Basic Macaron with Salted Caramel

This is final part of my macaron adventure. Taking a break from it for now till I try the other methods, not in the near future though. My weight is an issue, as always. It is on a upward trend and it looks comfortable there, without any desire to come down. Not that I tried hard enough. I might start on a porridge diet and see if it will work. Been busy with work and orders lately. These are the times when I feel that it is easier to bake without having to blog about it. It would be nice if I could just post pictures without any text. Maybe it's writer's block or I have exhausted any brain cells I have left after work and unearthly hours baking session.

Among those first and last batch of macarons which I bought, I liked the one with salted caramel. So I thought it would be good to experiment making my own. Besides using it for macarons, it can be eaten with pancakes, crepes, bananas and scones. I did a weird combo the other day. I spreaded caramel with Nutella on bread, which was quite good. Alternatively, you can scoop right out of the jar and eat it on its own. I did. It's no wonder my weight wouldn't come down.

Basic Macaron
Ingredients
50g Icing Sugar
5g Cornflour

*Sift together

30g Finely Ground Almond

35g Egg White (this time I used fresh egg white)
30g Sugar

Method
1) Prepare 2 11 x 14 inch baking tray, lined with silicon coated parchment paper (draw circles behind the parchment if required). Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

2) Add the ground almond to the icing sugar mixture, break up clumps if any.

3 In another clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg white till frothy. Add in sugar in 2 additions and whisk till soft peak.

4) Add in the ground almond mixture into whisked egg whites in 2 addition, fold till incorporated. Lift the spatula to see if it falls ribbon-like.

5) Load the batter into a piping bag with round tip. Pipe into circles. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes. The feet will start to form. Lower down the temperature to 110 degrees and further bake for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool and remove from paper.

6) Pair them up and sandwich with *salted caramel, buttercream or ganache. Refrigerate before serving.

I have gotten the recipe of Salted Caramel from a reliable source, Tartelette. I am pretty sure those who wanted to attempt making macarons visited her blog at least once. I can't say I followed her blog closely as I didn't have time to blog hop too much these days, but I do pop by once in a while to spy. Her creations are just incredible. It made me realise that I still have a long way to go and wonder if I have the stamina to go on.

Salted Caramel
Ingredients
240g Sugar
80g Water
115g Salted Butter
150g Whipping Cream

Method
1) In a saucepan combine the sugar and water and heat over low heat. Add butter when sugar is dissolved.

2) Brint to a boil and cook till it reaches a **golden caramel color (not too dark).

3) Remove from the heat and add whipping cream. At this point, the mixture will splatter. Wear a protective gear if you must. Whisk to combine and return to low heat. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 10 minutes till it reaches a creamy, ***flowing consistency. Pour into a jar to store.

*Note : I sprinkled some sea salt on the caramel before sandwiching the macarons together.

**Note : Do not cook till the colour becomes too dark, the mixture will continue to cook even after you remove from heat. I burnt my first batch.

***Note : The caramel shouldn't cook till too thick. After cooling to room temperature, it will set. If it is cooked too long, it will set into a very oily butterscotch candy. That was what happened my second batch.

Till then, happy baking!

Green Tea Macarons

As mentioned in my earlier post, I attempted the 'preciooouussss~~' because I intended to use them for decorative purposes. I declared a disclaimer to mom; if I can't get it right, I would stick something else on the cake. Fortunately, the 'preciooouussss~~' were co-operative. I managed to nail it, twice in a row. These are the leftovers after assembling the cake. I had some lemon curd which I made for my scones, so I use it for these macarons. The tangy taste of the curd balances the sweetness rather well. Without further ado (no time to write too much), here's the recipe I used.

Green Tea Macaron
Ingredients
50g Icing Sugar
5g Green Tea Powder (use good quality ones)

*Sift together


30g Finely Ground Almond

35g Egg White (this time I used fresh egg white)
30g Sugar

Method
1) Prepare 2 11 x 14 inch baking tray, lined with silicon coated parchment paper (draw circles behind the parchment if required). Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

2) Add the ground almond to the icing sugar mixture, break up clumps if any.

3 In another clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg white till frothy. Add in sugar in 2 additions and whisk till soft peak.

4) Add in the ground almond mixture into whisked egg whites in 2 addition, fold till incorporated. Lift the spatula to see if it falls ribbon-like.

5) Load the batter into a piping bag with round tip. Pipe into circles. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes. The feet will start to form. Lower down the temperature to 110 degrees and further bake for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool and remove from paper.

6) Pair them up and sandwich with Lemon Curd, buttercream or ganache. Refrigerate before serving.


















Frills in the making.

Chocolate Macarons

This is Part 1 of my 3 part chronicles of my macaron-making journey (think Lord of The Rings). Personally, I feel that all bakers, at some point of time, will take on the challenge of making this tempermental dessert. For me, the push factor was the price. Recently, I bought 4 macarons at Canelé. I should have stopped myself when I didn't see any price tag on them. They cost me $9.80! I just couldn't take the blow and felt like crying when I ate them. Even more heartache to come, I squashed 2 pieces during transport. I consoled myself, at least I get to taste some flavours which I might not be able to make at home, like Bergamot.

These chocolate macarons were made in February, when I had plenty of egg whites to spare and too much time on hand. The reason for not posting earlier; I did not have the confidence. No confidence to admit that this might be a fluke or that I will be able to achieve those frilly feet next time round. Reason for posting this now? Recently, I revisited macarons twice (for decorating purposes), for a cake I made for another doctor. Having succeeded 3 times with the same recipe, I would say that this recipe and method is reliable and would love to share it.

The following recipe and method is adapted from Bernice of Baking Journey. I find her methods easy and debunked some of the theories which I read extensively online. Some recipes asked specifically for how many strokes of folding. To be honest, I lost count of the strokes after a while. Some asked for the whipped egg whites to be pressed against the bowl (Don't!). Some recipes asked to wait till a layer skin to form, I lack the patience. Once something is ready on the baking tray, my instinct will ask me to pop it into the oven quick. According to Bernice, waiting for the skin to form will cause cracks. Some are using Italian Meringue and Swiss Meringue method, that I would love to try out some day as it was said that it would yield a more stable batter. But for now, we go French.

Chocolate Macaron
Ingredients
50g Icing Sugar
15g Cocoa Powder

*Sift together

25g Finely Ground Almond

35g Egg White (about 1 egg white, I used my stash, which I froze and thawed)
30g Sugar

Method
1) Prepare 2 11 x 14 inch baking tray, lined with silicon coated parchment paper (draw circles behind the parchment if required). Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

2) Add the ground almond to the icing sugar mixture, break up clumps if any.

3) In another clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg white till frothy. Add in sugar in 2 additions and whisk till soft peak.

4) Add in the ground almond mixture into whisked egg whites in 2 addition, fold till incorporated. Lift the spatula to see if it falls ribbon-like. The batter should look shiny, slightly thick, not runny. The tip of the dropped batter should flatten quite fast (hope you know what I mean).

5) Load the batter into a piping bag with round tip. Pipe into circles. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes. The feet will start to form. Lower down the temperature to 110 degrees and further bake for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool and remove from paper.

6) Pair them up and sandwich with Swiss meringue buttercream or dark chocolate ganache (I used both). Refrigerate before serving.

Happy Baking! それじゃ～～

Japanese Sweet Potato Cake

Erm.. they don't look too appetising, do they? But do trust me and take the plunge, they do taste great! My mom and sis (including me) love Isetan, especially when they have Hokkaido fair, Kyushu fair, etc. During these fairs, we will queue up (which I really dread doing, but will do when it comes to food) to buy specialties from that region. One of them is this Sweet Potato Cake that captured our hearts (my mom's, really).

Although it is named 'cake', it is not a cake actually. It is usually sold during Hokkaido fair and the price is really steep. I mean, who would buy a piece of sweet potato for 10 bucks? Well, my mom did. So to deter her from ever doing this again, I decided to recreate it. All my mom had to do is to be my sweet potato supplier and I will do the rest. It is important to get good, big, Japanese sweet potatoes. Those with purple skin and bright yellow flesh. Those skinnies from Vietnam will not make the cut.

Japanese Sweet Potato Cake
Ingredients
500g to 550g Sweet Potatoes
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tbsp Honey or 10g Sugar
15g Whipping Cream
15g Butter, softened to room temperature

1 Tbsp Honey for glazing (optional)

Method
1. Wash and steam the sweet potatoes till soft. Left aside to cool.

2. Slice cooked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the centre, creating a cavity.

3. Mash the flesh through a mesh. Using a hand whisk, whisk in all ingredients till well mixed.

4. Spoon the mixture back into the cavity. Bake them at 180 degree C for 10 minutes or till browned. If decided to glaze; glaze with honey just before baking. Bake for about 4 or 5 minutes, remove from oven, glaze again. Pop back to the oven and bake till done.


じゃね～～

Pineapple Tarts

So, what makes a good pineapple tart? It must be bite-size so that you won't feel wozzy after going through 1 or 2 (face it, pineapple tart lovers can't stop at 1). It must have a good ratio of pineapple jam to tart shell. When the flavour of the buttery tart and the jam comes together, it should strike a blissful balance. The tart shell must be sturdy enough to hold and soft enough to crumble in your mouth. The jam flavoured with cinnamon and cloves, though sweet, must have a hint of sourness to entice you to reach out for the next tart, another, then another. Well, this is my idea of a good pineapple tart.

Pineapple tarts are the only festive cookies I look forward to during Chinese New Year. For as long as I could remember, it is the only cookies I attacked when I went visiting from house to house. I used 'is' because I still do. So, you might want to guard your pineapple tarts when I visit.

My mom used to bake pineapple tarts and sell them during Chinese New Year. She has since stopped baking her 'melt-in-the-mouth' killer pineapple tarts. We had to make-do with store boughts. After a few horrid pineapple tarts, I decided to make my own. There is this perculiar trait that runs in my family. Whenever we eat something that tasted awful or not up to mark, we will search frantically for an 'antidote'; same food but of course, a known, delicious one. Armed with my mom's recipe, I got the taste and texture I like. My mom used to shape the tarts in closed-tart type, a very pretty 'leaf' shape. I had clumsy hands and couldn't shape them like hers. So I made them into open face tarts. 1 good thing about baking your own tarts is that you can take 1 off the tray and pop it in your mouth, all in the name of quality check (uh-oh, the calories! *gasp*)



















These are what I have to offer this year. From top; almond cookies, pineapple tarts, peanut cookies and cornflake cookies. I would like to thank those who placed their faith and ordered from me. I am glad that the taste that I love has found a way to your home. I hope you liked them. Order is now closed. Thank you for your support.

祝 ：新年快乐 身体健康 万事如意

Tips for Making Pineapple Jam

This post is rather late as the lunar Chinese New Year (CNY) is just 5 days away. I have been busy with my orders and couldn't find time for this write up. Stealing some time now to get this done. I hope this post can be of some help this year or the next CNY.

For those who want to cook pineapple jam instead of using store bought jam, here are the tips I have gathered from my own experience. Below is a list of pros and cons of cooking your own jam.

Pros :
1. No preservatives and stabilisers
2. No flour added to thicken the jam
3. You control the sweetness of the jam
4. You control the consistency of the jam
5. You control what spices you want to use and how much you want to use

Cons :
1. Prepare to stand at stove for at least 2 hours
2. You sweat buckets
3. Risk getting scalded
4. You don't know when to stop cooking the jam
5. Risk burning the jam
6. You need to hand-grate the pineapples

I have never used store bought jam but the feedbacks I got from friends who do, weren't that great. Either the jam is not fragrant enough, no bite, too hard and dry or too sweet. Based on these feedbacks, I will explain why I did my pineapple jam my way.

There are many pineapple jam recipes online, so I won't elaborate here. The basic recipe is of course, pineapples, sugar and spices, if you like. You shouldn't add flour to thicken your jam at all. Taste is subjective to each individual so do not follow the recipe blindly.

Things you need to cook pineapple jam
1) Stainless steel or glass bowl (to collect grated pineapples)
2) Stainless steel or glassware for cooking
3) A wooden spoon (I dedicate 1 wooden spoon solely for cooking pineapple jam
4) A grater
5) A pair of gloves (to protect your hands from the acidity)
6) A corer or back of spoon to 'blind' the pineapples (I dig out those 'eyes' instead of cutting)
7) A lot of patience
8) Water to hydrate yourself
9) Some upbeat music for this monotonous work (at times, I sing along with Enka too)

*Picture Added






















Fragrance
Many recipes likes to use unripe or half-ripe pineapples. My personal concoction uses half-ripe and ripe pineapples. Half-ripe pineapples will provide the 'bite' while ripe pineapples will provide the fragrance. Just like cookies and cakes will emit the aroma to tell you they are done, ripe fruits give out fragrance to tell you they are ripe and ready to be eaten. If you cook unripe, half-ripe and ripe pineapples separately, you'll get what I mean. Also, I do not strain the juice of the grated pineapples. Yes, it will take longer to cook the jam, but the full flavour is retained.



















Spices
I used cinnamon and cloves for my jam. Traditional Nyonya pineapple tarts use star anise too. Alhough I might have some minute Nyonya blood somewhere along my ancestral line but I am a Teochew too. And to Teochews, we use star anise for braised duck or pig trotters. So I never gotten use to the idea of adding star anise. If you dislike the smell of these spices, you can just cook the jam with sugar. But at least give the cloves a go; it does go very well with pineapples. I will use 2 cloves for 1 pineapple.

*Picture added


















Bite
As mentioned, half-ripe or unripe pineapples will give you more fibre, thus the 'bite'. Do not blend the pineapples with a food processor, always use a grate to grate it coarsely. During cooking, the grated pineapples will dehydrate and shrink. Do not grate the core of the pineapples in attempt to increase the volume. The core even after being grated, will remain quite coarse and fibrous. Personally, I do not like the texture.



















Sweetness
Cooking fruits can be tricky as they have sugar content. Though pineapples are mostly sour, it does contain sugar. During heating, it will break down to fructose. When the juice evaporates, the fructose will be left behind. Adding sugar is a must to preserve the jam. I usually add 70% of the sugar the recipe stated and taste the jam before slowly adding more sugar if required. I used 65g of sugar to 1 pineapple as a guide. I only add sugar when the pineapples started to dry up. The chemical composition of sugar is made of of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. When heated, sugar will breakdown in to water and carbon, thus causing the jam to caramelise. The jam should be sticky with a golden hue. It should not be too dark.



















Done-ness
The tricky part of cooking the jam is knowing when to stop. If you are making an open-faced tart, you need the jam moist. If you are making closed tarts, the jam cannot be too wet or it will be difficult to handle during wrapping. For me, I am clumsy with closed tarts. I only make open-faced tarts. I cook the jam till it coats the wooden spoon and the jam doesn't fall off the spoon immediately. However, when you flick the spoon, some jam should fall off. I'm sorry if you find this description vague. You need to cook it to experience it. After the jam is being cooled, remove the spices and store the jam in a container. It should be refrigerated till ready to use.

*Update*
In my haste yesterday, I forgot to mention that you should use a pot which is wide. The bigger the area, the faster the evaporation. This will help to cook the jam faster. But don't go greedy and cook too much jam at a time.

Have fun! 頑張ってね～～

Mince Pie

It's already past New Year but I'm still doing Christmas post. I am so behind. Ahaha~~ I've been rather busy lately and when you're busy, time seems to pass so quickly. Moreover, this year's Chinese New Year comes rather early. So it's one festive after another. I have to start my CNY bakes soon. This year, my pineapple tarts, peanut cookies and cornflake cookies are on sale. I don't have New Year resolutions because I can't keep them. I just hope that I can spend more time with my kids and that I can earn some extra income (私房钱) from my bakes. Oh, and that I don't put on anymore weight.

Back to the mince pies. Mince pies are eaten traditionally during Christmas and New Year period. It has its origin from the British. For further reading, please see here. Traditionally, it has raw mincemeat (usually beef) but considering our humid weather here, I do not believe or trust marinating raw meat in alcohol for 2 weeks outside the refrigerator. My fridge space is limited, I omitted meat altogether. I usually have a one litre jar of dried fruits and citrus peel, macerated in liquor all year round. Whenever I needed to bake something with dried fruits, it comes in very handy.

These mince pies were a last minute, ad-hoc decision. IH said his grand-dad's mince pies were to die-for. He used to work as a cook for a British family. I have not tasted his version so I wouldn't know (it may be an overrated comment from IH. Oops, okay, I'm being mean) but it is welcomed challenge. I remembered Sweet and Simple Bakes provided a mincemeat recipe some time back. The original recipe requires soaking raw apples in liquor for 2 weeks. I adapted the recipe and cooked the apples and macerated fruits instead. With the amount of liquor the fruits had absorbed, it might be too strong on the palate if I didn't cook them. Mine is more of an 'Instant' method and here's what I did.

Mince Pies
For Mincemeat :
Ingredients
(A)
350g Dried Fruits (macerated in liquor), drained
250g Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced finely
90g Candied Ginger Dices
80g Brown Sugar
1-1/2 Tsp Mixed Spice
3/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
Juice of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Orange

(B)
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Orange

(C)
50g Butter

Method
1. In a pan, fry the apples and dried fruits together slightly. Add in the rest of the ingredients in (A).

2. Continue to fry till ingredients are slightly dry. Stir in zest. Turn off the flame and stir in butter thoroughly. Leave aside to cool.

For Sweet Crust Pastry :
Ingredients
125g Butter, bring to room temperature
100g Icing Sugar
2 Egg Yolks, chilled
50g Ground Almonds
250g Cake Flour
Zest of 1 Orange

Method
1. In a bowl, using a hand whisk, whisk butter and icing sugar till pale and fluffy. Add in egg yolks.

2. Add in zest, ground almonds and flour till it forms a dough. Transfer the dough into a ziplock bag, flattened and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

3. Divide the dough and press into tart tins, leaving some aside for the top. Rest for 15 minutes. Blind bake (use pie weights) at 200 deg.C for 10 minutes. Remove pie weights and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes or till browned. Leave aside to cool.

To Assemble :
Method
1. Fill up the pastry cases with mincemeat. Roll out pastry dough and cut into circles. Lay the cut outs on top of the mincemeat. Press slightly at the seams and trim away excess if necessary.

2. Bake at 200 deg.C for 15 to 20 minutes or till evenly browned. Leave on the cooling grid to cool before sprinkling snow powder or icing sugar and decorate.

Verdict : IH said not quite the same but close enough. The flavour is affected by the absence of meat. Well, not that I care, I love my version. If I didn't check myself, I could have 3 at one go! Good thing it is usually eaten during Christmas. But wait, I still have dried fruits... hmm...

Orange Chocolate Brownies

Made this for the same Filipino party some time back. Besides coconuts, I think Filipinos/Flilpinas love chocolates. Adults and children will swarm around those who bring chocolates home as gifts. I know of 1 helper around my neighbourhood, she brought home close to 8 kilos of chocolate when she went home for holidays. I don't know if anyone suffered from nosebleed. I was told that some chocolates in Philippines are brittle as the chocolates were mixed with flour. Perhaps that is why one has to bring 8 kilos of chocolate back to Philippines.

I am a hoarder and collector. I like to collect recipes, cook books, crochet patterns. My birthday, last week, I received 5 cook books, 2 crochet pattern books and 1 pattern book on tatting from friends and family. Earlier, a friend sent me a bread slicer from Australia. I just like to tell you all how much I appreciate them. You people really know me. I hope I can put them into good use. The following recipe is adapted from 1 of the books (Brownies, by Linda Collister) which I left there collecting dust for a while. I thought rich, chocolate-y brownies would be a good idea for a Filipino party.

Orange Chocolate Brownies (adapted from Cranberry & Dark Chocolate Brownies)
Ingredients
200g Plain Chocolate, break into smaller pieces(I used Cadbury Old Gold)
200g Butter, diced to small cubes

3 Eggs
170g Fine Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange

200g Plain Flour
100g Diced Almonds (original recipe used cranberries)

Method
1) Prepare a 8 x 8 inch square pan. Preheat oven at 170 degree Celcius.

2) In a heat proof bowl, melt chocolate and butter over a pot of simmering water. Leave aside to cool for use later.

3) In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar. Add in zest and whisk till mousse-like. Pour in chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, add almonds and mix well.

4) Bake for 20 minutes or skewer comes clean. Do not overbake it. Leave to cool in pan and cut into squares. Or you can serve warm with ice cream.

I love brownies but I seldom bake them even though they are quite easy to put together. Due to the chocolate content, it is considered as 'heaty' food. I will have to take plenty of water after consuming.

Happy Baking!

Buco Salad

I first heard of Buco Salad on Terri's blog. As she aptly puts it, it's absolutely refreshing and a hit at the barbeque. I was invited to a barbeque party not long ago by a Filipina. She is a PR married to a Singaporean and teaches in Ah Girl's school. Among those invited were fellow Filipinas/Filipinos who are working here as domestic helpers, engineers, teachers and of course, Singaporeans like me. Eversince I saw the recipe that Terri has put up (practically drooling at all her food pics), I have been wanting to try it. What detered me was the coconut scrapper. I couldn't find it anywhere here in Singapore. I am not sure if the scrapper is available at Lucky Plaza though.

So I told my helper about the scrapper thingy and she came up with this. I think it's brilliant!


















She said she used to make this when the scrapper was not available. Just a piece of bamboo, metal strips cut out from a condensed milk tin and raffia string, you have a coconut scrapper! Sometimes we are just too reliant on gadgets. But having said that, I have asked my helper's sister to bring 1 along when she arrives here in December. Ahah. With the scrapper problem solved, nothing beats bringing Buco Salad to a Filipina party. In case you are wondering, Buco is coconut in Tagalog.

I couldn't find Nata de Coco that are in bigger chunks. I know that will give the salad a better texture. Instead, I got hold of a 1kg packet of Nata de Coco bite-size bits swimming in light syrup. I forgot the weigh the Nata de Coco after draining. Tsk. The wet market near my place is only selling old coconuts. I got those pretty-young-but not-too-young coconuts from Shop 'N' Save. Below is the recipe adapted from Terri's Marylou's Buco Salad. It is a rather forgiving recipe so you don't have to bee too particular about the measurement.

Buco Salad
Ingredients
4 Coconuts, hacked open and scrape flesh
1 can 850g Fruit Cocktail, drained
1 Packet 1 kg Nata de Coco in light syrup, drained (I bought Strawberry Flavour for its pink colour)
1 Cup Whipping Cream
3 Tbsp Condensed Milk
1/8 Tsp Rose Essence

Method
Toss everything together in a large bowl.

*Note : Remember to retain the coconut water for consumption, refreshing for a hot day! Do not scrape too deep into the coconut flesh or you will get pieces of husk attached.

** Note : Terri mentioned that Tropical Fruit Cocktail should not be used as there is too much soft papaya.

***Buco salad should be served cold. Best prepared the night before and freeze. Thaw before serving. Alternatively, make it a few hours before the party and freeze it.

Before the party was over, the salad was gone. That's how good it is. Give it a try!

Snowskin Mooncakes

I know I'm terribly late posting mooncakes here. But I would like to dedicate this post to my mom and my best friend, H. A guy who has a sweet tooth for mooncakes. H's affair with my mom's mooncakes started 13 years back. Back then, my mom started a little venture selling her mooncakes. They were well received by friends and relatives. Then it started the ball rolling when they in turn, introduced the mooncakes to their friends and relatives. Then, my mom stopped selling after a couple of years, as she hurt her wrist. H was rather devastated. He wanted to know when he would be able to taste those mooncakes again. He would come reminding me every mooncake festival. I guess I was hated at some point. Ahahah~~

To be honest, I wasn't very keen to pick up my mom's skills as her method took like forever to knead the dough. This year, I finally made the effort. But I found that the water and flour ratio had to be adjusted. Probably due to the water absorption of the flour. H was elated when he received the mooncakes. He was kind enough to say they are very close to my mom's version. I know there's still room for improvement. I promise you, H, next year, it will be better. I will try to supply you mooncakes until you are 60 and beyond. Ahahaha~~ I promise you mom, that I will upkeep your standard. Thank you for passing the recipe to me. I took a bold move to sell the mooncakes this year and the feedbacks have been good. After a long, long hiatus of 13 years, all my mom's client base is gone. I hope to rebuild mine slowly. Clients said they will be back next year. Shall see then. Ahahah~~

Lemon Curd

My little jars of sunshine. I love the refreshing taste/smell of lemons. Never fails to perk me up. Lemon curd is one of the first few stuffs I made when I started picking up baking again. Last I made, I had lemon curd tarts with it. I was extremely pleased with the recipe I found at Joy of Baking. The ingredients used are really simple too. Just eggs, sugar, lemon and butter. The cooking time doesn't take that long. Which reminds me; why our kaya jam takes so long to cook?

To ensure getting a creamy texture, I strained the eggs after whisking it. I also strained the lemon juice to get rid of the pulps. Double-boiling method is used so as to prevent curdling. However, I received a tip from a friend. When hers curdled, she poured the entire batch after adding butter and blend it in a food processor. After that, she mixed in the lemon zest. I have not tried this method personally, I hope this tip might help to salvage any curdled batch. It is a pity to dump it in the trash.

Sharing this recipe which I have reduced sugar to suit my family's palate. This time round, I doubled the recipe. You can halve this recipe for a smaller batch. The curd will keep well in the refrigerator for a week.

Lemon Curd
Ingredients
6 Eggs, whisked and strained
250g Fresh Lemon Juice, strained
230g Fine Sugar
120g Unsalted Butter, cubed, bring to room temperature
Zest of 6 Lemons

Method
1) In mixing bowl (use either stainless steel or glass), add in eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Using double-boiling method, whisk the mixture constantly.

2) Continue to whisk till mixture looks pale and starts to thicken. At this stage, the whisk will leave a mark on the curd. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter till incorporated, Add in the lemon zest and mix well.

3) Cut up a large sandwich bag and press onto the surface of the curd to avoid a layer of film from forming. Leave aside to cool through before storing.

*Note : I cut up a sandwich bag to cover the curd as Terri advised against using cling wrap for health reasons.

**Note : The texture should not be too runny.

***Note : Zest the lemons before juicing them.

****Note : After juicing the lemons, do not throw them away. They can be used to scrub the grease off your stove, cabinets or oven.

Lemon curd can be eaten with scones, use like jam or swissroll filling. It can also be used to make lemon curd tart, lemon meringue tart or lemon curd ice cream. I used it for cheesecake too. Well, that is another story.

Later~~ ^_^

PS. : I took this picture at the common balcony outside my flat and found my neighbour staring at me. Maybe she thought I was out of my mind.

Soy Milk Ice cream (Eggless)

This is one of my experiments and my laboratory, as usual is my kitchen. I remembered over at Kitchen Capers, a fellow forumer was looking for the recipe for Soy Milk Ice Cream. It was something I was looking for too. How to make a cholesterol-free and healthier ice cream has always been on my mind. I know I am singing to the same old tune that I try to make this and that in a healthier version for the sake of my parents. It is my way of repaying what they have done for me, for raising me up. In a way, I am seeking redemption of what hurt I have caused them in the past.

Anyway, back to the ice cream. I blog hopped to Cecily's and found this food blog event hosted at Mike's Table. This gave me the final push to test out what I have drafted on paper. I wanted try making this without egg yolks but I realised that I may not be able to achieve the custard like texture before freezing or even before stirring in the whipped cream. Without achieving that state, I can foresee that it will turn out to be a sorbet or icicle pop instead. Therefore, I added Tofu. Yes, you read right. I used blended Tofu to replace the texture of custard. My helper went, 'Eeeww~' at the thought but after tasting it, she liked it. Ahahah~~ I tried as much as possible to reduce the fat content but whipped cream is really necessary for the ice cream to achieve the creamy texture.

Soy Milk Ice Cream (or Tofu Ice cream if you prefer)
Ingredients
150ml Whipping Cream (35% fat content)

300g Silken Tofu
80g Condensed Milk (I used low fat)
100ml Unsweetened Soy Milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
1) In a bowl, whip whipping cream to mousse state. Chill in the fridge.

2) Remove the tofu from the container and blanched in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Leave aside to cool completely.

3) In a blender, add tofu, condensed milk, soy milk, vanilla essence and blend till smooth.

4) Fold in whipped cream and pour into a container. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours. Remove from freezer and whisk the mixture till smooth and creamy. Use a blender if you want.

5) Return to container and freeze till set.

Simple? Do give it a try.

それじゃ～～

*Update : The round up is up! Check out here for details. It's a great place if you are collecting frozen dessert recipes.

Blondies II

I am so into Blondies. Oh dear, this is not good. The bathroom scale is screaming, "Weight watch alert! Weight watch alert!" But did I take heed? Heck, let me finish up this load of Blondies first. Seriously, I need to distract myself from baking these real quick. Maybe it's just me, I find Blondies addictive. Maybe it's the taste/aroma of brown sugar. Or it could be the sugar high I get from these. Worse, blondies are so easy to bake!

I went on to experiment using white chocolate, using the previous recipe as a reference. It did yield a slighty chewy texture but I think I did not add enough of it. Well, the testers said they liked this version better. Me? I much prefer my first attempt as I did not have to melt the chocolate. The colour was more intense than my previous attempt even though I did not use any molasses this time. The mixture was slightly warmer as I did not wait for it to cool down before adding brown sugar. Perhaps this would explain why the colour was darker. My sis suggested using castor sugar instead, but that might affect the taste. Oopps.. does that give me an excuse to bake blondies again? Hiak~ Hiak~ Hiak~

Blondies
Ingredients
3 oz Butter
150g White Chocolate Couverture

*melt together using double boiler

1 Cup Brown Sugar, tighly packed
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Cup Plain Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda

*Sift together

2 egg, lightly beaten
60g Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I used Hershey's)

Method
1) Grease a 10" x 10" pan.

2) In a bowl, whisk the melted butter and chocolate with sugar. Add salt and vanilla essence.

3) Add in flour mixture and stir well. Leave the mixture to cool down a little before adding the eggs and chocolate chip. Fold till incorporated.

4) Pour the batter in the prepared pan and use a spatuala to spread out evenly. Bake at 170 degree C. for 20 minutes or till the skewer comes out clean. Cut and serve when completely cooled.

*Note : This tme round, eggs were added last so as not to cook them when the butter and chocolate mixture is still hot.

Do give me a feedback if you have attempted to bake these. じゃね～

Blondies

I have been wanting to make brownies for some time now. However, either I was having sore throat or Ah Girl was having cough. I guess the weather has not been good lately. It is getting humid and hot. You can still sweat buckets working around in the kitchen, even though I usually bake at night, when it is cooler. I tried to control Ah Girl's intake of 'heaty' food such as chocolate and chips. I have been searching for a brownie recipe or rather brownie-like recipe, without using obscene amount of chocolate. I chanced upon this recipe from Simply Recipes. Hence, I got to know the rightful name of this delicious dessert is 'Blondies'.

Although it is called 'Blondies', do not expect it to be pale coloured though. The recipe uses molasses that will colour this sweet treat brown. I actually told Ah Girl that it is a 'chocolate cake'. She ate them without any suspicion. Perhaps, she ate it because I added some chocolate chips in the end. This is an easy recipe. You will just need 1 bowl to mix everything in. I used 1.5 times of the recipe as I am using a 10" x 10" pan. I think I should have doubled the recipe and it would fit anyway. I made some changes along the way and below is my interpretation of Blondies.

Blondies
Ingredients
6 oz Butter, melted
1/2 cup Molasses, tightly packed
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, tighly packed
1/4 Tsp Salt
1-1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1-1/2 cup Plain Flour
1-1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda

*Sift together

2 egg, lightly beaten
60g Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I used Hershey's)

Method
1) Grease a 10" x 10" pan.

2) In a bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar. Add salt and vanilla essence.

3) Add in flour mixture and stir well. Add the eggs and chocolate chip till incorporated.

4) Pour the batter in the prepared pan and use a spatuala to spread out evenly. Bake at 170 degree C. for 20 minutes or till the skewer comes out clean. Cut and serve when completely cooled.

*Note : Please refer to the original recipe in the above provided link. I am supposed to add 1-1/2 eggs but I did not bother to take out that 1/2 egg. Also, I totally forgot about the eggs until I have added the flour. Thus you see that eggs were added in rather late in the recipe.

** Note : The original recipe called for dark brown sugar, which is also known as molasses. I ran out of it and only had 1/2 cup worth of it left. That's why I substituted the other 1/2 cup with regular brown sugar. As usual, I reduced the amount of sugar used.

Taste-wise : This is really good! I love the taste of it. It is not too oily; you won't get greasy fingers after picking up a piece. It doesn't taste heavy, you can definitely eat more than one. Despite me adding the eggs last, the blondie did not turn out densed. It does not have the chewy texture though. I suspect it is either due to the lack of chocolates or I have reduced the sugar.

I asked my helper to give out some to her friends and regretted that decision. I regretted not packing some to work while I was uploading the picture of it. I was craving for it! When I returned home, I got only 2 pieces left! Next time I'll just hoard the whole tray to myself. Hah!

Happy baking~ じゃね～

Mango Pudding

Last week, IH bought several huge mangoes. He is a big mango fan, while I am not. I prefer durians, which he dislikes. He told me that he was going to leave me 1 mango at my disposal, either for baking or whatever. Half suspecting that he was hinting me to make the mango mousse cake, which I made for his birthday last year (he was the guinea pig for my first attempt at the cake), I took my time.



To be honest, I was not in any mood to bake. I procrastinated till the mango threatened to make its exit to the bin (okay, it didn't look like it's going to rot anytime soon when I cut it). So I made some mango pudding on Monday instead for Ah Girl, knowing that pudding is not IH's cup of tea (yes, I can be that mean). Ah Girl likes mango pudding with evaporated milk, like those sold at Crystal Jade Restaurant. However, she will have me pick out the mango cubes, leaving the pudding looking horrid. This recipe is shared by my aunt.

Mango Pudding

Ingredients (yields about 5 and 1/4 cups I bought from Cold Storage)
1-1/3 cup pureed fresh mango
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp gelatin
fresh mango cubed (I omitted)

Method
1) Add gelatin and sugar to water and bring to boil.

2) Stir in the mango puree and evaporated milk, remove from heat.

3) Put in cubed mangoes into jelly cups and pour in the mango mixture.

4) Chill till set for at least 3 hours.

5) Drizzle evaporated milk and serve.

*Note : Might be able to fill up 6 cups if you add mango cubes.

**Note : Original recipe does not require to bring the mango mixture to boil. You just need to stir gelatin and sugar in hot water till they dissolve. However, it had to be eaten on the same day. It will start oxidising the next day. Still edible but the colour will turn ghastly. By heating up the mixture, it will stop the oxidation.

I was actually quite keen on making some durian pudding but I am living amongst durian-haters. Ah Girl didn't want to try durians, perhaps influenced by IH. My helper can't stand durians either, making me feeling like an outcast whenever I eat durians at home. So, my last bet is Ah Boy. Hopefully, he will grow up to enjoy durians like me. Hmm.. maybe I should start him young. Hiak~ Hiak~ Hiak~

*Update : About the above mango mousse cake, I remembered using Florence's recipe. For the top layer, I used gelatin to set the mango puree.

じゃね～

Ice Ice Baby...

After some disappointing attempts to recreate the Sun Moulin's Mochi bread/puff or whatever, I need to take my mind off it for a while to re-gain my sanity. I realised I forgot to document 2 of my ice cream recipes. Eheh.. too preoccupied.

Like all kids, my daughter loves ice cream and that motivated me to make them.. *Silence...* Okay, I confess, I love ice cream too, that's why I make them. :P

The basic recipe has been with me for quite a number of years but I have no intention of making because the freezer at my mom's is always FULL. Now, having my own place, my freezer too, is almost full, most of the time. I guess moms are the same when it comes to feeding their children. The whole fridge is full of food or ingredients to churn out a decent meal for kids.

I had 2 egg yolks left after baking Banana Chiffon Cake so I decided to make some ice cream for myself. My favourite flavour would be Rum and Raisins, so be it. *Hic..*



Ingredients
(A)
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp fine sugar
1 tsp cornflour

(B)
150ml UHT milk or fresh milk
150ml dairy whip cream

(C)
250ml non dairy whip cream

(D)
50g dark rum
80g raisins (soaked in rum overnight)

Method
1) In a mixing bowl, whip (C) till stiff peak, refrigerate for later use.

2) In a steel bowl, using a hand whisk, beat (A) till pale.

3) In a pot, bring (B) to a simmer and pour into (A) in a steady stream, whisking constantly.

4) Using double-boil method, whisking the mixture constantly and cook the custard till thicken.

5) Cool the custard by plunging the bowl over a cold water bath, whisk the custard. (I did this because I was impatient.)

6) Fold in whipped non dairy cream into the mixture, add rum, raisins and mix well.

7) Pour into a 1.5 litres clean plastic container and freeze for 5 to 6 hours.

8) Remove from freezer and whisk till smooth and creamy. Return to container and freeze overnight or till set.

*Note : I use double boil method because I was afraid I might ended up with scrambled eggs. This method is slower. To speed up, you can also use direct heat to cook the custard but you need use low heat.

**Note : You can also use blender for step (8), but add the raisins only after you blend the ice cream.

***Note : Although very tempting for alcoholics like me, do not attempt to add more rum than necessary. The ice cream will not set properly. I know, I tried it. But it's a great idea to drizzle more rum on it when you serve though. *grin*

Now, that wasn't that difficult, was it?? ^_^ Following the steps and using ingredients (A), (B) and (C), that will be your basic ice cream recipe. The rum will mask the eggy smell. When you are not using rum, you can add 1 tsp of vanilla essence or use 1 vanilla pod. I used non dairy whip cream instead; not only it is easier to whip than dairy whip cream, it is derived from vegetable fats. Trying to make it less sinful or am I deceiving myself?? Errr... *Ahem*.. I don't want to know.

Feeling a little guilty for indulging, I made this for my girl.

Variation : Strawberry and White choco Ice cream


Insert 1/2 cup of strawberry puree into Ingredient (B) and reduce the milk to 100ml. Strawberries after cooking, will lose abit of its flavour, thus add 1 tsp of strawberry essence. Add in 80g of chopped white chocolate in Step (6). I was tempted to add some red colouring as the colour was quite pale, but it defit the whole idea/purpose of homemade ice cream, so I didn't.

I might experiment or recreate some other flavours in future. それじゃ~~

Warabi Mochi (わらび饼)

I shall start with Warabi Mochi. I made this on Saturday morning for Gina to try. I first fell in love with Japanese confectionery (Wagashi, 和果子） when I went to a Hokkaido fair at Isetan. I remembered it was rather expensive but considering it being airflown... oh well... Later, I found this particlar dessert at Aji-Tei Zabo and Tampopo. It just doesn't taste quite right. It's either too hard or too soft, unlike the ones which I have had. It should be soft but QQ. I wanted to try making some myself but was unable to get hold of the main ingredient, Warabi powder. Finally, I found a recipe using Lotus Root powder at here, (search under 日本点心, 厥饼).

Not quite the same with those using the actual Warabi plant (Bracken or Fiddlehead Fern); my sis commented that it lacked the 'grassy' taste, but it was close enough for me. In Japan, they either use Warabi powder or use the root of the Warabi plant to make this dessert. You can see the plant here. The recipe as below, made slight adjustments to the original for convenience and texture's sake.

Lotus Root powder is supposed to be beneficial for the lungs. It contains zero fats and contains just little amount of carbohydrates. You can also use rock sugar if you do not like Japanese Black sugar, but I suggest you give the Black sugar a try. Lovely aroma.

Ingredients
(A) :
Lotus Root Powder - 100g
Sweet Potato Flour - 25g
Water - 100ml

(B) :
Black/Dark Brown Sugar (Kurozatou, くろざとう)- 130g
Water - 300ml

(C) :
Soy Bean Powder (Kinako, きなこ) for sprinkling

Method
1) Mix (A) well and set aside.

2) In a saucepan, boil (B) till sugar dissolves.

3) Pour mixture (B) into mixture (A), stir well before returning mixture to saucepan.

4) Heat up mixture over slow fire, stirring constantly till mixture becomes translucent.

5) Turn off heat and continue to stir to get a QQ consistency (elastic).

6) Pour into a pan and steam over high heat for 25 minutes. (I steamed for 20 minutes only) Leave aside to cool.

7) In a tray, sprinkle soy bean powder and transfer the gooey glob to the tray. Sprinkle some more soy bean flour on top.

8) Press the mochi till it is quite even and cut into pieces (I use scissors). Coat the pieces with soy bean powder as you go along.

9) Best served chilled and with green tea or barley tea (Mugicha, 麦茶).

*Note : Do not attempt to double the recipe. You will have a hard time stirring in the later stage. The mochi is not that sweet, just nice.

**Note : It would be good to use a non-stick saucepan.