Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of those comfort foods that we all love to enjoy with a warm cup of tea after dinner. After cutting out dairy, there are a lot of foods that you might worry you will no longer be able to indulge in, but cheesecake is not one of them! Beware, this is based on a lot of nuts. This means that it's definitely not going to be low in fat. It is however, completely devoid of all the gross things hidden in dairy cheesecake. Here is an attractive Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake recipe you can try:


What you'll need:

Crust:
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup cacao powder
  • 3-4 dates
Filling:
  • 2 cups strawberries
  • 1/2 cup agave
  • 2 1/2 cups cashew butter
  • 3/4 cup coconut butter
  • 4 lemons (juiced)
What to do:
  1. To prepare the crust, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and mix them until everything is a fairly fine powder. It should stick together when pressed, if it falls apart, add filtered water 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
  2. Press the crust into the bottom of a pan. Spring form pans are great for presentation, but if you don't have one, any cake pan will do!
  3. To prepare the filling just process everything in your food processor.
  4. Pour the filling over the crust and form it using a spatula.
  5. Place in the fridge or freezer to set for at least 30 minutes.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Here Is A Delicious Almond Milk Pudding Recipe

I have been wondering for some time what sweet I should make to mark this festival and I realized that it has been some time since I made Kheer!! Badam Kheer or Almond Milk Pudding is one of my favourite Kheer recipes. The Kheer has a deliciously soft grainy texture, is fragrant with cardamom and saffron, and if you pay close attention gives a hint of heady almond towards the end. Here is the delicious almond milk pudding recipe.


Ingredients:
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • Large pinch saffron
Method:
  1. Soak the almonds overnight in plenty of water.
  2. Next morning, drain the water and peel the almonds.
  3. Grind the almonds to a coarse paste. Set aside.
  4. Take a quarter cup of milk and put the saffron in it. Set aside.
  5. Place the remaining milk and the evaporated milk in a large saucepan.
  6. Bring to a boil, then continue boiling for about 10 minutes. Stir continuously.
  7. Reduce the heat, add the almonds and cardamom to the milk.
  8. Continue cooking stirring occasionally for another 25 minutes or until the pudding begins to thicken.
  9. Pour in the sugar, saffron and milk. Stir and cook for another five minutes.
  10. Turn off the heat, remove the kheer into a heat proof bowl.
  11. Cover and allow to cool completely.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

It Is Really A Lemon Souffles Recipe

The magic that is a souffle eluded me and my sweet tooth for longer than I'd care to admit. It just seemed too complicated, too stressful, too sophisticated for a home baker.


Individual Lemon Souffles Recipe

Ingredients:
  • Unsalted butter, softened, to coat ramekins
  • Granulated sugar, to coat ramekins
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 (16 ounce) container frozen sliced strawberries or raspberries in sugar, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat the bottom and sides of four 1/2-cup ramekins with softened butter. Coat the bottom and sides with sugar, tapping out excess. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Bring a large saucepan halfway filled with water to a simmer. Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside.

Step 2
In a large heatproof bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and flour until pale yellow and frothy — about five minutes. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and whisk the mixture constantly until very thick — about five minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk the mixture on medium speed until cooled — about five to seven minutes. Pour the batter into a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 3
Clean the mixer bowl and add the egg whites, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk on low speed until frothy, gradually increasing speed to medium until the mixture becomes meringue-like and holds soft peaks — about five minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.

Step 4
Whisk 1/3 of the meringue mixture into the lemon batter. Slowly fold in the remaining meringue mixture until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins all the way to the top — smooth the tops with the back of the spoon. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until slightly golden and puffed.

Step 5
Meanwhile, make the berry sauce: In a blender, puree the thawed berries and lemon juice until smooth. Remove the souffles from the oven and dust with the powdered sugar. Serve immediately with the berry sauce on the side.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe Is Really Unique

Smooth, velvety and rich – this triple chocolate mousse cake is the perfect way to end an indulgent Valentine's Day meal. Made up for three sumptuous mousse layers, this dessert not only tastes amazing, but also looks stunning.

Each layer is made in the exact same way, just using a different kind of chocolate. This recipe makes quite a lot of mousse – I'd say around 6 portions – but they freeze really well so you can just keep them frozen until your next chocolate craving hits.


Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Mousse
  • 1/2tsp gelatine
  • 1tbsp water
  • 60ml milk
  • 70g finely chopped dark chocolate
  • 140ml double cream
Milk Chocolate Mousse
  • 1/2tsp gelatine
  • 1tbsp water
  • 60ml milk
  • 70g finely chopped milk chocolate
  • 140ml double cream
White Chocolate Mousse
  • 1/2tsp gelatine
  • 1tbsp water
  • 60ml milk
  • 70g finely chopped white chocolate
  • 140ml double cream
Recipe:

1. Pour 1tbsp of water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Leave the gelatine for about 5 minutes – until it has soaked up the water.

2. Heat up the milk in a saucepan over a medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine mix to the saucepan. Stir really well until the gelatine is completely dissolved then pour over the chopped dark chocolate. Leave to sit for 2 minutes and whisk until the chocolate is melted.

3. Separately, whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Mix a small amount of cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it up, then gently fold the rest of the cream in. Pour into a cylindrical mould and place in the freezer.

4. Repeat the above steps with the white chocolate and pour on top of the dark chocolate in the mould and leave to set in the freezer. Do the same again for the milk chocolate and freeze until set. Remove the mousse from the freezer at least 2 hours before you’re ready to enjoy it.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Here Is A Really Tasty Black Forest Cake Recipe

Black forest cake is a type of cake that is legendary. Black forest cake is very tasty and sweet. Black forest cake too many variations, not just coated with chocolate cream, but you can add fruit on top. How to make black forest can be mastered by reading the following review.


MATERIALS:
  • chicken eggs 5 grains
  • powdered sugar 175 g
  • 100 g flour
  • cocoa powder 30 g
  • 20 g cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
CREAM:
  • 50 g sugar
  • butter or margarine 150 g white
  • sweetened condensed milk 150 g
  • Rhum 2 tbsp
Embellishment:
  • thinly sliced chocolate bar
  • chery fruits and raisins to taste
HOW TO MAKE A BLACK FOREST:

1) Wheat flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and sifted.
2) whipped eggs and sugar until thickened.
3) Wheat flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder already sifted included, and stir until blended.
4) round pan measures 22 cm x 4 cm that has been covered with paper and spread with margarine, prepared. Put the cake batter into the pan. Baked in the oven until cooked and then cooled cake.
5) For the cream, powdered sugar, butter, whipped and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
6) cake cut into two parts. The bottom sprinkled with rhum, cream smeared on it evenly, then raisins sprinkled on top of the cream.
7) cake next to it is closed on it.
8) All of the outside cake smeared with cream, then decorated with chocolate slices. So that the entire surface of the cake covered in chocolate.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How To Choose Your Designer Wedding Cake

The main focus of most wedding receptions is the wedding cake. Not many people leave the reception before the cake is cut, as it is an important tradition. Your wedding cake will feature in a lot of wedding photographs, which you will have to look at for years to come. One of the main images our your wedding will be when you and your partner cut the cake together, the first symbol of your new relationship to one another. Thus, you should take some time to choose the perfect wedding cake. Traditionally, wedding cakes used to be three tiered, and were covered with royal icing. Nowadays, there are hundreds of cakes that you can choose from, which vary in design, look, size as well as taste.
The main focus of most wedding receptions is the wedding cake. Not many people leave the reception before the cake is cut, as it is an important tradition. Your wedding cake will feature in a lot of wedding photographs, which you will have to look at for years to come. One of the main images our your wedding will be when you and your partner cut the cake together, the first symbol of your new relationship to one another. Thus, you should take some time to choose the perfect wedding cake.
Traditionally, wedding cakes used to be three tiered, and were covered with royal icing. Nowadays, there are hundreds of cakes that you can choose from, which vary in design, look, size as well as taste. You can even get a wedding cake customized to your own unique design and have just about any design imaginable.
When you are ready to start looking for the perfect wedding cake, these are the factors that you have to take into consideration in choosing your designer wedding cake:
1) Size of the Cake: The size of the wedding cake will depend on the number of guests that you are expecting to your reception. If you are planning to save some cake for guests who could not accept your invitation and will be unable to attend, and are also planning to send your wedding cake to out-of-town invitees, then you should keep this in mind while determining the exact number of people.
2) Design: Go through the cake sample pictures from different confectioners and bakers. Looking through wedding magazines is also a good way to find a wedding cake design. If you do not find something that you like, you can always design your own cake.
3) Flavour: While it is important that a wedding cake appeal to the visual senses, it is even more important that it taste good. Else you may be left with a whole lot of inedible wedding cake. Choose from the regular vanilla or chocolate, fruit cake or sponge cake, cheesecakes, and even wedding cakes with a mousse filling. If you are tempted by different flavours and can't make up your mind, you can have different tiers in different flavours!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Let's Share The Experience Of Making Strawberry Pudding Cake

If you love dessert very mcuh, and you also want to mix the fruit, pudding and cake together, you can try to make strawberry pudding cake. It is famous for its fresh flavor and low-calorie, it is the best and healthiest dessert for the young girls. The recipe is also quite easy, baking it is really perfect for summertime entertainment.

 
Ingredients
  • Yellow Cake Mix
  • 1 small box Instant Vanilla Pudding
  • 1 lb Fresh Strawberries
  • 1 pint Fresh Whipping Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tablespoons Sugar
Directions

Follow the directions on the back of the box of cake mix to make 8-inch round cakes. While the cake is baking prepare vanilla pudding according to the directions on the box and set aside. Once the cake has cooled slice the cake rounds in half so you have 4 layers of the cake.

Place 1 layer of cake on a cake plate and spread about 1/4 cup vanilla pudding over the top and add a layer of strawberries over the pudding. Add second layer of cake and repeat with pudding and strawberries. Add a 3rd layer and repeat. Add the fourth payer to the top of the cake and frost the cake with fresh whipping cream. Cut 6 strawberries in half and arrange them around the side of the cake like in the photograph above.

Monday, September 24, 2012

How to Make Cheesecakes without Baking

You can make cheesecakes without turning on your oven—which is especially nice in the summer. They are delightful cheesecakes. They are lighter and fluffier, almost melt-in-your-mouth. Because they don't bake, they are quicker and easier to make.
In our test kitchen, we have experimented extensively with cheesecakes. We've written articles and an e-book. We've taught classes. But it took us a long time to discover how to make no-bake cheesecakes that we really enjoyed.
Cheesecakes are made in a crumb crust, most of which don't need to be baked. It's the filling that needs to be baked. It's really a custard that relies on the coagulation of the eggs to set the filling. Some commercial no-bake cheesecakes rely on gelatin to set the filling. We've never been fond of gelatin cheesecakes.
We think you'll like fillings made with cream cheese and pudding or pastry filling much more than fillings made with gelatin. But it's important to get the ratio right. You want a filling that has enough cream cheese to make the filling firm enough to cut nicely but with enough pudding or pastry filling to make a light and smooth cheesecake filling after they are beat together. Two cups of filling and one pound of cream cheese is just right for a nine-inch cheesecake.
Substitutes:
You may substitute cornstarch for the Instant Clearjel. If you do so, you will need to cook the sauce to thicken it. Cornstarch requires cooking to thicken; Instant Clearjel thickens without cooking. (Original Clearjel thickens when cooked.)
You may substitute vanilla pudding for the Bavarian Cream.
You may use fresh strawberries instead of frozen.
Raspberry Cream No-Bake Cheesecake
Make as per the strawberry cream recipe. Use raspberry flavor and raspberries instead of strawberry flavor and strawberries. Press the mashed raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds.
Blueberry Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake (with Variations)
Make as per the strawberry cream recipe. Use lemon flavor and a teaspoon of lemon zest in the filling.
Use fresh or frozen blueberries instead of the strawberries. Garnish with whipped cream.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Give You The Detailed Information About Bourbon Banana Puddings

I believe that almost all the people in the world all love pudding very much, and there are also a lot of types of flavors you can choose. Banana pudding sits high in the royal court of Southern desserts, and it doesn’t get much better than the classic recipe on the back of the Nilla wafer box. But sometimes it can't hurt to experiment, and it’s not often difficult to find a line of folks ready and willing to try my latest spin.


Bourbon Banana Puddings

Pudding Base
  • 2 cups whole or 2% milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 4 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
To Assemble
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 30 gingersnap cookies
  • 4 ripe bananas, sliced crosswise
For The Pudding Base

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Stir a small amount of the warmed milk into the yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Whisk the yolk mixture back into the into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the custard starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and vanilla and continue cooking until glossy and quite thick, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, stirring until it is completely melted.

Push pudding through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Press plastic wrap directly over the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours, or overnight.

To Assemble

In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the bourbon pudding until no visible streaks remain. In individual serving glasses, layer pudding, gingersnaps, and bananas, finishing with a layer of pudding on top. Chill for 4 hours (and no longer than eight) before serving. Crush remaining gingersnaps and sprinkle crumbs over the top.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Easy Strawberry Cupcake Recipe For You

One of the most common questions that shows up in my inbox has to do with my Doctored Up Cake Mix Recipe for chocolate cupcakes. It yields a batch of pretty stellar cupcakes, so people are always curious if they can adapt the recipe with different flavor combinations. To which I respond, why not? To me, baking is all about playing around in the kitchen, sometimes I get it right and sometimes, I get it wrong – way wrong.

However, a lot of my readers come here for recipes that have been tested in my kitchen and aren’t too keen on me advising them to head into the realm of recipe development and testing. And that’s okay too. I’ll get responses like, Well, have you tried it? What pudding did you use? What brand of cake works best? Can I use less oil? The list goes on and on.

I love hearing from you guys, and really what’s the point of this blog if people aren’t making the recipes – so I try to answer each question, even if it takes me weeks and weeks and weeks.


My point is, a lot of what I do here on MBA is trial and error and it’s okay to make mistakes and get frustrated and cuss out your cupcakes. But, I promise you that with each error, you’ll learn something. Even if that something is not to bite into a hot Rolo Cookie because it will burn your lip and leave a weird purple mark – not that I did that or anything.

When my BFF, Brittani, told me that she made Strawberry Cupcakes using the boxed mix recipe, I immediately started asking her questions to which she had very few answers. I thought her idea would be the perfect way to show you that playing around with a simple idea can have great results and there’s really nothing to be afraid of.

Boxed vanilla cake mix combines with Greek strawberry yogurt and fresh strawberries to create simple, moist cupcakes that are bursting with strawberry flavor. Add on a swirl of strawberry buttercream and you’ve got one stellar summery cupcake with minimal fuss. The world is your oyster here, folks. Try it with Peach Greek yogurt and fresh peaches, or Blueberry yogurt and fresh blueberries. I’d love to hear the combinations you come up with, and how they worked for you.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Enjoy The Delicious Indian Cuisine

Food has been a necessary feature to find out a country’s traditions and history. The collection of the mouthwatering dishes of Indian cuisine is just outstanding. It is frequently said by the people that `Diversity is the flavor of our life’. The proverb is perfect to explain the Indian cuisine. The food traditions of India not only offer spicy, delicious foods but it also offers many kinds of yummy desserts.
Usually, Indian cuisines include Indian sweets, Indian beverages, vegetarian food, Indian pickles, Indian snacks and so more. Moreover, they include Biryani or Pulauo, flatbreads, Chapatti or roti, puffy Paratha, Poori etc. Indian cuisines like Biryani or Pulauo is very a rich food as contain so much ghee or oil. On the other hand, flatbreads and Chapaties are comparatively healthy foods because they are totally oil free. Fried foods like Pakoras and Samosas are so tasty but these foods have the same problem, full of starch, oil as well as salt.
Indian main cuisines are Curries or vegetables with rice. Indian people make these curries with creamy and buttery sauce. It’s a one of the delicious Indian cuisines. Another Indian cuisine is “Dal”. Dal is lentil curry or soup and it can be eaten with bread or rice. But if you are health conscious then you need to avoid eating excessive Dal since it contains sodium which is detrimental for our health. Besides, these Indian cuisines include many sorts of yummy foods like Korma, Malai, Makhani and margarine. In fact, they have some traditional meat dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala, tandoori meats, and kabab. But amongst all, their desserts are really awesome. They use lots of sugar and fruits to prepare the appetizing desserts.
Indian cuisine is becoming well-known for their traditional foods all over the world. And the interesting thing is, in India, you will find a skilled cook in each house. However, Indian cuisines have an extraordinary taste and flavor that make them different from the other cuisines.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Quindim, A Popular Coconut Treat In Brazil

Quindim
A variety of small individual, petit four-like treats are often served at South American parties. Quindim, a popular coconut treat in Brazil made with lots of egg yolks, coconut, sugar, and butter, is often served this way, although it can also be made into one large ring custard. Quindin is baked in a water bath, and the coconut rises to the top while it's baking. The cakes are then flipped out of the molds to reveal their sparkly golden cap of custard. The coconut becomes the sweet chewy crust.

It is called quindim (pronounced keen-jean), and it is an extremely simple recipe, with only three ingredients. Though simple to make, it is extremely rich and very sweet, and one small quindim will satisfy all but the most rabid sweet-eater.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tablespoon butter, softened

5 egg yolks

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pass the egg yolks through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, and mix carefully by hand. Put the mixture into a heavy medium saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture flows from a spoon in a thin string. Remove from heat.

Let the mixture cool a few minutes, then add the coconut and melted butter. Stir slowly and carefully to mix.

Divide the mixture among 8 ramekins or custard cups which have been greased with soft butter and dusted with granulated sugar. Place in a bain-marie or water bath, and place in pre-heated oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in a quindim comes out clean.

Let cool, unmold if desired, and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sesame Wafers Are Light, Tender Flaky Crackers


Sesame Wafers
Sesame Wafers are light, tender flaky crackers with a delicate sesame flavor. They are an excellent complement to cheese, pate, smoked fish or any spread. See the Recipes for Bremner Sesame Wafers for Salmon Mousse en Crust, Sesame Tofu Fry, Sesame Lemon Chicken or Crab & Shrimp Cakes.

Sesame 'Benne' Wafers

6 tbsp sesame seeds (approx 55g)

160g light brown sugar

90g butter, room temp

1 egg, beaten

60g flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Make honey sesame wafers:

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, then add honey, beating until combined. Beat in egg white until combined well, then reduce speed to low and add flour and salt until combined. Chill batter, covered, until slightly firm, about 30 minutes.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Using offset spatula, spread half of batter (about 1/3 cup) into a very thin, sheer 14- by 11-inch rectangle on 1 sheet. Using tip of spatula or a butter knife, section off 12 squares by scraping knife through batter to make a 1/4-inch-wide space between batter sections. Sprinkle half of sesame toffee evenly over batter. Repeat with remaining batter and brittle on second sheet. Bake wafers, switching position of sheets and rotating 180 degrees halfway through baking, until golden (some parts may be pale golden), about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature on sheets on racks, about 10 minutes. Peel parchment off wafers.

Friday, May 18, 2012

French Bread Which Can Give You A Totally Different Flavor


French Bread
When you toast bread, a couple of things happen. Some of the water in the bread evaporates, making the bread dryer and a bit lighter. Also, carbohydrate molecules on the surface of the bread undergo a chemical reaction with proteins that causes the food to turn brown.

That reaction--called the Maillard reaction--doesn't significantly change the nutritional value of the carbohydrates. It can, however, reduce the digestibility and quality of proteins. Seeing as toast probably isn't your primary source of dietary protein, this is probably not a big issue.

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with arotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

There is one other thing to take into consideration, however.

Toasting bread also creates a compound called acrylamide. Although acrylamide can be toxic in large amounts, there's no evidence that the amount of acrylamide you would typically get from food is a problem. Nonetheless, if you're concerned about acrylamide, you might want to set the toaster on "light".

Ingredients

1 challah loaf, sliced 3/4 inch thick

8 extra-large eggs

5 cups half-and-half or milk

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Confectioners' sugar and pure maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange the bread in two layers in a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish, cutting the bread to fit the dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, honey, orange zest, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread and press the bread down. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.

Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough very hot tap water to the roasting pan to come an inch up the side of the baking dish. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, tenting it so the foil doesn't touch the pudding. Make two slashes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Method

Boil the potatoes and keep aside.

When it is cool, mash it.

Heat oil in a pan.

Put the curry leaves in the pan.

Stir and put finely chopped onions in it.

Also add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies to it and saute well.

When the raw smell is gone, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and masala powder and saute well.

Add salt.

Now put the chopped tomato and saute well.

When the oil leaves the sides, put the mashed potatoes in it and mix well.

Make into a paste.

You can sprinkle water in it.

Put the coriander leaves in the vegetable and mix well.

Take from the stove and keep aside.

Take the bread slices and toast it lightly to a light brown colour on a pan or in a bread toaster.

Now take a bread slice.

Apply the masala, thinly or thickly, according to your taste, on the bread slice.

Now keep another bread slice on top of it and press well in such a way that the masala does not get squeezed out.

The bread masala toast is ready.

You can have it with tomato sauce or ketchup.

Serving tips: Take a small wicker basket; keep a checked or a lace cloth inside the basket. Place the breat toasts inside the basket. You can also arrange small toys like mickey mouse, the size of a toy in a keychain in the basket to attract the kids and to create a picnic mood.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Pineapple Buns The Bun Is Named Pineapple For Its Appearance Rather Than Taste

Pineapple Buns
Every time I visit and browse Ann’s blog, Pigpig’s Corner, I’m attracted and amazed by her gorgeous, mouth-watering pictures. Not only does Ann have intriguing recipes, but also publish heaps of high quality of restaurant reviews written by the Wild Boar, her partner. When Ann asked me to guest post on her lovely blog, I was wondering what I could contribute more than she’s already had. Then came a suggestion from Ann, a challenge to me, to make a very popular snack in Hong Kong, Pineapple Buns (aka BoLuo Bao in Cantonese).

Thank you, Ann, for giving me this opportunity, but sorry for taking quite a long time to send my post in. The recipe I developed here, was adapted from the owner of a Hong Kong bakery shop, specialized in making and selling pineapple buns (refer to this video for original recipe in Chinese and the whole process). There are two important ingredients in the original recipe, lard for making the topping crispy, and ammonia powder for making crackling patterns on the crispy topping. As I don’t use lard in my home-cooking at all, I tweaked it and used butter only. Besides, how would I make Asian breads without tangzhong? Absolutely not. Many of my readers have already known that I’m addicted totangzhong breads because they are soft and fluffy, and can be kept for days. Since I tweaked the original recipe with butter and tangzhong, I have had three trials until I got it right and feel satisfied. In the end, the original recipe was totally unidentified with mine. Or to say, doing the same thing by taking different routes. If any of you would like the original recipe translated in English, feel free to email me.

Pineapple Buns with a stick slab of butter within (Bor Lor Yao) are also commonly consumed prior to attending weddings back in the day in Hong Kong if the guests know that there will be heavy alcohol consumption. The reason is that the butter will coat the stomach and delay the absorption of alcohol, and thus, delay the onset of alcohols effects. you have been to Chinatown and have tried authentic Cantonese dim sum, you will probably know pineapple buns (boroh bun). Regardless of its name, there is no pineapple in the bun—it’s a soft bun with a sweet and crusty topping, which is extremely tasty when it’s freshly baked. I love pineapple buns and that’s why I asked my contributor Siew Loon to share her pineapple buns recipe. If you love Asian-style pastry, buns, and bread, I am sure you will love this. Enjoy!

Over the last few months, the craze about Asian breads and pastry has prompted me to try baking these delicacies such as pineapple buns, Hokkaido milk loaf, Castella, and the list goes on. One of my favorites is pineapple buns (or called buo luo bao/ in Cantonese) which is a popular bun in Hong Kong. This is a MUST EAT on my list whenever I visit Hong Kong.

To make the "water roux starter", mix the water and the flour until well blended and lump free in a bowl. Place it on the gas stove and warm it up over the medium heat to reach 65C/150F for 2-3 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature before using it.

To make the dough, add dough ingredients a mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook at slow speed for 1 minute. Change to the medium speed, and continue to mix on slow speed for 3 minutes on medium speed until a dough forms.

Add butter gradually and mix for approx. 5 minutes on medium speed until gluten is fully developed, i. e. elastic, smooth, non-sticky and leave from sides of mixing bowl.

Ferment the dough in a lightly greased plastic bag for 1 hour, Leave in a warm place until dough is double in volume.

Punch the dough down to release gases produced in the fermenting process. Divide dough into 5 portions and round up. Let them rest for 15 minutes at the room temperature.

To make the topping, whip the butter until soft and sift in the icing sugar and mix well. Add in the egg in 3 portions and stir until combined after each addition. Fold in the dried milk and half of bread flour. Mix with a plastic spatula. Gradually add in the rest of bread flour until the topping mixture has reach the softness like an eardrop. Divide the mixture into 5 portions.

Place the divided topping on the lightly floured working surface. Flatten the dough and put it on top of the topping, seal tightly.

Score topping lightly in a checked pattern with a knife and let rest for 35-40 minutes. Brush on egg yolk and bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for about 15 minutes.

As for using ammonia powder, it’s quite tricky. If used not enough, you’d be disappointed for no crackling patterns appear on the topping. If more than enough, your buns would smell weird (yes, like wee). Hope that I didn’t scare you off. If you don’t want to risk, or can’t find any ammonia powder, you can skip the ingredient, and use a knife to score the top pastry before transferring your buns in oven for baking. You’d get regular patterns, instead of getting irregular crackling that classic Hong Kong pineapple buns would have. Taste remains the same anyway. Hope you all like my sharing here.

Friday, May 11, 2012

It Is Said That Vanilla Is The Most Popular Flavor Of Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream
Everyone should gave a great recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream in their repertoire. Here’s my favorite, which you can serve with anything, from a freshly-baked fruit pie, a warm berry crisp, or simply smothered with dark chocolate sauce or caramel sauce and toasted nuts.
  
It’s said that vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream. But most people don’t know that vanilla is also the most labor-intensive of all crops. Because of that, vanilla beans and pure extract are costly. Thankfully, a little vanilla goes a long way. I use both a bean and vanilla extract in my ice cream since I find they’re slightly different flavors and each compliments the other.
  
Harold McGee confirmed my suspicion by telling me that they’ve discovered that alcohol (which most vanilla extracts contain), even if cooked off, improves the way we sense the taste of things. Which he said confirmed what my taste buds were telling me.
  
The three most common types of vanilla are Bourbon, Tahitian, and Mexican. Bourbon vanilla, from Madagascar has a bold, very-pronounced flavor. Tahitian is more floral, and bit more elusive. And real Mexican is strong, yet creamy-tasting, perhaps my favorite of them all. Don’t use the cheap Mexican knock-offs, since most contain coumarin, which is toxic and banned for food use in the United States. True Mexican vanilla should be similarly-priced to other vanillas and is worth every cent.
  
Ingredients
  
2 cups half-and-half
  
1 cup whipping cream
  
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
  
2 tablespoons peach preserves (not jelly)
  
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  
Directions
  
Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan. (see note below) Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the hull of the vanilla bean, pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.
  
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Once the volume has increased by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reached a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.
  
NOTE: If you do not have a thermometer, bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. As soon as you see a bubble hit the surface, remove it from the heat. Do not let it boil.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Friends To Enjoy The Fun Of Making Ice Cream

Will be known as the GOD of white sugar to the egg yolks in mixing whipped. Then after boiling the GOD fresh milk slowly into the mixture of sugar and egg yolk GOD, stir in the modulation symmetry to move to another container slowly with of heating to keep the temperature at 70 ~ 75 ℃, stirring constantly , then stop heating until the temperature gradually decreased the value must be consistency, and then use the breakdown of the sieve (gauze or a clean GOD) filters, filter liquid cooling and then add cream and edible herb flavors, equipment installed another clean GOD container within the freeze (the volume ratio would have to add 30 to 50 percent). By of GOD milk frozen ice cream for immediate consumption. Add processes and materials, made of three colors and nuts ice cream.

How to make ice cream cute ice cream acridine (Figure) -452 647 003, how to make ice cream, fresh milk in the pot and boil, cooled, slowly pour in the mixture of sugar and egg yolk GOD, the mixing of symmetry, then add the aluminum pan using micro- The fire is slowly heated, the temperature is kept at 70 ℃ ~ 75 ℃ with constant stirring. Temperature gradually decreased after the ceasefire must be consistency to the breakdown of the sieve (or gauze with a clean GOD) in the filtrate by adding the amount of GOD cream and edible flavors, and then into the clean GOD container for freeze branding.


Tip: Although this ice cream is very easy to do, but still can not neglect stirring frequently, GOD work yo! Forget to stir GOD consequences of ice cream nuggets residue, taste is not very good. So it is best weekend GOD morning, this afternoon will be able to eat a slippery and tender GOD ice cream. Whipped cream with milk, have been the cream cheese and yogurt, very strong GOD the various types of fruit-flavored yogurt with your favorite GOD. Instead of other fruits, diced strawberries.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Prepare Yummy Treacle Tart Recipe And Boast To Your Friends

If you are a big fan of Harry Potter, then you must be knowing that treacle tart is his favorite dessert. This dessert has been mentioned as the most favorite dessert of this fictional character and he smells the wonderful aroma of this dessert when is in the presence of the most powerful love potion, Amortentia. Treacle tart, is basically a part of English cuisine and is very famous in UK and other European countries. Treacle tart is a filling of fruit made from golden syrup which is a by-product obtained during sugar refining. Lemon zest, eggs, cream and butter are other ingredients of treacle tart. Given below is an easy treacle tart recipe for you.

Recipe for Treacle Tart

Ingredients
  • Golden syrup - 16 ounces
  • White breadcrumbs - 3 ounces
  • Butter (melted) - 2 ounces
  • Ground ginger - ½ teaspoon
  • Egg yolks - 3 large
  • Double cream - 3 fluid ounces
  • Black treacle - ½ teaspoon
  • Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature) - ½ cup
  • Caster sugar - 6 tablespoons
  • Large egg - 1
  • Plain flour - 1 cup
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Procedure

To make this treacle tart, first combine sugar and butter in a food processor and blend them until they are just combined. Then, add egg to this mixture and blend for 30 seconds. Add flour to this mixture and whiz to form a dough. Make sure you do not whiz for much time, else the dough will become too tough. You can add small amount of cold water if you feel the dough is too dry. Knead the dough properly and prepare flat disc like shape on a floured surface. Further, wrap this dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate it for half an hour. Your pastry for the treacle tart is ready.

Now, remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll it out on a flat surface which is lightly floured. Spread the pastry to form a thickness of a 3 mm. Place this rolled out pastry on a round shaped shallow tart tin that has a removable base. While lining the pastry on the tart tin, leave a bit excess pastry around the edges. Place the tart tin in the refrigerator for half an hour and leave it to set. Then, preheat the oven to 374 degree Fahrenheit. Take a pastry case and line it with baking paper and bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cut off the excess pastry and level it with rim of the tart tin. Then, lower the temperature of the oven to 284 degree Fahrenheit.

To prepare the filling, pour water in a pot and bring it to boil. Then, remove the pot from heat and place the golden syrup bottle in this hot water for few minutes. Meanwhile, take a large bowl and combine lemon zest, ground ginger and breadcrumbs in it. Mix the ingredients and make a well at the center of the mixture. Then, pour in the warm golden syrup, butter, egg yolks, treacle, lemon juice and cream, in the well. Combine all the ingredients properly and pour this filling on the pastry case. Bake this assembly in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Leave the treacle tart to cool and serve it with cream.

So, what are you waiting for? Rush to your kitchen, prepare this yummy treacle tart, and boast to your friends that you can prepare Harry Potter's favorite dessert.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Preparing Perfect Meringues By Yourself Easily

Meringues are among the ideal options for desserts. These sweat treats are very easy to make and can be used in combination with various other ingredients to create great desserts. Meringues can be of different types, like, Italian, Swiss, French, etc. You may prepare the one you like, if you know the right methods. Here are some tips that will help you in making regular meringues at home.

Tips for Making Meringues

Before starting with the actual recipes for making meringues, there are some basic factors that you have to keep in kind. The following are some guidelines that will help in making proper meringues.

One of the important factors is that avoid humid and rainy days for making meringues. This is because, moisture will spoil its crispiness, as sugar absorbs moisture from the air. Even the utensils you use for mixing the ingredients must be completely dry and free of grease. Avoid plastic ones as they have the tendency to retain grease. You may go for utensils made of copper, stainless steel or glass. The eggs you use for making meringues must be fresh as this reduces the chances of breaking the yolks, while removing the whites. Fresh egg whites can also be whisked better. Make sure to bring the egg whites to room temperature, before whisking them.

Easy Way to Make Meringues
  • In order to prepare thirty pieces of meringues, you require four egg whites, a cup of caster sugar and a pinch of salt. You may also replace salt with cream of tartar. Make sure that the egg whites are of room temperature with no trace of yolks. If they are just taken out of the refrigerator, wait for at least thirty minutes, before starting whisking them.
  • Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater (with the whisk attachment) on medium speed. High speed is not recommended at the initial stage, as this will negatively affect the foam formation.
  • As the egg whites turn bubbly, add a pinch of salt or caster sugar into it and continue whisking. This ingredient is optional. It is used for stiffening the foam, before sugar is added to it.
  • As soon as the egg whites form soft peaks, add sugar in small batches (teaspoonfuls), without stopping whisking. In general, a single egg white used for making meringue requires ¼ cup or 50 grams of granulated sugar (or fine sugar). After adding the last batch of sugar, whisk for another two minutes.
  • Once the sugar gets dissolved completely and the mixture forms stiff and glossy, you can stop whisking. You may rub a small amount of the mixture in between the thumb and forefinger tips to check whether the sugar is dissolved completely.
  • Now take out the whisk from the egg white-sugar mixture. If the whisk leaves stiff peaks of foam, it is perfect. Don't whisk further, as it will spoil the consistency of the foam.
  • The next step is to drop a teaspoonful of this mixture on baking trays lined with baking paper. Make sure that the meringues are at least an inch apart from one another.
  • Before placing the meringues inside the oven, reduce the temperature of the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the meringues inside the oven and leave them for around ninety minutes. Switch off the oven, but, don't take them out. Instead, let the meringues cool inside the oven itself.
  • As you take them out, the meringues will be light and crispy with an off white shade. Place them on a wire rack for further cooling, before storing them in an air tight container. You can store them for around a week.
The above said is the easy recipe for making meringues at home. There are other variations of meringues and if you are interested in making them at home, gather such recipes too. On that note, take a look at this meringue cookie recipe. Some people may find it difficult to make meringues, when they try it for the first time. But, don't lose heart. Try again and you will be successful in making perfect meringues. Good luck.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Popular Mexican Dessert Recipes That Kids Love

Think Mexican and color and adventure is all that comes to one's mind. It is the same variety and color that is the essence of Mexican food. Mexicans make generous use of the various spices that are native to their land and add a variety of flavors to their dishes. However, it is not just the main course, but their desserts are just as tantalizing. It is the flavor, taste and the exotic look that has made Mexican cuisine popular all over the world. And kids just love the mouth-watering Mexican desserts. Here are some popular recipes of Mexican desserts for kids that are enjoyed by adults as well.

Easy Mexican Desserts for Kids

Flan
Here is one of the simplest traditional Mexican desserts. This recipe will take around 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and about an hour to cook the dessert.

Ingredients
Sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz.
Evaporated milk, 26 oz.
Sugar, 1½ cups
Large eggs, 6
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Preparation
Heat a flan pan over medium heat and add 1 cup of sugar to it. Stir the sugar continuously as it heats over medium flame. Do this till the sugar crystals become brown (caramelized). Keep a couple of ramekins ready. As soon as the sugar gets caramelized, put 2-3 spoons of it in each pan. Tilt the pans so that sugar swirls and spreads all over, even to the sides. Blend all the eggs in a blender. Add the sweetened, condensed milk and the evaporated milk to it. Turn on the blender again. Now add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla to the blender and mix the ingredients well. Pour this custard in the ramekins. In case the caramel hardens by the time the custard mix is ready to be added, heat the ramekins once more.

Fill a large baking dish with hot water that reaches up to 1-2 inches. Place the ramekins in this bowl. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Now place the baking dish in the oven and bake the custard mix for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, put a knife through the center of the baked custard. If the knife comes out easily without getting stuck, then it means that you have baked the custard just fine! Take the baking dish out of the oven and let it cool. Then refrigerate the ramekins for 1 hour. Invert the ramekins over onto serving plates. Your tasty flan with the caramel sauce flowing over it is ready to be served.

Arroz Con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)
With Mexican rice pudding you will definitely score big with kids. Not only because it tastes great, but also because the dessert recipe is so simple that even kids can easily learn to make this.

Ingredients
Rice, 1 cup
Whole milk, 1 quart
Sweetened, condensed milk
Sugar, ½ cup
Vanilla, 2 teaspoons
Cinnamon stick, 1
Grated nutmeg (fresh), ¼ teaspoon
Salt, ¼ teaspoon
Preparation
Take a medium-sized pan and heat milk over medium flame. Add cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg and bring the milk to a boil. Now add rice to the milk and simmer it for about half an hour till the rice grains become soft. Stir the mixture occasionally so that the rice grains do not stick together. Remove cinnamon stick and add condensed milk, sugar and salt. Simmer the mixture further till more of the liquid evaporates and the preparation has gained a pudding like consistency. Add vanilla now. Mix it well and let the mixture cool. Cover the surface of the pan with a plastic wrap so that a thick crust does not form on top of the pudding. Now refrigerate the pudding for 4-5 hours and serve cold. More on rice pudding recipe.

Friday, March 16, 2012

How to Make Colorful French Macarons

You don’t have to be a pastry chef to know how to make French macarons. These colorful, almond-soft-airy French cookies are so tasty, popular and has become an American’s new found obsession. It can be intimidating to attempt to bake them but seriously, you don’t have to be a pastry chef. Since we are such macaron fanatics, we decided to make some in our test kitchen. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make Chocolate French Macarons with Chocolate Mocha Ganache Filling. Get Recipe here.
That is generally how I order macaroons in a bakery: "Macaroons, one of each please." I love them, and now I can wield my knowledge of how to make them with reckless abandon.These are French macaroons flavored with vanilla and apricot jam, but you can make them any flavor, color them, or fill them with anything you like. I think the traditional filling is buttercream, but I'm not sure. Any French people out there, please comment and let me know!

Macaroons:
250g TPT = almond powder and icing sugar-sifted
100g sugar
100g egg white
25g sugar
add color as desired

Filling:
200g pistachio paste or other flavoring
200g butter cream
Amounts of flavors, pastes etc. will vary with personal taste

Preparation:
To make the macaroons, sieve the sugar and the TPT very fine. Put aside.

Now whisk the egg white together with the second part of sugar at middle speed.

Gradually whisk the egg white mixture to become very stiff, if cooking the sugar for the meringue cook . 

Follow the standard procedure for making a cooked meringue adding color in the end.

Friday, March 9, 2012

How To Make Homemade Yogurt Cheese

The process of making yogurt cheese is simple enough for anyone to do, and though yogurt cheese makers are commercially available, it actually requires nothing more specific or sophisticated than a colander or strainer, a couple of coffee filters or paper towels, and a bowl.

Start With The Right Yogurt
This is the only step that could possibly pose a problem; if you start with the right base ingredient making yogurt cheese is practically foolproof, but if you start with the wrong kind of yogurt you'll almost certainly be disappointed with the results.

It doesn't really matter whether you choose to make your cheese with regular, low-fat, or no-fat yogurt. It also doesn't matter whether you use plain or flavored yogurt, though flavored yogurts are generally sweetened and often carry a higher calorie count.
 
What really matters is that the yogurt you start with does not contain gelatin, which binds the whey to the yogurt and basically thwarts the whole cheese making process. Choose your yogurt with this in mind; if there is gelatin in the yogurt, it will say so on the label.
 
There's nothing difficult about making yogurt cheese, and that includes assembling your equipment. If you have a strainer large enough to hold your yogurt, that's great, but if you don't, just haul out the colander you use to strain your spaghetti.

You need to line your strainer or colander with something fine enough to keep the yogurt solids contained but let the whey run through. Coffee filters are excellent, but paper towels or even a clean cotton kitchen towel work perfectly too.The only other piece of equipment you need is a bowl for the whey to drain into. Experiment until you've found one that your colander or strainer can sit on without touching bottom - this is important because you want the whey to drain away and not be reabsorbed.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

How To Make The Best Chocolate Cake

Cakes are real delight. They are mouth-watering and soft enough to melt hearts. They are reported to be used about 1900 years by Romans. During the wedding ceremonies, the Romans would eat cakes made of wheat and salt. These cakes made of wheat were a symbol of fertility and properity. The Romans took them as a sign of good fortune. Wheat cakes were thought to be as a blessing for life. This idea was adopted by the whole world later and cakes became a necessity for every occasion especially, marriages.

Everybody knows which chocolate cake is among the easiest muffins to get ready yet not everyone is able to allow it to become pleasantly, much like the models that we possess with pastry merchants plus restaurants. For you to cook chocolate cake for you to and your family will truly like what follows is a chocolate cake recipe for you personally.

Using a historical past in which goes in order to 1764, chocolate certainly is going a long way, proving that it's a favored foodstuff between the majority of people. It was first designed while dark chocolate was initially uncovered, utilizing soil powdered cocoa pinto and black beans utilizing a pair of round millstones. It was even more superior around 1879 any time conching was created by Swiss Rodolphe. Concing is the process of getting dark chocolate simpler and also silkier which in turn managed to make it better pertaining to this baking simply because it integrates by using batters fully. In Nineteen thirty, there initially were chocolate cake combines offered by way of the Duff Enterprise throughout Pittsburgh. Chocolate cake turned very popular throughout the Early along with the Nineteen nineties whereby there are alternative elements extra in addition to the chocolate including green tea, a bottle of champagne, reddish colored spice up and even more. To this date, there are tons associated with chocolate cake different versions for instance stratum cakes, dark-colored woods food, souffl? food, fudge meal, dominoe dessert and much more.
Among the list of best chocolate cake versions would be the dark woods dessert, which you'll want to serve pertaining to people of all ages. Due to this delicious recipe ingredients, what you will want are 1/2 cup of softened butter, 1 1/4 glasses of carbohydrates, two eggs, 1 1/4 cups of many function flour, 1/2 mug associated with healthy unsweetened hot chocolate mix, 1 tsp every one of cooking coke in addition to vanilla flavoring, 1/2 tsp of with baking powder along with 3/4 goblet with buttermilk. For that answering, you should have 2 cans connected with cherry curry answering, 3 cups of major whipped product, 1/4 mug with confectioner's mister. Should you choose to acquire take, you can have whole milk delicious chocolate doing curls as well as special cherries or any other garnishes which you like.

You will initial need to make this cake which you begin with executing basic fundamentals - preheating your range to 300 0F and also cellular lining a new food baking pan together with greaseproof papers. In a very mixing jar, defeat your butter and also the sugars utilising an electronic appliance till it is fluffy and whitened. When busting a butter, put one ovum at a time while combining it well. Put the other substances : the actual cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, preparing soda pop, buttermilk and vanilla flavor along with carry on combining up until the concoction is already clean. Later, put the concoction into the food baking pan then make for around 45 min's. If it is presently prepared, allow it trendy subsequently trim into 3 sheets flat in a trench.

For any filling, you will 1st really need to deplete your cherry curry to ensure the drinks is going to be taken out. In the blending serving, defeat the whipped lotion plus the confectioner's sugar until it really is previously solid. Get rid of this chocolate with a veg peeler after which refrigerate a combination though awaiting the wedding cake to get cooked. Once the chocolate cake is prepared and also the filling is ready, now you are all set to construct your african american woodland chocolate cake. You'll initially have to set a single stratum on the cake with a preparing eating plan and after that multiply a few of the whipped ointment on top and after that contributing the particular cherry cake. Bring our next covering of your cake after which perform the very same approach. For the past stratum, multiply the actual whipped product along with the spread the residual around the edges. Create this take of your choice along with your dark woodlands chocolate cake is wanting to be supported.

Accomplish this chocolate cake recipe and you will then absolutely often be thrilled through the final result if you do as instructed thoroughly. Both you and your partners will definitely always be looking forward to obtaining additional candy cakes from you finding out.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How To Keep Dessert Calories Low

For some of us, we try so hard to eat healthy and have an active lifestyle. But many people believe in order to stay healthy and fit you have to avoid certain types of foods completely. This isn’t necessarily true, especially when it comes to eating desserts. With birthdays, wedding season, and just plain sweets cravings, it is really hard to swear off chocolate or other kinds of sweets. The secret is to avoid overloading on calories, fat, and sugar, and adding a little creativity.

The key to adding desserts to your diet is moderation, moderation, moderation! If you’re are going to reach for a dessert, get something small such as a scoop of frozen yogurt, a few pieces of chocolate, or even a slice of pie. Of course, this is easier said then done because some things just taste so good. A good tip is to not eat out of a carton or bag because it is hard to control the amount that you consume. Also, when buying ice cream, opt for fruit bars or low fat ice cream bars (they taste the same I promise) such as skinny cow or slow churned ice cream. If you are a chocolate person, go for dark chocolate because it has healthful benefits and lower calories than milk or white chocolate. Chocolate covered almonds are a great snack to keep at your desk or in your purse when you need a little pick me up.

Another great way to keep dessert calories low and still taste great is to make it yourself. With cookies, opt to use half white whole-wheat flour and half regular flour to lower the calories. Also, instead of butter use a light corn-oil or canola-oil spread, or even a butter used with canola oil. They work just the same and help to cut out a little of the fat. Cinnamon is also a great ingredient, and essentially Mother Nature’s gift to us. It is a healthy and light ingredient that makes great cookies as well as a great additive to any treat.  What is even better is that all of these ingredients can be found at stores such as Trader Joe’s, Sprout’s, Whole Foods, or even your local grocery store. If you need any help finding recipes for great treats you can visit websites such as Goodhouskeeping, The Food Network website, and numerous other blogs. So never again will you feel guilty to indulge in a little dessert.

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Beautiful Christmas Pudding

Christmas pudding has been a traditions to finish off the Christmas dinner, particularly in Great Britain. Pictures of the flaming pudding being taken to the dinner table go hand in hand with every Christmas meal. In fact many Christmas cards and decorations carry pictures of the Classic Christmas pudding. However, few people know about your history, your roots and your superstitions of your Christmas pudding.

The Christmas pudding we know today is a far cry from it's original recipe. Originally Christmas pudding was created with many things such as fowl, pheasant, partridge and bunnie. Gradually significantly more fruits were added to resemble something a bit more like today's Christmas pudding recipe.

Christmas pudding did start to evolve in your Fourteenth century when it was actually more of a porridge called frumenty. This was a pudding cooked by boiling meat and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices or herbs. Frumenty had more your look and feel of soup as was eaten as a fasting dish in preparation for Christmas.
It was not until 1714 that George I re-established plum pudding to your Christmas dinner table after having tried it and very much enjoyed it. It encountered much objection from the Quakers who just regarded your plum pudding as your 'invention of the scarlet whore of Babylon'. Meat ended up being eliminated from your recipe and more fruits were added. It's around this time your tradition of sprinkling Brandy on the top of the pudding and setting it alight was shown to have started.

Your Christmas pudding failed to become the great tradition it is today in Great britain until it was introduced to your Victorians by Prince Albert, who furthermore introduced in the country the tradition of Christmas trees. By now the Christmas pudding appeared and tasted much as it does today.

There are lots of superstitions and customs that surround the Christmas pudding. These include your belief that your particular pudding should be prepared by your 25th Sunday after Trinity, with Thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus christ and His Disciples. Every member of the family is to have a turn in stirring your pudding with a wooden spoon from east to west, in honor of your three Kings, which in turn later was to make a wish.

Setting your Brandy aflame for some symbolized Christ's passion. And a spring involving holly at the top as a take is representative of His overhead of thorns. Mom also ended up being meant to bring good luck along with healing forces.Your custom of introducing coins for your Christmas pudding while creating was for good luck. Those who found your coin were thought to have their wish granted.

Therefore your traditional Christmas pudding has already established quite a unique development. It has not only modified in it's elements but recently been banned along with objected to in religious grounds. It has evolved with many different superstitions and from humble inception has become probably the most important puddings of year.

Monday, February 20, 2012

All Kinds Of Delicious Desserts

Like any ordinary man, most Americans love to eat especially desserts.Desserts are practically what satisfy everybody right after every meal. That is why; Americans have come up with traditional American desserts to cater to not only the Americans, but also to other dessert lovers all around the world.

There are a lot of American desserts that are very popular worldwide. Great examples are the classic American cheesecakes. These American desserts are made from cream cheese and these are added with sugar as well as vanilla essence, sour cream and lemon juice. The mixed cream is then added onto a cracker crust, and then properly chilled before they are served. American cheesecakes should not be over beaten as they could destroy the proper consistency of the cream cheese itself. Over the years, these well-loved American cheesecakes have been modified a number of times, creating more and more variations to further satisfy the needs of the dessert lovers worldwide.
Banana splits are also another examples of American desserts. With three different scoops of ice cream placed on a bowl, garnished with slices of banana, sprinkled with chocolate syrup on top, these American desserts are perfectly what kids love to have after every meal. Presently, chefs have been able to master the art of proper presentation of these banana splits that are sure ways to make people, both young and old, crave for these delightful desserts. They are delicious, they are classic, and they are healthy as well.

American Desserts are basically the same with the other desserts worldwide. While there are some that go for these traditional delights, many people are still concerned of the thought of having additional calories brought about by these desserts. Happily, there are artificial sweeteners that can handle with these concerns. In fact, most of the American Desserts are made from low fat and low calorie content, and some of them are actually sugar. No one can really tell the difference!
For you to enjoy the delightful recipes of American desserts, you can browse online and learn a whole lot more about them. There are more than a thousand American desserts available. This fact only goes to show how much people love to binge on sweet temptations. American desserts are certainly the best. Not only they are yummy and delicious, but they are surprisingly nutritious as well. Treat yourselves with a serving or two of American desserts. After all, everybody has a sweet tooth within them, right? Everybody and that includes you!
Custards are dense, rich and creamy desserts that resemble pudding. They are gently cooked or baked and then refrigerated to turn it into a slightly firm and thick gel sauce when cooled. Custards are generally made using the following ingredients: eggs and/or egg yolks, milk or cream, sugar and, often, salt and other flavorings. Some recipes for custards call for a small amount of flour or other starch such as cornstarch or potato starch.
There is a wide variety of custards. They can be made into a single dessert, such as custard pies, flans, or cheesecakes or they can be included to make a different dessert such as in making cream puffs. There are two ways to make custards for desserts. They are either oven baked or you can stir or cook them over a stove.
Baked custards use milk instead of cream and lesser eggs. Baking makes the lightest custards. The gel has a firmer texture since it is not stirred during the process of baking.
To find out if baked custard is done, insert a metal knife off its center. If it comes out clean, the custard is done. Be careful not to cook longer because the custard may curdle. On the other hand, under-baked custards will not set.
Cooking custards on top of stoves result in custards that are not as thick as when baked because the stirring interrupts the formation of the gel. Stovetop custard is typically used as a dessert sauce or a base for ice cream. Do not let stirred custards boil or set. They should be soft but thickened. After being refrigerated, stovetop custards will slightly thicken.

Friday, February 3, 2012

White And Red Sweet Wines

Austria is a land of natural sweet Wines. Their sweet wines are found on almost every good wine list, are appreciated by wine experts and highly acclaimed by journalists. Several worldwide famous wineries are coming from this country. What are so special on their wines? Region, like usually. Neusiedl Lake (Neusiedler see) makes a special conditions for nearby vineyards, hot temperature during the daytime and wet air influencing grapes during the night. Because of these conditions, it's easy to get a noble rot on the grapes. This fundus dry out the water out of grapes and make the rest liquid more concentrated than usual.


These three synonymous are representing a remote region of Hungary and Slovak Republic (both situated in Central Europe) where the world's first botrytis wine is coming from. These topaz colored sweet wines are dating back to 16th century. Tokaj wines are made from late-ripened grapes affected by a certain type of fungus (noble rot - Botrytis cinerea) that concentrates the grape sugars which, in turn, flavors the wine into a honey-like sweetness. These great wines was favored by Beethoven, Goethe and even France's king Louis XIV.
Tokaji wines are like no others, in aromas, tastes as well as production. They are topaz gold in colour, almost like a light single-malt, and their high sugar content is well-balanced by amazing high acidity. The flavours are of dried fruit, apples, golden sultanas or apricots, with notes of exotic fruit that can range from grapefruit to mellow orange-peel, and there are often flowery aromas as well.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Red Coconut Rice Pudding With Mango

This dish is inspired by a classic Thai sweet made with sticky rice. The red Bhutanese rice has a very nice chewy texture, and the pudding has a light purple-red hue.


3/4 cup red Bhutanese rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (can use 2 percent) or rice beverage
1 cup unsweetened low-fat coconut milk
Seeds from 1 split vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw brown sugar, preferably fair-trade organic
1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and cut in thin slices
Fresh lime juice
1. Combine the Rice, water and salt in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
2. Add the milk, coconut milk, vanilla and sugar to the rice, and stir together. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 10 to 20 minutes until creamy. Stir in the rose water.
3. Scrape into a bowl or into individual serving dishes, and allow to cool. Serve warm, if you prefer. If serving chilled, cover and cool for at least two hours before serving. Spoon into wide serving bowls or plates, and arrange slices of mango atop or alongside each serving. Squeeze a little lime juice over the mango slices, and serve.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

How To Get Gourmet Food Gift Basket

Nowadays, the Gourmet Food is very popular because of it's uniqueness. The taste of the gourmet food is what makes it is popular and the presentation of the gourmet food makes it so delicious to look at. And gourmet food now are available to purchase in any gourmet food stores. But you will have to make sure that you give that person a personalize gourmet food gift basket.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Special Dessert

Given my extreme inability to make decisions, it’s a miracle that I can figure out a dessert special every night at work. And truth be told, I can’t always. Sometimes I get part way through an idea and have to call for reinforcement. Like the day I made carrot cake. I had no problem making a carrot cake with nuts, raisins and spices, topped with an orange scented cream cheese icing but figuring out how to make it look interesting, (and not from 1972) left me drawing a blank. When in doubt, the guy with the tall hat and name embroidered on his jacket is probably a good person to ask. His answers, however, are sometimes more than I bargained for. I was looking for a little something to garnish my carrot cake with and ended up making candied carrots and carrot shooters to order.
Dessert specials allow for a little more freedom like being able to make carrot shooters. It was nice for one night, but it’s definitely not something I’d want to do at the height of summer business. Kind of like the day I made a Chocolate-Caramel-Walnut Tart and needed something to garnish it with. The tart on its own is quite nice, but needs some colour to look good on a plate. Chef suggested I do something with raspberry syrup and agar agar… that snowballed into wrapping rectangular pieces of tart in a raspberry jelly and then sealing the jelly with a blowtorch and sprinkling raspberry jelly confetti around the tart in a pool of crème anglaise. Once again, it was interesting for one night, not so fun for the whole summer.
As much as I’d like to get an industrial ice cream machine and make every summer dessert ice cream based, it’s not going to happen, (sadly). That means I have to come up with new summer desserts for a menu change happening very shortly. This task should not be as difficult as it is for me. I’ve been pouring over cookbooks and looking through blogs for inspiration and coming up empty. I see tons of beautiful desserts and things that I love, but they don’t necessarily translate well in my work kitchen. Some items are too fancy, some are too plain, some are out of season, some are too fragile, we don’t have the equipment, the time, the right customers or the labour force for others. I’ve been told to employ the K.I.S.S. strategy to my summer dessert making, but with so many options, (and also restrictions) I can’t seem to narrow it down to five new menu items.

So I’m asking for your help. Bloggers and blog readers are notoriously generous and full of great ideas and I want you to help me choose some new dessert options for work. What are your favourite desserts to make and eat? What would you like to see on a restaurant menu? While you’re being creative with your suggestions, keep the following in mind:
-The dessert has to be able to be refrigerated for storage, without compromising quality.
-It has to be able to stand up to extreme heat and humidity, (meringues and sugar garnish are out).
-It has to be relatively easy to make, (because I’m not working 7 days a week for the rest of the summer).

-There needs to be a chocolate dessert, a fruit dessert and something cakey, (those don’t have to be together, but have to exist somewhere).
-It has to look pretty on a plate.
-I don’t have an ice cream maker.
-It has to be able to be mildly mass produced, (and without taking me forever to do so or occupying all of the stoves and ovens and bench space).
Thanks for the suggestions… if I end up choosing any of your ideas, I’ll be sure to let you know! And will probably then ask for your mailing address so that I can send you something as thanks for helping save part of my sanity…

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Delicious Sugared Ghee Balls

If you live in Malaysia, you know that you are very lucky where FOOD is concerned. Malaysians are known for the special relationship that they have with food which is evident from the variety of savory dishes and sweets that one can easily find at every corner. This is especially so during the many festive seasons, one of which was only recently celebrated – Deepavali.

One of the favorite Indian sweets eaten during Deepavali is Sugared Ghee Balls, which is also popularly known as “Neyyi Urundai” or “Payatham Urundai”. True, compared to the other more gloriously colored sweets found during this festival, Ghee Balls do not get full points for looks. In fact, its unstimulating colour and simple shape may even be a “put off” for some. But, for many who have tried it, this sweet has easily become a favorite.
Making it from scratch is relatively easy. The only tricky part is pouring the hot ghee into the flour mixture and molding the balls into shape. One may find that the first few balls take a longer time to make than first anticipated. Don’t let your spirits down if you find this happening to you. Persistence pays off and it won’t be too long before you start getting the hang of it.
Once cooled, pop a ball into your mouth and enjoy the taste as it slowly crumbles into a wonderful sensory delight. You won’t regret it!
This is my recipe for Sugared Ghee Balls.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups roasted mung beans flour
  • Additional 1/3 cup roasted moong beans flour for coating
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • about 10 roasted cashew nuts
  • ghee
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
Method
If you are using unroasted moong beans flour, you must first dry roast it. Do this by heating a large frying pan or wok to low-medium heat. When the pan or wok is hot enough, pour in the flour and dry roast it until fragrant. Remove from heat and let the flour cool.
Mince the roasted cashew nuts into tiny pieces (but not ground) and keep aside.
Once the flour is cooled, pour it (2 cups) into a large dry mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar, minced cashew nuts and salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together.
On a separate large plate, put in the rest of the roasted moong beans flour (1/3 cup) for coating and keep aside.
When ready to make the ghee balls, heat a small quantity of ghee (approximately ½ cup first) in a small pan, on low heat. Don’t overheat the ghee, but it has to be reasonably hot. (As you use up the hot ghee, add more to the pan if required.) As you make the ghee balls, the ghee pan should remain on low heat close by.
Remember to be keeping an eye on it the whole time!
To make the ghee balls, use another wide shallow bowl on which you can comfortably work on. (I like to call this the sand-pit). Pour in half the mixed ingredient and loosely spread it around the bowl with your fingers. When you are ready to make a ball, heap a little of the flour (slightly more than what is needed for one ball) into the middle. With a small spoon, make a small ‘well’ in the middle of the heaped flour. The well should only go about 1/3 down the heap and not all the way! Pour in about 1 tablespoon of hot ghee into the well. You will notice that when the hot ghee is poured, the flour will sizzle a little. Using a spoon, slightly press the heap allowing for the oil to ‘catch’ the flour. Then, carefully, pick the oiled heap into your hands and compact it into a ball shape. You may find this a little difficult at first as the oiled flour can be hot.
Once you have made a ball, roll it around on the flour kept aside earlier, to coat it lightly. Keep the coated ball aside to cool.
As you use up the flour mixture in the ‘sand pit’, add more into it and continue the process till all the flour are used up.