Daring Bakers Challenge

My first challenge!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan




This recipe only uses 3 ingredients: Eggs, chocolate and butter. Somehow I think maybe because I halved the recipe. It asked for 454 gms of butter and 5 eggs. So I used 3 eggs and maybe should have used 2 instead and the cake turned out a bit hard. But next day, it was nicer.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


And we were also asked to make ice cream, so I made Bailey's Icecream to go with it. Recipe was taken from book Ices - The Definitive Guide by Caroline Liddell & Robin Weir

Pancake Day

Pancake day was yesterday but because I caught a cold and was tired from work as well, so Pancake day was moved to today!

Pancakes

Stir Fried Lotus

Was going to do this for last Saturday's dinner but did not so this became our dinner tonight.

Stir Fried Lotus, Snow Peas and Wood Fungus

Had friends over for dinner last Saturday and made the following:

Chicken Tempra


Fried Hijiki (Seaweed, Carrots and Taupok)


Gado Gado (Indonesian vegetable salad)


Siew Yoke


Also made Otak, Shrimp Wanton and Ngoh Hiang but forgot to take pixs as was busy trying to serve the food!

Peanut Butter Cookie

Flo,apologies - this is for Timothy!

Peanut Butter Cookies


Ingredients:
150gm plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
115gm soft butter
170 gm light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
260 gm cruncy peanut butter

Method:
1. Sift together the four, bicarb of soda and set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. In a third bowl, mix the egg and vanilla, then gradually beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the peanut butter and blend thoroughly. Stir in the dry ingredients. Chill for 30 mins or until firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Spoon out rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll into balls.
4. Place the balls on a baking sheet and press flat with a fork into circles. Bake in oven until lightly coloured - about 12 - 15 mins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cranberry Oat Cookie

Cranberry Oat Cookies

Macaroni Cheese

Mee Rebus

Honey Lemon Roast Chicken


This is such an easy recipe and if you have time, you can marinate it for up to an hour, if not even 10 mins will do!

Ingredients:
6 Chicken thighs - make 2 or 3 slashes to let chicken cook faster
2 tbsp honey
1 lemon - squeeze out juice
2 tsps soy sauce

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220 deg C.
2. Mix honey, lemon juice and soy sauce together. Add in the thighs.
3. Bake in oven for about 30 - 45 mins, turning once or twice during baking.

Low GI

Low GI Food

Just got my Low GI Diet Cookbook by Dr Jennie Brand-Miller and made 2 kinds of breakfast recipes from there.

Mixed Berry Muffins


Breakfast Fruit Loaf


Valentine Day Dinner

Pat wasn't feeling well and I don't believe in going out and spending crazy money for VDay dinners anyway. So made Duck a'la Orange for tonight's dinner.

Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

Bak Kwa

Bak Kwa

Made Bak Kwa last Sunday but only posting it today. Kris, these pixs for you!
Taste wise, quite similar to the real thing but looks wise, they look like the real mckoy don't they? Got the recipe from Lily's blog. Thanks Lily!
The only changes I made to Lily's recipe was that I halved it to 500gm and halved the rest of the ingredients as well and then as I didn't have kam cho powder - omitted that and used Chinese rice wine instead as again I did not have the Rose wine.

Ingredients:
1 kg ground pork

Marinate:

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp soya sauce
175 - 200 gm sugar (I used 150)
1/8 tsp 5 spiced powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp kam cho(licorice) powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp msg(optional)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp rose wine
a big drop of red food coloring


Method:
Season ground pork with the marinate and leave in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.(marinating is more flavorful but so often i have made without marinating and the result is just as good.
Turn oven to 150C.
Oil baking sheet, put a chinese bowl of marinated pork on baking sheet and try to spread meat as thinly as possible to cover the whole sheet.
Bake in oven for 10 mins or until firm to the touch.
Remove from oven and using a scissor cut meat into pieces.
Repeat (3) to (5)
Meat is now ready for grilling or wrapped in foil and freeze until needed.


On the grill - pixs are a bit dark as forgot to use the flash and too lazy to retake!


Ready!

Update of Mr Snowman

Update on Mr Snowman

Poor Mr Snowman. Let the pictures tell you about him. They were taken 2 and 3 days after the snow storm.

4/2/09


5/2/09

Let it snow

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

First time that the weather forecast predicted has come true. Woke up on Monday morning with tons of snow.

Heard on the radio that tubes, trains and buses not running. But still got up and took my shower and got ready as usual. Then at 7.30 called my boss to say that don't think I would be going in to work and he said the same, so asked me to send an email round to tell everyone not to go in.

Worked from home instead replying to emails, etc and from looking at the news, saw that almost all of London had come to a standstill. Schools were shut and most offices only had sketeton staff!

Flights were cancelled as runways were too icy, etc.

Liana said how come she had to work when I didn't. I replied because she was working from home! haha.

Anyway, when she finished in the afternoon, she got me to go out to the garden and help her build a snowman.

A little joke to share with you - our cleaner normally comes on a Monday and she came as usual, except that Pat had to tow her up the hill to our house. Reason? Our house is almost at the top of a little hill (that's the reason why I cannot go out when it snows as well) anyway - as she turned into our driveway, her car slid sideways all the way to the bottom of the hill. She tried driving back up but to no avail, so Pat had to go out and tow her back up to us!

These are some of the pictures that were taken.

Picture of the garden in snow


Picture of garden from bedroom window - looks hazy because it was still snowing


Pat and Liana having a snowball fight!


Liana and Mr Snowman


Liana action shot


Poor Mr Snowman 2 days later