Bonbini!

coconut tapioca with passion fruit curd...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:40:00 +0000

basil seeds and chocolate tuile...

If you haven't got this book yet, go and grab it. I know the recipes are designed for professional use, but there are some recipes that you can adapt into your own creation. I've tried three recipes so far and I'm loving them. Thanks to my friends, T and L, who gave me this book as a birthday present.

I had this dessert at Dosa before. They call it "passion fruit custard". The combination of passion fruit and coconut milk was really tasty. When I saw it in this book, I immediately had an eye on it. The recipe was great, but I wanted the lighter curd. So I folded some whipped cream into the curd. :)

Ingredients:
2 servings

for the curd
- 53 g egg yolks
- 50 g sugar
- 20 g passion fruit concentrate
- 20 g orange juice
- 4 g lemon juice
- smidgen of salt (half of a pinch)
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 g gelatin sheet, bloomed
- 30 g whipped cream

for the tapioca
- 60 g tapioca pearls
- 150 g unsweetened coconut milk
- 60 g sugar
- smidgen of salt

for the basil seeds
- 5 g basil seeds
- 10 g water

Preparations:

for the curd
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together over a bain-marie.
2. Whisk in passion fruit, orange juice, lemon juice and salt. Stir occasionally until the curd reaches 195 degrees.
3. Remove from the bain-marie, stir in the butter and bloomed gelatin.
4. Strain, then fold in whipped cream.
5. Fill the glasses half way full and let the curd set before filling the tapioca on top.

for the tapioca
1. Bring coconut milk, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil, lower the heat to medium and stir in tapioca. Stir constantly until tapioca becomes translucent. Strain out the liquid and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Add the tapioca into coconut milk mixture.
4. Fill the glasses halfway up.

for the basil seeds
1. Combine both ingredients in a bowl.
2. Let them sit at room temperature until the seeds form a gelatinous shell around them.
3. Place over the tapioca.

mochi ice cream

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:04:00 +0000

sesame mochi thai tea ice cream...

chocolate chip cookies...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? There are three things I always bring to the party and they've never let anyone down, macarons, madeleines and chocolate chip cookies. These cookies have a perfect texture that I like, crisp on the edge but still soft and chewy in the center. Make sure you don't over bake these cookies in order to keep them soft and chewy. I add rolled oats, roasted peanuts and sea salt to give them more texture.

Ingredients:
makes 30

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla paste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped

Preparation:

1. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Set aside.
2. Coarsely grind the oats, peanuts and sea salt together in a food processor. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, then vanilla paste.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture, oats mixture and chocolate chips. Do not overmix the dough.
6. Using a small ice cream scoop to portion cookie dough. Chill overnight.
7. Place cookies dough 2 inch apart onto a sheet pan lined with silicone mat.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

chocolate and blue cheese...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

I can't believe it's almost 3 years since I made my first macaron from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. I've been making macarons with different recipes and techniques, but I think this one is the simplest and tastiest one so far.

Ingredients:

- 70 g almond flour
- 125 g powdered sugar
- 12.5 g cocoa powder, Dutch processed
- 50 g egg whites, aged

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
3. Whip egg whites until firm.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the whites in 3 additions.
5. Spoon the batter into a piping bag with plain tip, and pipe the batter into rounds about 1 inch on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Tap the sheet pan once and rest for an hour or until the skins are form.
7. Double the baking sheet.
8. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

For the blue cheese ganache, click here. I double the amount of blue cheese for this post.

madeleines...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

I love madeleines, especially when they just come out from the oven. I like them crispy outside and soft inside, so the tinned steel molds is the way to go. The nonstick molds will burn the outside before the inside is done, and the silicone molds won't work for the crust.

I made madeleines every day at work, using different recipes just to find the best one. I ended up with the one I thought it was the best. Sometimes it's just fun to bake the same thing, but different recipes. This way you can see why each recipe would/wouldn't works. Since the madeleine only has 4 ingredients, egg, sugar, flour and butter. You can't go wrong with any recipes, right? However, I do not think so.

A proper madeleine should be crispy outside, moist and soft inside, with a characteristic bump (or hump) on top. In order to get the bump, the batter needs to be refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) and bake in a very hot oven. I find that with/without baking powder, I can get the bump if I chill the batter first. For the texture, I recommend using the recipe that has an equal amount of flour and butter. If the recipe has more flour than butter, the texture tends to be tough.

Ingredients

adapted from The Modern Cafe

- 156 g eggs, room temperature
- 15.5 g brown sugar
- 132.5 g sugar
- 8 g vanilla paste (or 5 g vanilla extract)
- 1 lemon zest
- 140.5 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g baking powder
- 1.5 g salt
- 140.5 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 30 g orange blossom water
- 30 g powdered sugar, for dusting

Preparation:

1. Combine the eggs and both sugars in a mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a hot water bath and stir until the mixture warms to 110 degree.
2. With a whip attachment, beat the mixture at high speed until light and thick. Whip in vanilla paste and lemon zest.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Fold in the sifted ingredients in three additions. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in the melted butter, be careful not to overmix or the madeleine will be tough.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Butter madeleine molds, chill and dust with flour. Pipe batter into the molds using a pastry bag with a plain tip.
7. Bake at 425 degree until golden but still soft to the touch, about 6-7 minutes for small, at least twice as long for large madeleines.
8. Unmold and brush each madeleine bottom with a small amount of orange blossom water.
9. Turn the madeleines over and dust with powdered sugar.
10. Serve warm is best way to enjoy a madeleine.

Note : Make sure they are cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They won't get crispy on the outside after cooling down, but the texture will remain light and soft.

rio vista...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:39:00 +0000

potato gratin...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:01:00 +0000

with white cheddar cheese, recipe from here.

view from treasure island...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:37:00 +0000

almond chocolate cookies....

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:21:00 +0000

It's the same recipe I used for Almond Thumbprint Cookies, just substitute cocoa powder for green tea powder.

basil seeds drink on a stick...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:05:00 +0000

Surprisingly, Popsicle was accidental invented by 11 year-old boy who was born in San Francisco. Since then, Popsicle has been the coolest frozen treat around for more than a century. I can see why. Here's a fun recipe and perfect treat to enjoy during the summer season.

Ingredients:
makes 4

- 100 g water
- 10 g basil seeds
- 150 g water
- 150 g elderflower syrup

Preparation:

1. Soak the seeds with the 100 g of water, set aside.
2. Bring water and syrup to a boil.
3. Add the syrup to the seeds. Stir well.
4. Pour the mixture into molds, freeze.

pan-fried sweet plantains...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

with yogurt...

One of my favorite tapas bar in the city is Cha Cha Cha on Mission Street. What I like about this place is the people, the atmosphere and of course the food. The food is excellent. I love their chicken paillard, fried platanos maduros and steamed black mussels.

When I saw plantains at Safeway the other day, it made me crave for fried platanos maduros. I felt like it shouldn't be hard to make this dish at home. I used the very ripe plantains for this recipe. The green ones are used to make chips.

Ingredients:
2 servings

- 2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- pinch of ground cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon over medium heat in a skillet.
2. Arrange the plantains in the skillet and saute the pieces about 3 minutes per side or until the sugar caramelizes and the plantains get a nice dark coating of the mix.
3. Serve warm.

window watching...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

mini green tea cheesecake...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:39:00 +0000

I must say I'm not really a fan of cheesecake. The texture of cheesecake is extremely rich and creamy, which I don't like. However, this recipe is a Japanese style cheesecake that has a souffle like texture. The mixture between cheesecake and sponge cake. As a treat for my birthday, I flavored it with green tea and lemon.

Ingredients:

- 125 g cream cheese, room temperature

- 45 g sugar

- 2 egg yolks

- 125 g half & half

- 30 g unsalted butter, melted

- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 25 g cake flour

- 15 g corn starch

- 10 g green tea powder

- 3 egg whites
- 45 g sugar

Preparation:

1. Using paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Beat in eggs, half & half, melted butter and lemon juice and zest.

3. Sift flour, starch and green tea powder together. Fold into the batter.

4. Make French meringue by whipping egg white and sugar to medium peaks.

5. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to lighten it first, then fold in the rest of the meringue.

6. Pour into prepared molds (3" ring mold), bake at 325 degrees in water bath for 30 minutes or until the center is almost set.

7. Serve warm if you like, or chill it.

meringue + batter

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

= light and fluffy cake...

green tea cake...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

with green tea macarons...

green tea cupcake...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:00:00 +0000

I'm testing two different chiffon recipes, not sure yet which one I like.

green tea chiffon...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:58:00 +0000

with white chocolate green tea whipped ganache and fresh cherries...

I'm in search of a good recipe for green tea cake. When I get the right one, I'll start teaching it. Please stay tuned!

grilled bananas...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000

with coconut caramel sauce...

This is one of a popular street snack in Thailand.

Ingredients:
2 servings

- 2 burro bananas
- 50 g coconut milk
- 25 g palm sugar
- 25 g honey
- 20 g unsalted butter
- pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Peel the bananas, slice and skewer them.
2. Bring coconut milk, palm sugar and honey to a boil.
3. Add butter and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Dip the bananas into the sauce, then grill each side for 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer the bananas to a plate, spoon more sauce on top.

apricot...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:15:00 +0000

cheese and biscuit....

mung bean noodles...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

with spicy sweet & sour ground chicken...

My Thai friend introduced me a Thai restaurant that I'd never been to last week. We ordered spicy deep fried whole fish, salted fish fried rice, sweet & sour soup and dried noodles with ground pork. I didn't have this kind of noodles for a long time, and it was really good. With my little knowledge, I made it yesterday.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb. ground chicken
- 2 tbsp chili oil
- 2 tbsp chili paste
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sweet radish, chopped

- 1/4 cup ground peanuts

- 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup cilantro, thinly sliced

- 2 tbsp fried garlic

- 1 lime juice
- cabbage, shredded and blanched
- mung bean noodles, cooked and drained

Preparation:

1. Heat the chili oil, add chicken.
2. Stir in chili paste, fish sauce, sugar and radish.
3. Cook until chicken is done.
4. Remove from heat, stir in the peanut, green onion, cilantro, fired garlic and lime juice.
5. Add shredded cabbage into the bowl, then noodles and spicy sweet & sour ground chicken.
6. Drizzle with more chili oil and sprinkle with green onion, cilantro and fried garlic. Enjoy!

Yosemite...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:52:00 +0000

A two day trip to Yosemite was a great way to escape from the city. Being in nature made me feel good. Plants and trees are like breathing air filters. They detoxify the air and create oxygen that we all need to live and function.

There are no words to describe the beauty of nature, please take the time to watch the photos as a facts unfold slowly at my Yosemite Gallery.

a taste for adventure...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

with clams and white wine sauce...
1

Cooking without recipes was the way I'd learned how to cook. It was all rely on common sense, sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. As you can imagine, how frustrated I was to measure all ingredients and follow step-by-step when I started baking. It seemed too complicated for me to do a proper thing.

Teaching my Thai friend how to bake reminds me of those days. It's funny when I look back, everything seems different than it is now. I think recipes are definitely important when it comes to baking. I wouldn't have a confidence to bake without a recipe. However, for cooking, I still enjoy a freedom of messing around to get the taste I want.

Here's the ingredients of a taste for adventure. Trust your gut and cook it off. :)
- fettuccine
- olive oil
- shallot
- garlic
- clams
- dry white wine
- tomatoes
- parsley

treat and trip...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

By the time you read this post, I'll be enjoying these treats at Yosemite National Park. :)

Ingredients:
makes 25
(Triple Chocolate Cookies, adapted from epicurious)

- 10 oz. 68% dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder, Dutch-processed
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 oz. 68% dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cherries, soak in Kirsch

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 Sift all dry ingredients.
3. Cream the butter with brown sugar and sugar until light.
4. Add eggs, one at a time.
5. Add extract, then dry ingredients. Beat just until blended.
6. Fold in chopped chocolate and soaked dried cherries.

7. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and chill for 30 minutes.

8. Use a small ice cream scoop to portion out the dough.

9. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely.

Note : for the Lemon Poppy Seeds Scones, the recipe is also from epicurious.

cherry preserves...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:02:00 +0000

without pectin...

My friends, T and L made lots of preserves two weeks ago. I got two flavors from them, cherry amaretto and apricot caramel bourbon. They taste so good on biscuit, bread, yogurt, ice-cream and cheese. I almost out of the cherry one, I decided to make my own before the cherries are out of season.

As I was searching for the recipe, it seemed like a pain to go through all the steps to make a jar of fruit preserves. Then I came across this post and decided to make it just like his. It was a simple easy cooking ever. I love to have my homemade cherry preserves with Greek yogurt and brie.

Here's the four ingredients you only need.

- cherries

- lemon juice and zest

- sugar

- kirsch

happy 4th of july...

mrspaine@gmail.com (Thip) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:01:00 +0000

with flourless chocolate almond cupcakes with lightly sweet cream cheese...

Ingredients:

makes 12

- 200 g dark chocolate

- 100 g unsalted butter

- 2 eggs

- 60 g sugar

- 200 g almond flour

- 5 g lemon oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt chocolate and butter over a bain-marie.

3. Using a mixer, beat eggs with sugar until pale.

4. Add warm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture.

5. Fold in almond flour and lemon oil.

6. Pour batter into paper liners until 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 15 minutes.

8. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and top with berries.