Lebni (strained yogurt) Tart for Spring!

Its Spring! Although that means erratic rains in this part of the country, some days when its cloudy and very much like the monsoons back home, other days the sun is out, the air is crisp and you notice flowers, all kinds of them everywhere! 

In this riot of colours, sometimes what stands out is a lone white flower, a calla lily perhaps? or a white gardenia with the dew still on its petals. Pure, simple, ethereal and beautiful in a totally non-showy way. 

That's exactly what this dessert is like. It is also light, delicate, tender and fresh- perfect for spring.

Lebni, Labneh or Keffir cheese is a type of Mediterranean cheese, but it really is just strained yogurt.

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Baking tips from Alice Medrich herself :)

I have some very exciting news that I just couldn't wait to share! Unfortunately my comp has been acting up and this is the first chance I got to post my fabulous, wonderful experience.

If you've been here a while, you know that I have a slight obsession (Ok, a full blown one!) with my favourite cook book author Alice Medrich! Well, this week end I had my chance to meet her!Finally! 

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Low fat chocolate truffles from Alice Medrich & me :)

I made some heart shaped chocolate truffles today! Don't you think it looks adorable? Yes- it is a little rough around the edges, but just like your sweet valentine-it is perfect!

The slightly bitter exterior gives way to a melty soft, sweet chocolatey interior. I was talking about the truffles- Why, did that remind you of someone particular? I guess we all have that someone in our lives- someone who may seem gruff but who has a heart of gold. I think that someone deserves these truffles. They make the most adorable, most delicious, most easy to make Valentines day gift. 

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Low fat Chocolate Truffle Mousse from Alice Medrich

I promised to post a couple more dreamy desserts I made from the book I'm currently madly in love with "Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts" by Chocolate guru Alice Medrich and just in time for Valentines day I present to you this decadent, versatile chocolate mousse.
It's rich, silky, extra chocolate-y with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa and has less than half the fat of regular mousse because it is lightened with egg whites and contains no cream! It can be eaten as it, or used as fillings and in the coming days I'll be showing you the many delicious uses I put it to :)

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Alice Medrich's low fat Buttermilk Pound cake and a warm thank you!

I had an exciting time playing host to my first ever event- Kerala Kitchen. It was so much fun and such a learning experience! I love that I now have a readily available collection of brilliant Kerala dishes some familiar and some completely new (well atleast to me), for whenever the Mallu food mood strikes!

Most of all it was so wonderful to connect with you amazingly talented and lovely ladies :) So this post is a warm thank you to to all those who graced the very first Kerala Kitchen-

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Alice Medrich's simple low fat chocolate pudding and a Joconde imprime /entremets which is not!

T is convinced that I am obsessed with Alice Medrich. It's true- I am! It all began very innocently. I needed a quick baking fix and so made this batch of cocoa brownies which took about 20 mins to make, with really simple ingredients. Then there was this Mocha tart- again simple to make, but a decadent chocolate experience. Since then Alice has become my chocolate Guru. 

My favourite thing to eat these days is pudding. Warm, uncomplicated, familiar like a good friend, pudding. So the first thing I made out of Alice Medrich's gorgeous Chocolate and the art of low fat desserts is this pastry cream or chocolate pudding which is rich and sinfully decadent although it has no cream, no butter or other naughty ingredients- and gets its rich chocolate flavor from Cocoa powder!

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