Chocolate Meringue

Finally I am writing about non-breakfast baking, and this time I am going for a traditional french sweet snack - Meringue. A super easy yet impressive treat. I am not extremely sweet-toothed but to make great meringues you need a lot of sugar which means they have to be super sweet (to me they are.) My way to enjoy this sugar bombs are eating them with a pot of hot tea or add a piece of dark chocolate. I tried this recipe from allrecipes.com (Yes it is one of the top 5 online recipe sources of mine) and modified only the chocolate, one sweet advice: never reduce the amount of sugar.

Chocolate Meringue

3 Egg whites
1/8 Tspn Cream of Tartar
1/2 Tspn Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup of White Sugar
1 Tbspn Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/3 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips (Instead of using semisweet chocolate chips I used dark chocolate blocks by crushing a bar of dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 150 degree Celsius; makes around 36 meringues; preparation time: 10 minutes

1. Put eggwhites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a big bowl, beat until the mixture form soft peaks.

2. Slowly add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form and mixture becomes glossy.

3. Fold in cocoa and chocolate blocks. I set 36 pieces aside because I want to put one on top of each meringue before putting them into the oven.

4. Drop mixture with 2 big table spoons (if you are making bite-size meringues, use teaspoons) onto a baking sheet/ cloth. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

These are the chocolates I chose
- From supermarket: http://www.chocolatfrey.com/
- From baking shop: http://www.ghirardelli.com/
                               http://www.valrhona.com/accueil.aspx

And yes I never use milk chocolate; the bitterness completes the snack!

BEFORE

AFTER

Bake-fast Breakfast : Banana Bread

My uncle has always loved banana bread, in fact he was the one who made me had my first bite of banana bread in my life. I was very little and was not into food at all and I looked like a malnutrition girl.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I always go there to look for new recipes or do my "Apple Search". I have not been keeping a good record of my apple experiments but I will make it happen.

To make this banana bread, you only need around 20 minutes preparation time, including doing the measurements. I find the preparation time on a lot of recipe books, especially pastry books, is extremely misleading. I did the math in my head, and from my experience, you usually just double the "Preparation Time" and it will be more or less the same. Don't feel bad, and never think you are the slowest one or it "should not" take that long. It is normal ;-)

I adjust the recipe every time, intentionally and unintentionally.

Here I listed the ingredients in order so you do not mix the powder and liquid, and no need to clean everything before doing another measurement. I always measure powder first, followed by liquid.

You can see that for some items I follow the US unit and the others I use Metric, because powder is easier to be measured with spoons and cups; for butter and solid ingredients (e.g. chocolate blocks!), just get a bowl and weigh them, super quick.

Banana Bread

Preheat the oven to 150 degree Celsius when you start mixing the powder mix in step 3.

Take a (table)spoonful of brown sugar and a (tea)spoonful of cinnamon and/or mixed spices into a small bowl, mix them.

Grease four 7 x 3 inch loaf pans; dust lightly with cinnamon sugar.
*Note: I always pour some hot water into the loaf pan before I grease it, a) to heat up the pan, b) clean it. When you put the piece of cold butter on it it will melt immediately, how cool!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Tspn Baking Soda
1/4    Tspn Salt
2-1/4 Cups All-purpose Flour / Plain Flour

1-1/2 Eggs
3 Ripe bananas, mashed (I tried both very ripe bananas and just ripe ones, the former one makes the batter slightly stickier but does not affect the taste.)
One bucket of DairyFarm Sour Cream (The amount was JUST RIGHT!)
1 Tspn Vanilla Extract
1-2 Tspn Cinnamon and/or 1-2 Tspn Mixed Spices (I use way more than I said here just because I like the taste of the spices.)

60g Walnuts (If you want you can chop them into smaller pieces but I prefer big blocks, because you are going to cut the bread into pieces anyways so why bother? :P)
*Nuts play an important role in baking energy cakes/bread, excellent source of protein. Read more from my previous post*

1-1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
85g   Butter / Shortening

How to do it:
1. Mix the powder together and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until the texture becomes fluffy. By that time you should not see any yellowish butter standing out.
3. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon and/or mixed spices.
*TIME TO PREHEAT THE OVEN*
4. Mix in 1.; stir in nuts. Pour the batter into greased pans and put them into the oven.
5. Bake for around 45 minutes, check it regularly after baking for 30 minutes. Because every oven is slightly different when it comes to releasing heat and regulating the circulation, you have to monitor on your own. When you see a cracked surface and starting to turn golden brown, it is time to take it out.

I used 3 different baking containers - Ceramic baking plate, bread loaf pan and silicon cupcake molds

The crack on the surface of bread/cake is a sign of success, not for all the cakes but for this bread.

Cooling on the steam rack

The cinnamon sugar gives a semi-glossy surface

Banana Flower Bombs!!

Super easy and perfect for breakfast, do not eat it every day because it has quite a lot of sugar in it, but it is indeed a perfect start for a day or a little treat in the afternoon as an energy boost working in the office. Enjoy!

Oh little brains..

Snack of the day - WALNUTS!

Great source of: Omega 3s, Fiber, Protein, Antioxidants, Magnesium & Phosphorus.
Energy: 185 calories in 1 oz. (Oh don't mind that, I bet you cannot JUST eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner right?)

A Little Twist:
Just toss them on a baking plate and place it inside a small oven for 5 minutes and enhance the taste.
If you have a sweet tooth, put some honey on; if you like it salty just sprinkle a little on top :)

I always find Chinese culture very very interesting and I love it, not all but I still respect the country's culture. In the eating culture, we have a saying that "any living thing with its back facing the sky is edible", it's like an all-you-can-eat statement. I was joking with my sister when we were younger, what about the old people with a crooked spine or those with a hunchback? Are the Chinese going to eat them? Oh dear...anyways, another interesting fact is that we believe food that looks similar to body parts, or eating the same body parts can improve or is good for the particular body part's condition. For example, if your tendons/legs are not doing well, you have to eat the ox's tendons or chicken feet, etc; my friend's grandma makes pig brain's soup for my friend whenever she needs to take her exam; we eat ox's heart or pig lungs for our hearts and of course, our lungs...but I have never heard of eating the intestine is indeed good for your intestines, I guess it is just a popular stinky snack!

Walnuts were not originated from China. Some believe these little brains were originated from the area around Germany where they call them wallnuss/welche nuss, some argue that they are from Anglo-Saxon word wealh hnutu meaning foreign or alien nuts.

This is how the fruits look like. Its fun to find out how the fruits of nuts look like and I couldn't help but wonder if they taste good or even better!

Source: http://forestry.sfasu.edu/faculty/jstovall/dendro//images/tree_photos/juglnigr/juglnigr_fruit1.jpg

There are unlimited things you can do with this nut, it can easily be found in any supermarket/market. It goes well with a lot of dishes and as snack itself! I will include them in the recipe after the next one.

Crazy for Capsicums

I have always wanted to write about capsicums or bell peppers; the first question that came into my mind was - What is the difference between the two? I got my answer here. A very interesting and short article indeed, so capsaicin was the answer! I did not know the word "pepper" indicates spiciness in Europe though..

I did not like pepper as much as I do now when I was little. Our bond grew stronger as I grow up, even better when I became a vegetarian. They come in vibrant colours and various shapes and sizes. The best thing is, you can always choose the size according to the size of the meal you have to prepare.

WHY ARE THEY GOOD?
-Easy to clean, to cut, simply to handle.
-Add colours to your dish!
-Taste good.
-Cripy & juicy!
-For health? Oh they are rich in Vitamin A,C and beta-carotene (strong pigment that is good for vision, immunity & overall health); like almost all vegetables, they are low in fat, cholesterol and calories. 

It goes very well (& never fail) with:
-Tomatoes (Both cherry tomatoes and regular ones)
-Onions & Garlics
To bring out their freshness, the seasonings I use are very simple - salt, pepper and herbs.

For herbs, you can use both fresh and dried ones, I am still growing the fresh ones at home so for the time being I am using this, manufactured by Cape Foods. 

4-in-1 Herbs - Parsley, Rosemary & Thyme

Supermarkets in Hong Kong import quite a lot of products from this company and they are pretty handy. I bought the cake decorations, you never know when a  4-in-1 can save your life ;)

Come back to the recipe, what you need is a frying pan, a small oven and fire. It would be a great dish for camping.

How to cook:
1. Clean the capsicums or bell peppers, remove the seeds. You can keep them, dry them first before planting them in the soil. I am going to try this out pretty soon!

2. Slice them into blocks or slices. I slice them really thin when I want them well cooked and become really tender and soft.
3. Chop garlics if you want a stronger taste; slice onions if you want to add sweetness to your dish. If you are greedy like me, add both. 

4. Turn on the heat (Medium), pour a little bit of oil on the frying pan. Add chopped garlic/sliced onions, stir fry them until you can see them turning golden yellow and smell them. Then add the capsicums/bell peppers. Stir a little and add a pinch of salt and pepper, season it according to your preference. I usually add half a teaspoon of sea salt for three bell peppers. Yes it taste like nothing to some people but try it first. It is all about personal preference. I add LOADS of herbs though, thyme is my favourite!
5. If you want it crispy then do not cook it more than 15 minutes; well cooked ones will take around 20-25 minutes, depends on how soft you want them to be. What I do is put them in an oven safe pan, grind some parmesan cheese on top, add some dried herbs and put it in the small oven for 15 minutes until the cheese are melted. 

Tiny Organic Capsicums from local weekend markets

Stir fry crispy ones!

Soft and tender, with cheese and tomato sauce

Yes for melted cheese!

Yes they are only this small!

Have a colourful Monday! Ciao!

Baking Scones

Scones have been one of my favourite breakfast on-the-go picks; handy, filling and scrumptious! I have tried a lot of recipes, mostly online, getting them from AllRecipes.com, BBC Food, or other websites. I will make a list of websites where I get my recipes from. Some of the recipes I got were from my mom, my aunt and wonderful cookbooks. I always look for traditional or family recipes instead of "Standard" ones. Unit conversion is very important, here it is.

I am not a professional chef and I need references. I believe practice DOES make perfect. I learn by doing it and never think using recipe means you are a bad cook. I still remember when I was in school I was forced to follow the recipes from the textbook (Yes we have textbooks for home economics!!) precisely, and I did not like that. I am the kind of person who follows the heart over the head, and thinks that rules are made to be broken.  Some of them, not all. And my friend, who is the exact opposite, always follows the exact amount, "1 decimal place! No more, no less!". My style is more layback and relaxed. I am not against any style, everyone should have one that makes them excel in cooking and enjoy the process, and the result of course.

Scones are real easy to start with. There are traditional English scones and other biscuit/scones available. Sometimes I will just bake according to recipes but most of the times I integrate everything. I tried the scones and biscuits from different places, in different countries, just to figure out what is inside and remember the texture. The honey biscuit from KFC, the English scone that is merely bigger than your eye from BurgerKing, the huge triangular scone from Starbucks, scones from local coffee shops and bakeries etc. are very different in texture and taste.

The below recipe was modified from Joy the Baker's recipe (Modification in bracket), her cookbook is very user friendly, especially for starters! Oh and by the way, I like the fact that she and I are both tattooed bakers :P
Let's start shall we?

Oatmeal Raspberry Scones

Oven Preheat: 200'C/170'C with fan/400'F           Makes around 15 scones

Ingredients:

1 2/3 Cups all-purpose flour (1 cup cake flour & 2/3 cup wholewheat bread flour)

1 1/3 Cups old-fashioned oats (I mixed roll-oats, barley, oatmeal)

1/3 Cup sugar (Brown sugar is better)

1 Tablespoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I added 1 teaspoon of mixed spices, including nutmeg, grind ginger, cinnamon, cloves, etc.)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped (If you don't like the taste of ginger, just skip it.)

1/2 Cup buttermilk, cold (What I did was adding milk, cream and lemon juice, or just replace it by yoghurt, perhaps soy milk next time?)

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed (That's around 140g)

3/4 Cup fresh raspberries, puree it with a fork briefly 

How I did it:

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl.

Rub in the butter cubes until they become fluffy crumbs.

Whisk the egg, mix well with butter milk or what I have suggested above.

Add crushed raspberries, do not over mix it, try to make a marble pattern, keep the colour difference! Say yes to style.

Scoop them onto a baking tray covered with a baking sheet/cloth, each scoop would be around the size of a Kiwi fruit if you want to make around 15 of them. The texture should be like very thick oatmeal/congee, if it is too watery, add more flour or rolled-oats. If it is too dry, add more milk.
Bake for around 20 minutes or turn off the heat when they turned golden brown.

Hot and Fresh!

Loving the moisture content :)

Steps at a Glance

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl.

2. Rub in the butter cube until they become fluffy crumbs.

3. Whisk the egg, mix well with the buttermilk or what I have suggested.

4. Pour the mixture into the crumbs.

5. Add crushed raspberries, no need to mix too well, slightly more than how you make a marble cake/pattern. Keep the colour patches!

6. Scoop them onto a baking tray with a baking sheet on, or baking cloth; each scoop would be around the size of a Kiwi fruit if you want to make around 15 of them.

7. Bake for around 20 minutes and they are ready to serve!

Twist it! 

*You can change the 3/4 cups of raspberries into other fruits/nuts that goes well with scones. The only thing you need to consider is the moisture content of the dough, other fruits might not necessarily be as juicy as raspberries! 

If you want to add other berries, you don't need to add anything extra.

If you want to add apple, add some lemon juice. 

If you want to add nuts, add 1/4 cup of nuts, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup honey/maple syrup.

Apple Pie - Extra cinnamon added, raspberries replaced by adding cubed apples and lemon juice.

*Turn it into bite-size party snack? You just need a smaller spoon to scoop them. And be careful when baking, because you literally increased its surface area to volume ratio, the baking time required is shortened. Depending on the size, sometimes 10 minutes will suffice.

Enjoy it and stay tuned for more! Ciao!