Blueberry cream cheese tart

The holidays were a blur of time this year, at least partially owing to the fact that we spent a lot of time in the kitchen where time seems to pass so quickly. So we are still catching up on posting some of the recipes that starred on our table this year. This post is for the blueberry and vanilla cream cheese tart that is very simple. I did not make this, Quay Lo did.

You will need two medium sized mixing bowls, measuring cups & spoons, a blending fork, a 12 inch tart pan or, optionally, 4-5 individual shallow ramekins, very lightly buttered.

Optional: A food processor and electric mixer

Ingredients

Crust: (note: your favorite graham crust will do very well here, while we prefer the following sweetened crust for this tart)

1/2 cup (63 g) powdered sugar 

1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup (170 g) butter, softened 

Filling:

6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese, at room temperature 

1 cup (126 g) powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream 

1/4 cup (56 g) castor sugar 

1 can blueberry pie filling

Directions

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Combine powdered sugar, flour, and butter in a food processor, or combine in a mixing bowl with a blending fork until mixture is crumbly and less than pea sized and can easily be pressed into a ball between your hands. Roll out dough for an un-greased 12-inch tart pan or, cut dough ball into 4 equal parts and simply press each piece into individual, shallow, five inch ramekins, slightly buttered. Take care to press into indentations.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned, using pie weights or dried beans to fill the crust, to prevent it from buckling. Allow to completely cool on a rack and remove the weights.

Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese with the powdered sugar using a fork or a mixer until thoroughly blended. Clean the mixer utensils for next step.

In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream and the caster sugar. Beat until soft peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Spoon this mixture into the cooled pie shell and top it with blueberry pie filling or blueberry preserves. Refrigerate until well chilled and firmed. Serve with a sprig of mint leaf, thinly sliced strawberries if available, sliced maraschino cherries, or a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Pumpkin bread - I smell Christmas in my house!

I found this pumpkin bread recipe and decided to try it.  I have made some changes to the original recipes. I took the suggestion of one user and replaced cinnamon and nutmeg with ground all spices and added walnuts. I also added diced dates and use freshly mashed pumpkin instead of canned.  The original recipe calls for 3 cups of sugar, I have reduced it to 2 ½ cups and the result is actually sweet enough for my taste.  This is a good recipe as the bread came out fluffy. I cut out 3 pieces, got it packed and drove to the guard house to give them to the guard on duty so that he can have them for tea. The big smile on his face was priceless!. The fragrance of this bread not only filled my house with Christmas, it also gave the guard joy. AWESOME!

Largely adapted from Shirley Sober’s recipe.

Ingredients:

            1 cup butter or margarine, softened

            2 1/2 cups sugar

            3 eggs

            3 cups all-purpose flour

            1 tbsp baking powder

            1 1/2 tsp baking soda

            1 tsp ground all spices

    1 tsp vanilla extract

            1 tsp ground cloves

            16 oz. mashed pumpkin

   ½ cup diced dates

   ¾ halved walnuts

Method:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin, diced dates and walnuts. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans or a bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Chocolate Croissants Pudding with Whiskey Sauce - a nice dessert to include in Thanksgiving and X'mas menu - featured in Group Recipes

My hubby made this pudding for a dinner we hosted last week. Since Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching, this is a nice dessert to be included in the menu. The whiskey sauce compliments the chocolate pudding perfectly. This dessert is sinful but irresistable!

Largely adapted from Stonewood’s recipe

Ingredients for Whiskey Sauce:

¼ cup water

1 cup sugar

⅛ tsp. vanilla extract

1 oz. Bourbon Whiskey

1 egg

2.5 ounces butter

Ingredients for Pudding:

8 pcs frozen large croissants 


2 c. half and half

2 c. whole low fat milk

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

4 lrg Large eggs at room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method to make Whiskey Sauce:

Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and stir constantly until completely dissolved. Add vanilla and bourbon & bring back to a boil. Beat eggs in a stainless bowl, put half of the syrup into eggs and stir continuously. Pour eggs back into syrup.Cut butter into small pieces and stir until fully melted into sauce. Cool down in ice bath and store in proper container.

Method to make chocolate pudding:

Heat oven to 325F or 160C. Generously grease an 11 3/4 x 7 1/3 x 1 3/4-in. baking dish or possibly other shallow 2-qt baking dish. Slice top third off each croissant and reserve. Cut or possibly tear rest of croissants in small pcs. Heat half and half and low fat milk till steaming (take care it doesn't boil over). Remove from heat, add in 1 3/4 c. chocolate chips. Let stand till melted. Stir to mix (there will be specks of chocolate throughout). Whisk Large eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in warm chocolate mix. Add in croissant pcs, pushing them down into the custard. Pour into prepared baking dish. Arrange reserved croissant tops on top. Scatter remaining 1/4 c. chocolate chips on top. Bake 25 to 35 min till center of custard is still soft and jiggles slightly when dish is shaken. Serve hot or possibly at room temperature.

Pecan Pie

Like the Chinese idiom: "Yow yuen chin lay lung seong wui, moe yuen tui mien pat seong foong”, literally means if you are fated to know each other, you will meet despite the miles apart, if you are not fated to meet, even if you find yourselves sitting opposite each other, you remain strangers and that's true about how we met John and Diana. We were at the Bangsar Village supermarket a few months ago looking at beef at the meat counter. John and Diana were there too. Then, my hubby and John started a conversation about beef the next thing we know, Diana and I were exchanging hand phone numbers. A few weeks later, we met for dinner and became good friends. Isn’t it amazing?

Last evening, we had them over for dinner again. My hubby, mum and I jointly prepared a fusion dinner for them. Here is our Dinner Menu for the evening:


Appetizers: 
Sui kow (Chinese Dumplings) with wasabi, mayo red pepper sauce - prepared by me
Crispy crab claws with black pepper sauce on sweet melon and grilled beef on skewers - prepared by hubby and me.

 Main Course: 
Pan fried ground black pepper, ground coriander and parika coated tuna steak on ginger fried rice - prepared by mum and me (recipe for the tuna given to me by hubby)
Grilled vegetables salad with beef jerky in balsamic maple syrup dressing - prepared by me. 


Dessert: Pecan Pie - prepared by me

We served a bottle of really fine cold sake with our food. It was a wonderful evening! Happiness to me is seeing people enjoy the food and have their plates empty for every course. Most of the above recipes were posted except for beef on the stick, crispy crab claws in black pepper sauce and pecan pie, I would like to share with you the recipe for the pecan pie first and post the recipe for the other two later. Here you go!

The dining table setting for the evening

Pecan Pie

Largely adapted from Karo Pecan Pie recipe

Ingredients for one 9 in. pie crust:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled 1/4 cup ice water

Ingredients for the filling:

(A)

1 cup dark corn syrup

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

(B)

30 whole pecan

1 cup broken pecan

Method for making the crust:

In a medium bowl, combine flour. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually sprinkle the water over the dry mixture, stirring until dough comes together enough to form a ball. On a floured surface flatten dough ball with rolling pin. Roll out into a circle that is one inch larger than pie dish. Place pie shell into dish and refrigerate until pie filling is complete.

Method to make the filling:

Stir all the filling ingredients (A) together thoroughly.

Method of assembiling the pie:

Spread out 1 cup of broken pecan into the pie crust. Pour in the (A) mixture. Arrange 5 flowers with the whole pecans. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C or 350 degrees F for 55 – 60m mins.

Note: Tap the center surface of the pie lightly, It should spring back when it is done.

Barley ginkgo nut with foo chuk & quail eggs dessert - Featured in Group Recipes

The Cantonese speaking Chinese call their sweet soup dessert “tong sui”. There is a wide variety of tong sui in Malaysia. There are stores that devote themselves just to selling different types of sweet soups.  We do not have a specific time to take “tong sui”,  some people even take it for supper but in the Chinese restaurants, they usually served “tong sui” at the end of a meal as dessert.  Traditionally, sweet soup is usually served hot but like things changes with time, nowadays, it can be served hot or cold.  For me, having a bowl of ice cold barley ginkgo nuts, foo chuk sweet soup is divine especially when the weather is so hot here.

Featured on Asian Food Channel (Official) Facebook

on 16th July 2012

Ingredients:

20 gm barley

20 pcs ginkgo nuts, remove shell and skin
2 sheets of foo chuk (flat sheet type)

4 pcs pandan leaves

rock sugar (up to individual taste)

1.2 litre water

8 hard boiled quail eggs, remove shell (optional)

1 egg white


Note: Please mention to the vendor that you want the flat sheet type of foo chuk and is for making "tong sui" because they have various kind of foo chuk and if you buy the wrong type it will not dissolve easily.

Method:

Add water, barley and ginkgo nuts  and pandan leaves into the pot and bring it boil. Turn heat to medium and let it boil till ginkgo nuts are soft, about 30 to 35 mins.  Add foo chuk and sugar and boil till sugar dissolved and foo chuk is broken up, about 15 mins.  Lightly whisk egg white and pour in slowly and stir at the same time.  Turn off heat and remove the pandan leaves.  Can be serve hot or cold.

Sour cream banana & roasted pecan cupcakes - Featured in Group Recipes & Bakeolious

I am a hopeless baker....so hopeless that the first time I tried baking a cake it was a disaster. My hubby had bought a box of cake mix and asked me to follow the instructions on the box. I did, but then I baked it in a toaster oven instead of the regular oven. A near fire was the result of course. I don't blame you for laughing at how silly I was. That was when I had no clue at what to use in a kitchen.

I love all my foodie friends’ cup cakes! They all look so lovely, especially recently. Some of them are so creative in coming up with spooky ones for Halloween. I hope someday I will come up with nicer and more creative cupcakes. So for now, I have baked some, but they are very basic. From a taste stand point, my darling hubby said they were delicious, but presentation is a fail by my own estimation. I am sharing this because I find this recipe makes really yummy banana cupcakes. I hope to see some foodie friends use it and come up with those amazing little things! Do buzz me if you use this recipe to make cup cakes so that I can enjoy some eye candies!

Makes 18 – 20 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter

1 ¼ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sour cream

1 c. mashed bananas

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Method:
Line cupcake pan with cup cake papers. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, blend thoroughly. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add bananas and pecans, mixing just until blended. Spoon batter into the paper cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 mins minutes. Cool well and before adding any frosting.

Banana Foster - The original recipe from Chef Paul

I do not usually have a sweet tooth but this is one dessert, perhaps second to Crème Brulee,  that I love.  It is so simple to make but it just taste divine!  Want to know more about this recipe which was created in 1950, here is the link http://www.neworleansrestaurants.com/recipes/recipes_brennans.html

Serving: 4

Ingredients:

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup banana liqueur

4 bananas, cut in slices about 1 cm thick

¼ cup dark rum

4 scoops vanilla ice cream



4 red cherries (optional)

Method:

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat on the burner, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and top each scoop of ice cream with a cherry. Serve immediately. (You can tell from my picture that pausing to take a photo can cost you a bit of melting but honestly,  it still tasted divine.)

Water Chestnut Dessert - Featured in Group Recipes

This is a recipe I found on the web some time ago. Unfortunately I forgot to save the link and could not give credit to the owner of the recipe. My bad. The only ingredient I changed was replacing evaporated milk with whipped cream and it turned out well.

This Asian dessert was featured in Asian Food Channel (Official) Facebook page

on 2nd October 2012

Servings 4

Ingredients:

65g sago, washed and soaked for 5–10 minutes, then drained

300g fresh water chestnuts (ma tai), coarsely chopped

1.2 litres water

175g castor sugar

3 pandan leaves, shredded and knotted
(A) combined:

100ml thick coconut milk

1 tbsp whipped cream

½ tsp salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Method:

Put water, sugar and pandan leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add water chestnuts and sago. Cook until sago turns transparent.

Stir in combined ingredients (A) and bring to a low simmer for two to three minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in egg white.

Dish out and serve warm.

QPC Snow White Cocktail Drink

There was a new brand of ice cream that I bought that we are not so fond of.  Moreover, when ice cream was melted and frozen again, it is not nice to eat. When my son dropped by for dinner last weekend, I told him to use it to make a cocktail drink for us. I suggested he add cointreau but he suggested to add baileys also.  It turns out to be quite a nice cocktail:D  Since it white and decorated with a bright red strawberry, I call it QBC Snow White Cocktail.  LOL! Try it and tell me what you think:D

Ingredients:

4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1 cup full cream milk

1 tb lemon juice

1/2 jigger bailey

1/2 jigger cointreau

6 cubes of ice

Method:

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend well.  You can serve it in any glass you want. We garnished it with a piece of parsley leaf and a strawberry. If you have a better way to make it look pretty, just do it! (^^)

Creme Brulee - A dessert I would die for!! - Featured in Group Recipes & Bakeolicious

I first tasted Creme Brulee during my trip to Rome and from that moment fell in love with it.  Whenever I go out dining and if this dessert is on the menu, I will never fail to order, even if in addition to other new dessert  I want to try.  Since I love it so much, I decided to find the recipe and learn to make it myself.  I have gone through several recipes but the following one is the easiest and the best.  But to make this dessert, you have to invest in some special equipments;  flameproof ramekins and a small kitchen blow torch.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup powdered (icing) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp vanillin (ahi grade vanillin is quite good, but if you can, use vanilla from the bean

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw

Special equipment: 6 (4-oz) flameproof ramekins

Method:

Preheat oven to 120°C.

Whisk together yolks, icing sugar, and salt and vanillin in a bowl until combined well. Add cream to egg mixture and whisking until combined. Pour the mixture through a sieve in to the ramekins. Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and bake in a hot water bath in middle of oven until custards are just set, 1 hour on 120 degree C. Transfer custards with tongs to a rack to cool, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours.


Now the fun part: Use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar topping.  This needs practise because it burns the sugar easily if you are not careful. Don't be afraid to get the flame close enough to do the job but keep it moving in a regular motion, until you have a golden brown top similar to the picture. Make a few of these for yourself and you family test subjects  before counting on this to impress dinner guests. It won't take long and everyone loves this rich, creamy finish to a perfect dinner.

Trifle with Creme Brulee

Ingredients

200gms old butter cake

Crème brulee (refer to my Crème brulee recipe)

75 ml/5 tbsp Cointreau

75 ml/5 tbsp brandy

1 can of peaches

250 gm strawberry

2 kiwi

250 gm blueberry

Note: you can use any fruits of your choice

  

Method:

Split the butter cakes in half. Crush the cakes. Pour Cointreau and brandy over cake. Place the crushed cake in the base of a glass serving dish.  Put a layer kiwi then crème brulee, a layer of strawberry, a layer canned peaches. Then a layer of whipped cream. finished the top layer with blueberry.

Layering the trifle is all up to you and your creativity.

Carrot Cake - Featured at Bakeolicious on 10 Nov 2010

This is an all time favorite cake of my family and friends. My dear friend Diana asked me for the recipe last week and I just got to bake this cake today and here it is:D


Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar.
2 cups sieved all purpose flour.
1 tsp. salt.
1 tsp. Cinnamon, ½ tsp Nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed.
1 tsp. baking powder.
1 tsp. baking soda.
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil.
2 tsps. vanilla.
4 large eggs.
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are good, but any nut will do).
1/2 cup raisins.


Method:
1. Grease and flour or lined with baking sheets a 8” x 3” round tall pan.
2. Stir together dry ingredients.
3. Squeeze out some of the juice from the shredded carrots
4. Now add to the dry mixture, the carrots, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
5. Beat about 2 to 3 minutes until well mixed.
6. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting with Sour Cream

2/3 cup icing sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup sour cream

Seive the icing sugar and set aside.  Beat 1/2 cup sour cream and cream cheese in large bowl until well blended. Add  1 tea spoon at a time the icing sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cake.

Pavlova or Palova

I first tasted the Pavlova in The Ishii’s Residence on 4th July this year.  Their friend, Cheng Yi baked it.  It was really delicious and I decided to make one, one day myself.  If you want to try it, here is the recipe. Pavlova:  Ingredient: 120 grams egg white 1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour) Topping: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whippingcream 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruits of your choice. Method: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in. Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.) Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)  The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.  Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.