Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on April 24, 2016 by missamateurchef

My husband, like many other men, was not a big fan of desserts. He’d always said to people that he didn’t have a sweet tooth, but a salt tooth. Given the choice between a decadent chocolate cake and a simple pack of potato chips, it would be the savory latter every time. But then he discovered something better than sweet, something better than salty, which was the two of them combined together – salted caramel. Everything has changed since then… From Pierre Hermes macarons to Häagen-Dazs ice-cream, he orders everything with salted caramel. The salt-sweet combo is somehow so surprising and compelling; two very opposite flavors, instead of overshadowing one and other, tingle away in conjunction…

It’s his birthday today so I’ve made him these salted caramel cookies to celebrate!

Dear C, you are the salt to my caramel, milk to my cookie, gin to my tonic… best to my friend and love of my life…Happy birthday! I can’t wait to grow old with you ❤

(Yield 2 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, unsalted, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup caramel sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoons sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven at 180 deg C.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with hand mixer until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Add in vanilla extract and egg, beat until incorporated, pour in caramel and beat until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula from time to time.
In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Slowly add the sugary mixture to the dry ingredients.
Add in chocolate chips. Stir until they are evenly mixed.
Place dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat.
Scoop dough into a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop and place the dough onto the prepared cooking sheet.
Place about 2 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly.
Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes, until edges are slightly golden brown.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, and then transfer to a cookie cooling rack.

Pavlova with Strawberry Jam and Rosewater Chantilly Cream

Posted on April 17, 2016 by missamateurchef

Unlike its distant cousins macarons which have gained so much attention in the culinary world, pavlova- also a meringue based dessert, remains rather less known. The dessert was believed to be created by a hotel chef in the 1920s in honor of the beautiful Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova during one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand (thanks Wikipedia!). A pavlova is made with a French meringue which is cooked in the oven for a long time, about an hour, at a very low temperature to let it dry out. The outer shell of the meringue should be crisp, while the interior has a fluffy, marshmallowy texture. The cooled meringue is then topped with whipped cream and fruit right before being served. Nothing beats a good pavlova in springtime – light and airy, topped with seaonal berries, it feels a lot “healthier” than it really is!

(6 servings)

Pavlova
Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (can be substituted with white vinegar)
Pinch of salt
3/4 cups sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 120 C.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 4 4-inch circles on the parchment paper.
With an electric mixer set to medium, whisk together the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt for 3 minutes. Let the mixer keep running and add in the sugar, a spoonful at a time. Stop when the meringue is thick and can form stiff (around 6 minutes in total).
Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Start from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly, and leave a slight depression in the center.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Halfway through baking rotate the baking sheets so the meringues will cook as evenly as possible.)
Allow to cool in the oven before trying to remove them from the parchment paper (otherwise they may stick!).

Rosewater Whipped Cream
Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 drop of red coloring
a very small amount of rose water

Directions:

Add the cream to the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat on high speed until it begins to thicken.
While the mixer is still running gradually add the sugar and coloring.
Once the whipped cream is ready turn off the mixer.
Add rosewater in small amount. Taste and see if you think the whipped cream has enough rose flavor, if not repeat the process. (Rose water can be quite potent so you don’t want to overdo it.)
Assemble the dessert by putting the whipped cream on top of the Pavlova, add strawberry jam and berries for garnishing.

Banana Bread

Posted on February 15, 2016 by missamateurchef

Finally lay my hands on this new member of my cookbook collection. Published by my alma mater for fund raising- this ultimate cookbook features a selection of recipes gathered by the Maryknoll Sisters through their years of missionary work over the world.

When it comes to cookbooks, everyone has a different opinion regarding the perfect one, to me, it is the total package: delicious recipes that work, beautiful photography, and most importantly, writing that inspires and intrigues. Half a century ago, when most people rarely travel far from their hometown, our Sisters had this pioneering idea of compiling a cookbook made with a vast collection of international cuisine. These recipes collected from over 40 countries, given by families oversea, were the testament of love via sharing of food. Browsing through all the strange names of dishes, from Cazuela Chilena of Chile to Kachambali of Tanzania, some of them even unpronounceable, I felt like going on a culinary journey with the Maryknoll sisters. While I may not be able to accomplish something so great like them- cooking around the globe and spreading the word of God. I enjoy cooking for my loved ones and doing all sorts of food experiment in my tiny kitchen, that what keeps me grounded.

This banana bread is by far my favorite recipe from the book; it is a very basic and very forgiving recipe that takes all of 10 minutes to whisk together. An hour of waiting while your house fills with tempting aromas and then you’ll be able to enjoy your very own slide of warm, moist banana bread! Oh…I just can’t wait to try the rest of the recipes! After all the best cookbooks are the ones that gain its stains through frequent use, and later, passed down from generation to generation like a legacy.

Ingredients (for a 10x20cm loaf):

230 grams flour
2.5 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 overripe bananas
2 eggs
175 g sugar
60g canola oil
30g butter (melted)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 175∘C and adjust the oven rack to the center. Line a 10×20 cm loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Mash the bananas and mix in all the wet ingredients (eggs, sugar, canola oil, melted butter and vanilla) in another bowl. Fold the mixture into the dry ingredients to form a batter.
4. Pour batter to the lined pan and bake at 175∘C. Slit the center of batter after 15min for a better rise.
5. Continue to bake for another 35 min until a toothpick inserted to the center pulls out clean.