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Santa Choux – and the end of my innocence…

December 8, 2009 by trissalicious

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

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Ferrero Rocher Tart

December 6, 2009 by trissalicious

Ferrero Tart

Where do you draw inspiration from?  When I’m cooking or baking I’ll usually browse through a number of cookbooks or call my Mom and ask for a recipe.  Sometimes I’ll search the web for great ideas or check out other blogs.  Honestly, I’ve never looked to an iconic chocolate for inspiration.  That is, until a day or two ago.  I was fortunate enough to be invited as a guest of Ellie to the launch of Ferrero’s Festival of Light which was held infront of the Customs House in Sydney.  The event was hosted by Charlotte Dawson and was officially launched by Rocco Perna from Ferrero Australia.  What a great way to kick start the Christmas season than with a spectacular light show!

Drawing inspiration from Ellie’s beautiful Ferrero macarons, I decided to make a Ferrero Tart and Verrine, both desserts are perfect when you are looking for that additional extra to entertain during the holiday season and are made from the same components, just served differently.  In true Ferrero form, this dessert is made with a chocolate tart, hazelnut mousse and topped with crushed candied hazelnuts enrobed in a chocolate  and hazelnut ganache.

Ferrero Tart

Tart Base (adapted from Matt Moran)

 

  • 60 grams cocoa powder
  • 150 grams cold butter, diced
  • 75 grams caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 320  grams flour
  • 5 grams baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  1. Place the butter, caster sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine bread crumbs.  Add the eggs, flour and baking powder and process until the mixture just comes together.
  2. Lay the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead into a disc measuring around 2 cm in height.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to rest.
  4. Once the dough has rested, place the dough back on to a lightly floured surface and roll out until around 2 mm thick.  Cut the dough such that it is at least 1 cm wider than the tart shell (which will form the wall of the tart).
  5. Place the cut dough in the tart shells and allow refrigerate for another 1 hour.
  6. When ready, blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes in a pre-heated fan forced oven at 180c.  Once done, bake for another 5 minutes (this time, do not blind bake).
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Inspired by Ferrero

Hazelnut Mousse (adapted from Baking and Pastry, Culinary Institute of America)

 

  • 375 grams milk
  • 75 grams caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 37 grams cornflour
  • 80 grams hazelnut praline  (or nutella)
  • 250 grams  cream
  • 5  grams gelatin (titanium strength)
  1. Mix the sugar and cornflour into a bowl and slowly add the eggs.  Ensure that this is well mixed, removing and lumps.
  2. Bring the milk to the boil.  Once the milk is boiling,  pour the milk slowly into the bowl with the egg mixture.
  3. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the custard becomes thick.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  5. When the custard has cooled, place the gelatin sheet in a bowl of cold water to soften.
  6. In the meantime, mix the hazelnut praline (or nutella) with the custard using a whisk.
  7. Semi-whip the cream.
  8. Remove the gelatin from the water and heat in a microwave proof container for 15 seconds on high.  Mix the gelatin with the custard.
  9. Fold the custard into the semi-whipped cream.
  10. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Chocolate Hazelnut Thing (adapted from David Chang’s Momofuku Cookbook)

  • 55 grams hazelnut praline paste (or nutella)
  • 55 grams  gianduja or milk chocolate
  • 1/4 teaspoon grapeseed oil or any neutral oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 10 grams smallish pieces bittersweet chocolate, ideally 70% to 72% cacao range
  • 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 4 tablespoons crushed caramelized hazelnuts
  1. Place all the ingredients in a microwave proof bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals on high until the chocolate has melted.
  2. Add the caramelized hazelnuts until ready to use.

One Iconic Chocolate, served 3 ways

Caramelized Hazelnuts

  • 100 grams sugar
  • 50 grams water
  • 200 grams toasted hazelnuts
  1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a heavy based pan and let the temperature reach 115c (using a candy thermometer)
  2. Add the toasted hazelnuts and take the pan off the heat.
  3. Mix the nuts until the texture changes to become sugary like and bring back the pan on the heat.
  4. Mix carefully until the sugar turns into a golden caramel colour and place on a silpat or baking paper to cool.

Ferrero meets the Ferrero Tart

Assembly

Tarts

To assemble the tarts, pipe some hazelnut mousse on to the chocolate tart shells and then top with the Chocolate Hazelnut Thing and a few caramelized hazelnuts.

Verrine

To assemble the verrines, crush the chocolate tart shells and spoon into a clear glass.  Pipe some hazelnut mousse and then spoon some more crushed chocolate tart shells and top with the Chocolate Hazelnut Thing.  Finally, add a few caramelized hazelnuts.

 

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Fideos (“Toasted Pasta” Paella)

December 3, 2009 by trissalicious

The Spanish Pasta Dish to Rival Paella

Fideos (“Toasted Pasta” Paella)

It must be difficult being a noodle in Spain.  How can you stand up to the wonderful rice dishes that the Spaniards are known for.  Almost every Spanish cookbook I own will have a section on Paellas*, and at the back of the section is maybe one (if lucky) recipe on the fideos.  It doesn’t even get its own section!   It’s a pity that fideos tends to take second place to the Paella when I think it is just as delicious – and for me, a much more forgiving dish!

Fideos, translated into english, refers to noodles – they are thin pieces of noodles, no longer than your thumb.  Many recipes call for fideo noodles, there is no reason why you can’t use thin spaghetti or angel hair noodles, broken into 1.5 to 2 inch lengths.  In my Mom’s restaurant they used to bake their fideos with pork spareribs and sausages but today I’ve decided to share with you my version – with mussels and prawns.  A little bit healthier and just as good!

I like to think of fideos as the rebel dish.  It breaks a lot of rules!  Let me explain… with most pasta dishes you throw your noodles into a large pot of boiling water, enough water so that the pasta has enough space to float around.  With fideos, traditionally they are made in a paella pan and only enough liquid is placed so that the noodles absorb the cooking broth resulting in a rich, and flavourful dish.  When making a paella, I’ve been taught, once you add the broth, do not stir rice around.  How many of us have been tempted to STIR when we were told NOT TO STIR?!  Well, as I said, fideos is more forgiving – you stir the dish often enough until you see that the liquid has coated the noodles and seafood in an almost syrup like coating.

Traditionally fideos has been made with saffron.  If you aren’t willing to spend on good quality saffron, I wouldn’t even bother putting it as inferior quality saffron will hardly make a dent in the taste.  If you can’t get a hold of saffron, or don’t wish to shell out the money for it, I suggest you omit it completely.

Also, this is traditionally made in a paella pan.  Tonight, I couldn’t be bothered and  used a heavy based pan instead.  It turned out just as well!

As I said – this dish breaks a lot of rules!

Prawn and Mussel Fideos

Recipe (for two)

  • 120 grams fideos or dried angel hair pasta, broken into 2 inch lenghts
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 2oo grams canned tomatoes,  crushed
  • 375 ml fish or chicken stock (good quality store bought is fine)
  • 70 ml dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 large prawns, peeled and deveined
  • a handful of mussels, cleaned and debearded OR you can use clams or a combination
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Heat a pan with one tablespoon of olive oil and lightly fry the fideos noodles until golden brown but not burned.   This should take around 5 minutes.
  2. Remove the noodles from the pan and set aside
  3. Next, add more olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
  4. Add the sweet paprika and the canned tomatoes and cook until the tomato sauce is thick, this will take around 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. In a separate pan, heat the stock, white wine and the bay leaf.    Once boiling, add this to the tomato sauce.
  6. Immediately add the noodles and stir frequently until the noodles have absorbed the liquid.  This took me around 15 minutes.
  7. When you can see that the noodles are almost done, add the seafood and simmer gently for a minute or two until the prawns are cooked through and the mussels have fully opened.
  8. Serve immediately.

Fideos

*Interestingly enough, what we have come to know as Paella the rice dish made with all sorts of wonderful toppings from seafood, chorizo, rabbit etc., actually refers to the pan in which they are made in.  Over time however, people have started referring to the dish inself and not the pan as Paella.

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Posted in Cook, El Comedor | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments »

All They Want For Christmas Series: Indian Spiced Nuts

December 3, 2009 by trissalicious

Spiced Nuts - perfect for those who prefer savoury treats!

I am one of those people who prefer savoury to sweet.  Given a choice between an entree or dessert, I prefer having and entree… or two!  So the next treat in my All They Want for Christmas Series is perfect for people like me!   These Indian-inspired spiced nuts are incredibly addicting.  They are moreish and it is impossible to stop at one.  This recipe was adapted from the Taste website.

Recipe – makes 3 jars (see above)

  • 250 grams of your favorite nuts (I used cashew, almonds, brazil nuts,  almonds, pistachios)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon peanut oil
  • 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, sweet paprika, ground fennel, ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced). Combine the nuts with the egg white, oil, cumin, coriander, garam masala, paprika, fennel and turmeric in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a large roasting pan.
  2. Bake in oven, stirring every 5 minutes, for 15 minutes or until nuts are toasted and mixture is aromatic. Add raisins and gently toss to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool to room temperature.

Package in little glass jars

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Stuffed Mussels (Mejillones Relleñadas)

December 1, 2009 by trissalicious

Stuffed Mussels with ham, bechamel and melted cheese

When I was little, I would sometimes tag along with my Mom when she went to work.  Work, being her Spanish restaurant.  Over the 34  or so years of El Comedor (that means the “Dining Room” which was what the restaurant was called), some of my best memories was when I was allowed inside the kitchen to watch the cooks as they went about their work.

None of the cooks in El Comedor ever went to cooking school, I am pretty sure none of them even graduated high school.  They originally started as  house help (doing the cleaning) for my Grandmother (who we fondly called Mama).

When she started the restaurant they were tasked to cook in the kitchen.

Imagine if you will, a young man, Manny (his nickname for Manuel), who has never finished high school, who has never picked up a cookbook in his life, never held a chef’s knife, never tasted paella,  being asked to give up cleaning, the only job he has ever known,  to cook in a fine dining Spanish restaurant?  It must have taken a leap of faith by my Grandmother, and Manny to both give it a go!

When Ellie mentioned Spanish food to me recently, I realized that I have been very delinquent in posting some of the delicious recipes I remember eating so many years ago when Manny would sneak a little tapa to me while no one was looking. I must have looked like a drooling labrador to him, just watching him cook.  And I guess he took pity on me.

“Don’t tell your Mom okay?” he would say as he handed me a little croqueta or some of the stuffed mussels pictured above.  At the restaurant we called them Mejillones Relleñadas.     I call them – Mussels a la Manny.  They are made with mussels, ham, white wine, an uber creamy bechamel sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. This recipe is so simple and you can make it ahead, just top with parmesan cheese and let it rest in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.  It’s perfect when you are expecting guests – just bake them in the oven prior to serving.

Sadly,  Manny passed away a few years ago but to this day I still think of him when I make this dish – from something that has very humble beginnings – such a beautiful dish!

Buen Provecho Manny!

They're delicious even without baking!

Recipe

  • 25 mussels, cleaned and debearded
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup ham, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • grated parmesan cheese to top
  • salt and pepper to taste

Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese

  1. Place the mussels in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil.  When they are open, remove from the heat to cool.  Be careful not to overcook.  When they are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and chop (not too finely) and reserve half of the mussel shell.
  2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauce pan and add the onions, salt and pepper.  Add the garlic and cook until translucent.
  3. Add the ham and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat.
  4. Add the flour and cook out for a few minutes, then add the white wine and cook for two minutes, and then gradually add the milk.
  5. Add the chopped mussel meat and the parsley.
  6. Place a spoonful on the reserved mussel shell.
  7. Top with parmesan cheese and bake in a 180c (fan forced) oven for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Stuffed Mussels with ham, bechamel and parmesan cheese

BY THE WAY, on the side of this post is a link called RECEIVE EMAIL!  If you would like to be on my mailing list and receive an email when a new post is up – please click on the link.  Thank you!

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Posted in Cook, El Comedor | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments »

Cereal Milk Panna Cotta from Momofuku

November 29, 2009 by trissalicious

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!

Posted in Bake, Cook | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments »

Daring Bakers Challenge: Cannoli

November 26, 2009 by trissalicious

There are many great quotes referring to the delicious cannoli.  The two below are my favourites.

“Leave the gun, take the cannoli”… Clemenza from The Godfather.

“I’ve never had cannoli before.  But if they are supposed to taste this good, I should have had them much sooner.” – My husband’s exact words when he tried the cannoli I made for this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge…

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Leave the gun... take the cannoli - Clemenza from The Godfather

Lisa has also been kind enough to put in PDF the  Cannoli recipe.  The only change I made was to increase the amount of marsala wine (I added another 1/4 cup) and an egg until the dough was wet enough to knead.  Unfortunately my first batch was too dry so I had to start over – but it was worth it!

As for the filling, I used a combination of candied oranges and dark chocolate.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Cannoli

Grazie Lisa for a great challenge!  Your detailed instructions made a world of difference – it gave me so much confidence to tackle the challenge.

Posted in Cook, Dare | Tagged , | 37 Comments »

Giving Thanks… and a Part 2

November 25, 2009 by trissalicious

Roast Turkey for Two with 30 Cloves of Garlic

Hold on… if you have landed on this page without reading my part 1 – please take a step back and read here.

Of course you knew it would be a happy ending…

Where did we last part? Ahh yes… he stopped calling.

Well, of course he didn’t STOP calling. After all, we still had to deal with each other on a professional level. We still talked two or three times a day but conversations were short, hasty and all about work. Gone were his morning calls just to chitchat. No more flirtatious banter. This went on for three long weeks.

I have to admit – I missed him. What is mistook for “weakness” when he used to give in to my requests I now saw as being extremely thoughtful. I used to think it was boring when he talked about complex deals relating to work and now I realized his ideas were fascinating and I wanted to learn more.

I missed his thoughtfulness. What I previously perceived as being a goody goody two shoes to my parents was now indescribably endearing.

“Whatever happened to that nice young man who brought us all the cakes?” my Mom asked. My Dad seemed a little sad to have lost his tennis partner.

I was remorseful of what I had done and knew I deserved it. Don’t you think that the only thing more bitter than swallowing our pride is being lonely. So I picked up the phone on night and I called him.

Roast Turkey Leg, 30 Cloves of Garlic and Roast Baby Carrots

I expected that he would make it hard for me. Maybe he would not answer my call. Or maybe he would give me the same treatment I had given him for the last few months. Maybe he was dating someone new.

BUT HE IS NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON.

So my friends, I’m sorry if you were expecting a long drawn out story about how we finally reconciled but truth is he was kind enough to forget how mean I was and we talked that night as if the last three weeks never happened.

The next day – at 3:00 pm I got my belgian waffles.

So… As many of us celebrate Thanksgiving across the world – we reflect on what we are most thankful for. My “thankful for” list extends for several pages but I have bored you enough as it is.

So I will leave you knowing that the one thing I am most thankful for is my husband…

And while we can’t be together this Thanksgiving – here is the recipe for the early Thanksgiving Meal we shared last week.

What are YOU most thankful for today?

Roast Turkey Leg for Two with 30 Cloves of Garlic and Roast Baby Carrots (inspired from Almost Bourdain)

Recipe

  • 1 Turkey Leg, deboned (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 30 cloves of garlic
  • 60 grams butter
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • fresh thyme leaves
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch baby carrots
  1. Pre heat the oven to 170c (fan forced)
  2. Lay the deboned turkey leg flat on a surface and season with salt and pepper. Add a few springs of fresh thyme and tie the turkey leg into three portions using some butcher’s twine.
  3. Top the turkey with butter, olive oil and salt and pepper. Scatter the garlic cloves around the turkey.
  4. Roast the turkey for 10 minutes and then add the baby carrots.
  5. Continue to roast the carrots and turkey for another 40 to 45 minutes until the turkey is cooked through and the skin is golden brown and the carrots are cooked through. As this is happening, baste the turkey and carrots every 10 or so minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and let this rest for around 10 minutes before carving.

Ellie suggests that the roast garlic can be used for make aioli. You can also use the left over garlic by adding it to some simmered cream, chicken and pasta for a quick dinner.

Stumble It!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 32 Comments »

When Things Aren’t What They Seem

November 24, 2009 by trissalicious

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a wrong first impression?

Well, when I met my husband there was no instant attraction, no sparks. Even worse – just really a total lack of interest (at least on my part). I thought he was nice but just not my type. If you told me that we would end up married I would have laughed and said “NEVER”. So how did this total apathy to him lead to us walking down the aisle? Crazy world isn’t it?

To be perfectly upfront, our love story has some uh… questionable beginnings. I was working at a large bank in their treasury department selling foreign exchange and derivatives and he was working for a large corporate and part of his job involved dealing with us.

Yes… I married my client.

We had been talking over the phone for a few weeks and then decided to finally meet up for dinner. First impression, I thought he has pretty nerdy. He was constantly talking about foreign exchange and trying to get me to exchange ideas on my views on the market. Not the type of conversation to keep me interested but I had to be polite. After all, he WAS a client.

I can confidently confirm however that he liked me. A lot. How would I know? Well, he told me so – many years later. But also at that time, actions spoke much MUCH louder than words.

Smoked Ocean Trout, Cream Cheese and Lime wrapped in Squid Ink Pasta

Thinking about it now, he was a quite clever. He knew I didn’t like him in that way so he worked on my parents instead. He asked if he could come and visit me at home and immediately won my parents over when he brought them a triple layered chocolate cake.

My Dad was over the moon to find out that he played tennis and they teed up a time to play tennis once or twice a week. I thought that he enjoyed playing tennis so early in the morning (waking up at 4:30 every morning to get to my house at 6:00) but it was only years later that I found out that he struggled to wake up so early but did it to spend time with my Dad.

My Mom was always asking why I didn’t like him when he was such a lovely young boy, of course she was asking this as she wolfed down the latest cake he brought to the house.

At work, it was no different. Everyday at 3:00 pm he would send incredibly delicious Belgian Waffles when I so badly needed a sugar fix. On Valentine’s Day I arrived at my office and there he was, with a dozen red long stemmed roses.

He was persistent and wasn’t shy to show his feelings.

I was uneasy.

I knew I didn’t like him and it was awkward because I didn’t want to upset our working relationship – which was fantastic. So I decided to be honest and admitted that I “didn’t feel the same way”. His response was something along the lines of “that’s okay – I just enjoy your company – I am not looking for anything more”.

One time he invited for dinner. I made up an excuse that I was going to see a movie with my sisters. A few days later he asked “how was the movie” – and I said “what movie?” “the one you were going to watch with your sisters” he said. “Ahh that one… yeah, well it was good!” but I am sure he knew I was lying.

Once, I had invited him to a cocktail party in some swanky hotel but at the last minute I decided I didn’t want him around so I met him at the lobby and told him that I had made a mistake and there were not enough tickets. I am sure he could see right through me but he smiled and it was not a problem. He would just see me the next day.

So we continued along the same routine for a couple of months. I am ashamed to say that I took this all for granted. He was there when I needed him but I was also willing to discard him when something “better” came up. I never took how he must have felt into account. I just thought, if he liked me so much – he would continue to hang on.

And then one day he just stopped calling.

Part 1

These canapes were inspired from Logan Campbell of Lucios Restaurant.

Recipe for Pasta

  • 150 grams flour
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons squid ink
  1. Place flour onto bench top and make a well in the center of the pasta.
  2. Place the egg yolks and squid ink into the well and incorporate slowly until the dough forms
  3. Knead the pasta for 5 minutes until smooth and rest covered for 1 hour
  4. Roll out the pasta as per directions on the pasta maker
  5. Cook the pasta for around 3 to4 minutes until al dente and immediately refresh in iced water
  6. Remove the pasta and dry on tea towels before using (see below)

Note: I used 4 egg yolks (as this is what I had left over from some macaron making) resulting in a richer pasta, feel free to substitute the recipe with 200 grams flour and 2 eggs if you don’t have the egg yolks on hand

Recipe for filling:

  • 300 grams smoked ocean trout (or salmon)
  • 250 grams cream cheese
  • 4 teaspoons lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Mix the cream cheese, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth
  2. Lay some plastic wrap/cling film on a benchtop
  3. Place a sheet of pasta over the plastic wrap and lay some cream cheese over this, leaving around 2 cm free (you will need this later when rolling)
  4. Next, layer some smoked ocean trout over the cream cheese
  5. Roll the pasta starting from the end that is covered with ocean trout and cream cheese and ending in the section where there is no cream cheese
  6. Lastly, roll the pasta in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to set.
  7. Serve with ocean trout or salmon roe.

Posted in Cook | Tagged , , | 36 Comments »

All They Want For Christmas Series: Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

November 20, 2009 by trissalicious

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

Posted in Bake, Holiday | Tagged , , | 40 Comments »

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