The Little Teochew: Singapore Home Cooking

Gambas al Pil Pil ... & Updates!

2012-05-15T14:43:00.001+08:00

Hello stranger.You still there? I know, I know. I have been awfully quiet. Can't help it ... so many things to do, so much life to live. :)I hope you've all been well. I've been really, really busy ... in a good way, if you know what I mean. If you have been following me on Twitter, you'd know that I was in Hong Kong recently to celebrate my birthday. It was a "milestone birthday" (ahem!), hence

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake - Again!

2012-04-22T15:45:00.011+08:00

You know me. When I like a particular cake, I will feature it again. It's clear from my archives which cakes I favour. :) This is one of them.In my last post, I shared a Marble Cake recipe which I thought was absolutely delightful. I noticed though, that my children were fighting mainly for the chocolatey bits (good heavens!), and so I promised to bake them a chocolate cake next. Well, here it is

Old-fashioned Marble Cake

2012-04-18T13:48:00.009+08:00

I love a good, simple cake. It is the true test of a recipe and the quality of the ingredients. A good cake does not need fancy frosting or gilded garnishing. It stands out on its own because of its taste and texture. Give me a good, simple cake any day, I say.This old-fashioned Marble Cake is one such example, and it's no surprise that it's from one of those handwritten recipes that has been

Chocolate Malt Cake

2012-04-15T23:18:00.003+08:00

April is birthday season for us. We celebrate 5 birthdays in the span of 30 days. Before we can recover from one cake, another one appears. ;) Pity our waistlines.My big boy turned 7 some days back, and this was the Chocolate Malt Cake I baked for him. He loves his chocolate, so no surprises here.Since it was a weekday, it was business as usual. But I let him open his presents and cut the cake

Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

2012-04-03T12:48:00.004+08:00

Over the weekend, my daughter turned 13. Yup, officially a teen! :) Needless to say, it was a milestone, both for her and for me. It's not everyday your child goes from "kid" to "teen", so of course I made a big deal out of it. :)For a start, I asked her what cake she'd like."Nothing in particular," she replied. "Actually, I don't need one."Spoken like a true teen already. Oh, I know, I know!

Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

2012-03-31T11:00:00.003+08:00

The other day, when I was having tea at a café, I noted how quite a number of customers opted for a slice of orange pound cake to go with their drinks. It was something like S$4 or S$5 for a really thin slice, which left me aghast.Mentally, I was calculating the cost of butter, sugar and oranges, and the number of cake loaves that amount of money would yield. Yeah, that's what home baking does to

Palmiers

2012-03-22T10:00:00.016+08:00

So, PAUL finally opened its doors in Singapore not so long ago. Needless to say, I was elated. I remember too clearly waking up on chilly mornings in France, to their lovely croissants, tartes and pain au chocolat (yes, all three together), and washing all of that down with a café creme. There's just something magical about the aroma of freshly baked anything melding with that of coffee. Anyone

Double Chocolate Financier Cakes

2012-03-05T10:00:00.001+08:00

Pin ItHonestly? I was expecting to see a deeper, darker colour ... especially when these Financiers were baked using Valrhona cocoa. Obviously I messed up somewhere - I just don't know where! Sure, I was a little disappointed, but it just means I have got to bake these again, don't I? And that ain't such a bad thing. At all. :)While making them, one thing came to mind - and that was the

Vanilla Cupcakes With Blueberry Filling

2012-02-26T11:28:00.005+08:00

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes. ♥Pin ItOops, I did it again ...... second time in a week because these Vanilla Cupcakes are SO good. :) This round, just for fun, I swirled some blueberry sauce in. Verdict? I still prefer plain. My daughter and helper, though, really liked this version. Not surprising, since they thoroughly enjoyed the cream cheese/blueberry combo I made for Atayef.Right now, I

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

2012-02-21T13:48:00.007+08:00

Vanilla heaven, is what these cupcakes are. I am telling you, these are my favourite cupcakes from now on! The intensity of vanilla was amazing and the texture, simply unbelievable. It was so good I wanted to cry, I kid you not. In fact, I tweeted it immediately because I just couldn't contain myself.Now I finally get the hype surrounding these cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. They are so, so good!

Pumpkin Gnocchi

2012-02-17T16:50:00.006+08:00

I seldom cook these days. I am too busy, and there is hardly any need to. My daily meals consist mostly of tofu, veggies and eggs. Occasionally, I have some seafood, but that is usually when I dine out. So my helper does all the cooking now, including for my kids (one-dish stews, fried rice, pastas). She says I am easier to cook for than them, because I can eat the same old dishes everyday for

Lemon Almond Madeleines

2012-02-05T11:36:00.015+08:00

I'm keeping my word and sharing today's recipe, which I had promised in my earlier post. I was happy to see Daiso restock their madeleine moulds, and I bought a few more to bake these. It's very easy to scarf down one after another of these moreish French cookies, so it makes sense to make a big batch at a go.Now, if you are apprehensive about making madeleines, let me assure you that it requires

[Tish Boyle] Chocolate Buttermilk Cakes

2012-01-20T10:05:00.005+08:00

Pin ItHalf a lemon. That was what led to this cake. Every time I opened the fridge door, I would see that half a lemon sitting there, bald and sad. The zest was used to make these, and my helper had used one half to marinate some fish. I don't know about you, but when I see half-eaten food lying around, I feel the need to finish it up quickly. So, I decided to make buttermilk with that half a

Cream Cheese Pound (Mini) Cakes

2012-01-17T16:15:00.005+08:00

Baked into individual loaves using my Wilton mini loaf pan. Don't they resemble gold bars?Pin ItI made a decision. I am giving pineapple tarts a miss this year. Yes, I hear your collective gasps of horror but if I attempt to bake them, I will be the one gasping for air.First week of school passed with lots of drama, stress and exasperation. Brutal. The second week was only a wee bit better. Now

Chocolate Éclairs

2011-12-30T10:10:00.008+08:00

No one makes desserts like the French. If I had to rank all the amazing sweets and pastries I had while in Europe recently, that Chocolate Éclair I had one morning in Paris undoubtedly takes the top spot.You have NO IDEA. I actually had an epiphany when I ate it!At first glance, it looked utterly nondescript. But take a bite and I assure you, the stars will align. It was a magical trinity of

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T12:47:00.002+08:00

Time flies when you are in a hurry. Since coming back from Europe, I've hit the ground running, getting back into the frantic pace that comes with having 3 children. Buying new uniforms, shoes, school bags, books, stationery, attending orientations ... the works!As if that wasn't enough, I also received a mailer from my son's school, inviting me to sign up for a 2-day seminar entitled, "Parents,

Joie de Vivre - Europe 2011

2011-12-17T22:20:00.011+08:00

Hello. :)How is everyone? It has been a while, hasn't it? Almost 2 months! I hope you have all been doing well. Let's pick up from where we left off, shall we?Like I mentioned in my last post, I was busy spending time with family. It was all fun and good, but truth be told, I was well and truly exhausted. It has been one heck of a trying year, and I have never felt more tired than I have in the

Mocha Muffins

2011-10-20T19:00:00.006+08:00

Pin ItHey ya'll! What's cookin'? I've been waking up every morning with no motivation to step into the kitchen. None at all. Zero. Zilch. With my daughter's exams out of the way, I have been going out a lot! Movies, concerts, shopping, dining out ... you name it, I've done it. It's great to be able to chill with friends who I have not seen in a while. The downside is, going out almost everyday

(David Rocco) Spaghetti Aglio Olio

2011-10-12T09:20:00.001+08:00

Pin ItI was looking through my David Rocco's Dolce Vita the other day for some lunch ideas, but the whole darn problem with that cookbook is that there are just too many distracting photos of David. I found myself focusing on him rather than the recipes.As usual. Hur hur.When I finally paid attention to the food, I was too tired (and pressed for time) to try anything fancy, so it was plain ol'

Butter (Almond) Cake

2011-10-04T09:15:00.004+08:00

Pin ItI love a good butter cake. There's nothing quite like having a rich, velvety slice of golden sunshine with an aromatic cuppa Earl Grey. Once in a while, that is. If only butter cakes weren't so waistline-unfriendly, I'd have a slice everyday.My fall-back recipe for butter cake has always been this one (I have made an orange version with it too). It has a very high liquid content, and uses

Ricotta Gnocchi

2011-09-30T09:45:00.004+08:00

A traditional Florentine pasta, Ricotta Gnocchi is the lighter, hipper cousin to northern Italy's potato gnocchi. This gnocchi cooks up as soft, mild-flavored dumplings. They make a great base for any sauce. (Source: The Kitchn)Ah, I finally got down to making these little Italian dumplings! I know they aren't exactly good-lookers, but that's the beauty of it. :) No one cares if they are

Flourless Almond & Chocolate Cake - Encore

2011-09-26T12:02:00.002+08:00

Pin ItI know I have waxed lyrical about this cake a few times already, and having made it again, it's still the best chocolate cake in my book. I baked it last week, this time doing what I did not do the last time, ie, adding coffee and using a slightly darker chocolate (Valrhona Caraïbe 66%). It turned out to be a more grown up version than the previous (I used Valrhona Equatoriale 55% for that

Easy Pizza Dough

2011-09-22T08:24:00.004+08:00

Pin ItDear Mr DominoHow time flies! I remember the first time we met. It was love at first bite ... you with your great taste and good looks ... you instantly won me over. I loved that you were so dependable, always rushing to my side whenever I needed you, and you hardly ever made me wait. Even on those rare occasions when you were slightly late, you always made up for it. What a difference from

Couscous With Prawns & Peas

2011-09-17T10:31:00.003+08:00

Pin ItI was sooo hungry as I was cooking this dish! Maybe it was all the energy expended at the gym. Or the puny portions I had for dinner the night before. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the mere anticipation of savouring a plate of steaming Couscous With Prawns & Peas that had my mouth watering.Whatever, my hunger was quickly satiated because this dish was done in under 30mins. You should have

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2011-09-13T08:54:00.003+08:00

Pin ItAfter a week of sleeping and waking up late, eating out, shopping and just chilling, the kids are back at school again, and there is finally some semblance of our regular routine. Thank goodness! Holidays are always wonderful, but the downside is, our equilibrium gets off-centred (my fault, I'll admit) and it usually takes some adjustments to get back into the groove.After dropping the