Pesto

In my attempt to start cooking proper meals for myself, I had to start preparing spaghetti sauces. In the past, I would just boil up some pasta and pan fry some vegetables together, mix it up and call it "lunch". While it did have nutritional value(due to the veggies), I wouldn't say it was the most appetizing pasta that I'd ever had. After all, there was no sauce.
So I decided to begin with pesto, a green, versatile sauce that could be used in many ways that do not necessarily include pasta. I have to admit, I started spreading it on bread once I had finished making it. Pasta was not the first thing on my mind.
It's delicious and has a very unique mash of flavours. Even my sister, who does not usually like vegetables, fell in love with it and proceeded to take another slice of bread to spread it on after trying it. Give it a try!
Just in case you're not a fan of pasta, here are 50 ways to use up you pesto.

Pesto recipe, adapted from Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese
Ingredients:
2 cups packed basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp walnuts
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Put basil, garlic, nuts and oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in cheese. Blend to combine. Add salt to taste. Use immediately, or store in fridge for 1-2 days. You can also freeze it for longer storage.

Happy New Year

It's been some time since I last posted and I really apologize for that, dear readers. I've been pretty busy after my O levels, with a part time job(more on that in my later posts), preparing for my upcoming piano examination and church activities. But this year, I promise, I'll be baking and cooking lots more!
I've already got plenty of recipes in mind and I'll try them soon! You can expect to see Chinese New Year goodies, quick and easy(plus healthy) meals for all and sweet desserts(that may or may not be healthy, but definitely delicious!).
So do look out for more recipes coming your way!

Farewell

 Farewell. It's an eight letter word that is easy pronounce, but hard to say. After all, who would want to separate from the friends that you've made and bonded with for 4 years? Not many do. The bonds that have been so tightly fostered have to be broken and we have to take root in new places. A difficult change to adapt to. But it's an inevitable fact that all friends will have to make their separate ways when it's time. "How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."- Unknown

So the question begets: how should I say goodbye? Should I part quietly, escaping tears, sobs and hugs; Or should I make a grand exit; Or maybe, I'll say goodbye with a slice of cake to remember me by. 

Healthy Lemon Cake recipe, adapted from sixteenbeans

Ingredients: 
1 ½ cups yogurt
2/3 cup olive oil (I like the incredible flavour that olive oil provides in cakes, but if you don’t, use a flavourless oil instead.)
200g honey
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
320g all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan lightly with baking spray or oil and line the bottom with parchment.

2. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg right into the liquids and stir just until no lumps remain. 

3. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering with foil at the end if the top is browning. When a tester comes out clean, transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. 

4. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. When well-wrapped, this keeps very well for several days.

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!