Manna From Heaven

Frustrating

2008-11-30T10:00:00.005+08:00

Been having problems with my macarons in the last three tries. The first had a runny batter that spread too much before it could enter the oven, the second and third had a few crack tops and the feet were lopsided (same old problem I had previously). My family and neighbours are more than happy to eat the failures but it irks me I had only one success and things had gone downhill from there.

I've note a few things I've done differently. Hopefully with these observations, I can rectify the problems I've been facing.

1. The egg whites used were relatively fresh. Hee...all thanks to the great rapport my mum has with the egg seller. I had previously used eggs that had been 3 weeks old and the whites aged in the fridge for 3 days.

2. Sifting of the TPT. I usually just use them straight after a good blizz in the food processor. This time round, I sieved the TPT thinking it will help in the folding into the meringue. Hmm...got to reduce the number of folds since the TPT do get mix in easier with the sifting.

3. Instead of gradually adding in the sugar during the whipping of the meringue, I've dump it in at one shot.

4. Reduce the drying out time to 30 mins. Need to gauge the drying out time according to the weather.

Getting better....

2008-11-26T14:14:00.005+08:00

Finally a batch with decent dome and feet. I think my God has heard my desire to master these finicky little guys.

My nemesis - macarons

2008-11-24T19:21:00.008+08:00

The way to overcome fear is to face it head on. Still far from perfection, but at least they have feet :)

Tuna Potato in Soy Sauce

2008-11-21T15:13:00.006+08:00

This dish is so simple you'll be surprise how good it taste. Unlike the usual braised potato dishes that can be pretty heavy on the palate, this one taste remarkably light. I think it has something to do with the addition of vinegar at the end of the cooking.

Source: 小小米桶的写食厨房

Ingredients:

3 potatos, peeled and cut into big chunks

1 can tuna in oil, drain off the oil

100ml water

1Tbsp japanese soy sauce

1Tbsp soju (japanese wine)

1Tbsp mirin

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp vinegar

chopped spring onions (for garnishing)

Method:

1. Place potatoes and tuna in a saucepan. Add in water, soy sauce, soju, mirin and sugar.

2. Cover the saucepan and cook till potatoes have softened. Add in vinegar and cook for another minute or two.

3. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.

Note:

1. I've increased the water by 50ml as I like to have a bit more sauce to go with the rice.

2. It is not necessary to add in the sugar. The use of mirin has given the dish sufficient sweetness.

Fruitcake

2008-11-20T15:11:00.018+08:00

rich chocolate fruitcake baked using valrhona cocoa and guanaja chocolate

cross-section of rich chocolate fruitcake

regular fruitcake

cross-section of regular fruitcake

Managed to quickly take some pictures of the fruitcakes before the weather take a turn for the worst. I can't believe my mum and me managed to finish a quarter of each cake after the photo-taking session. Tried to comfort myself by saying that's my lunch :P

Gingerbread revisited

2008-11-15T16:14:00.004+08:00

Made a batch of regular and extra spicy gingerbread man. My friend C gave me the inspiration for the extra spicy version. Too bad I can't mail it to her :(

Christmas Baking...#1

2008-11-07T15:52:00.008+08:00

A mixture of sultanas, golden raisins, cranberries, candied ginger, candied citrus peels, glaced cherries and grated citrus zest macerating in the goodness of jamaican rum, honey and rosewater.

Two more weeks....before I can wake them up from their month long slumber.

Candied orange peel

2008-10-31T13:52:00.007+08:00

....all ready to be air-dry in a slow oven, coat in castor sugar and dip in dark chocolate. Simply addictive! I'm so happy to have stockpiled a stash of homemade candied orange peel for the coming fruitcake making :)

My Xmas fruitcake topper

2008-10-28T13:59:00.006+08:00

Had a great time making this fondant lamb. I'll be making this topper for all my fruitcakes since frankly I'm quite sick of seeing those plastic santa, reindeers and xmas trees.

Another reason I chose to do this is due to the influence of my church's recent sermons. When things go wrong and complaints of bad times ahead keep coming, I want to remind myself as well as the people I love to focus and not lose sight of the Lamb (Jesus Christ).

Hi....I'm Ginny!

2008-10-25T19:01:00.003+08:00

Clown Fish Cupcakes

2008-09-24T21:23:00.003+08:00

I've always been very fond of the animation Finding Nemo. When I saw the baking supplies store carry these sugar figurines, I simply have to add it to the basket. Wished I had taken a better picture of them.

My Xmas Cuppies Brainstorming

2008-09-18T14:30:00.003+08:00

These two are part of my ongoing 2008 xmas cuppies design brainstorming. Xmas is still 3 months away...but if I don't start now, I will never get anything done. I still remember the experience baking gingerbread man for the first time last year. It was a really good learning experience :P

What I'm busy with :)

2008-09-12T14:00:00.004+08:00

For the few people who still visit this humble blog of mine, I sincerely apologise for missing in action. In case you're wondering what I'm busy with, yup.., I busy baking cupcakes & having a swell time 'playing' with fondant. These are the latest of my creations. Many thanks for mongstirs' wonderful sesame street cupcakes that had inspired these.

Jesus ♥ Me

2008-08-02T20:00:00.001+08:00

.... I love Him because He first loved me.

Heartful Cupcakes

2008-07-28T16:06:00.004+08:00

Made these for YT's housewarming party last friday. I'm so in love with the gal's apartment. Very eclectic. I wish I had brought along my camera to take pictures of the apartment.

In case you're wondering which type of cupcakes I've made, they are as followed: chai cupcake with white chocolate and vanilla bean frosting, coffee cupcake with mocha frosting, lemon cupcake with lavender frosting and chocolate cupcake with raspberry frosting.

Hae Bee Hiam Cookies

2008-07-08T13:36:00.006+08:00

If there's anything I'll miss eating when I'm overseas, it'll be the homemade hae bee hiam. It's such a versatile condiment. It taste great on its own over a piping hot bowl of rice, stirfried brinjals and kangkong will be lifeless without it and my favourite way of eating it: lightly butter a slice of plain bread, spread a thin layer of hae bee hiam and toast it for a minute.....yummylicious!!

Last wednesday night, while I was watching the locally made sitcom sayang sayang an idea came to me: why don't I make my own hae bee hiam cookies. I do like Home Favourite's version but for someone who grew up eating chilli padi, I like mine with a little more fiery kick.

After some experimentation, I finally managed to come out with a cookie that's light, crisp, great hae bee flavour and spicy. The addition of some toasted sesame seeds gave the cookies a good nutty flavour.

I've finally found my favourite cookie!

Baby Cupcake Toppers

2008-06-18T19:37:00.004+08:00

Made some cupcake toppers for my friend M's surprise cupcakes. M will be delivering her first baby boy anytime soon. Hooray! I hope she'll be very please when she sees the cupcakes. It hasn't been easy for her in this journey to motherhood.

The cupcakes will have a white chocolate cake base topped with some lemon buttercream finished with these cupcake toppers. Aren't those blue feet cute. In case you're wondering what's the letter K for, it's the first alphabet of baby's name!

I have not decided which pair to use. Hmm...more in favour of the second set. Which set are you in favour of?

Today's Breakfast....#3

2008-06-10T10:48:00.003+08:00

three pieces of leftover chicken sausages and a cup of homemade yogurt.

A Cookie In Joo Chiat

2008-06-09T18:30:00.009+08:00

cookies from left to right: almond cookie, savoury hae bee hiam cookie, japanese green tea cookie

After a good lunch of chicken briyani in geylang serai market, my lunch companion K and I decided a good walk to joo chiat will help speed up the digestion. Knowing K can be very adventurous when it comes to food, I suggested we should go to Home's Favourite for some hae bee hiam (minced spicy shrimp) cookie. Yes! The same type of hae bee hiam that's used in stir-fry kang kong and hae bee hiam roll.

I really love the savoury hae bee hiam cookie. It's not overly spicy, a good balance of savouriness and sweetness, crumbly and full of flavours. K agreed it can be very addictive. The green tea cookie is good but I prefer it to have a heavier touch of tea powder. As for the almond cookie, both of us detect a faint synthetic taste. It could be due to the almond essence used. With oil replacing the usual butter, the cookies are much lighter on the palate.

If you're too overwhelmed to bake your own cookies, do give Home's Favourite a visit. The cookies are reasonable priced and very fresh. They even have small packs that's good for dropping into the children's schoolbags. I know what I want to try in the next visit: pork floss sesame cookies!

Home's Favourite

266 Joo Chiat Road

Singapore 427520

Bride & Groom

2008-06-09T15:37:00.002+08:00

Mandarins

2008-06-02T18:36:00.003+08:00

Saw these australia mandarins while shopping for groceries in the nearby supermarket and added them to the basket. I like to call them little balls of sunshine. Just as you've guessed, I love to use their skins in pastry!

Today's Breakfast....#2

2008-06-02T13:41:00.002+08:00

cedele's brown rice salad, roasted vegetable soup & orange juice. It's more like brunch as I had it pretty late. I simply adore cedele's rice or quinoa salads. Not to forget their soups. Find it much better than another well-known establishment that specialises in soups.

Mission Accomplished

2008-05-31T01:49:00.001+08:00

Had just completed C's bridal shower favours. It's 1.45am and I'm really tired....but feel really accomplished.

Kiss from a Rose

2008-05-22T19:04:00.006+08:00

Playing with some cupcake ideas for a friend's friend bridal shower. These are fondant toppers for the cupcakes.

Today's Breakfast....#1

2008-05-13T11:00:00.007+08:00

campbell vegetable soup and bread with tomato spread. I don't usually drink canned soup. Usually make them from scratch. It was a moment of weakness.... Can I blame it on the flu?

Tomato Spread

2008-05-12T15:19:00.004+08:00

Once again, Eric Gower's recipe has lived up to my expectations. The fussy brother loves using this tomato spread on his morning muffins. Ann, thank you so much for the sun dried tomatoes. Will pass you a bottle of this the next time I see you :)

Flavoured Salt

2008-05-09T17:58:00.005+08:00

I'm currently going ga-ga over flavoured salts.

Nope, I didn't get it from any pricey gourmet shops. Got the recipe off Eric Gower the Breakaway Cook's blog. Eric writes extensively about these salts and gave several flavour suggestions.

Last night, I used the salt (shown in the picture) to flavour some freshly cooked spaghetti. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over and tadah...what a delicious dinner!!

Ingredients for the salt? Toasted brazil mushrooms, lemon zest, chilli flakes, black peppercorns and maldon salt.

Come, have a piece of tea...

2008-05-08T14:42:00.003+08:00

Freshly baked Earl Grey and orange tea cookies. I love this cookie's crumbly texture and citrusy floral note. To increase the citrus note, I've added homemade candied orange peel.

Joy is....#3

2008-05-06T15:18:00.006+08:00

.... having a long chat with a good friend in Tea Cafe.

Ann had the osmathus oolong tea.

While I had the hibiscus tea.

Homemade Granola

2008-04-17T18:31:00.011+08:00

Today I've baked some granola out of the 1kg bag of oats. Not as crunchy as I would have like. It could be due to the agave I've used in replacement of the sugar. Am going to give another recipe a try and this time I'm going to stick to using light brown sugar.

Chilli Anchovies

2008-04-17T11:51:00.004+08:00

... a perfect accompaniment to steaming white rice.

Joy is....#2

2008-03-18T16:47:00.005+08:00

....having a bowl of sweet soup in a hot afternoon.

Macarons

2008-03-17T18:16:00.007+08:00

I finally had my first attempt of macaron making!

Been hesitating to bake these for the longest possible time partly due to all the horror stories and failed attempts I've read from food blogs. However, to throw away the egg whites left over from making lemon curd just seems so wasteful....I really had enough of baking and eating chiffon cakes :(

So last nite, I used excel spreadsheet to scale down one of the two macaron recipes I owned. Had decided to go with the italian meringue method as I'm pretty confident of cooking sugar syrup having gotten plenty of practice from making almond brittle. Besides, I just can't imagine myself whipping egg whites by hand which was called for by the second recipe.

The grinding and re-grinding of almonds was fine...so is the pouring of syrup into the beaten egg white. The only thing that really baffled me was the mixing of meringue into the dry ingredients. Every blog and recipe I've read called for the final batter to be smooth and flowing like magma. But how would I know how magma flows since I've never seen an active volcano?! Eh...maybe I could rely on the video recording my geography teacher had shown during lessons many many many many many years ago? Piping was pretty easy as I've drawn a template to be used under the silpat. The recipe didn't specify for the piped batter to be left to dry but I decided to do that since Singapore's weather can be pretty humid.

Not wanting to miss the action, I sat in front of the oven as the macarons formed their feet. It is such a sight to behold. The feet will gradually push the hardened cap upwards as it forms. Of the 30 macaron shells, 6 of them had uneven feet. I wonder if it's due to uneven heating in my oven. Will give it another go tomorrow to see if I can rectify the problem. Wish me luck.

Jamming Session

2008-03-13T23:20:00.003+08:00

My first attempt at making strawberry jam.

The jam's colour is of deep ruby red and the taste of strawberries is so intense. It's thick but spreadable straight out of the fridge. I don't think I'll return to the store bought ones after tasting this.

If you're interested to make some of your own, I have modified a recipe from this blog by increasing the sugar to 75% of the strawberries' weight and added in 2 tablespoon of raspberry vodka. Try it, you'll love it!

Where's the sunshine?

2008-03-10T16:10:00.005+08:00

Can one suffer from rainy days blues?

It's been raining and drizzling in the last couple of days. Not in the best of moods. Made a simple lunch consisting of brown rice, potato banchan and miso soup.

I wonder how I managed to survive winter time in Melbourne many years back.

I ♥ U

2008-03-08T12:53:00.008+08:00

Made 40 of this cookie for my godson N's birthday celebration at the kindy. Had great fun baking and packing them in the wee hours of the night. Cookie man for the little boys and cookie lady for the little girls.

Joy is....#1

2008-03-08T00:08:00.005+08:00

....two slices of savoury pumpkin cake, a cup of green tea and the aroma of cookies baking in the oven.

Tea Cafe @ Seah Street

2008-02-21T21:22:00.002+08:00

French Rose tea served with almond cookies

Long Jing tea served with candied lotus seeds

A very delectable tea egg

Japanese Snack Set - konnyaku jellies, savoury rice crackers & surprises

Tadah...the surprises: candied yuzu skin and coloured candies

Lemon Biscotti

2008-02-20T17:58:00.009+08:00

Decided to bake some biscotti since I'm meeting my godson's mum for tea tomorrow. Yay! We're going to the Tea Cafe at Seah Street. Too bad the little fellow will be in school. Hopefully my lemon biscotti and chocolate cupcakes can be some form of compensation for him.

I can't say I've fully perfected the art of baking biscotti as yet but it's the one that all my friends would request. To date, I've managed to add lemon, orange and lavender flavoured biscotti to my repertoire. Freshly baked biscotti and chai latte....sounds heavenly!

Quest for the Perfect Cupcake

2008-02-18T11:00:00.014+08:00

For those who are puzzled about my sporadic postings and wondering what I've been busy with, I'm up to my neck in baking cupcakes.

Been testing out many new cake recipes and tweaking those I loved. I always believe for a cake to be a success, there must be a match between the frosting or cream to the cake base. You can't seperate one from another. Am too brushing up with my piping skills.

Many thanks to all the wonderful people who have been helping with the taste testing and relieving my overworked fridge of cupcakes. Arigato!

Korean Dish: Jap Chae

2008-02-15T11:00:00.012+08:00

Enough for 2 - 3 people

Ingredients:

50g carrots, julienned

50g red capsicum, deseeded and julienned

50g soaked shitake mushrooms, julienned

50g spring onions, cut into 5 cm strips

100g zucchini, julienned

1 egg, beaten with a tsp of water

150g sweet potato noodle

canola oil spray

Sauce for julienned shitake mushrooms:

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp water

Jap Chae Sauce:

1 Tbsp korean hot chilli paste (Gochujang)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Soak noodle in tap water for 20 mins. Cook the soaked noodle in a pot of boiling water for 3 - 5 mins. When cooked, drain off the water and rinse the noodles in running tap water. Place cooled noodles in a colander or sieve to drain off excess water. Set aside.

2. Pre-heat the frying pan for about 20s & spray some canola oil. Fry the egg mixture into thin sheets. When cooled, cut the egg sheets into thin strips.

3. Saute the zucchini, spring onions, carrots, red capsicum seperately in a little canola oil. Sprinkle a little salt to taste. Set aside.

4. Pour sauce for julienned shitake mushrooms into the frying pan. Add the mushrooms. Cook till the sauce is reduced. Set aside.

5. In a big mixing bowl, put together the hot chilli paste, soy sauce and garlic. Add in the cooled sweet potato noodle and mix well. At this point, add in the sesame oil and mix.

6. Add in all the sauteed vegetables and 2 tsp of sesame seeds. Toss well. Top off with the egg strips and toss. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Note:

1. You can use other types of vegetables to replace any of those used in this dish. I've cooked this dish with spinach and chives with great success. This is the recipe I often turn to whenever I want to clear up the vegetable compartment in the fridge.

2. Sauteing the vegetables starting from the light-coloured to the dark-coloured will save you from washing the frying pan in-between the sauteing process. I'd used a canola oil spray in order to reduce the amount of oil used in this recipe.

3. I usually soak the shitake mushrooms overnight and reserve 2 Tbsp of the water to make the sauce used in sauteing the mushrooms. Always give the dry mushrooms a good rinse to wash off any dirt before proceeding with the soaking.

4. You can adjust the spiciness of this dish by increasing or decreasing the amount of hot chilli paste used. If more hot chilli paste is used, do reduce the amount of soy sauce as the hot chilli paste is salted. When in doubt taste the noodle as you mix it. Feel free to adjust the amount of seasonings used to suit your palate.

Jolly Feasting

2007-12-24T17:00:00.002+08:00

After being a christain for so many years, this is the first time I'm cooking Christmas Eve Dinner (correction, more like Christmas Eve lunch). Being the only christain in the family, there has never been any celebration whatsoever and in my previous church the cell group always has a party on Christmas Eve.

So this year I was pretty surprised when my Mum suggested we have a dinner to celebrate. Eh..who's cooking??? No price for guessing :( I was 'elected' to be the chef of the day, one reason being I'll know what to cook for this festive celebration. It's not that I dislike the job, just that an old injury on the left shoulder had recurred and I'm having a little difficulty lifting the arm. So as not to disappoint the family, I made radical changes to the menu. Turkey? Big NO....since Dad is working on the Xmas eve & day, I don't want to chomp on cold turkey meat for the next 1+ week. Chicken? Eh....not looking forward to the required basting if I intend to roast a whole chicken. In the end, I settled on a baked pasta for the main, grilled sausages and a green salad for the sides and ending it with a tiramisu.

With some proper planning, I managed to dish out the whole lunch on my own within 3.5 hours. Hee, you may say you sure can do better than that but for someone with an injured shoulder, it's a mean feat!!! :P All thanks to Pioneer Woman's incredible recipes, my trusty Mayer oven and Kitchenaid mixer!

Drool-worthy Baked Pasta

Been reading Ree's blog for some time. Loved her witty writing and beautiful pictures. Never did I imagine her recipes played such a big role in this special lunch. Even my foodie brother sang praises of the food. If you're beginning to wonder why is that I never take a picture of the whole dish, truth is, both my mum and brother had started tucking into the food while I turned my back to retrieve the camera :P Yup...its really that delicious! Ha ha...I had no choice but to aim the camera at the untouched portion :) Made some minor adjustment to the ingredients as it's a nightmare to troll the supermarkets for all the ingredients at this time of the year. Everyone is in a frenzy buying mood! I'm so glad I had a tidy stash in my pastry fridge :)))

Here's how the pasta looks under the cheese....Yum!!!

Last.......but not least the superb Tiramisu

I'll post the modified recipes for the baked pasta and tiramisu some other time. Right now I just need to have a good break after all the cooking, cleaning and packing. Before I sign off, here's wishing everyone a very Merry Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!!

Pucker Up

2007-12-18T17:09:00.001+08:00

If there's a fruit you'll always find in my refrigerator, it'll be the lemon. I simply adore lemon. A wedge of it to liven up the fish and chips, slices of it in ice teas during hot days and cups of hot lemon and honey when I'm down with the flu. It's bright yellow colour never fails to lift my spirit.

Here's the first batch of lemon curd I've made. Before this, I've never tasted lemon curd, let alone homemade ones. The verdict: I love its citrusy, light buttery texture and milky yellow hue. As I've passed the end product through a sieve, the texture is much more velvety than the regular kaya. Even my citrus fruit hater of a Dad is so in love with it. Nothing beats lemon curd and scones for breakfast :)

And so it begins...

2007-12-18T17:01:00.000+08:00

Just a quick hello to everyone out there.

I finally started this blog after much procrastination. Well, you see, I’m not very much of a writing person. Hopefully, this time round it’ll be different as the focus will be on food…glorious food :P

Friends who know me very well will attest that I live to eat. I’m one who wouldn’t mind lousy service, long waiting time (nope, I’m not a donut factory fan) or obscure locations so long the food is great.

So be prepare to read about my adventures in eating, cooking and baking. H and BT, I’ll post the recipes you guys had been asking but I'd never got to write down. Ok, as a big appreciation of your ever forgiving nature, I’ll even list the ingredients in grams and spoons instead of telling you ‘agar agar’ (a colloquial term used in Singapore for estimation).

Do come back if you’re not bothered by my poor spelling or grammar or would like to know if I’d burnt down the kitchen. I’ll share more about that in another posting :)