Pan Tossed Cubic Noodles
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Monday, September 09, 2013
Friday, September 06, 2013
History of a Passionate Baker
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Titanium Grade Gelatine
Titanium gelatine gives a strong hold to cold set dessert such as mousse. The sheets are 3-4 g each. Each sheet is enough to set one cup of ingredients.
To use, place the sheet in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Drain. Place in a teacup over a basin of just boiled water. The gelatine will dissolve in about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cold ingredients gradually to the dissolved gelatine. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferable longer, overnight, to set completely.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from Cheesecake by Alex Goh
Scaled to 2 jumbo eggs (60 g without shell) to fit a 10x20 cm baking frame.
Monday, September 02, 2013
Bilingual Cookbooks
Forget Donna Hay, when it comes to food styling that sells cookbooks in the East. The photos are so life-like, you can just about pick up the bowl and chopsticks and start eating. How does Korean beef with glass noodles sound?
Bilingual Asian cookbooks are readily available over the Internet. For super fast air delivery to Australia, in 4 business days, try http://www.66eMart.com. Return customers receive 10% off the books, although not the freight. The other website that does an excellent range is http://www.yesasia.com at their "global" website. The freight is free for orders over US$25.
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Seasoning the Old Bread Tin
- Remove grease and burnt marks.
- Remove rust if present.
- Re-season by rubbing with vegetable oil. Sunflower oil works well as it has natural lecithin which gives a non stick surface. Do not use extra virgin olive oil as it burns and leaves residues.
- Bake at 220 deg Celsius for 5-10 minutes.
- Cool and repeat seasoning steps 3 & 4 a second time.
- Dust with flour and bake about 10 minutes until the flour starts to brown.
- Cool and polish off the spent flour with a dry cloth.
- The tin is ready to use after dusting with fresh flour.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The Secret of Perfect Cotton Sponge
When everybody's favourite baking teacher and publisher, chef Alex Goh, listed his telephone number in his cookbooks, there's temptation to dial it, like 911 emergencies, when pictures from his books fail to transpire in real life.
In the case of his Japanese cotton sponge cake, rated as "very difficult" at 4 stars, he warns of getting the egg white consistency right, not to over bake nor use too hot a temperature. This cake is prone to collapse and shrinkage. He recommends cooking in a Swiss roll pan at 170 deg Celsius for 25 minutes.
Traditionally, this cake is baked in a wooden rectangular mould. The honey and mirin flavoured version is known as Castella or Kasutera cake. Unlike the modern cake, traditional recipes do not have oil or emulsifier to keep the cake moist. Instead, the invert sugar in honey retains moistness.
Blogosphere has the secret to success: Trim off the ugly bits and photograph an illusion. There you have it, the secret of the perfect cotton sponge.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Cotton Sponge
Moist, good eating. A combination of whisked eggs and soft wheat flour gives this sponge its soft, tender, pillowy, cotton texture. The best flour to use is a combination of Australian plain flour and a low gluten, soft wheat flour from oriental stores.
Read more...
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Sacher Torte
There are many versions of this famous rich chocolate cake from Austria. The original recipe is still a secret. Here is one adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly.
Batter:
80 g sugar
100 g butter
40 g (2) egg yolk
100 g dark chocolate, melted
100 g flour (50:50 flour to starch)
Foam:
20 g icing
80 g (2) egg white
Pinch cream of tartar
Filling:
1/2 c apricot jam
Ganache:
100 g dark chocolate, melted
100 g whipping cream
To make the cake, prepare the batter by creaming the butter and sugar.
Add the egg yolk and chocolate, beating well until light.
Fold in the flour.
In a separate bowl make the foam by whisking the egg white and gradually adding the sugar.
Whisk in the cream of tartar.
Fold the foam into the batter.
Spread the mixture into a bottom lined 18 cm round tin.
Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
Cool. Split in half and fill with warmed jam. Brush all over with remaining jam.
Make ganache by whisking melted chocolate with the cream until smooth. Spread over the filled cake.
Chocolate Brownies
Monday, August 05, 2013
King Arthur's Chocolate Chip Brownies
Adapted from a recipe by King Arthur's Flour
2 eggs
55 g (1/2c) cocoa
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
2 t vanilla
2 t brewed coffee, optional
125 g butter, melted
225 g (1c) sugar
90 g (1/2c) flour
170 g (3/4c) baking chocolate chips
Combine all and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour into a lined 20 cm square baking tin. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until just cooked. When testing with a skewer, the batter should just be set with a few wet crumbs. Bake less for a gooey centre or longer for a cakey texture.
Sunday, August 04, 2013
The Only Cake and Sponge Recipes Every Cook Needs to Know
Techniques to make great cakes come from experience, ingredient knowledge and observation of the masters at their craft. Here are the basic recipes from which to refine and to hone skills.
Butter Cake (Victoria Sandwich)
125 g (1/2 c) butter
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) SR flour
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla essence
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add the vanilla.
- Fold in the flour.
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes for 2x18 cm tins or 50 minutes for deep 20 cm tin.
Sponge
4 eggs
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) SR flour
1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Whisk egg and sugar until thick and creamy.
- Fold in hot water and vanilla.
- Fold in flour.
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes for 2x20 cm sponge sandwiches.
Genoise Sponge (French Butter Sponge)
4 eggs
150 g (2/3 c) sugar
125 g (1 c) flour
125 g (1/2 c) butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Whisk eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
- Fold in flour.
- Fold in melted butter and vanilla.
- Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes for 2x18 cm tins or 1x20 cm tin.
Chiffon Sponge
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 egg yolks
125 g (1/2 c) sugar
60 mL (1/4 c) water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
60 g (1/4 c) melted butter
125 g (1 c) flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff and glossy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and liquids until thick and creamy.
- Fold oil into egg yolk mixture.
- Fold sifted flour and baking powder into egg yolk mixture.
- Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture.
- Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes in 20 cm chiffon tube pan or ring tin.
- Invert the tin for cooling.
Read more...
Friday, August 02, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Cooking in a Chiminea
Fire up the chiminea, an hour before cooking.
Rake the coals down for slow roasting. Low coals work well for whole chicken. Place the chicken on the rack half way up the chiminea, away from direct heat. Keep the chimney partially open, and check that the temperature at the chimney is above 75 deg Celsius.
Wait for 2 hours. The chicken meat should be pink when cooked. If needed, crisp the skin at 220 degrees in a hot oven after removing from the chiminea.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Chiminea Slow Cooked Chicken
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Posts
