Belgian Chocolate Bundt with Roasted Pistachios

Dreamy little number  :)

Cakery

Cakes & bakes are, admittedly my first love. And though i am not an expert or as good as others- 

since my cakes take on a more rustic creation than perfection, i am and most of my friends are truly satisfied with my baking because i aim for taste as much as appearance- heck,i even prefer great tasting cakes over looks. I think that is why i'm not a big fan of fondant cakes (no offense meant!)... i don't like the idea that the cake i am about to eat has been handled so much + it is too sweet for my taste, but that's just me. They can be, aesthetic-wise, quite an eye pleaser, which is good.
My passion and love for being creative takes center stage see whenever i bake and it makes me happy to delight others with my humble craft. 

Anyway, i haven't really baked for awhile but because my eldest is having a leaving party i decided to roll up my sleeves and make two of the cakes i have been lusting to bake for agesss! i finally found the occassion and perfect excuse to do so :) 

Below are pics of my Ruffle Cake and Rainbow Cake version. Hope they inspire you to bake them yourself :)

Artisan bread :)

Nothing compares to the smell of bread baking in the oven...
handmade, raised and shaped to perfection.
The Spanish rolls below filled with syrupy goodness of brown sugar
and grated cheese is a delight to the palate!
made, amazingly, by my hubby, who just recently discovered
the joys of cooking ( and baking bread...)
Recipe below.

Here's an enchanting bread making video from Tiger In A Jar 

*Filipino Spanish Bread recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup warm milk

1/2 cup warm water

1 egg

2 egg yolks

85grams butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cup bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp yeast

Traditional Filling:

250gram softened butter

1 cup white sugar

(however, you can get creative)

HOW TO:

1. In a breadmaker machine- add all the wet ingredients, then the dry. Make a well in the center and add the yeast last.  Follow the breadmaker instructions as per time of kneading bread dough.

2. After the cycle, let it rise in a warm place for an hour.

3. Divide dough into two log rolls and cut into portions according to the size that you want. Flatten out each portion with a rolling pin.

4. Filling: in the center of each dough add a knob of butter + sprinkle a tbsp. of sugar. Shape 'croissant-like' and roll into a bowl of breadcrumbs.

5. Bake at 180 deg in a pre-heated oven, say about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

That's it :) enjoy that first bite!

Just lovely!

Peter's Seafood Chowder

Truly a comfort food on all levels- if you are a seafood lover that is. This is such an awesome meal specially if you kind of want to divert from meat dishes for awhile...we've been having beef, chicken and pork lately and I feel like I wanna gag if I see another meat dish, so P- my hubby who had recently discovered the joys of cooking :) decided to try his hand on this and well- it turned out to be really delicious & filling. I thought it'll be good to share the recipe because it's easy, even for first timers. So here we go-

INGREDIENTS:

 Fish of your choice, cut into chunks
 a cup of clams or scallops, chopped
 prawns, shelled and deveined
1 large white onion
1 cup cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 cup, chopped celery
1/2 tsp. thyme
 2 cups of seafood stock if available otherwise use water and seafood bouillon
 butter
 1/4 cup flour
 1 can of evaporated milk
 salt, pepper to taste
 fried bacon, crumbled + garlic croutons for topping

HOW TO:

1. Melt butter + little oil and cook onions, celery and potatoes for a couple or so minutes.
2. Pour in stock, add thyme and let it boil.
3. Meanwhile in a bowl combine flour and the evaporated milk, whisk til free from lumps. Blend into the stock when potatoes have become tender. Simmer til slightly thickened.
4.  Add the seafood and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat. Season to taste.
5. Serve with crumbled bacon and croutons on top. Enjoy :)

Absolutely delish!

COOK'S NOTE: if you find the soup to be too thick, thin it with water or milk and adjust the seasoning. Also, this is a base soup, you can make your own seafood or vege combination, have fun and experiment!

Strawberry Crepes

Summer now here in little NZ and berries are starting to ripe under the sun- strawberries abound by the punnet :) and I'm taking advantage of this. This afternoon I was wondering what to make for a snack & I was rummaging in the fridge for something when I saw two containers of strawberries, untouched. Crepes sprung to mind. Who can resist that velvety, melt in your mouth floury goodness, hmm-hmmm...well, not me! Ha, ha- so i thought I'll whip up a batch to cook. YUMMM..very satisfying snack.

INGREDIENTS:

A batch of crepes using a pan with a diameter of 9 inches can make 5-6 crepes, so here's for one batch:
2 cups milk
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp. sugar
a dribble of oil
1 tbsp. vanilla

Berry syrup:
as many berries as you want, i used 2 punnets of strawberries
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1-2 cups water
vanilla

HOW TO:

Crepes:
1. This is the easiest part, using a wire whisk- just combine all the ingredients for crepe and mix until free from lumps. That is it basically.
2. Heat non-stick skillet/pan, drizzle a tiny amount of oil. Use a standard ladle as measurement and evenly spread batter onto the skillet- all you have to do is whirl the skillet until pan is covered with the batter.
3. WAIT until you see air pockets forming from under the crepe and the sides starts to pull away, (the crepe has got a lovely golden color where it touched the skillet)  you can then use a spatula to slowly ease out crepe from pan, carefully lift it out and set aside. Do this with every crepe.
*They easily break apart if you're not gentle with using the spatula...

Berry syrup:
1. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except for the berries and simmer til bubbly...we want to reduce the sauce at least a quarter ...then add the strawberries.
2. Allow to simmer until slightly thick, don't wait to thicken too much or you'll be left with a candy-like consistency. We want it to dribble out nicely from a spoon. Ya' know- syrupy!
You will end up with a lovely, lovely ruby red berry sauce YUMMM....just like this-
Assemble:
*Place a couple of crepes on a plate, drizzle with berry sauce and fold into quarters, drizzle with sauce again. Serve with a bit of clotted cream or even drizzle with melted chocolate. A luxurious snack and perfect too for Christmas breakfast :) Yum, yum. Enjoy mi'cherie'

Creamy Fruit Salad

Summer has reached little ol' NZ & i love it! this is my kind of weather :) and so i guess we will skip our soup in exchange for BBQ's etc...I thought I'd post this very simple, easy to whip-up dessert for you guys because every time I serve this at home my european friends go 'Ooohhh's & yumm...' as soon as they've eaten a spoonful. This is a Filipino dessert & a well-loved one i should say and because our country is quite tropical we make use of our fresh fruits as much as we can. This is a mix-it-in-a bowl thing so i'm sure you'll be fine...

INGREDIENTS:

4 tins of fruit salad- please drain well
1 large red apple, cubed
1 tin of peaches, cubed+drained
1/2 cup cherries
2 cans of reduced cream (yes- the ones you use for dips)
3/4 cup of condensed milk
*Just mix everything in a bowl and chill overnight. That is it. See, 'easy' wasn't an understatement :) ha!
[this mi cherie' is the simple version, we add slivers of young coconut meat and palm fruit to the mix.]

Pollo en Funghi- Fettuccine with White Wine Sauce

The photo says it all i guess :) 

 INGREDIENTS:

700 gms. al dente' fettucine- never overcook your pasta if you can help it, follow packet directions...

2 boneless (or bone-in) chicken breasts, you may use other parts if you prefer

1 1/2 c of quality sauvignon blanc, sweet and fruity is my wine of choice for this

about 2 tbsp. of butter

500 gms. fresh cream

button mushrooms or portabello sliced

salt to taste + a tbsp. of worcestershire

parsley

grated cheese or parmesan

a tbsp. or two of good quality tomato sauce- this is optional

HOW TO:

1. First simmer chicken in 1 1/2  cups of wine + 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, 1/2 tsp. of salt. Make sure you rotate chicken in order to cook both sides, if chicken is too thick just slice it in half. Let simmer until meat is tenderly cooked and there is about 3/4 left of the jus in the pan. At this point, remove and save the remaining jus.

2. In the same pan -add olive oil and lightly brown chicken on all sides. The aroma would be heavenly by now :)  Cut it up into chunks.

3. Add the jus and cream, simmer over low fire until thickened, the consistency we're after here is not too runny nor too thick see...so better keep an eye out and make sure you constantly stir, as cream can easily burn in the bottom of your skillet or pan and we wouldn't want that burnt taste at all. You may add the tomato sauce now if you are gonna use some.

4. Once thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, season to taste and add chicken chunks and mushrooms. Turn off heat.

5. You may mix in the fettuccine now, making sure pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Add in parsley and top with grated mozarella. Serve with garlic bread :)

YUMMM....This is a guaranteed star dish :)

Ciao!

Torta Di Riccotta

Meringue Cuppy Cakes :)

 I'm a big cupcake fan, I truly am...i like cakes too but there's something about cupcakes. 

I think it's their size- they're quite dainty and you kind of feel guilt-free

 because they're just he right portion to have especially with a good cuppa. 

Okay! the much requested recipe :) sorry for the delay-

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcake:

2 c flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

1 c sugar (or less)

3/4 c cocoa

1/2 c melted dark chocolates

1 c water or milk, whatever you prefer

3 eggs

vanilla

oil 1/2 cup

Just mix all the dry ingredients, make a well at the center, add the rest of ingredients and whisk until smooth. That's it - ^_^what could be easier than that? even beginner cooks can whip this up....no magic there :) but it's yum! i tell yah! LOL...Ok now for the meringue icing, it's even simpler:

Meringue Icing:

5 whites

3/4 cup caster sugar

vanilla

--> Just whisk til soft peak stage, add sugar bit by bit, add vanilla...whip til the peaks no longer droop down when you lift the beater and it's gone thick and glossy. That's it.

--> Scoop into piping bag with star tip and ice your cupcakes- make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before icing.

--> For the chocolate drizzle- just melt 1/4 cup of dark melts with butter in the microwave, once melted- allow to cool a wee bit and drizzle using a teaspoon or spoon into a sandwich bag and cut tip of bag. 

Voila! cool presentation but more than that, it's one gobsmacking cupcake :) Enjoy!

Cook's note: Dress your cupcake up by using really nice cupcake liners and you could tint them too with food color pastes (i recommend pastes or gels over liquid), adds to the glamour ^_^ Be creative!

Cooking vid :)

Have found this really gorgeous cooking video on Vimeo :)
from Tiger In A Jar

so i'll post it here for your viewing pleasure!

Classic Spinach-Ricotta Canneloni

Hi everyone! I've finally finished tweaking with this blog's design, what do you think? I opted for a classic minimalist look with neutral tones plus a bit of vintage touch :) and I love it! took me awhile coz' I got too busy with life so I took the opportunity last night to knuckle down and just finish the job, ugh..what a relief.
Anyway, here is a family favourite~ the humble spinach canneloni, I added some really nice German sausages to the sauce just because my hubby wanted some sort of meat in it, otherwise it is good as it is. Another easy and delicious recipe for you :)

INGREDIENTS:
half-cooked canneloni tubes, enough to evenly fill out a rectangular tray/baking dish
500 gm. frozen spinach, drained well and chopped
500 gm. ricotta cheese
 200 gm. parmesan cheese
salt, pepper to taste
minced garlic and onion
300 gm.fresh chopped, over ripe tomatoes or x2 canned chopped tomatoes/sauce- up to you.
fresh basil leaves
*optional- 4 gourmet sausages sliced (I used cheese kransky)

HOW TO:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach and ricotta- blend well.
2. Add in the parmesan, salt & pepper- season according to your taste although I prefer it a bit salty otherwise it can be quite bland but that's just me ;)
3. Carefully fill each canneloni tube, using a teaspoon so it won't break apart. Set aside.
4. In the meantime let's make the sauce-in a small saucepan, add oil then onions, cook til onions are translucent then add the garlic and sausages, saute for 2 minutes then add the tomatoes.
5. Simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat and season to taste, once cooked add about a handful of fresh basil leaves.

ASSEMBLE:
 Pour a ladle of sauce in the dish then evenly layer the filled cannelonis...pour the rest of the sauce on top and generously sprinkle some parmigiano cheese. Bake at 180 C for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.
Yummy!

Simple Tuna Pasta

They say boredom is the mother of invention, how true... hence I was able to concoct this recipe-making do with whats in my cupboard and fridge at the time, and guess what? it turned out to be the familys' favourite ' merienda ' whenever we're craving for a yummy yet easy to make pasta dish. I must say that even though it is a fairly simple dish to make- it is incredibly tasty & delicious, I surprised myself with this one, ha,ha,ha.

Pair it with lightly toasted baguette with olivio-garlic oil mixture which will further complement this dish. It isnt cream based nor tomato based, it is oil based quite similar to genovese. You can whip this up in 20 minutes :)

INGREDIENTS:

olive oil, 1/2 c butter

4 tbsp. worcestershire

2 tin cans of tuna chunks, drained

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 green and 1/2 red bellpepper, cut into very small cubes

salt to taste 

*chili powder or flakes ( optional )
a bottle of capers, drained

sliced button mushrooms, depends on how much you want to put in.

cooked al dente'- angel hair or spaghetti, about 500 grams
freshly cracked pepper

HOW TO:

1. Over medium heat, in a large skillet, toss in olive oil about 1/3 cup and butter. Melt butter then add your garlic- DO NOT BROWN. Fry capers.

2. Immediately add tuna chunks and carefully separate tuna pieces ( without mashing them! ) and add in worcestershire and salt. Saute' & allow flavours to blend.

3. Add more olive oil if it appears dry because this is your base sauce. Lastly add your veges.

4. Add the pasta- making sure it is mixed well, so that the tuna flakes and mushrooms are evenly distributed.

5. Serve with garlic bread and freshly cracked pepper.

Now, it is mouthwatering indeed so I do encourage you to try it because it's really practical as well as delicious. I'm sure even those who isn't into seafood will appreciate this - the secret with seafood is using worcestershire- it enhances the flavour & makes it really nice because it eases off the fishy taste- for those who are sensitive to that...anyway tuna is the least fishy I reckon plus the health benefits of it's omega 3 oil- is good for the heart. They say 3 helpings of tuna a week helps maintain the good cholesterol that the body needs, so there- have I convinced you enough? ha,ha,ha...

Butter Prawns with Zucchini

I don't know what to call this dish because I just concocted it from scrap- I got tired of eating red meat or chicken and I was craving for prawns so I went to buy a kilo of fresh king sized prawns and rummaged my cupboard for spices. So, I ended up with a beautiful dish- for those who don't mind seafood- you just would have to try this delish number my dearies. As with any seafood, cooking has to be quick and not overdone so when you have guests coming over, it's good to whip this up 30 minutes before or even later.

INGREDIENTS:
butter + oil for sauteing
750 gms. more or less is up to you, of good sized prawns, fresh! not the pre-cooked ones
*shelled but leave the tail part, marinate in 2 tbsp. of worcestershire sauce + minced garlic + dash of salt
a tbsp. of red capsicum flakes (this is the dehydrated form of red bellpper/capsicum...not chilis ok?)
2 medium zucchinis, sliced horizontally or use a vege peeler if you want zucchini ribbons instead, for a more sassy look...
a spoonful of tomato paste


HOW TO:
1. On high heat, melt butter with oil and add the capsicum flakes and zucchini. Allow vege to soften a little.
2. Add in the prawns, cook for a minute before tossing in the tomato paste, allow paste to melt and incorporate in the dish for another minute. Hmmm, smelling good already!
3. Lower heat, by this time the prawns have turned pink and the flavours of the sauce have come together nicely. Plate whilst hot and serve by itself, with a hot bowl of rice or pasta? up to you :)

Quick & Easy Savoury Chicken Parcels

[courtesy of delicious magazine, again apologies as I still don't have my camera yet]

Okay, another delightful treat for you guys, back to Euro after some Asian flavours, ha,ha,ha...that's how I like it! eclectic and a happy jumble of recipe mix so it doesn't get boring at all, agree? :)  i know you would. Now, this recipe is plain easy and great for when you are rushing to make a meal- a nice meal because IT IS NICE and filling too. Serve it with fresh garden salad and a dressing of your choice. Hmm.
Right shall we begin?

INGREDIENTS:
Grocery bought flaky-puff pastry, 5 pcs.
Campbells Cream of Mushroom, 1 can
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 c cream
dollop of butter and cooking oil
1-2 chicken breasts, boiled til tender and cubed
seasonings: salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced and then cubed (you know what i mean, right? lol...)
half each of green and red capsicum/bellpepper, cut into medium squares
button mushrooms, 500 grams, each cut into four
1 can sweet corn, drained

HOW TO:
1. In a pan, over medium heat, toss in butter & oil, saute onion until translucent. Add in the chicken and seasonings and let saute' for a couple of minutes.
2. Add in 3/4 of Campbell's and let the cream 'loosen' up with the heat. Mix well.
{at this point, take out your pastry from the freezer so it could defrost and turn oven on to pre-heat at 220 degrees}
3. Pour in 1/4 c of cream and all the veges except the mushrooms. Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, without lid!
4. When the zucchini's tender, take off from heat and throw in the mushrooms, mix it in as the heat will cook the mushrooms ok?  :) Let cool.
COOK'S NOTE: We want this a bit thick rather than runny...so if you think the sauce is still runny, just add in more cream and simmer over low heat to thicken.

ASSEMBLY:
1. Prepare cookie sheet or tray and spritz some oil for easy lifting later on and then spread the baking paper.
2. Lay out pastry and spoon chicken mixture onto the middle part of the pastry square, just divide portions equally. Grind a fresh lot of pepper on top.
3. Fold in pastry edges together to form a parcel and seal with fingers.  Using a spatula, lift each one to the tray, I just baked 2 at a time but if you have a bigger oven then that's even better.
4. With eggwash (1 egg + 1 tbsp. milk), brush top and sides well. Bake for 15 minutes or until the parcel is nicely browned and puffed. Halfway through baking, I just brushed some more of the eggwash- to give it a nice shiny look :)
5. Once cooked, let it cool on the tray an then carefully lift and plate. Serve with salad.

Another simple yet  remarkable dish :)  and experiment with other fillings too like:
*Smoked salmon, spinach and Bocconccini
*Beef Stroganoff
etc....whatever takes your fancy ;)

NOTE: As with any other pastry dish, it is always best when served hot & straight out of the oven...so time it well. Leftovers for the next day are ok but the pastry has lost its 'crispiness' and it kinda gets soggy. You could also make a batch and freeze them, they keep well.