LAVA CAKE...

      Kek Lava yang sangat enak...oozing with goodness. Namanya pun lava sebab bilamana dipotong sahaja bahagian tengahnya, maka keluarlah cairan bak gunung berapi yang boleh melemahkan semangat mana-mana penggila coklat dan dessert. Setengah jam saja diperlukan untuk menyediakan dessert ini. Jadi, paling sesuai untuk last minute dessert (kalau tetamu datang secara tiba-tiba) tapi nampak sangat impressive, lebih-lebih lagi jika diletakkan strawberry atau raspberry diatasnya. Resepi ini dari Pastry Arts Academy dan insyaAllah jadi kalau ikut saja steps yang diberi.

      Caranya, yang petama, di dalam double boiler, cairkan 230g dark chocolate (compound, tapi jika couverture yang disukai walaupun mahal, silakan) dan 225g butter. Masukkan 250g gula halus atau caster dan kacau hingga gula larut. Padamkan api dan steps seterusnya amat penting di mana 210g putih telur dimasukkan perlahan-lahan ke dalam double boiler (api dipadamkan tetapi periuk air di bawah jangan dialihkan) dan pastikan terus mengacau sehingga adunan jadi agak likat sedikit. Jika dikacau tidak berterusan nanti putih telur akan berketul-ketul dan tak rata.  Boleh alihkan mangkuk tu dari periuk dan ayakkan 120g tepung (gandum/superfine) ke dalam adunan tadi. Kacau rata.

     Seterusnya, masukkan adunan ke dalam mangkuk pembakar yang kecil atau ring mould. Saya gunakan souffle cup seperti di bawah, cukup untuk 1 serving:

    Brush dulu bahagian dalam dengan  butter dan tabur sikit tepung (kalau nak serve terus tak perlu tabur tepung sebab tepung tu untuk memudahkan bila kita invert atau keluarkan kek dari bekas). Pastikan oven dah preheat 180C. Step penting seterusnya, jika terus dibakar selepas siap adunan (maksudnya adunan masih lagi suam) bakar 13-15 minit. Jika adunan dah sejuk sikit (dibiarkan sejam lepas dibuat contohnya0, bakar 15-18 minit. Jika dah disimpan dalam peti sejuk, bakar 18-21 minit.

    Sambil menunggu kek masak, pukul whip cream dan bila kek masak, terus hidangkan. Boleh tabur icing sugar sikit (kasi cantik), letak whip cream dan susun strawberry atasnya. Untuk kek lava yang lebih, yang disimpan dalam peti sejuk,  panaskan saja dalam microwave sebelum dimakan, nanti lavanya akan cari semula. Jadi maksudnya, bolehlah dibuat sarapan pagi bersama secangkir kopi.

   

MURTABAK MAGGI ANYONE?

      ...One of the simplest snacks ever that simply oozes with delightful melted cheeses. The noodles would sometimes go unnoticeable and once even mistaken for macaroni! If you're not into Maggi mee, perhaps other dried noodles can be used (never tried this though). I bought the packet with no seasoning included because I would rather use my own curry powder and seasoning. Your choice though.
         
      This recipe is just enough for 4 hungry kids. Boil 2 pieces of Maggi and toss it. Meanwhile, in a hot pan, using a little bit of oil, stir fry 1 chopped red onion, 1 crushed garlic, 1 chopped red chili, a tablespoon of curry powder. When the mixture is fragrant, add a teaspoon of chicken stock and remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat 4 eggs, some salt and add the stir-fried mixture and Maggi into it. You can also add some mix vege or sliced button mushroom. 

     Heat a pan with some oil or butter and fry all to get a thick piece or make 2 pieces if you wish. I like mine thick fried over low heat and covered with lid so that it is cooked evenly. Overturning the piece may require some skill and confidence but as long the bottom side is well-cooked then it is sturdy enough to sit on a spatula while it is being flipped.

    Just before serving, drizzle some chili sauce and you'll have a wonderful smell and sight on a plate.
      

STEAM CHOCOLATE CHEESE LAYER CAKE

      Steam cake was the first cake I knew when I was a child. Apparently, a decent oven was a pretty fancy gadget to be in any household during the 70s. We did have an oven though, the black butterfly oven for kerosene stove. Though humble as it may look, it managed to help my mom do wonders in the kitchen. 

      The steamer pot was as much useful as the oven. Though it was pretty dented up especially on the lid, it steamed the perfect paus, fruit cakes, chocolate cake, traditional kuihs and countless of other dishes that would leave me drooling just reminiscing about it. I too, own sets of steamer pots (and oh, the electric steamer seems very appealing to me), 4 to be exact, each of different size. 

    Somehow I find steam cakes a perfect serving for tea. They are moist, rich and tender just as they are and in no need of heavy frostings and fillings. Of course, a little chocolate drizzle atop a steam chocolate cake would do no harm though. It simply adds to the sinfulness of the cake.

   As for today, I am sharing with you a wonderful recipe that would make any chocolate and cheesecake lover smile over the simplicity of its recipe and preparation. 

   Line a 9" square pan with parchment paper. Prepare a steamer pot with enough water to steam for 45 minutes or more. For the chocolate cake layer, beat 3 eggs with 300g of fine sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence until pale and fluffy. Pour a cup of milk and half cup of hot water into the mixture and continue mixing it slowly. Then add 200 g of melted butter, followed by the dry ingredients which are sifted - 160g flour, 4 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda. MIx well and divide into two portions. Pour a portion into the cake tin and steam for 15 minutes.

    For the cheese mixture, cream 375g of soften cream cheese with 80g of fine sugar. Add a little bit of vanilla essence. Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of cornflour and a tablespoon of fresh milk into it. Mix well and pour onto the chocolate layer that has been steamed. Steam for another 15 minutes then layer it with the rest of the chocolate cake batter and steam for another 15 minutes. Remove from steamer and cool. If you fancy extra layers in your cake, you can simply divide the batter into 5 layers, perhaps. 
    
     Simply a steamy affair.

     
MYNN

Durian Crepe

Durian eaters have gone into this durian crepe frenzy.  I normally have this thin pancake filled with a variety of savoury and sweet fillings - nuts, fruits, ice-cream, cheese, beef - but never with durian. So I figured why not give it a try.  After all, it is the durian season (I guess my durian panna cotta had to wait).  So I got myself some musang king durians (this must be one pricey fruit crepes ever)...the fleshiest and creamiest ones, and started whipping up things. The result: A delightful combination of that rich fruit pulp and custardy cream. Best eaten chilled. 

Crepe
1/3 cup flour1/3 cup rice flour1/3 cup custard flour1 egg
salt
few drops yellow colouring
100ml fresh milk
100ml water (more or less)
butter (to brush on pan)

    Mix all ingredients in a blender and pulse for a while. Use a strainer to ensure mixture is thoroughly smooth. A non-stick pan comes in handy when making crepes or pancakes. You just need to brush a little bit of butter on the pan and heat it very warm. Use a 1/4-cup size container as a scoop and pour onto the pan. As you begin to pour it, immediately move the pan around as to spread the batter thinly and evenly. Lift when all parts are cooked and dry. When placing the pieces on a plate, ensure there is a plastic sheet in between each piece so they don't stick to one another. This could also prevent them from drying out. 

Pastry Cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1 cup fresh milk 
1 cup water
few drops vanilla essence
3 eggs

     Again, mix all in a blender and pulse. Pour into a pot and turn on the stove. Use a whisk to prevent curdling and as the mixture thickens, whisk it vigorously. Remove from heat and after 5 minutes, add a spoonful of butter. Whisk until all are mixed well. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, whip up a cup of non-dairy whipping cream (I use Rich) and fold the whip and pastry cream together. 

   Now, to assemble the durian crepe. A dollop of cream followed by generous amount of durian flesh, then another dollop of cream on top. Fold in the opposites sides to get that fluffy square or rectangle pillows. Chill before serving. 

MUFFINS

Muffins are one of the fastest snacks to prepare. Good for kids' lunch boxes or for afternoon tea.

Muffins can be prepared in 2 ways - Creaming method & Muffin method. Personally, I prefer the latter as they are more traditionally 'muffin-like' (crumbly and more filling unlike the more cake like and fluffy nature of the other type). However, my kids love the cake like muffins and fortunately, I have an excellent muffin recipe that I can play with to get as many flavours and colours as I wish!

1 recipe many variations...time-saving indeed.

Ingredients:

Beat 50g butter + 70g fine sugar till pale and white

Add into it 1 beaten egg. Continue beating till evenly mixed

On medium speed, add 50g self-raising flour + 50g plain flour + 1 tbsp baking powder

On low speed, add 50g fresh milk. When mixture is well mixed, choose your flavouring.

Chocolate - add 50g chocolate chips + 15 g cocoa powder

Mocha - add 10 g cocoa powder + 1 tsp instant coffee powder (in 1 tbsp water)

Pandan/Screwpine flavour - add 1 tsp pandan paste + 2 drops green colouring

Blueberry - fold into mixture 100 g of blueberry filling

Carrot walnut - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts + 1/2 cup shredded carrot + drops of yellow colour

Apple - 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder + 2 tbsp applesauce

Strawberry - add 1 tsp of strawberry puree/jam right into each muffin cup already filled with mixture

Most of the time, I would sprinkle either coloured rice or hundreds and thousands on each muffin to make them more irresistibly attractive.

PAVLOVA - THE GREAT DESSERT COOKBOOK

Whether u like it dry or gooey inside, you must try this recipe. It's worth the effort. This book gives you 4 types of pavlovas!

One-Egg Pavlova

Easy Two-Egg Pavlova

Classic Pavlova

Step-by-step to marshmallow Pavlova

With such clear and detailed instructions, you will not fail to get it right. My result is the picture above. This little pavlovas might be too sweet for the local taste but for me, they are just perfect. Well, they are meant to be sweet considering that they have mostly sugar and egg whites as the main ingredients. The thing about pavlovas or meringue is that you can have it dry throughout or goey and marsmallowy on the inside. I love both ways.

This book gives you the variety of recipes and techniques for making pavlova. Worth trying.

CLASSIC PAVLOVA

3 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp conrflour

pinch salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup caster sugar

Beat egg whites and salt until soft peak form; add caster sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Make sure sugar is completely dissolved. Mix together granulated sugar and cornflour, lightly fold into meringue with lemon juice. Spread on prepared tray.

This mixture makes one 23cm (9") pavlova or 4 small individual shells.

Baking in Electric Oven: Large Pavlova: bake in slow oven (140-150C) 30-40 mins, cool in oven. Small Pavlovas: bake as for large pavlovas.

Simple. The result? Perfect and delicious. See picture above.