PME 4

Last Sunday, we are learning how to do animal figurines, for this we need to have nimble fingers and a pair of good eyesight, this is what I am lacking..

With a clumsy hands, my animal figurines, keep on dropping eyes and ears, must have a lot of patient and all the time in the world. Best do before hand, when the sugarpaste is dry and the fixtures are set.



What I did that day, I baked a Chocolate Mud Cake, in which I retrieve the recipe from one of the websites. My daughter comments that the cake texture and constituency is not bad, but prefer the chocolate brownies that I have baked before, that was a long time ago..... Oh! I remember, BITC recipe. I have tasted the cake and it tasted almost like moist chocolate cake, what is the difference??? also got water added or is it just another name! I did not put in chocolate ganache, it could be the missing link to the Oomp Oomph taste. I have no confidence yet to cover the sugarpaste with chocolate ganache, I just brush the cake with apricot gel.



Attached is the link for the Chocolate Mud Cake and I have added some expresso coffee and chocolate liquer for a punch



Chocolate Mud Cake
350 grams dark chocolate pieces
225 grams butter
600 ml water
3 eggs
400 grams castor sugar
400 grams self raising flour
Grease and line a 23cm/9" round cake tin. Preheat oven to 170C/325F.
In a saucepan over low heat, heat chocolate, butter and water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Gradually beat cooled chocolate mixture into eggs.
Whisk sugar and flour into chocolate mixture, continue beating until smooth and well blended.
Pour mixture into cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.
Turn cake onto wire rack to cool.
*Please note: This mixture is quite runny, use a solid cake tin not a springform tin.

*Tip: Line tin with baking paper, this will make the cake easier to remove from the tin, no sticking to the sides.

Tunnels and Holes

I and Sharon might be competiting, but actually it is not, we are both curious people who like to try different methods and ways of making and experimenting...

We both try to bake in tube ring, just like the indonesian people do. The last time I did was in a square tin and I managed to get half the cakes with tunnel. This time round, I play with the oven temperature, I get holes all over but the cake is still QQ.

What I did was put at the bottom rack and bake for 20 mins and I grill for one hour, found that the cake was not baked, fastruated, turn to bake mode and bake the cake through. Maybe my batter was too full and the cake tube ring was small. Well, shall try again, it's one of my family favourite cake.

PME 3

Finally, remember to bring my camera to class, total class 8 persons and 2 absent today, only six cake.

In the picture is a dummy cake, can you guess which is mine, today theme is butterfly on the tier cake with a bow on top. One thing good about the class that you can play with colours and the things are free to use and no restrictions. Not like other place.

I was thinking whether to bake a real cake to class next week??????

Sio Bak

Trying on my hands on roast pork, having problem at first, tried to grill the pork with rack 3/4 down from the grill, check for half an hour, did'nt get the skin to crackle. shift the rack a level further up, crackle but not much, getting frustrated.

For me, I will try anything, just to get the things done to the way, I want, Try again, put up the rack one more layer up, yay! finally the skin started to crackle more, I was happy :)

See this link for recipe,

http://happyhomemaker88.com/2008/05/17/homemade-yummy-crispy-roast-pork-belly-siew-yoke-or-siao-bak/

The only thing that my roast pork, I did not add fermented beancurd. I gave a piece to my neighbour to try and she say it's ok and ask me how to get the skin to be crispy.

PME 2

Morning was not feeling good, get up with watery eyes and a heavy head, don't want to miss class today, took breakfast follow by 2 panadol. Luckily medicine works, no more headache.

Today learnt how to use the tools to make fruits, each of us was given a box with equipment that can made only 2 types of fruits, I had orange and pear and my partner had strawberry an lemon, we share in order to have assortment of fruits. Two course mate bake buuter cake to cover sugarpaste and one of them said her niece like to eat sugarpaste which is vanilla flavour. Mine will display on the table for a few days and off it go...

First day of class, 8 of us did not interact much, today is better, next week will be much better or noisy... hope so, then we will be like family:) Looking forward for next class - 2-tiercake.. yay!!

PME Sugarcraft

Register myself for PME Sugarcraft class with a total of 5 days (5 hrs per lesson) and today is my first lesson. No doubt that this is not my first time touching sugarcraft, but I want to learn more ..... Maybe I like to collect "paper" hee! Hee!



We were given a starter kit comprises of 22 items and today we are taught to use some tools and a model cake to follow. We were given guidance throughout the lesson and it's was fun. Although we have a model cake to follow, each of our cake there's is a difference in look and colour. Too bad, I did not bring my camera. chez...

My picture was taken at home and during transportation, parts of the flower petals had broken, box given too small.. well at least still got 80% picture.

I find this class is quite worthwhile, it seems they are saying if you are learning elsewhere, you have to spend money to buy tools, while Phoon Huat was saying they manage to get a great deal in prices and they are able to give us this.
Looking forward to next lesson

Bak Kwa

Bak Kwa is almost everybody's favourite, and that day my friend, Sharon wanted to learn Bak Kwa, and so happen JC Cooking has a class, I follow her. No regrets in following, especially when the chef teach us how to make chicken floss, we like it



Today decide to try the recipe of Bak Kwa, but I added one more ingredients after surfing internet to make the taste better. I try to pan fry, grill, half pan fry & grill just to get the texture I want. For the workshop attended is that when I sample try the bak kwa, it taste like "lap cheong", but the techniques of making is there. After adding the ingredients, I found that the taste is better and is not far from the taste that sells outside... yay... For this recipe is meant to BBQ. Think this is the last time, I do, unless there's a BBQ party...

Remember a time, few days before CNY, I went to queue at Lim Chee Guan for more than 10 hrs to buy Bak Kwa for the Company's client. Chez... should teach the Company's client to make hor... then not to queue..

Those blogger who wants to try, below are the few links, the ingredients are almost there, can do a reference .......

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/gimpmum/article?mid=339&prev=-1&next=333

http://tazzinthekitchen.blogspot.com

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/233308_how-to-make-bak-kua

http://www.soyandpepper.com/2010/02/homemade-bak-kwa-rougan.html

http://www.pigpigscorner.com/2010/02/chinese-dried-bbq-pork-bak-kwa-long-yuk.html