crystals.

This was the first time I used an actual vanilla pod instead of the vanilla essence and I'm telling you, it makes ALL the difference! I couldn't believe that this was something you actually just picked off a tree! Vanilla, somehow sounds so man-made but then you realize that something this perfect has to be natural.

THAT'S how it turned out. Pretty awesome, eh?

MY TIPS-

• Don't forget the stirring, it's more important than you can imagine!
• A little less cream if you find it too rich is absolutely okay.
• Ice Cream is kind of just frozen custard and if it does scramble while on the pan, don't worry ! Just transfer it to a cool pan and pass it through a sieve.
• To make a tiny vanilla sundae, add some brownie crumbs and a shot of Bailey's!

If you're counting that's dessert #3 in the Jamie Dessert Fest! The weather's perfect for some ice cream, eh? And ofcourse, here's the recipe http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/member-recipes/Vanilla%20ice-cream/1454 This isn't the exact recipe from the book but I couldn't find it anywhere online. Instead of vanilla sugar, use regular sugar and a vanilla pod :) If you have anymore doubts, you can always tweet me at https://twitter.com/devikambing

Enjoy!

xoxo
D

Cricknfashion.

Hii everyone!☺ Its time for my 2nd article, finally!
This should have come up earlier, but well, never mind. So, since this nation is cricket-crazy, and I mean that in the best way possible, I thought it would be a good idea to take cricket and fashion up. Now I know this isn’t the IPL season where the entertainment and fashion quotients are high, but there is still SO much cricket going on! There are so many matches you can flaunt your fashion at. Let me just quickly tell you what’s in store for you. India is getting ready to host England, Australia, and arch rivals Pakistan in the months to follow, and that means so many matches to go to! :D If you’re as cricket crazy as I am, this has got to excite you.

Cricketers have always been those kind of people that people look up to, and want to be like. Remember Kevin Pietersen’s punk hairstyle? Which guy didn’t think that was cool!  I personally think a lot of cricketers dress well and when they step out, they always step out in style. But, my favourite has to be Virat Kohli and I’m sure a lot of you girls out there will agree with me ;)
Here, have a look for yourselves -

This young emerging, or should I say emerged, cricketing star has been named the 3rd best- dressed international man by the GQ magazine. With his charisma and good dressing sense, he makes for a perfect style icon. 

More on what to wear and what NOT to wear to a cricket match coming up in my next article ‘Howzzzat!’ So look out for it ;)

Stay chic, stay classy

Xoxo
ChicChick❤

JDF: Fifteen Brownies.

In case you thought I forgot about my Jamie Dessert Fest, think again! I'm back with a new dessert. These brownies are the ones on Jamie Oliver's menu at Fifteen, his restaurant in London. They are by far the best brownies I've made and I'm not just saying this cause I'm a fan. I've tried countless brownie recipes but none have given me the result that this recipe did.

Let's do this!

Brownies are something that everyone loves. I don't think I've met a sane person who doesn't like a good brownie. I made this without any nuts and sour cherries cause I didn't have them at home at the time :P

This is it.

And THAT is how they turned out. YUMMMM. I've never seen my mom eat so much dessert before!

My tips:

• Try using one less egg than the recipe says cause they can turn out a little too moist.
• Give it ENOUGH time to cool in the tray.
• Serve it warm- NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Send me some for critical acclaim ;)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! No one can refuse a good brownie. Also, don't forget a dollop (or quinelle ;) of good vanilla ice cream. You can check out the recipe here http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/bloomin-brilliant-brownies (It's under a different name but the same recipe, I checked :)

That was Dessert #2 of the JDF. Hope you make these this weekend! You're welcome ;)

xoxo

D

Indigo.

This post has been long overdue. Actually, it's quite shocking that me, such a lover of Indigo Deli waited this long to dedicate a whole post to this. The reasons being, I'm so engrossed in the food that I rarely take pictures, the place is so familiar to me now that I sometimes forget that I could criticize and blog about it. What I love about Indigo Deli is how every dish tastes different and amazing and my whole family would testify to that. So if you ever go to Indigo Deli and are confused about what to have, tweet me and ask me ;)

So, I finally wrote this post because I recently attended a session by Rahul Akerkar at Indigo, Colaba. I'd never been to just Indigo otherwise, just the Deli. I'd never been somewhere so food-centric before and I was in heaven! Rahul taught us to make the new antipasti menu at Indigo.

ON THE MENU:

• Trio of Tartare- Beef tartare, Spicy tuna tartare and Beetroot tartare.
• Seafood Ceviche with Bacon Popcorn.
• Spanish Fritata.
• Mushroom and Almond Pate with Pan Roasted Mushrooms.
• Roasted Artichoke, Fennel and Lemon.

I arrived at Indigo not in the best of moods cause I'd rushed from college, didn't exactly know the place and the rain poured down on me while I was on the hunt. So I reached Indigo wet, annoyed and slightly shivering. But after the welcome sangria, nothing could stop me from having one of the most exciting afternoons of my life (mind you, the alcohol had nothing to do with it :P)

Rahul started with the trio of tartares and needed a few of us to make some alongside him. It was all so Masterchef and so Masterclass!

                                     Trio of tartare- from left to right- Beef; tuna; beetroot.

I'm pretty conventional when it comes to food and the idea of meat not cooked on a flame never really appealed to me. They always said that the acidity of the vinegar did technically cook it but I wasn't convinced. Until I tried this and LOVED it! Just so you know, the one above is the one we made and not Rahul. Yeah, you better believe it ;) I also made my first quinelle :D

                                                       Seafood ceviche with bacon popcorn.


This was by far my favourite! Fresh, light and garnished with popcorn fried in bacon fat. Yummers all the way!

                                                                       Spanish fritata.


I'm not a fan of fritatas in general but I quite liked this one. My favourite veggies in a kind of Spanish omelette!

Mushroom and almond pate with pan roasted mushrooms.

Beautifully rich and wonderfully creamy, I loved this dish! If you love mushrooms, you have to try this!

                                                    Roasted Artichokes, fennel and lemon.

A really light, tart and fresh dish with just the right amount of creaminess given by the pesto. This is Deepti Dadlani's favourite!

All in all, I had the best afternoon, talking to foodies, watching Rahul Akerkar cook with a really cool sense of humor and being called 'their No.1 fan' by Deepti Dadlani while sipping on white wine sangria, red wine sangria and a pina colada ;) Haha, I guess I am ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed this sort of 'Inside'!

Stay Hungry!

xoxo

D

Lanka.

It's another F & F abroad! This time, a little closer to home. This was my third visit to Sri Lanka. The 1st two times I was quite a child and didn't really understand much. So here's an older and wiser me sharing my thoughts and pics with you guys. I first went to a place called Hambantota. Yes, I DID in fact go there. Every Sri Lankan thought I was out of my mind to go there but well, I did. Not so great on the food front, but who doesn't love spas and beaches? They did have this one really awesome dish though, Grilled Tiger Prawns with lemon butter- yum!

Seafood with Lemon Butter- Match made in heaven.

Sri Lanka has always been one of the most stylish places I've been to. The way restaurants and hotels are done up is just amazing. So, when it comes to this post, I'm gonna talk about food in Sri Lanka and fashion in Sri Lanka. My first meal was a very Sri Lankan breakfast with Wood Apple juice. Wood Apple is a VERY smelly fruit which is kind of a favourite with elephants. Tastewise? Ummm... Not so good but you have to try everything for an authentic experience! And speaking of authentic Lankan experiences, you can't go the Sri Lanka and not try their egg hoppers!

The legendary Wood Apple waiting for me in my room.

Wood Apple juice for breakie!

Egg hopper 1.0

Egg hopper 2.0

The Gallery Cafe.

The Gallery Cafe opened in 1998 in a structure which was the former offices of the world renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. This cafe oozes class. The menu is also really contemporary and I loved it!

I had: A Caesar's salad with spicy prawns- Drawback? No romaine lettuce

Onion Rings and a spinach and ricotta ravioli with creamy pesto. To drink, I had plain ol' ginger beer. For dessert, I had the Paradise road chocolate cake. All in all, a great meal :)

All good things come in a menu :)

Onion Rings!

No Romaine, but spicy prawns are always yum!

As I was saying... Oozes class.

Seems like para para paradise

Every time she closed her eyes...

The Lagoon.

This restaurant is in a 5-star hotel. It has a beautiful concept. Fresh seafood on ice on display, choose your method of cooking and your sauce and a side and you're good to go!

What I chose? 

Fried crab claws- Something new! 

Fried prawns- A little bland 

Modha fish in a Chinese tamarind sauce- Perfect!

Calamari with chili and garlic- Again, yum.

For the side I decided to be simple an ordered some fried rice.

                                                                         Fried Prawns

                                                          Stir fried Modha with tamarind sauce.

                                                            Cuttlefish with Garlic and Chili

Since I'm sick, I'm gonna do the shopping bit a little later cause my bed is calling me. Hope this was enjoyable! See you sooooooooooooon! 

Stay Hungry!

xoxo

D

JDF: Carrot Cake with Lime and Mascarpone Icing

Let's goooooo!

Yep! That's the first dessert I chose to make. Carrot cake, one of the most rustic and homely cakes which, if made right is just so comforting. I'd never made a carrot cake before and the 1st one I tried is Jamie's. This recipe is quite time consuming because there are many elements going on at the same time. Unlike a chocolate cake, there are many more taste elements like ground nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. I'm writing this as it's in the oven, so, fingers crossed!

Hot out of the oven! Mmmmmm...

Phewwww! So luckily it's out of the oven looking like THAT. Yes I know. As I said before, this cake is really time consuming and has to cool for about an hour after which I ice it with the beautiful icing. The icing is another very important aspect of the cake because of which it stands out and isn't just any other soppy old carrot cake. Check out the recipe at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pastry-cake/a-rather-pleasing-carrot-cake-with-lime-

The finished product. I'm happy!

A few tips I'd give:

• Be as organized as possible and keep everything grated and ground before you start the cake making process.
• Don't be impatient and not let it cool, it's really important.
• Don't leave out the zest because it just tastes amazing!
• If it hasn't cooked in the given time and starts burning on top, cover it with foil and pop it back into the oven. This way it'll cook from the inside.
• Send me a piece for critical acclaim ;)

So that was Dessert #1 of the Jamie Dessert Fest. One down. I'll be back with more! Until then, try it yourself :)

xoxo

D

Jamie Dessert Fest!

So since I missed Jamie Oliver's street party on Fifteen Street in London, I decided to stop moping around and have a little Jamie fest of my own. My parents just gifted me a really fat and heavy Jamie Oliver cook book which I've been glued to for days. The way he writes is just so simple and amazing! So, I decided to pull a Julie Powell and make all the desserts in Jamie's cook book! I'm not gonna be to stingy on time cause with assignments and all, I wont be able to make deadlines. So, I'm gonna cook all of his desserts, show you'll how they turn out, and if you want, post the recipes as well!

On the Menu-

• Ice Cream
• Classic Victoria Sponge Cake
• World's Best Shortbread
• Meringue
• Eton Mess
• Classic Cheesecake
• Fifteen's Brownies
• Carrot Cake
• My Nan's Lemon Drizzle Cake

Give or take a few, that's gonna be my aim! I'll try making them as close together as I can so you don't get fed up of waiting around :P If that does happen, and as you all know I suffer from procrastination and I just might have a relapse, please be patient. For the love of food and the love for my idol, Jamie Oliver.

STAAAAY TUUUUNED :D

xoxo

D