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Friday, November 04, 2011

Trade test 101



The last few weeks have been slightly crazy.
Welcome to Campus interviews. 
Here are a few things I've learned over the last few weeks.
#1.When they tell you life in college will get hectic once campus interviews start.They were being nice.It get 10 times as crazy.
#2.The girls locker room before an interview is like a warzone. There is compact powder,blush  lipstick, hairpins and make up items I never even knew existed flying all over the place.God forbid you get in the way!!

#3.Just when you decide to put on you blazer,Mother Nature will turn up the heat by atleast 10 degrees.,your make up will literally melt off your face, and then it's back to the warzone for you.

#4. People will say the darnest things during the group discussions. If you manage to keep a straight face through it ,you are definatly blessed with a tremendous amount of willpower.

#5.If they ask you to draw a pretzel,it's not a trick question. They actually want you to draw a pretzel!!

#6.The fridge will never be as cold as you expect it to be during a trade test.
   
#7. NEVER EVER open the kitchen table drawer before a trade test.Nothing good comes out of it :S

#8.Keep your knife close ,and you fingers closer :)Otherwise,your fingers might go under someone else's        knife :)

#9 ALWAYS always,wear.Comfy.shoes. Unless of course you prefer swollen ankles.

#10. Dont take it too seriously :) If you say the capital of Gujrat is Vadodra in your nervousness and the interviewer thinks your blonde, just smile :)  You'll make it through :)

I managed to take a few pictures during out trade test for ITC Hotels




    Garlic and Chilli Rice with Chicken in pepper sauce ,and glazed carrots with mint and lemon.



 Zahabia 's Zabaglione :)
I think it's safe to say that this isher favourite dessert :) She might even be able to tell you the recipe in her sleep..!!! Its amazingly light and immediately after taking this photo I finished off half of it in a few seconds.

                   
                                                          Zahabia's Starter :)




                                      Mine:Chilled tomato and basil soup :)
                          Really really easy. Ill post the recipe soon!!



                                 Dhruv 's Apple crumble.
  Dhruv is someone who distinctly reminds me of Mr. Burns from Simpsons. :) He is'nt one of those dessert people but I cannot describe how amazing this apple crumble is.This apple crumble just goes to show that you don't have to make something fancy for it to be yum :)


                         Dhruv's Tomato and Olive salad








Sereena's Chocolate mousse: Just the right balance of dense and light .Ah-mazing!!



The Aftermath:
C'mon you didn't really think that restaurant kitchens look all shiny and peaceful now, did you?
Two and a half hours might sound like a lot of time to make a four course menu and an omelette with all the accompaniments but somehow time just seems to go by so fast once you start , and all of a sudden you hear someone yell "10 minutes to presentation!" and the panic sets in.
Stress,Panic,madness,failed recipes,last minute missing ingredients and ofcourse cuts and burns are a regular but in the end it's a lot of fun .
Oh,just a bit of advice,
ALWAYS.CHECK.FOR.SALT.
:)






Thursday, November 03, 2011

Mini Bread and Butter banana Puddings with cherry glaze.


I made these mini puddings on a whim.
Was'nt really expecting to make anything that afternoon,but Boredom combined with new lime-green silicon mould got the best of me.
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of bread and Butter pudding.I mean,plain ol' slice bread and butter..how much can you really do with that?
But then again ,when you are bored and hungry I guess anything goes :)




This is an easy-peasy recipe and the size of these little puddings is really convienient. Also,adding a layer of cherry preserve in the middle really gave these puddings a kick !!
For the pudding:
Bread Slices         10 Nos.
Butter                   50gms
Bananas                2
Eggs                      1 no
Powdered sugar    50 gms
Milk                       100 ml
Fresh Cream           60ml
Icing sugar             (for dusting)
Cherry Preserve     100 gms (optional)

For the cherry glaze:
Cherry Preserve      100 gms
 Warm water           40 ml
Lemon juice            5 ml

*Preheat the oven to 160' C.
1.Cut off the crusts from the slice bread and keep them aside.Flatten each slice as much as possible and butter both sides of all the slices.
2. Cut each slice bread into 3 strips or accoriding to the size of the moulds and keep aside.
3.Prepare the custard:lightly beat the egg with the powdered sugar in a bowl.add in the milk ,cream,and vanilla essence and whisk till properly blended.
4. Slice up the bananas and keep aside.Do this at the last minute or else the bananas will start to turn brown !!
4. Place one strip of the bread in each mini mould. Top this with a layer of sliced bananas.Place another strip of the bread over this,and then bananas once again.If you want to add the cherry preserve layer ,now is the time to do it!!Continue till almost at the top and then rub some butter on the bread crusts that you had cut off, and press then right on top. Make sure there is a little space till the top of the mould so that the custard does not overflow.
5. Once you have finished layering each mould pour the custard slowly into each mini mould and allow it to fill all the spaces.You may move the bread around a little bit to make sure the bread soaks the custard properly.
6. Leave the mould to stand for a few mintutes and then top up the moulds with custard again.
7. Finally,dust the tops with icing sugar and put it in the preheated oven for 10-15 min ,or till the top turns brown.
8.You can bake it till the center is fully cooked(toothpick should come out clean) or leaving the center slightly gooey.
9.to make the cherry glaze,whish the cherry preserve,Warm water and lemon juice together till smooth.
9. Serve hot!!!

* If you try this pudding with Vanilla Icecream ,Please please send me some :):)