Monday, November 29, 2010

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls


We spent our weekend joining the flock to the States hunting for Black Friday deals. The dollar is at the parity, why not?

It is expected to be a high-volume shopping weekend. So, I have a game plan. Everything turned out as planned. Though it was tiring, but we were having good time.

As much as I wanted to try 2 new recipes this weekend, Black Friday hype gets underway. By the time we got home it was already late afternoon, only one can only be done. While making this, I decided to whip up a batch of fresh homemade dinner rolls for breakfast tomorrow. Also, I promised Loudel to post the recipe. I know, I know. I'd promised so many of you, close and distant, to post your requested recipes. I'll try my best to post more recipes.

Baking two different recipes at once is no easy job. I wish I have 4 arms at some point. Halfway frosting the cake, the microwave timer is beeping, the bread has done resting. Put the spatula down, take the bread tray out, sprinkle water on the breads, keep it inside the oven for another 40 minutes rest. Continue frosting.

After both the cake and bread were done. It's almost 12. Left the cleaning to do. Cutting boards, measuring cups, spoons, mixers, plastic wraps, scattered around the kitchen. Both sinks were piled with creamy bowls, greasy pans, dirty dishes. My kitchen is a disaster!

I actually enjoy cleaning. Turning a messy room into neat and tidy gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.



Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
yield 16 buns

Ingredients:

(A)
100g leftover cooked rice
200g water

Combine rice and water in a saucepan set over medium heat until the rice comes to rolling boil. Let cool.


(B)
230ml cooled rice (A)
200g bread flour
100g whole wheat flour
30g sugar
40g butter, diced
3/4tsp instant yeast*
1/8tsp salt

Steps:

1.    In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine all
       ingredients B (except for the butter), mix at speed 1 for 2-3 minutes 
       (reserve 30% of the cooled rice).
2.    Increase the speed to 4 and knead for 3 minutes until the dough is form.
       Slowly add in reserved rice. Reduce the speed to 1-2 everytime you add
       the rice. Continue knead until the dough is soft.
3.    Add in butter, knead until well combined at speed 1 for 2 minutes.
4.    Then increase the speed to 4, knead for 15-20 minutes until the dough
       can stretch easily without breaking.






Coat a tupperware (or deep bowl) with cooking oil, transfer the dough to the tupperware, cover with wet towel. Let rise in microwave for 60 minutes until doubled in volume. A warm glass of water will help keep the temperature up in the microwave, replaced when the water turned cold.

Lightly grease a 9"x9" square pan with cooking oil/spray, lay a parchment paper on top (I was running out of parchment paper).

Sprinkle water on the rolls, let rise in the oven for another 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven at the last 10 minutes of the rising time. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a round or rectangle and divided into 16 portions (each portion weigh 33g). Shape each portion into a ball and place into a prepared square pan. (12 balls around the edge, 4 rolls in the center. Leave a space between each roll).

Bake for 20 minutes






  


The resulting rolls are soft and delicious.
Note:
* original recipe asked for 1/2tsp. My kitchen temperature is a bit low, I need a little bit more.


Lemon Mascarpone Cream Cake




ahhhh.... yellow. Yes, another yellow dessert. Expect many more, I like yellow.

I know a lawyer who office building is painted with light yellow. When you enter her office, sunflower in every corners including washroom, you see almost everything in yellow, from wall pictures to her note pads. Is she really appreciating yellow that much? Not really. She is a family lawyer and mediator; her day-to-day activities are dealing with family issues and conflicts: separation, divorce, custody battles, etc. Yellow is psychologically the happiest color in the color spectrum. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy. She needs yellow.

This cake is light, creamy and not too sweet. Layered with a little lemon curd and the mascarpone frosting, it’s easily one of my favourites.
 This recipe was adapted from Not So Humble Pie. The cake is supposed to be a high ratio cake (but mine didn't turn out 'high' cos I crank up the oven heat in the begining), which is a little different than any average cakes; it doesn’t use creaming butter and sugar method. Instead you blend all the dry ingredients with the butter and a bit of liquid, then add the wet ingredients. This method requires a stand mixer, as beating by hand would be too slow and it would likely be hard on hand beaters. Precision is very important in this recipe, so be sure to use the correct ingredients and follow the exact mixing times and speeds when making this cake.


High Ratio Yellow Butter Cake
yields two 8" cakes

Ingredients:

3 ½c cake flour
2c sugar
1tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1c unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
1c whole milk, divided
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites (reserve the yolks for the curd)
2tsp vanilla extract

 

Steps:
1.        Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly coat your pans with  cooking spray/oil and line the bottoms with circles of parchment.
2.       Cut your butter into small cubes, and then allow to stand at room temperature until it softens.
3.       In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract and half of the milk. Mix until more or less homogeneous and set aside.
4.       In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift together the cake flour*, sugar, baking powder and salt. (*Tip for measuring cake flour: Don’t scoop. Spoon the cake flour into your measuring cup, directly from the package, and then level your cup with the back of a knife.)
5.       Fit the bowl into your stand mixer and equip the whisk attachment. Add the butter and remaining half cup of whole milk. Beat this mixture on medium speed until smooth (about 4 minutes), scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed.
6.       The mixture will start out a little rough and then turn pasty and thick. Once beaten, add a third of the egg-milk mixture and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add another third and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, you’ll notice the mixture beginning to increase in volume. Add the remaining third of the milk-egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
7.       Divide the batter between your two pans. Level the batter with an offset spatula and bake for 35-40 minutes.
8.       Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pans on a wire wrack. The cake should pull away from the sides as it cools. If it doesn’t, slip a knife around the side to release. Once cool, remove the cake from the pan and peel off the layer of parchment.
9.       Trim the tops of the cake with a sharp serrated knife.


Work on the lemon curd and mascarpone frosting while waiting for the cakes to cool.









Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks
1/2c unsalted butter
1/2c lemon juice
3/4c granulated sugar
1tsp cornstarch
zest of one large lemon
pinch of salt


Steps:

1.       Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Remove 
         from heat and add  the lemon juice and zest.
2.       Mix together the sugar, salt and cornstarch and add it to the 
         pan. Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth and return to heat.
3.      Cook over medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes until the mixture
         has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture
         to boil.
4.      Once thickened, strain the mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a
         large bowl. Allow to chill in the refrigerator completely before using.




Lemon Mascarpone Cream Frosting
yields enough to frost a 4 layer cake or generously frost a 2 layer cake

Ingredients:

1lb mascarpone cheese
2/3c lemon curd
2 1/2c whipping cream (heavy cream)
7 tbsp sugar


Steps:

1.       Beat the sugar and cream to soft peaks in your mixer.
2.       Combine the mascarpone and lemon curd in a separate bowl and mix.
3.       Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold to combine. If
          the mixture is overworked it can separate or look grainy. To fix this 
          add several tablespoons of whipping cream and mix with the spatula
          until smooth again.  

Now you’re ready to assemble the cake.

Drop a dollop of the mascarpone frosting onto the cake and smooth to seal the top. Fill a piping bag with a large round opening with frosting and then pipe a boarder around the top of the cake. This will contain your lemon curd. Fill the center of the cake with roughly 1/3 cup of lemon curd.
Gently place the second layer of cake on top.

To crumb coat the cake: Apply a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake and chill for 30 minutes. Then apply a thick layer of frosting over the cake. Using your cake tool (offset and flat spatula) to smooth the frosting over the cake.

If you’re nervous about making a smooth sided cake, a
cake comb can make the process a little easier.

Now you can decorate.

Pipe a boarder on the top of your cake and then cover the top with some of the remaining lemon curd.






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Enjoy.








Monday, November 22, 2010

Bake-free mango cheesecake



On Christmas Eve, we all get together at Mark & Yvonne place. In the past few years, they invited one Jewish family to celebrate Christmas with us. What so special about this family? Nothing, they are nice people. Well, they don't celebrate Christmas, they celebrate Hanukka. The desserts they bring over is special, this is what I'm trying to say. **grin**
 I love Elisa's homemade desserts, especially her cheesecake. The best cheesecake I ever tasted. Elisa is a baker, she owns a bakery. That explain how good she is. 

I was dying for her cheesecake. It's light, smooth and creamy.  Every year, I'm looking forward to her cheesecake. I was that desperate.

Last year, she didn't make!!! Can you believe she didn't make my favourite cheesecake that I'd been waited for 364 days. I almost breakdown. I was so disappointed. It was like when you came home, your kid run to you and see you came home empty handed, the disappointment spells on her face. That was me! You can picture me at the party finding out no cheesecake for dessert on that evening. It was really distasteful!

Wait no more. Yesterday, I tried out this oven-free cheesecake, and it taste almost like Elisa's one. It's so yummy, I can't help myself - I have two serving at 10pm (at bedtime)!

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum, Delicioso!


Ingredients:

For mango puree:
2 ripe mango1, peeled and pitted
20ml water (optional)

For the crust:
100g graham cracker crumbs2
35g butter, melted
10g sugar

For the cheesecake layer:
200g mango puree
100g mango, diced
200g cream cheese, room temperature
120ml heavy cream (or 35% whipping cream)
2tbsp milk
60g sugar
50g sour cream
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp gelatine powder
1tbsp rum (optional)

For the jelly topping:
200g mango puree
50ml water
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp powdered gelatine

Steps:

Prepare the mango puree:
·  In a blender or food processor fitted with metal blade, process the mango  
   dices until completely processed. You may skip the water if your blender or
   food processor's metal blade runs without water.

Prepare the crust:
·  Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Press the mixture evenly to
   cover the base of a 7" (or 8") round springform pan3. Refrigerate until set.

Prepare the cheesecake layer:
·  In a mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add in sugar, beat until ight
   and creamy.
·  Add mango puree, sour cream, heavy cream, milk and lemon juice, beat until
   well combined.
·  Heat the mixture in a saucepan set over medium heat until it starts to
   bubble. Remove from the heat. Add the gelatine and stir until it is
   completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
·  Pour the mixture on top of the chilled crust. Sprinkle diced mango on the
   mixture, level the mixture smoothly. Refrigerate for at 5-6 hours.

Prepare the jelly topping:
·  In a heatproof bowl, combine mango puree, water lemon juice and sugar.
   Heat the mixture over medium heat and cook until it bubbles. Remove from
   the heat. Stir in gelatine until it dissolves. Let cool to room temperature.


Pour the jelly topping to the chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate for another 4-5 hours.

To serve, run a knife around the edge of the cake to release from the pan and remove the spring form collar. 









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This mango cheesecake recipe is a delightful no bake cheesecake that would perfect for summer time. Though it's no the case here. I still love it.


Note:
1.  Canned mango will do too.
2.  You can use graham cookies or digestive cookies for the crust. Crush the
     cookies in a food processor or with the end of a rolling pin until they
     resemble fine crumbs.
3.  I don't have mousse cake ring, otherwise I would have use it. If you are
     using the mousse cake ring, line the bottom with thin foil.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Melt in the mouth!






When I first came here, I was blessed to met Molly, she is like my substitute mother. She is a Nyonya with a pair of amazing hands. She inspires me in baking, she is also a very good cook, too. Every Sunday, she will make 2-3 different pastries to bring to Lord's day meeting. Everyone loves her foods.


She treats Tony like her own son. Every week, she has surprises for us. I love surprises. She knows we both love her baking and cooking. After knowing her, I learned about her life story, the tragic death of her beloved husband. After 3 decades, she still grief over her lost. She will never let go, she will bring her grief to the ground with her. Her heart broken for the second time when her younger son married a German woman who treats her like a piece of sh__! It was outrageous when I heard about how she was treated. Her son was her everything when her husband passed away. She loves him dearly.


She was once my bff, she likes to tell me story of her husband, the best time of her life. I said, she was once my bff, because, for some unexpected reason, we don't see each other like we used to. I know for this reason, she was upset about it. And she no longer phone me (she used to call me like every other hour). Although I still call her, visit her, take her out for lunch once in a while, but our relationship isn't the same anymore. For the love of God, I still love her like my mom/bff. I pray to God that one day she will let bygones be bygones and live happily for the rest of her life.


I don't know why I blog about this? Shortbreads are very traditional Christmas cookies. I should blog about something merry and festive. I hope I didn't ruin your Christmas mood. Christmas mood? Is your Christmas mood here yet? Mine still hasn't arrived.


Wishing you a merry happy baking!


Ingredients:

Shortbread Cookies:

2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads:

100g semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped


Steps:

Shortbreads:

  1. In a separate bowl mix the flour with the salt.  Set aside.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  3. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.  Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in cling wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour. The dough will be harder after chilled.  
  4. Preheat oven to 370F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.)
  6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 50 cookies (number of cookies may be vary depends on the thickness and the cutter size).




  







Chocolate Dip:

  1. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. 
  2. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
  3. Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.
  




This quick and easy shortbread will literally melt-in-your-mouth. It's so rich and buttery! Mmmmm...


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