Adapted from Genoa Cake, or Pain de Genes
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
250g marzipan
60g flour
1tsp vanilla extract
Blend the marzipan into the eggs. If using a stand mixer, I recommend trying the dough hook, and scrape the bottom regularly. . You may also use a blender.
Switch to a whisk and whip at medium speed for at least 15 minutes, until the mixture is very light, very pale and very fluffy.
Whisk in the flour and vanilla extract.
Pour into a 22.5cm pan and bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.
Notes:
The annoying part is working the eggs and marzipan into a uniform paste. Using a blender is fastest, but you will need to clean it -- and also waste batter transferring it to different bowls and such.
This was a cake designed from laziness. It takes similar proportions to the Genoa Cake, but fluffs it up with a machine and gets rid of the heating eggs and almond paste bit.
The pan does not need to be very tall, as the cake does not rise very much in the oven.
As it does not rise very much in the oven, it also stays pretty flat. If you were to stack the cake, it probably will not need levelling.
It would be lovely topped with fruit and glazed, or sandwiched with lightly sweetened custard.
Tasting Notes:
The texture is spectacularly good. Very soft, fine and moist.
It does not taste as strongly almondy as the Genoa Cake recipe does, but it is still very fragrant.
In some ways, it takes the best things of the Genoa Cake and makes it better with what I consider it to be superior texture.
Showing posts with label tasting notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tasting notes. Show all posts
Monday, 10 August 2015
Friday, 27 February 2015
Mom's Awesome Meatballs for Soup v.2
Original recipe by May's Awesome Mom
Ingredients:
180g minced pork
2 drops sherry vinegar
5g soya sauce
25g water
18g cornstarch
White pepper
2g salt
Notes:
Still not quite right.
More pepper.
Less cornstarch -- 10%.
Needs rice wine. The sherry vinegar does not kill the meat smell very well.
Ingredients:
180g minced pork
2 drops sherry vinegar
5g soya sauce
25g water
18g cornstarch
White pepper
2g salt
Notes:
Still not quite right.
More pepper.
Less cornstarch -- 10%.
Needs rice wine. The sherry vinegar does not kill the meat smell very well.
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Mom's Meatballs for Soup
Original Recipe by May's Awesome Mom
Ratio:
100% minced pork
20% water
5% oil
20% cornstarch
2% salt
Put the pork into a bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients one at a time.
Spoon the meatballs with a teaspoon into simmering broth. They should be done in a few minutes. If you need to check, fish one out and slice in half.
Notes:
Not final version.
Too much cornstarch.
White pepper is missing.
Can add chopped scallions, other herbs, bits of carrot, or chopped dried salted fish.
The oil can be substituted with shallot oil, garlic oil, etc.
The water can be substituted with stock.
Ratio:
100% minced pork
20% water
5% oil
20% cornstarch
2% salt
Put the pork into a bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients one at a time.
Spoon the meatballs with a teaspoon into simmering broth. They should be done in a few minutes. If you need to check, fish one out and slice in half.
Notes:
Not final version.
Too much cornstarch.
White pepper is missing.
Can add chopped scallions, other herbs, bits of carrot, or chopped dried salted fish.
The oil can be substituted with shallot oil, garlic oil, etc.
The water can be substituted with stock.
Monday, 12 January 2015
Mocha Ogura Cake
Original recipe by Kitchen Tigress
Ingredients:
310g egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
140g caster sugar
125g egg yolk
100g egg white
80g cooking oil -- I used rice bran
40g cocoa powder
140g brewed coffee -- see notes
110g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
Line a 25cm round cake tin. If you have a pan that is at least 8cm tall, you can choose not to line the sides. (see notes)
Heat the oil until smoking. Stir it slowly into the cocoa powder until it is smooth. I recommend adding just enough oil to form a thick paste with the cocoa powder, smoothing it out, and then stir in the rest of the oil.
Put the kettle to boil. Place a roasting pan or similar at the bottom of the oven, and preheat it to 170C.
Whip 310g of egg whites until foamy and add the cream of tartar. Once the cream of tartar is dissolves, add the sugar in slowly. Whip until stiff peaks.
Whip the remaining egg white and yolk until foamy, then tip in the cocoa mixture. Whip until thick. Keep whipping while slowly pouring in the coffee.
Gradually sift the flour into the bowl. Add the salt last.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the cocoa mixture in thirds. Make sure there are no lumps of egg white and no white streaks.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan at a height.
Pour the hot water into the pan -- 1cm of water should be enough -- and put the cake in. Bake at 170C for 30 minutes, and then turn it down to 130C until it's no longer jiggly in the middle and the top bounces back when gently pressed.
Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes or so, before turning it out onto a plate. Peel off the paper on the sides, if used, then let cool completely before slicing.
Pan Size:
I used a 25cm round tin that is 8cm high, but the cake rose to 12cm or so in a mushroom shape before it sunk. So you can probably use a larger tin or half the recipe for a 20cm square tin (would still need to have high sides).
Tasting Notes:
Lovely. Soft, fluffy and moist mocha sponge.
Try to wait until it's completely cool to slice so that it does not wet down. I was greedy and unable to do this.
Coffee Notes:
I used some sous vide brew made with a boost of vanilla powder, but I will try using a stronger filter brew the next time I make this.
You can substitute water mixed with instant espresso powder, but I find that it does not taste as good.
Future Notes:
I plan to try a chai version for my man soon, as well as a green tea version.
Ingredients:
310g egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
140g caster sugar
125g egg yolk
100g egg white
80g cooking oil -- I used rice bran
40g cocoa powder
140g brewed coffee -- see notes
110g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
Line a 25cm round cake tin. If you have a pan that is at least 8cm tall, you can choose not to line the sides. (see notes)
Heat the oil until smoking. Stir it slowly into the cocoa powder until it is smooth. I recommend adding just enough oil to form a thick paste with the cocoa powder, smoothing it out, and then stir in the rest of the oil.
Put the kettle to boil. Place a roasting pan or similar at the bottom of the oven, and preheat it to 170C.
Whip 310g of egg whites until foamy and add the cream of tartar. Once the cream of tartar is dissolves, add the sugar in slowly. Whip until stiff peaks.
Whip the remaining egg white and yolk until foamy, then tip in the cocoa mixture. Whip until thick. Keep whipping while slowly pouring in the coffee.
Gradually sift the flour into the bowl. Add the salt last.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the cocoa mixture in thirds. Make sure there are no lumps of egg white and no white streaks.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan at a height.
Pour the hot water into the pan -- 1cm of water should be enough -- and put the cake in. Bake at 170C for 30 minutes, and then turn it down to 130C until it's no longer jiggly in the middle and the top bounces back when gently pressed.
Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes or so, before turning it out onto a plate. Peel off the paper on the sides, if used, then let cool completely before slicing.
Pan Size:
I used a 25cm round tin that is 8cm high, but the cake rose to 12cm or so in a mushroom shape before it sunk. So you can probably use a larger tin or half the recipe for a 20cm square tin (would still need to have high sides).
Tasting Notes:
Lovely. Soft, fluffy and moist mocha sponge.
Try to wait until it's completely cool to slice so that it does not wet down. I was greedy and unable to do this.
Coffee Notes:
I used some sous vide brew made with a boost of vanilla powder, but I will try using a stronger filter brew the next time I make this.
You can substitute water mixed with instant espresso powder, but I find that it does not taste as good.
Future Notes:
I plan to try a chai version for my man soon, as well as a green tea version.
Saturday, 3 January 2015
Sous Vide Chicken Porridge
Ingredients:
600g chicken stock
75g rice
2g salt
splash of soya sauce
splash of sesame ail
2 slices of ginger root
2g of green goo
Extra chicken stock or water for thinning out
soya sauce and white pepper to serve
Put everything into a jar and sous vide at 85C until the individual rice grains 'open' up. It will look more like individual rice grains that are fully cooked in liquid than rice porridge.
Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Serving Instructions:
Empty out the jar, scraping out the remaining rice grains, into a saucepan. If you would like a thinner porridge (my preference), add up to 150ml of stock or water.
Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes, watching to make sure it does not burn. Rice porridge has a tendency to bubble and splatter.
When the liquid in the pot turns a slightly milky color, serve it ladled into bowls. Excellent accompaniments include shredded poached chicken, gomashio, other kinds of furikake and salty little fish, youtiao and freshly chopped scallions or coriander.
Ratios:
The key ratio here is 75g rice to 600g liquid. Green tea or other stock would make delicious rice porridge as well.
I did try a 100g rice to 600g liquid ratio, but there was too much starch released by the rice relative to the liquid in the jar. In my experience, simmering the porridge a little longer to thicken it is fine, but having to thin it out when it gets too thick does not work out very well. I know this because I have made many many pots of overly thick rice porridge.
Sous Vide vs Stovetop
The main benefits are that you do not have to watch it, check regularly to add water or stir. And it still will not burn.
If you don't have a sous vide machine, that's not a problem. You can just put the jar into very gently simmering water on a stove. If the water gets hotter than 85C, that is not a problem, just that it will probably be ready faster. It will be more of a problem if the water is not hot enough.
Tasting Notes:
This tastes better with a lighter broth. It isn't meant to be a heavy meal, after all.
The ginger is essential, but coriander root is nice to have.
600g chicken stock
75g rice
2g salt
splash of soya sauce
splash of sesame ail
2 slices of ginger root
2g of green goo
Extra chicken stock or water for thinning out
soya sauce and white pepper to serve
Put everything into a jar and sous vide at 85C until the individual rice grains 'open' up. It will look more like individual rice grains that are fully cooked in liquid than rice porridge.
Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Serving Instructions:
Empty out the jar, scraping out the remaining rice grains, into a saucepan. If you would like a thinner porridge (my preference), add up to 150ml of stock or water.
Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes, watching to make sure it does not burn. Rice porridge has a tendency to bubble and splatter.
When the liquid in the pot turns a slightly milky color, serve it ladled into bowls. Excellent accompaniments include shredded poached chicken, gomashio, other kinds of furikake and salty little fish, youtiao and freshly chopped scallions or coriander.
Ratios:
The key ratio here is 75g rice to 600g liquid. Green tea or other stock would make delicious rice porridge as well.
I did try a 100g rice to 600g liquid ratio, but there was too much starch released by the rice relative to the liquid in the jar. In my experience, simmering the porridge a little longer to thicken it is fine, but having to thin it out when it gets too thick does not work out very well. I know this because I have made many many pots of overly thick rice porridge.
Sous Vide vs Stovetop
The main benefits are that you do not have to watch it, check regularly to add water or stir. And it still will not burn.
If you don't have a sous vide machine, that's not a problem. You can just put the jar into very gently simmering water on a stove. If the water gets hotter than 85C, that is not a problem, just that it will probably be ready faster. It will be more of a problem if the water is not hot enough.
Tasting Notes:
This tastes better with a lighter broth. It isn't meant to be a heavy meal, after all.
The ginger is essential, but coriander root is nice to have.
Poached Chicken Legs
Ingredients:
1 pot of chicken stock -- enough to submerge your chicken legs
2 chicken legs -- skin on and bone in
Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then put in the chicken legs for 20 minute without a lid. Turn off heat, and leave it in for another 10 minutes before removing.
For salty, silky chicken flesh, brush fine salt over the skin and chill in the fridge over night. Remove the skin before eating.
May's Notes:
I have a cheap (read crappy) Kogan induction cooker (I recommend induction, I do not recommend Kogan). I set it to heat at 600W and did not change the setting.
Tasting Notes:
Turned out pretty well, but still a little pink in the middle for me -- I pulled the meat off the bone and put it in rice porridge, so that was fine.
Future Notes:
The legs need a little bit more time, maybe another 5 minutes with the heat on.
You can use water, but I'd add some aromatics and oil to the water.
1 pot of chicken stock -- enough to submerge your chicken legs
2 chicken legs -- skin on and bone in
Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then put in the chicken legs for 20 minute without a lid. Turn off heat, and leave it in for another 10 minutes before removing.
For salty, silky chicken flesh, brush fine salt over the skin and chill in the fridge over night. Remove the skin before eating.
May's Notes:
I have a cheap (read crappy) Kogan induction cooker (I recommend induction, I do not recommend Kogan). I set it to heat at 600W and did not change the setting.
Tasting Notes:
Turned out pretty well, but still a little pink in the middle for me -- I pulled the meat off the bone and put it in rice porridge, so that was fine.
Future Notes:
The legs need a little bit more time, maybe another 5 minutes with the heat on.
You can use water, but I'd add some aromatics and oil to the water.
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Christmas Apples + Apple Syrup
Ingredient:
350g cubed apples -- I used Pink Lady
Salt -- 3 fingered pinch
1/2 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 whole nutmeg
330ml apple cider -- 1 bottle
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
50g water
50g sugar - raw
Put everything into a 500ml mason jar. If the liquid does not cover the apples, add a bit more water.
Sous vide at 65C for 2 hours. Strain out the liquid and store separately.
Tasting Notes:
The apples are still fairly firm. Would actually be ideal for apple pie, in my opinion, with a bit more sugar.
I plan to try this with apple molasses when I find it.
Pink Lady apples are on the sweeter side, so if you use something more tart (I do not recommend this because I think it would not taste good), add more sugar.
Might benefit from a hit of ginger if I wasn't using it for Fairytale of New York.
Other comments:
I made the syrup for: Fairytale of New York
I was going to toss the apples, but the texture is still pretty good, hence I am munching on them.
350g cubed apples -- I used Pink Lady
Salt -- 3 fingered pinch
1/2 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 whole nutmeg
330ml apple cider -- 1 bottle
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
50g water
50g sugar - raw
Put everything into a 500ml mason jar. If the liquid does not cover the apples, add a bit more water.
Sous vide at 65C for 2 hours. Strain out the liquid and store separately.
Tasting Notes:
The apples are still fairly firm. Would actually be ideal for apple pie, in my opinion, with a bit more sugar.
I plan to try this with apple molasses when I find it.
Pink Lady apples are on the sweeter side, so if you use something more tart (I do not recommend this because I think it would not taste good), add more sugar.
Might benefit from a hit of ginger if I wasn't using it for Fairytale of New York.
Other comments:
I made the syrup for: Fairytale of New York
I was going to toss the apples, but the texture is still pretty good, hence I am munching on them.
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Sous Vide Chicken Porridge
Ingredients:
75g rice
600g chicken stock -- it should be thick enough to gel solid when cold
2g salt
2 spring onion stalks -- the white bit minus the roots plus a bit of the green part
small knob of ginger
sesame oil -- about a teaspoon or so
soya sauce -- just a few drops
Put all of the ingredients into a 500ml mason jar and sous vide for 4 hours at 65C, then another 8 hours at 75C.
Notes:
The stock was cold when it went in.
This is under salted, but you're meant to serve this with soy sauce and white pepper at the table anyway.
Tasting Notes:
The rice to stock ratio needs to go up, unless you are after a more Teochew style gruel. I will try 100g rice to 600g stock the next time.
Temperature needs to increase as well. When I checked it at 4 hours at 65C, the rice was still solid little grains. I will try 75C or 80C the next time for 8 hours.
(The only recipe I found online for Sous Vide congee suggested 90C for 1.5 hours, but I am aiming for an overnight recipe, at least until I get a sous vide machine with a timer.)
If you want to serve it piping hot, you will need to bring it to boil on a stove top.
I might reduce the salt the next time -- it was salty enough to not need extra flavorings.
75g rice
600g chicken stock -- it should be thick enough to gel solid when cold
2g salt
2 spring onion stalks -- the white bit minus the roots plus a bit of the green part
small knob of ginger
sesame oil -- about a teaspoon or so
soya sauce -- just a few drops
Put all of the ingredients into a 500ml mason jar and sous vide for 4 hours at 65C, then another 8 hours at 75C.
Notes:
The stock was cold when it went in.
This is under salted, but you're meant to serve this with soy sauce and white pepper at the table anyway.
Tasting Notes:
The rice to stock ratio needs to go up, unless you are after a more Teochew style gruel. I will try 100g rice to 600g stock the next time.
Temperature needs to increase as well. When I checked it at 4 hours at 65C, the rice was still solid little grains. I will try 75C or 80C the next time for 8 hours.
(The only recipe I found online for Sous Vide congee suggested 90C for 1.5 hours, but I am aiming for an overnight recipe, at least until I get a sous vide machine with a timer.)
If you want to serve it piping hot, you will need to bring it to boil on a stove top.
I might reduce the salt the next time -- it was salty enough to not need extra flavorings.
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