Quick and Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

B is a big fan of macaroni.

We have loads of these when living in London - you get the ready-to-(h)eat packs from supermarkets for very reasonable price.  So convenient that you can tuck in after few minute nuke.

B missed the gooey delicious dish and was always asking for me to bring back some during those dreadful business trips but they have really short expiry date so the supply is limited.  Today, we found a a cheater version of macaroni...

Cheater's Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Serves 2
1 can of white pasta sauce
1 heap rice bowl of elbow macaroni
some breadcrumbs (i made mine from toasted leftover bread)
some freshly ground black peppersome grated sharp white cheddarsome grated moserella cheesesome grated cheddar




1. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. This step is necessary to stop cooking and wash off excess starch in the pasta.  The pasta will soften further when the sauce is added and baked.


2. Prepare cheese sauce.  Usually I find the canned stuff to be overload on sodium, so I would lighten it with additional cream or milk (whichever I have in the fridge).  Pour the sauce and extra milk/cream/cheese (if using) into a wok and heat it until the mixture bubbles.  Add black pepper.

3. Stir macaroni into the cheese sauce and toss the macaroni well.

4. Transfer the content into a oven-proof casserole dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and moserella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven @170C, until the cheese melted and bubbling.

For extra treat, I added bacon, breadcrumbs, and brocolli.

I don't know but if B has a comfort food, this will be it!

Sunday Morning Pancake

B's love for pancakes begins with MacDonald's Hotcakes... we used to share many weekday mornings at Macdonald, with B enjoying dipping pancakes into the syrup while I put up with the horrid coffee (despite being branded premium toasted coffee!)  

We then tried making our own at home, using the ready mix.  You know, those powder mixture in plastic container which you just add milk and shake, and you have the batter ready in 30seconds flat!  QUick and easy,  but it hardens as soon as it leaves the pan.

So it was back to Mac again until I re-discovered this pancake recipe in my bookshelf "Homemade", by Clodagh McKenna .

As suggested in the book, I made the batter the night before and let you rest in the fridge.  It thickened the next day, and I read from somewhere that it is ok to add more milk to thin the batter if thin pancake is preferred.  It was just nice for me...  think thick and fluffy!

New-York-Style Blueberry Pancake

200g self rising flour

1 tbsp baking powder

70g caster sugar (I used 50g)

1 egg

300ml milk (I used whole milk, not skim)

50g butter (melted) + more for greasing the pan.

250g fresh blueberries ( I omitted)

maple syrup ( I used honey cos that's what i have at home)

1. sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

2. in a separate bowl, whisk egg and  milk together.

3. Pour the milk mixture into the center of the well of the flour and whisk together until it forms a batter. Leave the batter in a fridge for an hour before you use.

4. Just before cooking, stir in the melted butter which prevents the pancake from sticking to pan (and yes it works!)

5. Over medium heat, grease the frying pan (non-stick preferably!) with a kitchen towel so you use just enough butter (a tip i pick up from the auntie at Tangs homeware department. Have you seen her before?) 

6. Pour enough batter to cover the pan and swirl around to make sure you get an even spread, allow to cook for 1-2 minutes . Then Flip over the pancake with a spatula and cook for about another minute on the other side. Then place on a warm plate, cover with tin foil and put in a low heated oven. Continue again until you have enough made.

The recipe says it makes 10 pancakes, but i suppose it all depends how thick you want the pancake, and how big is your pan...  I do get enough to nicely feed my family of 3.

Why I can't get the nice evenly browned pancake like this?

.


This is pretty good for the minimal effort.  It is very buttery and tender, even when cold.  But I guess nothing stops me from experimenting with buttermilk instead of whole milk... read from some blog (like this) that it makes it even more moist.

When I get enough energy (and time), I would pretty much look forward to try out the one in KAF or even this one in Jamie Oliver - it calls for egg white to be whipped separately.  I believe this is what the atas (upmarket) like Strictly Pancakes does. 

Foodie in London - IceBar London

 Throughout the time we lived in London, never once we visited the Icebar.  I tried to visit the place last Dec, but the Xmas holidayers filled up the queue that I gave up the thought.  I gave it another go when I was there last month. 

Despite the reservation I was told to wait in line since they operate on fixed time slot and I'd arrived early.  I was offered to have my meal at the restaurant while waiting for my session. I supposed the only difference in Icebar Bar and Icebar Restaurant is the what's being served.

So I went on. 

Ha,  no lor.  There's nothing ICE about the restaurant/lounge area!!!

It was toasty warm on there, which I welcome but at the same time a little disappointment!!!

First you will be offered the cloak room service where you can keep all your belongings and coat/jackets.  A fee of GBP2 will be added to your bill for using this facility.

Once seated, the waitress tried very hard to get me to order the starter/nibble, which I was tempted but knowing my capacity, resisted!

This is what I had.

Grilled pork loin, pork cheek, black pudding, spiced swede puree, confit red cabbage, red win jus (GBP18) with Rocket and Parmesan salad (GBP3.50).

Liquid wise, I had Kiwi Caipirinha (GBP 7.70) - I always love a good Caipirinha!

I was rather filled after the main, but the waitress strongly recommend this choc-ky dessert, and my will gave in!  Dark Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Bailey's Mousse, and Ice cream (GBP6) - very rich, and a good bitter capuccino (GBPx) went well with it.

You can see the Icebar merchandise for sale:

  

 Finally my turn to get into the Icebar.  You will be given a silver cape and glove to keep warm.  Uh only that this point I realised I left my warm clothings in the cloakroom so that's all have to keep me breathing!

It was indeed a special experience, everything is made of ice, including my drinking glass.  But I was freezing my butt in there.  You are allowed to stay for the entire session of 40min, but I had to get out after 15min!  It is too cold for me.  Well, for someone who is used to 30C all year round, -5C is C-O-L-D! 

I only remembered to take some pic when I was about to get out...

It reminds me of a friend who confide that she once booked a night stay at the Ice Hotel in the Nordics, only to be standing by the toilet all night.  Why toilet?  Cos that's the only place in the entire hotel with a radiator! 

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ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL London/Below zero restaurant,
31-33 Heddon Street, Mayfair, London
+44 (0) 20 7478 8910,
www.belowzerlondon.com.

To usher the Water Dragon - Eggless Cream Cheese Pineapple Tart

Ready to Bake!

Come closer to every chinese new year, I will read about bloggers shouting about their "heirloom" pineapple pastry recipe. Occasionally I will be tempted (read: too "eng", or "free" in hokkien) to try out a different recipe.  Sometimes, half way through making, I realized that some steps were missed out... in which why bother to post it???!!! 

Most times, I rarely impressed enough to ditch my usual eggless version for something new.  Oh well, not until i tried this recipe from Wendy's blog.

Accordingly, it is soft even to melt-in-your-mouth yet firm enough not to crumble in your hand.  Oh well, what's not to like about this...  except it uses egg yolk.  But who says I can't try taking it off the list.

Roast Pork with Spicy Caramel Apple

I have been trying to post this but my old Google browser was outdated, and I could not get the Google Chrome installed.  And trying to blog on my Macbook is another whole new challenge.  Anyway the process was long and hard, but it is now sorted!!!

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I was watching the re-run of Ladies Nite (女人聚乐部 ) a channel U program when hubby and I were attracted to the recipe "Roast Pork with Spicy Caramel Apple" .  It sure looked good, and we were totally sold when TV hosts Michelle and Vivian hugged each other and cried when they tasted the cracking delicious pork.  J elbowed me to try making it but with the family vacation line up, nothing much I can then.

We left for our Christmas vacation shortly after the program ended that afternoon, but throughout the trip, my hubby and I have been talking about the roast meat...

Amongst the first things we did when returned to Singapore was to go supermarket to buy all the stuff required for the recipe.

It calls for copious amount of salt, but there's a warning that this salt is required to make the skin cripsy so I was caught between devil and deep blue sea.  In the end, I went ahead with the original qty but did use a just slightly damp towel to wipe off the salt from the first round of marination.

The meat is very tender, and the fat is melt-in-your-mouth.  The skin, as expected, is indeed very crispy but far too salty for my family.  J joked that Michelle and Vivian hugged each other cos they need to hide their grimacing face after tasting the over-salty meat!

The caramel apple is a necessity here - the sweet and spicy balance the saltiness... but you know, it is darn unhealthy!

BTW, I googled and found that another method to baste the port skin with vinegar after the first 30min, then continue to roast until time is up.  This way, we do not need excessive salt to get the crackling skin.

I will certainly try this method cos my family completely love this roast meat...  I hope to share the results soon.

Roast pork with Spicy Caramel Apples

• 1 kg pork belly
• 1 tbsp salt (The recipe stated not to cut down the amount as it helps to make the skin crispy but I really found it too salty after using this amount)
• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 clove garlic minced

1. Score the skin with a very sharp knife,  or ask the butcher to do this for you. 
2. Rub salt all over the skin. Mix the remaining ingredients together and rub it on the meat side only, not on skin or it will burn easily.
3. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight to marinate.

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp salt (again, the salt is important as it makes the skin crispy)
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed 
• 1 star anise
• 1 quill cinnamon bark 
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped 
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped 
• Water

1. Remove the pork from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 mins (fridge very cold). Rub the oil and salt into the skin.
2. Use a deep roasting tray or oven proof container that fit the belly almost exactly. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, star anise and cinnamon to the tray. Place the pork on top and add enough water until the meat is covered, be careful not to cover the skin and fat layer.
3. Roast at 200°C for 90 mins.  Let the meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Spicy caramel apples

• 3 green apples, cut into wedges (Green apples are tart which is great with the sweet caramel)
• 1/8 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1. Melt the butter with the sugar, adding a few drops of water if necessary.
2. Add the apple wedges and cook on moderately high fire until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally otherwise will be overcooked.

Yummiest Cake - Lychee Martini from Pine Garden

Lychee Martini was ranked as among the best cake in Singapore, with the likes of Sweet Secrets and Mezza9, in a Sunday Times column many light years ago.

I remembered then I rushed down to Pine Gardens in AMK, and went AGH when i saw the humble shop... uh well, my mum did say never judge a cake by the store :-)


It's must have been over 4 years (or more)... cos other than the memory of the adventure, i can't really remember the taste.  Not that it is forgettable, but a baker's pride that only cares for what comes from her oven!!!




I was glad that I had the chance to re-live the taste on Friday night.  


My ex-boss is finishing his assignment in Singapore, and his team organized a farewell party for him in a very nice restaurant.  So, what has the cake got to do with a Dutch man?

This bag cake was a surprise for the organizer, PL, whose birthday falls in the same period!!!  A few thoughtful ladies planned this, and had PL's favorite bag (accordingly she uses this 60% of the time... trust planners to be this precise!) immortalized in a Lychee Martini cake! 


In my recent cake-venture, i am taught that fondant covered cake must be firm and dense in order to withstand the weight of the fondant.  But this theory was scrapped here!

  

Pine Garden uses vanilla sponge as a base, which is moist and fluffy.  Between the layers is the light buttercream infused with lychee.  If there's any alcohol, none of us can taste it!  I am assuming that they have macerated the canned fruits in some liquor like rum or limoncello, in which case, the liquor flavor can be made stronger by brushing the sponge layer with the leftover liquor.  


My other complaint is that there's really too little lychee bits...  the canned fruits should be economical enough for the baker to be more generous!  


The covering is made with chocolate fondant which is quite yummy.  I wonder if they are using the Pentinice Bakel fondant.  


Looking at the pretty (and tasty) cake got me itchy to get back to serious baking and cake decor...  Some day, some time...  








Pine Garden's Cake
Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
#01-2369/2329
Singapore 580529
Tel: 6457 6159

Operating hours - 8:30am to 9:30pm (daily)
http://www.pgcake.com/

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Thanks for Sally's comment and to those who sent me private messages about the school bully.  Like many things in life, this is one of those that we just have to learn to manage, like it or not.


My beloved sister took her family over this afternoon... and I was thinking hard what can I prepare in short notice.  They love my cakes but little i can do when i haven't got the baking barangs-barangs out of those boxes!


I remembered reading a blog post on King Arthur Flour and so i set out to make the Caramel Popcorns!


Check out the blog for the step-by-step photo... this is really easy!

I used the microwave popcorn that i shipped back from England :-)  So convenient!


Carol's Caramel Corn


Pop corn following packaging instruction, then prepare caramel syrup.


Here's my version of the caramel syrup:
1 cup sugar - brown is better, but white works for me cos that's all i have in my kitchen
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 light corn syrup - the Macdonald's pancake syrup works fine as a substitute
1/2 tsp baking soda


Direction:


1. Melt all the above (except baking soda) in a heavy bottom pot over medium fire.  I used my  Le Creuset Chinese Wok cos it would have enough space for me to stir in the popcorns.  Trust me, you can do with 1 less pot to clean up after that.


2. Bring it to boil, stirring occasionally.  Careful the syrup can be really hot.  The syrup will darken, this is normal.  After 5 min, turn off the fire, and stir in baking soda.


3. As you stir in the baking soda, the caramel will thicken and change color, becoming a rich golden beige.   The baking soda acts as an acid to make it thinner, which will coat the popcorn  better without the awfully heavy feeling.


4. Pour in the popcorns into the caramel (or caramel over popcorn if your pot is not big enough).  Keep stirring until all the popcorns are coated evening.  You need to do this as soon as the caramel is done because it turns into caramel brittle as it cools.


5. Once coated, turn it into a baking tray and leave it to bake for 30min at 100C, turning at 15min interval.  The original recipe says 1 hour oven time but the young ones at home can't wait this long!  This step is to dry out the mixture to give a better crunch.  But i find that mine already crisp once the caramel cools so perhaps I will skip this step altogether next time.


And btw, someone shared that microwave can do the same trick without the hour wait.  Simply dump the caramel corn into a large bowl, and microwave it for one minute. Stir, and microwave for one minute more. 




6.  Let cool and enjoy.  It will be sticky when hot, but crisp wonderfully when cool!

A spicy version that you can try:

add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper into the caramel mixture while it is cooking. That little bit of cayenne with the spices gives it the most awesome flavor, according to a baker who shared this variation in the blog.


Note:  This portion of caramel is just enough for my pack of popcorn.




The toughest part after making caramel or boiling sugar syrup, is the clean up.  You cannot imagine how much scrubbing is needed but i found a little trick that works - simply soak the pot and whatever utensils in water.  If you wait long enough, you will find that all the caramelized lumps soften and dissolves into water.  If you can't wait, just boil enough water in the pot over low heat.  


B just asked when can I make some toffee banana...  Ha!


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Updated 9 Jan 2012:
I made this again with brown sugar... this time round, i realized that the mixture takes longer to dry up.  So the step in the oven becomes a necessity to crisp up the popcorns.  


When I used the microwave, thinking to short cut the drying process as someone  had shared, it has hotspot and burnt in those area.  Do take note to use a lower voltage and turn more frequently if you are using the microwave.  I just turned to the trusty oven to do the job :-)