Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac and Cheese

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


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

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


Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese!


Ingredients required:


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






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

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

Tear the bread into bite size.


Tossed with butter

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


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

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




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


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

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



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


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

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

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

Serves 10

life's simple pleasure :)
credits to Martha stewart

Cherry Cheesecake

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

INGREDIENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Parsnip and pancetta fettuccine with parmesan and butter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift self-raising flour into a large bowl.
2. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. 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).
4. 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