Initially we planned lamb for today but I felt a "rest" is needed after yesterday's big meal. So today is Turkey part II.
Starter
Three-Bird Terrine with Radishes and Tomato-Chili Chutney
Main
Roast Turkey with Onion Gravy
Brussel sprouts and Chestnuts
Pigs in the Blanket
Cranberry and Port Sauce
Dessert
Buche de Noel 2021
This is my 2021 version of Bûche. In fact, I tried another recipe first but failed big time so I used my old recipe which is reliable. I've increased the cake body and tinker the frosting. It's pretty good.
Bûche de Noël 2021
For the cakePreheat the oven at 180C. Grease a large baking tray (mine is 38cm x 26 cm) and line a parchment paper on top. Combine flour, cocoa powder and xanthan gum.
To make the cake, beat egg yolks with 25 g of sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. Pour in the melted butter and beat again. Sift in flour, cocoa powder and xanthan gum (sifting is important for light sponge). Beat until everything is well combined. The mixture will be thick.
In another bowl, combine egg whites, cornstarch and cream of tartar. Beat for 30 seconds and add 75 sugar in three goes. Whip until hard peak is formed. It may take 3-5 minutes depending on your mixer.
Scoop 1/4 of the whipped egg white into the yolk bowl. Stir vigorously to mix well. Then pour the yolk mixture to the egg white bowl. Fold gently to incorporate the whipped egg white thoroughly.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. High heat is necessary to set the sponge. 160C creates a sponge too soft to roll.
Remove from the oven. Dust icing sugar on top of the cake (no need to let it cool), then line a large piece of baking parchment on top with excess on both short ends. Put on your oven gloves and flip the tray upside down onto the bench top. Peel away carefully the baking parchment (the one used for baking in the oven) from the cake. Make pleats (fold a few times) on one short end of the baking parchment on the bottom (the one you put on after baking) up until the edge of the cake. Then start rolling the cake with the parchment in. The pleats serve a role to encourage the roulade shape. Leave the rolled cake on the side to cool for 30 minutes.
During this time, make the filling by beating the butter and half of the icing sugar until well incorporated. Add the rest of icing sugar, vanilla, salt and coffee. Stir to combine. Beat in mascarpone cheese until light and fluffy. If the mixture is too thick, add dash of milk. If using alcohol, beat in the rum now. Chill the filling before using.
When the cake is completely cooled, unroll the cake and spread the coffee filling on top. Smooth over evenly to the cake roll and start making the swiss roll shape with the help of the bottom parchment paper. When the rolling is done, chill the rolled cake before frosting.
To prepare the frosting, heat the cream on low heat until small bubbles arise from the sides. Put in chopped chocolate and butter so that they melt in the warm cream. When everything is melted, let the mixture cool to room temperature. Whip the cooled chocolate ganache for a couple of minutes before icing. Decorate as desired.
Tasting note: the thickness of the sponge is good but I may sub oil for butter next time. Butter makes the sponge a bit hard after storing in the cold.
"I found my voice." That's one single thought keeping coming up during the last few weeks. Finally I found a place where I can do what I love and speak what I think and I am being listened to, PEOPLE! Just lucky? Perhaps. But I've persevered, not giving up and had faith in what I do. It's not easy, most of time painful when I seem to be the only person believing what I do. It can crush you, the toxic environment. It almost did on me. If I hadn't realized that I am the only one who ultimately decides my future, I don't think you will find much from this blog now.
Here in the new place I am recognized, given responsibilities and sought for collaboration. I feel I've blossomed overnight. I feel upbeat and incredibly grateful starting my next 20 years of professional life. Thank you who has helped me along the way. This year has meant so much to me, as much professionally as personally.
Lastly, I want to share with you words from my most revered Maya Angelou.
"There were times when it was said that I had more determination than talent. This may be said of many. It may also be said that life loves the person who dares to live it."This recipe is adapted from Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake by The Hairy Bikers. The cake is light and full of hazelnut flavor. The original method is as per chiffon cake where you separate yolks from the whites, whip up two separately and combine. This is the method which delivers the lightest texture as The Hairy Bikers intended. I also tried the Whisking method where I whip up whole eggs until light and fluffy (3 mins for my hand held beaters) and incorporate the rest of the ingredients. The result is pretty good too. I also reduce the oven temperature for a slow and low method as the cake doesn't end up with a crater on top.
Gianduja Cake
Ingredients
For the cakeMethod
Preheat the oven to 160C/400F/Gas 6.
Butter a 15cm/6in round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Put the butter and gianduja chunks in a heatproof bowl and set it above a pan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally and as soon as nearly all the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the pan and continue to let the chocolate melt in the residual heat.
Stir in the ground almond and leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with an electric hand-whisk for at least 5 minutes until pale and creamy, then stir into the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Wash and dry the beaters well.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form – they are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without the eggs sliding out. Do not over whisk.
Working quickly, stir the hazelnut liqueur, amaretto or orange juice, into the chocolate mixture to soften. Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of the whisked egg whites and stir until thoroughly combined, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 35–40 minutes or until the cake is well risen and firm.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 30 minutes. Invert the cake on to a serving plate, then peel off the lining paper and leave it to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, spread it with the chocolate and hazelnut spread and sprinkle with the hazelnuts that you set aside – these can be whole or chopped, whatever you prefer.
02/11/2021
Oh, did I mention how brave and inspiring Prue Leith is? Yes, she's a self-made very successfully business woman but it's her Vietnamese journey with her daughter which finally had me. That was a very authentic 60 minutes of Prue soul searching as well as mine.
06/11/2021
There must be a chocolate curse with me. Why is it that my cake turns out to be brownies and my brownies turns out to be cakey?
07/11/2021
Martha Beck writes in such a soothing and comforting tone. I feel instantly at ease when I read her book. But as much as I adore Martha, I can't tolerate her podcast. Sorry. I know I am missing out a lot but I simply can't bear the voice.
27/11/2021
Just one month to go for 2021. I recently got in to roast chicken legs. The following recipe is so good and quick to prepare. It has become a regular.
Roast Chicken Legs
4 chicken legs (each piece has a thigh and a drum stick)Preheat the oven to 200C. Have a large baking tray lined and oiled. Put in the onions, garlic and thyme. Lightly drizzle some oil, season with salt and pepper. Stir to even out the seasonings and spread the veggies to cover the tray equally.
On top of veggies, lay down four chicken legs with space between them and season with salt and pepper on top. Drizzle oil on top of the chicken.
Pour the wine into the tray. Try not to touch the chicken pieces. The amount of wine should just be enough to cover the bottom of the tray. You don't want the tray to come out with a pool of water after roasting, just enough to make the onions look moist and soft.
Put the baking tray in the oven and roast at 200C for 60 minutes. Rotate the tray 180C after 30 minutes.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
21/03/2021, Sunday
This is a "cake" with great flavor, chocolaty and not over the top. The texture is lovely and light on the day of baking and transforms into brownie fudgy texture the next day (I store the cake in a room around 15C). In fact, I am thinking using this as my go-to brownie. No matter. It's a nice chocolate dessert. I made some coffee flavored cream cheese frosting to go with. Talking about not OTP...
Flourless Chocolate Cake, adapted from RecipeTinEats
150 g dark chocolate
90 g melted butter
1/2 cup / 100g white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
2 large eggs at room temperature (60g/2oz each+)
0.75 tsp vanilla
0.19 cup / 12.75g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups / 142.5g almond meal / almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan forced / convection).
Butter and line a 15cm / 6" spring form pan.
Melt chocolate and butter in microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until smooth.
Whisk in sugar, salt and coffee. Add eggs and vanilla, whisking well until combined,
Switch to wooden spoon. Add cocoa powder, baking powder and almond meal, fold through until just combined.
Pour batter into pan, bake 20-25 min until top has thin crust and skewer comes out clean, not smeared with batter.
Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove sides. Cool completely on rack before carefully removing base.
Dust with cocoa powder then serve. I served mine with strawberries and dollop cream, but it doesn't need it!
October, just one week before the time change, where did it all go?
I love my new job. Still do, the people, the work, the drive and the support. I am very lucky to make the right move 20 years later. The funny thing is that two more senior employees left after me. There are problems with my old place, I am sure, among other personal factors.
Well, let's get back to my recent culinary discovery, (yellow) pea flour. It's nutritiously superior to many other gluten free flour, higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbohydrate. I've heard a lot from the social media and finally decided to try. I have to admit that I was still doubtful during the baking stage after tasting the raw dough. But once it's fully baked, I am impressed. No odd beany flavor, not pasty, tastes just like flour based cake. There is a slight savory undertone, so perhaps most suitable with savory dishes. Nevertheless, it works very well with sweet baking of strong flavor such as citrus or chocolate. I will continue to experiment.
Pea Flour Lemon Yogurt Cake, adapted from Novo Farina
Zest and juice from 2 lemons, in separate bowlsPreheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.
Rub the lemon zest with sugar and salt until sugar becomes yellow. Beat in two eggs for 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and eggs become light and airy.
Drizzle in olive oil with the beater on until the mixture becomes emulsified. Sift in pea flour, ground almond, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the mixture a few times and pour the yogurt in. Use a spatula or beater at low speed to mix the batter thoroughly until no sight of flour or yogurt.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes at 180C or until it passes the toothpick test. Turn the tin around half way through. While the cake is baking, mix up the lemon syrup by combining lemon juice and sugar. Stir until all sugar is dissolved.
Remove the cake out of the oven when it's done. Immediately spoon the lemon syrup on top of the hot cake, cover as much surface as you can. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving. I like to microwave the cake for 20 seconds before serving beyond the day of baking.
There is an interesting video about the reason behind the irresistible brownie paper-thin crust. The author's condensed milk brownies follows the same logic and I am intrigued! First of all, I love condensed milk. Secondly, chewy and paper-thin shiny crust? I am sold.
03/09/2021, Saturday
08/08/2021, Sunday
I don't know how long my Weekly series is going to last. Been so busy with work!
01/08/2021, Sunday
Can you believe it? We are in August. No hols planned this year. Just a few days off.
25/07/2021, Sunday
The boss hosted a lovely BBQ yesterday, even the rain storm diverted. Thanks.
11/07/2021, Sunday
Euro Final, England vs Italy, on home turf. I am not a football fan but I am curious.
I must have been gaining confidence in gluten free baking so that I started to tackle bread! My early gluten free bread always relies on eggs for the lift. Yes it looks good and tastes fine but to be able to make bread making simpler has been my goal. Strangely may it sound, making bread without eggs also makes me feel "normal" as most daily (wheat) breads do not use eggs.
Pretty good. The ratio between cornmeal/polenta and ground almond can be adjusted for softer (less polenta) or more robust texture.
Lemon Polenta Cake, adapted from James Morton's recipe
75 ml oil (original uses 150g salted butter)Instructions:
Step 1
First, preheat your oven to 170C/150C/Gas 3. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform or high-sided 7-inch cake tin with baking paper, then grease the sides of the tin. Always line the bottom at least, because you can’t get there with a knife!
Step 2
In a large bowl, beat your butter, zest and sugar together. I often use a wooden spoon, but you’ll find it easiest with an electric mixer. Keep going until the mix is white and mousse-like (the softer the butter, the quicker this will happen).
Step 3
Add your eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. If you’ve only got large eggs, only add 2 and a half. Don’t worry if it curdles.
Step 4
Once your eggs are mixed in, add your polenta, almonds and baking powder. Gently, fold these all in with a large spoon until completely combined, then scoop into your lined and greased tin.
Step 5
Transfer to the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a light golden brown. It should spring back when pressed and a skewer should come out clean. If it ends up sinking in the middle, try baking at a bit higher a temperature next time. Cool in the tin; you don’t need a cooling rack if you’ve lined it properly.
Step 6
If you like, you’re done. But for a tangy twist, make a syrup by bringing to the boil in a pan your sugar and the juice from your two lemons. As soon as it’s bubbling furiously, remove from the heat. Use a knife or skewer to poke loads of holes in your still-hot cake, and then drizzle your syrup all over so that it soaks in easily.
Top Tip:
You might not make this cake tough or chewy by overmixing it when you add the dry ingredients, but you can easily beat all the air that you’ve so carefully incorporated back out. Please, fold gently and carefully.
04/07/2021, Sunday
Doing several things serially and alternately. Life of a modern day woman!
So good and addictive. "How to go through a jar of nutella in a week", that was the title better depicting the reality. You've been warned!
27/06/2021, Sunday
The new work pace is insanely fast. Slightly intimated but I am full of buzz!
20/06/2021, Sunday
The weather is grey, but my mind is oh so sunny!
I feel very blessed these few days. I have to say that getting such (good) attention from your boss continuously is very unusual for me. I know it won't last as it's only natural that life goes up and down in a cycle. I want to remember how motivated and determined I am feeling right now to make a new life out of my new adventure. Not in a million years would I ever expect to be affirmed, supported and looked after like this. I know I am the lucky one.
My first go with coconut flour. Not bad at all. The texture is light. The taste is coconutty but not over the top. The cake is quite moist but not damp. Keeps well at room temperature for a few days.
13/06/2021, Sunday
Last week before I start new life. Can't wait!
It was not intentional but we had our first BBQ in the garden today in 10 years?! We used a disposable one which worked really well for two. Lamb chops, sausages and veggie/halloumi skewers. Cold fruits to finish. It's a lovely warm summer evening.
As the clock strikes midnight 9 hours ago, I am officially out. Out of this god forsaken work place where people do things without questioning and hating it the same time (not me), free from conscious sidelining and constant warding off fireballs (it's me). You known the problem with office politics, even if you choose not to take part, you get drawn in regardless. Because you are either with zem or against. That's how zey think and act.
The best thing out of pandemic has to be my new adventure. I am proud that I made the decision to move away and look for a place better overall. It was hard work no doubt but I felt that I've carved a way out of this big mess. And I am determined to make it work.
So au revoir, GFWP.
Bonjour, my new adventure. I can't wait to get to know you.
06/06/2021, Sunday
The heat continues and I am in fruit heaven. Berries, peaches, nectarines. All juicy and sweet, full of flavor.
A lazy version of quiche, I guess. Easy and perfect for summer dinner.
Summer is here and I've been yearning for cold desserts. We've had strawberry tiramisu twice. I was tempted by cheesecake but I thought I would try something new. Enter Key Lime Pie.
Traditionally Key Lime Pie uses egg yolks which are "set" by the acidity lime juice. The more yolks you add, the firmer and richer the taste becomes. Four is quite common, I learned. While exploring the blogsphere, I can see some simply use heavy/double cream instead of yolks which make sense. One uses Greek Yogurt which delights me a great detail. Some incorporate cream cheese. Yum but it's then cheesecake to me. So I guess that's how recipe evolution is. Ingredient substitution is the result of adaption for a variety of reasons. Finally, to decorate the top, whipped cream is very common (in rosettes or blanket cover). One lightens the whipped cream with Greek Yogurt ! I guess by now you know I 💓 Greek Yogurt.
So the following recipe is inspired by some of the recipes mentioned above. The result is ultra creamy and not face puckering sour nor sweet. Just a great tasting summer pie. I may even like it more than my beloved cheesecake!
30/05/2021, Sunday
Proper summer heat this long weekend. Feeling really upbeat!
23/05/2021, Sunday
Feeling mentally tired, even though it's Sunday. Can't wait for the Bank Holiday weekend.
16/05/2021, Sunday
The most sensible thing I have heard on the recent Gaza-Israel conflict.
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08/05/2021, Sunday
Mini victory: I finally got my KitchenAid micro processor to work! The first two attempts were a complete failure. First I couldn't figure out how to remove the lid and then failed to get the whole thing to run. Today, I thought I would give it another go before I bin the whole thing. And voila! Here it goes. The manual is very bad, not helpful at all. I relied on youtube videos to figure out how to remove the lid but couldn't figure out how to get it to run. The trick is that the base/bowl has to be locked. For a first timer, it's really tricky to figure out.
This week's menu
01/05/2021, Saturday
I told my friend C about my new job. It feels so good to finally talk to someone about it. The first person outside my professional network (and only a handful on the need to know basis) to know about my new job was my dentist. How sad was that?! Anyway, C is the first one from my friend circle to know about it. We chatted a little today. My feeling towards C has changed and flip-flopped over the years. I don't know whether she's my best friend or not but we talk the most for sure. I suppose, in a way, that makes her my best friend. She has been proactive reaching out to me and I feel guilty that I don't reach out to her as much as she does to me. After 20 years, perhaps it says something about our relationship.
I am glad you are with me on this journey, C.
02/05/2021, Sunday
This week's menu
Another brilliant recipe from Coeliac.UK. The more I use their recipes, the more convinced I am about the overall quality. The original recipe was given in weight measures but cup-based system works well here. It also makes substitution easier. This Anzac biscuits have a texture which reminds me of French macaron. Surprisingly light and very moreish. Next time I will roll it even thinner but still a good one nonetheless.
18/04/2021, Sunday
11/04/2021, Sunday
This is a fabulous loaf. The texture is light, soft and keeps remarkably well (unusual for a gluten free cake). There is no flour in this loaf, except in the form of cocoa powder. It's a bit similar to Nigella's Cocoa Tahini Loaf but I prefer this (finally no bananas) for its taste and simpler list of ingredients. And the taste is not dominated by peanuts, contrary to my initial worry. This will be on the routine list!
04/04/2021, Easter Sunday
Still the best. The dough is light and tastes perfect in every sense.
It's an Easter Weekend of Roast. My second time doing the brined roast pork. I am pleased with the Brine this time. Will use this ratio as the template for the future.
28/03/2021, Sunday
Charlotte Rampling is a fine actor who I admire. Her recent interview by the Guardian has completely taken me over. With brutal honesty and crystal clear understanding about herself, I feel the wisdom is just oozing out of the screen and splatters me all over.
Here are a few parts which particularly resonate with me.
“Pinging is when you’re at the right place at the right time, and you know you can just make magic happen everywhere.”
“When you think you’re riding on a good wave, you’re pretty sure the next one is going to be shite. We function through contrast.” What would life be like without the shite? “Really dull.”
“Because I am prickly. Dad so got it.” What did he mean? “Well, what do you think? If you say prickly, what do you think of?” Not somebody you would want to cuddle? “Exactly. Somebody who kept you away – keeps you away. You can approach, but you really need to know how.” Somebody who could hurt you? “Yes, of course. You have to be very wary with them. People who are prickly can’t be hurt any more. They’ve had it. So we just have to be prickly to make sure nobody’s going to come in and grab us.”
“Remember, I’m not only prickly, I’m distant. I only keep a distance so I can get as much understanding of the situation without being on top of it. And it works.”
“You can see I’ve done quite a lot of work to get somewhere in a more or less OK state. There’s more meaning to things, there’s something more loving. Perhaps old prickly me is finally finding a few better things in herself. And once you love yourself a bit more, you can love others more. So it all works together.”
I seem to be on a lucky streak with brownies lately. Two recipes I tried recently have been a big hit, both taste and texture. They are exactly what I've dreaming but had failed to reproduce until this year. There is something special in Year 2021.
Both superb brownies recipes came from Katarina Cermelj, the author behind the brilliant blog The Loopy Whisk. I wrote about her Vegan Brownies previously. I thought no other recipes could top this one but I was wrong. Then Katarina published her book in March and her salted caramel brownies was show cased by Nigella Lawson. What can I say, both Nigella and Katarina have never led me wrong so I decided to give it a go.
Wow, this one is special, a celebration worthy brownies. The taste is just wonderful, chocolaty with molasses undertone. The texture is fudgy and chewy, and with the gooey salted caramel in the middle. It's a bit more fiddly than the vegan brownies but it's perfectly manageable. Now I've gone through the process once, I am less intimated next time.
I am glad that I and Brownies now finally became friends.
Salted-Caramel-Stuffed Brownies
BROWNIESMETHOD
BROWNIES
Line a 20cm square baking tin with a piece of baking paper cut large enough to overhang the sides of the tin (to help you remove the baked brownies). Note: I will use a smaller tin next time to have thicker brownies.
In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the dark chocolate, butter and coffee granules together. Set aside to cool until warm.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the eggs and sugar on medium–high speed for 5–7 minutes until pale, fluffy and about tripled in volume. The mixture should briefly pile on top of itself as it falls off the whisk.
Fold in the melted chocolate.
Sift in the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum if using, cocoa powder and salt, and use a spatula to gently fold in until no flour clumps remain.
Pour half the brownie batter (about 400g) into the lined baking tin, smooth it out and refrigerate until needed. ➀ Set aside the other half at room temperature.
CARAMEL LAYER + ASSEMBLING THE BROWNIES
Adjust the oven shelf to the middle position and preheat the oven to 160°C.
In a saucepan, bring the double cream and 15g of the butter to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed, making sure the mixture stays warm.
In a clean saucepan, combine the golden syrup and sugar, and cook over a medium–high heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches 145°C. Remove from the heat, add the cream mixture and mix until combined, then heat again, stirring continuously, to 112–116°C. ➁ Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the salt and the remaining butter.
Stirring occasionally, cool the caramel to 80°C – at this temperature, it’s unlikely to melt the bottom brownie layer while still being pourable and spreadable. Pour this over the chilled brownie layer in the baking tin and spread it out, leaving about a 1cm border around the edges (to prevent the caramel from leaking out too much during baking).
Spoon the other half of the brownie batter over the caramel and gently spread it out to completely cover the caramel layer.
Bake for about 30–35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out covered in half-baked batter or with a few moist crumbs attached. Note: my oven takes about 28-30 minutes.
Cool the brownies completely to room temperature before taking hold of the baking paper and removing them from the tin. Use a sharp knife to slice into portions. (Cooling first allows the crumb to set to give you neat slices with clean edges. Although these brownies, served warm from the oven, will have caramel invitingly oozing out of them, without cooling they are a nightmare to cut.)
If you want to serve the brownies warm (for example, with a scoop of ice cream), reheat them in the microwave for about 5–10 seconds to make the caramel soft again.
STORAGE:
3–4 days in a closed container at room temperature.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Notes:
➀ Chilling the bottom brownie layer makes it sturdier and less likely to melt or displace as you pour the caramel on top. The other half of the brownie batter should remain runny enough at room temperature so that you can easily spread it on top of the caramel layer.
➁ Between 112 and 116°C, the caramel is in the so-called ‘softball’ stage. This is the optimal temperature range to give a caramel layer that, despite being heat-treated again during baking, is luxuriously soft even once the finished brownies have cooled completely. To test for the softball stage, drop a small amount of the caramel into a glass of cold water and then scoop it out – it should hold its shape but be very soft when squeezed. (You don’t need to do this if you’re using a sugar or digital thermometer.)
As cliché as it may sound, I've done lots of soul searching since I broke my ankle and the pandemic.
Going to work (or logging in these days) has become quite a mental will exercise for me. For several years, the only time I was happy at work was my lunch break at the gym when I only needed to concentrate on my body coordination.
The work remains interesting but the place offers no chance of growth for me. While most people are courteous, there are always a few playing games. I tried to tough it out by keeping my eyes on the work but it didn't work. The stress and distraction from the environment was just too much for me. It took me a while before I recognized the signs that my body had been complaining all along. And I started to imagine if I were sick, maybe I didn't have to go to work. If this is not a warning sign, then I don't know what was.
Then, I chanced upon several life coaching podcasts and some career changing blog posts. I am completely enlightened in a way I couldn't have imagined. The only thing I can control is how my brain thinks and believes. Also, I've forgotten how important it was to highlight personal qualities during job hunting. All the external labels are meaningless and not useful to separate candidates apart. What makes me stand out is not my professional skills but how I am as a person.
And I learned to recognize the difference between resilience and obstinateness. Resilience is about the will to restart anywhere, and should not be confused with staying put. Sometimes status quo is more about being obstinate than resilient. Sometimes it takes more wisdom to move on or cut your losses. Once I figured this out, my vision is clear. I know exactly what I want and need to do.
And I can see my future self says this to the current one: Don't write yourself off so quickly. You alone decide how yourself should be judged.
So I decided to give myself another chance.
I changed my employer to give another shot in life. A new chapter is ahead of me. I can't wait!
14/03/2021, Sunday
I finally have a recipe of ginger biscuits I like. It's not like the Christmas biscuits, only gently spiced, just the way I like it. Definitely One of my favorites!
Oaty Ginger Biscuits, adapted from Coeliac.uk
250g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend*)Heat oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3
Put all dry ingredients into large bowl and add the egg
Melt the butter and syrup in a pan and pour over dry ingredients. Mix well and leave until cool enough to handle. I chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours for flavor to develop.
Take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into a ball and place on baking sheet patting top slightly. Allow a little room to spread
Bake for 10-12 minutes or longer if you like them crispier.
*My blend is: 20% Buckwheat + 20% Cornmeal + 20% Oats + 20% Rice + 20% Tapioca
**Another flavor combination I like is: 1 tsp ground ginger + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp orange extract
This is a riff on the traditional Quiche Lorraine but what I want to tell you is the crust. Through experimentation, I managed to improve my gluten free pie crust even further, with protein powder! Just a tablespoon makes rolling like a dream. No more breakage, no more patch work. It's a complete piece of crust which can be molded into a pie dish. I feel so happy to be normal again at pastry baking.
Lardon and Leek Quiche
Pie crust
220 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend*)Quiche Filling
250 g lardons
1 tbsp oil
1 leek, cleaned, wipe-dry and sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
200 ml double cream
pinch of ground nutmeg
50-80 g grated cheese
To make the crust, combine flour, salt, sugar and protein powder in a bowl. Mix to combine. Rub the butter into dry ingredients until they look like big crumbs. Stir in the beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Mix until big clumps of dough start to form. I find a small rubber spatula handy for this job. If the dough is on the dry side, add more water until you can't find any powder at the bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough a few times and wrap it in clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours or more.
To prepare the filling, fry the lardon strips in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil until all water evaporates. Add in sliced leek and cook them until soft but not colored. Season with some pepper. There is no need of salt as lardons are salty enough. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven at 180C. Lightly grease a 23-cm pie pan. Remove the well chilled dough from the fridge and lay it between two pieces of clingfilm. Roll out to a thickness of 3mm to cover the pie pan. You probably only need 3/4 of the dough to cover an 9-in/23-cm round pie dish. Save the pastry scrapes for jam tarts.
Blind bake the pie crust with baking beads at 180C for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beads and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven while you prepare the filling.
Beat eggs, cream and nutmeg together. Stir in the leek and lardon mixture and pour the whole filling unto the pie crust. Even out the lardon strips with a spatula. Scatter the grated cheese on top. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
*My blend is: 25% White rice + 25% Buckwheat + 25% Oats + 20% Tapioca + 5% Sweet Rice
We were very pleased with this curry last night. Gently spiced, very tasty.
Homestyle Chicken Curry
1 kg skinless chicken thighs (6 boneless or 8 bone-in), cut into halvesFirst is to marinade the chicken pieces with yogurt, garam masala, paprika, garlic, ginger and salt, while you prepare the gravy. You could do this a day before but 30-minute marinade is enough.
In a large pot, heat 2 tbsps oil to fry the cumin seeds. When the seeds are popping, put in onions, garlic, fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook on medium-low heat until onions are nicely brown and the whole mixture has cooked down by half. It may take 20 minutes. If it catches at the bottom, drizzle in some water to deglaze.
When the onion-tomato mixture has been cooked down to a paste, add in coriander, turmeric and Pasanda spice mix. Stir the chicken in along with the marinade and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to combine. Season with salt and sugar. Bring the pot to boil and reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on and remove the lid for another 15-20 minutes.
By now the chicken should be fork tender. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning. Turn the heat off for 10 minutes and scatter the coriander leaves on top before serving.
07/03/2021, Sunday
28/02/2021, Sunday
21/02/2021, Sunday
Spring is here. What a lovely surprise to find an iris popping up in the middle of the garden. New crocuses starting to come out too. I think I also planted hyacinths, tulips and bluebells. My memory is failing me scarily.
The Loopy Whisk is another blog where her recipes are pretty reproducible in my hands. Many of her recipes are gluten free. If not, substituting gluten free flour for regular flour usually works well here. This is my first Eggless Brownies. I was highly doubtful during the baking stage as it seemed permanently under baked. But it's supposed to be. You want to see some half-baked batter on the inserted toothpick but with some crumbs. The brownie will be overbaked if you only see the crumbs. As long as you follow the instructions, you will be pleased with the result.
Gluten Free Brownies (Eggless), adapted from The Loopy Whisk
200 g chopped dark chocolate, 60 – 70% cocoa solidsAdjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 160 ºC and line a 20x20 cm square baking pan with greaseproof/baking paper.
In a heat-proof bowl above a pot of simmering water (or in the microwave), melt together the dark chocolate and sunflower oil. Set aside to cool until warm.
In a separate heat-proof bowl, combine sugar and coffee. Pour freshly boiled water into the bowl. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. This may take a few minutes if you use demerara sugar. Let the coffee sugar syrup cool to at least body temperature before the next step.
Pour the coffee sugar syrup and vanilla into the melted chocolate and whisk well until combined.
Add in the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk well until you get a smooth, fairly thick brownie batter.
Pour the batter into the lined baking tin and smooth out the top. Scatter the pecan pieces and a few pinches of sea salt flakes.
Bake in the pre-heated oven at 320 ºF (160 ºC) for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with some half-baked batter and many moist crumbs attached.
Let the brownie cool completely at room temperature before slicing and serving. If you could bear the wait, the day after baking is when the brownie shines for me. It's fudgy, chewy, wonderfully chocolaty and dangerously moreish at the same time. Unlike most other brownie recipes I've tried, it's not toothachingly sweet. It's just perfect, possibly my favorite brownie.
*I used melted butter spread. Using vegetable oil would veganize the brownie.
**My blend is: 25% Buckwheat + 25% White Rice + 25% Oats + 20% Tapioca + 5% Sweet Rice
14/02/2021, Sunday
Valentine's day dinner
Another quick bread. Although I have made quick bread several times, it's always a mix of flour and oats. This time, it's only oats. And it seems to be the recipe behind the tradition Irish Porridge Loaf. Because the main ingredient is oats, you can smell its distinctive sweetness coming out while and after baking. I like it very much.
There are several version floating on the internet but the idea is to use twice as much oats as yogurt (by volume). The actual weight of oats varies from one recipe to another. But this recipe is quite lenient. Just adjust the thickness of the batter with extra liquid. You can't go wrong.
Gluten-Free Oat Bread
320 g gluten-free porridge oats (roughly 4 cups), roughly ground*Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a 2-lb loaf tin.
Combine roughly ground oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and chia seeds if using. Mix well. Stir in plain yogurt and egg. Stir to create a well-mixed dough. The dough will be thick but make sure to mix in all dry ingredients. If the batter is too thick, add one tablespoon of milk in at a time until there are no dry crumbs left at the bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin. Smooth the top and cut a line in the middle. Bake at 180C for 45-50 minutes. Turn the tin 180 degrees half way in. You may wish to cover the top with tin foil if it darkens too quickly. When the bread is baked, an inserted toothpick will come out clean.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely before slicing.
*It's my personal preference to grind the oats scruffily. If you prefer more chunky texture, leave this step out.
Make sure you use nonstick parchment paper or grease the tin (or tinfoil) really well to remove the baked rice cake easily. I am showing you the base recipe below which is easily adapted for other flavors such as chocolate, coconut, green tea, sesame or aduki beans.
Today is the last day of the Year of Rat. Happy Year of Ox!
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| Baked Chinese Rice Cake and Cheese Crackers |
Baked Chinese Rice Cake (for Chinese New Year)
185 g glutinous rice flourPreheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 15-18cm round cake tin with nonstick parchment paper or well greased tinfoil. If you only have 20cm tin (square or round), you may want to double the amount of the batter.
Combine rice flour and baking powder in a bowl.
In another bowl, beat milk, egg, butter, sugar and vanilla together. Sift in the flour mixture. Mix until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin. If you like coconut, scatter some desiccated coconut on top. In the picture above, I also added some sweet bean paste. Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
This is a raspberry version of My Favorite Cheesecake recipe. Can you see how creamy and unctuous this is? This recipe has converted a non-cheesecake eater to a willing one. To let you on a secret, light cream cheese works just as well as full fat version, if that makes you feel better. This is my first cheesecake this year. You will see it often here.
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| Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake |
First, make the raspberry coulis by heating raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a milk pan (small pot). Simmer until raspberries become soft and easily squashed by a rubber spatula and the mixture starts to thicken. Mash the raspberries with a fork or rubber spatula. Drizzle in cornstarch slack and bring the pot back to boil. Simmer until the consistency is like thick honey. Heat off and pass the raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Use a spoon to press the puree through the sift and scrape the seedless coulis off to a bowl. You need to be patient with this as it can take 10 minutes to extract all coulis without any seeds. Cool the coulis while you prepare the cheesecake.
Start with the biscuit base by lining a baking tin (24.5 x 17 x 4.5 cm or 9½" x 6½" x 2") with greaseproof paper and crushing the digestives to fine crumbs. 160 g for a thin base and 200 g for a thicker one. Drizzle in just enough melted butter to look like a wet sand. 30 g is enough for me when using 160 g of biscuits. You may need more butter if using 200 g of biscuits. Put the biscuit butter crumbs in the pan and press tightly use a back of a spoon. Chill the base while you prepare the filling.
Preheat the oven at 140ºC.
To make the filling, beat cream cheese in a bowl with a hand held mixer until creamy (just a few seconds, no need to overbeat). Now add in sugar, vanilla and orange extracts, cornstarch and lemon juice and mix for 30 seconds. Fold in beaten eggs with a rubber spatula with minimum strokes possible. The goal is not to incorporate excess air which cracks the cooked cheesecake. Finally fold in cream/yogurt mixture. Pour all cream cheese mixture onto the biscuit base pan and smooth the top.
Now drop the raspberry coulis by spoonfuls over the top. Make swirls with a tip of a knife or a spoon and then gently shake the pan to even out the top surface.
Bake in a preheated oven (no fan) at 130ºC for 50-55 minutes until the edges have set but the center lightly jiggles when shaking. Turn the oven off and keep the oven door ajar to cool the cheesecake for 2 hours (you can wedge a towel or an oven mitten at the door). Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then chill in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
24/01/2021, Sunday
January is about to slip away. Really? Where has the time gone?
Broccoli and Stilton soup: done.
The recipe is adapted from Handle The Heat. I chose this because it doesn't use bucket load of oil like others. Just a quarter cup, topped up with applesauce. The result is, wow, really good, in fact as good as the conventional one. The cake is light, not damp and flavorful. This will be my go-to Carrot Cake from now on.
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| Gluten Free Carrot Cake |
To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking loaf or tray (20x20cm) with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice.
In a large bowl, beat together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots, orange zest. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in sultanas or raisins.
Pour the batter into the prepared tray. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 27-30 minutes. Let cool completely.
To make the frosting:
In the bowl, beat the cream cheese, coconut cream, and sugar on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth.
Frost the cooled cake and decorate with chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge up to 60 minutes before eating.
*My blend is: 20% Sweet Rice + 30% Buckwheat + 30% Cornmeal + 20% Tapioca
*I made a version where I used 40 g desiccated coconut and 135 g flour, and used dried mango instead of sultanas. Finally I used thick yogurt in place of applesauce. A more tropical version of carrot cake and tastes equally good.
I am very into orange and Earl Grey combination these days. This flavor combo in yogurt cake is marvelous for breakfast. I love it even more than lemon. This scone recipe comes from Naomi Devlin. It's another winner for me. Gotta say Mrs Devlin rarely lets me down. The scones are soft, airy and not dry at all. This is lighter than my usual scones with crème fraiche. As much as I love my crème fraiche scones, knowing that eating scones just slightly healthier makes me feel even happier. Here is my adaptation.
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| Earl Grey and Orange Scones |
Earl Grey and Orange Scones
50 g oat flourCombine oats, ground almond, flour, psyllium husk, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir to mix all ingredients.
Cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture until the mixture look like bread crumbs. You could use fingertips for this. Lift and drop the flour-butter mixture down to the bowl a few times to aerate the mix further if you can. Stir in sultanas (or any dried fruits you prefer) and orange zest.
Pour 1 beaten egg (minus 1 tbsp for later) and yogurt into the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir a few times to see whether you need more liquid or not. If you still see dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, add more yogurt or milk until you can bring the dough together. The dough is soft and on the damp side, not crumbly. Chill the dough in the fridge, well wrapped for a few hours. Chill dough makes cutting and shaping easier.
When you are about to bake the scones, preheat the oven to 200C and remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly flour a piece of cling film where you put the dough on. Flour the scone dough surface and cover with another piece of cling film. Roll the dough into a thickness of 2.5-cm. Use scone cutter to cut into individual scones. You may need to gather the scrapes, re-roll and cut a few times. With a 5-cm cutter, I get 11 scones.
Brush each scone top with some beaten egg. Bake the scones at 200C for 17-18 minutes until the top is golden. Rotate the tray half way through.
Cool them for 10 minutes before serving. The scones are best when straight out of the oven, still warm. To enjoy them later, reheat them in the oven (or in the microwave) before serving.
18/01/2021
Hmm, I started to feel something funny again on my left knee (during running). Am I just not suitable for running?
Today's exercises:
1. Morning PhysioThis is a savory adaption of Ms Devlin's excellent recipe of digestive biscuits. You can adjust the amount of cheese depending on how cheesy you want. I used Red Leicester in the photo but any hard cheese such as cheddar, parmesan, gruyere would work nicely.
This has become our lockdown 3.0 snack!
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| Gluten Free Cheese Crackers |
Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers
110 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)*Combine flour, ground almonds, oats, linseeds, psyllium husk, salt, sugar, mustard and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well.
Rub cold butter cubes into the flour mixture until your mixture looks like bread crumbs. Add the oil and the grated cheese to the mixture and stir to combine. Drizzle enough milk or water to bring the dough together. Knead it a few times. Your dough should look like wet sand. Chill the dough for a few hours.
Preheat the oven at 200C. Line a baking tray with a parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3mm. Use a cutter or pizza wheel to cut into any shape you like. Place the cut-out dough onto the baking sheet, 1-cm apart (they don't spread much). Use a skewer or a fork to dot the top and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden around the edges.
Cool the baked crackers on the tray for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
*My blend is: 25% Buckwheat + 25% Brown Rice + 30% Cornmeal + 20% Tapioca
Hands down, one of the best homemade biscuits I have made, gluten-free or not. My only addition is the orange extract and some mixed spice. This is totally not traditional for digestives but we love it. The effect is subtle and adds some background warmth. The biscuits crumble lightly to the bite but hold up well with fingers. Great as cheesecake base too. I've made so many times since I first tried. One of my favorite recipes from Ms Devlin.
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| Gluten Free Digestives in Rectangles |
Naomi Devlin's Gluten-Free Digestives
110 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)*Combine flour, ground almonds, oats, linseeds, psyllium husk, salt, sugar, baking soda, orange extract and mixed spice in a large bowl. Mix well.
Rub cold butter cubes into the flour mixture until your mixture looks like bread crumbs. Drizzle enough milk to bring the dough together. Your dough should look like slightly wet sand. Chill the dough for a few hours or overnight (which is what I do).
Preheat the oven at 180C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Start with half of the dough and roll out between two pieces of clingfilm to a thickness of 3mm. Use a cookie cutter or a pizza wheel to cut into any shape you want. Lay the cookie pieces on to a baking tray and dot the top with a fork or a bamboo skewer. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges start to color. Rotate the tray half way through.
Repeat the same rolling and cutting process for the remaining dough. If you use a 5-cm round cutter, you should get around 30 5-cm rounds from the whole recipe.
Cool the biscuits on the tray for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before eating.
*Ms Devlin uses: 50 g sorghum or teff + 40 g tapioca + 20 g brown rice and my blend: 20% sweet rice + 30% Buckwheat + 30% Cornmeal + 20% Tapioca. In fact, I've tried several customized blends and they've all worked well.
**80 g butter gives a shortbread texture whereas 50 g butter + oil produces a slightly richer than Rich Tea taste.
