Power Truffles

Ever since I have returned to Singapore, I have been spoilt rotten by Mum's cooking and all the cheap eats (not to mention huge variety) out there. So it seems that getting down and dirty in the kitchen has become somewhat of a rare occasion for me.



And the heat. Nom de dieu, it has been stinking hot over here for the past few days. The walk back after lunch must be the only time I feel that happy to be back at work. You can imagine that sweating it out in the kitchen doesn't exactly appeal to me right now, especially where baking is involved. You must surely feel for me when you think about all the excess heat from the oven seeping out when you are already half-cooked in a 30-degree something kitchen. On the upside, you get to fully steam out your pores here. Free facial anyone?



But I suppose I will make my brother's birthday an exception :) (That's for all the years of crap he had to put up with the terror of 3 older sisters in the family!) My bro is an ENORME chocolate lover. The way he whacks chocolate down will put all self-professed chocoholics to shame. I reckon what every Cadbury or Meiji chocolate-maker-wannabe needs to sustain their business is to find one customer like that and you're set for life.



With that in mind, I thought, what better gift is there than some hand-made bittersweet truffles to really ratch up the intensity of chocolate? I was quite excited too as I haven't made these before. I got my hands on the simplest chocolate ganache recipe I could find, ran back to the shop like a madwoman twice because I forgot the cream and got down to work. After trying to shape the balls and watching each ball die slowly with the heat, I decided to skip the coating altogether and go with a soft dusting of cocoa powder.



I still feel like cracking up at my parents' bewildered faces when I dashed past them into my brother's room at the stroke of midnight with a truffle loaded in a little bowl. And in true Singaporean-ness, he popped it in his mouth and said "Damn gao (intense). Power."

Yay for Power Truffles. *chuckle* Happy Birthday little bro! *hugs*

Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
200g bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), chopped
1 1/4 cup cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Heat the cream up in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Take it off the heat and let cool.

Melt the chopped chocolate chunks in a bain marie. Add in the cooled cream and mix. Alternatively, you can heat the cream up and pour it straight onto the chocolate chunks slowly. Mix until smooth.

Firm up the chocolate ganache in the fridge for around 2-3 hours. Using the help of 2teaspoons (I found this much more effective than using my hands), shape the chocolate ganache into balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Lightly dust with the unsweetened cocoa powder and let chill in the fridge.

Adapted from Epicurious

Buckwheat cake (Gateau de blé noir)

Buckwheat. It's grey, it's drab, it looks like Portland cement, but oh how I've come to hold it in complete adoration. Its nutty flavour. Its grainy texture. I love it in all forms - as crunchy grains tossed in a fresh green salad, in delicious buckwheat galettes (oh yes we used to prepare them quite often for dinner), and even as a beverage such as beer! :)




Just the other day, Mum bought some almond-based cherry michel cakes which reminded me of this recipe I came across some time ago on Melissa's much-loved Traveler's Lunchbox blog. Knowing how much Mum enjoys buckwheat like me (and in appreciation of how much laundry she's been doing for me as well heehee), this was one cake that had to be attempted.

Now, before you start going awwwww, cooking for my family isn't like cooking for my friends or for myself and E. Before you even get remotely close to the stove, you get bombarded with a million questions and probably an equal amount of cynical looks from four sets of raised eyebrows. Singapore's a place where you can get plentiful good food anytime, anywhere, so the questions would run from "Are you sure you even know how to ignite the stove" to "Whhhyyy do you even want to cook when you can buy it?". In times like these, I just roll my eyes at them and let my cake speak for itself.



And it defended itself very well. When I bit into a slice at work, I had to hi-five myself. It turned out exactly the way I wanted it to - dark, grainy and lightly zested with orange with a texture akin to fine powdery sablé. I added a good measure of chopped walnuts for an added crunch. The best part? Me Mums loved it. And that totally made my day. :)

Torta di Grano Saraceno (Adapted from The Traveler's Lunchbox)
1 heaping cup (175g) almond meal
1 1/2 cups (200g) buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
finely grated zest of 1 large orange and juice from half the orange (or whole,si tu veux)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup (175g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
250g sugar, divided
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
1 cup of walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

Grease a 9-inch/23cm springform pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest and baking powder.

In another bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup (200g) of the sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the dry mixture alternately with the milk until everything is well combined.

In a clean mixing bowl and using spotlessly clean beaters, whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) sugar until they form stiff, glossy peaks. Stir one-quarter of the whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest. As a final step, fold in the chopped walnuts. Scrape the batter into the greased pan, smoothing the top.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, covering the top loosely with foil if it begins to darken too much. Cool the cake for ten minutes on a rack, then carefully remote the outer ring and cool completely. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving, if you like. I found it sweet enough though.

Breakfast waffles

Mmm. It's interesting how kitchen aromas draw people like moths to a flame. As I stumbled out from my room, bleary-eyed from a late night out, the delicious smell of breakfast being prepared practically had me tripping over myself to get to la cuisine. It was unmistakably one of the three: crepes, waffles, or pancakes. For a carb lover like myself, you can only imagine the delirious effect of eggs, sugar and flour cooking over the grill has on me.

If you could only see my face when I saw this:



Heh Mum even stacked the waffles on chopsticks to prevent it from getting soggy.

I'm kind of ashamed to say this, but what proceeded was a bit of a mad scramble. (Oh yes, I'm glad no one was around to witness this.) Butter, check. Jam, check. Coffee....now, who moved my coffee?? Wandering around for a bit, I finally gave up and settled on some International Roast instant coffee.

Ahh. A kind of quiet satisfaction takes over me as I slather on a small slab of butter and blackberry jam over a warm piece of waffle.



Simple and wholesome. Just the way I like it. :)

Home sweet home.

Oh my, did time just whizz past or has it really been 4 months since my last updated on this blog? Settling home, after all, does take up quite abit of your time, what with a new job, fervent catch-up sessions with loved ones and slowly clue-ing in on the local scene. Then there was that kitchen renovation that took place in between. Whew. I will definitely post up pics on that sometime soon.

I am kind of embarrassed to say that I haven't cooked at all in these 4 months (save for that one time where my sis and I decided on some fresh packaged ravioli with pesto sauce accompanied by a fantastically refreshing tomato and basil salad). I'm spoilt silly with such a wide variety of food (and at such low costs!) and having hot, home-cooked food ready on the table each time I finish work. Oh yes, the complacent bug did catch on.

Well I dont know what else to say for now 'cept that I would like to roll up my sleeves and give this blog a little kick *chuckle*.

Ah, it's good to be home :)

Vegetarian Chili

*Huffs and puffs and blows away the dust* Yes I know, I have been missing a good 3 months! It has been a busy period highlighted by my thesis submission in Dec (woo!), a vacation back home for the Chinese New Year holidays, and a job offer lined up back home that fell into my lap quite unexpectedly.

Yep. You heard me right. After 8 whole years here, I'm finally leaving Sydney.

In this economic climate, it's hard to pick and choose when it comes to jobs. Hell, I'm even lucky to get a job. But more so, I am so ready for change. There is a quote saying that "Only stupid people don't change their minds." I dont know how true that is, but I thought I would end up working in Sydney, wait for E to finish his studies, then move on together.

Then the financial crisis hit. Feeling so sheltered in Uni, I only really felt the impact when I went back home to Singapore. And it brought along a new level of stress and the fear of being redundant. Great, I thought this was supposed to be a holiday to relax and refocus. Looks like it so wasn't happening. So while I was there, I thought I would start digging out my list contacts accrued from uni/career seminars and what not. As luck would have it, I got an immediate response. Three rounds of interviews later and I got it. Talk about luck!

Accepting the job was easy since the offer was good; having to chew on the consequential effects was another thing. I guess the usual fears of relocating got to me intiially, but the more time passed, the surer I was that I had made the right decision. I love my family, and having been away for 8 years, it's time to come home to them. Asian family values are quite different (we kind of love to huddle together and infringe on each other's private space without abash), but this kind of family bond is real and hard to beat. Lots of people groan at the idea of living with their family again, but really, I thank my stars for my family, idiosyncracies and all.

So what is the first thing I look forward to when coming back from vacation? A beautiful trip in Tazzie with mon pet (God it's going to be hard being away from him), all the while snacking on loads of big, plump cherries, raspberries, blackberries and apricots, and funnily enough, cooking in our little kitchen. I looked forward to preparing our usual dinners and a dessert or two.

Now a staunch Christian I am not. I don't go to Sunday Mass (I almost believe it's not necessary), I dont go even on special celebrations, and the notion of Easter will probably pass me by if there wasn't a public holiday invovled. But since I know it's Lent (yeah the glee of finding out we get to eat as much crepes and pancakes on Mardi Gras also came with the knowledge of what it was in preparation for), I thought this year, I will try to partake in it. As for my little sacrifice, I decided to stay away from desserts and meat as much as possible. Considering it is my last month in Sydney and with all the dinner parties abound, it'll be rude to keep refusing food. I am sticking to one vegetarian meal a day though and trying to substitute a fruit instead each time I find my eyes straying to the cookie box once too often. It may not sound like much of a sacrifice, but I reckon it's better to do something moderate which you can stick to. This is something I can maintain way past Lent ;)

Alors, I leave you with a delicious, heartwarming Vegetarian Chili recipe. C'est tres tres bon. Bon appetit!

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin (Serves 4)

Adapted from Epicurious

2 oranges
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, pressed
4 teaspoons chili powder or cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 15.5-ounce cans seasoned black beans, drained
4 fresh tomatoes, diced

Chicken stock (enough to cover the black beans)
Thick greek yogurt
Freshly plucked cilantro from your garden *hee*

Hot sauce (optional)

Grate enough orange peel to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons. Juice oranges. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices. Add beans, tomatoes, and half of orange juice. Add enough chicken stock to cover the beans. Simmer over medium heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in orange peel and remaining orange juice. Season to taste with salt, and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with thick yoghurt and cilantro. Pass hot sauce alongside.

Red, red wine

Christmas has indeed arrived early.

The good people at Cocoa Farm have kindly sent me a box of their beautiful, wholly-organic wine chocolates to sample. The package arrived in the form of 8 individually wrapped samples of 36%-cocoa chocolate studded with petite, shiraz-infused raisins. For once, I thought I’ll try to do these little babies justice and educate myself a little on chocolate appreciation.

Chocolate appreciation is quite a lot like wine-tasting. Needless to say, the chocolate needs to be at room temperature. I have always preferred my chocolate that way (or even a little on the slightly melted side) to a cold, rock-hard piece straight out from the fridge. Now if you are one of those who enjoy stashing your chocolate in the frigo, you’re seriously missing out on a lot of the subtler nuances that your chocolate bar can bring. The heat brings out the aromatic intensity and flavour of the chocolate which can be further released by taking a bit of chocolate and rubbing it between your fingers. The most apparent aromas that came out were those of rosy red cherries and a slight almond fragrance. Mmm.

Taste-wise, I tried it two-ways: one source recommends that you do not chew the chocolate at all and suck it using the roof of your mouth while the second method, which I found more effective, suggested chewing it to maximize the chocolate spread on your tongue and then letting it melt away into a rich, luscious paste. Velvety and milky, the chocolate was perfumed with light floral and juicy berry tones, reminding me of scented jasmine tea, cherries and ripe, ripe strawberries. Sublime. The slight tartness in the raisins cut through the sweetness of the chocolate, something which I was pleasantly surprised by and very much enjoyed. There was also a very slight hint of spiciness which frenchie and I detected too. What? You didn’t think I’ll share my chocolate?



All in all, I would say this is a very pleasant after-dinner chocolate which I suspect might even get on famously with a bit of dry red wine. Although I personally love strong, dark and slightly bitter varieties, this is a nice change which presents a lovely medley of flavours that do not overpower each other so much as complement each other, and can be appreciated by both wine and non-wine lovers alike. Chin!

Pretty darn good coconut rice pudding (Riz au lait et creme de coco)

Sometimes the best things happen out of spontaneity. I wasn't even that keen on dessert after a dinner of zucchini omelette and some seriously good pate Henaff with bread, but someone sure did. And he sure knows what gets me.

"Shall we make some riz au lait?"

"Nah, I'm not really that hungry."

"Do you think it'll taste good with coconut cream? Cause I'm really craving it."

"Oooo coconuuttt. Yeah why not?" Pause. Can feel resistance crumbling faster than sable cookies now. " And make sure you add a little gula melaka while you're at it."

Well I can't say no now can I? He even volunteered to make dessert! And I have to admit, watching him take pleasure in preparing the riz au lait made me feel a little fuzzy inside.

This dessert is extremely easy to prepare, if not a little laborious as you will need to stir it frequently to avoid the rice getting burnt. But you'll sure be glad you did when the heady, coconut fragrance hits your senses. This post is dedicated to Aparna's Sweet Celebrations event - Happy blog anniversary!

You'll need:
Coconut cream
Milk
1 cup of basmati rice
Vanilla extract
Sugar
Gula melaka (caramelized coconut sugar)

Wash and rinse out the excess starch from the rice. Add slightly more milk than is needed to cover the rice. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Stir constantly while the rice is cooking, adding more milk if necessary to keep a creamy consistency. Add coconut cream, a splash of vanilla, sugar and gula melaka to taste. (Remember it's all about your taste preference!) When the rice is ready, remove from heat and serve warm.

(1 cup of rice will serve 2 hungry people)