Tag: Dessert

A First Time For Everything.

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Everyone who knows me, know how much I love food. Sweet or savoury; I have too many to choose and count. But one thing I do know is I like to end a good meal with a homemade dessert! Doesn’t everybody? (:

I have heaps of favourite desserts : brownies, bread and butter pudding, jelly hearts and plum tatin ! But instead of always making the same desserts, I like to get inspiration from Tastespotting and other food blogs, and try new ones that catches my attention!

I was recently inspired after reading a post from Laureen of Eat and Be Happy and her amazing looking panna cotta and I just had to give it a try too!

I have been having a lychee craze now. So everything I want to make is lychee related. Makes me miss having Tango’s lychee martini more after having this dessert. Sadly, the lychee juice and cream layer split, so it became a three layer dessert. But the cream layer was nicely and subtly infused with the lychee flavour and it was still smooth and oh-so-good! The blended lychee at the bottom turned into a smooth lychee jelly which was like a surprise when you dig into it! So its not too bad a first try if you ask me. haha

I also decided to make berry ice cream to cut the sweetness of the panna cotta and it worked! I know it may sound like I spent alot of time on this dessert, but actually, I didn’t. Most of the time was for the panna cotta to set in the fridge! The berry ice cream took about 5 minutes from taking out the ingredients to freezing it! It is Jamie Oliver’s 1-minute berry ice cream that I saw on tv during the 30-minute meals. It’s healthy, and really good as well!

So yes, there is a lot of first tries in this one post, but well. If you don’t try, you’ll never know how it tastes will you?

So go on, give it a shot! (: You’ll not regret it !

Lychee Panna Cotta and Pomegranate Jelly (adapted from Une-deux Senses)

For the panna cotta :
1 can lychees, in syrup
2 tsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsn. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla paste (optional, I just like to see the black dots in the cream)

For the pomegranate jelly :
1 1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin
1 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM pomegranate wildberry white tea)
1/2 cup sugar

Frozen berries, just to place above the panna cotta

Steps :

1. Open the can of lychees and pour the lychees and syrup into a food processor. Process until smooth. There will be a lot of bits of lychee flesh and pulp, strain into a measuring cup until you get 1 cup of clear liquid. ( Tip : do not throw the bits of lychee flesh and pulp, could put it in the berry ice cream!)

2. Place 3 tbsn. cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top, let sit while you do the next step.

3. Combine the lychee liquid, cream, milk, vanilla paste and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and it just comes to a boil.

4. Remove the lychee mixture from the heat and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is fully melted and combined. Divide mixture among glasses and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

5. To make the jelly, place 3 tbsn. of cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit while you do the next step.

6. Combine the pomegranate juice and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat on medium, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatin and stir until fully melted and combined. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

7. Make sure the panna cotta is set, place a few frozen berries on before pouring the jelly mixture over and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

For the berry icecream (adapted from Jamie Oliver) :

500g pack of mixed frozen berries, do not thaw
lychee flesh and pulp (from straining the lychee juice)
3–4 tablespoons runny honey
500g tub of natural yoghurt

Steps :

1. Put the frozen berries and lychee flesh and pulp into the blender and the add the yogurt and honey and whiz until smooth and combined.

2. You could use it immediately, or place it in a bowl and freeze until needed.

Not that difficult aye? Give it a shot and let me know how you go! (:

ENJOY!

ps : Please be patient when pouring the jelly mixture on top the panna cotta, make sure the panna cotta is set well. If you see mine, there is a rim of white cream around the top, haha it’s because I was overly excited! 😛

Croissant Bread and Butter Pudding

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Sorry for the lack of posts everyone! Been really busy with uni work and accompanying family and friends who have been visiting non-stop for the past 2 months and it has been awesome! (: But keeping them company means less time to cook and bake in the kitchen. Till now! So I do apologise but thank you for still reading my blog! Really honoured (:

So it’s the semester break now and I’ve got alot more time on my hands and I have to say, it feels really good to be back in the kitchen coming up with new dishes to try! Absolutely loving it!

So today I decided to make a dessert that I have always loved having at buffets : bread and butter pudding, but with a small twist! I used croissants instead of bread. Who could resist croissants huh? I definitely can’t!

I added chocolate and raisins and a little cowboy shot liquor to give it the additional kick! hahas. The mr and his sister loved it, which made me even happier! (: Always nice to know what people think about it after they’ve tried it. Almost like having food critics in your restaurant, and waiting for their review on the papers or their blogs. haha. Although I am my toughest critic, always good to know what other people think too!

I had extra yolks in my custard as I’m aging my egg whites for another shot at making macarons. (fingers crossed!) so my custard is extra thick and heavy which I actually prefer! Not too bad for my first try I think! hehe With such a heavy custard, we only need to have a little to be full! So it is a good thing too! trying to watch the waistline haha

So here’s the recipe, hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients :

3 crossiants (medium in size)

20g unsalted butter

20g dark choc chips

30g raisins

zest of 1/2 an orange

300ml cream

50ml milk

3 tbs cowboy shot liquor

1 egg

3 egg yolks

50g sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

my egg had a double yolk! was so super excited and amused haha

Steps:

1) Tear the croissants into smaller pieces and fit them into the baking pan (a deep dish is best)

2) Cut the butter into small pieces and place then in between the croissant pieces. Top the croissants with the chocolate chips and raisins.

3) To make the custard, mix the cream, milk, orange zest and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks and sugar till well combined and mix it into the cream mixture. Stir until well combined.

4) Pour the custard over the croissants and let it sit on the bench for 10 mins while pre-heating the oven at 180 degrees celcius.

5) Bake for 20 mins until golden brown. You can eat it really hot, or have it warm (the way I like to have mine!)

ENJOY!

on a side note : I found the cutest stamp from the Sunday markets along St Kilda beach! (:

Absolutely loving it! (:

ps: I’ve added this post on “Sweet as Sugar Cookies” sweet treat linky party! Head over to see much more yummy sweet treats! (:

Chocolate Gluttony Brownies

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Chocolate.

The ultimate stress reliever food! (: I will never turn down chocolate. White, milk, dark. With fruits, nuts or plain. GIVE ME ALL! It doesn’t help that Lindt cafe opened in Melbourne last year. haha. A whole range of different quality chocolates within easy reach! Chocolate becomes essential especially when there are assignments and when you get writer’s block. and what did I do? I baked! To me, baking is therapeutic. When I’m stressed, two things comes in mind. Baking and chocolate. Nothing would be more perfect than baking brownies!

A while back, Masterclass had the most sinful and gooey brownie. Baby and I just couldn’t not give it a try. I’m so glad I did though. Cause the recipe is definitely a keeper! The best thing is you can add as many things as you want in it, and it will still turn out yummy! It’s a pity I didn’t have pecans or peanuts as I think it will just bring it to whole other level of delicious. But here is always next time, cause more assignments are due in 3 weeks!

so here’s the recipe I used adapted from Gary Mehigan (Masterclass)

Ingredients :

250g melted butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
90g good quality (Dutch) cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour, sifted
½ tsp baking powder, sifted
5 eggs
1 block of Lindt White Chocolate with Almonds
1 cup chopped dark chocolate

6 big marshmallows

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 165°C. Line 2 x 20cm square baking tins or one larger slice tin with baking paper.

2) Add butter and sugar to an electric mixer and mix on medium speed, sprinkle in cocoa powder and mix until combined and has a gooey consistency.

3) Add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to mix through before adding the next.

After adding 1 egg yolk

Last and final addition

All ready to add the flour

4) Rain in flour and baking powder with electric mixer on low speed, beating until well combined.

5) Stir through the chocolates until combined.

6) Pour equal amounts into the tins and smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Place the marshmallows on top of the batter and push it in just a little.

7) Bake for about 40 minutes until firm at the edges but still a little soft in the middle.

8) Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Alternatively you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge.

GOOEY and filled with chocolatey goodness! (:

I’m pretty sure you will enjoy it! heh The middle is definitely my favourite bits!

Chocolate Ganache, Cream and Strawberry Tart

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my very first time making a tart. As you can see, it’s staying in the mold cause any attempt of taking it out, it crumbles into a million and one pieces! *sigh* ah wells. just have to pluck up the courage to try it again. SOON. haha we shall see! (:

I found the largest and reddest strawberry from Queen Victoria Market, and just knew I had to try marking these tarts, although the original recipe calls for raspberry. hehe. they were as huge as my palm!!!

how gorgeous do they look! (: I bet if you saw them, you wouldn’t be able to resist either!!! hehe

I used the recipe from Masterchef, and besides the tart being too crumbly (which I’m pretty sure it’s because I didn’t let it set in the fridge long enough haha) it was YUMMY! The chocolate ganache was the saviour of the dish to be honest. haha but I’m not too surprised, chocolate always saves everything! Especially when I’m stressed. haha

so here’s the recipe! (: Hope you will be more successful than me!

(Adapted from Masterchef)

Ingredients :

240g plain flour
160g butter
Pinch of salt
300ml thickened cream
1 tbs caster sugar
1 punnet strawberries

160ml cream
40g butter
180g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Steps :

Step 1: Place the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and blend
until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 1-2 teaspoons cold water and
blend again until the dough just comes together. Tip out onto a lightly floured
board or clean bench and form dough into a disc, enclose in cling film and
refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Step 2: Roll pastry out to 3-5mm thick, then use to line four 10cm loose- bottomed tart tins. Prick the base with a fork, then place back in the fridge to rest for about 20 minutes.

Step 3: To make the ganache, place the cream and butter in a pan and stir over medium heat until butter has melted. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour over the warm cream, then stir until the chocolate has melted.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the pastry case with baking paper and
pastry beads or uncooked rice. Blind-bake for 7-10 minutes, then remove baking
paper and beads and bake for another 5-10 minutes until just golden. Press down
any bubbles that have risen up and allow to cool. Remove from tart cases and
place on a serving plate or clean board.

Step 5: Meanwhile, whip thickened cream with sugar until soft peaks. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until needed.

Step 6: Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shells. Spread evenly with the
back of a spoon or palette knife. Place the strawberries on top of the tart and serve!

Bon Appetit!

Spiced Red Wine Poached Pear

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there something quite amazing about poached pears. They transform into a soft-yet-firm magical looking fruit that is tainted with the most amazing maroon. Eat it with the most luscious vanilla mascarpone, and VIOLA! You’re in heaven. (:

I’ve never had a poached pear, but I always see cooking shows that make them and tell myself, I need to try that soon. Just like tarts. And that journey has yet to begun. haha We went to the Sunday Market near Melbourne Showground and chanced upon some Bosc pears, and I just couldn’t resist!

with a bottle of cabernet merlot lying around in the cupboard, it was a perfect opportunity to make some poached pears! (:

So here is the recipe that I adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients :
500ml (2 cups) red wine
70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
2 whole star anise
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 vanilla bean, split
2 just-ripe bosc pears, peeled
2 cloves
100g mascarpone
2 tbs icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla paste
Steps :
1. Combine the wine, sugar, star anise, cloves, cinnamon powder and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
2. Add the pears and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until pears are tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a heatproof bowl. Once it’s cooled, put it in the fridge while preparing the other things. (The original recipe calls for the pears to be refrigerated for 4 hours, but I only let it sit in the fridge for 30mins and it was already yummy! I much prefer the cold outer portion and the inner flesh is warm.)
3. Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.
4. Place the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla paste in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
5. Transfer the pears to a serving dish and drizzle with syrup. Serve with vanilla mascarpone.
ENJOY! (:

Looks Can Be Deceiving!

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Ever judge something or someone by it’s or their looks?

I am definitely guilty! Especially when I baked this cotton soft Japanese cheesecake! I have made it before back in Melbourne and it was successful but was very thin. So when i saw this post by Ju, The Little Teochew (she is AMAZING by the way), and I couldn’t resist trying the recipe she used! To my dismay, mine did not turn out any where near hers. Her cake stood tall and mine stood timid and small, no matter how long I allowed it to rest in the oven before taking it out. BUT! the taste and texture of the cake was still super good! So with more practice, hopefully mine would look closer to hers!

So here’s mine, looking a little sad. But really, it was very good and everyone enjoyed it! So don’t judge anything from it’s outer looks, always give it a chance! (:

It was Father’s Day so I baked one for my dad, and one for Lester’s dad as well. Was really happy to hear both of them enjoying it! (: So here’s to all the fathers out there :

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY !

Recipe adaptd from The Little Teochew (I strongly urge you to visit her blog!)

120g fine caster sugar

6 eggs whites

6 egg yolks

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

50g butter

250g cream cheese

100ml fresh milk

1 tbsp of lemon juice

60g cake flour

20g corn flour

1/4 tsp salt

Steps :

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and fold well.

Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil if you are using a springform tin, to prevent seepage.

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degree celcius.

Tips : So that the top will not be too brown, I covered the top with aluminium foil for 40 mins and took it off for the last 30 mins. Ju recommended to leave it in the oven for 1 hour with the door ajar so that it will not sink. I did that, but it didn’t work for me. Will definitely try it again! Remember to check out her blog! (:

ps : love you daddy! (:

A Celebration.

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Hard Rock Cafe
Festive Terrace
Resorts World Sentosa

It has been 8 years since I’ve met up with them. And it’s been really nice to be invited to celebrate their birthdays with them! (: and even better then the celebration is at a place I’ve never been before : Hard Rock Cafe at Resorts World!

I totally felt like a tourist, cause I got lost. I pretty much covered the whole RW in like 20 mins. haha But well, it’s all worth it! The catching up and having the company of a few of my ex-classmates were just awesome!

Thanks for inviting me babes! (: It was really good to catch up and I’m very happy to hear all of you are doing well! Hope to meet up once more before I head back!

For the life of me, I still can’t believe Hard Rock Cafe is not located in the Hard Rock Hotel. Although Mish told me it’s because they have their own signature restaurant in the hotel, so they had to move Hrd Rock cafe somewhere else. Oh wells. Love the atmosphere, but the lack of staff resulted in overcooked beef, and slow service. But nonetheless, it was a really good night!

(ps : thanks Choy for the photos!)

the starter which I missed! Looks good aye? hehe Huge portion though! Everyone was kinda full after sharing this!

Choy’s bacon and beef burger! Was yummy! (:

Love how they used the toothpick with the flag to keep everything together.

My steak sandwich! (: It was well done though I asked for medium. But the flavours were good! So I shall not complain too much! (:

Emma’s and Ven’s mac and cheese! (:

and I can’t remember what’s the name of Jem’s dish! But it looks yummy! hehe

Boulangerie
Festive Hotel
Resorts World Sentosa

our dearest Mish was so sweet to buy cakes from Boulangerie that are made from a French pastry chef! (: And they not only good good, they tasted yummy! Thanks babe!

I took this one home! (: Always have been and always be a chocolate person! hehe

Can’t wait to meet up again and have more yummy food and good company! (: Haven’t laughed like that for a long time! Always good to meet up with old friends!

Happy Mother’s Day !

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To all mothers out there : Happy Mother’s Day!

To my mummy : Thank you for being so awesome all the time. Caring and loving us unconditionally. Love you very much! (:

I decided to bake a cake for both my mum and my baby’s mum. and was looking through blogs to get inspiration. Then it hit me when I saw a post on I am Baker : Heart Cake .

It’s not literally a cake that looks like a heart. It’s a heart in a cake! What better cake to bake for my mum right? hehe When I saw the steps to making it, I was a little taken aback. Firstly, big cakes aren’t really my thing. Secondly, neither is high layered cakes. haha so yes. I was taking a very huge risk! But I told myself, if I pull this off, it would all be worth it!

Like I am Baker, I used a white cake and filled it with red velvet cake to make the heart in the cake and topped it with buttercream icing. hehe The oohs and ahhs when the cake was cut made me smile, but sadly, the icing was too sweet for anyone’s liking! So I decided that when I do make it again, I should use a cream cheese icing instead. But well, I think the cake was yummy and the sweetness might still be bearable if u eat it with a cup of hot tea! haha but yes. Definitely changing the icing. hehe

The piece that was cut out had a nicer heart shape! haha the bigger piece looked like a butt according to my mum haha. I made a U-bottom heart instead of a V-bottom. Bad cutting skills!

overall, I enjoyed the making process very much. Though it was very time consuming. But the end result was worth every single minute working on it and also the smile on my mum’s face! Plus I found out it was difficult trying to surprise my mum. She would continuously ask questions. haha. (:

So here’s the recipe adapted from I am Baker! I won’t be writing the step by step cause her explanation is very very clear! and she has step by step pictures. hehe So hop over to her blog and give this cute cake a shot!

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Pavlova : Revisited

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I’ve always likes a good pavlova. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

I must admit, I try not to order it outside for a few reasons : it tends to turn out too sweet and the portions are TOO HUGE! haha. so I have been loooking for the best pavlova recipe, but failed to do it the first time. haha well. I didn’t fail just didnt turn out as well as I hoped it would. So I went on looking for another recipe and asked around for people’s opinions. I found a Donna Hay one, and as Laureen nicely puts it, nothing really goes wrong with a Donna Hay recipe (:

So while thinking what to bake on this nice and windy Sunday afternoon, my dearest baby requested that I made his favourite dessert, the pavlova of course. And how can I say no? hehe luckily, I have a stocked up pantry and I have eevrything I need for the Pavlova. hehe

I was thrilled to see how it turned out! It didn’t collapse until I put the knife through it and sliced it into pieces! Boy was I a happy girl (: *doing the same dance as when my Macarons had ‘feet’!*

so here’s the recipe and I followed it to the tee, except for the fruits I topped it with! (:

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Triple Kahlua Surprise !

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a while back, I made tiramisu for a mini housewarming that we had at our place. Of course, I bought I big bottle of Kahlua just in case for times like these! I am a bit fan of Kahlua and have always been wanting to try how it would be in cupcakes. Boy did I give it a good shot. I didn’t only have it in my cupcake, I had it in my filling and in my frosting! haha. Now it’s no wonder I named this the triple kahlua surprise yes?

I sourced around for recipes that people have tried and tweaked it a little, came up with my own ganache filling and buttercream frosting so I’m a happy girl (: I think it turned out really well and for once my frosting looks like those you can find in cupcake shops! Well definitely not perfect, but I’m just super happy that it kinda looks similar! haha

so the texture of the cupcakes were soft and when it is in your mouth it has the texture of a chewie brownie! So it is a little dense and quite similar to the texture of a souffle, a dense souffle. Possible due to folding in the stiff egg whites into the mixture at the end. The ganache really compliments the cupcake and the buttercream frosting makes it less rich so I think it’s a perfect match! (: Top it off with shaved chocolate and you have a yummy little dessert on a plate.

When you see the recipe, you might think it’s way too much Kahlua, but you barely taste any in the cupcake itself. The only thing that has the taste of it is the icing (which you can alter the amount you want) so really the amount I used in this recipe is just nice! So if you’re a big fan of Kahlua, try giving this little cupcake a shot! I’m very sure you won’t regret it!

Triple Kahlua Surprise

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