Tuesday 1 March 2011

Aspiring Bakers #4 Love In The Air (Feb 2011) - Round Up

Thanks everyone for supporting February Aspiring Bakers #4 event and also Small Small Baker(SSB) for giving me the opportunity to be the host for this month theme. From this hosting, I got to know more talented blogger friends through their submissions with all the fantastic posts that support this month "heart shaped" theme. In total I have received 82 mouth drooling entries and each entry has its unique creation that makes you crave for more of their upcoming posts.

Here are all the entries for Aspiring Bakers #4 Love In The Air, listed in the order of the date submitted.


Meringue Hearts by Spear of My Baking Milestone



Pineapple Tarts by Ching of Little Corner of Mine



Hearty buns by Cathy of Cathy's Joy



Pancake Hearts by Qi Ting of
Misadventures of Fat-Free Baking



Salted-financier by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids



Mandarin Orange Cranberry Scones
by Veronica of Pengs' Kitchen



My Sweetheart(Orange Scented Rice)
by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise



Spice Up Your Love(Stir-fried Chicken With Mandarin Orange)
by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise



Love binds us together by Cathy of Cathy's Joy



Mississippi Mud Cake by Ann of Anncoo Journal



Baked Egg and Cheese Toast
by Jasline of Food Is My Life



Strawberry yogurt cake, with fresh strawberries and strawberry whipped cream
by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!



Osmanthus Jelly by Ah Tze of Awayofmind



Melt Your Heart (strawberries yoghurt pops)
by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise



Heart Poppers (assorted mini donuts)
by Ellena of Cuisine Paradise



Vanilla Cookies by Nancy of Bake for a Queen



Chocolate Pudding With Fruits Cocktail Sauce
by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake



A Love-ly mini Red Velvet Cake
  by Lisa of From My Lemony Kitchen



Lavender Butter Cookies
by Veronica of Pengs Kitchen



Dulce De Leche Pound Cake by Jess of j3ss kitch3n



Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cheese Frosting
by Gertrude of My Kitchen Snippets



Heart-shaped Cheesy Bread
by Kym Kym of Kym Kym's Adventure



Heart-shaped Raspberry Napoleon by Alan of Travellingfoodies



Heart-shaped Raspberry Napoleon by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香



Love You Beary Much - Valentine's Treats 
  by Loh Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal



Stained Glass Cookies by DG of Tested and Tasted



Egg White Cream Cheese Cupcake
by Edith of pReCiouS MoMentS



豆浆乳酪蛋糕 (Soya Milk Cheesecake)
by Esther of 我的厨房乐园



Lovely Whales Bento by Rachel Hei of ~温馨小厨~



Shaped Jelly for Valentine's Day by Ann of Anncoo Journal



Strawberry Macarons by Quizzine of Baking on Cloud 9



Valentine Sandwiches by Lena of Frozen Wings



Mini Genoise Cakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache 
by HoneyBeeSweets of Honey Bee Sweets



Mango Cheesecake by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious



Osmanthus Butter Cookies
by Peihwa of Love Melody, Love Baking



Chocolate Shortbread
by Peihwa of Love Melody, Love Baking



Pistachio and Almond Cookies
by Peihwa of Love Melody, Love Baking



Chocolate sponge cake with caramel cream
by SCP of Love to cook and cook to be loved



Matcha Mochi Cake by Jess of j3ss kitch3n



Sweetheart Torte by Kristy of My Little Space



Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
by Loh Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal



Tortilla by Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen



Pink Vanilla Bean Macarons
by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!



爱心Pizza by Myme of 最爱的。。。



Green Bean Soup with Rue
by Edith of pReCiouS MoMentS



Green Tea Tiramisu by Ann of Anncoo Journal



Heart Shaped Ricotta Cream Cheese Cheesecake
by Ah Tze of Awayofmind



French Apple Cake by Agnes of Agnes Bakes



Chocolate Caramel Brownie Hearts
by Daphne of More Than Words



Strawberry Chiffon Cake by Myme of 最爱的。。。



Tangzhong Heart-Shaped Buns
by Jen of Tastes of Home



Heart Shape Plait
by Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen



Jelly Heart by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious



Mandarin Orange Chiffon Cake
by winterpoohbear of Winterpoohbear



Valentine Chocolate Cake by Tricia of Experimental Cook



Fudgy Brownies Pop
by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake



A Valentine's Rainbow Chiffon by Joyce of Chunky Cooky



Macarons (with heart pattern) 
  by Nancy of Bake for a Queen



Strawberry and Pistachio Financiers
by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!



2-layer agar agar with heart-shaped strawberries
by Ivy (Beary)of Beary's Passion



Passion fruit Ice Cream
by kk of My Food Affair



Non bake blueberry cheesecake
by Jess of Bakericious



Matcha Macarons by Cathy of Cathy's Joy



Heart Shaped Butter Rolls
by Treat and Trick of Treat and Trick



Wholemeal Yogurt Buns
by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!



heart shaped mont blanc cake
by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious



Mini Donuts by Gertrude of My Kitchen Snippets



Apple Pocket Pie
by Honey Boy of Cosy Bake



Paris-Brest with a Twist!
by Alan of Travellingfoodies



Heart shaped chestnut tiramisu
by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious



I love hello Kitty (Ice cream cake)
  by Nancy of Bake for a Queen



A Valentine Chocolate Cake for My Love
by Olivia Stephens of Food.Love.Passion



玉米糕 (Corn Pudding)
by Esther of 我的厨房乐园



Jelly Hearts
by Jean of Need More Noms



Strawberry temptation
by Yvonne of Muimui25



Sweethearts
by Stephanie (Musketnuss) of I really take the cake



Love pocket bread
by Wendy(Wen)of Wen's Delight



Rainbow Chiffon
by Peihwa of Love Melody, Love Baking



Lemon Hearts
by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious



Romeo and Juliet Cake by Lena of Frozen Wings



Revision on Making Macarons by Alan of Travellingfoodies



Strawberry Tart
by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake



Thank you everyone!!!! 
Thanks for making this February theme full of LOVES!!!!!



And now the theme for this month's:
Aspiring Bakers #5: Fruity March(Mar 2011) will be hosted by Jess of Bakericious

The closing date is: 31 March 2011.
All entries will be complied and posted by 1st Apr 2011.

For more details please go over to her blog HERE.





p/s: If you have submitted your entry(s) but it is not shown here, do leave me a comment so that I could check it out. Thanks.

Monday 28 February 2011

Steamed Chicken WIth Garlic and Pandan Leaves

Remember last week I have shared a post with you our Yuan Xiao Jie(元宵节) dinner and here is the second dish that we had apart from that “Stir-Fry Leek with Firm Beancurd”. I got the idea of this “Steamed Chicken With Garlic and Pandan Leaves” from my 3rd Aunt who cooked this during one of Chinese New Year gathering over at her place (her version HERE).

After chit chatting with her in the kitchen while she was preparing the food, I managed to note down some of the key ingredients and steps on making this dish. So here is how I managed to get my favourite dish done from her descriptions.

Depending on the number of people you have, you can choose different sizes of chicken range from small (800g) to big(1.8kg) but the cooking time will have to be adjusted accordingly too.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 4)
1 Kampong Chicken, about 1kg
6 Slices of Ginger
4 Small Garlic Bulbs, lightly pound
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into half
2 Bundles of Pandan Leaves

Seasonings:
Salt and Sesame Oil


Notes:
~ To further enhance the chicken with garlic fragrant, lightly pound the garlic bulbs before stuffing into the cavity.

~ You can also use the chicken broth collected from the plate use for steamed chicken to cook chicken rice or throw in some shredded cabbage leaves to make soup.

~ Remember, do not over cooked the chicken or else the meat will be tough.



According to the chicken stall owner,s either Kampong or Sakura Chicken will be great to use in any steaming recipes as their taste much sweeter and fragrant compare to the rest.

Method:
1. Clean, trim and rinse the chicken thoroughly, pat dry with kitchen paper towels.
2. Place chicken(breast side facing up) on deep steaming plate and rub ½ teaspoon of salt all over the chicken.
3. Stuff cavity with garlic bulbs, 3-4 ginger slices, 1 bundle of pandan leaves and half portion of spring onion and scatter the rest of the ingredients on the sides and bottom of the chicken..
4. Steam in a covered pot/wok over medium high heat for 10 minutes, flip the chicken over on another side and continue to steam for another 15 – 20 minutes. (Remember to take note of the water in the pot and add in more hot water if necessary to avoid it from evaporating)
5. To test if the chicken is cooked, insert a chopstick into the thigh area if the liquid run out clear, it is cooked.
6. Remove the chicken from pot to another plate(refer to Notes on chicken broth), quickly rub 1 teaspoon of sesame oil all over it and let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes before cutting the chicken into bite size pieces and serve.

After resting the steamed chicken for about 5 minutes, I managed to cut it nicely into bite size portions and serve with some tomato wedges. This steamed chicken dish is infused with the aroma and fragrant from the Pandan Leaves and garlics that makes you crave for more. As for dipping sauce we prefer to have dark soya sauce with cut chilies instead of the usual Hainanese Chinese Rice Chilies.


Friday 25 February 2011

Eggless Dark Chocolate Ice-Cream

I have never thought of one day I could also churn up my very own Homemade Ice-cream even without using an ice-cream maker. In the past even though I have read up some really yummy ice-cream recipes, but yet still not a single one has lift up my motivation as I always thought it is a must to have an ice-cream maker before I could achieve those commercial like ice-cream texture.

I am sure most of us would like to have something sweet for after meal dessert or some frozen dessert to quench thirst during hot summer afternoon. No matter which is your choice I am sure either the refreshing Orange Sorbet or creamy Chocolate Ice-Cream will make some good rewards.

If you look at most of the ice-cream recipes, they usually called for "egg yolks" which are something that I always try to avoid while making dessert for my kid. But "Jess's" version( HERE) of recipe is definitely a keeper as it does not require any egg yolks in the ingredients. And to our surprised the end result taste just as rich and good as commerical ice-cream.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6)
20g Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, sieved
90g Valrhona 70% Dark Chocolate
* 50g - 70g of Caster Sugar
1 Cup(200ml) Whipping Cream
125ml Fresh Milk
1 Tablespoon Kahlua / Tia Maria, optional


Note:
~ The amount of sugar added will depend on the type of chocolate used and your sweetness preference. (I used 50g for my 70% Dark Chocolate which can be purchased from either SunLik or Shermay Cooking School)

~ For creamy texture, you can replace whipping cream with thick cream.

~ To make chocolate sauce: Melt 30g Chocolate in microwave safe bowl on High Powder for 2 minutes with 30 second interval, stir the mixture between each interval to have a sauce like consistency.




Method:
1. In a medium saucepan combine cream, cocoa powder, sugar and whisk it over medium heat till combined and sugar melts.
2. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring often, remove from heat and immediately whisk in chocolate until completely melted.
3. Next whisk in milk till mixture is glossy and well mixed before adding liquor if using.
4. Sieved the mixture through fine strainer into the loaf pan/tray, cool to room temperature.
5. Churn above mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions or alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze it for at least 2 hours or until firm.
6. Use a fork/spoon break out mixture and process it in blender (or whisk it using hand-held beater) for a few second till creamy. You might need to repeat the process at least twice if you prefer a smoother texture.
7. Return mixture to pan, freeze for another 3 hours or until firm. (I freeze it overnight)
8. Serve scoops of ice-cream with extra chocolate sauce and topping in cones or cups.


Are you ready for a scoop or two of this Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice-Cream.


Finally after a day of whisking, freezing and waiting..... here is our very first Homemade Chocolate Ice-cream. Each scoop is filled with rich and creamy texture that melts our heart with its semi-bittersweet chocolate taste.  And most importantly we get to choose the quality of ingredients used such as low fat milk/cream ad etc. So which is your choice? Cone or Cup?

For better presentation and finishing taste, you can drizzle some melt chocolate sauce(see notes above) together with your flavour chopped nuts or sprinkles topping on it. Enjoy!!! Have a great weekend everyone.





Eggless Dark Chocolate Ice-Cream


Thursday 24 February 2011

Orange Cinnamon Sorbet

It has being ages since my last post on Sorbet which was around May 2006 where Tracy shared with me her encounter on making "Mango Kaffir Lime Sorbet". (you can check out the recipe HERE) And from there I also modify a similar recipe to make some "Durian Sorbet" which my family loves.

To beat the recent heat craze and hot waves, let's take a step to prepare some really cold and refreshing dessert for the family to cool down the heat.........

But for this post I will be sharing the recipe on Orange Cinnamon Sorbet instead of Durian because now it is the peak season where you can get really huge and sweet oranges to make yummy dessert.

Some of us might tends to get confuse with Sorbet and Granita which somehow or rather look similar in a way. But if you notice carefully sorbet has a smoother texture and it is make with fresh fruit comparing to Granita, which has a coarser and crystalline texture that often makes from flavouring water and sugar.



Ingredients: (Serves 4)
300ml Freshly Squeeze Orange Juice, about 3 1/2 Oranges
30ml Water
2cm Cinnamon Stick
*30 - 50g Caster Sugar
*Shredded Rind of 1 Orange
1/2 Orange, sliced into Segments

Note:-
~ The amount of sugar use will depend on the taste of the fresh orange juice and individual preference.
~ You can refer to the read-up on "How to shred and grate orange rind" at this link HERE.



Method:
1. In a small saucepan bring sugar, 30ml of water, cinnamon stick and shredded orange rind to boil over medium heat.
2. When the mixture comes to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes by stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
3. Next remove the pan away from heat and leave the mixture to cool to room temperature.
4. Before mixing the orange juice with the sugar syrup till combined, remove the cooked orange rind and reserved it as garnish together with 1 teaspoon of sugar syrup in a small container.
5. Pour the orange juice mixture into a loaf pan, freeze for 3 hours or until firm.
6. Working quickly, use a metal spoon to break up sorbet and blend it until changed in colour and smooth.
7. Return mixture to pan, freeze it for another 2 hours or till firm.
8. Serve scoops of sorbet with some fresh orange segments and reserved candied orange peels.

Don't worry about whether this sorbet is being strongly infused with cinnamon taste. I can guarantee you that it’s only a very mild fragrant that act as a finishing touch to balance the citrus taste. But by all means if you just want a pure orange sorbet you can always omit the cinnamon stick.


ATTENTION!!! 
More Heat Cooler Coming Up!


For ice-cream lovers do look out for this space on the next upcoming recipe which I will  feature the "Eggless Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice Cream". If you are interested, do stay tune!!!!!




Orange Cinnamon Sorbet on FoodistaOrange Cinnamon Sorbet

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