All things new

My family did something new for new year's eve this year. In the past, we either went out for dinner together or attended someone else's new year party. This year (or last year I should say), for the first time, we were home. We invited a few of our family friends and cooked our own feast :)

And what a feast! The centerpiece of the dinner were the roast turkeys. One of my dad's friends volunteered to cook them and they were delicious! I received the opportunity to see and assist the cooking process. I've always wanted to learn how holiday roast turkeys are made, but never had a chance because no one I know does it. Turkey isn't a common ingredient in Asian cultures. Excited, I saved whatever information and images I could of the cooking from start to finish. Sadly, I had my hands too full that I couldn't capture them with a camera. But, here's a brief summary of what happened.

Roasting the Turkeys 

Step 1: Wash the inside, neck cavity and the whole of the turkey. Drain excess water.

Step 2: Use the neck and gizzards to make turkey stock. They come in handy for the stuffing and gravy.

Step 3: Flavour the turkey. Turkeys on their own are bland so it's important that they're seasoned well. We used lemon juice, parsley, celery (leaves and bulbs) and onions to stuff the inside and the neck. After that the turkeys were rubbed with olive oil, salt and seasoned salt. The neck cavity and insides were then sewed so that the flavour stays inside.

Step 4: Bake the turkey. We calculated the baking time by converting the kilos into pounds and assigning 15 minutes per pound. Timing is crucial because an extra 15 minutes can easily overcook the turkeys.

Preparing the Sides 

Step 5: While the turkey is cooking, prepare the stuffing. My dad's friend recommended a recipe from here.He likes using French bread for the stuffing because the crust adds extra texture and prevents them from being too soggy. That's the last thing that you want.

Step 6: Use the rest of the turkey stock to make the gravy.

Step 7: Make your desired side dish. My dad's friend wanted to test an idea he had and that was to make a potato casserole. I had to prepare the appetisers so I didn't get to see how he made it, but here's how it looked like.

One good thing about hosting your own dinner party is that you get to choose the menu. Seizing this chance, I asked my parents whether I could prepare the appetizers and one of the desserts.

Here are snapshots of what I made. Recipes to come soon :)

So meanwhile, hope you all are enjoying the holiday, having a good time with your loved ones, but also savouring plenty of good food! Happy 2010 everyone :)

Madeleines

This is my second attempt at making madeleines. I don't understand why some people categorise them as cookies. I love them because they taste more like cake than their crunchy counterparts. It's light, fluffy and the lemon brings a refreshing flavour. They go fantastic with a cup of hot coffee.

Madeleines originate from France and were popularized by the author Proust in his book. They are called so after the name of the original cook. I didn't post the first batch of madeleines because I was still looking for a better recipe then. 

These were from my first try. The previous recipe was too sweet that I had to double the zest and add a whole lot of lemon juice into the batter. In retrospect, adding that lemon juice was not a good idea. Too much juice (acid) can react with the baking powder (base) and create more water. Better to substitute it with lemon extract.

This time around, the new recipe yielded better tasting madeleines. I substituted 1 tsp of the vanilla extract with lemon extract. My only fault was the oven. I followed the time guideline from the recipe but the madeleines turned out more brown than the picture in the book. It's strange because they tasted fine. It's just that their colouring is wrong...Don't be put off and do try the recipe. Maybe you won't have the same problem as I did. I'll have to figure out why and get a feel of the new oven here.  

Madeleines
adapted from here
(makes 14 large or 36 mini cookies) 

Ingredients
2/3 cup of plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 stick (105g) of butter, melted and cooled

pure icing sugar, for dusting 

Method 

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. 
2. Working in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. 
3. Add the eggs to the bowl and with a hand mixer beat the mixture on medium speed, for 2-3 minutes, until pale, thick and light. 
4. Beat in the vanilla extract. 
5. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. 
6. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. This long chill will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines (what I noticed was when I immediately baked the batter on my first try, the hump was less profound). 
7. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 200C. 
8. Butter 12 full-size (or 36 mini) madeleine molds and dust the inside with flour. 
9. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. 
10. Bake the large madeleines for 11-13 minutes and minis for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden (see pic below) and tops spring back when touched.
    
    
    
11. Release the madeleines from the mold and transfer to a rack to cool to just warm or room temperature. 
12. If you're making more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool and then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking. 
13. Just before serving, dust the madeleines with pure icing sugar.
    

Packing and unpacking

I didn't think the day would come so soon. This year has gone by in a flash and 2010 is just several days away. Looking back at the year and the 3 years before, I have many things to be thankful for. A few of which are:

1. the friends that I met in Melbourne
2. the life experiences from living as an overseas student
3. the discovery and growth of my passion in baking

It was with a heavy heart that I have to pack my things and head back home to Jakarta for good. The decision was sudden and I thought that it wouldn't happen for at least another 2 years. But around a few months ago, the option came up and it left a strong impression on me. I felt that I just have to go back.

For what? I don't know yet. But what's for sure is that I'm starting something new with what I have been given. Just like unpacking my baking supplies in Jakarta today. The place may have changed, I can't bring all the cookbooks, ingredients or equipment with me. But I can take my experience, the more essential ingredients and accumulate the other things that I need to continue baking. In the end, the results will show.

As the year ends, take the positive and make the best out of it. Happy holidays everyone :) May this Christmas and New Year bring both joy and peace to you.

Christmas baking

'Tis the season to be jolly. 'Tis the time of giving. These are a few ideas to put in your Christmas gift boxes.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
adapted from Fine Cooking Winter 2005
makes 75 to 85 7cm to 7.5cm cookies

Ingredients
1 cup of whole hazelnut, toasted
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
100g of semisweet chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 

Method

1. In a food processor, process the hazelnuts and espresso powder until they're ground to the consistency of a nut butter, 2 - 3 minutes 
2. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or on the stove. Set aside to cool until warm. 
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and hazelnut mixture with a hand-held mixer on medium speed until very well blended and fluffy (around 1 1/2 - 2 minutes) 
4. Add the egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until completely blended and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes.  
5. On low speed, mix in half of the flour and then the melted chocolate just until evenly incorporated. 
6. Mix or stir in by hand the remaining flour until evenly incorporated. 
7. Set aside for 10 minutes until the dough firms up slightly. 
8. Cut the dough into thirds.
9.  Set each third between sheets of parchment and roll out each portion to 3mm thick. 
10. Stack the rolled pieces on a tray and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes or several hours in the fridge (20 minutes in the freezer). 
11. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 180C. 
12. Butter baking tray. 
13. Working with one dough at a time, cut out the cookies according to desired shape.
14.  Transfer to the tray and bake for 7 to 10 minutes until they feel dry and almost firm when pressed in the center.
15.  Let cook on the tray for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely. 
16. To serve, you can either dust with icing sugar or glaze with chocolate. To make chocolate glaze, freeze the cookies for 20 minutes beforehand. Then melt 8oz of bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 tbsp of flavourless oil. Working with just the number of cookies that can fit into your baking tray, dip each cookie and leave to cool in the fridge until set.

Almond Biscotti
adapted from Baking: from my home to yours

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

3/4 cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

Method

1. Center a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend. 
3. With a hand-held/stand up mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. 
4. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. 
5. Beat in the almond extract 
6. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. 
7. You'll have a soft stick-to-your fingers dough that will ball up around the beaters. Toss in the almond and mix just to blend. 
8. Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet and work the dough into a log about 30cm x 4cm. 
9. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. 
10. Transfer baking tray to a rack and cool for 30 minutes. 
11. Bring oven back to 180C. 
12. Transfer logs to a cutting board and cut the logs into 2cm thick slices. 
13. Return the slices to the baking tray and, this time standing them up, bake them in the oven for another 15 minutes or until they are golden and firm. 
14. Transfer to racks and cool to room temperature.

Gingerbread Men
adapted from Donna Hay Magazine issue 48
 

Ingredients
1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar
2 1/2 cup (375h) plain flour, sifted
2 tsp ground ginger, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
125g butter, cold and chopped
2/3 cup (230g) golden syrup

Method 

1. Place the sugar, flour, ginger and baking soda in a bowl and mix to combine. This is the gingerbread mix.
2. Place the gingerbread mix, butter and golden syrup in the bowl of a food processor and process until a smooth dough forms.(Alternatively, beat the butter and syrup until combine and on low speed mix in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms) 
3. Divide the dough into two pieces and between sheets of baking paper, roll to a thickness of 3mm. 
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
5. 15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment. 
6. Using the gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut shapes from the dough and place on the baking tray. 
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. 
8. Allow to cool on trays 
9. I used edible white gel to draw buttons. Otherwise, combine and stir 80g of sifted icing sugar and 2 tsp of hot water until smooth to make your own icing. Place in a piping bag with a small nozzle to pipe the buttons.

The joy of holidays

Ah, the holidays! What I like most about them is the amount of spare time on hand. I can catch up with friends, go shopping, watch movies, finish up loose errands or make up for lost sleep without a tugging feeling at the back of my mind. Out of all these, I have been spending my week meeting up with friends to cook together. We cooked two nights in a row and each night we cooked a different cuisine.

Italian Night: Take Two
The first night we had Italian. 7 of us attempted homemade pasta again (this time tortellini style) and homemade pizza. Suffice it to say, the pizza dough was magnificent! The pasta turned out less than expected but still good. The dough was a bit dry in the beginning and we had to work extra hard in rolling it out. I have to thank V and H for that. Both of them devotedly rolled the pasta to a thickness of 1mm. We filled them with creamed mushroom and spinach ricotta.

My previous experience with dry yeast wasn't a good one so I was slightly unconvinced with making pizza dough at first. My suspicious were heightened especially after the yeast mixture did not show as many bubbles as the magazine's picture even though it had been left for 5 minutes as instructed. We decided to put it in a warmer spot in the kitchen and leave it for another 20 minutes. In the end, we discovered that you have to stir the mixture! The bubbles were hidden underneath the surface. If you don't stir it, it will always look smooth with bubbles only at the sides.

We made 4 toppings for the pizza and the dough goes well with both savoury and sweet ones. I really recommend this pizza base.

Basic Pizza Dough
adapted from Donna Hay Magazine Issue 47
makes 2x30 cm pizzas

Ingredients
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp caster sugar (white sugar works fine)
250ml lukewarm water
2 1/2 cups (375g) OO flour
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

Method 
1. Place yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbled appear on the surface.
3. Place the flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
4. Add the yeast mixture and mix together with well-floured hands to form a dough.
5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
6. Divide the dough into equal-siz balls.
7. Place on a lightly-floured tray under a clean damp cloth/cling-wrap and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the balls have doubled in size.
8. Press each dough ball into a round and roll out on a lightly floured surface to the desired size.
9. Add desired topping (see below)
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 220C oven. 

Our toppings (Clockwise from left): 
1. tomato paste, mozzarella, parmesan, mushrooms, salami
2. nutella, toasted macadamia, marshmallows
3. tomato paste, mozzarella, parmesan, salami, pancetta
4. homemade aglio olio sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, mushrooms, parsley

Indo Night
The second night, we were joined by a few others and our pastor from church. We cooked nasi uduk (coconut rice), rendang (Indonesian beef stew), martabak telur (egg pancake) and martabak manis (sweet pancake). Our church has a tradition of pastors passing down the sweet martabak recipe, and our pastor joined us to share the secret and technique to cooking them.

Martabak Telur

Martabak telur in Indonesia is a crepe-like dish filled with curried minced meat, egg and spring onions. The crepe is usually made of spring-roll pastry and the whole dish is shallow- fried in a pan. Here's a snapshot of how we made martabak telur.

Martabak Manis

Now martabak manis is thicker and more like a pancake than a crepe. It's a very popular dessert back in Indonesia, with the town of Bandung noted for its origin. One secret to a good homemade martabak is the pan. It cannot be any random frying pan. The sweet martabak needs even heat to avoid burning so the pan must have a thicker rim (around 5 mm) to generate this heat. Another secret is that you have to be quick when pouring the batter onto the pan. And a final tip is to be generous with the toppings. This is not a dessert for the faint in appetite :D or if you're on a diet. Here are also snapshots of the cooking process.