Tuesday, October 19, 2010Y
Cheesy Feet (Stars)
Oh I can't tell you how good and fast these are. They are Nigella's cheesy feet and they it took me like less than 10 minutes to put everything together. I don't own a feet cookie cutter and during times when I couldn't find any chips at home to much on, I make these and just use a knife to slice up the dough. That's how convenient these babies are. The red speckles you see are dried chili flakes that I added in... so in a way, these are not Nigella's cheesy feet. These are Katherine's cheesy stars for adults =P
Cheesy Crackers for Adults (Originally Nigella's Cheesy Feet)
100g Cheddar, grated
25g Butter, soften
50g Plain flour
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1 tbsp Dried Chili flakes (Yea I like it very hot)
Preheat oven at 200 deg cel. Basically just mix everything together until you get a dough. Then roll it in between sheets of plastic and cut out whatever shapes you want. Arrange on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes till the crackers are slightly brown on the side and crisp.
These keep quite well but if it happens to be a Sat home alone night, you'll probably finish up everything after a movie.
Labels: Nigella
Katherine blogged@ 5:52 AM
0 comments
Saturday, May 15, 2010Y
Blondies... and a $20 whisk
Okay so here's the blondie post. But before I go on to that, let me tell you something that I've spent on recently that most of you might... well, frown upon.
What you see above, is the recent purchase. Yes it's just a whisk, nothing special no big deal about it. But I'm telling you, that is the best SGD 21.06 I have ever spent on Amazon.com. WHAT?! THAT WHISK COST YOU $20!!! BUT I THOUGHT YOUR FAVORITE WHISK WAS A CHEAP $2 FROM DAISO!!!! Yes yes I know but hey... people need to upgrade you know. I first saw this whisk @ Youtube while watching Nigella series. That whisk appears in literally all her episodes.... since day 1. Initially I thought... well she's a celebrity of some sort of course she need to use high end stuff (you don't really see Singaporean bakers using that right?) but then I think it is some sort of conditioning, I have to get one too.
Not just any of those little hand whisk... a Nigella one... a Fox Run one. Yes no one here knows what brand is that but I tell you... their stuffs are good. Nigella approved. I realize so many equipments and tools she uses in her series are from Fox Run! I bought not just this whisk but also another one... but that will be another post.
So I got a new ang moh whisk.... I got a blondie to bake.... I got to do something or else this blog will melt with all that torching from the sun lately. And you know what? I am so gonna use that whisk in anything I am making now to make sure that my $20 and all those shipment is truly worthwhile.
I use it while stirring the white chocolate and butter....
I use it to mix the dry ingredients together...
I use it to mix the wet and dry ingredients together.... even though I shouldn't....
And you won't believe how easy and fast everything come together even though a spatula would make more sense for this job....
About 15 minutes later, my first ever blondie is in the oven already. And 30 minutes later there comes my first every blondie. And nope that's a Tupperware, not the brownie tray the blondie was baked in.
Well one thing though... I may have baked gazillions of brownies and cookies and cupcakes and even bread, I have never actually made blondies. Heck, I didn't even know what they were. Though the name is pretty obvious that it is the opposite of the brownie, I thought they were the coffee version of it and well... to dig the minorities or make something sound sexist. Well... blondies, right? (actually I'm not really sure if I should type that down...) But well, things were actually much simpler than I thought... they are just the blonde/white version of a usual brownie that's made of dark chocolate; they are just brownie made of white chocolate. A little racist but erm.... I'll just stop explaining okay?
I'm sorry that I didn't take more pictures but god they were divine. I brought them all to work and came back with like only a few sad pieces left (well not everyone like something called 'blondie' I guess but those who tried love them) A little note though, get proper white cooking chocolates. I bought those cheap ones made from one of the neighboring countries and the sweetness of the chocolate was pure shocking. If you are going to use those chocolates, omit the sugar totally.... no one would notice =)
Recipe from Exclusively Food
100g butter
200g white chocolate chunks
50g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour
150g (1 cup) plain flour
90g (2/3 cup) macadamia nuts, roughly chopped into quarters
200g (1 well rounded cup) white chocolate chopped into small chunks
112g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
2 large eggs (minimum weight of 59g each)
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 170 degrees and line a brownie pan with baking paper. Melt the butter and the white chocolate chunks in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently to make sure the bottom doesn't dry or get burnt. Once done leave aside to cool and mix all the flours, the other 200g of white chocolate small chunks and nuts together in a bowl. Stir the caster sugar into the melted chocolate and butter saucepan (You were thinking of adding it to the flour bowl didn't you? =D) and beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the nuts and flour mixture and stir till everything coheres. Spread the mixture evenly onto a brownie pan and bake in the middle of the rack for 30-35 minutes.
p.s I over baked mine a little by letting the blondie bake for a full 35 minutes, so I suggest start checking around 20-25 minutes since oven varies a lot. But they are still awesome... even though they appears to be cakey but actually they were very chewy and fudgy.
edit: I was shopping @ Pantry Magic last weekend to realize the exact same whisk selling for only SGD $7.00.... $7.00!!!! Well though the brand wasn't state but... Soooo much for being Nigella =(
What you see above, is the recent purchase. Yes it's just a whisk, nothing special no big deal about it. But I'm telling you, that is the best SGD 21.06 I have ever spent on Amazon.com. WHAT?! THAT WHISK COST YOU $20!!! BUT I THOUGHT YOUR FAVORITE WHISK WAS A CHEAP $2 FROM DAISO!!!! Yes yes I know but hey... people need to upgrade you know. I first saw this whisk @ Youtube while watching Nigella series. That whisk appears in literally all her episodes.... since day 1. Initially I thought... well she's a celebrity of some sort of course she need to use high end stuff (you don't really see Singaporean bakers using that right?) but then I think it is some sort of conditioning, I have to get one too.
Not just any of those little hand whisk... a Nigella one... a Fox Run one. Yes no one here knows what brand is that but I tell you... their stuffs are good. Nigella approved. I realize so many equipments and tools she uses in her series are from Fox Run! I bought not just this whisk but also another one... but that will be another post.
So I got a new ang moh whisk.... I got a blondie to bake.... I got to do something or else this blog will melt with all that torching from the sun lately. And you know what? I am so gonna use that whisk in anything I am making now to make sure that my $20 and all those shipment is truly worthwhile.
I use it while stirring the white chocolate and butter....
I use it to mix the dry ingredients together...
I use it to mix the wet and dry ingredients together.... even though I shouldn't....
And you won't believe how easy and fast everything come together even though a spatula would make more sense for this job....
About 15 minutes later, my first ever blondie is in the oven already. And 30 minutes later there comes my first every blondie. And nope that's a Tupperware, not the brownie tray the blondie was baked in.
Well one thing though... I may have baked gazillions of brownies and cookies and cupcakes and even bread, I have never actually made blondies. Heck, I didn't even know what they were. Though the name is pretty obvious that it is the opposite of the brownie, I thought they were the coffee version of it and well... to dig the minorities or make something sound sexist. Well... blondies, right? (actually I'm not really sure if I should type that down...) But well, things were actually much simpler than I thought... they are just the blonde/white version of a usual brownie that's made of dark chocolate; they are just brownie made of white chocolate. A little racist but erm.... I'll just stop explaining okay?
I'm sorry that I didn't take more pictures but god they were divine. I brought them all to work and came back with like only a few sad pieces left (well not everyone like something called 'blondie' I guess but those who tried love them) A little note though, get proper white cooking chocolates. I bought those cheap ones made from one of the neighboring countries and the sweetness of the chocolate was pure shocking. If you are going to use those chocolates, omit the sugar totally.... no one would notice =)
Recipe from Exclusively Food
100g butter
200g white chocolate chunks
50g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour
150g (1 cup) plain flour
90g (2/3 cup) macadamia nuts, roughly chopped into quarters
200g (1 well rounded cup) white chocolate chopped into small chunks
112g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
2 large eggs (minimum weight of 59g each)
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 170 degrees and line a brownie pan with baking paper. Melt the butter and the white chocolate chunks in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently to make sure the bottom doesn't dry or get burnt. Once done leave aside to cool and mix all the flours, the other 200g of white chocolate small chunks and nuts together in a bowl. Stir the caster sugar into the melted chocolate and butter saucepan (You were thinking of adding it to the flour bowl didn't you? =D) and beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the nuts and flour mixture and stir till everything coheres. Spread the mixture evenly onto a brownie pan and bake in the middle of the rack for 30-35 minutes.
p.s I over baked mine a little by letting the blondie bake for a full 35 minutes, so I suggest start checking around 20-25 minutes since oven varies a lot. But they are still awesome... even though they appears to be cakey but actually they were very chewy and fudgy.
edit: I was shopping @ Pantry Magic last weekend to realize the exact same whisk selling for only SGD $7.00.... $7.00!!!! Well though the brand wasn't state but... Soooo much for being Nigella =(
Katherine blogged@ 7:10 AM
0 comments
Saturday, October 24, 2009Y
baking without measurements = shiok!
anyway. you can't believe i mean even i myself also couldn't believe when i first saw this recipe in NL's forum. a fellow forum member shared this recipe and it certainly did wreck up a stir in the forum! i mean... who would believe that you can make bout 2 to 3 dozens of cookies using just 3 ingredients and without any flour or butter?
but anyway. as i see more and more other forum members vouching for the recipe and claim how bloody good they are, i thought that's it. nothing is impossible in the kitchen from now on.
all you need, is a cup of peanut butter (i use skippy smooth. basically it is the small size 240g jar), a cup of sugar and one egg to bound everything together. you believe it? no right?
but guess what. is really...seriously... worked. and really very good too. the cookies were very very fudge initially but let them cool a little and everything will be just fine. in fact they are so good, i burnt my 2nd batch while devouring the first. the next time i am making this i will probably cut down on the sugar though. probably instead of one cup i will have half =)
on the other note, i've finally put the hello kitty silicone mold i bought from HK to good use. it has been sitting in the cupboard since feburary and i have been dying to use it. so well it's another simple sunday with nieces over and we did a few kitty cakes.
i dunno what you call it, it's not a muffin nor a cupcake. probably just eggy cake and sis said they were very very nice. i didn't measure anything but i think, i've used bout 50g of soft butter, 4 tbsp of sugar, 2 eggs, a good splosh of vanilla and bout 5 tbsp of flour sifted in with a pinch of baking powder. it's very simple and good but i learn one thing: silicone mold never brown things up. its more like steam cakes.
P.S : regarding my previous post on the cookie plungers, you can actually find them in B.I.Y shop! silly me and how i always take the internet for granted. anyway the price is below SGD 20 which i think is a sure win!
Labels: Nigella
Katherine blogged@ 8:47 PM
2 comments
Monday, September 28, 2009Y
totally chocolate chocolate chip cookies
THEY ARE SO FREAKING GOOOOOOOD!
it's another NL recipe, but trust me, when it is called totally chocolate chocolate chip cookie, it really is totally chocolaty chocolate chip cookies . so powerful, so dense and like a bomb, every bite and chew is an impact in the mouth.
not to mention, these cookies were the very very first thing i baked with using the new oven =) my apology for the bad pictures thou. quality were kind of bad due to bad lightnings.
Nigella's Totally Chocolate Chocolate chips cookies
* warning: do not even think bout fats or the sugar content here please
| 125g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids |
| 150g flour |
| 30g cocoa, sieved |
| 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 125g soft butter |
| 75g light brown sugar |
| 50g white sugar |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 1 egg, cold from the fridge |
| 350g (2 bags) semi-sweet chocolate morsels or dark chocolate chips |
Serving Size : Makes 12
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Melt the 125g dark chocolate either in the microwave or in a heatproof dish over a pan of simmering water.
Put the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl.
Cream the butter and sugars in another bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix together.
Beat in the vanilla extract and cold egg, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chocolate morsels or chips.
Scoop out 12 equal-sized mounds – an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job – and place on a lined baking sheet about 6cm apart. Do not flatten them.
Cook for 18 minutes, testing with a cake tester to make sure it comes out semi-clean and not wet with cake batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.
Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.
Katherine blogged@ 9:20 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, September 22, 2009Y
chocolate crossiants - Nigella
when children are really restless at home and you really got no energy to entertain them or conduct a culinary military operation, all you have to do is resort to the convenience of commercial market.
another Nigella recipe, but i would say it's more like common kitchen wisdom that my poor brain didn't possess. since it's another weekend with nieces over and i've conveniently bought a pack of frozen pastry, i know this is what i've got to do.
just roll out the thawed pastry, cut them into little squares and then triangles and fill each one of them with some chocolate. brush on some egg wash and bake at a high oven. what do you get? a kitchen smelling of butter and chocolate and a couple of happy kids. they just have to see something being baked sometimes you know.
Labels: Nigella
Katherine blogged@ 12:41 AM
0 comments
Thursday, August 6, 2009Y
Express Pancake
you might be a little sick from all the Nigella related post going on in this blog lately... but i am not sparing a single bit. yes this is another Nigella post but you really can't blame it. all that quick quick slow and razzle dazzle done within mere minutes is taking over this household now. and i think it will not be going off so soon like H1N1. i can't help but to start off saying... 'Damn these are easy!!' once my sister bought this packet of pancake mix. well i think she is doing her every part making every meal count for her kids but the thing is... she forgotten about her pancake mix and there goes the expiry date. i know supermarket is the most important place in all women's hearts, but the truth is we cannot trust everything there... especially those with a date. so what i did? i went Nigella.
this doesn't take you long. whenever you are free, just pop in 600g of flour, 3 tbsp of baking powder, 2 tsp of soda, 2 tsp of salt and about 3-4 tbsp of caster sugar into a jar. huge one perhaps. shake all you want. note that i am typing this down purely from memory because i shake that jar every sunday morning as a form of exercise for my fat arms and i can spell out this recipe without failure now. so no preservatives. the jar i made in May is still edible in my cupboard now.
then when the call of hungry stomachs came, just scoop out one cup of that pancake mix, whisk in a cup of flour, a cup of milk and an egg. for something more classical, a drop of good vanilla extract. if you want to be a total junk for breakfast, add in bout 2 tbsp of cocoa powder for chocolate pancake. please don't get me started on how great these are as suppers (whisk one batch, cook as many as you can wolf down and put the rest of the batter back in fridge. cling wrapped of course) go down so well with some cream and maple syrup and may i say, BETTER THAN MAC'S HOTCAKES. i can never finish 3 huge slices of flour dough when all i am on for is that tiny piece of sausage.
there is a blueberry syrup that came along with the recipe, but its just popping 200g of blueberrys with 125ml of maple syrup. i did them, but they went missing... mom took them to work so no pictures. anyway i didn't bother with measurements anymore nowadays. who gives a damn to figures when you are darn hungry and all you want is leisure cooking and pure home food?
this doesn't take you long. whenever you are free, just pop in 600g of flour, 3 tbsp of baking powder, 2 tsp of soda, 2 tsp of salt and about 3-4 tbsp of caster sugar into a jar. huge one perhaps. shake all you want. note that i am typing this down purely from memory because i shake that jar every sunday morning as a form of exercise for my fat arms and i can spell out this recipe without failure now. so no preservatives. the jar i made in May is still edible in my cupboard now.
then when the call of hungry stomachs came, just scoop out one cup of that pancake mix, whisk in a cup of flour, a cup of milk and an egg. for something more classical, a drop of good vanilla extract. if you want to be a total junk for breakfast, add in bout 2 tbsp of cocoa powder for chocolate pancake. please don't get me started on how great these are as suppers (whisk one batch, cook as many as you can wolf down and put the rest of the batter back in fridge. cling wrapped of course) go down so well with some cream and maple syrup and may i say, BETTER THAN MAC'S HOTCAKES. i can never finish 3 huge slices of flour dough when all i am on for is that tiny piece of sausage.
there is a blueberry syrup that came along with the recipe, but its just popping 200g of blueberrys with 125ml of maple syrup. i did them, but they went missing... mom took them to work so no pictures. anyway i didn't bother with measurements anymore nowadays. who gives a damn to figures when you are darn hungry and all you want is leisure cooking and pure home food?
Labels: Nigella
Katherine blogged@ 10:36 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, July 28, 2009Y
caramel crossiant pudding by NL
it was stated in the recipe but i omitted the whiskey simply because i prefer brandy and didn't think it will work out here. but anyway it tasted wonderful and a total hit on the spot. if not sweet enough just add on a glope of maple syrup and cream for extra oomph. won't be posting recipes since this is so damn obvious that it's Nigella Lawson's Caramel Crossiant pudding. the best sunday morning treat ever =)
Labels: Nigella
Katherine blogged@ 7:50 AM
0 comments
