Sticky Sesame Rice Balls

Posted on June 28, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

I didn’t make these from scratch, but I wanted to share them with you becuase they’re easy to make and they make for a great dessert. 2 Steps, 2 Ingredients. It doensn’t get any easier, or any more delicious, at that

Ingredients: At any Asian Grocery Store - you’ll find (1) Frozen Sesame Balls in the frozen section and (2) Peanut Powder in the condiments section

Step 1: Boil - Put frozen sesame balls in boiling water and let them simmer on Med heat for 5-7 minutes. When they float, they’re finished!

Step 2: Drain the cooked sesame balls of their water, pat dry and coat with peanut powder.

Variation: Instead of using peanut powder, you can also put these sesame balls into Sweet Red Bean Soup or any other Asian Dessert Soup (Tofu, Fermented Rice, etc).

Korova & Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Posted on June 19, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

I couldn’t ask for a better end to my 3-month LSAT study stint. Not only did OldArmstrong throw me the best suprise dinner @ Burma Superstar that I could have asked for, I finally returned to baking! I made these cookies with Mike and they were a hit - especially the Korova ones. Thanks to my friends and family for all of the moral support these last few months- your encouragement carried me through some discouraging times : )

KOROVA COOKIES
adapted from Dorie Greenspan

These cookies are the creation of France’s own Pieree Herme, hailed by Vogue as “The Picasso of Pastry”. Made with Cocao, these cookies are crumbly, not-too-sweet, and filled with pecans and chocolate chunks. They’re the easiest cookies I’ve made, and the tastiest - with a semi-salty kick that will knock your socks off.

The star ingredient is of course the Cocao, mixed here with the flour. A true bittersweet chocolate cake will use Cocao instead of pure chocolate, says the purist in me.

The chocolate you use is tres importante! Choose a bittersweet bar with 60% or more Cocao chopped into pieces over a bag of semi-sweet morsels. Here, we feature 5 oz of Ghiradelli’s 60% Cocao- Dark Chocolate.

Possibly the only picture I’ll post of myself on my site. (Normally I bake alone so there’s no opportunity for this, plus, I’m camera adverse!). This is me working delicately with the dough to combine the chocolate and pecans. The less you knead your flour, the more delicate your cookie will be! Here’s Mike rolling the dough into cookie logs to be chilled before baking. Chill 1 hour and then cut into 1/2 inch slices!

The result is a cookies who’s ugly appearance is compensated by a STELLAR texture and taste - its really addictive! (RECIPE IS BELOW)

CRISPY SALTED OATMEAL COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE
by Smitten Kitchen from Cookies Illustrated

This cookie turned out a bit cripsy and flat, but the taste was still quite nice. Its not to sweet as well, and oatmeal lovers will enjoy this little treat with white chocolate chunks. The sea salt sprinkled on top are a PERFECT complement to the white chocolate. Again, go for the bar chocolate and your taste buds will thank you!

The result is quite lovely

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Recipe for Korova Cookies
(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Pierre Herme’s Paris)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Cocao powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick + 3 tblsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel (or regular salt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 325* F. Sift together flour, cocao and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla extract and beat on low until blended.
3. Mix the dry ingredients (step 1) with the the wet ingredients (step 2) until just incorporated. Do not overbeat the dough or you will have a tough cookie.
4. Add the chocolate chunks and pecans. Roll the dough into two logs and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Cut log into 1/2-1 inch thick cookies and place them on parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes per batch.

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Recipe for Crispy Salted White Chocolate Cookies
(taken from Smitten Kitchen)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
14 tablsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
6 oz white chocolate bar (chopped)
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt (fleur de sel) for sprinkling on top
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar
1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.
3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about ¾-inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie
5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

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Lemon Yogurt Cake w/ Blueberry & Poppyseed

Posted on April 10, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

I’ve always been intrigued by moist, crumbly, melt-in-your mouth cakes. And this recipe from SmittenKitchen really grabbed my attention.

A yogurt cake - how genius! Using yogurt to butter up your cake, instead of extra oil or cheese, seemed so healthy and delicious - I had to give it a try. And I’m glad I did - this loaf was a HIT. What a delicious, moist cake. You’re sure to love it :)!

THE RECIPE IS HERE

The star ingredient in this is the whole milk yogurt. It really contributed to the moistness of the cake, and added an extra tang to the overall flavor.

I’ve never done this before but the idea is genius. Before folding the blueberries into the batter, Smitten suggests mixing them with some flour first. This takes off the excess water and buffers your batter from your blueberry when it explodes in baking.

Making lemon flavored desserts can be tricky, becuase lemon can be overpowering. You usually end up with a dessert that is REALLY sour and REALLY sweet at the same time - gross. Thats why I loved that this dessert only used the lemon zest (the peel of the lemon). Zest is a perfect gentleman - subtle yet still giving the perfect fresh zing.

I added poppy seeds to my cake because I love ‘em - and the nuttiness compliments the lemon perfectly.

This cake bakes for 50 minutes in a loaf pan. Be sure to do your toothpick test (a toothpick stuck into the cake should come out clean) in a couple of places before you take it out.

Now all you have to do is eat it Shouldn’t be too hard!

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No-Bake Cheesecakes on Nilla Wafers

Posted on April 4, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

I love excuses to bake and today’s had me donning my apron and breaking my 2-month baking hiatus. I made these for Old Armstrong (the designer of Tough Muffin). Feel free to give his site a gander - its sweet and he recently revamped it

Today’s Nilla Wafer Cheesecakes were adopted & inspired from Sherry Yard’s No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe. The only difference between Her Recipe and Mine is that she crumbles her Nilla wafers for crust while keep my cookies in one piece. With that said, the results were quite delicious - if you’re a child of the 80’s, you’ll have a really hard time saying no to this fancy twist on a classic dessert!

Because this dessert involves piping the cream cheese, I’ve added a TUTORIAL on cutting piping bags. You don’t need a pastry bag to pipe- any old zip lock will do, and I’ll teach you a trick used by pastry chefs that will keep your piping tip in place and your cheese from squeezing out of the sides. Enjoy!

Ingredients

When the taste of your dessert depends on one main ingredient, it really pays to find the best kind. Here, you’ll want to be picky about the cheese. Hands-down the best creme cheese belongs to Gina Marie. Its a cheese lives up to its name - even the least discerning of eaters will instantly know the difference. It actually feels and tastes like a crumbly cream, and I’m warning you, it will make all of the Safeway brands taste like plastic.

(I got mine at Whole Foods)

The star of this show is, of course, the Nilla wafers.

Assembly

This cream will beat in less than 3 minutes, but you’ll want to chill it for 3-4 hours before you pipe it onto the cookie. Begin piping and assemble your cheesecakes about an hour before you serve them - if you leave the cream on the cookie for too long your cookie will become soggy. Tip: Once you have your piping bag ready, gently squeeze the cream a few times with your hand to soften it for smooth piping.

Pick a rounded tip for your piping. If even I can manage to make it look nice, then for sure you’ll have no problem.

Pair this cheesecake with sweet or sour fruits - they all work well. I chose berries:

These cookies wont hold overnight so eat ‘em the day you make ‘em! Who can argue with that?

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In Honor of New Year

Posted on February 6, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

Hello readers. I know its been awhile since I’ve updated, but in honor of the Lunar Calendar, this one is for you. Its my chiffon cake recipe made with cocao for a chocolate cake base, filled with berries fresh in their own juices, and a light frosting made with cream and mascarpone (Italian dessert cheese). There are two chocolate mice on there to commemorate the “Year of the Rat”.

Cheers to the New Year!

(Made by T. Hsu and eaten by Me)

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Sweet Salties :)

Posted on February 5, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

If you haven’t been, downtown Los Gatos is the perfect place to go on a nice day. There you’ll find the most amazing french bakery called Fleur de Cocao owned by renowned pastry chef Pascal Hanvier. Me + Tina went and had a delicious chocolate-almond croissant! Unfortunately, the only picture I took was of their Croque Monsieur sandwich (made with Ham, Gruyere cheese, and Bechamel). Its the fanciest, tastiest ham+cheese sandwhich concoction I’ve ever had. Ever. The Gruyere paired with a very creamy Bechamel (a French cream) made for a perfect snack.

Here it is - an appetizer post until my next pastry adventure, which will be coming soon. I sprained my thumb this month so I’ve been on a baking hiatus. But I promise, you haven’t seen the end of Tough Muffin yet!

Cookies III: Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on January 4, 2008
Filed Under Dessert Documentaries

You guys should be happy, I’m posting up a storm and its only the 4th day of the New Year! Anyway, these cookies by Dorie Greenspan were the bomb. Me and Jen made these with Sharffen Berger and Valrhona Cocoa and that made all the difference. You can really taste the cocao in these - they’re chewy and not too sweet, and they’ve already become one of my favorites. We also used fleur de sel (french sea salt) to kick it up a notch ;). Here is the RECIPE

The star ingredient here is the cocoa: