Blood Orange and Cardamom Custard Cups

and a recipe from the cookbook - Supper With Love...

Hello friends,

Hope your February is off to a good start! It is after all the month of love ;). When my husband and I were young, and infatuated - we celebrated Valentine’s day. We even celebrated when our kids were little - I mean how could we not especially when they got the cutest V-day arts and crafts back from school. Now, after 18 years of being married - love is unspoken and is in those little everyday actions, in those several hugs and kisses in a day, or doing the dishes without me telling him to, or knowing which restaurant I want to eat at and making a reservation pro-actively. Should love be celebrated only on one day? :)

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH PISTACHIO DUKKAH

I shared a fabulous recipe on my Modern Vegetarian Column in S.F.Chronicle - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pistachio Dukkah.

This simple butternut squash soup requires minimal effort for maximum flavor. You’ll roast the squash with garam masala, an Indian spice blend that can be found easily in Indian stores, online or even Whole Foods, for an easy boost. You can also roast the squash a day ahead and store it in the fridge until ready to use. I garnish the soup with good quality olive oil, and pistachio dukkah. Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of nuts, spices and herbs. It is typically added to olive oil as a dip for bread. It can also be added to roasted vegetables and soups for extra flavor. Dukkah literally means “to pound,” and the mix of toasted pistachios, sesame seeds, coriander seeds and more is coarsely ground here. Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. Warm it up in a pot on the stove, adding a bit of water to thin it out ever so slightly first.

LOADED SMASHED POTATOES

My dear friend Michelle, from the blog Supper With Michelle , released her debut cookbook called Supper With Love. Michelle’s cookbook is an ode to her mother, and I truly understand her sentiments. She writes very fondly about her memories with her mother, and how her mother encouraged her to write this cookbook. I love that her cookbook has so many plant based recipes, which is not true of so many published cookbooks nowadays, especially with me being a vegetarian.

The cookbook is divided into several chapters such as Salads, Soups, Handy things (consisting of wraps, sammies, pizza), Brinner recipes (now I love this concept – Breakfast that can be had for dinner!), Bowls, Sides and her personal favorites – Supper with Love. She also provides a scancode for Spotify playlists to enjoy as you cook along to her recipes.

I have bookmarked a lot of recipes that I want to make such as the Vegetable Chowder, the Panzanella-ish Pizza, Spicy Tofu Bowls, Roasted Baby Broccoli with Romesco Sauce to name a few. 

I have featured her Loaded Smashed Potatoes on my blog. The recipe is wonderful. They are a lovely take on the popular smashed potatoes but with a Greek twist of Tzatziki, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, feta. My family devoured these potatoes in minutes! A recipe that is absolutely worth making!

Support Michelle with her debut cookbook by purchasing it from Amazon or from your local bookstore! It is always wonderful to support a first time author with their endeavors, so we can get access to more amazing recipes from them!

BLOOD ORANGE AND CARDAMOM CUSTARD CUPS

This recipe is a riff on the quintessential banana pudding with layers of blood orange custard, Nilla Wafers and blood orange slices, with warm cardamom adding a lovely floral note.

Of all the citrus available in the winter, my absolute favorite is the blood orange. I first encountered blood oranges around several years ago at the farmer’s market, and I was curious why this particular type of orange had the prettiest, maroonish skin, and the flesh was a gorgeous crimson hue, too. I dove into a small container of sample slices for a taste. When I took my first bite, my eyes opened wide: It was very sweet, slightly tart and brightly flavored.

My mind starting thinking of all the possibilities I could make with this pretty fruit. I was heavily into jam making at that time, and I thought of a sweet-savory combination - Blood Orange and Rosemary Marmalade. It was one of my most successful and sort after jams - bought by a lot of folks and appreciated too! I do not use the whole skin in the marmalade. Infact I zest the blood orange, remove the white pith and use the blood orange segments to make the marmalade. I never liked bitter marmalades.

The recipe for this awesome Marmalade is in my cookbook - Mumbai Modern. You can also find other blood orange inspiration like this gorgeous Blood Orange and Hibiscus Tart with a Gingersnap Crust in my cookbook.

Coming to the Blood Orange and Cardamom Custard Cups. If you have never made custard before, do NOT panic! Custard is pretty simple to make, and after you make it once, it truly becomes easy for a lot of other custard based things such as ice cream, creme patisserie or pastry cream etc, because the method is similar.

You can find the recipe on my blog. They make for a lovely dessert, serving a party of 4, and it is easy to whip up as well. You can go easy or fancy on the decoration, which is all mentioned in the blog post. As an added bonus, they are pretty looking as well!

CANDIED BLOOD ORANGES - one note about candied blood oranges. I find candied blood oranges, so pretty to look at, but at the same time they are super delicious as well. They make for great garnishes for cocktails, or desserts, or even a great addition to salads. They can be a fantastic add-on to charcuterie boards, or dip them half way into dark chocolate, with a sprinkle of sea salt for a fun snack!

I have several blood orange recipes on my blog - that will be for my next substack!

Hope you are staying warm and cozy in this dreary weather! Bay Area is covered in rains, and more coming this week. Stay safe, stay warm!

XO

Amisha