Japan

Hola
Back from my 2 weeks trip. Thanks to hubby and my lovely daughter to make this trip happened. Great trip to Los Angeles and Japan. Enjoy my time solo. I guess all mother in this world need a time just like what I had. Felt so different after you came back and meet your family and do your routine. Like hey its a new me..

What I had in Japan was extremely delicious.
My favorite is still Spicy Ramen. Its too good.





Delicious,

KBB 18-Macaroons-Chocolate Macaroons

Macaroons, tugas dari KBB kali ini..

Kalau tidak karena tugas kali ini, tidak akan pernah saya mencoba membuatnya. Selama ini hanya mengetahui Macarons dari blogging ke Mbak Arfi, melihat fotonya wah cantik ya macarons, tetapi apa rasanya tidak tahu,karena belum pernah melihat langsung apalagi menyicipi..

Karenanya semangat juga deh bikin PR, penasaran soale seperti apa sihhh French Macarons?

Dengan resep bebas sumber, akhirnya aku pilih ke Martha Stewart's site karena banyak pilihan yang ditawarkan, tadinya kepingin coba coconut Macaroons, akhirnya pertimbangan kegagalan saya putuskan membuat coklat macaroons .

Hasilnya, Babak 1 masuk oven , senang sekali di oven sudah melihat kakinya.. hasilnya seperti ini. Di foto ini, hasil setelah keluar dari oven, ada beberapa yang retak di permukaan, beberapa mulus, terlihat kan? Sayangnya pada saat mau dilepas dari parchment paper, semuanya lengket, sempat diperciki air sedikit tetapi mungkin kurang banyak dan kurang paham, akhirnya hancur deh heheheh

Babak ke 2, wah jelek sekali hasilnya sepertinya suhu oven masih terlalu panas 375F, dimana pemanggangan diminta 325F, yah begini deh kalau tidak sabar, dan terlebih dahulu loyang sedikit dibanting dan mungkin didiamkannya kurang lama .

Langkah-langkah pembuatan ada disini ya,

Untuk almond flour, saya gunakan sliced almond 1 cup di grind di FP sampai halus.

Kalau mau coba , silahkan dikutip resep ini,

Makes 35 macaroons

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, for filling

• MACAROON VARIATIONS
• Chocolate: Substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the almond flour.

• Coconut: Substitute 2 tablespoons desiccated unsweetened coconut for 2 tablespoons of the almond flour, and add 1/2 teaspoon rum; sprinkle with additional coconut before baking.
• Peanut: Substitute an equal amount finely ground unsalted peanuts (peanut flour) for the almond flour.
• Pistachio: Substitute 1/2 cup finely ground unsalted
  pistachios (pistachio flour) for 1/2 cup of the almond flour, and add 2 to 3 drops forest-green gel-paste food coloring.
• Raspberry: Add 1 tablespoon fresh raspberry puree, strained, plus 3 to 4 drops dusty- rose gel-paste food coloring.
• Vanilla Bean: Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved for another use.

• SUGGESTED FILLINGS FOR MACAROONS
• Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache
• Coconut: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixe
  d with 1/3 cup angel-flake coconut.
• Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam, or peanut butter.
• Pistachio: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios.
• Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

• Vanilla Bean: 1 cup Pineapple Buttercream , 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or 3/4 cup store-bought jam or preserves.

Directions

1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture
   2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk
   until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet a
   t a time, rotating halfway through, until macaroons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.
4. Let macaroons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macaroons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macaroons.)
5. Sandwich 2 same-size macaroons with 1 teaspoon jam. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, a
   nd freeze for up to 3 months.

From Martha Stewart Living | Send a Free Preview Issue!

Helpful Hint

Piping the perfect macaroon takes a little practice. Treat it as you would a rosette, bringing the pastry tip to the side of the circle, rather than forming a peak, to finish.

Peanut Butter-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Yesterday baking was this cupcakes.
In my mind, I was thinking to bake Lapis Surabaya,wajik, or biji salak. All are Indonesian desserts, which I love so much and another options is MACARONS,for 2nd trial to fulfill my KBB task.
But at the end, I baked this cupcakes, as I cant resist the combination between chocolate and peanut butter.




Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book,is the source of this drooling. I got this book while my hubby went to LA last May. Thanks to Amazon who delivered it in a day, and thank to my sister who helped me passed those books to my hubby.

Here, in Panama, well ya there is around 3 bookstores, but they are not so complete compare to bookstore in USA,and mostly all in Spanish.

Ok, back to my cupcakes.

For peanut butter lover, this is worth to try, after a little mess happened while putting the batter to the tin. My daughter cant resist to take one after it out from the oven.



This recipe only makes 12, and I made 14, that is why if you notice at the 1st row, 4 of those cupcakes are looks sink and not too chocolate as I guess I dropped less chocolate batter.

So lets bake,

Makes 12

2\3 cup all- purpose flour
1\2 tsp baking powder
1\4 tsp salt
1\2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
4 ounces semisweet chocolate,coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate,coarsely chopped
1\4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling
recipe for Peanut Butter Filling
for 12 cupcakes

4 tbsp (1\2 stick) unsalted butter,melted
1\2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
3\4cup smooth peanut butter
1\4 tsp salt
1\2 tsp pure vanilla extract.

Stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.



Method:

1.Preheat oven to 325F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over(not in) a pan of simmering water, stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

2. Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture, stir until well incorporated.

3. Spoon 2 tbsp chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tbsp peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter, and top with 1 tbsp filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.

4. Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

The fact:

1. This is the 2nd day I enjoy this cupcakes. And I feel its like a brownies. I prefer the taste today to last night when it fresh from the oven..
2. Do not forget, we dont need mixer to make this cupcakes.
3. Its says and its the fact

An abundance of creamy peanut-butter filling tenders these cupcakes extra rich and irresistible. The batter and filling-each whisked together by hand-are layered then swirled to create the marbleized pattern on top.

page 118,Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.

Pistachios Cake

My daughter helped me to unshelled those pistachios, and beat the eggs..


Instead of flower for decoration, I prefer to pour a chocolate ganache on the surface.

The recipe is from Jamie Oliver[s site

Jason Flemyng's citrus and pistachio cake
dessert recipes
Serves 8-10
If you’re using flowers, you must, of course, use edible flowers.
1 Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4. Line the base of a 23cm-diameter cake tin with baking parchment.
2 In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until white and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in between. Using a pestle, bash the pistachios up in a mortar, then add them, the ground almonds, lemon zest and rosewater to the creamed butter mixture. Fold in the flour.
3 Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove when done and let cool.
4 In a bowl, mix the icing with half the juice and spread this over the cake when cool, then add some flowers to decorate, and serve.

Ingredients
• 200g butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, preferably free-range or organic
• 100g shelled pistachio nuts
• 100g ground almonds
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp rosewater
• 60g self-raising flour

Icing
• 100g unrefined icing sugar
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• Edible flowers, to decorate (optional)

KBB 17/ Puff Pastry Heart Lattice with filling green beans and salmon

Hola..
Tugas dari Klub Berani Baking ke 17 ini, sebenarnya simple, puff pastry dengan filling savory yang terserah bagaimana maunya, hanya saja dengan ketentuan dibentuk cantik lattice,


Karena kurang puas dengan tugas puff pastry terdahulu, sudah saya niatkan bahwa saya akan membeli puff pastry yang ready made saja, karena memang mood untuk repot didapur sedang tidak ada :)... tapi aduh ternyata disupermarket sini dan di Panama city, tak bisa kutemukan dan ini sudah minggu terakhir untuk laporan.



Akhirnya, sejak hari Kamis, saya sudah membuat adonannya sampai akhirnya karena ada kesibukan tidak bisa dihindari, baru hari Sabtu selesai semua dengan hasil yang tidak memuaskan.

Sama seperti yang pertama, pastryku tidak ngembang, tidak terlihat lapisan-lapisannya, sedih, dan setelah dipotong, adonan didalammnya belum terlalu matang..akhirnya isian saya selamatkan, karena saya suka sekali dengan isiannya, hanya sayang pastrynya...





Kalau mau coba isiannya, silahkan.
Bahan yang diperlukan:

1 potong salmon fillet, buang kulitnya
8 buncis, potong-potong
3 siung bawang putih, potong kecil
1 bawang bombay kecil,potong dadu kecil
Garam dan lada
Keju mozarella parut
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 kuning telur, mix dengan 2tbsp susu cair untuk dipoles di permukaan pastry
Caranya:

Panaskan minyak, masukan potongan bawang putih dan bawang bombay. Tumis sampai dengan layu.
Masukan salmon, aduk -aduk sampai salmon hancur.
Masukan buncisMasukan garam, lada secukupnya.
Tumis sampai salmon & buncis matang.
SIapkan puff pastry yang sudah diletakan di piring pie.
Masukan isian yang sudah ada.
Tutup dengan lattice yang sudah disiapkan
Poles dengan campuran kuning telur.
Panggang dengan suhu 220C

Classic Cake-Pineapple Upside Down

I definitely gonna make this cake again.
Its easy and yummy..perfect for tea time.
This is my first attempt to make Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
A year ago,one of my neighbor asked me to make this cake, as she knows I love baking.
But, as I am not so pineapple lover, her request has to postpone until today:)
and her request inspired me to made her another cake which is the main ingredients is pineapple juice, and dropped some marascino cherries. That was a vegetarian cake,which I sent to her and some good friends to celebrate Divali Day last year.
If you want to try that recipe, please click this one.






My daughter with her favorite bee frock, I could see her tummy so big if she is full, and while typing this post, she´s enjoying my pineapple cake :)



Its so perfect to have this with a cup of tea..

ANd here is the recipe

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Source: BBC good food.
I used 18cm round cake tin

For TOPPING

50 gr softened butter
50 gr light brown sugar
7 pineapples rings in syrup, drained syrup and cherry

For CAKE

100GR Softened butter - I used 50gr, my mistake I thought 50 gr:) but the cake still fantastic
100 gr golden caster sugar
100 gr self raising flour - I used all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanila extract
2 eggs

Method:

Heat oven 180C
For topping:
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Spread over the base & a quarter of the way up the sides of a 20-21cm round cake tin.
Arrange pineapple rings on top, then place cherry in the centre of the ring.

Place cake ingredients in a bowl along with 2 tbsp pineapple syrup
Using mixer, beat to a soft consistency. Spoon into a tin on top of pineapple & smooth it out so its level.

Bake 35 minutes. Leave to cool for 5 minutes to turn out into plate.
Serve warm with ice cream

Notes:
I did not use the pineapple in a can. So, what I did was, I used the normal pineapple, and core the middle side of pineapple to make a space for cherries.
And while making the cake, I did not put any additional sugar to replace the pineapple syrup.

I keep in a fridge,and before serve just keep it outside for awhile to make it softer...

Enjoy!!!

Lemon Chiffon Cake

I Love Chiffon Cake..
My mom has a special name for Chiffon Cake, she always called it as a Kue Jepang/Japanese Cake. She usually make Pandan Chiffon Cake which is always super soft, a very sweet treat for snack time or breakfast with a cup of tea.


For this month Daring Baking task,we have to bake a Chiffon Cake which we can choose the source of recipe.And to complete the task,I had to bake for 3 times, 1st for the Pandan Chiffon which the result is unsatisfying. And frankly, many times before the task, I did bake this chiffon but only get 1 time success happy result, and the rest... the cake sank down,:).
So I tried to browse to other recipe from internet, and found Lemon Chiffon Cake. Did try, and still not a success one, but with this recipe, I knew that I made a mistake while whisking the egg white.

And finally, the 3rd one, the one that I submitted to complete my KBB task.
THis Lemon Chiffon Cake I got from Martha Steward website, and the result no doubt.
Try this one.

Recipe
Source: Martha Stewart

For tube mold diameter 7 inch. - I used diameter 19cm

3/4 cup cake flour- I used 1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanila extract
1/4 tsp cream tar-tar
Confectioner´s sugar for dusting..( I skip this one)


Method

1. heat oven 325F, ungreased 7inch tube pan
2. In a medium bowl,sift flour, baking soda & salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolk, vegetable oil, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, zest & vanilla extract. Add reserved dry ingredients, beat until smooth.
4.In the other bowl, beat egg white on medium speed until foamy. Add cream tar-tar , beat on high speed until soft peak form for 1 minute.
Gradually, add remaining 1tbsp of granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peak for 2 minutes.
5.Pour batter into pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden, about 45 minutes


6.Remove cake from oven; invert the pan over a glass soda bottle for 2 hours to cool. Turn cake right-side up. Run a table knife all the way down between cake and pan; invert again, and remove cake. Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Italian dish -Polenta

Hola mi blog. Como estas?
Happy New Year 2010.
Its been 6 months since I am not touching this blog.Been busy for a while with my new house,and trying to understand my new digital camera. Its only a simple Panasonic Lumix FS 12,not a DSLR camera :)
My house is 80% set. We need only to find a nice kitchen cabinets, IKEA doesnt have branch here, so whether Italian Kitchen is our choice or other shops , no decision yet as its a huge spending:)

SOme pictures from my yellow kithen with a yellow NY cab...





Back to the food,I chose Polenta for the starter of this year. I made this polenta last December,when I wasnt in the mood for rice. And its good,healthy and light..

Polenta- is Nothern Italy´s golden cornmeal porridge which is for me is so interesting to make and to eat. I got the recipe from Italian magazine from Better Homes &Gardens Special Interest Publication,Fall/Winter 2009

And with this recipe, we could choose whether we gonna fry,grill,broil or layer the polenta.



Its easy and tasty, but because I cant find that type of cheese, so instead of cheese, I dropped in garlic powder and more butter. Half I fry and half I baked. Both are nice.

Enjoy..


Soft Polenta
prep: 15 minutes
cooking: 25 mnutes

1 cup coarse-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup cold water or chicken broth
1 tsp salt( omit if using broth)

In a large saucepan,bring 2 1/2 cups water to boiling. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together cornmeal, the 1 cup cold water and the salt.
2. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until returns to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook for 25-30 minutes or until very thick,stirring frequently and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a very slow boil. Spoon soft polenta into bowls. Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Baked Polenta: prepare as above, except pour the hot polenta into a 9-inch pie plate, spreading evenly. Let stand for 30 minutes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake,uncovered,about 25 minuted or until heated through. Let stand on a wire rack 5 minutes, Cut into 6 wedges.

Fried Polenta: Prepare as above,except pour the hot polenta into a 71/2x 31/2x2-inch or 8x4x2-inch loaf pan. Cool. Cover and chill for at leat 4 hours or overnight. Run a thin metal spatula around the edges of the pan. remove polenta from pan, cut crosswise into 12 slices. In a large skillet or on a griddle, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. reduce heat to medium. Cook half of the polenta slices 16 to 20 minutes or until brown and crisp, turning once. repeat with remaining slices, adding 1 tbsp butter to skillet before adding polenta. If desired, serve with additional butter and honey or maple-flavored syrup.

My on the way fried polenta..

This basic polenta recipe (above), is just the starting point. Add butter, cheese or a fresh herb and you have a delightfully different side dish. Start with these ideas for stir-ins.
-decrease the salt to 1/2 tsp and stir in 2 tbsp butter after cooking
-decrease the salt to 1/2 tsp and stir in 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, romano or fontina cheese after cooking
-stir in 2 tbsp snipped fresh basil or Italian flat leaf parsley or 1 tsp snipped fresh oregano or thyme after cooking.