Very Berry Macarons and Holiday Cheers!

The weather is improving in the countryside where I live. We've start enjoying early Summer plums, strawberries and raspberries from our orchard and garden. Our young trees of blackcurrants and blueberries are trying their best to give us reward upon attention we've been giving them throughout the year. Giving us a little string of blackcurrants is quite a satisfaction given that how young the tree is.

The children are so happy in the orchard and it is their favourite task climbing up the tree and picking fruits. What a childhood bliss!

Today, I have finished my assignment on baking macarons for Christmas sweets my sister-in-law has ordered to celebrate the holiday with family and friends. I am using Helen's basic macarons recipe and make blueberry marshmallow filling.

I also want to thank you all for participating on DMBLGIT December 2009 edition. Thank you for sending us your gorgeous photo entries.

As it is going to be my last post of the year, I am also sending you all my gratitude to all HomeMadeS readers who have been following my posts newly or for years. Happy Christmas and Have a safe and wonderful New Year 2010. Cheers!

See you again next year!

SHF#60: French Macarons

Baking French Macarons for me is more to satisfy my passion of baking rather than enjoying the sweetness of meringue. I thought I am a sweet tooth, but the taste of macarons makes me shuddered. The highly sweetness of meringues sandwiched with sweeten chocolate or caramel sauce or whatever sweet stuffs they may require is really too sweet for my taste. Perhaps, I am not such a sweet tooth anyway, for I only cannot enjoy it.

Out of curiosity, I first learned baking French macarons just last year (French Macarons and Tag post). The results were oh-so-embarrassing. The meringues were too dry and cracked. Then, I followed Helen of Tartelette's macarons tutorial on Desserts Magazine. It surely worked (Yes, I Did It! post)! Since then, I love baking these little delicate sweets for Christmas gifts to our neighbours, friends and families or on other special occasions. These sweets have never failed to entertain guests. There are also macarons I have made: Fleur de sel Macarons, Green Pandan Macarons, Assorted Macarons on Sarah's Birthday, Sesame Macarons, and Snicker Macarons which I haven't posted yet. I've more photos rather than posts, I suppose :)

This is my entry for Sugar High Friday (SHF) #60, originated by Jennifer of Domestic Goddess, and this month is hosted by Nic of Cherrapeno.

The recipe for macaron shells can be searched on Helen's website, and trust me, it always works! Here is her latest invention of macarons: Candy Cane and Eggnog Macarons.

On the photo above as you can see, I use milk chocolate flavoured with raspberry essence. I use plum colour powder. I have experienced macarons flattened when I use food colouring paste wither water-based or gel-based. Perhaps, such food colouring contains more liquid that make the batter heavier and wetter. Colour powder is the best to use to colour macarons. You can find colour powder on cake decorating shops or bakers specialty shops.

And, it is a reminder: I am still waiting for your submission for DMBLGIT December 2009. Please, send me your photos not later than 20th December 2009, your time. (I have a day bonus for you, as NZ is the first country to receive the sunlight). So, come on! Don't hesitate to send me your entries. I'll be here waiting.

DMBLGIT December 2009 Announcement

I am thrilled to host Does My Blog Look Good In It? (DMBLGIT), December 2009 Edition. If you are new to this photo contest for foodie bloggers, please feel free to visit DMBLGIT page on Andrew Barrow's blog, the very father of this 'grandest foodporn event available', and get more information about it. 


Would you like hosting this finest food photography contest next year? Please, feel free to visit Andrew's page on DMBLGIT? or send him an email at arbATandys-scribblings DOT co DOT uk, with the subject "DMBLGIT Host".


This is the winner of DMBLGIT November 2009, hosted by Sandra of Le Petrin.

I have four peer judges to join me on the judge panel. They are:

Dwiana Porter of The Adventure of My Cooking Diary

Ema Yudhistira of My Explorations

Nic of Cherrapeno

Y of LemonPi

The Rules to participate

1. Send a photo that has appeared on your blog during November 2009. The photo should be food and/or drink related. No diptychs allowed.
2. Your photo must be text-free, please.
3. Only one entry per person.
4. The photograph must have been taken by you (copyright is allowed).
5. Deadline for submissions : December 20, 2009.

Send your entry to arfi.binstedATgmailDOTcom with DMBLGIT in the subject line with the following details:

- Your name.
- Your location.
- Your blog’s name and URL.
- The photograph that you wish to enter, of no more than 500 pixels wide.
- Your photograph’s title.
- URL of the post containing the photograph.
- Type of camera used, lens if you wish.

By submitting a photo, you agree to your picture being redisplayed and altered in size on the host’s page and on DMBLGIT page.

Judging

The judges will review your entries on the basis of:
- Aesthetics: composition, food styling, lighting, focus, etc.
- Edibility: “Does the photo make us want to dive in and eat the food?”
- Originality: the photograph that catches our attention and makes us want to say wow!, displaying something we might not have seen before.

From these categories, the judges will come up with:
- Overall Winner: top overall scores in all three categories combined.
- There are three overall winners for photographs with the highest point totals in all three categories combined, and one winner in each of the three individual categories.

Gallery
Every photo entry will be compiled on DMBLGIT December 2009 photo album. I will personally send you a note when I have uploaded your photo on the gallery, so you know that I have received your entry.


Well? What are you waiting for? Come on, send me your gorgeous photo entry. And thanks so much for your participations!

Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis

I visited my Greek mate's blog, Peter G of Souvlaki for the Soul, resides in Sydney, Australia one day, and bumped into his gorgeous photographs of cherry clafoutis. What makes more of this sudden appetite rising to its peak is that the photos speak to me and convince me that it is delicious!

And so I made my way to the kitchen while, luckily, we bought some plump and juicy cherries from the local  market that very day. Can't wait too long, can we?  

Here's my simple recipe for gluten-free cherry clafoutis.

Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis for Two

I just did not really measure the ingredients, so this one is approximate measurements. Please, feel free to adapt to suit your needs. I prefer not too sweet clafoutis, for cherries are already contributing the sweetness in it.

2 cups pitted cherries

1 Tbs caster sugar

splash of orange juice

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

2 Tbs - 1/4 cup caster sugar

3 Tbs cup gluten-free flour + 1/8 tsp baking powder, sifted

1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 tsp orange zest

about 1/2-3/4 cup milk + 3 Tbs fresh cream

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly greased ramekins. Put the pitted cherries in each ramekin, sprinkle with sugar. Combine until well-coated. Splash freshly squeeze orange juice. Put in the oven for about 5-8 minutes until the fruits are just soften. 

Beat eggs and egg yolk until smooth and fluffy with sugar and vanilla bean paste. Add in orange zest. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder. Trickle milk + cream a little bit at a time until the mixture is thinner but not so thin. It is just like your pancake batter, not so thick, nor too thin. Pour this mixture into ramekins, just to cover the cherries. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked and golden, and there's no runny mixture in the centre although it may be still wobbly. Remove from the oven. Cool for about 5-10 minutes. Dust with icing sugar, and serve warm. Lovely for celebrating Christmas over Christmas dinner in a romantic evening with your beloved. Makes 2.

KBB Getting Doughy with Baker's Percentage

I am slowing down again, yes I know. So sorry if you keep coming back to find only old posts. I just can't help myself sitting in front of the computer for hours to write however much I want it. This recent condition keeps me away from computer.

After 5 years and a half from our last child, I begin feeling morning sicknesses, although gladly I never vomit, but more of headaches and upset stomach. I am more like to eat heaps of firm tart mangoes and under ripe strawberries rather than my favourite fried rice. Strange things happen and if it's true for women to crave strange things in their pregnancy?

Yes, I am pregnant. It's about 7 weeks now. Feels like the first time given that my youngest daughter is now 5 years and three months.

The worst part in my trimester pregnancy is that I am sick of computer and have been just using my iPhone to connect with everyone on Facebook. It took me two weeks to eventually finish this post (I have to keep nibbling tart mangoes to get rid of the headaches and upsetting stomach)! However, I am feeling better after I got a one-day Taoist Self-Healing for Women on Sunday workshop last week, organized and tutored by Tamara Bennett of Smiling Dragon, my tai chi instructor in Tuakau. Although it still does not stop me from keeping away from computer, I can deal with morning sickness quite well.

But, don't worry, Andrew, I'll do my best to host  DMBLGIT next month for sure. Make sure you guys send me some great photos of yours, alright?

I am still doing cooking and baking, you see. I still make bread once a week for my loved ones, for I am not a bread eater so much (I prefer rice than bread, typical Asian I suppose). Last batches of bread I made I used from calculating on BsP (Baker's Percentage) that has become the task of KBB.

Klub Berani Baking is a club that I founded, has been two years old, and now on the 14th task of its bi-monthly challenge. This time, we're getting doughy. And it is not your usual pick-a-recipe-and-make challenge, but most valuable of all is that we are asked to use a Baker's Percentage formula to compute the ingredients to suit our needs.

What is Baker's Percentage? Well, if you google, you'll find out a large amount of articles that you can relate to an understanding how to compute bread ingredients, but perhaps, you'll find this article from the The Artisan may be of help. The thing is that baker's percentage is using percentage which is more a ratio measurement than the real percentage. For instance, if we're using the BsP below for White Bread variation 1 adapted from Peter Reinhart's 'The Bread Baker's Apprentice' book, when you use 500g flour (100%), then you will use 9g salt (1.8%), 38.5g sugar (7.7%), etc.

Ingredients	Baker’s Percentage
Bread flour	100
Salt	1.8
Granulated sugar	7.7
Powdered milk (Dried Milk Solid)	6.2
Instant yeast	1
Egg, slightly beaten at room temperature	7.7
Butter, room temperature	7.7
Water	62.8

It is not as hard as it looks and quite a basic math. I am sure everyone will be able to do this. The results that I can see from using this formula is a more well-balanced bread with softer texture.

I made a lot of sweet buns from this formula while the process takes the same path as your usual bread making.



Mix together the flour, salt, powdered milk, sugar and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Pour in the egg, butter and water and mixt with a large metal spoon (or on low speed of the electric mixer with the paddle attachement) until all the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball. If the dough seems very stiff and dry, trickle in more water until the dough is soft and supple.






Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), adding more flour, if necessary, to create a dough that is soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Continue kneading (or mixing) for 6 to 8 minutes. (if the electric mixer, the dough should be clear the side of the bowl but stick ever so slightly to the bottom.) The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 80oF. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.



Ferment at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size (the length of time will depend on the room temperature).

Remove the fermented dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich loaves, into eighteen 2-ounce pieces for dinner rolls, or twelve 3-ounce pieces for burger or hot dog buns. Shape the pieces into boules for loaves or tight rounds for dinner rolls or buns. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow to res for about 20 minutes.


Shaping. For loaves, shape like rolling a Swiss roll but pinch the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension. Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hand or with your thumbs. Lightly oil two 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. For rolls and buns, line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment. Rolls require no further shaping. For hot dog buns, shape into a pistolet without tapering the ends. Transfer the rolls or buns to the sheet pans.


Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Proof the dough at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until nearly doubles in size.




Preheat the oven to 350oF for loaves or 400oF for rolls and buns. Brush the rolls or buns with the egg wash and garnish with poppy or sesame seeds. Sandwich loaves also may be washed and garnished, or score them down the centre and rub a little vegetable oil into the slit.









Bake the rolls or buns for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and register just above 180oF in the centre. Bake loaves for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking, if needed. The tops should be golden brown and the sides, when removed from the pan, should be golden. The internal temperature of the loaves should be close to 190oF, and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.









Cooling. When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving. Rolls should cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before serving.





Review:

Aku suka tekstur roti ini, lembut. Untuk dijadiin roti tawar kayaknya emang perlu nambahin garam, tp untuk roti manis garamnya perlu banget dikurangi. Ternyata emang pake BsP takaran jadi lebih mantap. Aku mau pake BsP terus deh kalo bikin roti.


Oh, just an update from my garden:


I am so happy to hear there are cicadas in the garden again, bees are buzzing on the lavender bushes, and birds been peeking if there are any ripe fruits. My strawberries have been pecked, but no worries, more to come! Although Onewhero is a bit grey and windy, we are looking forward to enjoying more homegrown fruits in Summer.





This is my roses collection. I have about 35 rose bushes. They are ranged from climbing roses, floribunda, hybrid tea, and David Austen English roses. I love roses and never fail myself smelling each bloom whenever I am scrolling along the roses beds. Their fragrance makes me happy.





Have a great day, my friends!