Sunday 29 December 2013

Sour Cream Pancakes

So the little one decides to sleep early today, giving mummy some selfie time :)
This awesome recipe is a must try....made these perfect pancakes for breakfast a couple of days ago...very quick and by far the best pancakes I've made....and the husband agrees :)
I had some sour cream left from baking a Banana Bread loaf (recipe will be coming up soon) and so decided to use it and mdke pancakes ... I'm so glad I did...original recipe from :  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/04/edna-maes-sour-cream-pancakes/

 



You need :

1 cup sour cream
7 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
some butter for greasing (I used non-stick pan)
butter and honey to serve

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to sour cream until just barely combined (don't overmix.) Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined.
Heat a pan over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Drop batter by 1/4 cup servings onto the pan. Cook on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface and edges are starting to brown. Flip to the other side and cook for another minute. The surface will be golden.
Serve with some butter, honey or maple syrup.

Saturday 21 December 2013

Indian Style Chicken Mushroom Pasta

Bored with the usual tomato based pasta sauce? Here's one with a touch of spices to give it a new taste altogether....not as easy as opening a bottle n warming up the sauce but surely worth the extra effort..



You need :

Pasta (shell type / macaroni / bow tie pasta) - enough for 3 - cooked, drained and kept aside

1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast - cut into bite size pieces
5-6 button mushrooms - sliced
1 onion - sliced thinly
1 tomato - sliced thinly
a little turmeric powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
salt to taste
coriander leaves - garnish

For masala :

coriander seeds - 2tbsp
black peppercorns - 1 tsp
3 green chillies - chopped
5-6 garlic cloves - chopped
1 tsp olive oil

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and roast coriander seeds, peppercorns, garlic and green chillies. Let it cool and later grind the ingredients together till it makes a smooth paste by adding some water.

Next heat olive oil in pan, sauté onions till soft, add in chicken, mix well...later add in tomatoes, mushroom. Cook till tomato is soft. Add in ground masala, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and some water. Stir well and cook till chicken is cooked and gravy is a little thick.
Then, add in the cooked pasta and stir well. Taste and add in salt if needed.. Mix till well combined. Serve hot with coriander leaves as garnishing.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Blueberry Cheese Butter Cake

I made this when my aunt invited us for her Diwali open house....It makes a 9 inch round / square cake..buttery with a lovely combination of juicy blueberries and cheese..makes the ordinary butter cake extra special...worth the try..



You need :

250 gms butter
3/4 cup fine sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 medium sized eggs
250 gms cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 rd cup milk
2 1/4 cup self raising flour
150 gm fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 160C.  Beat butter and sugar till fluffy using paddle attachment. Add in vanilla. Add in the eggs, one at a time..beating well between each addition.
Change to whisk attachment and add in cream cheese and milk. Whisk till batter is smooth. Add the flour and whisk till combined. Using a spatula, fold in the blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes or till skewer inserted comes out clean.
Place on wire rack to cool before removing from pan.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Mini Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

It's been sometime since my last post...well, looking after a little one is not a piece of cake and though the laptop is set up in the next room from where she sleeps (with the idea of updating my blog during her sleeping hours), the temptation to grab some sleep myself always seems to be winning...

Hmm...now for this particular recipe...I came up with the idea of baking a mini cheesecake..Firstly, coz there's only the 2 of us and importantly, it's a way of avoiding myself from over indulgence (guilty feelings aside).

So here goes....a perfectly baked, creamy cheesecake which is just the right size as a dessert and has a crust made with Oreo cookies, giving it a kinda balance I love....Made this for our 3rd Wedding Anniversary which was last week (12.12.13) ;)...As usual, earned me some awesome remarks from the husband and also some lucky friends who got to taste it for breakfast the next day...



The recipe makes about 6 medium cupcake liner sized cheesecakes

I used :

1 block Philadelphia cream cheese (250 gm)
1/3 cup fine sugar
1 egg
juice of 1/2 orange and rind of 1 orange
5 tbsp. whipping cream

For the crust :

1/2 packet of Oreo cookies (cream removed)
3-4 tbsp. butter (softened)

Preheat oven to 180C...Line a muffin pan with 6-8 cupcake liners (depending on size).
Crush the Oreo cookies and add in the butter and mix..(oreo crumbs should be sticking together).
Take a tbsp. of mixture and press down onto the cupcake liners and press with the back of a teaspoon until smooth. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, fine sugar till well mixed, smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and beat till well combiner. Add in orange juice, orange rind and cream. Mix well. Divide micture evenly into the cupcake liners with Oreo base.

Bake cheesecakes for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool before refrigerating and serving. Serve cold.

Saturday 9 November 2013

Valrhona Chocolate Buffet at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Imagine having everything Chocolate for tea.....yes, you heard me right....the minute I came across a post on this chocolate buffet in KL, I just couldn't resist going.... so me, hubby and my two gal friends had a jolly good time catching up over a selection of delectable chocolate treats..all made with Valrhona Chocolate.


Check out these mouthwatering pics ;) :

                      
 






 
I'm sure the pics say for themselves...mouthwatering delicacies they were....velvery smooth chocolate creations with different textures, melts in your mouth with every bite....
 
Our favourite of the day was the decadent Chocolate Tart with the perfect balance from the shell and the filling with a golden leaf on each slice and some crispies to give a little crunch...that sure spells PERFECT...till it made us have seconds...sinful alright ;)
 
 
Even the cappuccino we ordered to finish our tea time treat with was really good....
From the start, we were provided with great service and the ambience at 38th floor of Grand Hyatt was just perfectly set up...giving us the view of the KL Twin Towers from where we were sitting
 
 
That's the husband with my little angel...;)
 




 
To those who would like to give yourselves a treat, do take some time off and head over to THIRTY8 at Grand Hyatt KL ...the Valrhona Chocolate Buffet is available every afternoon from 2.00 - 5.00 pm
 
 
Price : RM 78.00 per person (chocolate buffet only)
 
           RM 98.00 per person (chocolate buffet and afternoon tea)
 

 


 
 

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Nov 2013 Bake Along Challenge - Muffins


To me, muffins are a kinda comfort food...perfect with my cuppa coffee for breakfast or with my tea as a tea time treat...and I so love the smell of fresh muffins in the oven..who doesn't eh ;)
So, do Bake Along with me this month....
As usual, there are some simple rules to follow, and I will do a round-up of all the entries.




The rules :,
1. Follow my blog.
2. You may send in as many links as you want...archived posts are also accepted...do link it using the linky tool at the end of this page and send a pic to my email add (resh_82@hotmail.com)...for the round-up ;)
3. Use of above logo is advised and your post should link back to this event page...
4. To those who do not have a blog, do send your entries to resh_82@hotmail.com Pls include your name, pic, recipe and 'Bake Along Challenge' as the subject.

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Steamed Sweet Corn Cake

My friend gave me a can of cream style sweet corn which her mom has accidently bought and told me to bake something using it...hmmm...I'm used to making custard with cream style corn but this time I wanted to try out something new...the end result : a steamed corn cake. I gave her some to take home to her parents and they all loved it ;)

 
 
 
 
 
Ingredients:
4 eggs
150 gm sugar
300gm cream style corn
250g plain flour
1 tbsp double action baking powder
 
80g melted butter ( I melted in the microwave)
Method:

1. Whip eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the sweet corn, mix well.
2. Add in the flour and baking powder, mix until well blended. Lastly add in the butter and mix.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan. Cover the cake pan with aluminium foil to avoid water droplets to drop onto the cake. Place in a steamer.
4. Steam for 30 minutes or till cake is cooked through.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Pear and Almond Tart

This is adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking : From My Home to Yours

makes one 9-inch tart


 

Crust :

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
9 tbsp. cold butter
1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white)

Poached Pears :

2 ripe medium pears
3 cups water
3/4 cup golden castor sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/9 tsp salt

Frangipane :

6 tbsp. butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup brown castor sugar
3/4 cup ground almond
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cornflour
1 large egg and 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the pears :

Combine all ingredients except the pears in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Peal the pears and add to the simmering syrup. Let pears poach about 10-15 minutes, turning the occasionally. Pears will become slightly translucent, tender and able to be pierced by a fork or knife. Turn off heat. Let cool to room temperature.

For the tart shell :

Put flour, icing sugar, salt in a mixing bowl and mix till incorporated. Add in small cubes of butter and rub in with both hands till u get a crumbly texture and butter is mixed well with flour. Add in egg yolk and combine together till dough becomes clumpy. Do not make it into a ball. Just mix till it is sticking together.
Butter a removable base tart pan. Turn the dough out onto the pan and press the bottom towards the sides till dough covers the pan easily. Make sure dough is even on the pan. You can patch dough on areas needed. Cut of ends with a butter knife. Once shell is done, place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
Then remove tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. Place the tart pan on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes at 180C.
Once done, remove pan, remove the foil and let it cool.

For the frangipane :

Combine butter and sugar with a hand held mixer. Add the ground almonds and blend together. Add in the flour, cornstarch, and then the egg and egg white. Beat in low till smooth. Add in vanilla, just to blend.

Assemble the tart :

Once the shell is cool, Pour the frangipane and spread evenly.
Drain the pears. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Cut into halves, remove the core with a knife and spoon. Then cut crosswise into 3/8 inches thick. Do not separate the slices. Slide a knife or spatula underneath the pear halves and transfer them onto the tart.
Arrange all pear halves evenly (as in pics).
Place tart in a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or till golden brown and frangipane is firm to touch at 170C.

Once done, remove pan and let it cool before removing tart base from the pan. Slice the tart and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dust with some icing sugar.


 


 




Linked to my ongoing event :



http://daily-cuppa.blogspot.com/2013/09/bake-along-challenge-pie-tart-and.html

http://palachinkablog.com/bake-fest-event-announcement/

Bake Fest

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Bake Along Challenge - Pie, Tart and Quiches

Hi everyone..Welcome yet again to my Bake Along Challenge...
After nearly a year, I'm hosting this Event in my blog..been busy with the pregnancy and the baby..
So, here we go..the comeback of Bake Along Challenge kicks off with Pie, Tart and Quiches..
Hmmm...I love pies, tarts and quiches...both the savoury and the sweet ones. The end result of a beautiful pie with buttery crust will truly make the extra time and work worthwhile.
All pie lovers out there, do take part and post your bakes here for everyone to try and enjoy ;)
As usual, there are some simple rules to follow, and I will do a round-up of all the entries.



The rules :,
1. Follow my blog.
2. You may send in as many links as you want...archived posts are also accepted...do link it using the linky tool at the end of this page and send a pic to my email add (resh_82@hotmail.com)...for the round-up ;)
3. Use of above logo is advised and your post should link back to this event page...
4. To those who do not have a blog, do send your entries to resh_82@hotmail.com Pls include your name, pic, recipe and 'Bake Along Challenge' as the subject.
5. Event starts today till October 31st 2013.
Happy Baking ;)



Tuesday 17 September 2013

Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Buttercream Frosting

Made these yummy cuppies for my fren's hens night...and it was loved my all ;)




 

Original recipe is from BrownEyedBaker

I doubled the amount of tequila and.reduce the lime juice a little for the cupcakes. Once cuppies are cool, I poked holes in the cupcakes and added tequila direct into the cupcakes using a small spoon and immediately covered it with the frosting. Best consumed immediately once frosted or placed in the refrigerator till consumed...preferably on the same day as tequila evaporates.
A great idea if you're planning to bake something for a party like this ;)

Sunday 15 September 2013

Pasta with Homemade Chicken Meatballs

Paired with my favourite wine, we had this yummy pasta dish with homemade chicken meatballs for dinner..First time making my own meatballs..i was surprised it was really easy to make and the end result : succulent and delicious...earning me praises for the hubs...Do give this a try..the meatballs recipe is perfect for 2.



You need :

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (minced using the blender attached with mincing blade)
1/2 big onion (chopped thinly)
1/4 cup grated cheddar + parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic (minced)
salt and black pepper powder to taste
some chopped parsley and fresh coriander
1/2 of a beaten egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil for frying

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl and make into balls...Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan. Place the chicken meatballs in 2 batches and pan fry till all sides are golden and meat is cooked. Remove from pan and put aside.
Meanwhile, cook your favourite pasta..I used whole wheat spaghetti. Warm up a bottle of pasta sauce..I used Prego Chunky Garden sauce. Once sauce is cooked, turn off heat, add in the meatballs and coat. Serve hot with the pasta.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Black Pepper Mushroom Masala

Yummy vegetarian side dish..easy and quick to make...perfect even on weekdays.


 
I used :

1 packet of  fresh oyster mushrooms (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (sliced thinly)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tomato (sliced thinly)
salt
cracked black peppercorns (according to ur taste coz I like it spicy)
water
fresh coriander

Method:

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Fry onion, garlic, ginger till fragrant. Add tomatoes and oyster mushrooms. Add in the coriander, cumin and garam masala. Mix and add in a little water to cook. Lastly add in salt and black peppercorns. Mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve hot with white rice.

Linked this to : http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2013/09/announcing-side-dish-mela-with-giveaways.html

Saturday 7 September 2013

Sweet Wheat Porridge

Today I'm blogging from my very new Sony Vaio I bought yesterday....one word to describe it : Awesome...
Haha...with the Touchscreen, Apps and the sound system....(I'm yet to explore it further)...I would say I'm so loving my new toy ;)
So, this week's post...Sweet Wheat Porridge...also called Bubur Gandum in Malay, is one of my husband's fav so this is done upon request.
My first try but as usual..a success ;). Here goes :



Ingredients :

250gm wheat pearls
1 litre water
2 pandan (screwpine leaves) ,knotted
150 ml thick coconut milk - from fresh coconut
150 gm sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Method :

Wash the wheat pearls until water runs clear. Soak for 30 mins.
In a pot, bring water and pandan leaves to a boil. Add the wheat pearls and allow to boil for 5 mins before lowering the heat and to simmer till wheat pearls are soft to touch (about 20-30 mins)
Add more water if needed. Add in the coconut milk, sugar and salt. Bring to a quick boil. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Serve warm or cold ;)

Sunday 1 September 2013

Wholemeal Banana Cake

Looking for THE banana cake?
Look no further...this cake ticks off all the points : Moist, healthy, eggless, nutty even without any nuts, easy - without a need for the mixer, fast yet delicious....
Now, here goes...my version of Wholemeal Banana Cake ;)


Ingredients :

1 cup low protein flour
3/4 cup wholemeal (you can get it from baking supply store)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup low fat milk
2 ripe bananas (well mashed)
1/2 cup canola / sunflower oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method :
Heat oven to 180C. Prepare a loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, sift in the flour, add the wholemeal, salt, baking powder and sugar. Mix well.
Add in the milk, oil, vanilla and bananas. Gently mix till combined. Do not overmix and it will make the cake dense and not moist.
Pour in the loaf pan and bake for about 35 - 40 min or till ur cake tester comes out clean.
Goes well with a cuppa.

Link sent to : whats-with-my-cuppa-2 and http://uk-rasoi.blogspot.com/

 inking this recipe to Shruti’s ‘Sweet Celebration’ Event :)
  Sweet Celebration

Thursday 29 August 2013

Afternoon tea at Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur

As my husband was leaving for his Masters, we decided to go for a short outing..and it was our first outing with our baby daughter and we wanted to make it a special one. After going through various sites, we finally decided on Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton. Well, it was indeed pleasant and relaxing, not to mention that my daughter was behaving like an angel, letting her parents enjoy their ' me time' together (she was just 2 months then).
When we were ushered into the lounge, we were welcomed by their friendly staff and by the soothing music coming from the harp...yes, they actually had a lovely lady playing at the harp and the music enveloped the lounge...letting us forget the outside world for the moment.



My peach tea

Our table was all ready (with delicate English tea cutlery) when we reached and once we were seated they brought in a trolley full of their tea selection for us to choose from. They had 4 types of tea...fruity, black, green and herbs (if i recall correctly). They let you smell the samples of a few and then they will freshly brew it for you. I asked her for their best selling from the fruity selection and chose the Peach Tea.....my, it was the most refreshing tea Ive tasted....
My husband being the coffee person, decided to have his Mocha (his fav coffee flavour) and it came with a sugar coated stick at the side for you to stir with to get the right amount of sweetness...awesome ;)

Our 3 tier delicacies

Their selection of warm scones with clotted cream and jam, lovely sandwiches and cakes were also nice....Overall, we had an awesome, relaxing tea..with some nice shots of us takes around the lounge..;)


Us

My awesome hubby

Shweta having her own 'me' time


Monday 26 August 2013

Hokkaido Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream

My dearest dearest friend Davina was quitting her current job and moving back to her hometown so we gals planned a small farewell for her...sort of a dinner gathering here in Seremban..So, me and my fren Joann planned to make a surprise cake for the occasion. First we wanted to make a chocolate caramel ombre cake but I couldnt get the muscavado sugar that was needed so we changed the plan and decided on a White Chocolate Tiramisu cake. Unfortunately, we couldn't find white chocolate, sponge fingers and even mascarpone on that particular week...Well, it was truly dissapointing. So I went to the hypermarket, grabbed whatever I could find, bearing in mind that I will somehow come up with plan the next day. When I reached home and started pondering on what I could make with whatever that I have in hand, I realized I had long bought the hokkaido cupcake liners and I've always wanted to give it a try...so, here goes...our first attempt (me and Joann's) at Hokkaido cake.....

The cake turned out nice and we got lots of praises but to me it needed to lighter and lacked the melt in the mouth texture that I was hoping for. Nevertheless, it was a lovely light cake which we had for dessert and the strawberry cream was awesome.

The original recipe is from Nasi Lemak Lover,,I followed the recipe given...changes I made:
- I used canola oil as I didnt have corn oil
- I doubled the recipe for the strawberry cream
- I could make 8 cupcakes with this recipe


Ingredients :

3 egg yolks
20 gm sugar
35 gm canola oil
60 gm milk
70 gm cake flour

3 egg whites
25 gm sugar

Strawberry Cream :

120 gm whipping cream
30 gm icing sugar
about 4-5 fresh strawberries (pureed)

Ice cubes and ice water

Method :
Preheat oven 170C.
Arrange paper liners on baking tray,
Hand whisk egg yolks and sugar till pale in colour. Add in oil and milk. Mix. Sift in cake flour, stir till combined, keep aside.
Beat egg whites till foamy, gradually add sugar and beat till soft peaks form. I used a hand held electric beater.
Take 1/3 of egg white mixture and add to yolk mixture. Mix with hand whisk. Fold in balance egg white into yolk mixture and mix with spatula till combined.
Scoop batter into liners (3/4 full) and bake for about 20-25 mins on middle rack. Mine took 20 mins.
Once done, leave on wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, beat whipping cream and sugar till firm and stiff (over a bowl of icy cold water).
Add in strawberry puree, mix well.

Pipe cream into cupcakes. Refrigerate before consume.


This is a pic of all of us last week during the meet :)


 Linking this recipe to Shruti’s ‘Sweet Celebration’ Event :)
Sweet Celebration