Tag Archives: homecooking

Strawberry and Nutella Swirl Bread

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Happy Sunday! It’s always tempting to head out for brunch on the weekend, but why not stay in and try these? Coffee refills are free and brunch at home means you don’t have to get changed or put on any make-up.

And if someone ever tells you that you put too much Nutella on your bread, stop talking to them… You don’t need that negativity in your life!

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 2⁄3 cup lukewarm whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 0.25-ounce active dry yeast
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup of Nutella or any other chocolate sauce
  • 2 cups fresh berries (sliced fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries, fresh blueberries)
  • 1 large egg, beaten for egg wash

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine warm milk, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup flour, beating at low speed to combine.
  2. Add melted butter and 1⁄2 cup flour, beating until combined. Add eggs, beating to combine. Gradually add salt and remaining 1.5 cups flour, knead to form a soft dough.
  3. Place dough in bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Grease a cast-iron skillet with butter.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18×16-inch rectangle. Spread with Nutella, leaving a 1⁄2 inch border. Sprinkle generously with berries.
  6. Starting at one long side, roll up dough, pressing seam to seal.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half length-wise, leave 1-inch of the edge uncut at the top. The doughy halves are then flipped upward.
  8. Start braiding the two pieces, by carefully lifting the left strand over the right strand. Repeat this motion until you reach the bottom of the dough. Press together to seal.
  9. Join the two ends, creating a circle with the dough and press together.
  10. Transfer the dough ring to the prepared cast iron skillet. Brush the wreath with the beaten egg.
  11. Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake for around 30 minutes (loosely cover with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary), or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

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The dish sounds like something you can find in the menu of some fancy restaurants. By deglazing the pan with a combination of chicken stock, cream and a little bit of whisky… everyone can turn those pan drippings into a fantastic sauce, no culinary school degree required!

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Ingredients

  • 2 bone-in pork chops (1 1/4 inches thick)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 apples and onions, cut into wedges
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons whisky
  • 8 small fresh thyme sprigs

Methods:
1. Preheat oven to 240°C. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Cook in hot oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from skillet.
2. Add apples and onion to skillet; cook until browned. Remove from skillet
3. Add broth to skillet, stir to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet, cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Whisk together cream and mustard; add to skillet, cook and stir constantly, cook for 2 minutes or until bubbly.
5. Remove skillet from heat, and stir in bourbon. Add pork, turning to coat, and top with apples, onions, and thyme.
6. Bake at 240°C for 15 minutes or until liquid is just beginning to bubble. Let stand in skillet 5 minutes before serving.

Sakura and Tofu Cheesecake

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Happy mother’s day!! Being a mom is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet, but let’s be honest, the job also comes with burnout, sleep deprivation and countless moments of insanity. Moms hold so many positions, chef, maid, nurse, financial advisor, personal shopper, psychiatrist and superhero to name but a few. Think about all the fashion phases you went in and out of as a teenager, all the hobbies you obsessed about for two weeks before moving on to something new, and all the dreams and ambitions you had as a little girl… She supported you through every single one of them. Mother’s Day comes once a year, and even though you should celebrate your mother every single day of the calendar, today is really when she should be treated like a queen- because she, without a doubt, deserves it!

Stayed up late last night to make this non-bake cheesecake: sakura blossoms are a classic Japanese ingredient, which not only has a very unique flavor but also adds beauty to the cake; and the tofu-based cheesecake gives a pleasantly refreshing taste.

For a special mom like mine deserves better than standard delivered bouquet =)

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(Serving one 7’ cheesecake)

Base:

  • 200g graham biscuits (crushed)
  • 80g butter (melted)

Filling:

  • Silken Tofu 350g
  • 200 g cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 40g sugar
  • 250ml whipping cream
  • 15g gelatin
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

  • Konnyaku powder
  • Sugar
  • Water
  • Pickled Sakura

Method:

  1. Rinse off the salt on the pickled sakura and soak with clean water for 2 hours .
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a 7’ springform pan with removable base. Chill until firm.
  3. In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in 100ml of water, stir until well combined. Warm up in microwave oven until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Set aside the mixture and allow it to cool completely.
  4. In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and Tofu until combined. Sieve the mixture afterwards.
  5. Beat whipping cream and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (around 5min).
  6. Lastly, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese-tofu mixture. Add in gelatin solution and vanilla extract.
  7. Remove the prepared cake pan from refrigerator, then pour the cream cheese mixture on the cake pan. Refrigerate for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
  8. Topping: Combine the konnyaku powder and water in a small pot, stir until well combined, then set aside and allow it to cool completely.
  9. Remove the cheese cake from refrigerator, gently pour the mixture on top of the cheese cake, then gently place the pickled sakura on the topping mixture and arrange them nicely.
  10. Refrigerate until the topping is set.

Lemon Meringue Tart

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When life gives you lemons… make lemon meringue tart!

Ingredients:

Pastry

  • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 70g icing sugar
  • 125g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 egg yolk
  • Beans for baking

Filling

  • 5 eggs
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 150ml double cream
  • 2-3 lemon (to produce about 100ml lemon juice and 2 tbsp lemon zest)

Meringue

  • 2 egg whites
  • Half cup of sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 160C fan.
  2. To make the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until crumbly.
  3. Mix in the egg yolks, roll into a ball. If the pastry is still too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water until it comes together.
  4. Wrap the dough in cling film, chill for at least 30 mins.
  5. While the pastry is in the fridge, make the filling. Beat all the ingredients, except for the zest, together. Sieve the mixture, then stir in the zest.
  6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a $1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin. Press down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim off any excess pastry.
  7. Stab a few holes in the bottom with a fork and put back in the fridge for 30 mins.
  8. Line the tart with foil and fill with dried beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the tart tin from the oven, discard the foil, and bake for another 20 mins until biscuity.
  9. When the pastry is ready, remove it from the oven, pour in the lemon mixture and bake for 30-35 mins until just set.
  10. Leave to cool, then remove the tart from the tin.
  11. In medium bowl, beat egg whites, salt and vinegar with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Around 6 min in total, do not underbeat.
  12. Spread the meringue on top of the filling with a spoon, starting from the outside edge of the crust.
  13. Brown the meringue with a blow torch.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

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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:

  1. Preheat the oven at 180 deg C.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with hand mixer until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
  3. 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.
  4. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  5. Slowly add the sugary mixture to the dry ingredients.
  6. Add in chocolate chips. Stir until they are evenly mixed.
  7. Place dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
  8. Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat.
  9. Scoop dough into a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop and place the dough onto the prepared cooking sheet.
  10. Place about 2 inches apart. Flatten the dough balls slightly.
  11. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes, until edges are slightly golden brown.
  12. 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

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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:

  1. Preheat oven to 120 C.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 4 4-inch circles on the parchment paper.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Halfway through baking rotate the baking sheets so the meringues will cook as evenly as possible.)
  6. 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:

  1. Add the cream to the bowl of an electric mixer.
  2. Beat on high speed until it begins to thicken.
  3. While the mixer is still running gradually add the sugar and coloring.
  4. Once the whipped cream is ready turn off the mixer.
  5. 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.)
  6. Assemble the dessert by putting the whipped cream on top of the Pavlova, add strawberry jam and berries for garnishing.

Cheese and Bacon Bread Bake

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Rise and shine, it’s breakfast time! Sunday is my favorite day of the week, no morning rush or unmet challenges, finally there is time to sit back and enjoy a relaxing breakfast. This bread bake is a savory version of bread pudding. The recipe only calls for simple ingredients, you can always manage to scrap together some version as long as you have egg and bread.It tastes like a cross between a quiche and omelette; moist, custardy on the inside while the edge is crunchy and golden…

A Sunday well spent brings a week of content, start your day with a smile and a great breakfast!

Ingredients

  • 250g bacon, diced
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 carton of milk
  • Pinch of salt and black pepper
  • I semi- baguette (preferably slightly stale) cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cups grated Mozarella cheese
  • Parsley, for garnish

 

Directions

Preparation beforehand:

  1. Heat a large non stick pan over high heat. Add all but 2 tbsp of bacon (reserve for topping) and cooked until lightly browned.
  2. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain the excessive oil.
  3. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  4. Place the bread in a large bowl. Pour in the egg mixture, 1½ cups cheese and cooked bacon
  5. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes ( so all the egg is soaked into the bread) or overnight.

To Cook

  1. Preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Coat a 9″ cake tin with butter.
  3. Pour the bread mixture into the cake tin, scatter with remaining uncooked bacon and remaining cheese. Cover loosely with foil.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden on top.
  5. Garnish with parsley.
  6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into slices to serve.

Chicken and Creamy Dijon Linguine

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“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” – Federico Fellini.

Very few women I know today lead simple lives. Most of us are juggling multiple roles with work, family and friends, let alone all the work-out regimes and beauty routines. Whenever I catch up with my girlfriends and ask how they’re doing, the most common response is not “Fine, thanks!” but “Busy, really busy.”

Life gets busy, but that doesn’t mean we need to compromise the taste of our meal as a result! This rich and decadent Dijon cream sauce is very easy to make and it pairs well with chicken, pork and even fish and can be used to create many other great dishes. Exactly what we need for a busy mid-week dinner!

Chicken and Cream Dijon pasta

Ingredients:

  • 200 gram linguine, cooked
  • 2 boneless chicken cutlets (sliced and seasoned with salt & pepper)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 small onion (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup of white wine
  • 1 cups whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp of chicken broth

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Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat.
2. Add chicken and garlic; fry the chicken until completely cooked.
3. Remove chicken from pan.
4. Add onion to pan, salute until they turn transparent.
5. Add the white wine to the pan.
6. Simmer until the volume is reduced by half, then add the whipping cream, mustard and chicken broth.
7. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
8. Return Chicken to the sauce, and simmer for an additional 1 minutes.
9. Serve over cooked linguine.

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Dark Chocolate Chip and Hazelnut Biscotti

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Biscotti is a traditional Italian cookie where the dough is formed into logs, baked, cooled slightly, and baked again in slices. The name biscotti is derived from ‘bis’ meaning twice in Italian and ‘cotto’ meaning baked or cooked. The Italians use the word “biscotti” to refer to any type of cookies, while in the English speaking world the term was used to describe this particular long, crisp, sophisticated looking cookie. The best biscotti is crunchy without breaking your teeth, crumbly without tasting sandy or dry. And when it is dipped into a steamy mug of coffee… aww…It just melts in your mouth!

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Ingredients (yields 1 dozen):

  • 2 medium eggs
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 cup of toasted hazelnuts ( roughly chopped )
  • 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of almond extract
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of baking powder
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
  2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
  4. Sift the flour, soda and baking powder into a bowl, then add salt, hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
  5. Fold into the egg mix to make dough.
  6. Tip onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a 25cm sausage shape with lightly floured hands, then transfer to baking sheet.
  7. Flatten to a 3cm thickness, bake for 30 mins until lightly browned on surface.
  8. Take the log out to a chopping board, reduce the oven to 160C.
  9. Cut the log into 1cm thick slices and return to the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 mins until crisp.
  10. Cool on a wire rack. Will keep in a tin for 3 weeks.

Pan-seared Foie Gras with Fig and Balsamic Reduction

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The rich flavor and the smooth creamy texture of the fat liver is just so delicate and heavenly that I find it very difficult to describe. To enhance the already excellent delicacy, I like to add some sweet, plump figs as the accompaniments, and balances its richness with the acidity of the balsamic reduction.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 thick slabs of foie gras
  • 5 figs, split into quarters (reserve one for plating)
  • 1⁄4 cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • Pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

For the fig and balsamic reduction.

  1. Combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup water in a saucepan.
  2. Cover; bring to boil over high heat.
  3. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes or until fruit has broken down.

For the Foie Gras:

  1. Season foie gras liberally on all sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a small skillet over high heat for at least 3 minutes.
  3. Place foie gras in skillet, cook, swirling pan gently from time to time, until golden brown and crisp on first side, about 30 seconds.
  4. Flip foie gras onto second side and cook for 30 second longer.
  5. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and let rest for 1 minute.