Daring Bakers Challenge #2

My second Daring Bakers challenge is Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream. When I first read it, I did not know what Filbert is... sounds like a person's name. I let my fingers do the walking (ie. google) and found out that filbert is hazelnut. This recipe has as many steps as the first challenge.

It require us to layer a two inch cake into 3 layers. That is a challenge for me. So I decided to make a thin layer, cut and stack them on top of each other. Then cut them into mini round cakes using round cutters. The challenge with that is getting a smooth finish around the sides which I could not do(as you can see from the photos). I also omitted the butter in the praline buttercream and it turned out the way I like it.

I like the cake but next time I might use ready bought almond meal to save time and effort. The recipe can be found on this link.

Read More

Fresh versus Frozen

Do fresh vegetables and fruits contain more minerals and vitamins compared to frozen ones? Lately, there has been reports to state that frozen is just as good if not better than fresh because it is snap frozen quite soon after harvesting. Is it true or are the reports conducted by the frozen food companies? I don't know.

I normally buy fresh. But I saw these frozen blueberries and mixed berries at the supermarket for AUD$3.90 for 450 grams. Much cheaper than the fresh ones even when berries are in season. And it's winter so I cannot even get fresh blueberries.

So, I've made some blueberry muffins following the recipe on the packet. Normally, I reduce the sugar in recipes but not this time. And it turned out to be just the right sweetness for me. I omitted white chocolate bits as I did not have any in the pantry. I think if I added white chocolate bits then I might reduce the sugar. It turned out moist and soft. I might try with wholemeal flour next time.

Ingredients :
1 cup frozen berries
2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate bits
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
2. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl.
3. Stir in everything else.
4. Spoon mixture into muffin trays.
5. Depending on the size of the muffins, bake from 20-30 minutes.

Read More

Inside Out Sushi

Sushi is one of our favourite food. My kids can go through lots of it which I am happy about since it is healthy and full of Omega 3(salmon). My son's homework this week was to cook a healthy meal with the family and document the process and he suggested sushi. I have made sushi a few times and I've always made the normal ones with the nori sheet on the outside. Have you ever wondered how they make the inside out sushi? I have and this is my first time making the inside out sushi. I learned this from the Nintendo DS game, Cooking Guide. Far out, eh?


The way to do this is putting a cling wrap on the bamboo roller and then spread the rice on it. Roll the ingredient with the nori sheet and place this on top of the rice and roll like normal sushi. Remove the cling wrap after the sushi is cut. Ta da! I use the packet sushi powder to flavour the rice instead of making my own vinegar and sugar mixture.

Read More

Phillip Island

The kids are having their term holidays. Initially, we were going to go skiing but there has not been good snow falls. Last week, no lifts were operating on the mountains which means not enough snow for skiing. So we went to Phillip Island instead, which is just 1.5 hours away from Melbourne. What's there in Phillip Island? There's the penguin parade, fishing, seals colony, grand prix circuit(for motorbike), koala conservation park and other attractions.

On the way there, we visited the Australian Garden in Cranbourne. These are pictures of it.



The peligans at San Remo, before crossing the bridge over to Phillip Island. They are creatures of habit, arriving everyday at 12 noon to be fed.


The views from our hotel. So serene and peaceful.


The jetty where we tried to fish from. We did not catch any fish. My oldest son is keen on fishing and prefers the jetty to a fish farm where the only way not to catch a fish is if your fishing rod is out of the water.


Some excitement for the day. Go kart racing. This was fun. We went round the circuit for 10 minutes and going at a speed of 45kph. That might seem slow in a normal car but on these go karts, it feels fast.


This is an amazing place(Amaze N Things), full of interesting things and illussions.

Read More