My two years blogging and a brief reflection

Tomorrow is my 2nd "Blogivesary" and I am still busy blogging and still have so much to write about and share. LOL!

My son’s boss shared this article by Tim Kreider on his facebook one day and this is too good not to share with you guys. Here is the link:

The “Busy” trap

In my case, I love my “Busy” trap. I think we all should take time off to reflect whether we are busy doing the right things. I mean things that we will not regret, and that we are happy that we did, rather than simply marking time. We risk cluttering our lives with doing things that we may regret on our death beds, or  the regret of not doing otherwise.

Today I was weighing a decision that involves a commitment of time and effort. I thought, "looks like I am VERY busy all the time".  I am busy helping my Quay Lo in his business, cooking, baking, spending time with my friends and family, and especially blogging which includes meeting with my new food bloggers friends. In fact, I was busy just now trying to bake this cheese cake, take photos, write out the recipe and share it with you guys. But...pssst, come a little closer, this is a secret. I LOVE my ‘BUSY’ trap. I love the things I do, even the small chores we all need to do. I love being busy and feeling personally productive. It makes me feel worthwhile, and gives me self satisfaction. In some cases I do it because I feel grateful. Grateful for the chance to support my loved ones, and grateful for the chance to produce a smile on someone else's face. I'll tell you a little secret, these kinds of things we do are among the more selfish acts we could perform. They are SELFISH! But that is because they yield enormous payback in "feel good" (if not occasional exhaustion and tired feet). If you do not feel this way, then it may be time to reflect whether you are getting paid back for your efforts. Or maybe it is just that you don't see things the same way? LOL!

I am always thankful for my Quay Lo. He has been very supportive of my blog, contributing ideas  for my recipes and editing my posts. And I am thankful for my mum, my family, and my friends, especially the ones who agree to taste my food and for being honest.  I am so thankful to my blogger and facebook friends, my readers, and confidants, for visiting and leaving comments all these years. I love you and not just for your support, but for being the unique you that you are and for coloring my life in bold colors of ideas, and thoughts. I will keep on sharing as long as I can. Because I am "lovin" it. (LOL) 

Lemon curd cheese cake with strawberry compote

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) graham wafer crumbs or crushed digestive biscuits

1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar

4 - 5 tablespoons (55-65 grams) butter, melted

Filling:

2 - 8 ounce (454 grams) packages of full fat cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream, room temperature

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons (56 grams) butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest

Strawberries compote (Optional)
Ingredients:

3 pints fresh strawberries, washed,patted dry and sliced

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Grand Marnier or 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method for Cheesecakes:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line 8 inch cake pan with wax paper.

Method For Crust:

In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of the cake pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Method For Filling:

In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and salt then beat all until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Add cold lemon curd and swirl into the cheese filling with minimal motion. The idea is to creat "veins" of lemon curd in the cheese mix. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator. Fill pan with cheese filling. Bake for about 18 - 22 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble slightly though visibly. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Method for Lemon Curd:

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (this setup is called a bain-marie), whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a Greek yoghurt) If you prefer to use a thermometer you are looking for 160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted and is blended in. Add the lemon zest and cover immediately to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool but retain at a pouring consistency which probably means still slightly warm to the touch.

Method for Strawberries compote:

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine 2 pints of the strawberries, sugar and liquor. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the fruit is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, puree the strawberries until smooth. Turn into a mixing bowl, and add the remaining sliced strawberries. Mix well.

To Serve: Once the cheesecakes have been chilled, gently remove the paper liners. If desired, use a small metal spatula, that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry, to smooth the sides of the cheesecakes. Top cheesecake with strawberries compote and serve. 

Eye Candy

I first heard the term "Eye Candy" when I saw a post from a young girl calling my son, Nicholas, "Eye Candy". 

That was few years ago, when he was first getting into singing and songwriting. Back then, I did not know what it meant so I googled and found out the meaning. Eye Candy means someone or something that is visually attractive or pleasing to look at. Recently, there were Eye Candies at Jaya Grocers, Subang Empire. LOL!

Jaya Grocers, Empire Subang is the supermarket that I usually shop in. I like shopping there because the store Manager, Wilson, and the supervisor for the vegetable section, Janet, are very helpful people. The cashiers there are efficient and cheerful. I found the staff at Jaya Grocers understand what customer service is all about. I have met the owner, Mr. Teng, on several occasions. He is a warm and friendly gentleman who makes his customers feel very welcome. There was one occasion that I was at the meat section and he recommended that I try some imported salami. It was over-the-top delicious. Furthermore, it is a one-stop center for me for most of my baking and cooking needs and my favorite table wine. It is so convenient for me. I was very happy that now they give free cooking demos every Saturday at their cosy pantry,  one schedules for 1.00pm and another at 3.00pm. I have been to two of these demos so far and both were conducted by young promising, friendly and handsome chefs. Oh yes, they were "eye candies"! LOL! If you are interested in attending a demo, just go to Jaya Grocers’ facebook and book your seats in advance or if you are at Jaya Grocers Empire Subang, you can inform the staff there to book a seat for you.  I enjoy attending cooking and baking demos by chefs because I found that I will learn something new each time. Many of thes tips are things that you will not find in a cook book.

The first demo I attended was Berrie Pie by Chef Ryan Khang,

and last Saturday’s lasagna was by an award winning chef,  "Christopher".  I liked his recipe because it was a vegetarian recipe. I brought a friend with me and she liked the recipe too, so after the demo, she got all the ingredients in Jaya Grocers itself and was eager to go home and make the dish for dinner.

Chef Christopher is a talented young chef who won many awards during his culinary career. His roots are in modern French cuisine and his wizardry with fine-dining dishes can only be described as a palate-pampering experience. He brings with him a firm culinary foundation and a passion for creativity.  He has gained much exposure in restaurants such as Zen Satori and Nippon Tuk in Hilton Metropole London. He also conducts cooking and baking classes at The Cooking House and has been assigned to conduct public demonstrations for food companies in malls and exhibition. Here are the step-by-step photos on how Chef Christopher made the lasagna. I think these pictures will benefit those who wants to make this dish but do not know how. My Quay Lo said it was funny that a chef was needed to demo lasagna. He said every cook in the U.S. likely has a recipe for this family favorite. But I pointed out to him just how different lasagna is compared to the standard table fare that is common here in Malaysia. He thought about it and realized what an opportunity this is for a grocer here to sell into the growing desire to experience different foods here.


Vegetable Lasagna
recipe from Chef Christopher

Ingredients:

8 sheets Banila Lasagna Bolognesi La Collezione DItalia

1/2 small pumpkin

1 long eggplant

150gm spinach

40gm parmesan cheese, grated

Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce:

Ingredients for tomator sauce:

3 tbs olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small yellow onion chopped

1 stick celery, diced

1/2 red capsicum, diced

500gm tomato puree

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground oregano

6 sweet basil leaves, sliced

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Method to make tomato sauce:

Saute garlic, onion in oil until softened. Add Celery, capsium tomato puree and dried herbs. Cook until reduced and thickened. 

Bechemal sauce:

Ingredients for bechemal sauce:

60gm butter

60gm flour

550gm milk

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

a good dash of ground black pepper

Method to make bechamel sauce:

Heat the milk. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the flour, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Add the milk gradually and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and boil. Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Preparation of vegetables:

Peel, core and slice pumpkin to about 1/4 inch thick. Slice eggplant to 1/4 inch thick. Rub both pumpkin and eggplant in olive oil and roast in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C until cooked. 

Blanch the spinach in salted water until soft but still green, drain and transfer to a bowl ofice water to stop further cooking. Chop the spinach.

To Assemble:

To assemble the lasagna, line a 7 inch square baking pan with aluminium foil, with a 2 inch overhang at the sides. Stir in 30 gm of parmesan cheese into the bechamal sauce. Spread a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the tin and lay on 2 pieces of lasagna sheets side by side. Spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the lasagna sheets, cover with a layer of pumpkin and 1/4 of the bechamel sauce. Lay another layer of lasagna sheets, then tomato sauce, eggplant and bechamal sauce. Next, layer with lasagna sheets, spinach and bechamel sauce. End witha final layer of lasagna sheets and top with the remaining bechamel sauce. Sprinkle an even layer of parmesan cheese over the bechamel sauce. Cover with alumnium foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20minutes. Remove the aluminium foil and return to bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or till cheese is brown. 

My first time!

First time participating in a contest that needed votes. Would you vote for me? If you would, please click on the first picture you see here (Grilled cod with orange sauce in an orange) and it will bring you to a page where you can click “like” for my blog to vote for me. Do leave a comment here to tell me you have voted so that I know. Many thanks! MUAX! MUAX!

I would like to thank you in advance for your support with a tasted and tested dessert recipe. This definitely can earn itself a place at your Christmas table. 

Last night I had dinner with my high school classmates and I brought this dessert with me to share with them. It was a happy and fun evening as always and I was SO HAPPY to meet again one of my high School classmates, Sally. We have not seen each other for 40 years after we left school. Isn’t that AMAZING to be connected again? She lives in Australia now and came back for a holiday. 

Here is the dessert I made for them and I was thrilled that they all loved it! The sweetness of the peach combined with the real tart flavor of the cranberries gives this dessert a nicely balanced taste. The cinnamon and nutmeg enhance the flavor with their fragrance. When this is served with some vanilla custard sauce or a dollop of vanilla ice cream, it is divine!

Peach and Cranberry crumble

Ingredients:

(A)

1 cup julienned fresh peaches

¾ cup fresh cranberries

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

(B)

120g flour

¼ salt

60g cold butter, cut into small cubes

25g castor sugar

Method:

Place (A) in a pot and cook the mixture for about 5 minutes all till the fruits are a little soft and the sugar is melted. Set aside to cool. When it is cooled a bit, transfer to a baking dish. Sift flour and salt and then add butter. Rough mix with your fingers till the mix resembles fine bread crumbs. Lightly toss in sugar and sprinkle over ((B) over (A). Bake in a preheated oven at 200C or 400F for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard sauce.

Note: I am submitting this to 

Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

and

I am submitting this to the Christmas Giveaway in The Sweet Spot

 

Eating GOLD!

I have heard of parsnip but I have not seen one before. While I was shopping at the supermarket a few days ago, I came across these white carrots and they were labelled as parsnips. What came across my mind at that moment was, “Aiyoh! why so EXPENSIVE?, all these Quay Lo food stuff here are like eating GOLD!” The price is so outrageous and you don't want to know it. Usually, when something that expensive, I am able to pass and walk away. That time, it was kind of a situation of curiosity killed the cat. I grabbed one and put into my cart and did not even know what I was going to do with it. All I knew was I wanted to find out how parsnip taste like.

When I arrived home, I quickly googled on parsnip recipes and I got one on cupcakes.  Since I have all the other ingredients on hand and I wanted to submit one more cupcake entry to The Aspiring Bakers, I started baking straight away! 

Parsnips resemble carrots except that it is white. 

When I tasted some grated parsnip before I added them to the batter. It was more sweeter and more fragrant than carrots. What I found out was, when they are cooked, they have a buttery and slightly spicy sweet flavor that reminds you of butterscotch, honey, and subtle cardamom.  When the cupcakes were baked, I quickly tasted one before frosting but I am not sure if I get the all the flavors mentioned earlier. What a big disappointment! To me, the texture of the cake was not much different from the carrot cake.  It was rich and spicy and since I have cut down the amount of sugar and frosted the cake with lemon cream cheese, it was not too sweet and I like it that way. The only difference between this cake and my carrot cake was the addition of chopped apple and toasted pecan. The two ingredients gave some crunch and the pecan added nutty flavor to the cake.  Perhaps the next time I make this cake again, I will increase the amount of parsnip to 1 ¼ cup packed so as to get a more distinctive flavor of the parsnip.  To enhance the appearance of the small cupcakes, I added a thin slice of candied ginger to the frosting. For the medium size cupcakes, I sprinkle some orange color sugar and topped with a yellow sugared flower. They actually turned out quite lovely aren't they? 

Parsnip Apple Pecan Cupcake

Adapted from The Café Sucre Farine with modification

Make:
12 small cupcakes

12 medium cupcakes

Ingredients:

4 oz. butter

¾ cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup grated parsnips, packed

1 ¼ cups peeled, diced apple, packed

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars with electric mixer. Slowly add oil and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to wet mixture. Stir in parsnips, apples and pecans. Pour into cupcake liners, bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cake be completely cool before frosting. Let you imagination runs wild. Add your own decos and colors to the frosting for better visual effects.


Note: squeeze out some of the juice of the parsnip before adding to the batter.

Lemon cream Cheese frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/c cup sour cream

½ cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp lemon juice

Zest from 1 whole lemon

Method:

Beat cream cheese till smooth, add sour cream and mixed well. Add icing sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time. Add lemon juice and zest, mix well.


Note: I am submitting this cupcake recipe to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) which hosted by Min of Min's Blog

Ciabatta pizza and the Half Chinese Quay Lo

This is actually a recipe that I never thought of blogging but my Quay Lo said I should share this with my readers and my blogger friends because he said the ciabatta pizza is very delicious.  He thought my fusion pomodoro sauce was very tasty and can be used as a sauce for many other dishes like pasta dishes, seafood, or even poultry and meat.  I told him an Italian chef would ban me for adding sambal belachan to the pomodoro sauce and using it with Italian cuisine.  LOL! 

Well, I thought that the sauce would definitely appeal to the Asian palate more than the Western, but then my Quay Lo disagreed. He thinks Westerners will like it too. He pointed out that the dried shrimp is rather like anchovies, with the same flavor boosting quality. He also pointed out that many Westerners like chili, and spicy dishes. I did not argue with him but quietly I said to myself,  you are already half Chinese so you should not be so sure about that.  This reminded me of what our Hong Kong Chinese friend said about my Quay Lo many years ago, after uttering something not so nice about Quay Los in general.  He said that Quay Los are very calculative people, especially Americans, because when it comes to paying for any food bills, they will pay for their share only and seldom insist on paying the whole bill. Then he quickly added "Your Quay Lo is different, he is already half Chinese.”  Of course, this was after his wife kicked him under the table. Maybe he also quickly remembered that my husband and I were hosting the lavish dinner we were in the midst of at the time. But, honestly I think he felt free to speak openly, and was at ease with us, and only afterwards realized he was at risk of being misunderstood. I would not disagree with his assessment that my Quay Lo is half Chinese though, because as much as my Quay Lo teases me for being “Chintzy” ( e.g. for saving up nice wrapping paper or plastic ice cream tubs or bargaining for the best price for my purchases, etc.) , I find that he has picked up quite a lot of my “Chintzyness” lately. I half suspect that one reason he likes these quick and easy half pizza/half sandwiches is that they are far easier on the budget than sending out for pizza delivered. Of course, they are delicious also. No wonder he said to me the other day “Lucy, you are a great trainer.” WOW!

Ciabatta pizza

Ingredients:

2 ciabatta bread, halved

1 boneless chicken breast, poached in chicken stock and roughly shredded

½ C black olive, thinly sliced

1 C sliced mushroom, sautéed in butter

2 C mozzarella grated cheese

1 C pamersan grated cheese
1 sun dried tomato, thinly sliced

fusion tomato base sauce (please see recipe below)

Method for assembling the pizza:

Lay the bread on the baking pan. Layer with fusion tomato base sauce, the amount is up to individual preference.  Add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add chicken meat, black olive and mushroom. Topped with parmesan cheese. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 mins or till cheese are melted and slightly brown.

Fusion pomodoro sauce

Ingredients:

(A)

2 tbs olive oil or butter as preferred

6 roma plum tomatoes, cut into small pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

5  bibs garlic, cut into thin sliced

2 tbs chopped parsley

1 C basil leaves

1 tin 6 oz. plum tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

(B)

1 tsp kosher salt (adjust to individual taste)

1 tsp sugar (adjust to individual taste)

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 level tsp sambal belachan (click here for recipe) (optional)

2 tsp Maggie chicken stock (without MSG, adjust to individual taste)

Method to prepare the sauce:

Heat olive oil or butter in pan.  Add chopped onion and stir fry till slightly translucent and add sliced garlic. Stir fry till fragrant. Add cut tomatoes, parsley and basil leaves and mixed well with onion and garlic. When the tomatoes become a little soft, add the tin of plum tomatoes and break them up with your ladle. Add (B) and turn down heat to low and let it simmer for 30 mins.  


You can save the balance of the sauce to about a week for future use.


I shared this recipe at Miz Helen's Country Cottage - Full Plate Thursday.

My macs became a platter of "Dolly Partons"

I always hear this old saying; “ Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Look at these macarons of mine. Do you think they are pretty? When I brought them with me to a Hari Raya lunch which hosted by one of my girlfriends, I received a lot of oohs and aahs from her and the other guests. 

They did not know that my macarons had a flaw on the surface. Did you notice the little flower design on them? You likely did, as it is uncommon to see macarons decorated like that. So I won't keep you guessing. The decorations are to hide a small flaw in the confection's shape. Somehow, my baked little gems had developed "nipples", meaning a raised feature in the middle on top of all of them. I believe they turned out this way because I underfolded the batter. When I tasted them, the texture was perfect, a little crispy on the skin and soft and chewy on the inside, exactly the way I like it. I showed the macarons to my Quay lo. His first response was that I should use some red food colouring and "rouge" in the unwanted feature. After regaining my composure, I explained that might be ok for him but hardly suitable for a luncheon with my lady friends in celebration of a religious holiday. A platter of "Dolly Partons" just would not do.

Since they were delicious, at least by my own estimation, I thought it was worth hiding the flaw. I piped the little flower on to each of them. Bless my lady friends, they were all duly impressed, and I was duly relieved, while my husband was still at home laughing his head off.

This experience made me think of how outside flaws can sometimes be covered up easily and sometimes not. Have you come across someone who looks attractive and beautiful but as you get to know the person better, you find out that the true character is so ugly that it goes to the bone? Or the reverse, that there are also people who may appear unattractive outwardly, but inwardly they are a gem?

When we look for a soul mate, don’t we all wish we could get someone who is beautiful inside and outside? However, if we are given a choice, which would we prefer? Remember, our ideas of outward beauty seem to change with the times, and the latest fashions, or the latest "look", as popular culture tends to tell us what to think. Too many of us fall prey to those ideas. Quay lo always rants about high heels. He thinks the women of the world have been sold a form of self-torture. I think he may have something there.

In the case of my food and bakes, I would prefer the taste to be right and if they don’t look good, I will find ways to cover up the flaws where I can, and serve anyway if I cannot. But if the taste is not right, there is no way to salvage and one must simply start over.

Oh, and in one respect the same is true of me. I cover up my outside flaws with "war paint", but as for my inside flaws, I must work very hard to get rid of and I hope I will always know them and work on them. Thank goodness I am not a tray of cookies. And thank goodness that my Quay Lo loves me for who I am, flaws and all. And I love him, even though he keeps asking me to recreate those "Dolly Partons".

Okay, I said I will share with you what I learned from the demo of “How to make macarons” by Chef Frederic Oger from Academy of Pastry Arts. He pointed out few important points:

When to stop whipping the egg white. Notice the peak with a hook? That's when you stop.

When to stop folding the batter. Stop folding when the batter slowly flatten

Get to know the behavior of your oven to determine the temperature and the time required.

Lastly, don't forget to tap the base of the baking sheet to flatten the batter before letting it to dry out for at least 30 minutes or more. They should be ready to go into the oven as soon as  it does not stick to your finger when you gently touch it.

Macaron Chocolate
Recipe from Academy Art of Pastry, Malaysia

Chocolate Praline

Recipe from Academy Art of Pastry, Malaysia

The correct way of piping out the batter

How to make a piping bag from parchment paper

It was a great demo and we get to eat lots of wonderful pastry. Here are all the goodies displayed in the Academy which is truly a feast for the eyes.

All kinds of breads

 These are the cakes on display

 The Mac fever

Look at all these breath taking pastries!

Work of Art - Chocholate sculptures

I would like to thank Academy of Pastry Art Malaysia for inviting me to attend the demo. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot about making macarons. It was an eye opening to see so many breath taking and artful bakes! AWESOME!!

After attending the demo, I took heed of all the advice given by Chef Frederic and here is my 3rd batch of Macarons. I must say, I have them perfect, both look and texture! I just need to practise more on my piping and I would say I have conquered the intimidation of making macs! WOOHOO!! I got positive feedback from 5 of my friends whom I get them to taste my macarons and I can't tell you how thrill I am. LOL!