Batik Cake / Kek Batik
Edit 2024:
If you want to see a video tutorial on how to make this, please go to Emmymade on YouTube. It’s such a great honor that she adapted my recipe and I got to see it by chance on YouTube. I’ve been a follower of hers for a few years and, gosh it really made my day. Thanks Emmy!
The origin of this cake is unknown or unclear. It bare’s similarities to Australia’s Hedgehog Slice and the English Chocolate Biscuit Cake which Prince William had as one of his wedding cakes. In Malaysia it’s called batik cake due to it having Batik-like patterns from the crushed biscuits. No to be confused with Sarawak’s batik cake which is colourful. This batik cake is made with chocolate fudge and tea biscuits such as Marie Biscuits or Petit Beurre (French butter biscuit).
I used small petit beurre’s called petit mignon’s here.
When I had this cake the first time, I fell in love with it. Yes, you can call it love at first sight. The internet was still pretty new at that time so I could not just google for a recipe. Plus, the first time I made it myself, the hubby loved it! Probably the only cake he would eat without me begging him to.
It’s such an easy cake which doesn’t require baking, just make the fudge, combine wth biscuits and refrigerate. You don’t even need to use the highest quality of ingredients for it. The chocolate and malt powder I used here was a supermarket brand – CHF3.10 per kilo, the biscuits also a supermarket brand CHF 2.95 (650 grams)and butter was also a supermarket brand. The only thing I won’t use is Margarine for this…or for anything at all! Never was a fan of margarine. In Malaysia, you would typically use Milo, Vico or Ovaltine for this recipe. Of course any chocolate or cocoa drink powder would be fine, just like what I used since I can’t find Milo here and using Ovomaltine here is just waaaaay too expensive.
When making this cake, you can either crush the biscuits into quarters or just leave them whole and arrange it nicely. Be sure to make this a day before serving to the biscuits become soft. Cut it cold and leave it out for 5-10 minutes before serving. Great for tea time and dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 small can/397 ml/14 oz Condensed Milk*
- 1 ¾ cups Chocolate Milk Powder**
- ⅔ cup Butter
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 250 - 300 grams Petit Beurre / Marie Biscuits
- For Garnish Sliced Almonds (optional)
Directions:
- Crush biscuits into quarters (optional). Set aside.
- Prepare a cake pan (round, loaf, square – up to you) by lining it with foil or parchment paper and grease well with cooking spray or butter. I used a 35cm x 9cm loaf pan for this.
- In a medium large pot or wok, gently melt butter on medium heat.
- Mix in condensed milk and chocolate malt powder. Stir till combined.
- Add in eggs and stir continuously on medium to medium high till it thickens to the consistency of hot fudge. Or till it reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer. 118°C to 120°C (235°F to 240°F).
- Once it has thickened, add in vanilla extract. Stir to mix.
- Stir in biscuits is using it crushed. Pour into cane pan and flatten the top.
- If you choose not to crush the biscuits : Spread a layer of fudge into cake pan and layer it with biscuits. Repeat till you run out of fudge.
- Garnish with sliced almonds (optional).
- Leave cake to cool for an hour then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Tips:
- *You can reduce the amount of condensed milk if it’s too sweet for your taste. I’ve tried reducing it to 350 ml’s and still had great results.
- ** Use any chocolate drink powder such as Ovomaltine, Nesquick, or Milo. You can use chocolate bar’s as well, but I can’t vouch for results. You can also reduce the amount of chocolate drink powder to 1¼ cup.
- Do not stir the fudge on high as the egg’s in it will curdle. You might end up with sweet chocolate scrambled eggs.
- Conversion Table
Enjoy!
Garlic Flat Bread
It’s autumn here which means christmas is near and I have to start planning my christmas menu and goodies!! This year’s autumn is really beautiful (for me at least) and I’ve finally come to appreciate the different colours of the trees. Also looking forward to my autumn holiday with the hubby and my best buddy.
Roundabout Tree
Kids & some adults playing at the Summer Solstice Festival of the Celts in town.
Back to the post. I like baking my own bread. The kneading is very therapeutic for me especially on days when the lemons of life are particularly very sour. So, what better way to let out stress and worries? Kneading bread then eating it later! You do gain some muscle during those 7-10 minutes of kneading too. This recipe is very simple, tasty and easy to come together. You do not even need much time to shape it perfectly.
Dough
- ¾ - 1 cup Warm Water ( 45°C / 113°F)
- ½ Tablespoon Dry Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 cups + extra for dusting All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon + extra for greasing Olive Oil
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup Butter
- 3-5 cloves Garlic, pressed or chopped
- To Taste Salt
- For Garnish Coriander, chopped
Directions:
- Garlic Butter
- Gently melt butter in a small pot. Add freshly pressed or chopped garlic and salt. Mix and set aside.
- Dough
- In a large bowl, mix in sugar, yeast and warm water (about ¾ cup). Let it sit for 5-8 minutes till frothy. *see tips
- Add in flour, salt and oil. Mix till combined.
- Transfer to a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes. Add more water if needed.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plactic wrap and allow to rise for an hour or till doubled in size in a warm place. *see tips
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Prepare a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Lightly flour countertop and divide dough into equal balls and flatten to desired shape.
- Place flattened dough onto baking tray and brush with garlic butter.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or till golden brown.
- Brush with extra butter and serve.
Tips:
- *if your house/kitchen temperature is below 27°C (81°F) proof your yeast or bread in the oven. To do this, turn your oven on to the lowest setting available for 2 minutes. Then turn if off and place your bowl of dough or yeast into the oven. You may need to place the wire rack lower. Remember to turn the oven off!
- Conversion Table
Enjoy and happy baking!
Served mine with leftover sweet potato curry.
Cranberry Lemon Scones
I fell in love with scones at 18. My co-worker at that time warmed up a scone, slathered cold butter on it and gave it to me. He made one for himself too and literally stuffed his mouth with the scone while dancing with a broom. It was a raisin scone. Since then, I’ve tried many scones from bakeries, grocery stores and of course those that I’ve baked myself and the guy with the broom always comes to my mind.
Scones are usually eaten with clotted cream but I like to have it on it’s own or with cold butter of course. It’s also one of the few sweet products my husband eats since it’s not that sweet. These flaky treats are so easy to make if you have a food processor or a pastry cutter. You can of course go old school and rub in the butter and flour with your fingers, but that would have to be done as fast as you can and not advisable on a hot humid day. Unless you have fingers that are always cold or you freeze them 😛 please do not. I would advice to not complete the whole recipe in the food processor.
Anyways, why cranberry scones? Because I do not want to jump on the wagon of pumpkins this season and cranberries are always just ignored. So, I’m on the cranberry team. These scones are not sweet but can be sweetened by either adding more sugar or drizzle some icing after it has cooled down. I opted out this time.
Scones
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2-3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon (from 2 lemons) Lemon Zest
- 5 Tablespoons (70 grams) Butter, cold
- ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons for brushing Heavy Cream, cold
- 1 Egg
Icing *optional
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon or Cranberry Juice
Directions:
- Scones
- Pre heat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking try with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add in flour and baking powder.
- Cut very cold butter into cubes and add into food processor (if butter starts melting pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
- Pulse butter and flour till it resembles fine crumbs.
- Transfer into a medium sized bowl.
- Whisk egg and cream and pour it into the bowl. Add lemon zest and sugar. Mix with a spoon till it is about to combine.
- Add dried cranberries and gently knead till combined.
- Transfer scone dough onto a lightly floured surface or directly onto baking tray.
- Pat or roll dough into a disk about 1-inch tall.
- Cut into 8 pieces (like pizza)
- Arrange onto baking tray about 2-3 inches apart from each other.
- Brush scones with some cream.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or light golden brown.
- Let scones cool completely before icing it.
- Icing
- Mix powdered sugar and lemon or cranberry juice in a bowl.
- Add more juice to reach desired consistency.
Tips:
- Butter, egg and cream must always be cold.
- Do not overwork the dough
- Conversion Table
Enjoy and happy baking!
Cream Cheese & Cranberry Danish
Back when I worked at Starbucks, they sold cream cheese danish’s. It sold quite well and a lot of it landed in my belly too, resulting in high quality padding for my bones and organs 😛 Their’s were of course made with real danish dough, while I just use puff pastry. One day when I have the patiences, I will try my hand at danish dough. Anyways, the past few weeks I have been craving that cream cheese danish. But I was thinking too much about it that I got scared of the thought of making it. The one sold at Starbucks was fully covered, like McDonald’s apple pie. That would require me to use more puff pastry so I decided to make an open-faced one.
I was also feeling a little left behind seeing that many other bloggers were churning out pumpkin recipes (it’s the season) and I’ve got no pumpkin recipe to give. Mainly because cutting a whole pumpkin is scary and buying it sliced is expensive. Canned pumpkin is not much of an option because it’s also expensive and why should I buy canned pumpkin puree when I could ‘easily’ make my own. So, instead of joining the crowd of pumpkin recipe churners, I decided to go with Cranberries. It’s cranberry season too and my local grocery store sells cranberries! Last year, I made 4 – 500 ml jars of cranberry jam and I still have one more jar left in my pantry. The jam that I use here is from last years batch and I am going to make a new batch of jam soon. Only thing is, I used too little jam on it in the pictures here. If you want more jam, do add more than just a teaspoon. 🙂
Potato Quality Step 4
Ingredients
- 1 rectangle or square (320g) Puff Pastry
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- For dusting Powdered Sugar
Cream Cheese Filling
- ½ - ¾ cup Cream Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 - 1½ teaspoon per Danish Cranberry Jam
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C (375°F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll out puff pastry and cut into even squares or rectangles. (I got around 15)
- Transfer to baking tray.
- With a sharp knife, score an inner rectangle or square but do not cut all the way through. (See picture above. Helps puff pastry puff up without spilling the filling)
- With a fork, prick the centre of the puff pastry rectangle.
- In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Place about 2 teaspoons (or as you see fit) in the centre of the puff pastry.
- Top cream cheese with 1 – 1½ teaspoon of cranberry jam (or any jam of your choice).
- In another small bowl, beat an egg with 1 Tablespoon of water.
- Brush the edges of the puff pastry .
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or till the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
- Cool on a wire wrack and dust with powdered sugar once completely cooled.
Tips:
- Always work with cold puff pastry.
- Not a fan of sweet stuff? To make it savoury, simply omit the sugar, vanilla and jam. Instead add some salt, herbs, garlic granules to the cream cheese and top with gravlax after it’s baked.
- Conversion Table
Enjoy and happy baking!
P.S: Don’t know why, but my hubby actually ate 4-5 pieces of these Danishes. He ain’t a fan of sweet stuff. 😮
Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Mmmmmm banana 🙂 The only fruit that appears in our home at least 3 times a month. Coming from a tropical country, I was spoilt with different types of bananas. Heck, we even had banana tree’s growing at the back of our home but had to cut it all down because it was also a good hiding spot for thieves. The one’s we get here are simply just not as nice. So, instead of eating it just like that, I wait for it to get really ripe then add it into my muesli, muffins, bread, and ice-cream. The ice-cream however is a little bit disgusting because it really gets so slimy when you start eating it.
This recipe is really really easy. So easy I whipped it up at 2 in the morning, simply because I could not sleep. I had to make it very quietly though since the hubby was sleeping in the other room. All it took was a medium sized pot, a wooden spoon, a loaf pan and patiences. I initially wanted to bake it in a muffin pan, but I had a new loaf pan which I got 50% off the original price and wanted to give it a try. Plus, there’s a certain satisfaction I get looking at cakes or bread that come in a shape of a loaf. The greek yogurt or sour cream in this recipe makes the loaf really moist, hence the name.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter, melted
- 1 cup Brown Sugar*
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 nos Egg
- 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
- 3 medium sized (reserve 1 for top) Banana
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Walnuts (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, add butter on medium heat until just melted. Remove from heat.
- Add sugar and salt, mix well.
- Add eggs one by one, mixing well after each egg. Add vanilla extract.
- Add flour, baking soda, greek yogurt and mashed banana’s. (Just mash 2 banana’s with your hand) Mix till just combined.
- Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using).
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top. Then. slice up 1 banana and arrange it on the top of the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour. If the bread is still not cooked but has browned on top, place an aluminium sheet on top of the loaf and bake for another 15 – 30 minutes. Use a cake skewer to check if the bread is fully baked. See tips below.
- Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
- Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Tips:
- *If the banana’s you use are sweet, feel free to reduce the amount of sugar.
- My bread took 1 hour 30 minutes to bake. After the 1 hour mark, I placed an aluminium sheet on top of the loaf and baked for 15 minutes and removed it to bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- When checking cake doneness, be sure to poke cake skewer in several places of the bread. Sometimes, it’s the banana’s that stick to the skewer fooling you into baking the bread longer.
- Conversion Table
Enjoy and happy baking!
Fried Mee Hoon / Fried Rice Vermicelli #1
Mee Hoon/Mihun/Bihun/Bee Hoon or rice vermicelli is made from, rice! You can have it fried, in soups, in dishes with gravy, and even in salads. There is another type of noodle that looks very similar which is known as glass or cellophane noodles made from mung beans, but these are not the same.
Mee Hoon / Rice Vermicelle
Mee Hoon is available in most Asian shops and to my surprise, even in the local grocery store. It’s inexpensive and makes a quick and simple meal or if you like it fancy, then fancy it up. I always have 2-3 packets of mee hoon in my pantry for my extra extra lazy days. This recipe even easier and simpler as it’s only seasoned with soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil and the basic salt and pepper. Add in some vegetables and meat or eggs and you’ve got a complete meal. In Malaysia, you can find this type of fried Mee Hoon in economy rice food stalls.
There are two types of soy sauce that I am used to. The first is light soy sauce (kicap masin) which is very watery and salty. The other is dark soy sauce (kicap manis/ketjap manis) which is thick, dark, and sweet. When it comes to soy sauces, I am very picky. Too picky that I’d rather lug 3 litres of it in my check-in bag than to buy it from here (or other brands). To me, there’s no other soy sauce brand as good as HW Cap Ayam (HW Chicken Brand) which is made in Sabah. A few months back, there was even an obviously photoshopped photo of a guy before and after consuming this soy sauce who then turned into a handsome guy after eating it that was circling around Facebook. 😀
Top caption: After eating Sabah Chicken Brand Soy Sauce.
Not all soy sauces are the same though. It varies according to the country it comes from. Japan, Korea, China, Philippines and Indonesia all have their own version of soy sauce, but the difference is just very slight.
So here it is, a very simple and basic fried mee hoon topped with fried omelette recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 packet (200 grams) Mee Hoon / Rice Vermicelli
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 3-5 cloves Garlic, chopped
- ½ inch Ginger, grated
- Half Chinese Cabbage*, cleaned and cut into stripes
Wet Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
- 1½ Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1½ Tablespoons Shaoxing Wine ( Chinese Cooking Wine)
- ½ Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- To Taste Salt
- To Taste White Pepper
Garnish
- 2 nos Egg, fried or fried omelette
- 1 Bundle Spring Onions, chopped
- To Garnish Fried Onions
- To Garnish Sriracha or Chilli Sauce
Directions:
- Fried Mee Hoon
- Soak mee hoon according to instructions on packet. Normally I soak it in cold water for 5-7 minutes or till it has soften.
- Discard water and strain.
- Transfer mee hoon into a container. Add wet seasoning. (This is to ensure you evenly season the mee hoon. Seasoning while it’s cooking is a little tricky.)
- In a wok or a deep non stick pan, fry onions, garlic and ginger in some vegetable oil till fragrant.
- Add meat if using. Cook through.
- Add mee hoon and balance wet seasoning. Continue frying for 5 minutes.
- Add vegetables (you can also pre-cook vegetables) and fry till vegetables are cooked.
- Serve or keep aside till other dishes are cooked.
- Fried Omelette
- Whisk eggs with 1 tablespoon of water, and salt and pepper.
- Pour into a lightly greased non stick pan on medium high heat.
- Cook till the edges are slightly browned and flip it.
- Cook for another minute or two.
- Transfer fried omelette onto a chopping board and cut into thin or thick slices.
- Top fried mee hoon with fried omelette and desired garnish and serve.
Tips:
- *Use any type of vegetable you like such as mustard greens, bok choy, bean sprouts or snap peas.
- Serve with side dishes such as tofu, stuffed aubergines, fried egg, fish cake, and many more.
- To add some spice, add a few birds eye chillies while cooking or serve on the side in some soy sauce.
Enjoy!
Wurst-Käse Salat / Sausage & Cheese Salad
Grüezi! My first entry for Swiss cuisine. A Swiss salad… but not your typical salad. I don’t know why it’s called a salad, but it is. The first time I was introduced to this salad, I asked the chef “so where does the salad go?” and he replied, “that’s it…that’s the salad”. Till today, it still bugs me that there is actually no green in it. This is one of the hubby’s favourite and he probably eats it once a week and sneakily tells me he had salad for lunch.
This salad is made from cervelats. The No.1 sausage in Switzerland. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever diss cervelats. You’d probably get thrown out from the country and friendships would get ruined because of it. The Swiss love their cervelats so much, that there was once a threat that there was a shortage of it and people were outraged. Google it. I think if there really is none of it anymore, Switzerland would not function. I’m just joking…or am I? 😉
So here it is, go impress your Swiss friend with this classic.
Moo, the cow watching over her wurstkäse salat. I hand carved this in 2010 at Ballenberg – Swiss Open Air Museum
Before the dressing. Moo, the cow is watching patiently.
Le Gruyère Switzerland (Mild) because I’m still not a fan of smelly cheese.
Salad Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Rapeseed Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- To Taste Salt
- To Taste Black Pepper
Salad
- 4 pieces Cervelats
- 250 grams Gruyère or any hard cheese, cut into pieces
- 4 medium sized Gherkins, chopped
- ½ Red Onion, chopped
- 1 small bundle Chives, chopped
Directions:
- Salad Sauce
- Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl or in a jar.
- Chill it.
- Salad
- Remove casing from cervelats, cut cervelas into pieces.
- Mix ingredients in a large salad bowl.
- Add sauce just before serving and mix well.
- Serve
Tips:
- You can use store bough French or Italian dressing.
- Rapeseed Oil is used as it has a neutral taste. Sunflower oil or other neutral flavoured oil may be used.
- Use hard cheese such as Emmentaler and Appenzeller.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano is not suitable for this dish.
En Guete!
After the dressing and garnish. Moo, the cow is still patient.
Moo, the cow taking a dive for her salad.
Homemade Vanilla Extract
I have been using my own vanilla extract which I made in June and by the 8th week it was ready for using. Yes, the label on it is confusing. That’s because growing up we used vanilla essence as it was widely available in stores. So, for the longest time I’ve called it essence even though for the past 3 years I have been using extract. Making it a habit to start calling it by it’s true name.
Wrongly labeled by me. :/
What’s the difference between extract and essence?
Extract:
- Made from real vanilla beans and alcohol like vodka. Rum or brandy can be used as well.
- More expensive
- Stronger and fuller vanilla flavour
Essence:
- Synthetic (chemically produced)
- Cheaper
Where I’m at, you can’t easily get vanilla extract in general grocery stores. It’s available at American and British online stores or at a high-end store called Globus. What is common is vanillin zucker (vanilla sugar) which does not give the same taste as using vanilla extract. There is also vanilla-butter flavouring which I find awesome for my soft chocolate chip cookies. Lastly, there’s of course vanilla beans and vanilla bean paste easily available. Except for vanilla sugar, I use all the above for various recipes.
So, after finishing a small bottle of vanilla extract (50ml) that cost me about CHF 16, I decided to use my googling powers and learnt how to make my own vanilla extract. All you need is a clean bottle, vanilla beans and vodka. I used a 750ml bottle of vodka and about 15-18 vanilla beans. According to the kitchn, use 3 to 5 vanilla beans per 8 ounces (240 ml/1 cup) of alcohol and multiply accordingly if making more extract. You can add more vanilla beans of course.
Is it cheaper? Depends. The cost of vanilla beans vary depending on the quality and where it comes from. The one’s I get are CHF 2.30 for 3 beans. A bottle of vodka (750ml) cost’s me CHF 17. So, for me it’s cheaper compared to getting it from the high-end store. Plus, it’s really fun to see it change colour. It also makes a perfect gift for fellow home bakers.
And because I made my homemade vanilla extract before I started this blog, I did not bother to take photo’s of the stages of it and I just have a final product. The next time I make it, I will be sure to update this post.
Ingredients
- 3-5 Vanilla Beans
- 1 cup (240 ml / 8oz) Vodka
Directions:
- Prepare a clean bottle (preferably with a flip-top) by washing it and drying it properly.
- Slit vanilla beans into half lengthwise. You can also chop it up to fit a small bottle.
- Pour in vodka.
- Close the bottle.
- Store in a cool and dark place (your cupboard). Give it a little shake every now and then.
- After 8 weeks, your vanilla extract is ready to use. You can leave the vanilla beans in the bottle or you can strain it out. I left mine in so it get’s stronger with time. Plus, why waste the beans? It does look nicer when you can see the beans in it too.
Tips:
- After scraping vanilla beans for other recipes, throw in the bean into the extract.
- To have clear vanilla extract, simply strain it with a coffee filter.
- You can use brandy or rum instead of vodka. Vodka is commonly used because it does not have a strong taste.
- Conversion Table
- Make your own peppermint extract too at the same time!
Enjoy using your homemade vanilla extract with your homemade goodies!
Chocolate Pudding with Vanilla Whipped Cream
My newfound quick dessert to make at home. I’ve always liked pudding, especially those that I saw on American TV – snack pack, and I knew I had to get my hands on those. My mother gave in into buying snack packs for us occasionally.
This pudding recipe doesn’t require eggs and uses cornflour as it’s thickening agent. Top it with some whipped cream and dusted cocoa powder, and you’ve got yourself an awesome dessert. No more buying pudding mixes! I’ve just started with chocolate, but I’m gonna try and experiment with some other flavours in the future. It’s so good that I made this recipe three times in just three days! Of course, not all of it was for me. I had guest with children over the weekend and thought it would be a great dessert for the kids and adults to enjoy.
The pudding is sweet (as all are) but I still do sweeten the whipped cream. It’s a pet-peeve of mine to have unsweetened/unflavoured whipped cream. Probably because of my barista days, where the whipped cream was sweetened and flavoured with vanilla syrup. So, I added some powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the cream and whipped it up. Caramel and hazelnut syrup go well too.
I also use my own vanilla extract which I made in June and by the 8th week it was ready for using. Yes, the label on it is confusing. That’s because growing up we used vanilla essence as it was widely available in stores. So, I got used to calling it essence even though for the past 3 years I have been using extract. Making it a habit to start calling it by it’s true name. Learn how to make your own vanilla extract here.
Chocolate Pudding
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup Cornflour
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 3 cups Milk*
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- ½ cup Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Directions:
- Chocolate Pudding
- Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour, salt and milk into a medium sized pot.
- Mix well with a whisk until there are no lumps.
- Place over medium low heat and stir occasionally (it’s important to cook on medium low – medium heat so that the cornflour cooks)
- Cook for 15 minutes or till it has thicken slightly and it should be able to coat the back of your spoon.
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
- Add butter and stir well until it has completely melted and combined.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
- Pour pudding directly into jars, pudding cups or a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap (helps prevent skin from forming) and set aside to cool.
- After it has cooled completely, put it in the fridge to chill. (2 hours)
- Vanilla Whipped Cream
- Add whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large bowl
- Whip till it forms stiff peaks. You can use a hand mixer, stand mixer or if you like a challenge, whisk it manually.
- Top chocolate pudding with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Tips:
- Conversion Table
- *You can use soy, rice, almond, or quinoa milk. I recently used rice milk and it was just as good.
- I used Cailler cocoa powder
- Pudding stays good about 2-3 days
- Be patient 🙂
Enjoy!
Green Beans with Browned Butter and Almonds
Green beans, also known as French beans or string beans. Growing up, I ate these stir fried style…with garlic, onions and soy sauce. In Switzerland, it’s just steamed till it’s super soft and served just like that. Not all places, but most places. When I worked at a Swiss restaurant, they often served their green beans this was for functions. That was when I started to like having green beans this way. Maybe because I like butter a lot but it’s just really tasty. I also use browned butter and almonds for fried fish filets. I served this side dish with my Crispy Roasted Chicken Legs and mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 300 grams Green Beans, fresh or frozen
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- ¼ cup Sliced Almonds
- To Taste Salt
Directions:
- Bring a pot of water with some salt to boil.
- Boil green beans for 5-7 minutes; or till desired texture.
- In the meantime, heat up a pan to medium high.
- Toast almond slices till it starts to smells nutty (do not brown it yet)
- Remove almonds.
- In the same pan, melt the butter till it starts bubbling.
- Add almonds
- Cook on medium high till the almonds start browning. (pay close attention to it)
- Season and top it on the cooked beans.
- Serve.
Tips:
- Conversion table
- You can also steam the beans
- Add a squeeze of lemon for some tanginess
- Add parmesan for some cheesiness 😉
- Goes well with asparagus, artichokes, brussels sprouts and broccoli.
- For nutritional information, please visit my Yummly page and scroll to the bottom of the recipe.
- If you are using MyFitnessPal app to count calories, first copy the recipe URL then go to MyFitnessPal app to Recipes, select Create a New Recipe, then Add from the Web. Paste the URL, match ingredients and that’s it!
- Always match ingredients to the ones you use. Ingredient nutritional facts differ depending on brand.
Enjoy!
