Comfort food - Brownies and Chocolate puddles

Best cocoa brownies

You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day at work when nothing is certain (and I really do mean nothing!) and going the way you had so hoped, you can come home and absolutely be sure that if you whisk some eggs, cocoa, flour, butter and sugar together and bake it, it would taste good. That's such a comfort. No matter whether it's over-baked or under-baked, hard or soft, you know that taking a bite out of that will make you feel a tiny bit better. Almost like a breath of fresh air or a glass of iced water on a hot summers day.

I've had the most disastrous week in my working career this week. You know how people say 'when it rains, it pours'? I found myself trying to crawl out of this bottomless abyss yet everytime when I thought I'd make it, I'd get dragged down again even further (I know I sound dramatic - maybe it's due to the lack of sleep). I was constantly sitting at the edge of my seat, anxious, and at times the beating of my heart becomes so strong that I wonder whether it would beat out of my chest.

Chocolate puddles

I can only now look forward and learn from my mistakes, right? To dwell on something would just trap me and does my heart no good. Apart from being prayerful and trusting that all things in my life happens for a reason, I can only try to go about my days as normally as possible.

There are certain things I crave for when I am stressed - one thing for certain is chocolate. I am no chocoholic for sure, but there is something so comforting about that rich cocoa taste that I find so satisfying that I start eating them like I eat bread when I am stressed.

So I will contribute this blog entry to two of my favourite rich chocolate desserts I made this year - best cocoa brownies and chocolate puddles. While I did not make them this week as I was just too busy (haven't been home to eat all week!) but they are exactly the things that I'd like to make and have with a glass of warm milk.

Chocolate puddles

Adapted from 101Cookbooks.com

• 3 cups / 11 oz / 310 g walnut halves, toasted & cooled
• 4 cups / 1 lb / 453 g confectioner's (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons / 2 oz / 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon real, good-quality vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 160C degrees and position racks in the top and bottom third. Line three (preferably rimmed) baking sheets with parchment paper. Or you can bake in batches with fewer pans.

Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and set aside. Sift together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets in mounds of about 2 tablespoons each, allowing for PLENTY of room between cookies. These cookies are like reverse Shrinky Dinks - they really expand. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet, and try to avoid placing the batter too close to the edge of the pan.

Bake until they puff up. The tops should get glossy, and then crack a bit - about 12 -15 minutes. Have faith, they look sad at first, then really blossom. You may want to rotate the pans top/bottom/back/front.

Slide the cookies still on parchment onto a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. They will keep in an airtight for a couple days.

Makes 18 large cookies.

Best Cocoa Brownies
Adapted from Alice Mendrich’s Bittersweet

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces or 141 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams) sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1/2 cup (66 grams, 2 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (I used walnut)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Read more...

Sonoma Wholewheat Miche Sourdough

Four words to share with you all. Sonoma Wholewheat Miche Sourdough. It is very good. Go and buy it and you'll know what I mean. I am now converted and I look forward to eating my sandwich at lunch for a change. Before discovering this, I'm one to buy a loaf of bread and freeze one half because I can never finish it all before it goes moldy. Now it's all gone too soon before it has a chance to be a breeding ground for those fuzzy green fungi.

I'd probably be happy snacking on this all day long too. I've had it with lemon curd, peanut butter and jelly and even lemon & herb labane (yoghurt cheese). Hmmmmm. It's also great as a savoury snack before dinner :D

Oven-grilled sourdough with tomatoes, mozzarella, black pepper and parsley (I ran out of basil)!

What makes this a winner for me is its texture - it's oh-so chewy and surprisingly moist and soft inside, even a few day after you buy it.

I first came across this when I was browsing though the Australian Good Food magazine and saw that it was featuring the famous Aussie patissier Adriano Zumbo. He talks of his favourite food and this bread just happens to be one of them - in fact, he calls it the 'best bread in the world'. I knew I had to try it then, and it just so happens that my local vege shop is a distributor of Sonoma products! Sweet!

I've tried Sonoma Wholewheat Polenta as well. To me, it was alright and I still prefer the Miche as it's got the moist and chewy texture which I love.

Chewyyyy

http://www.sonoma.com.au/

Read more...

Raspberry Souffles with Hidden Chocolate Truffles

I have a love-hate relationship with souffles. It could go very very wrong in my kitchen (sinking top), or it could be the most beautiful, mouth-melting airy fluff.

I've still not perfected my souffle making even after many attempts and to this day I'm still trying out different recipes and tweaking things here and there based on past failures :P

This is the first time I'm making a fruit puree souffle paired with chocolate truffle centre. It's so light and tart in one spoonful and so creamy in another when you reach the chocolate centre. Together the berry and the chocolate make a great combination that will have you going for seconds (or thirds!). It's pretty addictive and thank goodness you must finish all the souffles in one sitting as they don't keep.

I might have to under-beat my egg-whites next time as I think I have over-beaten it causing the souffle to rise too much in the oven.

Well here's the recipe from a cookbook I bought recently. Enjoy!

Raspberry Souffles with Hidden Chocolate Truffles
Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking
Makes 6-8 souffles

• 85 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (up to 70% cacao), finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) pure cream (heavy whipping cream)
• 340 grams fresh or frozen raspberries (I used frozen).
• 55 grams sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon framboise (raspberry brandy), optional
• 5 large egg whites
• Icing sugar (confectioners' sugar) for serving
• Fresh whipped cream, for serving (optional)

1. Prepare the truffles:

Place the chopped chocolates and cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until cold enough to scoop. Use a small spoon to scrape 1.2 tablespoon of the ganche into a small round and set it on a plate. Repeat, making 10 small truffles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

2. Preheat the oven to 205C and position an oven rack in teh bottom third. Generously butter the souffle dishes (including the rims), just them with sugar and tap out the excess.

3. Make the raspberry puree. If the raspberries are frozen, transfer to a medium bowl and defrost completely. Places the raspberries in the food processor and process until the berries are completely smooth and pureed. Use a spatula or spoon to scrape the puree into the strainer set over a medium bowl and press it through so remove the seeds. You should have about 1 cup of puree. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and framboise (if using) into the puree.

4. Whip the egg whites. In a clean bowl of the stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks. You can also use a hand mixer. With the mixer running, add in the remaining sugar and beat until firm peaks form. Gently stir 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the raspberry puree to lighten the mixture. Fold in the remaining whites just until there are no more streaks of white.

5. Fill the dishes and bake. Transfer the souffle batter to the ramekins to fill halfway. Set a truffle on top of the batter in each dish. Finish filling the souffle dishes all the way to the top.

6. Set the dishes on the baking sheet. Run the offset spatula across the top of each souffle dish, flattening the top and leveling it with the rim.

7. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until set and firm to touch in the centre.

Rising! (The one closest to the door was not leveled to the brim with the spatula)

...and still rising!

8. Use a fine-mesh strainer to dust with confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) then top with a spoonful of cream. Serve immediately.

THE END

Read more...

Pumpkin, Feta, Roasted Pepper and Parsley Muffin

You can only have so much sweet things until you start craving for something savory to satisfy your taste buds. I've been baking all things sweet this year and this afternoon I was going to break this pattern.

It would be good for my body, almost like a detox in a way as I would not go over my daily sugar intake for once! ;)

Now, it started with a pumpkin. It's such a beautiful thing to look at. And I just had to turn it into a beautiful muffin.

There are so many different combinations you can choose in your muffins. Some people prefer a little bit of bacon while others a bit of parmesan. I love feta in my muffins (not in my salads thank you!) as well as herbs (e.g. basil, dill...). They are to me the winning combination in any soft and moist muffin. The buttermilk in this recipe ensures that the texture stays soft and the olive oil (instead of butter) ensures that this is a heart healthy recipe! ;)

The result? It's soft and lovely with oozing with feta when served warm. The only thing I'd do differently next time is to use normal feta cheese (instead of reduced fat feta cheese) as it doesn't have the strong feta kick that I would've liked.

Recipe: Pumpkin, Feta, Roasted Pepper and Parsley Muffin

Inspired by The Art and Soul of Baking

Makes 12 regular sized muffins

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used reduced fat in mine)
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked diced pumpkins (1 cm cube)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (I used flat leaf parsley in mine)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large egg

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C and lightly coat the muffin tin with melted butter or canola-oil spray (unless you don't use cupcake liners like me).

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.

3. In another bowl, stir together the feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, pumpkin and chopped parsley.

4. Pour the buttermilk, olive oil and the egg into another bowl and whisk until they're blended.

5. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients (flour mixture) and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. Gently fold int he feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed in the batter.

6. Use large ice cream scoop or a big spoon to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups/liners. Bake for 20 minutes until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean.

7. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

They make for a good breakfast as well if you're always in a rush in the morning like me :D

These muffins can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month!

Read more...

OCD...

I'm letting you in on a secret of mine! I've never told anyone of this before and no one has ever suspected this behaviour of mine all these years...

I am obsessed with frozen berries. So much so that everytime I go to the supermarket, I will buy a packet of them, even though my freezer is already cramped with packets stacked one on top of another. I can't help it.

There I said it. It's not so terrible a secret you're probably thinking. Not as bad as someone hiding candy bars under their pillows or eating insects for the thrill of the crunch. (On that note, I possibly ate a maggot this week when eating a peach from work because there was one wiggling around on the stone of the fruit after I've almost finished eating it).

But this habit of mine is taking up all the space in my freezer as I don't really use up the berries unless I am baking a fruit cake - which is like maybe twice a year?! I met a guy in the US who buys this green gummy candy everytime he goes to the stores because his ex-girlfriend likes them. He hates eating those candies, but still buys them religiously even after 3 years of their break-up. I once drove from Urbana to Chicago with him, and we stopped by the service station 3 times...yep, I got to eat 3 packets of green gummy candies.

It's interesting how past experiences shapes us in such a way that does not make sense to others...and even to yourself. Maybe that is one way we protect our memories and what is personal to us.

Anyways, here is a photo of one section of my freezer:



How berri-licious!

Read more...

Food update June/July

Another long absence. I wish I have a good excuse, like I was planning a great escape out of my pinstriped prison, or I am starting an exciting new project which takes up all my time...

But no, I'm still the same old...yep, still doing the whole 9-5 and took on more work recently by doing Children's Ministry at BSF.

However, there's always time for doing what I love - cooking and baking. When I'm in the kitchen, the time flies and I'm concentrating and anticipating, and I hear not a sound in the background...

Okay, here are some food pics :)

1) Cookie time! I've been snacking on way too much packet biscuits at work these days. Now that we're on Level 25, the food/drink staff usually get to our floor last (usually at 11am or just before lunch!!!). Since I sit near the kitchen, as soon as I hear their trolley I make my way there for my daily snack session. But those cookies aren't that great. Not so bad when I dip them into my tea though!

Anyways, so I tried baking almond and double-choc cookies at home yesterday...

These are crunchy, chewy and not too sweet :) Perfect! I took them to work today as well!

2) Macarons...

This is bad photo, I know. I ate all of the other ones before the next morning when this lone flat macaron was sitting in the kitchen bench. This is inspired by Masterchef - the pressure test episode where they had to make macarons and panna cotta by Adriano Zumbo!

This is a jasmine rice flavoured macaron...tastes good. Takes wayy to long to make though. I'm not a great fan of macarons - they're a bit too sweet for my likings.

3) This is also inspired by Adriano Zumbo's croquembouche challenge :)

But this is just a plain puff pastry with strawberry cream filling. I love it! It's so easy to make and tastes just like Beard Papa's! I didn't have time to make custard filling so chose strawberries instead! Yummmmm.

Cooking is always fun when you have your friends rooting for you out there ;-)

4) Okay, this is also another Masterchef dish...I had no idea until now, how influenced I am by that show! This is lemon and date scone, with cream + berry preserves...

Easy peasy to make, and tastes great just outta the oven! Goes lovely with a pot of tea...hehe.

5) I've been eyeing this Villeroy & Boche cup for like a year! Finally received it as a present earlier this year and its been sitting on my bookshelf gathering dust, until one cold wintery afternoon when I was craving for a thick hot chocolate drink....

This is Nigella's receipt....which is rather rich and creamy. I love the addition of a cinnamon stick.

My work bench...

More cookies...

Read more...

Some food updates after a long absence

Hello dear void...

I'm sick today and like any other sick days I am just bored out of my wits bedridden and unable to do anything. I think I have been stuck in my apartment for 5 days straight now, talk about being quarantined like a swine flu patient! Actually perhaps not completely quarantined as my sister has been breathing and eating along side with me all these times...and she does not seem to display any signs of flu like symptoms!

One does have a lot of time to ponder about life when sick with burning fever. With my ice-pack on my forehead, I thought about what I want to do for the next half of the year, and for a split second even came up with ideas on what to email my bosses for not ever returning to work. I imagine I must have smiled with that thought in mind... But now that I'm much more awake and less feverish, I am back to reality :p I know that 'In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps'...how true is that?! No matter what I plan for myself, at the end of the day, He is in control of everything.

Anyways, so I haven't been doing a great deal of cooking because I've been eating out heaps! I hope to eventually get into cooking again after I recover and things settle down....

Here are some pics...

We had a lot of pumpkin and sweet potato so we made them into mash and added flour to make into a dough.... then Jen and I had a competition to see who can make the best use of the dough... I made mine into pasta!

Voila, my chicken and basil with pumpkin/sweet potato pasta! (it needs a better name!)

Jen made pan-fried pumpkin/sweet potato gnocchi with oozing cheese inside...

Jen's poo shaped gnocchi ;)

It was dad's birthday and I wanted to make him lemon tarts! I used Pierre Herme's recipe for the lemon curd and Dorie Greenspan's recipe for the tart base, so what could go wrong?!

Plain lemon tarte without raspberries! Of everything I've ever made, this lemon tart is probably the most time consuming one... It is quite difficult to get the lemon curd right and I stood in the kitchen for hours getting it to cook to the right temperature and not a degree over!

But it's so worth it...The nicest lemon tart I've tried :P

I love Saturday morning - the only day in the week in which I can have proper breakfast. I love to make this Ricotta Hotcakes...light and fluffy with a hint of ricotta...yumm.

This is Coffee Creme Caramel....I love this and have made it at least 5 times! It tastes better than it looks... :) It's from Tessa Kiros' 'Piri Piri Starfish'.

I think this is blueberry buttermilk pancake from Neil Perry's 'Good food' or something. It turned out a disappointment actually.

Last not least, banana cake from Nigella's How to be a domestic Goddess!

Read more...