Lemon blueberry madeleine

Got some fresh blueberries, thinking we can make some desserts... hmmmm... wonder if there is a good blueberry madeleine recipe and voilà!
This is originally from a French recipe, I am glad that I read French so I can try it out!

The lemon taste is stronger since I added one blueberry per madeleine, but I like that :) Next time I will fold in more blueberries to see the result.

Anyways, my husband's colleagues and my church friends are happy and all are gone after a meeting :)

Ingredients (24-28 madeleine)
30g honey
100g butter

60g sugar
2 eggs

30ml lemon juice
lemon zest
100g flour
1/2tsp baking powder

Instructions
You can prepare it the day before or 4 hours in advance

1. In a small pot, melt butter with honey, set aside and let it cool down

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and sugar until egg becomes a bit light in color
Add in lemon juice, zest, mix well
Add in flour and baking powder
Be careful, do not over mix the mixture

3. Pour the honey butter mixture into the flour mixture, mix well
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and leave it overnight or 4 hours

4. When you are ready to make the madeleine:
Preheat the oven at 230°c
Take out the batter, incorporate blueberries

5. If you use metallic mould, grease and sprinkle flour first

6. Fill the mould 3/4 with the help of a spoon
Place it in the oven

7. Bake for around 4mins, then drop the temperature to 200°c to bake for another 4mins. The middle part starts puffing up!

Before the last 4mins finishes, if the edge starts turning brown, reduce the temperature and let it bake until golden color

8. When time is up, take the mould out
Remove the madeleine from the mould immediately and place them on a cooling rack to cool down

Enjoy!

Traditional Madeleine

This recipe is original a French recipe. 

Madeleine batter needs to be stored in the fridge, to relax the gluten in the batter after beating or folding the batter, gluten can be formed. It also helps the flour completely dissolved into the egg mixture

After trial and error, the technique to create the boat shape relates to the oven temperature.
High temperature cooks quickly the edge of the madeleine, while the middle part is still uncook. Then the middle part starts rising and puffs upward because the edge shape is "fixed".

Ingredients (about 30 madeleines)
120g melted butter

3 eggs
120g sugar
20g honey (running)
a pinch of salt

150g flour
5g baking powder

1tsp vanilla extract or zest of 1/2 lemon

Preparation:
1. Use bain-marie method, by using electric hand mixer, whisk the eggs with sugar, honey and salt; whisk until the volume is doubled

2. Add in flour and baking powder, use a spetula to fold quickly and gently until flour is well blended into the egg mixture

3. Add in melted butter and vanilla extract or zest of lemon. Again fold the mixture quickly and gently

4. Leave the mixture in the fridge at least for 2 hours or overnight ideally i.e. 6-8 hours (maximum 12h)

When it's time to bake...
5. Preheat the oven to 230°c
Use a table spoon, fill the mixture to the madeleine mold, without spreading out the mixture

6. Place the mold into the oven and reduce the temperature to 200°c. (My oven is 225°c)
After around 4 mins, the middle of each madeleine forms a hollow - reduce the temperature to about 180°c (Mine is 200°c) for another 4mins
Then the middle of the madeleine starts rising and creating its distinct feature - like a boat

*Note 1: Especially after baking for more than 1 round - Your baking time might be shortened silghtly, because your oven becomes hot enough.
*Note 2: Within the last 4 mins, if the edge starts turning brown, reduce the temperature (Mine is 180°c)

7. When the middle of the madeleine puffs up and the shape is formed, take them out and immediately remove them from the mold to the cooling rack

Enjoy!

Chestnut cream

Chestnut paste is widely used in French dessert, so the price is cheaper. My husband loves chestnut paste, I think he loves its sweetness...

So I want to make some chestnut dessert for him, found these 2 recipes, it isn't say the end use, but I rather divide them into 2 usages.

The first one is rather for serving as filling with cake, yogurt... Of course you can ice & pipe the cake if your whipping cream contains 40% fat, the texture should be firm.

The second one is rather for icing the cake since it contains butter in it, the texture should be firmer & easier to pipe any shape.
If you use 30% fat cream, you can increase the quantity of butter to make the cream firmer.

Recipe 1
Ingredients
250g chestnut paste (sweet)
200g whipping cream (at least 30% fat)

Instructions
1. Beat chestnut paste until smooth

2. Add in whipping cream, beat the mixture until firm

Ready to use!

Recipe 2 - for icing cake

Ingredients

200g chestnut paste (sweet)

60g butter, room temperature

100g whipping cream (at least 35% fat)

Instructions
1. Beat chestnut paste & butter until smooth

2. Add in whipping cream, beat the mixture until firm


Ready to use!

Enjoy!

Blueberry muffins

I love dessert, but healthy dessert is even better :)
Since I discover that muffin is healthier than cupcake, I make more muffins. My favorite muffins are with oatmeal or yogurt....

This is my favourite combination - oatmeal and blueberries :)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups uncooked quick oatmeal (I used coarse ones)
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar (original recipe = 1/3 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven at 200°c
 In a mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients

2. Add in milk, egg and oil, mix briefly

3. Fold in blueberries

4. Use an ice-cream scoop, scoop the batter into muffin paper mould
If you use tin or silicon mould, grease the mould before you place the batter

5. Put them in the oven and bake for 20-25mins or until golden color

6. When time is up, take them out of the oven

If you use silicon or tin mould, let them cool down for 10mins. Then remove them from the mould

You can serve with honey for breakfast!

Enjoy!

Intense coffee cake - strong coffee flavor

This is not a sponge cake but a dense cake with strong coffee flavor! If you are fan of coffee, don't miss this cake :)

I will try to make the icing next time...

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder

226g butter
1 cup boiling water
3 tbsp instant coffee powder

1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing
170g butter
454g icing sugar
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions
Cake - 
1. Preheat oven to 175c

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, flour, salt, baking powder
Set aside

3. In a small pot, melt butter over medium low heat
In a small bowl, add boiling water to coffee powder
When butter starts melting, add in coffee water mixture, let it slightly boiled. Turn off heat

Set aside and let cool down a bit 

4. In another mixing bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix till well combined

5. Pour butter coffee mixture into flour mixture, mix gently and briefly
Add in egg mixture and stir till combined

6. Pour the batter into a greased mould or a mould lined baking sheet
Bake for 20-22mins or until cake is set

Note: insert a toothpick in the middle to test if ready => it won't come out completely clean, but at least not come out with a thick batter sticking on the toothpick

Let the cake cool completely before you remove the mould

Icing -
1. Whisk butter until becomes smooth paste

2. Add in icing sugar, coffee powder and salt, mix well

3. Add in cream, whisk until all ingredients blend well

4. Ice the cake
Chill for an hour before serving

Enjoy!

Japanese Tsukemen - cold ramen recipe

Usually when we talk about Japanese ramen, we think of a big bowl of broth with ramen inside, serve hot... but cold ramen exists too! It is served separately from the hot broth.

This recipe is so good, I really love taste - sour & salty taste blends well with pork!

Ingredients
100g pork belly slices
1 small dried red chili pepper

400ml water
1/2 tbsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp sake
1 long scallion
1 clove garlic, medium size
1 fresh ginger root, 2"

3 tbsp soy sauce

40g Shiitake mushrooms
40g Shimeji mushrooms
1 leek

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar

2 bags fresh ramen or Tsukemen noodles


1 soft boiled egg, click here for recipe
1 scallion, thinly sliced

bonito flakes

Instructions
1. Remove pork belly skin if there is any
Divide it into 3" wide portions

Crush garlic and ginger with a wooden spoon, do not chop them at all
Slice red chili pepper into thin rings

Slice the leek diagonally

2. In a cooking pot, without oil, fry pork belly until fat releases
Add in red chili pepper, stir fry until fragrance releases

3. Add in water, chicken stock powder, sake, scallion, garlic and ginger
Bring to boil, when boil turn down the heat to low, let it simmer for 10 mins

4. After 10mins, remove scallion ginger & garlic
Add in soy sauce, mushrooms & leek, let it simmer for 5 mins

5. Add sesame oil and vinegar
Turn off the heat and cover the lid to keep hot

6. In another pot, boil water to cook ramen/noodle for 1-2 mins
Discard water, rinse ramen/noodle under cold water

7. Serve ramen/noodle on a plate, place 1/2 boiled egg at the edge

Serve pork mushroom broth in a bowl, sprinkle bonito and scallion

8. Take some ramen/noodle into the bowl, dip the broth and eat

Enjoy!

Lemon layers dessert

I made some lemon curd, but what to use with it?

Using the concept of tiramisu, I can make some layers of lady's finger and lemon cream cheese :)
That was how I developed this lemon cream cheese

It is free to assemble everything in any size of serving container, it is nicer to serve in individual glass though. Multiply the quantity if you need to.

Ingredients - 8 tiny glasses (5.5cm diameter & 5cm height)
120g cream cheese
120g lemon curd*

24 lady's finger, click here for the recipe
250g lemon curd, click here for the recipe

* you may want to add more lemon curd if you want stronger taste

Instructions
1. Let cream cheese sits at room temperature for 1 hour or until it becomes soft

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese

Add in lemon curd, little by little

3. Taste it before you want to add extra lemon curd


Assemble
- Place lady's finger at the bottom
- Place lemon cream cheese
- Place lady's finger
- Place lemon curd
- Place lady's finger

Enjoy!