Chocolate Souffle with Rich Chocolate Sauce

Bola! Bola! Bola! Yes……..the FIFA WorldCup fever is on…….and I'm in the fever alright, LOL. Tonight there will be 2 matches at 7.30pm and 10pm and another one in the early morning of the next following day at 2.30am. Geez……that means I will be up and awake the whole night……..hmm, I must prepare something to eat and do while waiting for the time to pass, kekeke :pI have always wanted to try making 'soufflés' especially everytime when I turned those cookbook pages, seeing how fluffy and soft the soufflés are…..rise up to the rim of the ramekin bowls……looking so yummy and appetizing…..hmmm, slurp :p Some of the soufflés are just plain cheese or chocolate, while others are filled with ham, corn and all sorts of savoury fillings. Since I'm not looking for something that is really filling, just something light to keep me up and awake, and yummy of course, I chosed this 'Chocolate Soufflés with Chocolate Sauce'…..which I think would be just perfect for a light dessert at night ;)
This recipe was taken from Desserts Magazine (gosh, sorry I can't remember which issue was that), but don't worry, I'll have it written down almost word for word according to the magazine for you ^-^

 CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE WITH RICH CHOCOLATE SAUCE
(Makes 4-5, 6oz ramekins)

Ingredients:2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp / 1 oz. Unsalted butterof the egg white
2 large eggs, separated
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup / 1 oz. confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp chocolate liqueur, I used Kahlua
 For chocolate sauce:
100gm bittersweet chocolate
1 ½ Tbsp heavy cream


Method:

1. Lightly butter 4-5 , 6oz. soufflé dish / ramekins and dust with granulated sugar, tapping out the excess. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet. Set aside.
2. In a bowl over a saucepan of hot water (not boiling) or in a microwave, melt chocolate with butter. Remove from heat and whisk until glossy and smooth. Stir in chocolate liqueur and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, and beat in 3 tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.
4. In another bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in chocolate mixture until incorporated. Fold in ¼ of the egg whites; gently fold in the remaining whites. Divide into prepared container. (Can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 4 hours or freeze for up to 2 weeks).
5. Place dish on baking sheet. Bake in lower third of 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and the exterior is set but the interior is a bit loose and creamy and risen about 1 inch above the ramekins. Careful not to overbake.
6. When the soufflés is in the baking, to make the sauce, double –boil the chocolate and the heavy cream, stir to melt the chocolate. When the chocolate has fully melted, leave it to cool slightly and continue stirring.
7. When the soufflé is done, take it out of the oven, drizzle the chocolate sauce on top and dust the soufflés with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Note: If you are baking the stored soufflés from the freezer, unwrap the ramekins and set them on a small baking sheet, let them sit for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake on a baking sheet until puffed and risen about 1 inch above the ramekin, about 18 – 20 minutes.
 

Happy Souffles baking…….Goal!!

Marble Chiffon Cake…..Super Light & Cottony Soft

It has been raining and raining for weeks already in KK……..sunny in the morning and all so cloudy in the afternoon starting around 3pm, and heavy downpour will start after that. Hmm…..weather like this will make a lot of people falling sick for no reason….just like me! I suddenly lost my voice 2 days ago and I can't think of what I have done or eaten that caused the loss……..some friends suggested that I stopped baking for awhile as they thought I might have been baking and eating at the same time, especially when the things are still hot and heaty right out of the oven……….no lah, I usually don't eat what I baked, only taste testing and that means…..only a small bite leh.Then, Hubby was saying maybe I screamed at the kids too much during the holidays…….since I'm at home with them most of the time, well OK…….maybe a little, but not until I lost my voice…….anyway, I would blamed it on the crazy ever-changing weather for this! But….who cares! The baking still goes on as that is what I like……..LOL.
So last night after the heavy rain……..I felt so lazy and sleepy (hey, it's only 7.45pm), then I thought maybe I'll bake something to keep me awake….and the good excuse is….baking for breakfast tomorrow, I know that is not a good excuse to bake, but well, now that the kids are on school holiday…..I have no one ordering me to bake for recess time, not until they goes back to school in another 1 weeks time. As I have gathered these varieties of Chiffon Cakes recipes, different flavors and all looking so yummy, how can I resist baking them? So I chosed 'Marble Chiffon Cake' tonight…….and the rest will follow next :P
I found this recipe here and I have also gathered a few more for the line-up…….the outcome, I must tell you the very truth…..it's super soft, super light and it tears like cotton……if you know what I meant, when you eat……… you must try and definitely a keeper !! I must say I did not follow exactly the method stated in the recipe, so I'm not going to put in word by word as that would not be fair, so the method is according to what I did ^-^

 MARBLE CHIFFON CAKE
(for 21cm tube tin)

 Ingredients for egg white mixture:
180gm egg whites (approximately from 5-6 eggs)
90gm castor sugar
10gm cornflour

 Ingredients for egg yolk mixtures:
70gm egg yolks (from 3-4 eggs)
60gm water
60gm vegetable oil (I used Canola Oil)
70gm + 10gm Plain flour (I used Superfine flour because my plain flour ran out)
20gm caster sugar
8gm Cocoa powder (I used 1 Tbsp)

 Method :

1. Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until frothy, add in the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. Then add in the cornflour and beat until the egg whites forms stiff peak. Set aside.
2. Mix the egg yolks, water and oil together until well combined. Add in the 70gm flour and 20gm sugar and mix well until the mixtures is smooth and creamy.
3. Divide the egg yolk mixture to two equal portion in two separate bowl (A and B).
4. Pre heat oven to 170~C and place rack in the centre of the oven.
5. In bowl (A), mix in the 10gm flour and mix well.
6. In bowl (B), mix the 8gm cocoa powder into it and mix well.
7. Divide the egg whites into 2 equal portion and fold in to bowl (A) and bowl (B). Make sure to gently fold in to get a well blended mixture, avoiding not to over mix and breaking up the meringue too much.
8. Pour the 1/3 of the (A) into the ungreased 21cm tube tin, then followed by (B), use a skewer to swirl it.
9. Then repeat with the (A) and then (B) and swirl again until you get all the batter into the tube tin. Bake at preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until your cake tester inserted to the centre comes out clean.
10. Invert the cake immediately after removing from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding it from the tube tin. Enjoy!

Happy Chiffon Cake baking !!

Daring Bakers Challenge for May 2010 – A Piece of Montee / Croquembouche

It's the Daring Bakers Challenge posting period again, and you might start to queried me as this is already the month of June ( and to be exact, 1^st week of June is gone) and I'm only posting my completed May challenge now?? Yeah, yeah, I'm so, so late this time, and I have personally write in to apologized and also requested a late posting date from the organizer………….hehehe, and guess what, I'm not the only one lah…that's makes me feels so much better knowing that there are members out there who also lives in the 'real' world where…….sometimes, you just get out of schedule and be late for something, that's just normal……phew!! :P
So, I finally completed my 'Piece of Montee' after so many postponements due this this lah, that lah…..and sometimes, when it comes to baking, I don't know about you, but me…..it's all about the mood, and the mood swing includes what you want to bake for the day…..not anything will do, that's the thingy :P Anyway, I'm just glad that I did it and have however fulfill the members criteria……..as we are only allowed to miss maximum 4 challenge in a year and I have already skip two.
Ok, getting back to the challenge, May challenge was all about the Montee / Croquembouche where it is the traditional wedding cake in France. They are also often served at occasions like Baptisms or Communions. I was a bit skeptical at first when I saw the notes for the challenge…..I was thinking that what am I going to do with a mountain of Choux Puffs after the challenge??? I don't have a wedding to be gifted to , or a Baptism or even a Communion………and who is going to eat all these up……as I'm not talking about 10 choux puffs…….but at least 28 – 40 pieces of choux to be mounted up high in order to get that height to be qualified as a MONTEE!! OK…….no worries, I'll get to that later I thought, I'll find my eating troupes who are willing to wallop that montee for me…..LOL

The challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake and the recipes are from Peter Kump's Baking School in Manhattan and also designed by famous pastry chef , Nick Malgieri. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't deny that this is s far 'd' best Pate A Choux recipe in my collection. The recipe given has 3 components in it and that is the (1) Pate A Choux (2) Crème Patissiere and also (3) Chocolate Glaze as the mounting agent. I made the Crème Patissiere a day ealier as it requires at least 6 hours or overnight to cool and the flavor I have chosen is Vanilla.

 

 Ingredients:
For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere

1 cup (225ml) whole milk
2 Tbsp. Constarch
6 Tbsp. (100gm) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30gm) unsalted butter
1 tsp. Vanilla essence

Method:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
2. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
3. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continue whisking.
4. Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify / cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla essence.
5. Pour cream into a stainless steel / ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.
    

Pate a Choux (Yield about 28, but I got about 46)
¾ cup (175ml) water
6 Tbsp. (85gm) unsalted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup (125gm) all –purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg wash: 1 egg and a pinch of salt (I personally don't like the egg wash, as I feel that it browned too fast, the puff doesn't look nice)

Preparing batter:

1. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

2. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
4. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes. It is this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs. 

Piping:

1. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe choux about 1 inch- apart in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
2. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of the choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
3. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with a pinch of salt).
4. Bake the choux at 425~F / 220~C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
5. Lower the temperature to 350~F/ 180~C degrees and continue baking until well-coloured and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight.

Filling:

1. When you are ready to assemble your piece montee, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream, using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet.
2. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make the glaze.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
8 ounces (200gm) finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I would recommend the semi-sweet)

Melt the chocolate in microwave or double-boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Montee:
You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get the feel for how to assemble the dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. The take some of the larger choux and assemble them in circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble, dip the top of each choux in the chocolate galze (carefully as it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/ plate/ cheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up.

When you have finished the design of your piece montee, you may drizzle with the remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers and etc. to decorate. Have fun and enjoy!

Happy Montee Assembling !

Dried Apricot Shortbread Hearts

Today is another Public Holiday and it's one of those Agung's birthday as far as I know……but please don't test me or ask me his name or age…..I really have no idea. I think I'm not the only Malaysian who doesn't bother about that as long as there is a PH for us to stay back at home and spent some quality time with the family….:PAnyway, today I was the only one at home with the kids as Hubby still has to open for business in the morning and night……and moreover the twins (Daniel & Dylan) are participating in the KK Chess Association Chess Competition that will be held over 2 days. I sent them to the Asia City Shopping Centre and get them registered, then left for home until later at 2pm then head back there to fetch them. Well, not that I don't want to be there to see them compete………but they chased me off so that they don't feel nervous wo……L ok lah…..let them compete peacefully without having to worry their 'mum' will be there peeping through some crowd to see them, LOL.
So , as I reached home around 10.30am, still so early, and the other two (Ian & Angelica) were still in slumberland……I decided to bake something easy and fast just to kill time before I start catching up on my outdated blogs. I chosed to baked this "Dried Apricot Shortbread' because I have actually wanted to bake this for Christmas last year, but couldn't find dried apricots…….and now that I have a packet of it in the fridge, why not?
This recipe was taken down by me from here and the outcome was very rich, buttery shortbread with the apricot blending in so nicely…..it's just perfect! I love it and gave some to my SiL and will definitely make this again…..especially for Christmas as a gift! Keep that in mind…… ^-^

 Dried Apricot Shortbread Hearts
Ingredients
223gm unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup Confectioners / Icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups multi-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup finely chopped dried apricots (or any other dried fruits of your choice)

 Methods

1. Pre heat oven to 325~F / 180~C and place the rack in the centre of the oven.
2. Put butter, sugar, vanilla essence, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine all the ingredients together, but not creamy.
3. Add in the dried apricot. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Press the dough evenly and firmly on the baking pan.
4. Bake at preheated oven for about 30 minutes or slightly golden in colour. You might want to cover the top with aluminium foil after baking for 20 minutes to prevent overly browned.
5. Let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the baking pan and transfer the shortbread to a flat work surface.
6. Cut out heart with a 2 or 3 inch 'heart shaped cookie cutter'. Trim off the stray bits of the apricot with a sharp knife.
7. The shortbreads can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Happy Shortbread Baking !

Almond Flakes Brittle (Crocante)

Geez….this post is so outdated that I have almost forgotten about it. Yesterday I have a friend who asked me to share this "Almond Flakes Brittle" with her as she would like to give it a try……then I realized that I haven't had this posted up since April……aiyoh, apa macam ah??? Hehehe :P
OK, don't ask me why and what makes me get into the mood of making this Crocante…..or should I say, 'Toffee Candy' (that's what I think it tasted like). I think I have short term memory loss that I can forget things so easily just with a snap of a finger. Anyway, I do remember where I got this recipe from and I love everything about this blog too…….the write-up, the recipes and the photographs…..very professional ;) Here's where you should check this out……and the only thing I change in this recipe is the pine nuts used…….as I don't have pine nuts in my inventory at that time when I wanted so much to make this, I substituted it with lightly toasted Almond Flakes……and it tasted just as good too. Next time I'll definitely try the original version….with pine nuts! ^-^

 Ingredients (makes about 2 cups of Crocantes)
1 cup Castor sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 cup pine nuts (I used Almond flakes, lightly toasted)

 Method:

1. Line a large baking pan pr cookie sheet with parchment paper, foil or silicone mat. Lightly grease the parchment if using. Set aside.
2. In a heavy medium saucepan over medium –high heat, combine together the sugar, water, butter, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stirring occasionally, and brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until the mixture turns deep golden brown in color and the candy thermometer register 350~F.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the pine nuts / almond flakes with a wooden spoon.
4. Make sure the caramel evenly coats all the nuts. Pour the mixture out onto the prepared pan lined with parchment paper, and using a heat-resistant spatula, spread it so the nuts are in a single layer (about 4mm in thickness).
5. Let the brittle cool completely before breaking them into pieces with your hands. Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It can be stored for up to 2 weeks…….but I doubt it'll last that long, because it's so addictive once you start eating a piece, it just leads you on and on and …….on

Happy Crocante Making……^-^