Lilian Wong's Cheesecake

I've been using Lilian Wong's Baked Cheesecake recipe for over a year now (Flavours May-June 2007 issue). It's about time I shared it with everyone. She wasn't kidding when she said "impossible to fail" :) Good Luck!

Ingredients:
450g Cream Cheese, room tempreture
115g Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (Vanilla Essence works just the same)
200g Caster Sugar
70g Cornflour

7 Large Eggs (I used Grade A eggs)
450ml Whipping Cream
60ml Lemon Juice

Method:
1. Preheat over to 180'C. Prepare a 9inch square tin with lining & greasing the sides with butter. Wrap the outside of the tin with aluminium foil as you will be using another large pan to bake this bain marie-style.

2. Using a cake mixer, beat the Cream Cheese & Butter on medium speed until soft & smooth. Scrape done the sides.

3. Add the Vanilla Essense, Sugar & Cornflour. Mix until smooth.

4. Beat in the Eggs one at a time.

5. Lower the mixer speed & add the Whipping Cream. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides & continue mixing. This will ensure a smooth texture.

6. Add the Lemon Juice.

7. Pour the mixture into prepared tin. Place this tin into the larger pan & put both pans into the preheated oven. Pour hot water - about 3cm deep - into the larger pan.

8. Bake for 30mins & then increase the tempreture to 190'C & continue baking for another 30mins, until the top is pale golden brown.

9. Remove pans from the oven & take the smaller pan out of the larger pan. Allow to stand until cold.

10. Run a knife around the inside of the pan. Cover the cake tin with a large plate / serving tray. Flip over & the cake should slide from the tin to the plate. Refridgerate tune cake for at least 6 hrs before serving.
(I used a loose base cake tin... made it slightly easier to flip it over & into a cake board)

Chocolate Chip Brownie - Cupcake

Welcome my kawan-kawan! This recipe is adapted from "The Cookie And Biscuit Bible" by Catherine Atkinson with recipes by Joanna Farrow and Valerie Barret.

I've changed it from a "Nut & Chocolate Chip Brownie" to just Chocolate Chip Brownie - Cupcake size too ;)

Ingredients:

(A)

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Sunflower Oil

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (or any sugar you have will also do ie. Castor White Sugar)

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

(B)

150 g Plain (Semisweet) Chocolate Chopped [Melt it in heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water OR my shortcut way, melt it in Microwave for 1 minute +/-]

(C)

2/3 Cup Selt Raising Flour

4 Tbsp Unsweetend Cocoa Power

(D)

2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips (sweet type)

2 Tbsp Chocolate Buttons (not so sweet)

[Original recipe is 4 Tbsp Chocolate Chips + 3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts]

Method

1) Preheat oven to 180'C / 350'F.

2) Melt (B) Plain Chocolate

3) Combine all from (A) oil, sugar, eggs & vanilla essene in a bowl & mix using Mixer or with wooden ladle by hand also can.

4) Stir in the melted Plain Chocolate & beat well until evenly mixed.

5) Sift (C) Flour & Cocoa Powder into the mixture. Fold in thoroughly.

6) Stir in (D) Chocolate Chips & Buttons, then spoon the mixture into the Cupcake moulds.

7) Bake for 20 minutes & the check it with a little bamboo stick - if it's still wet, bake for another 15mins. So in total, it is to be baked for approx 35 mins + /-.

This recipe can also fit a 7inch baking pan. I used Cupcake moulds Medium size & it can make 13 Cupcakes.

Hope your's turn out as delicious & nice as mine does! Enjoy!

Sultana Scones

I have yet to try this recipe out myself, but it's from a reliable old recipe book. Hope it turns out well with your try :)

Makes 12

Ingredients:
2 Cups Self-raising flour
pinch of salt
30g Butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 Cup Caster Sugar
1/4 Cup Sultanas /Raisins
1 Egg, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Milk
extra milk for glazing

Method:
1. Preheat Oven 210'C. Brush oven tray with butter/oil. Sift flour & salt into a large bowl. Add butter & rub in lightly with fingertips.

2. Add sugar & sultanas and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add egg & almost all the milk. Mix quickly, with a flat bladed knife to a soft dough. Adding more milk if necessary. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface & knead briefly until smooth. Press or Roll out to form a round about 2cm thick.

3. Cut dough into rounds using a floured plain 5cm cutter/ cut into squares using a floured knife. Place scones close together on prepared tray & brush with extra milk.

4. Bake for 10-12mins or until golden brown. Served with butter & jam!

Fried Spagetti

This was inspired by the need of feeding my family a healthy breakfast besides the normal bread, cereals, yogurt combo. :p

Fried Spagetti

Ingredients
3/4 Spagetti pack
2 Cups Taugeh (Beans sprouts)
4 pieces of Fish Cake sliced thinly
1 punnet of Mushrooms (fresh - any kind you like)
1 piece of Fried Taufu (thin type) sliced thinly
2 Eggs (Omellete style for garnishing)

2 Tbsp Soya Sauce
1 Tbsp chopped Garlic
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

Method
1. Boil water to cook the spagetti & set aside.
2. Fry the eggs into an omellete. Slice & set aside for garnishing.
3. Fry the sliced pre-fried thin type of Taufu & the sliced Fish Cake. Once brown a bit, set aside. Fry the chopped garlic with mushrooms & add Oyster Sauce.
4. Next add the Taugeh (Beans Sprouts) & stir fry for 30 seconds & add the spagetti, taufu & fish cake. Fry the spagetti until everything starts to be fragrant, then it's ready to be served.

Add soya sauce to taste. Garnish with egg.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

This was my Chinese New Year cookie speciality to usher in the Year of the Tiger.

Almond Square Cookie

This recipe is taken from Y3K Cookbooks series on New Year Cookies by Alan Ooi.
Ingredients:
A
180g Butter
110g Icing Sugar
*****************************************
B

1/8 tsp Vanilla Essense

1 Egg White
********************************

C
180g Plain Flour
10g Corn Flour
********************************

For Topping : Some Almond Flakes

For Glazing : 1 Egg (Beaten)

Method:
1. Put Ingredient A into Mixer & beat until light & fluffy. Add Ingredient B, mix well. Fold in Ingredient C to form a soft dough.

2. Grease / scatter some flour the surface of a a 14" x 10" tray or 14" x 14" tray. Pour the soft dough into the pan & spread it out evenly with a spatula.

3. Bake in preheated oven at 180'C for 12 minutes. Cut into square pieces of 1.5" each. Cool cookies & then glaze the cookies. Press Almond flakes on top & glaze again.

4. Bake it again in oven at 180'C for another 5-8 minutes (you'll need to see how brown you want your cookies). Cool before storage.

Moist Chocolate Cake

I've always been hunting for a reliable Moist Chocolate Cake. I've found this to be very good. I'm a subscriber of "Flavours" ~ Malaysia's premier food & lifestyle magazine and this was in their Nov-Dec 2009 issue celebrating their 15th Anniversary Issue.

This recipe is shared & contributed by Arlene Diego who teaches cake baking in Damansara Jaya. (pg. 90 nov-dec 2009 Flavours)

The 2 cakes before any icing.





1st cake is iced. Am not very good with icing yet as this is really my 1st time icing a cake.



Both cakes iced & decorated by my kids. :)

Close up of the Moist Chocolate Cake. It's really moist & light too - Yums!

Thanks Arlene Diego for sharing it with us (^_^) I hope to attend some of your classes in the near future when I sort out my & kids routine next year.

An Almost Vegan Lunch

There are days when I don't feel like eating much meat or just want something real simple for lunch... and of course trying to clear my fridge of the little bits of fresh veg here & there.

So I whipped up this delightfully looking meal for my lunch last Wednesday 18th Nov 2009.

Spirullina Noodles - tossed in garlic & extra virgin olive oil
Fresh Button Mushrooms - stir fried with garlic & korean meat marinade sauce
Tri-colured veg - Purple/Red Cabbage, Snow Peas, & Carrots ~ shredded finely & stir fried with garlic too.

Few pieces of left over ham from the morning's breakfast :p

Pizza Dough

This recipe is taken from "The Australian Women's Weekly - Kids Cooking" recipe book.



I've tried this 2 times, both turned out nicely with different effects of either a thin crust or thicker crust.



Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 2 bases

Ingredients:

2 Tsp (7g) - Dried Yeast

1 Tsp - Sugar

1/2 Tsp - Salt

3/4 Cup (180ml) - Warm Water

2 1/2 Cups (375g) - Plain Flour (I used Multipurpose flour & it still works)

2 Tbsp - Olive Oil ( can replace with Corn Oil - works just as fine)



Method:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, salt and warm water in a small bowl, cover; stand in warm place for about 20 mins or until mixture is frothy.



2. Combine flour & oil in large bowl; stir in yeast mixture, mix to a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface for about 5mins or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover; stand in warm place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.



3. Meanwhile, preheat over to very hot (I put tempreture at 220'C)



4. Turn the dough onto floured surface; knead until smooth. Divide the dough into 2; using a rolling pin, flatten dough and roll each half out to a 32cm round. ( just rolled mine into a rectagular shape - the shape of my pan )



5. Carefully lift each round onto oiled pizza pan / over tray; cover each with whatever toppings you like. Bake, uncovered, in a very hot oven (I lowered my oven tempreture to 180'C) for 20mins.


Sorry the photos are having problems being uploaded since I started this recipe :p will keep trying

Dhal Curry

I was inspired by greenhoihoi's version of dhal curry during one of my many visits to her house for chit chat or to grab a bite ;) She used pumkin in her version of dhal curry. Since I had 1/2 of a pumpkim lying in the fridge plus had all the other ingredients available, I made my own dhal curry!

Of course I did some research on what other recipes ingredients involved especially their spices used and I improvised them into my own recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 Pumpkin
1 Round Brinjal / Aubergine
3 Potatoes
1 Medium Carrot
1 Medium Red Onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 Cup Dhal
1/2 Cup Red Lentils
1 Tsp Tumeric Powder
1 Tsp Curry Powder
a pinch of Cumin Seeds & Mustard Seeds
Salt to taste

Method
1. Soak dhal & lentils over night. Rinse & place in pot
2. Cut all vegetables to bite size pieces & add them into the pot. Add water enough to cover all vegetables
3. Cook in medium fire/flame. Stir occasionally & can add a little bit of water if not enough.
4. Cook till dhal & lentils are soft.

Serve with Roti Canai or Chappati! Initially I wanted to make my own Chappati also but couldn't get the Atta Flour around my housing area :p ~ it will be my next recipe!

Kak 'Ain's Nasi Tomato & Ayam Masak Merah

Thanks Kak Nor'ain for sharing your recipes :) I've given them a try here though I bet yours tastes way better than mine! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

NASI TOMATO
Ingredients
4 cups of brasmati, washed and strained
4 garlic, 8 shallots, 3 cm ginger, grind till fine
1daun pandan
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamons
3 star anise
4 cloves
2 tablespoon Ghee
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup ideal milk
1 cup coconut milk
1 and a half cup HEINZ tomato soup
2 and a half cup water
salt to taste
1 tablespoon sugar

Method
1. Heat the cooking pot, melt the Ghee and oil.
2. Once the oil is hot enough, put in the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamons. Stir.
3. When you can smell the aroma from the spices, add the grounded ingredients. keep on stirring, until there is no more water left, and oil can be seen in between the grounded ingredients.
4. Add daun pandan and the liquid (milk, santan, tomato soup, water plus salt and sugar). Let it boil, while stirring from time to time.
5. Once boiled, add the rice. Keep on stirring from time to time. When the liquid is almost dried, lower the fire to the minimum level and cover the pot.

AYAM MASAK MERAH
Ingredients
1 chicken cut into small pieces, marinate with tumeric powder and salt for 20 minutes.Then fry till half cooked.

Blend 4 garlics, 12 shallots, 3 cm ginger till fine.

1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, 5 cardamon, 3 Tbsp blended dried chilli (rebus dulu cili tu sebelum blend), 7 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 4 Tbsp chilli sauce & a little asam jawa mixed with water, salt & sugar

Method

1. Heat the wok, add oil, when it's hot, add the blended ingredients plus cinnamon, star anise and cardamon.

2. Stir until water is dried and oil can be seen oozing out from the ingredients.

3. Add the blended dried chilli, again keep on stirring till oil starts to form. Then add the sauces, let it boil before adding the half cooked chicken.

4. Stir thoroughly and add salt and sugar to taste.you can also add santan or ideal milk to have a different taste to it

Abok-abok Sago Berwarna Warni (Colourful Sago Kueh)

In the spirit of Aidilfitri celebrations by my Muslim friends & family members, I dedicate this Sago Kueh to them :)

It's from the magazine FLAVOURS Sept-Oct 2009 issue pg. 69 "Abok-abok Sago Berwarna Warni"


Ingredients
450g Sago Pearls
8 Pandan Leaves
1 Coconut, grates (I used desicated coconut instead)
150g Caster Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
4 drops Red Colouring
3 drops Rose Essence
3 drops Green Colouring
Grated Coconut for topping (optional)

Method
1. Wash & soak sago in water for 1 hour, then drain.
2. Shred & pound pandan leaves to extract the juice.
3. Mix sago with grated coconut, sugar, and salt. Divide into 3 portions.
4. Add Red colouring & Rose essense to the 1st portion.
5. Add Green colouring & Pandan leave juice to the 2nd portion.
6. Leave the 3rd portion white.
7. Grease a 23cm square tin, layer with green sago mixture & press firmly. Steam it for 15mins.
8. Add the white sago mixture on top of green sago & press firmly. Steam it for 10-15mins.
9. Add the red sago mixture on top of white sago & press firmly. Steam for 15mins.
10. Cool & cut into diamond shapes. You may serve with grated coconut.

This is how I pounded my shredded pandan leaves.. the old fashion way ;)

The wonderful colours of sago mixtures

All steamed & left to be cooled

Presenting : Abok-Abok Sago Berwarna Warni!

Mama's Moist Chocolate Cake

When I was younger... my mum used to make this Moist Chocolate Cake every festive season i.e. Chinese New Year and Christmas. I've never tried baking it myself before and this was my first attempt. I think her's was more moist.



Ingredients
1 Cup Evaporated Milk - at room tempreture } add together to get
1 Tbsp Vinegar } Soured Milk
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 1/4 Cup Castor Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda Powder
125g Butter - melted
2 eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Method
1. Grease tin and line bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. Add Evaporated Milk with Vinegar and let it stand to get Soured Milk
3. Sieve the Flour, Castor Sugar, Cocoa Powder and Baking Soda into mixer bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter and half cup of Soured Milk. Beat at medium speed for 2 mins.
5. Add the remaining Soured Milk, eggs and vanilla essence - Beat at medium speed for another 2 minutes or so.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake at 180'C for 35 - 40mins or until cooked.


Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Bread with Breadmaking Machine ~ Attempt #2

Simply Perfect!

This is the 2nd attempt with the Breadmaking machine using the recipe from "Giant Book of Bread Machine Recipes" ~ Norman A. Garret.

It's suppose to be a Basic White Bread recipe using 3 Cups of Bread Flour... but I didn't have enough White Bread Flour at home. So I had 2.5 Cups White Bread Flour + 0.5 Cups of Wholemeal Bread Flour.

Everything else stayed the same.... the result is fantastic. Here's a 1.5 pound Light Wholemeal Bread Loaf :-)

Square California Raisin Brioche

This was from the FLAVOURS - California Raisins Baking Workshop I attended with my Taiso (elder SIL) during the last weekend of July. Chef Yukichi Matsubara from "The Loaf" ~ Tun M's bakery in Langkawi & Pavillion KL shared with us 3 recipes.This is called "Square California Raisin Brioche"

Overall the workshop was entertaining & worth attending. Plus Chef Yu is quite handsome too ;)

(makes 10)

160g High Protien (Bread) Flour
40g Plain or Cake Flour
14g Fresh Yeast or 6g Instant Dry Yeast
80ml Milk
40g Egg Yolk
34g Honey
3.6g Salt
20g Unsalted Butter (softened)
120g California Raisins, washed with hot water
40g Diced Candied Orange Peel
160g Cream Cheese, chilled



Almond Topping
40g Fine Sugar
80g Almond Powder
80g Egg White

Decoration

50g Almond Flakes

10g Icing Sugar

20g White Chocolate, melted in microwave, bain marie or double boiler

20no California Raisins

To make dough:

Sift the flours together. Stir the yeast into the milk. Place the flours, egg yolk, honey, salt and milk-and-yeast mixture in the bowl of a mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed for 8 minutes.

Add the California raisins and candied orange peel, and mix on low speed for another 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside to prood for 1 hour at room tempreture.

To fold in the cheese:

Place the cream cheese on a piece of cling film and cover with another piece of cling film. Using a rolling pin, roll the cheese into a 12cm square sheet.

Dust the worktop with some flour and roll the bread dough into a 20cm square. Place the cream cheese in the centre of the bread dough and fold the four corners in... to cover the cheese (like a square envelope).

Roll the dough out to 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold the top and bottom of the dough so that they overlap to form a 36 x 20cm sheet. Fold the two opposite ends of the dough so that they overlap to form a 20 x 12cm rectangle.

Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Roll it out to a 30 x 12 cm sheet. Cut the sheet in half too form two 30 x 6 cm rectangles. Cut each into five 6 cm squares to get 10 square pieces in total.

To add topping:

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the bread squares on the tray. Mix the almond topping ingredients together and spread on the dough (about 15g each). Sprinkle with the almond flakes. Set aside to proof for 45 minutes at room tempreture.

To bake :

Preheat the oven to 180'C. Bake for 15 minutes or until brioche is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire rack.

To decorate:

Dust brioche with icing sugar and pipe the melted white chocolate on top in diagonal lines. Place 2 California raisins in the center of each brioche.

Bread with Breadmaking Machine ~ Failure??

Forgive my long silence.... have been distracted, down (but not out) & sort of lost my motivation to try anything new :p

Mummy, is this how a 1 pound white bread suppose to look like ? I followed the recipe to the dot.....

Sweet Buns

What do you think? My 1st attempt in making soft buns - hehehe! They are still not as soft as those you get at our local bakeries unfortunately, but not too bad overall.

Sausage & Peanut Butter buns

Noticed my fancy wrap around sausage buns on the right? ;)

The basic sweet bun dough recipe was taken from Baked & Steamed Bun Recipe book #42 by One Publisher whose recipes from Daniel Chong. I think I am still lacking in something from this recipe which I suspect is the kneading process of the dough. I will share the recipe with you all once I've manage to get a more desired texture of my dough, ok?

Sugee Cake

After almost 6 mths of delaying.. I've finally tried baking Sugee Cake ;) My son surprised me when my good fren Popes brought over some Sugee Cake she had baked using her Aunt's Recipe (if not mistaken)... he LOVED it! Eventhough it wasn't Chocolate :p



So here is Pope's Sugee Cake Recipe :

1 pound Butter (approx 420g)
1/2 pount Sugee (approx 300g)
8 eggs
1 pound Sugar (approx 400g)
1/2 pound Plain Flour (approx 85g)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

This would approximately fit into a Square 8inch Baking Tin.

I personally made a smaller version .. I halved the ingredients and managed to fit the cake mix into a 7inch Round Baking Tin.

Optional:
1 Tbsp Brandy
Chopped Nuts
Rose Essence / All Spice Powder

Method

1. Dry Sugee before using (pan fry dry)

2. Cream (with mixer) 1/2 pound Butter with Sugee - put aside.

3. Cream other 1/2 pound Butter with Sugar. Then add the eggs & Beat well. Add the Butter + Sugee mixture in as well and continue to beat.

4. Add the Flour, Baking Powder, Brandy, Vanilla Essense.

5. Bake in Moderate Heat Oven (150'C - 180'C) for about 40mins to 1 hour (until cooked)

Feeling Good after a Slow Start to the Day

Started my day in slow-motion... restless heart. Thinking-thinking :

should I try to get the bread flour in the morning?
should I call HY and see if she's home for me to drop by for a chat & share my Choc Chochip Muffins with her?
should I rush home to bake another batch?
should I go deposit cheque?

Aaaahhhh! Questions - questions!

Ended up :

Sms HY to ask how SY is doing coz he was having a fever 2 days ago.
Depositing Cheque
Stayed home to cook my Stew & whip up lunch.

Felt Great with my Pork Rib Stew was cooking & the aroma of spices started to fuse together :)

Felt Great when I "innovated" all the left overs together

Felt Great when the pork stir-fry with Plum sauce tasted really appetising for the kids.

Chocolate ChocChip Muffin

This is Muffin recipe is taken from "Makan - Cupcakes, Muffins, & Scones" by Azza Pwanchik. She called it Double Chocolate Muffins

My son in particular, requested for this flavour ;)

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Large Egg
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips




Method
1. Combine Flour, Sugar, Cocoa & Baking Powder in Large Bowl.

2. Whisk Egg, Milk, & melted Butter seperately in another bowl. Then pour in liquid ingredients into the dry (flour, sugar etc).


3. Add Chocolate Chips, while stirring until all mixed. Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased 2 inch muffin pans.


4. Bake in preheated 200'C oven for 20 minutes.