Addicted to Salami

Yesterday,OCT's colleague dropped me an email requesting for a birthday cake tomorrow. Even though I have been volunteering cakes for friends' birthdays for some time now, having someone think of me as far as cake is concerned, is the first time. And you can imagine how flattered I am .

Of course, I graciously accept the honor. Even it's 100F out there, it's totally worth to turn on the oven. Well, I am not here to talk about the cake actually, since it's still in the making process.

Let's talk about dinner. Because I am going to put in 100% effort to make the brithday cake, we are going to have something simple for dinner. Yet something tasty to reward myself after the work. Giada De Laurentiis's Antipasto Salad comes to mind. We had it for dinner last week but OCT and I like it enough to bring it back to the dining table again. Besides, it will be in time to join Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights! One stones kills three birds, or rather one pasta satisfied many needs.

Whatever. These are only excuses for me to eat more salami. Besides butter, cream cheese and eggs, I now declare salami (or other form of cured meat) to be one of the "must have item" in our fridge. Well, I guess I am addicted to salami after eating some really good Genova Salami from the Italian neighborhood for the first time a few weeks back. Since then, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and week after week, we go back every Saturday to eat the shop's sandwich and salad. In which, there's a generous dose of salami involved.

When I first saw Giada's recipe, I know I am going to make it. And I tweaked it slightly by including some smoked salmon and omitting the green olive. A light and satisfying dinner for a hot summer night. This will be my contribution for Presto Pasta Nights .

Antipasto Salad
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis's "Everyday Italian"

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed and leaves chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Antipasto Salad:
1 pound fusilli pasta
1/2 cup hard salami, cut into strips (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup smoked turkey, cut into strips (about 3 ounces)
1/4 cup provolone cheese, cut into strips
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
2 tablespoons green olives, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, cut into strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Vinaigrette:
In a blender, add the basil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Blend until the herbs are finely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve.

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For the love of lavender

I can't believe that it's August already. It wasn't too long ago when I welcomed the nasty hot and humid July with sweaty arms! Maybe I was too busy consuming the luscious summer berries, which we lugged back from the farmer's market every week. Or being distracted by the countless recipes I have bookmarked to try with the abundant fruits, but keep putting off by the heat.

Either way, 0707 has passed, and I am glad that I have read the 7th and the last book of Harry Potter too. Not that it is any form of achievement, but nonetheless, I am relieved to know the ending of the story.

Anyhow, I digress. Instead of keep complaining about the hot weather that nobody needs reminding, let's talk about what is to love about July. Perhaps the fleeting season of cherry? The first peach, nectarine and plum that hit the market? And the most charming, blooming lavender?

Yes, lavender is one of the reasons that makes July heat slightly bearable. I simply love the sight of lavender and its scent when rubbed between fingers. There are studies that supported the many beneficial properties of its essential oil. And for that reason, lots of products incorporated lavender into their ingredient list.

Unfortunately, I am no fan of such products, but I am guilty of being partial to any baked goods with lavender in it. So imagine how excited I am, when seeing a lavender sable recipe from this blog.

It is love at first sight, and I make it as soon as the temperature dropped a bit. As with the rest of the sables I made in the past, these lavender sables have a buttery and tender texture. If I were Hermione (my favorite character in Harry Potter books), I would gladly put a scent charm into this post, so that you get to smell the lavender sables when they first come out from the oven. The scent though heavenly, is difficult to put in words. I guess you have to bake some while I work on the scent charm.

I bake a few pieces to nibble with a cup of tea in the afternoon and freeze the rest of the dough. It proves to be a useful strategy. For one afternoon when OCT invites friends over at the last minutes, I effortlessly pull out the dough, slice it and bake under a 350F oven for less than 15 minutes. Not only that friends get to eat fresh from the oven lavender sables, our apartment is filled with the scent of lavender that lingers for quite a while.

Lavender Sable
Adapted from this blogandthis blog

1.5 cups and 1.5 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried lavender
7 oz (14 tablespoons)unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
zest from 1 lemon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth, add the confectioners' sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the egg yolk, followed by salt, dried lavender and lemon zest.

On low speed, add the flour and cornstarch and mix just until flour is incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a counter, gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

Form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and chill dough for 2 hours in refrigerator. (Dough logs can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in freezer for up to 1 month.)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

Once the oven is ready, slice the log into 1/4-inch thick and place on a lined baking sheet with 1/2 inch interval.

Bake for 12- 14 minutes, or until the sables are set but not brown. Tranfer and cool the sables on the rack.

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Opposite Attraction

Remembering important dates has never been my forte. OCT used to tease me that his birthday is sometime between mid November to December because that's when he received his birthday presents and cards. Most of the time, it would be more than one month past the actual date.

After we were married, the situation improved tremendously. But that's probably because I can simply whisper "Happy Birthday Darling" without waiting for the postman to send my "overdue" well wishes across the pacific ocean. But I am still as bad at remembering date as I was. For instance, I didn't manage to send out a package of homemade biscottis in time for my best friend's birthday. Even though I have reminded myself countless time in the beginning of the month, that I must not forget the date (again!!). Thanks to Internet, I got to greet her a "wonderful birthday" before it's too late while the biscottis struggled its way to London.

And on another recent occasion, I forgot about our wedding anniversary until the day itself. Knowing what a sweet husband OCT is, I was almost sure he would have something special for me on this special day. That made me felt terribly guilty. What last minute trick could I pull off to camouflage my forgetfulness?



With time ticking away. there wasn't much time for deliberation. So I took a deep breath and decided to do what I do best. I would bake him a cake, preferably a healthy one too, because he wouldn't want to share his anniversary present with others (trust me, I know my husband!) With that in mind, I got my act together and made one of the low fat cakes I know we won't mind eating over and over again.

It is a recipe from Alice Medrich, from her out of print book- "Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts". The original recipe makes a beautiful marble cake. But I decided to make a constrasting black and white cake. Of which I think it symbolizes our union. We are two very different individuals whom when put together completed each other. Just like vanilla and chocolate. They just go well together.

Unlike some of the low fat recipes that are cloyingly sweet and suffer from rubbery texture, this cake has a moist texture with soft, fine crumbs. I especially like the chocolate layer, where instant espresso powder is added to the Dutch-processed cocoa powder to enhance its flavor.

A simple yet delicious cake to commemorate our second anniversary. And true enough, OCT kept the cake all to himself!


Black and White Chocolate Cake /Low Fat Chocolate Marbled Cake
Modified and adapted from Alice Medrich's "Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts"

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lower third of the oven. Arrange 10 heart shape silicon cupcake molds on a baking tray.

Use a whisk to combine four, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift together. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the espresso powder, cocoa and 1/3 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Whisk until smooth. Set aside. In another small bowl, whisk whole egg with egg white. Set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces and place in an electric mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute to soften. Gradually add remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat at high speed for about 3 minutes. Dribble eggs in slowly, about 1 T at a time, beating constantly for about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture. On medium-high speed, beat in half of the yogurt. On low speed, beat in half of the remaining flour. On high speed, beat in the rest of the yogurt and the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of yogurt batter and mix into the cocoa mixture. Set aside.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of vanilla/ chocolate batter into each mold, and fill the molds up to 3/4 full with the rest of the other batter. Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the molds and a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack. Unmold the cake. Cool completely before serving or storing.

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Meet Tiramisu's Cousin

Before this dessert went totally buried from others that keep streaming out from the oven, I better share it with you now. It is in a way similar to the Tiramisu I made not long ago, but alcohol free. And with an extra dose of caffeine thrown into the cake.

I first saw the recipe of Coffee Walnut Cake with Coffee Mascarpone Cream in Jan 2007 issue of Bon Appetite magazine, and had bookmarked it since I know I would love this cake, simply judging from the list of its ingredients.

After holding the recipe on for so long, I am happy to report that my intuition was right.The reason that it wasn't made immediately was because of the lack of photograph on the magazine ( yes, I am a visual person) and several negative comments left on its website, which kept my enthusiasm at bay. Also I must confess that I was lured into making other desserts, mostly ones with stunning pictures that whet my appetite. Anyhow, I finally pluck up enough courage to make this cake after a recent success with its alcoholic cousin - Tiramisu. Both cakes are very similar in ingredients and preparations, so I guess it couldn't be as bad as other reviewers had rated.

Moreover, It's Dorie Greenspan's recipe. Having tried a few recipes with great success from her amazing book- Baking From My Home to Yours, I feel pretty positive about baking this cake. Truth be told, I have one tub of Mascarpone cheese waiting to be used before it get expires in the imminent future. So, with a sense of urgency, I started making the cake.

True to its name, this cake is full of walnut flavor. Part of the toasted walnut was grounded and added into the cake batter. A tablespoon of instant espresso powder is also added to the batter to impart a coffee flavor. As a result, I got a tender, fine crumb, nutty cake with great coffee aroma.

After making the coffee mascarpone cream, which is a coffee lover dream come true,I decided to add some finely chopped 72% chocolate on top of the cream. A trick that I learned from the Tiramisu which I believe will taste nice here too. And it did!

After frosting the cake, I cut a generous slice for myself and enjoyed it over a cup of coffee in the afternoon. The rest was passed to OCT's lab for the Friday lab meeting.

Although this is the kind of cake OCT and I like, I believe it may not be something that kids would enjoy. Neither would people who don't drink coffee nor dislike walnut. But if I ever ran a cafe one day, this will surely be on the menu!

hey, I am allowed to dream right?

Coffee Walnut Cake with Coffee Mascarpone Cream
Adapted from Jan 2007 Bon Appetite

1 cup walnuts (about 4 ounces), toasted, chopped, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

Coffee-mascarpone cream
4 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon water
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese*
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (my addition, optionally)
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

*Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets. preparation

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Blend 1/2 cup walnuts, 1 tablespoon sugar, and espresso in processor until nuts are finely ground. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add remaining sugar (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon), beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then egg yolk. Add ground walnut mixture and vanilla; beat to blend. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup walnuts. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

Bake cake layers until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 26 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely.

For coffee-mascarpone cream:
Stir espresso and 1 tablespoon water in large bowl until coffee dissolves. Add cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until filling is thick and smooth (do not overbeat or filling may curdle).

Place 1 cake layer on platter, flat side up. Spread half of filling over cake. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top of filling. Place second layer, flat side down, on filling. Spread remaining filling over top. Mix walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle over top of cake. Cover with cake dome. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Serves 10-12

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8 Random facts about me...

Thanks to lovely Deborah from Taste and Tell for tagging me for the "8 random facts about me" meme, I have the opportunity to tell you more about myself, aside from the food I make. Here goes the random facts:

1. I am left-handed. Knowing the challenge that lies ahead of a left-handed, my mum tried her very best to convert me. Too bad, it didn't work. I am destined for a challenging life.

2. I can't swim. Many people tried to teach me, but I just couldn't float. Maybe because I am aqua-phobic. I couldn't submerge myself because I am scare of having water enter my ears and eyes.

3. I don't like/eat white chocolate. And I don't think white chocolate should be considered chocolate at all. When I was much younger, I thought that was because white chocolate was not brown in colour, and hence it doesn't qualify for the name "Chocolate".

4. My favorite snack is Kit Kat. I used to eat Kit Kat for lunch and dinner when I was simply too lazy to cook. My favorite Kit Kats are made in UK and Japan. Got to give it to the Japanese for coming up with flavors like strawberry cheesecake, greentea, coffee and dark chocolate.

5. I am a Mickey fan. I have lots of Mickey T-shirts, with one vintage T passed down from mum. She got it while we went to the Japan's Disneyland 22 years ago! It was passed down to me since I was 12, and I am still wear it now. Although only occasionally. Like the time when we were in WDW last year.

6. I only started drinking coffee after I entered college. Mum believed that caffeine was not good for kids, and therefore banned us from consuming it. I am not entirely sure if it's a myth, but I was certainly brainier before I started drinking coffee. Excuses excuses....

7. Like most of the Malaysian Chinese, I can speak and write three languages: English, Chinese and Malay. I am interested to learn French and Japanese too, so that I can read their cookbooks. :)

8. My favorite color is PINK. Hmmm.... I know a lot of people can't stand the color, but it makes me happy whenever I see things in pink colour. Guess it's a cheerful color, very much like me.

I am not tagging anyone, since most of the bloggers I know have probably done this before. But feel free to tag yourself and tell me 8 random facts about yourself. I sure love to know you better. Yes, you who are reading this now!

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Cheesecake, the tropical way

It's no secret that cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. In fact, I love cheesecake so much that I dedicated one corner of my fridge as the permanent spot for blocks of cream cheese. I just have to have cream cheese at home at all time! It gives me "sense of security" and "empowerment", knowing that I can whip up a cheesecake whenever I feel like eating one.

Summer however, gives the cheesecake monster in me a hard time. Mostly because I am avoiding having any dealing with the oven. There's the option of buying store-bought cheesecake, but that would make me feel like betraying the dozen blocks of cream cheese I already have. My dilemma came to end, when I saw an impressive no-bake version from Ellena's blog.

Her version of no-bake cheesecake even included my favorite tropical fruit- Lychee! Blessed is the one who think of adding lychee in the cheesecake filling. The person should be given some sort of baking creativity award. I went on to ask the lovely Ellena for the recipe, and was given a detailed instructions couple of days later. Don't you just love generous food blogger?

Because my cheesecake came up a little too short, I took the liberty to add in another layer of Pierre Herme's Lemon Cream + whipped cream on top of the cream cheese filling. To further heighten the cake, I decorated the cake with some strawberries that I got from the farmer's market, together with the remaining lychee. For the lack of better decorating skill, I shaved some dark and white chocolate on top of the cake, and plucked some mint leaves to cover the spare space. The mint, which we later discovered, went well with the lychee cheesecake!

An icy cold lychee cheesecake is indeed a fitting dessert on a hot summer night. The smoothness of the cream cheese with the hint of lemon in the background balanced the sweetness from the lychee. I also like that there was lychee flesh in every bites of the cheesecake. I could taste the succelent juice from the lychee when they bursted in the cavity.

The canned Lychee I used in this recipe was from the Asian grocery. However, a similar version can now be bought from Trader's Joe too. I saw it just the other day and needless to say, I grabbed a can without hesitation, and couldn't wait to recreate another no-bake cheesecake in my kitchen some time real soon. Maybe I will incorporate mango in the cheesecake next time....

Because good thing is meant to be shared, I am submitting this Lychee Cheesecake for the SHF:Tropical Paradise hosted by a very talented baker-Mary. Lychee in the form of cold dessert is my ideal of Tropical Paradise.

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Still here....

hi friends, I am still here. Still cooking but certainly bake less. I really feel guilty about not updating my blog for more than a week now! But my little brain doesn't work well under the sweltering heat.

Can anyone think of a lamer excuse than this?!

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Cool Meal on Hot Day

There are days when I don't feel like standing in front of the stove. And there are days when produce threaten to spoil if I decided to turn a blind eye. What would I do if both unfortunate situations coincide?

The last time I had some very ripe tomatoes and romaine, I added them in the filling of a wrap together with some smoked salmon. Spreaded with a thick layer of jalapeno cheese spread on a spinach tortilla, it was a perfect way to clear up some fridge space for our coming farmer's market find. Not to mention, a good way to use up the cheese spreads which we always unable to finish before they expire.

A simple meal that doesn't require much effort but sufficient to satisfy the husband who is always hungry.

What do you do on days like these?

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What dessert are you serving on 4th of July?

What would you turn up in a 4th of July party if you are asked to bring a dessert? Not that I have such a request to fulfil, but I thought it would be fun to put myself in one's shoe. You know, in case we decide to throw a last minute party and need a fast idea on "what's for dessert".

Dessert is always the most important element of parties we throw. It's the only thing that friends seem to remember. Of course, I have my total lack of creativity for exciting dishes to blame. But I am pretty happy to focus on my strength now. Which brings us to the dessert.

Inspired by a tub of almost-expiring mascarpone cheese in the fridge, I decided to tackle a dessert that hasn't turned up on our household for a long time. Not because I dislike it, but simply because I couldn't find the right occasion to make it. The dessert, which I love so dearly and believe should only indulge on a super special occasion is none other than Tiramisu.

Tiramisu, which loosely translated to "pick me up" is a very special dessert to me. It was the first dessert I made from scratch. Of course, with the help of such quality ingredients, one could hardly mess this recipe up. I remembered the first Tiramisu I made used lady fingers as base and incorporated egg yolks in the filling. This Tiramisu however, is a cake version. And it has a cream base filling with no egg yolks involved.

To be perfectly honest, this was not my recipe of choice when I set out to make Tiramisu. I had set my sight on one with genoise as base, but for some unfathomable reasons the genoise didn't turn out well. So I threw it away and switched to this recipe for a change of luck. Sheer serendipity that I chanced upon this recipe and decided to give it a shot. And it is the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted.

In this recipe, the light yellow cakes are first drenched with boozed espresso syrup, then a layer of caffeinated heavenly mascarpone cream is liberally smothered on top, followed by handfuls of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, which then topped with another layer of cake and cream. It is a decadent dessert without any need of description. But for a 4th July party, it needs to be dressed up for the occasion.

The best answer to that would be some raspberries and blueberries on top of the cocoa dusting. Not only are the berries pleasing to the eyes, they are indeed delicious together. And this my friend, is what you can bring for a 4th of July party.

My slice of reward

Tiramisu cake
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the cake
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks(10 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Espresso Extract
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water

For the Espresso Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto, kahlua or brandy (or more to taste. I used 3.5 tablespoons of kahlua)

For the filling and frosting
1 8 ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ameretto, kahlua or brandy (or more to taste. I used 3 tablespoons)
1 cup cold heavy cream
2.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store bought mini chocolate chips (or more, to cover the layer completely)

cocoa powder for dusting

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter two 9x2 inch round cake pans, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms of the pan with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on baking sheet.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in
a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the yolk, beating for one minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alernately with the buttermilk. adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes,rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cook for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To make the extract: Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

To make the syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and liqueur in a large bowl and whish just until blended and smooth.

Working with the stand mixer with the whish attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds form peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch. Add the remaining 1 to 1.5 tablespoon of espresso extract into the mascarpone cream. Taste to decided how much extract you want to add.

To assemble the cake:

If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer- use about 1 1/4 cups- and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake later on the counter and soak the topof it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.

Use the remaining cream to frost the top of the cake. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread on the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.

With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. Decorate with chocolate covered espresso beans or blueberries and raspberries for a 4th of July party.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or up to one day) before serving, so that the elements have enough time to meld.

Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.

Serves 10.

~This article is written for Just Baking on Wellfed Network

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Good stuff

I am talking about the Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant we ate last week. It was our weekly vegetarian night, and I needed a substantial all- in-one vegetarian dish.

Flipping through my pile of "to try list", the stuffed eggplant recipe jumped to my attention and begged to be made. Since OCT and I love eggplant, I decided to grant eggplant its wish.

I must say that making the stuffed eggplant is quite a joy, if you have a lot of time on hand. For there are quite a number of steps to follow. Not to mention the hollowing, baking, cubing and stirfrying it required. Having said that the end result totally justified the effort. All the veggie goodness stuffed to the brim in the eggplant shell topped with feta and panko have us groaned in pleasure.

This is definitely a dish we will serve for our vegetarian guests in the near future.

Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant
Adapted from Coookinglight

3 medium eggplants
Cooking spray
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium summer squash, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)


Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell, and reserve pulp. Place eggplant halves, skin sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Chop the reserved eggplant pulp into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add reserved eggplant to pan, and sauté 8 minutes or until eggplant begins to brown. Place eggplant in a bowl. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in red and green bell peppers and the next 7 ingredients (through squash); sauté 6 minutes. Return eggplant to pan. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and black pepper; sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in feta cheese and 1/4 cup panko. Cool slightly. Spoon about 1 cup eggplant mixture into each eggplant shell.

Combine remaining 1 cup panko, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over stuffed eggplants. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated and tops begin to brown. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed eggplant half)

note: I halved the recipe and used one huge (about 1 pound) eggplant. It served us well for 3 meals with other side dishes.

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A new favorite

Eventhough I am pretty sure I have found my favorite lemon cake recipe, but when there's a new one showing up in magazine and garnered the test kitchen's highest rating, I know I have to give it a try.

And I want to try it now. Not to chuck it away in my ever-increasing "to-try-list". For the chance of forget-it-all is too high for this forgetful baker. Afterall, I find many reasons to support my case. Such as the imminent Friday treat, and the overripe cherries in the fridge. More imporantly, I need a confident boost after a failed attempt at genoise in the morning (more on that later).

The pound cake is a fairly straightforward recipe, with the addition of an intriguing ingredient in the batter- chopped mint. I have certainly not thought of adding mint in lemon cake. In fact, it is hardly detectable in the cake. But there's a little something lingered on my tongue when I first bite into the cake which I can't put my finger to. I wonder if it's my imagination, since I know I have added mint to the batter. I shall try to omit mint the next time I bake this lemon cake.

Yes, I am telling you that I will be baking this lemon cake again! Because it is moist, tender, lemony and more importantly, has lower fat than my favorite lemon cake. It's pure joy when you step out of your comfort zone to try something new (and good for you), and find yourself loving it.

The cherry compote is a good accompaniment. But I don't think it is compulsory. The lemon cake itself has enough flavor to nudge me into baking it again soon. Although my friend A who ate almost half of the cherry compote on its own in one sitting may think otherwise....

Good things are meant to be shared. Other than with OCT's colleagues, I am going to submit this excellent recipe for ARF-5-A-Days. Check out the roundup on Tuesday night for more Anti-Oxidant-Rich ideas at Cate's blog. I hope all lemon lovers out there will give this recipe a try.

Lemon Pound Cake with Cherry Compote
Adapted from Cookinglight

Cake:
Cooking spray
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 13 2/3 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Compote:
4 cups pitted sweet cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare the cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour.

Lightly spoon remaining 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 2 cups granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add rind, juice, and mint; beat just until blended.

Spoon batter into prepared pan; sharply tap the pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Cut cake into 16 slices.

To prepare compote, combine cherries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in extract. Cool. Serve with cake.

Yield: 16 servings

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Do you like tofu?

I was not a tofu lover until I came to St Louis. I ate tofu occasionally when someone offered to cook for me or when I dined out. Cooking tofu at home was a skill I acquired here. When I suddenly decided to take a liking to tofu.

I still remember the first time I cooked tofu at my old apartment. The moment the tofu touched the hot oil, the oil splattered every where. The floor, the stovetop and more painfully my hands; even though I had the cover of the wok as my shield. I was defeated by the seemingly harmless looking block of tofu. Ever since then, I convinced myself that cooking tofu at home was risky business and shall never be attempted again.

After I came to St Louis, I acquainted with tofu after my scientist husband told me the correct way to handle a block of tofu. He gently reminded me of the basic nature of the reaction between water and oil, and more importantly how to avoid splatter of oil when one cooks tofu.

The key, as he plainly pointed out is to drain the tofu, and make sure that the surface of the tofu is dry before adding them to the oil. I guess any experienced cooks have probably known this, but that was two years ago while I started to cook.

Like the ending of a fairy tale, I live a happy ever life cooking and eating tofu since then. Now, I cook tofu every week without worrying about the splattering. One trick that I learned and have never share with anybody though, is to wear an oven glove if you still worry about the splattering. The oil may dirty your glove but it will never kiss the delicate skin of your fingers!

Enough about the tips. I have a real good tofu recipe to share tonight. I woul call it seafood tofu with Gochujang sauce. It's a sweet and spicy recipe that comes together in a flash, and packed full of flavor. Making it suitable for week night dinner with a big bowl of rice.



Seafood Tofu with Gochujang Sauce

1 pack (12 oz)firm tofu, drained and blotted dry with several pieces of kitchen towels, cut into cubes
4 oz shrimps, shelled and deveined
5 fish balls, halved (optional)
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 bunch of scallion, cut into 2-inches pieces
3 gloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon Gochujang
4 tbsp chicken broth /water
1 tbsp mirin, or more to taste
1/2 tbsp sugar, or more to taste
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet until hot. Add in tofu cubes and make sure all the tofu cubes are in contact with the surface of the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes until one side of the tofu turned brown from searing. Add in garlic, zucchini, scallion and sesame oil. Stirfry until the zucchini turned soft. About 2 minutes.

Add shrimps and fish balls. Continue to cook until the shrimps turn pink. Add a heaping tablespoon of Gochujang to the tofu mixture followed by chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and add mirin, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

You can add more gochujang if you preferred a spicier dish. If the dish turned out spicier than you can handle, add more sugar to dilute the spiciness.

*Gochujang can be found at Asian grocery stores.

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The Pavlova from memory

I still remember the summer I first set foot in Perth. It was almost Christmas time and I felt like a melting scoop of ice-cream. The sweltering heat made me want to just stay in Uncle Michael's cosy house and not doing anything. Having said that, it was a memorable trip for many reasons, but one of the highlights, was the pavlova my aunt Kim served on Christmas morning.

I remembered how the faces of my little cousins lit up when they saw the pavlova. According to the very health conscious family, they ate pavlova (and bacon) only once a year on Christmas morning. Oh well, I wasn't in the position to comment on their habits, but I certainly didn't see what's the deal with this seemingly pale looking "fruit tart".

To be polite, I asked for a small slice not knowing what exactly lay ahead of me. And frankly, I wasn't exactly into anything that didn't have chocolate on it. But the first bite totally converted me! It was the most intriguing dessert I have ever eaten in my 19 years of life! How should I describe my first pavlova experience?

It was a generous stack of summer fruits on a bed of snowy white cream, supported by a sturdy meringue shell. Obviously, I had never heard of meringue at that time. So you can just imagine my excitement when I first put a tentatively small bite of pavlova into my mouth, and sensed the instant melting of meringue. It was a revealing moment. I quickly took a second bite, and the pillowy center of the meringue mixed with fruits reminded me of mashmellow with fruits. That was the coolest dessert I had ever eaten.

While I was having this revealing experience with my tiny slice of pavlova, the rest was promptly gobbled up by my relatives. It was quite sad that I couldn't have a second serving, and that pretty much sum up my pavlova experience. Pavlova is the kind of dessert that once tasted, one will never forget. At least, that is the case for me.

Many years have passed, and I never have another chance to taste pavlova again. I don't know why I didn't search for one the last time I was in Sydney. Perhaps I was scared of being disappointed by my memory. You know how sometime when you crave for something badly, it seems to be ten times more delicious than it actually is. So I didn't look for it.

Last week, while reading the Domestic Goddess Jeniffer's gorgeous blog, she asked other bloggers to post about their most craved, favorite desserts for the sweetest blog event that she is hosting. Naturally, pavlova came to mind. It was my most craved dessert that I couldn't believe I have waited so long to make!

Thank to the little nudge, I have finally reunited with my long lost love. And it didn't disappoint. I took the liberty to include Pierre Herme's lemon cream into the whipped cream, and used the berries I got from the farmer's market. It was a perfect ending for a dinner party we hosted last weekend. This is also my first entry to the Sugar High Fridays. Be sure to check out other food blogger's Sweetest Thing on Jennifer's blog on 29 June.

With the abundant of summer fruits, you shouldn't be surprised to see another pavlova popped up on my blog some time real soon!

p/s: sorry for the dull color of the photos. My batteries were low when I took these shots. :(

Pavlova with Mixed Berries

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sweetened Whipped Cream, recipe follows
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
Chocolate curls (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper, using a 9-inch plate as a guide, then turn the paper over so the circle is on the reverse side. (This way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue.)

Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and cornstarch, followed by the vanilla extract and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it within the circle, making a rough disk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the outer side feel dry and hard when touched. Turn off the oven, keep the door ajar, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Invert the meringue disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with sweetened whipped cream. Spoon the berries carefully into the middle of the Pavlova, leaving a border of cream and meringue.


Sweetened Whipped Cream:
2/3 cup cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon cream

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until firm. Don't overbeat! Fold in the lemon cream.

Yield: 1 cup

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Faux Summer Pudding

People love summer for a multitude of reasons. The students love them for the summer breaks, some men love them for the bikini babes walking down the beaches. And I love summer because of the abundant berries that come with it.

There are so many juicy sweet fruits waiting to be devoured in summer. While many fruits are delicious to be eaten as they are. I much prefer to take the opportunities to make some pretty desserts out of them. This is my third entry featuring strawberries. This time as a dessert. And also a berry best one too. After this, I will be making something from other berries, like raspberries! I can hardly wait to see them in a dessert for the Saturday gathering.


Coming back to the faux summer pudding. It is a recipe from Pierre Herme's Desserts Book. The first time I saw this recipe, I know I wanted to have a piece of the pudding. But the multitude of instructions deterred my initial enthusiasm. Until a loaf of stale white bread that OCT left in the fridge nudged me to finally "just make it". It's funny that sometime I got around making things that I put off for many reasons (mostly because of the complicated steps) just because of the impending expiring dates. Maybe it's the sense of urgency that an expiring product imposes. I definitely won't be making half as many recipes you see here if all the products/produces can last forever.


The bottom line is, I made the faux summer pudding and it tasted good! PH has very specific instructions for the pudding, such as "Eat the pudding once it's assembled"! It doesn't tell why. It is simply a command from the master. Because the stake of failing the pudding project was high, I didn't alert my friend earlier. In fact, I called them after I had assembled and tasted the pudding! Well, you can't blame me. The many steps of the recipes made me a bit neurotic. What if I told them on the first day and the cream didn't harden on the second day? Or what if I couldn't get the lemon cream right? It was also quite possible that the pudding would fall apart once the springform ring was removed. If any of the above happened, then there would be no desserts! And I would have broken all my friends' hearts who so look forward for a scumptious dessert after a hard day at work, just to find that it was a flop?

Luckily, it turned out well. At least I like the pudding a lot. It was indeed a refreshing and light dessert fitting for a summer night. OCT however, thought it wasn't sweet enough. And hence it wasn't his kind of dessert. Oh well, I am more than happy to eat up his share of the pudding!

Because the recipe stated that the pudding has to served chilled, I took it a step further by putting it in the freezer before my friends came to collect it. I was worried that the pudding would break down and started to sweat on their ways home under the merciless weather. Then this morning, my friend gave me her feedback on the pudding and commented that she especially liked the frozen strawberries!

I laughed so hard that my stomach hurted when I read that. Isn't the frozen strawberries my stroke of brilliant? While this dessert may be a perfect ending for a meal, cutting them into separate servings to be distributed( like what I did) may not be a good idea. Because of the lack of defining structure, the pudding looks like a puddle of cream with fruits. It surely doesn't look like the most appetising dessert monsieur Pierre would serve.

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A Berry Simple Lunch

After a dose of healthy smoothies in the morning, I decided to have something light for lunch. The smoothies is so filling that I didn't feel hungry comes lunch time. But my biological clock sent a signal to my mouth, and told her to munch something eventhough the stomach protested that she was feeling pretty ok and didn't need to be fed yet. Rather than reaching for potato chips or something equally unhealthy, I made myself a simple fruit salad. It's actually the leftover salad from last night with a few strawberries thrown in for color. Surprisely, it was pretty tasty.

I would have added some raspberries if I had gotten them from the farmer market last weekend. But we went a bit late, so there wasn't a single punnet left. What a disappointment! We bought a lot of strawberries though. So much that I have enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, snack and desserts. In as short as three days, three pounds of strawberries are gone. Most of them went into the dessert, which I will blog about shortly in another entry.

This post is about the berry simple salad. It is basically a combination of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and sliced strawberries. I mixed a teaspoon of raspberry perserve and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar to make a simple dressing for the salad. The dressing is pretty much up to personal taste. But I like the interplay of something sweet and something tangy in my salad. I am sure any balsamic vinaigrette will work here too . Also, any mixed salad green can substitute the romaine lettuce.
A figure friendly salad that will surely help my thighs and hips. This berry simple salad will be my entry for Lisa and Kelly's Salad Stravaganza. Do check out the roundup on July 1st for other yummy salad ideas!

A Berry Simple Salad

1 1/2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup hulled, sliced strawberries
1 roma tomato, chopped

dressing:
1 teaspoon raspberry preserves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.

Serves one girl who needs to lose weight.

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A Berry Good Morning!

I was awakened early by OCT today on his way out to work and couldn't get back to sleep after that. Eventhough it's early in the day, I found myself sweating. It was the heat from the merciless sun this time of the year! Eventhough I could turn on the air-conditioner and cool myself down, I opted for some fresh morning air. Which comes with the warm wind unfortunately.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to go to the refrigerator and opened the fridge wide open to let the cold air blow on me. Until my mum found me and reprimanded my silly act. While I was older and tall enough to open the freezer, I pretend to find something from the freezer whenever the weather got unbearably hot.

Today's weather reminds me of my little game with the refrigerator. Instead of trying to "look for something" from the freezer, I reached out for the tub of ice cream. I almost wanted to eat ice cream for breakfast!!! Well, I know I am capable of doing that eventhough I haven't done so..Luckily, I was saved by the frozen raspberries and mango that were tucked behind the ice cream. For they screamed "choose me, eat me!" So loud that I had to cover my ears with both hands and let the ice cream idea dropped to the floor.

You know how people tell you that "life is about making choices and you are what you eat?" I couldn't agree more. And for today, I am proud that I made a conscious, healthy choice to start my day. I made myself a cup of berries smoothies. Not only has it cooled me down, it has also packed with lots of "good for me", anti-oxidant rich ingredients. I must also add that the purplish pink hue of the smoothies is really pleasing to the eye. I am submitting this smoothies to Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday. Check out her blog later for more ARF ideas!


Berries Smoothies

A handful of frozen raspberries and mango
A few ice cubes
A few hulled, sliced strawberries
6 oz non-fat plain yogurt
A dash of orange juice
1 ripe banana

Blend everything together in the blender and pour into a cup. Enjoy!

I usually just put whatever berries I can find into the smoothies, but banana is always included for sweetness.

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When the going get tough, make cake!

For the past two days, I have been obsessed with changing the layout of my blog. I wanted to make it into three columns instead of two, and added in other interesting stuffs. Something that I believe some people can do within half an hour (or shorter?) with one eye close.

Not for me. I spent two days to research on various options and finally come up with the layout you now see. Eventhough I wanted to add more fancy stuffs to my sidebars, I guess I have to settle with what I have now. I am exhausted. I need to do something relaxing.

Like baking. Something I can definitely do better than modifying CSS codes. Moreover, there's treats for OCT Friday lab meeting and a friend's birthday cake to think about. There are several recipes in my consideration, and I finally settled on the Black and White Angel Food Cake. I have been wanting to make it since it appeared on Cookinglight's May 2007 cover.

This was my first time making angel food cake, so I was a bit apprehensive. Adhering closely to the recipe (but not completely), I was relieved that my angel food cake turned out the way it should.

After waiting impatiently for it to cool down slightly, I poured the chocolate gananche, leftover from making chocolate tarts onto the cake. Before the gananche has time to harden, I couldn't wait another second to cut into the cake. This was the usual "quality control" I practiced before anything goes to OCT's lab. And intuitively, I cut a larger slice than my usual "QC" slice. Perhaps, it's love at first sight. The second I saw the cake when it was turned out onto the cooling rack, I know I have fallen in love with it.
After my first bite, this love feeling is rightly confirmed. The cotton candy like texture, so light and yet flavorful. I added an additional tablespoon of cocoa powder, so the chocolate layer has a distinct contrast to the vanilla layer. The original recipe used chocolate and cream cheese icing, but I was too tired to make the icings and used the leftover gananche. It's serendipity. I believe the cake tasted better with gananche than the icings.

I can't believe I have waited so long to make an angel food cake! And why didn't I buy the angel food pan before all the other baking pans! The only downside though, is the leftover of 10 eggyolks. They are waiting to be transformed into some high colesterol, bad for you dessert.

p/s: Among some of the things I added to my sidebar, allow me to draw your attention to the Foodie Blogroll, a blogroll created by The Leftover Queen especially for foodies! Check out the list of the food blogs that's getting longer and longer each day!

Black and White Angel Food Cake
adapted from Cookinglight May2007

Cake:
1 cup cake flour (about 4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 large egg whites (I used 10 extra large whites)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa (such as Hershey's Special Dark) *I used 3 tbsps of Dutch processed cocoa*

Glaze: (omited and used leftover chocolate gananche from here
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons tub light cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa (such as Hershey's Special Dark)

Topping:
Sliced strawberries (optional)


Preheat oven to 325°.
To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 3/4 cup granulated sugar, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Place cream of tartar, salt, and egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in juice and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition.

Spoon half of batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife. Sift 2 tablespoons cocoa over remaining batter; fold in. Spoon cocoa batter evenly over top of vanilla batter; break air pockets by cutting through cocoa layer with a knife. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto a plate.

To prepare glaze, place powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Drizzle half of glaze over cake.

Add 3/4 teaspoon cocoa to remaining glaze; stir well to combine. Drizzle cocoa glaze over cake. Refrigerate 5 minutes or until glaze is set. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

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Farewell Chocolate Tarts

Before we went to Phoenix, I was on a mission to use up some of the expiring whipping cream. I was thinking of making a frosted cake initially, but thought that would not be realistic. Instead, I went to Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts for inspiration.

There are so many chocolate tarts recipes I have intended to try from this amazing book. But due to time constraint, I settled on the simple chocolate gananche, which could also be used as filling in tarts. Since I still have some leftover dough from the Chocolate Hazelnut Sables, I used them to make the mini tart shells. That way, I only needed to make the ganache and poured them into the baked shells. It's the simplest and fastest way to use up the whipping cream.

I also added some chopped hazelnuts to the baked tart shells before pouring in the chocolate ganache. For some reasons, I simply love the combination of hazelnut and chocolate since young. Maybe it reminds me of nutella. I have never heard of anybody who doesn't like nutella!

So this is my simple chocolate tart before we embarked on our journey to the desert. We gave away most tarts to friends and keep just two for ourselves. This is my sweet way to say "Goodbye!"

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Red Hot Summer

If I have to choose one colour to represent summer, that would undoubtedly be RED. The reason is obvious. Summer is always red hot. More so now than ever, because we are in the desert. To be precise, we are in Phoenix visiting OCT's friend now. While we are here, we also visited the Grand Canyon and Zion Valley National Park. My skin tone must have been darken by more than 3 shades after exposing myself long hours under the sun.

Speaking of summer, the hot and spicy Thailand cuisine comes to mind. Although I haven't been cooking these few days, I would like to share this sweet and sour pork dish that I made the day before we left for Phoenix. It's a Thai recipe that I made for the second time. Not only is it delicious, it is also fully packed with anti-oxidant rich ingredients. The combination of red peppers, tomatoes and pineapple produced a sweet and sour flavour, which is unmistakably unique to Southeast Asia dishes. Chilli is optional here though. If you prefer to have something spicy, feel free to add chilli or hot sauce. Or you can totally omit it without affecting the flavour of the dish.

This simple sweet and sour pork is an easy recipe to make at home while we have craving for Thai food. We find ourselves eating more than our usual share of rice whenever this dish is served for dinner! I am submitting this sweet and sour pork for my first ever ARF/5-A-Day. Be sure to check out Cate's lovely Sweetnicks on Tuesday for the round-up and other ARF ideas!

Sweet and Sour Pork (Moo Preow Waan)

10 oz trimmed pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp tomato paste (or 2 tbsp of ketchup dissolved in 1 tbsp water)
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice (or white) vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 small onion, roughly chopped
1/3 medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch/2.5 cm squares
1/2 small tomato, cut into 1 inch/ 2.5cm chunks
1.5 inches english cucumber, cut into 1 inch/2.5 cm wedges
1 cup pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch/1 cm pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
pinch black pepper
strips of red pepper
fresh coriander leaves

Slice tenderloin into strips that are 1/4 inch/5mm thick, 2 inches/5cm long and about 1 inch/2.5cm wide. If you find it difficult to cut thinly through fresh meat, leave it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden slightly, then slice. Reserve.

In a small bowl mix together tomato paste, water, fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and beat until blended. Reserve.

Heat oil in a wok (or a large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic and stirfry for 30 second. Immediately add reserved pork and stirfry for 2-3 minutes until all th pork has fried in the oil and is turning white. Add onion, red pepper, tomato, cucumber and pineapple as well as soy sauce and black pepper and stirfry for 2 minutes, unitl all the vegetables have begun to wilt.

Add reserve sauce (tomato paste etc, stirfry for 1-2 minutes until everything is integrated and shiny. Dissolve cornstarch in water, add to work and stirfry for less than a minute, until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Take off heat.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with black pepper. Top with stips o red pepper and coriander leaves. Serve immediately, accompanied by steamed rice.

serves 4.

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Low fat Chocolate Marble Cake

Back to the time when I didn't have an oven in my Singapore apartment, I used to buy Sara Lee's pound cake all the time. There was always at least one loaf in the fridge at anytime. It had became an habit to just grab a pack whenever I did grocery shopping. I particularly like their chocolate and chocolate swirl flavour. Eventhough these pound cakes are not freshly made, they have an irresistible appeal to me. Maybe it's the convenience these pound cakes offered. They could be kept in the fridge infinitely.


Recently, I found a recipe of chocolate marble cake from Alice Medrich's amazing book,Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts that reminds me of my old flame. Maybe they don't taste exactly the same, but I think they are pretty close. Alice Medrich's version is tender and flavourful. It is also not overly sweet and dry, like other low fat recipes. A welcome surprise to me, and I feel good to share this with friends.


Adorned with bing cherries and strawberries I bought from the farmer's market, it's a simple and healthy treats to eat anytime of the day!

Chocolate Marble Cake
adapted from Alice Medrich's Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder
1/3 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Have all ingredients at room temp. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray 8-10 cup tube pan with cooking spray.

Use a whisk to combine four, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift together. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the espresso powder, cocoa and 1/3 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Whisk until smooth. Set aside. In another small bowl, whisk whole egg with egg white. Set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces and place in an electric mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute to soften. Gradually add remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat at high speed for about 3 minutes. Dribble eggs in slowly, about 1 T at a time, beating constantly for about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture. On medium-high speed, beat in half of the yogurt. On low speed, beat in half of the remaining flour. On high speed, beat in the rest of the yogurt and the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of yogurt batter and mix into the cocoa mixture. Set aside.

Use a large spoon to fill the bottom of the pan with about three quarters of the white batter placed in dollops. Cover the white batter with dollops of chocolate batter. Top the chocolate batter with small dollops of white batter spaced so that the chocolate batter shows through. Use a table knife to marble the batters together with a circular or zigzag motion; be careful not to blend them too much. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack. Unmold the cake. Cool completely before serving or storing.

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