Tahini Cookies with Hazelnut & Chocolate

This is the 2nd recipe I've tried from The Big Book of Treats by Bombay's most well known pastry chef Pooja Dhingra.  I made one small change - I used hazelnuts instead of almonds because I didn't have any, and I added chocolate chips.

It doesn't get cold in Bombay, but I imagine this would be great for places that do get cold. It would go perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate.

You'll need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup castor sugar
2 2/3 cup flour (I used gluten free brown rice flour)
180 gm Tahini* 
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
100 gm hazelnuts (I used them whole but you could chop them up)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (another 1/2 cup if you plan to dip the cookies in chocolate)

*I had a store-bought bottle of it but if you can't find one, lightly roast white sesame seeds on a pan and once it's cool, blend it with 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp warm water till you get a smooth paste

Wash your hands before starting because you won't get this done with a spoon.

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, butter, and sugar till the mixture is crumbly and looks like breadcrumbs.

Add the tahini and lemon juice and again mix well.

Add the milk and mix again till you get a pliable dough.

Finally, put in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

Roll the batter into golf-sized balls and then flatten it out about1/4 inch thick.

Place them on a greased baking tray and bake at 165 deg C for 15 minutes.

*For Convection Microwave - I baked at 170 deg C for 20 min on the convection setting

As soon as I took it out of the oven, I found the cookies to be very crumbly (could be because of the gluten free flour), but I gently lifted them onto a wire rack to cool and it set well as it cooled.

Usually I find that cookie recipes turn out to be too sweet for our liking so I reduce the sugar amount. So with this I used just 1 cup but found that I should've added the entire amount required because it wasn't sweet enough. So I dipped the bottom of the cookie in melted chocolate (melted in the microwave in 30 sec bursts) and kept it chocolate-side up till it set to add some sweetness to it. It worked!

Makes: 20 cookies

Mango Cheesecake

Even after eating mangoes to my heart's content during mango season, I keep a small container of purée in the freezer just in case it wasn't enough.

Also, I don't find plain gelatin here - only the flavoured variety. On my last trip abroad, I stocked up on Agar Agar which is a vegetarian option.

This recipe is easy but with some effort in presentation it looks like you've slaved over it for hours.

For the crust

15-20 McVities Ginger biscuits (you can use regular Digestive biscuits as well)

2 tbsp melted butter

Grind biscuits into crumbs in a food processor. I prefer it to be coarse without any big pieces. Add the butter into it and with your hands mix well. The crumbs should be evenly coated.

Line a 9-inch springform pan. I like this way of presentation better because you can remove the sides to reveal the perfectly set layers, without disturbing the base. You could also use a flat-bottom glass casserole but it's a little tricky to take out a clean slice of cake. If you have enough, you could use shot glasses and make individual servings as well.

Place the crumbs in the container of choice. Gently press down with your fingers or the back of a spoon for an even layer about 1/4 inch in thickness. Pat down the edges so they're smooth. Refrigerate for an hour.

For the filling

1 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup mango purée

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)

2 tsp Agar Agar powder

1/2 cup water

If you have a hand whisk use that but since I had my blender out I used that instead. Mix in the cream cheese and cream and blend for 10 seconds. Add the mango purée, sugar, and lemon juice. Blend for another 10 seconds.

In a saucepan, boil the water. Add the agar agar powder and mix well till dissolved. Transfer the mango cream into the water and mix well. Pour into the container with the biscuit layer put it back in the fridge to set and cool for at least an hour or two.

When ready to serve, place the pan on a serving plate. With a knife just go around the edges to separate the cake. Remove the edge of the pan. Let the base remain. 

Options for the topping

Fresh mango slices

Sliced fruits like oranges, kiwi, pomegranate seeds, cherries, berries, apricots

Crumbs of honey-roasted nuts

Chocolate flakes

Edible flowers

I've used fresh nasturtium flowers. They have a mild mustard taste. That and the slight crunch of the stems went well with the soft cake.