Dessert

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-1/2 cups freshly grated zucchini
• 1 cup California walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 226 g cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Preparations

1. Preheat oven to 176°C. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together sugars, eggs, and oil until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.
4. Pour batter evenly in pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes clean. Cool completely.
5. For the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy.
6. Add vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream and beat until combined.
7. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Frost the cooled cake and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• Butter for greasing
• 350 g California walnuts
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs
• 225 g golden caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

For the poached pears

• 4 ripe conference pears
• 8 cardamom pods
• Pinch of saffron
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 150 g caster sugar
• 250 ml water
• Greek yogurt to serve

Preparations

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease and line the base of a 9-inch cake tin with a circle of baking parchment.
2. Place the walnuts into a food processor and blitz until you have flour like consistency.
3. Separate the eggs into 2 mixing bowls.
4. Whisk the egg yolks, lemon zest and caster sugar with an electric hand whisk until pale and creamy, and then whisk the egg white to stiff peaks.
5. Mix the blended walnuts into the egg yolks, and then fold in the egg whites.
6. Spoon the cake mixture into your prepared cake tin, place on the middle shelves of the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes (or until cooked in the centre and risen).
7. Meanwhile, peel the pears and cut in half, scooping out the core with a melon baller or teaspoon, and bruise the cardamom pods.
8. Add the peeled pears, saffron, cardamom pods, lemon juice, caster sugar and water to a medium sized saucepan over a low heat and poach the pears for 15-20 minutes, or until soft and infused.
9. Slice the cake into 8, and serve each slice with a poached pear on the side and a blob of Greek yogurt or creme fraiche.

Ingredients 

Tart Base

• 1 cup khoya
• 60g quinoa flour
• 100g whole walnuts
• 30g brown sugar
• 40 clarified butter/ghee

Filling

• 300g dulce de leche
• 250g fresh pumpkin puree
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 100g walnuts
• 25g cornflour

Preparations

1.  For Tart base, preheat oven to 180C.
2. Place the walnuts, quinoa flour and brown sugar in jar of processor, grind to fine meal.
3.  Add the clarified butter/ghee and process to mix.
4.  Press into loose bottomed 8” tart shell, and bake for 15 minutes.
5.  For the Filling, reduce oven temperature to 150°C.
6.  Place dulce de leche, cornflour and pumpkin puree in jar of processor, blend to mix.
7.  Add the walnuts and process briefly, just to chop up the walnuts a little so they retain some texture.
8.  Bake for 1 hour, and then allow to cool in oven.
9.  Chill overnight.
10.  Serve with unsweetened cream or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

For Walnut Tart Biscuit Base
50g toasted California walnuts
50g digestive biscuits
50g ghee {or melted butter}

For Chocolate Pumpkin Filling

200g : 72% dark couverture chocolate, chopped
50g single cream, warmed but not boiling
100g fresh pumpkin puree {Made from roasting approximately 200g pumpkin}
Zest of 1 orange
25ml maple syrup {or honey}
15g walnut butter
5g pie spice {or cinnamon powder/garam masala}

Preparations

1. For walnut tart biscuit base, chop California walnuts in a processor jar, then add the digestive biscuits and process again until finely chopped.
2. Stir in the melted ghee.
3. Turn into a 7″ loose bottomed tart tin, pressing the sides into place, and then the base.
4. Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer while the oven preheats.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C
6. Bake the base for 10 minutes.
7. For the Chocolate Pumpkin Filling, heat chocolate in a large heatproof bowl for 1 minute in the microwave.
8. Pour over the cream and leave for 5 minutes and whisk all ingredients.
9. Pour over baked walnut biscuit tart shell, and level out with an offset spatula.
10. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, then leave to cool in oven.
12. Chill for a couple of hours, grate over with dark chocolate, and top with California walnuts halves.
13. Slice and serve.

Ingredients

250ml low fat cream {20%}
75g pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
30g cocoa powder
40g quick cooking oats
150 g : 52% dark couverture chocolate chopped
75g brown sugar
50g honey
75g roasted California walnuts chopped

Topping

Roasted California walnut halves, persimmon slices
Organic rose petals

Preparations

1. Place all ingredients, except California walnuts, in a heavy bottom pan and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
2. Once it becomes as thick as custard, take off heat, allow it to cool.
3. Stir in the chopped California walnuts.
4. Allow to cool, then ladle into serving glasses, bowls and chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
5. Top with roasted California walnuts halves, fresh seasonal fruit like figs, persimmons, candied pumpkin.
6. Sprinkle over a few organic rose petals or pomegranate pearls for a pop of colour.

Ingredients

For rabri:

• 1 litre full cream milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoon saffron milk

For sugar syrup:

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• Few saffron threads

For serving:

• 6 slices bread white or brown
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 cup California walnut halves

Preparations

1. Remove the sides of bread and cut them into a triangle.
2. Fry the bread slices, both sides, in hot oil till the bread turns golden brown.
3. For sugar syrup, put water in a pan and add sugar to it. Add few saffron threads, if desired. Bring it to a boil and then turn off the heat.
4. Dip both sides of bread in sugar syrup and keep aside.
5. For rabri, heat milk and then add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk into it.
6. In a plate, place fried bread slices and pour in ½ cup of prepared rabri on top to serve.

Ingredients 

For the dough

• 1 cup maida/all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sooji (Semolina)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup khoya
• 2 cup chopped California walnuts
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 2 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon saffron strands

Sugar syrup optional

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• Few pieces of saffron strands

Preparations

Gujiya dough

1. In a big bowl combine all the ingredients listed under ‘For The Dough’.
2. Take lukewarm water and knead soft pliable dough.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 mins.

For the filling

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add khoya, dry coconut and toast them on low heat for 15 mins. When the mixture turns light brown in color, add saffron strand. Mix and take it off the flame.
2. In a separate pan add California walnuts and toast them on a medium flame. Once they start omitting their aroma, take it off the flame and allow it to cool off completely. Grind them in a coffee grinder until it turns into a fine powder.
3. Add this nutty mixture to the khoya mixture along with sugar and milk. Mix until everything is well- blended.

For the gujiya

1. Take a small golf size ball of the dough and roll it into a thin circle. In one half, place some gujiya mixture and fold the other half to make it into a gujiya. Apply water along the edges and seal it tight using a fork to secure the edges by making imprints of the fork.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When ready for frying, lower the flame and fry gujiyas until golden brown in color. The key to crispy gujiya is – patience! Gujiyas should be fried in medium hot oil for a crispy layer.
3. Remove from oil and drain it on the paper towel.

For the sugar syrup

1. Combine all the ingredients in a pan and bring it to a boil on a medium flame. Scum will start forming on top of the liquid.
2. Using a spoon, collect and discard the scum and keep boiling until the liquid is reduced and it starts to thicken.
3. Lower the heat, dip a spoon in the syrup and remove. Do not touch for the first few seconds, it will be very hot. Touch the syrup with your finger and if it coats your finger, it means that it is about to reach its first string consistency.
4. Dip each gujiya in this syrup for 2-3 mins and set it on a clean plate.
5. Garnish with chopped California walnuts and serve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup California walnuts
• ¼ cup milk
• 250 g khoya or mawa
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter + a little extra for greasing
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparations

1. Take ½ cup of California walnuts in a bowl.
2. To this add ¼ cup of milk and let it soak for 1 hour. Thereafter, blend it into a coarse puree.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add the remaining walnuts. Sauté till golden, drain and set aside.
4. Now in the same ghee, add khoya and sugar and mix well. To this add the walnut puree and mix again.
5. Keep cooking this till it gets thick and leaves the sides.
6. Then add cardamom powder and fried walnuts and mix well.
7. Spread this on a greased plate and let it set for a few hours.
8. Slice into pieces and garnish with California walnuts.

Ingredients

• 500 gm dark chocolate
• 150 gm Niagara cream
• 100 ml dark rum
• 50 gm coffee
• 300 ml milk
• 2 regular cookies
• 100 gm chocolate flakes
• 15 California walnuts
• 100 gm sugar

Preparations

1. Whip the cream and keep aside.
2. Heat the milk and chocolate in a pan till the chocolate melts. Keep aside to cool.
3. Dissolve the coffee in the old monk and add the mixture to the chocolate mix.
4. Fold in the whipped cream.
5. Crush the cookies and place in the serving dish.
6. Pour the chocolate and cream mixture into the serving dish and refrigerate till it sets.

For Caramelizing California walnuts                                                                                                              

1. Melt the sugar in a pan till it caramelizes.
2. Then coat each walnut with the caramel individually and keep aside.
3. Garnish the mousse with chocolate shavings and caramelized California walnuts and serve.

Ingredients

• 250 ml unsalted butter
• 300 gm refined flour
• 450 gm castor sugar
• 6 eggs
• 6 gm baking powder
• 100 ml oil
• 150 gm California walnut flour
• 3 oranges/malta
• 200 ml milk
• 100 ml orange juice

For Walnut Flour:

• 150 gm California walnut flour

Place the walnuts in blender and blend on high for 8 seconds until they are broken up to form a flour like consistency.

Preparations

1. Take a 9 inch cake mold, and line it with sliced oranges (malta).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs slowly and keep mixing.
4. Fold in the flour, walnut flour and baking powder.
5. Then add the oil, milk and orange juice.
6. Keep mixing till everything is mixed properly.
7. Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake for 2 hours at 180˚C. After the first hour reduce the temperature to 150˚C.

For Caramelizing California walnuts                                                                              

1. Melt the sugar in a pan till it caramelizes.
2. Then coat each walnut with the caramel individually and keep aside.
3. Slice the cake and warm it, then garnish it with the caramelized California walnuts and serve warm.