Tortilla Salad

Hi all - I'm having this recipe jump the line because I'm that eager to share it with you. I made it just before leaving for this place, which means I'm now scrambling to get it onto the server when I really should be packing. What's all the fuss? This was one of those times when a simple lunch idea blossomed into something unexpected and wonderful - electric colors, punchy dressing, everything super fresh and filling. The idea here was to build a salad around some beautiful dried cranberry beans I found at the market. They ranged in color - some were a deep pink, others rosy brown, many took after their namesake with deep cranberry red skins. Some were bean-shaped, others more like Nioise olives - full and round, yet small. I knew I wanted to play off the pink. But beyond that, I just kept reaching for things I needed to use up. Blue corn chips, some leftover dressing, a ripe avocado on the counter - the loose notion of a tortilla salad starts to take shape. The details...

Let's start with the dressing. For those of you who missed this post, I should note that the dressing du jour around here is that paprika-spiked stunner. Assertive, rustic, herb-kissed - it is perfect with beans. Done. I had a watermelon radish on hand - fuchsia fleshed and spicy, it was another welcome addition. Thin slices of the avocado brought a bit of luxe creaminess, and sunflower seeds and tortilla chips delivered crunch and structure. I actually hesitated before adding the chips. The salad was certainly fine without them, but there was something about the chips that really worked. I mean, they're tortilla chips. Why not? I threw in a bit of barely cooked ! cauliflo wer (chopped leaves, stems, all of it), and feta. I think it goes without saying - you can experiment and swap in other seasonal vegetables, types of cheese (goat might be nice), etc.

I made a little treat for my flight & hope to share that recipe and some pics when I get back. -h

Continue reading Tortilla Salad...

Pastry Union: A New Baker on the Block

Another year, another new baker comes along to a take a slice of the online cake industry. Once upon a time, this business was a niche thing where only a brave and talented few dared venture into. Nowadays, almost everyone is an online baker. Question is, are they good enough to get a little piece of that cake and eat it too?



Pastry Union is one of these new kids on the block. Set up by the friendly-faced pastry chef, Yin Wong, who has long dreamed of doing something just like this all her life. Apparently, she tells me, she has started making dark "chocolate" cookies out of mud since the age of 5. But along the way, under the pressure of a typical Chinese upbringing, she was conditioned to pursue a more realistic career. Her studies brought her to Australia, Canada and eventually China, where she ventured into a cafe business with her husband in Shanghai. She sold cakes, pastries, sandwiches, and mugs upon mugs of coffee to happy regular customers and thought that life couldn't get any better. Her mum - always the practical one - jested during one of her visits, "With all the education you have, you ended up jual roti (selling breads) in China?

However 6-months later, as fate would cruelly have it, that jual roti lifestyle came to a halt and the cafe had to closed under unfortunate circumstances.



Not one to really give up, she put that sad episode behind her and quickly enrolled herself into the esteemed culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu in London. Her ! skills w ere highly prized and she was later invited to work at the 5-star Connaught Hotel prior her graduation. Of course she took that chance. She then found herself leading the pastry section at the award-winning Sage restaurant upon her return to Kuala Lumpur. And in the last 2 years, she also has a hand in educating and cultivating the creative minds first year students at one of the city's best culinary schools.

Her back-story may be expansive and impressive, but it was her artistry that really caught my eyes. I couldn't stop lusting over the simplicity and exquisiteness of her carefully crafted cakes, which were featured on the media profile booklet she had sent out as part of a self-marketing effort. They looked almost too pretty, and being a sucker for these things, I quickly wrote back to her so I get to see them for myself.



Sitting across the cozy table from her at a local Starbucks one Saturday morning, this chocolate lover revealed to me that she develops her cakes by concept and sketch before anything else. Her imagination takes her through layers and textures before finally experimenting with its taste. Perhaps this is what one would call drawing inspiration and flavours. I certainly found all of these quite intriguing and fascinating.

She tells me how she would fuss over the smallest details and takes her an average of 2-3 months to develop each of her creation. The Devil is her interpretation of the tempting ingredient, while Moo is a tongue in cheek way of visually interpreting her love for two desserts - cheese and chocolate. Now, one doesn't need to choose between two separate desserts when it's fused together. The Garden is perhaps her most romantic and abstract concept which showcases th! e freshn ess of a garden in bloom right after a heavenly shower. She has also previously designed cakes for weddings and smaller projects with florists.



Now, the true test of baker is of course the taste of the cakes. And this is where my experience started rolling down a slippery slope. With the exception of the Garden (thanks to the underlying cranberries), I felt that the flavours in the other two were not interesting. They lack of real dimensions and the flavours didn't evolve further. How unfortunate as I was expecting to be blown away after all that hype and build up.

To say that my expectations were thwarted would be mildly understating it. I could see everyone on the table thinking the same after a spoonful. It's not that they tasted horrible but we felt shortchanged like the kid who unwrapped the biggest present under Christmas tree only to find a penny inside. Which was a pity, these beautiful works of art could have easily won many over with a little bit more effort paid on taste rather than form.

This has left me thinking if she should have adopted the conventional way of baking a cake instead - flavours from scratch, rather than from sketch. But for now, it's back to the drawing board. I really hope Chef Yin continues developing and tweaking her recipe to make them perfect for the palate as they are to the eyes. Each of her creation is beautifully designed and her level of finesse is indeed undoubted. A great craftsman doesn't come along everyday and I would really like to see her succeed.

A special thanks to Yin for sparing her time to speak to me and openly sharing her cake creations.

***

Pastry Union
For all orders and enquiries, please refer to their website! www.pastryunion.com

Cartoon Character Cake Pops

I loved reading all your cake pop guesses from yesterday. And Im happy to say that someone guessed correctly. Actually, several of you did. But the first one to guess correctly did so in the first twenty comments. Ill announce the winner in just a sec.

First, I want to show you the cake pop I made.

It came out really cute.

Here are the candy coatings and candies that I used to decorate them.

So, everyone that guessed Smurfs and there were a bunch of you Im sorry. Maybe next time.

I cut the tops off of candy corn to use for the ears.

Thats right. This cartoon character cake pop is an animal.

Any guesses now?

These light pink coated sunflower seeds were perfect for the nose.

They come in a long tube.You can find them in different color combinations especially during holiday seasons. I think I found these at a store called World Market.

Just keep your eyes open. I grab them whenever I see them, because the colors come in handy.

White m&ms. I found these sold by color at Wal-Mart a while back.

These were spot on for the eyes.

Oka y, the next picture should give it away if you dont know already.

Almost finished eyes. With orange eyelids.

I know you know now.

Thats right.

Garfield.

Everyones favorite sarcastic cat.

Ive made Garfield sweets before. Take a look at these fondant covered cupcakes if you want to see.

But this time, I wanted to see if I could turn him into a cake pop. A little tougher than working with fondant.

When Im trying to recreate a recognizable character, I start with finding candies that have a similar size, shape and color if possible.

Ill shape the cake balls to match the shape of the character and then place the candies right on the uncoated cake ball to see if Im going in the right direction.

This way I can adjust the size of the ball to be proportional to the candies if necessary. Remember to make the ball slightly smaller than what looks accurate, because once they are dipped the shape will increase in size a bit due to the coating.

To make the basic shape, attach the ears (pointing sl! ightly f orward) using candy coating and let dry before dipping the entire cake pop in more melted candy coating.

Remember to dip completely and remove without stirring.

Let dry completely.

When dry, attach your eyes. Dont forget to leave some without eyelids for Garfields wide-eyed look.

Then carefully pipe on yellow candy coating right underneath his eyes. It will work better if the coating isnt too fluid. Just let it set for a few minutes after heating to thicken a bit. Keep a picture of him nearby for reference.

Before the yellow sets, attach a light pink coated sunflower seed for the nose.

Let dry completely and then use a black edible ink pen to draw on all of Garfields iconic details.

I like to use the Americolor Gourmet Writing Pens.

If you want to have fun making these at home, youll need:

The basic how-to for making cake pops
Orange candy coating
Yellow candy coating
White m&ms
Candy corn
Pink coated sunflower seeds
Black Americolor Gourmet Writing Pen!
Smal l squeeze bottle

.

Now for the winners. Yep, plural.

Commenter #20 Nicol was the first one to guess Garfield correctly. Yay! Great guess.

But, Im also going to give one away at random And that winner is

Congratulations Elizabeth. You win a book, too. I hope you still come to the signing though. Id love to meet ya.

.

P.S. A bunch of you made guesses of character cake pops that Ive already made.

Like these.

You can check them all out under the Cake Pops category if you want to take a look.

Poco Zakka

After more than a year of cultivating a faithful following in Bangsar, Poco has opened its second branch, catering to a potentially larger crowd at Sunway Giza.

The menu here is more expansive (but NOT more expensive), featuring everything from sashimi to soba. The Poco Maki house specialty is not a bad sushi roll, with lots of teriyaki eel, tempura prawn & mango, though not extraordinary either.

Desserts are intriguing, but not entirely successful. The Italian-influenced white chocolate semifreddo with balsamic-laced strawberry is an acquired taste, with the sugary milkiness of the ice cream cake clashing with the tart, acidic fruit.

Mascarpone cheese with rum-soaked raisins, pistachios & dark chocolate. Sweetly flavorsome, with some nice texture from the fruit & nuts, but the cheese could be less frosty and powdery.

The safest bets: green tea & black sesame ice cream.

Kumquat & grape wheat black teas, both with aloe vera & flower seeds.

Earlier entry on Poco Homemade @ Bangsar: August 12, 2010.

Poco Zakka & Kitchen,

Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara.

My Cookbook Restaurant @ Sunway Gizza, Petaling Jaya

My cookbook looks like a cooking school from far but actually a restaurant serving Malaysian food. A concept that is new perhaps uncle need to get used to such setting.My Duck Egg Char Koay Teow - a bit wet and just can not compare to my favourite one @ Genting Cafe, Island Glades.Specially boiled chicken soup for the chicken rice.Chicken rice in cylindrical shape with also cylindrical roasted boneless chicken.Chicken rice with great presentation so is the pricing."Oo Chen" oysters o! n a egg coated pasta. Hmmmmm... oysters not so fresh leh. I hope to come back and try some other dishes, they look good on the menu.

My Cookbook,A-12, Sunway Giza, No.2, Jalan PJU 5/14, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Tel: 03-6140 6113.GPS Coordinates: N3 09.082 E101 35.479

Vegetarian Vegetable Broth

Soup Name: Vegetarian Vegetable Broth

Traditional Chinese Name: (shci tng)

Introduction:

This is basically vegetables and water, but to think that a combination of the right vegetables can be so tasty! You really dont need to add any additives such as salt, sugar or meat because it really is delicious as it is. Consider using a variety of vegetables as well, such as red beets (which I will try as a recommendation from a friend), potatoes, yams, Chinese yams and more. This soup is ideal for any age group, condition and individual!

What ingredients are required?

3 fresh carrots, cut into large pieces
2 fresh corn, cut into large pieces
1 whole Japanese pumpkin, largely sliced with skin
3 whole red onions, sliced
2 fresh sweet potato, cut into large pieces
3 fresh tomatoes, cored and quartered
2 L of water

How do I prepare it?

Rinse and prepare all vegetables and set aside

Begin to boil your soup water

When soup water boils, add all the ingredients together

Boil on high for an hour

Serve and enjoy! NO SALT NECESSARY!

Any benefits?

• Oil free soup
• Excellent source of protein and vitamins (especially beta-carotene)
• Easy to make soup
• Ingredients are readily accessible and available in most supermarkets

Any precautions?

Serve soup with tomatoes to children one year and older
• No other known precautions, so enjoy!

Old Fashioned Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

I need to make some decisions. I know welcome to everyday living.

Who do you turn to when its time to make big decisions?

Mama and Dad? Bestest girlfriends? Awesome boyfriends? Husband? Wifey? God? Bottle of beer? Giant stack of doughnuts?

When it comes to making decisions, I make lists and stare at them. I take hot showers and try to figure out my life. I chip my manicure off. I stop blinking.

I ask friends for advice and wait for them to give me the answer I want. Are you guilty of this too!? Be real. Bad habit.

I ask God I listen and then I try to figure out how Im going to hear his answer.

I think. I make more lists. I stare.

Ive found that tremendous amounts of fried food also help the decision making process. Well they help pass the time during the quiet list making/staring phase of the decision making process.

Do people actually make decisions while running around like maniacs? Is that something that works? Is there a lot of yelling involved? That sounds like chaos. I prefer the sitting, staring, fried food eat, and listening method but really, thats just my own personal crazybrain.

Oh wait! Are you one of those people that makes important decisions while working out?! Ugh. Why cant I be you!?

I probably shouldnt tell you how easy it is to make doughnuts at home.

These are cake doughnuts. Theyre more dense than yeasty doughnuts. The outside has just a bit of crunch.

It all starts with just a bit of flour and sugar.

Doesnt just about everything here start with flour and sugar and end in a ball?

Yes.

When you fry this it definitely turns into doughnuts.

Small miracle, right?!

There are a few things that might keep you from making these doughnuts.

Do you have the fry/candy thermometer? Do you have lots of different circle biscuit cutters?

If not youre totally saving yourself some calories.

But if you do have these things handy in your kitchen, imagine the calories you can get yourself into!

I like the way you live.

Crisp, gold! en brown cake doughnuts.

Chocolate ready.

Monster dipping manhands ready.

These cake doughnuts dont need that pesky yeast rise time. Theyre crisp, but soft and dense. Theyre doughnuts with chocolate glaze so clearly theyre delicious. How much convincing do you really need?

Should I teach my kitten to speak so he can tell you how much he enjoyed stealing one off the counter and leaving half a kitten eaten doughnut on the floor for me to step in with my bare feet? Would that finally convince you that doughnuts are delicious!? Geez.

Old Fashioned Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

makes between 6 and 10 doughnuts (I got 8 out of this batch)

adapted slightly from Doughnuts

Print this Recipe!

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 large egg

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together yogurt (or sour cream), egg, and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until well incorporated. The dough will take some smooshing to gather into a dish. It will be like a! slightl y more moist biscuit dough. Wrap bowl in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.

Place a candy/fry thermometer in a medium saucepan. Pour oil into the pan until it is about 2-inches deep. Heat oil over medium-low heat.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll bough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut doughnuts with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and cut a hole with a smaller circle cutter.

When oil reaches 360 degrees F, fry 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time for about 1 minute on each side. Doughnuts will be golden brown. Carefully pull out, drain, and let rest on towel paper.

Chocolate Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons milk or water

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Slowly stir in milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until silky and smooth. If you need a touch more milk to make this a dippable glaze, add a bit more.

Dip doughnuts in chocolate glaze and let rest to harden slightly.

Doughnuts are best served the day theyre made. They also freeze just fine!