Love Is Where my Stomach is....

 Happy (late) Valentine's Day everyone! ]. I'm not a personal fan of going out on the big Vday so I had my Baby attempt to cook me a fancy meal at home. This is our second Valentine's day together so we decided to kick it up a notch. This means I dress up and put on fancy perfume and we enjoy a quiet and private dinner complete with appetizers, main course, good wine and of course, a phenomenal dessert....

Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

February 14, 2011

Main Chef: Jerry 

Dessert Chef: Patricia

First course

Insulata Caprese

A Fresh Combination of Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil

Second course

Cream of Potato Soup 

garnished with crispy bacon and sharp cheddar

Main Course

Garlic and Rosemary Roast Lamb Chops

Dessert

White Chocolate and Raspberry Souffle 

Best souffle I've had. Must try for the Chocolate Lover - sink your teeth into a crunchy yet fluffy white chocolate topping to find a hidden tart raspberry dark chocolate molten center in the middle 

Wine pairing

Pirot Syrah 2009 California

Whole Foods 

- smooth, plum flavors perfectly paired with the hearty lamb we had

White Chocolate Souffle with Raspberry Chocolate Sauce

Courtesy of the Fumbling Foodie

Raspberry Chocolate Sauce:
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
3 oz Ghirardelli 60% cocoa semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons European unsalted butter

Souffle:
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 tablespoon iodized salt. (don't use kosher salt, the granuals are too big)
3/4 cup whole milk
6 oz Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Additional butter and sugar for the ramekins

Put a pie pan in the freezer for several hours to chill. You are going to be pouring hot liquid into it so metal or pyrex are preferred.

lightly butter six 4.5 oz ramekins. Mine are 3 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches deep. Coat the inside of each buttered ramekin with granulated sugar. Invert and pour out the excess.

Puree the raspberries in a blender. Pour the pureed raspberries through a sieve into a small bowl, using a spatula to squeegee the liquid through and leave the seeds behind (discard the seeds).

In a double-boiler or small saucepan set in a larger pan of simmering water, combine the raspberry puree, semisweet chocolate chips, butter, and sugar. Stir frequently until melted together and smooth. Grab the ice cold pie pan out of the freezer and pour this mixture into it. Tilt the pan as needed to get the mixture spread evenly over the bottom surface of the pie pan. Return the pie pan to the freezer. When the mixture has set up, divide it into six equal portions and use your hands to form each portion into a little ball. Put the balls back into the pie pan and put the pan in the refrigerator.

Seperate the egg yolks from the whites (you will need both). The whites should go into a large clean bowl big enough to be used with your hand mixer (or put them in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer).

Combine the flour and salt in a saucepan. Add a small amount of milk and combine. You want a smooth paste. Then add the rest of the milk, combine, and place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture has thickened a bit (like a cream sauce, about 4 minutes), remove a bit of it from the saucepan, add it to the egg yolk,s and whisk gently. (This allows the yolks to warm up without cooking them). Add the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. When it is about the consistency of mayonnaise, remove it from the heat, place it into another bowl along with the white chocolate chips. Stir or whisk until the white chocolate chips are fully melted and combined. Add the vanilla. Set aside

Beat the egg whites in their own bowl( mentioned above). Add the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue meating until medium-firm peaks form.

Gently fold a heaping spatula load of egg whites into the white chocolate mixture, then add the remaining egg whites. Fold gently to preserve the air in the egg whites.

Take the chocolate balls out of the refridgerator. Place one in the center of the bottom of each ramekin. Fill each ramekin with the white chocolate/egg white mixture until it is no higher than level with the top of the ramekin. (1/8 inch below the top of the ramekin works well for me.)

At this point you can cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and put it in the refridgerator, awaiting dinner time.

When it is time for dessert, preheat the oven to 375F, remove the plastic wrap and pop them into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until portions of the top have turned a light golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Feeling the love of friendship, romance and family all together these last two weeks. I feel so blessed to be surrounded with people who are so down to earth and so supportive <3. 

Thank you...

Sweet Dessert Dumplings (Tang Yuan) 湯圓

"Sweet Reunion". This is what this classic Chinese dessert represents. As a kid, these chewy delights were served at every festive occasion or family gatherings. I don't know what came over me the other day when I had the sudden craving for these late at night --- maybe my brain is impatiently awaiting that sweet reunion come December when I head home for Christmas.

The more popular and common version of these sweet dumplings are filled with red bean or sesame paste, but the traditional plain version serves well with a sweet gingery soup. Ginger is well known to keep skin well-hydrated and plump when the weather gets dry, which is what every girl wants as the years roll along, right?

 A little food coloring creates more fun in the kitchen :)

Sweet Chewy Roundness. NOM NOM NOM

Can't wait for December :)

When 2 become 1 ------- Banana Peanut Butter Bread

If you guys were thinking of the Spice Girls when you saw the title, that is exactly what popped in my mind the moment I tasted this fusion of deliciousness. No one can deny how great banana bread is when you have 2 ripen black bananas sitting on the kitchen counter. If anything can possibly be better than warm banana bread fresh out of the oven (besides the Spice Girls that is ), then it's this Banana Peanut Butter Bread.

Chunks of chocolate chips interspersed between sweet nutty goodness

Not your average Banana Bread

Recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Bread (adapted from SugarPlum) 

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium ripe mashed bananas
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided use

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together banana, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes; beat in eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in milk and flour mixture until just combined; stir in chocolate chips

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake for 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven, melt additional tablespoon butter, brush evenly over the top, and top with sugar. Continue to bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 20 minutes before running a knife around outside edges, removing, and transferring to a wire rack to cool an additional 30 minutes before slicing.

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Swirly Cheesecakes

The first food blog I ever visited was Mandy's Fresh from the Oven, a home chef from Singapore who made the most delicious cakes but was still able to maintain a down-to-earthness to her blog. Her entries inspired me to start baking and one of the first recipes I ever tried from her blog were these delicious "Lil Cheesecake Fellas". Don't underestimate these teeny weeny cheesecakes. They might be lower in calories but definitely not any less in flavor. This is definitely one recipe that has never yet failed for me. 

I mean, who can say no to such innocent looking cheesecakes? :)

        Fresh out of the Oven

 Proud and Puffy

Recipe for cheesecake filling with Oreo base(adapted from Fresh From the Oven)

two 8-ounce packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese (use either full fat or 1/3 less fat Neufchtel), at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs (I used large eggs)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1.5 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa powder
25 oreo cookies, mashed to fine crumbs

1 tbsp of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with silicone, foil, parchment, or paper liners.

To assemble the oreo/cookie base, mash 20-25 oreo cookies with any equipment that can do the job until fine crumbs. Mix a tbsp of butter with the crumbed oreos. Lay a thin layer of base in each of the muffin tins and bake for 10 min. Meanwhile, continue with filling.

Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the cream just until it's completely blended. Be careful not to be overmix. Remove 3/4 cup of the batter and stir in the cocoa.

Divide the white batter among the 12 muffin cups. Drop a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate batter in the center of each, pushing each down slightly. Using a small knife or skewer, cut through the batter until dark swirls appear.

Place the muffin tin in a large shallow pan and add hot water until it comes about 1 inch up the sides of the tin. Bake the cakes until set and slightly puffy, about 30-45 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is. Remove the cakes from the water bath, transfer the tin to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours.*Transfer the cake to a container and chill for at least 4 hours.
*note: instruction from the book: After 2 hours of cooling, cover cake with plastic wrap (do not remove from the tin) and put in the freezer until cold, at least one day.

To remove the cakes, lift them out with your hands and peel off the liner. Although I find it more convenient to hold and eat it with the liner on. For a dressier version, place the cakes, top side up, on a serving platter or individual dessert plates, Top with the chocolate curls if you wish and refrigerate. Serve drizzled with the hot fudge sauce, if you wish. If there are any cakes left, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.

Shake Your Bon-Bon Cinnamon Rolls!

In light of Ricky Martin's coming out announcement this week, I have decided to entitled these my "Shake Your Bon-Bon Cinnamon Rolls"! The bread machine is one of the best inventions ever and made this Cinnabon journey so easy and convenient. I found this recipe online and it promised Cinnabon like rolls and I cannot agree more!

Who can say no to this swirly bun of goodness and cinnamon?!?!?!?! The frosting was absolutely spot-on and my only improvement for next time is add an extra tsp of cinnamon!

Tiramisu Cake My Way

What do you do when you need to satisfy chocolate, coffee and alcohol cravings at the same time?

Tiramisu Cake saves the day! 

I wanted to originally use Doris Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake recipe, which can be found here. Somehow I find myself failing terribly at making a normal yellow cake. I can, however, make the perfect chiffon cake so I altered the recipe and used a normal chiffon cake recipe instead. 

 

 The rich mascarporne cream was perfectly balanced against the lighter fluffy chiffon cake, making it a lighter version of the normal food-coma inducing Tiramisu. The birthday girl had a big smile on her face and I am happy as well. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Happy Birthday Min!

The Perfect Match: Orange Chocolate Chiffon Cake

The best foods always come in pairs.

Burger and Fries. Steak and Wine. Strawberries and Cream. Green Tea & Red Bean.

Orange and Chocolate is possibly one of the most unique but constantly undermined flavor pairings. With a day free of school because of snow (yay) I decided to whip up something light and tasty to battle the cold. Chocolate is a definite must when it comes to bringing anyone out of the winter blues.

I've tried making an Orange Chiffon cake before. This time, I decided to give it a twist by taking two cups of batter and adding it to a rich chocolate mixture (1/3 cup cocoa, 2 tbsp of corn oil, 2 tbsp of hot water, 3 tbsp of sugar). Then I created a marble effect by dolloping alternating batter into the tube pan.

The result was a light airy sponge cake with a slightly crunchy exterior  With the sweet tangy orange flavor juxtaposing against the rich dark chocolate, it was a match made in heaven. A cup of hot bubbling cocoa completed my afternoon as I curled up on the couch and watched Food Network TV.