easybakes

Red Bean Pau

2012-02-14T21:43:00.000+08:00

Okay, let's see...today is Tuesday, the 14th of Feb..err, how many more days eh that I gotta wait..hmmm..let's see 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27...arrrr..forget it arr..stop counting! the longer you'll have to wait. Let's just talk about food...yeah!!!glorious food! The Red Bean Pau :)

This is dude's favourite of all time kuih. Just make sure that the paus are filled with red bean paste not anything savoury, that is all he asked. So when I 'presented' a plate of paus for him last Sunday for breakfast, he was wide eyed and asked when did I buy those paus? Oh come on la dude..it was only 7.00 am, and you've seen the state of my hair right?, ala2 k seripah yg kehilangan sikat seminggu? where got time to go out & buy some? I made it la..I told him, albeit play cheat sket with the store-bought red bean paste. I woke up at 5.00am on a Sunday just to make these paus just so that he could have it hot-hot for brekkie..er..ada apa2 ka?hehe..

So needless to say, uolls agak2 sendiri la how many paus he had for brekkie ya. With the compliments to high heavens, sikit lagi my nostrils kembang kuncup like makcik kementot last Saturday..Nasib baik kita ni veteran, so dapatla kita control sket tahap kembang kuncup tu..bukan main lagi u kipas I arr dude, now I ask you..ada apa2 ke? muahhahahahah!

Bahan-bahan : (Ingredients)
250 gm tepung pau atau tepung gandum (150g Pau/Hong Kong flour or multi purpose flour)
1 sudu teh yis (1 tspn or 3 g instant yeast)
1/2 sudu teh baking powder (1/2 tspn or 2 g baking powder)
4 sudu besar gula kastor (4 Tbspn or 50g castor sugar)
1 sudu besar lemak sayuran (1 Tbspn or 20g vegetable shortening)
1 sudu teh bread softener - optional kalau tiada pun pau masih lagi gebu dan lembut ( 1 tspn bread softener - optional)
1/2 cawan air suam (1/2 c warm water)
inti pau secukupnya (Sufficient filling of yr choice)

Cara membuatnya : (Method)
1. Satukan tepung, yis, baking powder, gula dan bread softener ke dalam mangkuk adunan. (Mix flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar & bread softener in a bowl)
2. Ulikan sebati dengan memasukkan air sedikit demi sedikit (Knead well by adding warm water bit by bit)
3. Masukkan lemak sayuran dan ulikan lagi sehingga doh menjadi kental dan tidak melekat di tangan (Add shortening & knead until elastic)
4. Jika menggunakan breadmaker masukkan semua bahan mengikut turutan air suam-yis-tepung-baking powder-gula-bread softener-lemak sayuran. (I used breadmaker. Add ingredients chronologically - warm water, yeast. flour, baking powder, sugar, bread softener, shortening)
5. Kemudian pilih menu doh (tidak perlu menunggu sehingga doh siap selama 1 1/2 jam cukup sekadar 10 min atau sehingga doh sebati dan bolehlah dikeluarkan dari BM). (Choose dough setting. Let the machine knead for 15 minutes only)
6. Setelah itu bahagikan doh kepada 10 bahagian dengan setiap satu seberat 45gm dan bentukkan menjadi bulat. (Thereafter, divide dough into 10 portions of round balls)
7. Ambil satu doh kecil tadi dan leperkan di tapak tangan dan letakkan satu sudu kecil inti yang disukai dan tutupkan semula menjadi bentuk bulat. (Take 1 dough, flatten & insert filling - I used 10g of red bean paste which I made into small round balls) Cover the filling & shaped the dough into round balls)
8. Letakkan doh yang telah disiap di atas daun pisang atau kertas yang telah disapukan dengan sedikit minyak. Buat sehingga habis. (Place rounded dough onto banana leaf cut into squares or baking paper glazed with some oil.)
9. Kemudian biarkan doh naik dua kali ganda selama 45 min atau 1 jam. (Let dough rise double in size for 45mins to 1 hour)
10. Sementara itu panaskan kukusan dan pastikan setelah air mendidih barulah di masukkan doh-doh tadi dan kukuslah selama 10 minit. (Pre heat steamer. Ensure that the water is really boiling before steaming the paus to get a soft & fluffy paus)

Note: air kukusan perlulah betul-betul panas/mendidih untuk mengukus pau bagi mendapatkan pau yang gebu dan lembut

Recipe: Noreen

Adaptation: Kak CT

Originate: Kak Ton, MyR

TQ ladies, esp K City..lap ya!! :)

Roti Jala by Tintin

2012-02-13T16:11:00.000+08:00

My favourite (err...one of my favourites <- cover vontot arr) was absent from the study group last Saturday. I was curious and when I asked her sister on her excuse for being absent, her sister gave some some vague answer that that absent makcik kementot was busy helping her nenek (my mom) with her marketing. She wanted to help out at my mom's place as we were supposed to go over my mom's place for a simple makan2 after the study group ended.

Little did I know that actually she wanted to help my mom 'kirai' the roti jala. Mom told me that she watched intently on how my mom kirai the batter and when my mom wanted to take a break for solat zuhur, she asked the makcik kementot if she wanted to try out doing the 'kirai'. First few rounds she just couldn't get it right, with splatters of batter all over the flat kuali and the stove. After a few tries, they got better. So my mom left her to do the kirai after making sure that there's no hot oil or pots of hot gravy on the next stove. She left that makcik for quite a fair bit and when she checked on the makcik's progress later, she said she was quite surprised that the kirai turned out not too bad & quite nicely...idok ler seperti singlet P. Ramlee in the Seniman Bujang Lapuk story..heheh...

When I went over to my mom's place later on that day, she wasted no time in telling me that the roti jala was made by the makcik kementot...Wahhhhhh how clever!!! I exclaimed..Kembang kuncup I see this makcik kementot's nostrils. She wanted to act cool & blase but she just couldn't stop the proud smile that creased her face after receiving so many..wahhhhh...ooohhhhh..pandai ek......from the adults..

Although some of the lapisan ada tebal sket..I still think she did quite a good job being only 9+. She finished kirai-ing quite a substantial amount of batter without any complain of the 'hot spa' :)
I packed some roti jala made by her for breakfast the next day. Pardon the haphazzard lipatan as there was no tupperwares in sight at my mom's so I made do with some plasticlembik only. What a great breakfast yesterday, roti kirai with some chicken chunks curry! sedapppp!

I've made roti jala before...see here if you want to give that recipe a shot..This one old timer punya recipe..no sukatan, main agak2 campak2 jer :)

Happy Monday peeps..

Apam Labu

2012-02-10T16:35:00.000+08:00

Today is Friday...yipeeeeyayyyy!!! moi like!! :) Ok, being a Friday & all and after the bouts of laughter from the dudans @ yesterday's post, today shall be a happy & 'clean' one..hahah..

The ever favourite pumpkin apam..apam labu la...this one no need to force feed moi coz I just love the taste :)

Pumpkin apam eaten with steamed grated white coconut with a pinch of salt. Sooo sedap!!

I was on leave on Wednesday & someone told me 'the chief' was busy putting letters in tonnes of envelopes..ohhh adakah...adakah...that thing is coming soon...or next change or cukup bulan ka..yahooooo! I shall wait & I shall be a pekerja contoh by ...by counting the days in February..muahhahaha...

Have a great weekend ahead..I am going to choose the recipes to start by baking tonight!

Ingredients A
2 tspn instant yeast
1 tspn castor sugar
3 Tbspn warm water

Ingredients B
230 gm pumpkin (boiled with skin and then scoop the flesh & weigh)
150 gm sugar
1 egg
150 ml thick coconut milk

Ingredients C (sifted together)
200 gm multi purpose flour (I switched to cake flour - works fine)
1 1/2 tspn baking powder

Method

Mix well Ingredients A. Set aside for about 5 -10 minutes.
Blend Ingredients B till smooth & fine. Pour into a large bowl.
Mix Ingredients C into B and blend bit by bit until fine. Mix well.
Pour Ingredients A into the mixture & mix well. Set aside batter for about 1 hour.(I covered the bowl)
Heat steamer on high fire. Pour batter into smaller cups for about 15- 18 minutes. Grease the cups with some oil before pouring the batter. I used medium fire as I do not want the apam to 'blossomed'.
Serve with steamed grated coconut mixed with a pinch of salt.

Adaptation made from previously (for links)

Sausage Rolls

2012-02-09T21:43:00.000+08:00

Went to the hospital yesterday for my annual 'thingy'. Good news! I was officially 'discharged' by the kind AP Dr Tan as my earlier results was all clear. But she cautioned me that if I were to notice any other thing 'different' than the usual, I am to call up & fixed an appointment for a review. But at the current moment, I am happy to say that I have been given the all clear..Alhamdulillah! As I was feeling on top of the world with the outcome, I beramal jariah menukar my 'long condemned' hp. I decided to get the same type as dude's so that I can just ask him to show me everything without having to read the manual or meddle the phone..hahaha...Aren't I clever??? hiakhiakhiak 100x! I don't fancy gadgets, so I cldn't be bothered to really know it in details..u know the last phone, after 1.5 years, baru I know how to zoom the camera..wahkahkahhhh..bongok betul! itupun I happened to ask my son why my pics always zoom jauh and he showed me how to zoom when he wasn't even using the same model phone to start with..hahahahha...

Ok, coming back to this bread, I got 10 hot rolls and gave 1 each to the girls. I thought as I had also cooked some yummilicious soto for them, they could bring back the balance home. But meleset la...even after 'baluning' the bowl of soto, 2 hours later, they asked if they could just have the rolls there & then & finish it up!. Sometimes I marvel at these kids metabolism..how can they still be not gebus after eating all those food in a day at my place. Sadly, that won't happen to me la...esp right now...haizz...

BAHAN-BAHAN:

Bahan A: Ingredients A
330 gm tepung tinggi protein (330gm bread flour)
1/2 sudu teh garam (1/2 tspn salt)
1 1/2 sudu besar susu tepung ( 1 1/2 Tbspn milk powder)
60 gm gula castor (60gm castor sugar - I put 65gm)

Bahan B : Ingredients B
1 biji telur- grade A ( 1 large egg - lightly beaten)

Bahan C: Ingredients C
120 ml air (120ml water)
10 grm yeast segera (10gm instant yeast)

Bahan D : Ingredients D
40 grm butter (40gm butter - room temperature)

Untuk glazing : For glazing
1 biji telur - dipukul sehingga kembang (1 egg - well beaten with a fork)
white sesame seed (I added)

Untuk Filling : For filling
sausage ( I blanched the sausage in boiling water for a minute, then pat dry with kitchen paper)

CARA MEMASAK :

1) Satukan bahan A di dalam mixer dan adun bahan seketika sehingga mesra . Kemudian masukkan bahan B dan C adun lagi selama 10 minit sehingga terbentuk doh roti . Masukkan bahan D dan pukul serta adun lagi menggunakan mixer sehingga doh menjadi lembut dan texturenya kenyal. ( I used my bread maker to make the dough. I dumped the ingredients according to my BM & set the machine to dough for 1.5 hours)

2) Biarkan doh rehat di dalam mangkuk yang ditutup dengan kain lembab. Biar doh naik selama 35 minit - 1 jam sehingga doh menjadi 2 kali ganda dari saiz asal. Kemudian tumbuk-tumbuk doh untuk buang udara yang terperangkap dan uli sekejap ja dan boleh la di bahagi menjadi ketulan doh kecil seberat 50 gm setiap biji.
(When the dough is ready, I punched out the trapped air & knead for a bit, then I proof it for abt 45 mins)

3) Uli doh mengguna tangan sehingga doh menjadi panjang dan lilit lah sekeliling sausage. Buat sehingga habis semua adunan doh ini. Susun dalam loyang membakar yang sesuai dan sapu telur untuk glazing tadi. (Thereafter, I punch the air out again and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to rectangular shape & used pizza cutter to cut the dough into 10 parts). Then I rolled the elongated dough around the sausage and proof it for another 10 mins. Then I glaze it with the beaten egg & sprinkle some sesame seeds on top)

4) Pre-heat oven selama 5 minit dalam suhu 180 darjah celcius dan bakar sausage bun ini selama 15 minit . Bila dah masak keluarkan dan biarkan sejuk. ( I baked the rolls for 18 mins in a preheated oven at 180C. C)

Come have a roll below...muahahhaaha...err..why I laugh arr?? ahaksss...

ahaksssss....ketawa lagi.

Source: Nannie . TQ dear

Apam, makcik's favourite

2012-02-08T22:22:00.000+08:00

A favourite of makcik kementot. She just lurrrve them! When she saw me with the mixer mixing all the ingredients up she asked if I was making her favourite apam. "How did you know?" I asked. She said she can smell the santan in the batter and to seal her answer, she pointed o the 3 food colourings that I had on the table. Ya lah makcik, I am gonna make yr favourite apam. Thank goodness kek lapis 50 egg yolks is not in your favourite list of food...bule pengsan! ahakss!

I love the the powdered food colouring that I managed to selongkar at the mama-shop called The Mummy-Shop near my place. The colours are bright and it cost just a fraction of what I paid @ another high-end bakery shop. That one, I tell you, causes me great heart pain! Not only was it over-priced, the colours just fade away after I steam or bake my cake/kuih. Just imagine, a small setotet-let round container cost S$9++ as compared to $1.80 fr the Mummy shop..berbeza sgt! But then the Mummy shop only has 4 colours so far that I found...peach, yellow, orange & red...no purple..maybe I shd mix the primary colours to get a secondary one.nanti I try ek :)

Ingredients:

250gm tepung naik sendiri (250g self raising flour)
200ml santan (200ml coconut milk)
160gm gula halus (Original was 200gm) (160gm fine sugar)
2 biji telur gred A (2 grade A eggs)
1 camca teh esen vanilla (1 tspn vanilla essence)
1 sudu makan ovallete ( 1 Tbspn ovallete)
2 T fresh milk (I added) (2 Tbspn fresh milk)
Secubit garam (pinch of salt)
Pewarna makanan, ikut kegemaran masing-masing (Food colourings of your choice)

Method:

1. Satukan kesemua bahan dalam mangkuk adunan kecuali pewarna. (Mix all ingredients in a mixer except colourings)
2. Pukul dengan speed perlahan sehingga semua bergaul mesra. Kemudian lajukan speed dan putar hingga aduan kembang dan pekat.(Beat at low medium speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed and mix till fluffy and thick - ribbon like)
3. Bahagi adunan kpd 3 bahagian, satu kekal warna asal dan warnakan dua bahagian yg lain. ( Divide batter into 3 portions & mix in the food colourings of your choice)
4. Dalam acuan yg telah dilengser dgn mentega, bubuh warna secara berselang seli seperti dalam gambar. Diikuti dengan bahagian tanpa warna pada bhg atasnya. (Line papercup in a holder and fill the different coloured batter till 3/4 full)
5. Gunakan spatula utk membuat pusingan satu arah sebanyak 1-2 kali. Kukus selama 45 minit. Jangan lupa utk membalut penutup kukusan dengan kain supaya air tidak menitis ke atas apam. (Use a chopstick or tootpick to have the marble effect. Steam for 15-20 mins on high flame if you wanna have a 'bloom' apam or on medium flame if you wanna have a smooth top apam without the bloom. remember to cover the steamer lid with a clean cloth to prevent vapours from dropping onto the apams)

Plain & Choco Banana Bun

2012-02-06T16:41:00.000+08:00

Tried baking the plain & choco banana bun which I saw at Ros' place some moons back. As with all bread, this bread is lembut & gebu. But I couldn't really taste the banana in the bun. Wanted to add more but then I am not too sure how to increase the ratio of the other ingredients, so I let it be.

Nothing much happening during the weekend as I wasn't feeling 100% .....Left the kids to study amongst themselves with dude supervising. Managed to cook whatever they requested and thereafter, I just laze around in bed. Dude was great. In times like 'this' I could always count on him to handle those kiddos. I think they love him to bits too coz he's always willing to talk & entertain them. He' so patient with them and that is why I think they kids always managed to 'saiko' him to bring them 'jalan2', this & that..but with me kan..haha..tgk cuaca dulu..kahkahkah..I know they know they cannot 'saiko' me as easily as they can with dude..that's why agaknya, when I said I was not coming with them last week, they all ok jer..dalam hati suker agaknya tak dpt membuli dude..isn't that right, makcik kementots?? :)

Bahan-bahanya ( sumber resepi ros@jintanmanis.com)

200gram tepung roti
50gram tepung gandum
70gram pisang yang telah dilenyek
1 sudu besar susu tepung/skim milk ( x letak pun takpe)
1 1/2 sudu yis
1 sudu besar gula
1 1/2 sudu besar marjerin atau butter
1 sudu kecil bread impover ( boleh ganti dengan 2 sudu besar water roux)
1 sudu besar serbuk koko
sedikit krim coklat nuttella
secubit garam
160ml susu segar ataupun air suam

Cara lain jika menggunakan bread maker :

-Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam breadmaker, kecuali serbuk koko dan krim nuttella, pilih menu doh dan tunggu sampai doh siap diuli.

3. Keluarkan doh, tumbuk doh untuk membuang udara, uli lagi 5 minit, kemudian bahagi doh pada 2 bahagian , satu bahagian di campur dengan serbuk koko, bahagi doh pada 5 bahagian kecil dan letakkan satu sudu kecil krim coklat nutella sebagai inti, satu lagi bahagian biarkan plain dan bahagi pula pada 4 bahagian, susun berselang seli doh coklat dan plain seperti papan dam di dalam acuan petak 18cm, biarkan naik dua kali ganda, lebih kurang 1 jam.

4. Setelah naik, sebelum di bakar, gliss permukaan bun pisang tadi dengan sedikit susu segar yang telah dicampur dengan beberap titik madu.

4. Bakar dalam oven pada suhu 180C selama 20 minit. Setelah masak, sejukkan atas redai, Simpan roti dalam bekas bertutup untuk mengekalkan kelembutan roti, bun ini akan sentiasa lembut walaupun setelah dua hari. Selamat Mencuba.

Source: Ros

Banana Muffins

2012-02-03T18:04:00.000+08:00

Happy Friday to all :)

These banana muffins were made some time back. Couldn't find the photos initially as it was lumped all in the pic folder...dont know what I did when transferring these photos...suddenly instead of individual folder as per usual format, these pics were accidentally transferred inside my original folder..haha...jenuh I scroll one by one amongst the thousands of photos..haha..in the end dapat gak, so immediately ku pi transfer into an individual folder...sampai naik kayroh mataku pi 'sift' through the thousands of photos..waddehek arr kan..

Anyways, these banana muffins I first saw at Kak CT's place..punyalah menggiurkan. Pisang dalam fridge pun dah nak dekat hitam, so that's why I decided to try out these easy peasy muffins. And following K CT, I added a few drops of the banana essence...just a few teanie-meanie drops but the aroma punyalah sedappp.. These muffins are soft & moist and I gave quite a lot to my sista..penggemar tegar anything banana-ey. Thanks K CT for sharing the recipe. The slices of almonds on top is a nice touch too! moist banana + crunchy almonds..niceeeee :)

Bahan-bahan : (Ingredients)
2 cawan tepung gandum ( 2 c all purpose flour)
1 1/3 cawan gula (1 1/3 c sugar ~ I reduced to 1 c)
2 biji pisang yang ranum (2 medium size ripen bananas ~ mashed)
1/2 cawan minyak masak (1/2 c cooking oil ~ I used canola)
2 biji telur (CT guna telur gred A) (2 grade A eggs)
1/3 cawan susu segar (1/3 c fresh milk)
1 sudu kecil soda bikarbonat ( 1 tsp bicarbonate soda)
1 1/2 sudu kecil baking powder (1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
beberapa titik esen pisang ( a few drops of banana essence)
kepingan badam untuk hiasan (some sliced almond for deco)

Cara-cara : (Method)

1. Hancurkan pisang dengan menggunakan gelas dan letakkan 1/2 sudu kecil garam. ( Mashed bananas with a pinch of salt)

2. Ayak tepung gandum bersama baking powder dan soda bikarbonat, kemudian pukul telur hingga berbuih (agak2 dalam 1 minit) baru masukkan gula, pukul lagi hingga kembang. ( Sift flour with bicardonate soda & baking powder. Set aside). Beat eggs until bubbles are formed (abt a minute), then in goes the sugar. Beat till fluffy.

3. Selepas itu, masukkan pisang dan kacau sebati, kemudian masukkan minyak, dan tepung sedikit demi sedikit, titik kan beberapa esen vanila, akhir sekali masukkan susu segar, masa ni jangan guna mixer ye, guna spatula atau senduk kayu je.(Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, add mashed bananas to the mixture & mix well. Add the cooking oil, the flour mixture a little at a time, add in the banana essence. Lastly add the fresh milk & mix well)

4. Cedokkan adunan tadi didalam papercup muffin ( isikan 3/4 papercup) dan letakkan coklat di tengahnya, bakar pada suhu 170darjah selama 18 ke 20 minit, sejukkan atas redai dan tabur sedikit dengan sugar powder. Sedia untuk dihidangkan. Selamat Mencuba. ( Scoop mixture into mufiin cups to 3/4 full. Add slices of almond on top. Preheat oven to 170C and bake for 18-20 mins depending on your oven.

Source: Kak CT

Originate: Ros

Chocolate Cream Cheese Layer Cake

2012-02-01T16:28:00.001+08:00

I was salivating when I saw this cake at Izah's place. So having tonnes of cream cheese in the fridge, I guessed I shouldn't wait any longer. The kids were coming over for the weekly study session last Sat and when 1 makcik kementot saw the cream cheese, cocoa powder & the the rest of the baking ingredients on the table, her grin got wider & wider, though not as wide la, if it was actually the strawberry heart jello that she has been asking for so many moons. Errrkkk! I ter-forgot abt that still!hish!!

Anyways, I love this cake. The actual recipe uses another type of cake but I decided to follow Izah & used the choc cake by K Liza and it was just aw-som (hehe..hi cik som!)..more like brownie. It's soft moist & the combo with cream cheese is just right to me, simply sedap.

On another note, yeay!!!!! february is here now..yipeee yay! closer & closer still for you know what la..so shall I get the DSLR thingy, babe :)...Have a great midweek, peeps! Cheers.

BAHAN untuk cream cheese layer
250 gm cream cheese
60 gm gula halus
1 biji telur
25 ml air
1 sb tpng gandum

Cara-cara
Pukul cream cheese bersama dngn gula.
Masukkan telur diikuti dngn air dan tepung gandum.
Biarkan sebentar.

Kek Kukus Chocolate : Chef K Liza
(I halved the adonan)

Bahan A - semua diayak
2 cawan tepung gandum ]
1 cawan serbuk koko ]
1 s/k baking powder ] ayakkan
1/2 s/k soda bikarbonat ]
*izah tambah 1 sk serbuk nescafe

Bahan B
1 cawan susu pekat
1 cawan butter cair
1 cawan air panas
2 cawan gula perang

Bahan C
4 biji telur ]
1 s/k esen vanilla ] kacau rata

Cara

1. Panaskan kukusan dan lapikkan loyang dengan kertas minyak.
2. Masukkan semua bahan yg diayakkan dalam mangkuk. (Bahan A)
3. Masukkan butter cair, air panas, gula dan susu pekat dalam mangkuk yg berisi bahan yg telah diayakkan.
4. Masukkan telur dan kacau adunan sehingga sebati.
5. Bagi adonan kepada 2 bahagian
6. Masukkan 1 bahagian dalam loyang dan kukus selama 15 minit, kemudian tuang adonan cheese tadi & kukus selama 15 minit. Akhir sekali tuang bahagian kek cokelat terakhir ke atas lapisan cheese tadi & kukus selama 20 minit.

Adapted fr: Izah

Originate: Yatie

Chocolate Éclair (Updated)

2012-01-30T12:21:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone :)

Monday is here. Of course la, being a Monday, the fingers & brain are still in denial mode, hehe.., so this entry shall be short. Am trying to find the mojo to get me going. Only 1 thing now that can lift up the spirit, that is dalah.....(*grinning from ear to ear*).

These babies were made during the weekend, as per my usual routine. Instead of making them small like before, I made size gajah one, hoping that one each will be enough for the penghunis. Sadly mistaken la, they still want more! In the end I had to make 2 rounds. Next time, I'll just double the recipe and make double batch..senang keje kan..

Ok peeps, happy Mondays to all...hmmmmm...back to the real world.

Here's some info..

What is éclair?

An éclair is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing.
The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry then is filled with a coffee- or chocolate-flavoured pastry cream (crème pâtissière), custard, whipped cream, or chiboust cream; and iced with fondant icing.Other fillings include pistachio- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut purée. The icing is sometimes caramel, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton de Jacob. Source: Wikipedia

Method:

1. Heat water, milk, butter & sugar until boil, remove from fire,

add sifted flour, stir well, return to the fire, stirring until dough does not stick to the pan (leaves a thin layer of skin on yr pan), remove from fire.

2. Add the eggs one at a time while stirring till well blended.

Scoop batter into pipping bag, snip tip and pipe elongated.

3. Bake at temperature of 220C for 15-20 minutes until the surface is yellowish. Do not open till its fully baked.

4. Remove and let it cool down bef piping vanilla custard. (I baked it using 200C for 15 mins.. take it out.. cut a small hole on my puff and place it back into my oven again for abt 10mins - to dry em).

Source: bisousatoi

Plainly Perfect Pound Cake

2012-01-27T17:18:00.001+08:00

Plainly Perfect Pound Cake by Tish Boyle. Saw these wonderfulicious citrusy cake at babe's the other time & she mentioned that it's worth baking for citrus cake lover (aka my mom)..Now, this cake is sooo soft & moist and after mixing orange & lemon zest ( I bantai whole fruit for both) and never regretted. Thanks Babe & also RC for tempting me with this awesome cake.

I am just sooooooooo glad & thankful that Friday is here. Frankly after last night's last minute scramble searching for the 'elusive' thingy at the office....Cannot write more on this stuff, I have my envelope to think of you know.. I told Anie that I think someone is skodeng-ing here from the office..blardy heckk arr..

Sigh!! I am soo tired now. I managed to drift off to sleep at just after midnight & woke up at 3.55A.M, this morning. Headed straight to work right after Subuh prayers after doqning 2 cups of coffee. I am trying to finish up my back log and fighting this head banging in my head.. Pardon the rambles..am just glad that Friday is here and the kids will be at my place again tomorrow. Err.. I'll reply to comments soon-ish ya.. Take care guys & have a wonderful weekend.

Plainly Perfect Pound Cake (From Tish Boyle's The Cake Book)Recipe :
200g Plain flour
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Salt ( I omit)
227g Unsalted butter (I used salted butter, softened)
250g castor sugar (I reduced this to 200g)
4 Large eggs
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest ( I used 1 lemon)
1 tsp grated orange zest ( I used 1 orange)
1 tsp vanilla extract
80ml Heavy cream

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Cream butter in a mixer at medium high speed until creamy (about 2 mins). Add sugar gradually and continue beating for 4 mins until light and fluffy.
4. Reduce the mixing speed of the mixer to low and add eggs one at a time mixing until well mixed.
5. Add the citrus zest and vanilla extract.
6. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating it with cream (added in 2 additions).
7. Pour into 2 lined 3"x 7" pound cake mold and bake for 60-70 mins or until the cake turns brown and a testing skewer comes out clean. (Trish Boyle had baked this at 162C but I had to use a slightly higher oven temperature to ensure that the cake is cooked through without dense uncooked spots)

Thanks ladies for sharing the recipe.. I'll link up when I am safely back home aite..Cheers!

Aiyooyoo..pardon any spelling errors

Mexican Buns

2012-01-25T15:15:00.000+08:00

Okayy, so the holidays are officially over. I was just flipping the calender to see when is the next public holiday. Sigh..none for the next 2 months as the next PH shall be a Good Friday in early April. Gosh..what am I to do during these 2 months. How will I survive? Err..suddenly I feel like doing a rendition of I will survive...harharhar. But then I think I shall entertain myself with some good thoughts to get me going. Am just waiting for that envelope to be distributed by errr...her. U know lah, that particular envelope that will determine how loud your whoops & how high your fists will be punching the air & you go "Yes!Yes!Yes!". But of course, if you get a super duper $$.$$$, all the actions described above can only be done in the privacy of the toilet cubicle after having ensured that you are the only one there :) And when you are back to your table with the envelope carefully tucked in your pocket, you assumed a blank face devoid of any emotions you feel, a poker face with dead pan answer of "ok la" when those kepochis started asking if your Vitamin B is damn good, so-so or bluuuekkkk? hahaha... I love watching people's reaction during this time. I just hope the time will be soon rather than later.

Okay, back to this mexican buns that I baked during the long holidays. I was contemplating on what to bake considering the seciput fine sugar that was left in the jar. Couldn't be bothered to go & buy some at the provision shop. And when dude said that he'll be going out shortly to run some errand, I kirim salam the purchase of sugar to him. And since he won't be back for a couple of hours, I decided to bake some mexican buns as the amount of sugar used in the recipe is not as much as required in a cake. Dah jelak with the usual roti paun or sugar bread, I settled for the mexican buns or coffee buns. I just love newly bought instant yeast. They are fresh and usually the dough will just rise while still in the BM. And I lurrvvee the mexican topping. Sooo sedap! I did swirl it but it loses the swirl when they are fully baked. Who cares if the taste was super nice kan..err..bukan nak buat hantaran pun this bread, so no swirl of the topping...no sweat la..

Happy working for WMs :)

Mexico Topping
Ingredients :

75 g margarine ( I used butter)
60 g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
75 g cake flour (I used plain flour)
1/2 teaspoon Nescafe granules (I omit)
Mocha & coffee paste (I added)

Method :

1. Cream margarine and icing sugar.
2. Add in egg and continue beating. Add vanilla essence and Nescafe granule.
3. Fold in flour and beat till well mixed.
4. Place the mixture into a piping bag and ready to use.

Cream cheese filling

Chilled cream cheese. Cubed abt 7g each.

Dough
Ingredients :

60 g castor sugar
120 ml water
10 g instant dried yeast
325 g High Protein Flour
1 teaspoon bread improver
1/2 teasppon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk powder
1 egg
45 g margarine ( I used butter)

Method :

1. Mix sugar, yeast and water. Set aside till foamy.
2. In the mixer bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture. Knead till the dough is elastic and smooth.
4. Prove dough for 45 minutes or till double in size.
5. Divide dough into 18 portions of 40g each and shape it into a ball. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.
6. Flatten the dough and place a spoonful of filling in the middle and cover with dough.
7. Arrange on a tray and prove dough for 45 minutes or till double in size.
8. Pipe the mexican topping on top in a swirl mode.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 15 to 20 minutes.

Source : Aunty Yochana
Plucked from: Mamafami

Pandan Chiffon Cake for that kid

2012-01-23T22:27:00.000+08:00

Baked pandan chiffon cake for a friend of mine for her gathering. I didn't plan to bake another one for the boys as I thought they already had plenty of extra macarons to munch.But then, how could I not when one particular boy kept on looking forlornly at the 1 cake that I baked? I tell you, that boy can eat! He loves to try all my bakes and air his critique whether I ask him to or not.

Whilst helping me pack the chiffon cake nicely in a cake holder, he kept on tsk-tsk-ing while going on & on of the wonderful pandan aroma of the cake and how nice the chiffon cake turned out. How he thought that the cake will be ohhh so soft, delish and how nice if it was meant for the afternoon tea. I kept quiet except for that occasional. "Eh, no pinching the cake arr..this is for my friend, aite!". But then, after seeing the 'love lorn' looks he gave that chiffon, how could I not bake him one, so here it is..No need to ask me many times la dudan..you can have slices of chiffon as you please. At the rate you are going, I pray you just won't balloon up in no time.He always tells me, "Dun worry la..whatever I put in the mouth will definitely later on come out from my a***!" hahah! Boys!

Ingredients
(A)
200g flour (I used cake flour)
150g sugar
100ml cooking oil (I used canola oil)
125ml coconut milk or fresh milk or even water (I used coconut milk)
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
a few drops of pandan paste (I used 1 tsp)
a few drops of green colouring (I added)

(B)
7 egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar or salt
100g sugar

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder and soda three times.. set aside

2. Whisk egg yolk with sugar and salt till pale in colour

3. Add in oil and coconut milk and continue to whisk till fluffy

4. Add in pandan paste and green colouring if ur using

5. Fold in sifted flour lightly

6. In another bowl.. whisk egg white till foamy.. add in cream of tartar and continue to whisk till soft peak.. add in sugar in several stages and continue to beat till stiff peak.

7. Add the beaten egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.

8. Pour batter into a 24cm (I used 22cm) tube pan (do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on the table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

9. Bake in pre-heated oven at 160 degC for 45 ~ 50mins or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

10. Bake for a further 10mins at 175C (use aluminium foil to cover the top so as to prevent it browning too quickly)

11. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmoulding. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.

Source: Babe, Originate : Nining's

Cream Puffs

2012-01-20T13:56:00.000+08:00

Cream puffs for me.. :)

Fabulous Friday is here...start to a long weekend. I have orders to fulfill(ngeh18x), cakes to bake for the kiddos, instant ketupat to rebus for tmr's occasion...erkkkk!!! I hope I can fulfill them all!

So..as there's tons of things to do, this is gonna be a super short entry..here's wishing a propsperous CNY to those who celebrate the occasion & happy holidays to the rest. To my sis in law's family, here wishing u guys a Xīn Nián Kuài Lè...I want ang pow leh... :)

Source: Sis

WW~ Green-Blue Macarons

2012-01-18T22:14:00.000+08:00

Marble Butter Cheesecake

2012-01-16T16:41:00.000+08:00

Weekend bakes...Marble Butter Cheesecake. I made use of my 4-in 1 bundt pan coz I wanted to tapau for the kids a cake each home. Did I tell you that the 2 makciks plus another of my niece were coming over to revise their school work at my place? Well..usually only the 2 makciks are the one who will make the regular trips to revise their school work at my place on most Saturdays..but this time round, they asked if another of their cousin could also come to our house to study..Well..dude being dude..always will not refuse any kids who wanted to use our place to study and he'll be the one to supervise them and always ready & willing to answer all their questions..Furthermore, a one makcik kementot sudah me-war2kan to her cousin that study time was always fun at our place coz usually there will be makan2, a quick trip to the playground if they got bored halfway and after that the usual jalan-jalan session with supper too! bukan main lagi ni makcik buat plan to entice this cousin of hers to join the club..hahah..

So while they were studying, I decided to make this easy peasy marble butter cheesecake and gave the girls a cake each to bring home. The 'newbie' cousin was pleasantly surprised as besides the cake, I also gave her some macs to bring home..Just before we sent the girls back home, I heard the makcik kementot talking to her cousin abt the fun study session...which made me laugh softly..but sadly I cannot post in here coz I just found out that she also skodeng my blog sometime. And I do not want her to post on my fb wall abt it..hahah..sometimes, some things just cannot be written la...nanti jadi bahan bukti..just yesterday si makcik kementot ni dah post the menus to accompany each study session. She gave me a month's menu..ahakss!! She didn't have an fb account being too young but when her mom is fb-ing...she will use that account & post on my wall..complete with spelling errors..just like ker Aunty, yg malas nak proof read blog entries, everytime..hahaha..last night she wrote "1 minit.....fruits menu Tintin tegah piker ni....." saying that she is still thinking on the fruits that I should buy when they come over to study..and after like 3 minutes when the list of fruits is still not coming...I typed again..."welll?....."piker ni.." she typed, complete with a :( frowning face..showing her displeasure that I prompt her too quickly! Adoiiii...penat la nak tunggu makcik tu type..bule tido!haizzzzz...I guessed you all know la..."tegah piker" means "tengah fikir" muahahha!

Ingredients
A
225g flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

B
200g butter
175g cream cheese
1/2 grated lemon rind
175g caster sugar
5 egg yolks

C
5 egg whites
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:
Grease and flour 6 mini bundt cake pans. (I used my 4 in 1 bundt pan)
Whisk butter and cream cheese till pale and fluffy. Add sugar and continue whisking.
Add egg yolks and continue whisking. Lastly add grated lemon rind and whisk until well combined.
Fold in A into B with a spatula and put aside
In a clean bowl, whisk C until stiff peak and add into A and B in stages and mix until well combined.
Pour batter into pans and bake in a 180C for half an hr or till golden brown.

Note: The original recipe doesnt even hv any marble effect in it.. i added 1/2 tbsp of black forest paste into 200g of plain batter..

Source: Babe

Potato Buns

2012-01-13T21:42:00.000+08:00

Potato Buns to go..woohooo! today is friday..official start to the weekend..hehe..for WM like me, I'm so looking forward to Friday..Friday night to be exact..why? becoz if there's no plan to visit in-laws on that night, off I will go to do what I love most..baking..be it cakes, kuihs, bread or anything that involves using the mixer or the oven. Some people asked me why baking? err...dunno la..I guessed it just feel awesome to me when I see the outcome of what I created from scratch..of course if that cake bantat or kuih penyek, that awesome feeling won't materialise la..only Mr T will be happy..dia nganga besar2 nak telan those bantat cakes & such..

The only part that I didn't quite like during my baking therapy is the washing up part..sometimes a whole load of dishes to wash after baking a simple cake.. I am not the type that washes the dishes as I go along the recipe..I just dump everything ib the sink and will wash up all the utensils used later..sometimes you don't wanna know just how many spoons alone I used during baking...hahha..dasar M kan..anyways, this week I don't have to worry coz after the 20-cents macs saga, some smarty pants has voluntered to help me up with the washing...bagus!! I like..

Back to the potato bread , I've baked the sweet potato version using the old oven.. Turned out great, so that's why I wanted to try with the new oven & try with the plain potato instead.. Tak menyesal u... as long as I used freshly bought instant yeast, the outcome is great! Next time I'll add more custard on top. I a bit too little here I think..

Ok peeps have a great weekend ahead..see u soon..Ta..

POTATO BUNS

Ingredients :
150ml fresh milk
1/2 egg - keep the balance for glazing
2 tablespoon sugar
90 g mashed potato ( clean potato, boil till tender, mashed and then weigh )
350 g bread flour
1 tablespoon milk powder
4 g instant dried yeast (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 tablespoon margarine/butter

Custard :
2 tablespoon custard powder
3/4 cup fresh milk
3 tablespoons sugar

Method for Custard :
1. Put all the ingredients for custard in a small pot. Mix well.
2. Place the pot over low heat and keep stirring till the mixture thickens.
3. Set aside.

Method for the dough, using bread maker :
1. Pour milk, egg, sugar and mashed potato into the bread maker pan. Top it with bread flour, milk powder and yeast.
2. Set the breadmaker to Dough function.
3. Once the dough is just combined, add in butter and leave the Breadmaker to continue doing it's job. This process will take about 1 1/2 hour including prooving.
4. Divide the dough to 16 pieces and shape into small balls.
5. Arrange the small dough in a baking pan.
6. Cover the shaped dough; let rise until almost doubled in volume.
7. Before baking, brush the dough with egg wash (the balance of the egg mix with a bit of fresh milk)
8. Pipe the custard on top.
9. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 C, or until the bread is golden in color.

Source: Mamafami (really Ma.. u queen of bread la.hehe...) & Ros
Thanks ladies...

Macarons with Lemon Curd Filling & terpaksa-rela

2012-01-12T16:23:00.000+08:00

Ok...that's it! I have to go & buy more almond powder..I've used the last bit to make these macarons. I have to make a trip down also to get those powdered food colorings. I tell u..it's not cheap..(at least for me la)..A teeny weeny setotet let bottle cost $9++ if I am not wrong..adoiii..bule bangkrupt! I have some other alternative, using the gel food colouring but I have to watch how much I put in..really the plastic bottles of the food colouring are tiny too! I just can't handle small stuff..I picit a little bit & a whole blob will come out of it's mouth and me being super duper lazy to use a spoon..I thot I could just dump it straight into the batter...har har har..hardy harr!!

Anyway, baked them I did last weekend..and the filling..I just had to try something lemony after seeing it at babe's. And surely, I didn't regret one bit..the sweet, sour taste is just heavenly for me..Moi suka! Packed them nicely in that overprice box just for the fun of it :) Overpriced indeed as it was my youngest brother who bought me a box from MBS for me to try.. I blanched when I heard how much 1 piece cost! Boleh koyak pocket..$3 bucks a piece!

And talking about price..you know what happened? Some smarty pants brought some (quite a lot I tell you!) to his school for his kakis to share..Boys being boys & whose main diet consist of fast food while chilling with their kakis, will definitely not give up any kind of free food..kan..so munch they did and one particular smarty pants yang amat bermurah hati, kembang vontot coz his kakis all praising his mommy to high heavens for being I quote "wahhhhh so clever" to make macarons..Like them so much that they asked this boy to ask his mommy to bake some as they wanted to order.. This boy upon reaching home from his chilling session proudly told his mom that all his friends wanted to order coz those macs are super yummy indeed (this ai tak bedek taw..his words..;) So the mommy was beaming...so proud jugaklah that her macs menjadi pojaan hati those teenage boys..so after kembang kuncup idong si mummy, she said..."sure...sure..no problemos....err...so how much did you sell those macs for" thinking "ohhh what a clever boy this budak cari business for his mommy.. " A dollar....he said" "Pandai jugak budak ni letak harga" I was thinking before he finished his sentence...and then he dropped it " A dollar for 5 pieces...that's the price right?
"WHATTTTTT????????" 20 cents each??? Ha????" Shocking ape!(terkejut beruk) jap I...Luckily tak berbegik the hot dog that I was munching then..Oh my gosh!! now I am stuck! The clever boy said I already said & he quote "sure...sure...(see dialogue highlighted in red)..so harus la I terpaksa-rela menabur bakti beramal jariah kan..

So, clever boy... I am so gonna do it for you this time coz I love you very much & I know you have my "best interest" at heart..But bear in mind this is a one time offer only..Not valid any other time, day,moon, sun, month or year, aite...and you better be there to help me out..and no complains if suddenly the skirt just refuse to ropol2 on their own okay...coz...depa pun pasti ter-shocking ape when they hear that they are being sold for 20 cents a piece..kecik taw hati macs tu!haizzz boys...

Alternatively, smarty pants, you can give them the recipe for free...hehe..

Ingredients

Swiss Meringue
80g egg white (at room temperature)
65g caster sugar

80g ground almond
140g icing sugar (130g)
1/2tsp lemon juice
powder or gel food colouring of choice

Method
Swiss Meringue Macarons:
1. Line 3 to 4 baking trays with silicon sheet. (i used babe's Mac sheet, so I skipped 2,& 3)
2. Use a round cookies cutter, press it into some cocoa powder or flour.
3. Use the cookies cutter to make some round imprint on the silicon sheet and set aside.
4. Sift icing sugar and almond together and set aside.
5. Pour sugar and egg white into a heatproof pan and place it over a saucepan of simmering water.
6. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 50 to 55C).
7. Pour the egg white and lemon juice into the mixing bowl with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks then add in the powder colouring. (I used copper powder colouring..looks like chocolate in the end)
8. Continue to beat until the egg white has cooled down and it look smooth and shiny. (medium peak but not dry)
9. Fold in the sifted mixture in 4 portions into the meringue. Do not over fold batter until it turn watery, batter should be slightly thicker than cake batter.(I hv tried dumping the sifted mixture all at once.. it works too)
10.Spoon batter into a piping bag and pipe it within the round imprint which had made earlier on.
11.Let the macarons to rest for 30mins.
12.Preheat oven to 150C.
13.Bake a tray at a time for 20-25mins, depend on individual oven. (i baked mine for 19mins)
14.Remove macarons and cool on a wire rack
15.Slather filling of choice on the macs & sandwich them..Enjoy!

Filling ~ Lemon curd

Ingredients
3 large egg yolks, strained
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
I added a teeny weeny bit of egg yellow colour

Directions
Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon until consistency is smooth.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Let cool; refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Source: bisousatoi & martha stewart

Hokkaido Chiffon

2012-01-11T16:07:00.000+08:00

True as they said, this Hokkaido Chiffon Cake didn't take long to bake. If you are pressed for time & wanna bake something for your guests who'll be arriving soon-ish (unless janji Melayu, janji pukul 12, pukul 2 baru sampai..hehe...familiar??), then this is the cake that you wanna bake.

The cake is light & soft and certainly goes well with your cuppa! I loved it..Had 2 before the cake has even the chance to cool down...It's either I am kebuluran or just cannot sabar to have a taste. really..I loved it! It's texture is soft..it is light & fluffy..what's more, you don't have to slice it..u can eat it to go too! I'd used all the balance of my muffin cups, so I just poured the balance batter into my heart-shaped silicon thingy mainly used for my jellos..err talking abt jellos, someone has been whinning abt that strawberry heart jellos..Kapan bisa menjelma..aduhaiii...sorry my dear...your Aunty ni selalu sibuk banget!! always forgetting to get that strawberries...hang on ok...I'll definitely make some for you, sweetjeart..meantime, makanlah this hokkaido chiffon cake that has absolutely zilch to do with that strawberry heart jellos...ahaksss!!!!

Hokkaido Chiffon

Ingredients
4 Yolks
70g Sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla Essence
80ml Fresh Milk
60ml Corn oil - i used canola oil
135g Cake Flour
4g Baking powder
6 Whites
50g Sugar

Method:
♥ Preheat oven 180°C
♥ Arrange paper liners on baking tray
♥ Hand whisk yolks with sugar untill pale in colour.
♥ Add drops of vanilla essence
♥ Add in Milk, follow by oil, manually whisk till combined.
♥ Sieve in Cake flour and baking powder. Stir till well-mixed.
♥ Whisk whites till foamy, add sugar. Whisk till medium peak.
♥ Take 1/3 whites fold in with yolk mixture.
♥ follow by folding in the rest of white
♥ scope batter into pre-arranged paper cups about three-quarter filled.
*Note: this cake will shrink after cooled. However, do not over-filled up the liners as batter will over flow.
♥ baking time est. 20-25mins.

Source: Babe & HeartyBakes

Chocolate Bun sans choc filling

2012-01-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

Weekend is over...hmmmm...counting days to Friday! and also counting months to Feb & March..cepatla mariii..!! Meantime, to get the engine warm, ever since I bought fresh instant yeast, my bread has turned out pretty swell. I like it!Sadly, it's only chocolate bun sans the choc filing...Nutella pun yilek...long gone , the last cuplrit to lick clean the jar was D2..U know la who D2 is kan..hehe..

No choc filing, no nutella?... fret not...I make do with kaya + butter....whateverla...takes sometime for the combination of taste to grow on u.Thank God for my cuppa... Ok la..being a Monday & all, with my engine still sputtering and not yet hot, I'll keep this entry short...tonnes of things to do..and I wish all things will go fine & dandy today..for me...and u too...bye..

Ingredients A :
450g high protein flour
50g cocoa powder
25g milk powder
75g sugar
10g instant yeast
1 teaspoon bread softener
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients B :
250ml water
75g margarine

Ingredient C :
Chocolate filling (from the bakery) - I skipped this..got none in the pantry.

Method : (Bread Maker)

1. Pour water and salt into the bread maker pan. Add in egg. Top it with flour, cocoa powder, milk powder, sugar, yeast and bread softener.

2. Set the breadmaker to Dough function.

3. Once the dough is just combined, add in margarine and leave the Breadmaker to continue doing it's job. This process will take about 1 1/2 hour including proving.

4. Divide the dough to 40g each. Shape into a ball. Leave to rest for another 10 minutes.

5. Flatten the dough, place a teaspoonful of chocolate filling in the middle and roll into a ball.

6. Arrange the dough on a baking tray. Let it prove till double the size. Sprinkle with a bit of water before putting the tray into the oven.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree celcius till golden brown.

8. Once out of the oven, brush some margarine on top.

Source: MamFami (Queen of bread...thanks Ma)

Adapted from: K Liza

Banana Balls, the jemput-jemput pisang

2012-01-08T13:45:00.000+08:00

Simple stuff for breakfast this morning. Jemput2 pisang..banana balls made by the kids. This is one of the simple stuff that they can whipped up on their own, besides that fried rice, instant noodle and basically anything instant from the box la..They are quite the expert in making fried rice I must say, coz they have to whip up something when both the parents are away..and when they were just to lazy to go & buy food from the nearby coffeshop or just to jelak to have that slices of bread..but that was a couple of years back la when dude was travelling quite often and moi, the endless trips to seberang..Now, the only time they whip something up for us is when I think they have something up their sleeves or just waiting for the opportune time when they could just ask us for that something after they have served us with breakfast...err...like this morning?? isn't that rite, boys? hahah...

Anyway, it's a good start to the new year..and this pics serves as the 'evidence' to the no. of times the boys made brekkie for us..am now waiting....waiting to see if the words.."moolah" will come out of their mouth..or this is just one of the days... who knows...come on boys...what will it be?..hahah...I just know they'll be pissed if they see this here..muahhaha..

Humongous balls..boys tak der masa nak buat kecik2 comel2..buay besar2 cepat habis digoreng...they said!

Makan2 @ Swissotel The Stamford

2012-01-07T20:17:00.000+08:00

I was really stuffed last night. The makan-makan with my 2 kakis were fantastic..Food & company were great! Didn't realise that I had already piled food on quite a no. of plates..Actually kan, the other 2 can afford to eat that much coz both of them badan sekeping...but moi..ishhh..tak kisah lah..I still bedal gak many many plates of food till I was absolutely stuffed to the brim. But I still couldn't resist that last bowl of dessert...durian dessert..something like pudding & ice-cream..yummy to the max, I tell u!!!

My friend booked a table for 3 at 7pm. When we arrived the 'action' ang moh chief 'buttler' was giving us the attitude albeit with a smiling face.."Dengan muka senyum simpul that did not reach her eyes..(so fake), she told us off (dalam baik) that next time if we were to be late, please call sebab she has just released our table to someone else! Aikkk...I was thinking sambil tengok jam..we were there at 7.05pm..5 minutes kira lambat sangat ke?? My friend who booked the table looked at me with a confused face..I just knew that she was also thinking how cld 5 minutes be considered late kan..Tapi we kept quiet..but then the 'chief buttler' with her 'accent' & all keep on reminding us that she has to now try to find a table coz we were 'late"......blah..blah..blah..that my angin mula naik!how can I keep quiet after that berrating dalam senyuman dia yg tawar kan...so I just had to open my mouth & asked.."Are we LATE??" I questioned her not so sweetly..we booked the table at 7pm" It was then she said "YES, cos the table was booked for 6.30pm"..So my friend told her that when she booked the table for 7pm, she wasn't inform that the dinner seating was supposed to be at 6.30pm..how are we to know" But still this chief..continue with her drone of blah blah blah that they only sit people at 6.30pm & 8.30pm ONLY..so if kita beria-ia beritahu dia yg it was not our fault as we were none the wiser pon tak guna, innit..With her "I KNOW BETTER & U LISTEN TO ME NOW" attitude and macam ada sedikit of the "colonial hangover", we decided to just let her be..cakap pun buat air liur kering..anyway, we got to be seated 5 minutes later albeit harus dengar ceramah minah saleh berleter dalam senyuman yg tawar hambar..ok..enuff of her..

Food was great & we got a corner table where we were free to chatter the night away..I love having dinner with my 2 kakis coz there were just sooo many stories to share from the office to our family life..Tak sedar, the plates of cold dishes like crayfish, oysters, prawns, that BBQ kebab, lamb, stingray sambal, sushi, oyster omelette, ice kacang just come & go..I was definitely stuffed! but still I reserve a tiny space of my perut for that durian pudding/ice cream..dunno what exactly la..tapi sodap gilers...After that last lick of the spoon, baru we all beredar from the restaurant.

The lamb was delicioso but they should have put some mint jelly...couldn't find any..or is it aku yg potek coz there were just so much food waiting & beckoning to me..ntahlah..

The last bowl of durian thingy... Dude was super nice to volunteer to fetch me from the hotel coz he know with the tonnes of food I'd consumed, nak naik train pun dah tak larat..macam jer nak pinjam that trolley from Jason's supermarket for the girls to tolak me while waiting for dude.. The minute I set my vontot in the car, I let out....a....BURP!.." hahah...And dude being super sensitive to durian..immediately turned his head away...asking accusingly if I had anything 'funny' for dinner..hahahaha..yes la Dude..I had the last bowl of durian..hahaha..U shd count yrself lucky Dude, that I only burped & not.....hahahahhahaaha...

Wadeheck!! arr he said whilst turning the aircon fan full blast....hahahaha...

Cheesy Butter Cake

2012-01-06T16:37:00.000+08:00

Rich & yummy cake...Wanted to try this cheesy butter cake since like ages ago.. what's more with the blocks & blocks of cream cheese in the fridge...1 down and....and...may many more to go lah..talking abt cheese..err..that little makcik kememntot has also been asking for her fav cheese dessert so many moons back..Sigh! I must really make time to do some for her pronto!

In the meantime, this easy cheesy butter cake will do for her..for now..

anyway, thank goodness today is Friday! am sooooo looking forward to meet 2 of my kakis for dinner latera couple of times got cancelled due to some unforseen stuff but tonite, we shall meet..am gonna stuff myself silly again...there goes my diet...err what diet??? with the sweet stuff I'm consuming lately, any diets will definitely go down the drain la..

Have a wonderful weekend people!

CHEESY BUTTER CAKE
Source: Love

Ingredients :~
250gm cream cheese ~ room temp
150gm butter ~ room temp
250gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
220-250gm caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice or vanilla essence
1 tbsp lemon zest ~ optional
4 grade A eggs

Method :~
Whisk plain flour and baking powder together.
In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and caster sugar until creamy. Add eggs one by one, beat until well incorporated.
Add lemon juice and zest (if you do), mix well.
Fold in flour and mix until well combined and pour into a greased and lined cake tin.
Bake at 160°C for 45-50 minutes (oven settings may vary).
Once baked, allow to cool on wire rack.
* Addition of lemon is purely optional. You may substitute with vanilla essence.

* P/S - It's recommended that you hae this cake with some preserve..I dollop some mixed fruit preserve and the combination of taste is JUST HEAVENLY! I tak bedek uuuuu!!!

Macarons with Strawberry Filling

2012-01-05T21:06:00.000+08:00

I got balance of 3 egg whites aging in a small container on my dining table..actually I didn't really plan to make any macarons but just as I was wondering what to do with those egg whites...I thought why not try to make some macs & see the outcome..I know I have a just opened packet of icing sugar..the only ingredient I was not sure I have was the ground almond..so I quickly selongkar my fridge & hoping fervently that that ground almond was hiding somewhere in my fridge..

Imagine my happiness when I found a packet of ground almond inside another air-tight container tucked wayyyy back in the fridge..So without further preamble, I measured out the ingredients..sifted that icing sugar & the ground almond and off I go..no turning back now..hehe..

I know the kids adore macs with any chocolatey filling but there was no nutella in the house..somebody has licked clean that nutella jar to the last bit...and I wasn't in the mood to melt any chocolate for the filling...so I used a tub of strawberry filling I bought many moons back instead. No worries la..I checked the expiry date of that tub before using them, lagipun the tub was still unopened and many more months before reaching the sell by date. I tell you, the first time I tasted the filling...punyalah sedapppp...hingga menjilat sudu..really!

So..when the macs are done, I slather some strawberry filling & sandwich the macs together...I had a few pieces before the boys realised how come I was sitting quietly in the kitchen without a sound..rupanya..mummy was munching the macs & enjoying the macs on her own..I tell u..it was heaven taw those few minutes alone enjoying the macs before all hell breaks loose...naaaaaa...tu exagerate aja..hahah..

Anyway...before i go..I thot I penned down that my new oven needed 19 mins flat for the macs to be done just as they should be..the old oven requires 15 mins only as 'he' was pretty hot stuff..This new oven ada a bit slow & steady but the outcome is just as I liked..so now I know..and also..I play cheat a bit..and left the trays of just piped macs in my airconed bedroom to help them dry faster..just so I know what to do lah the next time..

rite...have a great day folks! ta...

Ingredients

Swiss Meringue

80g egg white (at room temperature)

65g caster sugar

80g ground almond

140g icing sugar (130g)

1/2tsp lemon juice

orange yellow colouring powder (i did 2 batches.. used purple in the other batch)

Filling

Chocolate Ganache

100g dark chocolate (i used valrhona 64%)

50g whipping cream

Method

Swiss Meringue Macarons:

1. Line 3 to 4 baking trays with silicon sheet. (i used babe's Mac sheet, so I skipped 2,& 3)

2. Use a round cookies cutter, press it into some cocoa powder or flour.

3. Use the cookies cutter to make some round imprint on the silicon sheet and set aside.

4. Sift icing sugar and almond together and set aside.

5. Pour sugar and egg white into a heatproof pan and place it over a saucepan of simmering water.

6. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 50 to 55C).

7. Pour the egg white and lemon juice into the mixing bowl with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks then add in the powder colouring. (I used copper powder colouring..looks like chocolate in the end)

8. Continue to beat until the egg white has cooled down and it look smooth and shiny. (medium peak but not dry)

9. Fold in the sifted mixture in 4 portions into the meringue. Do not over fold batter until it turn watery, batter should be slightly thicker than cake batter.(I hv tried dumping the sifted mixture all at once.. it works too)

10.Spoon batter into a piping bag and pipe it within the round imprint which had made earlier on.

11.Let the macarons to rest for 30mins.

12.Preheat oven to 150C.

13.Bake a tray at a time for 20-25mins, depend on individual oven. (i baked mine for 19mins)

14.Remove macarons and cool on a wire rack

15.Slather filling of choice on the macs & sandwich them..Enjoy!

Recipe : here previously & originated from bisousatoi.com

Vanilla Custard & Strawberry filling Puffs

2012-01-03T21:49:00.000+08:00

A short entry...being the first day @ work after the long weekend..err...super long for me..am trying to hold my temper in check while at the office. Some people are just born to piss the heck out of other people..it's their core existence in life..their hobby..their passion...breathe, i said to myself......deep breathe...count to ten...err not working la..so I'll count to 50 instead..haizzz...

All right, let's talk about puff instead. Initially I wanted to make some cream puff and the vanilla custard filling was meant to be for something else. But in life, sometimes things don't go as planned kan..so that's what happen to these puffs..The vanilla custard filling went into the puffs..and not only that, some 'genius' menyibuk & put some strawberry filling meant for my macarons into the puffs...super nice he said...wateva la boys!

I love these puffs..they are light & yummy even on its own...especially warm out of the oven..Didn't realise I've popped quite a bit on the pretext of having 'a taste' only..hahaha...Now I know what my sis meant when she told me that these thingys will just slide of the baking tray after you remove from the oven..ya la sis, now I geddit :) muchas gracias arr!!

This is the one by the 'genius'..the one with the strawberry filling.

Ingredients for Puffs

100g butter

250ml water

a pinch of salt

150g flour (all purpose)

1/2tsp vanilla essence

1/4tsp baking powder

1tbsp sugar

2-3 eggs (I followed to original recipe which use 4eggs, but the batter became too watery, no choice I added more flour, so you need to adjust the eggs accordingly)

Method for puffs

1. Mix flour, baking powder,salt and sugar, set aside.

2. Heat butter in a pot (medium heat), once butter melted, add in water, mix well.

3. Add in flour mixture (no.1), vanilla, qucikly mix well ( about few seconds), turn off the heat.

4. Continue stirring flour until the dough mix well ( once you see shinning surface).

5. Transfer the dough to a mixer, set aside to let it cool down.

6. Once it cool down (dont need completely cool) , mix in the egg, and beat the dough and eggs till mix well, less than 5mins.(the dough texture must not too soft or too hard, something like biscuit dough which you can easily shape it)

7. Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe quarter-sized puffs about 1 inch apart on a baking pan.

8. Bake at pre-heat oven at 180C (original recipe 200c, too hot) for 25mins or until golden brown.

9. Cut the puff and fill in durian cream or whatever filling you choose (store in fridge when not use), and enjoy it.

Ingredients for Vanilla custard

3 egg yolks

1 / 4 cup sugar

1 stick vanilla bean

1 cup UHT milk

15gr corn flour

1 tbsp Salted butter

Method for Vanilla custard

1. Mix the egg yolks, sugar, corn flour, stir until well blended and pale yellow in color.

2. Heat the milk and vanilla bean until almost boiling, remove vanilla bean, pour half of the boiled milk into the beaten egg + sugar + corn flour, stir, then pour back into remaining milk , reheat, stirring constantly until custard thickens, remove from fire, add butter, stir until well blended, let it cool bef putting into piping bag.

Puff recipe : Sonia (Nasi Lemak Lover)

Vanilla Custard recipe: Mummy Sonia (aka Rima..hehe..)

Spaghetti In Tomato Sauce & hello 2012

2012-01-01T21:10:00.000+08:00

Hello & happy 2012 people :-)

How's your day so far? Good? yeah...weather now is splendid..sun is shining bright & we have something planned for later which is something I looked forward to after toiling in the kitchen the whole day yesterday..I am nursing a slight sore throat coz somebody in the house 'forced' me to sing a 'solo' spot last night..babe..u know who I'm talking about right??hahahha...haizzz...kids.........

So for lunch today, I made a simple dish, Spaghetti In Tomato Sauce..easy peasy..no one will complain if I made this..if I were to cook lauk pauk for lunch, definitely I'll have to cater to all their different taste buds..not too sweet la, not too oily la..this & that..

ok peeps, there's bread in the oven & I better have a look...am pressed for time, so this is just a short entry...have a great day ahead..I know I will...Ciao!!

Ingredients

12 ounces spaghetti (abt 350g)

1 pound lean ground beef (abt 450g)

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 1/3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

Directions

Brown beef over medium heat. Drain off fat.

In a large pot, combine beef, salt, sugar, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and mushrooms. Simmer at a low heat setting for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Serve sauce over spaghetti. (I topped mine with chopped parsley)

Source: Allrecipes