What Ovenderful has been upto and the Gluten Free, Eggless Dark Chocolate Ragi Tarts with Coconut Cream

You might be wondering why it has been so quiet at my end. Well, it has been a very busy month in many ways. The reason for the same is that I have been involved with 4 events all of which are unique and special.

I loved being a part of each of these experiences and from all the invitations that I receive, why I choose to be a part of these is entirely because of their uniqueness and the depth they added to my own journey as a healthy baker and blogger. They opened up a new and wider perspective for me as an individual and Ovenderful as a social enterprise.

Here’s a quick look at 2 of those 4 events ( the remaining 2 will be covered  –

 

• Panel Discussion by Mom Bloggers: Bloggers Adda by Mums and stories at Bhive Workspace in HSR, Bangalore, was about bringing together 4 moms, including me who were blogging in different spheres and how they had been successful at it.

See more pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/mumsandstories/posts/682771135219738)

Audio Link : https://soundcloud.com/radioactivecr90-4mhz/active-bangalore-mums-and-stories-a-panel-discussion-on-how-moms-can-create-successful-blogs

• Collaborative Baking for Kritagyata Trust

Over 35 bakers came together to bake for 3000 children in 27 government schools in rural Bangalore, to make Children’s Day a special one for them. When Aruna, who is the Founder of Kritagyata Trust got in touch I knew there had to be a way to make this work.

So here is what we did ! I think Children’s Day had a new and special meaning for me this year simply because I believe at some level we were able to touch lives, unknown to us so far and yet find a connect that is so heart-warming.

As a tribute to these two events both of which helped me reach back within my soul to rediscover what I truly love – writing ( and hence blogging ) and baking for community impact, here is an earthy, close-to-the-roots kind of recipe :

Gluten Free and Egg Free Dark Chocolate Ragi Tarts filled with Coconut cream and grated dark chocolate ( Baked for an event that I will share in my next post) 

(Picture Credit – https://www.facebook.com/IndiaPhotoArtist?fref=ts)

 

For the tart –

1 cup ragi flour
1/4 cup jowar flour
60 grams cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup  Coconut sugar

1/4 cup Dark chocolate ( grated )

2 tbsp cocoa powder

The mixing process is exactly like it is for the pastry crust of tarts – Mix the flours, coconut sugar, dark chocolate and cocoa. Then slowly rub cold butter into this mix till it looks like bread crumbs or comes together. Keep some milk in the freezer to use incase you need to bring the dough together. Cling wrap this and keep it for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes prior to baking. When the dough is ready to be baked, take it out and press it into muffin trays to give it the shape. Bake them for 20 minutes till it becomes crisp.

For the filling – Mix together some fresh coconut cream, liquid jaggery, grated coconut and grated dark chocolate. The proportions will depend on how sweet you want it, how ‘coconuty’ and how liquid in texture !

You can use any other filling of your choice too 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Another ‘first’ – who heard about selling cakes to raise funds for abandoned/injured animals?

Originally posted in March 2012

For all of you who have been seeing my posts about dogs (adoptions, welfare and anything else! ) on Facebook, irrespective of whether you share the same love or not, there is something I want to share – the first time I have ever sold my baked products was to raise money for a non-profit organization that works towards the recue, rehabilitation and rehoming of abandoned and injured dogs, primarily the Indian stray ones.

From baking for fun to baking for fulfillment…

Originally posted in February 2012

While I continued to have fun with my ‘oven-derful’ biscuit making experiences, I was also enjoying my stint of freelance writing with the Burrp! magazine. However, the fact that writing would become a medium for one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life so far, was unknown to me when I visited the Founder of Search Years, an NGO in Gurgaon, working towards the overall development of children from villages in Haryana, India. Their center, known as Kalasthali, is where vocational skills and art are used as a conduit to instill confidence and also create employment channels. As I chatted with Mr Shelat and gathered information for my next writing assignment covering this NGO, the casual conversation turned towards volunteering and teaching a skill to some young girls so that they can get better jobs after completing their schooling. Before I realized, I had shared that baking was a hobby (slowly turning into a passion!) and though I was teaching myself, I could take out time once a week to conduct classes…