Berry Crumble with Walnuts

Ingredients

  • 600g mixed berries (i.e., raspberries, blueberries, currants and blackberries)
  • 2 packages of vanilla sugar
  • 50g California walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soft butter

Preparation:

  1. Sort out, rinse off and clean berries. Mix berries in with vanilla sugar and distribute into 4 ovenproof cups or bowls.
  2. Chop up walnuts finely. Mix together flour with walnuts, sugar and butter and make into crumble. Disperse the crumble evenly over the berries. Bake in a preheated baking oven at 200 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Tip: You can serve Berry Crumble with vanilla ice or whipped cream as you like.


Quick Portuguese Style Custard Tarts

Ingredients

  • Butter for greasing
  • 40g custard powder
  • 3 tablespoons caster sugar (40g)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 medium egg yolks
  • 500ml whole milk
  • 50g California walnuts, chopped
  • 320g pack ready rolled puff pastry

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Butter a 12-hole muffin tin.
  2. Place the custard powder, sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and vanilla in a medium saucepan and blend in the egg yolks and milk. Gently heat until just boiling, stirring until thickened, stir in half the walnuts and set aside.
  3. Cut the pastry in half and place 1 half on top of the other, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and roll up tightly from the long edge like a Swiss roll. Cut this into 12 equal slices.
  4. Flatten each pastry round with the palm of your hand and roll out to a 10cm circle then press into the prepared tin. Fill each with the custard.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool before removing from the tin and sprinkle with extra cinnamon and remaining Walnuts.


Coffee & Walnut Mug Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
  • 4 tablespoons self-rising flour
  • 4 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 25g California walnuts, chopped

Preparation:

  1. Beat the egg in a 350ml heatproof mug with the milk and oil. Blend the coffee with 1 teaspoon boiling water and add to the mug with the flour, sugar and all but 2 teaspoons walnuts, mix well to combine.
  2. Microwave on full power for 2-3 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool.
  3. Sprinkle with reserved walnuts.


Walnut Kulfi

Ingredients

  • 750ml full-fat milk
  • ½ cup California walnuts, soaked overnight
  • 4 tablespoons sugar (5 if you prefer slightly sweeter)
  • 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup milk, plus 4 tablespoons milk
  • 100ml cream
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • Few strands of saffron
  • 2 tablespoon toasted walnuts, crushed

Preparation:

  1. Drain the soaked walnuts, then dry grind them to a coarse texture. Add 3-4 tablespoons of milk and grind to make a smooth paste.
  2. In another bowl, add the whole wheat flour. Using 1 tablespoon at a time, mix the flour with the 1/3 cup of milk to make a flowing liquid paste. Keep in mind to add the milk in batches, else lumps might form.
  3. In a heavy-bottomed pan, add milk and bring it to a boil on medium flame, stirring occasionally.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and add in the whole wheat paste, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Increase heat to medium-low and cook till the milk in the pan thickens, for approx. 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Once the milk has thickened, add the sugar, saffron strands, cardamom powder, and walnut paste, and cook for another 10 minutes on medium-low.
  6. Add in the cream, and cook for another 5-10 minutes till the mixture consistency is a thick rabri-like consistency.
  7. Turn the flame off and allow the walnut kulfi mixture to cool down completely. Stir occasionally to avoid film forming on top.
  8. Once the mixture is completely cooked, pour into a freezer-friendly container with a lid, and chill in the freezer for 1-2 hours, till the edges start freezing.
  9. Remove from freezer and with a hand blender beat mixture for 1-2 minutes. You can also use a blender for this. 10. Pour the mixture into kulfi molds along with some chopped walnuts. Close the lid tightly and freeze for 8 hours or until the kulfi is set.
  10. To serve, dip the kulfi moulds in warm water (not hot) for 10-15 seconds till the edges loosen. The kulfi will easily release from mould. Serve on a plate garnished with chopped walnuts.


Walnut Tea Loaf

Ingredients

  • 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • 75g dried figs, quartered
  • 75g pitted dates, roughly chopped
  • 2 tea bags
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 200g light brown soft sugar
  • 75g walnuts, roughly chopped, plus 12 whole walnuts

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 1kg loaf tin.
  2. Mix together the fruit in a bowl and add the tea bags, pour over 300ml boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, flour and sugar in a large bowl and stir in the dried fruits plus all the liquid and the chopped walnuts. Pour into the prepared tin, arrange the whole walnuts on top and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean, cover with foil if the top begins to get too dark.
  4. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.


Sheer Khurma

Ingredients

  • 1cup roasted vermicelli
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 cup California walnuts, crushed
  • 1 litre milk
  • A pinch of saffron
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 teaspoon rosewater

Preparation:

  1. In a pan, heat some ghee and roast the crushed walnuts for 2-3 minutes.
  2. In a pot, add one litre of milk and bring it to boil, add saffron and reduce the milk, to 75%
  3. Add the walnuts and continue reducing the milk to 60%
  4. Add the roasted vermicelli and cook for 7-8 minutes.
  5. Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook till all the sugar dissolves, add rose water and give it a final stir.


Walnut Panjeri

Ingredients

  • 2 cups wheat flour
  • 1 cup ghee
  • 1 cup California walnuts, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom powder
  • 1 cup sugar

Preparation:

  1. In a pan, heat some ghee and add the wheat flour, roast the flour for 12-15 minutes, till it starts changing the colour.
  2. Add crushed California walnuts and cardamom powder and roast for another 5-7 minutes
  3. Add sugar and mix it well.
  4. Garnish with more chopped walnuts and dried rose petals.


Carrot and Walnut Barfi

Ingredients

  • 500g carrots
  • 2 tablespoon ghee, plus 1 tablespoon extra
  • 3-4 whole cardamoms
  • 2 tablespoon desiccated coconut (optional)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup California walnuts
  • 1/4 cup milk powder
  • Few strands of saffron
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Preparation:

  1. Peel the carrots, and roughly chop them. Put in a food processor. Pulse the carrots with 1-2 tablespoon milk (do not add more than that- only enough milk to pulse it into a coarse paste). Pulse till the carrots are very small pieces- almost like a coarse paste. You can also grate them finely.
  2. Line an 8 by 8 cake tin with parchment paper and oil it well.
  3. In a thick bottom kadhai/pan, heat 2 tablespoon ghee. Add the carrots and mix well to coat it with ghee. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 5 – 8 minutes, till the carrots lose their moisture.
  4. Add milk and saffron strands and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame till all the milk dries up. Keep stirring occasionally and make sure to cook on low flame.
  5. While the carrots are cooking, pulse the walnuts with the milk powder, cardamom seeds and coconut powder to make a fine powder.
  6. Once all the milk has dried and the carrots are no longer leaving any water, add the sugar and mix. Cook on low medium flame till the sugar water dries up.
  7. Now add the walnut powder mix and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and cook till the mixture comes together and is thick- another 5 minutes. Add the chopped walnuts.
  8. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and pat it to make an even layer of preferred barfi thickness.
  9. Let set for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
  10. Once set cut into barfi sized pieces and enjoy.


Walnut Lauki Halwa

Ingredients

  • 1 Lauki/Bottle Gourd
  • 400ml milk
  • 3 tablespoon ghee
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1/2 cup, crushed California walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon keora water

Preparation:

  1. In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons ghee and add grated lauki and cook till it just starts to change colour, approx. 15 mins
  2. Add equal parts of milk and cook it together till it reduces and mixes with the lauki completely.
  3. Add sugar and cardamom powder. Cook till the sugar dissolves completely.
  4. Add crushed California walnuts and cook for 2-3 mins.
  5. Add keora water and give it a final mix. Serve Hot.


Frozen Walnut and Raspberry Ripple Yoghurt

Ingredients

  • 800g natural yogurt
  • 4 tablespoon honey
  • 150g California walnuts, chopped
  • ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 250g raspberries

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Mix together the yogurt and 2 tablespoons of honey and transfer them to a freezer-proof container, place them in the freezer for 2 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, mix together the walnuts, remaining honey, and oil and spread out onto a parchment-lined baking tray, bake for 7-8 minutes until golden, and allow to cool completely. Reserve some clusters for garnish.
  4. Place the raspberries in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water and cook gently for 4-5 minutes until a pulp is formed, allow to cool completely, then press through a sieve and discard the pulp.
  5. Stir the yogurt and freeze for a further 2 hours. Stir again with a fork to mash down any large ice crystals and stir in the chopped caramelized walnuts. Gently stir in ¾ of the raspberry sauce to create a marbled effect and freeze again for 2 hours or until needed.
  6. Remove from the freezer 20-30 minutes before required. Serve sprinkled with reserved walnut clusters.

*For California Walnut Milk:

Soak a cup of untoasted California walnuts for 2 hours in 2 cups of water. Strain and rinse California walnuts well. Transfer to a blender with one cup of cold water. Blend on high for a minute. Strain through a muslin cloth till you get an almost dry powdery mass in the muslin cloth after pressing the milk. Transfer in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This gives you 2 cups of homemade pressed California walnut milk.