Easy Christmas Fruitcakes

The weather has turned colder and looking west, i can see that snow dusts the tops of the mountains, reminding me to start baking, so go and get out the fruitcake recipe.

Recipe for Easy Christmas Fruitcake is HERE

Step-By-Step Easy Christmas Fruitcake

IF a picture is worth a thousand words, then i would like to share my pictures on HOW To bake this Easy Christmas Cake and also this song which is titled "IF" by David Gates 1971. 

The Step-By-Step Pictures are

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes, it is Santa's new favorite, so i better make some and make Santa happy so that he will bring me what i wished for. My grandson, Alexander has been asking me - what i want for Christmas and i told him that i have only 1 thing i wanted - I wanted him to be 'kwai-kwai' and he said that there is no 'kwai-kwai' at the store and went away grumbling about Popo being crazy.

The recipe is HERE

Chiffon Sweet Potato Tartlets

What could be more enticing than a tart or a pie with smooth sweet potatoes filling. The color and texture is so appealing and so light, it is pure indulgence. Sweet potatoes/yams are in abundance this time of the year and to keep up with the Holiday Spirit, add Holiday Spices to the tarts/pies and kick up a notch.

The recipe is HERE

High Roast Turkey - The Final Destination

The final destination for the Turkey was The Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner.  As i have mentioned before that it will take me 80 minutes to finish roasting the prepared turkey and i was right.  The turkey came out of the oven 80 minutes  in perfection. 

The color was more than golden brown and the meat temperature was the correct temperature as recommended.  I am sorry that i forgot to take a picture of the bird when it came out of the oven as a friend came and i had to help her to make her dish for the potluck.  My friend, Meow, had wanted to mashed sweet potatoes as she confessed that that was what she could come with on her own but i told her that i will guide her to something more interesting  - Bacon Wraps.  While my friend's dish was broiling in the oven, i had to debone the turkey and time was not with me at that moment. With hands full of grease, using the camera was not possible - i will be banned for life from touching the camera if i had tried to use it.  Thank goodness that when i had done cutting up the turkey, the owner of the camera appeared, all dolled up pretty and i requested for help although the plating was not compleled.  So, at least now i have a picture of my roasted turkey.  ok, time to remove the Bacon Wraps  from the oven - crispy and unbelievablly fragrant.  I will post the recipe in my next posting.

I did not make any Sausage Dressing this year but instead i cooked rice. 

For how to cook the rice, it is  HERE

Turkey Finale - The Day of Thanksgiving

Today is the day, Thanksgiving Day and to all who are celebrating with love ones - Have a Happy Thanksgiving Dinner and enjoy the warmful company especially the love ones who have travelled from afar to join your dinner table. HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The how to prepare the turkey for roasting isHERE

Turkey Prep on Day 2

It's already day two since we started brining the turkey and time to think of preparing the gravy. With so many other dishes to get on the table, sometimes the turkey gravy can be a mealtime anxiety-inducer. Fear not!

We are preparing it today, Wednesday, ahead and guess what? No stress and there is plenty of time to prepare The Sausage Dressing, leaving the sides for tomorrow.

 Hey, don't forget me, the turkey that has been brined for 8 hours!!!. 

Sorry, i got carried away, I know you need to be trussed and then send you off for vacation to the cooler

Continue for recipe HERE

Happy Thanksgiving and How to Brine the turkey

There are many ways to celebrate and express thanks at Thanksgiving. Even in difficult times, there are always things for which to be grateful and thankful. It was Grand-parents Day at my grand chlidren's school and my grandson Alexander's class sang Turkey Porky - oops Popo is always associating words to food, sorry!! it should be Turkey Pokey, and wrote a note to say what they were Thankful For.

Alexander wrote in his kindergarten writing which was pretty good for just being a few months in kindy - I am thankful for my mom, my dad, my sister and my popo. How sweet?


You will not believe it, i did not believe what i saw, when he came home from school yesterday- he was holding a huge turkey which he won, . This only happens in America, you can win a turkey - in school????


HAPPY THANKSGIVING

For How-to brine click HERE

Beef Stew

 A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes etc.), meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), allowing flavors to mingle.Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.

Stews may be thickened by reduction or with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of butter and flour. Thickeners like cornstarch or arrowroot may also be used.

Stews are similar to soups, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Generally, stews have less liquid than soups, are much thicker and require longer cooking over low heat. While soups are almost always served in a bowl, stews may be thick enough to be served on a plate with the gravy as a sauce over the solid ingredients."   This definition of STEW is from Wikipedia

Read about the History of STEW  fromWikipedia
and i find this list of STEWS from all over the world very interesting, perhaps planning to cook from this list if the ingredients are available and the method of cooking is possible.

List of STEWS

Baeckeoffe, a potato stew from Alsace


Barbacoa, a meat stew from Mexico

Bigos, a traditional stew in Polish cuisine

Birria, a goat stew from Mexico

Bo Kho, (Vietnamese: bò kho), a beef stew in rich seasonings, served with bread, noodle or plain rice from Vietnam

Bouillabaisse, a fish stew from Provence

Bourguignon, a French dish of beef stewed in red burgundy wine

Booyah, an American meat stew

Brunswick stew, from Virginia and the Carolinas

Burgoo, a Kentuckian stew

Caldeirada, a fish stew from Portugal

Carnitas, a pork meat stew from Michoacán, Mexico

Cassoulet, a French bean stew

Cawl, a Welsh stew, usually with lamb and leeks

Charquican, a Chilean dish

Chankonabe, a Japanese dish flavoured with soy sauce or miso. Chankonabe is traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers.

Chicken stew, whole chicken and seasonings

Chicken paprikash, chicken stew with paprika

Chili con carne, Mexican meat and bean stew

Chili sin carne, a meatless American adaptation of the Mexican dish

Chilorio, a pork stew from Sinaloa, Mexico

Cincinnati chili, chili developed by Greek immigrants in the Cincinnati area

Cholent, a slow-cooked Jewish dish eaten on the Shabbat

Cochinita pibil, an orange color pork stew from Yucatán, Mexico

Cotriade, a fish stew from Brittany

Cocido, a traditional Spanish stew. In Portugal, it is called cozido

Cream stew, a yoshoku Japanese white stew

Daube, a French stew made with cubed beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and herbs.

Dinuguan, pork blood stew from the Philippines.

Fabada Asturiana, a Spanish bean and meat stew

Feijoada, Brazilian or Portuguese bean stew.

Főzelék, a thick Hungarian vegetable dish.

Gaisburger Marsch, a German dish of stewed beef served with Spätzle and potatoes

Gheimeh, an Iranian stew with cubed lamb and yellow split peas

Ghormeh Sabzi, an Iranian stew with green herbs, dried limes, beans and meat.

Goulash, a Hungarian meat stew with paprika

Gumbo, a Louisiana creole dish

Hasenpfeffer, a sour, marinated rabbit stew from Germany

Haleem, an Pakistani lentil/mutton stew.

Hayashi rice, a Japanese dish of beef, onions and mushrooms in red wine and demi-glace sauce, served with rice

Irish stew, made with lamb or mutton, potato, onion and parsley

Ishtu, a curry in Kerala, India made from chicken or mutton, potato, and coconut milk.[2]

Istrian Stew or yota, or jota, a dish popular in Croatian and Slovenian Istra and NE Italy

Jjigae, a diverse range of Korean stews.

Kare-kare, stewed beef or oxtail and vegetables in peanut sauce from the Philippines.

Karelian hot pot, from the region of Karelia in eastern Finland.

Khash, a stew from Armenia and Georgia.

Khoresht, a variety of Persian stews, often prepared with saffron.

Kokkinisto, a Greek stew with red meat, in a tomato passata with shallots, cinnamon and other spices.

Lancashire Hotpot, an English stew

Locro, a South American stew (mainly in the Andes region)

Mechado, a Philippine-style beef stew

Nihari, a Pakistani beef stew made overnight and served for breakfast.

Nikujaga, a Japanese beef and potato stew

Olla podrida, a Spanish red bean stew

Pasticada, a Croatian stew from the region of Dalmatia

Peperonata, an Italian stew made with peppers

Pescado Blanco, a white fish stew from Patzcuaro Michoacán Mexico

Pörkölt, a Hungarian meat stew resembling goulash, flavoured with paprika

Potjiekos, a South African stew

Pot au feu, a simple French stew

Puchero, a South American and Spanish stew

Ragout, a highly seasoned French stew

Ratatouille, a French vegetable stew

Sancocho, a stew from the Caribbean

The Stew, a stew from the La Tour du Pin

Semur, a typical Javanese stew with beef or chicken, potatoes, carrots, various spices and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).from Indonesia.

Stoofvlees, a Belgian beef stew with beer, mustard and laurel

Tagine, a Moroccan stew, named after the conical pot in which it is traditionally cooked and/or served in.

Tharid, a traditional Arab stew of bread in broth

Waterzooi, a Belgian stew

Continue for recipe HERE

A Special Birthday Cake

Ngoc, is a child with 'special needs' and she is so lucky to be in the United States where so much attention and care are given to children like Ngoc. Unlike my nephew, Eugene, who is in Malaysia - my brother could not find any special attention even when he is willing to pay for it. Preparing for the future is important but so is enjoying the pressent. Guessed my brother would have to 'focus on today and not tomorrow.

I found this Article so well written and meaningful and to all parents who have a kid with special need, please do spend a moment to read this and also to enjoy your child's speciality. I salute all you parents who are doing all the best you can and you are doing a really great job.  All of us could learn a thing or two as they are so special, actually at times, we are the handicapped ones.

Continue for recipe HERE

Cheesecake with Ganache

Have you ever thought that a sunken cake can be a success?  I was in this situation when i had to think fast to complete this birthday cake in time. .. 

 

It was the morning of the birthday and the cake has sunk to half of what it was when i turned off the oven the night before.

It was left it in the oven with the oven door ajar and meant to be taken out as soon as it cooled slightly.  But ...... i fell asleep and woke up hours later.  OMG  - think fast - Lily

Continue to recipe HERE

20 Layers Crepe Cake

I was asked to do a demo for crepes using The Scanpan Crepe Pan, so i had to do a pre-run at home and what a good timing it was - I killed 2 birds with one stone - i get to make crepes and then turned the crepes into a cake.  I have heard of the popularity of The Mille Cake aka Crepe Cake and had wanted to make one.  This first attempt's taste needed tweaking,  1/4 cup of filling for a layer was not enough or it would have been enough if it has a stronger flavor - sweeter perhaps.  We had to eat the cake drizzled with Strawberry Syrup.

I have doubled the pastry creme and added more sugar to make it sweeter, now there will be enough to layer and coat the cake as well.

Ingredients:

French Crepe Batter:

3 recipes of French Crepe Batter

Crepe Batter can be made several hours or leave overnight in the refrigerater.

Pastry Creme Filling:

2 eggs

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2  cups milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy cream, whipped

Method:

In a small bowl, add eggs, flour,cornstarch , and sugar ; beat until smooth.

In a saucepan over low heat, bring milk almost to a boil (simmer). Immediately remove from heat and slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture. Return all ingredients to the saucepan, while constantly stirring, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add vanilla extract, stir until dissolved into the mixture. Set aside to cool until firm.

When the Pastry Creme has cooled, fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate mixture until thick (best if refrigerated overnight).

Assembly of 20 Layers Crepe Cake:

French Crepe Batter

Pastry Creme Filling

4 cups heavy cream

2  tablespoon granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

Strawberries

Method:

To prepare and cook the crepes:

Remove the French Crepe Batter from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a nonstick or lightly-oiled crepe pan over medium-low heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of French  Crepe Batter; swirl to cover the surface of the pan. Cook just until the bottom of the crepe becomes lightly browned. Using your clean fingers, gently and carefully turn the crepe over. Cook the other side of the crepe for no longer than 5 seconds. Remove the cooked crepe onto a prepared baking sheet (do not stack the crepes on top of each other). Repeat this process until you have 20 perfect crepes. (You might need to prepare a few practice crepes in the beginning.)

Remove the Pastry Creme Filling from the refrigerator. Whip the 4 cups of heavy cream with the 2  tbsp sugar. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled and thickened Pastry Creme Filling.

Using a round cake pan base or a round plate as a guide, trim the crepes with the sharp tip of a paring knife.

Place one trimmed crepe on a serving plate. With a small spatula or wide blade knife, completely cover the crepe with a thin layer of the pastry cream mixture (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup).

Cover with another crepe and repeat covering with the pastry creme until you have reached 20 layers. The 20th crepe will be the last or top layer. (Cake can be coated all over with pastry creme filling, dusted with powdered sugar, garnished with strawberries)

Refrigerate the prepared cake for a minimum of 2 hours. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar.

When ready to serve, slice into individual servings. Garnish the plate with fresh strawberries or seasonal berries of your choice.

Serves

Spinach, Mushroom and Ham Quiche

When i visited Seatle last year, i took the opportunity to meet up with my dear friend, TT.  Although TT can be the son that i never had(how i wish), his knowledge in the culinary arena surpass mine by many folds.  Visit his blog Playing With My Food and you will understand what i mean.  When i met up with him for dim sum, he gave me this book -The Sweeter side of Amy's Bread"  and wished me well by writing this - To Lily - May you always be on the "Sweeter" side of life".  I was quite choked up with his wishes and when i feel down, i always kept  this in mind.  So, out with this book and made this Quiche.  This recipe is a keeper, thank you TT, if not for you, making this lovely recipe will not be possible.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Pastry Crust:

2/3 cup/5.15 ozx/146 gm unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch dice
5/8 cup + 1 tbsp/4 ozs/112 gm cream cheese
4 tbsp/1.83 ozs/52 gm ice water
2 1/2 apple cider vinegar
1 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp/5.60 ozs/158 gm unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup/3.0 ozs/86 gm whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt/1.2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Freeze the diced butter and cream cheese for at least 30 minutes.  In a small cups or bowl, combined the iced water and the vinegar.

In a food proccesor fitted with the metal balde, combine the 2 flours, salt and baking powder and process them for 5 seconds until they are just combined. 

Add the frozen chunks of cream cheese and process again for 5 seconds or until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Add the butter chunks and process again for 10 to 15 seconds until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and sprinkle it with the ice water mixture. (If you don't have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a wire whisk and rub very cold, not frozen, cream cheese into the flour with your fingers until it looks like coarse meal..  Repeat the process with very cold, not forzen, butter chunks until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.  If the butter starts to feel soft, freeze the mixture for 10 minutes before continuing.  Sprinkle the ice water mixture over the flour).  Using your hands, stir the mixture, pressing it together firmly until it forms. a cohesive ball of dough.  There should not be any pockets of dry crumbs remaining.  If necessary sprinkle in another 1 or 2 tsps of ice water.  Place the ball of dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, seal the wrap aaround the dough, and flatten the ball to make a round 3/4 inch thick disk.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.  This dough may be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 6 months.

Ingredients for the Quiche 

1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp olive oil
One 8 oz package fresh mushroom, halved, cunt into 1/8 inch slices
1 cup ham diced very small
One 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup onion - finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp garlic finely chopped

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese corarsely shredded

Custard Filling

1 1/2 cup/8.5 oz/240 gms half and half
5 large eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
A pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Method:

Position one rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400f. 

Line the 12 x 17 inch sheet pan with baking parchment. 

Remove the bottoms from the mini tart pans or a 9 or 10 inch tart pan and place bottomless pans on the prepared sheet pan.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch.  Cut 6 circles of dough, each 6 1/8 inches in diameter.  Line each tart pan with a dough circle and blind bake the crusts(use coffee filters and topping with weights(i used beans)  for 20 minutes, or until they barely begin to brown.  Remove the weights and the paper and continue baking for 4 - 5 more minutes, until lightly browned and the bottoms are just starting to look a little dry.  Don't be concerned if the crust bottoms puff up slightly after the weights are removed, they should deflate again when they come out of the oven.

In a medium skillet or saute pan, heat 1/2 tsp of the olive oil and cook the mushrooms over medium heat with salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally until their water has been released and they start to brown 6 - 7 minutes.  Transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the pan and add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent, 2 - 3 minutes. 

Add the spinach and ham to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and cook briefly until the spinach and ham are cooked through,  Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms and mix it all together with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly distributed.  Let  cool slightly before mixing in the cheese.

To make the custard filling

In a large measuring cup or a 3 to 4 cup container with a pour spout, whisk together the half and helf , eggs, salt and cayenne pepper until well combined.

Five to 10 minutes after the crusts come out of the oven, with the tart pans still on the baking sheet, spread 1/3 cup of the spinach, mushroom, ham and cheese mixture evenly in the bottom of each tart shell.  If using a 9 - 10 inch tart pan - use all the mixture. 

Stir the custard and pour it over the spinach, filling each pan to within 1/8 inch of the top edge of the pastry.  Don't overfill the shells, or the custard will run out during baking.  It's not a total disaster if this happens.  The quiche will still be edible but there will be less filling in the shell.

Return the pan to the oven abnd bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the eges of the filling begin to puff up and the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan.  (The 9 - 10 inch tart pan might need a longer time to get custard to set).

Place the sheet pan on a wire rack to cool.  When cooled enough to handle, remove the quice from the pans.  Pans with filling that has run over may have to cool longer before the quiche can be extracted from the pans.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Leftovers may be regrigerated or frozen and reheated in a 400f oven for 20 minutes, or until heated all the way through.

Serves

Alexander's 5th Birthday = R2D2 Cake

Today is Alexander's 5th Birthday - Happy Birthday Buddy!!!  We had a birthday party for him on Saturday and i don't know if the guests had fun, i did and the important thing was, Alexander had the most fun.  With this posting, i would like to thank all the guests for their presence and presents and hope you all enjoyed yourself.  Thank you too to all your food contributions which made the party a success.  This year's theme, Alexander chose 'The Star Wars'  and i made him this R2D2 cake  - he sure was grinning happily at his cake - look at that smile, it melted my heart.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

3 1/2 cup bleached all-purpose cake
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups milk
2 recipes of Buttercream

 Method:

Grease and line the base of 2 - 9 inch by 13 inch cake pan.

Preheat oven to 350f.

Sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Put sugar and eggs in the food processor and pulse till sugar has dissolved.

With food processor, add in the oil in a steady stream.

Stop the food processor and add in the sieved flour, pulse until well combined. Scrape the sides if you must.

With the food processor on, add in the milk and process until cake batter is well combined.

Pour into the 2 prepared cake pans  in equal portions and bake for 15 minutes at 350f, then reduce oven heat to 325f and bake further for 20 - 25 minutes.  Check for doneness.

Leave to cool before icing with buttercream

 Serves

Oil Pound Cake

A very dear friend's son cannot have any milk products and he loves cake, i found this recipe from Alice Medrich’s book “Pure Dessert”, I have changed the ingredients to what i have in hand .  This cake was very rich, moist and not heavy, a perfect characteristics  of a pound cake,

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1+1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil
2 tbsp orange zest
3 large eggs
1 cup orange juice + 2 tbsp lemon/lime juice








Method

Preheat oven to   350 F (180 degrees C). Grease, line and flour a bundt pan or a 12 x 4 inch loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

Beat eggs, zest and sugar in the food processor until fluffy.  Then add in the oil.  Pulse to combine.

Add in the sieved flour and pulse.

Lastly add in the juice, pulse a few times until batter is well combined.  Scrap the sides of bowl now and then.

Pour batter into prepared bundt/ loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 40 -50 minutes. Check for doneness.

Remove and leave on rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing cake from pan.