Friday, November 28, 2014

Sweet Findings

Hey!

I have found some cute amazing simple gifts for you in this week's Sweet Findings.


1 - I have one, and it's awesome! If you love waffles, this is a good one to get. $89.00 (homewaresdirect.com.au)

2 - Popcorn - YUM! This maker is so cute, just microwave it! $38.90 (crateandbarrel.com)

3 - It's always nice to have a great set of serving utensils, it's engraved too! $48.51 (shopbop.com)

4 - Please, can I have all of them! How cute are these confectionery phone cases?! (pinterest.com)

5 - It doesn't get any cooler than these funky Mohawk Salt 'n' Pepper shaker! $58.21(shopbop.com)

6 - I need these cute Pie Crust Cutters! $24.00 (williams-sonoma.com.au)

psssst...there is a sale going on in Shopbop now!

Have a great weekend! :)

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Melty Chocolatey Truffle Cookies

Who loves Chocolates?!?! 


These melty chocolatey truffle cookies are rich in chocolate. It's eating chocolate truffle but in a cookie form! How great is that?

Thanks to my favourite blogger/baker - Joy the Baker. Joy has created this awesomeness! The recipe is from her latest cookbook - Homemade Decadence. If you haven't gotten your hands on it yet, you MUST! :)

So here goes, get ready to fatten up and taste that chocolate truffle in your mouth!


I have word some parts of the recipe in my own words according to Joy's recipe. 

All you need:
(makes about 30 cookies - 1/2tbsp size balls)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks, room temperature
1/3 cup (~3oz) 70% dark chocolate, chopped (not in photo)
1 large egg
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar, sifted (1/2 cup was more than enough)

All you need to do:
1 - Pre-heat the oven to 185C, line baking sheets with baking paper.


2 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and espresso powder (if using). 


Add butter.


Rub until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the chopped chocolate and toss well.


3 - In a small bowl, whisk egg and vanilla. Add egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir with a fork until slightly moistened. Use hands to press the dough into a ball. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.


4 - In a medium bowl, add the icing sugar. After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge, shape it into tablespoon size balls (i did 1/2tbsp size for mine). Coat the balls generously in icing sugar. 


Place on prepared baking sheets. Leave 2 inches space between cookies. 


5 - Bake until the cookies are just set, but still slightly undercooked on the inside, about 10 minutes. 
Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely. (you can serve warm too after dinner). Cookies will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.


Have a chocolatey day! :)

Monday, November 24, 2014

Salad Love Cookbook Giveaway Winner

It's Monday! And it's time to announce the lucky winner!


Congratulations to......

JalsCTL!!!

You've won yourself a copy of Salad Love by David Bez cookbook!


Please send me an email to claim your giveaway. 

Thank you to all who took part in this giveaway! Sorry if you did not win this time, don't worry, there will be other giveaways! Stay tune!

Thank you to Hardie Grant Books for sponsoring this amazing Salad Love by David Bez cookbook!

Happy Monday! :)

Friday, November 21, 2014

Sweet Findings

Hey!

Seriously, it's really getting really hot! Even in the house with the A/C on. It's 35C today in Sydney. 

Anyway, let's get ready for the holiday season shall we?? 

I have gathered 6 Seasonal Holiday recipes for you in this week's Sweet Findings.


1 - Learn to make a great Bourbon Pecan Pie with Dark Chocolate (Joythebaker.com)

2 - The Perfect Pumpkin Pie (cupcakesandcashmere.com)

3 - Easy peasy Christmas Peanut Butter Chocolate Bon-bons (passionatemae.com)

4 - Those cute Gingerbread Cookies (thecandidappetite.com)

5 - How about some Peppermint Candy Sugar Cookies (bakerella.com)

6 - Cool down this Summer with Candy Cane Ice Cream (chewtown.com)

Have a great weekend! :)



Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Family's favourite Char Kuey Teow recipe

I'm lucky enough to have this at home. My husband is pretty good at cooking this. If you don't know, Char Kuey Teow is a Malaysian dish. As we live in Sydney now, it's not easy to find good Char Kuey Teow in Sydney. 


So here, I'm happy to share our Char Kuey Teow recipe so that you can give it a go yourself at home too!

All you need:

1 - Sambal Oelek
2 - Fish Cake, sliced 
3 - Garlic, chopped finely 
4 - Prawns
5 - Eggs (an egg per person)
6 - Lap Cheong (chinese sausage)
7 - Chives (1/2 diced & 1/2 sliced)
8 - Fresh Chilli
9 - Beans sprout (not pictured)

You will also need the noodles - Flat Rice Noodles. 
(pix: spatulaspoonandsaturday)

Sauces (amount based on personal taste)
Soy Sauce
Dark Thick Black Sauce (hard to find the ones you can get from Malaysia here in Sydney, you can try mixing Thick Dark Caramel Sauce with Thick Dark Sauce) - we get ours from Malaysia and bring them over
White Ground Pepper
Salt

Here's what you need to do: 
1 - Heat your wok up over the stove, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Once that's heated up, add garlic, diced chives and chilli, once that's fragrant, add the lap cheong. Fry until cook.
2 - Add in your egg, fry that, then add the fish cake. Once that's almost cooked, add the prawns. Fry it until cook. Do not over cook, it's ready when the colour has changed.
3 - Add in the noodles, sambal oelek and sauces. Fry it, when almost done, add the sliced chives and beans sprouts, fry it until properly mixed. Don't take too long or you'll over cook your noodles.
4 - Serve hot!

*make sure that your fire is high, the secret in Char Kuey Teow is the heat, fire and a good WOK. 


Enjoy! :)

Monday, November 17, 2014

Cookbook review: Salad Love & Giveaway!

Thanks to Olivia from Hardie Grant Books for sending this awesome Salad Love cookbook by David Bez. I've been given this cookbook for reviewing and also...a giveaway.


How would you like to have 260 salad recipes on hand? That's a recipe a day for Monday to Friday for the rest of the year?! Isn't that sweet?

These recipes are easy to make in the office or home for the whole year. 
There are recipes for every season - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter!

Each season gives you different salad recipes to choose from. There's more! Each recipe also tells you whether it's a vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, pescatarian or raw salad! And it also tells you an alternative of ingredients to use in each recipe.

It teaches you how to assemble and what tools are needed too! 

The book also explains what type of ingredients are used for the recipes.


Here is a video snippet of this awesome book!


Sharing is caring. I have something for you.

Thanks to Hardie Grant Books for sponsoring this cookbook.  
ONE lucky reader of Passionatemae will win this cookbook.

So, to be the lucky winner of this cookbook, all you've got to do...
- tell me what was the last recipe that I posted last Wednesday? Comment in the post below.
- don't forget to follow me on my social media (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter) if you haven't already
- email me (passionatemae@gmail.com) your details - full postal and contact. please make sure that you identify yourself so that I know you are the same person via email and in the comments section in this blog post.

Only valid to all Australian residents, as long as Australia Post can deliver it to you.

Giveaway ends Sunday 23rd November 2014 at 11.59pm (Sydney time).

Winner will be announced on Monday 24th November 2014. Please check and confirm your postal address via email to collect your giveaway!

All the best!

Happy Monday! :)

Friday, November 14, 2014

Sweet Findings

Hey!

Seriously, it's pretty hot in Sydney, especially today. Thank god for AIR-COND and this Ice Cream recipe!!

Currently, listening to 'Hot Today' on iTunes Radio, enjoying the cool inside and writing this post. 

Let's kick start the weekend with today's Sweet Findings, shall we?


1 - Found this new site, Cooked. There are 18,000+ recipes you can find here, and the recipes comes from cookbooks! How awesome is that?! (cooked.com.au) 

2 - Can someone make me this Rosette Apple Pie? (preserve.us)

3 - Now you can make your own Vietnamese Banh Mi Bites at home. (weikitchen.com)

4 - Just made a batch of bacon? Oil splattered everywhere? No worries, here's how to green clean the grease! (apartmenttherapy.com)

5 - Give me give me these Mini Pistachio Boston Cream Pies now! (thecandidappetite.com)


psssst....there's a cookbook giveaway this coming Monday. Don't forget to check back! :)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Macadamia Nut Ice Cream recipe

Temperature is rising, let's get ready for Summer! 

I've got a great recipe for you today! I've been using this recipe every time I make this ice cream. It is the family favourite!


This recipe makes about 2 quartz.

The ice cream machine that I'm using is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker 1.5quartz


All you need:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
875 ml thickened cream
375 ml milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt, fine
1 1/2 cups Macadamia nuts, roasted and chopped (make sure to roast nuts first before chopping) 


All you have to do:

1 - a) Put nuts in a dry frying pan until the aroma wafts upwards and the nuts are golden-brown. Keep shaking the pan so that they don't burn on one side and stay too pallid on the other.
OR
b) In the oven for about 15 minutes at 180degrees C. Toss/stir occasionally so that it doesn't burn. Roast until the aroma wafts upwards and the nuts are golden-brownTransfer to a plate and let cool.

2 - Put eggs and sugar in a bowl over a double boiler. Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a ribbon stage or holds a figure of '8'. Here is how (watch 0:00-0:08).

3 - Pour thickened cream and milk into the bowl and mix. The quicker you cool the mixture down the smoother the ice cream will be. Best to have the cream and milk combined together sitting in the freezer.

4 - Cling wrap mixture and keep in freezer until very chilled. Preferably overnight. 

5 - Start your ice cream machine before you pour mixture into machine, churn for 20-25 minutes until soft serve consistency or follow your ice cream maker's manual. Add roasted macadamia nuts 
(make sure the nuts are cool before adding), let it churn for another 5 minutes or so. 

6 - Transfer to a container, cover and keep in freezer. Ice cream should be ready to eat after 6 hours or so. I usually have mine the next day. Ice cream can be kept for about 5 days in the freezer.

* to get that smooth creamy consistency, is to make sure that your liquid is made out of 70% cream and 30% milk. This is because domestic ice cream makers are slow churners compared to commercial ones, thanks to Peter Gilmore's tips.

Want to know more about Ice creams? Did you know there are 9 different types of ice creams?

Enjoy! :)


Friday, November 7, 2014

Sweet Findings

Hello!!

Okay, so this week has been great! Celebrated my husband's birthday! We tried out new places to eat, chilled and just enjoyed time together!

I made this for his birthday! I will share the recipe to make this decadent birthday cake when I get the time to write down the recipe.


So, let's see what do we have for this week's Sweet Findings!


1 - How creative and adorable is this dessert! Marshmallows as cups and candy cane as the handle! (partypinching.com)  

2 - In my first ever Sweet Finding's post, I mentioned 'The Meringue Girls' and how pretty their meringues look. Now you can make them too, check out the recipe! (meringuegirls.uk)

3 - Have you watched the movie 'Chef'? If you haven't you're missing out. My husband and I have watched this movie a few times now, we love it. It's all about food, it's funny and we salivate every time we watch that cheese toastie! (youtube.com & imdb.com)

4 - Seriously how awesome is that Massimo Castagna Glass Pot! One please! (remodelista.com)

5 - It's good to share! I've told you many times now that I love cheesecake, the BAKED ones, but this is something different, it's a FROZEN Chocolate Cheesecake! I can't wait to try this out! (jacquelynclark.com)

6 - It doesn't get better than this! I love anything involving Cookies & Cream, so come on, let's make some bars! (food52.com)

It's 7 more weeks to Christmas! How's the seasonal preparation coming along?

Have a good weekend! :)

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Making Fresh Pasta & Black Pepper Chilli Cream Sauce recipe

I've been playing with my new toy lately! The Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine that my husband bought me for my birthday! My husband and I have so much fun making pasta together. 

Just the other day, my husband was saying, "You know you're getting old, when you're more excited about making pasta than going out!" :)

Anyway, have you made fresh pasta before? It is so super easy! It's yummy too! There's nothing bad about eating dry packet pasta! But now that I know how simple it is to make fresh pasta at home, that's what I've been doing since!

Basics - for every 100g of "00" flour, you need 1 egg, feeds 2 people (average portion)

You need to use 00 flour because it is higher in protein, it is different to plain flour. When making pasta, you need to develop the gluten, that's where the 00 flour comes into play.

Come, let me show you how!


1- Put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre, crack your eggs in it. Mix it with your hands until combined.
2 - Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead until the dough comes together. The dough will not be sticky, it will have a very nice pliable consistency.


3 - Once ready, divide your pasta dough into 2. Put through each dough into your pasta machine. My pasta machine setting starts with '0' - thickest. Roll your pasta dough through the machine without any flour. Make sure to change the machine setting a number at a time. Don't be tempted to rush it and jump a few numbers. It will cause the pasta dough to crack. Roll the pasta dough through the machine until your desired thickness. I roll mine until '7'. We cut our rolled pasta with a knife, because it gets very long in length. 

4 - Our pasta machine comes in 2 cutters, the Fettuccine and Angel spaghetti. Our favourite is the Fettuccine one.  


5 - Once you've cut the pasta into your desired shape, remove from pasta machine and quickly sprinkle some flour onto your pasta to ensure it doesn't clump up together, set aside to cook soon. No resting time required.

6 - Or you could dry your pasta on a pasta rack or as you can see we used a hanger, because we did not have a pasta rack. Only use this method if you're not going to cook your fresh pasta shortly. Store in seal ziplock or somewhere air-tight until ready to use. Use no later than the next day!


7 - Before you cook your pasta, make sure that your sauce is ready. So, time to cook, make sure your water is boiled. Add salt, it should be as salty as the sea. Add your pasta, boil until al dente, cooks in under 5 minutes. Mix it into your pasta sauce. Serve! 

I have made my own version of Black Pepper Chilli Cream Sauce! This version is for people who don't usually eat the creamy version, like me. The chilli and black pepper flavours are really pronounced in this dish.

All you need: 
(from L-R)

2 anchovies (soaked in oil) not pictured (you can omit this, just use regular oil)
500g mushrooms
1 large onion
300ml thickened cream
500g shredded ham
150g diced bacon
1 tablespoon dried basil
seas salt (to taste)
chilli flakes (to taste)
cracked black pepper (to taste) 

 All you need to do:
1 - Heat up pan, pour some oil from the anchovies, add in anchovies, fry until it's all mushed up. You can't really taste the anchovies in this dish. Add onions and bacon. Fry it until onions become translucent and bacon browns.

2 - Add mushrooms, sauté until all liquid evaporates. Mushrooms will shrink. Cook in pan uncovered.

3 - Add ham, stir fry. Add cream, dried basil, salt, chilli flakes, cracked black pepper. I add loads of chilli flakes and black pepper.  Heat up cream. Mix in pasta and make sure that all ingredients are well mixed. 

4 - Serve!


Buon Appetito! :)