foodie goodie

Cream Cheese Brownie

2010-05-04T23:11:00.009+08:00

Brownie Layer:

113g unsalted butter, cut into pieces

115g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (can choose to use chips)

250g granulated white sugar ( I would suggest going low on the sugar, perhaps 170g if you are using sweet chocolate, cause mine turned out too sweet for my liking.)

1 tsp pure vanilla essence

2 large eggs

65g all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Layer:

227g cream cheese, at room temperature

65g granulated white sugar (If your chocolate is sweet, maybe lower this to 40g)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 deg C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan.

2) In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. (Make sure the sugar melts completely!) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute).

3) Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set it aside. Place the remainder of the brownie batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

4) Then, in the bowl of your food processor (or with a hand mixer), process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and egg and process just until creamy and smooth. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer.

5) Spoon small dollops of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling. Then with a table knife or wooden skewer, swirl the two batters without mixing them.

6) Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

7) Refrigerate the brownies until they are firm enough to cut into squares (at least two hours). Once chilled, remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares. It is a good idea to have a damp cloth nearby to wipe your knife between cuts. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Makes about 16 - 2 inch squares.

ok, in the end, I'm not sure why but for the top layer, my cheese kind of fused in with the brownie, so it looked very yellowish brown but you can still see the layers when you cut them open. As mentioned atop, in my opinion, you can cut back on the sugar, it's too sweet for my liking.

Never get tired of looking at recipes from JOB

Pan Fried Potato Patties

2010-04-01T12:54:00.006+08:00

So on a Sunday where the whole family was not in and the maid had to go to the sister's new place to help clean up, I was left alone to take care of my own lunch. This is a really easy dish (especially for comfort food!) albeit with too much carbohydrates.

CARBO-LOAD (yep, I like to rip their photos off directly cause my camera usually doesn't do justice to the photos)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 egg, beaten

1 onion, chopped finely

25g caster sugar

50g plain flour, sifted

Dashes of black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1) Boil the potato with salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain. Peel potatoes when cooled.

2) Mash the potatoes using a potato ricer. Mix mashed potato, parsley, onion, flour, egg, salt & black pepper (more if you want it hotter) in a bowl.

I didn't add parsley to mine though

3) Heat the oil in a frying pan. Place 1/2 tbsp of the mixture in the oil and then flatten with turner. When mixture becomes firmer, turn over to the other side. Pan fry till both sides of the patties are lightly browned.

4) Drain the excess oil on tempura papers and serve.

5) Serves 2.

yep, i finished it myself.

Personally, I like NoobCook a lot because it teaches really simple and comprehensive steps towards making good food, and the food are catered towards our taste buds cause the author is a Singaporean herself :)

Lemon tassies

2010-03-12T14:25:00.007+08:00

Lemon Tassies (pictures off blog directly)

Makes 4 dozen

For the Crusts:
2 cups (400g) all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons (150g) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (50g) + 2 tbsp (30g) sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp coarse salt
vegetable oil

For the Filling:
8 ounces (250g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup (70g) sugar
1 large egg
3 tbsp finely (45g) grated lemon zest
1 tbsp(15g) fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence

1) Preheat oven to 350F (180 deg) upper rack in the oven. Coat two 24-cup mini-muffin tins with oil. (Do try to use muffin tins to allow the biscuit to remain its shape so that you can apply the cheese to it easily later)

yep, this was what happened to mine cause i didn't use muffin tins. it was so hard to put the cheese later.

2) For the crust: Process flour and butter in a food processor until mixture is the consistency of fine crumbs. Add sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Process just until combined and sandy in texture; do not overprocess.

3) Divide dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 12 equal pieces, and shape into balls. Place each ball in a muffin cup; press into cup, stretching dough up the sides. Set each muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake crusts, rotating halfway through, until lightly browned all over and slightly darker at the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Tap down any puffed centers of the shells with the end of a wooden spoon or your finger. Transfer sheets with muffin tins to wire racks to cool.

4) For the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop, fill the cooled crusts with filling. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until filling is set and just beginning to color at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.

5) Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Tassies can be refrigerated in single layers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

6) Serves approximately 4 dozens.

yea, i know. look very different from the original photo but it was still tasty, i assure.

Also made honey water specially for the sick boy but it turned out to sour so i would suggest not adding lemon next time.

for more, visit taste&tell :)

Profiteroles

2010-02-14T20:36:00.005+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year cum Valentine's Day to one and all :) well, what better way to kill time this festive season than to engage in some baking. This time round, it was a rather impromptu idea to bake this. Was contemplating between lemon tassies and other V-day cookies but I eventually ended up with this.

Profiteroles in the house

(Yeah, I practically stole this off the blog)

Sweet Profiteroles (pronounced pruh-FIHT-uh-rohl) are small, crisp, hollow rounds of choux pastry that are split in half and filled with sweet whipped cream, ice cream, or pastry cream.

Choux Pastry:
65g all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
57 grams unsalted butter
120 ml water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Egg Wash Glaze:
1 large egg
1/8 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache:
115g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
120 ml heavy whipping cream
14g unsalted butter
1/2 tbsp cognac or brandy (optional)

Filling:
Vanilla Ice Cream

Choux Pastry: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about a minute or two). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick sticky paste. Spoon or pipe 12 mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Beat together the egg and salt for the glaze. With a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze on the tops of the dough.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are dry inside. The choux pastry is baked, first at a high temperature and then at a slightly lower temperature. The high temperature is needed so the dough will rise quickly (leaving a hollow center) and to set the structure of the shells. The temperature is then reduced to allow the outsides of the shells to become firm, while at the same time allowing the insides of the pastry to dry out. (Okay, for some reasons, mine didn't split so I actually did it manually)

Turn the oven off and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells dry out for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. (The puffs can be frozen. Defrost the puffs and then reheat in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Cool before filling with ice cream.)

Chocolate Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur. Use immediately. (The ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.)

To Assemble: Split the pastry shells in half, fill the bottom halves of the shells with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and replace the top. Drizzle each profiterole liberally with warm chocolate ganache. Serve immediately.

I know, I totally did a lousy job with the photo :( It looks more like scones.

Note: Truffles can be made with leftover Ganache. Truffles are just small balls of chocolate that can be rolled into cocoa powder, powdered sugar or toasted chopped nuts. Make sure the chocolate ganache is well chilled before forming into balls. You can use your hands to form the truffles, or else a melon baller or small spoon. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months.

Serves 6.

credits off JOB

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake

2010-01-31T18:13:00.003+08:00

I haven't gone on a hiatus intentionally but school has just kept me too busy to bake :( Or rather, I don't really condone baking if I cant even get my readings completed, so there. This baking incident was purely coincidental since it was my dad's birthday and it's a quick cake.

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake

226g unsalted butter

200g white sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Zest of 1 large lemon

280g all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

60 ml fresh lemon juice

Lemon Frosting:
115g confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Lemon Cake:

1) Preheat oven to 180 deg C and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in color (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

this is about the only picture i took

3)Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then add to the batter along with the lemon juice. Mix only until incorporated.

4) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake about 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool, then gently remove the sides of the pan.

Lemon Frosting:

5) In a bowl, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar with the 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

6) Pour the frosting over the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Let the icing set before covering.

Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake.

credits off JOB

Corndog Casserole

2010-01-11T13:48:00.007+08:00

Second semester has officially started :( Maybe the truth will only dawn upon me when I step into the lecture theatre. In any case, this is the last-bake item before I start to drown myself in my immense readings and projects. Not that I will be going on a hiatus, but probably attempt lesser new dishes. Cheers :)

2 cups celery, sliced
1 cup onions, chopped
1 1/2 pounds (680g) hot dogs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sage
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
18 oz. (510g) cornbread mix
8 oz. (226.7g) shredded cheddar cheese

your ingredients

hot dog mixture

milk mixture

combining milk with hot dog mixture

before turning it into the oven

In a skillet, cook celery and onions until tender. Place in a mixing bowl; set aside. Cut hot dogs into quarters, then into thirds. Place in a skillet, cook until lightly brown. Fold into celery mixture; set aside. Reserve one cup mixture. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, sage, and black pepper. Fold in hot dog mixture. Stir in cornbread mix. Add on and a half cups cheese. Spread mixture into a greased 3 quart dish. Top with the reserved hot dog mixture and cheese. Bake uncovered at 350F( 177 deg cel) until golden brown.

I'm not sure why the bread crumbs didnt turn out as wet and crispy as i wanted. Maybe it had to do with the milk and cheese. But for better reference, visit taste and tell

Cranberry- Oat Scones

2010-01-09T14:01:00.008+08:00

My all time favourite- scones :) (the picture is not very clear cause i realized i put the camera too close to the scone)

Recipe: (credits off JOB )

245g all purpose flour
65g granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
113g unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
60g old-fashioned rolled oats
40g dried cranberries/ cherries (raisins or currants)
Zest of one lemon/ orange
160 ml buttermilk
Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk/ cream
Note: For the buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

your ingredients
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. ( I actually used a non stick tray, makes things easier)
the dry ingredients

2) In a large mixing bowl place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and whisk to combine. Add the butter and using two knives or a pastry blender cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the rolled oats, dried cranberries and zest. Mix until combined. Stir in the buttermilk (adding more buttermilk if necessary) and mix just until the dough comes together.
3) Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle into 8 triangular sections. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
egg wash

4)Make an egg wash of one beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk or cream and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
5) Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (Alternatively, skip the icing part if you're not a fan of sugar)
fresh out from the oven

Makes 8 scones.

Of course, I wouldn't bake them for no specific reasons this time round. It's for my dear old friend who's celebrating his 21st today :)

happy birthday, dear friend! hope u'll enjoy the scones :)

Mash Potatoes with mixed vegetables

2009-12-31T12:49:00.006+08:00

On thanksgiving dinner, I'm supposed to prepare mash potatoe with vegetables. Initially, it made me worry since I've never really tried making this dish from scratch, what more with vegetables. After sourcing around for recipes, I kinda combined 3 into 1 :)

Potatoe- 2 pounds butter-1 stick milk-1/2 cup mushroom- 1 pound salt & pepper cheese- ½ cup cauliflower- 1 oil- 4tbsp

1) Remove blemishes and scrub potatoes. Slice the potatoes into quarters and place in a large sauce pan. Add water to pan until potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil.

2) Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, drain and peel off skins.

3) Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add butter and cheese and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually add the milk, continuing to beat potatoes until they reach desired consistency. Add more milk, if needed and salt and pepper to taste.

Blending the potatoe, cheese, milk and butter

Gobbly wobbly

4) Preheat oven to 200deg c. Spread cauliflower pieces on baking sheet. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper.

5) Bake in oven 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender.

6) Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

7) Add mushroom and sauté until soft, stirring.

8) Stir mushrooms into potatoes.

9) Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

End results (I know, my skills are not very good)

I suggest going light on the cheese because mine was commented to be too cheesy and hard to down.

credits to recipe tips with mushrooms, bacon bits, and cauliflower

Gingerbread Cookies

2009-12-17T23:21:00.008+08:00

How better to soak into the festive seasons than to do something which you enjoy? For me, baking is something therapeutic and something i enjoyed.

Gingerbread Men:

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses

Note: To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray

Confectioners Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

Gingerbread Men: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

your ingredients

sift the flour and baking soda together

the dry stuff

In the bowl of electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

your black molasses

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer. (I actually didnt have the gingerbread cutter so i just used normal cookie cutters)

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.

Confectioners Frosting: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if too dry. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.

Tint portions of frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.

Store in an airtight container.

for more, visit joy of baking

French Apple Tart

2009-12-11T23:58:00.005+08:00

Today, we were on a mission to bake this! It was definitely by no means an easy task even with 2 people working alongside. We took almost 4.5 hrs just to bake this but i guess it was a worthy effort. Well , the ingredients were really cheap since the bulk of the tart are apples but i wouldn't recommend unless you are looking for some challenge and to be standing around in the kitchen for the whole noon.

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Cognac, Calvados, Rum or Water

For the Apricot Glaze:

In a small saucepan heat the apricot preserves until boiling. Remove from heat and strain to get rid of lumps. Add the Cognac or water.

For the crust:

Sift flour and salt together and set aside. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't overmix or butter will separate and lighten in color. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the sweet pastry to the desired size. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). Roll to a round about 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick size that fits a 8 or 9-inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan. To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull the pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top again to get rid of any extra pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack before filling. When cool, spread a thin layer of warm apricot glaze over the bottom and sides of the tart to seal the crust and prevent it from getting soggy. Let the glaze dry between 20 - 30 minutes.

For the Apple Filling:
6 medium-sized apples (2 pounds) (900 grams)
3 tablespoons (40 grams) unsalted butter, divided
1/4 - 1/2 cup (50 - 100 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
Confectioners' Sugar for browning the top of the tart.

For Apple Tart: For bottom layer of apples: Peel, core, and slice three of the apples. In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon (13 grams) unsalted butter and stir in between 2 - 4 tablespoons (25 - 50 grams) of the sugar, the lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Gently mash the apples with the back of a spatula or spoon and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

For top layer of apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. Melt 1 tablespoon (13 grams) butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2 - 4 tablespoons (25 - 50 grams) sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Set the cooked apples aside.

Spoon the applesauce mixture into the cooled and glazed pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce, and brush with 1 - 2 tablespoons (13-26 grams) melted butter. Bake the tart on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tart with confectioners' sugar, cover the edges of tart with foil, and broil it under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp. Once the tart has cooled lightly glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze.

Use apricot glaze to seal the baked tart shell and to brush the top of the finished tart.

Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 - 8 or 9 inch (20 or 23 cm) tart.

for more, visit joy of baking

Chocolate Cheesecake

2009-12-02T17:24:00.005+08:00

Whoever said 3 girls and boredom come out with nothing good hasnt known the invention of good recipes.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) chocolate wafer crumbs (or digestive biscuits. sherri happens to be insane about them so we used 400g of digestives. haha.)
1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted (proportion the butter according to your crumbs)

Filling:
12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
24 ounces (680 grams) (3 - 8 ounces packages) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) full fat or light sour cream, room temperature

Ganache:
4 ounces (115 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Chocolate Cheesecake: Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. Place the spring form pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.

Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling:Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese, on medium low speed, until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of the cheesecake will still look a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools). Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before covering with the ganache.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour over cheesecake. With an offset spatula or back of a spoon, evenly spread the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day.

Serves at 12 - 16 people.

for more, visit joy of baking

(Picture above is the only reference since we were too lazy to capture a shot)

Sticky Marshmallow Cornflakes treats, Teriyaki Boneless Chicken

2009-11-30T20:57:00.009+08:00

What's more perfect than this for a holidays treat, especially if your intention is to snuggle cosy in front of the TV and catch up on all your missed episodes from drama serials or movies!

Marshmallow Cornflakes (serves32)

for more, visit jamie

125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

300g marshmallows
2 medium sized packets cornflakes

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add vanilla and marshmallows. Stir continuously until marshmallows have completely melted. (Do not overcook or butter would be charred)

3. Remove from heat, and mix in cornflakes.
4. Press the cornflakes mixture into a pan (or at least a flat low surface pan to ensure that you can cut the marshmallows easily)
5. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

Teriyaki Chicken

0.500kg of boneless chicken thigh meat

Masterfoods Teriyaki Marinade (widely available at any supermarts)

1) Marinade the Chicken overnight.

2) Place chicken on an oven-baked tray. To keep it wet, place aluminium foil over the chicken. Garnish with more marinade before putting into the oven (about 200deg C.). After about 15 minutes, bring out and flip the chicken to the other side. Garnish with marinade before putting back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

3) Serve hot. For 3-4 people.

(Alternatively, you can use chicken broth to marinade sauce at 1:5 ratios when garnishing)

can even add sesame for garnish.

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Balls

2009-11-06T15:30:00.006+08:00

This is a treat for children when school's out. Not that my school's out, its just study break but I guess its about the same. Seeing that this recipe looks really easy (no bake!) and that I have all the ingredients at home, I decided to try for myself.

credits to crepesofwrath.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tablespoons peanut butter
3/4 cup confectioners' (icing/powdered) sugar

Your ingredients

Everything that's needed is inside. (oat at the bottom followed by white sugar, cocoa powder at the bottom right, peanut butter center left, butter top left, water and vanilla essence seeped into the mix)

Use your hands to mix into a dough. (I initially wanted to practice hygiene and used a spoon, but to no avail)

Using your hand is so much easier and more effective.

your brown lump

Doesnt this look like meatballs? Haha.

This looks like ondeh-ondeh now

Even when consumed at room temp, it taste great! Best of all, I did everything within 1 hour!

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar and cocoa. With clean hands, mix in the water, vanilla, butter and peanut butter to form a dough.

2. Wash your hands, then roll the dough into balls 1 to 2 inches in diameter.(The size is dependent of personal preference).Sift the powdered sugar before rolling the balls in it until thickly coated. Spam the remaining icing sugar all over the balls.

3. Chill on a baking sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes around 25-30 balls. (I had about 40 balls cause I made mine smaller)

SCHOOL'S OUT AT: taste and tell

summertime tagliarini

2009-10-29T23:44:00.001+08:00

115g/4oz pinenuts
juice and zest of 2 lemons
a large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, half finely chopped and half left whole
215ml/7½fl oz extra virgin olive oil
150g/5½oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for shaving
50g/1¾oz pecorino cheese, freshly grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g/1lb 2oz good-quality tagliarini or tagliatelle

1) Smash up half of the pinenuts to a paste, then put it into a big heatproof bowl with the rest of the whole pinenuts, the lemon juice and zest, the finely chopped parsley and the extra virgin olive oil.

2) Stir and add the Parmesan and pecorino. What you should have now is a reasonably thick sauce, which you should think of more as a dressing, so taste it and think about how the different flavours are coming through. I want you to balance the flavours so you end up with something quite zingy because, as the sauce heats up and the cheese melts, the flavour of the lemon will calm down a lot. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. Taste it and if you think you haven’t got the balance right, simply add a little more oil and Parmesan.

3) Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for your pasta. Sit the sauce bowl on top of the pan while the water’s heating up – this will take the chill out of the sauce and warm it through slightly. When the water starts to boil, remove the bowl and add your pasta to the water. Cook it according to the packet instructions then drain in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water.

4) Toss the pasta with the sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water to help loosen it up a bit. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese, allowing all the lovely sauce to coat it. If you find the sauce is too thick then add a little more water. It’s not supposed to be claggy, thick and miserable, but incredibly silky, fresh and fragrant. Have one last taste to balance the flavours, and serve with a little extra Parmesan shaved over the top and a sprinkle of parsley leaves. Eat immediately.

for more, visit jamie oliver

Chilled Mango Cheesecake

2009-10-29T23:21:00.000+08:00

For the woman who deserves nothing lesser than second best :)

Chilled Mango Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Base:
50gm digestive biscuit crumbs
50gm oreo biscuit crumbs (I used digestive biscuit crumbs for everything)
40gm melted butter

Filling:
200gm cream cheese
1 tbsp rum (or almond essence)
1 tbsp lemon juice
55gm sugar
200g mango puree
1 tbsp gelatin
3 tbsp boiling water
200ml whipping cream (whipped)
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 mango (cubed)

Mango puree topping:
100gm mango puree
2 tsp gelatin
3 tbsp boiling water

Method:

1. Toss cake base ingredients into melted butter and press firmly on to base of cake pan. Chill in the fridge for use later.

2. Whip whipping cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar till about 70% stiff or mousse state, keep chilled.

3. Dissolve gelatine powder in 3 tbsp boiling water. Keep warm but not hot for use later.

4. Cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and rum together till smooth and creamy.

5. Add the warm gelatin solution to mango puree and blend well.

6. Stir mango mixture into cheese mixture and combine till well mixed. Blend in the whipped cream. Stir in the cube mango pieces (optional).

7. Pour cheese mixture onto cake base and chill for at least an hour.

8. Dissolve gelatin powder with 2 tbsp boiling water and stir this into mango puree. Pour topping gently onto chilled cheesecake.

Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

happy birthday mum :)

credits to do what i like :)

Broccoli Drizzled with Indian-Spiced Yogurt

2009-10-29T21:52:00.001+08:00

10 oz broccoli crowns (about 2 small), broken into florets
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 tsp each: cumin seeds, fennel seeds
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Zest and juice of 1/3 lemon
Kosher salt and black pepper

1) In large pot of boiling, salted water, add broccoli. Cook 4 minutes. Drain well.

2) Heat oil in large skillet over medium high. Add broccoli. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Transfer to platter.

3) Meanwhile, in small skillet over medium high, toast cumin, fennel and cardamom until browned and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Grind in spice/coffee grinder or in mortar using pestle.

4) Stir 3/4 of cumin mixture into yogurt along with lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.

5) Drizzle broccoli with spiced yogurt. Sprinkle with remaining cumin mixture.

Alternatively, visit: cheap healthy good

Olive vegetable with lime fried rice

2009-10-16T18:14:00.006+08:00

Another one of jo's inventions :)

Olive vegetable with lime fried rice (Serves 6)

(This was obviously not the picture of the rice I had but is rather more for visual purposes.)

Ingredients:

chopped garlic
chopped onion
3 cups rice
pepper
180g olive vegetable (available at any groceries)
300g minced meat
raisins
pine nuts (I omitted this but was told that this could have given an added flavour to the rice)
chopped spring onion
lettuce (in small streaks) (optional)
lime (optional but highly recommended)

Steps:

1) Prepare the white rice. When it has been cooked, cool the rice and add in some pepper to bring flavours to the rice.

2) In a frying pan, pour out a small dose of the olive oil from the canned vegetable and add more vegetable oil if its not enough. Fry the garlic til it turns golden brown before adding in the onion into the pan. Be sure that it is on low fire.

3) Add the meat into the mixture till its fully cooked, add in the cooked rice and the olives. Add in the raisins, pine nuts and stir until the rice is properly mixed.

(No salt or soy sauce should be needed since the olive would give be salty enough :) )

4) Next, stir in the spring onion. You would be able to smell the fragrance almost immediately, on top of the nice visuals.

5) Before serving, garnish with as much lettuce as you want and squeeze lime juice onto each small portions of rice. It is sure to whet your appetite. Serve hot.

Orange Date Muffins & Chocolate Muffins

2009-10-06T22:21:00.009+08:00

There's been a muffin craze recently! What better ways to destress than to bake? Looking at the ingredients I had at home, it was an impromptu decision one evening to bake them. Unfortunately, my mum warned me that it's not easy baking quality muffins(moist and soft). I had several friends who tried the muffins said they were a little hard and dry.

Orange Date Muffins:

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour
2/3 cup (140 grams) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh orange juice
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup (90 grams) chopped dates
2/3 cup (60 grams) walnuts, coarsely chopped

(I substituted almond grains for the nuts though)
Garnish: (optional)
Granulated white sugar

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 205 deg C. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Butter well or spray, with a non stick vegetable spray, 12 muffin tins (or line with paper liners).

Ingredients for the day

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and orange zest.

3) In a separate bowl, mix together the orange juice, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and melted and cooled butter.

Wet mixture for the orange date muffins

4) Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Fold in the dates and walnuts. Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough when baked.

5) Evenly divide the mixture among the 12 muffins cups and sprinkle each muffin with a little sugar, if desired. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

Chocolate Muffins:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups (265 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (170 grams) milk or semisweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolates since I myself am a fan of dark chocolate)
Chocolate Fudge Frosting: (optional)
4 ounces (12 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (1600 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 190 deg C. Position rack in center of oven. Butter, or line with paper liners, 12 muffin tins (or line with paper liners).

2) In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

Wet mixture for the choc muffins

3) In another large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

4) Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter (the muffin cups will be full), using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Setting them aside into the muffin tray

5) Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

6) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes). Spread a little frosting on each muffin with a knife or offset spatula.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

I didn't actually have buttermilk so I googled on how to prepare it from scratch. It's relatively easy actually. Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup, add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. I added 2 drops of buttermilk essence to the mixture as well but I guess this is optional.

blackiee

Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake

2009-10-03T16:37:00.007+08:00

So i got introduced to this website by jo and it was suggested that we bake this cake for Eva :) Frankly, risky for bday cake for a first attempt since i wont be able to know the taste until the birthday girl tries it herself.

Japanese Cotton Soft Cheesecake!

Ingredients:
140gm icing sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I substituted it with vanilla extract)
50gm butter
250gm cream cheese
100ml fresh milk
1 tbsp lemon juice (I also added in 1/2 lemon rind )
60gm cake flour
20gm cornflour
1/4 tsp. salt (I'm not too sure where this came in under the steps! )

Method :
1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon rind and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the cream cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch round springform pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper).

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 DC.

credits: Momster's Cuppie Corner

Crepes-turned-waffle

2009-09-22T00:20:00.007+08:00

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

2009-09-20T11:58:00.002+08:00

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

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.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and cornflour. Sprinkle over the pudding mixture.
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

2009-09-18T16:24:00.000+08:00

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

2009-09-01T09:21:00.004+08:00

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.

Parsnip and pancetta fettuccine with parmesan and butter

2009-08-28T16:41:00.001+08:00

So what better way to reward myself from the agonies of studying than to cook! Today, I decided on this dish from Jamie Oliver's website, Parsnip and pancetta tagliatelle with parmesan and butter. The name is so long it could almost be a tongue twister. In any case, I revised the dish by using fettuccine because I couldn't find tagliatte in Cold storage.

Ingredients (Notice anything weird?)

(Can anyone tell the difference?!)

HAHA. One's for Rusky the dog and one's for human consumption!

Now, this is the correct set of ingredients.

First, i chopped the bacon into small pieces.

I also added in cheese sausage

Cook the pasta according to the instructions and drain in a colander, reserving a little of the water.

Next, fry the bacon and the herb(rosemary) in half of the butter stipulated for 2 minutes.

Next, add the garlic and parsnips (and sausage in my case) in. Cook under medium heat for another 3 minutes till the parsnips softened reasonably. Make sure the bacon looks golden brown! (I didn't fry mine enough so it didnt look as colourful in the end)

Mix the pasta with the parsnips and pancetta and stir in the rest of your butter and the Parmesan, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen the mixture and make it creamy and shiny. (I kind of mixed the pasta and parsnips mixture only after turning off the fire so i think they cogulated together)

That's the end product. (Maybe not too appetizing looking haha.)

This is the supposed end product, from jamie oliver.

Parsnip and pancetta fettuccine with parmesan and butter Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 slices of streaky bacon

1 handful of fresh rosemary

4 good knobs of butter

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 australian parsnips, peeled, halved and finely sliced lengthways

455g dried fettuccine (or any kinds of pasta)

3 handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1) In a large, non-stick frying pan, fry your pancetta and herbs in half the butter for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and parsnips. Cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat, until the pancetta is slightly golden and the parsnips have softened nicely.

2) Cook your tagliatelle in salted boiling water according to packet instructions, then drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.

3) Mix the pasta with the parsnips and pancetta and stir in the rest of your butter and the Parmesan, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen the mixture and make it creamy and shiny.

4) Season to taste.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

2009-08-20T18:41:00.004+08:00

Lemon Roasted Chicken (Serves 4)

1 whole 3-5 pound chicken, cleaned
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
1 lemon, zested and juiced (keep your lemon halves!)
8(ish) sprigs of Rosemary (you can certainly use more if you like)
4 cloves of garlic

1. Clean your chicken very well. Preheat your oven to 190 deg c.

2. Rub your olive oil onto the chicken skin

3. Get the zest of the lemon, then equal amounts of salt and pepper and apply onto the chicken.

4. Extract the juice of the lemon, coat some onto the skin and the cavity of the chicken.

5. Stuff your lemon halves, garlic cloves and some rosemary into the cavity of the chicken.

6. Rub some rosemary onto the skin as well. (You may also apply an additional honey coat to the chicken skin)

7. Allow the chicken to sit for about 30 minutes for marination to sink in.

7. Cook your chicken for about 90 minutes or till it looks cooked enough. Take the chicken out every 30 minutes or so to baste it with lemon juice.

8. Allow to sit for a few minutes before cutting/serving. Serves 4.courtesy of crepes of wrath

Raisin & Potato Chicken Macaroni Salad

2009-08-13T22:38:00.006+08:00

Recently, I got to taste chef alwin from garden asia's pasta and egg salad and man, it was awesome! I know him on a more personal level and I must say, he is really one of the few persons I know around with such high standards for the quality of his food. Anyhow, I tried his organic fusilli pasta and it really inspired me to adapt from his pasta. What I like about pasta salads is that they are really flexible; you can add any kinds of fruits/ vegetables you like to your pasta.

tiny resemblance to his pasta

Ingredients required:

1 packet of macaroni (I think I would personally prefer using fusilli)
4 potatoes
2-3 eggs
2 apples, diced (of course, you can add other fruits or vegetables you like)
4 slices of chicken breast, skinless and shredded
4-5 cloves of fresh onion, finely chopped
100g raisins
fresh lettuce
500g salad dressing
optional: prawns
optional: lemon

1) Boil the macaroni according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain pasta with a colander, leaving some of the water to prevent pasta from drying up.

2) Meanwhile, peel the skin of the potatoes (you can leave it on if you want) and boil them. Boil the eggs in a separate pot.

3) Diced the apple and put it in salt to prevent oxidization. Simmer the chicken in hot water for about 3 minutes.

4) Chop the onions finely and add it into the pasta mixture. (Do not saute the onions so the freshness of its taste can be kept.) (Of course, the onions can be omitted if you are not a huge fan of theirs.) Add the raisins and diced apple in. Shred the chicken breast and add into the mixture.

5) Cut the boiled eggs into cubes and add into pasta mixture.

6) Finally, add the salad dressing and stir well together.

7) Refrigerate the pasta and serve cold. Alternatively, it could be served hot as well :)

And so, I came up with my own Macaroni salad :)

Easy Quiche

2009-07-25T12:26:00.002+08:00

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4eggs
1 and 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup of self raising flour
1 and 1/2 cups of grated cheese (i used tasty cheese)
2 cups of fillings (i used bacon, onions and mushrooms (fry them separately first))

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg
2. Whisk together in a bowl, egg milk butter and flour
3. Fold in cheese and fillings
4. pour into a 24cm quiche dish or muffin tin
5. Bake till 40min (i had to bake it longer... check for yrselves when its set)
6. Serve hot with vegetables or cold with salad.

Really yummy :D

Durian Cake

2009-07-14T20:11:00.003+08:00

so hols are coming to an end and i've been wanting to bake, so here we go

durian cake! (disclaimer though, this is not the pic of my cake. haha. mine looks plain as a jane, without the icing on top and golden brown in colour)

Ingredients
170g self raising flour
170g butter
140g sugar
115g mashed durian (of course, feel free to put more)
4 eggs, separated

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 180C.
2) Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3) Add in the egg yolks one at a time.
4) Beat well before adding the next yolk.
5) Add durian meat and beat well.
6) Next, add in the beaten egg whites.
7) Last but not least, add in the flour.
8) Put in a 8 x 8 greased pan and bake for an hour (for mine, 40 minutes produced a nice tone of golden brown)

ok. i think we should put alot more durian flesh. i couldnt really taste it in my cake. haha. perhaps this is not the best recipe i can find, yet.

still, courtesy of recipezaar :)

Chocolate swirled baked cheesecake

2009-07-11T07:55:00.003+08:00

Ingredients (serves 8)

250g pkt Arnott's choc ripple biscuits
100g butter, melted
500g cream cheese
300g sour cream
3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar
3 eggs
100g dark chocolate, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Process 250g pkt Arnott's choc ripple biscuits until crumbs form. Add 100g butter, melted. Process until combined. Press crumbs two-thirds of the way up side and over base of a 22cm springform pan. Refrigerate.

Process 500g cream cheese, 300g sour cream and 3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar. Beat in 3 eggs. Transfer 1 1/3 cups to a bowl. Add 100g dark chocolate, melted.

Pour half of plain mixture into base. Dollop with half chocolate mixture. Repeat. Use knife to swirl. Place on baking tray. Bake for 1 hour. Cool slightly in oven. Refrigerate.

Source: taste.com.au

This was my very first attempt to making a cheesecake and it was an encouraging start! (:

Chicken Tortilla Wraps

2009-07-10T17:21:00.000+08:00

there are many kinds of tortilla/taco wraps. one thing i love about wraps; the ingredients are really flexible.

some days, i make wraps using left over curry chickens, somedays i use onion and eggs. today, i chose one off joyful abode.

Serves 4-6

4 chicken breasts
1 package taco seasoning (or any seasoning suitable for wraps)
1 can (or equal amount of fresh) corn, drained
1 cup salsa
1 onion, sliced
handful of lettuce
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 tortillas
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or cheese of your choice)
sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 190 deg c.

2. Place the taco seasoning in a small bowl and coat the chicken breasts in it. Bake them for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10 minutes.

3. In the meantime, combine the corn and the salsa in a medium bowl and set aside.

4. Slice your onion and pepper and saute in olive oil.

5. Remove your chicken breasts from the oven and cover with the corn mixture. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

6. Slice the chicken breasts and place on a warmed tortilla. Add the corn mixture, sour cream, cheese, the sauteed vegetables, and whatever else you like. Wrap up like a fajita and enjoy!

carrot cake with lime mascarone

2009-06-21T20:21:00.009+08:00

so its fathers' day and i decided to make an attempt at the americanized carrot cake, but there were slight hiccups ): i didnt have walnut, which i think is an essential condiment in carrot cakes. also, i didnt notice that the baking time was 1 hr so we kept opening the oven to check and hence the top was slightly burnt.

carrot cake! serves 8-10

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups light-brown sugar
5 large eggs, separated
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup ground almonds
4 ounces shelled walnuts, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
10 ounces carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
Sea salt
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 scant cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (felt that this could be reduced cause the icing turned out pretty sweet)
Zest and juice of two limes

1) Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius. Butter a 9-by-2-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add orange zest and juice; pulse to combine. Add baking powder; pulse to combine. Add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger; pulse until mixture is well combined.

3) In a large bowl whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gently fold in almonds, walnuts, flour, and carrots; fold cake mixture into egg white mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cake cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

4) In a medium bowl, mix together mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and lime zest and juice. Spread mixture over top of cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

recipe off martha stewart's fathers' day special

Basic Scones

2009-06-21T20:04:00.005+08:00

Ingredients (makes 16)

plain flour, for dusting
3 cups self-raising flour
80g butter, cubed
1 table spoon of casted sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
jam and whipped cream, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift self-raising flour into a large bowl.
Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre. Add casted sugar and 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth (don't knead dough too much or scones will be tough).
Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter) round cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Press dough together and cut out remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto prepared baking tray, 1cm apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with jam and cream.

Recipe from taste.com.au

blueberry crumb bars

2009-05-31T21:13:00.007+08:00

since i happen to have all the ingredients at home, i decided to make it:

blueberry bars (serves 16)

-1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold butter (250g)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (remember to drain juice off if using frozen or canned berries)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan with butter or line with oven-paper to facilitate removing the end product later.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in the salt and lemon zest.

3. Blend in the butter and egg and mix thoroughly. (I used my hands and found it to be much easier). Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

4. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries.

5. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares (I chilled mine in the fridge for a bit). Makes 16 large bars.

taken off smitten kitchen
pictures credited to crepes of wrath

chicken pot pie soup

2009-05-28T12:53:00.009+08:00

Took a day off from my service with the frog farm and made this dish i've been wanting to since forever:

chicken soup! courtesy of crepes of wrath (serves 6-8)

3 cups cooked chicken (preferably breast meat) cubed or shredded
1 onion, diced
*2 carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed (more if you are a fan of potatoes)
*1 can green peas, drained
*1 can corn, drained
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup flour (all purpose/ plain)
2 chicken/vegetable cubes
2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
4 cups of milk (UHT)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Puff pastry dough or whatever else you like (i used delifrance baguette)

*i substituted carrots, peas and corns with 3/2 cups of mixed vegetables instead.

1. Put the potatoes in a pot with 1 cup of the broth and enough water to cover them. (I actually cooked the potatoe first and skinned it before doing this step.) At the same time, put your peeled and chopped carrots in a small pot with enough water to cover them. Cover and cook both vegetables until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. (otherwise, boil the mix vegetables if you are using them instead.)

2. Meanwhile, saute your onions in a few teaspoons of olive oil until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.

3. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add in bouillon, pepper, garlic, broth and flour. Stir until smooth.

4. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until it boils, simmer for a minute, stirring constantly.

5. Add chicken and then each vegetable one at time and stir carefully between each addition.

6. Roll out your pastry dough (if you’re using it) about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3×3 inch squares. Bake in 190 degree in the oven for 7-10 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned on top. Serve on top of soup. (otherwise, i just cut the baguette into small pieces) Serves 6-8.

overall, an awesome dish which tasted like campbel soup! :) it was a pity i didnt share with the intended party cause of a tantrum i threw.

from back to the cutting board; enjoy!

Stove top marcaroni and cheese

2009-05-24T23:47:00.000+08:00

what better to do than to experiment simple and new dishes when you've got nothing better to do. whipped a simple, nonetheless fantabuolistic dish for jiaying when she came over on thursday:

marcaroni and cheese!
serves 2-3

- 6 slices bacon cut into chunks (minced meat would do, but bacon would still give the best taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion clove, minced
- salt
- 250g elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 1/2 cups UHT fresh milk
- shredded parmesan cheese
- ground black pepper
- optional: lemon juice

1. In a wok, cook bacon until crisp. Set the bacon aside to drain on paper towels and crumble when cooled. Drain most of the fat from the pan and fry the garlic and onion. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir the bacon back in to the onion mixture and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta according to the instructions written on the packet. Add salt and olive oil to the water. Drain off water from pasta with colander, leaving just a little to prevent marcaroni from clumping together.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot add the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is half melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. When the butter is completely melted, add the milk and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has reached the desired thickness.

4. Add the cheese and a 1-3 dashes of pepper to the butter and flour mixture and stir until it has melted. Add the bacon and onion mixture to the cheese sauce and stir for a good mix.

5. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until the pasta is well coated. Top with black pepper if desired. Sprinkle more parmesan and even lemon juice if preferred.

extracted off dishing up delights

Cranberry almond multi-grain scones, carbonara sauce

2009-05-21T00:23:00.005+08:00

this afternoon(20th may to be exact), i decided to try something new for my sister's birthday, which is none other than

scones!
serves 12-14

i've always digged scones ever since those pre-A level days where i would just study at KAP or guthrie and head for the confectionary section in cold storage when i needed a bite. of course this baking was assisted by analyn (the maid)

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar (i used red man caster sugar cause i thought it would be better)
5 tablespoons grape seed or expeller-pressed canola oil (i used olive oil)
optional: 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup wheat bran (since i didnt have this, i just used more oatmeal and flour)
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (all purpose/ self-raising flour would do)
* 2 tablespoons millet
* 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or any other dried frut) (i actually used raisins and chocolate chips as substitutes)
1 cup almonds (or any other nut, preferably diced or in smaller pieces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (which can be excluded, to your preference)
1/2 cup milk (UHT fresh milk, HL milk, etc)

*not a fan of those seeds so i actually experimented and excluded millet and poppy seeds, and it turned out fine, but you could still include it in of course =)

ZESTY LEMON TOPPING:
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (caster sugar as well)

1. Preheat oven to 190 deg cel.

2. Whisk the egg, sugar, almond extract, and oil together in a bowl. Mix the lemon zest and the flour, wheat bran, millet, poppy seeds, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together in a separate bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until all of them are evenly dispersed throughout.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the egg, almond extract, sugar and oil, and mix to create a thick dough. Add the milk and mix well. Fold in your cranberries and almonds (or any other ingredients you think you would like)

4. Lightly grease a baking pan. Scoop up tablespoonfuls of the dough and drop them one by one in mounds onto the baking sheet (alternatively use a muffin/scones pan), leaving 2 inches of space between. (if you have those cupcake papers, you can actually place it into the pan to facilitate you removing the scones later) You should have about 12-14 scones. Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the crust is barely golden brown and the dough is dry. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
(Be sure to allow the dough mix to cover the nuts/raisins to prevent them from being overcooked)

5. With a fork or a whisk, mix together the lemon glaze ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle 1 tablespoon over each scone. (This step is really optional; my family actually prefers the original taste without the lemon, so its really up to your preference)

lemon juice with sugar

and, guess what. i mistook the 1 tsp of almond extract for 1tbsp. even as i was pouring it, i was asking my maid why do we have to put so much. sheesh )): so this batch has a real strong almond smell (almost pungent). and the texture of the scones are kinda in between muffins and the authentic hard ones, just like scoffins! so there :]

adapted off drweil :)

THEN, i also decided to make some carbonara sauce from scratch for her, different from jamie's. This recipe was given by joel's maid and is pretty good, (people who prefer their carbonara more creamy would like this over jamie's) just that i didnt really copy the proportions. its about agaration.

Carbonara sauce:

Steps:
1) Slice bacon into small chunks (or you could just use any meat balls)

2) Fry garlic for 0.5 mins, then add the onion in and fry for another minute.

3) Add the bacon in and fry till golden brown, leaving the onion and garlic to one side of the wok.

4) Stir everything together, adding in about 100ml UHT whipcream (Greenfield preferred, easily available in supermarkets).

5) Add chicken stock (ratio whipcream to stock 1:1) and stir together until mixture starts to boil.

6) Season with black pepper (even lemon juice and zest)

7) sieve in cornflour if you want it more creamy

8) Stir in the eggs (~2) right before it boils (this is an essential step cause you do not want to add the eggs in when the mixture is boiling or what you would get is small lumps of egg whites in the sauce)

8) Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to the instructions written on the packet.

I had to stir the pasta continuously to prevent the bottom from being burnt, together with the salt and oil for more taste and to prevent the noodles from sticking together respectively.

9) When the pasta is ready, take a colander and drain the water away, leaving just a little for the pasta to prevent it from drying up, at least till you serve it.

10) Separate the sauce from the pasta until before serving. this is to prevent the sauce from being absorbed by the pasta.

TA-DAA! maybe sprinkle parsley for garnish or even add some lemon juice to the noodles to whet your appetite.

all the best! =]

Chocolate fridge cake with pecan and meringues

2009-05-20T02:50:00.003+08:00

This was my latest attempt for my mum on mother's day:

chocolate fridge cake!
serves 16

INGREDIENTS

200g digestive biscuits
110g whole pecans, roughly chopped (i used almond nuts as substitute)
110g pistachio nuts, peeled (i bought ready-peeled ones from phoon huat)
10 glace cherries (you can use different colour cherries to make it look more colourful, or even put raisins instead.)
2 ready-made meringue nests, smashed up ( i actually used meringue shell instead, available at cold storage)
150g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
200g dark chocolate

1) Break the biscuits into small pieces directly into a large bowl. Add the pecans, pistachio nuts and cherries and mix together. (although the ingredients didnt state to peel the cherries into small bits, i decided to do that so that it would be more evenly spreaded)

2) Put the rest of the ingredients into a separate, heatproof bowl and put on a low heat over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted. (because i used meringue shell, i had to pound the shell into fine bits first before adding to the mixture)

3) Combine the biscuit mix with the chocolate mixture.

4) Line a 30 x 20 cm plastic container with clingfilm, leaving plenty of extra film at the edges to help turn the cake out later. (alternatively, if you have those non-stick oven paper, just place it over your oven dish and pour the mixture over)
5) Whack everything into the container, place in the fridge to firm up then turn out and cut into chunky slices.

this is a very expensive cake (approximately $40) for someone collecting an allowance of mine, simply because of the pistachio and the various nuts. personally, i felt there was an overload of nuts so maybe you could cut down on the nuts if you are not an exact fan of nuts. but i must say, its very easy and no oven is required at all!

courtesy of jamie oliver again :)

till then, everyone :]

Oreo Cheesecake

2009-05-20T02:26:00.004+08:00

I got this recipe from a friend (charissa) when she brought the cake to school one day and actually attempted to make it for jo on valentine's this year, with alot of his help too, haha.

Oreo Cheesecake!
serves ~10

okay, the end product is definitely no where near the picture's. i actually got this picture off back to the cutting boards and the difference between her cheesecake and mine is 1) the cake from my recipe is much bigger in circumference and height. 2) the cheese itself was filled with oreo crumbs but of course the amount of oreo is really subjected to personal preference =)

Cheesecake filling:
- 5 packets of cream cheese softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup sour cream ( i actually used plain yoghurt as substitute cause i couldnt find the cream in the supermarkets)
- 3/4 milk or 1 cup irish cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tube oreo broken into quarters
- 1 tube oreo grounded coarsely
- optional: 2 tsp gelatin

Oreo Crust:
- 5 tubes of oreos finely grounded (this is really subjective. my friend and i actually like oreo alot so we put more tubes)
- 3/4 cup melted butter

For the crust:

1) Blend oreos into crust. (Alternatively you could pound it manually)
2) Add just enough melted butter to oreos for sticky mixture
3) Press sticky oreo crumbs onto bottom and sides of 10 inch pan
4) Harden crust until required ( Im not very sure about this but i actually put it overnight in the freezer and it was really so hard to cut)

For the filling:

1) Mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth
2) Mix in sour cream (or yoghurt, in my case!)
3) Blend in milk/ irish cream
4) Mix in eggs, one at a time, mixing until enough to incorporate
5) Add in vanilla essence and mix
6) Blend in coarsely grounded oreo and oreo quarters
7) Pour batter into prepared oreo crust

Put into freezer and leave overnight.

this was an awesome cake but really fattening, haha. pretty expensive because of the cheese too(cheese alone easily amounted to about $25)! And the minus point is before you slice the cake, you actually have to take it out from the freezer for it to soften a lil first, but you must also be careful and not leave it out for more than 15 minutes or the top layer of cheese would start to melt. otherwise, definite must try for oreo and cheese lovers =]

Lovely lemon curdy pie

2009-05-20T02:05:00.004+08:00

this was an attempt of a substitute cake i made for my dad on his bday this year.

Lemon curdy pie!
serves 4

then again, my end product didnt really look like this. i used a proper oven dish so it looked more rectangular and flatter. the bottom also didnt look so milky and cheesy. its a pity i dont have the habit of photographing what i bake or you would know what im referring to =)

Ingredients:

- 55g butter
- 115g sugar (vanilla sugar is nice)
- grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs (separate the yolk from the white)
- 55g self-raising flour
- 285ml milk (UHT fresh milk, HL milk, whichever you prefer)

1) Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.

2) Cream the butter, sugar and lemon rind in a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and flour and beat in, then add the milk and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and mix well.

3) Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff, then add the rest of the mixture. Mix it all well but don't over-mix it; you don't want the air to come out of the egg whites. (at this point, the mixture looks so watery and you may worry that the proportions could have gone wrong, but dont worry, its meant to be like that!)

4) Pour into a buttered ovenproof dish, stand the dish in a roasting tin about a third full of water, then bake in your preheated oven for about 45 minutes until the top is set and spongy and it's a nice golden colour.

okay. what i really love about this dish besides the fact that its dead easy is also how people have often misunderstood this for a cheesecake. nope, no cheese at all! but i must say, some people may find this pie too 'soft' and 'watery' for their liking. i think refrigerating it could help alleviate the problem a little. overall, worthy cheesecake substitute! : )

once again, courtesy of jamie oliver cheers!

Apple Crumble

2009-05-20T01:50:00.002+08:00

so with the first, naturally came the second attempt:

Apple Crumble!
serves 5

(okay, of which at this point i must make a disclaimer. what i like about jamie is really that the pictures he uploaded on his site is what you get at home; but this picture, i would say is really doing unjustice to the end product, at least what i got which really looked brighter and certainly more appetizing)

Ingredients:

For the crumble:
• 35g rolled oats (not the instant ones)
• 35g wholemeal flour
• 20g caster sugar
• 35g margarine or butter (i usually use unsalted ones)

For the filling:
• 400g cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered
• 50g sugar, to sweeten
• 1 tablespoon water

1) Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.

2) Peel and core the apples, quarter and cut in to chunks.Put the apples in to a pan with the sugar and water. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes and place in a small oven proof dish.

3) Place the flour and oats in a bowl and mix well. Cut the margarine or butter in to small cubes and add this to the oats and flour. Mix with your fingertips until it resembles an even crumb texture. Add the sugar and mix through. Cover the fruit with the crumble mixture. (usually i would microwave the butter for ~20 secs to facilitate the melting)

4) Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the crumble is golden and the apple hot. ( the timing is subjective cause some of you may like it harder so you could put it in the oven for maybe 5 to 10 mins more)

(alternatively, you can refrigerate the end result and serve it cold)

one thing to note about this crumble is, i felt that there was simply too little crust, so i actually doubled the proportions of the crumble while keeping the fillings. another thing is, because there is no pastry at the bottom, take precaution when slicing cause it could easily fall apart. but otherwise, a simple and tasty dish worth trying =)

courtesy of jamie oliver

Blooming brilliant brownies

2009-05-20T01:37:00.003+08:00

My first ever attempt at dessert also back in dec (which i attempted thrice in the span of one month) :

brownies!
serves 20

simply Delicious with a capital D!

Ingredients:

• 250g unsalted butter
• 200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up ( if you dont fancy dark chocolates, you could use those with lesser cocoa components)
• optional: 75g dried sour cherries
• optional: 50g chopped nuts
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 65g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 360g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• optional: zest of 1 orange
• optional: 250ml crème fraîche

(for your direct reference, probably available at any NTUC etc)

1) Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

2) Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

3) In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together.

4) In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

5) Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle.

6) Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.

this is really one of my favourite brownies because if you follow the recipe (which really isnt too hard), the end result is really fool-proof. and i personally like the chewy texture (springy outside, gooey inside). highly recommended!

courtesy of jamie oliver

lemon linguine

2009-05-20T01:24:00.004+08:00

the second dish i tasted (if i didnt remember wrongly was what joel attempted), which is

lemon linguine!
serves 6

relatively easy dish and certainly suitable for people who prefer the lighter alternative.

ingredients

• 500g dried linguine pasta
• juice of 3 Sicilian lemons and zest of 1
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (normal oil would do fine)
• 125g Parmesan cheese, grated
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (normal salt is good)
• a large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and finely chopped (this is optional in my opinion, but of course the refreshing smell to the pasta is attributed to this)
• a handful of rocket (easily available at Cold storage)

1) Cook the linguine in a generous amount of boiling, salted water for about 12 minutes, then drain thoroughly and return to the saucepan. (could possibly add spoonfuls of oil to the water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. stir the noodles occasionally to prevent sticking.)

2) Meanwhile, beat the lemon juice and zest with the olive oil, then stir in the Parmesan – it’ll go thick and creamy. Season and add more lemon juice if needed.

3) Add the lemon sauce to the linguine and shake the pan to coat each strand of pasta with the sauce (the Parmesan will melt when mixed with the pasta). Finish by stirring in the chopped basil and the rocket.

see almost only three simple steps! one thing to note is not to add too much parmesan cause the cheese could possibly just cogulate together and become too lumpy for your likings.

courtesy of jamie oliver

sausage carbonara.

2009-05-20T01:06:00.001+08:00

my virgin experience at cooking in dec 2008 last year during my hols, and its none other than

sausage carbonara!

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 good-quality organic Italian sausages (of course you can easily substitute with meat balls easily purchased from NTUC, Cold Storage, etc)
• olive oil ( this is just a healthier alternative for your normal oil used at home)
• 4 slices of thickly cut pancetta, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (normal salt would do fine!)
• 500g dried linguine
• 4 large free-range or organic egg yolks (normal egg would go well)
• 100ml double cream ( purchased from Cold Storage)
• 100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• zest of 1 lemon (lemon really freshens the whole taste and makes it taste lighter, esp for people who find the taste of cheese pungent after awhile)
• a sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil (normal oil would do)

1) With a sharp knife, slit the sausage skins lengthways and pop all the meat out. Using wet hands, roll little balls of sausagemeat about the size of large marbles and place them to one side.
(Here, if we just use the meat balls as substitute, we could entirely skip this step)

2) Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over, then add the pancetta and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until it’s golden.
( you could even add more bacon if you want)

3) While this is cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the linguine, and cook according to the packet instructions.

4) In a large bowl, whip up the egg yolks, cream, half the Parmesan, the lemon zest and parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and immediately toss it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pan. Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss everything together. The egg will cook delicately from the heat of the linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble. The sauce should be smooth and silky.

5) If the pasta becomes a little claggy, add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly.

6) Sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan, season if necessary, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve. Eat immediately!
(olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. could even drizzle more lemon juice on the pasta)

i personally fancy this dish alot because i like carbonara and i wasnt disappointed :)

courtesy of jamie oliver

where foodies gather

2009-05-20T00:56:00.000+08:00

hello : ) awesome.

decided to create this blog as a platform for friends and family alike to discuss and exchange recipes, but more importantly to serve its function of reminding me the food i've tried making/ tasted from friends so far. since i dont usually have a habit of taking pictures down, i would just rip them off their original sites for now.

enjoy :]