PINEAPPLE ORANGE PISTACHIO CAKE

The date 1st May lost its significance long back for people like us .... what best we can do is stop making a mockery of it .... We spend it as just another holiday is acceptable ..... what stunned me was a post I came by.... a "supposedly" educated person eating cake in a renowned bakery.... its fine... I too baked a cake on the same day.... the caption was terrifying.... what was it? "Celebrating May Day at so and so bakery".... I was hurt.... at least for the sake of the struggle.... we should not be this inhuman.....  the wrong was not having a cake but associating it with the word May Day.... I mean thats how I felt.... I cannot accommodate with 1/3 of the world these days.... the happy loner does not regret it either.... people too find me intolerable! Let us leave it at that and see why I have decided to blog about the PINEAPPLE ORANGE PISTACHIO CAKE today!.... Well, besides other celebrations.... it was Arup da's birthday... he will not spare me for feeding him a "beguner ghyat" on his birthday! Why I have to bother about that?.... I have developed a "I don't care" attitude as I proceed towards "senile hood!".... Well, we should never forget what people have done or do for us! This renowned Eye Surgeon ..... Dr.Arup Bhaumik spares me the ordeal of the procedure of getting his appointment on our 20 days visit to Kolkata. The mumma and her son gets their eyes checked almost for free without any hassle... 

Why do not I see an eye specialist here?... The miser self will not spend few hundred  dollars for one visit as long as a saviour called Arup da is there... it is not covered in our medical insurance.... my husband is not the CEO of Petronas... though working at it's sister concern for 15 long years had given him a lot... like the necessary shield while crossing the Gulf Of Aden as a sailing Captain! I cannot open my mouth further! This is one reason why he had to stay three long months at Mumbai to get a new job of his choice.... a Partha Dey always asks him to go for big, renowned concerns and  not to change job every two years! 

Coming to Dr. Arup Bhaumik .... its a long association.... after shifting to Barrackpore in 1995, life seemed dull.... even after moving from a two roomed rented home to a big... two storied one .... the mother and her two kids were not happy... it felt like moving backwards to us... the things we found there better than Dumdum were "dada-boudir biryani" and one Dr. Debasish Bhattacharya's eye clinic!.... Later he along with a young group of eye surgeons including Arup da established the Disha Eye Hospital group / chain with it's head quarter in Barrackpore! Its been two decades now that my entire family from the mother and father's side are under his medical care and my in laws too! It was in 2007, we shifted to our present home and our mother discovered that Dr. Arup Bhaumik is our neighbour... I land at Kolkata airport on a night. Next morning, on her way back from the "bazaar" holding two heavy bags... S is seen shouting... "Paramitaaa".... Paramita comes to her balcony... "arey oporey esho S"..... "nago koto kaaj jano to".... "P to Barrackpore palabey... kobey jabo Arup der kachey?".... and the mother son duo get their eyes checked without any appointment... while the procedure requires a 20 days of prior appointment.... My mother or paa-in-law can get the appointment but the couple says it is not required!.... They might had an anniversary too yesterday.... I am that person who respects people's privacy... if no notification of a  celebration comes.... I will not go public with the wish... I will message.... 

There are a couple of celebrations going on around.... an eggless, moist, not that much of a sinful PINEAPPLE ORANGE PISTACHIO CAKE for all of them... though I mention of one Arup da! No, I am not in a relationship with him either...haha... I am just trying to keep myself away from anything or anyone who are hurting my entire being.... for the rest I do not have any problem... leave me alone... I will get back to you from time to time! By the way... the mentioned couple has a daughter and son.... the daughter could be an aspiring model with a 5'9'' height and fashion sense but she is majoring in Economics at the Delhi University presently and the son is a year younger than mine .... all these kids went to school together and now our son lands in Kolkata and heads to Barrackpore.... weirdest creature on earth!

A cake on Arup da's birthday is still not ok... a meat or fish or to be precise a "mutton biryani" would have been a perfect share! Then, when I say I do not wish to hug tight any particular person or group in public, I mean it! There are others around me who are having celebrations.... some are pure vegetarian....  I spent a considerable amount of time with some of them.... I will not see if they belong to the saffron brigade or not.... I know I am not and never can be!.... Our Cristine is back and I am in a good mood except for the tension of the son's examinations and his weirdness.... Yesterday, I and my friend Piali peeped into his holding area to wish all the kids their best. Piali's daughter came to us and what did our son do?.... He turned his back at me and was chatting with a friend.... then declared if mumma stays back... I will not write the papers!.... That I was caught and softly scolded by the headmaster and the senior school coordinator was not an issue ....

 I did break the rules but do you know I had to hear the questionnaire from Tinni.... Piali's daughter?... Not that all sons are rebels... my men are. I tell my husband had you been this and that's husband... a divorce would have been inevitable within six months! Piali and me had a good time together and we had tea and onion rings, samosas too! That cutting chai without sugar did not cause me acidity... thank God baba! We love tea infusions and at times I tear some fresh mint leaves and add... ahh bliss! I even cooked "bhola bhetki" ... got super elated to get some fresh ones and that "dhuduler khosha".... a hard core Bengali who is not in the right mood always ....

This match-match social media game robbed the "me" off "myself".... truly! A red flower with hues of yellow... a blue dot right up and a green thin line below.... what is it... oh! Good Morning message... which is less of a Good Morning wish and more of what I do not know.... I find them lifeless... useless... better to plan having more onion rings tomorrow when the son writes his paper! Let the world play match games among themselves leaving me... I will kiss all but in my own time.... not that anyone waits for my kiss.... do you? Then think this vegetarian, egg free PINEAPPLE ORANGE PISTACHIO CAKE is for all of you to share! I am a poor baker but I bake for my family on a regular basis... with simple ingredients and share only those that comes out well!

One more thing.... I / We do not know who you have around or who mean what to you and vice-versa! We will not give the judgement "yeh aaurat fekti hai... woh to uski pyaer chatti hai pakka".... In reality it may not be that... we may be taking into account a lot of things... where some may be left out and some may be taken in for the day.... Let us understand and accept  that in the virtual world following anyone closely does not lit our gas oven... let us keep it at that! What I do not forget are the small gestures... who came to meet me when my father expired or who stood up for me even when I was not seen around! I will not care if those are Bengali or not... What do you say? .... I believe I am always right... haha!

Would You like to have a look at any of my previously shared cake recipes... they are simple!

MATCHA TEA CUP CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Baking Powder : 1/3tsp
Pineapple Juice : 11/2medium cup [I used fresh]
Orange Juice : 11/2 medium Cup [I used fresh]

Plain Yogurt : 2-3 tbsp
Sugar : 3 tbsp
Yellow Food Colour : 3-4 drops

Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp
Pistachio : 2-3tbsp chopped
Oil : 1/2 small tea cup [I used a canola-sunflower blend]

TOPPING CREAM :

Butter at Room Temperature : 50gm

Powdered Sugar : 1 tbsp

PROCEDURE :

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Add the fresh juice & 1 tbsp sugar, the food colour; mix and boil for 7-8 minutes! Let cool! 

Blend together the plain yogurt, the juice mix, the rest of the sugar & oil! Pulse for 2-3 minutes with intervals.

Take the refined flour and baking powder & baking soda in a bowl  and mix well.

Add the semi-liquid mixture to it and fold in very well. 

Chop the pistachios! Add the vanilla essence and half of the chopped pistachios. 

Mix well with a beater! 

Pour the batter to the greased cake tin, tap lightly on the kitchen top & garnish with some pistachios!

I pre-heated the mini toaster oven, baked the cake for 40 minutes at 180*C.

I felt the top was a bit overly done!

Hence, I mixed together the butter at room temperature & the powdered sugar! I cut off the top of the cake once completely cold & applied the butter-sugar mix; garnished with some chopped pistachios!