Recipes of Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles is the desserts that used in several celebration or party and any events. i found this recipe from www.marthastewart.com. Martha Stewart is American businesswoman, writer, and television personality. 

Martha Stewart
Source: Google

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 61 percent cacao), chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling
• Methods:
• Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream, Grand Marnier, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Scoop balls of chocolate mixture using a tablespoon or a 1-inch ice cream scoop. Roll balls in cocoa powder, tossing, until fully coated. Shake off excess.
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The Desserts Expert

This entry, I would like to introduce some of chef who expert in making desserts and famous around the world.

First, Chef Anne Thornton is an expert pastry chef who share her knowledge and skills of making a wonderful desserts on her show which is “in the kitchen” for Food Network cooking series. Anne encourage her viewers to start baking with no fear. In addition, with her approachable techniques she prove that any home cook can create their great desserts. She born in San Antonio and was raised in Cleveland. Anne fall in love with food when she was young. Therefore, she spent her childhood days in the kitchen with her grandmother. Anne graduated from Miami University in Oxford with degree in finance and philosophy. Anne left Chicago and move to New York to pursue her dream to become a chef. She worked hard to achieved her dream and she currently become volunteer for City Harvest’s Operation Frontline, a project that give the knowledge of nutrition education for families and kids.

           

            Second, Dana Herbert is the owner of Desserts by Dana, resides in Bear, Delaware. He is called with a number of nicknames because of his excellent achievements like “Sugar Daddy” and “King of Cakes”. Dana got a lot of attention after became a winner on Cake Boss. He also involved The Next Great Baker, a famous TV show on TLC Channel in December 2010.

Besides, he was also invented to work with Buddy Valastro in some episodes. Dana also grab media outlets nationally and internationally including some of shows. Trained in both Culinary and Pastry makes him become more expert. Dana also wrote a book called the Sweet and Savory Union. To be honest, I’m so impressed with him because I used to see him on TLC Channel and become a big fan of him.

           

            Buddy Valastro is the fourth generation baker who run his parents business with the name of Carlo’s Bake Shop. His father, Buddy Sr. is a master baker and taught Buddy everything bout baking and how to running a business. Currently, Buddy and his staff managing thousands of wedding cakes, specialty cakes and delicious Italian pastries.

Recipe of Seri Muka

  Seri Muka is one of the traditional recipe and almost of people love to eat it especially the folks. I will brief a little bit about Seri Muka this desserts made from glutinous rice which called “pulut”, coconut milk, sugar and pandan leaves. Seri Muka come with small cut and it is quite sticky but this kuih is suit well when having tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

For Bottom Layer:

300 g glutinuos rice (soak for 30 minutes in water)

200 ml thin coconut milk (100ml coconut milk plus 100 ml water)

2 screwpine (pandan) leaves (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

For Top Layer:

200 ml thick coconut milk or coconut cream

2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

170 g sugar

100 ml pandan/screwpine juice (from 8-10 pandan leaves)

5 tablespoon all-purpose flour + 2 Tablespoon cornstarch

Method:

Mixed all the ingredients for the bottom layer and steam on high heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the top layer. Mix the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan juice and flour. Stir until smooth. Cook over boiling water (using double boil method) until the mixture thickens slightly but still runny enough to pour.

After 20 minutes, take out the glutinuous rice mixture, stir and flatten it with spoon or hands. Make sure it is compact. Use a sieve to pour the egg mixture on to the rice mixture.

Steam on medium heat for 30 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting into diamond-shaped or rectangle-shaped pieces.

Cook’s Note:

You may use a 8 inch x 8 inch pan to make this kuih

Curry Puff Recipes

In this entry, I would like to share the recipes of curry puff since I really addicted to eat it. When I go back to hometown, I usually went to the street stall with named “Karipap Panas”. For curry puff lover like me, I usually spend money above rm5 to buy it for myself and I can finish it between an hours.

 Curry puff for me is the one of kuih that crunchy outside and it’s contained with meat or chicken curry filling. I found this recipe from www.hungrygowhere.com and I choose to share it because this blog shown the easiest and simple way to cook crunchy curry puff.

Ingredients:

*For the filling*

250g potatoes

3 tbs oil

1 sprig curry leaves

2 clooves garlic (chopped)

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 tbs meat curry powder

2 tbs water (mixed with curry powder)

150g minced meat

¾ salt

1/2 sugar

*For the pastry*

250g plain flour

½ salt

60g butter or margarine

125ml water

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes, about ½cm each. Heat the oil in a shallow pan or wok over medium heat. Add the curry leaves, ginger, garlic and onion, frying till the garlic and ginger start to brown. 

2. Mix the curry powder and water to form a paste. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until fragrant and well-cooked. Add the beef and stir-fry till crumbly before adding potatoes. Add ½ cup water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste. Take the pan off the heat and transfer filling onto a plate and cool completely. 

3. Meanwhile, make the pastry. Stir the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl and add butter or margarine. Mix with your fingertips until well-distributed. Sprinkle in water and stir until the mixture comes together to form a firm dough. Knead lightly for 1 to 2 minutes, then set aside for 10 minutes to rest the dough. 

4. Pinch off balls of dough (about 2cm in diameter) and roll into balls. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into thin circles, each about 7 to 8cm in diameter. Place a tablespoon of cooled filling in the centre of each dough circle and fold over to enclose (in a semi-circle). Pinch dough around the edges and seal by fluting or pressing with the tines of a fork. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and drain well in wire basket. Serve hot.  

Malaysian Desserts

After knowing the desserts history in the past century. I would like to share about the desserts in Malaysia. Usually, Malay people have their desserts as their breakfast and during tea break. It’s also known as “kuih muih”. Therefore, “kuih muih” are the desserts food that common in Malaysia and Singapore.

The varieties of Kuih Muih
Source: Google 

Most of the “kuih” are cooked in different ways such as steamed, fried and whatnot. In the northern states such as Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Perak are usually sweet. The common ingredients is coconut whether it is used for topping, coconut cream called as “santan”, “Pandan” leaves and also gula Melaka to sweeten the desserts.

Traditionally, the recipes of “kuih” is domain by old folks and they hold the recipes to make sure it is still original for their families. Since Malaysia is the country that multiracial, the types of “kuih” is mixed and that is the specialist in Malaysia that hard to be found in other countries. Besides, Malaysian also used to eat Roti Canai, Capati and Tosei (Indian foods), dim sum, yong tau foo (Chinese foods).

 

Roti Canai, Tosei and Capati
Source: Google

Yong Tau Foo
Source: Goole

These are some examples of “kuih muih”:

·         Apam balik

·         Bahulu

·         Curry puff

·         Kuih Akok

·         Kuih cincin

·         Kuih Ketayap

·         Roti Jala

·         Kuih Kapit

·         Kuih Keria

·         Kuih Lapis

History of Desserts

As promised, I would like to share the history of desserts in the past century. It is begin in the middle age, when only the rich people can afford and have their desserts after meal. Rich people in the middle age like preserved fruits, jelly and wafers which are made batter.  In addition, Italians have been panettone since the 15^th century but unfortunately the origins are lost in legend.

The Panettone
Source: Google

The knowledge of the use of eggs is used for binding and they also produce custard in the middle age. However, in the middle age most pudding were meat based. In 19^th century rice puddings start famous and they also made the pudding as medicine because it is good for digestive alignments. The rich people ate preserved fruit, gingerbread, jelly and sugared almonds. However, in the 16^th century sugar was very expensive and only rich people can afford to buy it and some of them change the sugar into honey to sweeten their food.

During Christmas celebration, the Tudors enjoyed mince pies which mixed with 13 ingredients contained raisins, currants and prunes with spices that consist of cloves, black pepper, saffron and mace and presents it to their god, Jesus. The Tudors also had their Christmas pudding that shaped like a sausage and it is contained meat, spices and oatmeal.

What is catching my interest is whoever can make Twelfth Night cake which contained items like dried beans or coins they can be King or Queen or host for the evening entertainments. Furthermore, in the 17^th century England people began eating ice cream followed in the 18^th century people start to eat trifle. When the Industrial Revolution the mass of cakes and jelly began.

  Roly Poly pudding was invented in the 19^th century.

Followed by Spotted Dick.

 Peach Melba was invented at the end of the 19^th century.