mercredi, septembre 29, 2010

Chewy Choco Brownies

I've made chocolate brownies before but they are the cakey version.
As the weather gets gloomier and colder, I wish for a strong bitter moist brownies. I chose recipe from Sweetspot.ca.

The result is indeed strong, bitter moist and chewy brownies. This is the kind of brownies that can be eaten max of 2 pieces at once because of the strong chocolate taste. It's good that 1 piece satisfy the cravings and you can still watch your dessert consumptions ;)

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Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (up to 64 percent cacao), finely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (2 ½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ cup (about 3 ¾ ounces) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (optional)
½ cup (2 ounces) chopped nuts, toasted and cooled completely (optional)

Equipment:

8-inch square cake pan, parchment paper, double boiler, silicone or rubber spatula, whisk, cooling rack, thin knife or flexible spatula, chef’s knife

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and position an oven rack in the center. Line the pan with foil or parchment paper across the bottom and up two of the sides, then lightly coat with unflavored oil or high-heat canola-oil spray.

Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Place the butter, semisweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in the top of the double boiler (off the heat). Turn off the heat, then set the butter and chocolate over the steaming water. Stir occasionally with the spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well to incorporate each before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the flour and salt. Continue to stir until the mixture changes from dull and broken-looking to smooth and shiny, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts, if using.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it (do not over-bake). Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Run a thin knife or flexible spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen the brownies. To remove the brownies from the pan, grasp the foil or parchment paper extending up the sides and gently pull upward. Set the brownies on a cutting surface and use a chef’s knife to cut into 16 equal pieces. Since these are dense, it’s a good idea to keep a hot, wrung-out towel nearby so you can wipe the knife clean between slices.

P.S:
I left out the nuts. But I used chocolate chips 55%.

As for the different types of chocolates, I used only 1 type of chocolates 64%.

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lundi, septembre 27, 2010

Leek and Pumpkin Soup (Velouté de potiron aux poireaux)

huhuhu J'ai oublié de prendre des photos....

Ingrédients :
- 1,5 kg de potiron
- 3 blancs de poireaux
- Bouillon de poulet degraisse
- 25cl crème liquide
- 25cl lait ecrèmé
- sel et poivre

Préparation :

Laver et éplucher les poireaux.
Les émincer finement.

Mettre le potiron dans le four (avec un peu d'eau dans le casserole)

Sauter les poireaux dans une poele et laisser suer à feu doux. Mettre un peu d'eau.

Rajouter le potiron cuit, verser le lait. Saler et poivrer.

Baisser le feu et laisser cuire 30 min.

Mixer la soupe.

Rajouter la crème liquide.

Feat. Chef Sylvain post - Improvement to Biscuits Matin

Sometime ago, I've posted Biscuits Matin recipe, a recipe from our featuring chef, Chef Sylvain :D

Recently, Chef Sylvain has found an improvement to the recipe.
The "biscuits" is more moist, and puffier.

So here is the new and improved recipe.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon bran oatmeal
2 tablespoon bran wheat
1 egg
1 tablespoon sweetener
1 generous tablespoon fromage blanc 0% (cream cheese/cottage cheese)

Methods:
Preheat oven at 200°C
Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Put the mixture on a baking tray according to what you want. I used a baking tray for mini tarts.
Bake for 9 minutes

*by Chef Sylvain :D

dimanche, septembre 19, 2010

Sunday Bake

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Applesauce Cake

Itch to bake something... I bought a jar of Applesauce last week because I was thinking of a recipe, which now I forgotten about. I made brownies before this using applesauce, but I don't want to re-do the recipe. So I googled on "Applesauce recipe" and I found "Guilt-free Applesauce Cake". Looks simple enough and I think the cinnamon plus apple ingredients are great for the chilly weather today.

In addition, the recipe uses cup measurement, so it is a great day to use my new cups :D It is called 'Guilt-free' because it doesn't use butter or egg. I can't call it guilt-free because it contains sugar ~ as I am still on diet huuhuhu....
After the cake cools off, I enjoyed a small piece, and it's just so yummy :D (Diet or no diet I must taste what I made!)

It's not cakey type, just nice to be consumed in small bites with coffee or tea. The texture and the smell of brown sugar reminds me of Malaysian caramel steamed cake (Kek gula hangus).

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So this is the recipe taken from rachellb.com.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup fat-free or lowfat sour cream (I used yoghurt 0%)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Stir together sour cream, oil and applesauce in a small bowl. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture just to mix. (Do not beat.)

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Spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with additional brown sugar, if desired.
(I sprinkled some chopped almonds too).

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Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool before slicing into 16 pieces.

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mercredi, septembre 15, 2010

New Addition

Wassup!!!
While waiting for my birthday gift (ahem ahem)... I bought this measuring cups and spoons :D
Often that recipes are from American websites and they use those measurements in cups. I had to do the online conversion thing. But not anymore!!!! Thanks to these measuring cups. The different spoon sizes come with the cups. Yippie yay!!

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My next challenge is mini cupcakes (with or without frosting). If they are with frostings, then I need to find a way to transport them from home to office. What to do what to do...
So I googled "how to transport cupcakes". As I imagine, there are those plastic trays that you can stack em and leave enough space for the frosting on each level. But I need to find baking store which sell them. Otherwise, do the frosting on location. Oh well, I don't think my boss will be happy that I spend time in the office pantry more than at my desk! LOL :D Well, I don't mind.

This cupcake carrier can carry up to 36 cupcakes! Hmm I like.
http://www.amazon.com/Cupcake-Courier-36-Cupcake-Plastic-Container/dp/B000XPOPXA/ref=pd_sim_k_1
Should I put it in my wishlist? hehehehe

Oh well, we are out of topic here... Stay tune for my next challenge :D

vendredi, septembre 10, 2010

Selamat Hari Raya!

This year, in additional to the 3 cookies, I made last week, I made Beef Rendang, Ayam Masak Merah and Fruitcake.

As I am on diet, I tried low-fat cooking on the beef rendang and ayam masak merah.
There is no oil used (thank you Mr. Tefal for your non-stick pans) and I substituted coconut milk with mix of fromage frais 0% and creme liquid 3%, and also skim milk.
One thing for sure, it's not the fattening ingredients that make these foods taste good. The most important ingredients are the spices!!

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Beef Rendang

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Ayam Masak Merah

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Clockwise - Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in Red Sauce), Dates Cookies, Fruitcake, Pineapple Tart (from M'sia), Makmur n Suji (from M'sia)
Center: Rendang daging (Malaysian Dried Beef Curr

Neng's Fruitcake :D

This is my first time baking fruitcake. My mom used to make fruitcakes during festivities time. So for Hari Raya my challenge this year is to make the fruitcake :D
There are few concerns about fruitcakes, one is that to make sure the fruits are all scattered evenly and not falling down at the base. So I asked my mom for the recipe. Something great about the measuring, as my mom told me... the flour, butter and sugar are the same amount :D

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Ingredients:
230 grams unsalted butter
230 grams brown sugar (I don't have brown sugar, so I used white fine sugar)
4 eggs
1 orange (take the juice and zest)
1 lemon zest
60 grams ground almonds
100 grams hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds, chopped (I only used almonds)
560 grams of an assortment of dried fruits, candied and chopped mixed peel, and glace cherries, sultanas (You can add other combinations like figues, apricot, dried cranberries)
230 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mix spice (cinnamon, cloves)

Methods:
- Pre-heat oven 160C, line the baking tin (20cm) with baking paper and grease it with butter.
- Beat butter, sugar until fluffy.
- Add one by one eggs, vanilla essence
- Add in orange juice and zests (at this time the batter can looked curdle, it's OK)
- Fold in ground almonds, chopped nuts
- Take some flour and cover the fruits. Like this they are not stick to each other
- Fold in fruits in the batter
- Sift flour, baking powder, salt
- Add progressively into the batter, fold in until all are well incorporate.
- At this point, the batter is 'heavy'.
- Spoon the batter into baking tin
- Bake in the oven for about 1 hour on 160C, then reduce to 150C and bake until about 30mins-1 hour. Test with skewer, when the skewer comes out clean with a bit of moist crumbs.

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dimanche, septembre 05, 2010

Dates Cookies

Another new recipe :D

Ingredients:
250 gm butter
126 gm sugar
50 gm corn flour
2 yolks
30 gm powdered milk
350 gm all-purpose flour
Diced dates (I don't really measure the amount of dates hehe)

Methods:
- Mix butter, sugar, yolk and corn flour
- Add in powdered milk, and dates
- Then flour
- Yolk is used on top of each cookie before baking and I add some almonds on them too.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven 160-170C for 15-20 mins

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Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Adapted from various websites :D They all followed the same recipe.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Methods:
1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

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3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

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4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

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6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.

7. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving.

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samedi, septembre 04, 2010

Tarte aux prunes

Although I can't eat the tart, but it's always a pleasure to bake and feed my love :D
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Tarte aux prunes (Plum tart)

Ingredients:
Pate brisée (I used store bought this time)
A bit of ground almond
1 kg of red plums
Sugar


Methods:
- Start with cutting the plums into 2 and remove the seed
- Then, keep the halved plums enough to cover the tart, and the rest of the plums are cut into small pieces
- In a casserole, heat the plum pieces with some sugar (depending how sweet you want it to be)
- Stir from time to time to get a compote
- In a pie/tart mould, place the base and make some holes using fork
- Spread some ground almond on it
- Once the heated plum compote/sauce on the pie crust
- Arrange the halved plums - flesh face up
- Add some sugar
- Bake in a pre-heated oven 180C between 30-45 minutes

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