20-March-2013 - Strawberry Jelly Cheesecake - Non Bake

My friend had been asking me to do my original baked cheese cake for a long time, however I really wanna try another type of cheese cake. I chance upon my friend's Strawberry Jelly (no hearts also) Non Baked Cheesecake which tempted me very much to give it a try. Esp nowadays the Korean strawberries are really NICE!

I sourced for a few Strawberry Hearts cheesecake recipes and had wanted to go on and do it. However, my gf asked me to try adding Whipped Cream to the Cheesecake to make it lighter. I was abit apprehend about this approach as not many non bake cheesecake add whipped cream.

However, I decided to give it a try, as my office are mainly Japanese and they rather prefer less sweet and more milky type of cakes (from the comments they give of my various bakes).

Hence I hybrid two kinds of non baked cheese cake recipe and came out with this I made.

The outcome was great. I was so worried that it taste horrible that i have to take a slice b4 I let others take their dig into it ... Lucky it was good .. and i really leave how the cheese texture and fluffiness and lightness it was.

One of my japanese coll wont dont like cheese cake actually took a 2nd serving as she felt that the cake was really light and just right sweetness with a bit of the sourness from the strawberries.

 
This is a cut out of the cake .... my biscuit base is not firm enuff ... and i think the cheesecake abit too thick layer .. next time i will try to ensure cheesecake and jello layer is similar thickness..

Recipe as follows:-

8” square / round pan

Wash and  prepare your strawberries the way you want it (hearts or thin slices like mine)

(A)

8  - 10 pcs of Digestive biscuits – crushed to fine bread crumbs like.

100grm of melted butter mixed well into crushed biscuits ensure crumbs can form a firm dough when grab together else the base will fall apart when cut.

Press the biscuit base to the cake pan firmly with the back of a spoon or by pressing with your hand.

Set pan / tray into fridge to set for min. 10mins.

 (B)

50g sugar (caster / fine)

5g gelatin

150ml boiling water

 (C)

250gm Cream cheese (room temp)

1tsp vanilla extract

 (D)

150gm whipped cream + 1 tsp strawberry flavour (stiff peak) – keep cold in fridge after whisking, till needed

(Note: I used 100g Frosty whip powder and mixed with 50ml Strawberry yoghurt milk to make the whipped cream with strawberry flavor)

 Method:-

Mix ingredient of (B) together and stir to ensure gelatin is dissolved into the mixture. Ensure no lumps. If there is, remove / strain away the lumps. Let it cook to room temp.

** Start (C) only after gelatin is almost cooled to room temp.

Beat (C) at slow speed on a hand mixer till creamy and fluffy

Slowly pour (B) mixture to (C) while still beating slowly.

Ensure all incorporated and now batter should be runny consistency.

FOLD the whipped cream slowly ( I do in three parts) and ensure that whipped cream is well mixed into better.

Pour batter into cake pan.

Arrange the strawberries your way.

(**From my experience, If u using slices, pls ensure u have thicker slice and press abit of the strawberry into the cheese to ensure it won’t FLOAT up when pour the jelly.)

Let cake set in fridge for min. 4hrs or overnight

Jelly Layer (the next day)

 

1 packet of Jell-O Strawberry or Totally brand Jelly (Rasberry)

Follow instruction on box to prepare the jelly mixture. Let it cool to room temp. Slowly pour onto cake.
(note: pour the jelly on the strawberry not the exposed cheese cake area (this will make the cheese cake loose and jelly will become milky)

Let Jelly set.

Serve cold.
 
As this method use little gelatin coz of whipped cream, this cake don’t stay long in room temp. Hence pls ensure keep in fridge or keep it cold as much as u can. From my own cake, I realized it become soft after about an hour. Cake still holds well but not as firmed as originally taken from fridge.

I will give this recipe another try but will use blueberry instead as i prefer blueberry .. haha ...

xoxo
Cheria
20-03-2013

Mrs SK Ng Butter Cake

I baked this some time back (about a mth back) on a 2nd try, than i got it at the right texture .. lets forget about the first try *hahaha* ..

This was good .. i used the egg seperation method for this time and the cake turn out soft and fluffy .. and buttery to taste ..

Best comment i go when i brought it to office to spread the calories ... "Oh this taste really good .. like Japanese cakes" << from my manager .. *woahahaha* .. I was so HAPPY! ..

This is definately a TO KEEP recipe .. coz its really nice but not overly powerful on the butter .. soft and fluffy ... Ohhh .. make me wanna bake it again soon .. woahahaa ..

Ingredients

 

-          250gm butter (salted), soften (cool at 18-20C, not glossy)
Note: Original recipe called for 230grm only but I hate to keep a little here and there of butter . So I just throw the whole block into this cake … (>_<)

-          200gm eggs, no shell (4grade B eggs)
-          40gm + 120gm sugar
Note: original recipe called for 50 + 150grm - but for health, i reduced

-          200gm self raising flour, sifted
-          60ml milk
-          1tsp vanilla extract

Method

a)      Preheat oven at 180C (conventional) or 170C. Prepare a 8 inch square pan. Line the base and grease the sides (greasing helps the cake’s sides to rise well).

b)      Separate the eggs, and place the whites into a medium size bowl (6 cup capacity) Beat egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add 40gm of sugar and beat until stiff. Set aside.

c)       Cream butter and 120gm sugar until pale and fluffy. Put in vanilla extract and beat for a while. Put in egg yolks one by one and beat well after each addition.

d)      Put in half the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Put in milk in 2 additions and mix until well incorporated. Mix in balance flour.

e)      Put half the egg whites in and whisk on low speed. Pour the balance of egg whites in and continue to whisk till mix well (at low speed).

f)       Pour batter into pan and level.

g)      Bake for 45mins or until skewer comes out clean.

061212 - Veg Cheese Baked Rice

Recently my hubby is on Veg diet ... so i have to think of new ideas .. last week was fun .. i tried pizza .. and coz i have extra cheese .. and dont wanna let them go to waste, i decided on cheese bake rice ... ^_^ ..

Not so difficult to make .. coz mainly done in my rice cooker itself .. and final baking in oven for the cheese layer...

As usual, search online started to look for new receipes ... and I chance upon Noobcook.com http://www.noobcook.com/ and modified the recipe from here.

Ingredients:-
- 1 cup uncooked rice, washed
- Water to cook rice
- 30g butter
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced
- 100g broccoli florets, stem trimmed
- 1 to 2 tbsp corn nibblets
- cream of mushroom (undiluted)
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese & Cheddar Cheese
- Fresh Mushrooms
- Salt & Pepper

Directions
1. Using a microwave, melt butter to liquid . In the rice cooker pot, add melted butter, washed rice, water to cook rice , garlic cloves, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well.
2. Using the upper rack of my rice cooker, I place broccoli florets and sliced sweet potatoes. Be sure to leave some of the air vent open. If you don’t have an upper rack, you can steam them separately. Cook the rice mixture prepared in step 1 together with the upper rack of vegetables in the rice cooker.
3. When the rice is cooked, mash the steamed broccoli and mix it well into the rice.
4. Then add in corn nibblets.
5. Mix everything well.
6. Portion out the rice into oven-safe baking dishes
7. Smear some mushroom soup sauce on top of the rice
8. Arrange steamed potato slices and fresh mushroom on top.
9. Top with a layer of shredded cheese. Baked in a pre-heated oven at 200C (392F) for about 20-25 minutes, or until all the cheese has melted and is very slightly browned.

Egg Tarts - Simple and Good ^_^v

I chance upon this Egg Tart Recipe from Munch Ministry website ... and find it quite simple. So i gave it a try ..

This recipe gives u about 50 minis or 36 normal size.

Short Crust Pastry:
250g unsalted butter, soften
120g castor sugar - I reduced to 100g for health...
1 egg
500g plain flour

Method :
1. Cream the butter and sugar till creamy
2. Add in the egg and mix well.
3. Finally, add in the flour and mix till soft dough. (If the dough is sticky, you can add more flour to mix till its smooth and non sticky. (add little at a time)
4. Mould into the tart mould.
5. Set aside while u prepare the custard mix.

Egg Custard:
350g water
100g castor sugar - I reduced to 100g for health...
100g milk (i used Anlene milk)
5 eggs

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160dC.
2. Place water and sugar in a pot over low fire. Stir and bring water to boil till all sugar dissolved. Set aside to cool completely. To save time, I put it into the fridge.
3. once the syrup is cooled, add the milk in and stir.
4. Lightly beat the eggs and add into (2).
5. Mix well. Strain the egg mixture to remove any lumps.
6. Pour the strained mixture to the crust.
7. Bake the tarts for 20-25min or till crust is slightly brown.

Note : Prepare the egg custard first before you do the dough.

 Ingredients ... Say Cheese #(^_^)#

 

 

Omg didnt know pressing in the crust is such tedious job ~_______~

Custard poured in ready to go into the oven!~~~

 

Tada ~~~ Perfect~~

Korean Japchae 잡채

One of my fav one dish meal .. and it can be meatless or with meat .. so i like to cook this .. and its filling too!~ ..

Ingredients

1.     1/2 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles

2.     2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

3.     1 tablespoon cooking oil

4.     3/4 cup thinly sliced onions

5.     2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

6.     2 cloves garlic, finely minced

7.     3 stalks green onions, cut into 1″ lengths

8.     1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced (I usually use dried Chinese mushrooms)

9.     ½ cup Black Fungus mushroom, thinly sliced

10.  2 tablespoons soy sauce

11.  White pepper powder to taste

12.  Korean Hotbean Paste to taste .. we love it hot and spicy ^_^

Direction

1.     Mix sesame oil, soy sauce, hotbean paste, pepper in a bowl.

2.     In a large pot of water to boil. Add in the noodles after water boils and cook the noodles for 5-7mins. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking process.

3.     In a wok, fried the onion in cooking oil till caramelized.

4.     Add in garlic and cook (do not over cook)

5.     Throw in carrot, mushroom and black fungus and fry for approx. 2 mins

6.     Add the cooked noodles into the above and pour in (1) and stir fry till mixed well.

7.     Finally add in the green onion and give is a final stir fry.

Basic Recipe taken from Steamy Kitchen
http://steamykitchen.com/180-korean-glass-noodles-jap-chae.html

031212 - Mushroom & Spinach Pizza

This is my first post .. but definately not my first bake / cook .. hahah ..

Hubby is on meatless diet lately .. for health sake i believe.. so I had a hard time thinking of what new dishes i can cook...

This is quite a successful bake .. just tat i think dough is a bit too much for one pizza ..

I used Bobby Flay's Pizza Dough recipe from foodnetwork.com for the pizza crust .. its fast and ez dough to do ...

I started working on the dough @ 6.20pm and i managed to get the pizza cooked by 7.30pm .. not a bad timing for after work dinner at home ...

PIZZA DOUGH
- recipe by Bobby Flay from http://www.foodnetwork.com

This recipe i think can make up to 3 crust dough .. i half it this time and feels that is still too thick .. so i will 1/3 the recipe next time ^_^

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling

(Chef's Note: Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can't find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.)

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope instant dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups room temp. water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Directions

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

TOPPINGS
- basic recipe comes from Allie's Mushroom Pizza from allrecipes.com. However, had added garlic to my oil rub and this has a fantastic outcome! My hubby finished all the pizza coz of this nice garlic-ky taste!

• 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 5 cloves of garlic (crushed / minced)
• 1 cup fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushroom

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Flatten pizza dough by hand to fit the baking sheet
3. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, sesame oil and crushed garlic. Mix well and press garlic as much as possible to get that garlic "oil".
4. Brush oil mix onto pizza crust. Pls ensure you get every corner of the crust.
5. Spread the spinach leaves onto the crust.
6. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover top with fresh mushrooms and finally with more cheese.
8. Bake for 10-12mins or until cheese is melted and edges are crisp.

I used the middle rack of my oven for the first 10mins.. after which i placed the pizza onto the top rack to get the brown crisp on the cheese as well.

 

 

Over load with Toppings ..

 

Overflowing Cheese!~~~