New Year New Look?

Hmmm... I'm debating whether I should revamp the blog once again. I know it hasn't been that long since I've redesigned the blog, but I'm craving something new and fresh! Whaddya think?




Here is a peek at my desk when I am trying to squeeze some design stuff out for school. I try to put up things that "inspire" me... which makes it very messy... But I guess it's messy most of the time anyway. :P Anywho. It's very very bright during the day time. Maybe I'll take a photo of that some day.

Happy New Year!!

So with the arrival of my parents and grandmother, we celebrated New Years morning the right way: the traditional Korean way.

Christmas Bake-a-thon: Madeleines

OH! What a fantastic morning! I woke up fairly early (and I use that word "early" quite lightly) and decided to do it. Do what? Bake Madeleines once and for all. I couldn't believe I've had that gorgeous Madeleine pan for months and months but haven't used it...till this morning! These pretty little scalloped babies are my sister's favorite and mine too. It's hard to see them in any North American bakery, but they are quite popular in Seoul, Korea (and France, I'm assuming). These soft "cookies" are more like mini sponge cakes and have a variety of flavors, from lemon to rosewater to lavender. All in all, they are perfectly elegant, perfectly delightful, perfectly perfect.






Anywho, I've searched for the perfect recipe for many a months, but never tried any of them. I don't know, to be honest, I think I was scared to make them, in fear that it will ruin my idea and love for the perfect Madeleine. What if turns out to be a disaster? But today I decided to brave it all and bust out the beautiful aluminum pan I bought at Williams-Sonoma a while back. No longer shall it be just a pretty novelty piece of mine!




So there is the backdrop. :P Recipe time: I decided to use the recipe from 101 Cookbooks. Something about her I trust completely. She seems to know what she's doing. And yup! She did not disappoint. The recipe is fairly easy and simple but required a new technique for me (Brown Buttering.. I burned my first pot of butter. Eeek.) And I was extremely nervous.. But when they came out of the oven I had a big big smile! The smell was great, the texture was great, the scalloped ridges were great. They are fluffy and spongy and light. The flavor is perfect lemony-sweet. Oh and did it compliment a cup of tea fantastically!



I sound a bit excited, but these are worth being excited for! I can't believe I've recreated THE Madeleine! It's a big deal for me. :D And I can't wait till my mom comes home so that I can bake it for her and her friends for afternoon tea or something! It will surely be a hit. So Madeleines are my new "thing" now! Love it!

Lemon Madeleines

makes 2-3 dozen Madeleines
from 101 Cookbooks

ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (for greasing pan)
3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
a pinch fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cups sugar
zest of one large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar
a bit of extra flour for dusting baking pan

Special equipment: A madeleine baking pan, regular or small Metal pans are way better (and cooler) than silicon pans. They say that the ridges are more defined and give a golden hue.

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Melt the 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a small pot over medium heat until it's brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma, roughly 20 minutes. OKAY. This part. 20 minutes was way too long for me, because by 15 minutes, my butter was burnt and toasted. The second time I did it I reduced it to about 10-12 minutes.Strain (using a paper towel over a mesh strainer) - you want to leave the solids behind. Cool the butter to room temperature. By doing the butter first you can complete the rest of the steps while it is cooling.

3. While the melted butter is cooling, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the madeleine molds - get in there and make sure you get in all the ridges. Dust with flour and invert the pan tapping out any excess flour. Lanha uses "cooking spray" with flour to simplify this part.

4. Put the eggs with the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until thick - you are looking for the eggs to roughly double or triple in volume - approximately 3 minutes. Continuing to mix on high speed, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream. Whip for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and ribbony. Now with a spatula fold in the lemon zest and vanilla (just until mixed).

5. Sprinkle the flour on top of the egg batter, and gently fold in. Now fold in the butter mixture. Only stirring enough to bring everything together.

6. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each mold 2/3 –3/4 full. I use a small cup filled with batter to keep things clean and manageable, it is easier than using a spoon.

7. Bake the madeleines for 12 - 14 minutes (7-10 minutes for smaller cookies), or until the edges of the madeleines are golden brown. Remove from oven and unmold immediately. Cool on racks and dust with powdered sugar.

New Colours

So I used to be a salad lover. That was back when I cared lots about nutrition and fitness (aka "before I became a baker" haha). But then I ate too much that I got sick of it. The occasional restaurant salad would satisfy me, but home salads? Yuck! I would usually make one with much effort, but then only eat a quarter of it. I would buy fresh salad ingredients, but then let it go un-fresh because I never felt like making it. And so I am no longer a salad lover.



But there are three salads that I love. Three salads that make me smile and tickle my taste buds. And being quite filling, I would rarely feel unsatisfied after a bowl of salad. (Mostly because they are piled with lots of protein, which is good for you, by the way). The three salads are Cobb salad, Salad Niçoise, and Wild Mushroom Arugula salad. So I thought I would remake these at home and maybe for those of you who are like me and have grown to dislike salads, it will be an invitation to try out the leafy delight again.





This salad here is the Cobb Salad. It's quite similar to the Chef's Salad. It was created in the mid-1920's by restaurateur Bob Cobb at his Brown Derby Restaurant in LA. How do I know this, you ask? Well, it's because I have a cookbook! I borrowed Joy of Cooking's "All about salads and dressings" and got the recipe here. I actually substituted a lot of it with my own ingredients, and it looked quite similar to the Chef Salad. But anyway. I love the array of flavors and textures in the salad. It has tons of protein to fill you up: boiled egg, chicken, bacon, cheese! Lots of fat (good fats) to make you happy: cheese, avocado, olive oil. And enough greens for a clean taste: bibb lettuce, watercress, green onions.



One of the key key KEY things about a good tasting salad is that it is not soggy with water, or with dressing. A salad spinner is great for a crisp tasting salad. I was happy when I got this for two reasons: one, obviously because it dries herbs and greens really fast, and two, cuz it's just so fun using it! And it's important not to soak and drench the salad with dressing. Yuck. You want it to be enough to flavor and combine the different ingredients -- not overpower it. But anywho, enough words and explanations, here is the recipe. For my substitutions and notes, it is written in italics.

Cobb Salad

4-6 servings
from Joy of Cooking: All About Salads & Dressings

ingredients

1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar I ran out of it, so I used Balsamic Vinegar, which was just fabulous!
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled I found the mildest blue cheese I could find. My sister isn't the biggest fan of blue cheese.
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2/3 cup olive oil

1 head Bibb lettuce, separated into leaves, washed, and dried
1 large bunch watercress, tough stems trimmed, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped.
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
4 to 6 diced cooked chicken or turkey breast I just used sliced cooked turkey breast from the deli
6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled I really don't like bacon, so I used sliced smoke ham from the deli instead
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely snipped fresh chives I am a huge lover of green onions. So I used them instead
1/4 cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese

directions

1. Mash togethr the garlic and 1/4 tsp of salt in a small bowl until a small paste is formed. Whisk in the vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper (to taste). Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Make sure you do this correctly so that the dressing will combine together and not separate and get all oily.
2. Line a platter with the Bibb lettuce. Arrange on top of the lettuce leaves the rest of the ingredients, in a manner where each of the ingredient is grouped side by side.
4. Lightly drizzle the vinegar over the salad and serve.

Christmas Bake-a-thon: Lemon Squares

Hello hello.
Okay. Today it's going to be a short and sweet one. These were the second goodies that I baked for the church Christmas get-together thing but I have to admit, I didn't like them. I definitely over-baked them so the filling was too stiff and egg-y. Not enough lemony zing and the shortbread was too mushy. This was a new recipe, so I think I'll stick with my original ones. Anyway, enough complaining. :P Please enjoy the pictures. :) No recipe today.