A Special Birthday Cake

Ngoc, is a child with 'special needs' and she is so lucky to be in the United States where so much attention and care are given to children like Ngoc. Unlike my nephew, Eugene, who is in Malaysia - my brother could not find any special attention even when he is willing to pay for it. Preparing for the future is important but so is enjoying the pressent. Guessed my brother would have to 'focus on today and not tomorrow.

I found this Article so well written and meaningful and to all parents who have a kid with special need, please do spend a moment to read this and also to enjoy your child's speciality. I salute all you parents who are doing all the best you can and you are doing a really great job.  All of us could learn a thing or two as they are so special, actually at times, we are the handicapped ones.

Continue for recipe HERE

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Gluten-Free Cheese Puffs

These just might be the best cheese puffs ever made and you would not believe me, if i tell you that they are the easiest to make.

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The texture was crisp on the outside but soft and chewy in the inside, yes, chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi.with lots of good cheddar flavor. The cheese made these puffs quite tasty and addictive, so many tasters especially the kids, kept coming back for additional handfuls and they were all gone before there was time to cool and that was good cos it tasted better slightly warm..

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Rice wine Residue Sweet Soup

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Looking out and this is what i can see - my backyard.

Yes, it is 'Bittersweet October" , today and the week to come is promised chill in the air as the changing of the leaves start to fall, in fact they have started to fall awhile back. Nothing takes away the chill or tastes better than a bowl of warm soup.

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Step-by-step Mui Choy Kau Yoke

A task which usually take 5 minutes was not so and it was so frustrating.  Anyway, how difficult or time-consuming it was, i made a promise to post the step-by step on How to make Mui Choy Kau Yoke and .........

the promise is kept

The step-by-step can be found HERE

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Mui Choy Kau Yoke

This is a very popular dish in Asia which appears on the dinning table during any asian festivals.  It is very deliciously sinful, mouth watering. 

Taste the intense flavour and the fats of the pork melting in your mouth.  . The preserved Mui Choy (dried salted veggie but sweet) has a nice balance which is light tasting  and goes well with the meat soft texture.  This dish might not be so acceptable by healthy freaks who shy away from most fat but in this case the fat actually gets soaked up by the 'mui choy'  and become very 'mui', giving glory to it's name.  "Mui" in cantonese means 'soft' . 

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Cheesecake with Ganache

Have you ever thought that a sunken cake can be a success?  I was in this situation when i had to think fast to complete this birthday cake in time. .. 

 

It was the morning of the birthday and the cake has sunk to half of what it was when i turned off the oven the night before.

It was left it in the oven with the oven door ajar and meant to be taken out as soon as it cooled slightly.  But ...... i fell asleep and woke up hours later.  OMG  - think fast - Lily

Continue to recipe HERE

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Gado Gado

Gado gado is a classic, traditional Indonesian salad drizzled with a luscious. mouthwatering  peanut sauce which has a rich, nutty flavor and a delightful creamy texture. Gado gado is such a hearty and filling salad that it can easily be eaten as a complete meal. A variety of vegetables can be used for this salad - like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, french beans, kangkong etc.  Preparing the vegetables is no big deal, just remember

to allow the water for blanching to return to a rolling boil after adding each vegetable to ensure they are cooked according to the times allocated. DRAIN the blanched vegetables and rinse under cold water to refresh.  For the potatoes - cooked them with skin on until fork tender, peel skin away and then cubed.  The only tedious prep is making the Peanut Sauce -if you have 'sambal paste' ready, it is not a big deal.  It will be easier if you don't want the roast the peanuts - use crunchy peanut butter.
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Ingredients

Satay Sauce

Cooked potatoes—peeled and cubed

Green beans—cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inches lengths - blanched

Cucumber - sliced

Cabbage - cut into bite size and blanched

Bean sprouts - blanched

Fried Tofu - cut into bite size

Sweet peppers - cut into bite size

Hard boiled eggs - cut into quarters

PREPARE the satay sauce following the method from Malaysian Satay

To assemble the salad:

 ARRANGE equal amounts of each vegetable on plates, garnish with egg quarters, and drizzle with satay sauce to serve.

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20 Layers Crepe Cake

I was asked to do a demo for crepes using The Scanpan Crepe Pan, so i had to do a pre-run at home and what a good timing it was - I killed 2 birds with one stone - i get to make crepes and then turned the crepes into a cake.  I have heard of the popularity of The Mille Cake aka Crepe Cake and had wanted to make one.  This first attempt's taste needed tweaking,  1/4 cup of filling for a layer was not enough or it would have been enough if it has a stronger flavor - sweeter perhaps.  We had to eat the cake drizzled with Strawberry Syrup.

I have doubled the pastry creme and added more sugar to make it sweeter, now there will be enough to layer and coat the cake as well.

Ingredients:

French Crepe Batter:

3 recipes of French Crepe Batter

Crepe Batter can be made several hours or leave overnight in the refrigerater.

Pastry Creme Filling:

2 eggs

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2  cups milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy cream, whipped

Method:

In a small bowl, add eggs, flour,cornstarch , and sugar ; beat until smooth.

In a saucepan over low heat, bring milk almost to a boil (simmer). Immediately remove from heat and slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture. Return all ingredients to the saucepan, while constantly stirring, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add vanilla extract, stir until dissolved into the mixture. Set aside to cool until firm.

When the Pastry Creme has cooled, fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate mixture until thick (best if refrigerated overnight).

Assembly of 20 Layers Crepe Cake:

French Crepe Batter

Pastry Creme Filling

4 cups heavy cream

2  tablespoon granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

Strawberries

Method:

To prepare and cook the crepes:

Remove the French Crepe Batter from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a nonstick or lightly-oiled crepe pan over medium-low heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of French  Crepe Batter; swirl to cover the surface of the pan. Cook just until the bottom of the crepe becomes lightly browned. Using your clean fingers, gently and carefully turn the crepe over. Cook the other side of the crepe for no longer than 5 seconds. Remove the cooked crepe onto a prepared baking sheet (do not stack the crepes on top of each other). Repeat this process until you have 20 perfect crepes. (You might need to prepare a few practice crepes in the beginning.)

Remove the Pastry Creme Filling from the refrigerator. Whip the 4 cups of heavy cream with the 2  tbsp sugar. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled and thickened Pastry Creme Filling.

Using a round cake pan base or a round plate as a guide, trim the crepes with the sharp tip of a paring knife.

Place one trimmed crepe on a serving plate. With a small spatula or wide blade knife, completely cover the crepe with a thin layer of the pastry cream mixture (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup).

Cover with another crepe and repeat covering with the pastry creme until you have reached 20 layers. The 20th crepe will be the last or top layer. (Cake can be coated all over with pastry creme filling, dusted with powdered sugar, garnished with strawberries)

Refrigerate the prepared cake for a minimum of 2 hours. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar.

When ready to serve, slice into individual servings. Garnish the plate with fresh strawberries or seasonal berries of your choice.

Serves

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