Tag Archives: baking

Pumpkin bread

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Pumpkin Bread with cream cheese frostingThis morning, a lonely butternut pumpkin half was staring back at me from the fruit and veggie crisper. It had been long abandoned, purchased last weekend during our usual fruit and vegetable shop, probably picked up with some mysterious culinary challenge in mind. It had seen better days.

‘What to do?’, I wondered…

After roasting the pumpkin (wrapped in foil for 35 minutes at 175 C) and scooping it out, I decided to try my hand at Simply Recipes pumpkin bread.

It was a delicious success. Especially when topped with lemony cream cheese frosting. Because you don’t really need an excuse for cream cheese frosting, ever.

 

Peanut biscuits for Chinese New Year

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Peanuts!

Gong hei fat choy!

As a kid, the wafting smell of roasted peanuts and the whirring of the food processor meant one thing. Peanut biscuits. 

My grandma would pull up a chair, hand me a chopstick, and I’d watch with awe as she mixed together sandy-looking ground peanuts, plain flour, sugar, oil and salt into a pliable dough. It was always even better than play dough.

Together, we’d roll small balls of the soft dough between our palms, placing them on baking trays lined with greasproof paper.

Then, wielding my chopstick, I would gleefully prod belly buttons into each plump biscuit, leaving a perfect circle in the centre of each sweet morsel.

Peanut biscuits for Chinese New YearMost families get together for a ‘reunion dinner’ on the eve of the lunar new year. 

Being big fans of homophones, many of the foods eaten and shared friends and family are symbolic – presented and eaten to ensure prosperity and good fortune in the year ahead.

Making peanut biscuits for Chinese New Year

From left: The perfect sandy texture.
You’ll know the mix is perfect when it looks like this.

Peanut biscuits
Recipe via Billy, A Table For Two!

Makes about 30 – 40 biscuits

Ingredients

  • 300g peanuts, fried/roasted and ground until fine
  • 200g castor sugar
  • 250g plain flour
  • about 200ml of canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil) 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten, for glazing

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and lay out 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
  2. Roast the peanuts by frying them in a frying pan (dry, no oil). Grind the roasted peanuts till fine in a food processor. They’ll need to be quite sandy in texture – it’ll look  clumpy in the bowl of the mixer, but don’t worry. 
  3. Place ground peanuts in a large mixing bowl with the flour, salt and sugar. Mix together until well combined and lump free.
  4. Drizzle half of the oil into the bowl and combine the mixture with a clean hand, kneading gently.
  5. Keep adding a little more oil at a time. You’ll need to keep kneading to ensure the sugar melts and that the mix is soft and pliable, but firm enough that it doesn’t stick to your hands. 
  6. The mix is ready when you can roll the dough into smooth balls that don’t crack. If your mix is still too dry, add a little more oil and mix again.
  7. Take a heaped teaspoonfuls of the mix and roll into small balls. Place on baking sheets. of the mixture into your palm, and roll them into small balls. Place them on the baking sheets.
  8. Take a chopstick, poke a ‘belly button’ into each biscuit, and glaze with beaten egg.
  9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Making peanut biscuits for Chinese New Year

Use a chopstick to create a ‘belly button’ indent in each biscuit.

These golden biscuits are probably supposed to resemble gold ingots, or oranges. Or so I assume, as I’ve read that the word for oranges also sounds like the word fortune in Chinese. And I think adding the chopstick action kind of makes these look like mini-navel oranges…sort of.

My grandma always used to make dozens and dozens of these every year for Chinese New Year, ready for visiting friends and family, neighbours and greedy grandchildren (that’s me).

They’re delicious with a cup of tea, and good at any time of year.

Engagement

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In May, J and I got engaged.

We decided to celebrate with a small group of family and friends earlier this month. It was a great day – sunny weather made it’s first appearance for the month, shared with our nearest and dearest (well, those in Perth, anyway), with lots of food, fun and ball sports (for the kids). J and I had been prepping for about two days solid, but it definitely paid off in the end – as you’ll see below…

On the menu… 


14-hour pulled pork sandwiches with home made barbecue sauce


My honey-soy-garlic-everything chicken wings, German-style potato salad,
fresh garden salad and fresh bread rolls


My Mum’s famous wantans, fresh fruit,
chocolate macarons with peanut butter ganache
and red velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing 

Photos courtesy of the family photographer, my sister, TFP. Instagram-ized via hack from Daniel Box.

 

Macaron-9

Chocolate peanut butter macarons

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This isn’t the first time I’ve made macarons. After two previous attempts, I think I’ve finally worked out the necessary technique. The recipe I’ve been using comes from Jose Marechal’s excellent book, Secrets of Macarons, which provides an in-depth step-by-step guide to making these sweet treats for the home cook. I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re keen to get started on making your own macarons.

Macaron shells waiting to be baked (after 30 minute resting/drying time)

Chocolate peanut butter macarons

Using chocolate macaron recipe by Jose Marechal

Ingredients

  • 180g almond meal
  • 200g pure icing sugar (not icing mixture)
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 75ml water
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 160g of egg whites, divided into two equal portions (80g each) – you’ll need between 4-6 eggs, depending on the size you’re using
  • food colouring (optional), in red and green, or brown
  • Peanut butter of your choice (I used Kraft chunky peanut butter)
Equipment and other useful bits 
  • Electronic scales (a worthwhile investment if you decide you like making macarons!)
  • Candy thermometer
  • Food processor
  • Electric mixer (I use a KitchenAid stand mixer with the standard bowl)
  • a large metal, glass or ceramic mixing bowl (you’ll need two if you are using a hand mixer … no plastic as you’ll be using this with sugar syrup)
  • a small saucepan
  • a pastry brush
  • a glass of water
  • silicon-coated baking paper (such as Glad Bake, or identical supermarket-brand versions)
  • a large sieve (or fine mesh colander, if you’re totally lazy like me)
  • two spatulas (you’ll probably only need one…)
  • a pastry bag with 8mm – 1cm pastry tip (I use disposable bags from Wilton, with a plastic tip)
  • a permanent marker
  • 3 – 4 baking sheets
Method
  1. Using a shot glass, bottle top or any other circular template, trace out circles on to some paper (which fits your tray) using your permanent marker. It’s best to create staggered rows to avoid any conjoined twin macarons. I just trace out one piece of paper, then use this as a template beneath a fresh sheet, rather than tracing several pieces. (You can also save the circle template for later)
  2. Process the almond meal, icing sugar and cocoa until combined and fine – it should resemble a finely grained powder once it’s ready. You may need to do this in batches to ensure consistent texture. I find tapping the bowl regularly and scraping down the sides helpful. Sift into the large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. Measure the caster sugar and water, adding to the saucepan. I like to do this right on the scale, pressing tare as I go. Easier that way. Place pan on the stove, and bring to the boil using the candy thermometer. You’ll need to make sure it doesn’t touch the base of the pan – this can completely stuff up your temperature reading. Don’t let it boil above 115c/240F. Turn it down to simmer if you need to. Try not to agitate or mix the syrup, to avoid crystallisation. You can also brush down the sides of the pan with your pastry brush and water occasionally to avoid this happening.
  4. Beat half your egg whites (80g) until they reach a soft peak stage. Increase the speed once your syrup reaches 105c/220F. Your egg whites should be coming along to firm peaks by now.
  5. When your syrup reaches 115c/240F, remove from the heat. Pour into egg whites in a thin stream, while mix continues to beat. Keep beating for a further 10 minutes or so, until the mixture cools.
  6. Grab your bowl of processed almond meal etc, and add the remaining egg white (80g), mixing well with a spatula. Don’t worry about being to rough with the mix at this stage. You won’t hurt it. Add a little food colouring at this stage if you’re using it.
  7. Your meringue mix should be cool by now. Using the spatula, scoop out about a third of the meringue, adding it to the almond meal and egg white mix. Combine the two mixes well, you’ll need a bit of elbow grease to get them properly combined.
  8. Now incorporate another third of the meringue mix into the almond mix. More gently this time, using a folding action. The mixture will loosen after this next bit. Add the rest of the meringue and continue to mix, until the batter is uniform in colour and texture. It should be quite sticky, thick and definitely not runny.
  9. Prepare your piping bag, and fill with the mix. Be sure to get rid of as much extra air as you can while you fill – big air bubbles from your piping bag can lead to craters in your macarons.
  10. Take a piece of clean baking paper and lay it over your template, and on a baking tray. Pipe even rounds within each circle.
  11. Tap the finished tray on a bench (you can be pretty vigorous here), and let it sit in room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step is very important to ensure your macarons stay pretty. They’ll crack if not rested long enough and they won’t form the distinctive ‘feet’ – the frilly bubbled edge around good macarons. You’ll know you’ve got it right when you can gently touch the surface of your macarons without leaving a mark.
  12. While you pipe your trays, preheat your over to 150c (300F).
  13. Bake macarons for 12 – 15 minutes (depending on size). Mine took 14 minutes.
  14. Dampen a bench top or table surface. Once the macarons are done, transfer macarons on the baking paper directly on to the dampened surface – this will make them easier to remove.
  15. Take cooled shells and match them in pairs according to size/shape. Spread/pipe with peanut butter of your choice, and sandwich!
My macarons getting the damp bench top treatment
Perfect feet!
And that’s it. You’re finally done.
Now make yourself a cup of tea (or coffee) and enjoy!

 

 

image-1

Red velvet cupcakes

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These moist and chocolatey cupcakes are always a crowd pleaser. Yesterday, I made a batch of 12 full-sized cupcakes (in a muffin tray), and 48 mini-muffin sized cupcakes from the recipe below. J and I both brought the mini versions to our respective workplaces. They were a hit :) The fluffy, rich cream cheese icing is a must have for the true Red Velvet experience.


Beware: this recipe contains artificial colouring.

I’ve tried replicating Red Velvet recipes with beetroot juice, but have found after numerous attempts, that there’s really only one way to achieve the desired red-red.

If you’re not a fan of food colouring, just omit it, for some truly excellent chocolate cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Based on One bowl chocolate cake III, recipe from allrecipes.com

Makes approximately 24 muffin-sized cupcakes or two 9-inch round cakes

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (use something mild like sunflower, definitely not olive!)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon red food colouring (I used liquid colouring this time, but paste or gel would be preferable)
  • 1 cup boiling water
 Method
  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour two nine inch round pans, or line two 12-cup muffin trays with baking liners (if you’re using mini-sized muffin trays, you’ll need at least 48 to start with)
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, food colouring and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
  3. If you’re making two round cakes, bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven. If you’re making cupcakes, try 15 minutes to start (you may need up to 25 minutes), until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream cheese icing
  • 1 block Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (I usually forget to leave it on the bench for an hour, so instead I unwrap from the foil and microwave on high for 30 seconds)
  • 1/4 cup  butter, softened (see previous comment!)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 – 4 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to your liking)
  • Approx 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
Method
  1. Mix together butter and cheese using an electric mixer, making sure to beat out any lumps.
  2. Add vanilla and lemon juice (start with a tablespoon)
  3. Sprinkle in a cup of sugar, mixing well. Taste. Add more lemon juice or sugar and adjust to your taste.
  4. Spread or pipe on to cooled cupcakes

Cheese and bacon scones

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Juji seeks:
The perfect carb, capable of working independently or in a team. Versatile – available for meals morning or evening. Hard on the outside, yet soft and yielding on the inside with a golden exterior. Yummy extras are an advantage (cheeses preferred). Bacon, always a must.

Cheese and bacon scones

Makes about 14 – 16

Ingredients

  • 6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, finely chopped
  • 3 cups self-raising flour
  • 90g butter, cubed
  • 100g tasty cheese, finely grated
  • 50g parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (plus extra for glazing)
  • paprika, for dusting
  • butter, extra, to serve

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a roasting pan with baking paper.
    Note: I like to use a high-sided pan to ensure soft-sided scones. If you like yours crispy, use a lined baking sheet.
  2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Cool completely.
  3. Sift flour into a large bowl (or bowl of stand mixer).
    By hand: Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
    Using stand mixer: Turn mixer on lowest setting, add cubed butter gradually, beating well after each addition. Mix until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.Add bacon and cheese. Mix well (by hand if you used a stand mixer).
  4. Make a well in centre of mixture. Add buttermilk slowly. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more buttermilk if required. Turn dough on to a lightly floured, clean surface. Knead dough gently until smooth (take care not to knead too much, you’ll just need to work it enough to bring it all together).
  5. Pat dough until 2.5cm thick. Using a 5cm cutter, press gently and cut rounds from dough. Place in roasting tin, ensuring that scones are placed next to one another (for soft sides) or spaced apart on your baking sheet 3 – 4 cm for crispy sides.Brush tops of scones with extra buttermilk, sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden and well risen (may need to vary depending on your oven).

    Serve scones hot with butter.

Sweet potato pie

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As a child I used to spend hours reading from my Mum’s recipe book collection. My favourite books were usually the ones which featured food prominently (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and I often found myself inspired by the foods I read about.

I vividly remember asking Mum to make rhubarb and custard – despite never having eaten it before, and not knowing the first thing about how it would taste (I think I was seven). But I was a girl on a mission. And I had my rhubarb.

As an adult, that unmistakable ‘a-ha‘ feeling still comes over me when I stumble upon a recipe online or in a book (now my own). I find myself struck with the feeling that I have to eat something – not because I’m hungry, but because I just know I’ll like it.

My latest a-ha came courtesy of my strange (and inexplicable) love of all things Southern. I’m not even American. Never been there. Never met anyone from the south. For some reason food from America’s south really appeals to me. Fried chicken. Grits. Sticky pulled pork. And now, sweet potato pie.

This pie is surprisingly light, and not as sweet as I expected. The sweet potato yields a fluffy, moist filling. The added cinnamon and nutmeg make this a spicy treat which I think of as ‘christmas flavoured’ though I know it’s not exclusive to the festive season.

The pastry recipe I used (linked below) was surprisingly easy, and delivered a good result in a short amount of time.

We enjoyed this at a family afternoon tea. My nieces Ruby and Zoe seemed to be more intent on eating the pastry – but that’s okay with me!


Sweet potato pie

Adapted from Sweet Potato Pie I recipe at allrecipes.com

Makes 1 large 9-inch pie

Ingredients

450 g sweet potato (raw weight)
115 g butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 unbaked pie crust (I used this recipe, and froze the remaining dough for another time)

Method
  1. Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
  2. Break apart sweet potato in the bowl of an electric mixer. Turn the mixer on and beat at a slow speed to break up any remaining lumps of sweet potato.
  3. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
  4. Bake at 175 degrees C for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.
  5. Sift over a little extra cinnamon once the pie is cool (if you wish).

Baked passionfruit curd cheesecake

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In summer, the passionfruit vines in our garden go into overdrive, and produce a bounty of heavy fruit. They’re juicy, tangy and sweet, and while we have done our best to eat them or use them in cooking, it’s been hard to keep up.

On Australia day (last week), J scooped out just over 1 litre of passionfruit pulp from our harvested fruit. J’s cousins H and E were coming over for afternoon tea that day, so I made a baked passionfruit curd cheesecake.

Baked Passionfruit Curd Cheesecake

Recipe by Sarah Hobbs, published in Notebook Magazine, April 2008, Page 126

Juji’s note: This is a great recipe to make the day before – the cheescake is much better if chilled in the fridge overnight. This also freezes well, if you find yourself with leftovers – just defrost for about an hour in the fridge  before serving.

Ingredients

250g butternut snap biscuits
200g granita biscuits
120g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
300g sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

Passionfruit curd

2 passionfruit (I actually used about 6 or 7)
50g butter
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
1 tbs lemon juice

 

Method

  1. Spray the base of a 20cm (base measurement) springform pan with cooking spray. Place the biscuits in a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined. Transfer mixture to the pan and use a glass to press the crumb mixture firmly over the base and side of the pan (you’ll need to ensure the crust is about 2/3rds of the way up the sides of the pan). Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
  2. In the meantime, to make the passionfruit curd, place passionfruit pulp, butter, eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
  3. Preheat oven to 160°C. Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. Add eggs and lemon rind and beat until just combined.
  4. Pour half the cream cheese mixture into the biscuit base. Dollop spoonfuls of half the passionfruit curd over the cream cheese. Pour over remaining cream cheese and dollop half of the remaining curd. Use a bamboo skewer to gently swirl passionfruit mixture and cream cheese to make a marbled pattern.
  5. Place on an oven tray. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until centre is just set. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour or until cooled completely. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill (for at least an hour, preferably overnight). Spread over remaining curd to serve.

Peanut butter blondies

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I couldn’t live without my overstuffed pantry – J sometimes dares to question my crazy attachment to it. ‘What do you need three packs of plain flour for?’ is usually the question . But it gets me out of so many culinary mishaps. Need some flaked coconut? Got it. A recipe that calls for not one, but three kinds of beans? Sorted. I never run out of flour, because I’m never without a spare pack.

But when it comes to needing a tasty baked treat when you’re hungry on a public holiday… That’s when the overstuffed pantry really makes itself worthwhile.

This recipe came from the Jamie Oliver website, but I’ve adapted it to suit my tastes.

The flakes of sea salt add a lovely textural crunch and a pop of salty freshness – it combines everything I love about salted peanuts mixed with the sweet toffee taste of peanut brittle. I really think it makes what might otherwise be a
tooth-achingly sweet brownie, a slightly different, totally delicious and moreish take on a classic.


Salty Peanut Butter Blondies
Ingredients

1/2 – 1 cup peanut butter (the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons… I’m a peanut fan, so I upped this to 1 cup)
75 grams butter, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top prior to baking)
chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C .
  2. Line a brownie pan with baking paper (the pan I use is about 22 x 12 cm, use a slightly smaller pan if you can’t decide between two. No one likes thin brownies!), or grease well.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and butter.
  4. Gradually blend in the brown sugar, caster sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix until fluffy.
  5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended.
  6. Fold in the chocolate pieces if using. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven, or until the top springs back when touched. Cool, and cut into squares.

Spot the salt
flakes!

Cinnamon rolls (or, how I spent my Sunday morning)

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I’ve been a keen baker all my life. Pretty much since my first baked play-dough experiments. I’ve since moved on to edible treats – this Sunday I made cinnamon rolls, complete with sticky and buttery icing, using a recipe I cobbled together from the many I had read during my research.

The buns were delicious – but if you want an actual recipe – I’d suggest you try this one from Foodess! I plan to give it a whirl the next time I’m craving something sweet and cinnamon-ny (the quantities given for the dough are almost identical to the rolls I made, and the filling is the same!)