Nuts about Gingerbread Houses November 22, 2009
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Source: http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/
Gingerbread Mansion, anyone?
Alas, procrastination got the better of me – so no pictures of a croquembouche up here. heh!
No prizes for guessing the baking want of the week. (Christmas time is coming….!)
I am really inspired by Barry’s creations (He bakes and donates these yearly for a charity raffle!)
I think I will try a simple one. If that succeeds I will make another and donate it to some happy kids to gobble up. (:
Royal icing is key to gluing the pieces together and keeping them stuck to each other.
Source: http://www.browneyedbaker.com
Look at the shiny sheen!
While some recipes suggest using egg whites, I’m pretty grossed out by the possibility of eating raw egg whites.
(Met our friend, Salmonella?)
Shall stick to using meringue powder. A 4oz (113g) portion retails at Phoon Huat for SG$8.30.
Some people have commented that meringue powder has a stench but I shall see/try/buy/smell and blog about it.
….If and when I get to making my gingerbread house. :b
Croquembouche! November 17, 2009
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Source: http://lacerise.blogspot.com/2009/02/croquembouche-project.html
I am going to embark on a two-part project which validates my semi-expertise in the baking of eclairs.
1st stage: A mini tower of about 20 eclair puffs
2nd stage: 231 eclair puffs for my 21st birthday. The arithmetic is interesting. Try guessing WHY 231. (:
Wish me luck!
Shall post pictures of my success/epic fail later. toodles! (:
Krispy Treats!! July 18, 2009
Posted by charmainec in Uncategorized.Tags: Comfort Food, Decadent
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So it’s not exactly a huge secret how krispy treats are made. Sure, melt butter, marshmallows, mix with puffed rice cereal. Freeze and cut into bars later.
Oh and good luck, have fun cleaning up.
With necessity comes invention, right? I decided to share the lazy rat bum’s method of making the yummy treats. Mine!
(On a side note, they’re apparently marketed as LCM bars in OZ. Hmm I wonder why not HCF bars.)
Makes approx 6 bars
Feeds a greedy Charmaine F!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
(the more the merrier!)
1 cup krispy treats
1 cup marshmallows
(approx 9-10 pieces)
Some vanilla essence/vanillin
(Prefer the latter for the stronger aroma)
Optional: food flavouring/colouring.
(To be added at step 6.)
Stuff you’ll need:
Greaseproof paper
Heatproof glass container
(I am a huge fan of Pyrex glass containers since they can withstand extreme temperatures.)
Metal spoon
(A regular tablespoon will suffice)
A microwave oven
Method:
1. Line your container with the greaseproof paper.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave on high for 30 secs with your lined container.
( Warning: don’t stick metals into the microwave!)
3. Brush the melted butter all over the sides of the lined container.
4. Place the marshmallows into the container and put it on high for another 30 secs.
(They’ll puff up and look real cute. LOL)
5. Remove the puffy buttery marshmallows from the microwave and give them a good mix. It should be gooey and tacky.
6. Mix in the rice krispies a bit at a time to ensure that the puffed rice bits will be held together by the marshmallow glue.
7. After mixing everything well, stick the whole lot into the freezer for an hour or so before cutting them into bars. YUM!
Golden Pineapple Tarts Part Deux July 18, 2009
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For the pastry, we used half a block of butter (we prefer the golden churn butter; scs doesn’t seem to be as fragrant), an egg yolk, approx 100g of self-raising flour. Add a pinch of vanilla essence (i used vanillin which has a stronger aroma.) This makes approx 60 cookies.
If the pastry dough turns out wet, simply add more flour. The consistency should be pliable like playdoh, not crumbly.
You could roll the dough out (approx 0.5cm thickness) and use a mini cookie cutter to cut out circles (diameter: 3cm) or you could roll out mini mentos-sized balls and flatten them.
Take approx half-teaspoonfuls of the pineapple jam and wrap the yummy balls up. Arrange them on a greaseproof paper lined tray and brush some egg yolk on top to produce a golden brown sheen at 170 deg Celsius for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Would have loved to post pics but they’ve all been gobbled up by the greedy pigs at home. Heh!
next post: krispy treats! (:
Golden Pineapple Tarts Part Un July 10, 2009
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Was in a mood for baking after eating some scrumptious tarts made by my mom’s friend.
My mother also happens to be an expert in baking killer pineapple tarts which are buttery and melt in your mouth.
She always makes her filling by hand and I decided to experiment and make a batch of pineapple tarts by myself.
Phwoar! It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted, impatient types. Cutting the pineapple cubes took an hour for me and my maid (I still can’t believe that’s only 3 pineapples there.)
Boiling them took another 2 hours of continuous stirring over a low flame. My right arm’s falling off. Alternatively you could also buy the pre-made pineapple filling from Phoon Huat. (Since I am so picky, I chose to make my own lor.)
Shall update with peektures when I do the baking later. Whee! (:
(tummy rumbles.)
Mr. F’s 21st! June 16, 2009
Posted by charmainec in Uncategorized.Tags: Mr. F, Salad
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So it was the weekend before my beloved’s birthday. What did I do? Well, what any other loving girlfriend would do.
(Only amplified by about 5000 times?)
Got a chalet? No, think PENTHOUSE DUPLEX SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF CLARKE QUAY.
Got a humongous rah-rah guest list? Nope, not quite; invited 20 of his closest friends. (I’m sorry for not getting the councillors though, was expecting a much smaller venue and got upgraded v last minute. Je suis tres tres desole!)
RE: the decor, I didn’t really get a lot of unnecessary junky kitch. (GOT MY BESTIE TO HELP FILL 100 HELIUM BALLOONS! whose spanking new iMac i’m blogging happily on now btw.)
And of course the most important bit, the food.
I made chicken + prawn pasta for the non-beef eaters, accompanied by the perennial favourite minced beef bolognaise sauce.(Tweaked traditional Italian recipe)
The end result: A very gobsmacked, delighted, surprised 21 year-old baby.
Decided to post the recipe of the popular potato salad. Truth be told, I got this simple recipe from my Korean pri sch galpal Yuna and adjusted accordingly.
Simple Chilled Potato Salad
Serves 6 – 8 hungry people
3 potatoes boiled and peeled, diced
9 tbsp of mayonnaise (Yes, i make my dressing super rich. I prefer Hellmann’s real mayo but I bought the cheaper Heinz/Kraft one. heh. Whoever heard of fake mayo anyway?)
5 tbsp of sugar (Castor should be fine enough)
Grated carrot to top
Stir and chill before serving!
(Feel free to add other yummies like cherry tomatoes, sliced ham and pasta.)
Shall post my next recipe when I’ve got the time. Bon appetit in the meantime!
<3
Hello world! February 24, 2009
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Welcome to the space where I share my love for epicurean and gastronomic delights with bits of love, laughter and moments with the one I love, (F) , family and friends.
A happy Char is one who stuffs her face silly.
And goes to the fridge 3 times in 5 minutes.
Chocolate and Hazelnut Soufflé Cakes February 24, 2009
Posted by charmainec in Cakes, Chocolate, Hazelnuts.1 comment so far
Knowing how much F loves sweet stuff, I decided to surprise him with this on Sainte Valentin’s with this yummy creation from French Desserts, a simple photo cookbook with some yummy, simple recipes which I picked up at the library.
This was my first attempt at making a soufflé and I was worried that it would not rise nicely.
Important tips to keep in mind when making soufflé/meringue/anything else involving eggs and rising:
1. Separate the whites and yolks carefully. (I botched about 2 eggs since I was over-zealous and in a hurry. More about those later!)
2. Do NOT let the egg whites touch water at all! (They will NOT rise when whites come in contact with water. I think it alters the protein’s amine bonds or something like that)
3. Don’t over-whisk the whites or you risk deflating them; whisk until the peaks form.
4. Fold, not mix the ingredients. (You’ll end up with fluffy, airy pastries instead of flat, unexciting blobs.
For the botched eggs, I whipped up a simple steamed egg custard pudding with ham. It went really well with our rice for dinner. We had fried chicken with mash on the side, plus rice and steamed egg. How fusion eh! (: The secret to yummy silky steamed egg lies in the proportion of water to egg. It must be about 55-60% water and 40-45% eggs. Remember to add some sesame oil for fragrance and the sheen too. (1/2 teaspoon is more than enough for 2 eggs)
Enjoy the recipe! <3
Chocolate and hazelnut soufflé cakes
Gateaux moelleux au chocolat et aux noisettes
Ingredients
1. 100g plain chocolate, finely chopped (Go for Valrhona, seriously)
2. 100g unsalted butter, in pieces
3. 2 tablespoons honey
4. 3 eggs, separated
5. 100g caster sugar
6. 50g plain flour
7. a pinch a salt (skip this if you use salted butter)
8. 50g whole blanched hazelnuts, finely ground
9. whipped cream, double-cream or sweetened crème fraiche to seve (I used caster sugar whipped with liquid whipping cream in a 1:2 ratio. Worked pretty well.)
Tools:
² 3 mixing bowls
² A spatula to fold the ingredients together with
² Ramekins
² A whisk
² An oven
Method: (Adapted from her book since it’s rather confusing…)
1. Melt the chocolate.
a) This can be done using a microwave. (which completely flopped for me because I forgot to remove and stir.)
i. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (I recommend the Pyrex varieties) and melt it in the microwave on HIGH for 40 seconds
ii. Remove, stir and repeat until almost completely melted.
b) Or it can be done the conventional way, (WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND)
i. Place the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (slightly below boiling point, approx. 80-90o C and don’t let the water touch the bowl.)
ii. Stir occasionally and leave until melted. Be careful not to COOK the chocolate. A sign of this is when bubbles appear. You just want it in a liquid state so it’s easy to work with.
2. Mix in the butter and honey and set aside (Bowl 1 done!)
3. Preheat your oven to 180oC and do the rest while the oven is heating up…
4. Put the egg whites together with 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar in Bowl 2 and beat until peaks form, set aside.
5. Put the yolks and remaining sugar into Bowl 3 and beat until slightly thickened and a paler yellow.
6. Using a spatula, fold in the flour and salt into Bowl 3.
7. Mix in the nuts
8. This is the part she left out: add in Bowl 1’s stuff here. (Melted choc etc)
9. Add <!–[if supportFields]> eq f(1,3)<![endif]–><!–[if supportFields]> <![endif]–> of Bowl 2’s whites and mix until no streaks remain
10. Gently fold in the rest of Bowl 2, blending well, but taking care not to overmix or you will deflate the whites.
11. Divide the mixture into the ramekins.
12. Transfer them into baking sheets and bake for about 12 – 15 minutes. (Till puffed up but still jiggly in the middle)
13. Serve warm, with cream
