tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43200930328561164132024-02-08T15:44:10.740+08:00The Kitchen Is My ShrinkJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-90389853121194277742013-05-08T19:19:00.003+08:002013-05-09T10:49:30.361+08:00THB: Marionberry-Hazelnut Cake
I can't believe that this is my first blog post in a really long while but hopefully, my hosting The Home Baker's Marionberry-Hazelnut Cake from the book "Coffee Cakes" by Lou Seibert Pappas will push me to start writing on my blog again which I have regretfully ignored because of other matters. This cake, as you can see above, didn't turn quite as lovely as the picture in the book Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-15296329187695467352012-12-28T08:47:00.003+08:002012-12-28T08:52:40.016+08:00Please Help Save SFBI!
I recently took an 8-week professional bread baking course at the San Francisco Baking Institute where I learned a lot of invaluable things about the bread baking industry. There's no school that I've ever been to that was so generous in sharing their knowledge about baking and that made me feel like I was part of a family. This school is truly world class -- never have I seen Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-12519776603886034922012-10-01T18:54:00.001+08:002012-10-02T07:03:50.026+08:00ABC: Honey Oatmeal Bread
It's time for another ABC post and this October's bake is The Weekend Baker's Honey Oatmeal Bread which I really, really loved! This has got to be the best tasting honey oatmeal bread I've ever tried and I especially loved the pronounced honey flavor and sweetness in the bread given the generous 1/3 cup that's in it. I've encountered many recipes that claim to be honey breads but IJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-92199941623574291482012-09-19T12:55:00.001+08:002012-09-19T13:13:10.797+08:00Tartine Desserts
October is going to be an exciting month for me as it is the month that I officially begin my 2-month long culinary adventure in San Francisco. I'm taking an 8-week bread and viennoiserie course at the San Francisco Baking Institute (which I'm surely going to blog about) and part of my itinerary during my stay in this wonderful city is to explore San Francisco's famous culinary Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-75075595487695733452012-09-14T20:17:00.001+08:002012-09-14T20:26:50.100+08:00Versailles: My Birthday Cake!
I just celebrated my birthday yesterday and once again, I decided to challenge myself and bake another special cake from the book "Extraordinary Cakes" by Karen Krasne. I chose this elegant and stunning cake called Versailles for my birthday cake because it contains a huge quantity of a particular flavor I'm obsessed with at the moment -- salted caramel -- YUM! Ever since I Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-28352110349639454652012-09-04T16:38:00.002+08:002012-09-05T15:12:39.487+08:00ABC: Mile-High Vanilla Sponge Cake with Honey-Sweetened Greek Yogurt and Brandied Blackberry Sauce
This month's recipe for the Avid Baker's Challenge is the Mile-High Vanilla Sponge Cake which was one of the cakes that Abby Dodge, author of the "Weekend Baker," fondly remembers eating often during her childhood. I also have a lot of fond memories of eating this cake when I was a child as my grandmother would bake this every so often and serve it to her weekly mah-jong group alongJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-77747332400780649772012-09-04T00:00:00.000+08:002012-09-04T18:27:08.766+08:00TwD: White Peach Upside-Down Chiffon Cake
It's a shame that this Baking with Julia recipe for what should've been a Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake was chosen for this month's TWD bake rather than last August's as it was around that time that our supermarkets had an abundance of all kinds of stone fruits-- apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, cherries--you name it, we had it! The nectarines in particularJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-81762792249684950782012-08-22T18:43:00.001+08:002012-08-23T08:04:27.955+08:00#Baketogether Take Two: Rose-Scented Panna Cotta with Lychee Bits and Raspberry Sauce
Given the unbelievable ease and convenience of making Abby Dodge's Panna Cotta recipe for this August's #Baketogether, I couldn't resist trying out another flavor combination that tastes just as summery and exotic as my previous version. This time, I wanted to put my recently purchased rose water to use so I thought of adding a few teaspoons of it to the creamy base of the Panna Cotta Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-44913911723928501722012-08-16T11:15:00.002+08:002012-08-16T13:46:39.072+08:00Pain Francais: A Bread for Julia
To celebrate what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, the Bread Baking Babes and Buddies have joined together this month to bake the late culinary icon's Pain Francais (French Bread) -- one of the many recipes popularized by Julia in her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2." This bread, though simple in its make-up, is rather complicated in nature and doesJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-31570766249644994072012-08-13T08:52:00.002+08:002012-08-13T18:42:58.976+08:00Fragrant Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Would you believe that these rolls only made use of 1/8 teaspoon of yeast? It's not at all the amount of yeast that the recipe called for but more the amount of yeast I only ended up using because of my absent-mindedness and utterly poor mis en place skills LOL. I'm actually quite surprised that these rolls turned out the way they did--quite soft and delicious actually--as I was Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-42833636450030995772012-08-10T13:30:00.002+08:002012-08-14T15:27:48.755+08:00#Baketogether: Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Warm Mango-Rum Coulis
It's been a while since I last joined Abby's monthly Baketogethers and this Panna Cotta recipe that she posted for this August's Baketogether was impossible to miss out on because of how easy it is to make--just as easy as making Jell-o in a cup! One of the things I like about making Panna Cotta is the zero oven time required to whip this up thus avoiding the unpleasantness of being Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-78364188411942859162012-08-06T19:07:00.000+08:002012-08-08T14:01:46.761+08:00Diamond Head: Hubby's Birthday Cake!
I wanted to bake a special cake for my husband's birthday celebration a few days ago and I knew that the Diamond Head cake from the book Extraordinary Cakes would be perfect for this occasion. Since my hubby loves Mauna Loa Macadamia Chocolates, I was certain that he would love the Hawaiian-inspired flavors of this cake as well. I also happen to love this Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-9464105413770765112012-07-31T19:32:00.002+08:002012-08-02T10:58:15.365+08:00ABC: Glazed Apricot-Plum Galette
I don't normally see fresh apricots being sold in our supermarkets over here even during peak season so I was all set to turn Abby Dodge's Glazed Apricot-Plum Galette from her book The Weekend Baker into a peach- or nectarine-plum galette instead. It was such a lucky coincidence though that as I was scouring the shelves for fresh fruits a few weeks ago, our supermarket, to my delight, Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-33368973460893736752012-07-19T15:47:00.000+08:002012-07-19T15:49:02.592+08:00Diabetic-Friendly and Gluten-Free Chinese Almond Cookies
I am thankfully, neither diabetic nor gluten-intolerant but it just so happened that the recipe that caught my attention as I was browsing some of my recipe books was for these Chinese Almond Cookies made purely with brown rice flour, thus becoming gluten-free, and sweetened with only diabetic-friendly coconut sugar replacing all the sucanat/brown sugar originally called for in the recipeJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-43854399558140929522012-07-17T00:00:00.000+08:002012-07-19T11:34:00.766+08:00TwD: Semolina Bread
This Tuesday's Baking with Julia recipe and the second TWD bake for the month of July is the Semolina Bread by contributing baker Nick Malgieri. This is the second bread recipe of his that I've made the first one being his Old-Fashioned Raisin Bread which my entire family loved. I've also made various kinds of semolina breads before but this is the first time I Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-35995318224105715082012-07-13T14:43:00.000+08:002012-07-13T15:33:34.141+08:00Granola Bars with Brown Rice Syrup
The first time I ever ate a granola bar (the commercial kind), I was so put off with its taste and texture that I never touched nor ate a single granola bar since then. There were just a few things about it I didn't like--the weird chewy texture of it that hurt my jaw, the overt sweetness that made my throat sore, and the combination of flavors and ingredients that just didn't appeal to Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-34128807232551318642012-07-04T18:54:00.000+08:002012-07-09T10:17:44.368+08:00Oatmeal Bread
I admit, I was half-expecting these oatmeal loaves (from Hamelman's Bread) to turn out disastrously as I was plagued with so much doubt and uncertainty while I was making the dough. Whenever I make pan breads, the dough is oftentimes very slack and slightly tacky while this one was actually very stiff (though a little sticky because of the honey) causing me to wonder if I should've addedJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-52002425236681314832012-07-03T18:46:00.002+08:002012-07-13T15:25:46.596+08:00Pain aux Céréales
This is another delectable bread that I made from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking which is flavored by a combination of sesame and flax seeds in both the crust and crumb. The formula makes use of a pâte fermentée, making up almost 40% of the final dough. Interestingly, the formula also calls for the addition of diastatic malt powder which I believe could have Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-88095105729554457112012-07-03T13:33:00.001+08:002012-07-13T15:26:25.611+08:00Chocolate Mixed Berry Trifle
Taking advantage of the abundant supply of berries in our supermarket, I decided to make a mixed berry version of Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Raspberry Trifle for a get together I had with my family last Sunday. The recipe is from her book Rose's Heavenly Cakes and this one is really perfect for all those who love chocolate and fruit dessert combos which everyone in my family Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-25303726537692129742012-06-29T07:08:00.003+08:002012-07-13T15:27:23.418+08:00ABC: Classic Fruit Tartlets
Whenever I go to upscale pastry shops I always see these charming fruit tarts or tartlets decoratively placed on the shelves of their refrigerated display cases which never fails to capture my attention because of their vibrant colors and attractive shine. I can't help but pause and stare at them in admiration and appreciate the way the fruits are carefully positioned on top Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-4516768944969474802012-06-26T15:37:00.001+08:002012-07-13T15:29:10.078+08:00Seeded Semolina Bread + Sweet Variation
These semolina boules have been on my long list of breads to bake out of the book Tartine Bread and I'm quite pleased with the way they turned out. I got to practice my shaping techniques and the seeded one has a nicely round shape that I can't help but stare at it in admiration LOL. The book offers two variations to the formula -- one savory with toasted sesame, fennel and Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-20127733937544470032012-06-19T00:00:00.000+08:002012-06-19T12:06:51.899+08:00TwD: French Strawberry Trifle
Strawberries and Cream is one of my favorite cake flavors so I was really excited to make this genoise version called French Strawberry Cake with the Tuesdays with Dorie group. The recipe is from the book Baking With Julia and was contributed by one of my favorite cook book authors, Flo Braker. I've tried some of her recipes from a few of her cook books before -- all really Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-43743514928970325112012-06-14T16:52:00.002+08:002012-07-13T15:28:22.114+08:00Team USA's Five Grain Bread
I love five-grain breads and have been making a lot of them lately two versions of which I've blogged about before (here and here). This particular one, a version made by Team USA during the 1999 Coup du Monde de la Boulangerie, immediately caught my attention because the generous coating of grains that surrounds the exterior of the loaf made it look so appetizing thatJanishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-33425072951949755132012-06-09T19:57:00.000+08:002012-06-09T20:26:31.006+08:00ABC: Overnight Brioche Braid
I just adore brioche so I was thrilled when Hanaa selected Abby Dodge's Overnight Brioche Braid for this month's ABC bake. The recipe is from Abby's book "The Weekend Baker" and I like how she gives suggestions on how to conveniently make this bread by including extra steps -- which is extremely beneficial to people on a time crunch -- like an overnight stay in the fridge during bulk Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320093032856116413.post-38022924681442543762012-06-08T09:28:00.005+08:002012-07-13T15:30:23.834+08:00Viking aka Mom's Birthday Cake!
I love the name of this cake: Viking. It sounds so bold and strong just like its flavors and for a cake, it sounds completely mysterious too. I don't think your guests would be able to tell if they call and ask what cake you're serving that night and you mischievously say "Viking."
"Huh? What's it made of?"
Well this was the exact reaction I got from my Janishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09518301315786760270noreply@blogger.com4