JAPANESE COTTON CHEESECAKE

If you're looking for a reason to splurge on a decadent dessert, here's a good one:And it isn't as hard to make as you might think. It's an Asian Cheesecake soft like cotton..mama..mia it just melts in the mouth/

This cake needs no introduction already it's a reminiscent of American cheese cake the cleverness and innovation of this cake is the clear winner  here. Cladded between a heavy American type of cheesecake and the Asian style of sponge cakes, this Japanese cotton cheesecake is perfect for anyone from kids to adults, for those who prefer a lighter type of cake. You can make it plain or top with some blueberry, straberry, mango or even lemon jelly.///My goodness..its was awesome..I made two batch..one for blueberry and the other one with Matcha Green Tea. Try this soft spongy cheese cake that kick your sock off.

Japaese Cotton Cheese Cake - Adapted from Little Teochew

140g fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

1/4 tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice

50 g butter

250 g cream cheese

100 ml fresh milk

60 g cake flour (can also use plain flour)

20 g corn flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 vanilla pod, scrapped

zest of 1/2 lemon

1. Melt cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla seeds and pod, over a double boiler. Strain the mixture through a sieve just to make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese. Discard the pod or wash, dry it and put it in your sugar container. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks, lemon zest and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar or lemon juice until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. To prevent large holes, do not whisk egg whites at the fastest speed. Use a moderate speed to achieve soft peaks (and tiny bubbles).

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and fold well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan; make sure the paper is 1.5 inch higher than the pan as the cake will rise pretty high if u’ve done it right, with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil if you are using a springform tin, to prevent seepage. Cover the top of the cake loosely with an aluminium sheet.

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C. Remove the aluminium sheet after 50 minutes of baking.

5. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

Versi Melayu

Sumber : Alma@myresepi 

Bahan-bahan : Loyang bulat 9 inci

Bahan A:

250g cream cheese

50g butter

100 ml susu segar (fresh milk) @ susu cair 70ml + air 30ml

6 biji kuning telur *izah guna 7 biji gred B

1 sdb jus lemon @ 1 sdt esen vanila

1/4 sdk garam

60g tepung kek / tepung superfine @ guna tepung gandum, ayak 3 kali

20g tepung jagung (cornflour/cornstarch)

Bahan B:

140g gula kastor

6 biji putih telur *izah guna 7 biji gred B

3/4 sdk jus lemon @ 1 sdt cream of tartar

Cara-cara:

 tep I : Utk adunan A:

Cairkan cream cheese, butter & susu dgn teknik double boiler. kacau2 dengan whisk sehingga sebati. Bila dah cair, sejukkan adunan cream cheese tu td.

 Kemudian, campurkan ke dlm adunan c/chs td dgn tepung, tepung jagung, kuning telur, garam & jus lemon ke dlm adunan cream cheese & gaul hingga sebati (gaul guna senduk kayu sj pun boleh, tapi Ana pukul guna mixer dengan kelajuan sederhana agar semua adunan halus dan sebati).

Step II : Utk adunan B:

Dalam bekas lain, pukul putih telur bersama jus lemon, sampai berbuih2 (foamy). Lepas tu, tambahkan gula & pukul lagi sampai bertanduk (soft peak).

 Step III :

Campurkan adunan Bahan A td ke dalam adunan Bahan B yg dah gebu tu & kacau smpai sebati. Sediakan tin/bekas kek yg bulat berukuran 9 inci, yg digriskan bwhnye & dialas dgn kertas baking. tepi loyang tak perlu gris ya. Tuang adunan kek dlm tin kek.

Bakar kek dlm kire-kira sejam, dgn cara au bain-marie (waterbath), pd 160 degrees C / 325 degrees F.

Waterbath = sediakan loyang yg lebih besar dari loyang kek, isikan air panas, kemudian letakkan loyang kek tadi di dalam loyang yg berisi air panas. Bakar hingga masak, test guna lidi ya, dah masak, off suis oven, renggangkan pintu oven sedikit dan biarkan kek di dalam hingga agak sejuk supaya kek tak mendap@turun mendadak. Sisip tepi kek dan terbalikkan, hiaskan dengan filling kesukaan, sedap dimakan sejuk. 

Blueberry Topping

Sumber : alongRoz@myresipi 

1 tsp Gelatin / Serbuk agar2*Ana guna gelatin Halagel

30 ml Air

150g Blueberry pie filling @ apa2 filling kesukaan

Cara-cara :

campurkan gelatin/agar2 dgn air. Panaskan sebentar & campurkan blueberry. Sapukan ke atas cheesecake & sejukkan sebentar.

Kek yang tidak memerlukan pengenalan kerana ramai yang mengetahui dan ramai yang menyukai..kek keju yang lembut sedap dan sesuai dengan budat. kek ini biasanya dijual di kedai kek dengan harga RM10...entahlah saya tidak tahu bagaimana boleh mendapat harga sedemikian sedangkan harga seketul keju adalah RM11.20. Apa pun jika anda membuatnya pasti akan mengembirakan seisi keluarga. Inilah satu-satunya kek yang saya buat dan dapat bertahan tak sampai setengah jam..habis lesap disapu anak-anak. Saya letakkan topping strawberry. Untuk toppingnya bolehlah ikut cita rasa masing-masing kalau tak mahu letak pun tak apa.  Selamat mencuba

Next Post - Spring Batternbug Cake

FRENCH MACARON - PREPARING THE FILLINGS

I’ve been on a bit of a macaron craze lately. I needed melt-in-your-mouth with a touch of home flavors. Chocolate was an easy first choice, and on my to-try list, there had long been Tiramisu, Raspberry and lemon Curb. These are a charm! I was good to go Once you know how to master the basic macaron recipe, you can get adventurous and try these new flavors. 

I’ve played around with the flavors. Once I had made all three recipes, I thought, why not mix it up? I even had a vanilla butter cream leftover so I added that in the mix. Chocolate and pistachio is especially divine.

We have learn to prepare the macaron shells ans some tips on storage and getting a beautiful shell. Today we are going to learn the varattion of macaron fillings,There are two important rules for filling macarons: avoid any fillings that are extremely sweet (the macaron shells are very sweet), and don’t overdo the filling or it will squish out when you bite into a macaron.

LEMON OR CITRUS CURD (about 1 cup)

Combine 1/2 cup lemon juice, strained before measuring, with 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup sugar in an enameled iron saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Whisk 6 large egg yolks in a small bowl, then whisk in a third of the boiling liquid.  Return liquid to a boil and whisk in the yolk mixture.  Decrease the heat to low and continue whisking gently until the curd thickens.  Pour into a plastic container or jar, press plastic wrap against the surface, and chill.

Substitute lime or passion fruit juice for the lemon juice.

Or use 1/3 cup orange or tangerine juice and 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

GANACHE (about 3/4 cup)

Melt and cool 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.  Combine 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 tablespoon light corn syrup in a small saucepan; whisk together, bring to a simmer, then cool to room temperature.  Whisk the cooled cream mixture into the chocolate, then whisk in 1 tablespoon very soft unsalted butter.  Chill briefly if too thin to spread.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER FILLING

Easier than ganache and has better keeping 

qualities.  Melt 6 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate and cool it to room temperature.  Whisk in 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick/3 ounces) VERY soft butter.  Use right away before it sets.

JAM OR PRESERVES (about 1 cup)

Combine 1 cup jam or preserves and 2 tablespoons water or rum in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Strain into a bowl, rinse the pan and return the strained mixture to it.  Bring to a simmer again and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Cool slightly, then use.  For advance preparation, reheat and cool before using

PISTACHIO CREAM FILLING

• 300 gr of  liquid sour cream (crème fraîche in french)
• 300 gr white chocolate
• 45 gr pistachio paste
• 1 or 2 drops of almond extract.

Preparation: Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the cream and the pistachio paste in a sauce pan and bring it to boil. Whisk until gel mix and add it in 3 parts to the white chocolate. Mix for 10 minutes. let it cool and refrigerate.

TTIRAMISU FILLING

250 g cream cheese

1 1/2 tsp coffee liquer or nescafe

50 g caster sugar

50 g grated chocolate

1 /2/3 tsp warm water

30 g butter

• Melt nescafe with warm water and set aside
• Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth then add in butter and nescafe powder
• Lasstly fold in grated chocolate

RASPBERRY GANACHE  FILLING

Dark chocolate and white chocolate  500 G

Cream 400 G

Liquid glucose 40 g

Unsalted butter 20 g

Fruit compound or flavour  50 g

• Chopped chocolate chunk and put into bowl set aside
• Boil crea and glucoseto 60 C
• Pur into chocolate and mix well until smooth
• Then add in butter and mix until smooth and shinning
• Let it set overnight before using
• Store balance in the fridge until 2-3 days

FILLING MACARONS

First, pair all the shells since there are always slight differences in size.  Line up the paired macarons on a paper-covered pan with plenty of room between rows, then separate the pairs.  Use a pastry bag, paper cone, or a non-pleated plastic bag to pipe the filling.  Hold the bag in one hand and pipe a teaspoon or slightly more of the filling on the flat base of one of the shells, then immediately cover with the other matched shell, gently pressing it into place so that the filling shows between the coupled shells.

Chocolate macarons are one of my favorite flavors. Chocolate shells go with a wide variety of fillings, including Nutella and chocolate ganache, and they can also be paired with a simple buttercream like I’ve used here. The finished cookies have a deep chocolate color and a lovely crisp-chewy texture to them.

Vanilla Buttercream Filling

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)

1 tbsp milk

1 1/2 – 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream 6 oz

bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or chocolate chips 

---

In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat, swirling the pan a few times, until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan but the cream is not yet boiling, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and let sit for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature before piping onto the meringues.

make ahead tips

The ganache may be made up to 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container and bring to room temperature before using.

variations

Chocolate-Orange Ganache: Add 2 Tbs. finely grated orange zest (from 1 large orange) to the cream before heating. Heat the cream, remove it from the heat, and let sit for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the zest with the back of the spoon. Reheat the cream to just under a boil and proceed as directed.

Nutella filling:

¾ cup (12 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp. Nutella

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Pinch of coarse salt

Again dont limit yourself to just the recipe above..some option you can consider are strawberry, blueberry mango, kiwi and the list goes on and if you you are creative enough. You also can add two fillings in 1  macaron..well its all your calls and HAPPY TRYING

Next Post - My Sweet Purple Hantaran Cake

HONEYDEW SAGO CHILLED CHEESE CAKE

This is a delightfully refreshing dessert. It’s light, soft, smooth yet firm, strong honeydew melon scent, a little tart & tangy. Recipe by Chef Jimmy Ang. ..quite unusual that people use honeydew in this cheesecake but I'll tell you it was heavenly scrumptious.This cheesecake is

 a perfect accompaniment for a hot summer garden BBQ party or for any sweet ending. Really....really awesome and you should try

HONEYDEW SAGO CHILLED CHEESECAKE

Crust

1OOg crushed digestive biscuits / 100 G digistive biskut dihancurkan

80g butter, melted / 80 g mentega dicairkan

30 g toasted macadamia nuts crushed / 30 g macadamia nuts dipanggang dan dihancurkan

Mix all ingredients and pour into 8" round loose base mould. Chilled in fridge for 20 minutes / Campurkan semua bahan dan terap dalam acuan bulat berukuran 8" dan sejukkan di dalam fridge selama 20 minit.

For the Honeydew Puree

1/2 honeydew, curshed and strain the water set aside / 1/2 biji buat honeydew,

hancurkan tapis dan letak sebelah.

For The Boiled Sago

Boil water and add in the sago until transparent, strain and repeat the process for times

boiled and strain well / Masak air dan masukkan sago tapis dan ulang rebusan sago ini

sebanyak dua kali dan tapis dan letak sebelah.

For The Cheesecake

 250gm cream cheese (Kraft's Philadelphia ), softened / 250 krim cheese suhu bilik

 200 g whipping cream / 200 g krim putar 

  80 gm caster sugar / 80 g gula cater

  80 gm boiled sagov / 80 gm sago rebus

300 gm honeydew puree / 300 g puree honeydew

80 gm diced honey dew / 80 gm honeydew yang didadukan

100 ml water / 100 ml air

20 gm gelatin / 20 gm gelatin

1/2 tsp honeydew essence / 1/2 sdt esen honeydew

30 gm honey / 30 gm madu

Softened the gelatine powder in hot water for 10 minutes in a metal bowl till gelatine dissolved. / Satukan gelatin dengan air panas selama 10 minit dan kacau sehingga gelatine hancur.

Boiled honeydew puree with honeydew with 30 gm honey then add in gelatine mixture mix well./ Masak honeydew puri dengan 30 gm madu dan masukkan gelatine yang dicairkan tadi dan kacau rata.

Beat cream cheese with sugar till smooth. Add in honeydew essence and beat well. / Pukul krim cheese dan gula sehingga lembut dan masukkan esen honeydew.

•      Beat the whipped cream till soft and fluffy / Pukul krim putar sehingga gebus.
•    Finally, gently fold whipped cream into cheese mixture, the add in the honeydew puree./ Masukkan krim putar kedalam adunan cheese dan masukkan juga adunan honeydew dan sago
•        Pour into the cake pan and chill in the fridge for 3 hours before decorating with the toppings.
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       Serve chilled cheesecake with a dollop of fresh cream and fresh fruits like slices of kiwi or strawberry.

Ini ada no-bake cheese cake yang didingin bekukan dalam fridge. Kali ini saya menggunakan puree buah honey melon yang dikisar dan dijadikan puree dan sedikit didaukan, dimasak atas api kecil supaya kental sedikit. Sebenarnya ini adalah variasi chill cheesecake yang biasanya diperbuat dari lemon, mangga atau strawberry. Honeydew ini jarang digunakan tetapi cukup sedap bila dicampurkan dengan sago rebus...Resipi ilham dari Chef Jimmy  Ang ini memang mantap dijadikan sajian pencuci mulut.

Next Post - Macaron Fillings

TIRAMISU MACARON - THE ITALIAN MACARONS

Hello !!! 'm back talking  macaron  again but this time is for Italian meringue method. 

Macarons can be made using two methods, which are French meringue technique and Italian meringue’s. Majority of the processes for both techniques are the same. The difference is how you handle the caster sugar (fine sugar) with egg whites. French meringue calls for caster sugar be gradually mixed into the whipping egg white. Whereas, Italian meringue method uses cooked sugar syrup mixed into the whipping egg whites.

With Italian meringue method, it is a little more complex and more tools (and washings) involved as you would need a thermometer. However, it gives shinier crust, less temperamental when it comes to weather condition, humidity in particular, and more forgiving when it comes to mixing. You are less likely to overmix the batch (which results in spreading macarons and no feet) using Italian method than French's.

You probably know that macarons are very tempermental and I believe accuracy is critical. It is important to ensure the ratio between wet ingredients and dry ingredients is spot on. Don't ever adjust your measurement it has to be accurate. I advise you use the digital weighing machine and get the right tools.

Today I'm gonna touch just on the macaron shells using the Italian Meringue techniques. Fillings and ganache for macaron will be covered in my next entry. Thanks to Chef Jimmy Ang...this Tiramisu Macarons is heavenly...scrumptious....SUPERB.

The Almond Paste - 

Heavily adapted from Chef Jimmy Ang/ Wah Seng Ipoh

180g ground almond

180g icing sugar

 55g egg whites

Coloring and  flavour

The Italian Meringue

180 g caster sugar

36 g water

55 g egg whites

Sift almond meal and icing sugar through fine sieve and set aside. /  Ayak serbuk badam dengan gula ising dan ketepikan
    
The Almond Paste.

Pour one egg white) into the almond meal/icing sugar mixture. Add colouring powder or liquid to the mixture. I used  light chocolate colour. Mix slowly and set aside / Masukkan putih telur kedalam bahagian badam dan gula ising. Masukkan perwarna, kaup perlahan-lahan dan letak sebelah

The Italian Meringue

In a small pot over low heat, combine sugar and water. Swirl the pot over the burner to dissolve the sugar completely. Do not stir. Increase the heat and boil the syrup to soft-ball stage (115-118ºC). A candy thermometer is best used for its accuracy.

Note: If you do not have a candy/sugar thermometer, you can determine the soft ball stage syrup by dropping a small amount of sugar syrup into very iced cold water, it shall then form a ball that does not hold its shape when pressed with your fingers./ Letakkan gula dalam periuk dan perlahan-lahan masukkan air, putarkan periuk agar air meliputi semua gula. Kemudian masak gula...pastikan anda gunakan themometer dan paras darjah untuk meringue ini ialah 118 C.

When the temperature of the sugar syrup is around 90°C, start beating the egg whites in your mixer on medium low speed until foamy, while focusing on the temperature of the sugar syrup as you're aiming for 115-118ºC. Continue to beat on medium speed until you achieve soft peak consistency.Once the right temperature is reached, pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites with the mixer running over medium high speed. / Bila suhu gula berada pada paras 90 C, mulakan proses memukul putih telur sehingga gebu dan melekat pada mangkuk. Apabila suhu air gula berada pada paras 118 C..masukkan air gula kedalam putih telur tadi sambil mixer itu terus berjalan

Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff, thick and glossy. Allow the mixer to beat the meringue for about 7- 10 minutes until cool. / Terus pukul lebih kurang 7 - 10 minit atau sehingga sejuk

Once the meringue is ready, fold into the almond/sugar mixture with a rubber spatula. You should fold until it is mixed well or just barely uniform by using as few strokes as possible. It is extremely important that you do not over mix the batter as it will thin down or become runny./ Apabila meringue sudah siap, masukkan meringue kedalam adunan serbuk badam yang digaul tadi. Kaup perlahan-lahan. Jangan kacau terlalu kuat, kaup sehingga adunan boleh  melelh daripada patula - lihat gambar.

Your batter is considered perfectly done when you are able to lift your spatula and a thick trail of ribbon slowly cascades off, back into the bowl./ Adunan anda sudah siap atau cantik apabila diangkat spatula adunan itu akan turun ke bawah.

Now you're ready to fill up your piping bag. If the mixture is just right, it will ooze from the tip slowly under its own weight using round tip nozzle.- I used Nozzel Tip  # 12/ Masukkan adunan ke dalam piping beg yang dimasukkan nozzel tip 12.

Place the baking parchment sheets on two baking trays. Trays should be placed one on top of the other so that the macarons do not get burned easily. Then, start piping 2cm macarons onto your baking parchment sheets, spacing them a few centimetres apart./ Letakkan kertas minyak di atas dulang pembakar dan mulakan terapan.

Once you complete a full pan, tap your baking tray gently, to break unwanted air bubbles and allow the macarons to rest for 20 - 30 minutes. (They can sit longer if you want to bake one or two sheets at a time, to develop slightly thicker shells and nice distinctive ?feet? on the edge of the shells)./ Bila siap semua..biarkan macaron rehat sekurang-kurang 30 minit. Untuk memastikan macaron anda kering, ia tidak melekat pada jari apabila disentuh

Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the macarons sit on the parchments or baking mats for 15-20 minutes to further dry up the bottom of the macarons before removing them./ Bakar pada suhu 150 C selama 15 minit. Darjah ketuhar bergantung pada jenis oven anda. Keluarkan dari oven dan biarkan macaron rehat dahulu

On the choice of fillings for macarons, you have a wide variety to choose from. Since macarons are sweet enough on their own, try to neutralise the sweetness by using lemon or orange buttercream. Cherries and berries are another ideal alternative. For chocolate lovers, use chocolate ganache which is heavenly and gives a bittersweetness to the macarons. / Bila macaron telah sejuk, gandingkan macaron...pilih dua macaron yang sama sizenya..proses ini dinamakan pairing. Kemudian paipkan fillingnya dan takup macaron anda.

Next Post - 5 Macaron Fillings