My Kitchen Notes

I Have Moved...

2010-07-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

To http://shirleykitchen.blogspot.com/

I probably will keep this blog until I had moved all of the recipes (that I want to move) over. I hope the new blog will give me more motivation to add recipes. :)

Beans With Olive-Shallot Butter

2010-05-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

+ see recipe here +

Short Ribs With Vegetables

2010-01-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

4 lb (2 kg) beef short ribs
1 large leek (or 3 small leeks), white parts only, sliced crosswise
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
3 cloves garlic
½ cup ketchup
½ cup water (or beef stock if any)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch spinach, cleaned and stemmed

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
In a dry large frying pan over medium heat, brown the ribs in batches, turning often, until nicely colored, 8-10 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a roasting pan just large enough to hold all of them comfortably.

In a bowl, combine the leeks, carrots, garlic, ketchup, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to blend and pour over the ribs.
Roast the ribs for a total of two hours. Stir in the spinach 20 minutes before it is done.

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-12-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
1 shallots, minced
1/2 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium butternut squash, about 2 lbs, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 large tart green apples such as Granny Smith or pippin, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 cups (24 fl oz) chicken stock or prepared low-sodium chicken broth
kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
crème fraiche, thinned with milk for garnish (optional)
minced fresh chives for garnish

Instructions:

In a soup pot, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat.
Add the shallot, ginger, cardamom, and cumin and sauté until the shallots are translucent (2-3 min).
Add the squash and apple and sauté, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften (2-3 min).
Add the stock and season with kosher salt and white pepper to taste. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the squash and apples are very tender (about 40 min).
Purée soup with a handheld blender in the pot until very smooth. (Alternatively, use a blender or food processor.) Add the lemon juice and cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Garnish with a swirl of thinned crème fraiche (optional) and a sprinkle of chives.

adapted from: Christmas (Williams-Sonoma)

Notes:

Original recipe call for 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, but I found the cardamom flavor a bit too strong. So I had reduced to 1/4 teaspoon here.

Pasta Salad

2009-07-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

This pasta salad meant to be easy and flexible. Feel free to replace or take out anything that you don't have. For the vegetables, I like to pick three different kinds of color.

Besides the ones listed, you can also use, yellow cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli rabe, cucumber, any types of bell pepper... so many combination!

Herbs and cheese are optional.

Ingredients:

8 ounces fussili pasta (or shell-shaped or penne)
10 olives, pitted

1 gold zucchini
10-15 red cherry tomatoes
10 asparagus (pencil asparagus preferred)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, cooked with pasta for 5 minutes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

juice from 1 lemon
handful fresh basil
cheese (Parmesan, feta, blue...)

Serve two

Instructions:

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, put in a large bowl. While cooking the pasta, also cook the garlic for 5 minutes then take it out.

Cut the vegetables. Cook zucchini and asparagus. Cut olives into small pieces. Also chop the basil. Put all these in the same bowl as the pasta.

Pour vinegar into a small bowl, whisk in the oil. Mash the garlic with a fork and add to the mixture. Add salt and pepper.

Add sauce and lemon juice into the bowl, mix well.

Serve on plate, add cheese, or more pepper if desired.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

2009-07-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

I had baked this cake several times. Great for afternoon snack with coffee or tea. Also goes well with ice cream! :)

Recipe:

For the streusel filling:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp all-purpose (plain) flour
1/3 cup (2 ½ oz/75 g) firmly packed golden brown sugar
¾ cup (3 oz/90g) chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the batter:
2 ½ cups (12 ½ oz/390 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

¾ cup (6 oz/185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (12 oz/375 g) sour cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 °F (180 °C). Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan (or tube pan).

To make the streusel filling, combine all ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

To make the batter, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside.

In a standing mixer*, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the sour cream and mix on low speed just until the batter is blended and almost smooth.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the rubber spatula. Sprinkle evenly with half the streusel filling. Pour in the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

* Can also use hand-held electronic mixer or by hand.

Green Tea Cheesecake

2009-07-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

+ see recipe here +

Cheesecake Crust

2009-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

After few failed tries, I realized I must use a parchment paper on the bottom of the pan to successfully keep the crust together when lifting the cake from the pan. The crust was delicious!!

If you like, you can mix in one tablespoon of sugar, but I find it unnecessary.

For a 9-in springform pan.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 tablespoon for the pan)

8 whole graham crackers (4 ounces), broken into rough pieces and processed in a food processor to fine, even crumbs

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper a little larger than the bottom.

Brush the parchment paper, the bottom, and sides of a 9-in springform pan with melted butter (about 1 tablespoon).

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the reminding 5 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix well with a fork until evenly moistened.

Empty the crumbs into the pan, press evenly into the pan bottom.

Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 13-15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

2009-05-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2009.05.09

A classic pasta dish. It supposed to have traces of egg, but... will try again. I used twice as much of pancetta as instructed. I want more meat.

Recipe:

2 eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) grated pecorino romano cheese
¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) grated parmesan cheese
1 lb (500 g) spaghetti
¼ cup (2fl oz/60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ lb (125 g) piece pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) dry white wine
salt and coarsely ground pepper
generous handful of fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

serve 4.

(Will add instruction later.)

Roasted Pork (Cha Shu)

2009-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

+ see recipe here +

Simple Cauliflower Soup

2009-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

+ see recipe here +

Roasted Cauliflower

2009-05-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 2009.05.06

Recipe:
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Lemon juice (from half a lemon)
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

+ Recipe from Simply Recipes +

Smoked Salmon Egg Benedict

2009-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

+ see recipe here +

Tiramisu

2009-02-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 2009.02.14

Valentine's Day

Saturday, 2007.11.17

I made this for a friend's bridal shower. I tried something new! I shaved chocolate on top instead of using cocoa powder. I like this version better. The shaved chocolate gave a very good texture contrast.

Instead of using a glass container, I used a 8x8 metal cake pan. I also put an aluminum foil in the bottom, so that I can lift up the Tiramisu, then when I cut it, it can look nicely.

But the problem with this was:
1. this pan needs 26 lady fingers; the glass container needs 24, which is perfect because a pack comes with 24.
2. the metal cake pan is too shallow, it barely fit. It won't fit the chocolate on top. I added the chocolate after I took it out of the pan

I think it's better to stick with the glass container.

Friday, 2007.05.04

I had some friends over for dinner last night. I made tiramisu for dessert.

This time, I thought I would try something different. I used ice cream cups (instead of a 8x8" glass pan) as containers. It was a little bit tricky to layer the lady fingers. And I ended up used only 16 (instead of 24) lady fingers but with the same amount of egg & mascarpone mixture. Next time, I should put more lady fingers.

+ See more photos of the process of making it. +

Wednesday, 2006.11.22

I made Tiramisu again, for tomorrow's family Thanksgiving dinner. It's probably one of the easiest dessert to make.

Sunday, 2006.01.15

on my second attempt to make the tiramisu, it turned out great! and i figured out what went wrong the last time i made it. i didn't let the coffee cool down before adding it to the mascarpone mixture, probably causing it to melt a little so the mixture turned out too liquidity.

this is not a very good photo... i need to take a better one.

Recipe:

8 oz Mascarpone cheese
3 eggs (separated), at room temperature
1 tablespoon Caster sugar or regular cane sugar
1 cup Strong black coffee, cold
½ cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
pinch of sugar and cream of tartar (optional)
24-30 Italian sponge fingers savoiardi or lady fingers
2 tablespoons cocoa powder or 3 oz shaved bittersweet chocolate

Put egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone cheese in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until evenly blended and creamy.

Add 2 tablespoons of kahlua and coffee into the mixture and blend well. (The proportion of adding how much coffee or kahlua can be varied from the preference of the maker.)

In another bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks, add pinch of sugar and cream tartar (optional) then whip until stiff peaks.

Fold egg white into the mascarpone mixture until evenly incorporated.

Mix the remaining coffee and kahlua together in a shallow dish. Dip the lady fingers in the mixture one at a time for about two seconds. Place the soaked lady finger in the container until it covers up the base. Pour the mascarpone mixture on top of the lady fingers layer.

Make another layer of lady fingers then top another layer of mascarpone mixture. (Total of four layers.)

Sprinkle cocoa powder or shaved bittersweet chocolate on top of the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve chilled.

Gingery Gingersnaps

2008-11-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2008.11.1

I used to think that I don't like this type of cookies. Until one day, my coworker baked them and asked me if I want some. Out of courtesy, and honesty, I said to her, "I usually don't like them, but since you baked them, I'll try some..."

Well, the next thing I know, I was hooked to them!!! Yummy!!

Lately I have been craving for them so I decided to bake some.

They turned out pretty good, though the top didn't crinkle. I baked them for 13 minutes. I used a hand mixer, but I think it should be fine without one. I thought 48 cookies were a lot, but they were gone so fast! I need to bake them again soon!

Recipe:
2 cups (10 oz/315 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) vegetable oil
½ cup (5 ½ oz/170 g) ligh molasses
1 cup (7 oz/220 g) firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 large egg
½ cup (3 oz/90 g) chopped crystallized ginger

Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350°F (180° C). Line 3 rimless baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, molasses, brown sugar, egg, and crystallized ginger. Beat with a wooden spoon (or mixer on low speed) until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.

Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the tops are crinkled and feel firm when lightly touched, 10-13 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes about 48 cookies

Fruit Salad

2008-08-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe today, looks quite simple and delicious! Will try it out some time!

Recipe:

1 large mango, peeled and diced
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups fresh strawberries, halves
2 cups seedless grapes
2 nectarines, unpeeled and sliced
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

honey-orange sauce:
½ cup unsweetened orange juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp honey
¼ tsp ground ginger
dash nutmeg

1. Prepare and combine the fruit
2. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and mix
3. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the fruit

Yield: 12 4-oz servings; 96 calories/serving
1 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium

Potato-Leek Soup with Fennel and Watercress

2008-07-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

Friday, 2008.07.04

Made a simple soup last night. Um, quite good.

Recipe:

1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 leek, including tender green parts, coarsely chopped
1 fennel bulb, about ½ lb, thinly sliced, leaves reserved for garnish
1 baking potato, about ½ lb, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ bunch watercress, stems removed
salt and freshly ground white pepper

In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4-5 minutes.

Add the fennel and potato and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes longer.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook until the vegetables are completely softened, about 20 minutes. Add the watercress and cook until the watercress is wilted but is still bright green, 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Purée soup with a handheld blender in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, use a blender or food processor.) Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with fennel leaves. Serve immediately.

Serve 4.

Panna Cotta

2008-05-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2008.05.24

Strawberry Panna Cotta

I tried two things different:

Made the panna cotta strawberry flavored by adding about a cup of strawberry puree. (4:1 milik & cream to puree)

For half, used ice cream cups instead of ramekins.

Inverted panna cotta can be decorated nicer; in glasses can have a different feel... Hmm... which is better?!

» See recipe

Wednesday, 2006.10.17

I had few girls over to watch "When Harry Met Sally" together last night. I made panna cotta for dessert.

panna cotta with fresh strawberries & strawberry coulis

Recipe:

1 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
2¾ teaspoons gelatin (use 2 5/8 if overnight)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons sugar (the recipe calls for 6)
pinch of salt

[For strawberry flavor, add 1 cup of strawberry purée]

Makes 8 (4-oz ramekin)

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan; sprinkle the surface evenly with the gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate the gelatin.

Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. [Make strawberry purée: Blend strawberries until very smooth; then pour through a very fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids.]

Heat the milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 ½ minutes. Off the heat, add the sugar and salt; stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.

Stirring constantly, slowly pour the cream into the milk. Then stir in the vanilla extract.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set it over the bowl of ice water. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens to the consistency of eggnog and registers 50 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

[Stir strawberry purée into the mixture.] Strain the mixture into another bowl. Divide evenly among 8 4-oz ramekins (or 6 6-oz ramekins; or wine glasses).

Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until just set (the mixture should wobble when shaken gently), about 4 hours (or up to 2 days).

To unmold (if use ramekins), prepare a bowl of boiling water. Dip the ramekin into the water, count to three. Lift the ramekin off the water. With a moistened finger, lightly press the periphery of the panna cotta to loosen the edges. Dip the ramekin back into the water for another three counts. Invert the ramekin over your palm and loosen the panna cotta by cupping your fingers between the panna cotta and the edge of the ramekin. Gently lower the panna cotta onto the serving plate.

Serve with Strawberry coulis if desired.

Buttery Cookies

2008-03-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 2008.03.02

I'll be babysitting my god-daughters tomorrow night, so I made some cookies for them to bring home. ;)

I still had the same problem with the cookie press--had to press twice to make one cookie. And I also needed to use a knife to separate the cookie from the cookie press. That part wasn't fun at all! But seeing all these lovely cookies coming out of the oven was a joy.

Saturday, 2006.03.25

i baked some vanilla cookies today. it's mainly for tomorrow's board game hang out. making the dough wasn't difficult, but using the cookie press was harder than i thought. i'm not sure if my dough was too sticky or what, for some shapes, they just stuck and wouldn't come out. i had to use my hand to "pull" them out, so of course ruined the shape a little bit. and they didn't come out as nicely and perfect as i imagined. :( i'm a little disappointed. well, at least they taste good. not sure if i want to make them again! took so much time. aww, maybe i will...

Classic Dark Chocolate Brownies

2008-02-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 2008.02.17

This was my second try making these irresistible goodies. They came out better than last time, but still too cakey for me. Argh!!!!

I used a different recipe from last time. I baked it for 30 minutes, and used half of cup less sugar. What should I do to make it less cakey? Less time? Less baking powder?!

Recipe:
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) plain cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces
2 ¼ cups sugar (I used 1 ¾ cups)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Position: middle rack
Preheat to: 325˚ F
Container: 9X13” baking pan; oiled. Better even if lined with foil and oiled.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together until combined; set aside.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water.

When chocolate mixture is smooth, remove from heat and gradually whisk in the sugar. (The sugar won’t be complete dissolved.)

Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined.

Whisk in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, folding with a rubber spatula until the batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer the batter to the baking pan. Smooth the top evenly with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cut into 2-inch squares. (Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Thursday, 2007.10.04

For the first time, I baked brownies last night. I had been craving for brownies since I decided to bake it. But, sadly, I thought it turned out disastrous! :(

Ingredients I used:

6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 oz unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar (the recipe called for 1 3/4)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

It was overbaked and dry!

What made it disastrous:
1. the recipe called for a 8X8" pan; but unknowingly I used a 9X9" pan.
2. because of #1, the batter was flatter so it was overbaked.
3. maybe I should have used 1 1/2 cup of sugar.

If you treat it as a chocolate cake, it didn't taste too bad, only a bit dry. But, it was just nothing like a brownie!

It was a disappointment! But I will try again!!

Bread Pudding

2007-11-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 2007.11.24

I used a 10x8" dish, baked 45 min without water bath. It was overcooked; I think because the surface area of this dish is more so the mixture is thinner than say a 9x9" pan.

The time should not be account for the size of container, but how thick the mixture is. That's why even I used the ramekin last time, but I still need as much time.

Sunday, 2007.10.07

I have never tried to bake breading pudding in small ramekins. I think it's more convenient like this.

I used the same recipe, instead of using a 2-quart pan, I used 5 6-oz ramekins. I forgot to butter the ramekins so I couldn't get the breading pudding. Next time, I should try that.

I baked 40 minutes in 350 degree. 40-45 minutes is the suggested time for 2-quart pan. I thought less time would be use for the small ramekins, but after 30 minutes, it seemed undercooked. So I baked 10 more minute. But next time, I think I should try 35 minutes.

Recipe:

9 ½-inch slices day-old Challah, about 10 oz
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk

Position: middle rack
Preheat to: 325˚ F
Container: 2-qt baking dish or 5 6-oz ramekins, lightly butter

Cut bread into ½-inch cubes, about 3 cups, lights packed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt until blended, then whisk in the milk.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over the bread and set aside for 20 minutes to moisten the bread. Tilt the dish occasionally to keep the bread evenly covered with the liquid.

Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean, partially coated with half-set custard. 40-45 minutes. (It will continue to cook a little after it comes out of the oven.)

Remove from the oven and let cool until set but still warm. (It can be serve in room temperature or refrigerate to chill for up to 3 hours, but I think it’s best to serve warm.)

Top with vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise, or whipped cream, if desired.

Notes:

It's done when the pudding start to inflate and rise up high in the pan. Don't wait! Remove the pan immediately from oven when the edges of the pudding start to rise.

If baked in a water bath, the texture might slightly better, but the extra work doesn’t seem to worth the effort.

Dried fruits (such as currants, cranberries, diced apricots) can be sprinkled in the bread before adding the mixture, but I personally do not like it so I tend to skip it.

Chocolate Soufflé

2006-12-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Friday, 2006.12.22

I had my small group people over for dinner, and I made chocolate soufflés for dessert. I'm actually not (yet) a fan of soufflés, but somehow "soufflé" just sounds yummy or something, so I always wanted to make it.

This was my first time. It didn't turn out as expected, although everyone graciously finished their share. :) It was too sweet. I used 62% dark chocolate, I should have used 70%. And I used the same amount of sugar as instructed. I should use less. It was also slightly undercooked, although I baked it more than I should. I begin to suspect the temperature in my oven is not accurate. Last time when I baked my cheesecake, I had a "low temperatue" problem too. Argh, I don't know what to do.

I don't know if I will make this again. Maybe I should stick with the desserts that I like, then it would be easier to tailor the recipe.

recipe:

Unsalted butter and sugar for preparing dish
8 oz (250 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup (6 oz/185 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position a rack in the lowr third of the oven, and preheat to 375◦ F for a large soufflé or 400◦ F for individual soufflés. Butter a 1 ½-qt soufflé dish or six 1-cup (8 oz) ramekins and dust the bottom and sides with sugar.

Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler places over (not touching) barely simmering water. Heat, stirring often, until the chocolate melts. Remove from over the water and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks until thick and pale in color. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate.

Fold one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then gentle fold in the remaining whites just until no white streaks remain. Spoon into the prepared dish(es). Run your thumb around the rim of the dish to form a shallow groove along the edge. This will give the soufflé a “hat.”

Bake the soufflé until set, puffed, and the center still jiggles when the dish is gently shaken, 25-30 minutes for the large soufflé or 8-10 minutes for the individual soufflés. Serve immediately with whipped cream, crème anglaise, or ice cream, if desired.

Blueberry-cornmeal Muffins

2006-12-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

Friday, 2006.11.24

I baked some blueberry-cornmeal muffins. I thought they were alright. Maybe I didn't like taste of the cornmeal. The recipe called for 15-18 minutes, I think 15 would be good enough. The first round I did 16 minutes, and they were a little dry.

My co-worker has another recipe that she uses. I think I will try her recipe, because I remember the one she baked was a lot moisted.

New York Cheesecake

2006-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Friday, 2006.11.24

I baked new york cheesecake. This is my first try. Cheesecake is one of my favorite dessert, and for me it got to be new york style. When I was young, I didn't like cheese. My very first encounter with cheese probably started with a piece of cheesecake. Now? I love cheese also.

I like my new york cheesecake dense, smooth, and a little tangy. It might be simple and minimalist, but you would surprise how hard it is to find a good one.

It turned out pretty good, but need some improvement. :) First, it cracked! Although people thought that it looked quite nice with the crack, but it was not supposed to be like this! That means something was wrong. I looked up, it said the temperature was too low, but I did 200 degree, that's the standard. Then, I think it can be a little more tangy, maybe a little more sour cream or lemon juice? Hehe.

Lastly, the crust was unsuccessful! It got stuck to the pan, and I had a hard time to get it out with the cake! So most of the pieces were like crustless or curst-on-the-side! When I was making it, it smelled very good. Maybe I pressed too hard to the pan? Or maybe I didn't butter the pan enough?

But overall, the cheesecake was good, I liked it. I think people liked it too.

Recipe:

CRUST

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 tablespoon for the pan)
8 whole graham crackers (4 ounces), broken into rough pieces and processed in a food processor to fine, even crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar

FILLING

2 ½ pounds (five 8-ounces packages) cream cheese, cut into rough 1-inch chunks, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks, plus 6 large eggs, at room temperature

For the crust:

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-in springform pan with ½ tablespoon of the melted butter.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons of the melted butter and toss with a fork until evenly moistened.
Empty the crumbs into the pan, press evenly into the pan bottom.
Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 13 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

For the filling:

Increase the oven temperature to 500 degree.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add and beat the following ingredients at medium-low speed until combined, each time about 1minute. Scrape the beater and the bottom and sides of the bowl well with a rubber spatula between each addition:

cream cheese
salt and about half of the sugar
remaining sugar
sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla,
egg yolks
two eggs at a time

Brush the sides of the springform pan with the remaining ½ tablespoon melted butter.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake 10 minutes;
without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until the cheesecake registers about 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center, about 1 ½ hours.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool until barely warm, 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Run a paring knife between the cake and the pan sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
To unmold the cheesecake, remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom of the pan to loosen, then slide the cake onto a serving plate.
Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges.

Crème Caramel

2006-09-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 2007.09.22

Since last post of Creme Caramel, I tried two more times, and realized the key to a good custard is to cover the pan with aluminum foil!! I baked it again today and finally came up with a version that I like!! :)

Here's the ingredients:

for the caramel:
2/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

for the custard:
3 cups half and half
3 large whole eggs & 2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch salt

for individual ramekins: 35-40min
for large pan: 70-75 min
at 350 degrees.

Monday, 2007.07.09

Last week, my friends invited me over for dinner. As a courtesy, I offered to make dessert. But maybe I wasn't in my best mood to bake that day, I made several mistakes. Thus the result was a bit disappointing. (But of course my friends still thought it tasted good. They are very nice to me.)

See those bubbles? They shouldn't be there. I think over beaten the eggs and the half-and-half. The sweetness level was good, but texture is not as soft was it should be.

I was playing around with the ingredients a bit, I tried to make it less sweet. Here's what I used:

for the caramel:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

for the custard:
3 cups half and half
6 large whole eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoons salt

Notes:
1. I found that it's okay not to put light corn syrup to make the caramel. (I wasn't able to open my bottle! It got stuck.)

2. Don't overheat the half-and-half, use a medium size saucepan. When pour into the egg mixture, whisk slowly, avoid making it foamy!

3. I didn't butter the ramekins. I struggled a bit to unmold it. Maybe I should try one next time.

4. I baked 35 minutes, tasted overcooked, but I think it was because the half-and-half was too hot when mixing with the eggs.

5. Next time, I should make a little bit more caramel, barely enough to divide into eight ramekins.

Monday, 2006.09.04

J & S came over for dinner, made these for dessert. the caramel was a little too sweet. need to put less sugar next time. this was the first time i used individual remekins. it's easier to bake them in a big pan.