HomeMades

i moved!

2006-06-06T23:29:51+02:00

i've moved my stuffs to another homemades. check it out!

I'm in Ubud!

2006-05-08T12:14:27+02:00

i would not post any recipes for these three weeks. i'm in ubud at the moment. been here since may 4th. surely, there are food stuffs i've got from my trip. i'll share with you when i get back.

see you later!

Comments

chocolate march

2006-04-24T03:03:29+02:00

i'm not so sure what triggers me to bake batches of chocolate goodies. i just love chocolate.

the first thing i know that i want chocolate. i want something that i can finally feel satisfaction guaranteed. i need a journey to reach the end.

first i made flourless hazelnut chocolate cakes, which is to me it's so nutty, so deliciously chocolate and sinfully alluring for those who's on diet. it tastes beautifully served with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, dusted with icing sugar and some slices of strawberries. lucky me, i never am in diet. never will (though i didn't consume chocolate, coffee, and ordinary tea when i was pregnant with the two kids--but now, it's all over!).

still need to taste more chocolate, i made a batch of chocolate melting moments, sandwiched with Nutella. satisfied my craving for afternoon tea!

then for the dessert, i made this lovely chocolate-hazelnut pastry, filled with chocolate custard, and topped with thick ganache. garnish with raspberries, scorched almond crumbs and dark chocolate shaves. and i drizzled it with raspberry coulis.

that night, i slept in the chocolate-dreamland... perhaps i was smiling.

Comments

pastry fun

2006-04-24T02:31:49+02:00

my children love pastry. everytime i make spinach quiche or chicken pie, they always pick the pastry first and then if they want it, they'll eat the filling. i thought i'd better give them the pastry without the filling

here's what i came up with.

puff fun

3 sheets frozen flaky pastry

sheet 1: (made 12 straws)
salt
pepper
Parmesan powder
milk for brushing

take one sheet. sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan powder. fold in half. cut into 12 strips. twisted, brush with milk, and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown in a hot oven.

sheet 2: (made 12 straws)
brown sugar
cinnamon
mik for brushing

take one sheet. sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. fold in half. cut into 12 strips. twisted, brush with milk, and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown in a hot oven.

sheet 3: (made 12 straws)
Nutella
demerara sugar
milk for brushing

take one sheet. spread nutella on one side. fold in half. cut into 12 strips. twisted, brush with milk, sprinkle with demerara sugar, then bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown in a hot oven.

it is good to store frozen pastry in a freezer. i often find it handy and i can make sort of things from one parcel. i tend not to put the pastry back in the freezer once thawed. i don't like to find them hard and will crack easily when i want to use them.

with the straws, i also came up with apple turnovers. i believe you can find the recipes handy in any good cookbooks. i just made one up myself. for what i need to do is just cook the apple until soft with just a little bit of sugar and water. no need to cover them like we use to do to dried fruits when making sultana cake, for instance. i add a good pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for flavour and aroma. it's delicious, trust me!

Comments

small but ...

2006-03-31T00:15:52+02:00

it was one of friends idea to bake this cheesecake mixture in muffin tins. i thought it was briliant as one individual serving can be served as one portion of indulgence. use your favorite topping. i just love to top them with passionfruits as they are growing healthily on our orchard fence.

this recipe is originally from Riana's blog (i think she's got an english version as well).

Ingredients:
200g mascarpone
40g salted butter
100ml fresh cream

40g plain flour sifted together with 40g cornflour

3 egg yolks, whisked together with 1 egg
1 lemon (take all its zest)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
5 egg whites
pinch of salt
115g caster sugar

topping:
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp hot water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 150C. Prepare 9 hole-muffins pan, put the baking paper and brush the sides with shortening.

Bring to just about to boil: mascarpone, butter dan fresh cream, shake the pan to mix the mixture. Remove from the stove and set aside.

Once it's warm, sift the sifted flour and cornflour, mix well, and then mix in the egg yolks mixture, mix well. Add in lemon zest, set aside.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peak forms, add sugar gradually, alternately with lemon juice. Take 1/3 of egg whites and put it in the cream mixture, mix well, then transfer this mixture to the whisked egg whites. Mix well.

Bake au bain marie, for 40-50 menit. Leave the cake in the oven until it's cool. Top with fruits or your favorite topping. Enjoy.

Comments

oh wow!!!

2006-03-26T00:25:56+01:00

hamilton, 25 march 2006

oh wow!!! that was just the word coming from me when i saw this piece of artwork. my mind was hovering to some place that canmake me so occupied with all of those tiny little things to work out, many different tools, colors, and most of the questions is do i have enough time for this? surely, these mums do. and they spend their time with these quality works. how amazing!!!

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on our wedding anniversary

2006-03-24T00:02:12+01:00

seems so long, seems more than 4 years...

and this year, i could make and ice my own cake! it wasn't really that perfect, but i'd tried my best.

i tried the lace nicholas lodge ever written in his book The Art of Sugarcraft: Lace and Filigree. i used chocolate. i didn't really understand how to temper this chocolate, for me it turned out good.

tracing the lines after lines was fun. i love drawing. i'm good at it. so this is just dropping ink on to a baking sheet! moreover, it's edible!

i tried to do another template as i thought, oh i would make a pink cake with pink centerpiece and a dark pink lace. i imagined it would be so beautiful on cake.

but it didn't turn out good as the run-out was wet and stick on the baking sheet. i thought it was my mistake because i didn't do the right measurement of sugar and the egg white. next time, i'll do it right.

so, well, i thought i was just going to use those chocolate for centerpiece. i made a sponge cake, and iced it as soon as it was cold. i didn't have a proper tool to slide on to the cake and sides, they call it a cake smoother. oh well, i just needed to improvise it with stick my fork around it. that would do.

the heart template i made with chocolate again. my mistake was i didn't draw them, so they would have the same size. i just drew them directly onto the baking sheet. too clever, ey?

anyway, the cake's done. took me 5 hours to get it right (mind you, i've got two kids and a hubby to feed within the making of the cake)

Comments

oh, peanut sauce...

2006-03-20T06:18:09+01:00

i love chicken satay. hubby and kids are enjoying them as well. what we love about it is the peanut sauce.

the secret to make a bowl of good peanut sauce is to use fresh ingredients. everytime i make this sauce, there's always one original ingredients that is missed: kencur. its pungent flavour adds so much different taste rather than you are just using coconut milk, ground coriander, or cumin. i can't recall if we use these three ingredients at home to cook peanut sauce. it tastes... non-indonesian.

however, since i don't have kencur, let's just omit it. but, i don't use those three in my peanut sauce.

Coriander Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Chicken
8 chicken pieces
2 Tbs coriander seeds
4 small garlic cloves, peeled and cut up
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 Tbs warm water
salt
oil for shallow frying

Basting sauce
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
2 Tbs soft butter or margarine

Trim and clean the chicken pieces. Grind coriander seeds with salt coarsely, then add garlic cloves. Mix the tamarind paste with warm water then mix it with the coriander and salt. Mix well. Brush them on the chicken pieces. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides.

Basting sauce: Mix the soft butter or margarine with sweet soy sauce until well blended.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill on hot setting. Brush the chicken with the basting sauce, grill until cooked. Baste often. Take care not to burn the skin.

Peanut Sauce

300g roasted peanuts
8 garlic cloves
2 Tbs sweet chilli sauce
1 tsps shrimp paste (optional), toast or fry without oil until dry
1 block palm sugar
1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste mix with 1/2 cup warm water, drain
salt

Process all the ingredients until smooth. Put them in the saucepan, heat gently until the sauce thicken. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with the mixture of tamarind paste and warm water.

Comments

on the other side...

2006-03-20T04:04:55+01:00

when i went to the garden yesterday, i found that our capsicums were growing so much--for a dry weather like these days... soem of the are ready to pick. i have been wanting to make this side dish, since i've tried them at mum's place one day when we got together. she bought them from the deli.

from what i heard, she ever made this side dish herself. and she said it was very easy. right.

these capsicums are deliciously red. i didn't cut them up when i roasted them. just washed them and dried them, then put them on the oven tray, grill them hot, then skinned them. they're ready! i think what makes them tasty is a good dressing.

My Dressing

1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper (i used one black, red, and green pepper)

Put them together in a jar, then shake them well. Pour them on to the roast capsicums while they are still warm.

Comments

palatable oldies...

2006-03-18T00:15:11+01:00

what i mean about palatable that it IS something you are able to enjoy, that YOUR palate's able to enjoy... not common to say this? well, get ready to have more...(joking)

this oldies recipe i found in one of the recipes folder my aunt gave me one day. it came from McCall's Cooking School. the cover was gone, i didn't even remember it had got one. anyway, i tried the recipe. it's really not difficult to find the ingredients, unless you don't stock sour cream in your fridge. or dried fruits.

in the recipe, they use apricot and prune, but since i don't really like prune, i substitute the prune with cranberries to add color, and dates. and for final touch, i made a bowl of thin icing mixed with two small oranges, just picked from the garden. really fresh, really tangy. this icing adds flavour on the cake as well. you can try with lemons if you like.

Apricot-Prune Coffeecake
Source: McCall's Cooking School

Streusel Mixture
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs butter or regular margarine, softened
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Batter
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
3/4 cup pitted dried prunes, chopped
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or regular margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs confectioners' sugar

Make streusel mixture: In a small bowl, combine the streusel mixture, mix with a fork until crumbly. Makes 1 cup. Mix in the chopped dried fruits.

Grease well and lightly flour a 10-inch tube pan. Preheat oven to 350F. make coffeecake batter: On a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.

Beat the butter until fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Beat until fluffy, for about 3 minutes, occassionally scraping the bowl with a rubber scraper. Add vanilla extract. Divide flour mixture into four parts. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with sour cream (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until smooth--about 1 minute. With rubber scraper, gently fold in the prunes and apricots just until combined.

Trun one third of batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with one third of streusel mixture. Repeat layering of remaining batter and streusel mixture twice. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan on wire rack about 20 minutes. With spatula, carefully loosen edge of coffeecake from side of pan. Remove from pan to platter. Sift confectioners' sugar over top of coffeecake. Serve warm. Makes 10 servings. (This freezes very well.)

Comments

a little kitchen project...

2006-03-13T05:25:58+01:00

my kids love kitchen. our lounge is united with the kitchen. everytime i'm in the kitchen, they know what i'm doing. often they will go and look. other times, they will touch and play with my stuffs, pretending like they're cooking with me, or maybe they think i was playing in the kitchen.

so this time, i let them play with this gingerbreadmen dough, decorated them as they wished. my young daughter pressed the sweets too hard on the dough, so you'll see the results! but who cares?. they loved it! they even loved to taste it!

about the recipe... i got it from my mum-in-law. she brought the recipe one day together with the cutter. i reckon it is an old recipe, but works well. it does taste soooo good. and the dough itself is well-behaved!

Gingerbread Men
Source: Ai-De-Chef

1/2 cup sugar
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
125g butter
4 tbs golden syrup
1 egg-lightly whisked
currants or icing for decoration (I just used what I have in the pantry--icing is too mucky with two young children--age 3y2.5mo and 20 mos old).

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl, rub in butter, add sugar and mix well. Warm the syrup slightly and add with the egg to the other ingredients. Knead until smooth, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 33mm and cut with the ai-de-chef gingerbread man cutter. Lift men onto a lightly greased baking tray and decorate with currants for eyes, nose, mouth and buttons down the front of his body. (Alternatively leave plain for decorating with piped icing after baking). Bake in a 190C oven for 10-15 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool.

Comments

a little bit indulgence...

2006-03-01T02:12:23+01:00

after having a broken heart as i failed making chocolate chiffon cake, i finally realize that i need the proper tin to bake it. and now... after a little searching for the right chocolate cake to bake in a ring tin, i finally found this recipe in one of the baking folders i was given by my mum-in-law. the chocolate is delicate, and it is not really that sweet. it's just right. for a little bit indulgence in a quite afternoon...

Chocolate Drizzle Cake
Source: Successful Baking.
25 mins. preparation, 35-40 mins baking, plus cooling.

Serves 12
250g dark cooking chocolate
250g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla flavouring essence
1/2 cup canola oil
5 large eggs, separated
125g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

1. preheat oven to 180C. thoroughly grease and baseline a 23cm ring tin.
2. break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heavy-based saucepan. add 100ml cold water and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until smooth. set aside for 10 minutes.
3. sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. add vanilla, oil, egg yolks and melted chocolate mixture and beat together just until smooth.
4. whisk the egg whites in a cleanly-polished mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. whisk in the sugar gradually. fold 1 tbs eg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remainder.
5. spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until well risen and springy to the touch. cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen the edge of the cake with a round-bladed knife. turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. for the topping, break the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
7. using a metal teaspoon, drizzle th emelted chocolate over the top of the cake. when the chocolate has set, transfer the cake to a serving plate.

My tips:
- i used grapeseed oil to substitute the canola oil (read the margarize hoax on the organic nz magazine sometime ago, it said that canola oil isn't healthy at all--beats me)
- when fold in the white egg, i did it three times, so after one tablespoon, i fold in another 1/3 cup, so the mixture will be folded thoroughly. if you left any single white eggs in the mixture, they'll give you big holes! not good ey?
- for the topping, i drizzled white chocolate first, then the dark chocolate. just want to give more touch

have fun!

Comments

Just a snack...

2006-02-27T08:55:02+01:00

One of my family's favourite snacks is this one. I won't say it's simple, but if you like spending your spare time to make these hearty snacks, this is your next project

We like to eat them warm, when the cheese inside is still melting, giving this springy texture...

Cheesey Mince Croquettes

1 kg potatoes, steam skin on, peel
4 tbs skim milk
2 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
pinch of salt
pinch of ground pepper
Edam Cheese or Mozarella, cut into cubes or little sticks, enough to be moulded inside each of the croquettes

Mash all the ingredients together. Then add the cooked mince. Take one tablespoon of the mixture, make a ball, flatten, put the cheese cube in the middle, shape back into a ball, dip in the egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs (if you want to make thicker coat, you can dip it in the egg again and roll in the breadcrumbs).

300g beef mince
3 cloves garlic
pinch of ground pepper
pinch of salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup good beef stock (homemade is the best!)
oil for frying

Peel garlics, chopped finely. Heat the oil, add garlic, cook until soft and fragrant. Add in mince, pepper, and salt. Cook until the meat tender. Add in beef stock, cook until the meat has absorbed the stock. Set aside.

Coating:
1 egg, whisked
2-3 cups breadcrumbs (it's depending on how much coating you use)

Before you deep-fry the croquettes, you need to keep them in the fridge, to make them firm. I would roll them again between my palms for the breadcrumbs not too crumbly and mess up your oil and deep-fryer. Fry until brown.

Comments

Fancy that...

2006-02-27T08:28:07+01:00

One weekend... what a day. I've been into this decorating thing. It was fun.

My choice is carrot cake. My reason is that everyone likes it. The cream cheese frosting is so creamy and tends not too sweet, but lemony with a few drops of lemon juice.

And those fruits... I've got this inspiration from one of my friends. She bakes, she ices, and she sells. She made the fruits from royal icing, but I try to make them from marzipan. Just use a little bit of imagination, then you'll have the right color as well as the right shapes. Here, I made grapes, bananas, and cherries on the side of the cake, and carrots on top. For the leaves I used colored cream cheese icing.

And here it is... with a cup of black tea...

Comments

annoyed

2005-12-03T01:14:18+01:00

3rd December 2005

It's Saturday. It's Te Reo day. Right, drove to the school, a quarter to 9 this morning. Parking lot was empty. One car was parked outside the school yard. I was early, I thought (it was exactly 9 o'clock!), or they might be late again. Another car, it was Liz. We greeted 'kia ora' to each other. Liz sat in her car and I sat in my car. We were talking over the windows, then Liz decided to move sitting in my car. The door was locked. No sign of the principal there as he ususally was there when we were having a class. We were talking and I made sure that we were not dreaming when matua said the class will start at 9 o'clock today. Apparently, no one showed up! We were thinking it might start at 10am as usual, then we wait until 10. Then Ansel came. We thought, oh well, it's really 10 o'clock. As the rain stopped, we got out of the car and greeted Ansel. We asked if he heard matua said the class will be at 9 today, and he said yes. He just wanted to come at 10. Right, so where are the others gone? I've got enough. Liz got enough. We scrabbled out some note, hopefully it wasn't blown away. Then, we were off home. Ansel said he would wait for another 5 minutes. I got off the car and I saw my hubby and children were waiting, wanting to know why I went home so early. I just could say 'bloody hell' and hubby knew there was something wrong. I called Alan instantly. I told him I was very disappointed, I had been waiting for an hour, apparently that the plan was changed and nobody had told me and other two friends anything about it. They should have given us a ring. I asked him what's happening, he said that the class will be held next week. Well he's got that information, his wife who joins the class must have got that information, why not letting us know? It irritates me, really. I'm disappointed and annoyed.:-[" class="middle" border="0">

Comments

Sweet Tooth

2005-11-30T03:00:38+01:00

It's so easy to indulge yourself!

Truffles

200g icing sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
50g chocolate cake crumbs
125g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence

Combine all the ingredients in the food processors. Pulse until well mixed. Roll into balls.
Note: your truffles are now ready to be dipped in melted chocolate or rolled in the cocoa powder or chopped nuts (hazelnuts are good combination for chocolate!) Have fun!

Comments

Romantic

2005-11-07T07:43:58+01:00

Have you ever felt very romantic; feeling's like tingling the corner of your heart, touching the affection of your muscles, crushing and melting your bone, burning your body to a desire; all you want to do is just to love and to be loved in return? Hmmmm... I think I'm in love... again, for God-Knows how many times. At time like this, chocolate is the best ever company (besides my beloved, of course). Munching these aphrodisiac tablets will be one of another to release it, but it's not the only fun thing to do. Warm chocolate pudding for two is another option, to enjoy it together in one taste, one serenity of the sweetness of love you're sharing.

Romantic Chocolate Pudding for Two

150g dark cooking chocolate, broken
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tbs white sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 tbs cornflour
pinch salt
2 cups fresh milk
1 tbs vanilla

Prepare a saucepan (preferably the heavy-based one). Put the sugars, cocoa, cornflour and salt in the saucepan, mix until well combined. Whisk in the milk, mix until smooth. Add in the broken cooking chocolate and vanilla. Heat it gently over low heat, whisking continuously until the chocolate has melted. Simmer and keep whisking occasionally until thick and glossy. Pour into two ramekins or small bowls. Serve warm or cold. Makes 2.

Comments

Spinach Quiche

2005-10-31T03:34:21+01:00

When it's the time for cooking, I just love going down to the vegies garden and see what I want to cook. Luckily, we have many options, and greens are growing: spinach, silverbeet, pok choy, not to mention potatoes and kumaras, capsicums and chilli peppers, beetroots, spring onions, celeries, watermelons, melons etc. etc. Well, that night, when we had a very late lunch after my hubby was learning to shear the sheep, I decided to cook spinach quiche as they are going to seed very soon! I picked 3 bunches of spinach and 2 celeries, enough for the four of us. The pastry that I made for making the quiche is very short. I use my favorite recipe which I added a good amount of grated Cheddar in it, 1 egg yolk plus 2 tsp of cold water, whiz up the food processor, then I got a very nice crust! Use your favorite pastry, or if you want mine, just ask

Comments

Stir-Fry Vegies with Beef Meatballs

2005-10-27T03:44:46+02:00

This is just an idea to stir up your stir-fry. I used beef meatballs which I ordered from a friend who's running Indonesian meals catering in Auckland. I can't make good ones, got no recipe yet. Anyone might have?? Or shall I just order some from you? anyway, this stir-fry is very easy to make. All you need is just a carrot, broccoli clorets, meatballs, you can add any vegies as much as you like. Stir fry pok choy or other Asian greens with these meatballs is alright too. Don't forget to use sesame oil to add more Asian flavour! Once you get it right, you won't get it wrong! if you know what I mean...

Comments

Lebaran Festives

2005-10-27T03:40:50+02:00

It's the time of the year when families are coming together, celebrating Ied el Fitr, the time to enjoy festive treats. These kind of cookies are often made to serve guests, relatives, friends, and family members. Very time-consuming, but it's the joy of making and baking for the loved ones beats the tiredness, probably destressed as the time's getting closer and the cookies keep dry and burnt! While you're ended up buying these types of cookies from the local markets or ordering goodies from a Catering Service, there's something you should know that making these cookies is not as easy as making NZ Famous Four (Peanut Brownies, Anzac, Afghans, and Shortbread). So, learning from time to time (eventhough Lebaran is over) is a good way of practicing for perfect. I just learned to make these goodies when I joined a mailing list where people are sharing recipes (and most of these people are excellent cooks!). I think I'm lucky that I've finally found these people.

Sagu Keju (Sago Cheese Cookies)

Comments

Hot Chocolate-Mocha

2005-10-13T02:46:31+02:00

3 tsp your favorite Drinking Chocolate
1 tsp instant coffee
hot water
1 cup milk, heated and frothed
extra drinking chocolate, for dusting

Mix the drinking chocolate and coffee in a cup or mug. Pour enough hot water to dissolve them. Stir well. Heat the milk and froth it. Pour into the cup and spoon out the foam to make cappuccino style on top of your hot drink. Dust the top with extra drinking chocolate. Serve immediately. Makes 1.

Comments

Cry for Bali

2005-10-02T10:51:21+02:00

This got nothing to do with cooking, but this got something to do with the place we all love to visit, the place we call second home, the place which is unforgettably beautiful and peaceful. But now, people are crying, people scared, people lost families, businesses, people are suffered. It's so sad. Very sad. I went to NZ herald message board just now, and already many people who's got families are looking, sending messages, hoping if they're all alright. What if they're one of your families?
My pray for you, Bali, my pray for you for those who's lost.

Comments

Chocolate Pancakes

2005-10-02T02:48:13+02:00

Yummy desserts.

50g butter
¾ cup milk
2 eggs
225g self-rising flour
60g cocoa
¼ cup caster sugar

Melt the butter. Whisk the eggs, add the milk, whisk again. Add in the melted butter. Sift the flour and cocoa together and add into the wet ingredients, then whisk until smooth. Leave it rest for an hour. Pour a little batter to the centre of preheated small frying pan and swirl it to give even layer. Cook for 1 minute and then flip over, cook the other side. Keep it warm wrapped in a clean tea towel, until the batter is all used. Gently put the filling (your favorite), fold and sprinkle with chocolate flakes. Serves 6.

Comments

Birthday Cake

2005-10-02T02:45:42+02:00

Two chocolate sponges, chocolate icing, chocolate ganache, white chocolate leaves, chocolate love shapes, strawberries, smarties, cherries, that's it. Krystal loved it, so did I. That's what it counts, ey? Gotta learn more using those pipes. I think I have to start using that icing paste. See what it's like. But who's going to eat the cake??? That's the question!

Comments

Cupcakes

2005-10-02T02:34:52+02:00

Easy Cupcakes
Very easy to make. This time I just used the filling from the remaining strawberry whipped cream that I made for the birthday cake. You can create your own filling or use your own favorite.
125g butter
80g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225g standard flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the paper cases into 12 muffin-holes-pan. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and light, then add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, continue beating until smooth. Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Spoon into the pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Cool. Use your favorite topping. Serves 12.

5 November 2005

We attended the gathering for muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadhan in Auckland. We shared lunch and I made these cupcakes which I found it no-fuss to make.

Chocolate Cupcakes
1oog butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
3 tbs cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk, heated to lukewarm

Preheat the oven to 160C. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift together the dry ingredients, then fold into the butter mixture. Mix thoroughly. Spoon into the prepared cupcake cases in the muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Ice and decorate as to your liking. Makes 12.

Comments

John's Favorites

2005-09-22T23:40:40+02:00

Eclairs and Cream Puffs are two of my beloved's favorites. He always loves the sweetness of the filling combined with crispy cream puffs or eclairs shells. I said crispy as they are!!! Last time when I made these two, the shells were 'wet' and weren't puffy. This time, I know how to do the tricks, to make them crispy outside, smooth the inside. I baked them at high temp for 10 minutes, then reduced the temp to moderate, then slit them while they're hot and left them in the oven with the door ajar. But thee's something I haven't achieved yet, in order to make them puffy and big, I still don't know how to do it yet. I tried with a bigger piping noozle before, but the result was still small, not just yet what i have in mind. Do you have any suggestions???

Comments

title-195166

2005-09-22T10:19:15+02:00

Melt-in-the-mouth Chocolate Squares
It is a very light squares and moist. It is not too sweet, just right for you who doesn't really like way-too-sweet sweets.

60g dark cooking chocolate
185g unsalted butter, softened
150g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs, beat until fluffy
1 tsp vanilla essence
225g self-raising flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
50g ground almonds
¼ cup milk
icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 26 x16x3cm shallow cake tin with a baking paper. Break the chocolate into squares and microwave for about 50 seconds until melts. Or use double boiler. Set aside. Cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate into the mixture and beat well. Stir in vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder twice, then sift the third times into the bowl, approximately in three parts. Stir in the ground almonds and milk. Spoon into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to the wire rack. Cut the cake into 24 squares and dust with the icing sugar. Makes 24 squares.

Chocolate Fudge Truffle Cake
Source: Fiona Smith, NZ Gardener, Nov.2003
This cake is luscious, rich and delicious. Serve small slices with coffee after lunch.

150g butter
1 tbs golden syrup
1 cup white flour
70g gound almonds
2 tbs cocoa
½ cup sugar (I use ¼ cup brown sugar)
½ cup desiccated coconut
100g chocolate, chopped

The truffle layer
150g chocolate, chopped
½ cup cream

For the icing
½ cup icing sugar
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and then mix in the hot butter mixture. Press into a 20cmx20cm shallow cake tin. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

For the truffle layer: combine the cream and chocolate in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring and then spread the truffle mixture over the cooled base, refrigerate for two hours until firm then make the icing.
In a small bowl combine the icing sugar and cocoa powder and then beat in the boiling water. Drizzle this over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until needed, then cut into small slices.

Comments

Muffins

2005-09-12T09:27:54+02:00

Fudgy Chocolate Muffins
Source: Foodtown Magazine, August/September 2004, Issue 18

I always have liked Helen Jackson's ideas of sweets. In this recipe I used her recipe, but I replaced the dark cooking chocolate squares into a mixture of chocolate and cream, so it'll melt inside the muffins.

1 ½ cups flour (I use SR flour)
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder (I use 1 tsp only)
¾ cup sugar (I use ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar)
100g butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten
40g (appr.) dark cooking chocolate broken into 6 pieces (I use 50g dark cooking chocolate and 1 tbs sour cream. Microwave for 20 secs, stir, then another 20 secs, stir again. Leave to set, then spoon out and roll into 6 small balls)

Preheat the oven to 200°C. (Put the muffin cases into the muffin pans). Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl. Add sugar. Combine the butter, milk, and egg, gently mix with the dry ingredients. Fill one-third six muffin pans with the batter. Add the chocolate pieces (or balls), and cover with the remaining batter. Cook for 20 minutes, until springy when gently touched. Cool, then ice with chocolate icing (I omit this as the muffins are already sweet and rich with chocolate mixture inside). Makes 6

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Childhood Favorites

2005-09-12T07:49:15+02:00

Remembering my childhood is remembering how well we were treated with warm hearty snacks and fragrant jasmine tea, freshly brewed from the teapot. From my memory, my mother used to spend hours in the kitchen during weekends to make us special treats. Traditional food and snacks were learnt from one generation to the next one, but when we're growing up, this learning thing was disappearing for some reasons. Making cookies and cakes, Western ways, is a lot easier than folding banana leaves. Burgers, fries, pizzas are available everywhere and gradually eliminate the enjoyment of making and eating traditional dish. It's a shame in one way, really. I want my children to know my country's traditional foods by learning one by one of them, so there'll be the respect and the honour to be part of the culture.

HomeMades Sticky Rice with Spiced Coconut Threads
This is one of my childhood favorites. The smell of the rice when it's cooking is really homey. The spices to cook with the coconut threads are specially and fortunately able to be found in supermarkets. Cooking sticky rice is just the same as cooking ordinary rice. But you have to watch for the amount of the water as when you cook with too much water, it'll be like porridge!

200g sticky rice (cook with sliced onions)

Spiced Coconut Thread (Indonesian: Serundeng)

100g desiccated coconuts, soak in ½ cup hot water (preferably use fresh coconut threads)
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
½ tsp whole white peppercorns
1 small onion (or use half medium one)
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup palm sugar
½ cup air asam (make it with 1 tsp tamarind paste and ½ cup warm water)
pinch of salt
oil

Blend together coriander seeds, white peppercorns, onion, and garlic to make a paste. Heat the oil, cook the paste until fragrant. Add in the coconut threads. Cook until combined. Add in palm sugar and air asam. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook until crispy.

Finishing:
Line shallow muffin pans with plastic wrap. Spoon in the sticky rice and press firmly. You will have little-bowl-bottom shape. Place them on the serving plate and sprinkle generously with spiced coconut thread.

HomeMades Ciwel (Coned Black Rice)

200g black rice
1/2 cup palm sugar, shaved thinly (or use brown sugar)
water
pinch salt
banana leaves

Grind the black rice coarsely using the food processor. Take a cup of warm water and sprinkle the salt and dissolve. Use a spoon to stir while you are pouring just enough water to make it wet, not spongy. Prepare the banana leaves. Make a cone. Put a teaspoon of the wet rice, push it to the tip of the cone. Then spoon in the shaved palm sugar. Cover with another spoon of the rice. You may repeat the process until just reach the bottom of the cone. Seal the bottom by folding until you have a tail, then secure with a toothpick or just tie it up around the waist of the cone. Steam for 1 hour. Serve warm with shredded coconut (mixed with a little salt).

Comments

Noodles

2005-09-12T07:45:58+02:00

HomeMades Mie Goreng with Veggies
You can create a healthy meal with noodles minus the seasoning sachets. Make your own. You can use diced cooked chicken breasts or prawns. I just like cooking them with veggies.

3 x 85g packages egg noodles (I use Indofood Mie Goreng)
1 medium onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 red chillies, finely sliced (optional)
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs Kecap Manis ABC (or use your favorite sweet soy sauce)
½ tbs light soy sauce
150g grated carrots
½ cup peas
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cup sliced spring onions
1 egg (whisk and make a thin omelet, rolled and thinly sliced)
pinch of salt
oil

Cook noodles according to the package instructions. Toss the hot noodles with sesame oil. Set aside while you're cooking the veggies. Heat the oil, add in the onions, cook until clear and soft. Add in garlic, then chillies. Add in carrots, cook until soft. Add in kecap manis and soy sauce. Add in the noodles. Sprinkle the ground pepper and salt. Stir and toss for about 5 minutes, then add in peas, spring onions and sliced omelet. Serve immediately. Makes 4.

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