a sniff from home

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we had half a duck sitting in our freezer for the longest time
and just though of making something that we really miss with it.
and the thing that came up in our minds was..

and it wasn’t difficult to make at all! (: hehe

Ingredients :

Duck ( chopped up into pieces)
Bamboo shoots (1 can)
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of chinese wine
2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 big chunk of ginger (sliced thinly)
2 small onions / shallots
1 teaspoon of fermented black bean
1 teaspoon of fermented yellow beans
3 heaps tablespoons of chilli paste

Methods :

1. Fry the ginger and onion till brown, add the duck and fry skin down first.
2. In a bowl, mix the sauces together and pour it into the pot. Add in the chilli paste and stir well.
3. Mix the sauce through and well. Add 4 tablespoons of water. Let it simmer for about 1/2 hour.
4. Add in the bamboo shoots and let it simmer for another 20-25mins.
5. Serve with rice.

it tasted great! though i didn’t have the fermented beans.
the taste wasn’t very different from my mummy’s. hehe
so im happy. and my tummy is also very happy (:

give it a try. and let me know how it went!

sticky date pudding

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I got to make the Sticky Date pudding that was shown on Masterchef Australia a couple of weeks ago.
at long last. haha.
had the mind and heart to give it a try! hehe
and i must say.
I am super happy with how it turned out! hehe
from the pudding, to the praline to the butterscotch sauce.
absolutely loved it!

Baby holding up the whole piece of almond praline! hehe
nice colour aye? hehe
baby helped me with it. (:

the puddings coming out of the oven.
i didn’t have the metal holders.
so I just used the ramekins
and it came out nicely as well. hehe
almost like a souffle right? haha.
but really moist and spongy on the inside.

served with the butterscotch sauce and whipped cream with vanilla seeds.
AWESOME! (:
super happy hehe.

Recipe by Kirsten Jenkins – Masterchef Australia

Ingredients :
(Makes 8)

180g dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1¼ cups (310ml) water
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¾ cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar
60g butter, softened chopped
2 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

Almond praline
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
¼ cup (35g) slivered almonds

Butterscotch sauce
50g butter
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan-forced).
Lightly grease eight (½ cup capacity) metal dariole moulds.
(I used ramekins! turned out good too!)

2. Place dates and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Remove from the heat.
Add bicarbonate of soda, stir until dates start to break down, set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using a hand beater,
gradually add eggs one at a time, beat until light and fluffy.

4. Add date mixture, stir to combine.
Carefully fold through sifted flour, divide mixture evenly between the eight moulds, until 2/3 full.

5. Place moulds in a baking tray,
carefully pour water in tray until it comes up 1/3 of the side of the moulds.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until golden and skewer comes out clean.

6. Meanwhile, for the almond praline, combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat
and cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden.
Scatter almonds onto a baking paper-lined oven tray, pour over caramel and cool until set.
Break praline into pieces.

Enjoy! (:

bloomin’ easy vanilla cheesecake

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sorry about the super poor quality photos
i think it’s time to change my camera. haha
but yes.
it sure has satisfied our cheesecake cravings
and though I was a bit anxious to have it when it’s not cold enough.
it was still quite good!
the best result was when you chill it over night in my opinion.
YUMS!

and it’s pretty easy to make as well.
so give it a shot! (:
can last you for ages! haha
(we still have half in the fridge, awesome for exam preparations!)

so here is the recipe :

Bloomin’ Easy Vanilla Cheesecake
(Adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients :

150g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
250g digestive biscuits, crushed
115g caster sugar
3 tablespoons of corn flour
900g cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs
115ml double cream
1 vanilla pod (I used 1 tsp of vanilla extract with vanilla beans)
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange

Steps :

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4, and grease and line the bottom and sides of a 24cm springform cake tin.
Mix the biscuits and butter in a bowl, press into the base of the prepared tin and cook for 10 minutes.
Then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

2. Turn the oven up to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
Combine the sugar and cornflour in a bowl.
Add the cream cheese and beat, ideally with an electric whisk, until creamy.
Add the eggs and beat well.
Gradually add the cream, beating until smooth,
then beat in the vanilla seeds or extract and lemon and orange zest.

3. Scrape the mixture on to the biscuit base, and gently shake it to level out the surface.
Put the cheesecake in the centre of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes
until the top is golden brown and the filling has set around the edges.
(A piece of foil over the top will stop it browning too much.)
Let it cool at room temperature and serve after 2 or 3 hours, or,
for a slightly firmer texture, put it in the fridge until it’s nice and cold.
(Overnight is best or at least for 3 hours)

DONE! (:

Enjoy!

Fluffy Buttermilk Sultana Scones

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I use to make the scones my mummy taught me.
with 7-up and cream.
but I really wanted to try those that are made using buttermilk. (:
saw a few recipes. but decided to use the one I saw on Kitchenwench
been reading her blog lately.
and she is so inspiring! hehe
and she teaches how to make all the korean yums.
so I was jus addicted. haha.

anyways. the scones came out alright.
though there is definitely room for improvement.
like the shape of the scones and stuff.
but it was super YUM! hehe
really light
and definitely fluffy! hee

absolutely loved it!
I didn’t even need to eat it with cream
just jam and it was awesome enough. hehe

though I couldn’t get them in the nice scone shape.
cause it was stickier than I thought it would be.
so I just scoop and plop! haha.
that’s why the scone was unevenly shaped.
i kinda like it this way.
what do u think? hehe
rustic!

Ingredients :

2 cups of self-raising flour
25g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
80g cold butter, cubed
100g sultanas
1 cup / 250ml buttermilk

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C and line a baking tray with some baking paper,
then liberally dust with flour and set aside.

2. Sift together all the dry ingredients (both flours, sugar and salt),
then rub in the cold butter with your fingertips till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the dried fruit and toss well so it’s well coated.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture,
then pour in the buttermilk and quickly stir together till it holds together,
then tip onto a floured chopping board and knead till just combined.

4. As my mixture was stickier than it was suppose to be,
I plopped heaps tablespoons of mixture onto the baking tray.
(If you got your dough nice and dry and easy to roll out,
Pat the dough about 4-5cm flat,
then dip a round cutter into some flour and stamp out the scones,
carefully placing the scones closely together on the prepared baking tray.)

5. Lightly dust the tops with flour, then bake for 20 minutes,
or till the scones are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped on the top.
Remove the tray from the oven and tightly wrap a clean tea towel around it for 5 minutes
before serving with some homemade strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream!

Fluffy Buttermilk Sultana Scones. DONE!

Enjoy everyone! (:

chocolate souffle : second night in a row !

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I watched Masterchef and they made a chocolate and jaffa souffle
Not a big fan of jaffa.
I left it out.
so it’s just chocolate Souffle. for the second night in a row! haha

because I never had my souffle rise perfectly on the sides.
I was hoping this one would be it.
and IT WAS IT! hehe

it rose. perfectly.
i was super happy! hehe
and it was still nice and gooey in the center.
the way baby likes it. hehe

poke it in the middle and add a scoop of ice cream
match-made in heaven  hehe

guess who’s the happiest girl on Earth?
*jumps*
awesome. and super easy as well! hehe

Ingredients :

120g of 70% dark chocolate
4 eggs, seperated
50g sugar, and extra to coat the ramekins
butter to coat the ramekins

Steps :

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees celcious.

2. Boil a pot of water and put a heat proof bowl over to melt the chocolate.
Make sure you don’t get any water in the chocolate, or it will be ruined.
Butter the ramekins with a brush and with upward strokes on the sides.
Coat the buttered ramekins with caster sugar.

3. Cool the melted chocolate and beat in the egg yolks.
IN another bowl, beat the egg whites with a bit of the sugar to get the meringue started.
Slowly add the rest of the sugar till you get stiff peaks.

4. Add 1/3 of the meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
Then slowly stir in the rest of the meringue mixture gently.

5. Scoop the mixture into the ramekins slowly and carefully, not to get any on the sides.
Then bake it in the over for 10 mins.

6. Sift icing sugar over the top immediately after you’ve taken it out of the oven
and put a scoop of ice cream in the middle of the souffle.

7. INDULGE.

Chocolate Souffle. DONE!

Bon Appetit everyone (:

Spiced Monk Fish

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since we started watching The F Word.
we haven’t stopped trying the recipes.
every week.
we try and cook at least 1 or 2 recipes from any series.
and when we saw the episode on Monk Fish
we have been tempted to try it!
but we didn’t know if we could get Monk Fish at Victoria Market

for the past few weeks.
we didn’t see any sign of Monk Fish at all.
and trust me. we never stopped looking for it! hehe
but last Friday
we spotted it! hehe.
another name for Monk Fish is Stargazer haha.
so cute. (:

SO WE BOUGHT IT.
of course. haha
not even thinking it for the second time.
we just asked for a large piece.
and paid for it.

not cheap. but so worth it!



i cooked it and sauteed some potatoes with thyme and garlic to go with (:
AWESOME. hehe
the fish was cooked to perfection
tender and still juicy.
and the coating of five-spice powder and paprika.
just compliments the sweetness of the fish.
we both enjoyed it very much!

stacking the slices of potatoes.
not as crispy as I hope the outside will be.
but still yumms!

then put one piece of fish on the potatoes.
gently

and then. the second piece. (:
DIG IN!

try it! it’s super easy and quick!

Ingredients :

4 monkfish tail fillets, skinned, each about 170g
1 tsp five-spice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

5 small washed potatoes sliced thickly
thyme
2 cloves of garlic, crushed but left whole
25g butter

Steps :

1. Lay the monkfish on a board and remove any greyish membrane.
Mix the five-spice powder, paprika and seasoning together on a plate.
Roll the monkfish fillets in the spice mixture to coat evenly all over.

2. Heat 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan
and sear the monkfish fillets,
in batches if necessary for 4 – 5 minutes on each side until golden brown all over.
Baste as you cook to keep the fish moist.
When the fish is just cooked through,
remove to a cold plate and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

3. To serve : Stack the potatoes in the middle of the plate.
Gently place the pieces of fish on top of the potatoes.

4. Spiced Monkfish with sauteed potatoes.
DONE!

Enjoy!

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.