Coconut Bread!

Okay, I'll admit. I have an obsession. With coconut bread that is! My mom and I always pick up a loaf on our grocery trips. It's so popular that when we get there, it's almost always gone. I used to just have to have it for breakfast(just one of those teen phases). It was soft white bread sprinkled with a buttery yellow coconut flake concoction. Well what do you know, I just happen to have a slice right here! Now wasn't that convenient! *Giggles* Anyways, I became determined to make my own bread ever since. I've failed  many times but so far this was my closest replica.

Totally different look (and slightly burnt) but who cares? It is after all, the inside that counts. Are you ready to bake? Too late! 3, 2, 1...bake!

Coconut Bread:

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2¾ cups of all-purpose flour
¼ cup of granulated sugar
2¼ tsp.of yeast(instant or activated regular are both fine)
½ tsp. of salt
4 tbsp. of unsalted butter
1/3 cup of milk
¼ cup of water
1 tsp.of vanilla extract
2 large eggs

For the filling: 
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Using the dough ingredients, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook.  Kneading with your arms is okay too :)
2. Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat until the butter is melted.  Set aside and let it cool, until the mixture registers 115-125˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla and eggs to the mixing bowl.  Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms.  Continue to knead until elastic and smooth, adding additional flour as needed (1 tablespoon at a time) until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky.  Knead about 3-5 minutes.  4.Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover.  Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour.  (After the dough has doubled, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.  If so, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding.)

5.While the dough rises, add the filling butter to a small saucepan and melt until browned.  Set aside.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate.

7. Roll it into a ball, cover with a clean towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.
8. Roll the dough out into an approximately 12 by 20-inch rectangle.
9. Brush the dough with the browned butter.  Sprinkle the coconut flakes over the dough in an even layer.
10. Stack the strips on top of each other and again cut again into 6 equal slices.
11. Stack all the squares on top of each other and set into the prepared loaf pan.  Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place, 30-45 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  (If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil near the end of baking.)
13. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes.
14. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate.  Serve warm or toasted.

Hearts <3's,

Xin Yi 

 

Yummy! Coconut Lime Pie :)

I usually don't like cream. At all. That includes icings. Things like buttercream or cream cheese frosting? Makes me gag. And yet this guilty pleasure I stumbled upon in Flour's cookbook melted in my mouth like cheese on a hamburger. Wow, strange analogy :) Anyways, here are some pictures! I haven't posted anything in quite a while because I'm so busy now. As of today, I've decided that if you'd like the recipe, just add a comment below requesting it and I'll post it. Cheers and coconuts!

The new close-up of bliss ;)

Some of the crust broke off but who really cares? It ends up in the stomach no matter what!

 Hearts <3's,

Xin Yi

Japanese Yokan

Hey fellow readers! So a reader sent me an email requesting a recipe for "Japanese Yokan." At first sight I was like, "what?" but eventually after looking it up, I found out it was sort of a red bean jello type dessert. I realized that I had it before and was eager to make it. Looking up recipes, I found a few that I liked.

The ingredients are simple. Nothing is too exotic except for the agar agar which can be found in Asian groceries.Are you excited to try this? I was! Ready, set...cook!

Japanese Yokan

Ingredients:

First group:
1 cup of red adzuki beans soaked overnight
cold water
1 cup of sugar ( a little less is okay too)
1 teaspoon of salt

Second group:
1 1" x 1" x 11" stick of agar-agar
2 cups of cold water
1 1/4 cups of sugar ( a little less is okay too)
1/2 tsp of salt

Procedure:

1.To create the first group of ingredients, drain the water off of the beans and put them in a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan. Fill the pan 3/4 of the way full with cold water.
2. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for approximately 1-1/2 hours or until the bean shells break open and become soft. If too much water boils away or is absorbed by the beans, add more water.
3. Drain the beans in a colander and mash the beans lightly. Put the mixture back into the saucepan and add the salt. Add the sugar gradually and mix well.
4.Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste becomes thick and leaves the sides of the pan clean when you stir. Remove pan from the heat.
5. To create the second group of ingredients, pour the cold water into a clean saucepan. Break the agar-agar stick into the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the agar-agar has melted, add the sugar and stir.
6. Pour through a fine strainer into another saucepan. Add the salt and the bean paste and stir until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring every minute or two, for approximately 20 minutes or until the mixture becomes thickened and has the shade of chocolate pudding.
7. Pour cooked mixture into baking pan and allow to sit until completely cool. Cut into 1-1/2" squares.

Thanks for reading and keep suggesting recipes :) Enjoy!

Hearts <3,

Xin Yi

Caramalized Apples and Crepes, Oh My!

Recently, I went to see "Snow White and the Huntsman." It was quite a good movie. The special effects were believable and the actors were well played. I'd rate it an 9 on a scale of 10. Really, it was just a teensy bit serious for my taste. That said, I would watch it again. Anyways you're probably wondering why I'd say all that. Well of course in EVERY  Snow White story, no matter what version there is always, always the poison apple. It inspired me to create a caramelized apple filling for these crepes I had just made. Obviously these apples aren't poisonous ;)

Seriously, I could've eaten the whole thing alone in one sitting. The flavors melted together like apple pie, minus the crust of course.Sealing it into the crepe topped with some syrup and powdered sugar and you've got dream on a plate.

Looks amazing right? Go ahead and try it yourself:

Basic Dessert Crepe

Makes 20

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups  milk
3 eggs 
1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour or all purpose flour
2 teaspoon sugar*
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla* 

Procedure:

1. Place all the wet ingredients in a blender.
2. Sift the dry ingredients onto a paper plate.Add the dry ingredients and Pulse for 10 seconds or until the mixture is smooth. Let the batter rest for an hour.
3. Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then coat with butter or cooking spray.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, then swirl to coat entire bottom of pan. Run a spatula around the edges of the crepe. Carefully lift the crepe and flip with fingers or spatula. Cook for 30 seconds on the first side and 10 on the second.
5.Repeat with the remaining crepes.
*If you want to make savory crepes, add only one teaspoon of sugar and omit the vanilla.*

 

Caramelized Apples

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. 
2. Add the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  
3. Mix until apples are evenly coated.   
4. Cook for about 18 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  
5. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in vanilla. 
6. Take a crepe and gently fold in the desire amount of  filling. Top with whipped cream, syrup or use a sieve to dust on some powdered sugar.


Not in the mood for apples? No problem! Try an orange filling instead. Just take a peeled orange and divide it in half. Toss the segments from one half into a skillet with the juice from the other half. Bring to a simmer. Then perform step six from the caramelized apple recipe.

Enjoy the crepes!

Hearts <3,

Xin Yi

Hamburgers

Gak! It's been so long! You'd think I would've posted something by now :) It's been so busy. I even missed Mother's Day! Happy belated Mother's Day to all those mom's out there. I made hamburgers for my mother on Mother's Day. I think I grilled them for a little too long. I made 4 oz patties but they seemed TINY compared to the onion hamburger buns I bought. Nevertheless, they tasted way better than the ones you'd get in McDonald's. Way better. Take a look:

What did you make for Mother's day?

Hamburgers (with an Asian twist):

Ingredients:

16 oz of beef
2 slices of toasted sandwich bread, without crust, torn to pieces
3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
1-2 scallions/ green onions, trimmed and sliced
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons shredded plus 4 slices of your favorite cheese
4 hamburger buns

Procedure:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Place bread into a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Place in a large bowl. Add ground beef, hoisin, scallions, ginger, garlic and salt. Mix well. 
3. With dampened hands, form the mixture into 4 oz portions. Punch a hole in the middle. Add one tablespoon of cheese into each one. Press into a patty with your hands then make a indention in the middle to avoid steaming while grilling.
4. Oil the grill rack. Do not use oil spray on a hot grill. Brush the patties with sesame oil. Grill until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 7 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Hearts <3,

Xin Yi

French Macarons!

 Amazing! I first heard of French Macarons (spelled with one "O") on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network. Long story short, it's a show based on food celebrities talking about the best "insert type of food here" they ever ate. Wolfgang Puck mentioned Macarons and spoke of how rare good ones were and I thought, "wow, if only I could make those!" Now here I am. I made them yesterday and I must say, they turned out rather well.

The finished dulce de leche!

 The ingredients for the shell: top-left is the egg whites, top-right is superfine sugar. The bottom left is the almond flour and the bottom right is the powdered sugar.

Look at the cute macarons after baking!

Finished macarons with the filling! I had 2 pans full!

All eyes on this masterpiece! Not bad for a first try huh? Your turn!

 The inside of my shell seems empty though so when you try this recipe, be sure to get all the air out of the batter (which I had forgotten to do). They are very sweet so they will satisfy everyone's sweet tooth guaranteed! Some people have made savory versions. That may be my next attempt. To be continued on that thought :) Anyways, I made a vanilla shell with a dulce de leche filling. Here's the recipe:

Vanilla Macarons with Dulce de Leche

Ingredients for shells:                                          

150g egg whites, about 5, aged 4-5 days in fridge     

100g superfine sugar (**see note**)                    

180g ground almonds                                              

270g powdered sugar                                              

1 tsp of vanilla extract                                              

Ingredients for Dulce de Leche:

14oz or 396g can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated!)
Pinch of baking soda
Pinch of fleur de sel (I just used regular salt)
1 tsp of vanilla extract *see note*

Makes: 60 mini, 40 medium, 15 giant approximately ;)

For the filling:

1. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, baking soda, fleur de sel  and vanilla extract together in a very large microwavable bowl.
2. Microwave for 1 minute. Whisk and continue to microwave in sets of 15-30 seconds depending on how powerful your microwave is, whisking after each set. Watch to make sure it doesn't overflow.
3. Stop when the dulce de leche is the consistency you desire. For macaron fillings, you don't want it to be too thick. If it turns out to thick, just ad some water, microwave and whisk.

For the shells:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Whip egg whites which are brought to room temperature  for 2 hours to glossy firm peaks, adding the superfine sugar gradually. This took me about 10 minutes. Be patient! It's so worth it!
2. Sift almonds with powdered sugar in a medium sieve into a large mixing bowl. Using a food processor, pulse the larger almond pieces into a fine powder then run them through the sieve.
3. Mix to combine powdered sugar and almonds.
4. Incorporate egg whites with dry ingredients using large spatula. Mix lightly but mix well. 
5. Fold the batter in a "J" form by scooping then flipping the mixture. Do this exactly 15 times.
6. Then work on the mixture using a flexible, plastic scraper. Press down with scraper going back and forth, to press out all air from the batter. Do this for no more than 5 minutes until you have a smooth mixture. The result should be soft mix that forms a ribbon on scraper. If the mixture is too liquid, the macarons will be flat. If it's too stodgy, they’ll crack.
7. Transfer mixture to a piping bag with a 1 inch round tip. Twist or clip the bag above the nozzle to stop the mixture from escaping. Put the pastry bag in a large glass container so it's easier to fill.
8. Pipe out desired size for rounds (about 3 cm diameter for medium ones). Press nozzle right down on the paper then finish off with a flick for flat rounds. Leave space (about half an inch or so). Wet your fingers a little to flatten the tops better.
9. Slam (hard!) the trays at least 6-7 times to get any additional air out. This ensures there won't be air bubbles in the shells.
10. Leave for 30 minutes to 1 hour and no more. Touch the tops lightly to ensure they are ready. If the tops are hard, it's time to bake!
11. Preheat the oven while waiting for the shells to 320°F. Bake in the center of oven for 10-12 minutes (one tray at time). Test after 8 minutes. Touch and if it wobbles, continue to bake until lightly brown. Leave them to cool.
12. Once cool, flip the parchment paper over gently so as to not break any shells. Leave it macaron side down, facing the baking tray. This makes it easier to remove the shells. After 5 minutes, gently peel off the parchment paper.
13. Pipe filling or just use a spoon. Twist the two shells in a circular motion to squash. 
14. Leave in fridge for 24 hours. If not consumed immediately after that, freeze them for up to three months. (Although they'll probably be gone before then!)

*It's best to make the filling the day before making the shells.
**Skimping on sugar can cause their to be no "feet" on the shells. Don't overdo it though! Use a digital kitchen scale to ensure exact measurements. Superfine sugar can be made by pulsing granulated sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor.

Have fun and enjoy!

                  

Hearts <3,

Xin Yi

 

Running, Tulips and Roasted Asparagus

 Since this is my first post, I feel like this should be some type of special entry. But it's not really. I went running this past Saturday and it was quite the workout! 5 miles in approximately 42 minutes which isn't bad! Now my shins hurt. I think it had to do with the landing of my feet. Let this be a lesson to all: Be careful when you exercise! It was an almost perfect (nothing's totally perfect) sunny day and there was a gentle cool breeze. Perfect weather! Look at these tulips that my mom grew in front of the house.

 

The top photo has an interesting background don't you think? It's as if it was taken in the depths of a forest and took a picture of the tulip growing near the side of the path. Both are images of the same tulip, just different views.

  Later that evening, I prepared some roasted asparagus. Yummy!

I took 2 pounds of asparagus (roughly 2 bundles) and sprinkled some salt, McCormick garlic pepper powder, minced garlic and crushed Szechuan peppercorn.

Voila!

The bottom photo was the finished product. I had a small pan so I had to cut the asparagus spears into thirds. You don't need too. Note that pictured is only 1/3 of all the asparagus I used. I had 2 more pans.

Roasted Asparagus

2 lbs of asparagus (ends chopped off)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
seasoning to taste ( I used garlic pepper powder by McCormick, salt and Szechuan peppercorn powder)
2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil (or whatever oil you have handy)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash asparagus then pat dry as much as possible. Toss with oil then sprinkle on the seasoning. Don't be shy, there's a lot of asparagus to cover! Add the garlic.
3. Place your asparagus spears onto a sheet pan and roast/bake for 15-20 minutes or until you notice the pears getting a deeper shade of green.

Enjoy as a side dish or whatever you choose :)

Hearts <3,

Xin Yi