INJURED-BREAD MEN
Posted on: Tuesday, 17 February 2015 15:12
Posted on: Tuesday, 17 February 2015 15:12
Inspired to paint this by my recent attempts at making gingerbread men.
Labels: baking, illustration
HOKKAIDO MILK BREAD + THE END OF 2ND YEAR UNI
Posted on: Monday, 10 November 2014 22:00
Posted on: Monday, 10 November 2014 22:00
I've been staring at Two Red Bowl's Hokkaido Milk Bread recipe ever since the beginning of second semester uni. This semester was a fun but difficult one filled with no sleep, but I thank God I made it through with the support of good friends and family!.....As well as the thought of being able to bake in the summer break :x Yes I know, I'm a little obsessed with baking. I just love the concept behind baking - simple, lovely ingredients combined to create something amazing. The different textures and flavours that arise from these simple ingredients make me feel like a magician when I bake. I'm also able to magically create happy faces with my baking which in turn makes me happy (-:
In regards to this bread, I loved how the yeast did it's work - giving the dough volume until it literally doubled in size within a matter of hours! It almost looked alive and I was overjoyed when it rose to that size that I did a mini silent scream.
The bread was perfectly sweet and it's texture, unbelievably soft and cloud-like, just as the recipe promised. I will definitely make this bread again, plain or perhaps with a (green tea) filling!
GREEN TEA AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
Posted on: Sunday, 20 July 2014 20:11
Posted on: Sunday, 20 July 2014 20:11
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Photograph taken by Myra Shimada |
Celebrating Myra's birthday at her lovely home was an experience I'll never forget! The day was filled with lots of laughter and yummy food including Myra's homemade pumpkin udon, smore's cooked on the fireplace in her garden, and green tea white chocolate cheesecake topped with blueberries! I decided to make this cheesecake green tea flavoured (originally vanilla and lemon flavoured) so that it would fit in with Myra's Japanese background. Since she was making udon, I thought "why not?". As well as this, I know all my uni friends love green tea so I thought this cheesecake would be most suitable for the special occasion (-:
This cheesecake recipe originates from a restaurant in Canada, passed down to my mum from a friend. Trust me when I say this cheesecake is simply divine. The creaminess is just right!
I have adjusted the sweetness and overall taste of this recipe so that it is not too sweet, not too heavy and with the lovely green tea flavour, it even leaves a little bit of freshness in your mouth with every bite!
GREEN TEA AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins + 8 hrs of chilling
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
- 250g digestive biscuits/”Marie” biscuits crushed
- Approx. 80g butter softened
Filling:
- 500g cream cheese softened
- 1 egg
- 50g white chocolate melted
- Approx. 20g green tea matcha powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- caster sugar (to taste)
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins + 8 hrs of chilling
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
- 250g digestive biscuits/”Marie” biscuits crushed
- Approx. 80g butter softened
Filling:
- 500g cream cheese softened
- 1 egg
- 50g white chocolate melted
- Approx. 20g green tea matcha powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- caster sugar (to taste)
Topping:
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup caster sugar (to taste)
- 1 punnet of blueberries/raspberries/
strawberries (or why not all?) or the flesh of 2 passionfruits
strawberries (or why not all?) or the flesh of 2 passionfruits
- Melted white chocolate which can be drizzled
METHOD
Crust:
1.
Mix
softened butter and crushed biscuits together and pat down on the bottom of baking
paper lined baking tray (24 x 30cm tray).
2.
Add more butter if the biscuit base is
not firm enough or is still crumbly.
Filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan forced. Beat the cream cheese, egg, green tea
powder, and lemon juice together until light and creamy.
2.
While mixer is still on, pour melted white chocolate into mixture
being careful not to pour the chocolate directly on the whisk attachment to
avoid splatter.
3.
Taste mixture, if it is not sweet enough, add caster sugar or more
melted white chocolate if desired and beat mixture until well combined.
4.
Spread mixture over biscuit base using
a spoon first to dollop the mixture onto the base evenly spread apart. This
will ensure your base doesn’t crumble and move while you spread. Then use a spatula to smooth
out the top of the cream cheese filling. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look pretty,
it will be covered!
5.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
6.
Remove cheesecake from the oven and let
it cool for about 5 minutes.
Topping:
1. Mix the sour cream and caster sugar together.
2. Pour mixture over cooled cheesecake.
3. Bake again for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove cheesecake from oven and let it cool before putting it into the refrigerator. Let it chill for at least 8 hours.
5. Add fruit toppings of your choice and drizzle with white chocolate on top of fruit if desired.
Labels: baking, cheesecake, chocolate, green tea
GREEN TEA AND AVOCADO MACARONS
Posted on: Tuesday, 15 July 2014 00:59
Posted on: Tuesday, 15 July 2014 00:59
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This recipe is adapted from Sue's
recipe on Black Sesame Macarons! (I've tried Sue's Black
Sesame Macaron recipe and it is superb!)
GREEN TEA AND AVOCADO MACARONS
RECIPE
Makes approx. 25 macarons
INGREDIENTS
Macaron Shells:
- 125g icing sugar
- 115g almond meal
- 10g matcha green tea powder
- 100g egg whites (separated 24-48 hours in advance)
- 2 tbs water
- 125g caster sugar
Ganache Filling:
- 60g avocado puree
- 25ml thickened cream
- 100g white chocolate
Makes approx. 25 macarons
INGREDIENTS
Macaron Shells:
- 125g icing sugar
- 115g almond meal
- 10g matcha green tea powder
- 100g egg whites (separated 24-48 hours in advance)
- 2 tbs water
- 125g caster sugar
Ganache Filling:
- 60g avocado puree
- 25ml thickened cream
- 100g white chocolate
METHOD
Macaron Shells:
1.
Sift
almond meal, matcha green tea powder and icing sugar together through fine
sieve and set aside.
2.
Divide egg whites into two equal
portions (50 g each portion). Pour the first portion of egg white (50 g) into
the almond meal mixture. Don’t mix or stir them, just leave it as is.
3.
Put the water and caster sugar in a
heavy-base saucepan over medium-high heat. When the syrup starts to boil, place
the rest of egg white (50 g) into a clean mixing bowl and using the whip
attachment, whip egg white until soft peaks are formed. When the syrup reaches
118°C (on a thermometer), take it off the heat and let it cool down to 115°C
(or until the bubbles subside).
4.
While the mixer is still running,
slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Be careful not to pour
the hot syrup onto the whip as it might spatter.
5.
Mix one third of the whipped egg white
into the almond meal mixture and combine them well using an electric beater.
Fold the rest of the whipped egg white into the almond meal mixture and mix
well, yet gently, until the batter is smooth. The batter should be thick, with
a magma-like consistency.
6.
Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted
with 1-cm plain tip (size #11). Pipe rows of 3cm rounds onto trays lined with
baking paper. You will need at least two trays for this recipe.
7.
Let the piped shells stand at room
temperature for 30-60 minutes to let a crust form. The time it takes for the
crust to form depends on the room temperature and humidity. You will know when
the macaron shells are good to go into the oven when the piped shells are dry
to touch without it sticking to your fingers.
8.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-force or
convection oven, increase the temperature by 20°C if you’re using conventional
oven) for at least 15 minutes. Just before baking, turn the temperature down to
150°C and bake the macarons for 15 minutes.
9.
Lift the baking paper sheets off the
baking tray to the cooling rack and let it cool completely before removing
macarons.
10. Pair up similar sized macaron shells and sandwich them
with chilled avocado and white chocolate ganache.
11. Store macarons in airtight container in the fridge.
Macarons taste better after they are chilled overnight in my opinion (:
Ganache Filling:
1. Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Remove it from heat as soon as it comes to the boil (when bubbles start to appear
on the edge of the saucepan).
2. Chop the white chocolate up into small pieces and place in a
separate bowl.
3. Pour hot cream onto chocolate. Leave it for about 10-20
seconds. Stir the chocolate and cream mixture until melted and smooth.
4. Add avocado puree to the white chocolate cream mixture and mix well.
5. Chill the ganache at least an hour before using.
5. Chill the ganache at least an hour before using.
BRAIDED BRIOCHE BREAD BAKING (4 B's!)
Posted on: Saturday, 21 June 2014 04:04
Posted on: Saturday, 21 June 2014 04:04
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If you've ever tried brioche bread, you would know its beautiful buttery aroma, its golden crust and its soft and fluffy texture. Mmmmmm. Makes my mouth water every time just thinking about it! I’ve always wanted to try and bake this beautiful bread but the fact that it must be made more than a day in advance put me off every time the thought came to mind.
However, the thought of the bread’s famous cloud-like texture won me over and I gave in.
I finally decided to make it and used a basic
brioche recipe found here --> Brioche Recipe.
It turned out quite nicely and I’m pretty pleased with the result! I would have
liked the bread to be slightly sweeter and I wish I had a stand mixer to make the job easier but overall, it ended up looking really
impressive. Even though this bread was a little troublesome to make and tested my patience, I would definitely make it again (maybe adding chocolate
chips to the dough next time)! Here’s a slightly edited version of the recipe I
followed!
BRAIDED BRIOCHE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
-
500g (4 1/2 c) bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 4
eggs (at room temperature)
- 150
ml (2/3 c) warm milk
- 85g
(3/4 c) sugar
-
175g (3/4 c) softened butter
- 1
tsp of salt
- 7g
(or 1 sachet) of dried yeast
- 1 beaten egg with 1 tbsp milk or cream for
glazing (egg wash)
optional
extras
- 1
tsp orange flower water
- grated
zest of orange or lemon
- 150g
dried raisins, mixed fruit soaked overnight in brandy
- 150g
chocolate chips
- fleur
de sel, to top
- cinnamon
- 150g
nuts
METHOD
1.
In an electric mixer bowl, combine all dough ingredients (everything but the egg wash and the optional ingredients)
2. Mix slowly with the dough hook attatched to the electric mixer for at least 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. The dough will be very weak and moist which is just the way you want it!
This is quite a wet dough so a mixer makes the job easier, however, if mixing by hand, mix everything in the bowl except the butter until it comes together and tip it onto a clean surface. Crumble the butter onto the dough and using the heel of the palm of your hand, gently push the dough and butter together until the dough is formed.
Refrain from adding extra flour to make it come together quickly as that will reduce the quality of the loaf - a little light dusting of the surface is okay however.
3. Allow to prove in room temperature for at least 1 hour covered loosely with cling wrap and on top of that, with a damp towel to let it rest and rise.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface when it has doubled in size. Punch holes in it to deflate it, and knead it again for a minute or two, lifting a section of the dough and then letting it fall back.
Add any optional flavourings at this stage. Zest of an orange can add a tang to your bread that nicely compliments the sweetness. Cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts work well, too. But a plain brioche is definitely classic et très Français!
5. You want it to reach double in size again so, using a loosely covered container with cling wrap and a damp cloth, put the dough in the refrigerator. This may take up to 8 hours, or overnight as brioche has been known to rise very slowly, depending on the warmth of the dough and freshness and variety of the yeast. To be safe, just throw it in overnight.
After this stage, you can freeze your dough if you need to use it at
a later date. Just wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the
freezer.
Assembling and cooking:
1.
Place
your dough onto a lightly floured board and
divide it into three individual balls
2. Roll
out one ball of dough into a long, thick strand. Do this with the remaining two
balls of dough making sure each strand is the same length
3. Pinch
the top ends of the strands until they stick together and start braiding away
until you reach a point where you can’t braid anymore.
4. Pinch
the ends of the strands to seal the braid. Tuck that pinched section under the
base of the bread. Do the same with the other side of the bread loaf to neaten
the look of the bread.
5. Cover
the dough once more with your cling wrap and damp cloth and let it proof (for
the final time!) until it has doubled in size (1-3 hours at room temperature).
6. Lightly brush the top of your
loaf with a lightly beaten egg and a bit of milk to make your egg wash. This
will make your brioche have that golden crust and beautiful finish.
7. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
If your oven cooks over or under, be sure to adjust because an overcooked
brioche creates a bitter taste in your palette.
8. Bake until golden and cooked through for 30-40
minutes. Check with a skewer like you would test a
cake when you think your brioche is finished. The dough will make a dark
red-brown crust but if this is undesirable, cover loosely with foil after the
crust is the colour you want to prevent it from browning any further.
9. Serve as desired.
Brioche is best served warm with jam or butter, tea, coffee or hot chocolate but
it's still just as delicious plain too! Keep the bread in an air-tight
container for storage.