Gosh, 2008 came and went in a flash! To some, it was probably not a good year so no love lost. I can't help but wonder how it was for me... well, another year older, that's for sure.
As usual, we hosted a small gathering (considering how big all the kids have grown, small is really an understatement) at our home on New Year's Eve. Hubs wants to host so he can drink as much as he desiers since to him, I am NOT qualified as a "back-up" driver. I always say that I am destined to be a passenger more than a driver, anyway.
The strangest thing this year was that almost everyone had dinner plans when he extended the invitation! I told him that perhaps he was very late in inviting, that was the reason. Everyone didn't want to take for granted that we would host the gathering again, but they didn't realise that Hubs is one who will offer to be host year after year ... that's him. I was glad to have the opportunity to focus on canapes and desserts, for once!
I tried to re-create a very delicious smoked salmon canape I had tasted not so long ago. I bought some sweet mini pie crust (to standby) in case the baked mini bread cups didn't turn out. In the end, it was the mini bread cups that won most support. I also goggled for help with bruschetta and did the most basic one.
I tried to make tzatziki to go with the smoked salmon so it won't be too dry. This being the first time I am making it blind (without tasting it before), I had to rely on how my tongue (and my kids') reacted to it. Well, to me, it played a quite role of keeping the canape moist and let the smoked salmon dominate. I am happy with the result as the kids kept asking for more!
For dessert, I made a Rum Peach Pie and a Chocolate Banana Pie. I also made Bubur Cha Cha, my very first attempt and a last minute decision. Thanks to the internet and KC forum, I found many ideas and recipes. How do you like the Rum Pech Tart, recipe thanks to HHB.
It's not true that I MADE this quiche, well at least not entirely. All I did was prepare the shortcrust pastry and laid it onto the pie pan. The custard and filling were prepared by Gina and that was what gave flavour to the whole dish. She made it look so easy or perhaps I had not bothered to find out previously.
I had tasted quiche but don't remember liking what I had tasted. So I never bothered to look up recipes for quiche. This was one of the dish presented at the first Hi Tea Buffet held by Kitchen Capers and Chef's Secrets Cooking Studio.
When I knew that Gina and Amy, co-owner of Chef's Secrets, were going to prepare and cook a day before the buffet, I volunteered to help. I had been taking a break from baking for too long and thought this would end the drought of not baking. It sure did!
I rubbed butter into flour and kneaded till it was pliable. Without guidance from the two teachers, I would not have learnt one important thing. The crust which I made previously were too dry! That explained why I was unable to roll the dough, even after chilling it for 30 minutes! Now I know...
Below is a picture of some of the food served, just a few of the many yummy items served.
I noticed that whenever I'm baking something, eg, bread, chiffon cakes or pies, I'll keep baking the same thing, but either in a different flavour or with another ingredient.
After baking that Chocolate Cherry Pie for E, I automatically selected to bake this pie for K, who will be celebrating her birthday on 19 May. I was delighted to be invited to a surprise birthday party in her honour. Unfortunately, I had to miss the youngster's party due to family commitments. To make up for it, I baked this for her. Well, I do have to keep my online shopping buddy happy so I will still be invited to future shopping sprees... Thanks S for helping to pick this up for her as well.
I have also been toying with a very lazy idea of using ready-made crusts. So, I picked up 2 ready crusts and shamelessly used one for this Chocolate Pumpkin Pie. Sorry K and party that I chose this shortcut :P
Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients for Filling
150g Pumpkin
100g Milk
50g Whipping Cream (I used Nestle Pouring Cream)
70g Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Corn Flour
½ tbsp Flour 60g Dark Chocolate, melted*
Method
1. Steam the pumpkin until soft. Set aside to cool and mash it.
2. Mix milk, whipping cream, sugar and egg until well blended. Add in the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
3. Add in corn flour and flour, blend until even mixed. Sieve the mixture, then mix it with the mashed pumpkin until well incorporated.
4. Pour the filling onto the half baked pastry and bake at 190 deg C for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. Decorate with shaved white chocolate.
*Melted chocolate can be omitted. Add in ½ tsp of ground cinnamon to make traditional pumkin pie.
Recipe is also from Alex Goh's Temption of Chocolate.
I made this pie for someone who inspired me. She is one passionate lady with a super big heart. Being Italian helps, of course. I was invited to her first talk to launch her book, Stella's Mum Gets Her Groove Back. Yes, she is none other than Elisabetta Fronzoso.
I met her, and her wonderful husband, Leonardo, through a course last year. I was struck by her passionate and approachable nature. In the three-day course, I realised that I had found the "inspiration" that I had been looking for! Perhaps I didn't require any external inspiration and I was capable of inspiring myself! Along with that, I discovered that people around me, ie my children, would benefit from this new found inspiration.
Then I got passionate about baking and I was waiting for an opportunity to bake something for this wonderful couple. I could not think of anything suitable until I saw this recipe in Alex Goh's Temptation of Chocolate...
Chocolate Cherry Pie
Ingredient for fillings
A
120g Butter
100g Sugar
B
2 Eggs
C
40g Flour
80g Ground Hazelnuts (I used ground almonds)
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
D
Some dark cherries, stoned
Method
1. Prepare a semi-baked 8-inch round sweet pastry.
2. Cream (A) until light then add in (B). Cream until smooth. Lastly add in (C) and mix until well-blended.
3. Place the above filling onto the semi-baked sweet pastry and arrange the dark cherries on top and press it lightly.
4. Bake at 190 deg C for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan. Brush it with apricot glaze.
*Pie crust recipe from here
I received an sms from E to say that the pie was delicious. I had enough to make 2 pies and will share the other one this weekend at a party. About the book, I do hope that you will get a copy of it when it hits the bookstores at the end of the month. Should you be interested, please leave a comment as well. E is really an exceptional woman and she is spearheading a very meaningful movement known as Stella's Mum Pay It Forward Projects (website still under construction).
Note: I am not paid to advertise E's book and projects. I am just inspired by her passion and desire to Pay It Forward.
Well, well, another tart at Yuri's Bake Journal. When I first saw the photo of this tart on Happy Home Baking I was sold. It looked absolutely inviting and the steps looked easy enough. After my relative success on earlier attempts at tarts (or pies) I was rather eager to try more.
Also, I found the secret of getting the aroma of almonds during the baking process. Previous experience of using this ingredient left me wondering if almond powder had any aroma at all. This time, I followed HHB's instruction to bake the almond powder for 10 minutes prior to using it. Wow, while the crust was baking, the aroma of almond was in the air. It was even more aromatic when baking the filling. This confirms what I thought earlier but was just too lazy to do. The tart tasted good too, although to me, it was a little sweet. I'll find out more when I send it for taste-test by the regular tasters.
My sister-in-law came over to learn HHB's Mango and Peach Charlotte Cake tonight. She had tried it previously and she loved it. She described it as refreshing and different. As we both did not enjoy the taste of Vitagen (I drink it but don't like the taste of it in this cake), I used mango flavoured yogurt drink instead. I think I may just make another one as there is the whole carton of whipping cream ...
I was impressed by Rei's inaugral post on the Japanese sweet treat, Warabi Mochi and wanted to give it a shot. Since I was on leave yesterday, I made it a point to go to Daiso at IMM to pick up the ingredients for the mochi. All the ingredients are in the photo above. Cool, I thought, I can get started with this treat. Mochi is one of my favourite.
As I was stirring the mixture, I was reminded of my several attempts to make the water chestnut pudding. When I first saw it on Florence's blog, I told myself that I must try this. Sad to say, I am too shy to post any photo of the failed attempts at making these QQ treats. However, that's not the end of it. I will continue to try although it is not cheap to keep trying...
Another exciting news, I was planning to borrow my friend's bread maker (that is sitting idly in her storeroom). I wasn't sure how to ask as hubbs may think it's ridiculous. My sister-in-law will pass me one that is sitting in her storeroom tomorrow! It's on loan from our brother-in-law. Both of them did not succeed in their breadmaking attempts. Now, they are relying on me to solve the mystery of their failed attempts. But I shall do the safe thing of reading the manual first. After that, I may try the famous Hokkaido Milk Loaf :)
Wow, it's been so long since the last post! I had not stopped baking, in fact, I was baking almost every night last week! I was mainly baking tried and tested recipes -- Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Cake, and Gina's Cranberry Yogurt Cake (I used dried blueberries and it was so much better!)
Then I went on a pie/tart frenzy! Must be Happy Home Baker's Triple Almond Tart. For some reason, that made me want to make a lemon pie. So I set about looking for a suitable lemon pie recipe and remembered seeing one delicious recipe on Baking Bites, that's the Meyer Lemon Curd Tart. So I don't know what's a Meyer lemon, I used regular lemons instead. Also, according to the recipe, there's no need to use baking weights when baking the crust. Somehow, I would use weights of some sort in my next attempt. I'm quite into pies/tarts now I think.
Because I did not use any baking weights, the crust rose and I was afraid that it won't hold the lemon curd on top. I went to get another deeper pie pan (the earlier crust was baked in a disposable pie pan). Still, I didn't use any weights for the second try. Wrong again! But since the pan was deeper this time, I was able to pour the lemon curd in without much difficulty. Somehow, the curd did not set so well and I thought may be I should add some gelatin next time. Over the days that followed, I found MORE lemon pie recipes! Some didn't even need any eggs, like Aunty Yochana's Lemon Curd Cheese Tart.
As for the other crust, I used another Baking Bite recipe, her Chocolate Ganache Tart. As I had excess ripe bananas that day, I added bananas to the tart. Boy, was the chocolate thick or what? Everyone who tried the chocolate tart loved it! However, they could not detect the bananas. Next time, I shall coarsely chop the bananas and add it to the hot chocolate mixture. As for banana essence, that remains to be seen...
