Another One Off The List.

Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Fettuccine

You know how there are some culinary staples you always buy and never quite give making them yourself a second thought?

Pasta was, until fairly recently, one of those things I just always bought at the supermarket, happy to just get a huge pot of salted water boiling, cook the pasta till al dente and call it a day. Until I got my hands on Jamil Oliver’s Jamie At Home, flipped to the gorgeous, extension section he wrote on making fresh pasta and saw how easy it all was.

Given that April was, for us, a month of birthdays and plenty of cakes and the boyfriend had just got me my very own pasta machine for my birthday just past, last weekend seemed like the perfect time to head into the kitchen and try my hand at making my own pasta.

Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Fettuccine

I won’t lie.

It didn’t all come together effortlessly with the snap of my fingers. There was, in fact, a lot of elbow grease involved first with kneading the pasta dough by hand, then with rolling out the pasta into sheets with the aid of the pasta machine repeatedly. But it was just all so immensely satisfying and therapeutic to roll the dough out and cut it into long strips- it almost kinda felt like I was back in kindergarten, playing with play-doh all over again.

I made a super quick and easy creamy mushroom and roasted garlic sauce to go with the pasta so I could just focus on making the pasta and not spend hours on the sauce as well. And I have to admit that aside from the slightly thick pasta- I should have rolled it out a lot thinner on hindsight- I was pretty thrilled at how my first shot at making pasta from scratch went. I think I might be just as taken with pasta making as I am with bread.

And with that is yet another item on my culinary to-do list for 2012 struck off. I might have to work on quite a couple more items to strike them all off before the year ends (can you believe it’s May already?) but I think I might have just found my culinary obsession for the year.

7 Comments
by thecoffeesnob on May 4, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Random Rambles

Posted by thecoffeesnob on May 4, 2012

http://eatandbehappy.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/another-one-off-the-list/

Of Turning A Year Older.

Mocha Cake with Chocolate-Coated Coffee Beans Brittle

Birthdays, it seems, have taken quite a tricky turn with me.

You see, while I still revel in celebrating it however simply like we did with brunch and a movie this birthday just past, the realization of how old I’m actually turning- and how far from my young, carefree days I have come- hit me hard like a wall of bricks this year.

But bittersweet birthdays or not, as per tradition, there was definitely gonna be a homemade birthday treat in store (I mean, since I can’t stop time, I might as well make the best of it right?)

And this year, a lavish mocha cake seemed like the perfect birthday treat to mark my first step into the wrong side of twenty-five.

Mocha Cake with Chocolate-Coated Coffee Beans Brittle II

As it turns out, I really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect- or delicious- birthday cake.

A mocha cake, topped with lightly whipped cream and shards of chocolate-coated coffee beans brittle, this cake was incredible rich and moist and tiptoed the fine balance between sweet and bitterness perfectly both with the cake and the brittle; the perfect birthday cake for a rather bittersweet birthday.

One slice of this cake and all of a sudden, it didn’t matter that I was turning another year or had officially bidded adios to my mid-twenties. All I knew was I had myself some really good cake- and I wanted more.

So while I may not quite be looking forward to turning another year older this year on, I sure take comfort in the fact that I haven’t- and hopefully never will- outgrow the joys of a really good birthday cake.

And until my next birthday rolls around, you can bet I will be drowning my pains of turning yet another year older in this cake every chance I get.

Mocha Cake with Chocolate-Coated Coffee Beans Brittle [Adapted from Belinda Jeffrey's Mix & Bake]

Note: I made a bunch of changes to this recipe, firstly with the sugar (reducing the amount and then replacing part of it with light brown sugar to get a hint of caramel) and replacing the olive oil with canola oil because I honestly still haven’t gotten my head around making dessert with olive oil. I also added in a splash of Kahlua- and omitted the vanilla extract- because Kahlau, in my humble opinion, truly makes everything, especially mocha cakes, better. Let’s see, what else? Oh, I added some gelatin to the whipped cream to stabilize it because my cake was gonna be sitting in the fridge for a good eight hours or so and I didn’t want the whipping cream to start weeping (hehe). And I used chocolate-coated coffee beans in the brittle, instead of coffee beans the recipe called for, because that was all I had on hand. I was initially a little worried about how the chopped chocolate might hold up in hot caramel but it worked out rather beautifully- just make sure you pop the brittle into the fridge for a bit after it has cooled down so the chocolate hardens.
 
I know the recipe seems rather long and has a million steps but it honestly couldn’t get any easier. You seriously don’t even need a mixer for the cake batter. All it is is really a whole lot of stirring for the cake, a little whisking for the whipping cream, a bit of pouring and a lot of patience for the brittle and viola, you’ll have yourself a gorgeous decadent cake. Seriously, make it- and you can thank me later.

Mocha Cake with Chocolate-Coated Coffee Beans Brittle III

Ingredients
35g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
75g unsalted butter
80g canola oil
3 tsp instant coffee powder
160ml hot water
90g dark chocolate, finely chopped
120g caster sugar
80g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp Kahlua
185g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
80g buttermilk

Frosting
200ml pouring cream
2 tbsp water
1 tsp gelatin

Brittle
2 tbsp chocolate-coated coffee beans, coarsely chopped
220g caster sugar
125ml water

  1. To make cake Preheat the oven to 150C. Line the base of a 24cm round springform tin with baking paper and grease the sides of the tin. Set aside.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, butter, oil, instant coffee powder and water and heat until the mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the caster and light brown sugar as well as the chopped chocolate. Let the mixture stand for a minute before stirring to get a smooth mixture.
  3. Let the mixture cool before whisking in the egg and Kahlua. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and stir till just combined. Whisk the buttermilk until the batter comes together.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top. Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 to 50 minutes or till the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the cake tin.
  5. To make frosting Combine the gelatin and water in a saucepan, heating until the gelatin dissolves completely. Remove from heat.
  6. Using an electric mixer, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Add the cooled gelatin mixture and whisk till firm peaks form. Refrigerate the cream until ready to use.
  7. To make brittle Line the base of a baking tray with baking paper. Grease the tray generously and set aside.
  8. Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Cook the syrup until it is a deep golden brown and immediately remove it from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into the prepared tray. Swirl the tray gently to spread the syrup evenly.
  9. Working quickly, sprinkle the chopped chocolate-coated coffee beans onto the brittle. Let the brittle to cool completely before placing in the fridge for about half an hour. Carefully peel the brittle away from the baking paper and break it into large shards.
  10. To assemble Spread the cream on top of the cake, swirling it up a little with a spatula and sprinkle the brittle over the top. Serves 8
13 Comments
by thecoffeesnob on April 14, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cakes, Chocolate

Posted by thecoffeesnob on April 14, 2012

http://eatandbehappy.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/of-turning-a-year-older/

Of Easter and Hot Cross Buns.

Hot Cross Tea Bread

Easter has, for as long as I can remember, always been one of my favourite holidays.

You see, the religious significance of it and abundance of chocolate that fills the shelves of the supermarkets whenever Easter draws near aside, Easter, to me, always signified that it was almost time to indulge in one of my favourite seasonal treats, something I have professed my love for with no shame repeatedly on this site; the hot cross buns.

So when Easter was fast approaching- a little earlier than usual- this year, I just couldn’t let Good Friday slip me by without baking up some hot cross buns, or one huge hot cross tea bread in this case, to be specific.

Hot Cross Tea Bread II

Given what a busy Good Friday I had lined up, it was a really good thing how easy it was to work this recipe round my schedule. I started soaking the dried currants in some freshly squeezed orange juice the night before, made and shaped the dough on the morning of Good Friday and let the dough rise in the fridge while I headed out for some really good pizza for a early pre-birthday lunch. So upon arriving home, all that was left to do was to let the dough come to room temperature, pipe the dough and bake it and viola- a freshly baked hot cross bun!

And for all that seriously fuss-free effort, this tea bread was really good fresh out of the oven- with a slightly dense crumb and dotted generously with dried fruits- and even better toasted slightly and served with unsalted butter.

So while this fantastically long Easter weekend might not be over just yet, I certainly will be polishing off this hot cross tea bread while dreaming of the hot cross buns- or some variation of it at least- to come next Easter.

Hot Cross Tea Bread [adapted from delicious April 2009 issue]

Note: I didn’t change much to the recipe, apart from soaking the dried currants in orange juice to plump them up and adding the zest into the batter which i think really added a fantastic citrus flavour to the bread. I seriously love how easy this bread was to make and not having to divide the dough up into equal portions and gingerly shape them into balls for a second rising really was quite a bonus. That aside, happy Easter and I hope you guys had a great long weekend!

Hot Cross Tea Bread III

Ingredients
200ml milk
1 tsp caster sugar
7g dry active yeast
400g bread flour, divided
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
50g light brown sugar
80g dried currants
80g dried citrus peel
80g chelory
Juice and zest of 1 orange
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten

To decorate
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp water

To glaze
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp water

  1. To make the bun Measure out the dried currants into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of the orange over the dried currants and leave the dried currants to soak in the orange juice in the fridge overnight.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the milk till lukewarm. Combine the caster sugar, yeast and 100g of flour in a bowl. Whisk the warm milk in until a smooth mixture forms. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm place for 25 minutes or till bubbles form on the surface.
  3. Grease a 18 cm springform cake pan. Line the base of the pan with baking paper and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, sift the cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining 300g of flour and salt together. Stir in the light brown sugar, plumped currants (drained of any excess orange juice), dried citrus peel, dried chelory and orang zest. Add the yeast mixture, cooled melted butter and beaten egg.
  5. Bring the mixture together with your hands, gently kneading for a few minutes till a dough forms. Continue kneading the dough on a lightly floured work surface until the dough feels smooth.
  6. Shape the dough into a circle and place in the cake pan. Cover with a clean tower and leave to rise in a warm place till the dough doubles in size. Preheat the oven to 200C when the dough is almost ready.
  7. To decorate Combine the flour and water till a thick, smooth pasta forms. Spoon the paste into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe a cross on top of the run.
  8. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and crust sounds hollow when you tap it lightly.
  9. To make the glaze Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat till the sugar dissolves. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the warm bun. Let the bun cool slightly before unmoulding from the pan and turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with butter. Serves 8
3 Comments
by thecoffeesnob on April 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Bread Baking

Posted by thecoffeesnob on April 8, 2012

http://eatandbehappy.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/of-easter-and-hot-cross-buns/

Celebrating The Little Things.


Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Wow. Has it really been seven whole weeks since I last wrote anything here?

It certainly wasn’t for the lack of wanting. But between the insane project I’ve been tackling at work and the bout of kitchen disasters that descended upon me (wonky recipes, bad flour, missshapen drop cookies- believe me, everything that could go wrong in the kitchen went wrong in mine the last few weeks), I spent the last couple weeks either clocking in long nights at work or knee deep in flour and sugar late at night after work, baking up the latest culinary mishap.

So when it seemed like the last days of my project were finally approaching after three long, horrendous months and several delays in deadlines, it called for a sweet little something to celebrate- something preferably classic and simple, given my track record in the kitchen lately.

And I knew of nothing simpler, more classic or comforting than some peanut butter crisscrosses.

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses II

And comforting these peanut butter crisscrosses sure were.

Crisp with a burst of saltiness and crunchiness from the salted peanuts, these cookies had all the flavour of a creamy, rich spoonful of peanut butter- without all the stickiness.

All it took was one cookie, still warm, off the baking tray and all my long hours at work and frustrations at my recent baking disasters were all long forgotten.

And it is a rather good thing that this recipe made a lot of cookies, for I got news the following day at work that my project was gonna be extended by yet another week.

So while I might not quite be celebrating my end of my project just yet with these cookies, I definitely know what I’ll be seeking comfort in to help me get through this last week. And I sure don’t need another reason to whip up another batch of these peanut butter cookies when the project finally gets done for good.

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses [Slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home To Yours]

Note: The only adaptation I made to the recipe was to reduce the amount of caster sugar slightly, which I thought made for cookies that had just the right amount of sweetness. But that aside, there are a couple of simple tips to making this recipe that I think are worth sharing. Firstly, greasing your measuring cup slightly with oil or butter will help the peanut butter slide right out (I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I first discovered this tip- no more sticky peanut butter everything!). Also, I find the easier way to stop the tines of the fork from sticking to the cookie dough as you imprint them is to dip the fork in water, imprint the cookies and re-dip the fork in water every two or three cookies, which is how I’ve written the instructions below. Alternatively, Dorie Greenspan gives instructions to roll the balls of dough in caster sugar, then dips the fork in more sugar before imprinting them. Whichever way you choose, I have no doubt you will have some delicious, comforting peanut butter cookies on your hands.

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses III

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped salted peanuts

  1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
  2. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt together and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute till smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute, till smooth. Add the light brown sugar and caster sugar and mix for 3 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs in, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the flour mixture in in two batches, till just combined. Fold in the chopped salted peanuts.
  4. Working with half a tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms to form a ball and place each dollop of dough about 4 cm apart on the prepared baking trays. Dip the tines of a fork in water and press the tines against each ball of dough twice, in perpendicular directions. You should get a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.
  5. Bake the cookies in the centre of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your cookies and till the cookies are lightly coloured but still a little soft. Let the cookies cool for a bit before transferring them from the baking tray to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 40 medium-sized cookies
4 Comments
by thecoffeesnob on April 4, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cookies

Posted by thecoffeesnob on April 4, 2012

http://eatandbehappy.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/celebrating-the-little-things/

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