A celebration...

Today is Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary...

My love abounds for these two human beings who are larger than life...

Mommy is now an angel who watches over us all the time...

We are blessed to have daddy as healthy and gorgeous as ever

I must have done something good in my past life to have been given this opportunity to become their daughter. Their first born. I couldn't thank the good Lord enough.  

Opera Cake, Pistachio Opera

I couldn't be happier when finally I had this beautiful layered cake ready for my photo op. And I can only thank dailydelicious blogspot for this wonderful recipe. I have truly upped the ante and succumbed to challenging myself yet again. However, I told my little boy that after baking this opera cake, I'll take a sabbatical leave from baking those highly laborious and process intensive creations.  This is yet another classic example of a process intensive cake. Whew! But I tell you now, the satisfaction I got after baking this cake is surreal. 

I couldn't believe I have created these sweetlings (for lack of better term) as I am a firm believer that I am no better than anyone else - everyone can cook and bake - what probably sets me apart (and some of my friends. Hehehe) is that I persist to tread unchartered territory - nothing is impossible if you persist. And I persisted that I can take on the challenge of creating this wonderful, ethereal french dessert - Opera Cake. And as life is a work in progress, and as we don't sit on our laurels, we continue to tweak and twist things along the way, why not make the classic Opera cake into Pistachio Opera cake instead, Im sure dailydelicious couldn't agree more...:)

I had eaten this cake several times in the past but the name always escaped me for some reason until my little boy and I stumbled upon this opera cake one fateful afternoon in one of the many quaint french wannabe cafes in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam across the Opera House. How fitting huh?! That day struck a cord in the baker in me, someday Im going to make this Opera Cake.

So here I am...

Lifted by the pages of http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/

Joconde Biscuit
use 24x34cm sheet pan

TPT* (pistachio)......... 125g
Almond powder.......... 20g
Egg............................... 80g
Cake flour................... 16 g

Meringue
-Egg whites................ 75 g
-Sugar......................... 16 g

Butter.......................... 13 g

Filling ganache
Dark chocolate.......... 50g
Milk chocolate.......... 6 g
Whipping cream....... 40g
invert sugar
or honey .................... 8 g
Butter........................ 6 g

Pistachio buttercream
Pistachio paste........ 40g
Butter.......................165g
Italian meringue ....30g
Pate a bombe..........40g

Base chocolate
Dark chocolate.......... 60g
Oil .............................. 7.5g

Glazing ganache
Dark chocolate.......... 100g
Whipping cream .......170 ml

Simple syrup
Sugar .......................... 50g
water........................... 50g


*TPT is the mixture of nut and icing sugar in equal weight.

Start by making the Joconde:

Preheat the oven to 200 °C line the pan with baking paper.

If using the ground pistachio, just mix it together with the icing sugar to make the TPT.
Or you can ground the pistachio with the icing sugar.

Mix the TPT, almond flour and egg together with the hand mixer until smooth, mix in the flour and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, and set aside.


Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peak form.

Fold the meringue into the nut and egg mixture until fully combine.
Fold the warm melted butter into the mixture.


Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 8-15 minutes.


When cool cut into 3 pieces.

Make the filling ganache:


Put the whipping cream into the pan and boil over low heat.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melt.


Put the butter and the invert sugar into the ganache and stir until combine.

Make the pistachio butter cream:

Start by making the Italian meringue:

Egg white........... 30 g
Sugar.................. 60 g
Water ................ 10 ml


1. Put the sugar,water in a thick based pan, and place over a moderate heat and stir until it boils
2. When the syrup temperature reaches 110 °C beat the egg whites until stiff
3. When the syrup temperature reaches 118°C slowly whisk it into the egg whites in a thin stream taking care not to let it run onto the whisk
4. Continue beating until completely cold.

Making the Pate a bombe:

Egg yolk.......... 30 g
Sugar............... 45 g
Water.............. 16 ml


1. Put the sugar,water in a thick based pan, and place over a moderate heat and stir until it boils
2. When the syrup temperature reaches 110 °C beat the egg yolks until pale.
3. When the syrup temperature reaches 120°C slowly whisk it into the egg yolks in a thin stream taking care not to let it run onto the whisk
4. Continue beating until completely cold.
The Italian meringue and the pate a bombe.


Beat the Pistachio paste until soften, add the butter and beat to combine.
Put the 30g of Italian meringue and 40g of ใPate a bombe into the butter mixture and beat to combine.
Note: if the color is too pale add some green food coloring.

Make the base chocolat:

Melt the chocolate, then add the oil, stir to combine.
Place one sheet of cake wrong side up , pour the chocolate mixture over and put the cake into the fridge until harden.

Assemble:

Before assembling the cake make the simple syrup by putting the water and sugar into a small pan and boil over medium heat until the sugar dissolve then let it cool.

When the chocolate on the base is harden, flip the cake right side up and sprinkle with syrup.

Spread the buttercream over the cake, then place another sheet of cake and sprinkle with the syrup. Put the cake into the fridge until the buttercream harden.


Spread the filling ganache over the cake, then place another sheet of cake and sprinkle with the syrup. Put the cake into the fridge until the ganache harden.


Spread the buttercream over the cake, then put the cake into the fridge until the buttercream harden.

Make the glazing ganache:


Bring the cream to boiling point in a small saucepan. Remove form the heat, pour into the chocolate, allow to stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.


Pour the ganache over the buttercream, then put the cake into the fridge until the ganache set (it won't harden).


Cut the side of the cake, then cut into pieces.
Decorate with the ganache, then serve.

Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia

Today, the weather was incredibly lovely. Who would have thought that I would have my a/c turned on while driving home from work in the middle of winter. The weather bureau said that today was the hottest day in the middle of winter in 26 years! It was 17 degrees centigrade! And mind you, I would rather have it anytime of the day than the expected 10 degrees at this time of the year. And so like the sunshine today, I was brimming with hope that today is a tell-tale sign that winter is not going to be icy cold after all. Tough luck. Or a matter of speaking too soon?

I couldn't understand in the past why Melburnians are rightfully obsessed about the weather. Much  to my chagrin, I would exhibit the same attitude after living here for quite some time now, uttering "What's the weather gonna be like today? in the same breath.

This side of town is as unpredictable as having four (4) seasons in a day; be ready to have an umbrella, sunnies (sun glasses), thick coat, light weight coat, a pair of boots, and a pair of havaianas in your vehicle. It is quite ordinary to go past winter at 6am, spring at 10am, summer at 2pm and autumn at 6pm. And the vicious cycle goes on the day after yet again. I have learned the trick of the trade - layer your clothes. At this time of the year, I have at least 4 layers of clothes, "jacket on, jacket off" depending on the so-called season in a day.

I suppose you learned to adapt; to fit into the mold to survive. 

And this story my dearest friends doesn't have any relation whatsoever to my focaccia food entry. LOL!  

Having said that, if I were given the chance to have my own bakery or patisserie, this Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia will show its formidable force and its constant presence is too hard to ignore amongst the spread of breads, pastries and cakes. And I hope its going to be a best seller. Because it is absolutely good.

Just like my hope that winter this year, is not going to be icy cold. Tough luck!

*Lifted from the pages of http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/

Rosemary & Olive Oil Focaccia
(make one small loaf)

Ingredients

250g bread flour
3.5g instant yeast
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
137.5 ml water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Method:

Combine flour, yeast rosemary and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the water and oil. Mix with hand to form a soft dough.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 ~ 10 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape in to a ball and place in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.
Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to form a round. Press the dough into a 20cm (8") round pan. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 1 hour.
Using your fingers, press indentations over the dough. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for a final 30mins until well risen.
Sprinkle dough with a little sea salt, drizzle with a little oil and scatter over some rosemary.
Bake in a preheated over at 200degC for about 25mins until risen and golden.
Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

Beef and Red Wine Pies

Tomato sauce/ketchup in an egg cup. Hehehe.

Tomato sauce/ketchup in an egg cup. Hehehe.

I am proud of these babies. Lol. But it would probably take a while for me to bake them again. Not because they were hard to make but just the time  they took from preparation to bake; my little boy said they took 6 hours. I lost track of time. I remember prepping midday and my little boy finally digging in the final product at around 7pm. I supposed its easier to short cut the process by buying ready made short crust and puff pastries, that way the process could have been much easier but as I am a creature of habit and an old school in the kitchen, and so I do everything from scratch; I cooked the filling for 2 hours, after marinating the beef overnight. I mixed, rolled, chilled and blind baked my own short crust pastry and I mixed, rolled, chilled, folded (6 times!) my own puff pastry.  Hence toiling through the best beef pie ever in the kitchen for 6 hours. All the time, my thought bubble was "These (babies) better be good!"

My little boy said they were the best pies he has ever tasted so I reckon all the hard work is worth wait. Those words from my little boy are good enough for me.

He has been urging me to bake meat pies for the longest time, and I have not taken the bait until now. Now I know why; its tough standing, cooking in the kitchen and rolling and folding doughs for 6 hours straight. As I have been whining for some time now about not having much of a challenge in the kitchen, he issued the marching order for me to bake meat pies, I finally took it. Once and for all.

And so my question now is, what's the next challenge.....

Tricks No More:

• Marinate your beef in red wine overnight. This will make your beef so amazingly tender.
• Use the same red wine you marinated your beef in for cooking the filling.
• I suggest you dont use/buy deep dish pie tins ( I did!), trust me it will make your life easier
• When blind baking, use foil instead of baking sheets. I got this trick from Dorie Greenspan. Pie and tarts' base is evenly baked. I couldnt agree more. I only trust the experts.

Make 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) old

1.5 kg (3 lb) chuck steak, cubed

2 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup (30 g/l oz) plain flour

1 1/4 cups ( (315 ml/10 fl oz) good-quality dry red wine

2 cups (500 ml/16 fl oz) beef stock

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 carrots, chopped

500 g (1 lb) home-made or bought short crust pastry

500 g ( 1 lb) home-made or bought puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Lightly grease six metal pie tin measuring 9 cm (3 1/2 inches) along the base and 3 cm (1 1/4 inches) deep.

2. Heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat in batches. Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, add the onion and garlic and stir over medium heat until golden brown. Add the flour and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until well browned. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the combined stock.

3. Return to the heat and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Return the meat to the pan, add the bay leaves and thyme and simmer for 1 hour. Add the carrot and simmer for another 45 minutes, or until the meat and carrot are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season, then remove the bay leaves and thyme. Allow the cool.

4. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200C (400F/Gas 6). Divide the shortcrust into six and roll out each piece between two sheets of baking paper to a 25 cm (10 inch) square, 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut a circle from each shortcrust sheet big enough to line the base and side of a pie tin. Place in the tins and trim the edges. Line each pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beads or uncooked rice. Place on a baking tray and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the paper and beads and bake for another 8 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly browned. Allow to cool.

5. Divide the puff pastry into six portions and roll each piece between two sheets of baking paper to a square. Cut circles from the squares of a dough, to fit the tops of the pie tins. Spoon some of the filling into each pastry case and brush the edge with some of the beaten egg. Cover with a pastry round and trim any excess pastry, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Cut a slit in the top of each pie. Brush the pie tops with the remaining beaten eggs and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.

Note: You can make a family-size pie using the same ingredients, but substituting a 23 cm (9 inch) metal pie tin. Bake in a moderately hot 200C (400F/Gas 6) oven for 30-35 minutes. Any remaining pastry can be rolled and used to decorate the pie or frozen for later use.

The alcohol content of the red wine dissipates on heating. While it adds a distinct flavour, you can use all stock if you don't like to use wine.

Chocolate Almond Streusel...Again!

I am afraid of heights...My legs would wobble every time I stepped into an elevator as soon as it springs to the 15th....16th....20th...30th...50th floors. My legs would turn jelly and  goosebumps start to form on my skin when Im riding on an escalator en route to the 5th floor at least. And so skydiving or bungee jumping or riding on a roller coaster wont do me. I digress.  I have ridden a roller coaster just once in my distant past.  And I have been to the top of the duomo of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (in Italy) but there was no elevator so I took 414 steps to climb and reach the very top of the campanile. And I did parasailing in Boracay, one time. Just because. Or to prove a point or two. But never again. :) 

And so Im always in awe of those brave people who scale the Sydney Harbour bridge or take the roller coaster ride in Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa Laguna, Philippines or view the magnificent  360 degrees view of the city on top of Taipei 101 or withstand the long line just to avail of those tickets to get into the viewing deck of the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I often wonder how different the endorphins of these human beings be...definitely far more superior than my feeble "neurotransmitters". Lol. Its all in the mind after all. And Im afraid, my mind says stay on the ground.

Oh well! I might as well do my own version of the Twin Towers huh. And so I baked Chocolate Almond Streusel, not one but two of these beautiful cake/bread; one for my little boy and the other one for my boys at work to share. And so I baked them within the comforts of my kitchen...my endorphins springing in cosmic proportions; a different rush surging through my body but....on a stable ground.

My mind says Im better off cooking and baking than scaling heights....literally!


For the recipe, please click here

Danish Pastries Part Deux

Chocolate croissants, chocolate, almond pecan and honey danish pastries

Chocolate croissants, chocolate, almond pecan and honey danish pastries

Almond chocolate croissants

Almond pecan peach and honey danish pastry

Almond pecan peach and honey danish pastry

Chocolate croissants, chocolate, almond pecan and honey danish pastries

Chocolate croissants, chocolate, almond pecan and honey danish pastries

Chocolate croissants, chocolate, almond pecan and honey danish pastries

I forgot to tell you that the Allrecipe.com recipe will yield 34 pieces. But would you believe, my dough  yielded 44 pieces of danish pastries?!  My colleagues were just happy to be at the receiving end. My little boy couldnt finish them all off, we are also trying to lose some weight hey. Lol. And so it is nice to share after all.

You will have two book-like slabs of dough, you can half the recipe if 34-44 pieces were too many for you. Hehehe. I was in a trance and in a different playing field, and so I baked and baked like there is no tomorrow. I was on a roll.

For the recipe, please click here

Danish Pastries

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

Plain croissants, Chocolate croissants, danish pastries alla apple streusel and with peach and lemon curd filling

To be honest, it was a conscious decision not to blog for a while. Nonewithstanding the balancing act I do between keeping our wonderful home and the mundane tasks at work, recipes -I have come across- dont appeal to me anymore. I believe I hit an impasse in getting challenges from cooking and baking. Same old same old if I do cakes and cupcakes yet again. Pizzas, pastas Oh no, not again. I just need to be challenged. So what now? I made mention in one of my blog entries that doing danish pastries is like trekking the Himalayas...Can I finally muster the courage to do danish pastries? 

But first allow me tell you the analogy behind this; Years ago, I told a good friend of mine who has been to the Himalayas on a ski trip that the ultimate trip for me (read: a place called nirvana) is going to the Himalayas. A year after that; it may have been a be-careful-what-you-wish-for-it-may-come-true moment I still don't know or simply just a stroke of luck, I was in the Himalayas enjoying the first day of sweet winter - with that same good friend who played a pivotal role to get me there, frolicking in the snow, gazing through the vista in front of me and as I am hundred of thousands meters (?) above sea level, heaven is seemingly within my reach. 

And so...as obviously you got my drift, doing danish pastries is like trekking the Himalayas; it is "almost" inconceivable but again with a stroke of luck and a little bit of courage, you will get there.

I bookmarked the danish pastries recipe for more than a year now, its been sitting on my laptop for a long time but I was too scared to do it, let alone read the recipe.  I was finally egged on to try it when "that" sinking feeling is trying to sweep me away. Why not? Why not now huh? Whew!

And of course like a good student of the kitchen, I did some pre-work; read and re-read the recipe many times over, watched some youtube and Julia Child videos a few times and voila I was ready to rock and roll.

Being scared is unfounded after all; doing danish pastries is no different from doing simple bread albeit with a few tricks in between... like folding the dough 6 times, and the dough looking like a book before shaping them into shapes of clams, diamonds, spiral, and tubes, etc...

It helped a lot that I have been doing breads for some time now. It is easy BUT I am warning you now, it is LABORIOUS. The kneading, folding and what have you's take 3 hours or more depending on your baking experience. Baking time? 10 minutes tops.

The taste is mind blowing...the feeling that you get for overcoming your fear of baking danish pastries? priceless.

And trust me....having the end product; the danish pastries, especially my favourite croissants, melting in your mouth is worth the wait. 

The end. :)

*Snagged from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Divide into 2 equal parts, and roll each half between 2 pieces of waxed paper into a 6 x12 inch sheet. Refrigerate.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry yeast and 3 cups of the remaining flour. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and salt. Heat to 115 degrees F (43 degrees C), or just warm, but not hot to the touch. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour and yeast along with the eggs, and lemon and almond extracts. Stir for 3 minutes. Knead in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is firm and pliable. Set aside to rest until double in size.
Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out to a 14 inch square. Place one sheet of the cold butter onto each piece of dough, and fold the dough over it like the cover of a book. Seal edges by pressing with fingers. Roll each piece out to a 20x 12 inch rectangle, then fold into thirds by folding the long sides in over the center. Repeat rolling into a large rectangle, and folding into thirds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator one at a time, and roll and fold each piece two more times. Return to the refrigerator to chill again before shaping. If the butter gets too warm, the dough will become difficult to manage.
To make danishes, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. The dough can be cut into squares, with a filling placed in the center. Fold 2 of the corners over the center to form a filled diamond shape. Or, fold the piece in half, cut into 1 inch strips, stretch, twist and roll into a spiral. Place a dollop of preserves or other filling in the center. Place danishes on an ungreased baking sheet, and let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Danishes can be brushed with egg white for a shiny finish.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottoms are golden brown.