Oeufs en Croustade

My Monday Brunch: Oeufs en Croustade (baked left-over brioche w/ crushed garlic + salted butter, topped with poached egg , Hollandaise sauce, garnished w/ grated cheese, chopped spring onions & coriander leaves), served w/ pan fried tomatoes + a glass of pineapple juice + a Sunkist + 1 dark chocolate ball:-)) 

I'm not fond of egg yolk at all (poached or, fried or scrambled, etc...), so I only eat the egg whites, and left the egg yolks aside...;-P Not quite picky, ehhh!  

Note: 
"Oeuf" in french = egg
"Croustade" in french = a crisp piece of bread or pastry hollowed to receive a savoury filling. :-))

Croustades (for 1 person):

1/2 stale unsliced loaf white bread or french brioche

25 g butter, melted

1 garlic clove, crushed

To make the croustades:
Preheat the oven to 180°C . Cut four 3 cm thick slices from the brioche bread and remove the crusts. Cut each piece of bread into a 9 cm square, then use a round cutter to cut a circle, or a square if you prefer, in the centre of the bread, without cutting all the way through. Use a knife to scoop out the bread from the centre to form a hollow.

Mix together the melted butter and garlic and brush all over the bread. Place on a baking tray and bake for 8 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden. Keep warm.

Hollandaise Sauce:1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
45 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

To make the hollandaise sauce:
Put the egg yolk, a bit of salt and black pepper in a blender and mix together. Heat the lemon juice and butter until boiling and then, with the motor running, poor onto the yolk in a steady stream.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander and spring onion or parley 

To poach the eggs:
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Crack an egg into a small bowl, reduce the heat and slide the egg into the simmering water. Poach for 3 minutes, then remove carefully with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Poach another egg. Trim the eggs of any straggly bits of white.
Gently place an egg into each croustade. Pour over a little hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with chopped spring onion and coriander (or parsley). Serve at once with extra hollandaise sauce. 

Note from a chef:
Use the freshest eggs you can find for poaching, so that the whites don't spread too much in the water. If you can't guarantee their freshness, add a little vinegar to the water to keep the whites together. 

{this photo taken in HDR Mode}  Bon Appétit!

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French Toast "Pain Perdu" (My Version)

I made my own "Hokkaido Soft Bread" last week with several efforts, I must say:-) The first time, it was like french "Brioche" and its outer edge was terribly hard! I realized that I did not put enough love and attentive concern for the first-rounded soft bread. I, therefore, corrected and put more love and attention to its ingredients, measurement, techniques all through the process. The second one was much better, but its taste and texture was not what I desired. So I tried harder...and it was worth my effort as the third one turned out exactly what I really wanted it to be: soft, cottony and springy texture & harmonious taste, melt in the mouth! Yes!!!! I did it, finally!:-) 

Sinfully beautiful, isn't it? :-D

I thought of making the most of my left-over bread in order that I can make a new one...Well, nothing beats homemade "French toast (Pain Perdu)" with homemade bread for lovely Sunday breakfast...
while listening to chirping birds outside my window:-)

Ta da! My Sunday breakfast: Pain Perdu,
a glass of pineapple juice, an orange and a cuppa coffee:-) 

Ingredients (for 1-2 person(s):

2-3 super big n thick bread

(preferably Brioche) 

100 ml Milk 

1 teaspoon Vanilla essence

orange juice from 1/2 Sunkist

2 teaspoons (Vanilla) sugar

1 or 2 egg(s)

• Put all the ingredients in a bowl.
• Stir the ingredients with a fork or balloon whisk...
• Soak the toasts (one by one) into the mixture w/ both sides. 
• Gently place the toast on salted butter, melt in a pan with medium heat; 
• Fry each side 1 -2 minutes approximately. 
• Sprinkle a little bit more sugar or spread w/ honey or maple syrup of your preference before serving.

Note: If you don't have orange juice, it's not a problem...you can then substitute w/ a bit of Vanilla Rum ;-P
I love it too!!!

Wishing you a Smiley Day :-)) !!!

"Something I learned early is not to worry about what I cannot control...
But what I can control: my attitude, my efforts, and my focus every single day."
-- Tim Tebow

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Churros & Pandan Flavoured "Kaya" Dip

Yesterday I wanted to eat fried dough sticks, Thai style...but I didn't have "Ammonium bicarbonate powder", one of important ingredients, in store...So a flash idea popped up with the name "Churros", delicious Spanish Fritters!!! The funniest part of Churros making, as I could recall from my previous making: using a pair of scissors to cut the dough from cookie tube, into hot boiling oil in a heavy based saucepan:-) 
I love eating them in short sticks as they are more crispy-crunchy than the traditional sized ones. This time, I slightly adjusted churros ingredients' measurement from a very easy & practical Spanishfood.about.com to my own preference, served with homemade pandan flavoured "Kaya" dip, coconut jam, made from coconut milk, egg yolks, flavoured with pandan leaves and sweetened with sugar.  Lovely Saturday, indeed!

Ingredients:
125g multi-purpose flour or plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons caster sugar
a good pinch salt
125g water
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (I used Olive oil for mixture)
Palm oil for frying
for Churros preparation, step by step, you can therefore visit the following link:
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/dessertssweets/r/churros.htm

Kaya is sort of Crème pâtissière (Pastry Cream), South East Asian version. We use coconut cream in lieu of cow milk, and without butter or vanilla pod...Its method & the rest of ingredients: the same ( Sugar and Egg Yolks)! "Kaya" is literally translated as "Coconut Jam" because it is usually seen as popular accompaniment of toast or local "Cakoi" (or fried dough sticks), and can be found in almost any Kopi Tiam in the region. There are two flavours: Original and Pandan. My preference: Pandan!

Homemade "Kaya" Recipe:

3 eggs

125g sugar

170 ml coconut milk
(for those who avoid coconut milk, you can substitute with cow milk)

6-9 pandan leaves

(you'll have almost 1 cup of pandan juice)

2,5 tablespoons Corn flour

• Pandan leaves, pressed and blended with 100 ml water, and strain for pandan juice;
• In a large bowl, crack in eggs. Add in coconut milk and pandan juice using a hand whisk, then strain;
• Add sugar, corn flour and a pinch of salt (If you'd prefer a bit salty taste) into the egg mixture. 
• Gently stir the mixture till sugar has been dissolved. Strain again. 
• Then pour the ready-mixture into a medium sized stainless-steel milk saucepan;
• Boil water in a heavy based pan with medium heat.
• Place the saucepan into the pan (bain-marie method), stir the mixture till it has thickened ***Kaya mixture must be stirred consistenly and in the same direction to avoid lumps as well as must be cooked for at least 45 minutes with the bain-marie method (or about 1,5 hours on double boiler) to get the fragrant taste and to enable it to last longer***.
• Served warm, with steamed toasts or grilled toasts or Churros, of course:-)) Enjoy!

...Life is Art...

"I think everything in life is art,

What you do, how you dress,

The way you love someone,

and how you talk. 

Your smile and your personality,

What you believe in,

and all your dreams.

The way you drink your tea,

How you decorate your home,

or party; your grocery list,

the food you make,

How your writing looks,

and the way you feel..."

--Unknown author

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Veggie Curry Puff (Thai Style)

lovely!!!

♡❀♡ 
For the Filling:

2 small Potatoes (diced) 

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons mushroom sauce
2 tablespoons chicken broth or water

20 g butter 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon curry powder 

a pinch of salt

Another veggie filling of mine: Shiitake & white sesame!
hmmmm...heavenly, irresistibly yummm!:)

• Melt the butter in a medium frying pan. 
• Add in olive oil and cook the onion with low heat, stirring, until tender. 
• Add diced potatoes, mushroom sauce and stir well, until just cooked. 
• Season with curry powder and a pinch of salt. Leave to cool.  

♡❀♡ 
Pastry (a)

70 g flour

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (I use Olive oil)

• Sift the flour into a small bowl. Make a well in the centre and add in vegetable oil. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together, then with a little help of a hand, to knead the dough to bring it together. Shape the dough into 10 small balls.

♡❀♡ 
Pastry (b)

130 g flour

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon caster sugar

a pinch of salt

• Mix sugar, salt into cold water. Stir well until they dissolve. Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add in vegetable oil, ready-mixed cold water. Use a spatula to mix all the ingredients together, then use a hand to knead the dough for a minute to bring it together. Please do not knead too many times as it will thicken the pastry. Divide the dough into 10 bigger balls. 
• Roll out pastry (b) into a circle, then place pastry (a) in the centre and cover it completely. Repeat with the rest of the balls (picture #1-4). Cover them with moist tea-towel and leave for 15 minutes. 

• Roll out the pastry with up-down direction (as demonstrated on picture #5). 
• Then roll in the pastry with your fingers (picture #6).
• Rotate the rolled pastry into vertical direction, then roll out again (picture #7-8).
• Roll in the pastry...now you have 1 shorter roll. Cut it into 2 pieces (picture # 9-10) 
• Pull the pastry lap to the top. (in order that when you roll out again, the lap won't come out of the pastry) Then roll out the pastry in an oval shape or round shape
  (picture # 11-12). 
• Add 1-2 teaspoon(s) potato filling. Press and cover the edge with your fingertips or a fork.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy based medium saucepan with low heat until hot. 
• Add the pastry and fry until light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

❀♡  Enjoy your weekend with your loved ones!   ♡❀  
As for me, really enjoyed watching a classic film called "The Apartment" :-)

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Caramel Custard ( Crème caramel )

My favourite dessert of all time! :-) 

I am a loyal fan of Caramel, you name it... Caramba Caramel, Iced Caramel Latte, Caramel Toffee, Crème brûlée, Caramel ice-cream, etc. 

Caramel

100 g caster (superfine) sugar

Custard

300 ml milk

1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

80 g caster sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

2 egg yolks

To make the caramel, put the sugar in a saucepan and heat until it dissolves and starts to caramelize--tip the saucepan from side to side to keep the colouring even. Remove from the heat and carefully add 2 teaspoons water to stop the cooking process. Pour into six 125 ml ramekins and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

• Put the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring just to boil. 
• Mix together the sugar, eggs and egg yolks. (I also add in a few drops of vanilla essence)
• Strain the boiling milk over the egg mixture and stir well. 
• Ladle into the ramekins and place in a roasting tin. 
• Pour enough hot water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to touch.
• Remove from the tin and leave for 15 minutes.

Unmold onto plates and pour on any left-over caramel.

"Kaffee und Liebe sind heiß am besten."
the above German proverb states that,
“Coffee and love are best when they are hot.” :-P

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
There's a Lebanese film called "Caramel" or Sukkar banat. A romantic comedy centered on the daily lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut.... a dark-brown colouring with intense & aromatic taste of Caramel...Interesting! :-) Kindly visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825236/ for its storyline and so forth:-) Enjoy!

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Classic Swiss Roll (Biscuit roulé à la confiture)

 Biscuit roulé à la confiture, inspired by Françoise Bernard's.
I found it very practical and easy to make with not much preparation...
only with a little adjustment for my version. Here we go...:)

Ingredients:

3 eggs (large)

100 g caster or sifted icing sugar 

1 sachet vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

30 g plain flour
30 g corn flour

a pinch of salt

200 g Raspberry or Strawberry Jam

For my aunt :-))
Filled roll is best eaten immediately!

Preheat oven to moderately hot 200°C. Line a 22 x 33 cm base the tin with grease-proof paper. 

To make the roll:

• Using electric beater, beat egg yolks, 50 sugar and vanilla essence in small mixing bowl over hot water until thick and pale.
• In another bowl, also over hot water, beat the egg whites and salt, until they stand in peaks. beat in the remaining sugar until they become glossy meringue;
• Sift the flour and corn flour onto grease-proof paper. Fold in rapidly half of the flour to the yolk mixture, then half of the whites, using a wooden spoon. Repeat with the rest of the flour as well as the whites until just combined.
• Spread mixture evenly into prepared tin; smooth surface. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Turn the cake out onto a dry, clean tea-towel covered with greaseproof paper that has been sprinkled with the extra sugar. Then using the tea-towel as a guide, carefully roll cake up with the paper; leave for 5 minutes or until cool. 
• Unroll cake, discard paper. Spread with jam; reroll. Trim ends with knife; decorate as desire.

Served with a cup of hot green tea 
or coffee:-))

Ta da! My Swiss Roll (Raspberry jam filling),
topped with reduced fat whipped cream! :-))

Hint: Jam is best beaten with a spatula for 30 seconds before it is applied to the cake. This will soften the jam and make it easier to spread.

"What does it mean to be totally loving? It means to be fully present, in every single moment.
To be fully aware. To be fully loving means to be fully naked,
without hidden agenda or hidden motive,
without hidden anything."
--Neale Donald Walsch ♥

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Thai Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Sweet Coconut Cream

Khanom-Bua Loy-Ma Prao On-Bai Toey 

or Pandan & Young Coconut Flavoured Floating Lotus in Sweet Coconut Cream, 

a lovely Thai dessert in these rainy days:-) Note* I used 2 natural aroma ingredients: fresh young coconut juice and freshly blended & pressed Pandan juice when mixing the rice flour. Ideally topped with young coconut meat and served in a young coconut shell:-)) It is best eaten when warm. Some Thais also love to add poached egg (or poached quail eggs) in the dessert, to enjoy weird yet well married, so called "Salé- Sucré" flavour! :-D ♥

ขนมบัวลอยมะพร้าวอ่อนกับใบเตยในน้ำกะทิ 
(สูตรโบราณ)

ของหวานยามฝนพรำ:-))
ส่วนผสมนี้ สำหรับทานได้ สามถึงสี่ที่ 

ส่วนผสม 

แป้งข้าวเหนียว ๓-๔ ถ้วย

น้ำมะพร้าวอ่อน สำหรับผสมแป้ง

เนื้อมะพร้าวอ่อน (มะพร้าวอ่อน ๑ ลูก)

กะทิสด ๓-๔ ถ้วย หรือกะทิกล่องสำเร็จรูป 1 กล่อง 

ใบเตย ๔-๕ ใบ สำหรับคั้นน้ำใบเตย และสำหรับเคี่ยวพร้อมกับกะทิ

น้ำตาลปึ๊บหรือน้ำตาลมะพร้าว ๓-๔ ช้อนโต๊ะ ตามชอบ

เกลือ ๑-๒ หยิบมือ

วิธีทำ

ผสมแป้งข้าวเหนียวกับน้ำมะพร้าวอ่อน (หรือน้ำมะพร้าวเผา) ลงไปคลุกเคล้าและนวดให้เข้ากันกับแป้ง แล้วแบ่งส่วนผสมเป็นสองส่วน เติมน้ำคั้นใบเตยลงไปและเพิ่มแป้งข้าวเหนียว (หรือ แป้งมันสำปะหลัง) อีกเล็กน้อยลงไปผสมอีกรอบเพื่อไม่ให้แป้งเหลวจนเกินไป ก่อนปั้นเป็นเม็ดเล็กๆขนาด เกินครึ่งเซ็นติเมตร แต่ไม่ถึง ๑ เซ็นติเมตร ลงบนถาดที่โรยด้วยแป้งมันบางๆ เพื่อไม่ให้เม็ดแป้งที่ปั้นแล้วติดถาด

ต้มกะทิกับใบเตยด้วยไฟอ่อน พอเดือด ใส่น้ำตาลมะพร้าวและเกลือ รอให้เดือดอีกครั้ง แล้วค่อยๆหย่อนเม็ดแป้งลงไปในหม้อใบเล็กที่เคี่ยวน้ำตาลกับกะทิสดและใบเตยจนหอมแล้ว พอสุกได้ที่ เม็ดแป้งจะลอยขึ้น ชิมรสอีกครั้งตามชอบ ปิดไฟเตา แล้วตักขนมบัวลอยใส่ลูกมะพร้าวอ่อน ผสมเนื้อมะพร้าวอ่อนที่เตรียมไว้ ก่อนเสิร์ฟ :-))

ป.ล. สูตรโบราณ จะต้มเม็ดแป้งลงในกะทิที่เคี่ยวกับน้ำตาลดีแล้ว ไม่ได้ต้มเม็ดแป้งลงในน้ำเดือด แล้วจึงมาผสมลงในน้ำกะทิเหมือนที่ขายตามท้องตลาดปัจจุบัน... อาจลวกไข่ไก่หรือไข่นกกระทาใส่ลงไปในกะทิ ตอนเม็ดแป้งสุก ก่อนเสิร์ฟ ก็อร่อยไปอีกแบบหนึ่งค่ะ:-) ควรทาแป้งมันที่ฝ่ามือเพื่อไม่ให้แป้งติดมือขณะนวดและปั้นเม็ดแป้ง และควรโรยแป้งมันในภาชนะที่ใส่เม็ดแป้งที่ปั้นไว้ เพื่อไม่ให้เม็ดแป้งติดกัน

ถ้าต้องการให้แป้งบัวลอยมีสีต่าง ๆ ทำดังนี้
แป้งข้าวเหนียวสีขาวนวดกับ น้ำใบเตย (ใบเตยโขลกละเอียดแล้วคั้นกับน้ำ) จะได้ สีเขียว
แป้งข้าวเหนียวสีขาวนวดกับ น้ำดอกอัญชัญ (ดอกอัญชัญคั้นกับน้ำ) จะได้ สีม่วงอ่อน
แป้งข้าวเหนียวสีขาวนวดปนกับ มันหอมสีม่วง หรือเผือกต้มบด จะได้ สีม่วง
แป้งข้าวเหนียวสีขาวนวดผสมกับ ฟักทองนึ่งบด จะได้ สีเหลือง
แป้งข้าวเหนียวสีขาวนวดผสมกับ แครอทต้มบด จะได้ สีส้มสุุก

Another version of glutinous rice dumplings with yam, pumpkin &
young coconut meat in sweet coconut cream
(glutinous rice flour mixed with mashed purple yam,
mashed pumpkin and pandan extract).
I called it "Tricolour" Bua Loy:-) ♥

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. 

When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." 

--Thich Nhat Hanh

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Coco-Pandan Chiffon Cake

Anne's version: with pandan-coconut cream 

I love chiffon cake as it's light, soft and melt in the mouth easily, especially Pandan flavoured one with young coconut topper:-)) I found this very practical recipe from internet a couple of days ago. Here's the link for Chiffon lovers: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2011/06/pandan-chiffon-cake.html

Heavy downpour and a mug of hot coffee
+ a piece of homey heart-♥- made 
Pandan chiffon cake:-)

Note* I am so happy that it turned out pretty well. Thank you Christine!

I set my oven at 160°C with an extra thermometer in the oven for the whole baking process. 

I covered the spring form tin with aluminum foil before putting the ready mixture in the oven (and uncover it 5 minutes prior to set time) to prevent the cake surface from turning brown:-)

Enjoy & Have a lovely weekend!

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Mocha Sponge with Mock Cream Filling & Toffee Glaze

Please refer to Victoria Sponge's recipe for the cake. I only added in 1 teaspoon each, sifted Cocoa powder and sifted instant black coffee into the ready mixture prior to spreading it evenly into prepared tins and bake for 20 minutes or until sponges shrink from sides of tins.

Ta da! :-)

Mock Cream (also known as butter cream and butter icing) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttercream

To make Mock Cream Filling, you'd need:

125g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar or icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy; 
• Cover the mixture with cold water, swirl water around and pour off;
• Continue to beat with electric beaters for about 2 minutes; 
• Repeat this whole process six times or until cream is white and fluffy and sugar is dissolved; 
• Stir in vanilla essence;
• Sandwich cakes with filling; 
• Spread Toffee Sauce as cake topper.

Another decoration: with Hershey's White Choc-Block on top:-)

To make Toffee Sauce with easy recipe: 

25g butter

25g soft brown sugar

100g double cream (heavy cream)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

• Heat the butter with the sugar, cream and lemon juice in a small pan over a medium heat. 
• Stir until smooth and all the sugar has dissolved and butter has melted. 
• Take off the heat just before it starts to bubble. 
• Leave it to cool before spreading on top layer of the cake:-)  or alternatively you can use commercial Toffee dessert sauce as tricky shortcut:-)
  

Did you know... that today (May 18, 2012) is International Museum Day? Celebrate the role of the world's museums in furthering human understanding. These recent years, International Museum Day has been experiencing its highest involution with almost 30,000 museums that organized activities in more than 100 countries!

♥♥♥♥

Today's Inspirational Quote:

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give

ourselves the gift of living well."

-- Voltaire

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