Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies 煙韌朱古力燕麥曲奇

Rezept auf Deutsch - Weiche Schokolade Haferflocken Plätzchen
中文食譜 - 煙韌朱古力燕麥曲奇


Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients for ~30 cookies

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (110g) light muscovado sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• one large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup + 2 teaspoon (80g) all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate soda 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cup (128g) quick cooking oat
• ½ cup (90g) chocolate chips

Preparation

• Preheat oven 165°C / 350 °F / Gas Mark 3. Line 2 layers of parchment papers on the baking tray. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
• Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then add the muscovado sugar. Mix well the ingredients in medium speed, then follow with the granulated sugar.
• After sugar and butter are well combined, then beat in the egg and drip in the vanilla extract.
• Put the flour mixture into a sifter, and sift into the batter by 3~4 additions. After all the ingredients are well blended, then you can stop beating the mixture.
• Add in the oatmeal into the batter by 3~4 additions. Mix the ingredients with a spatula to form a soft dough, then add in the chocolate chips and mix well.
• Prepare the baking tray and one tablespoon. Fill the dough into the spoon and pour it over on the baking tray, so now just finished the first cookie. Repeat this step and line the cookies on the baking tray, leave around 1.5 inch spaces between the cookies.
• Put the baking tray into the oven and bake for 12~15 minutes until the cookie's edge turn golden brown. The freshly baked cookies are very soft, wait for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and leave cool. These cookies will remain semi-soft after totally cooled,  and this is the unique texture of the chewy chocolate oatmeal cookies.

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Fuck Friend (CSS Remix)

Ingredients checklist: butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract,  flour, baking soda, salt, oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Utensils checklist: A scale, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a hand mixer or electric mixer, a spatula, a sifter, a baking tray and parchment papers.

First, cream the butter until soft, then add in the brown sugar.

After the brown sugar and butter are well combined, then add in the white sugar.

Beat in the egg and follow with the vanilla extract. Blend the mixture in medium speed all the time.

Sift in the flour mixture into the batter several times, after one does is well absorbed, then you can sift in more flour. Turn off the mixer after the batter is well blended.

The basic batter is done, it should be beautifully smooth and able to hold it's shape.

Now can pour in the oatmeal, and replace with a spatula for the mixing.

Time for chocolate chips, it's always the best for last.

The cookie dough is completed. Chill it in a refrigerator for 15~30 minutes if it is too soft, this can prevent the cookies spread out too much when baking.

Now can start making the cookies one by one. First, fill the dough into the tablespoon.

Then place the rounded dough the baking tray with parchment papers.

So you can have even sized cookies. Remember to leave some space between, because the cookies will spread out after baked.

After 12~15 minutes baking, the sweet smelling and piping hot fresh cookies are straight from the oven. Do not move the cookies now coz they are too soft.

Can serve immediately after the cookies are cooled. The taste of chocolate is sweet but not greasy, the baked oatmeal is full of flavor and chewy, another good time to enjoy the afternoon tea.

Mini Tips:

• You may use semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate for the sweetness you like.
• If you don't have chocolate chips, replace with a chocolate bar and break into small pieces.
• Hand mixer and electric mixer are both good, the results will be just the same.
• Use medium speed to blend the ingredients all the time. When one ingredient is well absorbed, follow with another ingredient or pause the beating, because over-beat the ingredients will make the cookies spread out too much when baking.

Reference recipe : All Recipe by Panthera

Thai Green Curry Chicken 泰式青咖哩雞

Rezept auf Deutsch - Thai grünes Curry Hähnchen
中文食譜 - 泰式青咖哩雞

Thai Green Chicken Curry
แกงเขียวหวานไก่
Ingredient for 2~4 Servings

• half chicken
• one can (400 ml) coconut milk
• 6 green thai eggplants
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 8 kaffir lime leaves
• 8 thai basil leaves

Green Curry Paste

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon galangal
• 1 kaffir lime
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 small thai green chilies
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste

Chicken seasoning

• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon corn flour
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon rice wine
• a pinch of salt

Preparation

• Wash the chicken and cut into chunks, marinade with the seasonings and set aside.
• Now prepare the spices. Remove the skin of galangal and slice into shreds. Grate the kaffir lime zest. Take the bottom half of the lemon grass and cut into rings. Remove the roots of shallots and garlic then peel and roughly chop it. Then, remove the head of the chilies.
• Put salt, black pepper corns, galangal and kaffir lime zest into a stone mortar, smash it with a pestle for 3~5 minutes.
• And now add the shallots, garlic and green chili, continue smash the ingredients for few more minutes. To finish, add the shrimp paste and mix together.
• Heat a frying pan with some oil, Sauté the chicken in medium high heat until slightly golden, remove from heat and set aside.
• In another frying pan, heat the coconut milk in medium heat. When it start to boil, add the spice paste and stir fry for 3 minutes until it start to fragrance. If the paste dry out, add more coconut milk to avoid burning.
• Add the chicken and half cup of coconut milk, reduce to low heat and cook for 10 more minutes, stir occasionally to avoid burning. You may add some water or more coconut milk for the desired consistency.
• In the mean time, prepare the Thai egg plants. Remove the leaves of the egg plants and halve into quarters.
• Add the egg plants and palm sugar into the curry and cook for 3 more minutes. Before serving, squeeze some kaffir lime juice, and drop few pieces basil and kaffir lime leaves. With this 100% original Thai Green Curry Chicken... Hey, don't forget your fragrant rice!

Massive Attack - Sly

Ingredients checklist: chicken, coconut milk, thai eggplants, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, thai basil leaves, black peppercorns, galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, thai green chilies, shrimp paste, sugar, corn flour, soy sauce, salt and cooking oil.
Utensils checklist: a stone mortar and pestle, a knife, a chopping board, frying pans and a spatula.

Marinade the chicken first.

Get all the spices prepared. We only take the bottom half of the lemon grass, cause all the aroma is concentrated here.

Make the dry ingredients first, smash the salt, black pepper corns, galangal, kaffir lime zest and lemon grass altogether.

It just takes few minutes. I’m not kidding, this unique fragrance make me feel like being in Thailand.

Then make the wet ingredients, smash the shallots, garlic and chilies. You may adjust the amount of chilies as you like. Opps… I am kind of person cannot eat hot, this little red chilie is too strong for me.

Add the shrimp paste at last. No need to worry it looks so rough. I guarantee, this handmade texture give you better flavor than what you get in the restaurant.

Fry the fatty skin side first can give a nice brown colour. It also can save your cooking oil.

Bring the coconut milk to simmer, sauté the spice paste till your kitchen is filled with aroma. 

Bring in the chicken and more coconut milk, simmer till the sauce is thicken. Don't forget to stir occasionally to avoid burning.

Prepare the egg plants before going into the pan, cause the meat of the egg plant can go dark easily.

Add the egg plants and palm sugar and cook for few more minutes.

Squeeze some kaffir lime juice, and garnish with basil and kaffir lime leaves to increase the flavor. And it is perfectly ready to serve.

Mini Tips:

Don't have a stone mortar and pestle? No problem, you can always work with an electric blender.

Find the fresh spices and Thai egg plants in south east Asia grocery store. Of course, you may replace with instant curry paste all the time, please still use spices like basil, lemon grass, shallots and garlic to keep the flavor.

History of Cupcake, Eliza Leslie

Eliza Leslie (1787 – 1858)

When talking about cupcake, the lovely little cakes should float in your brain. If rewind back to the 19th century, you will discover the meaning this name was totally different. Cupcake - a revolutionary breakthrough, was named by Eliza Leslie. It is hard to imagine, even measuring cup still not invented in this era, and every families were using a scale to weight the ingredients. Eliza omitted this regular measuring method, and replaced by just one tea cup. This cutting edge idea made cake baking become more time saving and handy.

Eilza is a American author of cookbooks and etiquette books. Since America was burgeoning after independence, the middle class started caring about cuisine and etiquette. By Eilza's humorous writing style and knowledge in cooking and social manners, her books became very popular and she is one of the celebrated woman author in the century.

Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes and Sweetmeats.

By a Lady of Phildelphia

First edition was published in 1828.

With the world's first cupcake recipe in detail.

Cup Cake

• Five eggs
• Two large teacupful of molasses
• The same of brown sugar, rolled fine
• The same of fresh butter
• One cup of rich milk
• Five cups of flour, sifted
• Half a cup of powdered allspice and cloves
• Half a cup of ginger

Cut up the butter in the milk, and warm them slightly. Warm also the molasses, and stir it into the milk and butter: then stir in, gradually, the sugar, and sit it away to get cool.

Beat the eggs very light, and stir them into the mixture alternately with flour. Add the ginger and other spice, and stir the whole very hard.

Butter small tins, nearly fill them with the mixture and bake the cakes in moderate oven.

Artikel auf Deutsch - Cupcake Geschichte

中文文章 - 杯蛋糕的歷史

Butter Cupcakes with Lemon Flavor 檸香牛油杯蛋糕

Rezept auf Deutsch - Butter Cupcake mit Zitronenaroma
中文食譜 - 檸香牛油杯蛋糕

Butter Cupcakes with Lemon Flavor 
Ingredients for ~ 12 cupcakes

• ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lemon
• 1 ½ cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
• Icing sugar for decoration

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 180°C (Gas mark 4). Prepare a drawing paper, and draw your favorite shapes and cut out with a cutter.
• In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Grate the lemon zest and set aside.
• In another mixing bowl and using a egg whisk, beat the butter and sugar until light and pale yellow. Then beat in the eggs, one each time, combine well the ingredients for each addition, and follow with the vanilla extract and lemon zest. 
• Start with adding little bit of the flour into the mixture. Mix gently, then alternately add the flour mixture and milk in three additions. Ending with the remaining flour, mix well all the ingredients to form a smooth batter.
• Line the cake molds on the baking tray. With a tablespoon, fill the batter evenly into the molds, or about 70% full. Bake about 18~20 minutes until light golden.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for a while. Place the drawing paper on the top of the cake and sift a layer of icing sugar. After remove the paper. Look! Your lovely self designed cupcake! This is a pure pleasure : )

Metronomy - This could be Beautiful

Ingredients checklist: Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and icing sugar. 

Utensils checklist: a measuring cup, a teaspoon, bowls, cake molds, a egg whisk, a spatula, a grater, a sifter and a baking tray.

Design your favorite patterns. If you are lazy, then just make it simple.

Using a grater, peel the lemon's yellow zest.

After the butter and sugar become light and pale yellow, add the eggs one by one.

Alternately, add the flour mixture and milk.

Fill the cake molds evenly, then bake in the oven.

If you are not sure are the cakes well baked. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cakes, if there are no batter stick on the toothpick, then the cakes are done.

Place your designed paper on the cake.

Put the icing sugar into a sift, and sprinkle a layer on the top.

Look! Your custom made cupcake is done!

A smell of lemon flavor, a soft cupcake. It is double enjoyment of taste and sight.

Mini Tips:

When I made this cupcakes, I tried the vanilla beans, vanilla extract and also skipped both. But the results did not make a very big difference. Comparing to the lemon zest, it gave me a nice surprise because it truly gave a  refreshing fragrance to the cakes. Especially when they are fresh from the oven, just tear open the cakes and apparently, the smell of lemon would fill into your nose.  

If you only have salted butter, please take off the ¼ teaspoon of salt. As too much sodium would affect the result of the baking powder.  

If your hometown is humid like Hong Kong, the icing sugar patterns only can last about one day. So... better prepare the topping just before inviting your friends. 

Reference recipe: 

Joy of baking

Clam Digging in Pui O 貝澳摸硯

Pui O beach in Lantau Island - We spent the weekend enjoying camping, barbecue, and clam digging. What a relaxing and wonderful holiday!

So happy holding my collection : )

Simply grill it over the cooking foil with little bit of butter, unbeatable freshly taste!

Artikel auf Deutsch - Muscheln sammeln in Pui O
中文文章 - 貝澳摸硯

Crème Brulée 焦糖布丁

Rezept auf Deutsch - Crème Brulée
中文食譜 - 焦糖布丁

Crème Brulée
Ingredients for 2 servings

• 30g granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons for topping
• 2 egg yolks
• 200ml whipping cream
• Flavorings: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon rum, kirsch, cognac or orange liqueur of your choice

Preparation

• Preheat the whipping cream in a saucepan in low heat, but not bring to simmer.
• In a mixing bowl, beat in the egg yolks, gradually add the sugar and continue beating for 3~5 minutes until the mixture become pale yellow, add the vanilla extract and mix well.
• Very gradually pour the warmed whipping cream into the yolk mixture, continue beating until all cream is combined.
• Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, set in low heat but not bring to simmer, stir slowly until the sauce become light and creamy, turn off the heat and add flavoring spirit.
• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a serving dish. Then cover and refrigerate.
• Before serving, sprinkle a layer of sugar on the top, then use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar till brown and crispy. Enjoy!

Erik Satie - Gnossiennes No. 1 - Lent, by Aldo Ciccolini

Ingredients checklist:  granulated sugar, egg yolks, whipping cream, vanilla extract, spirit of your choice.

Utensils checklist: a enameled saucepan, a mixing bowl, a wire whip, a wooden or plastic spatula, a sieve, a blow torch. 

Heat the whipping cream to lukewarm.

Separate egg whites and egg yolks, beat in the sugar with the yolks.

After the yolks turn to pale yellow, add the vanilla extract.

Slowly, pour the warmed whipping cream into the yolk mixture and stir continually, this step is called "tempering" to warm the yolks slowly without cooking. Please do it with care.  

Set the custard in low heat but not bring to simmer, stir slowly until the mixture become light and creamy.

Add your favorite spirit, and strain the mixture into the serving dish to form a fine custard.

The highlight of Crème Brulée - take the chilled custard from the fridge, and sprinkle a layer of sugar. 

Caramelize with a blow torch, and it is ready to serve : )

Mini Tips: 

Crème Brulée, direct translate is burn cream. The British believe that the "Burnt Cambridge Cream" or "Trinity Cream" was invented in Cambridge. The Spanish also have their similar recipe called "Cream Catalana". The first record can date back to 1691, in the cookbook of French chef François Massialot, "Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois", although the origin of the recipe still under debate. Until 19th Century, the French brought this elegant dessert from Paris restaurants to the world, and of course, this beautiful name "Crème Brulée" became one of the famous french dessert.

Hmm... the mouth watering caramelized sugar with creamy custard, a perfect bite. 

The cookware stores usually sell the blow torch in an expensive price. You may find it much cheaper in hardware or camping stores. Just connect with a gas cartridge and will have same effect.  This one is bought by my friend May, thanks!

Reference cookbook:

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle & Simone Beck