Cream puffs with 3 flavours of custard filling.

Cream puff is one of my all time favorite dessert. I love custard filling, it melts in my mouth and almost oozing out when I bite. Today I make 3 flavours of custard, mocha & Kahlua, vanilla and green tea. 

I always start by making custard first to allow time to cool before piping in the cool shells.

Custard ingredients 

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

250 mls water

250 mls evaporate milk or half and half

50g butter

50g cornflour

Pinch of salt 

Also needed

for vanilla flavour

2 tsp vanilla paste

For mocha flavour

2-3 tbs Kahlua + 25g dark chocolate + 1tsp coffee 

For green tea flavour

2 tbs matcha powder

Directions

1. Combine water, evaporate milk and cornflour in the pot. Set aside.

2. Wisk sugar and eggs with electric mixer until light and fluffy then transfer to the sauce pan and turn stove on with medium-low heat. Keep stirring until it becomes thick, roughly about 10 mins. Remove from heat.

3. Separate custard in to 3 bowls. 

For the first bowl combine chocolate, coffee and Kahlua with custard while custard still hot.

For the second bowl combine with green tea.

For the third bowl combine with vanilla paste.

4. Cover all custard bowls with plastic wrap by pressing plastic wrap to the surface of custard. Transfer to the fridge to cool.

Puffs ingredients 

100g. butter

230 mls. water

1 tbs sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup plain flour

3 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220c.

2. Put water, butter, sugar and salt together in the large sauce pan then put over the medium heat bring to a boil until butter completely melt then turn the heat down to low.

3. Add in flour and stir until the mixture forms a ball.

4. Transfer dough to electric mixer bowl with paddle attachment, beat until the mixture gets warm to touch then slowly add in the eggs one at a time. Continue beat for at least 2 mins after adding the last egg.

5. Transfer the mixture to piping bag and pipe on a baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Slightly press the tip of the dough down with a wet finger.

6. Bake for 10-15 mins then turn the heat down to 180c and bake for another 10 mins or until puffs become medium golden brown. Remove from the oven, then allow to cool on the cooling rack.

8. Pipe the custard into the shell. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving.

Choux à la crèam

Enjoy baking.

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Butternut Snap Ripple Cake

  

I love to make something simple but not too simple.

For this recipe is modified from the side of choc ripple biscuit package, first I intend to make individual chocolate ripple cake but when I reach the supermarket and found out that choc ripple biscuit had run out...not happy Jane!!! Well, butternut snap biscuit were on sale so I made ripple cake with butternut snap biscuit instead.

Ingredients

500g thickened cream

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

1 pkt Arnott's Butternut Snap biscuit 

desiccated coconut, fresh berries

Directions

Step 1 Use an electric beater to beat the cream, sugar & vanilla in a bowl until firm peaks form.

Step 2 Spread whipped cream and form a sandwich with 3 layers of biscuit.

Step 3 Spread the remaining cream mixture over biscuit to cover. Place in the fridge for minimum of 6 hours to set then coat with desiccated coconut and place berries on top to serve.

Enjoy

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Peanut Butter Brownies

In the middle of winter, when it's cold, dark and boring. If I'm not warm by wrapping myself with blanket while watching six packs of Jensen Ackles in "Supernatural", I'll be in the kitchen and baking something to keep me warm.

Brownies is the first choice of mine, quick and easy. My husband loves peanut butter and walnut brownies, I think it's a good match, with a little bit of salty peanut butter, bitter sweet of dark chocolate brownie.....for me...it's perfect!!!!

Ingredients

200 g. dark chocolate 

200 g. unsalted butter

1 cup plain flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla paste

4-5 tbs peanut butter

1/4 cup chopped walnut (smooth or crunchy)

Directions

Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave for 45 sec for the first time then stir to combine if still lumpy, put in microwave again for 10 sec each time, set aside.

In the mix bowl, whisk sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy, add chocolate and butter mixture, stir to combine and then add flour and chopped walnut, mix well.

Pour the mixture in to the baking tray, drop spoon fulls of peanut butter in then use the tip of the knife to drag all over the brownie to swirl peanut butter and chocolate brownie.

Bake for 30 mins maybe shorter or longer depend on the thickness of the brownie. Allow to cool before cut.

Chewy, moist, crunchy, salty, bitter sweet brownies, what else you want....

Enjoy

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Pina Colada Tart

Last year, my workmate brought some homemade Samoan pineapple pie which was made by her mother, she asked me to try it, honestly, it was love at first bite!!! the pineapple custard filling melted in my mouth. I was thinking about her today and it remind me of that beautiful pie. Today I will make my own version but I'm not dare to call it Samoan's pie, anyway I think Pina Colada is a perfect name for my tart today. I added coconut in the shortcrust pastry, you can add sugar but I prefer salty shortcrust to balance with the taste of the tart filling. I decorated with pineapple flowers. See how to make pineapple flower

 

Ingredients
Coconut Shortcrust Pastry
200 g. plain flour
50 g. fine desiccated coconut
100 g. butter
2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
2 tbs cold milk or cold water

Pineapple Custard Filling
1/2 cup can of chopped or crushed pineapple with syrup or juice 
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs plain flour
150 ml milk
lime juice from 1/2 lime
2 egg yolks
knob of butter

whipped cream
100 ml heavy whipping cream
1 tbs icing sugar
1 tbs Malibu (optional)

you also need roughly chopped peanuts 

Directions
Preheat oven to 180C.

Place the flour, salt, desiccated coconut & butter in the bowl of the food processor and mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs then add egg yolk and milk then mix until the dough just comes together. Lightly knead then wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 30 mins. 

Roll pastry, using the rolling pin, on the lightly floured surface to about 3 mm. thick.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles slightly larger the the opening in the mould and place in mould making sure of a snug fit. Next prick the centre of each mould with a fork several times. Bake for approximately 15 mins.

Meanwhile, make the filling by beat the egg yolks in the bowl and set aside. Combine pineapple, sugar, flour, lime juice & milk into the sauce pan, stir until flour dissolves then turn the heat to low, keep stirring until mixture becomes thick, then spoon some of the mixture into the bowl of egg yolks and stir then pour it back to the sauce pan, stirring at all times until the mixture becomes a thick custard, remove from the heat. Add butter and stir.

Remove the shortcrust pastry from the oven when it's cooked & pour the filling in then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Whip cream, Malibu and icing sugar together in the chilled bowl until medium to firm peaks, spread whipped cream on top of the custard. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Enjoy

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Rose Petal Jam

Home made rose petal jam, make your own gift for special person.

Most of the roses are edible but I prefer to use red, pink or white to make jam, pick in the early morning for stronger perfume, I really adored this aromatic jam to have with toast, scone or put some in yoghurt.  

Ingredients
rose petals from 10-20 roses
3 cups sugar
2 cups water 
2 tablespoons rose water
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 lemons
5 tablespoons powdered pectin

Clean rose petal and use scissors cut them into a small piece.

In the pot, combine water, salt, rose petals and sugar together, bring to boil with medium heat, stirring constantly, then simmer for about 20 mins or until rose petals are become soft and translucent.

Add lemon juice to bring out the colour and the taste and as we know, lemons are very hight in pectin to help jam to set.

To prepare the pectin, put powdered pectin in the small bowl, add 10 tablespoons of water, wait for few mins until pectin soaked up the liquid then put in microwave for 30 sec or until it melt.

Add pectin into the pot, bring to boil for 5-10 mins or longer for thicker consistancy, stir occasionally then add rose water, and then taste for sweetness, adjust if needed.

How to know that jam is reach to the setting point? I use a saucer or a small plate, put in the freezer for couple mins until it chill then put a small dollop of jam into the cold saucer then return into the freezer for 2-3 mins, touch to feel the jam with the tip of your finger, if it  has form a surface that wrinkle, it's ready, if it still runny liquid and your finger run right through it means not quite ready yet, you might have to cook for a bit longer.

Leave the jam to settle of the heat for 15 mins before pour into the jar to prevent the rose petal rising to the surface then pour into sterilised jar while jam still warm.

I made some from pink-yellow roses and look what I've got!!! yellow jam, marmalade-like.

I did put jam into the jars and decorated for Christmas gifts last year, but you can make as a gift for other occasion, like this Valentine's day.

Enjoy

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