Sushi for One

I had a sushi dinner on Wednesday night when OCT had to rush for some work. I suddenly like the idea of eating dinner alone. I can cook whatever I want, or just eat a bar of kitkat for dinner!

But Wednesday night, I opted for sushi, and while I was at it, I decided to add my favorite pork floss to it. It may not be everybody's cup of tea and certainly was not how the authentic sushi should be made. But I was in my creativity mode. So here's my pork floss sushi. I think it tastes pretty good, if you like pork floss. :) I wonder what unconventional ingredient can I add to my sushi next time...

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I am not what you think I am

In case you think I am only a loaf of boring, plain white bread.

I am not. I am more sophisticated than that. Eventhough you can not see through my surface.

Unless I am willing to open up to you.

Then, you will see what lies beneath my boring skin.

Hello, my name is Chocolate Babka. And I am delicious. My life is more interesting than other breads. Life would be more wonderful if only I am a few more inches taller. I am obviously too short for a standard babka...

Chocolate Babka
adapted from Gourmet Dec 06
makes 2 loaves (I halved the recipe and made only one loaf)

For dough
3/4 cup warm milk (105–115°F)
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
2 whole large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

For egg wash
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

For chocolate filling
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened
2 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bars fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar

Special equipment: a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; 2 (8 3/4- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pans; parchment paper preparation


Make dough:
Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Add 1/2 cup flour to yeast mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in remaining 2 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium, then beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, about 4 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)

Scrape dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Assemble babkas with filling:
Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (1 lengthwise and 1 crosswise).

Punch down dough with a lightly oiled rubber spatula, then halve dough. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a well-floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 18- by 10-inch rectangle and arrange with a long side nearest you.

Beat together yolk and cream. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush some of egg wash on long border nearest you.

Sprinkle half of chocolate evenly over buttered dough, then sprinkle with half of sugar (2 tablespoons). Starting with long side farthest from you, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along egg-washed seam to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of lined loaf pans.

Make another babka with remaining dough, some of egg wash, and remaining butter and chocolate in same manner. Chill remaining egg wash, covered, to use later. Loosely cover pans with buttered plastic wrap (buttered side down) and let babkas rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough reaches top of pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in pans in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush tops of dough with remaining egg wash. Bake until tops are deep golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped (when loaves are removed from pans), about 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to room temperature.

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Thai Food again!

More Thai dishes turned up on our dining table this week. Before I return the Thai recipe book, I decided to make just one more new recipe from it. We are going to splurge before we bid farewell. By splurge, I mean in term of calories and fat. I have my eyes on a vegetable and tofu curry recipe, which the main ingredient is coconut milk.

Although I always keep a few cans of coconut milk in my pantry cupboard (just in case), I never really got around using them. Since I won't be keeping this book any longer, I should at least try one recipe that used coconut milk. For the uninitiated, coconut milk is a common ingredient used in Thai Cooking. It is used in soup, stew and meat dishes. Something I wonder why the Thais can stay in shape, having to eat all these sinfully delicious food all the time!



Anyway, I digress. The vegetable and tofu curry is a winner! Eventhough I have replaced a few vegetables the recipe required with something I have on hand. But I guess it doesn't matter, as the star for this dish is the fried tofu! Like many little sponges, they eagerly absorb the curry goodness from the coconut broth. So that when you bite into one, the broth it absorbed simply burst in your mouth. Maybe I exxagerate. But it is really really good. The only glitch though, is the addition of glass noodle. It somewhat absorbs all the broth, and leaves the dish dry. I have to add extra liquid to make up for the dryness in the end.



On the same vein, another Thai dish that we had sometime ago was the sweet and sour pork. A simple all-in-one dish. Simply looking at the pineapple chunks in the picture make me salivate.

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Homemade Char Siew Rice

I bought a big chunk of pork butt last week when it was on offer. Normally I would steer away even when the offer was irresistable.It is simply too laborious to trim off the fat embedded in the pork butt, eventhough I admit the meat itself is really flavorful after cooking.

Last week, a sudden craving of charsiew (chinese roast pork) prompted me to the poultry section and grabbed a slab of pork butt. There's nothing glamorous in butterflying and chopping the butt into small pieces of meat.(That is after I removed most of the fat!) In fact, I was exhausted after all these works. I think I must have working on it for almost 2 hours! Suddenly I miss home, where the biggest issue is when I want my charsiew...

Having said this, my effort was handsomely paid off. The homemade charsiew was fabulous! And it sees us through a few meals, with other dishes of course. The only complaint OCT had was the charsiew being a bit too dry, either because of the lack of fat, or a prolonged roasting time. But it was just the way I liked it. I never liked fatty charsiew anyway. I guess I could leave more fat behind next time, which I believe "the next time" will not come so soon....

There is still half a pack of the trimmed pork butt in the freezer. I think I will use it to make pork carnitas soon. Although the temptation of eating more charsiew is great.


Chinese Style Roast Pork (Charsiew)
Adapted from Cookinglight

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) cubes

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan lined with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Turn pork over, and baste with reserved marinade. Discard remaining marinade. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Preheat broiler. Broil pork 5 minutes or until browned.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

A note on the marinade: I threw away a lot of the marinade in the end. I think half of the amount should be sufficient, as the meat would be marinated overnight in the fridge.(long enough for the flavor to infuse into the meat)

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Tis the Season of Giving

So said the people from Starbucks. I took advantage of their Coffee Break last Thursday and got myself a free cup of hot brewed coffee. Well, I didn't drink it, but used it in the batter for a chocolate cake!
It's not any chocolate cake. This one is from my favorite cookbook author- Ina Garten! According to Ina, this is the most fabulous chocolate cake she has ever made.I must add that, it is mine too! I still remember how nice and moist it was when I baked it for a party last time. This time, having more time on hand, I decided to dress up this homey cake, and adopted Alice Medrich's whipped ganache as filling, and Southern Living's idea of using Pirouline to line the edge of the cake. The result was pretty interesting although I must admit that my decorating skills have plenty of rooms for improvement....

The Most Fabulous Chocolate Cake

cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Filling:(enough to fill one layer)

Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache
(adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet)
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces 72% chocolate
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Frosting (enough for a thin layer of frosting)
3 ounces 72% chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 sifted confectioner sugar
1/2 tablespoon espresso powder

Decoration
2 packs of Pirouline

MAKE THE CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.

MAKE THE WHIPPED GANACHE:
Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan until it bubbles on the edges and immediately pour it over the chocolate. Allows the heat from the cream to melt the chocolate.Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Slowly stir to make sure that the chocolate has completely melted. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight, and whip the ganache only when ready to use.

MAKE THE FROSTING:
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the side of the bowl. At low speed, slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, about 1 minute. In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in 1.5 teaspoons of hot water. Slowly beat the coffee and the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.

Set a cake layer on a plate with the flat side facing up. Evenly spread the whipped ganache over the cake. Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Spread the frosting over the top and side of the cake. Arrange Pirouline immediately around the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.

MAKE AHEAD The frosted cake can be refrigerated for 2 days. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.(this is important, we took the cake out minutes before cutting, and had the cake threaten to fall apart)

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Pizza and more asparagus

I have been wanting to try my hands at the "perfect pizza dough" featured in the latest Food and Wine magazine. But the long rising time deterred me. As someone who decide what to cook on the last minute basis, I can't wait for the 24 hours rising of the dough. I would have fainted from the hunger. Of course I can plan ahead. But I am not in planning mood this week. Maybe I will come around and make it next week. I promise.

Meanwhile, I decided to give the Trader Joe's 99 cents pizza dough a try. Again, because I cooked my dinner at the last minute, I forgot to take a look at the flavor of dough I bought. It should be the herb-y stuff. Making pizza is really a breeze with the ready-made dough. I topped my pizza with some caramelised onion, crumbled gorgonzola and white button mushroom. Quite a last minute change considering my initial plan was to make a smoke salmon, sour cream, dill and red onion topping. I don't know why but I have the difficulty of making up my mind lately.... Anyway, I forgot to saute the mushroom, and they let out lots of moisture that made our pizza pretty wet.... Other than that, it was a pretty nice vegetarian pizza.

A note on the pizza dough, we find that it was a bit too dense for our liking. OCT thought he prefered the version I made from MS Baking Handbook, in which the crust was thinner. Oh well, I am not going to stop there. Not before I try the F&W's version...

To go with the soggy vegetarian pizza was a side of roasted asparagus (My favorite) and some fried rice (just to keep the rice-man happy!)

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Spring is in the air!

Eventhough the weather we are experiencing in the mid-west suggests otherwise. But the abundance of asparagus that comes with Spring is unmistakable. This week, I have the good fortune of getting some reasonably priced asparagus from the grocery store. Oh, asparagus is one of the many reasons I look forward to Spring. If I could, I wouldn't mind eating them everyday.

OCT on the other hand, couldn't apprehend my passion for asparagus. He would be perfectly happy eating broccoli whole year round.... Well, I am fine with that too. It only means I get to eat most of my favorite veggie.

On Monday night, I decided to dress my otherwise simple roasted asparagus up with roast garlic aioli. My review maybe bias because of my liking for asparagus, but OCT thought that the dish was pretty awesome! I like the subtle, slightly smokey roast garlic in the aioli. The flavor of garlic wasn't as pungent and assertive as it was before roasting. Incidentally, the aioli also went well with the roasted cauliflower we had for dinner. Maybe I will try it on the roast green beans next.

Other than roasted vegetables, I made us some New England Chowder. Bad choice! Experience taught me that our one and only one soup pot is not suitable for sauteeing flour or rather anything in that matter. But sauteeing is the crucial part in my chowder! So I went ahead, and followed the recipe to saute whatever necessary in the pot. Everything seemed well, up to the point after I added the cod and scallop. Feeling like a patient who suddenly regain her sense of smell, I detected a fainted burnt smell in the air. It wasn't until we shovelled the chowder into our mouth that I was sure of what had happened. And dejected at the prospect of what lay ahead of me....In case you wonder, the bottom of the pan was covered with stubborn burnt flour. Such a thick layer that even the strongest detergent couldn't penetrate. Later, I poured in some vinegar, which the acid did the trick to dissolve most of the burnt stuff. However, it wasn't without some muscle work....

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Lemon Spaghetti with Smoke Salmon

Home alone means I can take a long bubble bath without worrying about meeting dinner time.

Dinner alone means I get to try out my new recipe that I am not completely sure OCT will buy.The recipe in point is lemon spaghetti, which I remember seeing somewhere before. It is the perfect solution for someone who needs to shed off some new-gained weights and yet, still craves for something delicious. To make it extra special, I decided to add some smoke salmon. Afterall, I need the protein after working out in gym right?

The meal comes together in a flash, almost as fast as cooking instant noodle. All I have to do is tossing the cooked spaghetti with olive oil, lemon juice, smoked salmon and chopped parsley. And voila, a simple and delicious dinner for one!
With something as healthy and simple like this, who needs to eat the instant noodles loaded with MSG!

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Blessing in Disguise

This is the first Friday treat since we got back from Singapore. I wanted to bake something simple yet breakfasty. After going through my to-try-list, I decided to make a coffee cake, a recipe I copied sometime ago from Martha Stewart Living magazine.

The recipe is fairly straightforward, just a simple cake batter, with filling made up of espresso powder-sugar mixture.The first complication came when I misread teaspoon as tablespoon. As a result, I added in more espresso powder than I should. But this wasn't too bad. I could rectify this simply by using lesser filling mixture and reserved the rest for future use.

Minutes later, after the batter was poured into the pan, I saw half a cup of sugar lying on the bench. Behind my back all this while. The portion I should have added into the batter long ago. I have no idea how I could make such silly mistake, twice in such simple recipe, but things happened nonetheless. There's nothing I could do than optimistically hoping for the best.

After waiting anxiously for 35 minutes, I took the cake out of the oven and cut a slice to try. It was not as bad as I had anticipated. However, it could use some glaze to make up for the sweetness I left out in the dough. I made a simple coffee glaze for the accident cake, and with so many modifications, I now proudly claim this to be MY coffee cake.

Accidental Coffee Cake

All ingredients at room temperature:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

filling:
4 tsp espresso powder
3 tbsp granulated sugar
4.5 tsp Dutch Processed Powder Cocoa Powder

Coffee Glaze:
5 tsp strong brewed coffee
1 tsp espresso powder
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Buttered and floured a 10 inch bundt pan. In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until just combined.

Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla extract, mix until blended.

Spread 1/3 batter into pan. sprinkle half of the filling, spread another 1/3 batter. followed by filling/ Cover with the rest of the batter. Run a thin knife to marbelize.

Bake for 35-38 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Stir together coffee, espresso powder and powdered sugar. Pour over inverted cake.

Serves 10-12.

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Fried Rice

No fuss, all in one dish. Suitable for a night when I have to eat dinner alone.

This variation used lap chong, dried mushroom and lots of diced carrot.

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Finally back into the kitchen

As most of you have already known, I went back to Singapore, in order to renew my re-entry permit. While I was at it, I decided to fly back to the land below the wind- KK, to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family.

Before we flew back, I was very ambitious and set out a long list of "Food to eat" and "friends to meet". Unfortunately, I ate some raw spikey arugula one week before we departed which eventually caused some ulcers on my upper mouth cavity and led to a full bow of inflammatory actions. Because of that, I couldn't fully enjoy the local foods on my first few days in Singapore. And also because of that, I missed a few friends. Especially those who had made plans to leave Singapore for CNY.

As for myself, I flew back to KK a week before CNY. With a year of baking experience, I finally got mum's approval to use her oven. Eventhough we acquired the oven since I was 9, I was not allowed to go near the oven until I went back this CNY. Mum always worried that I would injured myself. She still did, when I baked my first batch of cookies this CNY. But after a few batch of cookies, she let me to do whatever I wanted, as long as I followed her rules. That is to bake only in the morning. Yeah, mum only allowed me to bake in the morning. According to her, morning is the best time to make pastry, because afternoon is too hot and at night, the noice of the mixer would disturb our maid who sleeps in the room next to the kitchen.

We managed to bake quite a lot of stuff actually. A few successful ones included the Oatmeal Chocolate Cranberry Cookies, which mum likes; Chocolate Pistachio Cookies, which dad thought could be served in hotel; Chocolate Almond Biscottis, which everyone approved and Snowball Cookies. And a few unsuccessful attempts to make cakes.

Even with the nice local foods and mum's home cooked meals, I missed my own cooking. OCT shared the same sentiment, and told me that he missed my food, in spite of his mum's home cooked food. I am not saying that I am a better cook, I guess I simply miss the freedom of cooking whatever I wanted. However I wanted.

Now that we are back, I have resumed my role as the cook and can't wait to cook and bake up a storm in our tiny kitchen!

A new recipe I tried yesterday- Kielbasa, Golden Onion and Apple was a simple and unexpectedly delicious dish. The savory kielbasa, sweet caramelised onion and the soft and tart granny smith made the plain looking dish a pleasure accompanist of a bowl of steaming rice.

Kielbasa, Golden Onion and Apple
Adapted from Gourmet December 2006

2 lb smoked kielbasa (preferably beef and pork), cut crosswise into 3-inch lengths
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped (6 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
*I halved the recipe*

Lightly score each piece of sausage in several places with a sharp paring knife. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of sausage, turning occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and brown remaining sausage in same manner, transferring to bowl as cooked.

Wipe skillet clean again, then cook onions with salt and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core, and finely chop apple. Stir apple and broth into onion mixture and simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apple is tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Add sausage and simmer, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Makes 6 (main course) servings

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A batch of delightful treats

The last treat day before we flew back to Singapore, I made OCT's colleagues a batch of chocolate raspberry cupcakes. They were absolutely delicious even though the taste of raspberry puree was undetectable. They weren't too sweet but had a sophisticated chocolate flavor. Certainly the kind of chocolate cake recipe that's worth keeping and making over and over again.

The only complaint, was the tedious part of straining the raspberry puree over my small fine-mesh sieve in order to remove the raspberry seeds. It must have taken me almost an hour just to get the 1/2 cup the recipe required. Well, I am glad that the end result justified the effort involved. And a simple chocolate swirl on top of the cupcakes dressed them up, making them ready, even for an elegant affair.

Raspberry-Laced Chocolate Cupcakes with Marbled Glaze

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry puree (from frozen unsweetened raspberries or from 3/4 pint fresh raspberries)
3 tbsp brandy or rum
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softenend
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze
(makes about 1 cup)
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
1 tbsp corn syrup

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Line the muffin tin with fluted paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then sift onto a sheet of wax paper. Set aside.

Combine the raspberry puree, brandy and vanilla in a small bowl, set aside.

In a medium to large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for a few seconds, until creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Break the eggs into a cup or small bowl and whisk to combine the whites and yolks. Take a full 2.5 to 3 minutes to dribble the eggs gradually into the butter mixture, beating constantly.

Stop the mixer and add one third of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed only until no flour is visible. Srop the mixture and add half of the raspberry mixture. Beat only until absorbed. Repeat with half of the remaining flour, all of the remaining raspberry mixture, and finally the remaining flour. Scrape the bowl as necessary and beat on low speed only enough to incorporate the ingredients after each addition.

Scrape the batter into the paper liners, and bake for 20 minutes. When the cupcakes are completely cool, make Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze.

Place the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a small heat proof bowl set in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently and gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove the glaze from the water and set aside to finish melting, stirring once or twice until the glaze is perfectly smooth. Or melt in a microwave on Medium (50%) power for 2 minutes. Stir gently until completely smooth; do not whisk or beat. Let the glaze cool, without stirring, until nearly set and the consistency of easily spreadable frosting.

Melt one ounce each of milk chocolate and white chocolate into individual bowls.Dip one cupcake top (or bottom) into the glaze. Turn the cupcake glaze side up/ Dip the tip of your finger or rubber spatula into the melted chocolates and drizzle a little of each on the glaze. Swirl a skewer or toothpick through the wet glaze to marble the chocolates. Let the glaze set at room temperature.

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Pizza night

The cold weather is making me lazy. I have no desire to tackle any complicated recipes than to simply sit in a warm place, with a cup of hot coffee and a book. But there's OCT I have to feed. And I can't possibly dish out the instant noodle with frozen dumplings on a weekday night. No, that is too irresponsible.

But I am still feeling lazy. So I made pizzas. I would have used the store bought dough in a heartbeat, if there's any in the fridge. But there is none. So, I made my own pizza dough. No big deal. It's not remotely difficult at all. All one needs, is plenty of time, and patient, to wait for the dough to rise into something that can eventually be baked and devoured.

One thing I like about homemade pizzas is the absolute control of all ingredients used. For our dinner, I made one with pineapple chunks, pepperoni and mushroom, and another one with green peppers, roasted onion, pesto,mushroom and pepperoni. Both have been topped with "reasonable" amount of monterey and mozzarella cheese.

And because I have problem making the crust into perfect 12-inch round, I decided to make them into rectangular. I believe that shouldn't affect their taste.

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Something healthy

Like a salad, is perfect for a lazy Sunday night when I don't feel like cooking up a storm. Besides there are too many distractions from TV on Sunday night!

So, here's what we had on Sunday night: Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Salad.


Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Salad
Adapted from CL Jan 07

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon onion flakes, crushed
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
7 teaspoons canola oil, divided
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 425º.
Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet lined with foil; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. Sprinkle strips with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes or until crisp, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, onion flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt; dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl. Combine juice, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 4 teaspoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over lettuce mixture; toss gently to coat. Place 1 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Place 1 fish fillet on each salad; top with 5 tortilla strips.

Yield: 4 servings

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Some cookies for the sweet tooth

Last Friday I baked a batch of chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies with some new twists for a special guest. Unfortunately, the inner shopaholic had gotten the better of him, and he ended up lugging more than what he was allowed on a long haul flight, and decided to leave the full batch of cookies behind....

I remember the last time I baked these cookies, I made them huge, using the 1/4 cup as a guide. This time however, I wanted to make them small. So small that they can be squeezed into the festive containers, and passed around during Chinese New Year (I opted to use the teaspoon as a guide in the end).Yes, I have developed a serious craving for new year goodies after our friend passed us some that she brought back from Singapore. I would have been making pineapple tarts or peanut cookies, if I had the necessary ingredients. But I digress. I was thinking of making these small cookies as goodies for new year. So this batch was actually an experiment. To give it a festive flair, I added the colourful kisses on the little mossels. For some, I added the Andes peppermint pieces on top; which you can't see from the photos above, unfortunately.

Both types with the new size turned out well. I have even took the liberty to reduce the amount of sugar and added in some milk chocolate chunks. With so many modifications, maybe I can claim it as my own recipe. Maybe not. I shall wait until others have tried, and give their approval. Then I will casually add that it's my own recipe. If not, I will say it's OCT who made them. Sounds like a plan!



Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats , old-fashioned, (3 1/2 ounces)
1 cup toasted walnut(4 ounces), chopped
1 cup dried cranberries(5 ounces), chopped coarse
1/2 cup chopped 72% chocolate
1/4 cup chopped milk chocolate
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1 cup plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar, preferably dark
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Andes Creme De Menthes Baking Chips
Hershey Kisses


1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, walnuts, cranberries, and chocolate.

3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Use teaspoon as a guide to scope out dough and place them on2 baking sheets, spacing them 1.5 inches apart.Press one kisses onto each cookie dough, or a few pieces of Creme De Menthes. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will seem underdone and will appear raw, wet, and shiny in cracks), 5 to 8 more minutes longer. Do not overbake. (the baking time is just a guideline, check your cookies often for your desired doneness.)

5. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

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More Thai Cuisine: Thai Seafood Noodle

I think I am hooked on Thai food. Fish sauce, to be more specific. Yes, I know it's weird, but I am afraid I have fallen in love with fish sauce. The complex taste that I savoured in so many Thai dishes, but could'nt pinpoint what was THAT ingredient that contributed to the exciting taste. Now I know. It's fish sauce.

Thais are clever, because they use fish sauce in place of salt. With fish sauce, they can achieve more sophisticated flavours with fewer ingredients.


This recipe that I have choosen for our weeknight meal is an " all-in-one-wok winner".Although OCT may not be the most picky eater, he insists on having a balance meal everyday. With balance, I mean the inclusive of carbohydrate ( any type of grains, preferably rice), protein (in the form of meat, definitely not TOFU, we consider tofu a vegetable dish. weird, i know) and fibre (which is vegetable). The Thai Seafood Noodle I have selected, consists of all of the above. And it tastes great.




(Recipe will be uploaded soon)

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Pineapple Fried Rice and Onion Mustard Monkey Bread

I made more rice the previous night so that I could have enough to experiment on another Thai recipe - Pineapple Fried Rice. Although we have been making our version of Pineapple Fried Rice for quite some time now, I decided to follow the recipe and see how different would it turn out compared to ours.

According to the book, this recipe uses only fish sauce and soy sauce to flavour the meat and rice. My usual version normally include sesame oil, oyster sauce, ketchup and rice vinegar. But the simple version from the book actually yields a more authentic Thai flavour. The taste and smell of fish sauce is more distinct here, without the distractions from other sauces.

The original recipe called for cashew nuts, but I used peanuts, because that's what I have on hand. The marriage of crunchy nuts, soft tangy pineapple chunks, juicy prawn and chicken with rice make this Oriental Fried Rice a destined crowd pleaser.

The cold weather also make me crave for some warm fresh bread. As a result, I made half a recipe of Onion and Mustard Monkey Bread from Food and Wine magazine. It would be the perfect side dish with roast chicken or pot roast. But we were too engrossed with the fried rice and ended up not eating much of the bread. I kept 4/5 of the bread in a paper bag, hoping that it will not turning into an inedible rock the next day. It looked absolutely stunning when it first came out from the oven. From the little piece that I ate, I know that this is going to be a keeper. As for OCT? He prefers RICE over any other types of grains anytime. He will be very grumpy if he didn't get his RICE fix every few days.....

Onion Mustard Monkey Bread
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope dry active yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 teaspoon chopped thyme


In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the milk and sugar and heat just until warm. Transfer to a large bowl, stir in the yeast and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 5 minutes. Oil the bowl and return the dough to it. Cover with plastic and let stand in a draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Butter a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch log and cut each log in 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, 6 minutes. Stir in the mustard, chives and thyme. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter; stir until melted. Season lightly with salt and transfer to the large bowl to cool slightly. Add half of the dough balls and turn to coat with the onion mixture. Arrange the balls in the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand until risen to the top of the pan, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the bread in the lower third of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cover the pan loosely with foil, reduce the oven temperature to 375° and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until risen. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Set an inverted plate on top and turn the bread out onto it. Set another plate on top and invert the bread so it’s right side up. Break into rolls or cut into slices.

MAKE AHEAD: The bread can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated overnight.

Note: I halved the recipe, and make it in a 9-inch loaf pan.

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice ( Khao Phad Suparod)

2.5 cups cooked rice
4 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
8 large shrimps, shelled, deveined (5 oz/150g)
1/2 cup pineapple chunk
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 eggs
3 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
2 stems green onion, thinly chopped
strips of red pepper
fresh coriander leaves
slices of tomato and cucumber

Slice the chicken into 1/4inch/5-mm strips. Reserve along with the shrimps.

Heat oil in a wok (or a large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and shrimps and stirfry for 1-1.5 minutes, until the meats have turned white, then decrease heat to medium high. Break the eggs directly into the wok. Fry the egg without breaking them up for 2 minutes, until they are partially set.

Push the eggs and meat to one side of the wok, and add the rice to the other side. Add soy sauce and fish sauce on the rice and then using a shoveling motion, combine the 2 sides of the wok, tossing- stirring for 2 minutes, mixing the rice with the eggs, chicken and shrimp, working from the bottom up so that all the rice has a chance to fry in the oil and everything is integrated.

Sprinkle black pepper on the rice and add cashews, green onion and the reserved pineapple chunks. Toss-stir for 1- 2 minutes, folding the new ingredients into the rice and then remove fom heat. Transfer to a serving dish and top with red pepper strips and fresh coriander leaves.

Garnish sides with slices of tomato and cucumber. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

Note: Use the ingredient list as a guideline and season the fried rice as you cook.

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Baking for some Very Important People

OCT is meeting with his graduation committees today for the last time before he prepares for his thesis and defense. After that, he will be called Dr Ong. Too bad there isn't any nice designation for the wife. Anyway, OCT requested some "not too sweet breakfast pastries" for the committee.

After consulting my piles of recipes, I settled on a Blueberry Muffin with Almond Streusel Topping. Not only that it's presentable, but it's also something healthy, wholesome and tasty. Compared to the rest of muffins I made before, this Blueberry Muffins used much less sugar and oil. Most the sweetness comes from the Streusel, which one has complete control on how much to put.

I read somewhere that blueberries are packed with antioxidant and vitamins but I rarely buy the fresh stuff. They are simply too expensive here. I used the frozen berries from Trader Joes instead. They have been chucked in the freezer since Summer, when I used them to make smoothies.

I tried one of the muffins when it came out from the oven and thought it wasn't sweet enough. Interestingly, after sitting overnight, the flavour improved. And the texture was still moist and tender.

A healthy option for weekend breakfast. According to the recipe, these muffins freeze well. Too bad I run out of blueberries, or I could whip up another batch for another SUPER VIP coming to our place in less than 48 hours!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
adapted from Southern Living

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup uncooked regular oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Pulse almonds 2 or 3 times in a blender or food processor until chopped. Add brown sugar and 1 tablespoon flour; process 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse 5 or 6 times or until mixture is crumbly. Stir in oats; set aside.
Combine 2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Whisk together buttermilk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Toss blueberries with remaining 2 tablespoons flour; gently fold into batter. Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full; sprinkle batter with oat mixture.

Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Note: Freeze muffins up to 1 month.

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