Of Dreams and Sweets

sunday morning - the leftover tart

2009-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

An attempt to clean out the fridge...

Line tart pan with dough from chocolate and banana cream tarts, don't trim the edges
Diced onions, peppers, and brown mushrooms sauteed in butter and olive oil
A spoonful of flour, cooked with the softened veggies until the raw taste is cooked out
Milk added to make a cream sauce
Season with salt and pepper
Stir in the cooked orzo from last night, a small spoonful of pesto, a handful of arugula
Spoon into unbaked tart shell and fold the excess dough over the filling
Crumble goat cheese over the top
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for about 20 minutes
Enjoy on a beautiful Sunday morning

birthdays and tarts! part II

2009-09-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

For M's birthday - a fat duck and this little chocolate tart. The crust is from the banana cream tarts and the chocolate ganache from the same recipe is spiked with a few teaspoons of Bailey Irish Cream. I also broke up pieces of hazelnut brittle to add to the bottom of the tart. The assembly was easy. Tart shell, brittle, chocolate ganache. Topped it off with a few small shards of caramel sugar.

Hazelnut Brittle (adapted from Bobby Flay)

1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp butter
pinch salt
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped or halved

Heat sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it becomes a medium amber in color. Stir in butter and hazelnut. Spread onto a greased pan and allow the mixture to cool. Break into smaller pieces.

birthdays and tarts! part I

2009-09-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

I met Panda the first day I went to TKD practice. Within the first month, I concluded that we could never live together. She disliked cheese, nuts, and garlic in her fried rice. And me? My ideal lunch is a triple creme cheese with fig preserve on toasted baguette, my brownies and cookies come choked with walnuts, and I add garlic to everything. Whereas she lost 10 pounds during college, I...well never mind.

We have shared many good meals together, indulging in our love for good curry, nutella crepes, and tempura ice cream (yea I know 2/3 were desserts). She's obsessed with apple turnovers and always order banana cream pie when we goto Nation's. This little tart was for her.

Banana Cream Tartlettes (adapted from the fabulous Tartlette)

Crust:

1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp butter, diced and chilled
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add in water slowly, until mixture comes together. You may not need all the water. Form into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours to overnight.

Roll out chilled dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut to the size of the tart pans. Gently lay dough into the pans, trying not to stretch it. Dock the bottom with a fork, press a piece of foil over the crust and add in pie weights (I was out of beans this time so I used clean rocks ^^). Bake in a 375 degrees preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Then remove the weights and foil and bake for another 5-8 minutes until the crust is lightly golden. Let it cool to room temperature before filling.

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 cup cream
pinch salt
2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat cream and salt together, until just under a boil. Pour into the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate and cream together, until smooth and shiny. Add in butter piece by piece, stirring just enough to blend the ingredients. The less you stir it, the shinier the ganache will be. Cover with plastic wrap, pushing the plastic right over the ganache. Set aside at room temperature.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

1 cup whole milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tbsp vanilla

Bring milk and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. In the meantime, sift together sugar and corn starch. Add in the beaten egg and mix well. Slowly add in half the hot milk mixture, mixing to temper the eggs. Add the egg mixture back to the pan with the remaining milk, stirring constantly until you reach a thick consistency. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then whisk in butter, a small piece at a time. The mixture should be smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, laying the plastic right over the surface of the cream. Chill until ready to use.

To Assemble:

Spread a thin layer of ganache on the bottom of the tart shells. Slice a banana thin and on a bias. Layer in overlapping concentric circles over the ganache. Cover with pastry cream. Decorate with whipped cream, more bananas, and chocolate shavings.

strawberry tarts are delicious too

2009-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

I've tried and failed at making lemon bars a few times before. Maybe because I was trying to find shortcuts or make 1/8 what the recipe calls for. The crust was always good, but the filling had none of the delicious gooey tartness that I love in lemon bars. During my last day at home, I finally made a batch (well, half batch) and while it's not perfect, it's pretty good.

I like my lemon bars tart, but if you like them sweeter, feel free to add more sugar to the filling or the crust. And please, use real lemon juice. The bottled stuff just doesn't cut it.

Lemon Bar

Base:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
zest of 1 lemon

Filling:
2 eggs
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine melted butter, flour, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest to make the crust. Press into the bottom of a lined and greased 8x8 pan, making sure that it is even. Bake at a 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes. It should be barely golden.

To make filling, combine eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to get all the lumps out. Pour into baked crust and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes. The tops will be set and may be cracked. Let cool completely to facilitate cutting. Dust with powdered sugar.

Carrot Cake

2009-08-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

I think I am in love with cream cheese frosting. The carrot cake is just a vehicle for my obsession.

Carrot Cake

1 lb carrots (about 6)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate the carrots using the bigger sized grater. Mix in 1/4 cup brown sugar to the grated carrots. Toss in the raisins to allow them to rehydrate in the carrot juice that is released.

Whisk together the eggs, remaining sugar, and oil. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir until just combined. Stir in the carrot mixture and add in the chopped walnuts.

Pour into a 9x11 greased and lined pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened (1 package)
2 oz butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

Whip cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add in vanilla. Gradually whip in confectioners' sugar until silky. Add in more confectioners' sugar if you prefer it sweeter. Store covered in the fridge.

Burnt Sugar Gingersnap Gelato

2009-07-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

There really can't be such a thing as too much ice cream, especially when a carton of cream and a dozen eggs are begging to get used up in 3 days. Tempted by the weather and finding a small dent in my wallet from the ridiculous amount of Ici I've been getting the past few weeks, I decided to rouse my ice cream maker out of hibernation.

Ici has a fabulous brown sugar gingersnap ice cream, which I somehow remember as burnt sugar gingersnap. The taste is still in my memories, but the name seem to have gotten scrambled. Go figure. I must be getting old. Anyways, I turned once again to Dorie Greenspan and adapted her recipe for burnt sugar ice cream into this little tasty treat. The slight bitterness of the caramel, the hint of salt, the spice of the gingersnaps - it's definitely not vanilla.

Burnt Sugar Gingersnap Gelato

3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp water
1 cup cream
2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
5-6 gingersnap, crushed

Add sugar in a single layer to a saucepan (use a 3 quart or something of that size), and pour water on top. There's no need to stir right now, just allow the sugar to melt over medium heat. The sugar will clump before liquifying. This is the point when you have to keep an eye on it. Stir the melted sugar infrequently until it achieves a dark caramel. It should just start to smoke and barely smell like it's about to burn. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cream and milk. Be careful, it's going to bubble up viciously. The caramel will seize up with the cold liquid. It's going to look like a mess but don't worry. Just return the pan to the stove over medium heat and stir frequently to melt the caramel into the cream and milk. It will be smooth again in a few minutes.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks slightly. Add a ladle full of the hot cream and milk mixture to the beaten yolks, whisking briskly to temper the yolks. Add another few ladles to bring the temperature of the yolks up to that of the liquid. Add the yolks back to the pan and cook the custard over medium heat until thickened. Make sure to not boil. Add in vanilla extract and salt.

Pour the custard into a bowl set over another bowl of ice water and stir to cool. Place a layer a plastic wrap over the top, laying it right against the custard to prevent a skin from forming on top. Let it chill completely in the fridge.

Once the custard is chilled. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture directions. Once done, stir in the crushed gingersnap cookies and pack into a container. Let it freeze to set up some more, or, if you can't resist, eat it soft-serve style.

2009-06-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've never made rice krispie treats before. I've only had the prepackaged ones with the shiny blue wrapper and the little people in pointed hats. When bakeries carry housemade ones, they normally don't call out to me. I would be much more drawn toward the vibrant fruit tarts and luscious cakes.

D. asked me to make something for the banquet, so I went with this universally agreeable treat. Using the classic Kellogg recipe as a starting point, I played with the flavors, adding salt, peanut butter, and white chocolate. It was an easy recipe, made on the stovetop in one pot. I was tempted to eat it warm, standing by the stove, pulling off sticky clusters, and watching the marshmallow strands stretch to iridiscent strings.

Rice Krispie Treats

3 tbsp butter, unsalted

10 ounce bag marshmallow (snipe the regular ones in half, or use mini)

6 cups rice krispies

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

melted white chocolate to drizzle on top

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add in marshmallow and peanut butter. Stir constantly until completely melted. Add in salt. Remove from heat. Add in rice krispies and stir until well coated.

Scrap into a 13x9 pan that has been either sprayed with oil or lined with parchment paper. Press down and smooth the top. Let cool and drizzle with white chocolate.

Apple Crisp

2009-06-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently living off fried rice (no matter how many variations) is not conducive to food blog updating. But in between the quick bites there are some thought out dishes. So here's to my first update in 6 months. Oh massive fail.

The apple crisp was something made out of necessity. I had planned on making a French apple tart for a gathering, but ended up scratching the idea because I was too busy that day (nothing important, just had to attend my graduation ^^). But I had already peeled a bunch of apples and they were just sitting in the fridge looking sad. They weren't spectacular eating apples, so I thought I would transform them into something more delicious.

I usually use raw apples for crisps, but cooking them gives them more flavor, not to mention the butter-brown sugar mixture makes a great sauce. As for the cute ramekin - $1 at Michael's. Finally Valentine's Day has some use.

Apple Crisp

Filling:
6 medium apples (crisp, not mealy apples), peeled, cored, and cut in big chunks
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
handful raisins

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

For Filling:Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. Cook until apples are slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in vanilla. Spoon into an 8x8 dish or into individual ramekins.

For Topping: Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and melted butter together. Spread over top of the filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes for the 8x8 and for 30 minutes for the ramekins.

Because I Can...

2009-01-31T18:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday lunch for the family - chicken pot pie - because I think I can make it better than Marie Callender's. I had leftover pie crust from making apple pie earlier that week, so I made mine with just a top crust. You can use puff pastry for the crust as well, and change the filling to suit your taste. Feel free to add in herbs (rosemary and thyme are very nice), different vegetables and meats (though if you use something other than chicken it wouldn't really be a chicken pot pie).

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pound chicken breast, skinless, boneless, cubed (I used chicken tenders)
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, corn, carrots)
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 can chicken broth (low-sodium)
1 cup milk or water

1 recipe for single pie crust, rolled out to fit a 9" pie dish

Heat up oil in a large saute pan. Season cubed chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown chicken, then remove to a separate dish (the chicken wouldn't be cooked all the way through). In the same pan, add more oil if needed, and cook onion, garlic, carrot and celery until softened. Add in mixed vegetables, and season with salt and pepper.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cook for 3-4 minutes until it looks like pale gold paste. This will cook out the raw flour taste. Add in chicken broth and water or milk, and whisk to incorporate. Simmer over medium low heat until thickened. Add in the chicken and sauteed vegetables. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as desired.

Pour filling into a 9" pie dish and cover with rolled crust. Fold the excess dough under the lip of the dish to seal. Brush the top with beaten egg and cut 2 or 3 slits on top to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated 425 degrees oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbly.

Something Greek

2009-01-12T01:09:00.000-08:00

Bouts of laziness and other distractions have led me to being MIA for a while, but now I'm back, and glad for it ^^

Before Christmas (a very long time ago I know, I told you I've been MIA), Justin threw a holiday party. It was a lovely affair, a gathering of friends as intimate as family, celebrating the festivities with laughter, games, and the occassional voodoo mistletoe. It was raining that day, I remember, and when I woke up in the morning, I looked forward to being in the cheery warmth of the kitchen. I made a large batch of chocolate chip cookies, decorated with red and green M&M's, and some white chocolate cranberry cookies for Sandy. They're one of my favorite flavors, but Sandy has never tried them. I hope she liked them.

I remember back in high school when I tried to make baklava, and bought puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. That was an interesting night...I've been wanting to work with phyllo for a while, but it's one of those things that seemed a little too fussy for everyday eats. So Justin's party gave me the occasion to make these cute little phyllo triangles, spanakopita.

Traditional Greek spanakopita consists of phyllo dough wrapped around a filling of spinach and feta cheese, baked until golden brown. The sheets of phyllo are brushed with butter, and when baked, puff up to create delicate crunchy layers, juxtaposing with the creamy filling. It's a long process only because each triangle has to be wrapped individually, but each step is very simple in itself. The phyllo dough needs to be handled carefully to prevent it from drying out and cracking. Here are some tips on how to work with phyllo.

Spanakopita

1 package phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator

1 onion, diced
2 (10 ounces) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained dry, and chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces feta cheese (plain or flavored)
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

To make the filling:
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add in onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add in the drained spinach and green onions. Salt and pepper according to taste (be careful with the salt, since the feta is salty). Turn the heat off and stir in egg, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, and parsley. Allow filling to cool before proceeding.

Assembly:
Unwrap the phyllo dough from packaging and place flat. Cover with a damp towel (this prevents the dough from drying out and cracking). The thawed phyllo dough should be soft and pliable. There are several ways to fold the phyllo triangles, depending on preferred thickness of the phyllo layer and the overall size of the triangles. Since I was making appetizer-sized ones, I used the following process:
Remove one sheet of phyllo from underneath the damp towel (taking care to cover the rest), and place on work surface, short size facing you. Cut the sheet in half width-wise (cut is parallel to the short side of the sheet). These 2 half-sheets will each make 1 phyllo triangle. Taking 1 half-sheet, brush the lower half with butter and fold the top half over, creating 2 layers. Place a spoonful of filling at one end, about a 1/2 inch from the edge, then fold the dough up like a flag. It's hard to explain in words, so here's a diagram. When you reach the end, brush with a bit of butter to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough.

Fold

Fold some more, brush edge with butter

Done!

Place seam-side down on a baking tray and brush the top with butter. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. Don't stack them until they've cooled completely or they will turn soggy. I promise it's worth the work and it looks so much more complicated than it really is ^^

Warning: NOT for weight-cutters

Bright Sables

2008-12-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sables are tender, rich shortbread cookies popular in France. Dorie Greenspan provides a master recipe in her book Baking From My Home to Yours that makes the basic buttery sable. It's a wonderful base to add other flavors to. Be creative, have fun.

Sables
makes about 50 cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour

Beat butter until smooth and very creamy. Add d the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and silky, not fluffy and airy. Add in the egg yolks and beat until homogenous.

Turn off the mixer and pour in the flour. Pulse the mixture until the flour is moist and incorporated into the dough. Work the dough as little as possible. You're looking for a soft, moist, clumpy (rather than smooth) dough. It should feel like play-doh when you pinch it. Scrap the dough onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the logs for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the chilled dough logs into 1/3-inch thick cookies. Place the rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet with an inch of space between each. Bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom, light golden on the edges, and pale on top. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest before moving them to a rack to cool to room temperature.

Options:

For decorative purposes, you can brush the logs with egg yolk (before cutting) and roll them in clear or colored decorating sugar
Play around with the flavors - I used lemon zest and crushed rose petals (rub the lemon zest with the sugar before beating with the butter)

peace for you

2008-12-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

Dorie Greenspan called these cookies the brainchild of French chef Pierre Herme, declaring it to be as important a culinary breakthrough as Tollhouse cookies. They are chocolate sables, dark with cocoa and flecked with bittersweet chocolate. The surprising and lingering aftertaste as the flavor travels to the back of the tongue is that of salt. Pierre Herme uses fleur de sel, a moist delicate French sea salt. Have you noticed that salt makes sweets taste sweeter and chocolate chocolatier?

When the recipe was published in her first cookbook, it was called Korova cookies. In her new book it is presented under a new name. Her neighbor, upon trying them, was convinced that a daily dose of these cookies is all that is needed to bring lasting planetary peace and happiness. So they were dubbed World Peace Cookies.

World Peace Cookies
Makes about 36 cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tbsp (11 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into little chips

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat butter until soft and creamy. Add in brown and white sugar, salt and vanilla, and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Pour in the dry ingredients and cover bowl with a towel. Pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. If there's still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a few times more; if not, remove the towel. Mix at low speed for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough. It is important to work the dough as little as possible. Toss in the chocolate bits and mix until just combined. (The dough will seem very dry at first, but keep incorporating the dry ingredients into the butter mixture - I did this part by hand with a spatula - and it will eventually come together)

Turn the dough out on a work surface, gather it together and divide in half. Working with one half at a time, shape dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick (I found this to be too thick, I cut mine 1/3 inch thick). If the dough crack when you cut them, just press the pieces back together on the baking sheet. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. They wouldn't look done nor will they look firm, but as they cool they'll harden a bit. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to rest until just warm. They're best served at this point or at room temperature.

new flavors, basic recipe

2008-12-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

I had planned on baking Dorie Greenspan's "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" the other night. Her recipe made almost 4 dozen, so I was going to halve it and modify it to also make some white chocolate cranberry cookies with pistachios. It was late and I had stuff on my mind, so somehow I added in 2 eggs instead of 1 large egg as required. Past experience told me that if I continue with the recipe I'm going to end up with puffy cookies, which I hate. But I was hoping that since the eggs were so small, they would only really be...1 1/2 large eggs. I went ahead and baked off 1 or 2 to try. Nope, puffy and cakey. No good. The dough tastes great though, so I think I'm going to freeze it and use it in cookie dough ice cream later on. Or eat it straight when The Small One comes over. Shhh...

Fast forward to this morning. I decided to use my tried and true basic cookie recipe since I was baking for my friend, and didn't want to mess up again. I've used the recipe for chocolate chunk cookies, chocolate walnut, white chocolate cranberry, etc. I was making white chocolate cranberry cookies with pistachios today. The pistachios I bought were shelled and raw, so I toasted them slightly in a dry pan, and tossed them in.

Nom nom nom...lucky I gave most of these away

Pumpkin Harvest Muffins

2008-12-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

The weather is finally nippy, the wind carrying winter's snappy chill. I like walking down the street with my coat pulled tight around me, with the sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet. The trees, now barren of once-brilliant foliage, wave their branching forms, both desolate and hauntingly beautiful. The sun engages in a game of hide-and-go-seek, peeking out once in a while to cast its glow over the otherwise darkened days.

I like baking in pajamas and fuzzy slippers, with Regina Spektor and Jason Mraz playing in the background. I surround myself with the flavors of the season and the smell of warming spices. There's pumpkin and cranberries, figs and walnuts, cinnamon and ginger and cloves and nutmeg. It is time to celebrate.

Pumpkin Harvest Muffins
Makes 12-14 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk+ 1/4 tsp lemon juice (or 1/4 cup buttermilk)
3-4 dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup frozen cranberries, chopped

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Beat butter until soft, and add in both sugars. Continue beating until light and smooth. Add the eggs one by one, waiting until the previous one has completely incorporated before adding the next. Add in vanilla, pumpkin puree, and milk. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing only until the dry bits disappear. Using a spatula, fold in figs, walnuts, and cranberries. The batter will be stiff.

Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, an ice cream scope will come in handy. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a knife come out of the center clean. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature, or split and toast them, plain or with butter and jam.

Roses and Mooncakes

2008-12-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

My mom started making her own mooncakes two years ago. Every Autumn Festival, I would adamantly insist on her sending me a box. Her first batches were pattern-less, resembling little flat cakes, still delicious nonetheless. When she went back to China over the summer, she hunted everywhere for traditional mooncake molds, to no avails. Then she told me of how grandma went out early one morning and came back with one. She never told us how she got it, and we never asked :)

Mom and I were never fans of the traditional egg yolk mooncakes, deeming the filling too sweet and rich and the dough too heavy. Instead mom created this one - a mixture of nuts and sometimes dried fruits, sweetened with honey and bespeckled with crushed rose petals. Everything is surrounded with a layer of oil-based dough and then a water-based one. The resultant pastry is flaky and tender, the filling multi-faceted.

There's no recipe yet. We did everything by taste, feel, and experience. When I have time, I'll work out the exact amounts. But for now, enjoy the pictures...

Beautiful isn't it?

rose for tea, petals ready to be crushed

mixed in with a combination of pinenuts, peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seed, oil, and honey

wrapped in two types of dough, pressed into mooncake mold

brushed with egg white and ready for the oven and then to eat

Pumpkin...Not Pie!

2008-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, the picture sucks. I'm sorry. I took it under my kitchen light, which never looks as good as natural light. The coloring is usually a little too orange-y if I'm using the 'indoors' setting or too washed out and sickly if I use the 'tungsten'. Oh well, I'm negotiating with my parents for an SLR camera for Christmas. So far the best answer I've gotten is "We'll get it for you as a wedding present" O_o

About the actual goods though, this is one of Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten's unfailing recipes. I've been eyeing her pumpkin banana mousse tart for a while now, and finally found the time and occasion to make it. I brought it to a pre-Thanksgiving dinner (yes, this post is about 2 weeks late) in lieu of a traditional pumpkin pie.

This tart is much lighter and less cloying than a pumpkin pie. After a heavy meal especially, a slice of this will satisfy the sweet tooth but wouldn't make you keel over in a food coma and sugar crash. The crust is a classic graham cracker crust scented with cinnamon, baked til crisp. The filling of pumpkin puree and spices is lightened with whipped cream and brightened with a bit of orange zest. The banana adds an extra little something. The whole creation is a wonderful contrast of textures and harmonious blending of flavors. An elegant variation on an old classic.

Pumpking Banana Mousse Tart
Modified from Barefoot Contessa

For the Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Filling:
1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks
1 package (2 tsp) unflavored gelatin
1 ripe banana, finely mashed
1 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar

For the Decoration:
Cold heavy cream
Sugar to sweeten
Splash of vanilla extract

To make the Crust:
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix in melted and cooled butter until crumbs are moistened. Press into a 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, starting from the bottom and then up to the sides. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To make the filling:
In a double boiler over simmer water, stir together pumpkin, half-and-half, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined and hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir in some of the pumpkin mixture into the eggs to temper them. Add the yolks back into the pumpkin mixture and stir well. Cook the mixture until thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, orange zest, and mashed bananas to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Set aside and cool completely.

Whip 1/2 cup cold heavy cream with sugar until firm peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours to overnight.

For decoration, whip the chilled heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract until firm peaks. Either pipe using a piping bag or simply spoon the whipped cream onto tart.

Serve chilled.

Daring Bakers - Caramel Cake

2008-11-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

November's challenge features Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater and her signature caramel cake with caramelized butter frosting. There's something so appropriate about the rich dark flavor of caramel in this season, something warm and welcoming. Of course, I'm baking under the sunny and cloudless skies of southern California, so it doesn't quite have its autumn feel, but it's a wonderful choice regardless. Thank you to Dolores (Culinary Curiosity), Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie Duo), and Jenny (Foray into Food) for hosting.

Caramel Cake
From http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006 … he-recipe/

10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup caramel syrup (see below)
2 eggs, at room temperature
a splash vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a tall 9" round cake pan.

Beat butter at high speed until light. Add in sugar and salt and cream until airy and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into the butter and sugar mixture. Scrap down bowl and increase speed. Add beaten eggs and vanilla a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrap down bowl again and beat until light and uniform.

Sift together flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to the lowest setting and add in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat until just combined and slowly add in 1/2 of the milk. Beat until incorporated and add in another 1/3 of the flour, the other half of the milk, and finish with the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure the batter is uniform. Pour batter into the prepared 9" pan, and place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate cake and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The cake is done when the sides pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the midde comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

Caramel Syrup

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (to "stop" the caramel)

In a tall stainless steel saucepan, mix 1/2 cup water with the sugar until mixture resembles wet sand. Brush any stray sugar crystals into the mixture. Turn the heat onto high and cook until smoking slightly. The syrup should be dark amber.

Once color is achieved, slowly add in 1 cup of water. Caramel will sputter and jump, so be very careful. It's helpful to wear oven mitts and to use a lid when adding the water.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly. It'll feel sticky on your fingers (make sure caramel has cooled before testing this). The resulting mixture should resemble warmed maple syrup. Store at room temperature for up to a few days (it'll thicken).

Caramelized Butter Frosting

12 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
4-6 tbsp heavy cream OR 2-4 tbsp caramel syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
salt to taste

Melt butter in a pan and cook until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve and let cool.

Pour cooled butter into a mixing bowl, add in vanilla, and start adding in confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take more, add in some cream or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture is smooth and all the sugar is incorporated. Salt to taste.

v

Daring Bakers - Pizza!

2008-10-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was hosted by Rosa from Rosa's Yummy Yums and dedicated to the late Sher of What Did You Eat.

We were called upon to make our own crust and to top it with toppings of our choice. I was really excited about this challenge because I love nontraditional toppings and looked forward to the opportunity to make pizza my way. Rosa's recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice promised a "tasty, thin, crispy, yet chewy pizza crust". And it delivered. The technique used is cold fermentation with the first rise happening overnight in the fridge. The dough was quick and simple, coming together smoothly by hand. It was extremely elastic and pliable, stretching easily when I went to toss it (something I was really bad at). I've only had the chance to make one pizza, but I still have 7-8 small dough balls in the freezer, so it's going to be a delicious few weeks.

Basic Pizza Dough
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches)

4 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten (14%) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled (I used all purpose)
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but better with)
1 3/4 cup water, ice cold
1 tbsp sugar
semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Day 1:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the water, oil, and sugar. Mix well and then knead to a smooth ball (about 5-7 minutes).

Dust a board and pour some oil into a large bowl. Turn the dough out onto the floured board and cut into 6 pieces, or smaller if you're making smaller pizzas. Coat in oil (especially if you're storing the dough in the freezer) and wrap in plastic. Dough can rest in the fridge for 2-3 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Just be sure to move the frozen dough to the fridge the night before you plan on making the pizza.

Day 2:
About 2 hours before you're planning on making the pizza, take the dough out of the fridge and place them on a dusted board. Gently press the dough balls into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Cover lightly and let them rise for 2 hours.

45 minutes before you are ready to make the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees and heat up your pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, a regular baking sheet would work, just don't preheat it. Toss or press the dough into desired size. Sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal or durum flour and lay the dough on top.

Now go to town with the toppings! Once you've topped to your heart's content (remember that less is usually better in this case), bake in the preheated 500 degrees oven for 8-10 minutes.

I made my personal pizza with:

Roasted garlic white sauce
Caramelized onions
Yellow and green squash
Mozzarella, Asiago, Provolone, Parmesan shredded cheese blend
Greek feta crumbles

The roasted garlic white sauce was just a basic roux and milk sauce base with mashed roasted garlic stirred in, seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

The red onions were cut thin, then sauteed in olive oil over low heat until they're soft and caramelized (about 25-30 minutes since I didn't make much). A pinch of salt sped up the process.

The yellow and green squash were cut into thin rounds, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and briefly grilled.

And assemblage:

sauce and 4-cheese blend

caramelized onions go on top

grilled squash and feta cheese

Baked and ready to eat ^^

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2008-10-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Black bottom cupcakes - the baby of moist chocolate cake and silky cheesecake - what's there not to love ^^

I made some regular ones and some with thickened cherry juice in the chocolate batter, then topped them with whole preserved cherries.

Black Bottom Cupcakes
makes 2o regular size cupcakes

For chocolate batter:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For cream cheese filling:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

To make the chocolate batter:
Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and add in milk, yogurt, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.

To make cream cheese filling:
Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.

To assemble:
Line standard-size cupcake pans with liner or grease lightly. Fill no more than 1/2 way with the chocolate mixture. Add about 1-2 tbsp of the cream cheese filling on top. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for about 20 minutes.

"Kimchee" Fried Rice

2008-10-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Came back from my midterm at 3 pm having eaten nothing all day, and made this mock kimchee fried rice. I didn't have any kimchee but I did have napa cabbage that needed to be used up. So I tossed that in and seasoned it with garlic, gochujang and vinegar. Add in some chicken, red onions, soy sauce, and ketchup (yes, ketchup), top it off with a fried egg, and lunch/dinner is served.

Stirfry

2008-10-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

ingredient list (in no particular order): broccoli, red onion, chicken, garlic, ginger, cherry tomatoes, fish sauce, soy sauce, cooking wine, thai red curry paste, crunchy peanut butter, salt, chili flakes

Hello Fall...

2008-10-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it doesn't feel like fall up here in the Bay Area. The days have been clear and pleasantly warm. But the spirit of fall is here, and with it the welcoming excitement of the holiday season. Soon the fiery leaves will dance in the snappy breeze, scarves and gloves will make an appearance, and fireplaces will alight with cheery flames. It's time to bust out the roasting pans and pie dishes, for the house to smell like turkey and spices. But first up...Halloween :)

My friend Agnes hosted a pumpkin carving party this weekend (she was aghast that so many of us have been deprived of attacking giant orange things with knives). The weather was gorgeous in Marin on Saturday and a group of us frolicked in the pumpkin patch, doing the whole wheelbarrow thing and everything. Here's our handiwork, all lit up...

I made cornbread for the occasion. I like the moist, sweet, cake-like cornbread, so that's what I made. Apparently, this style isn't traditional Southern. But I prefer it this way. Everything is made in one pot, so easy cleanup. I used just shy of 2/3 cup of sugar in this and drizzle the top of the batter with honey (which explains the crosshatch pattern in the picture) before baking. It's definitely on the sweet side and in this case I didn't mind it (but I have been having a major sweet tooth this weekend). You might want to decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup or even less.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (from allrecipes)
Make 1 8x8 square pan

1 stick butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar added in)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Melt butter in a pot. Remove from heat and add in sugar. Add in eggs and whisk quickly to prevent eggs from curdling. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into butter mixture. Add in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir until combined and a few lumps remain.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

------
Edit
------
I made another batch tonight and played around the recipe to reduce the fat. So here's what I came up with. The procedure is the same.

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 cup non-fat milk + 1/2 tsp vinegar
2 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda (I added extra by accident)
1/4 tsp salt

This version was moist and tasty as well, but not as dense as the original. The texture was quite spongy and light.

Croque-Madame

2008-10-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

Traditionally a hot ham-and-cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg. My version features...things I had in the fridge. Yep grocery day is fast approaching. This is made with Gruyere cheese, oven-roasted turkey, and grilled zucchinis. A thin layer of honey mustard and a fried egg, sunny-side-up tops things off. Enjoy with a knife and fork.

Sweet Clover Rolls

2008-10-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

The lovely and talented Miriam baked crescent rolls using this recipe a few weeks ago. Served with honey butter, they were amazingly good. Here's my rendition.

Sweet Clover Rolls
makes 18 rolls

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Heat up water, milk, sugar, and butter until butter is melted and liquid is warm. Sprinkle on yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 10-15 minutes to revive the yeast; the end mixture should be foamy.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, beaten egg, and salt. Add the flour cup by cup to form a smooth dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour. Pinch off about 1-inch rounds and place 3 of them in one muffin tin. They'll bake into pretty clovers. Let them rise for another 20 minutes, then bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 11-13 minutes until they are golden brown.

Serve with honey butter, and try to not eat the whole batch in one sitting.

I made 12 of these clover rolls and used the rest for miniature cinnamon rolls. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread with softened butter, sprinkle with lots of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, and then roll tightly. Slice into 1 1/4" thick rolls and place into a butter pan. Let it rise for 20 minutes and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Friday Brunch and a Scone Recipe

2008-10-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

My friend and I cooked brunch this morning, which was a much nicer than going to Genetics. He asked for Eggs Benedict, which I never made before (and now that I have, I don't know why I didn't). English muffin (toasted BOTH sides), Canadian Bacon (or black forest ham in our case), poached egg (yolks runny please), topped with lemony-buttery Hollandaise sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce
2 servings
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup melted butter, kept warm
lemon juice
salt
cayenne pepper

In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice until thick and doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly drizzle in warm melted butter, whisking the entire time to prevent the sauce from breaking. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Keep warm until serving.

I also made raspberry scones so we would have something to eat if the Eggs Benedict failed. I toyed with the idea of trying a new recipe. I like the one from Tyler Florence too much and I've had enough bad experiences with scone recipes. But I modified this one from Allrecipes and it turned out quite well.

The trick to good scones is cold butter and cold cream. Don't skimp on either- I've made scones with margarine and milk and it just isn't the same. I added fresh raspberries to mine, but these would be great with all sorts of add-ins. For sweet, try ginger-cinnamon, lemon-blueberry, fresh peach, fig-walnut, chocolate, etc. For savory, add in shredded cheese, ham, and different herbs.

Raspberry Almond Scones
Makes 10 large scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1/2 cup cream
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
handful slivered or sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cold butter so that the mixture resemble coarse meal. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, cream, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Press the dough into a ball with your hands. There may be some dry spots, but just press until everything comes together.

Add in almonds. Gently fold in raspberries, taking care to not break them up too much. Form 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Brush the top of the scones with cream or beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

A birthday cake for my friends Mikey and Dana. Mikey, being the true Korean he is, asked for a sseng cream cake with lots of fruit. This is my rendition: light vanilla chiffon cake layered with white chocolate mousse, fresh fruit, and sweetened whipped cream.

For chiffon cake:
Adapted from Technicolor Kitchen
8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of 3 9" cake pans with parchment paper, but do not grease the pan.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, oil, vanilla extract, and water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add in 1/2 cup of water and beat until whites reach soft peaks.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, the rest of the sugar (1 cup), baking soda, and salt. Add in yolk mixture and beat to form a smooth paste. Stir in 1/4 of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, being careful to not deflate them too much.

Divide the batter into the 3 prepared pans. Bake for about 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pan before unmolding. Invert, and carefully feel off the parchment liner. Be sure the cake is cooled completely before assembling.

For Sweetened Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until medium peaks. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

To assemble:

Place 1 layer of the cooled cake on cake stand or serving plate. Spread on chocolate mousse. Add in diced peaches.

Place another layer on top, pressing down slightly. Spread on whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries.

Place the final layer on top. Do a crumb coat frosting with the whipped cream and place cake in the fridge to set up. Then frost the whole cake again. Decorate the top with fresh fruit.

Open Sesame

2008-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

I bookmarked this recipe from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert over 3 months ago, and made this cake twice within the past week. My dad came to visit last week, and I sent him back home with a box of treats - simple chocolate walnut cookies for the young one and something more refined for my mom. My mom, being so incredible in the kitchen, is definitely one with a discerning palate. Whenever she approves of something I make, I know that it has to be good. She called a few nights later, saying that she quite enjoyed this.

I changed the original recipe a bit, mainly to intensify the sesame flavor and to introduce a floral sweetness from the honey. My modifications are in blue. The cake is light and spongy, fragrant from the sesame oil, and flecked with black sesame seeds. Tasty and pretty.

Honey Sesame Cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil (I upped it to 2 tbsp)*
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup honey)
1/2 cup buttermilk (I added 1/2 tbsp lemon juice to 1/2 cup whole milk)
1/4 cup toasted black sesame seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8" cake pan.

In a small bowl, beat together eggs, sesame oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add in sugar and honey and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in egg mixture. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until flour is just combined. Add in 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Beat in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the last 1/3 of the flour. Stir in sesame seeds.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of honey.

*It is very important to use fresh toasted sesame seed oil. Untoasted wouldn't impart nearly enough flavor (and it sucks for everything else too), and rancid oil is just bad in general.

And while we're on the topic of sesame, meet zhi ma qiu (Chinese for sesame ball ^^). He's cute huh?

Baked Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

2008-09-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Imagine holding a small ramekin in one hand, a spoon in another, the warm aroma of chocolate tickling your nose, the dusting of powdered sugar speckling the dark surface. The spoon slips in, and the smooth richness spreads over your palate, the intense chocolate melting on your tongue.

A recipe with 5 simple ingredients - make and enjoy ~

Baked Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse
from Kitchen Wench
makes for 8 ramekins

170 g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk (water or coffee, or 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1 1/2 tbsp liquor of your choice (rum, amaretto, brandy, etc.) - optional
3 large eggs
3 tbsp sugar

Melt chocolate over a double boiler with milk until smooth. Remove from heat and add in liquor if using it.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar using an electric beater until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. The eggs should be pale and have the appearance of soft whipped cream.

Fold in 1/4 of the eggs into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. This will lighten the chocolate and prepare it for the addition of the rest of the egg. In 2 stages, gently fold in the remaining egg mixture, being careful to not deflate it. Divide among ramekins and place ramekins in a baking pan.

Fill the baking pan with boiling water until it come halfway up the ramekin. Make sure that no water actually gets into the chocolate mixture. Bake in a preheated 320 F for 15-18 minutes, until the top is barely set. Allow mousse to cool (or not) before serving. Garnish with fruit, whipped cream, powdered sugar, etc.

Daring Bakers - Eclairs

2008-08-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Eclairs. The word rolls off the tongue, smooth and silky, arousing images of Parisian cafes and glass-paneled patisseries, shiny chocolate glaze and luscious swirls of pastry cream.

I remember browsing the pastry case at cake shops, looking at the beautifully crafted fruit tarts and lusting after the dark mysteries of chocolate torte. Eclairs drew my eyes though, as something always constant, always delicious.

I remember going to Costco and buying the frozen cream puffs or eclairs filled with Bavarian cream. It was always a question of just how many I will allow myself to have in one sitting. They suggested serving them slightly thawed. But I always preferred them right out of the freezer, liking the way the cold cream warms and melts on my tongue.

Therefore, I was ecstatic to learn that this week's challenge is eclairs. And the recipe is from none other than the remarkable Pierre Herme. Of course, I put off making them until the very end. *sigh* Everything came together nicely though. There's a batch of baked puffs cooling right now, waiting to be filled.

I made the dough on Friday. It was quick and painless, very very cooperative. I don't think the dough was as loose as the recipe saids it should be, but it still turned out well nonetheless. I realized as I grabbed my piping set that I had lost a coupler for my tips, so I couldn't use the giant tip I bought and was so excited to use. Instead I spooned the puff dough onto the baking sheet, and made them quite a bit larger than I probably should have. I let them bake an extra 5-10 minutes longer to compensate. I made a third of the dough into long eclairs shape, and spooned the rest in round dollops for cream puffs. I froze those and baked them after thawing this morning.

The pastry cream recipe I followed to a T and finally broke the curse of the lumpy pastry cream that has haunted me...since I started baking. It was delicious and very easy to make. I kept things simple with vanilla and chocolate, but there's plenty of room for experimentation.

I actually didn't make the listed chocolate glaze recipe. I still had ganache in the fridge from my chocolate caramel tartlettes so I heated some of that with a bit of whole milk. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, I spooned that onto the top of my eclairs.

Cream Puff Dough:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs

In a medium sauce pan, bring milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil.

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium and add all the flour in at once. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough should come together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it's suppose to happen. Keep stirring a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. At this time, the dough will be very soft and smooth.

Transfer the dough into a bowl. With a wooden spoon or better yet, a electric mixture, beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until the previous one has been incorporated into the dough. The dough may separate during this process, but at the end should come together, leaving you with a thick and shiny dough.

While the dough is warm, spoon or pipe 4 to 4 1/2 inch chubby fingers onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space to allow them room to puff. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oven door to keep it slightly ajar and bake for another 5 minutes. Rotate the pan at this time and bake a further 8 minutes. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes. The eclairs should be puffed, golden, firm, and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Pastry Cream:
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
6 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch, sifted
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (for half the pastry cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract (for half the pastry cream)

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to boil. In the meantime, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Still whisking the yolk mixture, slowly drizzle in about half of the boiling milk. This will temper the eggs. Strain the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan (on medium heat) to remove any bits of scrambled eggs and whisk vigorously until the mixture thickens. Continue whisking for 1 to 2 more minutes.

At this point, you can add in your flavorings. I split the pastry cream in 2 and added melted chocolate to one and vanilla extract to the other. Once the flavorings are incorporated, take the pan off the heat and cooled the cream in ice water. Stir in the butter in 3 to 4 installments, and continue stirring until the cream is completely cooled. Store in the fridge until ready to fill.

Chocolate Glaze:
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 tsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
7 tbsp chocolate sauce (see below), warm or at room temperature

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly add in the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Stir in butter, piece by piece, followed by chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce:
4 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup creme fraiche, or heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens. The sauce is done when it coats the back of your spoon (may take 10-15 minutes).

To Assemble:
Once the eclairs (or puffs) have cooled, slice them horizontally in half, using a serrated knife. Set aside the bottoms while you glaze the top. Spread the barely warm chocolate glaze on top of the eclairs using a knife or metal icing spatula. Will the glaze set, fill the bottom with pastry cream.

hello summer...good-bye summer...

2008-08-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

I made this a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to post. This is another one of Dorie Greenspan's recipes. But really it's more of a method (God, I sound like Rachel Ray). The crust is very versatile and can be used for regular pies or hand pies. The filling is entirely reliant on your whim. My roommate brought home some gorgeous plums, so that's what I used.

Summer Fruit Galette

Crust:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 stick (10 tbsp) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tbsp very cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces (I replaced with cream cheese)
about 1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
2-3 tbsp jam or marmalade
4 plums, pitted and sliced
about 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs (I used finely crushed granola)

To make crust:
Mix flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Cut in cold butter and shortening (or cream cheese) until pea-sized pieces form. Add in ice water 1 tbsp at a time and stir until dough comes together when pinched. Do not overwork the dough. Turn out onto a work surface and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

When ready to roll, place chilled dough on a floured work surface. Roll out into a large 1/8-inch-thick circle. Trim the dough to a 13-inch diameter. Lightly trace a 9-inch circle in the center of the dough, the area for the filling.

To Assemble:
Spread some jam within the filling area. Scatter over the graham cracker crumbs. These two steps will prevent the crust from becoming soggy. Arrange the plum slices on top of the cracker crumbs. Fold the outside edge of the crust on top of the plums, allowing the dough to fold naturally. Brush the dough with water and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a 425 preheated oven

Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tartlettes

2008-08-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine ordered something for me a few months ago, and in return asked me to simply bake for him. I guess I was flattered that he held my baking skills in such high regard that he would take that over actual payment. He wanted something chocolatey. And so here it is, a little late, but nonetheless a sign of my appreciation. For you, my creme-brulee-loving friend, is Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart.

This is great in small doses, rich with chocolate, cream and butter. It's simple yet very decadent.

Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus
1 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and frozen) 1 large egg yolk

Caramel:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, sifted
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp salted butter (at room temperature and cut small)
a pinch salt if using unsalted butter

Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature and cut small)

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

To Make Sweet Tart Dough:
Put flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until butter is coarsely cut in. Stir the yolk and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in process in long pulses (about 10 seconds each) until the dough forms clumps. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and lightly knead to incorporate any dry ingredients. Butter a 9-inch fluted pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You should save a little piece to do patchwork with later. The crust should still be crumbly, just be sure that the edges of the pieces cling to each other. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 25 minutes (for a partially baked crust). To fully bake a crust (as in this tart), remove the foil, press down the crust slightly if it has puffed, and bake for another 8 minutes or so, until firm and golden brown.

For the Caramel:
Bring the heavy cream to boil. In another skillet over medium heat, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of sugar. When it melts, stir with a wooden spatula or fork and sprinkle over another 3 tablespoons. When that sugar has melted, add in another 2 tablespoons. Stir in corn syrup and boil teh syrup until it reaches a deep caramel color. Don't worry if it begins to smoke. Stand back from the skillet and add in butter and salt if you are using it. The caramel will bubble and sputter. When the butter is in, add the warm cream. The caramel will bubble again. Lower the temperature a bit and let the caramel boil for 2 minutes (candy thermometer should read 226 degrees F). Let cool.

For the Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to boil and pour half of it over the chocolate, allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Stir in concentric circles, starting in the center and working your way outward. Pour in the remaining half of the cream and blend in the chocolate until smooth. Add in the butter piece by piece, stirring just enough to blend the ingredients. The less you work it, the shinier, darker, and smoother the chocolate will be. Cover the ganache with a plastic wrap right up against the surface of the ganache. Set aside at room temperature or refrigerate if not using immediately.

To Assemble:
Stir the chopped peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled too much and turned hard, gently warm it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Spread the caramel in a thin layer over the bottom of the cooled tart shell. Refrigerate tart for 15 minutes to set the caramel layer. Pour the ganache over the caramel, making sure there are no air bubbles. Refrigerate assembled tart for 30 minutes (no longer) and keep at room temperature until serving time.

That recipe being said, I made a few changes. I made individual tartlettes, and used a different method for making the caramel. Mine is made with caramel candy and a touch of heavy bream, melted together. The resulting caramel will harden quite quickly upon cooling, so I just keep it in the pot I made it, and heat it up briefly before use. I also used pecans instead of peanuts. As for the tart crust, it was ok. I was a little nervous making it because the crust is so crumbly. It is very short-bread like, while I like a tighter, moister crust. The tart, or rather tartlettes, got good reviews.

lunch from jamie oliver, snack from tyler florence....

2008-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Scones
Makes 8 (very large) scones

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
a pinch salt
5 tbsp cold butter, in small pieces
1 cup cold heavy cream
3/4 cup blueberries

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or simply a fork or 2, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should look like coarse meal. Make a well in the center and pour in the cold cream. Stir until the dough just comes together, be sure to not overmix. There will be some dry spots at the bottom of the bowl, but they should come together when you pinch them. The dough should not be sticky. Gently fold in the blueberries. It's best to use your hands for this to prevent breaking the berries (unless you like a blue scone).

Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured board, and pat into about a 12 x 3 x 1 1/4 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half and then half again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut each of these squares diagonally into the traditional triangular shape. Place the scones onto an ungreased cookie sheet and brush with cream. Sprinkle the top with sugar for decorative purposes.

Bake the scones in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

These scones are delicious, moist and tender, with a nice crunchy top. They're not very sweet, so you might want to consider a glaze on top (Tyler suggested lemon). I also found it too troublesome to roll these out because the berries are so fragile, so I usually just form round, drop scones. I made about 12 good-sized ones with this recipe; making 8 would result in rather large ones. You can substitute blueberries for other fruit (i.e. raspberries are quite nice) or use this recipe as a base for other flavors. I added almond extract and chopped almonds to some, then sprinkled the top with slivered almonds. Try stirring in some chocolate bits for a sweeter treat.

something decadent...summer carbonara

2008-07-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Jamie Oliver was on this morning, tempting me with a beautiful recipe of zucchini carbonara. I scanned my fridge, decided that I have the ingredients necessary for it, and made my rendition of this classic Italian dish.

Classic carbonara is made with heavy cream, egg yolks, cheese (usually parmesan or precorino), and pancetta. Jamie added summer zucchinis and fresh thyme. I decided to forgo the bacon, and added in yellow squash, mushrooms, and pencil asparagus (everything I have in the fridge). It was quite good :)

Summer Carbonara
serves 4-6

6 squash (yellow or green) or zucchinis
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced asparagus
2 garlic, minced
1 pound penne
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 handfuls of freshly grated parmesan cheese
splash of white wine
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
fresh or dried Italian herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc.)

Add salt to a pot of boiling water. Drop in your penne, giving it a stir once in a while to prevent sticking. Cook it according to the package instructions.

To make the sauce, whisk together the egg yolks, heavy cream, and white wine. Stir in half the parmesan cheese and season with black pepper. Set aside.

Slice the squash into half moons or sticks. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a heated, large, high-sided pan pan (so you can toss your pasta afterwards). Once the oil is hot, add in the zucchini and garlic. In about 30 seconds, toss in the sliced asparagus and mushrooms. Season with pepper and herbs. Sautee the vegetables until the squash and mushrooms are golden. Add salt to taste.

The pasta should be cooked to al dente by now. Strain them and add to the vegetable mixture, but be sure to save the pasta water. Turn off the heat under your pan and work quickly. Add in a ladle of the pasta water and your cream sauce mixture. Stir everything together quickly (no more cooking, otherwise you'll scramble the egg). Add in the rest of the parmesan cheese and more pasta water if needed. The resulting sauce should be smooth and shiny. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve right away.

Summer Fruit Tart

2008-07-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my friend Aileen's 22nd birthday, and she had a little potluck get-together to celebrate. Originally I was just going to make a mixed berry salad (I was feeling lazy), stopping by Berkeley Bowl in the morning for a wonderful selection of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. But then I decided I could spare some effort, and instead made this fresh berry tart.

The tart has a sweet butter crust, blind-baked and cooled. The cooled shell is brushed with a layer of melted preserve to prevent it from becoming soggy. Inside is a filling of vanilla custard, made with vanilla pudding and whipped cream. Fresh fruits top the whole thing off.

Summer Fruit Tart
Yield 1 10'' tart

1 recipe sweet butter crust

Filling: 1/2 of a 3-oz package of vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream

Fresh fruits (sliced peaches, sliced kiwis, berries, etc.)
Strawberry preserve, heated until melted

For pastry crust: Assemble as instructed here. Place the crust into a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and baked through. Cool completely before use.

For filling: Whisk together milk and pudding mix until well blended and thickened. Beat heavy cream in a clean bowl until stiff peaks stage. Gently fold the whipped cream into pudding. Refrigerate until use.

To Assemble: Brush cooled pie crust with melted preserve. Pour filling into cooled pie crust, about 2/3 full (you may have filling left over). Arrange fruits on top. If desired, brush fruits with glaze also.

The recipe lends itself to many variations - from the flavoring of the custard filling to the fruit topping. It is also an opportunity to showcase some creative design in the arrangement of the fruits. I found out that I'm terribly unartistic, and spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out how I can make the tart look decently presentable.

As for the cheat on the filling using vanilla pudding mix, I have to admit that my attempts at pastry cream and custards have failed in the past. Since I was rushed for time, I decided to go with the mix.

Daring Bakers - Danish Braid (chocolate croissants, etc.)

2008-07-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Finally. I'm sorry I'm so so late for June's challenge. I've been busy getting settled with my internship, continuing with Taekwondo and starting Judo. I've also ran out of eggs and sugar (how is that possible in my kitchen?!) I finally finished the laminated dough yesterday and assembled and baked the pastries today.

I was really excited for this challenge. I love croissants and danishes and I looked forward to playing around with different flavor combinations. I've been leery of making laminated dough before because of the sheer amount of butter involved. But after making buttercream that calls for 3 sticks of butter, 2 doesn't seem so bad ^.*

I made enough dough for 2 whole danish braids, but I'm taking my time baking them off. I know if I bake it all, I'll also eat it all. I used a third of the dough today for 2 small braids, 2 mini plain croissants, a chocolate croissant, and a pinwheel danish. I filled some of them with the caramel apple filling and the rest with bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate filling was just a small block of Belgian bittersweet chocolate. Once the chocolate croissant and braid had cooled a bit, I drizzled them with melted bittersweet chocolate. OMG, so good. I have to give the rest away before I eat it all.

For the dough (detrempe):
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

For detrempe:

1 tbsp active yeast
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely grated (omitted)
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (omitted)
3/4 tsp ground cardamom (omitted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (omitted)
2 large eggs, chilled, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

For beurrage (butter block):

2 sticks cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

To make dough:

Detrempe (direction for manual method):

Combine yeast and milk in a bowl. Add in beaten egg, orange juice, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, vanilla bean, and zest. Mix until well blended.
In another bowl sift together flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients.
Bring the flour into the wet mixture. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Add more flour if it is sticky (the feel of the dough depends on the humidity). Transfer the dough ball into a floured board and pat into a rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Beurrage:

Cut butter into small cubes or grate using a box grater
Combine butter and flour in a bowl with high sides and beat until smooth and lump-free
I cubed my butter and tried to use a hand-held electric mixer on it. I got flying pieces of butter everywhere. So instead I mashed the butter into the flour with the back of a spoon, then used the mixer to smooth it out at the end. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To make laminated dough:

After the detrempe has chilled for 30 minutes, turn it out onto a slightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 18x13 inch rectangle (approximately 1/4 inch thick).
Spread the butter on the right 2/3 of the dough. Fold the left 1/3 (the portion without butter) to the right, covering half the butter. Fold the right 1/3 of the rectangle over the center third. You should never fold butter onto itself. This is the first turn. Wrap the rectangle and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the dough lengthwise on a floured surface (the short ends should be to your left and right). Roll the dough into another 18x13 inch rectangle (approximately 1/4 inch thick) Again, fold the left 1/3 over the center third and the right 1/3 over the center third. This is the second turn. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Repeat the process two more times for a total of 4 turns. After the final turn, refrigerate the dough for 5 hours or overnight. If not using the dough within 24 hours, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator for easy handling.

Caramel Apple Filling
Makes enough for 2 braids

4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (omitted)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used orange)
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat until slightly brown and nutty. Add the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice. Saute for 10-15 minutes until apples are softened and the butter sugar mixture has reduced to coat the apple slices in luscious strands. Let the apples cool completely before using as a filling (and try to avoid eating all of them). Leftover apples can be used as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake, oatmeal, or just eaten straight out of the bowl.

Danish Braid

1/2 recipe of the above danish dough
1 cup apple filling, jam, preserves, etc.
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk (for egg wash)

To assemble:

Roll danish dough into a 15x20 rectangle (1/4 inch thick). Place on a parchment-papered baking sheet to assemble.
Along the long side of the pasty, make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts, each about 1-inch apart, making sure to line up the cuts with the other side.
Spoon the filling of your choice down the center of the rectangle.
Starting with the top and bottom "flaps", fold the top flat down and the bottom flat up to cover the filling. Next fold the side strips over the filling, alternating left and right, until finished.
Beat together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.
I was out of eggs by this point, so I just brushed the pastries with milk.

To Proof and Bake:

Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch. My braid didn't rise too much during this process.
Near the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 15- 20 minutes more, or until golden brown. The baking time will be shortened if you are making smaller braids or danishes.
Since my braids and danishes were smaller, I only baked them for 8-10 minutes after reducing the temperature.
Cool and serve the braid either warm from the oven or at room temperature.

fold left 1/3 over middle 1/3

fold right 1/3 over middle 1/3

Ddeokbokki

2008-07-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular beliefs (and this blog), I don't just eat sweets. Cooking is therapeutic for me, and in most cases, a lot less stressful than baking. With the specific chemistry involved in baking, missing a little of this or that could mean the difference between a beautifully puffed cake and a flat piece of cardboard (believe me, I've done that). I like the flexibility and forgiving nature of cooking, as well as its proclivity for creative experimentation.

Truth be told, I never had much Korean food before I came to Berkeley. But since I'm now part of a Korean martial arts team, headed by a very Korean master, surrounded by Korean teammates, it's a guarantee that most meals out are going to be Korean food. Not that I mind. One of my favorite restaurants in this area is little hole-in-the-wall place with barred front doors next to "Big Daddy's Chinese Restaurant" (no kidding). I think I had ddeokbokki for the first time there. Ddeokbokki is a homey dish of sauteed rice cake in a spicy sauce. The soft and chewy ddeok are colored a brillant red from the gochugang paste, tamed by the sweet from brown sugar and tang from tomato sauce. Since cooking is a method, I didn't provide a detailed recipe. I urge you to experiment with your own sauce and to create one with a balanced flavor that you like. Also, you can toss in whatever meats and vegetables you would like. This is a rustic dish, and everyone makes it a little differently.

Ddeokbokki

Rice cake or stick
sliced onions
sliced green onions
sliced cabbage
crushed garlic
fish cake, chicken, or other meats
corn starch
cooking wine

gochujang (1.5:1 ratio with sugar)
brown sugar
ketchup
soysauce

If using meat, slice thinly and marinate in soysauce and cooking wine (enough to moisten). Add corn starch to coat (this will make a protective coating for the meat to keep it tender when cooking). Heat oil in a pan, add in meat and saute until 85% cooked. Remove.

Add more oil if needed and saute onions, cabbage, and garlic for a minute. Add in rice cake and cook for an additional minute. In the mean time, mix together gochujang, sugar, ketchup and soysauce. Add to cooking rice cakes. Add in sliced fish cakes (if using) or meat and cook for an additional minute. Finally toss in the green onions and cook for another 30 seconds. The rice cakes should be soft but not mushy and the vegetables and meat cooked.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

2008-06-24T00:44:00.000-07:00

This cake may be my new favorite thing. The delicate crumb is moist from the yogurt, and the lemon flavor light and fragrant. The cake itself is a bright sunny yellow, with a shiny glisten from the marmalade glaze. I can eat the whole loaf by myself, and with only 1/3 cup of oil, I don't feel so guilty when the plate is empty. If you're not a glutton like me, the cake will store nicely for a few days tightly covered. The yogurt and oil will keep it moist.

Feel free to experiment with this recipe. I'm sure it'll taste delicious flavored with orange or just plain vanilla.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
Make 1 loaf

Cake:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat)
zest and juice of one lemon
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
1/4 cup citrus marmalade
1 tsp water

For cake:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine yogurt, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, stirring until smooth. Gradually add in dry ingredients. Fold in vegetable oil. Pour into a greased 8.5x4.5x2.5 loaf pan, and place in a 350 degrees preheated oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rack and let cool.

For glaze:
While the cake is cooling, heat up the marmalade with the water. Brush the top of the cake with glaze.

Apple Frangipane Tart

2008-06-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Beautiful, elegant, delicious. This tart consists of a tender, buttery crust, smooth almond filling, and sweet apples. It's simple enough for a casual dessert, but also pretty enough for an elegant dinner.

Apple Frangipane Tart
1 10-inch tart

Sweet butter crust:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp ice water, or as needed

Frangipane
1/2 cup almond paste
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp almond extract

3-4 medium sweet apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup apricot jelly, heated until thinned

For pastry crust:
Cream together butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Sift in flour and salt, and stir to combine. Add in enough cold water to bring dough together, being careful to not overmix. Pat dough into a round disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Lightly flour the board, and roll the chilled dough into approximately a 12 inch circle. Lay the tart dough into a buttered 10-inch fluted tart pan (with a removable bottom), and press into the bottom and up the sides. Prick all over with a fork and return to the fridge to chill.

For frangipane:
Combine butter and almond paste until smooth. Add in almond extract and egg. Stir in flour until combined.

To assemble:
Pour frangipane evenly into the tart shell. Arrange apple slices on top of the frangipane (be creative ^.^just make sure that they overlap because apples will shrink when baked). Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes. The frangipane should be puffed and the apples golden. Remove from oven and brush with heated apricot jelly.

Toffee Almond Bars

2008-06-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

Beach picnic: turkey and swiss cheese sandwich, washed down with cinnamony horchata, and finished off with gooey toffee squares.

This recipe is from Alpineberry, and gave me a way to use up half a box of cake mix. The original recipe called for toffee bits, but I found that Almond Rocas, which have the ultimate combo of chocolate, almond, and toffee, work very well.

Toffee Almond Bars
9x13"

Crust:
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg

Filling:
1 can condensed milk (16 oz)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup toffee bits or chopped almond rocas
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Mix cake mix, butter, and egg until combined. Pressed into a 9x13" pan. Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 7 minutes. The crust wouldn't look done.

In the mean time, combine egg and condensed milk. Stir in toffee bits and chopped almonds. Pour filling on baked crust. Bake for 24-30 minutes until top is browned. Let bars to cool before cutting; this allows the filling to set.

Red Bean Sesame Puffs (because puffs sound better than balls)

2008-06-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

My sister's class is putting on a "We Come From Everywhere" play - singing about "melting pots" and dressing in ethnic costumes. The teacher also asked families to bring desserts unique to the children's country of origin for the reception afterwards. Now, the Chinese don't eat a lot of sweets, but when we do, there's usually the presence of a lot of oil, sugar, and the occasional lard. Emeril would probably be waving his hands around wildly, giddily shouting "PORK FAT RULES!"

This recipe is for sesame puffs, made with glutinous rice flour and filled with a red bean paste, coated with white sesame seeds and fried until golden brown and, well, puffy. It's a traditional dessert served at dim sum restaurants, usually snipped in half with scissors to reveal a dark red center surrounded by a ring of white. The crispy outside provides a contrast against the chewy rice flour layer and creamy red bean center. There's no sweetener in the dough, so the sesame puffs are only as sweet as the filling. I used a packaged red bean paste because it's convenient and tastes pretty good (about 1/2 cup for this recipe). It is also quite a bit of work to make a really smooth paste at home due to the need to remove the peels from the red beans. However, a filling of crushed red beans would taste good too.

Red Bean Filled Sesame Puffs
Makes 25 puffs

Dough:
1 package glutinous rice flour
2 1/2 - 3 cups cold water

Place rice flour in a large bowl. Mix in 2 cups water to start, and gradually add in more until the right consistency is reached. The dough should hold together when pinched and not be sticky or liquidy. It's a fairly firm dough, and should feel a bit like clay.

Filling:
1 cup dried red beans
Water
Sugar to taste

Wash red beans, discarding any that are damaged. Place beans in a stockpot and cover with cold water, allowing them to soak overnight (this shortens the cooking process). The next day, bring beans and water to boil and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours until beans are tender, adding more water as necessary. Drain the beans and puree them in a blender or a food processor until smooth. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the skins and add sugar to desired sweetness.

To make crushed red beans, cook beans in the same method and smash them with a large spoon. Add sugar for sweetness. I like to keep the skins in the smashed red beans.

Coating:
Water
3/4 cup white sesame seeds

Clear oil to fry

To Assemble:
Pinch off a piece of dough slightly larger than a golf ball and roll into a ball. Make a depression in the center, and form the dough into a bowl. Fill with 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of filling, being sure to not overfill. Pull the lips of the bowl together, enclosing the filling. Roll to form a uniform ball. Place filled balls on a floured plate or board and cover with a towel to prevent drying out.

To Fry:
Right before frying, brush the balls all over with water and roll in white sesame seed, pressing the seeds in. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry 4-5 dough balls at a time, rotating them to ensure even cooking. The balls are ready when they float to the top and the sesame seeds start to brown, about 5-6 minutes. You should cut one open to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Drain the cooked puffs on paper towel. Serve while warm.

Daring Bakers - L'Opera ~ the scent of coconut

2008-05-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

What a challenge!

When I read about this month's challenge - a traditional French Opera cake - I nearly clapped my hands in glee. Now this was the stuff I wanted to make - beautiful, elegant, complex, a multi-stepped whirlwind of a challenge. There were the layers of jaconde soaked with syrup, buttercream, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache, all with the potential to go terribly wrong. Because May is liveSTRONG month, the cakes were suppose to be yellow or light in color. I decided to go with coconut, almond, and vanilla.

The jaconde, an almond genoise made with almond meal and leavened with beaten egg whites, was light and delicate. I made my own almond meal, so the texture was perhaps not as fine as it should have been. But I rather like slightly coarse feel of the cake. I left this base flavored simply with vanilla, choosing to incorporate my flavorings into the other components. My problem with this portion of the recipe was that it stuck horribly ot the pan. I accidently forgot to put down parchment paper, and despite having buttered the pan generously, the cake needed a lot of coaxing to come out. Note to self, next time a recipe calls for parchment paper, don't forget it. I brushed on a syrup flavored with coconut cream.

The French buttercream didn't come out as well as the Swiss buttercream from Dorie Greenspan's party cake recipe. While smooth on the palate, it was too loose coming together. I prefer a firmer buttercream to work with. I flavored this with also with coconut cream and vanilla.

The white chocolate mousse was just plain delicious. Melted Ghiradelli white chocolate lightened with freshly whipped cream, flavored with coconut - it tasted like a Ferroro's Raffaello. I also made a white chocolate ganache to top the cake. However, I felt the combination of the mousse and ganache was too much. Because the traditional L'opera cake is made with the darker chocolates and flavored with coffee, it is less cloying, with the bitterness of the chocolate and coffee balancing the sweetness of the other ingredients.

Overall, I felt very proud of myself for accomplishing this challenge. I like producing something delicious from my kitchen, but I also love the entire process - making the different components, tasting as I go along, assembling.

mmm...chocolate

2008-04-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

I love Ina Garten and her show, Barefoot Contessa. I find her incredibly intelligent and very engaging, even if she seems to overly dote on her husband. Her emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients is what makes her simple recipe so good. With that said, I tried my hands at her, or rather, Beatty's Chocolate Cake. Her recipe makes a 2-layered 8-inch cake, but I went with cupcakes instead, with a yummy almond buttercream toffee frosting adapted from Gale Gand.

The cupcakes were moist but didn't taste very chocolatey when they were warm. However, the flavor intensified as they cooled. The texture was light and fluffy, not greasy at all. They were excellent paired with the buttercream frosting.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake from Ina Garten

makes about 24 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combine. Add in coffee and mix, be sure to not overbeat. The batter will be thin. Divide the batter into a prepared (buttered) cupcake tin, filling to about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Frost with favorite frosting.

Almond Buttercream Toffee Frosting from Gale Gand

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp almond extract

2 tbsp whipping cream

1/2 cup toffee bits

Using a hand-or standing-mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter, starting at low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes. Add almond extract and cream and continue to beat for 1 minute more. Frosting should be thick and fluffy. Fold in toffee bits.

Orange and Cranberries

2008-04-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

I'm out of brown sugar and I'm still cutting weight, the combination of which rules out baking a lot of my favorite things. So no more gooey chocolate chip cookies, chewy oatmeal raisin, moist banana bread...But I did come across this recipe on Nicole's blog Baking Bites for Orange Cranberry Bread. With no butter and only 1 egg and 2 tbsp of oil, I thought it was a fairly good compromise.

Despite the lack of (a lot of) fats, the bread came out moist and delicious. The crumb was brilliantly golden, dotted with pops of red from the cranberries. The orange flavor was surprisingly pronounced, pairing well with the tartness of cranberry. The crunch from the walnuts and pecans added an extra layer of texture. I ate almost the entire loaf myself (what did I expect when I leave it out on the counter with a knife next to it) so I'm planning on baking another one next week to take to Stanford for post-weigh-in snacking.

I highly recommend using fresh orange juice and orange zest for this recipe, since it is such a major flavor. I also reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup and found the bread to be just sweet enough. The batter was quite thick when I followed Nicole's recipe, so I added a tablespoon of milk to it to loosen it slightly. It will still be stiff going into the pan, but just spread it out in an even layer, and it'll bake up beautifully.

Orange Cranberry Nut Bread - adapted from Baking Bites
Makes 1 9x5 inch loaf

2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped if large
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)

Rub sugar and orange zest together until orange zest is distributed well. Add to flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well to combine. Add in orange juice, oil, milk, and egg. Stir until just mixed. Fold in the fresh (or frozen) cranberries, dried cranberries, and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. The batter will be slightly stiff.

Bake in a 375 degrees preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool, slice, and enjoy

Daring Bakers - Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake

2008-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with this recipe. It was simple, straightforward, and most importantly, delicious. The cake itself was light and buttery, with the gentle whisper of vanilla and lemon. The swiss meringue came together beautifully. It was rich but not cloying, silky on the tongue, and sweet on the palate. I made some alteration to the original recipe and those are in parenthesis.

Words from Dorie
Stick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation (see Playing Around), making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.

Perfect Party Cake

For the Cake:
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (omitted because of the salted butter)
1 ¼ cups whole milk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (salted butter because that was all I had)
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract (omitted and replaced with vanilla extract)

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look frothy and like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Storage
The cake is best eaten at room temperature a few hours after assemblage, since it loses all subtlety of flavor if eaten cold. If you used whipped cream, store in the refrigerator and bring it out to warm to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

My notes:
Originally I had planned to use freshly whipped cream for the layers and frost the outside with the buttercream, but somehow my whipped cream refused to stay stiff and fell apart in a liquidity mess (not very appetizing). Since I only made half the buttercream recipe, I had to skimp a little on the frosting. I also layered in sliced fresh strawberries and covered the sides of the cake with shredded coconut. Another thing to note is that the cake does not rise very much. When I went to slice it in half horizontally, I was met with complete disaster. I already knew I pretty much suck at doing that, but I tried anyways, and ended up with a hole in one layer and too much cake in the other. So I did some patchwork and used those as the middle and the top layer. I intelligently decided to not slice the other cake, and used that as the bottom layer.

All in all, it was a successful challenge. The cake was well-received and I had a great time.

Japanese White Chocolate Almond Cheesecake

2008-03-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I stumbled across this recipe. It makes a really unique and tasty cake, reminiscent of the airy sponge cakes you get at Chinese bakeries. The recipe for a 9-inches cake only has 3 tablespoons of flour and 1 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch. It's lightened with beaten egg whites, and baked in a water bath. The first time I made it, I simply flavored it with vanilla, and found that it tasted too much of cream cheese and egg. I adapted the recipe this time by adding in melted Ghirardelli white chocolate and almond extract. It got the approval of me and some of my friends. It doesn't rise very much and comes out smooth and flat on top. I'm thinking of tripling the recipe and making a layer cake next time.

Japanese White Chocolate Almond Cheesecake
Makes 1 9" Cake

3 ounce package of cream cheese
1/3 cup milk
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp white sugar, divided
3 tbsp all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tbsp corn starch, sifted
2 egg whites
1/3 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup white chocolate chunks
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine cream cheese, milk, and white chocolate chunks in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until cream cheese and chocolate has melted. The mixture wouldn't be completely smooth, but try to get out the big lumps. Let cool.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and 2 tbsp sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the cooled cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add in almond extract. Stir in sifted flour and cornstarch until combined.

Using an electric mixture with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add in 2 tbsp of sugar until white whites reach stiff peak stage. Gently fold egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. The mixture should be smooth and look like clouds. Pour into a 9" parchment-lined pan, or a greased springform pan with a removable bottom. If using a springform pan, wrap the pan in foil so that water will not leak in.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven in a water bath for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 300 degrees and continue to bake for 15 minutes. Allow cake to cool before removing from pan. If using a springform, simply remove the side of the pan. If using a regular baking pan, invert cake onto a plate, peel off the parchment and re-invert onto another plate.

A few notes:

When beating egg whites, make sure there are no fats coming into contact. That means no bits of egg yolk and clean beaters and bowl. Any amount of fat would prevent the egg whites from reaching stiff peaks. Since they are the leavening agent (in a sense of speaking) in this recipe, it is very important that they are well beaten.
A water bath is used to maintain a moist environment so the cheesecake doesn't dry out. To make a water bath: place the cake pan inside another larger baking dish. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes about halfway up the side of the cake pan. Be careful to not get water into the cake mixture itself. It is best to set the baking dish on the oven rack first, place the cake pan inside, and fill with water from a kettle. You can prevent a lot of grief and potential burns this way.
The top of the cake never takes on much color. If you like it pale yellow (which is still pretty) you can just follow the baking instructions above. I like to turn on the broiler for about 30 seconds at the end to brown the tops. Just a matter of preference.

for Perry...

2008-03-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

Since I'm trying to cut 5 more pounds before the end of the month, the urge to bake is proving problematic. I usually have the best intention beforehand to set aside some of the goods to eat later. Well that doesn't always work out. So instead, I've decided to just bake for other people. These chocolate chunk banana crumb muffins are for my friend Perry. They came out moist and delicious, not too dense, with a great banana flavor. The semisweet chocolate chunks are wonderfully melty when the muffins are warm, and the crumb topping adds a contrasting texture component. Too bad I could only eat one :(

Chocolate Chunk Banana Crumb Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffins:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Crumb Topping:
2 tbsp cold butter
4 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp raw or turbinado sugar

Blend mashed bananas, brown and white sugar, oil, and egg until combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until moistened, being careful to not overbeat. Fold in chocolate chunks. Pour into greased or lined muffin pans to about 3/4 full.

To make crumb topping, cut cold butter into the flour, cinnamon and sugar until coarse. Add a spoonful on top of each muffin. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2008-03-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Helen gave me a book titled Homemade Muffins by Carol Tennant a few years ago. I've flipped through it a few times but never got around to making the recipes. I thought I'd try the recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. I used the sweeter meyer lemons because I had those on hand, but you can use regular lemons or even oranges.

Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Makes 12

Muffins:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp poppy seed
zest and juice of 2 meyer lemons
1 tsp lemon extract

Lemon Syrup:
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
zest and juice of 1 lemon

In a bowl, mix lemon juice, egg, milk, butter, lemon extract, and lemon peel. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined, being careful to not over-mix. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan, about 3/4 full. Bake in a 400 degrees preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The muffins should be golden and risen. In the meantime, mix the confectioner's sugar with the lemon juice and zest until well blended. Spoon over hot muffins and let cool in the pan.

I actually made these without the lemon extract and found that the muffins weren't lemon-y enough. I figured the addition of the extract would help with that. The soaking syrup on top was a nice touch, though it's very important to soak the muffins when they're right out of the oven. I found it helpful to remove the muffins from the pan and dip the entire top into the syrup.

I had these the next day with a bit of vanilla yogurt and blueberries. Just split the muffin into top and bottom and heat in the microwave. Spoon on some yogurt, add in a few blueberries, and top with the muffin top. Yum.

still searching...

2008-03-02T02:33:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I baked (once I graduated from the boxed brownie mix) were thumbprint cookies. I remember those preserve-filled gems as rich and buttery, tangy and sweet from the filing, and nutty from their walnut coating. Unfortunately I misplaced the recipe a few years ago and have been searching for an equivalent one since. I tried this one from epicurious.com. Though it was alright, the cookies were a bit sandy and didn't have quite the moistness I wanted. Alas, I am still searching.

I made half the batch with strawberry and blackberry preserve, and drizzled a simple glaze over them. The other half I rolled first in egg white and then in finely chopped pecans and filled with Bon Mama's chestnut spread.

Thumbprint Cookies
yields 20 cookies

Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
pinch salt
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
preserve or jam of your preference

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp milk or water

Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg yolk and mix. Stir in flour and salt until dough comes together. Roll dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place upon greased cookie sheet (I lined my pan with foil), and make a thumbprint in the center, being careful to not press all the way through to the bottom. Fill with preserve. Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes.

To make glaze, simply combine confectionary sugar and milk. The glaze should be milky white, rather thick but still thin enough to drizzle.

Once cookies have cooled slightly, drizzle with glaze. Eat and enjoy.

the cookie monster

2008-02-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

Conversation with my lovely 8-year-old sister:
Me: Dad's coming to see me next week. Do you want me to make something for him to bring to you?
Sister: Hmm....COOKIES! No one makes them quite like you.

Since I was spending the day baking Julia Child's French bread anyways, I thought I'd make a care package for the little one as well. After jogging to Berkeley Bowl's for semisweet chocolate chunks (and nuts and dried fruits), I baked up five types of cookies - oatmeal raisin, white chocolate macadamian nuts, semisweet chocolate with walnuts, oatmeal raisin with dark chocolate, and white chocolate cranberry. I found that with two basic cookie recipes, endless variations are possible. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun, and ate a lot of cookies. Cook's privilege :) The chocolate walnut was especially good.

Chocolate Walnut Cookies
makes about 2 dozen small cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate (chopped)
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, and add into butter mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degrees preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven while cookies are still soft in the center and let cool on sheet.

Enjoy the chewy, soft cookies with a cold glass of milk. It's a good treat anytime.

Daring Bakers - Julia Child's French Bread

2008-02-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

The weather up at Berkeley has been temperamental. It's been a week of sun, a week of rain, a week of sun, cycle repeats. This weekend, unfortunately, was rain. I prefer working with yeast when it's warm outside, but since time is running out for this month's challenge, I made the bread to the sound of falling rain.

The process wasn't hard and since I like making bread, I had an enjoyable time. I have to admit though, I've never made anything so time intensive. I started at 9:30 in the morning, finished the first rise around 1:30pm, the second by 3:30, shaped the loaves and let them rise until 5:30, and finished baking them off at 6:45. I went out to dinner (since I couldn't eat the darn thing yet), and sampled the bread at around midnight.

The looks of them weren't beautiful, which is why I only have one shot of the somewhat decent-looking boule. I've never free-formed bread before; it's a lot harder than it looks. The taste though, that mattered more.

I whipped out the bread knife, pulled it through the golden crispy crust, smelled the delicious yeastiness perfuming the air, and took a look at the fruits of my labor. Webs of white, lots of holes, just like the bread I buy from Acme Breads. I popped a slice into the toaster oven, waiting impatiently as the slice turned golden. Mmmm...crispy crust, warm chewy crumb, slightly salty....it was wonderful. And I sliced some more...and some more...It's amazing how yeast, water, flour, and salt - four simple ingredients - can produce such a tasty morsel.

Julia Child's French Bread
It's a long recipe, so I linked it...

Flour, yeast, salt, and water all mixed and kneaded, waiting for the first rise

After the first rise

I let the dough rise in an warm oven (turn it on to 150 degree, turn it off, and maintain the temperature at around 70 degrees) because it was so cold that day. The dough rose beautifully the first two times. It didn't rise as much after I shaped the dough though (not three times the size, as the recipe said). I also had problems transferring the dough from the rising sheet and my baking sheet (I'll probably just use the same one next time). That was why my batard looked so ugly (tasty as it was, it was sadly deformed). The boule and rolls looked better, though I had issues slashing the top (my knife wasn't sharp enough).

All in all, my first challenge was successful. I had a lot of fun and the recipe turned out really well. I can't wait for next month :)

after practice

2008-02-20T01:20:00.000-08:00

So what was suppose to be a chill practice of just poomse turned into a full 2+ hour workout, followed by Daniel's round of circuit training. I skipped the ghetto trip today and walked home with Christie talking about cream cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon. Yes, I was hungry. Time for something healthy and delicious.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
makes...how hungry are you?

Vanilla yogurt (I use Brown Cow's Non-fat Vanilla)
Fresh strawberries
Banana
Granola (I used cherry almond)

Clean, hull, and slice the strawberries. Slice the banana as well. Layer vanilla yogurt and fruit in a bowl or decorative glass. Sprinkle with granola.

Yogurt parfait is probably the quickest and healthiest snack in my repetoire. Try it with different yogurts, fresh and dried fruits, different granolas, nuts, etc.

because i didn't want to study...

2008-02-18T00:43:00.000-08:00

Despite my two midterms next week, I felt no urge to study. I spent the entire day lounging in bed, reading the Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and eating chocolate. I finally started on my Stats notes toward evening, working for about three hours (and taking the occasional break) before deciding to actually eat something real. I steamed some rice, and cooked a pot of Korean soft tofu soup. Yum.

Because I wanted to bake something afterwards (and because Stats wasn't very appealing), I found a new recipe and whipped up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. My roommate bought SO much oatmeal I had to do something with it. The cookies came out moist and chewy, full of plump raisins and a nice bite from the oatmeal. If I had nuts I would have thrown some in as well, but instead I made a few with dark chocolate chunks. The plain oatmeal raisins were a touch too sweet, but were actually better with the chocolate. I will reduce the sugar a bit next time I make them. I soaked the raisins in a mixture of apple juice and hot water until they're plump. You can also soak them in orange juice or rum, whatever that would rejuvenate them and impart more flavor.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 18-20 cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup raisin, soaked

Cream together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Combine the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt - and fold into butter mixture (since I don't have an electric mixer and I hate getting batter stuck between whisks, I found that folding really works). Be careful to not overwork the dough or you'll have a tough cookie. Fold in the oats and the drained raisins.

Drop by spoonfuls (about 2 tbsp) onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The bottom should be browned and the top still soft. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a few minutes and they will firm up.

They're really tasty, have fun with 'em :)

the scientific method works....

2008-02-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

I stopped by Trader Joe's after work today to pick up some bread for dinner, and some more chocolate for baking. I'm loving that store more and more. Anyways, they had blueberries on sale, and I suddenly got a craving for blueberries muffins and scones. Good news for my palate, bad news for my next weigh in. But I came home and found that there was no milk for muffins! Luckily I found a recipe from Elton Brown's Good Eats that used yogurt instead.

The muffins came out light, fluffy, and very moist, almost like a cupcake. I sprinkled some turbino sugar (large grained raw sugar) on top for extra crunch. There is quite a bit of leavening in the mix (3 tsp worth) so don't worry if the batter foams a bit. Remember to not overbeat and to gently fold the berries in. I used some of the batter (without blueberries) for apple muffins as well.

Blueberry Muffins (adapted from food network)
makes 14 muffins (12 if you make them slightly bigger)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup yogurt (I used non-fat plain yogurt)
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 tsp flour
Turbino sugar

Preheat oven to 380 degrees.

Combine vegetable oil, sugar, egg, and yogurt in bowl. Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix until just combined. Toss blueberries with 1 tsp flour (so they wouldn't sink to the bottom) and gently fold into batter.

Fill greased (or lined) muffin pans about 3/4 full. Place into oven and turn temperature up to 400 degree. Bake for 20-25 minutes. About 10 minutes before they're done, sprinkle on turbino sugar.

* For apple muffins, omit the blueberries and replace with 1/3 cup chopped apples and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.

an adaptation

2008-01-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

With an intense craving for sweets one night and being quite lacking in ingredients, I made these pear almond cheesecake tartlettes, adapting the cheesecake recipe from alpineberry. They turned out really pretty and tasty. The filling is almost custard-like, contrasting nicely with the crust. You can bake them longer to get a firmer cheesecake. Unfortunately I didn't have almonds on hand, but I'm sure using them in the crust and also sprinkled on top would enhance the flavor and appearance of the tartlettes.

Pear Almond Cheesecake Tartlettes

Crust:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oats*
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp honey

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 medium egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp butter, melted

Topping:
2 pears, sliced thin
**

For crust:
Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir in honey and melted butter until mixture is crumbly. Place about 1 1/2 tbsp of mixture into each mini tart pan, and press down. Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden. Remove and let cool.

For filling:
While the crust is cooling, beat cream cheese with sugar until mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Mix in egg until combined. Stir in vanilla and almond extract, and melted butter. Mixture should be smooth and free of lumps.

To assemble:
Pour filling into cooled crust, about 3/4 full. Arrange pear slices on top. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes until top is golden and cheesecake is set.

Let cheesecake cool before topping with sifted powdered sugar.

*substitute with 1/3 cup coarsely ground almonds
**top finished cheesecake with toasted sliced almonds

<3 trader joe's

2008-01-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

I really appreciate small markets like Andronico's and Berkeley Bowl. They not only carry unique foodstuffs that you can't find at those impersonal chain supermarkets (i.e. Safeway) but usually the quality is better and the produce fresher. I mean, come on, why buy a jar of Jiffy's peanut butter that's been package god-knows-how-long-ago when you can get a container of honey roasted peanut butter that you freshly ground yourself. I'll be the first to admit, living in the Bay area has completely spoiled me. A Trader Joe's recently opened not too far from my apartment (relatively speaking), greatly adding to my joy and eating pleasure. I love their white stilton with dried apricots, tiramisu gelato, and huge hunks of Ghiradelli chocolate. I got a piece of white chocolate and made these white chocolate walnut cranberry cookies. I thought the combination of white chocolate and cranberries would be strange, so I made a batch without cranberries. I definitely like the cookies with. The tartness of the cranberries adds a freshness and cuts through the sweetness of the dough. You can soak the cranberries in either juice or alcohol until they're plump. I also tossed in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts because I personally like nuts in my cookies. I had them already toasted, but untoasted would also be fine.

White Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Cookies
makes about 2 dozen small cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon cranberry or orange juice, or 1 tablespoon rum or calvados
3/4 cup white chocolate chunks
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Soak dried cranberries in juice or liquor.
Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, and add into butter mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in cranberries, chocolate chunks, and walnuts. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degrees preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven while cookies are still soft in the center and let cool on sheet.

Enjoy~

agar agar

2008-01-21T02:20:00.000-08:00

I used gelatin to make panna cotta a few weeks ago but found that at almost $3 a box, it’s too expensive to experiment with. I came across a box of agar powder at an Asian market last weekend at far less the price and found that it could be substituted for gelatin.

Coconut Coffee Flan

Coconut cream layer:
1 ½ cup coconut milk
½ cup milk
2 tsp agar
¼ cup granulated sugar

Heat above ingredient in saucepan, melting the sugar and agar. Bring to complete boil. Pour into mold and let cool. Mixture should set at room temperature. Refrigerate if desired.

Coffee layer
2 cup prepared coffee (flavored or unflavored)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp agar

Heat above ingredients in saucepan, melting sugar and agar. Bring to complete boil. Cool slightly and pour over set coconut layer. Be careful that the coffee mixture does not gel in the pot as it is cooling. However, if that does occur, simply re-boil it to dissolve.

While I enjoy the creaminess and distinct flavor of coconut milk, I found that using all coconut milk in the recipe is too cloying. You can adjust the amount of sugar in both layers to suit your taste.

Agar is derived from seaweed, and is the vegan substitute for gelatin, which is made from calf hooves. Most often used in the science laboratory to make agarose gel plates for the growth of bacterial colonies, agar also makes an excellent (and cheap) thickener and stabilizer in cooking. It is essentially tasteless and can be used interchangeably with gelatin to make mousses, panna cotta, etc. The usual ratio of liquid to agar is 1 cup: 1 teaspoon. This can be adjusted to you preference for the set mixture. Less agar will result in a softer consistency while more agar will give a harder "toothier" jelly. Agar will not be as effective with certain ingredients, such as citrus or chocolate.

dark chocolate

2008-01-17T00:34:00.000-08:00

Dark chocolate molten cake, my final treat to my family before i left for Berkeley. So good....
Good thing about this cake is that the batter is actually better if made in advance. The egg in the mixture will have a chance to relax and deflate, producing a dense, chocolatey cake. Put the batter in the fridge up to a day before, and bring to room temperature before baking. Enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Molten Cake
Make 4 large muffin sized cake or 6 regular muffin sized cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces dark chocolate
3 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tablespoon brewed coffee
2 teaspoon flour

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium heat, let cool. Beat eggs and sugar together in a separate bowl until smooth and pale. Add to chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in coffee. Sift in flour and mix to combine.

Line muffin tins with liner and divide batter evenly between each well. Bake at a 450 degrees preheated oven for 6-8 minutes (for the regular size tins), depending on how you want the center. 6 minutes will give a fairly liquid center and 8 minutes gives a very moist, pudding-like center, both of which are wonderfully rich and decadent.

food for though...

2008-01-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

Benefits of soy beans:

complete protein containing many essential amino acids
high content of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat (good for the heart), fiber, vitamins, minerals
low content of saturated fat

Soy vs. cow's milk

Equal amount of proteins
Soy milk's main dissacharide is sucrose, which breaks down into fructose and glucose. Because of the lack of lactose, soy milk can be drank by those who are lactose intolerant or suffering from galactosemia (inability to digest galactose, a byproduct of lactose breakdown)
Soy milk contains less saturated fat than cow's milk and no cholesterol
Soy milk contains lecithin (protects large intestine from colon bacteria) and Vitamin E (antioxidants)
Soy milk contains little digestible calcium (however, most manufacturers enrich their products with digestible calcium carbonate)

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A traditional Chinese breakfast is hot sweetened soy milk (豆浆 dou jiang) with crisp fried dough strips (油条 you tiao). Indeed, whenever we go back to China, my aunt would buy several containers of fresh soymilk for breakfast every morning. The street vendors set up their stands early in the morning, drawing crowds with the aroma of sizzling, golden you tiao, and the rising steam of soy milk. The flavor of the off-white liquid is rich and smooth, distinctively nutty.

In the states, we like to make our own soy milk. It's a simple process, with gratifying results.

Soymilk
makes about 5 cups
1 cup dry soy beans
granulated sugar to taste
water

Soak dry soy beans overnight (8-10 hours). Add about 1/3 cup soy beans to blender and add water until blender if 1/3 full. Blend until liquid. Pass puree through fine cheesecloth and squeeze to get all the liquid out. Be careful to not let pulp pass through. Strain again if desire. Place strained soy milk into pot and bring to boil. Add sugar to taste. Serve hot or cold.

You can adjust the water in the blender to obtain your preferred thickness of soy milk. And since I like my soy milk rather sweet, I also add in quite a bit of sugar. Allow the hot soy milk to cool before pouring into a pitcher and refrigerating.

the overripe and the blue...

2008-01-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

It seems that we always have a bunch of bananas getting brown and overripe. So they become excuses to make either banana pancakes, banana muffins, or banana bread. Instead of adding in the usual chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, I threw in some blueberries. Toss the berries with some flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the bread during baking. I like this recipe for moist banana bread - they keep well and are wonderful with a cup of hot tea. The blueberries add a burst of sweetness against the mellow banana flavor.

Blueberry Banana Bread
make 1 9x5 loaf

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in beaten egg and mashed bananas, and mix well. Stir in vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to banana mixture and mix until just combined. Add in milk, being careful not to overmix. Toss blueberries in 1 tablespoon flour to coat; add to batter and gently fold in. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until the top is golden brown and cracked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

little eukaryotes...

2008-01-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

I started working with yeast a few months ago, baking my first loaf of bread - honey oat. I then proceeded to make a second loaf of honey oat the next day, then a batch of French bread, then cinnamon rolls, raised cakes, Chinese-style buns, etc. I was pretty much hooked on working with yeast. I love kneading the dough, working it from a sticky mess to elastic smoothness; I love the smell of rising bread.

Finding myself deprived of bread when I came home, I set out to make myself something. I turned to my trusted recipe with a few modifications.

Honey Walnut Bread
make 1 9x5 loaf

1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Dissolve honey in warm water, add oil, and sprinkle over yeast. Mix until yeast has dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until foamy. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture to dry ingredients and knead for 10-15 minutes, until dough is elastic and smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm area until double in size. Punch dough down and add in walnut. Place dough into bread pan and let rise again. Bake in 350 degrees preheated oven for 35 minutes. Brush top with a mixture of honey and milk during the last 10 minutes of baking to obtain a golden and sweet crust.

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I used the bread for eggs-in-a-basket the next morning.
I like the yolk runny :)

of apples...

2008-01-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

I've been trying new recipes for the past few days, subsequently supplying my family with dessert the evening of and breakfast for the following morning. There was a bag of gala apples in the fridge today and I have had my eyes on this recipe for a while.

I didn't have a 9" pan so I used an 8" one and kept an eye on the cake while it was in the oven. The batter is fairly thin for a cake, and bakes up creamy rather than cakey. It's almost like a custard though I suspect if I had let it bake a while longer, it may have been more cake-like. The apples were thinly sliced and arranged in a circular pattern (just for aesthetics). I would use sweet and crisp apples, like fuji or gala, because they hold up well during baking. Don't skip the glaze, it lends a sweet crispy topping, contrasting nicely with the slightly tart apples. Thank you Helen for a wonderful treat.

Apple Cake (from Tartelette)
make 1 8" cake

Cake:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 cup corn starch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp milk
1/8 cup oil
2 medium eggs
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
3 apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Glaze:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg

For cake: Combine flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Combine eggs, milk, and oil until well blended. Beat in dry ingredients until just blended. Batter will be thin. Pour into greased 8" round pan. Arranged apple slices on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes until apples are beginning to brown.

For glaze: Beat egg and sugar until light. Add in vanilla and butter. Pour over apples after cake has been baking for 15 minutes. Bake cake for another 20-25 minutes until cake is cooked through.

small piece of heaven...

2008-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

I came across a recipe for Mini Mocha Rocha Cheesecake by Alpineberry. I thought I'd try it on my family while I'm home. I made a few modifications based on the ingredients I had on hand and they turned out very tasty. My mom has been complaining that no one's eating our large container of Brown & Haley's Almond Roca, so I grounded up a few for the filling of the cheesecake. I also substituted the cashew in the crust for toasted walnuts, which lend a wonderful fragrance and texture to the crust, complementing well with creamy cheesecake and melty filling.

My cheesecake cracked on the top and some of the almond roca filling oozed out. I don't think I used enough cream cheese batter on the top. However, since the cheesecakes sink in the middle after they come out of the oven, I topped them with more ground almond roca and they looked fine.

Mini Almond Roca Cheesecake (adapted from Alpineberry)
make 9 mini cheesecakes

Crust:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 medium egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup almond roca, grounded (enough for filling and topping after baking)

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 9 wells of a standard cupcake pan with liner. Process toasted walnuts, flour, powdered sugar, baking soda, and salt in food processor until walnut is finely ground. Add in butter and pulse until mixture resemble crumbles. Divide crust mixture evenly between the 9 wells and press down. Bake for 8 minutes until slightly brown.

For filling: Beat soften cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in beaten egg and vanilla. Add in butter and mix until smooth.

To assemble: Add about 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture to cooled crust, spread so that the crust is covered. Add in about 1 1/2 teaspoon ground almond roca. Top with another tablespoon or so of cream cheese mixture, making sure that the almond roca is completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. They will sink a bit as they cool.

To serve: Peel off the liner; there will be slight sticking along the edges. You can top the cheesecakes with more ground almond roca for additional crunch and decoration. Or add a dollop of whipped cream.

simplicity at its best...

2008-01-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more appealing than a batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, the smell perfuming the kitchen, the delectable morsels beckoning. Break one in half to see the melting chocolate dotting the soft interior - none of those crisp cookies here, just simple, chewy, and delicious. I've searched for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long time and finally came across this one. Before this, my cookies have come out cakey and puffy, but this recipe gives the bakery-style chewy cookies that I love.

A few notes about these cookies:

The butter must be melted
The cookies will not look done after you pull them out of the oven. Let them rest on the cookie sheet until they set. If you bake them any longer, they will harden as they cool
I always use chocolate chunks; I find that chips don't melt and you end up with hard pieces of chocolate in your cookies. If you like that, then by all means use chips, but I like my chocolate melted and gooey. I usually use the semi-sweet chunks from Berkeley Bowl (they come from the dispenser) or else chop up a chocolate bar
Feel free to add in nuts, toffee bits, chocolate-covered espresso beans, etc.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (adapted from Allrecipes)
make about 20 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch salt
3/4 cup (1.5 stick) unsalted butter (melted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chunks (dark, semisweet, or milk)

Beat melted and cooled butter with brown and granulated sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, whole egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add into wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. Be sure to not overworked the dough. Stir in chocolate chunks and additional add-ins by hand. Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes.

Drop by 1/6* cup fulls onto greased baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between. I usually fit about 6 onto a standard 15x12 baking sheet. Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for 11-13 minutes. Pull them out when slightly golden and let them cool on baking sheet.

*You can also make giant cookies using 1/4 cup dough per cookie. Bake for 15-17 minutes.