Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Swedish Apple Pie for the #Holidays

20 | 12 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

Apple desserts are an all-time favorite over here. My kids love anything with apples in it and I’m always looking out for apple dessert recipes to try. Given the copious amounts of pie we consumed over Thanksgiving at various dinner parties I was looking for a crust less pie dessert for the holidays and stumbled upon Swedish Apple Pie that sounded just about right. I had some tart apples lying around (always have them on hand!) and decided to put them to use. Given the stress of planning out holiday parties, this easy dessert is a sure shot winner in my books and great for a crowd.

Of all the recipes I saw online I shortlisted this and this and adapted them to make my own version of a Swedish apple pie. Not sure if the Swedes would call this their original apple pie but I do know that it tastes phenomenal and was a huge hit with my kids. Classic apple-cinnamon combo is what works its magic here as the flavors are spot-on.Warm baked apple desserts topped with ice cream are my weakness in these colder months!I know for sure that I’ll be making this over and over again.

Swedish apple pie

Swedish Apple pie is somewhere in-between a pie and apple crisp. Instead of layering the apples and flour mixture I just mixed the apples into the batter and that resulted in a flaky crumbly texture resembling a crisp.If you want it to look more like a pie crust I suggest you layer the apples first and top it with the batter. I used my cast iron pan to bake it and it baked perfectly.I topped mine with some vanilla ice cream and its disappearing fast!An unique twist to a traditional apple pie this crowd pleasing dessert is ideal for the holidays!Enjoy and wishing you a joyous holiday season!

Here are some other dessert ideas for the Holidays!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Nutella Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
swedish apple pie

Swedish Apple Pie

Soni Sinha
A crustless pie with the texture of an apple crisp, this Swedish Apple Pie is just perfect for the holidays!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine swedish
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4 medium granny smith apples peeled and diced
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tsp brown sugar
  • ¼ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup plain flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl toss the apples with cinnamon and brown sugar.
    In another bowl mix egg,butter and vanilla.
    Mix the flours,sugar,salt and add into the wet ingredients.Add the apples.Mix well.Grease a cast iron pan with some cooking spray.Spread the mixture evenly.Bake on 350 degrees for 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Fennel and Potato Soup

31 | 01 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

Winter months are the time when soups become a staple in our home.These days all my son wants for dinner is soup and although he loves his favorite Leek and Potato Soup , this time round I tried something different instead of leeks. I used fennel and boy was it delicious! We loved it,he loved it and I know I’ll be making it many more times in these cooler days.

Fennel and Potato Soup

If you know me, you know that I love fennel and use it a lot in my cooking.I love to combine it with cabbage in a simple Indian style stir fry or slightly roast it with some indian spices for a warm salad, but nothing comforts like a hot bowl of this delicious Fennel and Potato Soup especially when it’s cold outside!Fennel is also good for our bodies since its a natural anti oxidant.

I’ve used fresh and ground fennel here and the fragrant anise-like flavor comes through quite nicely. The potatoes are a great addition and balance the flavors in this soup. The potatoes also make it rich and creamy and all you need is a crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness. Enjoy and stay warm!

Fennel and Potato Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large fennel bulbs diced
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • Butter-2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp ground fennel
  • 2 % Milk-1 cup
  • Water-1 1/2 cups
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a pot heat the butter and saute the onion until translucent.
  • Add the garlic and saute for another minute.Add the ground fennel and mix.
  • Add the potatoes and fennel and cover for a minute.
  • Add milk, water, salt and pepper.
  • Once it comes to a boil, cover , reduce the heat and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and fennel are fully cooked.
  • Check the seasonings.Carefully transfer into a blender or use a hand blender and blend until all smooth.
  • Garnish with some fennel fronds and serve hot.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

19 | 12 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

The weather outside might be frightful but the fire inside is surely delightful during this time of the year! My kids wanted to sip hot chocolate with marshmallows sitting by the fire over the weekend and we did just that! I baked some Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip cookies for them and we had a lazy ‘Do nothing Day’ that we enjoyed. We all lead such busy lives that its essential to wind down every once in a while, and do nothing.It was so nice to just relax for once!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had some cream cheese sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be used and I decided to bake some cookies.I looked up a few recipes on the web like this one and went along with what I had on hand.Some recipes called for brown sugar and I didn’t have any so I just went with regular granulated sugar.It still turned out good.The cream cheese adds a rich creamy flavor to these cookies and takes it to another level!And of course the chocolate chips add to the magic here.So so good.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s a great treat to have on hand during the holidays and something special. My kids loved it.The cookies are slightly chewy and dense just the way I like them. My other favorite cookies during this time are these Peanut Butter Blossoms and Chocolate Drop Cookies that are equally devoured by my kids.Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Cream Cheese-1/4 cup
  • ½ cup 1 stick butter softened
  • Sugar-3/4 cup
  • 1 large egg
  • Vanilla-2 tsp
  • All purpose flour-2 1/4 cup
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a mixing bowl with electrical mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in egg and vanilla until all mixed.
  • Slowly beat in the flour,baking soda and salt.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top starts getting slightly brown around the edges.
  • Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.Once cool transfer into an airtight container.

 

Easy Pea Soup

10 | 01 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Hello all and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!! Hope it fills you with love, peace, prosperity, good health and all the joys of the world. We had a great ending to 2016 with an amazing Disney Bahamas Cruise with magical skies,gorgeous blue waters and warm sunny weather.Kids had an equally great time with onboard activities that included a Pirate Party and meeting famous Disney Characters.With the copious amounts of food (and alcohol) that we consumed, it’s now time to eat healthy and light.

Bahamas

Magical Skies from our ship

My first recipe of 2017 is a delicious Pea Soup that I’ve been making and enjoying over the years. Pea is an under-rated vegetable but I love its versatility cut across different cuisines. I love Peas added into my Indian stews, curries and pasta, but this sweet soup is all I crave for in this cold weather. I’ve used Frozen peas here but it tastes equally good.

easy-pea-soup

The sweet shallots go well with peas and fresh parsley adds a lovely lemony flavor to the soup. It’s delicious with any crusty bread of your choice or on its own. The vibrant green color is in great contrast to the snow outside (if you live in a cold area like me). I usually make a big batch and have it for two or three days in a row. So so good. Enjoy and stay warm.

easy-pea-soup

Easy Pea Soup

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Ingredients
  

  • Butter-1 tbsp
  • Fresh or frozen peas-5 cups
  • Shallots-8-10 peeled and halved
  • Celery-1 stalk rinsed and diced
  • Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
  • chopped Fresh parsley-1/4 cup
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup cream
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a deep pot heat butter and add the halved shallots.Cook for a minute.
  • Add celery and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook until raw smell disappears 2-3 minutes.
  • Add parsley and stir followed by the peas.Mix well.
  • Add the liquids, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat, cover and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
  • Using a stick blender puree the soup or transfer in batches in a blender and puree.Be careful since it'll be very hot.
  • Add cream and check the seasonings.Garnish with some more fresh parsley.

 

Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis #RawSpiceBar #PondicherryFlavorKit

07 | 12 | 2016
By Soni Sinha


Nothing excites me more these days than seeing the monthly flavor kit of different spice mixes from Raw Spice Bar. Such a unique concept and having tried two of their kits so far, I highly recommend them. They only cost $7/kit for a year’s subscription and you get to try freshly ground spice mixes/spices and flavors from around the world with recipes included in the kit.

Last month’s Pondicherry Kit had the flavors screaming my name!
Vaarangal (“Welcome” in Tamil)! You’ve landed in Pondicherry! The weather is warm and the coastal breeze is refreshing but a Chai tea won’t hurt. The Romans, the Chinese, the Dutch, the English, and the French have all been here and their influences remain present. Warm Vadouvan odors collide with buttery smells wafting from kitchens in the French Quarter. With colonization cuisine changed; however, the complex layers of Indian spices shine through each French inspired dish.

raw-spice-bar-pondicherry-kit

Pondicherry Kit comprises of the following spice blends:

INDO-FRENCH VADOUVAN- Toasted cumin, toasted coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, green cardamom, aleppo pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves, spices-Looking forward to making a lamb curry using this one!

UNPUMPKIN PIE SPICE- Ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black peppercorns, star anise, spices-Pumpkin Pie Truffles are always a hit with my friends and I’m going to be making lots more using this.

PEPPERCORN CHAI- Toasted black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, star anise, spices-Apart from my masala chai, Apple Clafoutis is what I’ve made using this one!Delicious!

chai-spiced-apple-clafoutis-10

Apple desserts are a big family favorite especially during this time of the year when you crave for a comforting dessert with warm spices. I went straight for the Peppercorn Chai and followed the recipe for the Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis. Clafoutis or Clafouti is a French Dessert using fruits suspended in a pancake like batter.The result is a soft fluffy custardy pudding which in this case is the perfect bed for the spice glazed apples.The flavors were spot on for a spice and chai lover like me.The peppercorns, fennel, cardamom and other chai spices work really well with apples.All it needed was a dusting of sugar.A satisfying dessert for these cold days that I’m certainly going to be making over and over again.Enjoy!

chai-spiced-apple-clafoutis

Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis

INGREDIENTS

RawSpiceBar’s Peppercorn Chai
3 eggs
1 cup milk or heavy cream
12 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. brandy

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine milk, eggs, 6 tbsp butter, vanilla, flour, 2 tsp sugar, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
  2. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add apples, 1⁄2 cup sugar, RawSpiceBar’s Peppercorn Chai and brandy. Cook until apples are glazed, about 5 minutes.
  3.  Add half batter to greased pie plate. Arrange apple slices on top, reserving juices, then pour remaining batter over apples. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top and bake until golden, 25-30 minutes. Drizzle with warmed reserved apple juices.

Disclaimer:I was provided with a free sample of RawSpiceBar’s Pondicherry Flavor Kit and all opinions are my own.