Apple Pie and a new Camera

Last weekend, we were supposed to be somewhere to do something but the kids were really tired and as a result Highly Cranky! I decided to go alone to do the something somewhere and while I was away, the lovely wife took it upon herself to cheer up the kids with some of her fabulous Apple Pie.

The kids were still in the Ratatouille (the movie and not the food) mood and so they decided to decorate the pie using our cookie cutters for the leftover dough. In case you can't figure it out, the top most figure is a mouse while the bottom is a heart. Thus you get Mice Cheese Love. Don't ask me why my wife didn't put it in the proper order of Mice Love Cheese but I'm sure there is a logical explanation that involves the bright ideas of two wide eyed kids!

Anyway, the smell of luscious Apple Pie greeted me as I walked back into the house and the crankiness of the two kids had loooong disappeared. It's amazing how the promise of dessert - and especially Apple Pie - can act as comfort food.

The pie was supposed to sit to rest for about an hour or so but the impatient, beady little eyes of the Apple Pie Vultures caused us to cut the pie almost as soon as it was out of the oven. I must say it was certainly delicious.

The next day, we were out shopping and I decided I was going to buy myself a new camera! Yes, I had had my own beady little eyes on a Digital SLR for the longest time. After using my trusty Canon Powershot S30 for amost 6 years, and having wanted an SLR for almost 25 years, I finally decided I was going to splurge and get myself the Canon EOS 400D. Yeah, say what you want, but I have a soft spot for the Canon.

So I brought home the 400D and decided I was going to test it out straight away on another slice of Apple Pie. That way, I also got to have another piece on the excuse that I was actually just testing out the camera. I should have used the same plate setting but I was really just too lazy. So these are pics with the New Camera.




I think it makes a world of difference having a good camera and I'm hoping my photos will improve tremendously. Or maybe I'll just have to accept that I need to hone my skills a lot more and it's really not the camera that is causing bad pictures......

Whatever it is, I loved my wife's Apple Pie and I love my new Camera!

Merdeka!

Today is our Independence Day or Merdeka Day! Although this may be primarily a blog about food, today I fly my nation's flag with great pride on my blog for all the world to see!

On 31 August 1957, we gained independence from the British. Today we are a proud nation, just 50 years old. I'm not terribly patriotic or political, but I do feel there is something special about Merdeka.

My wish for the nation is that we continue to live in peace and harmony, away from all the natural disasters that seem to be striking other parts of the world. I wish that my children will grow up to also love this country and contribute to its growth, not just economically but culturally, socially, technologically and all manner of development. And I wish that all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion will continue to unite together as one.

Happy 50th Merdeka to all Malaysians!



To my manifold new found global friends, that want to read more about Malaysia, visit this wikipedia link

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

It's Daring Bakers Challenge time again!!
This is my second month in this group and thus my second official challenge. I must say that it is turning out to be a really interesting group and I'm having a lot of fun.

Only problem is that my weight has gained with all this dessert making. My wife has asked if the DB's can stop issuing dessert challenges.... :)

Anyway, this months challenge was issued by Veronica and Patricia and is really up my alley. I love anything to do with Chocolate and I've also had plenty of experience making Caramel. So when I saw the challenge for this month, I lifted my haughty little nose into the air, gave a snort and did my arrogant rooster shuffle. (it's really quite a sight to behold...!!)

August has been a particularly busy month with most of my weekends taken up. Anyway, I finally decided to do this challenge on the weekend of 18 August. The recipe specifically said that the dough needed to be prepared a day ahead. And so it came to pass (yeah, I love that line) that on the Friday evening after work, I prepared the dough..... and that was when my nose started to angle sharply downwards in humility.

Firstly, I didn't understand why a dough needs to be prepared in advance. Why not just prepare the dough and bake it straight off I asked myself haughtily (while still doing my rooster shuffle)... I even asked around on the DB blog but I didnt read the answer that would provide assistance till after I had made the challenge.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was expecting a thick sort of dough. You know, the sort of dough that you get with ready made Shortcrust pastry. But no! This dough was like cookie dough - in fact even a little like cake dough. To complicate matters, the shortcrust recipe was for 3 tarts and so I halved it. It was just so soft and mushy I figured I HAD to have done something wrong. The rooster has just left the building....

I contemplated adding some flour to the dough but I thought I'd just stick to the recipe and have some faith. So I worked the dough into a ball and chucked it into the fridge.

The next morning I woke early since I couldn't sleep thinking about the tart - she was mystically beautiful with pouted lips and seductively swaying hips - Oh sorry, I meant the Chocolate Caramel Tart! Hehehehehehe. :)

So while everyone was asleep, I took the dough out of the fridge and found it had hardened. I rolled half of it out and lined the fluted flan pan that I had decided to use. This was another 'headache' for me. I realised that the pan would probably be too thin for the tart but at the same time, I wanted something that looked nice. I didn't fancy making it in a springform pan or a square pan either so I chose the fluted flan pan. (I actually also like the sound of that - fluted flan pan - reminds me of a fancy Peter Pan kind of thing, but I digress)

The pan lined well and I docked the dough all over before covering it with greaseproof paper and filling it with red beans to bake it blind. I shoved it in the oven to bake and then took it out after the required time. I hastily poured out the red beans and then peeled of the baking paper. The crust was lovely! The rooster was back!



While the crust was cooling, I made the caramel. I used my trusted method of just adding a few spoons of water to the sugar and then boiling it till it caramelised. The recipe said that the caramel should be made by the Dry Method but Veron had allowed this to be deviated. I added the cream after letting the caramel cool a little. This caused the caramel to harden a little but I had expected this. A little stirring over heat and everything combined nicely again. I then added the eggs and flour. No problems there.


It was time to fill the pan and it was then that I realised that I would have a lot of caramel left over. Even after filling the flan pan half full, there was still a fair amount of caramel left over.

Next step was to bake the caramel-egg mixture and again this was no problem. I baked it for about 20 minutes - slightly longer than the recipe stated - on the advice of other DBs who had said it didnt really set.

While the tart was baking, I made the mousse, again with little problem. One thing I would do differently if I make this again, would be to chill the caramel filled tart before covering with the mousse to allow the caramel to set up properly rather than just cooling it. When I tried to put the mousse on, the caramel layer was still a little soft and started to break a little when I spread the mousse over it. So... I decided to pipe the mousse on and then smoothen it out.

With lots of caramel left over as well as mousse, not to mention shortcrust dough, I decided to make mini tarts. These turned out rather well too!



Finally, to finish off the dough, I made shortcrust cookies.



Taste wise it was a little sweet but still very delicious. Some of the DBs had commented that the cinammon in the crust was a tad overpowering so I reduced it a little. I found that I like the slight cinammon aftertaste that it created. The melding of Chocolate and Caramel flavours was wonderful and combined nicely with the nutty crust. I think I got my layers right even though they may have been slightly on the thin side. I think any thicker and the dessert would be cloying.




The wife and kids loved the dessert although they too felt that it was a little sweet and would be much, much better with Dark chocolate rather than milk. I tend to agree. This however didnt deter them from finishing off half the tart after dinner!
Just look at my two darlings stuffing their faces on their Second Serving of Chocolate Tart - too immersed in eating to even smile!



All in all, yet another very satisfying Daring Bakers challenge. Check out the rest of the Daring Bakers and more information about the group at .
The Daring Bakers Blogroll

This is the recipe that was given to us and in the spirit of the Daring Bakers, we HAD to follow:

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart (by Eric Kayser)
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 1 hour
One 9-inch(24-cm) square pan; 1 10-inch (26-cm) round baking pan

Ingredients
½ lb (250 g) chocolate shortbread pastry (see recipe below)
1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 g) heavy cream (30-40 percent butterfat) or crème fraiche
¼ cup (50 g) butter
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 ½ tablespoons (15 g) flour
1 ¼ cups (300 g) whipping cream
½ lb (250 g) milk chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C).
2. Line the baking pan with the chocolate shortbread pastry and bake blind for 15 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, caramelize 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar using the dry method until it turns a golden caramel color. Incorporate the heavy cream or crème fraiche and then add butter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat the whole eggs with the extra egg yolk, then incorporate the flour.
5. Pour this into the cream-caramel mixture and mix thoroughly.
6. Spread it out in the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Prepare the milk chocolate mousse: beat the whipping cream until stiff. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie, and fold it gently into the whipped cream.
8. Pour the chocolate mousse over the cooled caramel mixture, smoothing it with a spatula. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

To decorate: melt ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar in a saucepan until it reaches an amber color. Pour it onto waxed paper laid out on a flat surface. Leave to cool. Break it into small fragments and stick them lightly into the top of the tart.

Chocolate Shortbread Pastry

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration :overnight
To make 3 tarts, 9 ½ inches (24 cm) square
or 10 inches (26 cm round)

Ingredients:
1 cup (250g ) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) confectioners’ sugar
½ cup (50 g) ground hazelnuts
2 level teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon
2 eggs
4 ½ cups (400 g) cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder

A day ahead
1. In a mixing bowl of a food processor, cream the butter.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, the ground hazelnuts, and the cinnamon, and mix together
3. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing constantly
4. Sift in the flour, the baking powder, and the cocoa powder, and mix well.
5. Form a ball with the dough, cover in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.

The Pretzel Endeavour

Pretzels, for me, always bring back fond memories of my rather frequent trips to Germany back in the '90s. I used to travel to Munich and Hanover on work and it was in Munich (or rather Munchen) that I was first introduced to the Brezen, as pretzels are called in Germany. My prior experience of pretzels was the tiny, dried, crispy kind and not the soft, baked variety.
I've always wanted to make pretzels. Why? Mainly because my son and daughter both love the pretzels at Aunty Annies (That's a franchise and not a relative...) Also, its the kind of thing that's nice to be able to make - especially for bragging rights down at the pub. I mean, imagine if I was back in Germany, scarfing down a huge Brezen while simultaneously gulping down a Dunkles (Dark Beer). I could then say (in a german accent):
"Ja,Ja... Zis Brezen is very good, but perhaps next veek you come to my house and I vill also make you zie Brezen...."

I can imagine a few large mugs of beer dropping to the floor....!!

Anyway, once I learnt that the roots of the Daring Bakers was started by a Pretzel challenge issued by Ivonne of creampuffs in venice I decided I was going to try and do it as well.

So this morning, I printed out the recipe and decided to get my hands stuck into kneading.

Now I immediately ran into a problem. 500F equates to 260C and my trusted oven only goes up to 240C! Never mind, I would just set it at its maximum. Next I didn't have any Kosher Salt. Never mind, just use some normal salt. Wait a minute, why not use my Rosemary Salt mix? That might taste better. So I did.


Here's the recipe:

Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion.

For the dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
1 cup warm water (you may need a little more)

For the pretzel topping:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
kosher salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1.Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Work the ingredients together until you can form a ball. If the dough is very dry, add a bit more warm water until it comes together. The dough will look messy, but don’t worry about it.
2.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, and then folding it back in onto itself. Push the dough away again and then fold back in. Continue this motion, working the dough until it’s smooth. This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a mixer with your dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes).

3.Once the dough is done, sprinkle some flour on the dough and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. It will rise considerably.
4.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5.Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and set aside.
6. Divide your dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rope that’s roughly 24 inches in length. (Don’t make it too long or your pretzels will be too thin.)
7. Taking hold of the ends of the rope, cross the rope over itself to form a circle with about 4 to 5 inches on each end that are sticking out. Twist the ends over themselves and secure each end on either side of the pretzel.

8. Carefully dip the pretzel in the water and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
9. Sprinkle the pretzels with the kosher salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
10. Put the pretzels in the oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pretzels so that they don’t burn.
11. Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with the butter. Keep brushing them with butter until you’ve used it all.

I must say I was rather surprised at how well the pretzels turned out. I should have made the 'dough rope' a little thinner and longer. I should also have baked it a bit longer to allow it to brown more but this wasn't a bad effort for a first try. The pretzels were delicious too - rather crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I scarfed one down as soon as it cooled down and would have had another except that we were rushing off to lunch. The lovely wife raised an eyebrow in surprise as she took a bite as I don't think she was expecting that I'd be able to make such delicious pretzels.



Now all I have to do is to book my flight to Munchen so I can brag about being able to make Brezen...!!

Creamy Lamb and Two Mushroom Linguine

I think I've mentioned before that the easiest way to get me to cook something is for my wife to mention that she ate this "wonderful dish and really enjoyed it." Nothing gets me into the kitchen faster - oh, except if my kiddies ask for something.

And so, my wife came back home with stories of how she had "tremendously enjoyed" her lunch at some place at work. She went on to describe the thin, juicy pieces of lamb in a lovely creamy sauce blah, blah, blah... I just listened, trying hard to fight these feelings of volunteering to make her something similar. I was just about to say "I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch" when she smiled at me demurely and said "I bet you could make it."

So I did. We went over to my Brother-in-laws for dinner last Sunday and I volunteered to bring dinner. Since his two kids and mine all love pasta, I decided to take up my wife's 'challenge' and make the "Oh so lovely, lamb pasta" that she had been raving on and on about..... (no, really she wasn't that bad)

For want of something better to call it, I call it Creamy Lamb and Two Mushroom Linguine. It had to be Linguine, coz that's what she had at the restaurant and if I had used anything else, she may have said that the linguine was better. And we Can't Have That now, can we?

How did I make this? Quite easy really.

Ingredients
400 g lamb
4 lamb sausages
4 cloves garlic - chopped
2 large onions - sliced
Black Pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tsps basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
half a leek -sliced thinly into rounds
200g white button mushrooms
200g swiss brown mushrooms
50 ml cream
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
100 ml milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 red capsicum
Salt


Method
Cut the lamb into thin strips then season with salt and pepper. Cut the sausages into thick rounds. Cook the lamb in a little oil until nicely browned. Set aside. In the same pan, cook the sausages. Set aside. Using the same pan again, sautee the garlic and onion with the basil, oregano, bay leaves and thyme. Add in more black pepper if you like. Toss in the leek and continue to sautee. Add in the mushrooms and cook till the juices come out. Throw in the lamb, sausages and the cream and mix well together. Allow to simmer.
Meanwhile, make a roux by heating the butter and adding in the flour, stirring well to combine. Add in the milk and cream together with the nutmeg and cook till thickened. Add this into the lamb mixture and mix well. Let simmer to allow flavours to infuse together.
Just before serving, slice the capsicum thinly and stir it into the hot sauce.

I've never used lamb in a creamy pasta dish before but it was certainly delicious. The lamb sausages made a nice difference too. The kids loved it and my wife was pleased. With that lovely twinkle in her eye, she smiled at me and said, "See? I knew you could do it, and even better too!"

This is also the dish I am taking to the Six Month celebration Party for Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Ruth at onceuponafeast
. Congrats Ruth!

I also made a Pavlova for dessert and took along some of the leftover Daring Bakers Challenge - but I cant tell you what that is since its a secret till the 29th of this month - suffice to say it was delicious!

Feeling lazy after Ratatouille - so it's Lamb Chops

We all went to watch Ratatouille this morning! My wife had bought tickets last night and we went to watch the movie at 11am down at KLCC. The kids were excited and even more so to take their sweaters along. Yeap, the air-conditioning can get a tad bit chilly in the cinema. It was a really fun movie and we all had a really good time!
After the movie, the kids were tired and so were we. I was especially tired as I had woken up early to do this months Daring Baker's challenge. Anyway, after the movie, we popped into the Supermarket and I decided to buy some Lamb Shoulder chops for dinner.
The chops were lightly marinated with garlic, ginger, black pepper, some soy soyce and HP sauce and then slowly baked in the oven. I stir fried some mushrooms with loads of garlic as well coz in this household, mushrooms are almost obligatory. Then I quickly stir fried some zuchinnis and made some more Herbed Rice. This time, I added some pine nuts and turmeric to the rice so it turned out slightly nutty and with a nice yellow colour.
So that was the nice simple meal tonight. Not much work but yet a lot of satisfied faces. The kids especially liked thelamb as well as the rice and mushrooms - but we all know how much they like mushrooms!
Maybe, just like in the movie, my kids will one day eat something at a restuarant that will bring back memories of the food their Daddy used to lovingly cook for them........