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Learning From Mum… and Teaching Mum

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , on January 5, 2010| 61 Comments »

Mum's Cannelloni

Is it just me or do none of your family members comment on your blog as well?  I know they read it but no matter how much I bribe (“I’ll give you some cookies that I baked in exchange for a comment”) or  beg (“please, please leave a comment”) – still no comment.

It would probably be particularly difficult for my Mum who, to put in mildly, is technologically challenged.

When my Dad taught her to send e-mail he had written VERY detailed instructions which went something like this:

Step 1 : Turn on computer

Step 2: Go to “icon” that has a picture of envelope and says E-mail and “double click”

Step 3: To send a message click on New on the upper left hand corner of the computer screen

…all the way to…

Step 12: To close your E-mail, click on the white X surrounded by a red square on the upper right hand corner of the computer screen

Step 13: Go to lower left hand corner of the computer screen and click the windows icon

Step 14: Find the arrow to click “shut down”

We were so proud of her when we started receiving e-mails.  She had finally joined the 21st century!

It was only months later that we discovered that for each and every email she sent out – she would actually follow step one to fourteen.  So for instance if she wanted to send three different emails out in one sitting  – she would have to turn on the computer three times and turn it off three times as well!

So believe me, teaching her to leave a comment on this blog was another milestone!  I told her that at least she only has to do it ONLY once for every post!  🙂

It’s a good thing that Mum’s  much better at cooking than computers. As she is here from the Philippines for a short vacation, I am making the most of her time here by asking her to teach me some dishes.  Tonight she taught me to make her take on the Cannelloni, or what she calls Canelones in Spanish.  No one in my family can resist this dish.   It’s made of chicken, mushrooms, chorizo, and smothered in a rich bechamel sauce and topped with  mozzarella cheese…

Yes… I know.

I’m very lucky!

Cannelloni smothered in a rich bechamel sauce

Recipe

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 pieces of chorizo, chopped
  • 500 grams boneless chicken thighs, boiled and chopped (leftover roast chicken can be used in a pinch)
  • 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 jar (400 grams) of your favourite tomato based pasta sauce (we used Barilla)
  • 1 box cannelloni pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Bechamel Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  1. Cook the cannelloni as per instructions on the box.  Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onions, then add the chorizo and brown them
  3. Next, add the chicken, then the mushrooms and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated
  4. Add the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
  5. Season with salt and pepper
  6. Allow to cool to room temperature

To make the Bechamel

  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter, once this has melted, add the flour
  2. Slowly add the milk, incorporating this into the butter and flour mixture a little at a time
  3. Cook out the mixture for around 5 minutes over low heat, making sure to stir constantly to ensure that the bottom does not “catch”
  4. Add the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the mixture and set aside.

To assemble

  1. Fill each cannelloni with the chicken mixture and lay these on a baking dish
  2. Top with bechamel sauce
  3. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese
  4. Bake in a 180 c fan forced oven for 30 minutes
  5. Garnish with parsley (optional)

Thanks for dinner Mum! It was lovely. 🙂

Stumble It!

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“Wicked” Oreo Cookies

Posted in Bake, tagged , , , on January 4, 2010| 42 Comments »

Wicked Oreo C

"Wicked" Oreo Cookies

Excuse the pensive mood lately.  I blame it on the New Year which definitely makes me reflect more than usual.  One of the things I set out to do in the next month is finally watch the play Wicked.  The musical is based on one of my favourite books – Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

For those who haven’t watched the play or read the book – it revolves around the untold story Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West… faced with a miserable childhood and discriminated against because of her green skin tone, despite her good intentions and actions – she remained misunderstood … so …  maybe she wasn’t so wicked after all?

Before reading the book, I naturally assumed that she was born Wicked – only to realize that sometimes people behave the way they do for reasons we don’t know about.  Who are we to judge people we don’t know?  Who are we to judge at all?

Anyway, I originally had the “oreo” cookie in mind and I used black sesame seeds for the outer cookie and a green tea buttercream filling.  They reminded me so much of Elphaba.  Despite their appearance – please don’t judge them before trying them.  Like Elphaba – you might come to even like them?

Wicked

Black Sesame Cookie Recipe

  • 130  grams softened butter
  • 110  grams icing sugar. sifted
  • 20 grams black sesame seeds
  • 120 grams of egg whites (about 4 large, whisked with a fork)
  • 130  grams flour, sifted
  • black food coloring (optional)
  1. In a kitchen stand or food processor, blend the butter and icing sugar and black sesame seeds.
  2. Slowly add in the egg whites but not too quickly as the mixture might split.
  3. Next, slowly add the flour and if necessary, the black food colouring for extra dark colour.
  4. Rest the dough around 1 hour before.
  5. To shape the cookies, I used a sheet of thick plastic which I got from Ikea and cut round molds from them.  You can easily substitute with a piping bag, and just pipe out like a cat’s tongue cookie.
  6. Bake in on greaseproof paper or a silpat mat for 10 minutes in a 180 c fan forced oven.

Oreos with milk anyone?

Green Tea Buttercream Recipe

  • 60 grams softened butter
  • 100 grams icing sugar, sifted
  • 25 grams green tea (matcha) powder
  • green food colouring if necessary
  1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until fully amalgamated.

To assemble: Spread some buttercream over one cookie and cover with another.

Stumble It!

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Procrastinating Happiness

Posted in Bake, tagged , , , on January 3, 2010| 39 Comments »

Dorie Greenspan’s Cinnamon Raisin Buns , Brown Sugar Sticky Pecan Buns

Sticky, gooey, cinnamon buns with a dough recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Let me tell you a story about Annie and her husband. I’ve never met Annie, never spoken to her and she doesn’t even know I exist. And her husband? He died at the age of 35.

But somehow, I know they will change my life. I came across Annie while reading an article from the New York Times. The article was on how people tend to procrastinate having fun. How many of us are guilty of NOT redeeming frequent flier miles, NOT cashing in gift certificates, NOT drinking that special bottle of wine (in my case, SAVING that special bottle of balsamic vinegar for a special occasion)? Many of us are by nature, procrastinators of pleasure.

If there is one thing I urge you to do today please read these articles . I don’t think I can paraphrase better than the author can write so best you check it out yourself . Please don’t just bookmark it and save reading for a day when you have more time. Read it now.

So I learned about Annie when I read her comment to the article. This is what she said:

“My late husband was a frugal, intelligent, cautious man who made choices carefully, researched his options, weighed the cost versus benefits of any situation and generally erred on the side of saving, money, time, and energy for later. He worked very hard, took good care of his health and his things and didn’t allow himself too much pleasure, often stealing from the pleasures he did allow to touch him by worrying that they were undeserved or could have been gotten for a better price, the time or money used for something more “useful”. He died when he was 35 years old with money in the bank and all his bills paid. He loved to ski but hadn’t done any skiing in years. He was waiting, who knows what for? I have made it my task in life to honor his memory by living the life he denied himself. I appreciated everything about him, and I know he is glad that I am living a joyful life in his absence. It was the only request he made of me before he left the planet, that I be happy. If you can’t seem to allow yourself joy for your own sake, do it for someone who can’t do it for themselves. A friend or love one who is in the hospital or sick, or dying or gone. Do it in celebration of them and the life they didn’t get to live fully….”

Why do people put of for tomorrow what they can enjoy today?

So here’s a simple New Year’s Resolution that I have made to myself – start having fun… NOW!

Oh, and what better way to do it than to make some delicious Cinnamon Raisin Buns using Dorie Greenspan’s Spiced Sweet Dough.

Cinnamon Rolls


Basic Recipe – Spiced Sweet Dough Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

  • 1 cup warm whole milk (41 c)
  • 2 envelopes active dry yeast (total 14 grams or 4 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 teaspoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature(125 grams)
  1. Stir milk, yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar in small bowl. Let stand until mixture bubbles, about 6 minutes. Stir again.
  2. Mix remaining 2/3 cup sugar and orange peel in medium bowl.
  3. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, and ginger to bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on low speed. Add yeast mixture; mix on medium-low speed until dry shaggy mass forms, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk; beat on medium speed until well blended. At this point in time I was starting to doubt the recipe was going to work. The dough did not seem to be coming together into a smooth mass, it had looked almost like it had split.
  4. Add sugar mixture; beat until moist soft dough that resembles thick batter forms, about 3 minutes. Dough now starting to improve… looks like there is hope!
  5. Add butter by 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls; beat on medium-low speed until almost incorporated before adding more, about 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Beat dough on medium-high 2 minutes longer. Finally dough has come together into a smooth mass! Hooray! Let dough rest in bowl 10 minutes (dough will become less sticky).
  6. Scrape dough out onto work surface; gather together. Place in large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down; cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Fill with cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins and orange zest

Recipe for Filling – adapted from Dorie Greenspan

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons golden brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • Spiced Sweet Dough (above)
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, warm room temperature (Around 125 grams)
  1. Butter two 33 x 23 x 5-cm baking dishes.
  2. Whisk both sugars and cinnamon in small bowl.
  3. Turn cold Spiced Sweet Dough out onto floured surface; sprinkle with flour. Divide dough in half. Roll out dough to two 38 x 30 -cm rectangles. Using fingers, spread 4 tablespoons butter evenly over each rectangle. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, half of the grated orange peel and half of the raisings over each. Starting at 1 long side of each dough rectangle, tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using a piece of butcher’s twine, cut each roll crosswise into fifteen 1-inch-thick slices. (See image below, otherwise, use a sharp knife). Arrange 15 dough slices in the baking dish, spacing evenly apart. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free area until buns are puffy and doubled, about 1 hour 45 minutes. This will depend on the weather as well. It has very hot the day I made these and only needed an hour before the buns rose.
  4. Preheat to 170 °C (fan forced). Bake buns until deep golden brown and filling is barely bubbling around edges, about 25 minutes. Let buns stand 2 minutes. Cool at least 45 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Use butcher's string to

To Glaze (optional)

  • 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  1. Heat the milk and maple syrup in a small saucepan.
  2. Pour the milk mixture into a bowl with the icing sugar and stir until the mixture is lump free.
  3. Spread over the cinnamon rolls.

Variation – Bon Appetite Magazine also has Ms Greenspan’s recipe using the same sough for Brown Sugar-Pecan Sticky Buns.

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Blueberry and Vanilla Mousse Tart & Generosity

Posted in Bake, tagged , , on December 30, 2009| 50 Comments »

Blueberry and Pistachio Tart

As 2009 draws to an end, I can’t help but reflect on what a wonderful and fulfilling year it has been.  I started this blog at the end of March this year and I can clearly remember how early on I struggled to find my voice and sense of style.  This led to very infrequent posts and for the first few months, I was discouraged by the lack of progress I was making with my blog and nearly gave up. 

Throughout the year I have met some wonderful bloggers that have provided invaluable guidance and have encouraged me to pursue this little project of mine.  Many of them have now become friends.  I am sure, if you read this, you know who you are.  We see each other almost every day – through a comment, an email or even an occasional gathering. And then there have been people who I thought would never give me the time of day only to be surprised at their generosity and total willingness to go out of their way to help me. 

Take Peter for instance from Souvlaki For The Soul.  Peter’s blog is recognized as one of the top 50 World’s Best Food Blogs.  With the number of blogs out there, this is not a accolade that is handed out lightly.   When you visit his site – you will understand why.  A combination of beautiful photography, gorgeous styling, delicious recipes and witty writing leaves me entranced with each visit.  I emailed him one day asking advice about camera lenses and we got to talking.  One thing led to another and the next thing I know he is giving me tips on photography and styling.  To Peter, Thank you! … ευχαριστώ.

Blueberry and Pistachio Tart

Recipe (adapted from Stephane Glacier’s Verrines et Petit Gateaux)

Sable Breton

  • 250 grams butter
  • 235 grams sugar
  • 7 grams salt
  • 100 grams egg yolks
  • 335 grams flour
  • 12 grams baking powder
  1. Beat the butter, sugar and salt in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment.
  2. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beat until combined.
  3. Add the sifted flour and baking powder.
  4. Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface and wrap in plastic wrap.
  5. Rest the dough for at least two hours before using.
  6. When ready to use, roll the dough to around 6 mm thickness and cut with greased rings (I used egg rings)
  7. Bake in the rings in a preheated oven at 150c (fan forced) for 30 minutes.

Vanilla Mousseline Cream

  • 250  grams milk
  • 1/2 vanilla pod
  • 50 grams egg yolks
  • 50 grams sugar
  • 27 grams corn starch (or custard powder)
  • 125 grams butter
  1. Heat the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla pod split lengthwise in a saucepan.
  2. In a bowl, mix the rest of the sugar and the cornstarch and then add the egg yolks.
  3. Once the milk boils, remove it from the heat and pour some of the milk in the bowl with the egg yolks.  This is to temper the mixture.
  4. Then add the rest of the milk into the bowl and mix.
  5. Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan  and boil for around 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
  6. Add the butter and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl.
  7. Cover the top of the mixture with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to cool quickly.
  8. Keep in the fridge overnight to set.
  9. Use an electric hand held mixer and whisk at an average speed to obtain a light cream.  This is now ready to use.

Assembly – top each baked tart shell with some vanilla mousseline cream and top with your favorite fruit.  (I used blueberries but strawberries or mangoes would work well too!).

Stumble It!

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Kulinarya Club Celebrates Noche Buena

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , , , on December 20, 2009| 24 Comments »

Prawns Thermidor

Noche Buena is a traditional celebration in the Philippines.  Literally meaning “Good Night”, this usually entails families gathering on the eve of Christmas for a late family meal.  Growing up, I had two Noche Buenas.  The first one was celebrated with my Dad’s family and the second and later one, with my Mom’s. For Noche Buena with my Dad’s relatives we would spend each year in his sister’s house.  My Tita Bebe (my father’s elder sister) would prepare a fantastic feast but the one dish that really stood out for me were the Prawns Thermidor.  I’ve always associated this dish as being so decadent and festive.  She would prepare this dish by

  1. removing the prawn meat but keeping the shells whole
  2. preparing the thermidor sauce and adding  the prawn meat
  3. stuffing the prawn thermidor into the shells
  4. and finally baking them

You can imagine what a laborious process, especially when feeding her family and friends, but I guess she really only had to do it once a year!

Prawns Thermidor

When I moved to Sydney and was going to spend our first Christmas away from Manila, I immediately emailed my Aunt for the recipe.  Since then, it has been one of my staple dishes – it’s a sure crowd pleaser and if you are not inclined to stuff the prawns, just place it in a festive serving dish.  So here’s my favourite Noche Buena dish.  Enjoy!  And as we say in the Philippines – Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)

Recipe (serves 5 as part of several main dishes)

  • 10 king prawns
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 small carrot, finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
  • 5 to 10 button mushrooms (depending on size), diced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup cheese (I used parmesan and gruyere)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Remove the prawn meat from the prawns by placing the prawn on a chopping board (eyes facing upwards), cutting the prawns in the middle with knife, or use scissors.  Carefully remove the prawn meat, keeping the shells intact.

    Prawn Shells

  2. Once the meat is removed, cut into bite sized pieces.
  3. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion until translucent.  Add the carrot and celery stalk and cook until soft, around 5 minutes.
  4. Next, add the red pepper and saute until soft, around 10 minutes.
  5. Add the mushrooms and cook for around 5 minutes.
  6. Deglaze the pan with the while wine and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  7. Add in the flour and cook out for 3 to 5 minutes.  Slowly add in the milk until the mixture thickens.
  8. Lastly, add the prawn meat and heat until just cooked.
  9. Cool the mixture and then stuff the prawn shells with the cooled prawn thermidor sauce (if you are not stuffing shells, just place in a serving dish)

    Prawn Thermidor Filling

  10. Top with cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180c (fan forced for 15 minutes).

Prawns prior to baking

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Trissa, Kath and Trish

http://sugarlace.fragiled.net/

http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

Welcome new Kulinarya Members (if I have missed anyone out PLEASE email me!)

Olive http://www.latestrecipes.net/
Caroline http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/
Peachy http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

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Quay’s Vanilla Mousse with Fresh Raspberries and The Ghost of Christmas Past

Posted in Bake, tagged , , on December 13, 2009| 36 Comments »

Vanilla Mousse with Fresh Raspberries

Sometimes we hurt someone and never have the opportunity to say sorry.  Has this ever happened to you?  I am ashamed to admit that over the course of my life, the number of people I have upset or wounded by my unkind words has been too many to remember but there is always one incident that stands out… especially since it happened so close to Christmas time.

When I was much younger,  My Mom asked me to buy a box of frozen raspberries which she was going to use to make a Christmas pudding.  It was a few days before Christmas and I headed to one of the groceries situated beside a large shopping mall in the Philippines.    You can imagine, a few days before Chrstimas, everyone trying to finish their last minute shopping – it was almost impossible to find a parking space!  After almost twenty minutes in the parking lot, I finally spotted a free spot which I drove towards.  At the same time, another car pulled up from the other side to try and park in that one slot.

There was no way I was going to let that slot go!  I guess the driver in the other car had pretty much the same idea and was also determined to take that slot.

BEEEEEP! I honked my horn.  BEEEEP BEEEEP!! He replied.

Vanilla Mousse, Raspberries and Raspberry Gelee

I was pissed and we both got out of our cars.

I knew immediately when I saw him that he was someone’s chauffeur.  His shirt was a faded blue as if it  had been washed too many times and there was a little hole that had been stitched up on his sleeve.  He was much older than I was, or so he seemed, maybe 50 or so.  His hair was grey and his face dark brown and wrinkled.

We argued for a few minutes and the conversation between us went something like this:

Me:  What do you think you’re doing?  I got here first!

Him:  Of course not!  I saw the parking slot first – and I am going to park here!

Finally, I was tired and cranky and decided to put this to rest.  I told him something that I will forever regret.

“Get out of my way, you’re just a driver. I’m going to park in this slot whether you like it or not”

He looked at me shocked.  As if I had slapped him.  His face, although a deep brown,  turned bright red.  I could see he wanted to say something, to defend himself, to maybe hurt me as much as I had hurt him… but he didn’t.  He shook his head and got into his car and drove away.

I had won!  But I never felt more like a failure. I tried to justify my actions by saying he had tried to steal my parking slot.  But whichever way I looked at it – I was wrong.  How could I have said something so heartless… I don’t know.

How could I have hurt someone like that over a box of raspberries… I will never know.

Sometimes during the Christmas season I remember him and think of him as my “Ghost of Christmas Past”. The ghost that is there to remind me that  words can hurt.  There is no way that I can tell him how truly sorry I was and no way to make amends.  As much as I try to forget, my actions will haunt me forever.

Who is your Ghost of Christmas Past?

Fresh Raspberries

Recipe – adapted from Quay Restaurant

  • 250 ml milk
  • 50 grams caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • 1 1/2 sheets titanium gelatine (7.5 grams) soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
  • 250 ml cream
  • 70 ml egg whites ( about 2 eggs from 55 gram eggs)
  • 125 grams caster sugar
  1. Heat the milk, 50 grams sugar and vanilla bean until just simmering.
  2. Squeeze water from the gelatine and whisk into the milk until dissolved.  Cool slightly (15 to 20 minutes), strain into a bowl.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggwhites, gradually adding sugar until stiff peaks form.
  5. Fold the cream and meringue gently through the cooled milk mixture.
  6. Place in a bowl and refrigerate until set (around 6 hours)

Raspberry Gelee

  • 420 grams raspberry puree
  • 35 grams caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 sheets or 7.5  grams of gelatine leaves (titanium strength)
  1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
  2. Heat the raspberry puree and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the puree comes to a boil.
  3. Remove the raspberry puree mixture from the heat.
  4. Remove the excess moisture from the gelatine and heat the gelatine in the microwave until it melts, around 15 to 20 seconds
  5. Temper the gelatine by adding a little bit of the raspberry puree to the gelatine and stir gently to combine
  6. Then add the raspberry and gelatine mixture to the rest of the raspberry puree.

Quay's Vanilla Mousse

To Assemble

Pipe some vanilla mousse on to a cup, add some raspberry gelee, top with more vanilla mousse and finish with fresh raspberries.

Stumble It!

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Santa Choux – and the end of my innocence…

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , , on December 8, 2009| 38 Comments »

Santa Choux Pastry with Hazelnut Mousse Filling

At age one, I was very scared of Santa.   I can’t remember actually crying but pictures don’t lie – and there I am, in the little red outfit, with my mouth wide open, howling as any baby would if you put them infront of a strange pudgy man with a red suit and a long white beard!  And it wasn’t just me… my sister looks pretty terrified too – don’t you think?

Santa's worst photo shoot ever...

And the next year, the same thing happened…

Santa's second worst photo shoot ever!

It was only around age 3 and 4 that I realized how GREAT  Santa was.  He was the jolly man in the red suit who would give me presents if I was good! Oh yes sure, he saw me when I was sleeping, he knew when I was awake, he knew if I’d been bad or good and so I was usually good for goodness sake!

Every year my siblings and I would write Santa a letter of all the things we wanted for Christmas.  At age five or so, I remember my lists being pretty extensive and I would have to ask my eldest sister to help me write it out.  The letters would always begin with some summary of how good or bad I was the during the year.  Of course I would always emphasize the good and the bad stuff was always watered down.   There was one year  I can still recall my obsession with Hello Kitty and I had a Dear Santa letter that was a page long asking for everything hello kitty from shoes, a bag, a doll to a cooking set (yes I loved to cook even then!).  Every 24th of December my Mom would ask all of us kids to take an afternoon nap and a few hours later we would all wake up and beneath the tree were the presents we had asked for!  Of course we never really took naps – we were always too excited to see what Santa would bring this year!  So we’d just close our eyes and wait until my Mom finally told us we could have a look at the tree.

As a child, it was something I always looked forward to!

When I was ten, I was in love with a little doll I had “adopted” – her name was Patricia and she was a Cabbage Patch Doll.  I remember asking Santa for everything Cabbage Patch so that I could take care of Patricia in true Cabbage Patch style.  I asked for a swing set, a tea party set and a new dress for her.

A few days before Christmas I was looking for Patricia’s little shoe and for some reason I thought my Mom had kept it.  I looked all around her room but could not find it.  I thought it must be in her shoe closet so I went to her dressing room and of all the things to find – the Cabbage Patch swing set! What was the swing set doing in my Mom’s dressing room?

And that’s when I knew… When did you find out?

He knows if you've been bad or good - so be good for goodness sake!

I’ve made some choux pastry and filled them with a rich hazelnut mousse  in the form of Santa – for  whom this post is dedicated to.  May he always bring out the child in everyone…

Recipe (Adapted from  Balthazar Cookbook)

  • 125 ml milk
  • 125 grams butter
  • 5 grams salt
  • 5 grams sugar
  • 140 grams flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
  1. Pre heat the oven to 170c (fan forced)
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt with 1.2 cup water and bring to a boil.  Add the sifted flour and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
  3. Continue stirring over medium heat for around 3 minutes.
  4. Transfer the dough into a bowl of a standing mixer.  Stir at a low speed for a few minutes to lower the temperature of the dough.  Increase the speed to medium and then add the eggs, one at a time.
  5. Mix until a smooth, cool dough forms, about 5 minutes.
  6. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a # 9 tip, with the dough, or use a spoon to form small puffs, about 3 cm in diameter, and another around 5 cm in diameter on parchment paper or silpat.
  7. Brush the puffs with some beaten egg yolk and transfer to the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes to 40 minutes until golden brown.  Cool the puffs on a wire rack.
  8. To fill, make a hole using the tip of a very small piping nozzle and fill with your choice of filling (hazelnut mousse recipe here).

Red Icing Recipe

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • a few drops of red food colouring
  1. Mix the icing sugar, milk and red food colouring together and use to dip the baked choux pastry.

Hazelnut Mousse Recipe – see link.

To Assemble

Lay a coloured smaller dough on top of the larged colored dough.  Pipe with some whipped cream using a star nozzle in between the two doughs as if to form a collar.  Top with some more whipped cream to form Santa’s hat.

Santa Choux Pastry

Stumble It!

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Cereal Milk Panna Cotta from Momofuku

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , , on November 29, 2009| 27 Comments »

Cereal Milk "panna cotta", avocado puree, caramelized cornflakes and that chocolate peanut butter thing

How important is breakfast to you?  What do you normally have? Do you sit down with a great big bowl of cereal and milk to start your day?  What about some toast with peanut butter? Or maybe even toast with avocado? Sounds like pretty standard breakfast fare to me… boring even…

After trying Momofuku’s Cereal Milk (which is supposed to be a dessert :)), you may never look at breakfast food in the same way again!  Cereal Milk was the brainchild of Christina Tosi, Momofuku’s Pastry Chef.  It is a panna cotta infused with cereal, avocado puree, caramelized cornflakes and a great slab of chocolate.  This dessert is definitely something you would want to end your day with… and maybe even start it!

Don’t be intimated by this dessert, there are lots of components but everything is easy to make and the results are worth it!

Recipe – adapted from David Chang’s Momofuku

  • 6 cups cornflakes
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 sheets gelatin (titanium strength, weighing 6 grams each)

Garnish

Avocado Puree (recipe follows)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing (recipe follows)

Caramelized Cornflakes (recipe follows)

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150c, fan forced).  Spread the cornflakes on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven.  Toast the cereal for 12 minutes, it will deepen lightly in colour and more so in flavour.  Cool the cereal on the sheet for a few minutes just until it’s no longer hot to the touch.
  2. Combine the milk and cream in a container large enough to accommodate them and the cornflakes.  Add the warm cornflakes, stir to combine, and let steep for 30 minutes (I initially did this for 40 minutes which was too long, had to throw out the first batch as the finished custard was too starchy.)
  3. Strain the milk, passing it through a fine mesh sieve and pressing on the cornflakes with the back of a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid from them as possible.  Pass the milk through the strainer one more time and transfer to a microwave-safe container.  You should have around 3 cups of liquid. (This is important to note because when you add the gelatin sheets, the amount you add will depend on how much liquid you have.  If you  get less or more liquid then adjust the amount of gelatin)
  4. Add the brown sugar and salt to the milk, and heat it in the microwave on low power for 1 1/2 minutes – just long enough for the sugar to dissolve easily.  Give the milk a quick gentle stir to help disperse the sugar.
  5. Soften the gelatin in 2 cups of cold water.  After 2 to 3 minutes – when it’s supple and no longer crisp, remove it from the water, wring it out, and add it to the cereal milk.  Stir it once or twice to melt the gelatin in the milk.
  6. Divide the milk among eight 5 to6 ounce ramekins, or use a silicone mold.  If you are serving the custard out of the containers you chilled it in, cover them and reserve until ready to serve.  If you’re using silicone molds, put them in the freezer for an hour or so, and custard blocks will pop out just like ice cubes.  Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  7. To serve, plop a large dollop – a couple of tablespoons – of avocado puree just off the center of 8 large white places, then use the back of the spoon to drag some of it across each plate.  Put a cereal milk custard down in the avocado trail, leave a cup of chocolate peanut butter thing up against it, and scatter caramelized cornflakes on the plate with restraint.  Otherwise, if serving in a clear glass or ramekin, spoon some avocado puree on top of the custard and sprinkle the caramelized cornflakes to finish.

Avocado Puree – prepare the puree as close as possible to the time you intend to serve it.

  • 1 ripe hass avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
  • pinch of citric acid
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • pinch of sugar
  1. Chill the avocado until cold, or for up to 5 hours.
  2. Combine the avocado, citric acid, salt and sugar in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Place in a bowl with a piece of plastic wrap pressed up against the exposed surface of the puree, until ready to serve.

Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing (the original recipe is a chocolate hazelnut thing that calls for gianduja and and praline paste but I substituted peanut butter for the praline paste and milk chocolate for the gianduja instead)

  • 1/4 cup praline paste or peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup gianduja or milk chocolate
  • 1/4 teaspoon grapeseed oil or any neutral oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon smallish pieces bittersweet chocolate, ideally 70% to 72% cacao range
  • 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons caramelized cornflakes
  1. Combine the peanut butter, milk chocolate, oil salt, chocolate and corn syrup in a microwave-safe container and stir to combine.  Microwave the mixture or 10 seconds, then stir it up, and repeat four or five more times, until the mixture is fluid and homogeneous.
  2. Spread the mixture out in a 1/4 inch thick layer (not any thinner) on a silpat lined baking sheet, and scatter the chocolate puddle with the caramelized cornflakes.   Freeze it to set, which should take around 20 minutes (though you can leave it in the freezer longer).
  3. Grab the frozen piece of chocolate peanut butter thing from the freezer and break it into random, uneven pieces.  Store them in a sealed contained in the freezer until ready to use, or for up to a few weeks.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing

Caramelized Cornflakes

  • 3/4 cup cornflakes
  • 3 tablespoons dry powdered milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
  1. Heat the oven to 275F (130c fan forced).  Put the cornflakes in a large bowl and crush them with your hands.  Seven or eight squeezes should be enough, you want crumbles, not powder.
  2. Stir together the milk powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.  Add the butter to the cornflakes and sprinkle the sugar mixture over them.  Toss and stir to coat the cereal evenly.
  3. Spread out the cereal on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or silpat) and bake for 20 minutes, or until the milk powder and sugar start to caramelize and turn a satisfying deep golden colour.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  The flakes will keep, in a sealed container at room temperature, for at least a week.

Caramelized Cornflakes

Lastly, if you are so inclined to make your own praline paste – here it is:

Praline Paste

  • 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • tiny pinch of salt
  1. Heat the oven to 400F (200 C fan forced)
  2. Spread out the hazelnut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until they’ve warmed through and aromatic.  Remove from the oven and let cool.
  3. Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.  Leave it alone and let it start to caramelize around the edges of the pan before you begin to stir it with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon.  Patiently and attentively shepherd the sugar into a state of delicious caramelization: stir it slowly and constantly, until it’s medium amber – like the color of grade B maple syrup – and is very fluid.
  4. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor, add the caramel and salt and process for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the hot sweet mush from the sides of the bowl as often as necessary until it comes together into a smooth, even paste.  Store the praline in the refrigerator for weeks, if not months, until ready to use.

Cereal Milk - Momofuku

Note:  The first time I made this the gelatin did not set as I used too little gelatin for the liquid I had resulting in a big glob (though very tasty).  I was relying on the recipe which said 2 sheets (4 grams) but the resulting panna cotta  was too soft.  I was ready to start again but got some great advice from Y of Lemonpi who suggested that I could melt the glob again really gently and add more pre-soaked gelatin.   It worked beautifully!

Gelatin sheets vary a lot so to avoid this happening to you, take note of how much gelatin is needed to set the liquid, it should be written at the back of the pack. Otherwise, if you need more gelatin to set the custard, follow Y’s advice!

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All They Want For Christmas Series: Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , on November 20, 2009| 40 Comments »

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

The idea for these gorgeous Christmas cookies came one day while browsing through Martha Stewart’s website.  When I saw them, I knew I had to bump off one of my other stories to showcase these cookies.  Aren’t they adorable?  Not only that – they are absolutely delicious.  I know because I gave a little box to my sister to give my nephew to take to school.  They looked so cute with the little melted candy in the middle mimicking the “stained glass” that I thought he would love them.  In the middle of the day I received an email from her saying she gave one to Ben (my nephew) and the rest were taken by my brother in law (his father) to work! Talk about these cookies appealing to young and old alike!

Stained Glass Christmas Trees

Recipe (from Martha Stewart)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the worksurface
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 125 grams butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 150 grams assorted hard candies, chopped
  1. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl and set aside.
  2. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and pale and then add the egg and mix until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and then slowly add the flour mixture, a little at a time.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
  3. Roll out the chilled dough to around 3 mm thick and cut out shapes using a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter.  Transfer the cut outs to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Space them around 5 cm apart.
  4. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make a triangular cut out and fill with the assorted hard candies.  Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven 160 c (fan forced).  Once the dough is chilled, bake for 11 to 15 minutes until the edge are slightly brown.
  6. Let cook completely on sheets on wire racks.

Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

To package, I suggest you place the cookies in a plain white box and decorate the top of the box with another cookie.  Otherwise, use a Christmas tree shaped disposable container.

To package, use plain white boxes or Christmas shaped containers

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All They Want For Christmas Series – Christmas Macarons

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , on November 16, 2009| 51 Comments »

solo2

Happy Holidays!

Surprise!  Happy Holidays!  Do you like it?  The macarons?  The Christmassy look?

My husband and I are terrible at doing Christmas decorations.  In our years together we put up the Christmas tree one year and the next day our dogs had decided that it would be fun to eat the Christmas balls hanging from the tree AND THEN decided that it would be even more fun to tear down the whole tree and that was the end of that!

Another time,  we decided to put up instead a little Christmas train that my Mom brought over from the Philippines.  It was adorable, and almost 25 or so years old.  It was one of those antique trains that played Jingle Bells when you turned it on, it had eight cars with different animals sitting them and they would move up and down like a carousel.  When we turned it on we gave each other a big smile.  It would really be a great Christmas!  Alas, the joy lasted all of 30 seconds because then the train stopped working and a burning smell came from the train’s interior.  We had plugged the train in a 220 volt socket when it was a 110 volt train!

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These macarons decided to think outside the box! 🙂

And that was the end of our Christmas decorating story.  Since then, we’ve never decorated our home!  So this year I thought, since we aren’t going to be decorating our house – might as well decorate my blog – that way, dogs can’t chew on it and I can’t plug the blog anywhere and accidentally overload it!  When guests come over and ask where the Christmas decor is, I’ll just pull up my laptop and show them my blog!  A great way to promote my blog eh?!  🙂

The next in my Christmas Series is the Christmas Macaron.  I tried to do something different with the macarons so I used two colours and some of them I experimented and piped them into squares.  To get that two coloured effect, simply pipe using a thinner tip the outer edge and once done, pipe the inner portion using a thicker tip.  I also flavoured these macarons with a white chocolate and mint ganache.

solo3

Perfect way to serve macarons in a Christmas party...

Ingredients

  • 125 grams almond meal
  • 150 grams icing sugar (not icing mixture)
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 100 grams egg whites (from around 3 eggs)

Procedure

  1. In a food processor grind the almond meal and icing sugar for around 5 minutes until very finely ground.
  2. Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and whip the whites until soft peaks
  3. Add the sugar, 50 grams at a time while the egg whites are being beaten.
  4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
  5. Fold the ground almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in three additions until fully amalgamated.
  6. Pipe on to baking trays which have been lined with baking paper. Note: If you are using food colouring, add it now.
  7. Let the macarons dry for around 30 minutes until the “shells” are dry.
  8. Bake in  a pre-heated oven (150c fan forced) for 15 minutes
Final collage 1

Pipe the outer area with one colour and the inner with another

Mint Ganache

  • 110 ml cream
  • 10 grams sugar
  • 30 grams fresh mint leaves
  • 220 grams white chocolate
  1. Place the cream, sugar and mint leaves in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, place in the refrigerator at least 4 hours to allow the flavours to infuse.
  3. Chop the white chocolate and microwave for around 45 seconds in 15 second intervals
  4. Reheat the cream and strain the cream and place in the bowl of white chocolate.
  5. Allow to cool and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Final Collage 2To package, use either white paper boxes or Christmas designed disposable containers.  A great idea for when your dogs decide to tear down your Christmas tree and you are left with Christmas ornaments?  Use them for your packaging!

end collage

Wrap with paper boxes or containers

If you like it, please stumble it! 🙂
Stumble It!

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