Desserts! For me!

Pineapple goodies!!!

2008-02-08T05:28:00.000-08:00

I suddenly felt that leaving my blog unwritten about my dessert adventures is equivalent to leaving it to die. Chinese New Year is here and this means that the Tham womenfolk in the house is kept busy again! This also means a worthy break from all that stressful studying.

Ma was sweet to let me help out for she knew that too much studying would lead to a burn out. I never knew Ma was so thoughtful. She baked pineapple tarts and was willing to let me help out. She made the pastry and mind you, the pastry she made was shortcrust pastry. No hot water used in making the pastry but cold water instead. Using hot water meant melting the butter present in the dough and it would result in an oily and messy mixture instead. Ma bought pineapple filling from Phoon Huat, the local Singaporean baking store. It came as a surprise to us how sticky and wonderful the pineapple filling was! It was vacuum-packed and Ma was commenting how home-made pineapple filling could not compare up to Phoon Huat's standard. Gone were the days when Ma had to stand by the stove and slowly stir the pineapple filling, waiting for it to thicken slowly and turn into pineapple jam with sticky consistency. It also meant that Ma did not have to grate large amounts of pineapple and she could rely on Phoon Huat instead. Seems like modernisation has replaced much of our lives as we are too used to things appearing right before our eyes, with things going much faster and...... PRESTO!!!

Baking pineapple tarts were much of a hassle as we had to churn out large amounts of pineapple tarts. Following a recipe turned out to be a disaster as the egg glaze we brushed on the pastry burned the crust during the baking process. The pastry also raised itself by several layers and the product turned out to be like puff pastry. The pineapple tarts were crusty and the filling caramelised. These pineapple tarts were not like the usual product. Ma tried again, modifying it herself to achieve the perfect pineapple tarts. This meant no egg glaze, adding less flour, but it turned out funny. Why? The pineapple filling we bought from Phoon Huat was too thick and it had to be mixed with water to 'soften' it. The filling had to be mixed with water as the sugar concntration was too high and it resulted in the filling being caramelised during the baking process. No wonder old dad was complaining on the hardness and stickiness of the pineapple filling, but I did like the pineapple filling. I loved the caramel it left on my molars after I finished my share of pineapple tarts. It leaves you to slowly savour the taste of the pineapple remnants on your teeth with a hint of caramel. Seems like I am going back to the time of my childhood; when sweets, chocolate and galore made up my life! Not to mention the canings, spankings I frequently receive from old dad.......

A very late...new year to all!

2008-01-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know. I am apparently wishing everybody a very LATE new year and this also means that the year 2008 will be the year I am taking my GCE 'O' Levels. Come to think of how time flies past so quickly and I was only in Sec 1 in the Year 2005. Anyway, let us all stop brooding about what the future brings us and let us all STOP in anyway, make resolutions we cannot stick or commit to.

Let us go back to the 'food' topic as the Tham family again held another party, a New Year's Eve Party with all of Dad's and No.2 friends playing as guests. As for Dad, inviting his old bunch was really sentimental. They invited them along just to celebrate their grand 26 years of friendship and like every friend of the Tham family, this means that every married couple would bring their children along. But to tell you the truth, all of them are smart and tall, so.... I would have no chance of pitting myself against them. But seriously, the food was absolutely good. Instead of the usual potluck party we held on the 21st December, the womenfolk, the Tham womenfolk in the house cooked. Let us just be meanies for once and not count in credit for my father for he did not help in the preparations, which is a fact. But on hindsight, perhaps he should for he chauffeured us in buying us our groceries...

I love all the women in the household as it makes and gives a great excuse to say that one loves big families. Which is true because with no big families, holding a party for at least 13 people can be a disaster. No.1 roasted the pork ribs and chicken wings, not to mention she gave in a helping hand in the Chocolate Fudge cupcake that turned out uber moist and soft and in addition, not terribly sweet! I love desserts, but if it is one that tastes like extremely sweet Tau-Sa, forget it. Ma made orange cupcakes with cream cheese frostings which are unfortunately not-pipable. But to tell you the truth, the guests loved it and even No.2's friend was like, it tastes good, you know the kind of gush when you eat something good kind of feeling. (With courtesy of No.2)

And of course, with my Bread Pudding's grand appearance, it should deserve a place in my blog. To tell you the truth, the last time I ate Bread Pudding was in Primary 2 when my English teacher was up to something nonsensical as the form teacher was not in and so she snucked in her cooking utensils to teach us. Well, applying what I learnt in Primary 2 was not stuck in my head and No. 2 apparently gave me a huge lecture on having a recipe in hand with you so that you can refer to it at times. Well, when it came to the amount of eggs and milk used to make Bread Pudding in a Corning ware, I was totally clueless. Hence, No. 2 had to help me a little and I in the end realised that I put in too many slices of bread and the amount of eggs and milk were not sufficient. Hence, the Bread Pudding did not turn out that moist, but it was soft and Aunt Sophen and Peggy said they liked it. Not bad...I absolutely love the baked bread crust in the pudding as it added a nice finish to the Bread Pudding not only in texture, but also in colour. It had the rich brown hue to the crust. Ok... I suddenly feel that the Nigella Lawson spirit is dwelling in me... But so far the party was good with a good session of Mahjong with No.2 and her friend Melinda(accompanied by her guy friend), with Aunt Sophen's son (no idea what he is called), Aunt Ling, No.1, and Ma. It again followed with a DIY countdown 2008 with sloshing champagne and a few complains by the women how red, hot and stuffy they feel after drinking red, white wine and Champagne.

today was the first day of school too, and the most memorable. The first time I was late for school due to a traffic jam since moving to a new home. Presents from classmates, best friends like Ting and Teen Li. In addition, I received a Rasputin book from Ting which I gladly thank her for, Teen Li for giving me my first TY toy and a compliment from Ting how good my checkerboard cookies were that they actually taste like those from Marriot Hotel! That was definitely the best compliment I received about my Cooking and baking, to be compared with a hotel. That, I believe is the best New Year's gift I have ever received...

The Macaron making machine....

2007-12-24T02:26:00.002-08:00

The 2 previous days were of a much hectic schedule. You see, the entire Tham family were down in the lovely spacious kitchen making French Macarons. yes, the difficult French difficult making cookies that many avid bakers are screaming towards the sky how difficult they are to make. It was our first attempt as my sisters and Ma had attended a Biscotti and Macaron making-demo class held at Shermay's Cooking school. To tell you the truth, I found them enjoyable to bake though it got all the womenfolk in the household to bake them. We did the Italian-meringue method as we melted the sugar and made sugar syrup. I absolutely love the stiff egg-white meringue that emerged out from the Kentwood mixing machine. As it was our first attempt, our mixture was apparently too thick. why? Too much sugar syrup. It made our mixture too thick and the Macarons that emerged out freshly baked had an, what I call 'airy dome'. The Macarons had too much air in it and though the shell was crispy and interior moist, it was too airy.

The Macarons were too sweet too. Yuck! It looks like I am putting myself at the risk of diabetes, in addition that I have a family history of diabetes. Snort. Can you just imagine if we were to follow the original Macaron recipe, followed by the same buttercream from the recipe, with us putting in liberal amounts of icing and caster sugar to bake in the Macarons? I believe my waistline and risk of diabetes would greatly increase and expand. It looks like what I said was true, never ever follow recipes blindly. Though you may need it for your first maiden experience, you will gratefully want to change it for yourself as you need it to suit your taste.

Baking Time! Due to the scorching oven we have in our kitchen, the first batch of Macarons turned out browned and we desperately needed to lower down the temperature heat. As a result of too much sugar syrup and the scorching oven temperature, the 'feet' of the Macarons were greatly formed and the macarons 'rosed' highly, and they turned out like little UFOs. Some had cracks but they tasted good. The ganache was another problem too. It was a little watery and we were really desperate that we just slapped the ganache on the macarons. In the end, it tasted terribly sweet, yuck. Though Macarons do taste good, but eating just one with liberal amounts of sugar is just enough to make you puck...

It's our party!!!!

2007-12-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hello to my dearest lovely readers, it is of my deepest apologies that no checkerboard cookies will be be posted on this lovely blog due to some personal matters. of course, it will be much to your displeasure that you will be terribly upset ... But WHAT can i do! With no digital camera in hand, I can never post any pretty pictures on the blog, and you might as well wait until I turn 18.

Yup people, I am just terribly sorry that I just cannot post any pictures up. But do continue to press on and read my blog and you will just enjoy my stories. It is a deal.
Ok, Chapter 2. 21st December will be our party, the first ever party the Tham family has officially held in like what? 10 or more years? But never mind, it will be good. All four sisters will be baking macarons. You know macarons, the French almond pretty dainty little thingys that are super sweet. Ok, there goes my waistline and weight management, I will have to look out for diabetes too. Those things are just too sweet and I will be determined to reduce the sugar level to just right. Back to the story, it will be of fun. You may call me pathetic, but I don't care, I am having fun at my very first house party. Why you may ask, but think about it, with my average grades and stern parents, plus not having many friends in school; I just faced the wraths and hatred of my classmates and it was like having rotten eggs pummeled at my face. But never mind, be happy and confident, have good self-esteem and that just makes the world move on. Haha, it feels like I sound terribly optimistic.

On the 17th December, I went out with Ting to eat Japanese food for lunch and watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Yes, I feel like a kid at heart and that is the reason why I just can't grow up. (Complaint at the courtesy of Ma, Mrs. Tham) We ate Japanese Food at Ichiban Boshi and had Wakame Udon and shared 2 salmon platters with Ting that cost 1.90 each. Blame me for I was really pulling my purse strings tighter and was on a budget. Mind you, the money was not mine, it belonged to Ma, Mrs Tham and I feel really bad about using my parent's money for mine own enjoyment; and I am not working hard... What am I doing?! Anyway, Jap food was alright but it was fine. It was not like the fine, high-end dining that expensive Jap. restaurants offer, Like Kuriya Dining. I seriously love Japanese food, must be due to some unknown Japanese Blood flowing through mine veins. But I cannot imagine a world without sashimi, sushi, and can you just imagine if fatty tuna ran out as it is on the verge of extinction, eating white vinegar rice alone will just KILL me. What about tempura, where succulent morsels of prawns, straw mushrooms and assorted vegetables enter your mouth? Just BLISS... Or Japanese desserts like Wagashi, assorted sweet bean paste tidbits accompanied with bitter macha. Just the right combination, sweet and bitter, not sweet and sour. Just like the Hong Kong Cha Chan Teng's Yuan Yang, bitter coffee and slight sour and slightly bitter or sweet tea? It is just the fine art of Japanese dining that terribly interest me, with interesting edible Jellyfish served as a cold dish.

Speaking of Jellyfish, I just watched a Jellyfish documentary on Arts Central and I swear that I am staying off EDIBLE Jellyfish...At least for a while. Once that novelty of mine wears off, you will see me gobbling down edible Jellyfish. But they do taste good, marinated with seaweed and mirin. Ok, I just sound like I have not eaten meat for years...
That's all folks, with the Jellyfish boycott of mine you just read about, you at least know something about me. But just imagine if I could just extract Jellyfish collagen or gelatin and cook it in a dessert like Panna Cotta, what do you think it would taste like?

Checkmate! Again...

2007-12-16T01:00:00.001-08:00

Hello People! Just finished baking all batches of checkerboard cookies and surprisingly, they taste SO GOOD! Delicious! The burst of vanilla and Hershey's chocolate taste heavenly and surprisingly, they turned out well except the first batch. The first batch turned out burnt and they were they 'rotton' ones before they were baked. Yup, due to my inexperience as I added in too much butter, 250 grams are alot I suppose. I followed the recipe closely and they turned out wet. Well folks, this teaches you a lesson that one should not follow recipes too closely and should tweak it just to suit your taste.

Sorry, I really do have to apologise as I do not have pictures of the cookies to post up on the page as I do not have the camera with me and would really like to share them with you guys. Perhaps when Architect Tham returns home will I take pictures and post them so as to share them with you guys.

Do remember that this blog is all about desserts and do give in suggestions so that I can learn. Do recommend a good dessert houses and I would gladly be grateful, as it is nice to share. I will post dessert recipes for you guys and hope that you guys will gladly enjoy them !

Checkmate!

2007-12-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Ok ok, call me a new blogger people! I have officially created a new blog for myself, and it is not a typical blog that slanders, curses, spits and offends people. It is a NEW blog that talks all about food! YES, FOOD! The Universal topic that makes the world go round and round. The topic that everyone enjoys, the one that makes people grow fat, tonnes of calories loaded in it and etc. But the main discussion in this blog would be DESSERTS! The sweet comfort food that you can sink into and we start of with Chapter 1, Checkerboard Cookies.

I just made checkerboard cookies today, though they did not turn out very well as it was, well...... forgive me but a first attempt. Nothing turns out perfect at the first attempt right? All I need to do is just to practise a little bit more. Enough said and let us all go back to our food expedition. The cookies did not turn out that pretty because mum or whom I will affectionately call as Ma decided not to freeze them before cutting them and the dough was a little tad wet,(That was my fault actually). The fact that the thought of checkerboard cookies intrigue and fascinate me as you can actually use them to play checkers and you can actually gobble your opponent's pieces. But the bad point is, you cannot in anyway play King in the game, unless you decided to keep them for the later part of the game... which I just cannot do. Delicious! Just imagine each cookie loaded and filled with heaps and tonnes of mouth-watering flavours and the burst of pure vanilla essence which is just... Bliss

I actually ought to thank my parents for giving me such a gift, a gift to taste and savour all kinds of food. Ok, basically that just makes me a tad greedy and glutton. But who can resist food? Even if you do not like food, you should at least try checkerboard cookies. They are fun to mix with and construct; and in my opinion, helps withdrawn, silent children gain what I call 'therapy', baking therapy in a sense. Just like in the Korean drama, My Lovely Sam-soon, where she helped Hyun bin's niece, Mi-joo talk through baking therapy. Not only that, they taste sinfully good, with the burst of vanilla. And in my opinion, nothing beats the taste of vanilla. I happen to be baking them for an upcoming Christmas party and Ting's birthday and if you want, you can bake them too!

Here is the recipe for Checkerboard Cookies:

430 grams of flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp of baking soda/powder
200 grams of sugar
60 grams of bittersweet chocolate
200 grams of butter
1 tsp of vanilla essence

Method:
1) Melt chocolate over simmering water and never over direct heat as it will spoil.

2) Sift flour and baking soda. Beat the butter with sugar and add in beaten egg with vanilla essence. Knead for a while and add in flour, knead again. Add more flour if it is still wet.

3) Divide dough into half, and add cooled melted chocolate to the other half of dough. Save 1/4 of each dough to make as skin of cookies. Chill dough until firm and cut into ninths or quarters. Alternate the dough by placing white dough over chocolate dough, brushing over every layer and etc.

4)Cover dough with skin and and chill again for 15 mins. Cut if using into slices and if baking, preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius and line baking sheet with baking paper. Place flat and bake for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown. Serve,