Almost Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake

Bon Appetite!

Recipe for 30cm cake tin - for 12-16p.

I used a springform tin for easy release of cake.

INGREDIENTS (all at room temperature)

350g dark chocolate buttons

250g butter

1 tsp of cocoa powder

A pinch of salt (1/4 tsp)

2 tbsp of honey2/3 cup of spelt flour

1/2 cup of almond meal

2 tsp baking powder

8 L-size eggs (roughly 450g)
60g castor sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp of pure orange oil

1 tsp of almond oil (optional)

1 tbsp of normal or cake flour

​PREP

Preheat oven to 160C fan force or 180C non fan forced oven.

Line the bottom of the cake tin with baking paper.

Rub butter wrapping paper all over the side of the cake tin to evenly oil the side of the tin.
Lightly sprinkle/sift the cake/normal flour evenly all over the buttered side of tin.*

Break all eggs into whisking bowl. No need to separate the egg white from yolk.
Set aside.

Melt chocolate in a very large bowl over a pot of warm water. (Notes*)

Cut softened butter * into small pieces say 10.
Melt butter together with melting chocolate.
Remove from heat as soon as butter looks almost completely melted.

Add salt, cocoa and honey.
Stir till all ingredients are melted/combined.
Set aside to cool.

Mix spelt, almond meal and baking powder in a small bowl. ("Flour Mix")
Set aside.

Lastly, whisk the eggs. I used the help of a Kitchen Aid.
As eggs starts to be bubbly, add cream of tartar. Whisk to combine.

Add sugar soon after.
Continue whisking till eggs turned into a thick cream consistency and pale color.

COMBINING ALL INGREDIENTSAdd the orange (and almond) oil into the chocolate and butter mixture.

Fold in 1/3 of the Flour Mix and 1/4 of the creamy eggs mix. Gently fold till almost combined.

Repeat procedure till all flour folded and combined.

Fold in last 1/4 of egg mixture.

Pour combined mixture into the prepared cake tin and put into preheated oven immediately.

BAKE n SERVE

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Turn heat off. Bake another 5 minutes with oven door closed.

Remove from oven.

Remove cake from tin after slightly cooled.

Serve as is or with cream or ice cream. *

Enjoy! Bonappetite!

NOTE

* I use stainless steel bowl as it helps in keeping mixture light. Bowl would later be used for combining all ingredients, so use one that is large enough.
* Heat is too high if bowl gets too hot to be touched/held by hand - take off heat when that happens.
* Save the butter foil wrapper for later use to "oil" the sides of the cake tin.

* I drop the tbsp of flour onto a side of the tin which is already buttered, and start rolling the tin slowly until all the side is evenly covered with flour.

* I like to rest the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.

* Cake will deflate slightly when cooling down because it is almost flourless.

Chicken Curry

One of the best curries I have made todate. Made of combination of store-bought curry paste and fresh ingredients.

For 8p
1.5kg of chicken thigh fillets, cut into half each.
1 packet of Tean's chicken curry paste (Malaysian product)
1 cm of fresh tumeric and ginger.)
1 stalk of lemon grass                  ) blend these till fine
1 carrot, cut into small pieces      )
6 pieces of kaffir lime leaves
2 large ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 very large red onion, chopped.
40g of gula melaka (about 2 tbsp)
3-4 tbsp of soy sauce
250-300ml of coconut milk.
4 stalks of fresh mint and of basil leaves
Beansprouts (taugeh) - about 8 handfuls
Oil (olive or peanut or veg oil)

Gently fry the blended ingredients in oil in a heavy based pot till softened.
Add Tean's paste, continue frying till oil separates.
Add tomatoes, onions, gula melaka, soy.
Add 1 cup of water.
Continue cooking on small to medium heat with lid on for about 1 hour, occasionally stirring.
Add chicken and coconut milk.
Cook on same heat till simmering.
Cook for 1/2 hour on small heat - for chicken to remain tender
Turn heat off.
Served with fresh taugeh, mint and basil.
Delicious with either noodles or steamed rice.

Optional:
I added 1 packet of tau fu pok, and 12 pieces of seaweed fu chook to the curry once simmering after adding chicken and coconut milk.

Bon Appetite!

Squidgy Brownies

350g dark chocolate buttons
100g brown/caster sugar
100g butter, chopped up
50ml olive oil
3 XL eggs
1 tbsp of milk
Pinch of salt
50g of SR flour
1 tsp of corn flour
3 tbsp of almond meal
1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
1/2 tsp of baking powder
Optional: 1/2 tsp of orange oil

Preheat oven to 170C fanforce

Measure and mix SR flour, corn flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Melt chocolate on heated bain marie with butter. Then, add salt, oils, stir. Remove from heat, set aside. 
Meanwhile, separate egg whites and yolks.
Whisk egg whites till bubbly, add cream of tartar. When trails of ribbons forms, add 1/2 of the sugar and whisk till soft peaks.
Separately whisk egg yolks till bubbly, then put on bain marie, continuing whisking, add remaining sugar and whisk till light yellow. Remove from heat, and whisk till almost creamy white.
Add almond meal into the chocolate mixture followed by egg yolks in 2 batches, and fold.
Sift 1/2 the flour mix into the mixture, fold. 
Add half of the egg white mixture, fold.
Add remaining flour mix, fold. 
Add remaining egg white and fold. 
Pour into 20 cm square baking tin, lined with baking paper.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Open oven door slightly, kept apart by 1 wooden ladle, and bake a further 4-5 minutes. This removal of steam gives it a crispy top. 
Remove and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Note: Using part olive oil and butter makes this less rich than if all butter were used. 
 
Bon Appetite!

Blackberry Raspberry Muffins with White Chocolate

 Ingredients - 6 large muffins
2 cups of berries - I used frozen blackberries and raspberries (if dont have both, either will do).
2 tbsp of sour cream. roughly 40g
100g of baking white chocolate buttons
60g of butter
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract.
3/4 cup of slightly luke warm soy milk
6 tsp of brown or castor sugar
180g of self raising sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder (or 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder if using normal cake flour ie not self raising)
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 180C fan force.
Put 6 large baking paper cups to line the muffin tray moulds.

Put white chocolate, sour cream and butter in a large glass or stainless steel bowl, sitting over pot of hot water like a bain marie, to melt the ingredients.
Take off heat and stir as soon as butter has just melted. Otherwise, it becomes very heavy as butter turns to oil.
Separately, mix the cake flour, baking powder well, salt, set aside.
Separately, whisk the egg till bubbly, add cream of tartar. Whisk till foamy, then add sugar slowly, and whisk till soft peak.
Sift 1/2 of the flour mixture into chocolate butter sour cream mixture and fold.
Sift in 1/4 of flour and fold. Add 1/2 of egg mixture to help loosen the mixture.
Slowly drizzle soy milk around edge of bowl, and add vanilla extract.
Add berries. 
Add remaining flour and egg.
Fold till combined. Distribute mixture evenly amongst the 6 muffin moulds.
Bake for 23-25 minutes.
Remove from oven.

(Note: if don't have sour cream, just substitute with 40 g of butter)
(Note: if you are using standard cupcake size moulds, probably can do 7, bake for about 20 minutes)

Bon Appetite!

Will Woods Raspberry Tart

Cream Pattiserie tips

- 1 egg yolk to 100g flour for pastry
- 1 egg yolk to 100ml of milk
- put a handful of sugar when boiling milk to prevent milk from sticking to bottom
- Corn starch prevents egg from curdling when pouring hot milk into it
- Cool milk/egg mixture before adding cream to lighten up the mixture.

Fresh raspberry tart

Recipe by: Careme Pastry

Preparation time: 40 min

Cooking time: 30 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 250g plain flour, sifted
• 100g unsalted butter, diced, chilled*
• 100g pure icing sugar, sifted
• Pinch salt
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 9 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon milk

Vanilla crème pâtissière

• 500ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 7 egg yolks
• 125g caster sugar
• 60g cornflour
• 150ml thickened cream
• 2 punnets (250g) raspberries

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Method

Sweet shortcrust pastry

1.      Place all ingredients except for egg yolks and milk into a food processor. Process mixture, tilting and gently shaking bowl until mixture resembles almond meal or breadcrumbs. Remove from processor and transfer to a bowl, making a well in the centre. Place 6 egg yolks into well, then using your hands, work egg yolks into crumb mixture until just combined. Do not knead the dough, the mixture should be crumbly. Form dough into a ball and place in a clean bowl, then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to rest.

2.      Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin and line base with baking paper.

3.      Place pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly dusted rolling pin, start to evenly flatten dough, keeping it as round and neat as possible around the edges, making an indent in dough at quarter turns. With even pressure, turn and lift pastry in a clockwise direction, rolling to a thickness of approximately 3mm. To check if the pastry is the correct size for the tart tin, place the tart tin over the pastry, there should be at least a 5cm border the whole way around. Line the base of the tart pan with baking paper. Carefully line the tart tin with the pastry, and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4.      To blind bake the pastry case, line base with a cartouche made from baking paper. Fill tart shell with pie weights or a dried pulse (eg. chickpeas), to the top of the shell to help support the sides and weigh the base down during cooking.

5.      Place tart tin on a tray and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove tart tin from oven, check pastry is lightly golden before removing weights and baking paper. Combine remaining egg yolks and milk in a bowl and brush pastry well with the mixture, before returning to oven to cook for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Remove tart from oven, allow to cool completely.

Vanilla crème pâtissière

1.      For the pastry cream, place 400ml milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, then add cornflour and remaining 100ml milk, whisking until combined.

2.      Gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture until combined. Return mixture to a clean saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk vigorously and continuously until the pastry cream begins to bubble. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap (the pastry cream should come into contact with the plastic wrap to form a seal) and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until cool. This can be made a day in advance.

3.      Once pastry cream is cold, whisk cream to soft peaks, then fold through pastry cream until combined.

4.      Fill tart shell with pastry cream mixture , arrange with raspberries, and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Notes: Tips:
When making pastry:
*Freeze butter to keep cold in warmer temperatures.
*Do not over-process or dough will form a paste and activate gluten.
*If your hands are warm when working with pastry, you can cool your hands down by dipping them into a bowl of iced water.
*Do not use rice when blind baking as the heat cannot penetrate the base of the tart causing the sides to burn. Use either pastry weights or chickpeas.

When making crème patissiere/pastry cream:
*Add a pinch of sugar when heating milk to prevent it from catching on the base of your saucepan.
Bon Appetite!

Grape Tomatoes, Rosemary, Roasted Garlic Foccacia

Serves 4-6

500g strong flour/white bread flour
1 heaped tbsp fine semolina
2 tsp of dried yeast or about 14g
About 50ml olive oil, plus extra for kneading
150 g of grape tomatoes, or any small sweet tomatoes (about 30)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves only.
 Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
In a jug, mix 120ml of cold milk from fridge with 150ml of just boiled water
1/2 a bulb of garlic ie about 6-7 cloves.

Prep 1
Wrap up the whole garlic in aluminium foil with skin on. No need to break the cloves apart. Put in oven. Turn oven on at 200C or 180C fan forced. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil. Using a scissors, cut off top of bulb of garlic, and squeeze out all the melted roasted garlic into a bowl. Its like a garlic paste. Leave for later to spread over dough.

Leave oven on.

Prep 2
Separately, in a big mixing bowl, thoroughly mix flour, semolina and yeast with a pinch of salt, say half tsp.
Make a well in the middle, and pour in the liquid in jug and oil.
With a fork, mix the mixture until it comes together like a ball.
Cover with damp papertowel or cling wrap and leave for 15 minutes.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and knead for a couple of minutes, using push, fold, knead method, until smooth and elastic.
Cover with cling wrap to rest for 15 minutes.
Repeat kneading motion.
Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise about 1 hour or double in size.
Preheat oven to 200C.
Place the risen dough onto an oiled baking tray say 28x20cm. I used a large rounded pizza baking tray.
Grease your fingers with a little oil and prod out the dough to the edges of the tray, dough is about 2 cm thick.
Gently and lightly, rub roasted garlic all over the top of the oiled dough surface.
Press the whole tomatoes into the dough so that they are only slightly poking above the surface. Scatter rosemary, sea salt and pepper all over. Drizzle with a little olive oil all over.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden.

Turn out of tray onto a rack, cool down and rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serve. Or if you like, transfer to board and serve immediately, but the resting provides better texture.

Note: I also steam the oven with 2 ladles of icecubes before putting the dough in, to facilitate dough rising in the oven. If you are doing this, leave oven door open with heat still on at end of 25 minutes, and bake with oven door open for another 5 minutes to let steam out and let the crust crisp up.

Bon Appetite!

Dan Lepard's Double Chocolate Lamingtons.

Ingredients

300g castor sugar

50g cocoa

75ml milk

50g unsalted butter

50g dark chocolate

50ml sunflower oil

4 medium eggs

100ml low-fat natural yoghurt

3 tsp vanilla extract

175g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

For the coating (makes 750ml)

15g cocoa

50ml cold milk

175ml boiling water

200g dark chocolate, finely chopped

450g icing sugar

1-2 250g bags coconut (that is, much more than you would think)

Method

1. Line the base of a deep, 20cm square cake tin with non-stick paper and heat the oven to 170C (150C fan-forced). Put the sugar and cocoa in a bowl and beat in the milk. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan, and add to the sugar mix along with the oil. Beat in the eggs until smooth, stir in the yoghurt and vanilla, and mix in the flour and baking powder. Pour into the tin, cover with a slightly domed sheet of foil and bake for an hour. Lift off the foil for the last 15 minutes. Remove, cool in the tin and, while warm, cover with cling film.

2. For the coating, mix the cocoa and milk until smooth, whisk in the boiling water, then stir in the chocolate until melted. Whisk in the icing sugar until dissolved and pour into a deep, wide jug. Cut the cake into nine, dunk each piece in the coating and fish out with two forks. Roll in coconut and leave to set.

Note: Lepard advises putting foil over the cake because it helps the cake rise more evenly. You'll have about 250 millilitres of coating left over - just the stuff, he says, for lamington milkshakes with ice-cream and coconut.

Sourcream Sandwich Loaf

This is an adaptation from Dan Lepard's sourcream sandwhich bread, to adjust for slightly smaller loaf and to use up my leftover doublecream. It has a beautiful tender crumb and crisp golden crust. I also mix with soy milk which further makes the bread softer. Very soft bread.

180ml cold soy milk (out of fridge)
100ml boiling water
*100ml double cream or sour cream (out of fridge)
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp castor sugar or demerrara sugar
2 tsp of fast action dry yeast
450g strong white flour (bread flour) plus extra for dusting.
oil for kneading, I used olive oil.

Mix cold and boiling water together in large bowl/jug, stir in cream, sugar and yeast.
Separately in large bowl, mix flour and salt. Make a well in the middle.
Pour liquid content into flour bowl and mix till it forms a rough ball.
Cover bowl with cling wrap, and leave for 15 minutes.
Lightly oil hands and 30cm work surface (say 2 tbsp oil).
**Gently knead the dough, repeating twice more at 10 minute intervals, then leave dough covered with a cling film for an hour (or 50 minutes in warm weather). For 2nd and 3rd kneading, I dust work surface with flour before kneading.  Make sure cling film is a large enough as dough will about double its size.
Line a long 20-23cm long deep loaf tin with baking paper.
Pat the dough gently out to about 2 cm thick, roll it up tightly like a scroll, fold in the 2 pointy ends, and squish it seam-side down into the tin. Do not punch it, we want to hold on to the aeration in the dough.
Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan force.
Leave to rise until increase in size by 3/4 i.e about an hour, or 50 minutes in warm weather. Dust top with flour.
Just before putting dough in oven, put a large handful of ice into a baking tray in the oven below baking rack. This will create steam which aids the dough to rise further, otherwise the skin of dough will dry up quickly and form crust before dough gets a chance to rise further.
Place tin on baking rack and bake in oven about 35-37 minutes. Leave oven door slightly ajar to let steam out (by placing a wooden spoon in between) and bake another 5 minutes.

Note:

*The fat content in the cream is what gives the crust its tenderness, so do not be tempted by low fat substitutes. Make sure we give loaf plenty of headroom when come to bake it, as it has more "oven spring" than most. It actually rose 1 -2 cm within 5-8 minutes in the oven. For same reason, baking paper lining loaf tin need to be taller than height of tin if necessary. Dough rises to about 10-11cm height when final proofed, and to about 12 cm in the oven.

**When kneading dough, make sure movements are gentle, do not pound or tear the dough. Take edge of dough further from you and fold towards you, then with heel push down into the dough and slightly push and knead/stretch away from you. Give dough clockwise 1/4 turn and repeat folding, kneading, stretching.  Repeat this turn, fold, knead, stretch about 8 times, no more.

Bon Appetite!

Heston's Lemon Tart

This was made using Heston Blumenthal's recipe, but I had to modify as my tart tin was smaller and I wanted the tart less sweet. Baking this tart was a good learning experience on how to bake a custard filling to just setting condition.

The pastry was tasty, soft and crumbly. The filling just set and no more, smooth, very lemon tangy and not too sweet.

Serves 6-8 (small serves)
24cm tart tin, 2 cm deep

For the pastry
60g icing sugar
3 L egg yolks
300g plain flour
150g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon

For the filling
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 large lemons
250g double cream
120g white castor sugar
7 XL eggs

To finish and serve
50g unrefined castor sugar

Pastry
Blitz icing sugar and egg yolks in a tall container with a hand blender.
Use a mixer with a paddle attachment to mix flour, butter and salt on low speed until resembles fine cornmeal (about 2-3 minutes approx)
Add lemon zest, egg yolk mixture and mix on low speed until fully combine and a very soft dough has formed. The dough will "unstick" from the surface of mixer at this point. This can happen quite quickly especially on a warm day.
Mould dough into a flat square ad wrap in clingfilm, place in fridge for 1 hour.


Blind baking - Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan force

Roll pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to 2mm thick, place in freezer for 30 minutes. 

Line the tart tin with pastry, prick the base with fork, then place back in freezer for 10 minutes.
Line pastry case with scrunched baking paper and beans/clean coins/rice on top.
Place in oven, blind bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove paper and contents, and return tart case to oven for further 10 minutes.
Take tart case out of oven to cool a little. Trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard. Leave to cool completely.

When ready to bake filling, preheat oven to 120C/100C fan force.
Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix together using a spatula.
Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until temperature reaches 62C. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pouring jug. With a spoon, remove bubbles from surface, if any.
Slide the oven rack out a bit, pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven.
Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in.
Bake approximately 25 minutes or until temperature of filling reaches 70C.
Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

Just before serving, sprinkle a think layer of sugar on top of tart.
Using a blow torch, gently caramelise the sugar while continuing to sprinkle further sugar on top.

Bon Appetite!

Fresh tomato soup

Fresh tomato soup is best when tomatoes are in season, when tomatoes are ripe, juicy and sweet, and cheap.

For 4 p
12 large juicy tomatoes, about 1.5 kg - I used egg tomatoes.
1 tsp of dried oregano or any herb like thyme, basil etc.
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, skins removed, and bruised
1 large red onion chopped or 3-4 small ones.
1-2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, or more if required
1/2 L of chicken stock, or water is ok.
A small bunch of fresh basil, chopped.

Preheat oven to 180deg.

Drizzle some olive oil onto a baking tray.
Cut tomatoes into halves and place on a baking tray, skin side down.
Sprinkle the dry herb all over the tomatoes.
Drizzle some olive oil over it, sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or less if tomatoes starts to burn around the edges.
Separately in a thick based pot, saute the garlic and onion with some olive oil.
Add the roasted tomatoes, sugar and salt.
Saute 1-2 minutes.
Add stock or water, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Turn heat off, cool for a few minutes.
Blend with stick blender or food processor.
Pour content through a sieve and press out all the liquid.
Reheat the sieved liquid.
Serve, with sprinkle of fresh chopped basil.

Bon Appetite!

White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies

Makes 20
100g butter, chopped
60g soft brown sugar
1 large egg
60g of white chocolate
60g rolled oats
150g plain flour

1/2 cup dried cranberry (rehydrated by soaking in water)

1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon/all spice powder
Optional: 1/2 cup sesame seeds

Preheat oven 150C fanforced.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Cream softened butter with sugar, add egg and beat till creamy.
Sift in flour, cinnamon powder, baking powder, salt, stir to combine.
Add cranberry, oats, chocolate and combine.
Spoon a tablespoon of the dough, roll into ball and place onto tray. Place each ball of dough about 3-4cm apart.
Flour bottom of a glass, and depress on each dough to flatten.
Bake in oven for 13-14 minutes.
Remove cookies and cool on rack before storing/serving.

Bon Appetite!

Baked Orange and Cranberry Cheesecake

I adapted this from a Gordon Ramsay's recipe. It is light, a bit crumbly and citrusy.
This is a brilliant dessert to make the day before as many recipes do suggest letting the baked cheesecake set in fridge overnight. I made this the night before, and it was great the next day for a lunch party:-)

Serves 8
Butter and flour, for greasing and dusting cake tin.
400g of cream cheese ( I used Light Philadelphia cream cheese)
80g caster sugar
3 eggs, whisked till very pale and creamy
2 tsbp plain flour
1 tbsp corn flour
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp of orange or lemon oil (optional, if you want stronger orange flavour).
3/4 cup of dried cranberries (alternatively, 200g raspberries).

Preheat oven to 150 deg C (fan forced)/170 if no fan. Lightly butter a 23cm springform tin, and dust with some flour. The lower temperature plus the use of the corn flour helps to minimise the cake surface cracking during cooking.

If using dried cranberries, barely cover the cranberries with water and soak, for say 15 minutes.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Fold in the flour, zest, fruit, and slowly, incorporate the juice bit by bit. (for this one, I used only half the orange juice and replaced the other half with juice from soaking the dried cranberries).

Fold in the whisked eggs say over 3 batches.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, gently tapping against the work surface to remove any bubbles.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven, and leave in oven for another 10 minutes. Open oven door, and leave in the oven for another 5 minutes, then take the cake out of oven. Leave to cool in tin. The slow progressive cooling prevents the cake from collapsing in the middle since there is no baking powder used.

If serving the next day, just cover loosely with cling film and keep in fridge. If covered too tight, the surface may get stuck to the cling film when removing.

Bon Appetite!

Whitebread with Wholemeal, Oats, Soy and Honey.

This is probably the best bread I have baked so far. So very soft and moist, delicious! Make sure you have at least 2 1/2 hours. Prepping and proving takes about 2 hours, baking another 30-35 minutes. 

Medium loaf 

280g white bread flour (I used Lauke)

80g Atta flour (wholemeal)

40g either bread/atta for kneading and dusting

1 1/2 tsp dry yeast

260ml lukewarm soy milk

1 tsp of soft brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp of honey

50g of instant oats

30ml of hot water

About 2 tbps of olive oil for kneading.

Prep loaf tin, lined with baking paper, and dust bottom with flour. 

Mix yeast into soy milk and leave covered for 20 minutes. 

Separately, mix honey, oats and hot water, leave aside.

Using a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar, create a well in center.

When yeast is proven, pour yeast soy liquid into flour.

Use a fork to stir, combine, into a lump of dough. 

Leave yeast to prove, cover the bowl with cling film or wet teatowel, for about 20 minutes. 

When yeast proven, pour oil on working bench surface.

Gently using hand scrape out all the dough on top of the oil and move the dough around to evenly spread oil all over the dough.

Gently knead with palm of hands for 2-3 minutes, stretch all parts of the dough, then form a ball, and leave covered to prove for 20 minutes. (15 in summer)

Lift dough up and lightly dust bench with flour. Knead for another say 2-3 minutes. Leave to prove another 20 minutes.(15 in summer)

Lift dough up and dust bench with flour. Knead for another say 2-3 minutes. Leave to prove another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 230 deg C fan force. Place a baking tray at bottom of oven. And another rack above it, in middle of oven. 

Lift dough up and dust bench with flour. Using palm of hands, gently flatten out dough into a triangle, about 2 cm thick, then slowly pull/stretch on both ends simultaneously, till dough almost double in lenght (to stretch the gluten), it is about 1 cm thick now. Then take 1 end, fold in both sides, pull, and roll in, repeat this action bit by bit, till dough is rolled up tightly into a long bun. 

Place seam down into prepped loaf tin. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until almost double in size. Dough would have risen and filled the loaf tin by now. You can also see the dough is stretched. 

At  this point onwards, you have to work quickly. 

Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour. 

Steam the oven by throwing about 5-6 cube of ice into a tray in oven. Close the oven door quickly. 

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife cut a line about 1 cm deep lenghtwise across surface of dough. You should see the dough has pocket of air bubbles when cut.

Quickly put the loaf tin onto the rack in the middle of the oven, and add another 5-6 cubes of ice onto bottom tray. Close oven door gently.

Baked 15 minutes at 230 deg C fan force. 

Lower temperature to 180 deg and bake for another 12 minutes. 

Open our door by 1 cm, and stick a wooden spoon door in between to keep door open, and bake for final 5 minutes (this releases the steam, and helps to crisp the crust). 

Remove loaf tin from oven, and bread from tin, and cool the bread on a rack.    

Combination of soy milk, oats and honey keeps the bread soft and moist for a few days. 

Bon Appetite!

Rigatoni with skinless pork sausages, tomatoes, oregano, tumeric, wine

For 2 p
120g of pasta
8 pork sausages
1 can of Italian tomatoes (just tomatoes)
2 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of tumeric powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 cup of white wine, or sparkling wine.
Olive oil for pan

Use a heavy based pan with lid

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan.
Add salt, onions and garlic, leave till softened.
Meanwhile, with the sharp tip of knife, cut across the sausage, to open skin.
Peel off sausage meat from skin and throw into pan.
Break the sausages up into smaller pieces, and cook for 1-2 minutes till rawness dissappears.
Add sugar, oregano, tumeric.
Add tomatoes and juice, and wine.
Stir through.
Cover lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

While the sausages are simmering, cook pasta for 11 minutes.
Add pasta to sausages when cooked, and stir through.
Serve.

Bon Appetite!

Soy Multigrain Bread

Bon Appetite!

Orange Marmalade and Almond Cake

This can be a gluten free cake, if the flour is omitted. Very moist, crumbly and it is not dense, almost light.

Wet Ingredients
Juice of 1 orange
8 tsp of marmalade/lime/lemon jam (or substitute 1 of the tsp with grapefruit jam)
1 tbsp of vanilla/greek/plain yoghurt

1 1/2 tsp of lemon oil/lemon juice
60ml of olive oil
1 tsp of vanilla paste

Dry Ingredients
Zest of 1 orange
125g (2 cups) almond meal

2 tbsp of self raising flour (25g) or replace with 2 tbsp of fine semolina flour
1 tsp of baking powder

2 XL eggs
1 or 2 tbsp of castor/demerrara sugar
1/4 cream of tartar
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160deg fan force

Line a 20 cm round tin with baking paper.

Whisk the eggs, cream of tartar and sugar till very pale and creamy, soft peaks forms. Set aside.

Pour oil into almond meal and zest, followed by remaining wet ingredients, and combine.
Gently fold half the eggs into the mixture.Sift flour and baking powder into mixture and fold.
Fold in remaining eggs. 
Pour into cake tin gently.
Bake for 40 minutes. Turn heat off and leave cake in oven with door half open, for 5 minutes.
Leave to cool in tin for 30 minutes.
Remove from tin.

Sift icing sugar on top of cake when cooled.

Bon Appetite!

Banana Blondie

I have modified this from a recipe off Dan Lepard's "Short and Sweet". Recently I have discovered that white chocolate is a great friend of cakes. And it works really well with this cake. Think of chocolate brownies, this is banana blondies!

2 large ripened banana mashed
200g plain sifted flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
200g white chocolate buttons
pinch of salt
70g of castor sugar
100g butter chopped
About 20 macadamias (can substitute with walnut or brazil nuts)
Handful of dark choc buttons (optional)
Handful of dried cranberries (optional)
1 XL egg

Preheat oven to 160deg fan force.

Gently melt white chocolate and butter in a large stainless bowl over pan of simmering water. When almost melted, remove from heat, and stir through till all melts, and leave to cool.
Separately, whisked XL egg with baking powder and sugar, till pale and creamy.
Separately, mix nuts, dark choc buttons and fruit into plain flour - "flour mix" (the flour coating prevents these from weighing to bottom of cake).
Beat the mashed bananas into melted white choc and butter, and salt, till blended. Fold in half the flour and whisked egg, then finished off with remaining flour and egg.
Line a 20cm square tin with foil. Spoon the mixture into the tin.
Bake for 30 minutes.
It is still a bit soft in the middle at this stage.
Serve only when cooled, ie at least 1 hour later.


Bon Appetite!

Banana Choc Chip Muffin (or Banana Walnut Muffin) -12

Makes 12 - small cupcake size.

4 fairly large ripe bananas

2 tbsp vanilla yoghurt

1 tbsp milk

160ml honey

½ tsp cinnamon powder

2 XL egg

100g butter, cut into small squares

20g sour cream (about 1/8 of a 250ml tub)

260g SR flour (2 ¼ cup flour)

1+ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup dark choc chip

Preheat oven to 170C deg fan force, then change to 160C when baking.

Line baking tin with baking papercups.

Melt butter slightly, set aside to cool.

Separately, mash the bananas, leaving some chunks.

Mix with honey, yoghurt, milk, cinnamon powder, a pinch of salt, set aside.

Separately, whisk the egg till pale and creamy, set aside.

Whisk butter and sour cream till creamy.

Sprinkle flour, baking powder and remaining salt all over butter/cream.

Using a fork, rub into mixture till resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add choc chip. Make a well.

Pour in mashed banana mixture, and 1/2 of the egg mixture. Fold gently.

Add remaining egg mixture and fold till combined, don’t overdo it.

Spoon into paper cups in baking tin, until each cup is about full.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Open oven door, bake 1-2 more minutes depending on oven heat.

Take out, and rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

·         For banana walnut muffins – replace choc chip with walnuts.

Bon Appetite!

Banana Choc Chip Muffin - 6

Makes 6 - small cupcake size

2 large ripe bananas
80ml honey
2 tbsp vanilla yoghurt
1 tbsp milk
50ml butter, cut into small pieces.
1 XL egg
1 cup sifted plain flour (125g)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/3 cup dark choc chip

Preheat oven to 160C fan force.
Line baking tin with baking papercups.

Melt butter slightly, set aside to cool.
Separately, mash the banana leaving some chunks.
Mix with honey, yoghurt and milk, cinnamon powder, set aside.
Separately, whisk the egg till pale and creamy, set aside.
Whisk butter (and cream) with a pinch of salt till creamy.
Using a fork, sprinkle flour, baking powder and remaining salt and rub till resembles breadcrumbs. Add choc chip. (The butter coated flour helps to slow down development of gluten). Make a well.
Pour in mashed banana mixture, 1/2 egg mixture and fold gently.
Add remaining egg mixture and fold to combine. Don't overdo it.

Spoon into paper cups in baking tin, until each cup is about full.
Bake for 15 minutes. Open oven door, bake 1-2 more minutes.

Take out, and rest on rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Optional: Add 20g sour cream to the butter mixture and whisk together.
Or replace choc chips with walnuts.

Bon Appetite!

Bacon split spiced mung bean rice

I got this inspiration from the bachang or dumpling that I love to eat at home. The triangle dumplings made of glutinous rice, mung beans, pork belly, mushrooms and chestnuts, wrapped in lotus leaf.

This is my easy one pot intepretation of it. I wanted a quick fast meal last nite, so I didnt do the pork belly version. Here it is.

For 2 p - medium portion
2 whole slices of bacon - rind taken off
1/2 cup of spiced split mung bean
1/2 cup rice
1 cup water or enough water to cover
Olive oil
2 tbsp of soy sauce

I use a medium size pot for this.
Wash the rice and set aside.
Cut bacon into matchsticks.
Lightly sautee bacon in pot with say 1 tbsp of olive oil until golden slightly brown.
Then add the spiced split mung bean. Sautee.
Add the rice. Sautee.
Add the water and soy and steam as you would cooking steam rice till cook.
I generally simmer on low, leave the lid on till all water is absorbed, then lift the lid to let steam out. Then close the lid. Turn off the heat. Rest for 15 minutes.
Serve.

You can eat as it is or in our case, we had it with some lightly sauteed some English spinach. After we scooped all the cooked rice into serving plates, I used back the same pot to cook the veg. It takes only 2 minutes. Just put sesame oil,   oyster sauce,  shio xing wine, sugar and sautee chopped up spinach till lightly wilted.

PS: If I were to cook with pork belly, I would have to separately sear the pork belly and then stew for about 1 hour in various spice and aromatics, and then replace it with the bacon, and use the stew juice to make the rice, same as above.

It so happens I got a packet of spiced mung beans. It is I believe a mix of Indian spices. But you can make your own, of say tumeric powder or 5 spice powder:-)

Bon Appetite!