This, and the past month seems like a wild tornado has come and created chaos in my life – impromptu getaways, random travels, new people, and an idea for a whole new direction for Kitchen Therapy. And what’s even more surprising, is my patience and open mind to all the “un-planned” and sudden changes to my usually very strict routine and schedule. Maybe it’s called growing up, or maybe that sense of adventure was always in me – who knows, and I am not in the least complaining, I am just enjoying my life, my work and even though at moments I stop and ask myself – WHAT? I’m comforted by the fact that life is all about opportunities and what more constructive way than to venture into new fields of work, ideas and work with even more dynamic people?
I’ve had a long break from the kitchen, and my hands were itching to get back in and create something from scratch. A cake is always the best way to break a spell and at around 9 PM one night I decided on experimenting with teas – particularly a lovely Kashmiri Kahwa that I had in my cupboard. Kashmiri Kahwa is a beautiful blend of black tea, almonds, rose petals, saffron, cinnamon, cardamom and spices that offer warmth. Some are a delicious hued pink shade, while some have darker hints of orange – each blend is unique in it’s own way, and sometimes even with a bit of saltiness.
I brewed the tea in milk and left it overnight in the fridge. The morning after, I strained out the tea leaves and whisked it into a cake – and the result was pretty darn good! But it needed a bit of frosting and what better than chocolate? I teamed it up with some cardamom for the hint of spice and I ensured using salted butter to give it that bit of kahwa-ness.