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Saturday, October 24, 2020

Marzipan

HEAVENS ON EARTH Marzipan

Lübeck Marzipan (German: Lübecker Marzipan) refers to marzipan originating from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany and has been protected by an EU Council Directive as a “Protected Geographical Indication” (PGI) since 1996.


Ingredients

 

* pound almond paste

* cups powdered sugar (sifted)

* large egg whites (lightly beaten)

* Optional: 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

Steps

*Coarsely chop up the almond paste into quarter-size chunks, then place the almond paste in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

 

*Add powdered sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed until the mixture has a fine, sandy texture. 

 

*Pulse the almond paste and powdered sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand.

 

*With the mixer on low, slowly add the egg whites (and almond extract, if using) until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. 

 

*Dust a countertop with powdered sugar and knead the marzipan until it develops a smooth, pliable texture. It should have no lumps or dry patches.

 

 

*Use the marzipan immediately or store it for later use. To store your marzipan, cover it tightly in plastic wrap, then seal it in a plastic bag. Not only will your marzipan stay moist, but it also won't absorb any unfortunate odors or tastes. Marzipan will keep for three months in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. Make sure to bring marzipan to room temperature before using it

 

*To color the marzipan dark brown, Just add a bit of cocoa powder to the marzipan. You could also color with food coloring if you wanted to.

 *If you’re going to make your own almond flour, use blanched almonds without the skin so that your flour is nice and pale.

 *Grind your blanched almonds in a food processor by pulsing in bursts. Sift your almonds through a strainer to remove any large bits of almond. Return the larger pieces to the food processor to grind up again. Repeat the process until you have enough finely ground almond flour.


 *Let your marzipan rest overnight before you handle it.

 

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs poses a risk of food-borne illness.



Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Atta Golgappa

HEAVENS ON EARTH ATTA GOLGAPPA


Golgappa is a type of snack that originated in Indian subcontinent, and is one of the most common street foods in India and Bangladesh.

Atta Golgappa



Ingredients

*1/2 cup fine sooji

*1 cup whole wheat flour

*1/2 tsp salt

*as required Oil for frying

*as required Warm water for kneading the dough

 Best Step by step guide

*Mix whole wheat sooji,flour and salt in a bowl.

*Add warm water and knead to make dough of medium soft texture.

*Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

*Knead the dough once again for a minute and divide it into 4 equal parts.

*Make the balls from the dough.

*Roll the dough ball on slightly floured surface to make a thin circle.

*Cut the circle into small 4-5 cm circle using a cookie cutter.

*Heat oil for frying in a pan.

*Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.

*Slide the puri into the hot oil and fry untill they puff up and become golden brown.

*Gently press the poories with the back of the ladle.

*It will help to puff them up.

*Flip the puri and fry from other side as well.

*Remove the puri on a plate lined with kitchen towel.

*Fry all the puri in the same manner.

*Cool them and store in an airtight container.


Saturday, October 17, 2020

Nasi goreng & Gili Islands

HEAVENS ON EARTH Nasi Goreng & Gili Islands

NASI GORENG, IN A NUTSHELL, IS INDONESIAN FRIED RICE. IT’S SIMPLE FOOD, TYPICALLY MADE WITH LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS, AND VARIES QUITE A BIT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE. WHILE WE WERE THERE IN THE HOT SOUTH, IT ALMOST ALWAYS WAS SERVED WITH SOMETHING CRUNCHY, COOL AND FRESH ON THE SIDE.

 

Ingredients:




 OIL -2 TBSP

BUTTER – 2 TBSP

GARLIC – 2 TBSP, MINCED

CHICKEN – 2 THIGHS, CUT TO STRIPS (OPTIONAL)

EGGS- 1. BEATEN

RICE – 1 CUP RAW RICE COOKED

SALT – TO TASTE

BLACK PEPPER POWDER – TO TASTE

SWEET INDONESIAN SAUCE (KECAP MANIS) – 3 TSP OR AS NEEDED

SHREDDED CABBAGE- 1/2 CUP, PACKED

GREEN BEANS – 1/2 CUP, CUT DIAGONALLY

CARROTS – 1/4 CUP, SHREDDED

BELL PEPPER (CAPSICUM) – 1/4 OF BELL PEPPER

FIRM TOFU – 1/4 CUP, CUBED (OPTIONAL)

 

 Method:

 

1. Prep all the ingredients and keep aside.

2. In a wok-style pan, heat the Oil and add in the Butter and allow it to melt.

3. While it is still melting, add in the minced Garlic.

4. Add in the Chicken and cook till the Chicken Strips are white in color.

5. Add in the beaten Egg. Stir and cook.

6. Add in cooked and cold Rice. Mix and allow the Rice to heat up.

7. Season with Salt and Black Pepper.

8. Add in Kecap Manis (Sweet Indonesian Soy Sauce) and mix till there is no white Rice to be seen.

9. Add in the Vegetables and Tofu and mix well till everything is incorporated well.

10. Add in Homemade Sambal and give it one final mix.

11. Remove from flame and plate as desired.

12. In a small skillet, heat a tsp of Oil.

13. Break an Egg and cook as you would a fried egg.

14. Once done, season with Salt and Red Chilli Powder.

15. Plate on the Nasi Goreng and serve.

 

Gili Trawangan

The Gili Islands], Kepulauan Gili are an archipelago of three small islands or Gili island triplets— Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia.




 

is the biggest and most visited of the three and has earned a reputation as ‘Party Island’ amongst the world’s travellers. Once a backpacker’s haven – with basic beach huts and simple bars, serving concoctions that offer ‘free lunar transport’ – Gili T has undergone some dramatic changes over the past five years and now caters to a decidedly more upmarket crowd, often with family in-tow, all seeking that tropical island experience with the luxuries of home. Aside from the laid-back beach culture, the main draw of the island is scuba diving, with a number of proffessional dive centres offering courses and fun dives. Watching the fishing boats passing through the channel between Gili T and Meno, plus the lack of motorized traffic still makes for a chilled out vibe - but at night time Gili T really is a partygoers paradise.

 


Friday, October 16, 2020

Garudiya & Bioluminescent Beach

HEAVENS ON EARTH Garudiya & Bioluminescent Beach

Garudiya



Garudiya or Garudhiya is a clear fish broth. It is one of the basic and traditional food items of Maldivian cuisine. The broth is based on tuna species found in the nation's ocean waters such as skipjack, yellowfin tuna, little tunny, or frigate tuna.


Ingredients:

  • 200-gram Valhomas (Smoked fish) (Sliced Thickly)
  • 6 Cups water
  • 1 Half of normal Onion (chopped into 4)
  • 2 Garlic
  • 2 Dried Chilly
  • 10 Seeds of Black Pepper
  • 3 Drops of fish source (If you want to increase fish taste)
  • Curry leaves (Hikandhifaiy)
  • Salt

How to Cook:

There’s nothing groundbreaking about how this garudhiya is made. But it does bring a lovely change to its taste.

So let’s begin by adding 6 cups of water and the sliced valhoamas into a medium sized pan. Also add some salt along with it and boil it over a low heat for 5 mins.

Than add the chopped onions, garlic’s, black pepper, dried chilly and cook it for another 3mins.

Now add fish sauce if you would like to and balance the saltiness. Finally turn of the heat and add the curry leaves.

 Garudiya is eaten with steamed rice, but it can be eaten with Maldivian chapati-Roshi; when eaten with boiled breadfruit, or with boiled taro, grated coconut is added. Sometimes Maldivians use chilies, curry leaves and onions to flavor the garudiya according to their taste, however this broth is cooked using fish and water.

Kekki garudiya is a variant of garudiya with spices. Garudiya could be obtained using other fishes like mahi-mahi, wahoo or bluefin jack, among others, but the favored fish for garudiya is tuna and related species; when the tuna-based garudiya is cooked until all the water evaporates, it forms a thick brown paste known as Rihaakuru, valued in the Maldivian diet.


 Bioluminescent Beach

As waves break on the sandy shore, or bare feet step into wet sand, a bright blue glow appears. This magical effect is caused by the bioluminescent plankton that often appears in warm coastal waters.In the Maldives alone, the beach known with this bioluminescent phenomenon is the Vaadhoo or Mudhdhoo Island. The sea planktons are believed to be responsible for it. They are the ones producing the lights which are visibly seen at night.



One of the most popular places to observe such a fantastic spectacle is Vaadloo island found in the Raa Atoll, and the high season is between June and October. All you need to do is simply to stir up the water with your feet, and if plankton is there, it will immediately splash with gorgeous blue lights.




The appearance of a starry night in the sea is caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton that emits light when stressed. We just got to know that putting a type of plankton under stress results in one of the most stress-relieving sights on the planet. The blue glow creating astral patterns on seashores is a sight to behold.


 

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Danish Pastry Recipe & Tourism in Denmark

HEAVENS ON EARTH Danish Pastry Recipe & Tourism in Denmark

DANISH PASTRY RECIPE


Did you ever wonder how artisan bakers make those super-buttery, flaky, light-as-air Danish? Here's how. Warning: this isn't a quick-and-easy recipe; there are numerous steps, including a suggested overnight rest for the dough. But if you follow the directions and take it one step at a time, you'll be able to claim a delicious new pastry for your Bread

PREP
50 mins. to 1 hrs 20 mins.

BAKE
16 mins. to 18 mins.

TOTAL
3 hrs 6 mins. to 19 hrs 38 mins.

YIELD
24 to 36 pastries, depending on size
Ingredients
Top of Form
Bottom of Form

DOUGH
2 cups unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
5 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons salt; if you use salted butter, reduce this to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional; for traditional flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold milk
1/3 to 1/2 cup lukewarm water*
2 large eggs
*Use the greater amount in winter, or in a dry climate; the lesser amount in summer, or when it's humid out.
CHEESE FILLING
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
FRUIT FILLING
about 1 to 1 1/4 cups jam, preserves, or canned fruit pie filling
TOPPING
1 large egg white beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon cold water
GLAZE
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons water or milk, enough to make a "drizzlable" glaze
pinch of salt
crushed nuts, optional; to garnish
Instructions
Begin by cutting 1/4" butter off the end of each of the 4 sticks in the pound; you'll have about 2 tablespoons butter. Set them (and the remaining butter) aside. You'll be using the 2 tablespoons butter immediately, but won't need the remaining butter until after you've made the dough.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cardamom. Add the 2 tablespoons cold butter, working it in with your fingers until no large lumps remain. This step coats the flour a bit with fat, making the pastry a tiny bit more tender.
Add the vanilla, milk, water, and eggs. Mix and knead to make a cohesive, but quite sticky dough. This is easily done in a bread machine set on the dough cycle; or in a mixer. If you use a mixer, the dough won't completely clean the bowl; it'll probably leave a narrow ring around the side, and stick at the bottom.
Scrape the dough into a ball, and transfer it to a floured work surface. Cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the butter.
Cut each stick of butter in half lengthwise, to make 8 long rectangles. On a piece of floured parchment or plastic wrap, line up 4 of the butter pieces side by side, to form a rectangle. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap.
Gently pound and roll the butter until it's about 6" x 9". The pieces may or may not meld together. If they do, great, they'll be easier to work with. If not, though, that's OK; don't stress about it.
Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of butter. You should now have two butter rectangles, about 6" x 9" each.
Roll the dough into a rectangle about 12" wide and 24" long. Don't worry about being ultra-precise; this is just a guide, though you should try to get fairly close.
Place one of the butter pieces onto the center third of the dough. Fold one side over the butter to cover it. Place the other butter piece atop the folded-over dough, and fold the remaining dough up over it. You now have a rectangular "packet" of dough-enclosed butter. Pinch the open ends and side closed as best you can.
Turn the dough 90°, so a 12" side is closest to you. Roll the dough into a 10" x 24" rectangle (approximately). Fold each side into the center; then fold one side over the other to make a rectangular packet about 6" x 10".
Dust the surface of the dough with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge, and again roll it into a rectangle about 10" x 24". Fold it into a packet as you did in step #10; it'll be about 7" x 12". Roll one final time, fold into a packet, and flour the dough lightly. Wrap loosely (but completely) in plastic, and chill it for 2 hours, or up to 16 hours; we prefer the longer refrigeration, as it gives the dough a chance to relax and rise.
Before shaping the pastries, select your filling(s). We like to use a variety. Either of the filling suggestions in this recipe make enough to fill all the pastries; so if you want to mix and match, make a half-recipe of the cheese filling, and use only half the amount of fruit filling called for.
To make the cheese filling: Combine all of the ingredients, stirring until smooth. For the smoothest filling, process in a food processor.
When you're ready to make pastries, remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and cut off one-third. You'll work with this piece first; return the remainder to the fridge.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls into 3" to 3 1/2" rounds, making the center thinner than the edges. You want to build up a slight wall of dough all around the circumference; this will help hold the filling. Place the rounds on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
Working with one-half of the remaining dough at a time, repeat the process; you'll finish with three baking sheets, each with 12 dough rounds.
Cover the Danish lightly with greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for about 1 hour; they'll become slightly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Use your fingers to press the centers of the dough rounds as flat as possible, leaving the "sidewalls" puffed. Spoon a slightly heaping measuring teaspoon of filling into the well of each round.
Brush the exposed edges of pastry with the egg/water topping; this will create a satiny, golden crust.
Bake the pastries for 15 to 18 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a rack. Glaze and serve immediately; or wait until they cool, then glaze.
To make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and salt with enough water or milk to make a "drizzlable" glaze.
Drizzle the glaze atop the pastries. Sprinkle with crushed nuts, if desired.
Yield: 3 dozen 3" pastries.




Tourism in Denmark

Tourism in Denmark constitutes a growth industry. Tourism is a major economic contributor at approx. DKK 82 billion in revenue and 120,000 full-time-equivalent-jobs annually, for the tourism experience industry alone in 2014.
Inbound tourists to Denmark mainly comprise people from neighboring countries, especially Germany, followed by Sweden,Norway, and the Netherlands. The UNWTO's World Tourism rankings show that Denmark had 8.7 million visitor arrivals in 2010. The total annual number of overnight stays in Denmark has been somewhat declining in 2011.
Denmark has long stretches of sandy beaches, attracting many tourists in the summer, with Germany accounting for most foreign visitors. Swedish and Norwegian tourists often come to visit the relatively lively city of Copenhagen, while many young Scandinavians come for Denmark's comparably cheap and readily accessible beer, wines and spirits.
As Europe's oldest kingdom and the home of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark is often marketed as a "fairytale country". The term is so ingrained, that it is still used in international news reports, especially when the news is of a nature contradicting the image, such as the Copenhagen riots or the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.
Denmark has a relatively large outbound tourism, with Spain as primary destination, accounting for 14% of all overnight stays abroad of four days or more in 2013. Turkey ranks as the primary destination outside of Europe at 7%.
Copenhagen and Sealand

The capital

In 2004 Copenhagen Region had 136 hotels with a total of 4.9 million nights spent. There were 250 cruise liners calling at Copenhagen Port with more than 350,000 passengers.
Among the major tourist attractions are Tivoli Gardens, the Freetown Christiania and The Little Mermaid, all located in Copenhagen. A survey conducted by the newspaper Berlingske Tidende in July 2008 listed The Little Mermaid as the most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen.
Surrounding area

Kronborg Castle in Helsingør is famous for its associations with Shakespeare's Hamlet. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art 30 km north of Copenhagen is the most visited museum in Denmark, and Roskilde Festival near Roskilde 30 km west of Copenhagen attracts over 100,000 guests every year.
Southern Sealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn
In view of its proximity to Germany, one of the most popular areas of Denmark for visitors is the South of Sealand and the neighbouring islands. Møn, with its magnificent chalk cliffsLiselund Park and its sandy beaches is one of the main destinations. Falster has a number of sandy beaches including those at Marielyst. The area also has several tourist attractions including Knuthenborg Safari Park and Middelaldercentret both on LollandBonBon-Land near Næstved and the GeoCenter at Møns Klint.
Bornholm

Hammershus.

The island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea to the south of Sweden offers tourists a variety of attractions including rocky seascapes, picturesque fishing villages and sandy beaches. Among the quaint towns worth visiting are GudhjemSandvig,Svaneke and Rønne. The magnificent ruin of Europe's largest castle, Hammershus, is the island's most famous monument. There are ferry services to Bornholm from Køge near Copenhagen, from Ystad in the south of Sweden, from Rügen in the north east of Germany and from Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście in the north west of Poland. There is also an airport at Rønne.
Funen

Funen, linked to Sealand by the Great Belt Bridge, has strong associations with Hans Christian Andersen who was born inOdense. The small coastal towns of Fåborg and Svendborg are popular with tourists both as attractions in their own right and as centres for visiting the surroundings, particularly the castles of Egeskov and Hvedholm and the unspoiled islands ofThurøTåsinge and Ærø with their narrow streets and thatched cottages.
Jutland

Major cities

The cities of Aalborg, in the north, and Aarhus, in the east, attract a considerable number of visitors, whether for business or pleasure.
Aalborg's 14th century Budolfi Church, 17th century Aalborghus Castle and the Jomfru Ane Gade (a lively old street close to the city centre) are major attractions.
Aarhus is amongst the top 100 conference cities of the World and has seen a large expansion of the hotel business, throughout the last couple of decades. The city is home to several of Denmarks' top tourist attractions, including the museum village of Den Gamle By (the Old Town), ARoS Art MuseumMoesgård Museum andTivoli Friheden accounting for more than 1.4 million visitors annually. Other important tourist attractions are music festivals and shopping facilities. With one of the largest ports in Northern Europe, more than a dozen international cruise ships docks in Aarhus each year.
Regional attractions

Among Jutland's regional attractions are Legoland close to Billund Airport, the easterly village of Ebeltoft with its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, Skagen in the far north famous for its seascapes and artist community and the north-west beach resorts of Løkken and Lønstrup. Finally the island of Mors, famous for its natural beauty, attracts tourists to itsJesperhus Flower Park and to the cliff at Hanklit which overlooks the sea.
Jelling, near Vejle in the south-eastern part of Jutland, is a World Heritage Site, famous for its two great tumulus mounds erected in the late 10th century and its runic stones erected by King Harold.
Near Esbjerg on the west coast stands Svend Wiig Hansen's enormous sculpture of four chalky white figures gazing out at the sea. Known as Mennesket ved havet or Men at the Sea and standing 79 m high, it can be seen for miles around.

Cuisine

The new Danish cuisine - part of the new Nordic cuisine movement - has gathered international attention in the past decade as an inspiring, high quality gourmet cuisine with several acclaimed restaurants. The most popular restaurants of this particular cuisine is primarily located in the Copenhagen area including Noma, Geranium, Restaurant AOC, Den Røde Cottage and many others. Important provincial restaurants serving a new Danish cuisine, includes Ti Trin Ned in Fredericiaand Ruths Gourmet in Skagen.
Apart from the new Danish cuisine, Denmark has an increasing number of high quality gourmet restaurants serving an international cuisine that has also attracted international attention. Many restaurants in the Copenhagen area has been awarded Michelin stars and in 2015 a couple of restaurants in Aarhus, was the first provincial restaurants to receive this highly acclaimed rating. Many other restaurants throughout the country figures in other important restaurant guides, including the Nordic White Guide.
The usual fare of typical Danish food for the citizens, comprise a lunch of smørrebrød on thinly sliced rye bread. Traditionally, the meal begins with fish such asmarinated herring, smoked eel, crab, or breaded plaice filets with remoulade and moves on with meat such as slices of roast pork or beef, frikadeller (meat balls), hams and liver pâté. The sandwiches are richly garnished with onion rings, radish slices, cucumbers, tomato slices, parsely, remoulade and mayonnaise.The meal is often accompanied by beer, sometimes also by shots of ice-cold snaps or akvavit. In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage (the national dish), pot-roasted chicken, or pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are now becoming increasingly popular.

Transport

Air
Copenhagen Airport is the largest airport in Scandinavia. The airport is located at Kastrup, 8 km from central Copenhagen. It is connected by train to Copenhagen Central Station and beyond as well as to Malmö and other towns in Sweden.
For the west of the country, the major airport is Billund although both AarhusAalborg, and Karup have smaller airports with regular connections to Copenhagen.

Rail

Denmark has a good national railway network. There are also frequent train services to Malmö and other parts of Sweden. Germany is connected both by rail services using the ferries from Puttgarden to Rødby and by services across the Flensburg-Padborg land border in the south of Jutland.

Road
Motorways are well developed across the country, the only tolls being on the major bridges (over the Great Belt and to Malmö).

Bicycles
Outside of the towns and cities there are often bicycle tracks parallel to, but separated from, the roads between towns. During the summer months, there are free "city bikes" stationed at various spots in the downtown area of Copenhagen and Aarhus. The idea is that anyone can take a bike from one of the spots, ride it to another spot and leave it there for the next person.
There are numerous national and regional bicycle routes throughout Denmark. They are all marked and include rest areas with benches and other necessities.
Sea
International overnight ferry services connect Oslo, Norway, to Copenhagen every day. Harwich, south-east England, used to be connected to Esbjerg, west Jutland three times a week. The Esbjerg–Harwich connection was closed in 2014, after nearly 140 years of operation.

There are also a number of ferry services connecting the Danish islands.