Earl Grey Kulfi thanks to Aarti Paarti

First and foremost, I need to give a bright and loud shout out to my favorite new Indian chef and Blogger Aarti Paarti!  She was a highlight for my latest Indian Dinner party and I have added her cookbook to my wish list for Christmas. Welcome to the ranks of Madjur Jaffrey on my shelf Aarti because you are my new favorite! Thank you for finding me! :)

So I stumbled upon this recipe when searching for Indian desserts and candies that I could make. The original recipe can be found here: Aarti Parti Earl Grey Kulfi Pops. 

I doubled the recipe and had enough to fill my popsicle racks as well as an additional bowl. This was perfect because I scooped the ice cream from the bowl for the dinner party  and fed the kids the popsicles. They loved it so much they are clamoring for me to make it again!

Earl Grey Kulfi Pops

Ingredients
1 12oz can evaporated milk 4 earl grey tea bags 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1 14oz sweetened condensed milk 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream Handful of finely chopped pistachios

Directions
11.  Heat evaporated milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the circumference of the pot. While it is heating, snip the tops of the tea bags. 

2. Once the milk is hot, whisk to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. 

3.  Turn the heat off, and add the contents of the tea bags. 

4.  Cover. Let it sit and steep for 30 minutes.

5. Strain the evaporated milk into a big bowl. 

6.  Add cardamom, condensed milk, heavy cream and pistachios. Whisk together. 

7.  Either pour into popsicle molds, small bowls or one large bowl (cover bowls with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn and formation of a “skin”). Pop into the freezer overnight. 

8.  When you’re ready to serve, run the popsicle mold under hot water to loosen it.Let larger bowls thaw a bit on counter as it freezes very hard. 

Apricot Soda Bread

This was a REALLY yummy version of soda bread that makes a really nice breakfast bread. Will definitely make this one again.  The recipe is from Flavor the Moments and the recipe can be found HERE.

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dried apricots

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" dice

1 3/4 cup cold low fat buttermilk, shaken

1 egg

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 cup chopped dried apricots

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use your handheld electric mixer. Mix the dry ingredients on low speed. 

4. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is completely mixed into the dry ingredients. Using a fork, beat the egg, buttermilk, and zest in a measuring cup. Turn the mixer on low speed, and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Combine the dried apricots with one tablespoon of flour, then mix into the dough on low speed just until combined. The dough is VERY wet!

Pour the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead a few times until it's in the shape of a round loaf. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, cut a small "X" into the center. Bake 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.