Cream Puffs In A Jiffy

Why In A Jiffy?  Yes, it did not take long to cook the dough as it was done in the microwave.  The longest time is the baking time.  Prep time is less than 5 minutes.  Hurray!! No washing of saucepan and wiping the stove top.  Try baking some and give me a feedback. Perhaps give two thumbs up for i can assure that you will not  regret baking them.

Nutella Flower Bread

There are several Youtube videos making this bread and all of them are pretty good but i find that Steve's Kitchen is clear and his instruction is easy to follow. I have changed the bread recipe and used a bread machine to make the dough.  The result is a lovely googy sweet bread which is too pretty to break up and devout, but who can resist, the fragrance perfumed the whole house.

Mothers Day Butterfly Cake

The ultimate tender, moist cake is really perfect for any special occasions as suggested at Baking Banter, King Arthur Flour Blog.  It is high rising with a moist, tender crumb and uses the paste method, so no need to cream the butter and sugar. Although a stand mixer is recommended for this cake, or a sturdy hand mixer, i used the food processor.

This cake was actually baked for Renee's 12th Birthday but i would like to dedicate this cake to all MOTHERS who have obligated to love you and that is the purest love on earth.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

St Patrick's Day Corned Beef Dinner

Happy St Patrick's Day to all who is celebrating.  We celebrated with our friends who is of irish decent with a corned beef, potatoes and cabbage dinner.  How else?  this is how this chinese lady celebrate any festival or events, no fuss no muss, just eat.  This chinese lady nearly did not get dinner ready in time,  i had misread the cooking instructions on the bag of corned beef,  i saw 1 hour and did not read the rest, so, i thought i just cook the slab of corned beef one and a half hour before dinner.  But, before i started cooking, i re-read and oh my, it is 1 hour for every pound of corned beef and i have 3 pounds!!!!.  So, think fast,  ok, out came the pressure cooker, my saviour,  put in 1/2 inch of water, put a saucer to raise the corned beef and pressurized the meat for 20 minutes.  The corned beef is fork tender now,  into the oven it went sitting on a bed of potatoes.  There is a chinese or rather cantonese saying, - chor yau chor cheok meaning a wrong turned for the better - I saved a couple of hours of electricity.

To go with the corned beef dinner, i made Irish Soda Bread which was good with a  large dab of butter and i will post this recipe asap.  

Popovers

Can you believe the end of the year is already here? It has gone by so quickly, with a blink of an eye, a few pinches of this, a handful of that and lots of sprinkles with  garnished passion, this year has gone by under my nose, but a new year of hope and prosperity awaits.  A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to all family and friends.

I find that making POPOVERS at the end of the year is appropriate, POP the old year and bring OVER the goodness to the new year to come.

The popover is an American version of Yorkshire pudding in England. These impressive popovers have only a few humble ingredients - eggs, milk, flour, salt and butter and they make your meal special.  Made well they should have large crowns, lightly crisp. golden brown exteriors and tender, moist, airy interiors crisscrossed with custardy webs of dough.  This recipe is adapted from America's Test Kitchen and unlike most popover batters, this one is smooth, not lumpy.  HIGH HEAT is crucial to the speedy, high rise of these popovers. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Christmas Tree Bread

I got up early on Christmas Eve to make this bread so that i can post the recipe and wish all family and friends a very Merry Christmas but i had a problem with my computer and am not able to do so until now.  Sorry about the late wishes but the bread turned out so well and the fragrance of Christmas filled the whole house and woke everyone up earlier than usual.  I am sharing how this bread is shaped and to WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Revisited

Thanksgiving is about being thankful for everything—but i am extra-thankful for all my family and friends who will be enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner with us.  I know they love the High Roast Turkey which has never failed to please and traditionally the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie.  This time around, i have changed the method but not the recipe to this Sweet Potato Pecan Pie and used a Tart mold instead of the Pie dish.  Before i share the new method, I would like to wish all my readers and their family a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Orange Chiffon Cake

I am always happy to find people who, like myself, share the same passion for food,  or are passionate about cooking and baking with the same intensity but am happiest when my daughter, told me to look at her pictures in facebook.  Before i could log in to facebook, i thought that it would be pretty pictures of my grand daughter, but no, they were pictures of her bakings and cookings.  I was so proud of her, her butter marble cake was so well baked.  Now, i know we are in the same page, i have promised to teach her how to make Chiffon Cakes and for a start, i have to post this recipe which i have depended on to produce the best chiffon cakes ever.  My cousin, Audrey, who i have shared this recipe with, has been making so many successful chiffon cakes, more than i can count.

Beef Stroganoff

Renee, my grand-daughter, loves pasta in any shapes or form and she loves eating beef like in slices or in a piece of steak, but she will not eat a beef burger.  I thought that she does not like ground beef but she will eat ground beef in the Bolognese Sauce.  So, it must be the burger that is not appealing to her cos she will not have a chicken burger too. 

I know that she will enjoy this dish, Beef Stroganoff and it did.

According to  Wiki, Beef Stroganoff or Beef Stroganov (in Russian: Бефстроганов Befstróganov) is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with smetana or sour cream. From its origins in 19th-century Russia, it has become popular around the world, with considerable variation from the original recipe.

Chocolate Souffle Palo

 

 

I would like to wish all family and friends, a HAPPY NEW YEAR.  A very sincere THANK YOU to all readers and fan who continue to come and read my humble postings.

Last year, Sandra ate at Palo, an adults-only restaurant on Disney Wonder Cruise, she raved about the Chocolate Souffle and when we ate at Palo in Disney Fantasy,  i can understand her raving.  Now I can chime my own praises and am so inspired that i have to bake them.  I found the recipe for Chocolate Souffle from Palo Disney Cruise Line and followed the method to the tee.  It was magical,  the souffles turned out airy, rich with creamy center and this complex confection rounded out our dinner with perfection.  My family an friends have not stop talking about this chocolate souffle.     They commented that i was really inspired cos i even made the cookie spoon which Palo used to garnish.  I  do regret that i did not make any chocolate sauce to go along with the vanilla sauce.  Well, will make chocolate sauce the next time around and will remember to sprinkle confectioner's sugar before serving(Was so excited to take the pic for posting that i totally forgot about the confectioner's sugar, thinking that the souffle will deflate, but it did not, it held high and made me brimming with pride)

Christmas Log

 

 

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year and

Bing Crosby, dream on, your dream will be coming true for us here this year, we will be getting A White Christmas.  So - Let It Snow, Let It Snow. Baby It's Cold Outside, Start the fireplace and gather your family around and have A Jolly Holly Christmas and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.  All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth would be Alexander's wish and Renee will be happy that her FROSTY is a rabbit and not melt away when the sun comes out like Frosty the snowman,  . We Wish you (all) a Merry Christmas.

Since it is going to be A White Christmas, I have made the Christmas Log covered with whipped cream and it has real shitake mushrooms.  Yes, these shitake mushrooms are a snack and so appropriate for my christmas log. 

Sharon and Sandra's Birthday Cake

Besides making Mooncakes for the Mid-autumn Festival which coincided with my daughter's birthdays, I have been busy making this cake for then.  Although my elder girl is in Malaysia and not able to taste the cake, my thoughts are with her during her birthday.  Sharon and Sandra, i hope this cake met both your satisfaction.  Happy Birthday to both of you.

Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean Cake -

It was my grandson Alexander's 7th birthday and the theme this year was Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.  Thank goodness they were pirates, i was so untidy and Jack Sparrow looked like he did not have a bath for a long long time.  It was fine with Black Beard as his beard covered up his dirty face.  Davy Jones was scary enough, his squid beard was more bushy to start with and some fell off.  

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

It has been a busy summer for me so far, a wedding and several birthdays after, baking cakes after cakes, i am all caked out, i had to make something different when Renee, a Girl Scout had a potluck.  So my daughter suggested that i baked a giant chocolate cookie, which was an excellent idea. The cookie was such a great hit with the girls and Renee said that she did not have a chance to taste it, not a crumb left on the cake carrier, they licked the platter clean.  If the cake carrier was silver, i could use it as a mirror.

Wedding Cake - Double Happiness

I am still in sort of a shocking mode and this shocking experience had to be shared so that it is a reminder for myself and those who are going to attempt to use Fondant on a cake.  I would like to give caution to all these tips and to heed them with utmost importance so that you will not be in this same situation which i went through.  My greatest fear is that a cake will not be ready in perfect condition for the occasion, so i made the cakes way ahead and if it does not turn out well to my liking, i will have enough time to make more cakes.  The cakes turned out well, flat topped, only with slightly rounded edges.  I thought i could increase the height of the cake by not slicing away the round edges but this is the worst thought which will turn into a nightmare.  By not LEVELLING THE CAKES and using more buttercream to surffice the levelling, the possibility of the fondant will bulge and this was exactly what happened.  This cake was for a wedding rehearsal dinner on friday and i had it ready on Thursday - Good job, no stress and it looked so beautiful.  But wait, a few hours later, i noticed that one side of the fondant had a bulge.  What happened?????  i knew i smoothed out the fondant as well as i could.  Well, i tried to rid of the bulge but it did not improved.  Sandra said it was not noticeable but to me this was not acceptable.  So, i let it be for the night, come morning, i tried improving but the more i do, the worst it became.  So, i decided that i have to make a new fondant layer.  When i removed the fondant, the cake was so soft and did not hold it's shape.  What was i going to do????  All i could do was just stared at the cake in disbelieve.  Stay calm, don't panic!!!  It was already 11.00 am and the dinner is at 5.30 pm.  I don't think that i had any choices but to start making the cakes again.  Preheat 2 ovens and started mixing the ingredients for the cake.  Somehow, luck was with me, the cakes turned out good and all i had to do was to cool it fast.  As soon as it cooled slightly, i managed to find space in the freezer and put them in to cool.  In the meantime,  i made the buttercream.  As soon as the cakes were cooled enough,  i LEVELLED the cakes as level as possible and sandwiched them with the buttercream and iced the whole cake.  Back in the freezer for a short while, just to harden the buttercream.  I have already made a batch of fondant early in the morning, so by now, it should be ready to be rolled out.  The fondant application went on well and i managed to put back all the decorations by 3.00 pm.  What a task?  I am still amazed that the cake was actually ready.  Now, for the next task, i had to get the cake to the dinner party and being noted as the Queen of Lost, i had to call for directions 3 - 4 times before i arrived safely.  

I wished i had read these tips from The Cake Boss Preventing Bulging before i started to attempt making a Fondant Cake.