Bullseye Cheesecake May 15, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Cakes.11 comments
Ok, so exams are over. Why am I not churning enough more yummilicious stuff?
Well, I still have school from 9am-5pm every (week)day! 😦 We have project work for 5 weeks and it isn’t easy at all! Sucks all my energy and by the time I get home, I just wanna stone and relax…
Went for a gathering last Fri and I decided to give Lori’s Bull’s-eye Cheesecake a try after seeing it on fellow foodie, shebakesandshecooks’s site… I’m a big big fan of cheesecake and after hearing all the raves, I had to give it a try! And boy, it was good!
Just that I may separate 1/3 of the original of the original batter for the chocolate portion instead as I found the cake far too chocolate-y. But then again, I’m a purist… hehe, I like my cheesecake plain! So, I’m gonna make Lori’s original cheesecake soon… Since the cake tastes so good!
Anyway, if you need the recipe, its available from the Lori’s link above… 🙂
(PS: I made simple fruit tartlets for Mother’s Day for my mummy, aunties and grandma, but, before I had the chance to take a decent picture, they were all gobbled up! But fret not, I’m making it again for my mum’s friends later this week, so I’ll post about it soon! Stay tuned!)
*edit: I understand that Lori’s link is not working anymore. I will try and dig out the recipe and post it here soon! :D*
Mango Sago Dessert April 26, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Desserts.66 comments
Ok. Reason for cooking while i’m still in the midst of exams? Stress. Depression.
My paper today was a total killer. Was sooo depressed after that.
Then my friend brought over 2 utterly beautiful and fragrant mangoes. His mum just got back from Vietnam and he was kind enough to remember what I had been rambling about the week before. I saw Mango Pomelo Dessert in a Hong Kong cafe we frequent and I just casually mentioned that I would like to try and make this dessert myself.
And so, he brought 2 mangoes for me today! 😉
As said, I was supposed to make Mango Pomelo Dessert, but I couldn’t find any pomelo on sale, or probably, it ain’t the season for pomelo now, so, I decided to substitute with Sago pearls instead!
This dessert is insanely easy to make. And its super yummilious. Mmm… My whole family and my study buddies love it!
Ok. I need to get back to studying. 😦
Give this a try if you like chilled desserts. You won’t regret it!
Mango Sago Dessert
(adapted from Zu’s Kitchen)
Ingredients
600gm mango (abt 2 honey mangoes)
400ml mango juice (Peelfresh or any other similar brands)
125ml evaporated milk
80g sago pearls (original uses 300gm pomelo, split into small pieces)
250ml water
2~3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornflour/tapioca starch
1 tbsp water
extra 100ml water
Directions
1. Boil 250ml water and sugar till sugar dissolves.
2. Mix cornflour/tapioca starch with 1 tbsp water and pour into the syrup and stir over low heat until mixture is smooth.
3. Take syrup and cornflour mixture off the heat and leave it to cool.
4. Cut the sides of the mango and cube them.
5. Scrap the remaining mango and put in a bowl, add 100ml of water to blend, put aside.
6. Add blended mango, cubed mango, mango juice and evaporated milk into the syrup solution (from 1) then stir.
7. Add sago pearls and stir, if too thick, add abit of cooled boiled water or more mango juice.
8. Chill before serving.
Preparation of sago pearls
1. Soak sago pearls in water till they turned abit translucent (About an hour)
2. Boil the pearls with water till it turns totally translucent.
3. Pour the cooked pearls into a sieve and wash it with tap water remove the starch and now it’s ready to be used
(PS: I had some difficulty cooking sago the 1st time, and I found a better way of cooking sago pearls, from Eupho Cafe and English Patis.
- Boil about 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Add in sago pearls and bring to boil.
- Once it boils, cover saucepan and turn off heat. Leave for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, stir the mixture, turn on the heat and bring it to boil again.
- Once it boils the second time, cover again, turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. The sago should be cooked by now.
- Drain the sago from the hot water and rinse. Soak in cold water (to stop it cooking further). When completely cool drain again and set aside.
This results in a soft but still chewy texture and not mushy at all. )
Banana Nut Bread April 25, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Bread.5 comments
No, my exams ain't over yet.
BUT, I had to get rid of over-riped bananas and ok, I admit, my hands were itchy, so I choose to bake a bread using my breadmachine(okay, its my mum's, not mine, but hey, I'm the only one who knows how to use it!). I love breadmachines cos they do all the work for you. Mix, knead, rise and bake! Easy peasy! Esp for Miss Lazy here… 😉
This was a nutty delight. Very fragrant(cos the whole house smelled like banana as it was baking). And yes, I could taste the banana! BUT, alas, the texture was more cake-like than bread.
The peeps over in the western part of the world seem to name this a bread just because its baked in a loaf pan! But seriously, its consistancy is leaning towards cake than bread. But then again, I read somewhere that they call it a bread because it has less oil/fats as compared to a cake. (So, this is just a low-fat cake in disguise!!!)
But whats in a name? It turned out beautiful and was exquisitely moist (not forgetting, low fat too!). So yes, this recipe is a keeper.
There's just one thing, this bread taste much much better from the 2nd day onwards! Seems to me like almost all banana bread/cakes tastes better from the 2nd day! The flavour seemed to have matured and developed more intensely. Mmm…
Go ahead and give this recipe a try. And yes, remember to keep some and let it rest for a day then tell me if it does taste better from the 2nd day on… =)
(PS: Yes, those stuff sticking out of the bread are toothpicks. My arty farty creative boyfriend wanted to create the look of freshly cut slices of bread still sticking to the side of the bread, but the bread kept falling and he had to resort to using toothpicks to keep them from falling! But, unfortunately, he didn't choose the right angle to snap the photo.. :(… oh well…)
Banana Nut Bread
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients listed in order into the bread pan.
2. Select the Quick Bread/Cake cycle. Press "Start". Check after 2 minutes if the mixture is well mixed.
3. Sit back and relax, enjoy the wonderful aroma as the bread is baking.
4. Remove the bread from the bread pan and allow it to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes:
~ Use over-riped bananas for a better banana taste!
~ Use ang-ba jio bananas cos they are perfect for baking purposes! They tend to be more fragrant and have a more intensed flavour. If not, Del Monte Bananas work wonders too.
~ Put the walnuts into a toaster/oven and lightly toast/roast them for 3-5 minutes. This releases the oils in the nuts and enhances the flavour.
Quick Update April 18, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Uncategorized.2 comments
Sorry I have not been bloggin'…
Its the exam period and I have absolutely no time to bake/cook. Boo.
Doesn't help that I'm suffering from baking withdrawal. Boo.
But I promise I'll be back. Real soon! My to-do list is building up! So, I'll be back with a blast! So, check back every once in a while ya?
For now, just explore ard the other food bloggies I have on my list! =) Or give some of my recipes a try!
Cheerio peeps!
Thin Crusty Pizza March 16, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
I love my pizzas with crispy sides and with a thin base.
And I found a nice recipe that recreates that!
And the best part? Its so easy. I throw all the dough ingredients into my breadmachine and set it to the ‘dough’ function and in 1 and 1/2 hours, my dough is all ready!
Then all i have to do is roll it out, put on my fav ingredients and bake!
Indeed, nothing beats having fresh home made pizza!
Yields 4 pizza bases.
Ingredients
200ml Warm Water
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Olive Oil
375g Bread Flour
2 tsp Yeast
Pizza toppings as desired.
Method
1. Place ingredients into the bread pan according to your breadmaker instructions
2. Setting : Dough
3. Divide and roll dough on a lightly floured surface to the desired thickness.
4. Spread with selected pizza toppings.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 12-15 minutes or until base is cooked and topping heated through.
(Recipe from sinner, from Kitchencapers.net)
PS: I know some of us out there aren’t good at rolling out the dough cos yes, i admit, it isn’t easy to work with bread dough. You’ll have to let it rest a while to let the dough relax, then continue rolling it out. And yes, if you need advice on how to roll out a round pizza dough, check this video out!
Hope it helps! 🙂
Crustless Quiche March 10, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Uncategorized.13 comments
I love quiche.
I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? Cos it has eggs in ‘dem! Haha… I guess I just love eggs alot.
This recipe is tried and tested. MANY TIMES. Cos its so yummy! And everyone loves it. Once, i had friends staying over and I had to bake 2 huge ones to satisfy them!
But the main reason why I love this particular recipe is because, its doesn’t have a crust! So, i get an even greater bite of all the ingredients and the egg base! And yes, because i’m so lazy, i don’t have to roll the dough for the crust! hehe… And another reason? I am on a low-carbo diet, so this is something I can indulge in without worrying too much(as compared to the muffins and cakes!)! haha…
Well, I have been getting requests from friends and passers-by from my blog, for the recipe of this quiche. So, i decided, why not post it here and share it with everyone else. Good things are meant to shared anyway right?
Crustless Quiche
Egg Base:
1. 1/2 cup Bisquick
2. 1 cup milk (I use fresh milk)
3. 2 Eggs
4. 1/8 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
5. 1/4 teaspoon saltIngredients for quiche:
1. 1 tomato, sliced thinly
2. 1/2 cup mushrooms (those canned button mushrooms will do), sliced into 4s.
3. 1 big onion, sliced thinly
4. 3~4 slices of honey baked ham, sliced into 1 inch by 1/2 inch size.
5. 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
6. 1/3 cup cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 200ºC. Grease a 9-inch flan/pie dish. Arrange in layers the ham,mushrooms, tomatoes, onion and cheese.
2. Combine all the ingredients from the egg base in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Bake for about 35 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean and golden brown.
Notes:
Sometimes, i like to add in an extra dash of milk and an extra egg cos i like my quiche to be a little thicker.
I always have left over cream cheese lying in the fridge every once in a while, and i normally mix in about 2-3 table spoons of cream cheese into the egg base. Makes the quiche a little wetter when baked but its more fragrant.
You can play around with the ingredients in this recipe. Add cooked bacon instead(but remember to cut out the salt cos the bacon is normally very salty!), add in bell peppers, spinach… etc…
I have tried using many different cheeses in the process of experimenting. And i have found out that purely using cheddar cheese would make it a tad bitter because of the nature of the cheese. Purely using mozzarella cheese is nice if you do not like the strong smell of cheese, but for me, since i love cheese, i find it a little bland if i only use mozzarella. Swiss cheese is also another cheese that goes well with this dish. Experiment yourself and decide which one you prefer better! And yes, by all means, add MORE cheese if you like!!!
Banana Muffins March 6, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Muffins, Cupcakes and Scones.10 comments
Yesssss….. I finally baked after a long break… its so fulfilling! (haha… if only i can have as much interest and heart in my studies…! I could top the cohort!)
As said in the previous post, my bro has a home economics project and he has to create a muffin with a budget of $4. And since bananas are cheap and makes muffins super flavourful, I thought, why not?
And so, I got the recipe off my trusty forum, Kitchencapers.net and taught my rascal brother how to bake the muffins.
Results?
I’m sure he’ll get an A! (Thats if he doesn’t ‘kill’ his muffin by over mixing!)
The muffin was moist and smelled great. It wasn’t too sweet which would definately please all those healthy pple out there… =)
Taste wise, I could taste the banana bits because I purposely left chunks of banana in the muffin batter and did not mash all the banana in.
Well, it wasn’t as fluffy as I would have expected it to be, it was a little like a cross between kueh* and cake, but yes, definately leaning towards the cake consistancy.
Well, overall, I feel that this recipe is a keeper… so go ahead, give it a try too… =)
kueh: a malay/peranakan type of cake which is normally very dense and moist.
Banana Muffins
What you need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar (original recipe yields for 1 cup)
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
6 tablespoons UHT milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1 In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda,
salt, and cinnamon and set aside.
2 In a separate bowl, mix melted butter and eggs. Stir in milk and mashed banana and
mix well.
3 Fold in flour mixture into the liquid ingredients until combined.
4 Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds of the way full.
5 Bake in a preheated 170 degrees C oven for 25mins
Notes:
1. I used ‘Ang Ba Jeo’ bananas, apparently, its one of the better ones used for baking purposes.
2. You can substitute butter with margarine or corn oil…
(Recipe adapted from wink of Kitchencapers.net)
White Choc Cappuccino Muffin with Cream cheese topping March 5, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Muffins, Cupcakes and Scones.1 comment so far
Sorry I have not been posting… I’ve been sooooo busy with sch(its literally drowning me!), that I have not had enough time to step into the kitchen for some serious baking.
And as such, I’m think I’m suffering from Baking Withdrawal…
But but but… I see a free day coming up next week! So, I’ll probably whip up some yummy banana muffins. I promised my younger brother to help him with his Home Economic’s project, so I’ll be teaching him how to impress girls his teacher with yummilious muffins!
And so, for now, I’ll share with you a recipe I adapted and recreated on my own. I made this some time back but didn’t have time to transfer the recipe from my prev blog to here…
The original recipe was a cupcake and it didn’t have chocolate chips… But being the lazychef, I didn’t want to use my mixer to cream the butter for the cupcakes, so I modified the recipe into a muffin!
And yes, I have to rave about it, but coffee+Baileys+cream cheese is a powerful combination! Yum!
White Choc Cappuccino Muffin with Cream cheese topping
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tbsp Baileys/Kahlua/Orange Juice
2 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
1/3 cup milk
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and white chocolate chips.
Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg, coffee, Baileys and enough milk to fill the cup.
Mix this with flour mixture. Do NOT overmix. Batter should be lumpy!
Cream Cheese Topping
125g cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla essence
60g icing sugar
1 medium egg
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 190 degree C
2) Create muffin batter as instructed above.
3) Spoon batter to fill half the muffin/cupcake cases.
4) Bake for 10 minutes.
5) Meantime, beat ingredients B till fluffy and well combined.
6) Remove cupcakes from oven and carefully spoon the creamcheese over.
7) Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes
Dust with cocoa powder and icing sugar if desired.
Notes:
You may substitute white chocolate chips with normal chocolate chips.
Add another tbsp of Baileys if you wish!
Add additional splash of milk if your muffin batter is too sticky.
Trust me, muffin taste much better than it looks in the pic! Its very fragrant cos of the coffee and Baileys.
(Recipe adapted from Rusti from Kitchencapers.net)
Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake February 6, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Cakes.140 comments
I blogged and posted this recipe on my home blog. But since this is my foodie blog, i decided to move it here instead! (I’ll slowly move the recipes over from my main blog! Please be patient!)
What you need
3/4 bar of butter (1 bar= 250g)
1 cup of castor sugar
1/2 can of Full Cream Evaporated Milk (about 200g)
2 Eggs,lightly beaten with a folk
1 cup of Plain flour
1/2 cup of Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract or 1 tsp Vanilla essence
What to do!
1. Combine castor sugar,evaporated milk,vanilla extract or essence and butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted,off fire and keep warm.
3. Add the beaten eggs into the slightly cold Evaporated milk mixture and stir till well mix.
4. Sift the flour,cocoa powder,baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl then pour the eggs mixture over the flour and stir till well mix (cake batter should be runny).
5. Heat up the steamer.
6. Lined and greased a 8 or 9 inch baking pan.
7. Pour the batter into prepared pan and place the pans into the steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil.
8. Steam over medium heat for 45 mins.
9. Cool the cake in pan before turning out for further decoration.
Chocolate fudge Topping
1/2 can of Condense milk
1/2 tsp of Vanilla extract or 1 tsp Vanilla essence
1/4 cup Corn oil
1/6 cup Cocoa powder,sifted
1/16 tsp Salt (Okay, this is just a small pinch of salt)
1. Combine the sifted cocoa powder,condense milk and oil.
2. Stir over low heat till thicken (stirring all the time).
3. Add in salt and vanilla extract or essence.
4. Cool the chocolate topping a little before spreading on the cake.
Notes(by me!):
1. I did not line the cake pan, but i greased the pan generously.
2. Boil a kettle of water and keep it as stand-by while steaming the cake. This is to top up the water in the steamer if it dries up…(This is optional, but i find it useful…)
3. You can substitute the butter in the cake with corn oil. The cake would turn out more moist but with butter, the cake would be more fragrant.
4. With a metal spoon fluff up the flour in the bag,and lightly spoon it into the measuring cup while held over a sheet of waxed paper or the flour canister. Let the flour heap up and overflow. Do not tap or shake the cup to level it. When the flour is over the top,use the flat side of a knife or spatula to sweep off the excess flour so it is level with the top of the cup.
(Recipe is from Dralion from Kitchencapers.net, slightly adapted by me!)
And there was light… January 23, 2006
Posted by thelazychef in Uncategorized.add a comment
And so, she began… 🙂