Treasure Box

It is my nephew's 4th birthday today.  Prior to that, I had promised him that I'll make him a treasure box for his birthday. When my cousin, his mom, asked me what's a treasure box, I convincingly told her, "You'll see, it'll be a nice surprise".  She didn't look very convinced, and asked me again "Have you done it before ?", to which I replied "No worries, I've got it all sorted out".  What was I thinking ? Truth is, I had no clue. But a promise is a promise, and I was planning on keeping mine.  Days before the D-day, I still had no idea.  Luckily, I vaguely recalled an image of a cake which I had come across previously (sorry, but I can't remember where).  Phew.  Double phew :P. 

Dainty Feet & Puffy Tops

Finally, after days of accumulating a wealth of information and loads of tips and tricks from my SIL, friends, fellow bloggers, and my cookbooks, this novice baker has plucked enough courage to attempt this little thing called the macaron.

Before I continue, I should admit that I have not tasted a professionally made macaron before.  The only macarons that I have tasted are the homemade ones made by my SIL.  Not that she's not a pro or that it wasn't professionally made, but you get my drift.  I guess what remains now is for me to plan a trip to Paris in order to sample the world acclaimed macaron and understand how it should taste like.  Paris Spring 2011, anyone ?

Twin Disasters

My heart goes out to the people of Indonesia and all those affected by the tsunami and volcano eruption.  Everyone, please pray for them.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I used to think that this type of cooking was way out of my league and better left to Tony Roma's et al.  Wrong.  This is so easy to replicate at home.

I kind of created this recipe from a combination of bbq ribs recipes that I have surveyed.  The result ?  Mouth watering good, and the ribs were so so tender.  Near competition quality, if I may say so.

 

Cold, Creamy and Decadent

I shall keep this post short and sweet.  What more can I say ? The title basically sums it all up.

And yes, you've guess it right.  Its ice cream !

Homemade Burgers, The Sequel

It just entered my mind that I did not post the recipe for the burger buns in my earlier Homemade Burgers post.  So here it is, Homemade Burgers, The Sequel.

Some may say that homemade burger buns sound so ostentatious and showy, but trust me, they are so easy to accomplish.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy, if I may say so.  Plus it beats any store bought buns, and a great homemade burger sure deserves an equally great burger bun.

Homemade Burgers

Burgers have a notorious reputation due its association with fast-food chains, processed meat and loads of sodium and fat.  On the contrary, burgers can be a wholesome meal particularly when it is homemade with fresh and quality ingredients.  All you need is lean ground meat, fresh and crisp vegetables and quality cheese to make that difference.  To go that extra mile, you can even make your own sesame burger buns.  I did just that, and it is really worth the effort.

Mexican Bun

Have you ever wondered why the Mexican bun is named as such ?  When the Mexican bun craze first started, I remembered checking with some Mexican friends whether there is indeed such a delicacy.  Needless to say, they had no clue.  Mexican or no Mexican, this bun is great tasting, and if I have to choose a bun, this could potentially be it.

An Unfortunate Chiffon

Of all the cakes that I have baked so far, I should say that the temperamental chiffon is one I fear most.  I have had my fair share of chiffon failures plus I have also heard (horror) stories that even a professional baker can experience failures when it comes to the chiffon.  Of course there is also the fickle macarons, but that is a separate story altogether.

My fear of the chiffon has therefore prevented me from experimenting, especially when there are so many flavours that I would like to incorporate in the cake.  I was happy when I found this Peanut Butter Chiffon recipe in Chiffon Cake is Done by Kevin Chai.  You see, the thought of peanut butter in a chiffon has long germinated in my thoughts, even before I came across the recipe. 

Choux Pastry

Choux (pronounced "shoo") pastry is a versatile cream puff pastry shell made from a dough. In French, choux means cabbage because of its shape when the dough is piped and baked into cream puffs. The goal in making the perfect choux pastry is to have a crispy crust, light interior, and an even and golden browned shape.

Pizza

I just finished reading The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart from cover to cover.  When I first got the book, I did approach it with some apprehension as it looked way too professional and intimidating for an amateur like me.  But after reading it, I think this book is perfect for dummies novice bakers such as yours truly.  I especially love the fact that the author has dedicated the first 101 pages of the book to discuss about the bread, and also to explain the function of each ingredients. I feel so much more confident now.

Little Hachikos

Have you watched the movie, Hachiko: A Dog's Story (or Hachi: A Dog's Tale) ? Based on a true story from Japan, it is a moving film about loyalty and the rare, invincible bond between a dog and his owner. If you have not watched the movie, I strongly urged you to do so.  My girl and I have watched it, possibly, 7-8 times and still counting, and she has also christened her favourite four legged fur ball, Hachiko.

French Onion Soup

I am a soup person and love all sorts.  My once-upon-a-time ambition was to open a soup bar. Why a soup bar, you ask?  Well, I chose soup because it is such a versatile thing (at least for me):

• It is comfort food when it rains or is cold outside.  There’s even cold soup for hot days, although I have not yet mastered drinking cold soup. 
• It is medicinal.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with the therapeutic value of chicken soup.
• It is also good for curbing your appetite if you are dieting.  Just stay away from heavy, creamy soup or substitute cream with low fat milk.

Raisin Wheel

I think I am in trouble.  I seem to be keeping a baker's hours.  Since last week, I have been waking up in the wee hours of the morning, contemplating to bake something.  Yikes.

Two nights ago was no different. I woke up at 2 am, and since I was wide awake, I decided to give this recipe from Magic Bread by Alex Goh, a headstart, as it requires a gelatinized dough and an overnight sponge dough.  The gelatinized dough needs to be made ahead and refridgerated for at least 12 hours, and the overnight sponge dough needs an overnight proofing, before usage.  Both these dough are supposed to produce softer bread.

Go Bananas

I am not a fan of bananas in fruit form, but I do love it in a cake.  Banana cakes are the perfect solution for me when I am faced with a stock of unfinished bananas which have gotten brown/black, and no longer palatable to the eyes. And for cakes, the rule of the thumb is the riper the bananas, the better the flavour. Having said that, perhaps I should qualify that if your bananas have ripen beyond recognition, it's time for the rubbish bin :P.

Mediterranean (Wannabe) Cheese Bread

When I came across this Mediterranean Cheese Bread recipe in the Baking Code by Alex Goh, with due respect, I didn't think it was very mediterranean at all.  But being a fan of all things tomato, I liked the idea of incorporating tomato paste into the bread dough, so I decided to try it.

Toffee Macadamia Gateaux

My girl and I played a birthday game last evening with her new dessert set, complete with candles and all.  Our repertoir included singing the birthday song, making a wish, blowing the candles, cutting the cake and licking the icing off them :).  We started the game with our own birthdays, but then extended to include her furry friends, and each and every member of our (extended) family.  In total, we must have done about 20 birthday repertoirs before she decided she wanted to be an ice cream man.

Ham & Cheese Bun

I made these for breakfast today, but didn't have the chance to sample it.  It disappeared by the time I came back from the shops.

The rat culprit ? My brother :P.  But I am flattered that he ate 4 out of 7, as he is one hell of a food critic.  This must be darn good.  I will definitely make them again soon. 


You will need:

Dough
140 ml fresh milk
200 g bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
35 g butter, softened

Filling
4 ham slices
Adequate cheddar cheese, grated
Mayonnaise

Preparation:

Put all the ingredients (except for the butter) in the pan of the bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Select the dough function.  Add the butter after about 5 minutes. 

If you do not have a bread machine, do not despair, you can also knead the dough by hand.  To do so, simply put the flour and yeast in a bowl. Stir to combine.  Add the sugar and salt, and stir again.  Make a well in the centre of the flour. Pour milk into the well, and mix to make a soft, moist dough.

Place the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and, with lightly floured hands, knead for 5 - 10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.  Add the butter into the dough, and continue to knead for another 10 - 15 minutes until the dough is no longer sticking to the surface and your hands.

Place the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough program has finished (if using machine) or the dough has risen, take the dough out of the machine / bowl.  Place it onto a clean floured surface and punch down. Shape into round, and let rest for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a long rectangular, and arrange the ham slices on top.  From the long side of the rectangular, roll the dough up in swiss roll style.  Cut the rolled-up dough into 7 equal portions, and place them cut side up on a lined 20 cm round baking tin.  Cover and leave aside to proof for another 30 - 45 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius about 15 minutes prior to baking.  Glaze buns with egg wash if you wish.  Scatter cheddar cheese all over, and top with mayonnaise.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown.

P/S:  Regarding the mayonnaise, I will be a bit bossy here and insist that you use the Japanese brand, Kewpie.  It's the best mayonnaise I have tasted so far.

Coffee Cake

Did you know that the term coffee cake can refer to either of the following:

• A class of cakes intended to be served with coffee or for similar breaks and snacks. Under this definition, a coffee cake does not need to contain coffee; or

• A cake, often sponge cake, which is made with coffee or has a coffee flavour.

Source: Wikipedia

Well, I didn't, until I told someone that I baked a coffee cake (and I meant it literally), and he told me that his favourite coffee cake is carrot with cream cheese frosting.  I went blank for awhile :P.

Hokkaido Loaf

I first came across this recipe here.  Since then, I have read raving reviews about this recipe from various blogsites that I had to try it for myself. 

The result ? The addition of the whipping cream really did wonders to the texture of the bread.  The resulting loaf was so soft and fluffy.. almost cloud-like :). For a homemade bread with no addictive or improver, this is definitely as good as it gets.  However, there appear to be another method which promises a much softer and fluffier loaf, which is the water roux method.  That would be my next project.  Meanwhile, I am happy with this straight dough method.

Simple But Winning

I must admit that I have never thought very highly of a marble cake.  It could be due to the memory of my childhood marble cake.  That humble yellow-brown cake bought from the school canteen or roti-man which is often rancid.

I was browsing through some cookbooks the other day and came across this recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Heavenly Cakes. Not sure why, but I somehow got attracted to this Marble Velvet Cake, as she calls it.  The result ?  I am ready to retract my earlier statement, as this is by far, the best marble cake I have ever had.  Velvet is the perfect middle name for this cake, as the texture of this cake is so....how should I say it, velvety ?

Finally, A Square

Remember my earlier post about my almost square Pullman loaf ?  It bugged me so much that I jumped at the earliest opportunity to attempt it again when my mom asked for a breakfast loaf.  I am pleased to report that the outcome is no less than a perfect square :)

Almost A Square

I have never thought of myself as a bread baker as the idea of playing with a live ingredient (i.e. for those who don’t know, the yeast is a living organism) is just too profound for an amateur baker like me.

However, the simple act of combining 5 or 6 basic ingredients such as flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk/water and butter to churn out a simple honest loaf is so satisfying that I saw myself experimenting over and over again until I was able to produce the fluffiest and softest bread.  If you have never baked breads before, you don't know what you are missing.  Try it today, don't despair nor be put off by my earlier remarks about the living organism - I guarantee you that the outcome is so rewarding and addictive.  Also, nothing is more delightful than the aroma of home baked bread wafting through your corridors.

Orange Cotton Cheesecake

As I have mentioned previously, every once in awhile, I would rummage through my fridge for a stock clearance exercise.  This time round, I found two unopened blocks of cream cheese.  Two cream cheese at one go is perhaps a bit too indulgent, not to mention, overkill whatever weight loss (or the lack of it) that I have achieved thus far.  As such, I decided to spread the calories, and keep one block for the not-too-distant future :).