After looking to put up downloadable files and not finding it, I'm headed over to wordpress. Why? It's stupid walking from the kitchen to the den and back again everytime I need to do a new step in cooking. I was trying to save paper by not printing anything out, but in the end, if I keep the sheet in a page protector like we did in high school, the printed sheets should serve me well.
See you there!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Scones
Afternoon tea is just not complete without scones. Can you believe they sell these for $3.50 at the PNE? And that I buy them in a pinch? Oi.
Ingredients (makes about 12):
2 cups flour
0.25 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
0.5 cup cream or milk
Method:
Preheat oven to 375F, middle rack.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
Rub/cut butter into mixture until it is coarse crumbs.
In another bowl, combine wet ingredients.
Add wet to dry and stir until just combined.
Knead gently on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Pat or roll into a sheet about 2 cm thick.
Cut into 5cm diameter rounds.
Space rounds about 5cm apart on the sheet. Brush tops with some cream to help brown.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until brown and toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Serve with Devon cream or creme fraiche and jam.
Verdict:
Ingredients (makes about 12):
2 cups flour
0.25 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
0.5 cup cream or milk
Method:
Preheat oven to 375F, middle rack.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
Rub/cut butter into mixture until it is coarse crumbs.
In another bowl, combine wet ingredients.
Add wet to dry and stir until just combined.
Knead gently on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Pat or roll into a sheet about 2 cm thick.
Cut into 5cm diameter rounds.
Space rounds about 5cm apart on the sheet. Brush tops with some cream to help brown.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until brown and toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Serve with Devon cream or creme fraiche and jam.
Verdict:
Plain Cheesecake
With friends coming over for afternoon tea, it means I can make sweets to my heart's content (or at least till I got tired of the near constant cleaning, beating and baking.)
Got this recipe from here, but made alterations, as I did not want a sky-high cake. Maybe when I'm expecting more people.
Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 honey graham cracker crumbs (about 15 crackers)
sugar (if using unsweetened crackers)
6 tbs butter
Filling:
2 pkg (250g each) cream cheese, softened
6 tbs sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs whipping cream
1 tbs lemon zest
2 large eggs, room temperature
Method:
Melt butter for crust and mix with crumbs until moistened.
Spread on the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
Refridgerate while you make the filling.
Preheat oven to 325F, middle rack.
At medium speed, beat together cream cheese, flour and sugar until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add whipping cream, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Pour filling onto the crust, put the pan onto a baking sheet (to catch any oil leak) and bake for 40-60 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is a bit wobbly.
Let cool to room temperature before covering and putting it in the refridgerator.
Let set a few hours for the flavours to meld and the cake to come to the right consistency.
Verdict:
Got this recipe from here, but made alterations, as I did not want a sky-high cake. Maybe when I'm expecting more people.
Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 honey graham cracker crumbs (about 15 crackers)
sugar (if using unsweetened crackers)
6 tbs butter
Filling:
2 pkg (250g each) cream cheese, softened
6 tbs sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs whipping cream
1 tbs lemon zest
2 large eggs, room temperature
Method:
Melt butter for crust and mix with crumbs until moistened.
Spread on the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
Refridgerate while you make the filling.
Preheat oven to 325F, middle rack.
At medium speed, beat together cream cheese, flour and sugar until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add whipping cream, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Pour filling onto the crust, put the pan onto a baking sheet (to catch any oil leak) and bake for 40-60 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is a bit wobbly.
Let cool to room temperature before covering and putting it in the refridgerator.
Let set a few hours for the flavours to meld and the cake to come to the right consistency.
Verdict:
Chai Creme Brulee
As you can see, I'm still at the honeymoon stage of my relationship with my torch and ramekins ^^
Hopefully, this'll turn out.
Ingredients (6 100 mL servings):
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup Tazo Chai concentrate
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tbs sugar (optional)
Method:
Over medium-low heat, warm cream and chai. Do not boil.
In a bowl, whisk together yolks, egg, and sugar.
Whisk in cream in a steady stream.
Strain and skim off foam.
Prepare a hot water bath.
Distribute the mixture into 6 115mL ramekins.
Bake at 325F for 15-30 minutes in the rack below middle, until the sides set, but the centre is still wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the warm water for 15 minutes.
Cover and chill until set, about 4 hours.
Cover the top with about 1 tsp sugar and use a torch to caramelize. When the sugar melts and starts to bubble, turn off the torch for a few seconds, then torch again until brown for more even heating.
Verdict:
Could use more chai flavour, but still good.
Hopefully, this'll turn out.
Ingredients (6 100 mL servings):
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup Tazo Chai concentrate
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1 tbs sugar (optional)
Method:
Over medium-low heat, warm cream and chai. Do not boil.
In a bowl, whisk together yolks, egg, and sugar.
Whisk in cream in a steady stream.
Strain and skim off foam.
Prepare a hot water bath.
Distribute the mixture into 6 115mL ramekins.
Bake at 325F for 15-30 minutes in the rack below middle, until the sides set, but the centre is still wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the warm water for 15 minutes.
Cover and chill until set, about 4 hours.
Cover the top with about 1 tsp sugar and use a torch to caramelize. When the sugar melts and starts to bubble, turn off the torch for a few seconds, then torch again until brown for more even heating.
Verdict:
Could use more chai flavour, but still good.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tom Yum Nam Khon
Our main course tonight is going to be a Thai-flavoured slow cooker beef, and I love Thai soups, so here it is.
I'd actually wanted to make tom kha gai, but after some researching, it turns out that that is chicken galangal soup, and I don't have galangal on hand. Nothing wrong with tom yum. I just love coconut milk.
This is completely bastardized, I'm sure. Tom yum nam khon is usually made with shrimp, but I'm mildly allergic. I'm also cheating and using tom yum paste.
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
1-2 tbs tom yum paste (I used cock brand, found in a jar at T&T)
1 can straw mushrooms (buttom mushrooms if you don't like straw)
1 green pepper, sliced
1 chicken breast, cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
Method:
In a pot, bring coconut milk, 1 can of water, and tom yum paste to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, add in mushrooms, chicken and pepper and cook until chicken is done, and peppers are to your liking.
Serve alone or over rice.
Comments:
I LOVE THAI SOUPS!
This can be an easy main. Just add more chicken/protein and less water.
I was very pleasantly surprised that the paste really didn't need any embellishments. However, as with all mass manufactured foods, it had MSG, and preservatives. I tried to pick the one with the fewest, but still. You can expect a recipe from scratch in the future.
Verdict:
YUM! ^^
I'd actually wanted to make tom kha gai, but after some researching, it turns out that that is chicken galangal soup, and I don't have galangal on hand. Nothing wrong with tom yum. I just love coconut milk.
This is completely bastardized, I'm sure. Tom yum nam khon is usually made with shrimp, but I'm mildly allergic. I'm also cheating and using tom yum paste.
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
1-2 tbs tom yum paste (I used cock brand, found in a jar at T&T)
1 can straw mushrooms (buttom mushrooms if you don't like straw)
1 green pepper, sliced
1 chicken breast, cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
Method:
In a pot, bring coconut milk, 1 can of water, and tom yum paste to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, add in mushrooms, chicken and pepper and cook until chicken is done, and peppers are to your liking.
Serve alone or over rice.
Comments:
I LOVE THAI SOUPS!
This can be an easy main. Just add more chicken/protein and less water.
I was very pleasantly surprised that the paste really didn't need any embellishments. However, as with all mass manufactured foods, it had MSG, and preservatives. I tried to pick the one with the fewest, but still. You can expect a recipe from scratch in the future.
Verdict:
YUM! ^^
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Baked Tapioca Pudding (焗西米布甸)
Here goes nothing! Cindy suggested I give this a try, and helpfully said to search sago pudding, rather than tapioca. Almost all of the recipes called for custard powder, much to my frustration. I don't need any more powders and mixes in here, so I had to kind of improvise. From what I've read, custard powder is mostly cornstarch, flavour, and colour. There's not much I want to do about the colour, and I'm decently sure that flavour is really coconut milk and vanilla, so I'm crossing my fingers.
Ingredients (makes 8 100mL servings):
1 cup small white tapioca pearls (may be labelled as sago, but comes from cassava starch, ingredients might say "manioc")
1 can (400mL) coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
finely grated zest of one lemon
Method:
Boil pearls in lots of water for 10 minutes, then turn down heat simmer until the majority of pearls are translucent.
Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside in a bowl.
On medium-low, heat coconut milk, and sugar to just boiling.
In a separate bowl, whisk water into cornstarch and add to cream mixture.
Heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and whisk into eggs in a steady stream.
Strain to remove lumps.
Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest
Mix in tapioca.
Spoon the mixture into 8 115mL ramekins.
Bake at 400F on the middle rack in a hot water bath for 15-30 minutes until set.
Use a torch to caramelise sugar to the top if you wish.
Comments:
Every recipe called for butter, but I'm thinking that it was mostly for the fat content, so I left it out. I figured it wasn't for structure, since it's a warm dessert, and the butter would be all melted anyway.
I wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I didn't use red bean paste (it'd be a tragic waste if the pudding turned into an abysmal failure).
It wasn't sweet or flavourful enough, and it was too thick, so it needs more sugar, more vanilla and less cornstarch. It'd probably be better to just yolks, rather than whole eggs, but it just seems so wasteful.
Verdict:
I'm glad it set and worked. I'm tabling it until I have the right proportions.
Ingredients (makes 8 100mL servings):
1 cup small white tapioca pearls (may be labelled as sago, but comes from cassava starch, ingredients might say "manioc")
1 can (400mL) coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
finely grated zest of one lemon
Method:
Boil pearls in lots of water for 10 minutes, then turn down heat simmer until the majority of pearls are translucent.
Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside in a bowl.
On medium-low, heat coconut milk, and sugar to just boiling.
In a separate bowl, whisk water into cornstarch and add to cream mixture.
Heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and whisk into eggs in a steady stream.
Strain to remove lumps.
Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest
Mix in tapioca.
Spoon the mixture into 8 115mL ramekins.
Bake at 400F on the middle rack in a hot water bath for 15-30 minutes until set.
Use a torch to caramelise sugar to the top if you wish.
Comments:
Every recipe called for butter, but I'm thinking that it was mostly for the fat content, so I left it out. I figured it wasn't for structure, since it's a warm dessert, and the butter would be all melted anyway.
I wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I didn't use red bean paste (it'd be a tragic waste if the pudding turned into an abysmal failure).
It wasn't sweet or flavourful enough, and it was too thick, so it needs more sugar, more vanilla and less cornstarch. It'd probably be better to just yolks, rather than whole eggs, but it just seems so wasteful.
Verdict:
I'm glad it set and worked. I'm tabling it until I have the right proportions.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Creme Brulee, Take 2
After trying out creme brulee, I managed to find this great video about making the dessert, and learned a few things. This next recipe is much more brulee-like (I know, I know, brulee refers to the hard top, but you know what I mean), whereas the last one was more of a flan.
Ingredients (makes 6 servings ~125mL each):
500mL whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 300F. Use the rack just under middle.
Boil some water.
Meanwhile, scald the cream on medium-low heat. (Warm to about 50 degrees Celsius)
While that is happening, in a bowl, whisk by hand the yolks and sugar, then add in the vanilla.
Mix in the warmed cream to the mixture, being careful to not cook the eggs. Do this by whisking in a little amount, or whisking in a steady stream of liquid.
Strain into a pitcher to remove lumps and for easy pouring.
Skim off the foam. A neat trick is to torch the top, and the foam breaks up.
Place ramekins into a baking dish. I used a 9x13 pyrex. Fill the dish halfway up the ramekins with the boiling water. If you are using a metal pan, place a towel on the bottom, then fill with water for a more insulating effect.
Pour the cream into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 25-45 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the bath for 15 minutes before removing and cooling.
Cover and chill for 4 hours.
Generously sprinkle sugar onto the custard. Tilt the ramekin to evenly coat the top and shake off the excess sugar. Clean the sides of the ramekin of sugar.
Torch the sugar until it starts to bubble, stop and wait a few seconds, then re-torch to get even browning.
Comments:
Watch the video, seriously.
I used 300F instead of 325F because I saw it on another website, and I suspect my oven runs pretty hot because it's fairly new and efficient.
I don't order creme brulee in restaurants, but this one's consistency is like those white chocolate-milk chocolate pudding cups at Griffins. I might experiment a bit to see if I can imitate the pudding ^^.
You can use a lighter cream, but the consistency might be a little less smooth.
Verdict:
Yum! And way less wasteful than the other recipe.
Ingredients (makes 6 servings ~125mL each):
500mL whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 300F. Use the rack just under middle.
Boil some water.
Meanwhile, scald the cream on medium-low heat. (Warm to about 50 degrees Celsius)
While that is happening, in a bowl, whisk by hand the yolks and sugar, then add in the vanilla.
Mix in the warmed cream to the mixture, being careful to not cook the eggs. Do this by whisking in a little amount, or whisking in a steady stream of liquid.
Strain into a pitcher to remove lumps and for easy pouring.
Skim off the foam. A neat trick is to torch the top, and the foam breaks up.
Place ramekins into a baking dish. I used a 9x13 pyrex. Fill the dish halfway up the ramekins with the boiling water. If you are using a metal pan, place a towel on the bottom, then fill with water for a more insulating effect.
Pour the cream into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 25-45 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the bath for 15 minutes before removing and cooling.
Cover and chill for 4 hours.
Generously sprinkle sugar onto the custard. Tilt the ramekin to evenly coat the top and shake off the excess sugar. Clean the sides of the ramekin of sugar.
Torch the sugar until it starts to bubble, stop and wait a few seconds, then re-torch to get even browning.
Comments:
Watch the video, seriously.
I used 300F instead of 325F because I saw it on another website, and I suspect my oven runs pretty hot because it's fairly new and efficient.
I don't order creme brulee in restaurants, but this one's consistency is like those white chocolate-milk chocolate pudding cups at Griffins. I might experiment a bit to see if I can imitate the pudding ^^.
You can use a lighter cream, but the consistency might be a little less smooth.
Verdict:
Yum! And way less wasteful than the other recipe.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Chocolate Brownies
We've been having some really uninspired dinners recently, mostly because we're trying to clean out the freezer before stuff goes bad. (We've already given a package of hotpot beef to Chester. Goodness, but does he ever have it good.)
Anyways, I wanted a good dessert to make up for it, so here it is. Oh, and did I mention that we have a lot of vanilla bean ice cream?
What's more perfect than warm brownies a la mode?
Ingredients:
140g semisweet chocolate wafers (I don't have a scale, and used about 0.75cup)
0.5 cup unsalted butter. cut into pieces
2 tbs cocoa powder
0.25 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
0.75 cup flour
0.25 tsp salt
Method:
Melt butter and chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease an 8x8 pan.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar and cocoa.
Whisk in vanilla and one egg at a time.
Stir in flour and salt.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a bit of batter. If it comes out clean, it is over baked.
Cool and enjoy with ice cream.
Comments:
I was totally stoked to use my new spatula: silicone with a wooden handle. I've gone through more spatulas with plastic handles than I care to remember. I absolutely love how the new one is so good at scraping the bowl! Here's to a nice long utility life.
I wasn't going to use any sugar, but then a quick taste test after the flour was mixed in nixed that idea. Not that I have anything against sugar; I've just had bad luck with the right amount of sweetness, and bland is much more preferable to tooth-achingly sweet.
We're going to need a kitchen scale. It wasn't enough chocolatey goodness.
Over-baking = too dry. Sigh. And I only had it in for 25 minutes. The original recipe called for it to be in for 30 min.
Oh. Don't grease up the sides. My brownie migrated up during baking, and I suspect it was because of the lack of friction.
I should've used 0.5 cup sugar, and I probably should've doubled the recipe, since it was rather flat. Nuts would've been nice too, but I didn't have anything on hand.
Verdict:
Could be better. You can expect a revised recipe to come up in the future.
Anyways, I wanted a good dessert to make up for it, so here it is. Oh, and did I mention that we have a lot of vanilla bean ice cream?
What's more perfect than warm brownies a la mode?
Ingredients:
140g semisweet chocolate wafers (I don't have a scale, and used about 0.75cup)
0.5 cup unsalted butter. cut into pieces
2 tbs cocoa powder
0.25 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
0.75 cup flour
0.25 tsp salt
Method:
Melt butter and chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease an 8x8 pan.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar and cocoa.
Whisk in vanilla and one egg at a time.
Stir in flour and salt.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a bit of batter. If it comes out clean, it is over baked.
Cool and enjoy with ice cream.
Comments:
I was totally stoked to use my new spatula: silicone with a wooden handle. I've gone through more spatulas with plastic handles than I care to remember. I absolutely love how the new one is so good at scraping the bowl! Here's to a nice long utility life.
I wasn't going to use any sugar, but then a quick taste test after the flour was mixed in nixed that idea. Not that I have anything against sugar; I've just had bad luck with the right amount of sweetness, and bland is much more preferable to tooth-achingly sweet.
We're going to need a kitchen scale. It wasn't enough chocolatey goodness.
Over-baking = too dry. Sigh. And I only had it in for 25 minutes. The original recipe called for it to be in for 30 min.
Oh. Don't grease up the sides. My brownie migrated up during baking, and I suspect it was because of the lack of friction.
I should've used 0.5 cup sugar, and I probably should've doubled the recipe, since it was rather flat. Nuts would've been nice too, but I didn't have anything on hand.
Verdict:
Could be better. You can expect a revised recipe to come up in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)