It’s been awhile since I last updated this blog. So much has happened I don’t even know where to begin….
And just so you know, this time round, I do have a valid reason for being MIA. Now, for the moment everyone’s been waiting for…*drumroll*….Alan and I relocated to Sydney at the end of Dec 08/early Jan 09! So yes, it’s a big change for both of us as we’ve been in tassie for 6 years and no where will ever feel like home the way tassie has been for us both, especially for me. Tassie is where I discovered myself, where I discovered my passion in life& where I found myself accepted and loved by the ones around me. Tassie will always hold a very special place in my heart and will always be home to me.
Anyway, because of the relocation, we haven’t had internet connection at home since the end of Nov and just getting around to going online has been a real pain! We are still trying to settle the internet and phone line at our new place in Sydney but things are not looking too good so it’s going to be awhile before I can fully update this blog religiously.
Next, I’m really excited to announce that after missing the last 2 challenges, I’m back with Feb’s DB challenge! Gosh! Just slightly short of a year since joining the DBers, I didn’t realise how big a part of my life they’ve become. I’ve been feeling so empty and guilty for missing the last 2 challenges, I told myself that even if it means having to go to an internet café and post feb’s challenge, I’ll do it! Yeah I know I’m a bit late as the dateline as yesterday. But I was at work till really late at night and back again at work at 5am so getting to somewhere with internet access to do this post is a challenge in itself!
Feb’s challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE‘s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. It was exciting just knowing that this month’s challenge is a recipe from non other than my home country’s famous chef – Chef Wan!! Being the month for Valentine’s Day and all, the challenge was meant to be something we could do for our valentine. Well, I’ve never been much of a valentine day celebrator, so I decided that I’ll be making mine for a good friend of mine who celebrated her birthday yesterday! Who said valentines day has to be about lovers. I feel that the greatest love one could have is the love shared with friends who’ve seen you through good and bad times!
In line with the theme, I made mine in an 8 inch round cake tin and cut it into a heart shape thereafter. Early this month when Kaye and I went for coffee, she said she hasn’t been successful in finding the “ultimate” chocolate cake here! So, I decided I’m going to give her an overdose of chocolate! Rich, muddy chocolate cake with creamy, gooey dark chocolate ripple ice cream! Yum!! :p Since this is my first time making this cake, and this ice cream, I decided what the heck, I might as well make another first timer – homemade Turkish delight!
Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino
Recipe from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan
Ingredients:
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated
Method:
1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.
As for the Turkish delight, I got my recipe from Gastronomy Domine.Being my first time, I didn’t know what to expect and what turned out was simply a delight! Just bear in mind though, when you remove the TD from the fridge it’ll be really hard and difficult to chew. Once it’s been left at room temperature for a while, you’ve got yourself yummy Narnia like TDs! :p
Turkish Delight
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (this stops the mixture from crystalising)
1/2 tbsp essence of rose water
1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar for Americans)
1/8 cup extra cornflour
Method:
1. Boil the sugar with the lemon juice and 3/4 cups of water. Use a jam thermometer and remove from the heat when the syrup reaches the soft ball stage (115C).
2. While you are boiling the sugar syrup, combine the cream of tartar and a cup of cornflour with 1.5 cups of cold water. (Using cold water should prevent lumps.) Mix well and bring up to a simmer, stirring all the time. Continue stirring at a simmer until the mixture has made a thick, gluey paste. Stir the sugar syrup into this paste. (If you end up with lumps at this stage, push everything into a saucepan through a sieve with the back of a ladle.)
3. Simmer the sugar and cornflour mixture, stirring every few minutes, until it’s a golden-honey colour and about 120C (this is halfway between soft and hard ball on your jam thermometer, and will take about an hour).
4. Divide the mixture into two, and pour it into prepared trays lined with oiled cling film. I used a small tupperware as I wanted turkish delights with a bit of height to them and found that with my trays they were really flat.
5. Add rose water and a few drops of pink food colouring and stir. Cover and chill for a few hours until set.
6. Turn it out and slice the set Turkish Delight into cubes, and roll in a mixture of 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1/8 cup cornflour so that they don’t stick together. Store in airtight boxes between layers of greaseproof paper, well-dusted with the icing sugar/cornflour mixture.
As for my amazing Chocolate Ripple Ice Cream, I got it off The Ice Cream Book by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis. In my hastiness I forgot to take a photo of the finish tub of ice cream, and when I opened the freezer today, all that greeted me was a miserable one scoop left in the tub! Obviously, it wasn’t picture worthy, so you’ll all just have to take my word that it was sensational and use your imagination to picture the final product! 🙂
Chocolate Ripple Ice Cream
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
75g castor sugar
1 tsp cornflour
300ml semi-skimmed milk
250g dark bitter chocolate
25g butter, diced
2 tbsp golden syrup
90 ml single cream
200 ml whipping cream
Method:
1. Combine egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and whisk till thick and foamy.
2. Heat milk to just boiling and gradually add to yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Return mixture to pan and cook over gentle heat, stirring constantly until custard thickens and is smooth.
4. Pour it into a bowl and stir in 150g of chocolate till melted. Cover, leave to cool then chill.
5. Melt remaining chocolate with butter in a saucepan. Add in golden syrup. Heat gently, stirring until chocolate and butter have melted.
6. Stir in single cream. Heat gently, stirring until smooth, then leave to cool.
7. In an ice cream maker, stir the cream into the custard and churn the mixture till thick.
8. Add alternate spoonfuls of chocolate sauce and ice cream into a plastic tub and freeze for at least 5-6 hours.
Château des Rêves 