(KBB) # 4 : Chocolate Swirl Meringues with Raspberry Cream

Kali ini tantangan KBB yang ke-4 adalah Chocolate Swirl Meringues. Sempet dag dig dug deerr pada saat tantangan diumumin, karena pernah punya pengalaman jelek sama yang namanya Meringues. Dah gitu nekat pulak, gak punya mixer kok ikutan KBB (semua peralatan tempur buat baking ditinggal di Indonesia), judulnya aja udah klub baking gitu loh...lha kok nekadd!! Tapi emang udah rencana beli mikser juga jadi PD aja.

Setelah mixer udah kebeli, sekarang yang jadi masalah, gak punya bowl copper atau stainlees. Idealnya emang bikin Meringues pake bowl dari kedua bahan tersebut. Maklum, Meringues yang terbuat dari putih telur ini sangat sensitif dalam pengerjaannya. Yang peralatan gak boleh kotor lah harus bersih sih cling tanpa lemak, yang telor harus seger lah, yang udara gak boleh lembab, yang musti dibikin pada cuaca kering...huuuhhhh manja banget lah!

Sementara mau pake bowl plastik pasangan mixer, gue rada-rada gak yakin bebas lemak, takut mempengaruhi putih telurnya. Ini lagi yang bikin masalah, di Kuwait ini gue belum pernah nemu sabun cuci yang bisa menumpas lemak sedasyat sabun cuci piring Indonesia. Hiyaaahhh...banyak amat sih hambatannya, sampe gak jadi-jadi bikin si mereng...apa emang alesan aja buat nambah-nambahin peralatan baking...huehehehehe.

Terus terang gue emang hati-hati banget ngerjain PR ini. Dulu pernah bikin meringues dan gagal segagalnya sampe kapok kalo disuruh bikin lagi. Makanya begitu selesai baca resep, gue langsung googling around mencari tahu serba serbi Meringues. Ternyata lumayan seabrek source-nya. Yang banyak membantu adalah artikel-artikel dari baking911 dan fxcuisine.

Resep bener-bener gue cermati. Tapi dicermati bukan berarti gue patuhi 100%...hehehe...*katanya takut gagal, tapi kok gak nurut resep*. Karena gue tau sifat oven gue yang gampang panasan. So, untuk suhu gue turunin jadi 100 derajat untuk pemanggangan 1 jam pertama. 30 menit berikutnya, suhu gue turunin menjadi 75-80 derajat. Selain itu, gula gue kurangin jadi cuman 150 gr (karena kalo liat dari resep..wuuiiiihhhh kayaknya manis banget tuh! Gulanya gue pake gula halus supaya cepet larut). Konsekuensinya tepung maizena-nya gue tambahin jadi 2 sendok teh.



Untuk bentuknya, gue bikin ada yang kecil ada yang gede, ada juga yang garis-garis *emang motif kain...halah sok dimacem-macemin!*

Dari awal memulai proses, gue emang niat banget dan sok yakin gak bakal gagal. Gue banyak belajar dari pengalaman temen-temen baik yang sakseis maupun yang gatot. Pada saat pemanggangan sambil bolak-balik gue liatin, takut-takut ada lelehan gula atau ada retakan-retakan yang tidak diharapkan seperti yang dialami beberapa temen yang udah praktek duluan.

So far so good, pemanggangan berjalan mulus dan yang paling seneng, sampe titik darah penghabisan waktu panggang, Meringues ik gak ada yang retakkkkkk!! Horeeeee!! *jingkrak-jingkrak*. Baik itu yang kecil-kecil imut ataupun yang gede-gede. Setelah selesai manggang, gue diemin di oven sekitar 1-2 jaman dengan pintu dibuka dikit (lupa gak liat jam, pokoknya agak lama lah baru gue keluarin dari oven).

Setelah itu gue icip-icip. Yang kecil crispy sampe dalam, sedang yang gede, crispy di luar, chewy di dalam. Kalo kita bikin yang gede-gede memang cenderung begitu, jadi bukan berarti gagal.

Senengnya bisa menaklukkan si Meringues. Kuncinya emang harus paham bener gimana men-treat putih telur :). Akhirnya gue malah ketagihan bikin Mereng! Beberapa hari kemudian gue bikin lagi, kali ini campuran coklatnya bener-bener gak diaduk. Dan sakseis lagiii!!!! :D

Sayang gue gak sempet foto-foto step by step-nya karena dapur gue lagi gelap dan belum dipasang-pasang lampunya :(. Dah gitu, Mereng yang imut-imut dah ludes disikat krucils, jadi gak sempet ke foto.

Untuk toppingnya, tadinya pengen bikin raspberry mousse, tapi ada bahan yang kurang...yo wis akhirnya dimakan pake thickened cream plus fresh raspberry.

Next time...gue pengen banget bikin French Macaroon!!! Yihhaaa!! *sookkkkk dehhhh*





Chocolate Swirl Meringues
Source: Taste. Makes 6.

Ingredients :
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 tsps cornflour
1 rounded Tbs cocoa powder
thickened cream to serve

Directions :
1. Preheat the oven to 150C fanbake. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Put the egg whites and caster sugar in a large heatproof bowl and sit over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water or the egg whites will scramble. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is quite hot to touch, then immediately remove from the heat.
3. Whisk egg white mixture using a hand-held electric beater for about 10-15 minutes until very thick, white and glossy. Mix in the cornflour.
4. Sieve in the cocoa powder and, using a large metal spoon, very lightly fold into the meringue using 2-3 strokes. Don't mix it thoroughly.
5. Spoon the mixture (you can pipe it with the piping bag) onto the prepared baking sheets in 6 large spoonfuls, making each one as peaky as possible (don't have to do this when you want to make 10 small meringues-ab).
6. Put the baking tray in the oven, reduce the temperature to 120C and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes.
7. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside until completely cold.
8. Serve with thickened cream.

More photos @ my Gourmet set.

German Apple Cake

Bikin cake dengan bahan dasar buah-buahan selalu menyenangkan buat gue. Atau sayur-sayuran, ini juga menarik buat gue. Seperti carrot cake dan cupcake timun yang pernah gue bikin. Beda aja rasanya dan gak membosankan daripada sekedar cake coklat doang atau vanilla aja tanpa embel-embel variasi rasa yang lain.

Suatu hari pas lagi blogwalking, baca-baca cerita orang tentang the Famous German Apple Cake. Penasaran aja pengen nyoba. Sayang si empunya cerita gak menyertakan resep. Jadilah gue googling around cari tau seperti apa gerangan si Apple Cake ini. Resep yang gue coba kali ini, gue ambil dari Allrecipes. Ini resep paling simple di antara beberapa resep yang gue kumpulin. White sugar gue ganti pake light brown sugar. Kalo bikin cake yang base-nya sayuran atau buah, gue lebih prefer pake brown sugar, wanginya lebih enak. Toppingnya gue modif pake streussel, lagi males makan yang pake olesan-olesam cream (males makan apa males bikin?).

Gatau deh, sebenernya German Apple Cake itu kayak apa rasanya? Kira-kira gini gak, Sheil? ;).



German Apple Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples - peeled, cored and diced

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan.
2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
3. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick.
4. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

Source : Allrecipes

Asian Style Lemon Chicken

Lagi-lagi hasil nongkrongin Videojug :). Download-download cooking video atau podcast emang obat manjur buat cooking blue :P.

Karena lagi gak punya chicken fillet, gue ganti dengan salmon fillet. Silahkan liat resep di video-nya :).


How To Make Asian-Style Lemon Chicken

Nutella Ice Cream

Ceritanya deal or no deal bikin es krim tanpa es krim maker sama Elsye, Pepy, Widya dan Sheila *bok-ebok pada ke mana nih?* Gue pilih resep yang direkomen sama Pepy, Nutella Ice Cream-nya Clotilde. Sebenernya karena penasaran juga, gimana ceritanya Nutella bisa jadi es krim? :).

Di resep memang instruksinya bikin pake ice cream maker, tapi dijelasin juga es krim ini bisa dibuat tanpa es krim maker (asal rajin ngaduk aja yee, mak!).

Hasil jadinya...mantabh coklatnya...nyoklat banget! Trus gue tambahin cacahan kacang mede...hmmm...

Cuman teksturnya lembut banget, jadi gampang lumer. Gapapa sih sebenernya, cuman kalo buat difoto, agak-agak susyee, karena gampang cair.

Booo...gaswat nih makan manis mulu!



Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream

Ingredients :
350 grams (= 12 1/3 ounces = 1 1/2 cups = 360 ml) store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread, preferably all-natural and organic
410 grams (= 14 1/2 ounces = 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon = 380 ml) unsweetened evaporated milk

Makes about 750 ml (3/4 quart).

Directions :
Pre-freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Combine the chocolate hazelnut spread and the evaporated milk in a medium mixing bowl, and stir with a whisk until they become one, voluptuous and smooth. Depending on the texture of the spread you're using, this may take a few minutes; don't get discouraged. (To speed things up, you may use a blender/stick blender/stand mixer, or gently heat the evaporated milk beforehand.)

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Whisk again and churn in your ice cream maker.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can still make this recipe on a day when you're home most of the time. Prepare the mixture in the morning and chill for two hours. Pour into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. Every hour or so, remove the container from the freezer, draw the sides in with a fork (the ice cream will set on the sides first), stir vigorously, and return to the freezer. Your ice cream will be ready by dinnertime.

The only problem with that method -- besides requiring a little elbow grease -- is that the ice cream becomes quite solid the next day. Just take it out of the freezer for 15 minutes to soften before you scoop some out.

Source : Chocolate and Zucchini

Thai Beef Stir Fry

Recipe from my favorite cooking video site, Videojug. I collect recipes from this site and organize them in my Ipod Touch.

What I like the most, cooking videos in this site are so detail. With step by step instructions, who said cooking is not easy?? Hahah! *ssoookkkkkkk dehhh!*

I added oyster sauce to the original recipe to make it tastier.


How To Make Beef Stir Fry With Broccoli

Thai Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients :
300 gr Sirloin steak
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ginger
1 chilli
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower (optional)
2 carrots (optional)
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp basil
2 spring onions
6 tbsp peanut oil
and I add 2 tbsp oyster sauce to make it tastier-dita

Directions :
1. Cook the meat. Place wok on high heat allow to get very hot. Add oil, add garlic, ginger, chillies, black pepper and then add meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
2. Add broccoli to the wok, stir fry for few minute. And then cooked meat. Add lime juice, fish sauce, coriander, basil and spring onion.
3. Serve immediately.
This dish goes well with rice or oriental noodles.

CLICK : March 2008 - METAL

I sat in the kitchen and had no idea what to cook that day...yup I was cooking blue. And then I saw my whisker. Click! Grabbed my camera!

Like its unique shape a lot! Here's my entry for this month. Let's whisk it up! :).


taken with Canon EOS 350 D, Canon IS 28-135 mm lens

Lime Caramel Cupcakes and Cucumber Cupcakes

Lately, I wasn't in the mood for cake decorating. So, I decided I was not gonna put my cupcake in the decorating thing but I wanted the flavor to be more pronounced...yup! An odd flavor maybe.

For this cupcakes I liked the idea of using something veggy, greeny and fruity . So here goes, my entry for Cupcakes Spectacular 2008 hosted by Arfi of Homemades : Lime Caramel Cupcakes and Cucumber Cupcakes...both with Cucumber frosting.



I filled the cupcakes with caramel, over all...just to sweet for me ;). The Lime Cupcakes was perfect, the Cucumber Cupcakes...uummm....Not really satisfy with the result, I think the cucumber flavor wasn't strong enough. And the frosting was watery. But the combinations beetwen Lime, Caramel and Cucumber was soooo freshhhyyyy!! You might try, put some chopped cucumber on top of the cucumber frosting :P.



Lime Cupcakes
source : Andrew of Real Butter and Clean Milk

Makes one dozen cupcakes

Ingredients :
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
-zest and juice of one lime
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs, room temperature
-3/4 cup self-rising flour
-1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-4-5 tablespoons milk
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction :
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Cream butter and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until butter us smooth. Gradually add sugar (while mixer is running) and continue beating until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and beating until smooth after each addition.
4. Squeeze the lime directly into a liquid measuring cup; you should have around 3 tablespoons of juice. Add enough milk to total 1/2 cup of liquid, and then add vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Whisk flours together to combine.
5. Add the flour mixture to the batter in four parts, alternating with thirds of the milk mixture and beating after each addition until incorporated.
6. Divide batter among the 12 cups of a lined standard cupcake pan (I use a large ice cream-style scoop, packed just full, to evenly distribute the batter). Bake without disturbing for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue baking 5-10 more minutes, until cupcakes are just starting to color and spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cucumber Frosting
source : Andrew of Real Butter and Clean Milk

Ingredients :
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
-4-5 cups powdered sugar (I only use 2 cups)
-3 to 4 inches English/Hothouse cucumber, cut into one-inch chunks and pureed in a food processor until the consistency of applesauce
-tiny dash salt

Direction :
1. Cream the butter with 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Add 3 tablespoons of the cucumber puree and beat until smooth.
2. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until frosting is creamy, smooth, and thick enough to be spreadable (you may not need to use all of the sugar).
3. Frost cooled cupcakes with a small offset spatula.



Cucumber Cupcakes

I modified the Lime Cupcakes recipe and change the lime with cucumber.



Caramel Filling
source : Chockylit

Ingredients :
1 8 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Direction :
1. Immerse closed can on its side in a pot of boiling water.
2. Leave on a simmer or light boil for 2 hours topping off with water as needed. Be careful and don’t let the water dry out.
3. Remove from heat and let cool thoroughly before opening can. Condensed milk should be thick and a nice caramel color. Don’t open the can while its still hot, I hear that can be very, very messy.

Assembly :
1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.


2. Fill the cavity with the caramel.


3. Replace the top of the cone.


4. Scoop a tablespoon of buttercream/frosting on top of each cupcake.

No Ice Cream Maker Ice Cream

I found the recipe from my favorite foodie blog, Cookbook Catchall. Very Easy! Lumayanlah buat hiburan krucils :P. I made the same recipe but different flavor twice in a week.

The original recipe made from matcha powder but since I didn't have one, I decided to change matcha powder with cocoa powder. And for the second time I use fresh strawberry. Strawberry-nya dicacah kasar enyak deh. Hmmmmmm slurrrpppp!

And Els, this one is for you :).



Green tea ice cream (adapted from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking)
(recipe says it serves four but I would double the quantity for four)
Ingredients :
2 tablespoons green tea powder (matcha)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream

Direction :
1. In a small bow, mix the green tea powder with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and remaining sugar.

3. Pour the milk into a small pan and gently heat taking care not to let it boil (ideally the temperature of the milk should be 176 degrees F). Remove the from the heat and mix a few spoonfuls of the warm milk with the green tea powder and sugar in a small bowl. When you have a smooth paste, add it to the remaining milk in the pan, then gradually combine with the egg yolk mixture.

4. Return mixture to the stove and heat slowly over low heat (taking care to not let the mixture boil), until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine sieve, and allow to cool completely.

5. Lightly whip the cream and then add it to the cold green tea-milk mixture.

6. Transfer the mixture to a large container and [chill for an hour or two in the refrigerator] and then put it in the freezer. As ice crystals start to form, remove, and mix well with a spoon (use a wooden spoon and stir very vigorously) to break them up and return the mixture to the freezer. Repeat this a few times as it freezes to ensure that the ice cream is smooth.

Source : Skrockodile

Finally I Made Pizza!

It's been my productive week ever since. Mood baking gue lagi bagus dan jadi kayak orang kalap. Apa aja mau dibikin :P. Waktu bikin pizza ini aja dalam sehari gue bisa bikin sampe 3 resep....sinting! Dan ternyata...bikin pizza itu TIDAK SUSAH! Gue gak menemui kendala yang berarti. Dari 3 resep, jadi semuanya...perfecto dengan hasil roti yang lembut menul-menul walopun pizza-nya udah dingin. Sayang gue missed challenge # 3-nya KBB ini.

Supaya gak merasa bersalah akibat rajin mem-baking which means rajin makan hasil baking-an pulak, gue ganti tepungnya dengan whole wheat flour, biar lebih sehat jugalah. Sekalian eksperimen kalo bikinnya gak pake tepung khusus buat roti. Terus dicampuran tepungnya gue taburin rosemary.

Toppingnya gue pake persediaan yang ada di kulkas aja. Campuran smoked salmon, jagung, paprika, jamur dan yang bikin spesial gue tambahin fetta cheese..hhmmmmm....nyam nyam!



Smoked Salmon & Fetta Cheese Pizza
Source: The Perfect Cookbook. David Herbert. Viking. Victoria,
Australia. 2003

Ingredients :
1 sachet (@ 7g = 1/4 oz = 2 tsp) dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups bread flour (high-grade flour, tepung cakra kembar)
salt
2 Tbs olive oil

Direction :
1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in a small bowl with 200ml (6 ½ fl oz) of tepid water. Stir well and set aside for 10 minutes, or until the mixture froths.
2. Place the flour and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Mix until a firm dough forms.
3. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1-1 ½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4.Preheat the oven to 210C (415F, Gas Mark 6-7).
5. Punch down the dough with your fist to release the air. Divide into two or three equal portions and roll out or press to a thickness of 4-5mm (¼ in). Transfer to lightly oiled pizza trays.
6. Top with your choice of toppings and cook for 15 minutes. Then slide the pizza off the tray onto the oven shelf and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, to crisp up the base.

Topping Smoked Salmon and Fetta Cheese (versi gue)
Bahan :
Smoked salmon
Jagung manis pipilan
Paprika
Jamur kaleng
Mayonaise
Saos pizza
Fetta Cheese
Mozzarela cheese

Cara membuat :
Tata semua bahan di atas pizza base sebelum dipanggang, terakhir taburi dengan mozzarela cheese.

Super Fudgy Brownies

Love this recipe! Dari sekian banyak resep brownies yang pernah gue coba, gue jatuh cinta sama brownies ini. Fudgy sesuai namanya. Rich banget rasanya. Manis tapi gak kemanisan, dengan rasa coklat yang agak-agak pait dikit. Lebih enak kalo udah disimpen semalaman atau seharian. You should try!



Super Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients :
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Directions :
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add sugar; mix to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Source : Martha Stewart