Basic Sugar Cookies (Peggy Porschen's Pretty Party Cakes)

Makes about 25 medium size cookies

Ingredients:
200gm unsalted soft butter
200gm caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
400gm plain flour, more for dusting

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar until well mixed and creamy in texture.
2. Do not overwork or the cookies will spread during baking.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Beat low speed until a dough forms.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead briefly.
6. Using two 1/4 inch (5mm) guide sticks, roll out an even thickness.
7. Use desired cookie cutters to cut and lay out on greaseproof paper.
8. Chill again for about 30 minutes. Preheat the over 180C.
9. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown at the edges.
10. Let cool on wire rack.

Macadamia Nut Brittle Cheesecake

Had another dessert at the same place like the last post. The nuts on top were awesome, wish they could have put more of those on the cake.

The nuts were buttery, sweet and crunchy from the caramel.

The cake could have been a bit more interesting, like adding more caramelised nuts into it.

Berrilicious Chocolate Pavlova

The thought of Pavlova just so alluring...

Pavlova, consists of cake-shaped-like meringue, often topped with whipped cream, and fresh fruits.

It is a relatively light dessert, perfect as an after heavy meal item.

It's amazing how icing sugar and egg whites can create such a wonderful product.

The outside of the meringue is crunchy (if it is done perfectly), and a marshmallow-like texture on the inside.

Eating on its own can be too sweet, therefore it is very common to compliment it with other products to balance the flavour and texture.

For great tasting experience, garnish it with fresh and plump strawberries, light-as-air whipped cream, and bitter sweet chocolate shaves, ooohhhh ssssoooooo diiiivvviiiinnnneeee.........


I had a wonderful time enjoying this dessert with the boys at http://www.delicious.com.my/


I liked the strawberries especially, its so plumpy...

See you next time oh my lova-Pavlova...

Truffle or Truffle?

http://www.realepicurean.com/

Do not be confused with the Chocolate Truffle and Truffle Mushroom.

They are the same spelling, but different products altogether.

Today i am writing about the ever-decadent dessert of all times, Chocolate Truffles.

If you want to try out the quality of various brands of chocolate sold in the market, this is the best way to do it, by making simple basic truffle.

There are alot of different recipes to make truffles, but the core ingredients are always the same.

http://www.myrecipes.com/

Recipes: BASIC TRUFFLE *Adapted from http://www.joyofbaking.com/

Ingredients:

1. 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

2. 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
Optional: cocoa powder (to coat truffle)

Method: For Truffles:
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. - Set aside. - Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.



- Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

(put in fridge to set it)

(got extra? ...not wasting it to the last last drop.)

(waste not... want not...)

(ooohhh....feeling like Nigella now...)

- Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. - Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. - With your hands, or else a melon baller or small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls.

- Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. - Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months. - Bring to room temperature before serving.

- If desired, add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm (this will take several hours or overnight).


Makes 30 small truffles.

By playing with the ratio of chocolate couverture and whipped cream, you can also make ganache.

For more extravagant pleasures, you can also coat the truffles with an assortment of roasted chopped nuts, toasted dessicated coconuts, colorful jimmies or sand sugar, puffed rice...

We may also flavour the truffles with liquer, with the likes of Grand Marnier, rum, Kahlua or any other flavours of your choice.

http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/

http://thingswholesale.com/

Happy truffling!

Chinese Sweet Soup (糖水)...

"Tong sui (糖水), also known as tim tong (甜湯), is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. Tong sui are a Cantonese specialty and are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term tong sui is not used." excerpt from wikipedia.org




Nowadays, there are so many selections to choose from. Really, its just too many... If you have the opportunity to visit us in Malaysia, be sure not to miss this delectable goodness! Be adventurous and explore! If there is a demand, i can consider to organise a foodie trip...:)




The tong sui can be categorized by few common varieties.

1. Thick paste type (Peanut Paste 花生糊, best served warm)
2. Clear (almost consome-like) type (Sweet Potato Soup 番薯糖水)
3. Jelly or pudding type (Tau Fu Far 豆腐花)
4. Custardy type (Steamed Egg Custard 燉蛋)
5. Shaved ice type (Sai Mai Lo 西米露)

The photos featured in this post is considered the Clear type. Nothing heavy, just clear sweet broth, slow boiled with Chinese nuts & seeds and dried longan.

The Westerners might mistaken this as Consome, well, almost...

The weather was excruciatingly hot, I decided to quench my thirst and bought this from a mobile cart that sells glorious tong suis', with wide selection of ingredients to choose from.

He basically sells the basic clear broth, then its your choice to select the ingredients.

You may choose from par-boiled Chinese nuts & seeds (which contains medicinal properties), pre-cooked dried fruits (longan, orange peel), colorful cubed & striped jellies, sagos, barleys, par-boiled cubed yams, sweet potatoes, and so much more.

The sun light was great for photo capturing. Since i have an hour lunch break, i might as well take advantage of the bright sunlight; the photos turned out fabulously! And i loved it.

What do you think?

Photos were taken using point & shoot camera by Canon.

Thank you for dropping by.

Have a great week!

Silky Smooth Tau Fu Far aka Soy Bean Curd

I usually liked my Tau Fu Far served with palm sugar syrup.

The flavour of the palm sugar syrup were full bodied, and complement the soy bean curd wonderfully.

For those uninitiated, Tau Fu Far is a popular Chinese dessert, it may be served hot or cold.

I like mine hot.

Tau Fu Far is basically coagulated soy bean milk. The result is smooth and silky custard...

Unlike jellies, agar or pudding, Tau Fu Far textures are usually smooth, often, it slides down your throat, like breathing air...

Yes is that smooth.

In China, they are served savoury. I have tried once, Tau Fu Far with chopped scallion, and mince meat sauce over it. I can get use to that. In certain parts of China, they are served with chilli oil and nuts, best eaten with rice.


http://yihan-thoughtsofyou.blogspot.com/

In Malaysia, they are usually served sweet.

It is a simple dessert that is comforting yet nutritious. It consists nothing but the soft curd and flavourful syrup.

For extra oommpphh, the simple syrup can be infused with ginger.

For add-ons, the Chinese also add in glutinuous rice balls for a more satisfying dessert.

The Glutinuous Rice Balls is a dessert by itself. Once match with Tau Fu Far, this winning combo will not disappoint.

It has few common filling, mashed sweet red bean, pounded roasted peanut/ black sesame seed...for the adventurous, one may also opt for chocolate filling...

For fusion varieties, one may also go with cream cheese, strawberry coulis... the choices are endless...

More of those balls later...let's focus on Tau Fu Far.

For more cultural appealing, nowadays, Tau Fu Far can be served along with canned mixed fruit, cincau, flavoured with all sorts of interesting ingredients, so crazy! Its just too much going on in the mouth.

Tau Fu Far with crazy flavours and colors

http://malaysianhijab.blogspot.com/

Tau Fu Far with Cincau

http://lyyyl.blogspot.com/




I prefer the original.

You may try this recipe.

Want to have your protein fix at once?!

Visit The Soya Shop at Sunway Giza Shopping Mall,1st Floor@Kota Damansara, Hartamas Shopping Centre,2nd Floor@Sri Hartamas

Open daily from 10am-10pm, all are welcome! Not sure how to find the soya shops at Hartamas and Kota Damansara? Call 24-hour Customer Service line 6012-6655282.

Malaysian Bak Kut Teh

I am not the most hard core meat eater, infact, i liked most food lean.

Call me lazy - I don't like to remove bones from fish especially, shells from prawns, hard knocking on crabs, the works.

Call me time-saver - i also prefer food to be bone free, thus saving the hassle of dirty-ing the hands, allows me to eat with peace, and no fuss.

So when i dined at this indoor shopping complex Bak Kut Teh joint(or any other restaurant)some time back, i would always order the lean cut, lots of veg, plates of cut bird eyes chillies.

Hot Chinese tea is a must too. Yeah, I liked my tea hot.

When we were there, it was pouring rain outside!

Which also means the perfect time to enjoy the piping hot Bak Kut Teh.

What could have been better than having a cold weather and having hot food to give you comfort?

Nothing beats that!