foodatarian.com

Ingredients:
225 gms wheat germ (suji),
225 gms sugar,
225 gms butter,
7 eggs; separated,
340 gms currants or dark raisins,
340 gms golden raisins,
200 gms chopped almonds,
1/2 tsp clove powder,
1 tsp cinnamon powder,
1 tsp nutmeg powder,
2 1/2 oz brandy,
2 1/2 oz honey,
2 1/2 oz rose water,
2 tsp almond essence,
A pinch of salt.

Method:
Mix the chopped fruits and nuts with brandy and soak them at least for a day, stirring occasionally. Next day, roast the suji in a pan, on a low flame stirring continuously till it is lightly fragrant. Melt the butter and add to the suji. Beat together the sugar and egg yolks till the mixture is light, creamy and stiff. For this add a yolk to the sugar at a time. Then add honey , spices, rose water and almond essence gradually mixing well. Add the soaked fruits, nuts and the roasted suji and butter mixture, mix well. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt till stiff and fold lightly into the cake batter. The cake should be lined with two layers of greased paper. Pour in the mixture and bake in a hot oven at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or till the cake starts to brown. Cover the cake with two folds of greased paper to prevent it from burning. Continue to bake from another three hours or until dry when tested with a toothpick or a fork.

TIP:
1. You can substitute almonds with walnuts or cashew nuts or use all.
2. This cake is prepared in Christmas and hence you can prepare it in advance, and brush the top with rum or brandy every other day.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup cocoa,
1 cup white sugar,
2 tbsp cornstarch,
1/4 tsp salt,
2 egg yolks; beaten,
2 tbsp butter; softerned,
2 tsp vanilla extract,
2 cups milk,
Whipped cream as per choice,
Chocolate chips.

Method:
Mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Put over the flame and stir in milk slowly and gradually. Cook on medium flame, stirring continuously till the mixture thickens. Remove the saucepan from flame and gradually stir in the egg yolks. Return to flame and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Again remove from flame and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Mix well, transfer to serving bowls, chill in the refrigerator. Top with whipped cream and chocolate chips while serving.

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds; finely ground,
3/4 cup sugar or more if you want it sweet,
1/2 cup milk,
2 tbsp ghee,
Few threads of saffron,
Ground elaichi (green cardamom) as per taste,
Sliced almonds, pistachios and cashew nuts to garnish.

Method:
Soak almonds in water for 5-6 hours or in warm water for 2-3 hours. Then peel the skin and grind to a smooth paste using little water. Then heat a pan, add this almond paste, sugar and milk and cook stirring till it thickens. Then add ghee, saffron (dissolved in little warm water) and elaichi powder, mix well, cook for 2 minutes and remove from flame.
Grease a plate with ghee and spread this mixture evenly on it. Let it cool and then cut into desired size pieces. Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios and cashew nuts.

Ingredients:
8-10 dry anjeer; soaked in little water for few hours,
100 gms khoya,
7-8 tbsp powdered sugar,
1/4 tsp kesar (saffron) dissolved in little warm water,
Few drops of red food color,
2 tbsp milk powder
1 cup cashew nut powder,
1/2 tsp elaichi (green cardamom) powder,
1/2 cup crushed dry fruits of your choice (walnuts, pistachios, raisins, almonds, etc).

Method:
Grind the anjeer with the saffron color. Heat a pan and roast the khoya on low-medium flame till it turns pinkish in color. Then roast the anjeer mixture with milk powder, cashew nut powder, elaichi powder and red food color. Cook this stirring continously on low flame to avoid from sticking to the bottom of the pan, till the mixture thickens. Then remove from flame and let it cool. Make equal size balls of the anjeer dough. Make a little small sized balls of khoya dough. Now take the anjeer balls one by one and flatten them and then shape them like a cup. Similarly prepare small size cups of the khoya balls. Then fill the dry fruits into these khoya balls. Then place each khoya ball into each anjeer ball and then roll into a laddu. While serving, cut each laddu into two halves so that all the colourful layers are visible.

Ingredients:    
2 cups kaju (cashew nuts); soaked into warm water for at least 2 hours,
1 cup sugar,
1 tbsp ghee,
1 tsp elaichi (green cardamom); powdered,
Silver varak or sliced dry fruits to decorate.

Method :
Grind the cashew nuts with little water into a smooth and thick paste. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and thick syrup of 2 thread consistency. Add the cashew nut paste to this syrup and stir continuously on a low flame. To this add ghee. Cook till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Then remove from flame and pour it into a greased plate. Use a greased rolling pin to spread it evenly. Decorate with siver varak or dry fruits and let it cool. Later cut into katlis (kite shape) or desired shape pieces.