Don't regret regret

I came across a speech “Don’t regret regret” by Kathryn Schulz. She is a journalist, author, and public speaker. Her speech had a direct effect on me and made me stop procrastinating attempting to make a dessert which I had put off because of fear of failure.

To start I had this paper in my recipe folder for ages....

Please note milk is missing in the note below. Use 2/3 cup low fat milk.

It was given to me by my Quay Lo and I kept it in my drawer for quite some time. Usually, I am quite excited about new recipes and it isn't very long before I try it. However, this time I put off attempting the recipe for a long time. I had tried making pudding cakes from other recipes several times in the past and I always regretted it when I did. I never seemed to get it right and the outcomes were disappointing. So was I regretting regret through my procrastination? Let me answer by saying how much I am thankful for hearing Kathryn's speech. 

She said, “We need to love the flawed and imperfect things that we create and forgive ourselves for creating them. Regret does not remind us that we did badly. It reminds us to know that we can do better.” 

It sounds almost unbelievable but immediately after hearing her talk I got that piece of paper out of my drawer and went into my kitchen to make the pudding cake. To my surprise, although I judged that it did not come out perfect, the taste and texture were better than I had expected, and it was actually quite good. Not only that, but the attempt helped me to identify ways to improve the recipe to get to a more perfect result. I was happy that I learned an important lesson today and that is not to regret regret.  It interferes with our learning.

Do you believe in "Destiny"?

"Yau Yuen Chin lay lang seong wui, Moe Yuen tui mien but seong foong" (A Chinese proverb with the meaning: If one is destined to meet another, they will even from afar, if not, they will not know each other even they are face to face." 

This expains the belief in "Destiny" by example. Do you believe in destiny? I believe in destiny but I do not think it is pre-ordained. I think destiny is self created by choices we take in our lives. For example, how I got to know these two nice people, Fan and Treedson is through my choice to accept the invitation from the "nourish" team to be the judge for the baking competition "Think Out of the Shell" sponsored by Nutriplus last October. 

During the whole duration of competition, I had fun with all the contestants...

Fan and I

(Photo courtesy from "nourish")

Kelly, Treedson, I and Fan

(Photo courtesy from "nourish")

.....and since then I have been keeping touch with a few on facebook. Fan and I have been talking for months about a get-together but just could not find a time where both of us were available. Finally we did it. Fan and Treedson came to my house to have tea with me. (This was before my trip to USA). Fan brought a lemon butter cake, carrot cake and her famous brownies while Treedson brought with him a box of yummy madeleines and a bottle of champagne to celebrate our friendship. As the host, I could not just serve coffee and tea, could I?  So, I decided to introduced them to a new dessert which was recently introduced to me by my Quay Lo. Fried Pie but this time, I put in my own little twist. The original recipe did not call for lemongrass and pecans. I included these two ingredients because I wanted to use them up to clear space in my fridge. So I made a blueberry paste infused with lemongrass and added toasted pecan for the filling. 

You will only know how good this dessert is when you try it. True enough, like me, Fan and Treedson loved the fried pie. Don't let the photo of this fried pie fool you. It tasted far better than it looks. This is a very difficult dessert to get a photo that can suggest its delicious flavour.

Fried pie with chopped apple & pecans in blueberry paste infused with lemongrass and anise.

Ingredients:
Enough oil to fry the pie
Pie Dough (Please click to get the recipe)
Filling (see recipe that follows)
1 egg beaten for egg wash

Ingredients for the filling:

1/2 cup toasted pecan, roughly chopped 

1 apple, remove skin, cored and chopped

Blueberry lemon grass and anise paste

250gm frozen blueberries, thawed

8 tbs sugar

6 - 8 tbs water

2 stalks lemongrass (tender inner white parts only, smashed)

1/2 tsp ground anise or 1 whole anise

1 tbs flour (more when needed to thicken the paste)

Method:

To make the paste, place blueberries, sugar, water, lemongrass and ground anise in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add flour and let simmer until the paste thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the paste cool completely. Remove lemon grass. Pour mixture into blender and blend till smooth. In a bowl, mix blended mixture with chopped apple and toasted chopped pecan and mix well.

Assemble the pie:

Roll doll out in about 1/2 cm thick and cut out 4 inches circles. Spoon 1 heaping tbs of prepared filling onto the center of the dough and then seal it. Lightly brush with egg wash on both sides and then deep fry the pie in hot oil. Drain the oil in paper towel before serving with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Why giving matters

You may have heard the old adage "it is better to give than to receive," but you may not believe it. Well, now scientific studies show that it’s true. — Anthony L. Komaroff, MD 

Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Sir Richard Branson are the proofs of "Giving brings happiness". They all said, "Stuff" really is not what brings happiness. Family, friends, good health and the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference are what really matters. 

We may not have so much to give like these billionaires but I believe we can always give within our means. For as long as we are willing to give, we will enjoy the same happiness like them.  There are peripheral benefits as well. For example, we set a good example for our children to follow so they too will be givers and enjoy the benefits of happiness, more satisfaction, and general well being that it can bring.

So, when my BFF (best friend forever), Peng asked me if I would like to bake something for a charity fare organized by the temple that she goes to, I said, “Sure! it is a good opportunity for me to give and it is within my means." But then, after that, I forgot all about it. Aiyoh! I am sincere in giving but organizing skills and memory could use a fresh up. LOL! Fortunately, my friend knows me well, and she  sent me an sms two days before the event to remind me. Then, I started scratching my head over what to bake for my contribution. I wanted to bake carrot cake 

and banana chocolate cake 

but then, these cakes need to be kept cold and they are not suitable for an event with no refrigerated facilities. Finally, I scratched out these muffins. My BFF told me the muffins were sold out quickly and another friend who bought it and tasted it said it was moist, fluffy and delicious. She said she wants to bake the muffins and there you go, the recipe will follow. 

The ones I baked to sell at the event was not the upside down version because they would have been too difficult to pack. I baked the upright muffins with cranberry sauce on top. They was really no difference in taste whether upright or upside down. Make your choice

Upside down cranberry muffin

This bake is inspired by “joy of Baking”

Recipe for cranberry sauce, please click on the photo to get my recipe.

Recipe for the batter, please click the photo to get the recipe from "Joy of Baking".  Two things I changed were 1) I used my own cranberry sauce recipe and 2) I reduced the sugar amount to 80gms from 100gms.

I don't need more toxic

“You don’t ever have to feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life. It doesn't matter whether someone is a relative, romantic interest, employer, childhood friend, or a new acquaintance — you don’t have to make room for people who cause you pain or make you feel small. It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change. But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries, and "continues" to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go”. ~ Daniell Koepke

What do you think about the above quote? I agree with it 100%. At my age, I already have too many other toxins in my body and I don’t need another one in my head.

I am sure when we decide to end a relationship with someone, we naturally feel a little guilty. Did we do enough to understand that person? Is it me, not them? We are unsure if we are doing the right thing. I guess when you are constantly feeling unhappy around the person, it is a sign to you to remove this person from your life. If you have allowed enough time and find there is no change then it may be time to reduce your exposure. It is just like when you learn of a food that may introduce toxins into your body, you wouldn’t eat it. You would discard it immediately, right? Believe me, our souls need the same loving care and protection as our vital organs do. II'll give you a couple of examples in my life. The first was a woman that borrowed money, then never mentioned it again. In fact, she began to avoid me. When finally I brought it up, she acted resentful and angry as if I were being mean (and I had not been at all). In that case, I simply passively let her slip away, a direction I think she was going anyway. In my second example it was a friend that told me gossip story after story about other friends. So much so that I began to realize she was quite likely saying things about me. They were never flattering stories and always had an element of poor behavior on the part of the subject. In that case I found myself interupting her and trying to divert her attention to another topic. Eventuallly though I began to distant mysellf from her as she seemed to stay intent on indulging herself in the habit. Though unpleasant at the time, today I feel like I escaped from becoming toxic myself. It occurred to me that there is a difference between a little sin once in a while as opposed to becoming fully toxic. By a "little sin" I mean something like this. This is one of our favorite "sins".

Well ... maybe sinful but not toxic, so please don’t throw this away. Or me either. LOL!

Salted Caramel Cake

For the American Sponge cake recipe, please click on the picture. 

Note: just divide the batter evenly for three 6-inch cake pan.

Salted Caramel Frosting

Adapted from : http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com

(Makes enough to frost a three layer 6-inch cake)

Ingredients:
8 brandied cherries (Optional)

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ tbs water

90gms unsalted butter

¾  cup cream

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

¾  cup soften butter

4 ½  cups icing sugar

Method:

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.  Heat over medium-high heat, stirring till sugar melts. Stop stirring when the sugar starts to boil. Let the sugar boil until it is amber colored not brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add the butter and cream. Add the sea salt, and whisk vigorously until the caramel comes together.  Cool to room temperature.

Transfer the caramel to a large mixing bowl.  Add butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on medium speed, until the icing reaches a spreadable consistency.

Note: For those who do not want to divide the batter, you might have to adjust your baking time and cut the cake into three equal layers when it is completely cool. Here is a video to show you how to cut the layers:

Spare the rod and spoil the child

I suspect that my mum still believes in this notion of “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. Oh, maybe she has mellowed a bit since my youngster years, but that was how I was brought up. Oh yes, there was a cane in her house when I was little. There was a cane in my house too when my son, Nick was little. Is there one in your house?

Many modern parents have a different view. A few days ago, I was at a “mamak” restaurant with my Quay Lo. There was this young mom with two handsome little boys, one age 4 or 5 and the younger one maybe two sitting just a few tables away from us.. Her little boys were so active and could not sit still. They were running around in the restaurant and making a lot of noise but their mom did not pay any attention to them. She kept on enjoying her food.  I marveled at her tolerance and patience with her boys. That reminded me of my childhood days when kids were expected to be "seen not heard". I cannot remember how many times, I got caned by my mum. Oops did I just reveal that I was a naughty little girl? LOL!

I remember when my son, Nick was little like the two little boys. I was more relaxed with him compared to my mum, but I was certainly not as easy going as their mom. There was no way that I could have kept calm and serene, and continue to enjoy my food, if Nick were to run around the restaurant making noise and banging chairs. When he went out for a meal with us, he knew he had to sit still and I think I was fortunate that he was a reasonable child and seemed quite happy just to be there with us.

During my childhood days, I also didn’t see parents making a large birthday celebration for their kids. Every year on my birthday, my mum would cook two hard boiled eggs and stain them with red dye to present to me. That was my birthday gift and celebration. I really wasn't aware that I was missing anything. In fact she does this for my Quay Lo for his birthday every year, and he is charmed by the practice.

I don’t remember there was even a birthday cake until much later in my life when my sister's parents throw a party for me when I was in my teens. Of course, now many parents plan big parties for their kids’ birthdays and my niece’s sister in law recently threw a big party for her one year old daughter. That was great because I got the opportunity to get in on the fun in a way.

My mum asked me if I would like to make a birthday cake and cup cakes for her. I was happy to, because the family are old friends of ours. I was unable to attend the party but I was told that not only the little kids loved the cupcakes that I baked, but the adults did too. One of her guests asked if she can place an order with me. LOL!

Here, they are and if you would like to bake these moist banana chocolate cupcakes, click on the pictures to get the recipe.

Here another way you may decorate the cupcakes for adults. I baked these for one of my readers, Kimmie when we met up. We had a nice lunch and a long chat.  She gave me a bottle of lovely Australian wine and I really enjoyed it.

As I am not very good at baking a huge single birthday cake, I baked a small one for the birthday girl. I used the same recipe but with chocolate ganache frosting instead of chocolate butter cream frosting.

My Obama lemon cheese cream tart

It was the USA election day last Wednesday. Both Quay Lo and I were eager to follow the progress of voting. We were both glued to the couch in the living hall. Our lunch was quick and simple and we had it in front of the TV. LOL! 

Simple lunch - grilled herb sausage 

and carpet bag egg on French toast with

sliced carrots and seedless grapes
(Photo taken with my iPhone 4S)

As soon as the the announcement of Obama was re-elected, we made an appointment with our good friends, “The Ishiis” . We want to celebrate the landslide victory of US President Barack Obama for second time in office. So we all decided to go dinner at our favorite restaurant "Simply Mels".

I like the cosy environment at Simply Mel's

When the food is good, we give our compliment. 

My Quay Lo signed the guest book and leave a positive comment.

If you have not been to Simply Mel's before, I would recommend that you check it out someday. Here are some of the dishes we have tried so far and they were all delicious. We have yet to try many others in the Menu and I have no doubt they will not disappoint us.

From left: 

Salada, Tauhu kung Pipinyu

salad, tau kwa and cucumber with Mel's chilli sauce.

Cincalok Fritters  - fluffy prawn fritters infused with cincalok

‘Sotong Garing’ (Deep Fried Calamari)

deepfried squid rings in a golden batter with garlic mayo

Incimintu Karangezu (Crab Stuffing)

freshly picked crabmeat, prawns, mince chicken, diced carrot, onion and turnip stuffed in crab shell. Served with Mel’s homemade chilli sauce

From left: Beef Ambiller Kachang - beef meat balls and 

Kari Seccu

dry portuguese beef curry and potatoes cooked in a thick, spiced gravy

From left: 

Kari Captain - sweet and savoury red chicken curry and Kari ‘Devil’ - debal curry with chicken and potatoes

From left:

Sambal Nanas kung Kambrang a sweet and tangy sambal with pineapple chunks

and prawns, served in pineapple. Soy Limang Terung fried aubergine in soya sauce & lime gravy with onions

Baked seabass 

From left: The Last Polka ice cream 

and chilled fresh durian in Mel's flavoured coconut milk

When there is a chance to meet up with my friends and family, I always like to share with them something I baked.  This time, the dessert I shared was inspired by my friend, Kelly Siew of "Kelly Siew Cooks". She was the runner-up for The Nutriplus Competition where I was one of the judges at the semi final - round one. Her tart won her a place at the finals. Since I baked this tart for the celebration of Obama election victory, I will name this tart after him. LOL! 

I did not replicate Kelly's lemon cream tart because I wanted something simpler to do since I do not have too much time to get it ready before we had to leave for the dinner. I found this recipe where there is no need to roll out the dough for the pie crust or the need to cook the filling. This was exactly what I wanted. I was a bit worried how the taste will turn out but then all my doubts were cleared when “The Ishiis” told me it was delicious and the balance of tartness and sweetness was perfect for them. My Quay Lo agreed the flavor was good but he preferred it to be a bit sweeter. So feel free to increase or decrease the amount of sugar and lemon juice accordingly to suit your taste.

Obama Lemon cheese cream tart

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Shortbread Crust:

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Method to make Shortbread Crust:

Lightly butter a 9 inch tart pan with removable base.

Put flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, use your hand to rub them together till the clumps formed. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan and then use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork. Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. When the pastry is completely chilled, please a parchment paper on top and pour in some rice to weight down the pastry so that it will not puff up during baking. Put into the oven to bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C.

Lemon Filling:

140 gm cream cheese, room temperature.

100 gm castor sugar (you can increase this if you like this sweeter)

100 ml lemon juice (you can increase this if you like this more tart)

20 ml water (omit water accordingly if you increase amount of lemon juice)

2 large eggs

1 tbs grated lemon

Method to make lemon filling:

In an electric mixer, place the cream cheese and whisk till creamy. Add sugar and whisk till combined. Add the eggs and combine thoroughly. Add the lemon juice and zest and have them well blended. Pour filling into pre baked tart shell and bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes or until filling is set. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool before cover and refrigerate to chill for an hour.

Topping:

240 ml cold heavy whipping

1 tbs icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method to make topping: 

Put your mixing bowl and whisk in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Whip the whipping cream and icing until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with star tip and pipe stars over the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate till time to serve.

Do I get the "ooos" and "aahs" from you?

As most of you know, I was recruited to be on the panel of judges for The Nutriplus Baking Competition. I guess I was what might be referred to as the local "anchor" judge as I was to join each day of the event. 

Judges for the semi final -round 1

From left: Chef Bernard, Chef Federick and Quay Po

The competition took place over five days and a new panel of judges were empaneled each day, recruited  from the many celebrated chefs here in Malaysia plus me. Needless to say it was a little intimidating. On the other hand, it afforded me a ring side seat for the flurry of creativity that took place and that was thrilling. The first four days of competitive baking were for the semi-finalists, selected from all of the applications. On the fifth day the four finalists from the previous four days met for the finals round.  

Not only did I get to rub elbows with seasoned chefs (no pun intended) but I had the chance to watch other home chefs work their magic. Through observation, I gained knowledge about pastry making, not only from my fellow judges but also from the twelve very talented contestants.

Semi final - Round 1 contestants:

Semi final - Round 2 contestants:

Semi final - Round 3 contestants:

Semi final - Round 4 contestants:

The Charlotte recipe which I am going to share with you is inspired by the Winner of this competition, Wendy Yip of "Table for Two or more". Her winning bake was a water melon charlotte. She used ladies fingers, mousse and water melon. She made the ladies fingers from scratch. 

I was inspired by Wendy to make one. I did not make the ladies fingers from scratch but used what I had in my pantry which was store bought. For the fruits, I used strawberries and pineapple. Instead of making just mousse, I added  American sponge cake and marmalade jam to sandwich the mousse. There are many steps to make this but the result is stunning and the taste of the charlotte was to die for so it is all worth it. I can assure you that you will get lots of "ooos" and "aaahs" from the finished product. I want to see if I get that from you all. LOL!

Strawberry Pineapple Charlotte

Ingredients to make the marmalade jam: 

(This can be made ahead of time)

Please get the recipe from the link provided:

http://nancyharmonjenkins.com/recipes/bitter-orange-marmalade/

American Sponge Cake

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, separated

½ cup (50 grams) sifted cake flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoons water

Zest of 1/2 lemon  or orange

Method to make 6 inch diameter the Cake:

Have ready an ungreased 6 inch diameter cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Separare the eggs, yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Set asid and let eggs comes to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile sift or whisk the sifted flour with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks and 2/3 cup (66 grams) of the sugar in the bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on high speed until they are thick, fluffy and light in color.  Stop beating when you raise the beater and the batter will fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon. Add evanilla extract, water, and lemon zest and mix well . Set aside while you beat the egg whites.

Whisk the egg whites until foamy and continue whisking until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup (34 grams) of sugar and continue whisking until the egg whites are shiny and just form stiff peaks.

Next, sift the flour mixture over the beaten egg yolks. Gently but quickly fold  the flour into the egg yolk batter. Then gently fold a little of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites, folding just until incorporated Pour the batter into cake pan and smooth the top.

Bake in preheated oven for 28 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove and allow the cake to cool completely before unmolding (about one hour). Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan and then invert the cake onto a greased wire rack. When it is completely cool, slice the cake into three pieces.

Ingredient for Vanilla Mousse:

Adapted from Shawn Scarborough

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tbs of cornstarch

1 1/2 cups of full cream milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup whipped cream (see the recipe below)

Method to make the mousse:

Combine the milk, cornstarch and sugar to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about three minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Pour the contents of the saucepan into a mixing bowl and add the vanilla extract. Stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the whipped cream and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Fruits:

Strawberries - cut off the top

Pineapple - diced

To assemble of the Charlotte:

To arrange cakes, ladies finger in 7 inch diameter cake pan:

Use a 7 inch cake pan, lay a parchment paper at the bottom and grease the side with oil or butter. Place one piece of cake at the bottom and line the sides with ladies fingers. Apply jam and ¾ of an inch mouse, put another piece of cake, repeat the process and end with the last piece of cake. Put in the fridge to chill for one day.  Prepare stabilized whipped cream(see recipe below) just before serving and top the charlotte with a layer of whipped cream as the same level of the top of ladies fingers. Arrange the fruits and tie a ribbon.

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

Ingredients:

2 tbs cold water

1 tsp unflavored gelatin

2 cups (1 pint) chilled whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs icing sugar

Method:

Prepare the gelatin: Place the dry gelatin in a small bowl. Pour cold water over it. Let it bloom for 5 minutes. Dissolve by placing it in a container over a small pot of simmering water. Set aside to let cool.

Next, place the empty bowl  and whisk in the freezer to quickly chill. Beat cream on high speed in its pre-chilled mixer bowl. Just before it becomes soft and billowy, slowly add the sugar and vanilla extract to the whipped cream at the sides of the bowl. Continue to whip on high speed until the cream barely starts to stiffen. Stop the whipping. Take about 2 tablespoons of the cream from the mixer bowl and stir it into the cooled gelatin. Return the cream/ gelatin mixture back into the main mixing bowl with the rest of the semi-whipped cream. Continue to whip the cream on high until soft peaks form. Finish whisking till the right consistency. Cover and refrigerate.