Crepes-turned-waffle

well, not only can good food win one's soul but the process of making food can also allow one's soul to feel happier. after a nasty incident at home, I decided to make some crepes.


but due to our laziness, analyn and i decided to use the waffle machine so here's our crepes-turned-waffle invention :)


For the crepes batter:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp. sugar
Pinch salt, vegetable oil


1. The day before serving the cake, make the crepe batter and the pastry cream.

2. For the batter, cook the butter in a small pan until brown like hazelnuts. Set aside.

3. In another small pan, heat the milk until steaming; allow to cool for 10 minutes.

4. In a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt.

5. Slowly add the hot milk and browned butter. Pour into a container with a spout (I just used a tupperware container), cover and refrigerate overnight.



The next morning:
1. To make the crepes, bring the batter to room temperature.

2. Place a nonstick or seasoned 9-inch crepe pan over medium heat. Swab the surface with the oil, then add about 3 tablespoons batter and swirl to cover the surface.

3. Cook until the bottom just begins to brown, about 1 minute, then carefully lift an edge and flip the crepe with your fingers. Cook on the other side for no longer than 5 seconds.

4. Flip the crepe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until you have 20 perfect crepes.


For the vanilla pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tbsp. butter


1. Bring the milk to a boil.

2. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract then set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside a small bowl that can hold the finished pastry cream and be placed in this ice bath.

4. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.

5. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then place pan over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Press the pastry cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the small bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath and stir until the temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

7. Stir in the butter. When completely cool, cover and refrigerate.



To assemble the cake:
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons Kirsch (optional)
icing sugar (optional)
Nutella


1. Whip the heavy cream with the tablespoon sugar and the Kirsch (optional). It won’t hold stiff peaks but that’s okay. Fold it into the pastry cream.

2. Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a thin layer of pastry cream (about 1/4 cup). Cover with a crepe, repeat, but on the third layer, add Nutella. Continue layering two layers of pastry cream and one layer of nutella to make a stack of 20 or more, with the best-looking crepe on top. Chill for at least 2 hours. Set out for 30 minutes before serving.

3. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice like a cake.

this should have been what the crepes would look like.

the only precautions is, this was really oily.

for more, visit Cream Puffs In Venice.

Butterscotch pudding

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (190g) self-raising flour
• 100g butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
• 4 tbs golden syrup
• 1 tbs cornflour
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) boiling water
• Double cream or ice cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 1.5 litre (6 cup) ovenproof dish. Combine 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and all of the flour in a bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and 2 tbs of the golden syrup and stir until combined. Spoon into greased dish.
2. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and cornflour. Sprinkle over the pudding mixture.
3. Combine boiling water with the remaining 2 tbs of golden syrup. Pour over the top of the pudding mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve with double cream or ice cream.

When there was brown sugar and golden syrup lying there for a while, I bumped into this! (:

taste.com.au

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac and Cheese

In view of the good responses from the pasta salad and cherry cheesecake, i've been making them several times rather than trying new dishes. In fact, I've been honoured to whip up the pasta salad for a small group of mums for service this saturday. I havent really got the chance to experiment and come up with alterations towards the dish, yet.


So this was the pasta salad in preparation for the mums' dinner :)

In any case, I was in charged of refreshments this week and thought of making another new dish.


Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese!


Ingredients required:


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 slices white bread, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg/garlic bread powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated white cheddar cheese (or any kinds of cheddar you prefer)
2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or whatever other cheese you’d like)
1 pound elbow macaroni (in my case, I used fusilli)






1. Preheat oven to 190 deg cel. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with Pam and set aside.

2. Place the bread in a medium bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a covered, microwave safe bowl. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

Tear the bread into bite size.


Tossed with butter

3. Chop your bacon into bite sized pieces and cook til crispy.


4. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat (it doesn’t need to be super hot). Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet or pot over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute (be quick!).

5. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.




6. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in bacon, salt, nutmeg (i used garlic poweder in my case), black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano and set the cheese sauce aside.


7. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni (or whatever pasta u use) until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.

8. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. (THIS WAS THE BEST PART)



This must be the bible theory of what it's like to live a life of abundance.


There was so much I had to transfer to a larger bowl. Overflowing goodness, I say!

9. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, and the breadcrumbs over the top.

10. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes to set.

Serves 10

life's simple pleasure :)
credits to Martha stewart

Cherry Cheesecake

Since it has always looked too appetitizing on pictures and I needed a farewell gift for hueyluin, I decided to bake this cake and it received good response :)

INGREDIENTS

125g digestive biscuits
75g soft butter
300g cream cheese
60g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
250ml double cream
1 x 284g jar St Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread
Serving Size : Serves 6–8

1) Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump.

2) Press this mixture into a 20cm springform tin; press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.
3) Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.

4) Lightly whip the double cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

5) Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

6) When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, unmould it and spread the black cherry over the top.


thats my end product. not very appetizing looking cause it was still in the baking tin but i assure u, the taste did alot of justice to the look it carried :)

This cake is simply effortless(no baking needed!) and delicious. I'm prepared to try it again :)

credits to sara for introducing the cake to me and courtesy of nigella.

Important factor to note would be to NOT SUBSTITUTE YOGHURT FOR DOUBLE CREAM. the second round i tried this cake, that was what I did and the cake turned out really soft.