Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a no-bake Italian dessert. It is made of layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers followed by cream, the number of layers depending on the amount of the ladyfingers and cream and finally, a dusting of cocoa powder on top. Most recipes incorporate egg yolks in the cream and alcohol in the coffee and cream. However, I have made the version without egg yolks nor alcohol.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp instant coffee powder
• 350 ml hot water
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• 80 g castor sugar
• 24 pieces lady fingers

Tool:

• Glass baking dish 18 cm x 12 cm

Instructions:

• Dissolve instant coffee powder in hot water and set it aside to cool down.

• Whip heavy cream until stiff peak is achieved. Set it aside.

• Beat mascarpone cheese and sugar till sugar dissolves.

• Combine whipped cream with mascarpone cheese till they are well incorporated.

• Dip ladyfingers into coffee and line them at the bottom of the glass baking dish. (Do not soak the ladyfingers; a quick dip will do.)

• Layer cheese mixture over them.

• Line another layer of ladyfingers on the cream.

• Then, layer cheese mixture over them.

• Dust a generous amount of cocoa powder on the cream.

• Chill the tiramisu for at least 4 hours before serving.

• Enjoy.

Twisted Ring Bread

I have been baking a lot of sourdough bread and only once a while have I gone to bake yeasted bread. Twisted Ring Bead is a yeasted bread. It is so pretty but more important it is delicious. This bread may be done plain or added with inclusions such as chocolate chips, chocolate buttons, chocolate rice or any dried fruits like cranberries, raisins and what have you. The way the inclusions are arrange is up to one's imagination. This recipe is a big one, yielding 2 loaves. I baked such a large recipe as I wanted to gift one away to a nephew-in-law who came a calling with his family. However, if you are baking just for a small family, you may half the recipe except the yeast. Use only 7 g instead of 10.

Ingredients:

• 180 - 200 ml warm water
• 60 g sugar
• 10 g yeast

• 725 g bread flour
• 25 g milk powder
• 1 tsp salt

• 2 eggs
• 240 ml milk

• 45 g butter

• Inclusions - either chocolate chips, chocolate buttons, chocolate rice or any dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, etc) - as much as you like

• Egg wash - egg yolk and 1 tbsp milk.

Instructions:

• Line a baking tray with greased parchment paper.

• Activate the yeast - add sugar to warm water (start with 180 ml first), stir to dissolve the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

• Once the yeast has been activated (there are bubbles in the yeast mixture), pour it into the bowl of the stand mixer.

•  Add the eggs and milk to the bowl.

• Add the bread flour, milk powder and salt into the yeast mixture.

• Start kneading the mixture on a low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. Then increase the speed to medium high.

• When the dough has formed into a ball, add butter to it.

• Continue to knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic. Then transfer it to an oiled bowl.

• Cover the bowl with cling wrap and put a damp towel over it.

• Let the dough proof in a warm place till it has doubled in size.

• Lightly flour or grease your table top.

• Punch out the air from the dough. Then remove the dough from the bowl onto the floured / oiled surface.

• Roll the dough into a rectangle.

• Spread the inclusions on the rectangular dough.

• Then, roll it up into a ball.

• Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle.

• Cut the dough into 2, lengthwise.

• Take 1 dough. Fold one side onto a third. Then, take the other side and fold it over the 1st third.

• Start to twist the dough from one end and form a ring by letting the 2 ends meet. Overlap the ends and seal them.

• Place the twisted ring onto the prepared baking tray.

• Repeat the same with the other dough. Then place it by the side of the first twisted ring.

• Let the twisted rings proof until they have doubled in size.

• Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C.

• Egg wash the rings.

• Bake the dough for 30 minutes until the rings are golden brown.

• Let them cool down on a metal rack.

• Enjoy.

Fish Fillet in Lemon Butter Sauce

 

I usually eat fried fish with chilli padi soy sauce. Today, I try another style, that is, drizzling the fish with lemon butter sauce. The sweetness of the fish coupled with the tangy buttery sauce brings the dish to another level. I have used the grouper. However, other fishes that can be cooked this way include the salmon, snapper or any other white fish that you can get your hands on. This recipe is the simplest one for lemon butter sauce. However, I have seen recipes which use heavy cream and wine to make the sauce.

Ingredients:

• 350 g Grouper fillet
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tbsp a-purpose flour
• cooking oil for frying

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp minced shallots
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp chopped coriander or parsley

Instructions:

• Marinate fish fillet with salt and pepper for half an hour.

• Mix rice flour and all-purpose flour.

• Heat up cooking oil in wok or pan.

• Coat fish fillet with flour mixture.

• When cooking oil is hot, pan fry the fillet till golden brown.

• Transfer fried fillet to a serving plate.

• Or, some may prefer to just pan fry the fillet without any coating.

• Preparing the lemon sauce:

• Heat up wok or pan.

• Pour in lemon juice.

• Add minced shallots and salt.

• Cook till lemon juice is reduced to half the original amount.

• Add butter and let it melt.

• Add in chopped coriander or parsley.

• Pour lemon butter sauce over the fish fillet.

• Serve.

Soy Sauce Fish

Soy Sauce Fish is a simple but very delicious dish. I usually use golden snapper (jenahak) or grunt (ikan gerut) for this dish. However, I would say that golden snapper provides a sweeter dish than the grunt.  But the golden snapper is more expensive than the grunt. This dish is best eaten with white rice.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a jenahak (fillet), about 500 g
• 3 inches ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

• Batter
• 3 tbsp rice flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Water, enough to form a thick batter

• Cooking oil
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 50 ml water

Instructions:

• Cut the jenahak into cubes. Marinate them with salt and pepper for at least half an hour.

• Mix the rice flour, wheat flour, salt, pepper and water to form a thick batter.

• Heat the cooking oil in a wok.

• Dip the jenahak cubes into the batter and drop them into the wok or pan when the oil is hot.

• Fry them until they are brown. Ladle them up and set aside.

• Julienne the ginger and add them to the wok. Fry them till they are crispy. Ladle them up and set them aside. 

• Add light and dark soy sauces to the remaining oil (used to fry the ginger) in the wok.

• Add water to the wok. Let the sauce boil.

• Add the fried fish to the wok and stir them till they are coated with the sauce.

• Scoop them up onto a serving dish.

• Sprinkle the crispy ginger on the fish.

• Serve the fish with white rice.