First of all let me just apologize for being such a flake; I said I wasn’t going to do a post this weekend but hey, old habits die hard. And I just happen to be on a “two-post on the weekend” habit. And so when the cooking monkey was screeching in my ear, I knew I had to make something - ergo this. This was made during my 30 minute study break and it is every bit as good as it looks. I’m not really sure as to how the name Milo Dinosaur (a cup of Milo with an extra spoonful of powdered undissolved Milo added to it) came about, but I do know that there’s also something called Milo Godzilla, which is a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or topped with whipped cream; it’s just too bad that I didn’t have neither ice cream nor whipped cream on hand or I would’ve made some godzilla instead.
If you’ve never heard of Milo then you’re seriously missing out. I used to secretly sneak spoonfuls of it into my mouth when I was a kid, and haven’t had it since. Today was the first time in about a decade plus that I’m having it, and boy is it as good (if not better) as I remembered.
MILO DINOSAUR:
[ 4-5 tablespoons of Milo powder plus 2-3 tablespoons extra + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder + sugar to your taste + 2 tablespoons hot water + 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water; can be substituted with cold milk + crushed ice ] OPTIONAL: Condensed milk or creamer to your taste.
Dissolve the 4-5 tablespoon Milo powder, cocoa powder and sugar (and condensed milk, if using) in the hot water to make a paste.
Add enough cold water (or cold milk) until it is chocolatey enough to your liking.
Fill your glass with some crushed ice.
Pour the Milo mixture.
Remember that extra heap of Milo powder?
Now it’s time to sprinkle a heaping tablespoon or two (or three!) on top of the cold Milo.
And slurp.
Don’t worry, you’re pardoned.
MILO DINOSAUR:
[ 4-5 tablespoons of Milo powder plus 2-3 tablespoons extra + 1 teaspoon cocoa powder + sugar to your taste + 2 tablespoons hot water + 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water; can be substituted with cold milk + crushed ice ] OPTIONAL: Condensed milk or creamer, to taste.
- Dissolve the 4-5 tablespoon Milo powder, cocoa powder and sugar (and condensed milk, if using) in the hot water to make a paste.
- Add enough cold water (or cold milk) until it is chocolatey enough to your liking.
- Fill your glass with some crushed ice.
- Pour the Milo mixture.
- Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon or two (or three!) on top of the cold Milo.
Enjoy!
My entry for the Tumblr Food Challenge.
I took a glance at my schedule last night and saw that I only have a 7-9 seminar and nothing for the rest of the day. I should really have used the time to study for my block exam (which is in 8 days) but I had to go play landlord and hustle rent money and that threw off the dynamics of studying and so I thought I might as well make these and scratch it off of my to-do-list *takes a deep breath*. Ironically, this was not what I had planned to make for the challenge at all. I’d planned (and bought the ingredients) to make a Chocolate Charlotte Royale filled with Banana Bavarian Cream. Highly pretentious - trust me, I know. But I might make that during the weekend just to see how it would end up. For now, let’s just marvel over the fact that I just made a piece of crusty pretzel stuffed with a combination of sweet banana, slightly bitter chocolate paste and salty,tangy cheddar. If I ever open a bakery in this (or another) life or the next , this will definitely be on the menu. So if you should ever stumble to said fantasy shop, then do ask for these with a side of melted butter.
Soft Pretzel: (Dough Recipe from Food Mayhem. I made 1/2 the recipe)
[1 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F) + 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon white sugar, divided + 4 teaspoons active dry yeast + 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided + 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 1/2 teaspoon table salt + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 4 tablespoon butter, melted (for brushing)]
In a small bowl combine warm water, 1 teaspoon of white sugar, and yeast.
Let stand for 10 minutes or until creamy and frothy.
Put 3 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and both salts in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment for a few seconds.
Add vegetable oil and yeast mixture and just mix until moistened.
Switch to dough hook and knead on low for 5 minutes. Add in the remaining cup of flour while dough is kneading. You can add up to 2 tablespoons of water if dough looks dry.
When dough is done kneading, place in a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise till doubled in size, about an hour.
While you’re waiting for the dough to rise, prepare the filling.
Filling:
[2 ripe but firm bananas + 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese + Chocolate Paste (recipe below)] OR you could swap the grated cheese & chocolate paste with long sticks of cheese and shards of chocolate - it’ll be much easier to handle. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that when I did this)
- Chocolate Paste (recipe and pictures from my previous post - Baked Banana Wontons):
[3/4 cup cocoa powder + 1/4 cup soy milk (or milk. Or even just plain water) + 1/4 cup icing sugar]
Combine the cocoa powder and icing sugar in a bowl.
Add in the soy milk 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing all the while until it reaches the consistency of a chocolate spread. Add more soy milk if the paste is still too thick. Set aside.
Put the chocolate paste inside ziploc or piping bag. Cut the tip before using.
Cut the banana into thin strips and set the fillings aside.
Preheat oven 450 degrees F, 30 minutes before you are baking. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
When dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 12 (6 in my case) equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, roughly 1/2″ diameter.
**From this point on we will deviate from the good ol’ pretzel recipe.
You will now take each rope and roll it flat with a rolling pin to make a rough 3cmx25cm rectangle.
Lay 2-3 slices of banana on one side of the rectangle
Squeeze a line (or 2. Or 3) of chocolate paste on top of the banana slices.
** The amount of chocolate paste you put in is a compromise between the amount you want and the amount that could fit inside the pretzels without leaking out. Be clever with it and eyeball the right amount. I had trouble fitting 3 lines of squeezes so use that as a guide of sorts.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
Pull and fold the other side of the rectangle over the filling and seal the edge tightly.
Proceed with shaping the stuffed rope to a normal pretzel.
After all pretzels are shaped, dip them into the boiling solution for 10-15 seconds. Place on baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
- Boiling Solution:
[1/2 cup baking soda + 4 cups hot water]
Dissolve baking soda in hot water.
Bake the pretzels for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
** To ensure maximum crustiness, I baked these in the middle rack and put a tray of boiling water in the rack under it.
Serve while still warm.
Enjoy!
**Cook’s Note:
- Instead of chocolate paste and grated cheese, I’d recommend using splinters/tiny bars of chocolate and sticks of cheese instead - simple reason: they can be fitted inside the dough easier without leaking out.
- Be sure to leave gaps in between the banana slices or else you won’t be able to twist the pretzels into shape.
Here’s the devil’s food cake, as promised. I’ve never been too keen on making cakes because I always mess them up, and this time was no exception. I was chasing daylight and didn’t cool the cakes enough before turning them out of their tins, resulting in a nice large crack on one of them. Luckily the frosting saved the day, as it will for you other novice bakers out there. So don’t worry and pile it on; swirl it or smooth it and it will conceal any and all flaws (with the 1 1/2 sticks of butter in it, you really can’t expect anything less).
I probably should’ve picked a recipe that’s less hefty to inaugurate the new calorie count “feature”. In any case, I’d like to share with you the cause for this celebration:
OSCE marks are out. A bit disappointed at the one for station 2 (90.9% marks for VCT for HIV patients - I thought I did better. Ah well, it’s a pass), but other than that I’m pretty chuffed to bits. So enjoy this, share it to lessen the guilt and try not to hate me or the anon who requested the calorie count.
DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE (recipe by David Lebovitz) :
[ 9 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 1/2 cup cake flour (or all purpose flour, sifted) + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder + 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter + 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 large eggs + 1/2 cup strong coffee + 1/2 cup milk ]
Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter two 9″ x 2″ cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)
Mix together the coffee and milk.
Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the ganache frosting:
GANACHE FROSTING:
[ 10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped + ½ cup water (or cream) + ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter ]
Melt the chopped chocolate with the water (or cream) in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted.
Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk them into the chocolate until completely melted and the ganache is smooth.
Cool until spreadable, which may take about 1-2 hours at room temperature (I actually just put it in the fridge to speed up the process)
Meanwhile, check on the cake:
When the cakes are done, take it out of the oven and cool completely before turning them out of their tins.
TO FROST THE CAKE:
Tilt one cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper from the bottom and invert it back onto a cake plate.
Spread a good-sized layer of icing over the top.
Top with the second cake layer and spread the top and sides with the remaining icing as decoratively as you want.
Enjoy!
Estimated Nutritional Information:
9-inch diameter cake, serves approx. 10
Per Serving:
Total Calories: 485 Kcal
Fat: 16g (5g saturated)
Cholesterol: 31mg
Protein: 4g
It’s safe to say that today’s been a long day, what with helping mother in the kitchen and around the house in the early morning in lieu of Eid tomorrow (or is it on Wednesday? still pending sightings of the moon), but I wanted to post something before disappearing for the celebration. So here goes the simple snack with a mouthful of a title. Both chocolate ganache and dulce de leche, on their own, makes a wonderful dip for these little buggers - but what’s there to stop you from dipping these in both? I’ll tell you what - Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Banana-Coconut Beignets (a tweaked version of the one from justgetoffyourbuttandbake)
[2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying + 1 - 1/2 cups cake flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon + 1/3 cup sugar + 1 large egg + 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup mashed banana + 2/3 cup shredded coconut + teaspoon of vanilla extract + 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (to dust off)]
** If you do not have Cake Flour, use 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour minus 3 Tablespoons.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar in a large bowl.
Mash the banana (about 1 large overripe one)
Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla extract and vegetable oil in another bowl.
Add the mashed bananas and shredded coconut.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
Leave the batter to sit for at least 10 minutes.
Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until a deep fry thermometer register 375 degrees F.
Working in batches, drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, then roll in the cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.
**Dips:
Chocolate Ganache
[4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped + 1/4 cup heavy cream]
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until comes to a boil
Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
Dulce De Leche:
[1 can of condensed milk]
Place the can in a deep sauce pan and fill the pan with water just until 3/4th of the can is immersed and simmer over low heat for 2-4 hours.
**The time depends on how thick and dark you want your dulce de leche to be – I simmered mine for 2 hours, but if you’d like it thicker and darker, then continue simmering.
Keep an eye on the the water level, making sure to refill the water and maintain the level. After the 2-4 hours, turn off the heat and let the can cool.
Remove the lid and serve or use as desired.
Serve the beignets with both (or either one) sauces on the side.
Enjoy! (and an early Eid Mubarak!)
With this post, I officially declare an end to the vegan challenge. I know it hadn’t been that exciting (and that I still owe one more main course), but I really did try my best. This recipe is an adaptation of TastyKitchen’s - the original used the classic combination of Nutella and bananas, but I’m willing to bet this one would be selling like hotcakes all the same. I had to make some vegan wonton wrappers because the ones sold here have eggs in them. If vegan wrappers are available to you, then this recipe will be even quicker to make.
Banana Wontons = Wrappers + Chocolate Paste + Bananas
Vegan Wonton Wrappers (Makes 32 wrappers, recipe from Food.com):
[ 2 cups flour + 1/2 cup warm water + 1 teaspoon salt ]
In a bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center.
Add the water into the well. At the same time, incorporate the flour into the center using a fork. You can also use your hands to incorporate the loose flour. You’ll end up with a stiff dough.
Cover with a damp cloth for at least 10 minutes.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth. Divide into 2 balls of dough.
Take 1 ball and divide it again to 4 equal pieces.
Take one piece out (put the rest back into the bowl and under the damp cloth so they won’t dry out) and roll it on a floured surfaced, as thin as you can.
If the dough is rolled out thin enough, you should be able to cut the big square into 4 - 3.5 inch x 3.5 inch squares. Dust flour between each small squares before stacking them.
Repeat to other dough pieces. Set aside under a damp cloth.
Chocolate Paste:
[ 3/4 cup cocoa powder + 1/4 cup soy milk + 1/4 cup icing sugar ]
Combine the cocoa powder and icing sugar in a bowl.
Add in the soy milk 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing all the while until it reaches the consistency of a chocolate spread. Add more soy milk if the paste is still too thick. Set aside.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C
Have a small bowl of water nearby.
Line out the wrappers in a single or double file.
Spoon the chocolate spread into a ziplock bag and seal it.
Snip one of the bottom corner of the ziplock bag. Point the bag with the cut tip facing down and twist the top so most of the chocolate spread is pushed downwards.
Slice the banana into 1 inch-thick slices.
Pipe a dollop of chocolate paste onto each wrapper.
Place a slice of banana over the chocolate paste and press down slightly.
**Wrapping the wontons:
There are different ways to wrap a wonton, but most are shaped like a triangle or an envelope.
Dip your index finger into some water and trace the outer edges of the wrapper. After that it’s pretty straightforward, but I included some folding pictures just in case.
Repeat the process until all the wrappers are used up.
Transfer onto a greased baking tray and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.
When done, toss with some cinnamon sugar (1 tablespoon cinnamon powder + 3 tablespoon sugar) or dust off with some powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Thoughtful, easy and inexpensive :)
Chocolate Truffles (recipe from GoodFood Magazine 101 Chocolate Treats)
[ 284ml double cream + 50g unsalted butter, diced + 280g dark chocolate ]
*Flavouring options (you can always put whatever you want):
- Bourbon
- Orange-flavoured liquer
- Coconut Rum
- Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
*Coating options:
- Crushed shelled pistachios
- Lightly toasted dessicated coconut
- Cocoa powder etc.
I’m posting one kind of the truffles I made today, which is a combination of lime-flavoured chocolate with green-dyed dessicated coconut coating (inspired by the lyrics of the Baha Men song).
Gently heat the cream and butter until butter melts and the cream reches simmering point. Pour ovcer the chocolate in a bowl and stir until smooth. Leave plain, or divide among bowls and mix in the flavourings to taste, 1 teaspoon at a time. Cool and chill for 2-4 hours.
Shape the truffles with melon ballers or with your hands (first lightly coat your palms in sunflower oil).
After shaping, roll in the coating.
Chill until firm and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Enjoy!
The elusive macaron has claimed another victim today.I just mourned away 3 batches of failed macarons. It all started well enough; I had some leftover ground almonds that needed to to be used and thought, why not attempt to conquer Macaronland for the second Valentine’s day post? I’m also dedicating this post to Eka (who goes bonkers for macarons, in a good way) for her birthday tomorrow. But since it’s shite, I’m not sure if I should still dedicate it…So anyways, I set about trying to find a foolproof recipe around the internet and decided to use Cannelle Et Vanille’s recipe. First of all I want to say please don’t make this post a reason to not try her recipe. The mistakes done here are my own and not to be pointed at the recipe. Now, I shall write the recipe down and add my own experiences with it in italics and bold.
Chocolate Macarons:
[100ml egg whites (approximately from 3 eggs) + 25g granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice + 225g powdered sugar + 125g almond flour + 15g cocoa powder] OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon chilli powder and extra for sprinkling. <— This is my take on it; the original recipe has Cocoa nibs for topping.
Separate the egg whites at least 24 hours prior and even let them sit at room temperature for a few hours before starting to make the macarons. This will help them get rid of some moisture and become more acidic, which will help form a stable meringue.
[I didn’t separate the egg whites a day before, for the sole reason that I wasn’t sure I’d have the time to make it tomorrow. I’ve flagged missing this step as a possible contributor the the catastrophe]
Whip the egg whites and the lemon juice until they are almost fully whipped.
Sprinkle in the sugar while still mixing. Continue to whip to a full meringue.
[Followed instructions to the letter. End result was stiff and glossy]
Sift the powdered sugar, salt, almond flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the meringue into the dry ingredients and fold until a shiny mass is formed. We want it to spread a bit but not too much.
[Okay, to be honest, I did this Cajun style and sieved the dry ingredients (powdered sugar, salt, almond flour and cocoa powder) straight into the meringue and then fold it in. Do you think this is where I screwed up? I really have no idea]
Pipe the macarons onto a silicon mat. Let the macarons dry at room temperature for 20 minutes or so.
[As you can see, I did get to the “shiny mass” part. I piped it onto a piece of parchment paper and gave the tray a tap to let all the air bubbles out. I also let it dry at room temperature for 20 minutes]
[I sprinkled some extra chili pepper on top while it’s still tacky. By the end of 20 minutes, the shells have developed a “skin” that’s supposed to help it rise and make the little “feet”]
[So far so good; the shells have flatten out and they look somewhat uniform in size, so the next stage was to put it inside the oven and Bake them at 300F (150 degrees C) for about 16 minutes]
So tell me then, how THIS little picture of perfection came out to be…
THESE monstrosities?
And the worst part was, it happened again and again to the next two batches. When the first batch came out mangled, I panicked and searched the internet why macarons would crack;
Some sources said because the heat was too high, the other said because there was too much moisture in the mixture. I was like “A%%^$%ISjdsdkjf09s8efsodf!!*”
The second batch I put inside the oven at a slightly lower temperature and I kept watch. At first it looked like it was going to be okay…then the first cracks started appearing and my heart sunk.
The third batch I decided to leave out to dry a little longer (30 minutes instead of 20). No avail. The result was a cracked mess.
At this point I was on the floor weeping.
Okay, maybe not. But I was feeling pretty miserable.
Then I thought to myself, “There’s no way I’m going to throw all these away!” and decided to be sneaky. So I made some Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Ganache:
[ 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or pieces + 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream]
In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat.
and then I started dipping the shells into the ganache to cover up the hideous cracks. Then I sprinkled some more chili powder on some and dust confectioner’s sugar on the others. Then I sandwiched some whipped cream between the shells and stashed them in the fridge for the next day’s nibbles.
So if you decide to try making macarons and they don’t quite turn out the way you wanted them to, remember this handy cheat. Or you can always crumble them onto trifles or ice cream.
All is well, no wastage :)
