Sunday, July 25, 2010

Another 10







Last week was a busy one. I was into my gel candle making sessions so had to go to market & bought my supply of gel, embeds, wicks, scent etc. I forgot about the colours though. Hmmm maybe someday I'll go get that.
One of these days I'll put up the info on where I go buy my baking/candle making/art & craft items.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bags & more

I've always loved to personalise the gifts I give. It goes out to show how much I care/love/cherish the person to whom the gift is given. And that's how I started making cardboard boxes & bags & such other things with chart paper & other paper types.
Recently I've fallen in love with handmade paper. There is something about this material. I use them just as they are without reinforcing it with chart/boards & have found they hold up pretty good, even as a cake box.
These are some I made with the leftovers of our wedding invitation
   
Cake box Type 1


      




Bag made out of handmade paper

Monday, July 19, 2010

Sold! Goodbye





Sold 12 candles yesterday - yup 1st 'income' in 2yrs lol. Grandma left frm blr last night. Back to just us. Got to go buy some books today. Gotta rush before the copies get over.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Choco Lava :-D

What with me & chocolates? I don't know... these dark beauties are irresistable. Chocolate has a magical effect - it can alter your mood & give you what's just right to satisfy your sweet cravings. The very first choco lava I had was the hot one from Dominos, delivered at our doorstep on a day I was too exhausted to cook dinner. It was love at first sight ;-). It was sheer work of art, the molten chocolate oozing out... that's why it is also called as Molten lava cake. This is my favourite recipe:

Choco Lava/Molten Lava Cake

4oz. Dark chocolate chopped
4oz. Butter unsalted chopped
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Plain Flour



1) Melt the chopped chocolate over a double boiler. Use a saucepan filled 1/3rd full of water & place another stainless steel bowl over the first saucepan, bringing the water in the pan below to a boil & stir the chocolate on the top bowl so that is melts evenly. Once chocolate is melted, take off the flame.
2) Add butter to the melted chocolate & let it melt completely
3) Blend eggs & sugar till its well incorporated
4) Add the chocolate & butter mixture to the egg mixture
5) Preheat oven at 180C. Grease ramekins/muffin tray.
6) Fold in with a spatula till its well combined. Add Plain flour & mix well with the spatula.
7) Transfer to greased ramekins or muffin tray. Fill them 3/4th way up, leaving room for the cake to rise.  
8) Bake for 10mins.
9)Allow to cool & then run a knife along the edge of the ramekin & invert a serving plate over it & transfer the cake from ramekin on to the serving plate.
10) Dust the top of the cake with some powdered sugar if desired.


 Alternatively you can make a cake with the same in a pyrex bowl. All the steps remain same, except you have to grease a pyrex/glass bowl & bake for about 35-mins. If you prefer to have a gooey centre bake for about 30mins.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

And someone turned 1!

My princess turned 1! What did Mumma do for her special day? Made a chocolate orange cake. Recipe will follow & so will the pics. Been long since I got time to 'sit' & type. Dad n Mum came for baby's b'day. We had a blessed time I'd say. Princess got her very first pair of shoes & boy! was she glad! her eyes were on the shoe even while cutting the cake! Okies I've gotta get back to kitchen. My vanilla orange cake is in the oven :-).



Recipe:



For Chocolate Cake 
350 gms dark chocolate
240 gms Butter cubed
100 ml fresh orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
5 eggs
100 gms Sugar
100 gms Flour
1 Tbsp Vanilla

1) Preheat ovean to 160C
2) In a double boiler (fill a saucepan 1/3rd full of water & bring to boil. Place another steel bowl on top of this) add the chocolate, butter, orange juice & orange zest. Stir in between to help the mixture melt quickly. Once butter is melted, remove the bowl from heat & set aside.
3)In another bowl add the eggs, sugar, vanilla essence & blend on mediium - high speed till the volume is double the original amount.
4) Add the above egg mixture to the chocolate which is melted & slowly fold in with a spatula/spoon till it is well blended.
5) Add flour & mix
6) Pour batter into greased & dusted pan & bake for 20 - 25 mins or until wooden skewer inserted comes clean.
7) Cool to room temperature & remove cake from pan.

For Chocolate Glaze
200gms dark chocolate chopped
200ml fresh cream

1) Pour cream into a saucepan & bring it close to boiling point & remove from heat.
2) Add hot cream to chopped chocolate. Blend together but not overly or else the glaze will have a matte look.
3) Once chocolate is fully melted in the cream & blended together, pour over the cooled cake. Allow to cool to room temperature.





After the glaze is cooled, if necessary you can make a buttercream icing.

I don't have a piping bag to do my icing so how I did the l'le 'decoration'? :-D I placed the buttercream in a ziplock bag & cut out one corner of it & used it. That's why my icing looks droopy & doesn't really have a design.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

All time favourite Hummus!

One thing about growing up in the middle east is you get introduced to a whole new range of "fast food" & I'm not referring to the countless KFC/SFC/Pizza Hut/TGIF/Mac/Hardees etc etc etc outlets... i'm referring to those tiny (once) outdoor joints from where the enticing smell of shawarma wafts to tickle my senses making me want to have a shawarma the next second! And the taste of the  huge balls of falafel they hand you while you wait for the shawarma! ah memories! If there is one 'food temptation' I've succumbed to, over & over & over again, its to Shawarma, hummus, thoum.
There was this shop called Lebanese Flower from where we used to get mixed grill platter. That was one amazing place & the food so good you'd want to have more! Sometimes our memories are so interlinked with food & for me! And when I miss the good old days, family, I get in my kitchen & start prep to make some hummus & thoum & Tahini sauce & some khubus to go with it. Now for the recipe:

Hummus:


250gms cup of Boiled chickpea
1/2 cup of Tahini
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup olive oil (you can also use yogurt)
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 Tbsp water

Blend all the ingredients to a fine paste. That's it :-). You can alter the ingredients depending on how much 'lemony' you like the hummus if u prefer less add a l'le lemon & adjust according to taste or if you prefer a stronger garlic taste add more cloves of garlic. Some like to make hummus without the Tahini.

Tahini
This is nothing but toasted sesame that has been blend with a little canola oil (or olive oil) till you get a smooth consistency.
100gm pack of white Sesame seed (Til seed)
Canola oil/Olive oil
Toast the seeds but don't brown them. Set aside & once cooled blend to a paste by adding little oil at a time till you get a smooth paste.

Tahini Dip for Falafel

2-3 cloves crushed
100 gms Sesame seeds (Til seeds)
Olive/Canola Oil
2 Tbsp Parsely Fresh or dried
1/4 tsp Salt
Juice of 1 lemon (or use more if desired)

Toast the seeds a little taking care not to brown it. Set aside to cool.
Once cooled blend it with oil till smooth paste
Crush cloves with salt. Add to sesame paste.
Add the lemon juice & whisk together
If paste thickens, add a Tbsp of water & whisk again.
Add parsley & continue to whisk.
Taste adjust according to preference
Its best to have sauce light for the dip


Thoum (Garlic Sauce)


4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 cup Canola Oil
Juice of 2-3 small lemon
1 Egg white (egg must be cold)
1) Blend together the garlic minced with salt & add a little lemon juice & alternate between oil & lemon juice. 2) Scrape down the side of blender.
3) Add egg white of 1 egg & add a little more oil. Blend till mayonaise consistency is reached.
4) Its best served after keeping in the fridge for a day.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Braided Bread



I've always been amazed by the look of Challah bread and the braided look & I wanted to give it a try with the normal bread recipe. I used the same recipe I use for bread roll & then braided the dough. And I applied egg wash on top of the braid.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

From sickness to health

Today was a good day... I was so sick yesterday that I was afraid I wouldn't make it for my interview this morning. But this morning I was feeling better than last night. Thank God for that! Dad & Mum were praying for me I bet :-) they are always dependable. Got some updating to do. I've baked quite a lot of things & I'm yet to update my album & blog! Ok will do that soon. Keep smiling 'coz its good for your health ;-)