Sandwich Cake

Week four- It was a member of our sandwich gang’s birthday and we wanted to do something special for his birthday so we decided there’s no better way to celebrate than presenting him a sandwich cake. Yes you heard me. A cake not sweet but savoury.

This time it comprises four layers of green Pandan bread. First layer ws a spread of tuna with orange cream cheese, baby spinach, salad cream and cucumbers, second layer was another layer of salad cream redcapsisum, cucumbers and a layer of cheese, third layer was tuna spread, oyellow capsicum, another layer of cheese, and last layer was salad cream, walnuts, cucumber, scrambled eggs and the last layer of orange capsicum.

The entire cake was then frosted with herby peppered cream cheese, coated with honey nuts, diced capsicum and wasabi peas on top. Viola. Happy Birthday James!

Capsicums that make a cake so prettay! 

and last but not least: Here's my very own sandwich and not the scaringly high sandwich cake!

Roasted Pumpkin with Cayenne and olive oil

I always love the taste of roasted pumpkin. I adore them especially in my salad. Pumpkins with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and ooohhhh~ so lovely. 

I saw some fresh pumpkin at the supermarket. They took on an earthly orange hue that was so pleasing to the eye that I simply couldn’t resist picking up one of those. There are countless ways to enjoy a pumpkin. The last time I made pumpkin soup with a dash of cream and potatoes- blended everything up smoothly and the result was a smooth soup that was tasty, sweet and healthy. No artificial flavouring and MSG of any sort. 

This time round, I wanted to enjoy the pumpkin in a more untouched form. So I diced them, drizzled abit of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper, cayenne and baked them in an oven for 20min. Finished with a touch of sunflower seeds and dried cranberries and viola. A yummy dish that is simple to create for anyone in a hurry but needed their pumpkin fix.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 pumpkin, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

Black pepper

Dried cranberries

1/8 cup dried cranberries

cayenne pepper

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 175C

2) Dice golden pumpkin into small cubes

3) Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, cayenne and olive oil and bake in a heatproof dish for 15 min or till soft. 

4) Serve with dried cranberries and toasted sunflower seeds. 

Maple Vanilla Homemade Granola

Homemade Granolas are AWESOME!!! 

I love granola and otas. Granola and oats. Granola and oats. I just loveeee them so much I could totally eat a bowl of them at one good sitting. As much as granola makes a good accompaniment to cereal, greek yogurt, milk oiaj etc , many commercial granolas are all heavy laden with sugar which when eaten in excess, can actually mean consuming more calories than you could have imagined. Also it’s pretty hard sometimes to get all your fav ingredients in one box so it makes sense to make your own granola.

My first homemade granola was a simple one. I included oats, dried cranberries, sesame seats, walnuts and almonds and a dash of vanilla and manuka honey. Mix all these up together and toast them lightly in the oven for a good 20-25 min and you’ll have a jar of yummy granola to make your every morning happy.

Oh and I forgot to mention that while the granolas are baking in the oven, the smell is arhhhhhhhhh to die for. It smells like sweet honey diffusing the air in the entire house. So good. I wanted a healthier version so I just omitted the oil and added in a dash of pure vanilla extract.

Ingredients (Adapted from Cookieandkate) 

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)

• 1½ cups raw slivered almonds (or other nuts*)

• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger- I omitted this

• ½ cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)- I omitted this 

• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)

• ¾ teaspoon vanilla

• ¼ cup chopped dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon . Stir thoroughly to combine.
2. Stir in the oil, honey and vanilla. Turn the granola out onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway. The granola should be turning lightly golden (keep an eye on it as honey tends to brown). The granola will crisp up as it cools.
3. Let the granola cool before stirring in the chopped fruit. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or keep it in the freezer for longer shelf life.

Sandwich Week 3: Smoked Salmon and rockets charcoal bread

Week 3 encompass more on food styling and variety of ingredients. In order to get the pretty sandwich in photos, we opted for a charcoal sesame bread, rockets, alfafa spouts, corn, walnuts, avocado sauce, tomatoes, cheese

Here we go: a cross section of what's in the sandwich. Triple Decker jam packed with ingredients. 

Chocolate Truffles- Indulgence

Chocolate Balls of Indulgence 

These few weeks/ months, my life has been enslaved to making cupcakes that I forgot that there are other desserts in this world that I have not explored. And it’s unfortunately one of the simpler desserts that chocolate lovers can attest to. The world of glorious truffles ( not the mushroom but the ball looking kind).

After placing careful thought on the flavour of truffles I would first like to attempt, I finally narrowed it down to these few. It was by no means an easy decision as everything on the internet looks so good. I could literally eat off the screen.

Anyway they are: 

Chocolate Honey Dark Chocolate Truffle

 Matcha White Chocolate Truffle 

Bailey White Chocolate Truffle :) What's chocolate without a little liquer :) 

Bailey White Chocolate Truffle (Adapted from Cookie Dough)- Makes 12 Truffles

Ingredients

• 1 + 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. instant coffee ( I omitted this) 
• 1 T. Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Steps: 

1) In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, add in the white chocolate chips, heavy cream, and coffee. Stir with a spatula.

2) Place in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir.

3) Add the Bailey's and continue to mix until incorporated.

4) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll into a ball.

5)Using a small cooking scoop or a spoon, scoop out the mixture. Roll between your two palms until you have a ball shape. Repeat.

6)Place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

7) Roll into the sifted cocoa powder.

8)Store in the fridge.

Green Tea Truffles ( Adapted from LondonEats)- Makes 20 truffles 

• 200g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of matcha (green tea powder)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 85g double cream
• 45g unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons of matcha and 2 teaspoons of icing sugar, mixed and sieved, for dusting

Steps

1) Put the chocolate in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the milk and 1 teaspoon of match until smooth.

2) In a saucepan, heat the cream slowly, and boil for 30 seconds. Add the matcha paste and stir well. Pour the hot matcha mixture over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

3) Leave the mixture to cool, then leave in the fridge until firm (this can take some time). Form the ganache into truffles (it easiest to work it into a ball between two teaspoons, which also creates an attractive “rough” appearance). Roll the truffles in matcha, and store in the fridge. You may need to re-roll the truffles just before serving.


Chocolate Truffles ( Adapted from Justataste) - Makes 30 Truffles

• 7 ounces (66 to 72%) chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Steps:

1) Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on two sides.


2)Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a metal bowl.

3)In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and honey just to a boil over moderate heat. Watch carefully so the cream does not boil over. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the chocolate in the bowl. Working rapidly with a whisk, mix to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. Gradually add the remaining cream, whisking to maintain a smooth and glossy emulsion. Whisk in the butter. Transfer the ganache to the parchment paper-lined pan, spreading it into an even layer. Fold the parchment paper over the ganache and cover it securely with plastic wrap. Set the pan aside at room temperature until set, about 3 hours.

4)Line a storage container with a cover with parchment paper.

5)Place a miniature fine-mesh sieve in a small bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl.

6)To shape the truffles, use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to form 1-inch balls of ganache.

7)Smooth the surface with your thumb, or the heel of your hand, before releasing the ganache from the scoop. Roll the truffle quickly in your hands to form a smooth ball.

8)Drop the truffle into the cocoa, rolling it around, and then shake off any excess powder. Transfer the truffle to the storage container. Repeat for the remaining truffles. Store in the covered container at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs on toast

Good Morning Earthlings. Guess what time it is? 

It's breakfast time of course. The best meal of the day! 

I finally made a scrambled egg that I’m happy with. After countless times of cooking eggs different ways and testing out recipes, I finally found the method of cooking that works for me. It is none other than Gordon Ramsay’s on and off the stove method. His method of cooking is pretty much like Heston just that the latter does it over a bain marie and Gordon does it directly over the stove.

I was a little lazy to do the bain marie method so I just went with the stove method.

This method of cooking involves cooking the eggs on and off stove several times. This ensures that the eggs do not get overcooked at any point in time. You can also decide on how”liquid” your eggs look. Not sure if that’’s the correct term to describe eggs haha coz it pretty much sounds like it is uncooked. But you know what I mean. That shiny, velvety texture seen in Gordon’s eggs that speaks to you from your screen. You can almost taste it and imagine how the eggs would take on a melt in your mouth texture. Period. Sorry, I get all excited whenever I talk about eggs coz I simply can’t live without them ;)

You have to constantly stir the eggs to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked . When you think it has reached your desired texture, remove from heat and add the cream. This is to prevent the egg from constantly cooking. Now’s the time to season and taste the eggs. Garnish with chives  and serve yummy on toast.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 tbsp cream

knob of butter

salt

pepper

chives

Method

1) Crack eggs (Whole eggs) into a pan together with a knob of butter ( about 1-2 tsp) and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for a good 5-8 minutes. 

2) Once the eggs start to set a little, take pan off the stove and stir 

3) Bring pan back to stove and stir until creamy/ desired consistency

4) Remove pan from heat and stir in cream

5) Season with salt and pepper ( to taste)

6) Garnish with chives 

7) Serve hot on toast and enjoy!! 

Overnight Oatmeal in a jar with apples and manuka

Today’s oatmeal of the day is cinnamon manuka oatmeal soaked in vanilla soy milk and cooked apples. The cooked apples gave the overnight oatmeal a very nice texture when eaten together.

Topped with my favourite fruits- Grapes, Lychee and pineapples :) 

Overnight Oatmeal with apples

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Quick Oats
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp manuka honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 apple, cubed
• Some Grapes
• Some Pineapple slices
• Some Lychee

Cooking Directions

1. Cut apples into cubes and cooked until transparent and soft
2. Leave apples to cool slightly.
3. Place apples together with remaining ingredients in the jar, shake to combine and leave to refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add nuts, granola, fruits to your oiaj and enjoy!!