Kueh Bakar Pandan

Not very often that I will make kuehs for our weekends snacks. On some rare occasions I will make the Pumpkin ondeh ondeh, Banana hoon kueh pisang when we feel like having these kuehs again.

So far, I've not attempted a baked version. I remembered a kueh recipe that's easy to make and filled with pandan and coconut fragrance. But as I do not have the Bahulu mould, I tried out on 1 floral aluminium mould but they turned out too small. I used the aluminium muffin cases instead.

Recipe adapted from :Joceline Butter Flour & Me
Kueh Bakar Pandan
About 15 - 17 small aluminium muffin cases.
Ingredients :
2 eggs
80g castor sugar
150g all-purpose plain flour
150g pandan juice
200g coconut milk
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable cooking oil

Extra cooking oil to grease the aluminium cases.
1 tablespoon sesame seeds to sprinkle

Methods:
1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

2) Lightly grease the muffin cases with vegetable cooking oil and set aside.

3) To make the pandan juice, wash clean about 5 - 7 pandan leaves. Cut into smaller pieces, blend with about 170g water and obtain 150g pandan juice.

4) In a clean mixing bowl, place altogether the flour, eggs, coconut milk, salt and pandan juice and whisk to combine with the electric mixer.

5) Add in the vegetable cooking oil and mix till combined with a ballon whisk.

6) Pour mixture into each aluminium case. Fill the muffin cases till almost full and sprinkle some sesame seeds.

7) Bake in preheated oven 180°C for about 25 minutes.

8) Remove from oven and unmould immediately to cool.

These dainty Kueh Bakar Pandan turned out not too bad looking.  Simply love the pandan and coconut fragrance. And the next thing you know. ... they are very addictive.  Enjoy !

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Craving for a dessert that's moist and chocolatey but not too dense and cakey kind.

A flourless cake ... hmm.. I've baked a flourless Lemon Almond Cake
But I wanted something chocolatey ...
A flourless chocolate cake ! Yup!

Recipe source: Daily Doses of Sugar

My slight adjustments made in sugar quantity and cooking method below as I'm not confident to heat up the egg white or egg yolk for whisking, afraid that I may make scramble eggs.. lol >~<

Flourless Chocolate Cake
One 6-inch springform pan or pan with removable base
Ingredients
90g dark chocolate (I used Cadbury Gold Dark Chocolate)
45g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
Pinch of salt

Meringue
2 egg white
25g caster sugar

Method:
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces.

2. On the stove, half-fill a cooking pot with water and bring to a simmer. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture occasionally till melted and smooth. Remove from flame and set aside to cool slightly (about 5 minutes).

3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

4. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of the 6-inch springform pan with butter or spray.

5. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold egg whites using the handheld electric mixer. Add in the caster sugar in 3 additions.  Beat till soft peak.

6. In another medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, caster sugar and a pinch of salt with the handheld electric mixer till pale and creamy. (about 2 - 3 mins in low speed)

7. Mix the chocolate to the yolk mixture. Whisk gently in low speed till combined.

8. Using a hand whisk or a spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate/yolk mixture. Fold the rest of the meringue until it looks evenly mixed.

9. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 170°C for 30 minutes. Or until the cake has risen slightly in the center and is set enough in the center that it will not jiggle when the pan moves. The cake will pull away from the side of the pan while it cools. (I baked mine at 27 mins).

10. Remove the pan from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 1/2 hour.


The rim and top has a very thin crisp crust but the center remains moist and fudgy. It looks "caved in" too ... hee..hee !

To serve, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, release the pan sides, and gently move the cake onto a serving plate.  Dust with some icing sugar if you like and enjoy a big slice.  Or pair it with a scoop of ice cream, yogurt etc. Perfect indulgence to be served as after meal dessert or teatime snack !

Enjoy ! Happy Baking!

Dark Chocolate Soufflé with Strawberries

My first try on souffle here  a basic Vanilla Soufflé. Since then, I've not baked any soufflé though I've promised my girl to make a chocolate flavour.

Chance upon this decadent yet light and airy chocolate with filled berries soufflé recipe. Glad that this recipe is not too sweet.

Recipe adapted from : Foodfulife
* as I've left with 2 eggs in the fridge, hence used 2 whites instead of 3.

Dark Chocolate Soufflé with Strawberries
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For chocolate / yolk mixture:
15g unsalted butter
45g honey
2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
60g fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, pat dry and diced.

For meringue :
2 cold egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice

About 1-2 tablespoons butter for greasing the moulds.

Method.
1. Grease 4 ramekins (8 cm in diameter) with butter, chill them in the fridge.

2. Fill a #saucepan with water and place on low heat. Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl and place on top of the saucepan allow it to melt. Stirring occasionally with a spoon. Do not cover.
#use a double boiler if you have one.

3. Add the butter and the honey to the melted chocolate, gently stir till combined. Let cool a little.

4. Add the egg yolks and then the diced strawberries. Use a fork to lightly crush them. Mix well and remove from heat.

5. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

6. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold egg whites and lemon juice till foamy using the electric stand mixer. Beat till soft peak.

7. Using a spatula, gently fold in the meringue to the chocolate / yolks mixture till combined.

8. Lightly grease the chilled ramekins again with some butter. Spoon the mixture into ramekins, fill up to 2/3 and wipe the inside edges with your thumb. Bake at 160°C for 20 minutes.

9. Souffles are best eaten hot. To serve, place on a plate because ramekins are very hot. Serve immediately with some strawberries. If you like, dust some confectioners’ sugar.

They rose high to the rims when baked inside the oven.  But the height of the souffle will tend to deflate as it cool down a bit.  By the time I snapped few pictures "like speed lightning" ... they have deflated.

I'm sure this light and airy dessert is a perfect way to treat your loved ones on any special occasions, not just on Valentine's Day.

Enjoy ! Have a lovely weekend !

Lemon Curd with Mixed Berries

Ever wonder what to do with some leftover lemon curd that's been idling in the fridge?  Well, simply spread it over bread or dip some crackers and finish it off. But I remembered I'd ever made easy Honey Cranberry Yogurt, so I turned these tangy creamy lemon curd into cold parfaits-kinda desserts. Top with graham cracker crumbs or any biscuits/cookies/granola that you could find in the pantry.

Lemon Curd with Mixed Berries
Serves 2

Recipe for making lemon curd here
Ingredients :
65g blueberries
65g strawberries, hulled and diced
4 - 5 teaspoons graham cracker crumbs
(put crackers inside Ziploc bag, sealed and crush them to crumbs)
Two 220ml containers or glasses

To assemble :
Spoon 2 tablespoons of chilled lemon curd into a 220ml container.

Top serving with about 2 tablespoons of mixed berries.

Repeat a layer of lemon curd and top with 2 teaspoons cracker crumbs. Garnish with whole strawberry.

Keep refrigerated.

This is so easy to assemble and tasted tangy refreshingly good served as aftermeal desserts.

Goji Berries, Pistachio & Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bark

I've been craving for some cold yogurt barks.  With some yogurt and blueberries in the fridge, it is not difficult to mix everything on a plate/tray and off it goes into the freezer ... Yogurt Bark again !



Goji berries are known as antioxidants, offer benefits for the skin, immune system, and more. Source sharing :here  That's why I often add some into my tea, soups or desserts. Or simply just sprinkle some on frozen yogurt bark.

My previous "brain freeze" yogurt bark here  This time I've added blueberries and replaced almond with pistachio.
Goji Berries, Pistachio & Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bark
Ingredients :
Serves 4
250g plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping mixture
70g blueberries
30g pistachios kernels coarsely chopped into pieces.
2 teaspoons goji berries

Method:
I used a round medium size Pyrex dish and line with aluminium foil leave with enough to grasp. Set aside. You could use small baking sheet or pan. Scatter some  goji berries.

In a small bowl, gently mix the chopped pistachios, blueberries and the remaining  goji berries  with 1 tablespoon of honey. Set aside.

Combine yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey and vanilla extract in a medium size bowl and lightly whisk till combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, and use a spatula to spread across evenly about 1/2-inch thick the base of the dish.

Scatter the blueberries mixture evenly over the yogurt. Lightly press the blueberries and pistachios onto the yogurt.

Do not cover and freeze about 4 hours or overnight until hardened/solid. When completely solid, remove from freezer and lift the aluminium foil out of the dish/pan and set on a hard surface.

Cut into serving pieces and serve immediately, or keep frozen in an re-sealable plastic bag/container.

Yum! and my mouth is 'freezing cold' ... perfect to have some in hot weather here. Enjoy !

Coconut water & pomegranate agar agar

In the past 2 - 3 months of hot humid weather here, we have been quenching our thirst and cooling our temperature with ice cold water, various kinds of juices and coconut water. Of course having lots of fresh fruits and some frozen yogurt barks :)

It has been ages since I last had some pomegranates. Though I know pomegranate is an extremely healthy fruit. Read more here.  Somehow ... I didn't really like 'eating' the seeds.  As I was eating and swallowing the seeds, I thought why not add some to make agar agar with coconut water.

Coconut Water & Pomegranate Agar Agar
Ingredients:
500ml coconut water
1.5 tablespoon granulated sugar (* do adjust the sweetness to your preference)
1.5 teaspoon Agar Agar powder
2 pieces of pandan leaves, knotted
Some pomegranate rinsed

Method:
1) Mix the agar agar powder and sugar together well. Pour the mixture into the pot of coconut water with pandan leaves.

2) Cook with low flame and stirring occasionally and bring to a boil. Off the flame. Discard the pandan leaves.

3) Put some pomegranate in the mould. Pour agar agar mixture into mould, chill to set in fridge a few hours before serving.

Serve with more pomegranates to eat alongside with the chilled desserts. I've learned to appreciate the whole 'crunchy' texture of agar agar and sweet seeds with every mouthful bite. Enjoy !

Cherry Puff Pastry Tart

Having experimented making fresh cranberry sauce here, to make cherry sauce should be similar and easy too. Just needed to adjust the sweetness and texture. As I didn't have any whipped cream on hand, it would not be as tasty like Mini Mango Fruit Tarts.  So, I quickly made the cherry sauce and glad that these cherry puff pastry tarts turned out nice for our weekend afternoon snacks.

Cherry Puff Pastry Tart
Ingredients :
200g cherries, washed & pitted
50g granulated sugar (adjust the sweetness to your liking)
Water (100ml to 120ml)
1 piece frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 small egg, lightly beaten (or just use half of it)

Method:
To prepare filling, combine the cherries, sugar and about 100ml of water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes with stirring occasionally.

Off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Position the rack in the center. Prepare a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper.

Sprinkle some plain flour on the work surface. Place the pastry sheet on the work surface.
*Note: I didn't thaw the pastry sheet.  Leave for about 2 minutes after taken out from the freezer, as I find it easier to handle.

Poke some holes at the base using a fork.

Spoon the cherry mixture on top of the puff pastry sheet, leaving one inch border. Roll the borders inward to create a dent.

Lightly brush the border with the beaten egg.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry puffs up and turns golden brown.

Fresh from the oven. Looks yum !

Can't wait to have some ...

Serve it plain or dust with some icing sugar/Snow powder, or top with some ice cream if you like. I'm sure you'll enjoy this easy cherry tart whichever way.

Well, those easy cherry tarts happened to be my last bake as I had to issue a "death certificate" to my "over-worked" oven few weeks ago .... hee... hee... So, I'll be taking a break from baking until I could find the right size for the built-in oven.

Figs, Wolf Berries and Almond Frozen Yogurt Bark

Gosh ! I was sweating even in an air conditioning office.  The current wave of hot weather made me so cranky, headache and with 'blood boiling hot' !
Hee ... hee ... see ! I'm out of my mind ! So I made some "brain freeze" yogurt barks to enjoy in hot scorching weather!

Pretty easy to make as most of the ingredients are easily available in the fridge .... some yogurt, honey and some nuts and berries ... mix till combined, pour onto a lined prepared dish/pan and freeze till hardened.

Recipe source: the kitchn
Below my slightly modified version
Figs, Wolf Berries and Almond  Frozen Yogurt Bark
Ingredients :
Serves 4
250g plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping mixture
2 medium size fresh figs, sliced
25g almond lightly toasted, cooled and chopped coarsely into pieces.
2 teaspoons wolf berries

Method:
I used a round medium size Pyrex dish and line with aluminum foil leave with enough to grasp. Set aside. You could use small baking sheet or pan. Scatter some wolf berries.

In a small bowl, gently mix the chopped almond, sliced figs and the remaining wolf berries with 1 tablespoon of honey. Set aside.

Combine yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey and vanilla extract in a medium size bowl and lightly whisk till combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, and use a spatula to spread across evenly about 1/2-inch thick the base of the dish.

Scatter the figs mixture evenly over the yogurt. Lightly press the figs and almonds onto the yogurt.

Do not cover and freeze about 4 hours or overnight until hardened/solid. When completely solid, remove from freezer and lift the aluminum foil out of the dish/pan and set on a hard surface.

Cut into serving pieces and serve immediately, or keep frozen in an resealable plastic bag/container.

Must enjoy almost immediately before melted !

Figs with Yoghurt and Honey

I love fresh figs, but they are seasonal and hard to come by.  Shared previous Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint.  So I'll surely pick up a pack whenever I could spot them in the supermarket ... even if it's pretty costly. I prefer to enjoy fresh figs in the freshest way like making salads or desserts instead of cooking the figs. 

Bought these healthy snacks ... Goji berry nuts mix but my big kids don't fancy them. My big boy even critically commented that "Mum, these weird looking nuts look like hamster food to me ..." 

So, obviously mum needs to find ways to include these snacks with something else ...

Large fresh figs, Goji berry
nut mix, yoghurt & honey

Figs with Yoghurt and Honey
Serves 2
Ingredients :
4 fresh figs
Yoghurt 140g (add more if you like)
1 tablespoon honey
1 packet Goji berry nuts mix

Method ... just few simple steps:
Wash the figs clean , remove the stems and cut into quarters or slices if you like.

Arrange them on a serving plate. Dollop spoonfuls of yoghurt and drizzle a tablespoon of honey.

Lastly, sprinkle the Goji berry nuts mix (or any dried nuts & dried berries of your preference).

Serve immediately.

Love the natural sweetness of fresh figs. With the addition of crunchy nuts, yoghurt and honey, tasted so delicious and satisfying, especially served as dessert after meal.  Love it more that this involves very little time and only just a few steps of preparation.

My big boy liked it so much that he has forgotten about the "hamster food" ... hee... hee!

Well, here's some of my previous cooking/baking recipes that used honey as one of the ingredients.  Give it a try if you like :
Honey Cranberry & Yoghurt 
Honey Roll
Pandan Chicken
Pumpkin and Baby Spring mix salad

Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend!

  

Submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up March 2016 Theme Honey which is organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Joycescapade.

Dried Haw Slices with Apple Honey Tea

Heard of Chinese Hawthorne? Er ... What's that? Do you like to eat Haw Flakes ? ... Er ... what's Haw Flakes ? ... Do you like "Zhan Zha", 山楂饼 ? {In Mandarin, the Chinese Hawthorne is pronounced as "Zhan Zha"(mountain berry)} Yes ! Well, my big kids know only 山楂饼, as they like to munch this sour sweet reddish thinly sliced titbits in cylindrical wrapped paper.

But I'm not going to make 山楂饼 for them. Instead,  make this sour sweet drink or dessert soup cos it is not uncommon to them that I've made quite often when they were young.  Once I asked the owner of the traditional herb shop what drinks I could make to whet the young kids' appetites?  I was given this very easy recipe : Water + dried haw slices + some apples + some honey or rock sugar and boil about 25 minutes.  Because of the sour sweet taste (I think), it helped to whet their appetites ... hee.. hee.. Occasionally, I made this as tea or dessert, served hot or chilled to enjoy be it on cold or humid weather.

Dried Haw Slice with Apple Honey Tea
Serves 4 pax
Ingredients
Water about 2 litres
Dried Haw Slices 50g
Red Cooking Apples 4 (peeled, cored and cut into big chunks)
Honey 2 - 3 tablespoons to taste

Method
1) Wash the dried haw slices a few times. Ensure that any small seeds are removed. Drain and discard the water.

2) Put all the ingredients (except honey) in a cooking pot with about 2 litres of water and boil over medium flame. Once boiled, lower the flame to low-medium and continue to boil for about 20 minutes or till you could smell the fruity fragrance infused into the tea.

3) Stir in the honey when the soup is warm.  Serve as drinks or as dessert. Warm or chilled to your preference.

Do adjust the sweetness to your preference.

Here's how we enjoy this dried haw infused & apple honey fragrance drinks :

Enjoy a cup of dessert drink with some soft apples

Serving a  bowl of sour sweet dessert

After meal, have a cup of warm sour sweet fruity honey tea ease indigestion.

Relaxing and enjoying a cup of Dried Haw Slices with
Apple Honey Tea in my cosy corner

Hope you enjoy this sour sweet fruity fragrance honey tea in any ways, much like we do :)
Have a great weekend ahead ! 

  

Submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up March 2016 Theme Honey which is organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Joycescapade.

Rose Infused Milk Pudding

Well, as the saying goes "life is not a bed of roses"... And learning how to overcome the misadventures or unpleasant situations are part and parcel of life.

Chance upon this easy to make milk pudding. Since I've got some dried rose buds, quickly made these desserts to try .... love the hint of rose fragrance and smooth silky texture.

Recipe adapted from : Day Day Cook
Modified slightly below as I've reduced the sugar amount.

Rose Infused Milk Pudding
Serves 3
Ingredients :
250ml fresh milk
2 egg whites
15g granulated sugar
2 - 4 dried rose buds
Strawberries for garnish (optional)

Method:
1) Briefly rinse the dried rose buds, use only the petals and place them in the heat proof bowls. Set aside.

2) In a big bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar and milk. Mix well with a whisk.

3) Run the mixture through a sieve, thereafter, pour the mixture into the individual heat proof bowls.

4) Cover the bowl with cling wraps.

5) Prepare a steamer and steam under rapidly boiling water on medium heat for about 9 - 10 mins.

Serve immediately with some berries if you like. My big boy commented it tasted like soy milk beancurd but with rose fragrance. My hubby is not a fan of sweet dessert but he enjoyed it too :)

♡♡♡ ~~♡~~♡♡♡

 

Linking this post to Little Thumbs Up - Feb 2016 which is organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Sweet Home-Chefs.

Honey Cranberry & Yogurt

This is a simple yet so festive looking dessert to serve during Christmas.
I have a soft spot whenever I see fresh cranberries as I like to make some cranberry sauce to serve along with some roasted meat, ham or baking (shared previously here ).

Tweaked the recipe a little by adding some honey and reduced the amount of sugar.

Honey Cranberry & Yogurt 

Ingredients
250g fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
100g Honey
About 100 - 120ml water
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Method
Wash clean the cranberries and combine all ingredients (except Grand Marnier) in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, stir in Grand Marnier. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
Cover and store in the refrigerator.
*Do adjust the sweetness and texture to your preference.

To assemble the dessert:
A tub of yogurt  (any flavor)
In individual serving cup, add one tablespoon of cranberry sauce and a tablespoon of yogurt layer.
Repeat steps and top with some berries and chopped nuts, seeds and raisins if you like when serving the desserts.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you & family!

♡☆♡~~~☆☆♡☆☆~~~♡☆♡

Linking this post to Cook and Celebrate Christmas 2015

Organized by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.