Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil (Delia Smith)

I love this soup
Really tasty and goes well with chopped fresh basil
And it's extremely delicious eaten with toasted bread, in my case - sundried tomato bread

First time saw this soup at Yen from Eat Your Heart Out, drooled over it and decided to give it a go. So glad I did! :)

What you need:

600g ripe tomatoes, quartered with skin on
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 medium potato, chopped small
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
275ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tsp chopped fresh sweet basil, to garnish
some cream
salt, black pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil over medium fire, add onion and potato, cook for about 2 minutes
2. Lower to low heat and soften slowly without browning, stir every few minutes, about 10 minutes
3. Add in tomatoes, cook for 1 minute. Pour stock and stir
4. Season with salt, pepper and garlic
5. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes
6. Blend briefly to puree the soup
7. Garnish with fresh basil, and swirl 1 tbsp of cream on each bowl before serving

I'm submitting this post to:

* Little Thumbs up with theme of the month of March: "Tomato", organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Doreen from my little favourite DIY

 

 *Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake

 

 

 

 

Bake Along #41 - Apple Turnover with Quick & Easy Flaky Pastry (Delia Smith)

I'm always intrigued with recipes using words 'easy' or 'quick', better still, using both words LOL
When I saw Mich from Piece of Cake and Angeline from Angeline's Side of Story made this pastry from Delia Smith, I wanted to try too, very much
At the same time, Bake Along latest theme is Turnover, I decided to give this a try with apple filling
I used the recipe for the apple filling from Ina Garten after seeing Angeline did so too a while back

With such an easy method of making the pastry skin, I must say I'm very satisfied with the result, tasty, buttery and crisp. It's not flaky enough, but it's easily forgiven :)
The filling is no different, very addictive :)

What you need:

For the pastry:
110g butter
175g plain flour
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp. cold water (I added to 3 tbsp to make it more moist)

Method:

1. Keep butter wrapped in a plastic, and freeze for at least 45 minutes
2. Sift flour and salt in a large bowl, grate frozen butter on top of the flour
3. Use butter knife to mix (do not use hands) evenly
4. Sprinkle water with hands all over and mix again with butter knife for a few seconds, then you may finish off with hands
5. Dough should be moist, combine altogether, and leave the bowl fairly clean, no need to knead the dough
6. Wrap it up and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

For the filling:
1 tbsp grated orange zest
3tbsp fresh orange juice
600g tart apples (granny smith)
3 tbsp sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Egg wash:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

Method:

1. Combine orange zest & juice. Dice apples and immediately toss with the juice mixture to prevent browning
2. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt (sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples)

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 200degC
2. Bring the dough out from the fridge and leave it for about 15 minutes
3. Flatten the dough using rolling pin on a floured surface, shape according to preference (I made rectangle shape), keep chilled until ready to use
4. Brush the edges with egg wash
5. Place the filling on half side and fold up over the filling, then seal the edges with fork
6. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, poke some holes and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
7. Bake for about 20 minutes (depending on the size) until browned and puffed
8. Serve warm or at room temperature

I'm submitting this post to:

* Bake Along hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids

 

* Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake

Basic Pancake With Sugar & Lemon (Delia Smith)

Another dish caught my eyes when I saw this at Lian from Whatever You Do
A great dish from Delia Smith for breakfast, I am always intrigued by breakfast recipe, as I often clueless on what to prepare for my family in the morning :)

This is a simple kind of pancake, yet yummy and refreshing with lemon drizzle and sugar sprinkle, love it :)
My kids like it drizzled with chocolate sauce, I find it delicious too :)

 

What you need:

110g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
200ml milk mixed with 75ml water
50g butter

To serve: caster sugar, lemon juice and wedges

Method:

1. Sift flour and salt, hold the sifter high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break eggs into it, whisk til combined
3. Add milk mixture gradually with whisk, use rubber spatula to scrape bits of flour all around the edge to the centrem whisk once more til batteris smooth, with the consistency of thin cream
4. Melt butter in a pan, take 2 tbsp and mix into the batter. Whisk and pour the rest into a small bowl to grease pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it around
5. On medium heat, spoon batter with a ladle, everything at one go
6. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip the pan from side to side so the base will be evenly coated. After a few minutes lift the edges up to see if it's tinged gold
7. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a few seconds
8. Side it out of the pand onto the plate
9. Serve immediately with sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice drizzle

I'm submitting this post to  Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake

 

 

Below are blogging friends cooking and baking using recipes from Delia Smith :)

Avocado Tomato Salsa (Delia Smith)

Allright, I'm not a trend setter, I'm a trend follower instead
Everytime Cook Like A Star launches the star chef of the month, I always start with browsing through their website, or their cookbook if I own one
And then I'll look through what others make, and almost 100%, I'll end up listing down what I shall make from them
And this month is no exception either LOL

Another mouthwatering dish from Delia Smith I saw at Mich from Piece of Cake I coudn't resist :)

What you need:

1 ripe firm avocado
2  firm tomatoes
1 shallot (I used 3)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (I used large lime)
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander (I used 2 tbsp)
a few drops of tabasco sauce
salt, black pepper
sugar (I added)

Method:

1. Skin the tomatoes b y pouring boiling water over them, leave it for a few minutes, drain and slip skin off when cool to handle
2. Cut in half, hold each half over a saucer (cut side down), squeeze gently to extract seeds
3. Chop tomato finely
4. Halve avocado, remove stone and cut each half into quarters and peel off the skin
5. Chop into small dice, while slice the onion thinly
6. Combine everything in a bowl, add in seasoning, lime juice, coriander and tabasco
7. Civer with clingwrap and leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving

I had this refreshing salsa with my homemade chicken burger, delish!
I will make this again with grilled salmon, just like what Mich did
Thinking about it makes me drooling already, yum! :)

I'm submitting this post to:

 

* Little Thumbs up with theme of the month of March: "Tomato", organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Doreen from my little favourite DIY

 

 

 

*  Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake
 

Below are blogging friends cooking and baking using recipes from Delia Smith :)

Slimmers' Scrambled Eggs (Delia Smith)

This month Cook Like A Star guest chef is Delia Smith
Confession: I never heard about her before LOL
Thanks Zoe for introducing her, I found many great recipes from her I guess one month won't be enough! :)

Let me start with a simple recipe to start my day - yummy breakfast
I love eggs, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner
But for a good breakfast, egg is a must for me
Sunny side up, hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, scrambled, omelette... name it, I love all, hence my interest in eggs recipes :)

Saw this in Joyce's site and I knew I had to try too
This omelette is easy to make and yes it's delicious!
I ate it this morning with a slice of toasted wholemeal bread

What you need:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper
1 tbsp fresh milk
1 heaped tbsp grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp snipped chives
milled black pepper

Method:

1. Over low heat in a pan pour milk, whirl around the edges
2. Add in eggs and with wooden spoon stir backwards and forwards through the liquid egg
3. Keep scrambling til 3/4 of the egg is creamy and solid mass formed, and 1/4 is still liquid
4. Add in cheese and chives, continue to scramble
5. Remove from heat, continue to scramble til no liquid egg
6. Seve immediately with milled egg and a toast or any other breakfast companion you prefer

 

I'm submitting this post to Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake

Below are blogging friends cooking and baking for this event :)

Crustless Brocolli Cheddar Quiche (Martha Stewart)

So many bakes I wish I could do using recipes from Martha Stewart, so little time in this busy month
This is my last post I can squeeze in, even though tomorrow morning I'll make my first breakfast of the year 2013 using Martha's recipe, and also her brownies recipe for my brownies craving Abby :)

Anyhow, back to the subject... This is a very tasty quiche, albeit it's crustless

Recipe can be viewed HERE, I followed exactly except that I replaced 1/3 of the cheese with gruyere cheese

I'm submitting this post to Cook like a Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Riceball from Riceball Eats

WISHING U A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013 :)

Xmas Feast

Sharing what my family and I had for Xmas :)

My church Xmas celebration was on Sunday 23 Dec, and we went to Legoland Malaysia on Monday 24 Dec, so we had our Xmas meal on Xmas day itself, 25 Dec

I was busy in the kitchen the whole day cooking and baking on that day, despite feeling tired after the long day we spent in Legoland
As a result, I felt really tired for the next two days I didn't feel like doing anything, hence the late post cos I uploaded all the pictures only yesterday :)

So, here's what we had for our Xmas lunch...
Lemon maple honey baked ham with roasted vegetables, cream corn soup (cooked by my mum) and aglio olio spaghetti

The ham and vegetables before going into the oven

After out from the oven

 

 

I got the recipe from my sis' friend whom owns a restaurant, he's a great chef and I thank him for sharing this great recipe. This was the third time I used this recipe :)

Sorry but he didn't give the exact measurement of the ingredients used, and I never really measured myself everytime I made this...

 

What you need:

 

800g honey baked ham

salt / pepper

 

For glazing:

sweet dark soya sauce

worchestershire sauce

honey

lemon

maple syrup

salt / pepper

 

Vegetables I used roasted together with the ham: (cut in chunks)

Japanese pumpkin

baby potatoes

Australian baby carrots

green and red capsicums

1. Slice ham crosswise, marinade with salt and pepper, set aside for around 1 hour
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients for glazing.
3. Arrange all cut vegetables in an oven proof baking dish. Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper also drizzle with a little oil
4. Brush ham all over with the glaze, and place in the middle of the baking dish on top of vegetables and bake in preheated oven of 220degC for approximately 1 hour
5. Turn ham to the other side halfway

 

And here's our dinner...

Still with the same roasted vegetables but this time it's roasted chicken :)

 

Before going into the oven



 

 

I used the recipe I saw at Annie's site

I like the name, I like how easy to prepare this dish and I like the good review she wrote

And so I chose this recipe, and what a good choice it was!

 

I skipped the pan-searing step, which I totally regretted. You see how my chicken looked like and you see hers and you know that this step is not to be skipped!

The next time I make this again, I will surely take the trouble to go through this additional step

 

Taste wise, it's really really good! Just like what she described - crisp skin, juicy and succulent meat

It's so good that there's no leftover on that night, all gone! :)

 

I marinated the bird for approximately 10 hours, from early morning to dinner time

The next time I make this again, I will marinade overnight

 

oh ya, I didn't tie the end of the leg to join them together since no stuffing for the chicken

 

Here's the recipe, thks Annie for sharing :)

 

What you need:

(I made 1.5 recipe for the seasoning)

 

1 whole chicken (I used free range / kampong chicken)

15g MasterFoods Roast Chicken Seasoning

4 tbsp olive oil

15g sea salt

few dashes of pepper

1 tsp of dried rosemary (or fresh rosemary)

1. Clean the chicken, cut the feet, neck and tailbone. Wash and pat dry with kitchen towel
2. Mix well in a small bowl: oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and roast chicken seasoning
3. Spread the marinade mixture all over the chicken, including underneath the breast skin, too
4. Keep the chicken in the fridge overnight (in an airtight container or wrapped in cling wrap)
5. Preheat oven to 220degC with fan on, top and bottom heat
6. Pan sear the chicken for 1 minute each side, let it slightly browned
7. Cut the vegetables in chunks, place it in the oven proof baking dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper
8. Place the chicken in the middle on top of the vegetables
9. Put the baking dish into the oven and bake for 40 minutes
10. Reduce heat to 190degC and further bake for 20 minutes

 

Did you see the browned skin on top? It's because I was itchy hand when I saw the bird was not brown enough to my liking, I switched the oven to grill mode at the last few minutes. I ended up having the slightly charred skin :(

But actually, it tasted yum, crisp and brown LOL

Not recommended though, it didn't do the appearance any good hehehe...

 

 

Now, the last thing I did on Xmas day... one bowl chocolate cupcakes from Martha Stewart

 

 

Very easy to prepare with a pretty good result :)

And I decorated some of the cupcakes into this...

 

 

The Xmas tree cupcake, too bad I didn't have anything to make a yellow star to put at the top of the tree...

 

The Xmas wreath

 

And not to forget, Mr Snowman :)

 

 

Here's the recipe for the cupcakes...

 

What you need:

 

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 175degC
2. Line muffin pan with paper liners, set aside (I got 12 mini and 10 standard cupcakes)
3. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
4. Add in eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and mix til smooth, about 3 minutes with balloon whisk. Scrape the bottom and sides with rubber spatula to assure the batter is well mixed
5. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, 2/3 full
6. Bake til the tops spring back when touched and skewer comes out clean, mini cupcakes about 15 minutes, and standard cupcakes about 25 minutes, rotating pan if needed
7. Transfer to a wire rack, cool completely

 

Okay, so that's about all what I did on Xmas day

What a fun we had on that day, and of course - stuffed! LOL

Really hope you had a great Xmas too! :)

 

The snowman was chosen by Ian and candy cane was Abby's choice - both from Daiso :)

 

 

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #26 hosted by Alan of Travelling Foodies and Cook like a Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Riceball from Riceball Eats

 

 

Oatmeal & Dried Cranberries Chewy Cookies (Martha Stewart)

This was a big batch of cookies baked by me and my sis
She has been watching Martha's video on making this cookies, drooling each time
Originally it used dried cherry but we decided to use dried cranberries instead

Recipe is from Martha Stewart's site

What you need:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup dark-brown sugar (I used packed light brown sugar)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups dried sour cherries (I used dried cranberries)

1. Preheat oven to 175degC. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder, set aside
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed to combine. Stir in the oats and dried cranberries
3. Drop the dough (50g each) onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 5 inches between cookies. Bake until edges are just turning brown, about 20 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire racks to cool completely

If you like chewy cookies with oats, you'll love it. If you also like dried fruits, you'll love this cookies even more :)

I'm submitting this post to  Cook like a Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Riceball from Riceball Eats

Bday Cake 4Hubby - Moist Devil's Food Cake (Martha Stewart)

I always a fan of Martha Stewart, she has a pair of super talented hands and fingers, not only in the kitchen but basically in every corner of the house and even outside the house!
So, I'm happy that this month's Cook Like A Star theme is Martha Stewart :)

This is her cake I wanted to try for so long, and this is the time for me to give it a shot, in conjunction to DH's birthday
Recipe is from HERE, very similar to other Devil's food cake recipe, actually
I modified a little and I didn't make the chocolate ganache, I used Nutella instead
Time constraint I had since it's school holiday now (read: me being lazy LOL)

What you need:
(recipe below is 1/2 recipe I made with slight modification)

170g unsalted butter
43g cocoa powder + extra to dust
1/4 cup boiling water
255g sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
145g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh milk
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

1. Grease a 20cm round pan, line with paper and dust with cocoa powder
2. Sift cocoa and coffee powder into the boiling water, whisk. Set aside to cool
3. Cream butter (low speed) til light and fluffy. Gradually add in sugar - around 3 minutes
4. Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time til well mixed
5. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt
6. Whisk milk into the cocoa/coffee mixture
7. With mixer on low speed, add in flour and milk/cocoa/coffee mixture into the butter mixture (starting and ending with flour)
8. Pour batter into the prepared pan, bake until skewer comes out clean, around 35 minutes, rotate pan halfway for even baking
9. Let cake cool on wire rack. Cut into two parts after it's completely cool
10. Spread filling evenly on the top part of the bottom layer and top with the other layer

For DH's bday this time, I was so clueless about how to deco the cake
I ended up piped the whole cake with star tip. It looked more like white Xmas cake than birthday cake to me. But the most important thing is, he loved it, not only the deco but also the taste of this delicious cake, and so were the kids and me :)

This post is for Cook like a Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Riceball from Riceball Eats

Garlic Buttered Prawns With Cherry Tomatoes (Master Chef)

I really love this dish! Just like Joyce mentioned, the taste indeed reminded me of Thai cuisine. Just add bean vermicelli and I would get the famous Thai style bean vermicelli salad :)

One thing is, this is not a dish for my kids, so I cooked this yesterday when my kids had their pasta :)

Recipe is from HERE

What you need:
I modified a little to suit what I had in my fridge

80g butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g prawns, peeled and deveined
1 large red chillies, finely chopped
10 honey cherry tomatoes, quartered
juice of 1 lime
a few stalks of spring onion (my family doesn't fancy coriander leaves)

1. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium high heat til foamy
2. Add in garlic, chilli, prawns, cook tossing for 2 minutes til almost cooked through
3. Add in tomatoes, lime juice, and spring onion, cook tossing for 1 minute

Very refreshing dish, tangy and spicy, yum!

I'm submitting this post to Cook Like A Star September 2012 (Master Chef) hosted by Zoe

 



Bread & Butter Pudding (Master Chef)

I always love bread pudding
That's why I knoew I had to make this when I saw Lena posted this delicious dessert
I always have frozen bread in my freezer, so once I had some free time, I quickly made it :)
I didn't use raisins bread cos I didn't have it instock, so I used normal white bread, I buttered them and sprinkled some golden raisins and chocolate chips all over, poured the cream mixture leave it absorp for 30 minutes
Sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese on top before baking, baked au bain marie, and brushed with marmalade 5 minutes before it's done with the baking

Look at the texture! It's so moist, soft and fine texture!

Original recipe is from HERE

What you need:
(modified to my preference)

50g salt reduced canola spread
12 slices white bread
1/3 cup golden raisins
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup caster sugar
200ml cream
400ml fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
hot orange marmalade jam for brushing

Remove the crust of each bread, cut each slice in half diagonally
Butter bread at one side and arrange the bread triangles in a buttered 2 litre capacity shallow baking dish, sprinkling raisins alternating with chocolate chips between the layers
Whisk eggs, yolks and caster sugar together. Place cream and milk also vanilla in a saucepan and almost bring to the boil (only til it's smoky)
Pour cream over egg mixture and whisk to combine. Strain mixture over bread
Stand for 30 minutes
Place baking dish in a large roasting pan and pour boiling water into pan coming halfway up the sides of baking dish. Loosely cover with foil
Bake in preheated oven of 180degC for'15 minutes. Remove foil and bake a further 20 minutes or until golden
Brush pudding with hot jam and cook a further 5 minutes before serving

I submit this post to Cook Like A Star September 2012 (Master Chef) hosted by Zoe

The (Not) Perfect Poached Egg (Master Chef)

I'm not sure if it's the perfect time for me to post this
But I think I have to, not to waste my effort :)

I have tried to do this for 9 days consecutively and I was not satisfied at all with the end result, even the one I did on the last day which was the most perfect result compared with the previous 8 days
I managed to create funny (in a not so good way, I mean) shapes of poached eggs, if I can call them poached eggs
During those 9 days, I too had those weird looking poached eggs for my breakfast- some overcooked, some just nice consistency with horrid look, some undercooked I had to microwave for awhile

I submit this post to  Cook Like A Star September 2012 (Master Chef) hosted by Zoe even though I still couldn't get it right even though I did follow the instructions to the dot
I have not given up yet. I'll definitely will give it a try again

I saw Baby Sumo really perfect poached eggs and I agree, practice makes perfect
It's just that, some need more time while the rest can graduate faster LOL
This is one of my favorite breakfast menu, so I have to master this!

Let me share my experiences for the past 9 mornings :)

 

If you see the pics above, there's no consistency in terms of improvement
Sometimes one day I saw improvement, then the next day it turned out more disappointing
But of course, you compared all, the last day was the best result, even thoug still far from perfect

The guide to make this breakfast dish can be viewed HERE

What you need:

A fresh egg

White vinegar

Water

Slotted spoon

Saucepan

1. Crack the egg into a small bowl
2. Fill a small saucepan with around 10cm of water and bring to a gentle simmer (medium heat). Add 2 tbsp of vinegar (to help the egg whites set)
3. Swirl the water to make like a whirlpool with tablespoon (making circles)
4. Tip the egg into the centre of the whirlpool. The egg white will enclose around the yolk
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Gently lift out the egg using slotted spoon and wobble a little
6. Rest the spoon on a kitchen towel for awhile to absorp excess water
7. Serve immediately

I have used the freshest eggs I could get, I followed every single step to the dot
Still figuring out what I have missed out or done wrong
Or is it just a matter of the need of more practice...