Asparagus Soup

There are 2 types of soups that I liked. One is Mushroom Soup and the other is the Asparagus Soup. Most of the time I cooked Mushroom Soup for my family but today I decided to cooked this simple elegant Asparagus soup instead. This soup was pureed till silky smooth and goes well with garlic bread sticks.

Ingredients:

100g Unsalted Butter
400g Asparagus, woody ends removed
1 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
1 litres chicken stock
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Cooking Cream to taste

Methods:

Melt butter & oil in a large suacespan over medium heat.

Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes

Add Asparagus, Celery and Leek and saute for about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until asparagus is very tender.

Carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.

Return to saucepand and stir in Cooking Cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mango Sticky Rice

Mango Sticky Rice is a very popular dish in Thailand. I love this simply thai exotic dessert.I have extra mangoes so this dish came to my mind .The sweetness of the mangoes goes very well with the sticky rice and coconut cream. 

Recipe Source: rasamalaysia

Ingredients:

1 cup (200g/7oz) glutinous rice
2-3 Pandan (screwpine) leaves, cut into 2-inch length
2-3 Asian mangoes, cut into small cubes
1 cup (250ml) coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (55g/2oz) sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional

Optional:
Banana leaf for steaming

Method:

Soak the glutinous rice for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Prepare the steamer with a banana leaf. Drain the glutinous rice and spread it out on the banana leaf. Throw in the Pandan leaves. Steam the glutinous rice for 20-25 minutes or until translucent.

While the glutinous rice is cooking, cut the mangoes into small cubes and chill in the refrigerator until use.

In a sauce pan, heat up the coconut milk over low heat. Add in the salt and sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar dissolved. Remove from the heat. Pour out 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and reserve for serving.

When the glutinous rice is cooked, transfer it in to a bowl. Pour the rest of the coconut milk into the bowl and mix it with the glutinous rice. Keep stirring until it becomes a thick porridge consistency. Slowly, the rice will absorb all the coconut milk. Leave it to cool to room temperature.

Serve the sticky rice with the chilled mangoes. Drizzle the reserved coconut milk over the rice and top it with some toasted sesame seeds.

Mango Chiffon Cupcakes

As this is the Mangoes season, my mum has been carting loads of mangoes back from the market. So I have been cracking my head what am I going to do with all these mangoes. I have already done a Mango Mousse Cake 2 days ago and a Mango Swiss Roll for mum so I thought mine as well bake some Mango Chiffon Cupcakes for my nieces and nephews too.

Since I have some  mango puree left, so I make a mango sauce too to drizzle on top of the whipping cream and added some chocolate topping. 

Recipe Source:  Happy Home Baker

Mango Chiffon Cupcakes

Ingredients:
(makes 10 cupcakes)

for the chiffon cupcakes:
3 egg yolks (use large eggs)
25g caster sugar
50ml vegetable oil
100g fresh mangoes (use sweet, well ripened mangoes)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
80g cake flour

4 egg whites (use large eggs)
55g caster sugar

Method:

to make the cupcakes:

• Blend 100g mangoe flesh till smooth. Set aside.
• Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. With a manual hand whisk, whisk the yolks a little. Add in sugar and whisk to combine. Add in vegetable oil gradually, whisk to combine. Add the mango puree, lemon juice, whisk to combine. Sieve over the flour and whisk till the flour is fully incorporated. Do not over mix. Set aside.
• In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar amount and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)
• Add the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.
• Spoon batter into paper cups till it reaches the rim. Place paper cups onto baking tray and bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degC for 12~15 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely. (Note: the cupcakes will rise well above the rim during baking, but will shrink upon cooling.)

To make the frosting:

- Whipping Cream

- Mango Sauce ( Mango puree + water + sugar + corn starch - boil and sieved )

- Chocolate

Mango Mousse Cake

The month of May is a busy month as there are many birthdays fall on this month. I baked this Mango Mousse Cake for my nephew birthday which fall on Vesak Day. We shared the same chinese birthday which we already celebrated together as our mum ccoked the Longetivity Noodles for us to eat.

Recipe Source:Bisousatoi

Cotton Cake
140g cake flour
15g corn flour
1 egg
5 egg yolks - whisk lightly with a fork
150g unsaltd butter
65g fresh milk

5 egg white
100g castor sugar
1/5 tsp salt

Mango Mousse
16g gelatin powder
50g hot water
300g whipping cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
400g mango puree
140g diced mango

Mango Glaze
100g Mango Puree
3g gelatin powder
3 tbsp hot water

Method:
Cotton Cake
- Preheat oven 150 degrees and line 7 inches baking pan, wrap bottom of baking pan with aluminium foil.
- Heat butter and milk till warmish, do not let it boil, switch off heat and add in sifted flour and corn flour,
   mix using wooden spatula.
- Transfer to a bigger bowl and add in egg to mix till smooth
- In another bowl, whisk egg white mixture till frothy, add in salt and sugar in 3 addition...whisk till soft peak.
- Pour 1/3 of egg white mixtures into your egg/butter mixture..fold in gently, pour the rest and continue to mix    gently.
- Pour batter into baking pan and bake it au bain marie method for abt 45 mins.
- Let the cake cool and slice horizontally 2 slices and trim them into 6x6 inch square.

Mango Mousse
- In a mixing bowl, whip whipping cream with icing sugar to soft peak. Refrigerate to chill.
- In a small bowl. dissolve gelatine in hot water. When the gelatin is fully dissolved, add to mango puree.
   Mix well.
- Add the mango mixture to whipped cream. Mix well until incorporated.
- Use a 7 inch cake ring, place a layer of cake and pour in mango mousse. Do take note of the corners.
  Add mango cubes and cover them with some mousse. Let it slightly set for about 10 mins in the fridge.
- Lay another cake layer and pour the remaining mousse. Let it set for 30 to 45 mins in the fridge.

Mango Glaze
- Dissolve gelatine in hot water. Mix in mango puree.
- Wait till the mousse is set and the topping is cooled, arrange sliced fruits, pour in the topping carefully.
- Let the cake chill for at least 3 hours before removing the cake ring.

* I did not pour the whole mango glaze to the mousse and just drizzled only.


I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs up (May 2014: Milk) organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House

Mother's Day Cake

This cake was done for my mum for Mother's Day. And this year is special as my birthday also fall on the same day. This is actually a very simple Mango Swiss Roll which I piled it up and decorate it with various kind of fruits and added some passionfruit sauce too. Overall I am pleased with how it turn out.

Happy Mother's Day to all amazing mums who give her love unconditionally, protects and nutures her kids since the day he/she was born. Mothers are the greatest gift of God. 

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Pavlova with Passionfruit Sauce

Pavlova is a meringue cake that has a light and delivate crisp and a soft sweet marshmallow center.This lovely dessert is mostly served with whipped cream and fresh fruits.I liked this combination of various fruits with passionfruit sauce as the sweetness and sourness is just nice.

Lovely spread of various fruits - rasphberries, blackberries, gooseberry & passionfruits.

Passionfruits

Recipe Source: Donna Hay

Passionfruit Sauce

150g passion fruit flesh

50g suagar

20g water

2g cornflour

Methods:

1. Place the passionfruit flesh, water, sugar and cornflour in small saucepan.

2. Cook over a low hear till sugar dissolve.

3. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring occassionall,

4. Sieved, Cool and Chill

Pavlova

4 egg whits

220g castor sugar

2 tbsp corn flour sifted

2 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp vanila

Deco:

1 cup of whipping cream

Fruits ( rasphberries, gooseberry, blackberry,mangoes)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

2. Whisk the egg white till stiff peak. Slowly add the sugar till the mixture is stiff and glossy.

3. Add the corn flour and vinegar and whisk till combined.

4. Shape the mixture into an 18cm  round on a baking tray.

5. Reduced temp to 120 degrees and bake for 1 hour 20 mins. 

6. Turn the oven off and leave it to cool completely in the oven.

7. Whisk the cream till soft peaks form.

8. Spread over the Pavlova, top with passionfruit sauce and fruits.

Notes:

* You’ll know when the meringue is stiff and glossy because the mixture will have tripled in volume and stands up when the beaters are lifted.

* The low heat puffs up the meringue while the long cooking time dries it out to give you a lovely crisp shell.

* Store your pavlova, undressed, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Danish Butter Cookies

This is one of my favourite cookies. I bought this cookie cutter quite sometimes back but don't have to chance to use it. So I told myself that I have to start using them. I love the aroma of this cookies when I baked them. The buttery aroma is so nice and my mum came to the kitchen and asked me what cookies am I baking.

Recipe Source: Victoria Bakes

Ingredients

75g butter (Golden Churn canned butter)
50g fine sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk + 1/2 tsp vanilla essence (lightly beaten)
150g cake flour (remove 1 tbsp)
pinch of baking powder
1 tbsp skim milk powder

1 egg white
Dry Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Method:

1. Cream butter, sugar and salt with electric beater till pale and fluffy.
2. Add in egg yolk and beat till well incorporated.
3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder, add in the milk powder, use the lowest speed of your electric beater to combine. Mixture will be bread-crumbs like and will form a dough easily.
4. Put dough into a plastic bag and roll it into a flat sheet as in Photo 3. Chill in the fridge till harden before cutting out the cookie.
5. Cut out cookie with cutter. Brush on some egg white and sprinkle dry demerara sugar on the surface.
6. Bake on a lined tray at 180C for 10 minutes in the middle rack and shift to the upper rack and bake a further 2 - 3 minutes to get the golden brown color. 

Notes:
1. The sprinkling of the dry demerara sugar is optional. If you omit this step, please increase sugar to 60g.
2. Please really only use a pinch of baking powder as you don't want the cookie to be out of shape when it is baking in the oven.
3. Chill the dough again if it is too soft to be cut out.