Chocolate Pavé

"So, what exactly is this?" my sister asked, munching on a slice of chocolate pavé.
"I'm not really sure. It's chocolate pavé," I reply.
"Is it cake or something?" she persists.
"I don't know! I guess so," I hesitate.
Chocolate Pavé. Decadent, creamy and smooth. Your ticket to chocolate heaven. I don't know what to classify this under, but it is really good.

 Chocolate Pavé recipe, adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz
Ingredients:
115g unsweetened chocolate, chopped
115g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
227g unsalted butter
6 eggs, separated
200g sugar
A pinch of salt
Icing sugar, for dusting the cake
Melted bittersweet chocolate, for decorating the cake

Method:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square cake pan, dust it with a bit of cocoa powder, then tap out any excess. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, melt butter and both chocolates over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from heat.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment(I used my handheld mixer), whisk egg yolks and 100g sugar on high speed until ribbon stage, about 5 minutes. Fold in melted chocolate mixture until well incorporated.
4. In a clean, dry bowl with a clean whip attachment, whisk the egg whites and salt on low speed until they form soft, wet peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 100g sugar and continue whisking at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until there are no visible streaks of egg whites. Do not overfold.
5. Scrape batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake until barely set in the middle, about 35 minutes. The cake will rise as it bakes and form a slightly crackly top. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
6. Invert the cake onto a plate, peel off parchment and invert again. Let it cool completely. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and cut the cake into squares. Dip a fork in the melted chocolate and wave it back and forth over the cake, creating an abstract design on the top. Serve.

Butter Twists

 I can finally sit back, relax and take a deep breath without any worries. I can finally call this break that I've been given a real holiday, a holiday where I can do whatever I want(that's legal) without worrying about holiday homework(yea, what an oxymoron huh?). Well, unless you get me worrying over my O level results that will be out in about a month's time. *shudders* Don't remind me about that. But one of the best things about this holiday is that, I get to bake more!!!
This bread was made out of  necessity and because of my sister's incessant begging for me to replicate the herb bread that she fell in love with when we had breakfast in a hotel in Korea. The dough was pretty sticky and made a little mess, so be sure to flour your work surface often.
It's best to serve this bun with butter and jam, for it's a little lacking when eaten plain.

 Anytime Butter Twists, adapted from Fast Breads by Elinor Klivans
Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
192g unbleached all purpose flour, plus more if dough is too sticky
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 egg
113g cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
70g butter, melted
Seasonings(optional):
Sea salt
Black pepper
Sesame seeds
Oregano
Parmesan Cheese

Method:
1. Heat milk over medium heat to about 130F/54C.
2. In a large bowl, stir 128g flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the hot milk and stir to combine. Stir in the egg until blended.
3. In another bowl, sift in remaining flour. Scatter cold butter pieces on top. Using your fingertips, or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until flour-coated pea-sized pieces form. Stir the butter-flour mixture into the milk mixture until the flour is moistened and a sticky dough forms. You will see pieces of butter.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 4 days.
5. Prepare 2 baking sheets. Remove half of the dough from the fridge.
6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle 10 by 4 inches and 3/8 inches thick. Pat the dough to make the edges even if necessary.
7. Brush the dough with 1tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle the seasonings you're using on the dough and press it lightly onto the dough.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise, into 10 by 1 inch strips.  Holding both ends of the strip, twist the ends until it forms a tightly twisted strip. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with other strips.(As the dough was too sticky for me to handle, I just rolled the dough into a ball and placed it on the baking sheet.)
9. Brush the twists with some melted butter. Repeat with other half of dough if using.
10. Cover the twists lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until slightly puffed, 30 minutes. They will not rise much. At the same time, preheat your oven to 375F/190C.
11. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the twists for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

Bread Pudding Recipe

What do you do if you've got an overload of white bread in the house on the verge of expiring? Apart from eating it on its own, you could make breadcrumbs or you could make...BREAD PUDDING!!!!
Bread pudding is well, really, a dish to use up leftovers. But it's so rich and delicious, you wouldn't mind eating leftovers all the time.

So for now, let's indulge in the delicious product of stale old bread, delicious brown butter and milk. :D

Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
40g butter(you can add more if you like)
2 1/4 to 3 cups milk, lukewarm
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
75g brown sugar
10 slices day-old bread, broken up into pieces
2 apple, peeled and cored and sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
Additional(optional) toppings:

• Nuts
• Raisins
• Chocolate chips

Method:
1. Heat the butter saucepan over medium heat. It will foam and splatter a little, so be sure to wear gloves. The butter turns brown and releases a nutty smell, turn off the heat. Leave to cool.
2.  Add milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar to the browned butter. Mix well.
3. Place bread in a dish. Place additional toppings in the middle. Top it with apples. Drizzle the milk mixture over the bread and apples. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
4. Place it in the fridge and let it soak for at least 2 hours.
4. Bake at 180C for 1 hour.

Make your own: Vanilla Extract

The dark brown liquid lives in a little bottle, labelled: vanilla essence, vanilla flavour, etc. And, it comes cheap, for about a dollar. Now, what if I told you that most what "vanilla extract" you see in the store is well...an imitation? I know, I know. I gasped when I learnt the truth. I didn't even know that there were such things; bottles of imitation vanilla.
Vanilla is about the most common flavour you see today. So common, in fact, that it becomes a little boring. Do you have that impression of vanilla? Alright, you've had that thought? Now, I want you to perish that thought! Vanilla is an extremely versatile ingredient. It's used so readily in baking that it holds the same importance as sugar and flour. You may add just a dash of it into the large volume of cake batter, but it makes all the difference. Vanilla is flavourful and amazing and if you don't share my view, then you should start using real vanilla. I mean real extract, which comes from steeping real vanilla beans in alcohol.
Have I got you excited about vanilla yet? Well then, it's time to get a little more factual about making your own extract.
Alcohol
The whole process of making vanilla extract involves steeping vanilla beans into a large volume of alcohol. Yes, alcohol. Don't worry, you won't taste it in your cakes because the alcohol evaporates while baking, leaving the wonderful vanilla flavour behind.
I suggest using vodka, (37.5-40%, 70-80 proof) as it is a neutral alcohol. Some may like to use rum because of the additional flavour it incorporates into their baked goods, but I'm going back to basics, so I use vodka.
 Why the specified proof? Extracts are,by FDA regulations, 35% at least. But you don't want too a high alcohol concentration as it will not extract much vanilla flavour(aka pure goodness).
Vanilla beans
Use Grade B vanilla beans(aka extract grade beans) as these beans are value for money. Since you're going to steep the beans in alcohol, you don't want to spend all that money on really expensive beans. Save Grade A beans for your custards, caramels, etc. Furthermore, Grade B beans contain less moisture,but more flavour;maximise your dollar, and pay for the vanilla beans, not water. Now, you may see in some other blogs that they use 2-3 beans per cup of vodka. But as I've read on Vanilla Review, by law, you have to steep 1 ounce (30g) of beans with every 1 cup of vodka for single fold extract. So, for your own sake, just use more of the bean. You can always reuse it, and I'll show you how when I'm done steeping the beans.

all set to make vanilla extract!

vanilla beans!!!

more beans! XD

Equipment:
A sharp knife
A chopping board
Glass bottles(s)/jars
Elbow grease(especially if you're making it in a large quantity)
Patience

Ingredients:
For every cup of vodka, you want to have
30g of vanilla beans(for single fold)
                          OR
60g of vanilla beans(for double fold)

Method:

1. Sterilise the glass jars and knife. (I poured boiling water into my jar and left it for about 20 minutes).
2. Split vanilla beans lengthwise.
3.(optional)[I did this for about 70% of my beans] Scrape the beans.
4. Cut the pods into 1-inch strips.
5. Place the pods and beans into the jar(s).
6. Add vodka.
7. Shake.(continue doing this once everyday for a week).
8. Store the vanilla extract in a cool, dark place for 6 months and every now and then, give it a little shake.

It takes about 6 months before you can actually use your extract as you need the alcohol to absorb the vanilla flavour. Now, you may ask, what do I do after 6 months? The extract may have darkened, but it's full of beans and pods and cloudy white stuff. Well, after 6 months, I'll be straining my extract and I'll use the pods for other purposes. So check out what happens to my extract in about 6 months time.:)

results after just one day.

close up shot.

Au Naturel Red Velvet Cake

I've made red velvet cake twice before these cupcakes. Twice, I downed an entire bottle of red food colouring into the batter. Twice, everyone who ate the cake preferred the frosting over the cake. I realized that I had twice used the wrong method for scooping flour, resulting in the overly dense cake. (This is why I prefer to measure things by mass.)
Well today, there is not going to be a thrice. Because today, I've learnt my lesson and I know my mistakes, both of them.
One: Red food colouring. I never knew that red food colouring was bad for you until recently. Well technically, anything artificial shouldn't be good, but what the heck? I didn't know of any alternatives then. Now, I do.
Two: Measuring of flour. I am very embarrassed to say that I used to scoop the flour into the cup and pack it in. Ok, please don't start berating me. I've only done this twice, both when I made red velvet cake. If you want to know how, you might want to check these websites out. Alternatively, you can convert the cups in your recipe to grams.
So, if I'm not going to use colouring, what am I going to use for the red colour? Beets! And the best part? No one noticed! One thing to note, you have to try keep the mixture as acidic as possible, so avoid using metal bowls, spoons, etc.

 natural red colour!

Au Naturel Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe, adapted from Sophistimom
Ingredients:
300g sugar
225g butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk*
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
320g unbleached all-purpose flour *
2 tbsp natural cocoa powder*
1 1/2 cups beet puree (directions follow)
Cream cheese frosting(recipe follows)

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar together. Meanwhile, in another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder together.
2. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add in vanilla.
3. Mix in buttermilk. Incorporate the flour mixture with the wet mixture.
4. Fold in beet puree.
5. Spoon the mixture into a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. Bake for 180C/350F for 16-20 minutes.
6. When the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Beet Puree recipe, adapted from Sophistimom
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup worth of beets(I used 2 beets)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp vinegar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place beets in a roasting pan and fill it with 1/2 inch of water. Cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes or until the beets are soft.
2. When the beets have cooled, peel the beets and cut them into chunks.
3. Measure and pour 1 1/2 cups of beets into the blender. Add lemon juice and vinegar. Pulse until you get a fine puree.

Cream Cheese Frosting, adapted from the Straits Times newspaper
Ingredients:
500g cream cheese, softened
113g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
a pinch of salt

Method:
1. Using a handheld mixer, blend cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. On low speed, add vanilla extract. Sift in icing sugar and salt. Mix until combined.
3. Place the frosting in the fridge until needed.

RECIPE NOTES*:
1. I mixed 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp of vinegar and left it to stand for about 15 minutes instead of using buttermilk.
2. Use unbleached flour. Bleached flour is has a higher pH, and could affect the colour of the cake.
3. Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process, for the same reason as the flour.

Blondies

There are many arguments as to what exactly a blondie is. Some say it is a brownie without the chocolate, some argue that blondies are butterscotch bars and yet some others call white chocolate brownies, blondies. So the question begets, what exactly is a blondie?
Firstly, I don't agree with the brownie without chocolate view. Some brownie recipes call for chocolate chips. Furthermore, there is a distinct different in the taste of brownies and blondies. Brownies rely on chocolate to give it its flavour while blondies rely on brown sugar to give it its butterscotch taste. It wouldn't do justice to either to loosely say "Brownies - chocolate = Blondies" or "Blondies + Chocolate = Brownies".
Brownies are delicious things with gooey centres and pack a punch of chocolate-y goodness. Blondies are tasty sweet things that are moist, buttery and the notes of butterscotch and vanilla make a sweet blend. 
But you know what? Let's not get entangled in this whole "Brownie vs Blondie" argument. Just grab a cup of milk, eat them and relish the butterscotch flavour it entails.

Blondies Recipe, from Simply Recipes
Ingredients:
113g butter, melted
190g dark brown sugar(originally 250g)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
Pinch of salt
128g all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of butterscotch chips (I replaced with a combination of chopped almonds and chocolate chips)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour an 8inch square pan.
2. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk.
4.Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mix it all together. Add the butterscotch chips or other mix-ins.

5. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Hellooooo there! I'm back here, keeping the promise I made last Friday, to bake a cake. Well, I baked cupcakes! Yesterday was my friend, Cheese's birthday. She loves cheese!(like duh! I mean, why else would I call her Cheese?) Haha! I didn't want to make cheesecake though, so I googled for a regular cupcake base with a cream cheese frosting (I didn't wanna make red velvet either :P) and out popped "Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting". Gingerbread cupcakes? Cinnamon cream cheese??? I was pleasantly surprised. Upon looking at the beautiful pictures of the cupcakes, I knew I had THE recipe.

I love cinnamon. It's a really sweet smelling spice that goes with everything! Oatmeal? YES! Coffee? Do you even have to ask? I sprinkle it everywhere!!! And there's gingerbread cupcakes which look, sound and taste really good. These cupcakes are moist, delicious and pack a punch with the spices. What's not to like? One thing about these cupcakes though. They are a tad too sweet. Next time I make this, I'm going to cut down on the sugar.

With the whole baking hiatus, I think I lost my touch!!! Yes, I've turned rusty!!! *NO!screams in sorrow* But I'm serious, today was one of those days in the kitchen that I was really flustered. I ended up burning myself. Thrice. That's a record! I must be lacking practice. :(
Overall, it was great to get back in the kitchen and cook. I really miss this feeling. Will be back with more recipes!(psst, I think I'll be making pastries next!)

Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe, from The Cupcake Diaries
Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves(I replaced with allspice)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter at room temperature

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups molasses(I substituted with honey)

1 cup hot water 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a standard cupcake pan with baking cups.

2. Sift together the dry ingredients(flour, spices, soda and salt) except for the brown sugar and set aside.

3. Cream the brown sugar and butter together in a mixer for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the molasses, mixing until well-incorporated.

5. Add one third of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/3 of the water and mix thoroughly. Repeat, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the last of the dry ingredients and the water and mix thoroughly. Batter will not be that thick - don't worry.:)

6. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups until about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Recipe, from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Ingredients:

225g cream cheese

3 cups icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
2. Pour frosting into an icing bag with any decorative icing tips of your choice and pipe. Enjoy!

 

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

It’s been a crazy week. I’d just finished my exams. Can I say happiness? It’s been a really tough week and I was pretty stressed out. So stressed to the point I suffered from a pretty bad sore throat. That means no sweet treats for now. :( But I promise, on Monday, I will cook up a sweet treat, even if I can’t eat it at all. Except for a bite, or two, or maybe a small portion? XD  

So today, we have oatmeal snack bars! Now, don’t look at me as if I’m crazy and slowly retreat from this snack. It really is healthy, nutritious, and tastes good! (my youngest sis doesn’t believe me though.) My 2^nd sis, on the other hand, loves it! Really! She took a bite and asked for more!

This recipe is very versatile and you can use your favourite type of nuts, fruits or even add chocolate chips like me! All you need to make it is a bowl, a spoon and the ingredients. Mix it all up, pour it in a pan, bake it and voila! There you have it, your healthy and delicious treat.

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars, adapted from Kath Eats Real Food

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds [or any nuts you like]
1/2 cup dried fruit (any you like)[I substituted it with chocolate chips]
1/4 cup black sesame seeds [or any seeds you like]
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk(whole, skim, up to you)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp dark brown sugar* 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Add the milk, vanilla and egg with the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
4. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment.
5. Bake for 40 minutes.
6. Cut and serve.
*For the original recipe, the sweetness of oat bars came from the dried fruits, so add in 1/4cup to 1/2 cup sugar if you like. (I know I didn't add in a lot of sugar)
  

 rawr!(aka product of a bored girl + camera)

Family Breakfast - Croque Madame

Exams are coming soon. Don't ask me why I still woke up early in the morning to cook breakfast when I could have been studying. I'd just been eyeing this recipe for quite a while and thought, why not?
Anyway, I made up for it by spending my entire afternoon studying. :)

Instead of the sunny-side ups I usually do for my family, I decided to take a chance and try eggs over easy. The steps seem easy. As you can see in the picture above, that is how eggs over easy should look like. (And that was my first attempt ever! *pumps fists in the air*) However, I am sad to say my 2nd and 4th egg failed. Anyway, practice makes perfect, so I'm going to practice when I can. :)

this is what i mean.

Of course, you can have lettuce at the side(if you're health conscious like me), or load it up with streaks of bacon, like the rest of my family. Anyway, I've got some studying to do. Toodles!

Bechamel Sauce, adapted from Eggs by Jodi Liano
Ingredients:
2 tsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg

Method:
1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add flour and whisk until well incorporated, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the milk and whisk constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

lettuce on the side with a little extra virgin olive oil...yum:)

Croque Madame, adapted from Eggs by Jodi Liano
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Bechamel sauce (See recipe above)
8 slices good quality bread(white or wholemeal, up to you!)
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
125g of gruyere cheese (I used mozeralla and cheddar)
8 slices of thin country ham
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley

1. Prepare the bechamel sauce and keep warm.
2.  Lay the bread on a work surface and, using 2 tbsp butter in total, butter one side of each slice. Turn 4 slices over and brush it with mustard.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Lay the bread, without the mustard, buttered side down. Spread each slice with a spoonful of bechamel sauce. Cover with enough cheese and top each with 2 slices of ham. Put one of the remaining bread slices(with mustard), buttered side up on top of the ham.
4. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is nicely browned on both sides, turning once, 3-4 minutes. Press gently on the sandwiches to help melt the cheese.
5. Meanwhile, spread the remaining butter in another large non-stick frying pan. Crack the eggs into the pan (as many as your pan can accomodate, I did it 1 by 1) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6.[if you're making sunny side up] Cook until the whites turn opaque, 2-3 minutes.
   [if you're making eggs over easy] You'll notice that the eggs have 3 parts, the yolk, the inner white and the outer white. Once the outer white is cooked, take a deep breath and flip the egg over. START PANICKING! No, just kidding. Let the egg cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you're doing it right so far, you won't be seeing any runny yolk in the process.
7. To serve, place the sanwich on a place, top with a little bechamel sauce and place the egg on top. There you have it!

Wholemeal bread, wholesome breakfast

Happy Easter, everyone! How was your Easter? Mine was pretty fun, although I didn't really take part in many Easter activities such as painting eggs, eating chocolate bunnies or whatsoever. Instead, I made bread, again.:)
As I mentioned before, I have had a sudden interest in baking bread. I mean, the colourful world of sugary sweet treats is fun and all, but bread-making isn't all that boring either. In fact, it is pretty diverse. There are so many different breads to make, from all sorts of cultures and cuisines. There's Italian breads like ciabatta, French brioches, Jewish flatbread and the list could go on and on.
This wholemeal bread has a similar taste to the amish bread I made a while back. But I'd prefer this recipe. It is more balanced in terms of the nutty flavour the wholemeal brings to it. I don't think I'm gonna be buying wholemeal bread from the stores already.  

50/50 recipe, adapted from Simply Good Bread by Peter Sidwell
Ingredients:
250g plain wholemeal flour
250g strong white bread flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fast action/easy-blend yeast (instant yeast)
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
350ml water
25g butter/ 25ml oil ( I used olive oil)

Method:
1. Weigh out the wholemeal flour. Sift in bread flour.
2. Add in salt, followed by yeast and sugar.
3. Add in water and oil/butter.
4. Mix together with your hands it forms a smooth dough. When it comes away from the dough and onto your hand easily, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.
5. Continue to knead until smooth.
6. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean, damp cloth and leave to prove in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
7. Return dough to the work surface and shape your desired loaf.
8. Place the bread in a baking tray or non-stick loaf tin and leave it somewhere to prove and double in size again.
9.Preheat the oven to 200C and bake the bread for 30 minutes or until it has turned golden on top.