pucker your lips for me
Dear family and friends,
I'll be headed to Melbourne for the next 10 days for my dearest older brother's graduation. Needless to say, I'm ultra proud of his accomplishments as we all know of it's level of difficulty and amount of commitment required. That being said... I'm so looking forward to the 10 days of fun filled activities, trekking, visits to the hot springs and so on and so forth, not to mention the feasting and the wonderful coffee there! *shudders in excitement*.
Before I depart, I shall leave you all with a sunshine recipe for a Lemon lemon loaf, recipe adapted from BAKED new frontiers in baking which produces a moist and slightly dense lemon cake filled with puckery goodness in the form of lemon juice, zest and sipped in lemon syrup. A sure keeper if you're a big chaser of the lemon.
Lemon lemon loaf
recipe adapted from baked
makes one 9x5x3inch loaf
lemon cake3/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/8 cup grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
220 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
lemon syrup1/6 cup fresh lemon juice
1/6 cup sugar
lemon glaze1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2-3 tblspoon fresh lemon juice
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Oil and line the loaf pan with parchment.
2) Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
3) Puse sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until combined. With motor running, drizzle the butter in through the feed tube.
4) add sour cream and vanilla and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
5) Sprinkle in flour mixture, a third at a time, fold in gently. Do not overmix.
6) Bake for 20mins. Reduce temperature to 170 degree celsius and bake for another 30-35 mins until toothpick comes out clean.
7) Let cool for 15mins. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon syrup by cooking the sugar and fresh lemon juice till dissolved then cook for another 3 mins more. Poke holes on top and sides of the cake and brush lemon syrup over the cake. Wait for 5 mins then brush again and let cakes cool completely.
How Sublime...
One thing I love about cranking about the blow torch and gently slip-sliding over the surface of meringue is watching as the snow-like fluff bubble and brown. Growing ever so slightly like the heavening of a chest as fresh breath is drawn in, the surface glistens and bubbles in heated turmoil before reeceding down with an attractive coat of caramelised sugars once the flame has moved on.
Guess this may be just about a week late but thanks to Linda of Tender Crumb for picking out this devilish recipe for TWD.
For this time around, my pie crust retaliated with the most unglamorous butter dripping disaster of an outcome and hence I resorted to making a fresh batch of mini tartlets to contain the velvety lime cream. The latter, emerged a winner, taking the 'creamiest' title without a doubt. Tangy, lip-pucking yet maddly sweet at the same time. With a fresh topping flame-kissed italian meringue and a gorgeous reputation to boot, I was stuck to two chattering uncles after that who insisted that I should set up a shop soon. haha.
Moving on, here are more unpublished photos from the Australian trip a while back. Why?
Just because I feel like it.
Watching the sunset whilst observing free spirited bats exiting the dark drawls of their cavern homes.
Exploring the mind blowing number of cascading waterfalls in Tasmania. Back to nature and loving it.
Visiting the misunderstood Devils at a conservation home near the Blue mountains. It looks more like a docile puppy rather than a menancing carnivore here.
Walking on endless stretches of white sandy beaches, only to catch sight of pod of dolphins playing with surfers on a wave.
Reviewing the dark past of Port Arthur. Convict history lessons.
Ruins of the Captain's quarters.
Stepping into fields of lavender and dreaming up a multitude of images of clean lavatories upon inhalation.
and that's all folks.. next up, this week's TWD... brownies again... *raises eyebrows*
Laying off the cream
My apologies going out to the TWDers.. the Banana Cream Pie was a no show on the table this week due to other baking 'must-do's' and an otherwise crazy work schedule. (as i type this entry, my eyelids enter a viscous cycle of drooping followed by violent twitching upwards).
Instead, here's the Toasted Lemon Almond Bars for this month's cookie carnival guest hosted by Holly of Phe.mom.enon .
With a recipe boosted by a book with a hell of a reputation (in my opinion at least since I've wanted to own The Sweet Melissa Baking Book for the longest time...), I was all ready to take on the challenge after having been on a rather long and embarrasing hiatus from the event.
The comeback recipe... a gorgeous toasted almond lemon bar featuring lemon curd on a shortbread crust. I chose to bake mine in a tart shell as I just had to make sure that every piece had an additional crust to it! No biasness going on over here...
The end result wasn't one that was all favourable with me. The lemon curd turned out to be just a little chewy...almost like a kueh. *strange...* The shortcrust base though... was a God-sent with the added frangrance of almonds pushing the entire dessert just over the border of satisfactory.
A chilled slice for a sinful supper anyone?
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy
Makes 1 dozen bars
"Everyone loves lemon bars. I make mine extra special by adding toasted almonds to the shortbread crust."
For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
For the Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Before You Start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.
To Make the Crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.
To Complete the Bars:
1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.
The bars keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
cake slice bakers: triple lemon chiffon cake
The Cake Slice: Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
When life gives you lemons, you give them a lemon chiffon cake.
And that was exactly what we, the cake slice bakers did with this month's entry. The triple lemon chiffon cake, recipe taken from Sky High. The very name of this cake imparts a summery vision, of rolling green pastures and beautiful daises and sunflowers providing a riot of colors to the lush background. And so was the cake, a vision in its own rights... Soft springy lemon chiffon cake, tart lemon curd fillings and a lemon meringue frosting (i replaced this over the original lemon cream frosting as the weather was rather unforgiving that day). So that's a triple flip for all lemon lovers out there! Don't advice anyone to sink their teeth into their glorius confection if you ain't have a penchant for lemon though. Lemon fans, this one is for you!
You Found Me
When no one else was lookin'
How did you know just where I would be?
Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion
The ups and the downs
And you still didn't leave
I guess that you saw what nobody could see
You found me
SHF #43: Citrus
SHF #43: Citrus
i know this is gonna sound a bit out of the ordinary. But hey! Whats a little dessert before dinner going to do any damage yar?Since our dearest Tartlette has annouced Citrus for this months Sugar High Friday; i shall skip the hassle of the dinner and zip to the finale instead? hehe. alright alright. Perhaps a morself of savoury goodness will suffice later.
But first, let me introduce you to my entry for this month. *drum roll*... okay, so it was tough. Citrus? lemons, grapefruits, pomelo, orange, blood orange, lime... the variety just stumps me. Oops, before I launch into a long discussion of the different kinds of citrus fruits there are in the market. lets talk about what I made, lest you guys fidget in your seats too much.
here you go...
Oops, got that wrong again. That was the Sherpherd's Pie i made for dinner with the family instead. kk, here you go.. *nudging gently*
soon, the light batter had risen to monstrous proportions. towering over the sides of the dish. I was awed by the amazing structure. and even more bewildered the fast rate at which the mighty structure fell once it had left the helms of the warm oven into the airconditioned room.
In fact it was a little too fast even for me to dish them, dress them with orange segements and juggle the dishes out to the living room before running into my room frantically in search for the missing camera. By the time I had steadied myself, the towering structure had sunk gracefully into its crater. I was disappointed.. BUT WHO CARES! the souffle tasted great nonetheless. The orange and slight tinge of lemon so predominent with every bite. Paired with Brown Brothers Orange Muscat and Flora, a light dessert wine that complimented the fruity flavors of the dessert even more. It all seemed to fall into place, the orange and lemon souffle acting as the perfect and light ending to our seemingly heavy dinner.
Moving back in time, to pre-dinner hours. As I had said earlier, dinner was proudly presented to the family by Zhiheng and I. Babe was responsible for the cheese and grape platter complimented by his choice of white wine. Whereas I was responsible for both the entree and the desserts. The cheese platter was a show stopper. Featuring 3 different types of cheese of various textures, complete with crackers on the side, fresh cucumber chunky cuts in a center piece and sweet grapes. Mum being a cheese lover fell head over heels for this one and contemplated skipping the mains for a chance to gobble down all the cheese. FAT HOPE mum! hehe. mains are on me!
The entree was a fuss free sherpherd's pie; my usual recipe completed with a fresh addition of zucchini layered through the entire dish. That was the bomb; i'm so in love with the vege. The result, a success of moist succulent minced beef, mixed vegetables, smooth cheesy potatos and more cheese as its crowning glory. No one could resist the heart-warming course. *cheers*
now.. lets see whats cooking for next week? any suggestions for easy fuss free dishes peeps? Come on.. i need a little help here!
i'm late
sheesh.. so technically I'm late again huh? gosh.. the bad things just keep coming. *ouch*. Okay, to cut the chase before i fall flat on my face from fatigue. Lets first introduce the event! Well, with roots from one of its fore-fathers, oops, forgive me, fore-mothers; Laurie from quirky cupcake, also the host of cupcake hero (one of my fav events as u guys shld alr knoe) began this humble event as a booster to start baking from her
new book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Rooting in people to bake along with her as she challenged herself to some of the most mindblowing recipes within the hidden treasure of a book written by one of the most talented writers. Gosh.. trust me on this one. I was a Dorie Greenspan fan, once i laid my hands on 'Paris Sweets' by her as well. okay, back to TWD history.. so the threesome grew to its present size of 150+ members (correct me if i'm wrong, i'm reallie a clutz with statistics) in a matter of months. And therefore, with that this event is a now a major success with its own website (pls refer to the link on my sidebar) and its own recipe rotation list.
With that, I've come to the end of my virgin post fort TWD! and i'm already looking forward to next week's recipe!!! marshmellows as chosen by Judy of Judy's Gross Eats. wow.. like home made marshmellows! finally the chance to embark on this one, been procrastinating ever since my read of Paris Sweets. What a sweet coincidence though! thanks Judy for the fantabulous choice!a sour affair
Citrusy in taste, lemons, the sour tangy feel at the back of your throat, the vibrant yellow colours tt literally jump at you, and the lovely smell that your hand inherits from squeezing the lemons; these are the reasons why i love baking lemon tart. The next best thing to eating fresh lemons in its raw form *gulp*..if u ever do that tt is... ( must be one hell of a strange habit)Having to deal with the 5 lemons left lingering in my fridge from a previous baking assignment. I contended to either set about making a jar of the usual lemon curd and risk getting a sore throat from being unable to resist the temptation of sticking a spoon into the jar and savouring every dropful. Hence i settled for the lemon tart which my mum was eye-ing in a recipe book of mine. Trust me..this baby wasn't any easier on the throat. At first bite, the tartness of the lemon juice added stung like a bee. But gently, it gave way to a slurry of taste and flavors as it sloshed around the cavity. The crisp tart shell a perfect accompaniment to the flavorful filling. What i loved most was the tangy feel at the back of your throat after it is swallowed. A flavor tt reminded me of the season spring and the lightness of it. Strange...
Recipe for Lemon Tart
adapted from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2
ingredients
sweet tart dough
2 cups a/p flour
150g Cold Butter( chopped into cubes)
3 tblspoon Sugar
2-3 tblspoon water
lemon filling
3/4 cup Lemon Juice
3/4 cup Sugar(granulated)
3/4 cup Pouring Cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Method
- Prepare the tart dough. Place the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the water till the dough forms a lump.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30mins
- Blind bake the Crust with weights for 10mins at 180 degrees celcius.
- Remove the weights and bake for another 15mins till pastry turns golden brown
- Lower the temperature of the oven to 140 degrees celsius
- Over a pot of simmering water, place the sugar and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl and stir till the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the eggs and cream.
- Continue stirring for the next 5 mins.
- Pour the lemon filling into the ready tart-shell through a sieve
- Bake for 20-25 mins at 140 degrees celsuis till the filling is just set.
- Remove from the oven and cool thoroughly.
- TUCK IN! *ssss (sour)..AHHHh*
just some points to note, the lemon filling was tolerable in fact mighty good for me and my mum (coz we're such big fans of sourness) but if i wld advise tt a little more sugar be added into the tart for all those who wld lyke to try out the recipe. *=)* Bon Appetit!
argh..i reallie need to get a nice removable tart tray soon! rawr...
lemon meringue pie
