kbb#29: eccles cake

hello everyone! well, it's another monday. it means another post has to come! yayy! today's special is Eccles Cake. actually this is last month's KBB challenge,  the theme for last month was English baking, but i just got a chance to post it now. so sorry! but i hope you'll savor each and every bit of it. it is really worth the effort to make. :) and just hours ago, i get a chance to talk about this cake with my English teacher whose coincidentally come from England. wow, turns out English has so many varieties of pastry, difficult kinds to be exact. 

eccles cake was originally invented in england. it was made from puff pastry, filled with raisins and currants. it tastes so rich, very appropriate over a nice cup of tea. the filling itself is also flavored with spices like lemon peel, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and butter. but what makes it special is the puff pastry. when you make it with delicious puff pastry, it will come out delicious as well. but if you make it with so-so puff pastry, it will also be so-so. haha. let's just say, puff pastry is the main factor here. :D and i'm glad it is.

i'm glad puff pastry plays the biggest part on this cake, because unless it isn't, i will never get a chance to try making homemade puff pastry. i've been tempted to make homemade puff pastry since a few months ago, but after knowing that it may cause huge pain in your arms regarding those rolling and rolling and rolling process, i was kind of scared and stopped to try. who knows that eventually i still have try to make it. and yes, i did feel those cramps in my arms, but to be really honest.. it is really worth the effort, nothing can beat the richness of homemade puff pastry. store-bought puff pastry may be way more practical but in terms of taste i am now in doubt. store-bought puff pastry never taste as rich as homemade. well, i guess i won't be talking too much.. you can just see the recipe below!

french apple tart

here i come back again! with one of the cake i've planned to bake this week.. french apple tart or if you want something fancy, you can call it 'tarte aux pommes' though i don't really know how to pronounce it. hahaha. turns out, nothing too special about this tart. just like the usual combination with apple and cinnamon. i still like it but it bores me.

i was pretty enthusiastic layering those apples until it looks flowery. but i'm not really satisfied with the final look, it's not really neat is it? looks messy :( now, looking at the pictures, i think perhaps it was because i don't peel the apple first. which one do you think? or do you think it's pretty and neat? haha.

what i found interesting in the baking process today was the apple variety. i didn't use granny smith like i usually do when making apple dessert. this time i used local produce, it is Malang Apple and Manalagi Apple. both of them are harvested here in Indonesia and they have the tart taste similar to granny smith. they don't look as green as granny smith, a little paler and smaller. my father loves them more than the imports. and... sorry to say, not that i don't want to share more things with you all today, but to be honest i am completely extremely tired. i need some rest and maybe i'm gonna hit my bed soon. so, without making you wait too long, i'll give you the recipe below:

a late torta pasqualina

i know that it maybe late, completely late for sure.. but i just couldn't keep this post not being published. actually, this was KBB's challenge last month, we had to do a savory baking. indeed, some of us were going to celebrate easter earlier this month, so we were all dared to make this (rumor has it) traditional italian easter tart.

however, i wasn't really positive about how this tart might taste like. what i did thought was that it would taste a little weird on my tongue.. guess why?! because here in Indonesia, we rarely eat spinach with cheese. but seeing all the history i've made with foods i've been eating all my life, i never had any problem with italian food. oh, sorry, i had.. :) it was salad with arugula and rare meat. i would never eat that again. but this Torta Pasqualina, i was also curious about how it would taste. turns out, all my anticipation on whether i will like it or not must change into an anticipation of how many inches my waistline would increase after eating it. i love it! perhaps because of it, i will be making spinach quiche quite often in my kitchy.

but i know, some of you might just be as curious as me when i was first hearing its name. what is torta pasqualina? torta pasqualina is so sexy to say, torrrrta pasqualina. i always always always love hearing spanish and italian language. i wish i had some chances to learn those languages soon. okay, back to torta pasqualina, it is some sort of tart, made from 7 layers of phyllo pastry in the bottom, then a thick layer of spinach - eggs - spices - and milk mixture, then a heaven of cheesy layer, and closed with another 7 layers of phyllo. not forgetting to mention the 10 special whole eggs pour into the cheesy layer just as it is. as the tart baked, the eggs would become hard boiled eggs. LOVE IT!

mille feuille

it is starting to feel like christmas has been so close. wherever i go, i hear christmas songs playing and christmas decorations have already hung everywhere. so warming! i have made panettone last week, which is a traditional italian bread usually served during christmas. this time, i want to get a little merrier with mille feuille. i think this pastry will soon be a hit around the city, replacing red velvet cake and macarons.

turns out this pastry is crazily easy to make but insanely delicious. however, i didn't make my own puff pastry from scratch and just used the store bought one. if you were planning to make it from scratch, well it may take you some time to make it before you are able to make this mille feuille. once you had your puff pastry in your hand, mille feuille is made just by stacking those puff pastry and layer it with cream and any fillings that you like. i prefer fruits though.. mine was layered with cream diplomat and peaches and then topped with another thin layer of cream diplomat and finely chopped dried cranberries, mint leaves and last but not least.. generous amount of shaved white chocolate. the topping gives you shades of red and green which will go well with this holiday theme. and the minty flavor you got from munching those leaves are just adorable and refreshing.. i want to eat it againnn, now!

one thing that i'm not really content with is the cream diplomat. cream diplomat is basically pastry cream mixed with some whipped cream so that it becomes lighter. i love the taste of it so much, but i didn't get the super smooth satiny cream texture i wanted. it's all because i added the pastry cream into the whipped cream in undesirable temperature. you should wait until the pastry cream has completely cool before you add it to the whipped cream, otherwise your cream diplomat will curdle and looks ugly and separated. i hope none of you follow my mistakes, okay? ;) and look at those roses, they are real roses! bicolor roses with red and yellow color. they are so beautiful, aren't they?! 

KBB#25: happy birthday kbb

hello again, i am so shock to know that this month i only write 2 posts. just two?! where's the promise i made to all of you saying i will be able to post maybe 5-7 posts on this new college semester? uh, sorry dear reader and dear foodie-blogger friends. i am kinda busy with my jobs now.. (feel so cool stating it, lol). i am organizing and preparing for my client's birthday next saturday, so it feels a little more hectic in my mind. and also, there are some orders, yay! long lists of orders. so thankful for it though.. :)

however, this is the post to close this month.. it's KBB's special chalenge, KBB's turning four! yay! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST BAKING CLUB! this year, KBB celebrates its birthday party in a British style, we have a high tea party. so, to complete the party we've been trying many recipes to make and present one very famous tea accompaniment. guess what?! scones it is.

when i first read the recipe, what came straight to my imagination is a chocolate scones either with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. but then i used a chocolate chips and i'm not satisfied with it, because if i want to make a chocolate scones then i had to make the batter sweeter by adding more sugar (which i didn't do). so the scones i made, taste plain with some chocolate chips, weird for my liking. lol. the only thing i could do to save this scones was by taking all the chips out and sandwiched the scones with my favorite pairs. cream cheese and blueberry jam, who would say no to it?! perfect match! just like apple and cinnamon. and i ended up eating all the scones, four to be exact, with blueberry jam and cream cheese. yum!

kbb#24: rich chocolate tart

today, i will present you a chocolate treat. this rich chocolate tart was KBB's challenge for this July. i can guarantee you this tart is so sinfully delicious. but what makes this post special is because today i'm gonna tell you something a little personal about me and also this blog, it has something related with chocolate.

chocolate is almost everyone's favorite ingredient or food. if you've been following my posts these past years, maybe you've known that i am not a huge fan of chocolate. i like chocolate, almost love it, but not crazy with it unlike someone i know really well. i have a special someone who loves chocolate so much and again.. if you've read all my posts labeled under chocolate, i think this person is always being mentioned in each and every chocolate post. lol. the problem here, me who don't love chocolate too much automatically not really often make something related with chocolate, while S. is always waiting for a chocolate treat. S. is indeed a very important person in my culinary journey and the one i really don't like to disappoint with any foods i make.

this food blog, could be established mostly because of S., to be honest i am a girl who spend too much time thinking and hesitating in making decision. at first, i was just too afraid to make a food-blog, i thought i wasn't qualified enough to join this amazing world, but S. supported me and forced me to take that step and keep on moving forward. and here i am, quite proud of what i've done. until now, S. still supported me to make progresses in this culinary world and i'm overwhelmed with those supports. it really means so much for me. so.. to make this long story short, i would like to make this post and also this chocolate tart as a tribute for S.

but for all of you my dear readers anywhere you are, it doesn't mean that i don't wanna share this treat with you as well. there's a lot of slices there, you can enjoy it too.. :)

bougatsa without poached figs

hahaha, it is a funny post title, isn't it? well, i am having a Masterchef Australia fever again. and i guess this dessert just appeared few weeks ago in Masterclass, George Calombaris made it. guess what! he extremely hates food-blogger. i just got the info from Not Quite Nigella, she did mention it a few times though. i don't care if he hates us, i just wanted to try to make some of his recipe. but if once in a blue moon, he accidentally read this post, i would like him to kill this page as soon as he could because i haven't cooked his dish into perfection.

bougatsa is a traditional Greek dessert, according to what George said, bougatsa is the Greek version custard tarts. according to wikipedia, bougatsa is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. i faced some problems making it though. problem number 1, phyllo pastry is very rare here in Jakarta, at least that's what i've been thinking for quite a long time. problem number 2, no figs here, i could substitute it with pear but it leads me to problem number 3. problem number 3, i had no verjuice. problem number 4, i don't have semolina flour. this time i really hope George doesn't read this paragraph, he surely will despise food blogger more because he may think i couldn't find any substitute for it or he'll think i'm crazy trying to make the dish without those ingredients. however, i think there's always a solution to any kitchen's problem and also a substitute to almost every ingredients. i actually think i could make this dish with homemade phyllo pastry, pears, and perhaps a pomegranate juice to substitute verjuice. but, i couldn't make a proper phyllo pastry, i think i made it a little thicker than it should. then i decided not to poach anything to accompany the bougatsa because i was just too lazy that time. the custard ask for semolina flour, i don't have any, even worse i haven't seen semolina flour before, so i substituted it with cornflour though i think it ruined the texture of the custard.

but, let's be honest. the flavor of the custard is beyond amazing. i wonder if i make the phyllo better and perfect, this tart would be divine. what if i added the poached pear or figs, it would be magnificent for sure. not to forget the cinnamon dusting, it enriches the flavor sweetly. i will recreate this dish again someday, with poached pears and also with a pasta machine i hope, rolling pin didn't do the justice for me. somebody please buy me a pasta machine, i will pay you with homemade pasta almost everyday and this homemade bougatsa almost every week. hahaha. in the end, does any of you interested on making this bougatsa?

lemon meringue mini tartlets

hey hey! this is my best lemon meringue pie ever made, you should know. hahaha. but at first, for your information i don't really like lemon flavor, it sometimes tastes like car-perfume for me. lol. however, any desserts involving lemon always look more appealing to me. the pale yellow color always strikes me. that's why i never stop making lemon-desserts, fortunately mom loves anything tangy.

i made lemon meringue pie before, but it didn't turn out really good. i over-kneaded the crust and the filling tasted extremely weird. not like this one superstar, these lemon meringue mini tarts have a perfect filling that i even love. it's me the one who doesn't like lemon flavor loves this lemon filling. this recipe is Donna Hay's by the way, she has never disappointed me so far. her combination of flavor always hits me sensationally. the filling tastes a little tart but somehow i can feel creaminess there. moreover, it goes perfect with the sweet meringue top. they complete each other beautifully. if you are a big fan of lemon meringue pie, try this. i think you'll be dazzled.

too bad, i made a crucial mistake to this cute mini tartlets. i must have done something wrong with the egg whites because they couldn't form a stiff glossy peaks. they resemble more like icing so they couldn't stands tall and beautiful. hate it! if only the meringue was perfect, these mini-tartlets would definitely be cuter. other thing to inform, i finally use my blowtorch again, lol. i was sooo afraid before on using it but yesterday with experts' supervisor i used it, it isn't look as scary as i thought. actually i was kind of excited to use it and wanted to use it again really soon, wait for it! hahaha. without further ado, let's see the recipe.

florentine tarts with frangipane filling

hello hello! today i'm going to post another sweet things, helplessly sweet things. i am quite sure that this is a tartlet that every kids in the world would die for. i am exaggerating a bit, but if i was a kid and my mom making this i would run to the kitchen straight away and ate it as fast as i can. man, this sweet-goodies is so incredibly magnificent.

when i saw this tarts for the very first time at Jr. Masterchef, i had already fallen in love with this tarts. moreover, i have never tasted a frangipane tarts before. i wondered what it tastes like. i found frangipane filling is very unique simply because of its name. it's frangipane and frangipane is a name of flower. i personally love the smell of the flower but never imagine how it would taste like. lately, after i entered 'frangipane filling' in the search engine, i knew that my thought was obviously wrong. the frangipane filling has no relation to any of frangipane flowers have ever existed. ha ha. frangipane filling is basically a filling that has a cake/pastry-like texture with almond flavor. i was getting more curious.

a tart with frangipane itself has already have a beautiful delicate soft almond flavor. i absolutely don't mind eating it without any topping on. but the thought of having another rich flavor added to it couldn't stop me from making the topping. especially when the topping involves flaked almond, cornflakes, and caramel. ooh.. la.. la.. . anyhow, when i first saw the recipe i thought this tarts would be too sweet for my liking, so i tweaked it a little with the sugar and honey. i'll still give you the original recipe though. enjoy!

profiteroles

how are you readers? 

i made this profiteroles last tuesday. do you know what profiteroles is? well it's a choux pastry filled with whipped cream and topped with generous amount of chocolate sauce (or maybe lots of chocolate sauce, if i may). as i grew up here in Indonesia, there are only two familiar and most common ways of serving choux pastry around me; one filled with custard and the other filled with whipped cream. which one do i like most? i prefer the custard but bf prefer the whipped cream one. that's the reason why i made this profiteroles. i should make another type of choux pastry someday, Paris-Brest sounds interesting for me.

this was my first time making profiteroles, but not the first time making choux pastry. i really like making choux pastry especially when it comes out from the oven. they're so cute and puffy! okay, it might sound weird to describe a choux pastry but they really are so cute. lol. i didn't experience trouble making the choux but i did a little mistake with my whipped cream. i should've known to make whipped cream from whipping cream it needs super cool temperature, my fault that i didn't make my bowl and beater cool enough and i live in a tropical country with its hot climate. thus, even though my whipping cream is whipped, it wasn't strong enough to hold its shape and i couldn't pipe it with a star nozzle tip. blame me.

to make the long story short, my profiteroles was again a hit in the house. yay! the choux pastry was the best part of them, the chocolate sauce tasted good, and the whipped cream should be perfect without its little messy shape. are you interested to make some? remember, you can pour or maybe drown them in chocolate sauce..