D e l i s i o u c i t y

I have been meaning to make these for the longest time ever – and finally here they are! The ice-cream wooden sticks were a real steal I found from a local stationery shop back in my home town. Aren’t these pops just too cute? I think they make a great party gift! I am also very happy to get back to (my more reliable) french meringue technique – which resulted in these superfine macarons. Double win!

French meringue Macarons (adapted from tartelette’s recipe)

110g fine, sifted ground almonds
200g confectioner’s sugar
90g egg whites, aged
25g sugar
pinch of salt
colourful tiny pearls

Method: Place the egg whites and pinch of salt in a bowl and mix until foamy. Start adding the sugar a little at a time until all is used up. Keep on mixing on medium to high speed until ou get a semi-stiff peak meringue. In a separate bowl, combine the almonds and confectioner’s sugar. When the meringue is ready, combine the almond mixture and the meringue. Fold and scoop until you get a flowy batter, but make sure you do not over-mix. Pipe onto parchment paper, and sprinkle the pearls onto the surface of each macaron shell. Let dry until the surface doesn’t leave any bit of batter on your finger upon touching. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, at 170-175C. Let cool before peeling off the macarons from the parchment. Then pipe in your filling (I used my vanilla bean buttercream here) – place the wooden sticks on a tiny dollop of filling, then sandwich in another bit of buttercream. Place another macaron onto the filling to complete.

And the bestest part is? No holes or hollowness in my macaron shells.. huzzah! (yes i’m still on about my last post) :p

Hello old friend, who turned out to be my enemy! Yes, this is exactly what the macaron au sucre cuit is. Ever since my last attempt at this method of macaron-making a couple of years ago, I have not had the interest nor the desire to go by this said method again. I recall sometime ago about how the au sucre cuit (with cooked sugar, i.e. italian meringue) method have not been very forgiving to me, which is rather strange seeing that almost everyone on the blogosphere claim that it is THE recipe that’s more reliable, compared to macaron au blanc monté (or the french meringue method). Well, here I am, begging to differ! You see, I think I’ve been hit by an italian meringue jinx. Is there such a thing? Look it up and maybe you will find my face. The first couple of times I tried the sucre cuit method, it worked like a charm. And like everyone else, the macaron shells were perfect – puffy, domed, beautiful frilly feet, crust not too thin. But for some reason, it stopped working for me. The hot sugar syrup seized in the mixer bowl, tangling itself onto the mixer beaters; and then the shells… oh the shells! They cracked, or worse still, baked with hollows in the middle. Now of course after almost three years of making macarons (and more years obsessing), by now I know why exactly these failures happen. The hollow for example, is a result of variations in oven temperature, if not baking at a low temperature causing the macaron to not rise appropriately and uniformly. But back then, when I first started out, these reasons were unknown to me, and as you can imagine, agitated me to the point of having episodes of mini-breakdowns. I think I might have documented those at some point or other. One only needs to run a search in the search box up there ^_^

Having run a wee business selling macarons before I left Brunei, I swear that the only reliable macaron recipe for me is the french meringue method. Macarons are so finicky you see, and I had already experimented way too much (and wasted way too much). The au blanc monté may be more sensitive to moisture and humidity of the day, but for some odd reason, it almost always works. So what, I hear you ask, was it that compelled me to revisit the italian meringue method, that I finally succumbed to it and as a result, stayed up all night just to ensure they *at least* do not crack? Well, nothing momentous really.. just the thought that a fellow baker of mine has been telling me how much more reliable the sucre cuit method is for him (yes I mean you Ben); and the fact that after a few googled-pages later, I realized I had to conquer this ”fear of failure by syrup” lest dreams of tangled sugar on my beaters haunt me! I was itching to prove myself skilled and knowledgeable enough to know about dealing with any possible hiccups.

And so I sifted sugar, and processed the almonds, and dried them in the oven (because they were a bit moist), re-sifted, and made sure my sugar syrup went up to 160C and no more, and I macaronnaged (and went a couple of folds too far – hence too much spreading), and made sure I hung my new oven thermometer well, and sat right in front of the oven all night, staring at the rising macarons …. only to be proven that I still can’t master the italian meringue method! Reason being? Somehow the shells had horrible hollows (or holes, rather). And they were super chewy, which makes them unpleasant to eat, at least to my palate. The pictures you see here may show how perfect they are outside, but there’s no hiding the disappointment I had for the obvious lacking in robustness that every macaron piece should possess. Gaaaa!!

Admittedly, perhaps I can be a little too hard on myself sometimes. After all, these macarons were edible and perfectly fine – absolutely nothing wrong with them (to the undiscerning eye.. sorry!) And because I am forever in love with real vanilla beans and anything vanilla – the buttercream filling (made using swiss meringue method, hah!) more than compensated for the unsatisfying bite into these hole-y shells. Actually they don’t look all that bad from here, only a bit like they had some yeast-action on breads. Anyway, if you are up for the challenge, here’s a typical au sucre cuit recipe that you can try, which also documents the method step-by-step. Hurrah! As for me, I now proclaim myself ‘thrown in the towel’. Bye bye sucre cuit!

A quick post to say that I’m still around! It had been a busy term for me at uni, having to prepare for my thesis proposal defense. I apologize to you all & hope you haven’t scrapped me off your bookmarked pages list.. not just yet! I was practically inundated in books & keeping my confidence up.. after all, exams are never easy, especially the oral exams kind ^_^ I’m happy to report that I have survived this one, and will be heading home soon to carry out *fieldwork*.

So enough about that. I know that my last post was last year, so let me just say happy (belated) new year to you! How have things been so far? It’s already April now and sometimes I cannot believe how fast (and yet slow) time goes by. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but that’s how I feel. Sundays come and go so quickly and yet when you are waiting for something to happen, it can feel like forever.

But not pesto, apparently! I think it’s ridiculous that only now have I had the inclination to try making my own! And it. Is. Simply. Amazing. Bottom line is, it is so quick & easy to make:

Simple pesto
By Nikki A., www.delisioucity.com
Ingredients
3 packets of fresh basil (or a few good bunches)
A handful of pine nuts, toasted
A handful of cashew nuts, also toasted
About 100ml (or more) of fine quality extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
About 140gm of hard cheese (usually parmesan. I used a vegetarian substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Wash the basil, and toast the nuts lightly with no oil, on a hot frying pan. Add all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz away, adding more olive oil as needed so you get a nice pesto consistency.

Toasted nuts. I may have left them on the pan too long.. eep!

I managed to make a bagful of pesto and have been trying it out with all sorts of things… most notably, as a pasta sauce, and the classic mozzarella/pesto (or just basil)/tomato salad ensemble. It is just so divine, I seriously feel like I have wasted all these years not knowing the beauty of basil. (ok, maybe that’s a bit over the top). Anyhow, the pictures you see here show the yummiest salad ever,..because they’re so very fatty. I was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s 30-minute meal where he was shown tearing apart a ball of creamy mozzarella, and topped them off with store-bought pesto. Of course, that’s only because it’s a 30-minute meal programme and it’s ok. But just like those pancake mix that you can get at the store, do NOT buy bottled pesto as they can be quite vile *_*

Isn’t she a thing of beauty?! This salad is so sweet and flavourful. Finish off your presentation
with a drizzle of olive oil.

Here’s one of a quick and easy chicken pesto pasta! Just cook with oil, garlic, and slices of chicken breast. Then mix in.

Hey, pesto pasta!

You might notice that lately, whenever I do update a post that is, it’s always something quick and simple to whip up. Like.. can you count the number of pasta dishes I’ve featured so far…? -_- Ahh but they’re really filling and satisfying. I might just show you my hips to prove how much pasta has been a savior to me!

Luscious carbs~

So yes I hope you try out the pesto recipe. I know it can be a challenge to find basil in Brunei, but elsewhere in UK it should be easy. If you’re reading this from Brunei, do try out how Thai sweet basil work out as a pesto.. In fact our good comrade Thanis, from the blog linked on the sidebar here (labeled cookiemonster), once posted up some purple basil of some sort that he found at the local market. Wonder how that would turn out – as I love visual feasts, just for the opportunity they provide for photography!

”It’s not easy being green” – Kermit the Frog.
(Whaaat? Everybody seems to be quoting someone these days.. I might as well!)

See you again soon ^_^

nikki

This recipe is very common if you run the keywords for low-carb/flourless/gluten-free peanut butter cookies in your search engine. I’ve adapted the ones that kept on popping up, and here’s my version. It may be good for those who suffer from Coeliac (pronounced see-liac) disease, or just anyone who is watching their carb and gluten intake. I’ve also cut out on the sugar or artificial sweetener from the basic recipe, seeing that the peanut butter that I used was already sweet. This is just too simple and quick, that you wouldn’t expect it to be tasty.. but it is!

Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Cookies
By Nikki A.

1 C reduced fat peanut butter
1 egg
If you are using sugarless peanut butter, add 1/2 C of splenda or brown sugar to taste
2 Tbspn chopped nuts (I used Brazil nuts, almonds and some flaxseed)
30g Dark chocolate, broken into chunks

Method
Heat oven to 200C. Mix all ingredients and use a tablespoon to scoop the dough onto a baking parchment. Press the dough with a fork to get that traditional cookie effect. Pop into the oven, and reduce the heat to 180c. Bake for 10 minutes or until you couldn’t bear the fragrant smell anymore ^_^

The cookies are just nice the way I like them, not too crunchy or snappy,  nor chewy and soft, but a nice balance between the two.  It was very hard to resist them as they came out of the oven! The dark chocolate chunks gave a rather bitter twist to the overall taste, and if you prefer milk chocolate, by all means substitute this recipe with that. I hope you enjoy this one ^_^

xx
nikki

Aah, burgers. Who doesn’t love a good beef burger with cheese? Ok maybe not everyone. Anyway, I had purchased a kilo of minced meat from a Yorkshire halal butcher a few weeks ago, and knew it’s about time to thaw the meat out of the freezer for a good grilling. Nothing beats the cold winter like a really meaty hot meal, in my opinion. But since I am still on my ‘diet’ I thought about just making the patties tiny so I can control my portions. Plenty of leftover patties with this recipe, which you can just grill and pop in the fridge for another meal on the next day. They are seriously delicious, easy to prepare, and very cute, by the way!

Delisioucity’s Petite Patties for Mini Burgers
By Nikki A.

300g minced beef (a little fat with this is fine because leaner mince result in dry burgers)
Half an onion, chopped
Half a beef stock cube
1.5 tspn extra virgin olive oil
1 tspn mixed herb
Black pepper to taste
Cheese slice (I used reduced-fat Leerdammer)
Small wholemeal bread roll (or just use slice of bread, cut using a ring mold or a glass!)
Extra light mayonnaise
Lettuce, wild rocket, basil, or any salad leaf you love
Sliced jalapeno pepper

Method:
Mix in the chopped onions with beef. Add oil to the stock cube and mix well until a paste is formed. Add this to the meat. This will essentially ‘glue’ together the meat so you don’t need to add egg or breadcrumbs. It also allows for seasoning so no extra salt should be added. Add the pepper and herb, and take a small ball of the mixture, roll and flatten slightly. Heat up a grill and cook on both sides according to how well you like them. Slice the bread roll and heat on grill. Construct the burger as you wish, adding mayonnaise, jalapeno pepper, salad leaf and cheese. You can also add mustard or wasabi… the possibilities are endless!

There is no reason why one shouldn’t attempt at least once in their lives to make their own burger patties! Maybe you have your own special secret recipe? ^_^ Or a sauce that packs a powerful punch? Lately I’ve seen a few  businesses sprouting that deal exclusively with home-made burgers in Brunei. One of my absolute favourite is home-grown (from Kuala Belait!) Ahad’s Burgers who have been around for a long time (though they don’t just sell burgers), and they’ve recently skyrocketed in terms of their fan-base and fame. Another one is Ka-Pow Burgers, who make quite the fattest patties I’ve seen in Brunei so far (good, of course!) and recently I have come to know Homed Baga, as well as AHOA Burgers – both of which I have yet to taste! And I simply just can’t wait. These entrepreneurs are quite inspirational to me.. and with that I hope this post may spark some interest in you in making your own burgers! Who knows, maybe you will be the next big thing? ^_^

Take care always!
nikki

Unbelievable, I thought. Considering the amount of time and effort that I usually put in to bake a proper cake with all the incredibly fattening ingredients. A few months ago some links led me to a youtube video of ‘chocolate cake’ being baked in a mug and placed in a microwave oven. I thought, hmmh! What a cheat! Alas, biting my own tongue, I had on one night, craved for a banana cake but was just plain malas to make a proper one. So the microwave oven it is! Also I had started on a diet again (boooo!! hiss!) though nothing major really, just cutting on carbs and watching the calories. But here’s the deal: there is just absolutely no way you can cut the carbs off if you have banana cake cravings. Banana is just laden with carbs, end of story! So ultimately I had to do some research on low-carb options, which led me to conjure up this nifty little recipe here. Try it if you are also looking for flour-less cake options, and if you’re interested in high-protein foods. The best bit is, it only takes 5 minutes to ‘bake’ and it’s chock-full of goodness!

Delisioucity’s 5-minute Banana & Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake

70g almond meal
10g ground brazil nut*
10g ground walnut*
10g flaxseed*
1 ripe medium-sized banana (about 125g, mashed)
2 medium egg whites
25g melted low fat olive spread (alternatively just use butter)
20g dark chocolate shavings (I used Green&Black’s 75%)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 TBspn artificial sweetener (I used Splenda)

*alternatively replace with 30g almond meal or any other ground nuts

Mix the egg white and olive spread/butter and beat with a mixer for 5 minutes. Add in the dry ingredients, and mix in the mashed banana and chocolate. You can do all this in a medium-sized bowl. Now pop this into the microwave oven and set it at 100% for 5 minutes, stopping at around 3 minutes to check. It should be ready once the surface is dry to the touch. Cool slightly so the heat cooks through, and serve. If you like you can also bake this in a preheated oven, 180C for 25 minutes (or insert a cake-tester to see if the middle is dry).

Nice, no? It’s gluten-free, high in protein, high in fibre, and heck, it even tastes like a proper fake cake. Hah, score!

Happy fake-baking, folks.

xx
nikki

P/s: In all honesty, this is a really yummy cake by the way!

An aimless, shopping-listless trip into the Tesco store on Cowley Road one day brought me to these fruits called physalis, otherwise known as cape gooseberries. I had no idea what they were at that time of course, and thought I’d do the research later. They’re like tiny little oranges but they don’t taste very much like citrus.  Inside, they’re  fleshy and studded with tiny little seeds. Quite juicy too I might add. The skin of the fruit is extremely paper thin – imagine dinky cherry tomatoes, but with the extra layer of a delicate, papery pair of ‘leaves’  or husks encasing the fruit. The physalis is in fact related to the common tomato, and apparently this fruit is best described as having a tomato/pineapple taste. It does have that sharp after-taste like the pineapple that doesn’t tickle my fancy too much, so a couple of these were more than enough!

Having said that I really wasn’t imaginative enough to make some form of complicated dessert with these, other than maybe to toss them in a bowl of salad! So I decided to go simple; as decorative elements on top of a simple frangipane tart., they might work just fine.  And they did. Feeling semi-creative that night, and only because I was more motivated by the photo-opportunity rather than anything,  I also made a tartelette with the fruits immersed in the frangipane mixture. The fruit went well and kept its structure in the heat of the oven, and the husk did not shrivel much at all. So the next time I bake using these, this is probably the mode in which they’ll appear.

Here’s the how-to:

Pate Brisee (bree-zayh)
2.5 C All purpose flour
1 Tbspn salt
1 Tbspn sugar
1 C unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/4 to 1/2 C iced water

Add salt and sugar to the flour, then in goes the butter. Cut the butter through the flour with a knife and mix in. Add water a little at a time until a dough is formed; making sure that the ingredients just come together when pinched. Place this in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to rest the dough. Take out, then place the dough on a board and do not knead or even overwork it. Instead, roll, lift, turn and roll till a flattened disc is formed. Chill in the fridge for a further 20 minutes. Bake blind for 25-30 minutes at 200C.

Frangipane
60g almonds
60g sugar
60g butter
1 egg

Mix in all together and insert into the baked pastry. Bake until a golden hue is achieved on the top of the tart. Arrange the physalis on the tartelettes and serve.

And certainly you can replace the fruits and just use whatever is available during the season wherever you are.

Happy baking!

Warmest regards,

Nikki.

Is it any surprise that when one is glued almost indefinitely to her studies, one becomes almost impartial to her meals? I am at the moment in the midst of preparing my D. Phil research proposal for the all-important transfer of status process (click here if you’re curious enough). Moments like this often make me realize that sometimes food is just about feeding one’s hunger.. and perhaps all that creative arty-tarty stuff can step aside for a little bit. As such I very rarely plan my meals anymore and this makes cooking quick and easy food all the more essential. As much as I love slow-food, there isn’t always time and energy for that.  The same can be said about food photography. Actually I stopped eating mid-linguine just to take these pictures (because I thought they’d make a good blog post… but meh,.. we’ll see). What’s really exciting about fast-food, at least, is that not all of them are that bad. For instance, instead of gorging on instant noodles that most of my countrymen/women are accustomed to, pasta as an alternative can be equally easy to whip up in a matter of minutes. And even better, there is no MSG in your dish, unless you insist!

So here I will show you two ways to make a prawn linguine – two ways because they have the same basic ingredients except for the addition of chili. It’s my take on a quick-ish and very-lazy-indeed meal,… (though technically I could just run up to the supermarket and grab a microwave dinner)… and I only resort to the chili version if the weather’s cold and I have a pack of antacid tablets in my possession (!) That still doesn’t mean I’m partial to either one of the recipes… because they’re just, quite simply, equally quick & tasty.

Blanc (White) Prawn Linguine with Chives & Parsley

Ingredients

An individual’s portion of linguine (however much you eat!) – boiled in water and a pinch of salt till aldente
3 cloves of garlic
Some olive oil
5 pieces of tiger prawns (peeled, de-veined, and cleaned)
A bunch of fresh english parsley
A bunch of fresh chives
A squirt of lemon juice (optional)
1.5 Tbspn of Philadelphia Black Pepper & Chives cream cheese
1/4 Cup of vegetable stock

Heat the olive oil, add garlic until fragrant and toss in the prawns. Add vegetable stock and let simmer until the prawns turn a nice shade of pink and the liquid reduces slightly. Add cream cheese and stir to form a creamy, milky sauce. Add parsley and chives, and squeeze in a few drops of lemon (which you can make do without). Let the liquid reduce some more, then add the boiled linguine. Serve immediately.

Spicy Rouge (Red) Prawn Linguine with Chives

Now equally, you can turn this dish around and make it hot. Just slice up a red chili and sautee in the olive oil after the garlic goes in. I abandoned the parsley and just added a couple of stalks of chives. I also like to test how much chili I can tolerate (yes, quite in a self-destructive manner, really), and added sweet Thai chili sauce (Lingham’s) to the dish and let that reduce with the creamy gravy. I must admit, it was very nice indeed,.. though not for those who dislike things spicy. In which case, you should scroll back up and make the blanc version instead (!)

And of course, I am perpetually thankful to the makers and inventors of frozen food, because these dishes became substantial in eight minutes flat with the addition of microwave-grilled garlic bread! Now admittedly this meal has become an Atkins’-dieter’s nightmare (or sweet dream, whichever way she looks at it)… but I have thrown in the towel for now and let my hips grow as much as they wish because ever since I turned 30 there was no looking back to sizes 8 or 10 in the clothing department anymore anyway! Bitter? Indeedy-do ^_^

Now go on, enjoy the luxury of proper food and chuck that instant ramen out in the bin! I know I had your attention when I said cream cheese anyway :p

Yours truly,

Nikki
….(who is slowly but surely drifting back to her work now)… Till then!

I was browsing through some pictures and realized these were buried deep in the electronic fibres of my computer system that I had forgotten all about them! These cookies were made for last year’s Eid celebrations. That’s 2009. Depending on one’s views of time and general blogging practice/etiquette, that’s either donkey years or a blink of an eye. Regardless, I made these sugar cookies for my family to enjoy on the first day of Raya – which came along with that much awaited green packet (well, for the kids at least).

It’s nice that these pictures have resurfaced, because at the time of making them, I was going through plenty of mixed feelings of joy and sadness. It goes without saying that leaving home for a foreign country to continue studies at the dawn of my twenties  was one of the biggest decisions to make in my life. Since then I’ve gone through quite a lot, as travel and separation from loved ones does to a person. And I must say that these cookies somewhat give me a good point of reference to go full circle & rethink about my life the past year. Funny how food can do that to you sometimes. Or pictures for that matter.

Anyway, I haven’t been very good at updating this website since I left for UK… and there’s so much to say in my defense for that (cheapshot, I know). I’ve got a bunch of drafts and unedited pictures lining up in my dashboard – that when I think about them, it makes me crazy. But perhaps the past year I’ve finally managed to learn how to prioritize…. ah but who am I kidding! I guess hobbies like photography, baking and writing a blog – are only fun when you have time for them. Nonetheless, I hope not to get wiped out from the surface of this blogosphere permanently!

I’ll bid adieu for now with big cookie hugs to you, and wish you a fantastic time with your family and loved ones celebrating this blessed month of Syawal! Meanwhile I’m doing my best to enjoy being back home in Brunei before I get back to my thesis again. .. and probably worst still, cold weathers!

Maaf zahir batin, my dear readers!

Often times I wonder if I cook/bake food only because of the photographic opportunities they present. Maybe it’s not all true, because that same wonderment quickly gets brushed off because I do enjoy being in the kitchen. Does that happen to you? Does cooking and baking make you happy?

Well, although I admit the joy of being in the kitchen can be very short-lived, it’s more than compensated by the fact that this blog is a place I can document what I love to do. In a way, it’s  almost like writing history… with photos! I hope you have enjoyed being in this journey of ‘gastroventures’ with me for the past year or so. There is one obvious change that I made recently, and you might have noticed: I’ve changed this website’s tagline to ‘Food & Photography‘. I think it suits the whole ambition that became  a reality when I invested in my DSLR camera. It certainly encapsulates what I had inadvertently made into a hobby… well, two hobbies rather, namely baking and photography.

Clockwise: Limes in tart pan holes; Organic Goats’ Cheese, chopped thyme, lime rind,  diagonally-cut asparagus

Anyway, let’s talk about the recipe for the tarts in the photograph.. because that’s why we’re here! It is asparagus season in UK right now and these delicious stalks of greens pair very nicely with mushrooms. Here, the shiitake variety is used. These make very simple  starters and take no time at all. Except of course if you include the time taken in the treatment of the puff pastry (!) I would recommend that you buy the ready made rolled puff pastry from the freezer section of your local grocery store… because as exciting as making layers of flaky pastry is, it does take time and particularly cool hands and a cool counter (in which case, use a granite slab, and do it very early in the morning if you insist). Just roll the pastry, and use a 7.5” to 8” mousse ring or a round cookie cutter to make these cute tarts.

Shiitake and Asparagus Tarts
(adapted from Epicurious.com)

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry
1/4 C unsalted butter
A handful of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into strips
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
A bunch of asparagus, cut diagonally (discard the tough end)
Chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
1/4 creme fraiche/fresh cream
100g organic goats cheese (you can replace with philly if that’s easier)
Fresh thyme sprigs for garnishing

Method

Roll out the pastry and cut circles with the mousse ring. Arrange on baking sheets and chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Melt the butter and saute the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue to saute until tender and lightly browned. Transfer into a bowl to cool, then add the rest of the ingredients in. Preheat oven to 400F, place the fillings onto the puff pastry and bake until the crusts are puffed and golden, and the filling cooked through. Garnish with thyme.

Have fun trying out the recipe, and hope you enjoy the photos ^_^