Bonbini!

hello from thailand...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:25:00 +0000

koh samed...

now and then...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

happy first birthday, moby!

one-year-old two-month-old

cake class...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:31:00 +0000

I'll be teaching a new class, an ombre rose cake, at my kitchen on June 29th. You'll learn how to make a very moist chocolate layer cake with Italian meringue buttercream filling. A step by step on how to create an ombre rose effect frosting. A guideline on how to build your own flavor profile.

There're still a few spots available, sign up here http://classes.namthip.com/class_meetings/338.

cakepops...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:34:00 +0000

chocolate ombre rose cake...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 03:41:00 +0000

I was asked to make a chocolate cake for a birthday party. For a chocolate cake, nothing is better than a devil's food cake. So I made three layers of the cake brushed with coffee syrup, filled with salted milk chocolate caramel ganache, and frosted with Italian meringue buttercream.

I wanted to create an ombre effect with the different shades of frosting. Ombre is a simple graduation of color that shade into one another. Some people use cream cheese, some use buttercream, and some use ganache (as you can see from this post). For this particular one, I used three different buttercreams; dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

For the buttercream, I personally don't like American buttercream. It's easier to make, but it's really sweet and has grainy texture. Try Italian meringue buttercream, you'll never go back. Trust me!

ombre rose cake...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:14:00 +0000

chocolate cake, layered with strawberry ganache, frosted with strawberry and yogurt ganache...

Traditionally, an ombre cake is a white cake with white frosting that has been dyed to create an ombre effect (color from dark to light). For this cake, instead of white cake and buttercream frosting. I made chocolate cake, layered and frosted with chocolate ganache. Then I covered the whole cake with white fondant, and created the ombre effect with fondant ruffles.

Believe it or not I was intimidated by making cakes from scratch. But I've learned that making a cake can be fun and simple when I follow these basic steps.
- Plan ahead what kind of cake I want to make.
- Know how to decorate it.
- Study the recipe and ingredient.
- Make sure I have all ingredients I need.
- Be calm and make it happen. :)

happy macaron day!

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Top to bottom
- pineapple
- gianduja
- raspberry-rose
- blue cheese

happy st.patrick's day!

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:18:00 +0000

flower macaron...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

chocolate earl grey cupcake...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 23:11:00 +0000

Delicious, light, fluffy and moist cupcake is easy to make. It's all about a good recipe and technique. Learn all about baking cupcakes with baking tips and decorating techniques from me, check out my Cupcake Class!

pull-apart kouign amann...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:54:00 +0000

homemade pasta...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:47:00 +0000

This was the first time making the pasta from scratch. I was surprised how easy it was. I started making the dough in a food processor, then kneading by hand until smooth. Next, I broke out my KitchenAid pasta attachment, and made fresh homemade fettuccine and spaghetti.

I know fresh pasta can be stored, but it's still best to use right away. So I made fettuccine with pesto the same day I made the pasta, and spaghetti with creamy pesto shrimp the next day. Making homemade pasta is well worth the effort. I don't think I'll go back to a box.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs

Preparation:

1. Place both ingredients in a food processor. Process until a soft dough forms.
2. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 4 pieces, pass each piece through the machine's roller on the widest setting. Fold the dough into 1/3 and continue to pass through the machine for a few times. Keep setting machine rollers narrower and narrower until the setting is set at #6. Then pass each dough sheet through a pasta cutter.
4. Flour the final pasta a bit so it doesn't stick to other strands.
5. Dry the pasta for 15 minutes, then refrigerate if not cooking the pasta right away.

Note: Fresh pasta cooks faster than dried pasta. It's only take 2-3 minutes.

happy valentine's everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0000

ruffled ombre cake...

be mine...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000

hot chocolate for two...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Ingredients:
makes 2 servings

- 2 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, Valrhona
- pinch of cayenne

Procedure:

1. Caramelized the sugar with the cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar is a deep amber color. Slowly whisk in milk.
2. When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the chocolate. Bring the mixture back to a simmer.
3. Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Add cayenne and whip the mixture with an immersion blender for a minute.
4. Serve immediately.

chocolate covered strawberry...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0000

chocolate strawberry opera cake...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Normally an opera cake is made with almond sponge, coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache, but I wanted to make this cake for Valentine.s day. So I went with the flavor combination of chocolate and strawberry. All cake layers were moistened with Kirsch syrup.

You can get creative with this classic opera cake. Here're some ideas for you.
chocolate raspberry opera cake
green tea opera cake

If you're interested in making this cake, but you're not sure where to start. Come join me here, Opera Cake Class.

mandarin marmalade...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:43:00 +0000

I bought too many mandarins last week, and needed to do something while they were still fresh. So marmalade was a perfect solution. I wasn't sure what method of marmalade I wanted to do. I had checked out many recipes and decided to go with the simple one--whole mandarins were being boiled before combined with an equal part of sugar and water. However, I did reduced the amount of sugar to my liking.

This method used up every part of the fruit, included the water from the boiling step. If you like bittersweet marmalade, this is it!

Ingredients:
makes 6 (8 oz. jar)
(adapted from here)

- 3 lbs mandarins
- 4 lbs. water
- 2 lbs. sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 lemons juice
- 1 tbsp. Cointreau

Preparation:

1. Place the whole mandarins with water to cover in a large pot. Cover and simmer for 1.5 hours. Then lift out the fruit, reserve 3 lbs. of the cooking water. Add lemon juice to the cooking water.
2. Halve the mandarins crosswise. Remove the seeds and scoop out the center. Reserve. Thinly slice the peel.
3. Put the sliced mandarin peel, reserved mandarin pulp, reserved cooking water, vanilla bean and sugar in a shallow pot. Bring the mixture to 220 degrees over medium high heat, stirring to prevent sticking.
4. Skim off any scum, stir in Cointreau.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before ladling into sterilized canning jars. Leaving 1/4" of head space. Wipe rim and seal.
6. Process the jars in a boiling water for 5 minutes.

bbq chicken pizza...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 01:07:00 +0000

Talking about pizza, I prefer deep dish over thin crust. So whenever I make pizza, I use focaccia dough as a base. The texture is similar to a pizza dough, but it's more spongy and flaky.

Ingredients:

Focaccia dough
(adapted from King Arthur)

- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 tbs. yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- 1 tbs. canola oil
- 2 tbs. butter, melted
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbs. lukewarm water

For the filling
- 1/4 cup spicy bbq sauce
- 6 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 2 tbs. shredded gouda cheese
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes and coat with 1 tbs spicy bbq sauce
- 1/4 small red onion, chopped
- 1 tbs. green pepper, chopped
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) Hunts whole peeled tomato, drained
- 2 tbs. bacon bits
- 1 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

Procedure:

1. To make the dough: Mix all ingredients together in a standard mixer on low speed. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for an hour.
2. Strength the dough into a circle on a lightly oiled cast iron skillet, let it rest for 15 minutes.
3. Spread the sauce over the dough, then cover with sliced mozzarella. Spread chicken evenly over cheese. Top with red onion, green pepper, tomato, bacon and gouda cheese.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 20 more minutes.
5. When pizza is cooked, remove it from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.

the kukulcan pyramid...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:17:00 +0000

is one of the new seven wonders of the world...

chichen itza...

pumpkin soup...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Ingredients:

- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 cup coconut milk

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender.
2. Add the rest of ingredients, except coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot until smooth.
5. Serve immediately.

edamame hummus...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Hummus wasn't my favorite food to eat until I tried edamame hummus that my neighbor served at his party. It was AMAZING!!! So I made it for my holiday party last weekend, it was a hit. I really love the grainy and nutty taste of edamame hummus. It goes well with breads, crackers and raw veggies. From now on, this hummus is going to be my favorite appetizer to serve at the party instead of the cheese plate. =)

Ingredients:

- 1 lb frozen edamame

- 1/2 cup tahini

- 1/2 cup sesame seeds

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

- 1/8 tsp. black pepper

- 1 tsp. ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

- 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

- 1 lemon zest

- 6 tpsp. lemon juice

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Microwave edamame for 2 minutes.

2. Combine everything in food processor, except olive oil. Process until smooth.

3. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil and mix until fully incorporated.

happy new year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:20:00 +0000

merry christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 09:00:00 +0000

12/21/12...

noreply@blogger.com (Thip) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 08:01:00 +0000

is the end of the world, the beginning of the last weekend before Christmas...let's make more fruitcake everyone!

I felt like Brandy was too strong for the fruitcake I made last month, so I used Cointreau this time. If you're an alcohol free person, use apple juice, pear juice or orange juice instead.

For this fruitcake, I put quite a bit of time and effort into this endeavor and had to start early a month ago, so it'll be ready for Christmas. I made 2 loaves, one already sent to my husband's family. Another one is sitting in my pantry, waiting for me to give it one more brushing. :)

Ingredients:
makes 2 loaves
adapted from chow.com

- 2 cups dried apricots, chopped
- 2 cups raisins and currents
- 1 cup dates and figs, chopped
- 1 cup candied orange, lemon and cherry
- 3 tbsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup Cointreau

-------------------------------------------

- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground allspice
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
-------------------------------------------
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
-------------------------------------------
- 2 cups almond, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup apricot jam

Preparation:

1. Do ahead: combine all the fruits, zest, orange juice and Cointreau in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Coat two loaf pans with butter and flour.
3. Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside.
4. Cream the butter with sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.
5. Add eggs, one at a time. Then add molasses and beat until combined.
6. Using low speed, add dry ingredients, then fruit, nut and jam. Mix until just combined.
7. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
8. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, lower the heat to 285 degrees and bake for 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let cook in pan for 30 minutes. Turn cakes out onto the rack and brush the top with Cointreau. Let cool completely before aging.
10. To age; soak the cheesecloth in Cointreau. Wrap each cake with cheesecloth, then brush them with more Cointreau. Wrap in foil, then plastic wrap again. Once a week, brush each cake with 1/4 Cointreau and wrap it with foil and plastic. Do this brushing for 4 weeks.