Egg Yolks Recipe # 3 : Banana Pistachio Biscotti

Another almost forgotten pics and recipe ;). Made these a month ago.

Use over-ripe banana, that's the key to a strong banana flavour.



Here's the recipe from Recipazaar
Happy dunking!!

Banana Pecan Biscotti

Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3-1/2 cup mashed banana, about 1 banana
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 large egg (dita-I used 2 eggyolks)
* 1/3 cup pecan, chopped (dita-I used pistachio)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease your cookie sheet.
3. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add sugar and salt and stir together.
4. In another bowl combine all the wet ingredients: banana, oil, vanilla and egg.
5. Pour dry ingredients into wet ones along with pecans; stir together.
6. Flour a board and turn dough out onto it. Form two 8-inch logs. Put onto cookie sheet and pat down to 1/2 inch thickness.
7. Bake at 350°F for 23 minutes.Turn oven down to 250°F.
8. Remove logs from cookie sheet and cool for 10 minutes.
9. Then cut into about 1/2 inch slices and bake 15 minutes at 250°F.
10. Turn biscotti over and bake another 15 minutes.
11. Biscotti will still be soft but will harden as they cool.

Another Egg Yolks Recipes :
1. Creme Brulee
2. Clafoutis

Chicken in Milk

Bloggers always seem to have a story to tell. There's always something to tell, to share and to write about. But today is an exception for me. I'm not feeling well and I'm not in the mood to tell a story *sorry*. My kids have been sick for 5 days and I didn't have much time for internet. To all my friends, thanks for dropping by.

When I saw this recipe, I raised my eyebrows ;). Chicken in Milk?? Never had it before, usually I cooked chicken with coconut milk or cream. I was so curious and wanted to give it a try.



And heyyyy.....who would have thought this combination would work? So easy to do. The chicken was tender and the sauce was flavourful. It's a very aromatic dish.

But I wasn't pretty satisfied because I put too much sage on it :(. The rest was good!

Chicken in Milk
source : Jamie Oliver



Ingredients :
•1 x 1.5k/ 3½lb organic chicken (dita-I used chicken legs)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 115g/4oz or ½ a pack of butter
• olive oil
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked (dita-I used dried sage)
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 cloves of garlic, skin left on
• 565ml/1 pint milk



Directions :
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramelly flavour later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

Got Milk?

August is coming, means we (breastfeeding mother) are going to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week on the first week of August. And this time, I'd like to dedicate my post to support WBW 2008, all the mothers who still breastfeeding and the mothers to be.

WBW is an annual event to promote breastfeeding on a global scale. In conjunction with the Olympic event next August, WBW 2008 calls for greater support for mothers in achieving the gold standart of infant feeding : breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months and providing appropriate complimentary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to 2 years or beyond. Supporting mother=supporting her to provide the golden start for every child.

When I found this foodie event "Got Milk!" hosted by Linda, I said "what an amazing idea she had!" I was so excited to participate in this event. You might be ask some questions, why would food blogger like me want to blog about breastfeeding? What's the connection between breastfeeding and food?

I'll tell you, there are many reasons why. I'm a breastfeeding mother, still breastfeeding my youngest daughter (now 22 months). And do you know that breastmilk is FOOD, the very best FOOD that your baby can get? And I'd like to join this foodie event to help Linda promote breastfeeding and to support my breastfeeding friends especially new moms and moms to-be. I know breastfeeding is not as easy as we can see. For some mommies, it's quite hard in the beginning. I only breastfed my first child for the first 2 months because I didn't know how and did not know much about it besides that it's a good thing. I didn't know how's the right position for breastfeeding, and then my nipples got sore, I had no idea what was lactation management, etc. I became desperate and thought formula would be more convinient. Then I felt so guilty about it.



Furthermore, before and during my second pregnancy, I prepared and promised to myself that no matter what, my second baby must be breastfed. Lucky me, my hubby was a real supporter and I found supporting group with supporting members -and now they become my good friends- at mailing list asi for baby or mother breastmilk for baby. Nia, the owner of the group, asked me to join in *thank you so much, dear. You guys really did a great job to motivate so many Indonesian mothers out there to keep breastfeeding their babies*. My virtual conseulor, Kellymom supported me as well ;), "she"'s been there when I was confuse didn't know what to do with the whole breastfeeding things. Eventually, I succeed to breastfeed my baby eventhough it wasn't easy at the very beginning. I remember how I cried everytime my baby Leia began to suck my sored nipple. But I didn't give up. I learnt from the past and tried to do my best. And now, proudly said I'm still breastfeeding my almost 2 years old daughter, Leia, although many people here in Kuwait would raise their eyebrows when they knew my almost 2 years old daughter is still breastfed *hey c'mon!* I'm concerned why people in Kuwait, especially mothers and health care/medical practitioners don't take breastfeeding as an issue. Seems they don't encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies. So far, I've never heard and saw any breastfeeding campaign in this country. It's not easy to find breastfeeding/nursing room in every shopping centre here, meanwhile nursing in public is considered to be awkward or inappropriate *I don't think that would be any WBW celebration here!*

Anyway, to endorse, inspire and motivate Indonesian mothers to breastfeed their babies, 2 years ago my husband and I have made an introduction video to early latch on based on my experience. We hope that could be useful :).

Ok, enough about me ;). I got a great news to share from my supportive friends in AIMI, to all breastfeeding mother in Indonesia, Asi for Baby in collaboration with Asosiasi Ibu Menyusui Indonesia (Indonesian Breastfeeding Mother Association) organized a mass breastfeeding (menyusui serentak) event to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2008, on August 2, at Auditorium Gelanggang Remaja Bulungan Jakarta. Be there! *I wish I could be there*. More info here.

Linda, thanks for the event, I hope what you did could make a difference. And every babies in the world could have their right to get a golden start. Here's my entry for "Got Milk!".

I didn't know what to do with the leftover mascarpone from my birthday cake last month, better made something before it gone bad, thanks God, Helen's post saved me! ;). And the gratin was so so scrumptious!!



Mascarpone Raspberry Gratin
source : Helen of Tartelette with a little re-worked from me :)
Serves 4-6 depending on the size of your ramequins.

1/2 cup (4 oz) mascarpone, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean, seeded
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
3/4 cup heavy cream (dita-I used 1/2 cup whipping cream+1/4 cup plain milk)
1 cup fresh raspberries



In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, the egg and the egg yolk. Whisk until fully incorporated and add the heavy cream. Make sure everything is well combined and divide between your ramequins, not filling them all the way to the top, about 3/4 full. Divide the raspberries among the gratins and set the dishes in a deep roasting pan. Fill the pan with water, half way up the sides of the dishes and bake at 340 for about 20-25 minutes or until they seem to be barely set: still giggling a little when you move the pan but not completely wobbly. They will continue to bake and set as they cool. Let cool and serve either chilled or at room temperature.



Related Recipe :
1. Eggless Tiramisu

Stir Fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Brokoli Saus Tiram)

My all time favorite!! My kids call it "little tree." And they really like nibbling on steamed broccoli *thanks God they don't hate veggies! :)*.



Broccoli is packed with vitamins A, C, K and beta-carotene, as well as possible cancer-fighting compounds like sulforaphane.

I usually add broccoli in my soup or just stir fried it. Who doesn't like stir fries, eh? They are generally fast, tasty and highly nutritional meals. And ideal for the busy cook. You will find that once your confidence grows in this style of cooking, you will enjoy experimenting with ingredients to suit your own personal tastes.

And I'd like to bring this dish to the MFM # 17 : Sayuran Hijau/green vegetables hosted by Dyah of Dyah's.



Stir Fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Brokoli Saus Tiram)

Ingredients :
2 tbsp olive oil - any vegetable oil will do
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
2 medium heads of broccoli, cut in to florets
3 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp water
1 tsp cornflour + 4 tbsp water



Directions :
Stir fry garlic and grated ginger until fragrant. Stir in broccoli. Add oyster sauce and water. Cook over a gentle heat. And then add the cornflour mixture. Stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Pomegranate Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
In my house there's always room for ice cream. Although I don't have an ice cream maker, I always enjoy to make this creamy treat without it. Especially for the girls :).



I like to experiment with my own mix-ins, especially fruits, because my kids really love them. You can use fresh fruits or frozen ones if you desire. I think any fruits will work well. However, feel free to modify the fruits as to your liking.

There are tons recipes that can be made with a few simple ingredients. And I always choose the one without raw eggs but still never lose its appeal.

I saw this pomegranate ice cream at Rachelle's flickr and she shared the recipe on her blog. Pomegranate? Why not?! And no ice cream maker needed, that's what I like the most :p. *I made this 3 weeks a go, just had a chance to posted here ;)*

And here's my contribution to celebrate National Ice Cream Month hosted by Nikki at Nik Snacks.

No-churn pomegranate ice cream (with fresh pomegranates)
source : Rachelle of Mommy? I'm Hungry!
(Rachelle's version with pomegranate juice, here)

Ingredients :
• 2 pomegranates
• 1 lime
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
(dita-I added 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar)



Directions :
Juice the pomegranates and the lime, straining the juices into a bowl. You will have approximately ¾ cup of pomegranate juice. Reserve the pomegranate seeds for garnish.
Add the powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve.
Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form in the pale pink cream.
Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a rigid plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Scatter with pomegranate seeds when you eat it.

Homemade ice cream is a real kids pleaser. My kids usually eat it with cookies. Just try this sesame cookies, they goes perfectly with your ice cream. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Rosa. They are so delightful!!



Sesame Cookies
Taken from "The Soul Of A New Cuisine" written by Marcus Samuelsson and slightly adapted by Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients :
1/2 Cup (64g) + 2 Tbs Plain white flour
1/2 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
4 Tbs (1/2 stick/60g) Unsalted butter
1 Cup (240g) Light brown sugar, packed
1 Large egg
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract or paste
1 Tsp Fresh lemon juice
1 Cup (150g) Sesame seeds, toasted

Directions :
1. Combine the (sieved) flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Using an electric stand mixer, hand mixer or spatula (by hand), cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until thouroughly blended, about 30 seconds.
4. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
5. Beat in/incorporate the sesame seeds.
6. Allow the dough to rest, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
8. Line two baking pans/sheets with parchment paper.
9. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto the baking sheets/pans, leaving about 7cm (2.8 inches) between the cookies.
10. Bake the cookies until golden, about 7-9 minutes, turning the baking sheets around midway through baking.
11. Remove delicately from the baking sheets/pans and cool on a wire rack.

Note :
Those cookies tend to spread a lot, so give them space.

Another No Ice Cream Maker Ice Creams :
1. Nutella Ice Cream
2. Cocoa Ice Cream
3. Strawberry Ice Cream

Foodie Photography Contest : Red & White

My talented and fabulous friends, Dhi, Fitri and Dwi is collaborating to make this wonderful event.

COME and JOIN this fun to celebrate 17 August, Indonesian Independence Day!

In the spirit of celebrating the Independence Day, the freedom in every aspect of life hopefully, they would like to see the creative spirit within YOU. If you have a talent in cooking or baking, food styling or food photography, show it to them, flaunt it. Even if you don’t think you have a talent, just send it anyway. They would like to see it!

And the Winner will win fun prize!

The theme is “Red and White” but it may be stretched as far as you can think of. Anything red and white, visual or concept wise, taste wise… anything. Be creative as much as you can. There’re some cool door prizes waiting. Remember, winning isn’t everything, but having fun is. So let’s have fun and let that creativity spilling over.

More info, please do visit here, here or here :).

Happy Clicking!!

Reminder : Home Food Photography # 3 : 'Studio'

Panggilan! Panggilan!! Ayo ayo yang belum nyetor, kesempatan untuk berpartisipasi di event ini masih dibuka sampe tanggal 20 Juli 2008. Ayo tunjukkan studio odong-odongmu alias spot/area favorit yang biasa dijadiin tempat motret makanan, jangan malu-malu :P.

Silahkan klik di sini untuk info lebih lanjut.

Ditunggu yaks!

Resep Mengenal ISO

Lia gurun (as requested gue tulis nama panggung lo tuh. Puas??!!) bertanya : apa fungsi angka-angka 80,100,200,400 dst pada kamera (digital)?

Maksudnya udah pasti angka-angka ISO. Good question, Li! Hal sederhana tapi sering diabaikan. Apalagi kalo di kameranya ada settingan Auto, pasti udah terlena dengan keotomatisan tersebut. Cari gampang, ISO diset AUTO aja. Akhirnya dapet hasil foto yang kurang memuaskan. Mari gue coba jelasin dengan segala keterbatasan gue dan dalam konteks food photography *lah ini sebenernya food blog apa tempat kursus foto seh?*.

Apa sih ISO?
Jaman dulu mungkin sering denger ASA? Ada ASA 100, 200, 400 bahkan 800. Ya 11-12 lah sama ISO. Well, ISO di sini mengacu pada sensitivitas film (pada kamera digital, image sensor, selanjutnya akan gue sebut image sensor karena kita berbicara dalam ruang lingkup digital) terhadap cahaya. Sebelum beranjak lebih jauh, gue cuman mau ingetin, ada 3 hal penting yang berpengaruh pada eksposur : aperture, shutter speed (kecepatan) dan ISO. See, ISO gak boleh disepelein.

Woo woo woooo, kompleks amat, ada aperture, ada kecepatan, ada ISO??? Tenang, mari kita urai pelan-pelan. Gue coba fokusin ke urusan ISO, walopun gak mungkin rasanya ngoceh soal ISO tanpa nyrempet-nyrempet urusan aperture dan shutter speed *senggol dikit gak papa lah ya*.

Angka-angka ISO menunjukkan seberapa sensitif image sensor terhadap cahaya, semakin kecil angka, misal 100, image sensor kurang sensitif (kurang bukan berarti tidak) terhadap cahaya. Sebaliknya, semakin besar angka, misal 1600, semakin sensitif image sensor terhadap cahaya.

Apa sih maksudnya sensitif di sini? Kurang sensitif atau sensitivitas rendah maksudnya image sensor harus terekspos dengan cahaya lebih banyak. Itulah sebabnya jika memotret di tempat kurang cahaya let's say dipojokan kamar yang jendelanya ketutup lemari trus motretnya di kolong meja....huekekekekkk, kita butuh ISO tinggi. Nah, settingan ISO tinggi ini akan menolong image sensor dalam menangkap cahaya sebanyak-banyaknya.

Foto ini gue ambil di lorong apartemen tanpa ada lampu yang menyala, gue menggunakan ISO 1600 supaya image sensor dapat menangkap banyak cahaya. Image rada blur karena gue agak goyang :P.



Nah, kalo yang ini pake ISO 100, see kecepatannya jadi rendah, gue gak pake tripod :P, makanya jadi goyang dombret.




Sebaliknya, jika kita memotret obyek di tempat terang benderang silau milau, gunakan ISO rendah. Karena image sensor udah kebanjiran cahaya maka gak perlu lagi ISO di set menjadi sensitif (baca: pake ISO tinggi), cukup yang kadar sensinya rendah aja, 100 misalnya.


note : gunakan ISO rendah untuk tempat terang seperti ini (diambil jam 12 siang dengan direct light),
kalo nekad juga pake ISO tinggi, hasilnya akan seperti ini



Apa yang terjadi kalo kita motret di tempat gelap dengan ISO rendah? Jawabnya bisa gelap, bisa terang. Loh??
1. Gelap : ISO rendah dengan angka aperture besar (misal f/16) atau ISO rendah dengan kecepatan tinggi (misal 1/200). Penjelasannya gini, udah ISOnya rendah means gak sensi sama cahaya, pake angka aperture besar atau kecepatan tinggi yang sama-sama gak maksimal nangkep cahaya, ya hasilnya bakal gelap.


note : prioritas pada Speed, Aperture menyesuaikan

2. Terang : ISO rendah dengan angka aperture kecil (misal f/2.8) atau ISO rendah dengan kecepatan rendah. Resikonya kita harus menggunakan tripod supaya gak goyang dombret. Penjelasannya : ok kita pake ISO rendah means kurang sensi sama cahaya trus keukeuh supaya hasil pengen terang, ya bisa aja dikompensasi di angka aperture-nya ato utak-atik speednya. Set ke angka aperture kecil misal f/1.8 atau pake speed lambat supaya image sensor punya kesempatan untuk menangkap cahaya sebanyak-banyaknya dan menghasilkan gambar yang cukup cahaya. Silahkan gunakan cara ini untuk mendapatkan mood tertentu pada foto tapi inget sedia tripod.


note : prioritas pada Aperture, Shutter speed menyesuaikan

Trus kalo kita motret di tempat terang benderang pake ISO tinggi gimana? Jawabnya bisa terang (normal) dan terang buanget bikin silau.
1. Terang/normal : ISO tinggi dengan angka aperture besar atau ISO tinggi dengan kecepatan tinggi.


note : prioritas pada settingan Aperture, Shutter speed menyesuaikan

2. Terang banget atau burned out : ISO tinggi dengan angka aperture kecil atau ISO tinggi dengan speed lambat. Penjelasan : ISO tinggi means sensi cahaya, trus pake angka aperture kecil yang punya kesempatan menangkap cahaya lebih banyak, atau pake kecepatan rendah yang membuka pintu selebar-lebarnya untuk cahaya masuk. Bayangin semua ngasih angin buat cahaya, alhasil foto kebakaran alias terang banget alias burned out.


note : prioritas pada settingan Aperture, Shutter speed menyesuaikan

Puyeng amat sih?! Makanya pelan-pelan kita kenalin dulu si ISO ini. Coba gunakan ISO pada tempat dan porsinya. Khusus untuk food photography gak bakal susah kok. Obyeknya still gak moving. Kita udah taulah medannya, bagaimana kondisi cahayanya, udah ketebaklah. Jadi gunakan ISO yang pas. Lagipula ini kamera digital gitu loh. Utak atik deh ISOnya untuk tau perbedaan eksposur atau hasil fotonya. Gak bakal mejen kayak kalo pake kamera analog, musti nyuci film dan nyetak fotonya :P. Gue sendiri, untuk motret makanan dengan kondisi di area pinggir jendela, tidak direct light, sering menggunakan settingan ISO 200-400. Kalo pake 200 seringkali musti dibantu tripod biar gak goyang.


Spot favorit di pinggir jendela

Lah kan sebenernya bisa aja gue pake ISO 800 atau 1600? Yup benul!! Tapi ada tapinya nih! ISO juga berhubungan dengan kualitas image. Better quality akan didapat dengan penggunaan ISO rendah. Pernah denger NOISE? Bintik-bintik kecil sewarna, biasanya pada sebuah area gelap pada sebuah image. NOISE akan muncul pada penggunaan ISO tinggi. Dan pada saat image di blow up akan terlihat pecah. Untuk beberapa kepentingan sih, NOISE emang sengaja dicari untuk keperluan artistik, tapi buat gue pribadi, mending melakukan itu di post processing/editing.

Coba perhatiin foto ini (image ini sudah diperbesar), di area yang gelap banyak terlihat bintik-bintik kecil atau NOISE, karena diambil menggunakan ISO 1600



Untuk food photography saran gue gunakan/prioritaskan pada ISO-ISO rendah. Coba main-main dengan aperture atau shutter speed untuk mendapatkan eksposur yang maksimal.

Jangan cuman mengandalkan AUTO. Settingan ISO AUTO sering diprioritaskan ke ISO tinggi. Misal tempat gelap sedikit padahal gak gelap gelap amat, otomatis ISO nge-set ke tinggi. Dan tiba-tiba foto jadi NOISE semua.

Trus buat apa dong ISO tinggi? Pernah nonton konser atau pertunjukkan terus kita gak boleh pake flash supaya gak mengganggu jalannya pagelaran? Ato di museum yang sering gak boleh pake flash ato di ruangan yang kurang cahaya tapi gak mungkin pake flash karena kita harus ndapetin moodnya? Nah, di sini ISO tinggi berperan. Atau ya untuk keperluan artistik dari sebuah image yang butuh penampakan NOISE.

Teori gak bakal nyangkut kalo gak dipraktekkin. Coba eksperimen dengan berbagai settingan ISO, aperture dan shutter speed untuk lebih kenal performa kerja kameramu dan hasil yang diinginkan. Seperti yang sudah gue sebutin di atas, ISO, Aperture dan Shutter Speed adalah 3 hal yang saling mendukung untuk mendapatkan sebuah eksposur yang maksimal. Thanks to kamera digital yang memungkinkan lo merubah-rubah ISO untuk foto yang berbeda. Sekarang latihan dulu menggunakan ISO yang tepat, nanti setelah itu pelan-pelan dikombinasikan dengan penggunaan Aperture atau Shutter Speed yang pas :).

Mudah-mudahan penjelasan seadanya ini bisa dimengerti dan gak bikin bingung ya. Pokoknya dah nangkep kan garis besarnya ;). Good luck! Ditunggu hasil eksperimennya.

Sekedar gambaran penggunaan ISO yang berbeda-beda di area yang sama (lorong apartemen tanpa lampu) denga settingan diprioritaskan pada Shutter Speed (1/100).

1. ISO 100


2. ISO 200


3. ISO 400


4. ISO 800


5. ISO 1600

Parmesan Tuna Muffin

I just saw these photo sets in my flickr and remembered that I haven't posted the recipe yet. And it's been almost 2 months ;) *dear Pati, maybe you're the one who's gonna smile, you've received the recipe, right?*.

Too many photos and too little time for blogging. Sometimes I got too excited taking so many food pics and spent most of my time for photo editing or flickring. The other time, with my girls, we were busy with our art and craft project.




And some other times I was so into stitching, and then I forgot about blogging :D. Until I realize there were so many foodie photos on my flickr queueing to be blogged.



Many friends asked me how did I manage my time between parenting, baking, cooking, blogging, food photography, crafting, etc. I'm not a super mommy. When I do something, I always take my time. Otherwise never do everything such in a rush and always low my expectation. I don't need to do everything perfectly because it would be impossible. With the girls around, my hands is full and somehow I always try to put them in my first priority and involved them in my activity *Yea right! Parenting kicked my butt big-time ;)*.



I just want to take my life easy and be happy everytime ;).



Anyway, my lovely foodie blogger buddy, Mindy, posted this recipe around May. She used the recipe from Rita's.

I was interested, because I've never had savory muffins before. Those looked so tasty! I adapted her recipe and with a little re-worked, I made my Parmesan Tuna Muffin.

The original calls for curry powder but since I didn't have one, I used parmessan cheese. These muffins supposed to be tasty but they turned out salty because I put too much salt. I forgot that I used parmessan cheese which already salty :P.



Just try these savory muffins for another experience! Maybe you'll be quite surprised in the first bite ;). Pretty strange yet delectable.

Here's the original recipe.

Curry Tuna Muffin
from : Mindy's Deli

Ingredients:
1 can tuna in water - drained
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 onion - finely chopped
1 cup self raising flour - sifted
3 tbsp curry powder (dita-I used Parmesan)
Parsley - chopped
Salt
Granulated sugar
1 egg - beaten
1/3 cup coconut milk (dita-I used milk)
1/4 cup canola oil

Topping (dita-I sprinkled the muffins with Parmesan)
Tuna mixture
Chili flakes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease muffin tin
Sauté chopped garlic and onion until fragrant. Add salt, curry powder (dita-Parmesan) and tuna chunks. Combine well. Set aside.
Combine sifted flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle.
In another bowl, combine beaten egg, coconut milk (dita-Milk) and oil. Pour the mixture into a well. Stir well
Add chopped parsley and the tuna mixture. Left some for topping. Combine well.
Pour the mixture into a greased muffin tin until 3/4 full. Bake muffins 25 minutes or until set. 10 minutes before the muffins are set, put the topping on each muffin. Served warm.

Loukoumades

It began when Mindy posted an easy donut recipe, someone has mentioned about loukoumades. What's that? I've never heard before. And then I asked mr.google to find a clue. Let me summarized fo you :) Pronounced : loo-koo-MAH-thes. Kind of greek style doughnuts, some people call them greek honey tokens or greek honey fritters. During the third century B.C. they were the first prizes awarded to the winners of the ancient olympic.

So, I asked Mindy whether she wanted to make loukoumades and she accepted my offer. We had a deal to post the result on Thursday (July, 3). Want to join the fun with us? ;) Just find any recipes for loukoumades, make them and post them in your blog as well. Don't forget to let us know your url link to the post. No deadline. Simply for fun!

Finding a recipe for loukoumades was not an easy task. I've found dozen recipes and I was pretty sure no two were alike. There were recipes with egg, recipes without. Recipes that called for milk and recipes didn't mentioned anything about milk. Recipes with nutmeg and recipes without. My head started to spin, didn't know where's the original one.

Finally....because I love nutmeg, I went with this recipe which called for nutmeg. I didn't know how did they supposed to look like. But mine were crisp outside and spongy inside.



Soaked with honey, dusted with cinnamon and sprinkled with walnut made these puffy balls a perfect dessert. But better served warm.



Loukoumades

Ingredients :
2 1/4 ounces active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm water (105-115º) -- divided
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for frying

SYRUP:
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

TOPPINGS:
Ground cinnamon to taste
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions :
In a mixing bowl,mix the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the warm water. When the mixture turns foamy (about 5 minutes), stir in the remaining 1-1/2 cups warm water with the egg, flour salt, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix until the batter is thick but smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for about an hour. (don't stir again or it will deflate.) The result should be a bubbly batter.



In a deep fryer or a large heavy pot, heat four inches of oil to 375º F. making sure there are at least 2 inches between the oil surface and the top of the pot. This should take about 20 minutes.

While the oil is heating, prepare the syrup by combining the ingredients in a small bowl or a 2-cup measuring cup.

Working in batches, slide dollops of the batter (about the size of a heaping tablespoonful each) into the hot oil at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. The dollops will puff up and float to the top. Turn the puffs occasionally with a slotted spoon until they are a deep golden brown on all sides and very crisp, about 2-4 minutes total. Remove carefully and drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.

Dust the puffs generously with cinnamon, drizzle with the honey-lemon syrup. and sprinkle with walnuts.

Tips : Have a cup of cold water into which you can wet a tablespoon and also the fingers of your hand each time. Wet the spoon so that the dough will not stick on it, take a spoon of the dough and using your hand or another spoon, push it down into the hot oil (take care not to burn yourself).

Butterhorn Garlic Knots

When I read Helen's post about butterhorn garlic knots, I could almost smell and practically taste them. I was tempted to make them by myself. Anything goes with garlic and butter is surely yum yum!

Hell yeahhh I didn't think twice, jumped up to my kitchen and made them. Just like Helen did, I added rosemary and basil to make these knots especially fragrant. Because I love garlic, I used a lot ;). These knots supposed to have a moist texture, because they got brushed before, during and after and all that butter soaking in the rolls. But mine are a little bit too dry, maybe because I used whole wheat flour instead of bread flour (????anyone?could you please tell me why?). *gotcha! Just got another reason to make these again! ;)* But next time I would bake the garlic mixture inside the dough and brushed the garlic butter over after I bake the knots not before baking. See, the burnt chopped garlic has made the knots didn't look pretty. Ya..ya...I know, that's just a matter of good presentation, the rest were great :).

I had some soup to go with these. And the kids eat these tasty knots as a snack beetwen meals.



I just couldn't wait for my second time around. Thanks Helen, for sharing the recipe. They were so addictive ;). And you know what, I was having so much fun when shaping the dough into the knots.



Butterhorn Garlic Knots
source : originally from Bon Appetit, reworked by Helen
Makes 18

Ingredients :
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tb unsalted butter cut into pieces
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp plus 1Tb sugar, divided
1 Tb dry instant yeast
1 large egg, room temp
3 to 3 1/2 cups, AP flour (dita-I used whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cloves garlic, minced finely

Directions :
In heavy medium sized sauce pan over low heat, heat milk and 6 Tb of butter until the butter is melted. Do not let it boil. Let cool to 115F degrees. Combine warm water, 1/2 tsp sugar, and yeast in small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes (this is for flavor not to proof yeast, unless you are using active yeast in which case you are proofing and getting flavor)
In large bowl of stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat egg and remaining sugar at low speed until blended. Beat in milk mixture. Gradually add 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time until blended smooth. Replace the whisk with dough hook. Add yeast mixture, salt, and 1 cup of flour (1/2 cup at a time), beat at medium low speed. You will have a very wet and loose dough that climbs the dough hook but falls back down the bowl by this time. One Tb at a time, add enough remaining flour to form a firm but sticky dough ball. The dough balls will pull away from the sides of the bowl and not flop back to the sides.

Pour 1/2 Tbsp melted butter in large bowl that can be fitted with a lid or that plastic wrap clings to well. On very lightly flour covered counter and with lightly floured hands, give dough 3 - 5 quick hand kneads to form good dough ball and then put in buttered bowl, turning dough over to coat with butter. Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough, fold dough over in half and then half again, and brush with melted butter. Cover bowl again and let rise again in same warm draft free place until doubled (about 1 hour).
From here follow the directions for making the knots as shown on the KA website. Just don't tuck the ends in to get the shape you want.
Cover and let rise until double, brush with melted butter and garlic and bake in 350F preheated oven for 15 -20 minutes.