devils chocolate cake…

baking with a friend… haven’t got a pic of the whole cake yet but will post it soon as i get it. very rich and moisti used the recipe from ‘Tartine’ by elisabeth m. prueitt and chad robertson.i’ll try to post the recipe later

berry trifle… yummy~!!!

thanksgiving dessert…
yummy~!!!

6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
1/4 cup Lemoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don’t let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it’s the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

pizza time…

today we had pizza for dinner…
bought a pizza dough, and toppings baked it for about 20 mins… it was easy and fresh.
toppings were fresh mozzarell, onion, tomatoe, basil, garlic… and salt, pepper, and olive oil, but you can put anything you want.

cookies again…

chocolate flower cookies…
i tried my cookie gun… good idea for gift cookies

white chocolate cherry oat cookies

i subbed the raisin and milk chocolate out with white chocolate and cherry from recipe i got in KATE ZUCKERMAN’s cookbook.
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks, unsalted, room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg white, room temperature
3 cups old fashioned oats
8 ounces milk chocolate chips or chunks (or dark chocolate, if you want)
1 cup golden raisins (can also use any dried fruit you like and want to try)

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease two cookie sheets with cooking spray or butter. Use parchment paper if you like. In a bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter with a mixer on medium for one minute. Then, add the sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add dark brown sugar and continue to beat for another 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Add eggs and egg white one at a time on low speed and beat until fully incorporated. The batter should be smooth and a bit shiny, another 1-2 minutes.

Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture. Fold in with a spatula a few times. Turn the mixer on and mix for about 1 minute until thoroughly combined. Then, add the chocolate chips and raisins. You can turn the mixer on low until incorporated or use a wooden spoon to mix. Then, add the oats. Again, you can mix on low till incorporated or use a wooden spoon.

You can use two teaspoons to create small mounds of dough. Place on cookie sheets about two inches apart. These will spread. You can also just use your hands and roll small balls of dough, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter depending on how big you want them. Press them down a bit when they are on the cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Make sure you rotate your pans for even browning.

These cookies will spread and there will be a lot of caramelization. If you want chewier cookies, take them out around 12 minutes depending on your oven. If you want crispier cookies, go a bit longer and watch them.

NYC… on the way to phantom of opera

spend all day in the city today with friends who are visiting NYC from Cali… on our way to 42nd street i found stores that i love, a button store that had over flowing of different kinds of buttons… i saw couple of buttons that i like alot.

check out there website… not as good as the store, if you make a trip to the store i think you can spend good 2 hours just looking at everything. personally i can spend all day i think… worth visiting the store.

also went to ‘go’ in st. marks place for late dinner… ate spicy jeh jeh num, which to me seem more like kim chi ramen. it was good and everyone loved it…

yummy~!!!

on a sad note, i left my swiss water bottle at this place and totally forgot about it =(

chocolate chip cookies…

simply sweet…

i have come across so many different kind of recipes for CCC already. i wonder how many more are out there… but so far the most intricate recipe for CCC i have made is the recipe i got from TARTINE cookbook… i did modify a bit, but still it was good

Yield: twenty-four 3-inch cookies

• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate (340 g)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (10 oz/285 g)

• 1 tsp baking powder (5 ml)

• 1 tsp baking soda (5 ml)

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (6 oz/170 g)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (8 oz/225 g)

• 1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 oz/350g)

• 4 tsp blackstrap or other dark molasses (20 ml)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp whole milk (30 ml)

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (15 ml)

• 1 tsp salt (5 ml)

• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (4 oz/115 g)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

2. Coarsely chop the chocolate into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces. A serrated knife works well for this task. Chill in the freezer until needed.

3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oats. Set aside.

4. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the molasses and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition before adding the next egg. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt and then stop the mixer, again and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well incorporated. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and fold in the chocolate chunks and the walnuts with the spatula.

5. Have ready a small bowl of water.* Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. An ice-cream scoop works well (about 3 1/2 ounces/100 g for each scoop). Dip your fingers into the water and press out each scoop into a thin, flat 3-inch circle.

6. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned but the centers remain pale, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Variation:
To make smaller cookies, shape the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least hours or up to overnight. Remove from the freezer, unwrap, slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds, and arrange on the lined baking sheet. Bake as directed, reducing the baking time too to 6 to 10 minutes. You can also make the 3-inch cookies this same way, shaping the log inches in diameter, slicing it into rounds 1/4 inch thick, and then baking as directed for 10 to 12 minutes.

*KITCHEN NOTES: You need to have a small bowl of water nearby for dipping your fingers when you are shaping the cookies. The moisture keeps the dough from sticking to your fingers as you flatten the cookies.

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for new journey with food…