Onion ring

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Caramel Pumpkin Pie
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1 9-inch single crust made with Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough, partially baked and cooled (recipe below)

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dark rum, cognac, or apple cider
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
tiny pinch of ground allspice
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving


Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the sugar evenly over the bottom of a large nonstick skillet. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and staying close by, cook until the sugar melts and starts to color. Once you see a little color, gently swirl the skillet so that the sugar colors evenly. Cook the sugar, without stirring, until it turns deep amber--almost mahogany. The sugar will bubble up and foam and soon it will start to smoke. It is very dramatic, and it might make you think you've gone too far, but you want a dark (though not burned black) color; the darker the sugar, the fuller the flavor. When the bubble shave gone from foamy to big and fat, you will probably have reached the right color. To check the color, drop a bit of the caramelized sugar on a white plate.

Lower the heat to medium, stand back and pour the cream into the skillet. The sugar will bubble and hiss and, if the cream was cold, it may even clump. Just continue to cook, stirring, and it will even out. Add the rum (or cider) and butter and cook just until the caramel is smooth. Pour the caramel into a heatproof pitcher or bowl and cool it for about 15 minutes.

Working with a whisk in a large bowl, beat the pumpkin to break it up and smooth it. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat to blend. Whisk in the spices, salt, vanilla and eggs, beating until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the caramel. Rap the bowl against the counter a few times to de-bubble the filling, then pour the filing into the crust.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is puffed and set--tap the pan gently and the filling won't jiggle. A thin knife inserted into the center of the pie will come out clean--it also leave a gash in the filling, but you'll be covering it with whipped cream.

Transfer the pie to a rack and cool to room temperature, or cool and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, spread the lightly whipped cream over the top of the pie. If you'd like a dressier look, whip the cream until it is firm, put it into a piping bag fitted with a start tip and pipe rosettes over the surface of the pie. Alternatively, you can pipe the cream in a lattice pattern.

Playing Around:
Streuseled Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Streusel

To add a little crunch to this dessert, bake the pie for 10 minutes, then scatter chunks of pecan streusel over the top and finish baking.

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
2 tablespoons cold butter

Mix until crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough
For a 9 inch Single Crust

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 ½ sticks (10 tbsp) very cold unsalted butter, cut into tbsp size pieces
2-1/2 tbsp very cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing- what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water- add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a work surface.

Divide the dough in half. Gather each half into a ball, flatten each ball into a disk and wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling (if your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge).

To Roll Out the Dough:

Have a buttered 9 inch pie plate at hand.

You can roll the dough out onto a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic, or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled out dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up.

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars

Also, don't forget to enter my $100 gift card giveaway while you're here :)

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars
from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

For the apples:
1.5 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
2-2.5 cups diced Fuji apples (about 2 medium to large apples)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar

For the bars:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 cup Kraft caramel bits (you can substitute toffee bits if you'd like)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, toss the diced apples in and cook, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and cook them, turning, just until coated, another minute or so. Transfer the apples to a small bowl and let cool while you make the cookie dough.

taken from here

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they are incorporated.

Stir in the oats, caramel bits, and apples. Mix well.

Pour the dough into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If making cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.)

Let cool completely before cutting into bars. These taste best when wrapped well and served the following day.

cooking videos

videos

http://www.vdonext.com/index.php?fuseaction=Features.Archive&channel_id=575603&program_id=1053247

Japanese bake cheese cake

相信很多朋友都喜欢吃起士蛋糕，不管是烤的，还是不需要烤的起士蛋糕都一样那么诱人，且美味。有的朋友喜欢浓郁的起士口味，有的就喜欢较淡的起士口味，无论如何都会有你喜欢的一种。今天这个日本起司蛋糕是属于较淡的口味，里面加了柠檬汁来调和了起士的味道。 柔软幼滑又绵密的蛋糕，轻轻柔柔的，有入口即化的感觉。这款蛋糕好像戚风蛋糕那样的柔软，可是比戚风蛋糕较湿润因为烘烤的时候是用水浴法，戚风的相比之下比较干。

大宝贝吃后尽然竖起拇指告诉我说：“好好吃！”哈哈。。就好像外面卖得一样好吃！

材料 Ingredients：

（A）

• 奶油起士 250克（软化） 250g cream cheese(soften)
• 细白糖 30克 30g fine sugar
• 酸奶油 110克 110g sour cream
• 蛋黄 4 个 4 egg yolks
• 鲜奶 2½汤匙 2 ½ tablespoon milk
• 柠檬汁 1汤匙 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 面粉 2½汤匙（过筛） 2 ½ tablespoon flour(sifted)

（B）

• 蛋白 4 个 4 egg white
• 细白糖 60克 60g fine sugar

做法 Method：

1）奶油起士拌成泥状，再加入30克白糖拌均匀。 Stir cream cheese until creamy, then add 30 grams of sugar, mix well.

2）将蛋黄分三次加入，每一次拌均匀。Adding the egg yolks by three times, mix well each time.

3）加入酸奶油、鲜奶和柠檬汁，拌均匀。 Add in sour cream, milk and lemon juice, mix well.

4）加入面粉拌均匀。 Add in flour and mix well.

5）拿另一个干净的盆，放进蛋白，用搅拌器打至起泡，再加入60克白糖打至硬性发泡。 Take another clean bowl, put in egg white, using a mixer beat until foaming, then add 60g of sugar and beat until stiff.

6）把蛋白糊轻轻拌入蛋黄糊中， 拌均匀。 Gently stir the egg white paste in the egg yolks batter, mix well gently.

7）倒入铺有烘焙纸的蛋糕模里。Pour the batter into the cake mold covered with baking paper.

8）用水浴法的方式，进预热烤箱，150度C，烤60分钟。Bake cheesecake in a water bath method at preheated oven, 150°C for 60 minutes.

9）烤好后取出放在网架上待凉。 Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack.

心得 Notes:

1） 奶油起士一定要放软化，不然很难和其他材料混合。 Be sure to put cream cheese softened, or else difficult to mix with other ingredients.

2）蛋白的打发 : 首先蛋白要置於乾净无油无水的圆底容器中，利用打蛋器顺同一方向搅打，至出现大泡沫时，就可以将砂糖分次加入蛋白中，此时加入砂糖可帮助蛋白起泡打入空气，增加蛋白泡沫的体积。蛋白一直搅打，细小泡沫会愈来愈多，直到整个成为如同鲜奶油般的雪白泡沫，此时将打蛋器举起，蛋白泡沫仍会自打蛋器滴垂下来，此阶段称为「湿性发泡」，适合用於制作天使蛋糕。湿性发泡再继续打发，至打蛋器举起后蛋白泡沫不会滴下的程度，尖角很挺立、蛋白泡很乾，那就是「乾性发泡」，或称「硬性发泡」，此时如果把容器倒扣，里面的蛋白也不会掉下来，此阶段的蛋白糊适合用来制作戚风蛋糕，或者是柠檬派上的装饰蛋白。

3）水浴法：是为了保证蛋糕不开裂,以完美的姿态出炉而采用的一种方法，通常用来烤乳酪蛋糕。 也叫：隔水加热烘烤。就是烘烤蛋糕时，把装了鸡蛋面糊的模具放在在放水的烤盘上烘烤。如果用固定底模，需在底部垫圆形锡纸一张,如用脱底的模具需底和边全包上锡纸，防止进水。
Water bath: A water bath is using a larger pan containing water in which to place the smaller cheesecake baking pan.

taken from here

strawberry muffin

And so its Muffin-Making Time!

Strawberry and Lemon Muffins Recipe

2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup of castor sugar
2 teaspoons of grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cup of diced strawberries
60g melted butter
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup of milk

Makes about 8-10 muffins.

1. Sift flour into a large bowl.
2. Mix in lemon rind, sugar then egg, butter and milk.
3. Then stir in berries.
4. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pans.
5. Bake in 180C oven for 25 minutes until golden.
6. Drizzle with lemon icing glaze on muffins while hot.

Lemon icing glaze
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
icing sugar

Sweet Bun Dough

Sweet Bun Dough (scalded-flour & sponge version)

Filed under: Basics,Breads & Quick Breads — SeaDragon @ 12:00 am
Tags: Baked, Breakfast Delights, Malaysian, Teatime Treats

Earlier this year, I came across another sweet bread/bun dough recipe which is a variation of the water-roux technique that I’ve been using for a few years now. Instead of the water-roux which needs to be cooked on the stove to 65°C, this other technique is to scald part of the flour with boiling hot water rather than cooking it.
The recipe is from a book called Magic Bread by Malaysian cookery author and Chef, Alex Goh. The recipe is quite unusual in that it calls for the scalded flour to be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before being used. However no explanation was given as to the reason why the need for the 12-hour delay. I wonder if that is just the way the commercial operators do it by preparing the scalded flour the night before to make sure the flour is hydrated properly before being used the next morning, rather than a specific technical reason… (Update July 10, 2010: I finally found out the reason for the 12-hour chilling time for the scalded flour. Autolyse in bread making, invented by French baker Raymond Calvel, is a technique of mixing flour and water – not boiling water – then let it rest for at least 20 minutes, and up to an hour. This rest period helps to make the dough stronger and more extensible, i.e. better able to stretch without tearing. Breads made with autolysed dough are easier to form into shapes and have more volume and improved structure. On top of that, another French baker, Philippe Gosselin, introduced the technique of Overnight Cold Autolyse which produces a sweeter bread. If you google Gosselin baguettes or12-hour autolyse, you should be able to find more detailed explanation. Alex Goh’s method here is just adding the extra step of scalding the flour then chill it for 12 hours for the 12-hour cold autolyse. However this raises another question, since the recipe is for sweet bread, meaning we are already adding a lot of sugar to the recipe, do we really need the cold autolyse? A normal room-temperature autolyse of 20-60 minutes should suffice, I would think…)
Anyway from discussions with forumers who had tried this recipe, they all raved about it. A few of them did not even follow the 12-hour rest for the scalded flour and their breads/buns still turned out well. So I made a mental note to try out the recipe to compare with the water-roux one.
After clearing some time over the weekend, I finally got to work on the recipe. As usual trying to be practical with my time, I thought since the scalded flour needs to be chilled for at least a few hours, I might as well make a sponge dough at the same time to improve the flavour of the dough. Since some of forumers chilled the scalded flour for as little as 1 hour with no disastrous consequences, I thought the proving time for my sponge dough which usually needed about 4 to 5 hours would be good enough for the scalded flour as well.
However being winter at the moment, my sponge dough proved very slowly in the cold room temperature. After 4 hours, I finally got tired of waiting and turned my oven on at the lowest setting and put the sponge dough in to hasten it. But alas, I overproved it slightly and it smelled like sourdough! Luckily that did not really matter as the buns would have more flavour because of that.
Originally the scalded flour part was to add 70g boiling water to 100g bread flour. However with that proportion, I was not able to hydrate all of the flour. The dough was very dry with a little flour still not incorporated. So I decided to add 5g more, but I tipped a little too much in ending up with using a total of 80g boiling water in the end. Then with the 300g of bread flour used for the main dough in the original recipe, I turned it into the sponge dough. In the end my final dough was a little on the wet side, and I added 2 tablespoons plain flour to the recipe to keep it manageable for kneading.
The result was very good and due to my overproving the sponge dough slightly, the buns were very aromatic and flavourful.
As to the comparison with the water-roux version, they were very similar as far as I can tell without both to compare with side by side. I would say to use this scalded-flour method if you could not be bothered with cooking the water-roux, but as I did wait for about 6 hours when my sponge dough was finally ready, I don’t know how different the results will be between one-hour rest (as some forumers did) for the scaled-flour, and the 12-hour rest specified by the original recipe. Obviously if you want to wait for 1 hour only, then the sponge dough cannot be used…

Makes approx. 16 buns

[Ingredients]
Scalded Flour:
100g bread flour
80ml boiling water, adjust as necessary

Sponge:
300g bread flour
180ml lukewarm water, adjust as necessary
1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) instant yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar

Main:
100g plain (all-purpose) flour
75g caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (3g) instant yeast
25g milk powder
1 egg

50g butter, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, extra
http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/
[Preparation]
1. For the scalded flour, pour boiling hot water over flour and stir with chopsticks until combined into a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Start making the sponge dough.

The scalded flour dough, it should be tacky, not dry.

2. For the sponge dough, combine all ingredients and knead just enough to form into a dough. Round the dough into a ball. Cover and prove for about 4 hours, or until the surface of the dough flattens out and the structure inside is bubbly. The time recommended for proving is just approximate, it may takes less time in summer, or longer time in winter, so you need to check it occasionally.

Sponge dough just after mixing and ready to prove.

The proven sponge dough, surface has flattened out.

The successful bubbly structure inside the sponge dough.

3. When the sponge dough is ready, remove the scalded flour dough from the refrigerator. Add all the main dough ingredients, except the butter and extra flour, to the sponge dough together with the scalded flour dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Adding the extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too wet, or if it is too dry, add a little water. For more detailed description on the kneading process, see the post on Japanese-Style Sweet Bun Dough.
4. Knead in butter until incorporated. Form the dough into a round ball and rest for 15 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Form each into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Shape and fill the buns according to recipe. Place all finished buns on a greased baking sheet, lightly cover with cling film, and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months).

Finished buns ready to prove.

Proven buns double in size.

7. Bake in preheated 190°C oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Taste: Soft, fluffy and light with a slight chewiness in texture
Consume: Equally good served warm or at room temperature
Storage: Can be kept for up to a week in airtight container in the refrigerator, re-heat in the oven or microwave before serving

taken from http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/sweet-bun-dough-scalded-flour-sponge-version/#more-1203

Banana muffin (butter)

Easy pancake de Bananamafin ♪

[Genre]

Sweets

[Difficulty]

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ★

[Cooking time]

40 min.

[[Amount ]]··· materials and pieces of muffins 3.4

• Pancake
• 100g

• Melted butter
• 40g

• Egg
• One

• Milk
• 3 tbsp.

• Sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons

• Honey
• About 2 tsp.

• Bananas (mash with a fork)
• 1

[[Procedure]

Under Preparation

How to make

1) Mix the butter and sugar, add honey will mix the flour while stirring add the egg and milk mix.

2) lower in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes to put the muffin cups until 7 min after Zoletile injection well Mazeawasetara also added a banana.

3) ♪ Nekase you to cool and refrigerate 3 hours or more