Macaron: Quest for Feet - Part 1

I love macarons. Eating them that is. I've never really been game enough to make them. Its probably because I know I suck at desserts that need baking. Cooking.. I enjoy. Baking.. only when it actually turns out right. And for me.. most of the time.. it doesn't.

Then I read this post on Almost Bourdain. I agreed. Why not ? Afterall its only going to take me 3 egg whites, some almond meal and some icing sugar. And if it did fail, I could just vent out my frustration by smashing up the unsuccessful macarons and use them as sprinkles on top of some vanilla ice cream.

So began my macaron saga.. the quest for feet. Yes. The much coveted Feet. The visual sign of a perfect macaron :)

I said visual sign, because this isn't the only element of a perfect macaron. SeriousEats.com sums it up nicely...

"The Mallomar-shaped cookie must have a 'foot,' a crackly ringlet that surrounds the flat side. The outer shell is thinner than an eggshell but has an eggshell-like quality. Poking through the shell gives way to soft, almost-meringue texture."

Roasted Black Sesame Macarons

Recipe from muffinsareuglycupcakes.com

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup ground almonds (I used almond meal)
• 1/4 cup finely ground black sesame
• 3 egg whites (6 tablespoons of egg whites)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Method:

1. In a food processed mix the ground almond, ground black sesame and icing sugar to make sure there’s no lumps.
2. Whip the eggs whites with a pinch of salt and slowly adding in the granulated sugar until you get soft peaks. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and start folding. To make things easier, add in the dry ingredients half at a time.
3. Fold until you get a slow moving batter. Aka the flow-like-magma consistency.
4. Pipe the macaron batter onto baking paper.
5. Bake at 160C for 12 mins
6. Remove from oven and let cool. Pair up the macarons of a similar size ready for the filling.

Attempt 1 - Failed

Notes:

• Followed the recipe (well... I think I did)
• I probably tried a bit too hard not to over mix the Egg whites. As a result I think I didn't mix it enough, so ended up with the cracked tops. Whoever said Macarons could smell fear were right... !
• Oven at 160C
• 12 mins in the oven
• Tops started cracking at about 6-7 mins in...

Bleh....Ok.. I kind of expected this. If I succeeded the first time, I would have been really surprised. Ecstatic. But still really surprised.

They still tasted great. The roast black sesame flavour really came through.

Attempt 2 - Semi Failed

I jumped back online and googled what could be the cause of my macarons cracking. I was thinking that maybe its more than just under-mixing. Someone suggested cracking occurs if the oven wasn't hot enough. So thinking that my oven may not be hitting 160C, I cranked it up a notch. And set it on 170C. And you guessed it... they burnt...my macarons went brown.

Nice uncracked tops.. slight feet. But they went brown ! Bleh..

Notes:

• In the oven for 11 mins
• 170C
• Visual Browning occurred from about 10 mins onwards
• The base of the 1st batch I pulled out at 10 mins was uncooked and still stuck to the baking paper.
• Tapping the tray on the kitchen bench a couple of times prior to baking (something I picked up from the last Google search).
• Tops uncracked. Slight feet.
• Burnt... but still really edible. Bit more chewy than the previous batch.

In truth, I couldn't really taste the burnt taste. But I'm still marking this one as failed as 1/2 of them had the base still stuck to the baking paper and weren't actually cooked through, even though the tops had browned.

I think I'm going to call it a day for now. Anyone out there have any tips ?

Coconut Milk & Sago Agar Agar Jelly

Later today, I'll be heading over for a Hot Pot session at S & P's place. Yes... I have mad friends that have Hot Pots on 29C days. Although I'm probably equally as insane as I told them I'll be there too and will bring something for dessert. S's specialty is a Taiwanese Style hot pot that is not only hot in temperature, but also super hot in Chilli spice levels. So hot that your mouth actually goes numb. I'm not sure what she uses, as it is apparently a family recipe. All I know is that she starts cooking the soup base from scratch the night before.

As I promised to bring something for dessert, all I could think of was something that was a bit more cooling. I also wanted to make something that would be able to use up the remainders of an open carton of coconut milk I had leftover from the Otak Otak. I was thinking of Coconut milk and Sago, but since I had to transport it to my friend's place, I preferred something that wasn't in a liquid form. After a quick search online, I stumbled upon this recipe at My Kitchen Snippets. And decided to go with something similar.

I didn't have any food colouring, so used a couple of drops of Pandan essence instead.

Coconut Milk & Sago Agar Agar Jelly

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Snippets

Transparent Layer:

• 1 tablespoon Agar Agar powder
• 600ml water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 Pandan Leaf (tied into a knot, or a couple drops of Pandan essence)

Coconut Milk Layer:

• 1 tablespoon Agar Agar powder
• 500ml thin coconut milk
• 100ml water
• 1 Pandan Leaf (tied into a knot, or a couple drops of Pandan essence)
• 1/4 cup white sugar

For the Sago:

• 2/3 cup Sago pearls
• 3 cups of water

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring the 3 cups of water to boil. Add in the sago pearls and boil uncovered for about 10 mins. After 10 mins, cover the saucepan with a lid and turn off the heat and let sit for another 10-15 mins, until the sago has gone transparent. Pour the contents out into a sieve and rinse under cold water. Divide sago into 2 portions.
2. Make the Coconut layer by boiling together the agar-agar powder with water, pandan leaves or essence. Make sure there are no lumps before adding in the sugar and coconut milk. Bring to boil and then turn the heat back down to a very low flame.
3. Make the Transparent layer by boiling together the agar agar powder, water, sugar and pandan leaves or essence. Once the mixture has reach the boiling point, turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
4. Add one portion of the sago into each of the mixtures and stir well.
5. Pour in 1/2 of the transparent layer (make there is sago) in to a 8" wet baking dish or mold. Place the dish in to the fridge for about 5 mins to let it set
6. Remove from the fridge, gently scratch the surface with a fork.
7. Take another 1/2 of the coconut mixture and pour on top of the transparent layer, return to the fridge for another 4 mins to let it set.
8. Continue the same process, gently scratching the surface with a fork before pouring on the remaining transparent layer and repeat the process with the remaining coconut layer.
9. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before slicing. Serve cold.

Taste Test: Leftover bits of the Transparent layer that was just enough for 1 cupcake mold.

Notes:

• Agar Agar powder and strips are commonly found in Asian grocery stores. You can substitute with Gelatine instead and follow the instructions on the back of the packet.
• To help unmold the jelly, place it on top of a hot towel for about 30 secs then tip it upside down onto a plate.

Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie

When I saw the post on Almost Bourdain.. I thought.....Oooh.... Must. Make. Pie... Crack Piiieeeee... :)

So I went out to get the necessary ingredients for the Pie, and was all set to make Crack Pie the next day after work. But then work and other annoying things caught up with me, and I never did end up making it that Thursday night.

Now that I have another week before I have to go in to get my two bottom wisdom teeth surgically removed. I thought... if I don't make it now, it would be a while before I'll be able to eat anything like this again. And after the pitiful week I've had at work.. I needed some pie.

Oh.. and for my colleagues at work, who I know follows this blog.. The final straw in my Murphy's Law plagued week. The Sparky plugged a new 3-phase rack (with kit) into configuration that had it drawing 415V instead of 240V. Lets just say there was a slight burning smell in the air. I guess I should be glad it didn't trip the Inergen gas sensors.

Ok. Enough venting about work. Back to the recipe.

I found there was quite a bit of melted butter oozing from my pie during the cooking process. So the next time I make this, I might try to reduce the butter requirements. I've tasted this when it first came out of the oven, cooled to room temperature, and cold from the fridge. I think I prefer it best when it was at room temperature, served with some plain vanilla ice cream on the side.

Oh.. and did it live up to all the hype ? My flatmates certainly thought it did. I think I was on a bit of a sugar-high after the first spoonful. Its sweet, gooey and yet incredibly satisfying. There is something about it that makes me want to eat spoon after spoon, even though its a bit too much on the sweet-end by my usual standards.

I was actually very impressed with the crust. So tasty, yet so quick and easy to make, I think it would work well as a base for my other tarts and cheese cakes recipes.

Momofuku Milk Bar's - Crack Pie

Recipe from Momofuku's Book - as seen on LA Times and Almost Bourdain

Oatmeal Cookie for Crust

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) softened butter
• 1/3 cup (66g) light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• Scant 1 cup rolled oats

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Stir in the flour mixture until fully combined. Stir in the oats.
6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

Crust

Ingredients:

• Crumbled cookie for crust
• 1/4 cup (55g) butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together).
2. Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 cup (227g) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 egg yolks

• 2 prepared crusts
• Powdered sugar to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.
3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.
4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.
5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160C and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.
6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. Serve cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Not pretty.. but sure is yummy.. :)

Azuki Red Bean Ice Cream

Ok.. I have to admit. I've fallen into a bit of a Japanese flavor ice cream phase. I'm trying so hard to not just go and make a green tea ice cream. I've been saving that can of macha (green tea powder) for last, making everything else I can think of before I go and open that can. For now, I've ticked off Black Sesame and Azuki (red bean)... I'm thinking one more before I go for the green tea. I'm not too keen on Wasabi ice cream. Lychee ice cream maybe ? Toro ice cream is another common flavor - but I'm not sure where to get Toro in Australia. I wonder what sweet potato ice cream would taste like ? :)

Azuki Red Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 100g sweetened red bean paste
• 300ml heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons Vodka

Method

1. Heat the milk in a heavy saucepan with the sugar and salt. Turn off the heat once the sugar has dissolved.
2. Beat the egg yokes together. Add a bit of the warmed milk into the egg yoke mixture.
3. While stirring the contents of the saucepan, slowly pour the milk egg mixture into saucepan. Put the saucepan back on a very low heat and stir constantly until it starts to thicken. You want to turn this mixture into a custard
4. Take the mixture off the heat and whisk in the red bean paste really well. You can strain the whole mixture at this point to remove the lumps. But I prefer to keep the red beans in the ice cream for more texture.
5. Let it cool for a few minutes and then stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions.
   

Black Sesame Ice Cream

I had some leftover Black Sesame Soup from the Chinese dessert I made the day before. I was thinking about Black Sesame Ice cream, but I wanted to try making an egg-less ice cream instead. ie. An ice cream that wasn't custard base. So that it wouldn't overpower the taste of black sesame.

This recipe I stumbled across from David Lebovitz's website is a gelato type of ice cream. The recipe does not call for any egg yokes, instead you use cornflour and milk to create the base.

The resulting ice cream was more delicate and really brought out the nutty flavors of the Black Sesame.

Black Sesame Gelato
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz's Pistachio Gelato

Makes about 3 cups (3/4 liter)

• 2 cups whole full cream milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 200ml black sesame soup paste (see recipe for black sesame soup dessert)
  
• few drops of lemon juice
  

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornflour, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.
3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring and whisking constantly. Make sure there are no lumps left over from the cornflour
   
4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
5. Once chilled, blend in the black sesame paste and just a few drops of lemon juice until smooth.
6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
   

Churn Snowy Churn.. !! :p

Notes:

• Optional Extra: Try serving with a teaspoon of Japanese sweet red bean paste on the top of the icecream. With the icecream resting on a layer of cornflakes below.
  

Black Sesame Dessert Soup

This has always been one of my favorite chinese desserts. Well.. then there is the sweetened steam custard, mango pudding and steamed coconut pudding. All my other favorites. :)

It does take a bit of time to prepare this dessert, but the steps are actually really easy.

The nutty aroma from the black sesame seeds is intoxicatingly addictive.. :)

Black sesame is readily available from Asian grocery stores. If you aren't able to get roasted seeds, then you can toast the seeds over a hot saucepan before soaking and grinding the seeds.

This maybe the only ediable recipe that has been passed to me from my mum. Although she admits she originally got it from one of her friends. The rice is used to thicken the black sesame concentrate. You do need to spend a fair bit of time in front of a blender and pressing the mixture through a fine sieve. This process does need to be repeated about 3 times. The left over husk can be discarded, but some of my friends who have tried the end product, prefer to add a teaspoon of the husk into the soup. Apparently this gives the soup a bit more 'texture'.

Black Sesame Dessert Soup
Recipe via word of mouth from my mum's friend... :)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 300g Roasted Black Sesame Seeds
• 1/4 cup white rice
• 4 cups water
• 2 large pieces Rock Sugar - adjust to taste

Equipment

• fine-mesh sieve
• blender
• deep saucepan
• large bowl

Method:

1. Wash the white rice until the water runs clear.
2. In a bowl, soak the rice with the black sesame seeds in about 2 cups of water. Then let sit for at least 2 hours
3. Ladle about 2 spoonfuls of the soaked mixture into a blender and pulse until the black sesame seeds break open.
4. With the fine-mesh sieve placed over the saucepan, pour the contents of the blender into the sieve. Using a soup spoon, push and strain the mixture through the sieve. Strain until the mixture starts to dry up.
5. Set the strained mixture aside in another bowl.
6. Spoon the strained mixture back into the blender add in about 1/2 cup of water and blend.
7. Pour the contents of the blender into the sieve and continue to strain until the mixture dries up.
8. Repeat this process until the soaked sesame bowl is empty, and all the black sesame seed husks are strained dry.
9. Reserve the black sesame seed husks and set aside.
10. Heat up the saucepan with the liquid black sesame, add in the rock sugar and slowly bring the contents to a simmer.
11. The sesame soup should start to thicken as it simmers.
12. Taste the soup and add more rock sugar if required.
13. Add back in about 2 tablespoons of the reserved black sesame seed husk for a bit of texture and let simmer for about 5 minutes before serving.
    

Notes:

• You can serve this dessert soup with some Glutinous rice balls. Just cook the rice balls separately as per the instructions on the packet, then add into the dessert soup just before serving.
• Glutinous rice balls are available in the freezer compartment of most Asian Grocery stores.
• Toasted sesame seeds from Japan seem to taste better.

Warm Soft Chocolate Cake

I spent 15 hrs straight at work yesterday...yes..a Saturday. When I finally managed to pull myself out of bed today, I was in much need of some cooking therapy. The only thing on my mind was something sweet. Chocolate.

I could only think about dessert. Well.. since I've already skipped lunch, dinner and breakfast .. Somehow starting my day with dessert didn't seem too extreme. :)

I browsed the web for a simple and quick chocolate dessert and I stumbled across this recipe. It looks very similar to the molten chocolate babycakes that usually make.

Molten Chocolate Magic

Recipe adapted from Suzanne Lenzer

Ingredients:

• 100g unsalted butter, plus more to butter the molds
• 100g bittersweet chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons plain flour

Method

1. Butter 4 ramekins. Then place them into the fridge until they are ready to be used.
2. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is almost completely melted.
3. While that's heating, beat the eggs, egg yolks in the mixing bowl, gradually adding sugar, until the mixture is thick and pale yellow and forms a ribbon
4. Mix together the melted chocolate, butter and vanilla extract. The chocolate mixture should be warm to touch. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour until just combined.
5. Preheat the oven to 220C. Bake the molds on a tray for 6 to 7 minutes; the center will still be quite soft, but the sides will be set.

You can invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting up one corner of the mold, the cake will fall out onto the plate. I skipped this step and just left the cakes in the ramekins. Serve immediately with some vanilla ice cream.

Banana Tarte Tatin

I've been hunting around for a simple tarte tatin recipe to try out. Something thats quick and simple. I saw this one while I was browsing through Dhanggit's kitchen - one of the food bloggies I follow.

I like the idea of a flambée tarte tatin.. but wasn't really up to doing it at home. So I've changed the recipe a bit to exclude the flambée part, and also added in some cinnamon and vanilla essence.

This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest desserts I've done in a while. You can probably substitute the bananas for apples or pears. Although they will probably require a bit more cooking time.

Banana Tarte Tatin
originally adapted from this recipe at Dhanggit's Kitchen

• 2 frozen sheets of ready-made puff pastry (see notes below)
• 60g unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• 4 bananas, sliced diagonally
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon of rum essence
  

Prehead oven to 180 degrees celcius. Thaw out the pastry a bit by placing it on top of a smaller bowl or cup. (see notes on pastry below)

In the ovenproof frying pan, melt the butter, add in the sugar, salt and lemon juice and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture sit and simmer for about 5 mins until a light caramel starts to form.

Layout the bananas over the caramel, let it cook for 3 minutes. Drizzle the vanilla and rum essence over the bananas. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the bananas. Remove from heat, then cover the caramel bananas with the puff pastry.

Make sure the pastry is tucked in well around the sides to seal in the contents. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork.

Place the frying pan into the oven and bake until the top starts to turn golden brown. This should take about 20-25 mins.

Don't worry about the corners, its not visable once its flipped.

Turn over the tarte tatin on to a plate and serve immediately with some vanilla ice cream. We had it with some homemade vanilla ice cream that was made the previously.

Notes:

• Flipping the tart tatine: Using two oven mitts, I placed a bigger plate over the saucepan, held it together and quickly turned it upside down. Then let it sit for a couple of minutes before removing the saucepan.
• I used Pampas Ready Made Puff Pastry (in sheet form). This is found in the frozen section at the supermarket. Just remove two square sheets and thaw out slightly. Then when the caramel is ready, place one sheet on top and fold the corners down towards the centre. Place the other sheet on top, and arrange it so the corners aren't directly on top of each other. Fold the corners in, and tuck the puff pastry sheet in around the pan, sealing in the caramel. Alternatively you can trim away the corners, but I didn't really want to discard away any yummy puff pastry. :)

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Fresh Strawberries

In one of the few episodes of Masterchef I actually watched, there was this Chocolate Ganache Tart with some passionfruit cream thingy. The judges that were tasting it were saying they had to 'stop scoring at 10'. The website for Masterchef doesn't actually list the recipe (and there are many people in the forums asking for it). So I put my googling skills to good use, and tried to track down a similar recipe.

I didn't manage to find an exact match that called for both chocolate ganache and passionfruit, but two other chocolate tart recipes caught my interest.

I liked the idea of using Arnott's Choc Ripple biscuits as the tart base. (That meant I didn't have to produce a pastry base). And making the chocolate ganache with a 1 part cream to 1 part chocolate sounded about right (ie. not overwhelmingly rich). In the end, I wasn't too fussed about the passionfruit cream topping, so I opted for some fresh strawberries instead, since I had a punnet already sitting in my fridge.

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Fresh Strawberries
With reference to this on taste.com.au and this recipe from formerchef

-- 10" tart tin with removable base

• 1 Punnet Strawberries (rinsed, steam-end cut flat, sliced in half)

Tart Base:

• 15 Crushed Arnott's 'Choc Ripple' biscuits
• 60g butter (melted)

Mix and press into tart bases. Then place into the fridge until its needed to be used.

Ganache Filling:

• 200 ml Thickened Cream
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g Cocoa Dark Chocolate (broken into small pieces - I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate)

Place chocolate pieces in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat cream and sugar to just before it starts to boil. Pour the hot cream, through a sieve, over chocolate pieces. Stir until smooth and creamy in texture. Mix in vanilla. This way the chocolate doesn't need to be 'heated' directly. Therefore avoiding the chance of having 'burnt chocolate'.

Keep on whisking the chocolate mixture until all the lumps are gone. Put the bowl over some hot water (ie. like a double boiler) if the chocolate hasn't melted properly.

Pour the chocolate mixture into center of cooled tart shell. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly to the end of the tart crust. Arrange the sliced strawberries around the tart. Place the tart into the fridge to set for at least 1 hour before serving.

We had this with vanilla ice cream, and it did help to offset the bitterness in the 70% dark chocolate I used.

Considering this was my first Ganache Tart.. it actually turned out pretty well. I think I will still hunt around for the Masterchef version. Stay tuned... :)

Vanilla Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream... is a lot of fun (usually).. and does seem to taste a lot better than the frozen stuff from your local deli. This recipe from David Lebovitz is definitely one of the better ones I've tried out. The resulting ice cream is rich in vanilla and very creamy. Just try to forget you have to use 2 cups of pure cream ... :)

Vanilla Ice Cream
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz's Book ~ The Perfect Scoop

• 1 cup full cream milk
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise into two, seeds scraped out)
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 cups pure cream (separated into 2x 1 cups)
• 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

--- Ice for an 'ice bath'

1. Warm the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the tip of a paring knife and set aside. Add the bean pod to the milk. Continue to simmer on the lowest heat setting.


2. In a separate mixing bowl, pour 1 cup of the pure cream and add the vanilla bean seeds into the cream. Whisk the cream a couple of times to break up the seeds and place into an ice bath, then set aside.


3. Once the sugar has melted, add in the remaining 1 cup of pure cream, continue to stir to combine the cream and milk. Then cover and remove from heat and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 mins.


4. Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks and milk mixture back into the saucepan.


5. Cooking over a low heat, stir constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the pure cream with vanilla seeds that was set aside previously in the ice bath.


6. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping.


7. Add vanilla extract, and keep on stirring the mixture over the ice bath until it has cooled.


8. Once the mixture has cooled completely, cover with glad wrap and place into the refrigerator. David Lebovitz recommends to leave this as long as possible (ie. overnight). I usually leave it until I'm ready for it to be placed into the ice cream maker. (ie. when I feel like wanting to eat ice cream).


9. When it has chilled thoroughly, remove the vanilla bean and freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Makes about 1 litre of ice cream.

Double Skin Milk Pudding

I remember there is a Tong-Sui place in Hong Kong famous for their Double Skinned Milk Puddings. Apparently they only use fresh milk from Australia. I remember thinking when I first walked into the shop that .. "Now.. why would I want to try this milk thingy in Hong Kong thats imported from Australia...especially when I'm from Australia....???!?!?".

After the 1st spoon, I was hooked. It was sooo good... :) It was like a very very light and delicate panna cotta. Only probably a lot more healthier since it uses a lot less sugar and calls for milk instead of cream.

Now that I'm back in Australia, we don't have any Cantonese dessert places over here that makes such delicacies. So continuing on with my Chinese dessert experimenting phase. After a couple of goggling attempts for a recipe written in english (I can't read much chinese and definitely can't type any of it), combined with a couple of failed attempts, I finally managed to come up with a somewhat full-proof recipe. It actually turned out to be quite simple. The ratio that seems to work well for me comes to about 1 rice bowl of full cream milk to 1 egg white to 2 teaspoons of white sugar.

Double Skin Milk Pudding - 雙皮奶
with help from this recipe

Ingredients (for 1 bowl):

• 1 rice bowl of full cream milk (filled to about 1cm from the rim)
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 egg white (beaten till it smooth and white)

Pour the milk into small saucepan, add sugar and bring slowly to a simmer over low heat. Remove from heat as the milk starts to bubble. Do not over boil. Pour the hot milk into the individual rice bowl(s). Try to remove any foam on the top as this hinders the skin being able to be formed properly. Leave to cool for about 10mins.

When a skin has formed on the surface of each bowl of the cooling milk, use a chopstick or fork to lift up a corner of the skin just enough to gently pour the milk out of each rice bowl into a larger bowl. Leave the skin that is now at the bottom of each individual bowl behind.

Beat the egg white until it starts to turns white. Then combine this with the milk that is left cooling in the large bowl. Strain the mixture through a sieve at least twice to remove any lumps and excess foam. Scrape off any bubbles that form at the top.

Place a steamer rack in a wok and add enough water so it just touches the rack. Bring the water to boil. The wok will be used as a steamer.

Pour the milk back into the individual bowls. The skin will float to the top. Cover each bowl with a layer of glad wrap. Place the bowls of milk on top of a rack in the wok, then cover and steam for 10 minutes over medium heat.

The resulting double skinned milk is pure white, creamy and is very smooth and mildly sweet. As the milk starts to cool again, a second layer of tasty skin is formed, sticking to the edges of the bowl. Hence the 'double skin' name.. :)

Notes:

• When simmering the milk with the sugar, try not to stir the mixture, as this seems to break down the ability of the milk to form the 1st layer of skin.
• Egg whites only need to be lightly beaten -- we are not making meringues ! So be careful to not over do it. Otherwise you will have a lot of 'bubbles' when you combine the milk with the egg whites.

I did have to try this a couple of times before it turned out alright. If anyone does try out this recipe, pls let me know if it turns out ok... :)

Tong But Luk - Glutinous Rice Candy

My Aunt made this dessert for us when I was back home the last time. I've had this dessert before, as it is available in most dessert shops in Hong Kong. It usually is made with some glutinous rice balls (Tong Yuen) topped with some peanuts, sesame seeds and shredded coconut. As my Aunt taught me how to make this dessert, she said that originally it wasn't made with glutinous rice balls. She thinks that the Tong Yuen were only used instead as a matter of convenience, since it would be readily available and used in other desserts. The 'Tong But Luk' that she used to eat, was made by steaming a glutinous rice and coconut milk into a 'rice cake' and then using the cut up pieces of rice cake to dip in the coconut\peanut\sesame seed mix.

Tong But Luk - 糖不甩 (The chinese name for it that I managed to find via google)
Recipe passed to me from my Aunt

• 400ml unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar

In a bowl, combine glutinous rice flour with coconut milk and sugar together.

Using a wok as a steamer, bring water to boil.

Use a layer of glad wrap to line a shallow dish, place rice flour mixture into dish and steam for 8-10 mins in the steamer at medium-high heat. You should be able to stick a knife into the middle of the rice cake and the knife should come out clean.

In a separate bowl, mixed together:

• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (smashed in a pestle mortar)
• 1/4 cup shredded desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup white sesame seeds

Remove the dish from the wok and using the glad wrap lift up the rice cake and flip into a surface that has been layered with glad wrap.

Cut into cube sized pieces. You do have to work quickly before the cake cools down.

Toss cubes in the peanut, sesame and coconut mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• The use of the glad wrap is to make it easier to move the mixture around and so it wont stick to the steaming dish or the cutting board
• use a plastic knife to cut up the glutinous cake to avoid the rice cake sticking to the knife

Molten Chocolate Baby Cakes

The thing I've made most often with my muffin baking tray is not muffins. Its these Molten chocolate baby cakes. This recipe is from Nigella's book - How to be a domestic goddess and can also be found on her website here. These baby cakes are really easy to make and they taste .... well... like rich molten chocolate. :)

Molten Chocolate Baby Cakes
Originated from Nigella Lawson's recipe

• 6 individual pudding moulds, buttered (I used a muffin tray)
• baking parchment
• 50g soft unsalted butter (plus more for greasing)
• 350g best dark chocolate (I used 70% dark Lindt Chocolate)
• 150g white sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50g plain flour

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Butter the muffin tray and trace the bottom of the muffin tray onto the parchment and cut out the circles and press into the bottom of the buttered moulds.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside and let it cool slightly.

Beat the sugar and butter together, until its gone lighter in colour. Gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then add the vanilla and then the flour.

Gradually fold in the chocolate until its all combined. Divide the batter between the 6 moulds and place in oven for about 10 mins. As soon as you take them out of the oven, run a knife around the outsides of the cakes, then tip out the babycakes and place into small plates or shallow bowls. Best served with vanilla ice cream and a cup of hot tea.

These babycakes can be made in advanced and the batter kept in the fridge. If you are making these in advance and using cold batter, leave in the oven for an extra 2 mins. Enjoy :)

Chocolate Souffle

I think the hardest thing about posting about making souffle is not about the egg whites. Its about getting my camera ready to snap a reasonably postable photo before the souffle deflates..!!

You can see from my picture below, that I once again didn't think ahead. ie. plate setting, background and having my camera at arm's length. I only just managed to snap away at a couple of shots (which only 1 turned out to be properly focused) before the souffle started to deflate.

Here's my favorite recipe (serves 4)...

• 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 5 tablespoon Sugar (plus a bit more for dusting)
• 1 teaspoon. Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate (70% coco, chopped)
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 7 Egg Whites (room temp)
• Icing Sugar \ Coco powder (for dusting)

Butter the 4 souffle dishes. Now sprinkel sugar to coat the souffle dish. Tap out any excess sugar. This step ensures that the souffles will rise properly. Place disk in the fridge to chill until required.

In a heavy pan, slowly add milk to cornstarch, stirring constantly until smooth. Keep stirring and bring to a boil. Continue to stir for another 5 mins. Turn down the heat to low. Stir in chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in egg yolks one at a time. (This may be kept refrigerated up to two days in advance).

Whisk egg whites until it starts to foam. Add in 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue to beat to soft peaks. (Do not over beat your egg whites!).

Stir 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate base to lighten it, then using a spatula, gently fold the lightened base into the egg whites.

Pour into the prepared souffle dishes. Tap the souffle dish a couple of times on a flat surface to distribute the mixture evenly.

Place the souffle on a baking tray in the lower half of a preheated 180C degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve the souffle straight from the oven. Sprinkle with icing sugar or cocoa powder.

Now I just have to find a receipe for all the leftover egg yokes... I'm thinking either custard.. or bernaise sauce to go with the steak tomorrow night.. :)

Sago with Coconut Milk Dessert

Due to popular demand (ok.. maybe only two requests), I've decided to post online my recipe for Sago with Coconut Milk dessert.

Ingredients:

• 4 Soupspoons of Sago (can be replaced with Tapioca Pearls)
• 4 1/2 Cups of water
• 1 Can of Thin Coconut Milk
• 1 Pandan leaf (tied into a knot)
• 1/4 Cup of sugar (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
• 1/4 Rockmelon (cut up into small 1/2 cm cubes - you can substitute this with watermelon or honeydew)

Method:

Pour coconut milk into a saucepan, add the pandan leaf and bring to boil while adding in the sugar. Stir constantly. Add 1/2 cup of water into the mixture and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes on low heat. Remove the saucepan and place into a basin of cold water. Once the coconut milk reaches about room temperature, poor the contents into a large bowl and refridgerate.

While the coconut milk is cooling, bring the 4 cups of water to boil in another saucepan. Add in Sago and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly so that the Sago won't stick to the bottom of the saucepan. After 5 minutes, turn the heat off and place the lid over the saucepan for 10 minutes. Once you remove the lid, the sago should appear all transparent (Don't worry, you haven't lost all your Sago!!). Run cold water over the saucepan while pouring the contents into a seave and continue to run cold water over the sago for a couple of minutes.

Stir the sago into the coconut milk and continue to refridgerate. Cut up the Melon into small cubes and add into the sago & coconut milk mixture.

Your Sago and Coconut Milk Dessert is now ready to serve !


Notes:

• The pandan leaf can be removed prior to refrigerating the mixture.
• The dessert is ready to serve once you add in the melon. However, you can continue to refrigerate it.
• If you are using watermelon instead - it doesn't mean 1/4 of the watermelon (unless the watermelon is tiny!) You should only need about 1-2 cups of the fruit - depending on how small you manage to cut up the cube pieces.
• Try tasting the coconut milk mixture before refrigerating it. Add more sugar if it isn't sweet enough.
• If you are not worried about calories and prefer a creamer tasting dessert, normal coconut milk can be used instead.
• You must stir the coconut milk constantly while simmering it. Otherwise the mixture has a tendency to 'spit' !
• The Dessert should last up to 2-3 days if kept refrigerated.
• The whole process takes about 30-40 minutes to complete.
• This recipe serves 2-3 people

Hope this is easy enough to follow.. Have fun !