Day: August 12, 2009

two for you ; two for me ♥

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so what do I do when I don’t feel like studying or reading journals?
I bake.
for me. it is therapeutic.
and a form of a stress-reliever for me.
so I always look through recipes that I’m interested in.
and wish I have the ingredients
and get the baking started!

So a few weeks ago I tried the chocolate souffle recipe from The F Word.
but felt like making it again
but this time using another recipe to see if it works better.
and it did! hehe (:



I signed up for a membership with Epicurious.com
and it’s free to look at the recipes they put up! hehe
and the recipes are from the food magazines like Gourmet and Bon Appetit.
so the recipes are pretty darn yums! hehe

I hoped and prayed that it rose nicely
and not overflow.
and it rose pretty nicely in my opinion haha
but I’ve yet to make one that rises perfectly vertical.
well. will keep trying! haha

i think it looks quite pretty!
especially with the icing sugar on top. hehe

a close up shot of the souffle (:

DIG IN. haha
literally! I attacked the middle of the souffle first.
if only we had ice cream!

i couldn’t stop myself from snapping away! hehe

Give this a try! it’s really easy and foolproof!
and u can whip it up in less than 30mins!

Chocolate Souffles
(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, Epicurious)

Ingredients :

1/4 cup granulated sugar plus additional for dusting the dishes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
1 large egg yolk
2 large egg whites
confectioners’ sugar for dusting the soufflés

Steps :

Butter 2 shallow 3/4-cup gratin dishes and dust them with the additional granulated sugar,
shaking out the excess.

In a bowl blend together 2 tablespoons of the remaining granulated sugar,
the flour, the cocoa powder, the butter, and a pinch of salt until the mixture resembles meal.
(I rubbed in the butter into the flour and cocoa mixture using my hands)

In a saucepan bring the milk to a boil.
Whisk the cocoa mixture into the milk with the chocolate, cook the mixture over moderate heat,
whisking, for 1 minute, or until it is thickened, and let it cool.

In a bowl beat the egg yolk slightly and beat in the chocolate mixture.
In another bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks,
add the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating,
and beat the meringue until it holds stiff glossy peaks.

Stir one fourth of the meringue into the chocolate pastry cream to lighten it
and fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.

Divide the mixture between the prepared dishes
and bake the soufflés in a shallow baking pan in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 minutes,
or until they are puffed.

Dust the soufflés decoratively with the confectioners’ sugar and serve them immediately.

Chocolate Souffle. DONE!

I dunno how I did it and I didn’t do it on purpose
but i ate it half way and realise that it was in a shape ♥.

absolutely. AWESOME. (:

Creme brulee

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I bought the blow torch and ramekins set
and been wanting to try making creme brulee for the longest time yet
and so I did! (:

and im really glad that I did. hehe
cause I got to use the blow torch for the very first time!

and i must say. they are super yummy!

when the idea struck me yesterday
what I didn’t know is that creme brulee needs to set in the fridge overnight. haha
so my over-excitement of having it last night died haha.
but when I got home today in the afternoon
Baby tempted me to have it to “clear the fridge” haha
and being me.
I gave in! hehe happily i must add. hehe


cooled and ready for the fridge! hehe

me using the blow torch caramelizing the sugar hehe

really enjoying myself haha. a bit too much i think. oopsie. (:

nicely coloured. hehe. DIG IN!

and check out the black specks of vanilla seeds! hehe

It was really YUM for the first time making it (:
im quite happy with how it turned out
besides it still being a bit more wobbly than I would have liked. hehe

AND!!!! haha
this is super exciting.

we splurge on a bottle of vanilla bean paste with vanilla seeds! hehe
SO HAPPY!
cause I don’t have to use the fake vanilla essence anymore.
not that there is anything wrong with it.
but I’ve gotten use to using this back home.
so without it, I feel like my cakes and everything won’t taste as good!

going to have another after dinner tonight. haha
and after gym of course. (:

just so you wanna try it yourself
here’s the recipe! hehe
(and remember you need to set it for a whole night before u serve!)

Ingredients :

600ml thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 120°C.

2. Place the cream in a saucepan and add the vanilla seeds and pod.
Place over medium heat and bring to scalding point, then remove from heat.
Set aside to infuse for 5 minutes.

3. Place egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl
and beat immediately with electric hand beaters for 2-3 minutes or until pale.

4. Remove vanilla pod from saucepan and discard,
then pour the hot cream over the yolk mixture and whisk to combine.
The beating process will have created a foam on the top of the mixture.
Use a large spoon to scoop off and discard the foam.
Strain mixture into a large jug,
then carefully pour mixture into 4 x 150ml ovenproof ramekins.

5. Place ramekins in a deep roasting pan.
Pour boiling water into pan to come halfway up the sides of ramekins.
Cover pan loosely with foil, allowing some air to enter in the sides.

6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes – the custards should still have a slight wobble when done.
Carefully remove ramekins from oven and water bath, and set aside to cool.

7. Place brown sugar on a baking tray,
turn oven off and place in oven for 15 minutes or until sugar is completely dried out.
Allow to cool, then place in a processor and process to a powder.
Store in an airtight container.

8. Once the custards have cooled, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill overnight.
When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar on top of each custard,
and use the back of a teaspoon to spread it evenly.
Use a domestic blow torch to caramelise.

9. Creme Brulee. DONE!

Hot Chocolate Fondant

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(Recipe adapted from The F Word Series)

Ingredients :
50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
1 free range egg
1 free range egg yolk
60g caster sugar
50g plain flour
Icing sugar to dust
Vanilla ice cream to serve
Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 160˚C/Gas 2.

2. Butter two large ramekins, about 7.5cm in diameter,
then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.

3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water,
then take off the heat and stir until smooth.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick,
then incorporate the chocolate mixture.
Sift the flour over the mixture and gently fold in, using a large metal spoon.
Divide between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.

5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates.
Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

6. Hot chocolate fondant. DONE.

Chocolate Souffle

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(Recipe from The F Word Series)

Ingredients :

25g of softened butter
Grated chocolate

Crème pâtissière

20g cornflour
200ml milk
200g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, chopped
80g egg yolks

Egg white Mixture
200g egg whites
150g caster sugar

Steps :

1. Preheat oven at 180˚C/gas 4.

2. Brush 8 ramekins with the softened butter and chill it for 5 mins.
Then coat the ramekins with grated chocolate.

3. For the crème pâtissière, slake the corn flour with a little of the milk,
then gradually add the rest of the milk until you have a smooth mixture.
Pour into a small pan, and slowly bring to the boil,
stirring continuously.
Boil for 30 seconds then off the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
Beat in the egg yolks until smooth before transferring to a bowl to cool

4. In an artisan mixer, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
Gradually start to add in the sugar, whisking well in between each addition.
Once all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk until you have a thick and glossy mixture

5. Add one third of the egg whites into the chocolate crème patisserie mixture and mix well.
Now add in the remaining egg white and gently fold into the mix.
Do not over work the mixture as it will become too hard and stiff

6. Divide the mixture between the ramekins.
Level the surface with a palate knife then bake for 6-8 minutes,
or until well risen and with a slightly wobbly centre.
Remove from the oven and dust with the remaining cocoa powder.
Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream
(your favourite flavour!)

7. Chocolate souffle. DONE.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Icing

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was really quite excited to try this recipe
cause it’s fro the famous Sprinkles
and they went on a program and baked their famous Strawberry Cupcakes.

it wasn’t too complicated
but using a handheld mixer wasn’t easy haha.
wish i had a proper mixer.
i miss my kenwood. (:

anyways. this is how it went!

out of the oven
a nice pinkish tinge
cause of the strawberry puree hehe

hehe baby caught a few shots of me putting the icing on the cupcake

haha that’s Cheok’s hand! haha

tadah! hehe
after icing them. hehe
too bad I didn’t have anything nice to put on it
to make it look prettier.
well. i tried though. haha

i put rainbow rice on them. hehe
just a little.
just to add colour hehe (:

all 12 of the cupcakes! (:
im a happy girl.

Recipe :

(makes 1 dozen cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4tsp kosher salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pureed strawberries
1 tsp vanilla essence

Steps :

1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, set it aside.

2. Add vanilla and strawberry to milk and set it aside.

3. In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Slowly add egg and egg whites until blended.

4. Add half of the mixture and when blended well,
add the milk mixture then add the rest of the flour.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl
and make sure entire mixture is smooth.

5. Divide the batter between 12 cupcake cups
and bake for about 20 mins or until the tops are dry to the touch.



Recipe :
(for icing, 12 cupcakes)

2 sticks unsalted butter, firm but not cold
1/8 kosher salt
3 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tso vanilla essence
2 tbsp pureed strawberries

Steps :

1. Beat butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed and gradually add the icing sugar until incorporated.

2. Add vanilla and strawberry puree and mix until blended.
Do not overmix, or the frosting will incorporate too much air.
The consistency should be dense and creamy
like ice-cream.

♥

Mac and Cheese

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I saw this recipe on Not Quite Nigella
and it looks super good! haha
and I’ve been wanting to make mac and cheese from scratch for the longest time
so tonight was the night! hehe

and it turned out really well!
really yummy
and I’m glad the boys enjoyed it. hehe
it was creamy
and the bacon just really flavoured the dish
and i added chicken breast to increase the protein of the dish
of else baby won’t have enough hehe

absolutely love how it turned out.
and I really enjoyed cooking it.
it was easy and only needed 10 mins in the oven
after everything was prepared and done.

Recipe :

500g macaroni (use any kind u like)
3 rashers of bacon, cut into cubes
200g chicken breast, diced
2 small brown onions
1 1/2 cup of cream
1 1/4 cup of milk (i use light milk)
2 cups of cheddar (and extra to top it)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps :

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees celcius.
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions with plenty of salted-water
until al-dente. Careful not to cook till it gets too soft, or it will turn mushy after.
Place it into the baking dish

2. Fry the onion till it’s soft, not brown.
Add the bacon and cook for about 5 mins and add the chicken breast.

3. Add the cream, milk and nutmeg and wait till it comes to a boil.
Reduce the heat till it simmers, add the cheese.
Stir till all the cheese has melted.

4. Pour the cream mixture over the macaroni
and sprinkle it with extra cheese.

5. Put it into the oven and bake it for 10 mins.
Then turn it to the top grill
to brown the top of the dish.

6. Serve when it’s HOT! (:



i made not one but two haha.

Hot Apple Tart with Caramel IceCream

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this is one recipe I followed step by step
and because my blow torch had no gas
I couldn’t torch it
But it grilled it instead! hehe
and it turned out pretty good too

Ingredients :

1 sheet of puff pastry (buttered preferably)
2 granny smith apples
brown sugar to top the tart
melted butter

Steps :

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees celcius.
Using a 98mm round cutter, cut out 4 rounds and place on a baking sheet in the baking tray.
Prick the pastry with a fork to stop it from puffing up.

2. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples

3. Arrange the apples on the puff pastry, overlapping them slightly.
Brush them with the melted butter
and sprinkle the top with brown sugar

4. Bake for 10-15 mins and turn it to the top grill and grill till the top turns
Top the tart with a scope of ice cream (any flavour you want)
and serve.

DONE! (:

just came out of the overn
and looking super good! (:

just another close up of the tart.

we were really spoilt for the night (:
and I love it. hehe

Porterhouse steak with onion red wine sauce and pan fried chunky potatoes

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really awesome. (:
so glad with how it turned out hehe

We bought a whole slab of porterhouse
and asked them to cut it into 1-inch pieces of steak
and I found the thickness just nice.
but baby thought 1 and a half inch would be more awesome! hehe
maybe next time!

but i think it was really good how everything turned out.
we tried to make the potatoes like how Bistro Vue did on my birthday
but today’s was super good as well!

Ingredients :
(for 3 people)

For the steak :
3 portions of 1-inch porterhouse steaks
3 big cloves of garlic
3 sprigs of rosemarry
3 tbs of butter

For the sauce :
2 small onions
15 ml of red wine
15 ml of beef stock
2 tbs of thickened cream

Potatoes :
5 huge potatoes
Salt
Pepper
2 tbs olive oil

Steps :

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees celcius.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick strips.
Boil a pot of salted water, and add the potato strips in.
Boil for 5-8mins.
Put the potatoes on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil so that it will crisp and colour.
Bake for 15 mins and take it out to cool.

NOTE : If the colour is not brown enough to your liking
throw the chips bake into a hot pan and pan fry it till crisp and brown.
(which is what we did and was still super yummy)

3. Heat a cast iron pan (make sure it’s hot) and add 2 tbs of olive oil.
Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper.
Seal one side of the steak (about 1 min), till a nice brown and turn.
Put the rosemarry and garlic and allow the side to brown as well (1-2 mins).

4. Add the butter and put the cast iron pan into the oven.
Bake it for about 5 mins and take it out.
Cool the steaks on a cooling rack
and keep the juices left in the pan

5. Saute the onions till soft and brown
Add the garlic from the pan and add the red wine to de-glaze.
Add the juices back into the pan
with the beef stock and cream.
Allow the onion sauce to reduce and thicken.

6. Pour it over the steak and serve with the chips.
DONE!

super yummy yippee doo! (:

ENJOY!

Pan Fried Blue Trevally with Mustard Potato Salad

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Baby and I have been watching The F Word for the past week
and it’s not anything bad.
it’s just a TV series
where Gordan Ramsay invites people to come cook with him
in this small little restaurant..
it’s awesome. really
and all his recipes are fast, easy and meant for people to try at home
was just really excited to try out some of his recipes

I dun think this is exactly his dish.
i changed it a little
and didn’t have some of the ingredients hehe

instead of the mackeral he used.
I used blue trevally instead.
i think it works as well.
and was nice having the skin of the fish crisp and tasty!

and this took like 15 mins to prepare
so everyone could do it
and it’s healthy! in a way i guess. haha

Ingredients :
(for 2 people)

2 pieces of Blue Trevally fillets
3 tbs mayo
1/2 tbs mustard
3 medium sized potatoes, whole
1/3 lemon, juice

Steps :

1. Boil a pot of salted water and put the potatoes in and boil for 20 mins
(or until the fork is able to go through easily)
Once the potatoes are cooked, cube them and allow them to cool for 5 mins.

2. In a big bowl, add the mayo and mustard. Mix well, add alt and pepper for flavour.
Add the lemon juice and mix it well. Add the potatoes into the mustard mixture.
Coating each potato with the mixture.

3. Heat a pan and add 2 tbs of olive oil.
Season the the fish on both sides with salt and pepper.
Put the fish into the hot pan skin side first
and cook it for 4 mins.
Turn it and cook it for a further 2 mins.

4. Serve, with salad if desired! DONE.