Roll cake

 

This is my first attempt in making roll cake, the mistake I almost did is over cooking the sponge cake. I was looking at it in the oven and touching the top of it and it felt so sticky, I actually over-cooked it slightly. Thankfully, I folded it without cracking. 

For the filling I used cream-cheese vanilla bean, I added fresh pomegranate on the filling and rolled it out. I rested the cake in the fridge over night.

 

Shaika x

Sooka

This picture is dedicated to my father. He's a fisher man, a man I'm proud of. This is the traditional food - white rice and fried fish. This is the ultimate comfort food.

Ignore the chopsticks this doesn't connect to our culture at all loool. It's just giving the picture third dimension look.


Love,

Shaikha x

Key lime pie fusion of Cheese Cake

I love cheesecake thanks to the ancient Greece its popular. My memories of cheesecake started with my sister and aunt, can't decide who was first. I still remember the day I saw the red strawberry jelly on top of that creamy texture, I wanted it just for the strawberry jelly on top, and I loved it.

Years later I discovered its called cheesecake and wondered, where the hell is the cheese in this dessert? All types of cheese is salty and mild. But then, I knew cream cheese existed and its Philadelphia. Obviously I was so young to know those kind of information about food, 10 or 9 perhaps?

I found this recipe online, and gave it a shot. One of the steps in making this cheesecake is poaching the lime a day ahead in water, sugar and mint syrup and add the sliced lime and cook for 10 minutes and let the flavors infuse over night. Myself, I didn't like the smell and the taste of the syrup and decided not to use the syrup and squeezed the limes, this gave them this odd shape. At least I used it for decoration.

 

Overall, it taste very good. I wasn't a fan of the filling but it tastes like cheesecake but without that punch or kick of that "REAL" cheese cake.

Recipe:

Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 1 day in advance for the poached lime slices, + about 35 minutes, + chilling
Cooking time:  35-45 minutes

For the poached lime slices

• ½ cup superfine sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh mint  
• 4 limes, finely sliced

For the base

• 3½ cups crushed graham crackers
• ¼lb plus 1 tbsp (11/8 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

For the filling

• 4 large eggs, separated   
• 2½ cups condensed milk
• finely grated zest and juice of 4 limes
• ¼ cup superfine sugar

For the topping

• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

The day before making the pie, prepare the poached lime slices for the decoration. Place the sugar in a pan with the water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar has melted, then add half the mint leaves and all the lime slices. Poach the lime in this minty syrup for about 10 minutes, then allow to cool and infuse overnight. 

To make the base, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into a buttered deep 10 inch removable-bottomed, preferably fluted, tart pan. If you don't have one of the latter, use a springform pan of the same size and just press the crumbs two-thirds of the way up the side. Let the base rest for another hour in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 

Line the crumb shell with waxed paper and half-fill it with ceramic pie weights or uncooked dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the weights and cook for another 5 minutes until the base has darkened slightly in color. Remove from the oven and cool.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks in a bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the condensed milk and lime zest and juice.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and superfine sugar until firm, then gently fold into the lime mixture, using a large metal spoon.

Completely fill the crumb shell with the lime mixture and bake in the preheated oven, at the same temperature, for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool. It will sink slightly, so don't worry.  

Loosen the edges of the tart, remove the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Finally, whip the cream until it peaks, spoon into a pastry bag, and pipe around the edge of the cold tart. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar, then decorate with the poached lime slices and some of the syrup, discarding the cooked mint and adding the remaining fresh mint leaves.


Shaikha x

S'mores

 

Looking at my current situation, its not that I don't have time to blog it is about me being lazy. Since I joined college my plans where to major in marketing, but sadly things didn't work out and I've been forced to major in HR. Lucky me! I found HR a good alternative. I've been busy thinking about companies corporate social responisbility and preparing training on how to manage time professionally, doesn't sound fun ha? I guess not. 

Here is a new twist for cupcakes, S'MORES! Who doesn't like it ha?

Anyways, this is a basic chocolate cupcake recipe topped with meringue, graham crckers and hershey's chocolate.

A definition for s'mores. 

A s'more is a traditional night-time campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate (Hershey's) sandwich between twi pieces of graham crackers.

Shaikha x

Tarte Tatin

Tarte tatin , is an upside down tart. You have a wide choice in what kind of fruits or anything you wold like to add to a puff pastry or any kind of pastry dough, tarte tatin is usually famous with caramelized apples. I've tried 2 kinds of tarte tatin apple and mangos. They say tarte tatin was accidentally created by two sisters who own Tatin Hotel back in France 1898.

The recipe is extremely easy to make, all you need is apple and puff pastry, you don't need measurements just add sugar to a hot pan until it melts & gets dark, add you apple and sauteé until tender. You can use a pie baking sheet, but I used souflé cups for baking my tart. For the dough I used the normal puff pastry the frozen one you find is any grocery store.

After you caramelize your apples, lay them inside your baking cups make sure you squeeze them in, because you will flip them after they bake, when apples are in top it with your puff pastry dough, bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.

Simple as that,

Bon Appétit

Chocolate cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes

• 2 cups Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 sticks 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Water, Boiling
• 18 whole Hershey's Kisses, Unwrapped

For the Ganache

• 8 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 6 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

 

 Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with baking spray.
To make the cake batter, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate container, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.


Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine.
Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin cup. Lightly set one kiss in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down.

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a baking rack.

To make the ganache, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Chop chocolate and add to a bowl. Add vanilla to cream mixture, then pour cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate. Whisk together until melted, smooth, and glossy.
Dunk cupcakes in ganache. Allow to cool and set before serving.

Posted by Ree on January 29 2010

I added some strawberries to the recipe, more color & flavor.

Bon Appétit

 

Shaikha xx 

Meat Pie

Ingredients for the crust :

3 cups white flour

200g cold butter

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup water ( depending on the humidity )

Ingredients for the meat filling:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

2 carrots (shredded)

tsp thyme

1 cube beef stock ( or 1 cup if liquid )

1 tbsp tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

For the filling: add oil to a hot pan then cook your garlic, add your onions cook for few minutes then add your ground beef , thyme, beef stock cube and carrots. Add salt & pepper to taste, let it cook until the mixture is browned.

Crust: Place in the bowl flour, butter (cut in cubes) beat for a minute of so. Then add egg yolk and cold water until the dough holds together. 

Cut the dough in half, roll the dough to your baking sheet size. Lay the dough on the baking sheet and add your beef filling and add your other half of the dough on top of the mixture. Brush the pie with egg wash and sesame seeds on top. 

Bake in the oven 375F for 30-35 minuets. 

Bon Appétit

 

Shaikha xx