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:

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:

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.

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.

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.

Creme Brulee

Eddie, being the awesome friend that he is, realised that I was missing a pretty blue flame in my fairly well-stocked kitchen, and bought me a creme brulee set. (Truth be told, he might have had ulterior motives, seeing how he LOVES said dessert.)

So, being the appreciative friend that I am, I tried, for the first time, to make creme brulee. Found a recipe here. The most helpful part was the first comment, with all the tips.


Ingredients (makes 8 small servings)
8 egg yolks
4 tbs sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream

sifted brown and granulated sugar to form crust


Method:
With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Heat cream until just almost boiled.
In a steady stream, whisk cream into egg mixture.
Strain into a small pitcher (I used my bodum coffee press) and let stand for a bit for the liquid to settle.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F, middle rack.
In a 9x13 pyrex dish, arrange the ramekins to fit.
Create a water bath by filling the dish with hot water halfway up around the ramekins.
Skim off the foam of the custard liquid, and throw away.
Pour the liquid into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 15-30 minutes, until just set. They will jiggle slightly like pudding/gelatin.
Remove from oven and let sit in the warm water for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for 2 hours, up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with sugar and torch, being careful to brown, not burn, the sugar.


Comments:
There are lots of recipes that call for twice the amount of liquid. I actually had a bit of a calculation error, but it still worked out. I liked the math: 1 egg yolk to half tbs sugar to quarter-cup cream per serving, vanilla not withstanding.

I was very impatient, and didn't wait long enough for the liquid to settle, and so my first few creme brulees were very foamy. They had these concave skins after baking--very visually unappealing. AND, it caused me to unevenly distribute the liquid, such that my most perfect-looking custard, was not quite set. (Having the least amount of foam, it had the most liquid, and therefore would've needed more time to set.)

I wonder if hand-whisking would've sufficed. The amount of foam was incredible, and seemed rather wasteful.

No picture, as it was rather blurry.

It is a good idea to have a good layer of sugar to torch. If the sugar is sparse, it's more likely to burn, rather than melt and caramelize.


Verdict:
Good! Very smooth in texture.

Butternut Squash Pie

I'd debated over making pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake, and Cindy voted for pie. I've made this before, and quite liked it, and since pumpkins tend to be rather large, I figured I'd go with this.


Ingredients:
1 9" pie shell
1.5 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (1 small butternut squash ~1 lb)
0.75 cup packed brown sugar
0.75 cup evaporated milk
1 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0,25 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tbs flour


Method:
To cook squash, cut in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a baking pan with a centimetre of water. Cover loosely and bake at 400F until it can be pierced with a fork, 45-55 minutes.

Puree filling ingredients together and pour into a pie shell that is on a baking sheet (this prevents spills).
Bake at 350F until set, about 45-55 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.


Comments:
Again no pictures, but it looks like pumpkin pie.

Let the puree cool down before making the pie filling, or you could end up with bits of cooked egg.




Verdict:
Like, but rather rich, so this recipe can serve 12.

Mango Cheesecake

I was debating what to make for dessert for Vietnamese/ a friend's birthday gathering, and decided to go with cheesecake. With frozen mango chunks sitting in my freezer and taking up precious space (we've got many pounds of raw dog food in there for Chester), the internet came to my rescue for this fairly simple, if time-consuming recipe.

This needs to be made a day in advance, and it takes a good three hours from start to putting it in the fridge. I made the mistake of starting at at 10, and didn't get to bed till 1.


Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 cups honey graham cracker crumbs
6 tbs unsalted butter


Filling:
2 cups mango puree
3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs


Serve with whipped cream and mango puree.



Method:
Crust:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan with at least 2.75" high sides.
Stir crumbs with melted butter until evenly moistened.
Press mixture onto bottom of pan.
Bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes.
Turn off oven.
Remove from oven and cool completely.


Filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowls until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the mango puree and beat until well blended.
Pour into pan, over crust.

Bake at 325F for about 1h 25 minutes, until set and puffed and golden around edges (centre will move slightly when gently shaken.
Cool 1 hour.
Refridgerate uncovered overnight.
Run a small toothpick or skewer between caked and side of pan to loosen and remove pan.
Serve with whipped cream and more mango puree and enjoy!



Comments:
The flavour of the cake is quite subtle, and the mango will cause it to have a grainier texture.

Make sure the cream cheese is soft, or it will fly everywhere when you turn on the beater.
Since I used frozen mangoes, I had to add liquid to get the blender going to puree the fruit. I used mango juice/nectar, and that kept the mango taste from diluting.

I whipped cream with some hazelnut syrup, and it was a hit.

Graham crackers will crumble very easily in a ziploc bac and rolled with a rolling pin. I tried to crumble in my magic bullet, and it turned into a very fine powder (probably not advisable).

I am terrible at remembering to take photos. Gomen!



Verdict:
It's a keeper! (Just make sure you have company; it's a lot)

Apple Custard Pie

We have 3 apples here, and I was going to make an apple pie, but all the recipes I've looked at called for double the amount, plus I only had one pie crust in the freezer. I figured there's a reason for apple pies to have a top, and came across this tart recipe instead. It looked promising, and after reading the directions on the back of the box for the pie crust, I simplified the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pie crust

Custard:
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half cream (10-14% fat)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs apple brandy (optional)

Apples:
1.5 lbs apples (any firm textured apples will do)
1-4 tbs sugar
2 tbs unsalted butter

Cinnamon Sugar:
Whisk together 1 tbs sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon



Method:
Custard:
In a bowl, whisk flour and sugar together.
Mix in eggs and stir to make a smooth paste.
Do not let this mixture sit too long, as it will form a crust.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream until it just starts to boil and foams.
Remove from heat and gradually whisk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
Whisk in vanilla and apple brandy, if using.
Set aside while you prepare the apples.


Apples:
Peel, core and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices (5mm).
Melt 2 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the sugar.
Add apples and saute until they begin to soften (~5-10 min).
Set aside.


Assemble Tart:
Preheat oven to 350F, middle rack.
Place tart on a baking sheet.
Arrange the apple wedges in circles into the shell (it's easier to start from the outer ring).
Pour the custard over the apples. You might have some leftover.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until custard has set.


Comments:
I cut out a few steps from the original recipe. Partially because I wasn't using a tart shell, and so sogginess is not a big deal. Also, after taking out the pie, I looked at it and decided I didn't really need to create a browned/caramelized top.

Confession: I only arranged the top outer edge nicely. The bottom layer of apples was just poured in.


Verdict:
It smells good! Will update when it's cooled.

Lemon Bars

Cindy's mentioned on a few occasions that she'd be interested in a lemon squares recipe. (I love the ones from Blenz). The last time I attempted to make them, it turned out to be more like lemon cheesecake; good, but didn't quite hit the spot.

I came across this recipe, again from seasaltwithfood (she's totally awesome, by the way. I love that she's from Vancouver, and so you know we can get all the required ingredients).

Ingredients:
Shortbread crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt


Lemon Filling
3/4 cup sugar (Use 1 cup if you like it more sweet than tart)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (~ 2 lemons)
1 tbs lemon zest
2 tbs flour



Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Center rack.
Grease a 8x8 inch pan

Crust:
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.
Press on the bottom of the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack while you make the filling.


Filling:
With an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs until smooth.
Add lemon juice and zest and stir to combine.
Fold in flour.
Pour filling over the crust and bake for 20 minutes, or until filling has set.
Cool on a rack.


Cut into squares and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Best eaten on the same day and can be covered and stored in the fridge for 2 days.



Comments:
So the picture tells that this didn't quite go the way it was supposed to, and I am pretty sure I know exactly why.

First the dough. Mine was super crumbly. I stopped mixing when it started to look like cheese curds (which is when you usually stop cutting butter into the flour in a hand-mix recipe). I should've then kneaded the dough into a ball and then pressed it into the pan. Instead, I just poured the dough bits into the pan and pressed.

Then, I didn't actually measure the lemon juice. I think there might've been slightly more than 1/3 cup. Which meant that I should've compensated by adding more flour.

Now, I don't know if this is the way it's supposed to be, but I didn't know how to fold in the flour to the filling, so I just mixed it in with the electric mixer. The top of the baked product was like a cake skin.

Totally irrelevant, but Will was able to list off all the ingredients. I am suitably impressed.

Verdict:
Easy, and yummy ^^

Chocolate Pudding

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but I really botched it up the first time. It was too sweet and runny. However, I've been craving pudding, so no time like my currently unemployed present to tweak it to my liking.


Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar (less than the original recipe, but I still think it could be cut down to 2 tbs)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2.5 cups whole milk (I used milk powder (1/2 cup + 3 tbs) mixed with 2.5 cups water)
1.5 cups chopped chocolate (I used just under 2 cups of semi-sweet baking wafers)
1 tsp vanilla


Method:
In a double boiler, (I used a metal bowl set atop a pot with an inch of simmering water), combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Slowly add in milk. (I just made sure to stir while pouring it in, impatience and all that)
Heat until the mixture thickens to the consistency of condensed milk, or stirred yogurt (10-20 minutes). Whisk occasionally at the beginning, and almost constantly near the end to prevent lumps.
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Stir in vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Pour through a seive to remove lumps.
Cover and chill. If you don't want a skin forming on top, cover with saran wrap touching the pudding.
Enjoy!



Comments:
The last time I did this, I don't think I heated the milk long enough, and so it was totally runny.

I had also followed the recipe in terms of sugar, forgetting that I was using milk chocolate, and therefore was way too sweet. Even with the quick taste test just now, it seemed on the sweet side. However, it might seem so because it's warm; it might be just right once it's chilled.

The use of powdered milk is because I have some leftover from a while back, when I made gulab jamun (not posted here). I figured milk, no matter what form, probably has a limited shelf life, so I used it.

I don't have ramekins, and even if I did, I don't think I would've used them, since I likely wouldn't have covers. (I don't like to use disposable things if I don't have to) I can appreciate that it'd probably be more aesthetically pleasing, though.

If you have bar stools, I suggest pulling one up to the stove while you wait for the mixture to thicken =P


Verdict:
Lovely texture, but still too sweet. No pictures, as it really isn't that pretty =P

Strawberry Cream Cake

I took this shamelessly from seasaltwithfood. Her blog is seriously amazing, with gorgeous pictures.

So, with my cousins coming over for a bbq, and having had requests for dessert (tiramisu went over really well the last time they were here), I thought I'd challenge myself to make cake. Bear in mind that I've never really mastered the art of baking, especially not with something that requires delicate moisture balance, like cakes. My back up plan was fondue, where all I had to do was cut up some fruit, and melt some chocolate.

Anyways,

Ingredients:
Cake:
1.25 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
5 tbsp boiling water
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 2 lemons


Filling:
2 cups strawberries, thinly sliced (I actually used 2 boxes of strawberries, picking out the most pretty for the top and slicing the rest.)
1 tsp lemon juice
4-6 tbsp sugar
2 cups creme fraiche
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


Strawberries for garnish
Confectioners' sugar for dusting


Method:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

With a whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until thick and smooth. The mixture should not look dry.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).

In another bowl, whip egg yolks and sugar on high until thick. The mixture will be grainy. Reduce speed to medium-low and add boiling water. Turn off mixer, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and increase speed to high and whisk until thick, like a batter/milkshake.

Stir in vanill extract and lemon zest. Stir in dry ingredients.

Fold the egg whites into the batter, half at a time.

Gently spread the batter in the pan. Bake about 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake somes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment. Let cool completely. If serving the next day, stop here.

Prior to serving, cut the cake into 3 horizontal layers, using a serrated knife.

Filling:
Place the sliced strawberries in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar. Add sugar to taste.

Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine creme fraiche, cream, vanilla and 2 tbsp sugar. Whip on medium-high until soft peaks form and the cream holds its shape.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Arrange 1/2 of the strawberries and juice over the cake. Spread 1/3 cream over the berries. Repeat the layering process: cake, berries, cream. The top layer will have cake and cream only.

Dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and garnish with berries cut in half. Cut the cake with a serrated knife.



Comments:
Have I mentioned that I'm not much of a baker? I find what happens is that I don't really understand the instructions. Here are the various places where I think I might've gotten it wrong.

I really shouldn't've whipped the egg whites first. The rationale was that I would have a clean whisk. Creating a meringue-type thing is hard if yolks get into the mix. The problem was that there was so much time between beating the egg whites and folding them in that it had started to collapse. My resulting cake was rather flat. This is supposed to be thick enough to cut into 4 layers; I only managed 3.

The next thing is that I really wasn't sure at what point the mixtures were thick enough. There is no benchmark.

Then, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stir in the dry ingredients by hand or machine. I went with machine, and I think I might've overdone it, again, resulting in the increased density. AND it was messy. Flour was flying.

I did not have all the ingredients pre-measured and ready to add in at a moment's notice. (I'd actually grated the zest directly into the bowl of batter). I can't remember if it's baking soda or baking powder that requires it to be cooked soon in order for the leavening to happen. If it's baking powder, well, the extra wait time whilst I grated really didn't help make a fluffy cake.

I have a glass-bottomed pan, so 25 minutes was adequate bake time (possibly even too much). Regular metal pans could probably use an extra 5 minutes.



Verdict:
None yet, as we have not yet eaten. But it looks good ^^

Anko (Red Bean Paste)

Before I get into this, I just have to say that I LOVE teaching an academically-inclined, eastside school. I actually feel like there's hope for the future!


So one of my absolute favourite desserts is the red bean-matcha-condensed milk combination. It was everywhere in Japan during the summer and there's even a drink like that here, at Flo Tea, called Shrek. Way better, in my opinion, than the "3 colours" iced drink from Vietnamese restaurants (I'm not a big fan of the green jelly).


Anyhoo. Last summer, I had matcha syrup, anko and condensed milk over shaved ice. YUM! This year, I didn't have ice ready to put into the shaver, so I used green tea ice cream. Will was also saying that he'd like red bean ice, so I used coconut milk instead of condensed. I quite like it.


Anko can be purchased by the can, though it does get a bit pricey, and you can't control how much texture you want.

Ingredients (I actually didn't measure anything):
~ 3/4 cup Azuki beans (large dried red beans) to get about 2 cups paste
sugar
salt (optional; I didn't use it this time, but apparently did last time)


Method:
In a pot, soak beans overnight in lots of water.
Bring beans to a boil.
Turn down heat to medium and let bubble for 10 minutes.
Drain.
Add about 3 cups of water and bring to boil.
Turn heat to low and simmer 1 hour, until softened and breaks apart when stirred.
Drain some liquid. Add sugar and salt to taste.
Stir and simmer until thickened.
Cool and serve.


Comments:
The beans must cook at a high temperature for a few minutes to denature a toxin that's found in many dried beans.
Add sugar only at the end, as the beans will not break apart if you add it too early (or so I've read).
I used a 3L pot, I think. It helps to prevent the beans from boiling over.
If the main purpose is to make red bean ice, then don't cook for so long, and leave a little more liquid in the pot, to facilitate drinking.

Verdict:

LOVE, love, love! (But that's just me =P)

Hot Mango Sandwiches

Frozen mango was on sale a while back, and we bought a bag with the intention of making mango pancakes. Since then, we got a sandwich maker, and the package of mango is still unopened. Let's see if mango sandwiches are any good.



Ingredients:
Sliced bread
frozen mango pieces, slightly thawed
Butter

Method:
Make the sandwiches as per your maker's instructions.

Verdict:
It needed more sugar, but otherwise worked as a snack

Banana Bread

We're kinda out of food this morning, so I decided to make banana bread, even though the bananas probably aren't over-ripe enough yet. (I could've made banana pancakes, but that would've ruined all the patience of waiting for the bananas to ripen.)

Ingredients (for a 9x5 loaf):
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
0.5 cup butter, softened
0.75 cup packed brown sugar
3-4 ripe bananas
2 eggs


Method:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly grease the pan
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt to mix.
In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs.
Thickly slice in bananas and beat until mostly smooth. You might need to use a mashing motion at first  to break the bananas.
Add dry mix and stir until moistened.
Bake in pan 1 hour and check with a toothpick.

Comments:

The recipe I looked at called for eggs that were already beaten, and 2.3 cups of bananas that were already mashed, then stirring (I think this means by hand) into the cream. I didn't want to do the extra dishes, so hence my odd method, and rather thick batter (air gets incorporated into the eggs like this).

It probably matters whether you stir the dry into the wet, or vice-versa, but the bowl with the wet mix was already icky, so I just added the dry to it and stirred, keeping the dry bowl pretty clean. I'm bad, I know.

Our place is smelling really good as I type this!

Holy dense, Batman! This bread has a lot of heft to it. And, after cooling, it shrank vertically.


Verdict:
Yum! The inside was moist, and the top was crispy! The intact banana bits were nice surprises as well.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

We're headed over to Abe's for New Year's Eve. Originally, it was to be an after-dinner party, so that's why I made cookies. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, in case these experimental ones don't go over so well.


Ingredients:
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
1.5 cups flour
0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
0.5 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
0.5 cup dried cranberries


Method:
In a bowl, whisk together salt, flour and baking soda to mix.
In another bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix in flour mixture.
Mix in chocolate and cranberries.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350F for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown.
 
Comments:
The basic recipe is from the chocolate chip ones I'd been making. I was afraid that I should've cut down on the sugar, since both white chocolate and cranberries are sweet, but it turned out fine.


Verdict:
Good, but I still like the chocolate chips with pecans better.

Lemon Curd in Shortbread Tarts

I am taking a break from work-related stuff. (Really, there is only so much I can prep without knowing what, exactly, to prep for)

Not the best picture, but this was before I decided to blog.

Ingredients (18 mini tarts):
Tart Shells:
0.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
0.25 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla
0.75 cups sifted flour
1 tbs cornstarch or rice flour
pinch of salt (~1/16 tsp)


Lemon Curd:
3 large eggs
0.75 cups sugar
0.33 cups fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tbs finely shredded lemon zest


Method:
Tart Shells:
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in vanilla.
Add flour, cornstarch and salt.
Mix until just incorporated and knead until dough forms.
Divide dough into 18 pieces and roll into balls.
Place one ball in each muffin tin.
Press the dough up the sides to form the shell.
Place in the freezer for 10 minutes until shortbread becomes firm.
Preheat the oven to 325F, middle rack.
Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. About halfway through the bake time, check to see if the dough has puffed. If so, prick with a fork to release the air, and press the dough back into the tin. Check again in 5 minutes and press again if necessary.
Let cool, then carefully remove the shells from the tin. Store until ready for serving.


Lemon Curd:
In a double boiler, or a stainless steel bowl place over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended.
Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream or hollandaise. ~10 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer to remove lumps.
Whisk butter into mixture.
Add lemon zest.
Cover immediately so skin does not form and let cool.
Can be refridgerated for up to a week.

Just before serving, fill each shell with lemon curd.


Comments:
The addition of the rice flour or cornstarch will make a more delicate shortbread.
Sifting the flour prior to measuring helps to ensure that there will be enough butter to hold the tarts together.
You could make larger tarts, but I find that the ratio of filling to shell is too big in larger tarts.
The lemon zest and juice should be fresh. RealLemon is just plain wrong. (Besides, you need lemons for the zest.)
I have yet to find an energy efficient way to make the tart shells, since my muffin tin only makes 12 at a time. The site that I found the recipe from said that you could freeze them for later use, but I have yet to try it.


Verdict:
SO GOOD!

Tiramisu

This was a very food-filled weekend. After going into Nicole's for takoyaki and okonomiyaki, a couple of my cousins came over for a potluck. I made tiramisu for dessert, definitely tried and true ^^

Ingredients (Serves 6-10)
3 eggs, separated
0.25 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
475g mascarpone
1-2 shots rum (optional)
1 cup coffee
1-2 shots coffee liquer
200g ladyfingers
cocoa powder for dusting


Method:
Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
Beat yolks, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
Add in mascarpone and rum and beat until smooth.
Fold in egg whites.

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together coffee and coffee liqueur.

Spread a thin layer of cream on the bottom of a large bowl (2.5L) or rectangular pan (9x13).
Hold the ladyfingers so the flat side is parallel to the counter. Dip the bottom half into the coffee mixture.
Place the biscuits as a single layer, then spread the cream.
Arrange the next layer of biscuits so they are perpendicular to the first layer.
Finish with a layer of cream.
Cover and chill in the refridgerator for at least 3 hours for the biscuits to soften.
Just before serving, sprinkle with cocoa.

Comments:
If you are worried about bacteria, quickly rinse the eggs with hot water. Be careful not to leave the eggs in the water, or they will cook. You could also probably bypass this by using whipped cream and cream of tartar to give it volume.

Ladyfingers will soak up the liquid quickly, so don't keep it there, or it will disintegrate. If the biscuits still feel hard, don't worry. They will soften between the layers of cream.

Liquor is optional; it just gives it more flavour.
The easiest way to sprinkle cocoa powder is to keep some in a spice shaker and just shake it out. Any clumps should separate.

The ingredients for this are rather expensive, but it's worth it. You can get both the cheese and the ladyfingers at Italian markets for slightly better prices.

This is rather rich, so it would be a good idea not to serve restaurant-sized portions after a big dinner.


Verdict:
Did I not say "tried and true"? ^^ I love it, but Will's not so into desserts, so I can only make this when we have people over.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A nice, easy one to ease into foodblogging.

Found the recipe on allrecipes, but cut down on some of the sugar.

This recipe is supposed to make a dozen, but I decided to make bigger cookies, and had 8 in the end.


Ingredients:
0.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
0.5 cups packed brown sugar
0.25 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
1 tsp hot water
1.5 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips (milk this time, but should be semisweet)
0.5 cups chopped pecans

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Use the middle rack.
Cream together butter and sugars.
Dissolve the baking soda and salt in the water and beat it into the batter with the egg and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, chocolate and pecans.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Form the dough into golfball-sized rounds and space them about 2" apart on the sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned.


Comments/Observations:
There's gotta be a less messy way of creaming butter and sugar. I had bits flying around, and it happens almost everytime I use the electric handmixer.

The original recipe called for an ungreased cookie sheet, but lining it with parchment paper just made stuff easier to clean. You can reuse the paper, so I didn't feel too bad about using something that's disposable. Apparently, silicone baking mats tend to be slippery, so the cookies migrate during baking. Seeing how I don't have those, I can't say whether or not this is true.

I was a bit worried that the cookies would end up like stubby cakes, but they flattened out quite nicely.

The bake time will be shortened if the cookies are smaller, so start watching it at the 10-minute mark.


Verdict:
Yum! Especially with cold milk (or soymilk, in my case). I've been craving fresh cookies for a while now, and these did it, especially since they were soft on the inside.


Next time:
I might cut out even more sugar, since Will's got concerns about his genetic predisposition to diabetes. I wonder if it would work with just brown sugar...