Start of the Summer

Where has the sun gone today?  It was drizzling, the sky turned grey, and it was cold this morning that it dampened our spirits a bit.  My son and I were to go on a bike ride right after breakfast but since it was drizzling, we decided that we would bake cookies first.  My son has shown a great interest in cooking and baking that I think this summer he's going to do them more often.

He chose a cookie recipe that was easy enough for him to do which was a thumbprint cookies.  I have a strawberry-lemon marmalade and peach-cherry-almond conserve that I think are perfect for the cookies.  We did it good today; he was grinning from ear to ear posing before his creation.  Afterwards, we went bike riding to the park. This bike ride has become our form of exercise of the day that I want to keep it all summer long. I sometimes even add a 4-mile walk at the track, just like what I did today.

On my last post I wrote that I made strawberry pie, but sadly that pie didn't turn out as good as I thought.  The filling was weeping out of the crust when I cut a slice.  I was very disappointed.  My feeling was perhaps I left the strawberries too long with the sugar and cornstarch and it became too juicy.  I should have used ClearJel for the filling, oh well...  From the outside, it had a promising look; the crust was tender and crumbly.  But no matter how bad it looks in the inside, it was great eaten with homemade whipped cream.  My son suggested buying Reddi-Whip while we're buying groceries, but I couldn't bear buying it since I knew whipping heavy cream wasn't hard to do!

Since I have some leftover crepes, they became my son's power breakfast this morning; crepes, strawberries, and whipped cream.  Hmmmm...delish!

Winter Solstice

Eating sweetened tangyuan or onde-onde (in Bahasa Indonesia) during Chinese Winter Solstice Festival may become a yearly occurrence now. Before my parents moved close to me, I didn't always remember to make onde-onde in the month of December; or sometimes I was too lazy to make some. But now, my mom is my motivation to make this something to look forward to every year. Celebrating one, if not all, traditional Chinese holidays means we are keeping our cultural heritage alives in the family.

My mom usually make sweet, syrupy broth from sugar, water, lots of ginger, and kaffir lime leaves. In some of the onde-onde, she'd put ground peanuts mixed in with sugar to form some kind of paste. Last night I helped her roll those balls, small and large; red, green, brown, and white, for us to eat today; my hands were sticky from the glutinous flour but I enjoyed it.

We all ate too much of the onde-onde but we didn't mind it at all since we tried to eat them only once a year; though my mom sometimes break the tradition by making it again during winter time. When eaten hot, these onde-onde are so good; chewy, sweet, and a warming sustenance. Only my son who doesn't quite like the texture of the onde-onde; nevertheless he loves the syrupy broth.  I just hope he'll still remember this moment when he's grown up.

Christmas Almond Truffle Bars

I finally had a time to bake sweets for Christmas...ah, the joy of having two-week break from work.  It gave me a motivation to bake, it prepared me to be ready for Christmas.  Thus the sweet is aptly named Christmas almond truffle bars.  I've made this actually years before, don't remember anymore if I've ever blogged about it; but it doesn't matter, does it?  A recipe is a recipe; especially this type of recipe, everyone are always happy to be reminded to use it again.

I have big plan to do during the break, aside from doing some shoot for work that is.  I'm hoping that will be done quickly so I can focus on baking leisurely.  My mom also wanted to do baking together with me, so why not make several if time allows.  My plan is to try making panettone and stollen before Christmas.  It's an ambitious plan, isn't it?  I mentioned this plan with two of my walking partners, and they all said that these two bread were basically fruitcakes because they contained candied fruits!  I was mad at them in a good way, trying in vain explaining that they were different.  One of them was a performer and she just did a Christmas show which she sang about fruitcake in it.  Nobody likes them, there are  suspicious things in fruitcakes, and those funky stuff stuck to your teeth.  She is a funny gal and I still like her despite our different food preferences.

For now, let's have this recipe written down.


Christmas Almond Toffee Bars

Makes one 13 x 9" pan

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For the crust:

2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, crushed

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted



For the caramel:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar



For the topping:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup chopped almonds

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Preheat oven to 350°F; butter a 13 x 9" glass baking dish.

Process vanilla wafers in a food processor until smooth. Combine the crushed cookies with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter in a big bowl.

Press the mixture into the prepared dish, tamp it down with bottom of a glass or a measuring cup. Bake for 8 minutes, or just until set.

Meanwhile, heat 1 stick butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; stirring to blend. Bring mixture to a boil and boil 1 minute without stirring.

Immediately pour the mixture over the cookie crust, then return the dish to the oven. Bake an additional 10 minutes, remove and cool for 2 minutes.

Combine both chocolate chips in a bowl and sprinkle them over the toffee and let stand until they're glossy, about 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate over the toffee using an offset spatula, then sprinkle the nuts on top. Tap the nuts down with your fingers so they will adhere better to the chocolate. Cool bars completely.

Remove the toffee from the pan. To break it into pieces, cut with a sharp knife into bars.

Source: adapted from Holiday Cookies by Cuisine At Home

Losing touch

I wasn't going to complain, but I felt down.  I haven't been baking for maybe more than a month and I'm afraid I'm going to lose my skills.  The old adage of practice makes perfect should've been like a mantra to me, yet I perfectly ignored it.  Yesterday I was making genoise cake for my mom's birthday this Sunday.  I was planning ahead; baked the layer cakes first so today I could get on with the filling.  But the cakes decided to take a downturn after they came out of the oven.  I was suspicious of the batter already before they went in, they looked too bubbly and sad.  That even after a perfectly ballooning volume when whipped in the mixer, the batter wasn't going to survive; my heart sank immediately--just like the cakes (pun intended).

What to do when you encountered a failure?  You try again, right?  That's right, I'm not going to let this get me.  I'm going to attempt to make another cakes this evening though the time sure seems like running short on me.  I'm going to participate in Race for the Roses tomorrow morning which means I've to slap this cake together by the time the party starts in late afternoon.  My dad and I are going to walk the 10K race along with my friends.  I hope the weather will hold up tomorrow, my dad is in good shape that I know he'll ace this easily.  As for me, I feel like I'm more prepared for the race than for making the birthday cake.

Before I end my post, I feel like I've to share some food photos.  This blog isn't a food blog for without food photos, it's unappetizing.

Ontbijtkoek, a typical Dutch cake which translates to "breakfast cake."  Due to Dutch influence in Indonesia, this type of cake is very popular, it's mostly eaten as snack.  Upon researching the origin of the cake I found out that rye flour is primarily used for the brown color in the cake, but we regularly use brown or palm sugar to make it brown.  It is also known as Dutch spice cake due to the various spices used to flavor the cake, mainly cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.  My mom made it with the addition of raisins.

Padangnese food, a speciality dishes from a province in West Sumatra comprised of various vegetables and meat dishes that are heavy on spices, chili, and coconut milk.  Padangnese restaurants in Indonesia showcase their dishes in plates stacked vertically on the restaurants' front windows.  Once seated the server will bring various dishes in small plates to the table alongside rice, hot tea, and water bowls for washing your fingers.  You'll only pay on the plates that you touch or finish; now that I think about it, it's actually the original tapas food for the Indonesians, except we don't order it ahead. On the photo, there are gulai ayam, rendang daging and telor, gulai sayur, and sambal lado ijo.

Bluder tape, or also known as fermented cassava cake. I don't know any explanation to the word bluder, though I know tape is a term for fermented food.  On my last post of fermented cassava, there are lots of ways to make something that sounds unappealing to something that at least tastes super delicious.  Translating the name of food from Bahasa Indonesia to English is no easy feat, stumble on it,  your creation will sound unquestionable plasticky and sticky--like tape literally.  Mom made the cake in its simplest form, no cheese, no nuts, no dried fruits.  Sometimes it's best that way.

All food credits go to my darling mom, I'm merely the photographer and taster.

Steamed Nian Gao with Shredded Coconut

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year and I feel extra special this year because my parents are here with me.  By some luck,  my mom has her last Indonesian nian gao with her.  Somebody must have brought it with her and gave it to her.  This specialty cake is only available during Chinese New Year and is called "Kue Keranjang" in Bahasa Indonesia.  I love the ones from Indonesia since they are wrapped in bamboo leaves and give out distinctive smell to the cakes.

My mom usually deep-fry the cake, which is sliced thin and coated with flour and eggs.  And when it is prepared that way the cake has this crunchy coating and soft and chewy inside.  This time my mom suggested preparing the cake slightly different.  The cake is cut into squarish pieces, then they are steamed.  To accompany the cake, unsweetened shredded coconut is also steamed together.  When the cake pieces are very soft, both the cake and coconut are taken out of the steamer.  Salt is added to the shredded coconut.  Then those two are combined together to produce sticky mass in a bowl.  The result is similar to "kue ongol-ongol" which is made with tapioca starch, palm sugar, water, and some flavoring in which pandanus extract from the leaves are quite popular.

The fun part is eating the chewy, soft, aromatic, sweet, and salty cake.  I couldn't ask for a better New Year's dessert!  Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fat Cai!

Ground Cherry Flognarde

In the midst of everyday life and assignments, I'm hungry for something sweet and quick.  My snack supply from Indonesia has reached the level of near-bottom, and I'm actually quite sad to see those goodies are gone.  If only they could magically reappear in the box, I'll be happier.

Yesterday I brought home a bag-full of ground cherry.  The first time I saw the fruits, I thought of it as tomatillos, but after researching through the Internet, this was ground cherry or from the family of Physalis.  The fruit has husk like tomatillo and the flavor is similar to tomato with a hint of pineapple.  The plant is also a relative of tomato plant.  Nobody knew what to do with them at work, so I volunteered to bring home some and intended to make use of it.

Okay, so I knew all of those info, but what would I do with the fruits?  I finally chose clafoutis as the means and almonds for the texture and added flavor.  I took a liking to Simply Recipe's Cherry Clafoutis but I decreased the amount of the sugar used because 1 cup was simply too sweet for my taste.  Half cup of whipping cream replaced half of the milk used to make the dish creamier.  I divided the batter to two 8-inch round cake pan because I wanted to share it with my co-workers.  I wanted them so taste the fruits from a different perspective.  So yeah, the flognarde looked a little thin in the photos.  And wording aside, flognarde is a egg-custard dessert using similar technique and ingredients as clafoutis but using different fruits other than cherries.  So even though I'm using ground cherry, it's technically not real cherry ;)

The result?  It ranks high in the pleasure palate, leaving behind a luxurious taste of creamy custard along with fruity explosion of ground cherries in the mouth.

Ground Cherry Flognarde

Serves 6

2 cups fresh ground cherry, husks removed

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 teaspoon of almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for dusting, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour one 9x9-inch or two 8-inch round baking dish. Scatter the ground cherries and slivered almonds in the dish.

Whisk the eggs, sugars, salt, and flour together until smooth.

Add the milk, whipping cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the baking dish.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The finished batter will jiggle slightly when it's pull out of the oven which is normal. Place on a wire rack to cool. The flognarde will have puffed up quite a bit and will deflate while cooling. When cool dust the flognarde with powdered sugar if desired.



Source:  adapted from Simply Recipe's Cherry Clafoutis

Wine Gelée with Fresh Peaches and Blackberries

Here's an idea to use up summer fruits.  Light, pretty, slightly intoxicating as well, a choice to have when you don't have time to make an elaborate desserts.  The choice of using white wine, sweet wine, or sparkling wine is really up to you.  Even you can use sparkling juice to make it non-alcoholic if you're serving for little people under ages as well.

Fresh peaches were plentiful this season and their so very juicy and sweet.  Most of my peaches were canned, but I made sure I left some to eat with this gelée.  Blackberries?  They could be found anywhere in Oregon, I got some from an empty city lot across the street from my friend's house.  They could be prickly but when they're ripe, there's no going back.

Wine Gelée with Fresh Peaches and Blackberries

Serves 4 to 6



One 1/4-ounce envelope unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup wine or water

1 1/2 cups sweet and/or sparkling wine, or sparkling juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 to 1 1/2 cups peaches, sliced into small pieces and lightly sugared

1/2 cup fresh blackberries



Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water and set it aside to soften.

Combine the sugar with the 1/2 cup wine in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin.  Stir until it's thoroughly dissolved, then pour it into the rest the wine along with the lemon juice.  Mix well, then pour into a bowl or a compote dish and refrigerate until set.  Wine takes longer to set, so plan on at least 6 hours, or even overnight for a firm set.

Chop the jelly into cubes, then serve it in glasses interspersed with the fruits.



Source:  adapted from Seasonal Fruit Desserts by Deborah Madison

Coconut and Pineapple Sundaes

Why is it that when people think of coconut and pineapple, they'll think of tropical island? I guess because coconut trees grow along the beach on tropical islands, and the closest tropical island to mainland US is Hawaii where there's a lot of pineapple grown so people put that two together constantly.  Personally, when I am looking for tropical flavor I will look in rambutan, guava, star fruit, and papaya among many others.  But sadly, finding those fruits in the US are hard and when they're available the prices are exorbitant.  So, I make do with coconut and pineapple to chase away my tropical blues.

The idea of making this sundaes came from two sources, one was my ice cream making book and the second one was from Sunset magazine.  I modified some ingredients and a refreshing concoction was made.  The coconut ice here is lighter than coconut ice cream since there's no custard base to make.  By sauteing pineapples in butter, I was able to bring out the sweet, mellow taste of them; they're then doused with a bit of rum to heighten the flavor.  In the end I included toasted shredded coconuts and lime zest to make this duo come together.

Coconut Ice

Serves 4 to 6



2/3 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1-14 oz. can coconut milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

1/4 cup rum

Zest of 1 lime

Toasted shredded coconut



Put the water in a medium saucepan.  Add sugar and coconut milk and bring to boil, stirring constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool, then chill well.

If using ice cream maker, churn the mixture until firm enough to scoop.

Melt butter in a medium frying pan over high heat.  Add pineapple chunks and cook until caramelized slightly, about 5 minutes.  Add rum and cook until it resembles a syrup.

To serve:  scoop coconut ice into dishes, spoon warm pineapple chunks on top and decorate with lime zest and toasted shredded coconut.

Chocolate Bread Parfait

Would you throw away leftover bread if you've known that you could make this heady yet luscious chocolate bread parfait?  I wouldn't so you shouldn't either.  I love the idea of using leftover bread which is abundant in Umbrian cuisine; it's kinda like genoise cake but in a slightly chewy way met chocolate-coffee-rum sauce.  This recipe was sent to me a long time ago but I haven't had time to make it sooner.  Spring is already here but this week, it's quite rainy and cold in Oregon so I thought making this parfait sounded perfect for the weather.

This is an honest and humble dessert, using simple and basic components but the result will sway you away.  The sauce is on the spot, not too sweet, very chocolatey, and the rum shines on.  I had to substitute almonds for pistachios because they're what I had at home.  Even with that, they didn't take away the flavor intended in the dessert.  Half of the recipe was just enough for us, more than that meant I need a strong determination not to eat all of them!

Chocolate Bread Parfait (Pane di Cioccolato al Cucchiaio)

Serves 6



8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 ounces country-style white bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup freshly brewed espresso

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1 /2 cups chilled heavy cream

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted---I used pistachios

Recommended equipment: A large rimmed tray or baking sheet, such as half-sheet pan (12 by 18 inches);  a spouted measuring cup, 1 pint or larger; 6 parfait glasses or wineglasses, preferably balloon-shaped

Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling) water.  When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth.  Keep it warm, over the water, off the heat.

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and lay them flat in one layer, close together, on the tray or baking sheet.

Pour the warm espresso into a spouted measuring cup, stir in the rum and sugar until sugar dissolves, then stir in half the melted chocolate.  Pour the sauce all over the bread slices, then flip them over and turn them on the tray, to make sure all the surfaces are coated.  Let the bread absorb the sauce for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or with an electric mixer.

To assemble the parfaits:  Break the bread into 1-inch pieces.  Use half the pieces to make the bottom parfait layer in the six serving glasses, dropping an equal amount of chocolatey bread into each.  Scrape up some of the unabsorbed chocolate sauce that remains on the baking sheet, and drizzle a bit over the bread layers.   Next, drop a layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using up half the cream.  Top the cream layer with toasted almonds, using half the nuts.

Repeat the layering sequence:  drop more soaked bread into each glass, drizzle over it the chocolate sauce from the tray and the remaining melted chocolate.  Dollop another layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using it all up, and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of each parfait.  This dessert is best when served immediately while melted chocolate is still warm and runny.



Source:  reprinted with permission from Lidia Mattichio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, authors of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy:  A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes.