Friday, December 24, 2010

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies



Ingredients:

1 cup butter or 2 sticks butter or shortening (226 grams)
1 cup confectioner's sugar (113 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (8 ml)
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour (355 grams)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

(optional)
Sprinkle cookies with colored sugar granules or crushed peppermint candies




What Does It Take to Become a Chef?

                       

Be addicted to what you are doing.

Be dedicated on what you are doing.

Love your work to be dedicated.

Your work becomes your life.

Improvise your work.

Be organise.

Baker vs. Pastry Chef


Perhaps the primary difference between a pastry chef and a baker is that the word "chef" literally means "boss." So while pastry chefs may bake, their title indicates that they have authority. A pastry chef is also a baker, but a baker isn't necessarily a pastry chef.
There's also a difference in the types of foods they make. Pastry chefs will likely spend more of their time working on creating delicate pastries and desserts and artistically plating them. Bakers, on the other hand, generally spend the majority of their time producing breads and other baked goods.
This is what i found out from the web. Since I'm using the title "The Singing Baker" now, I think it is suitable for me because I'm not a Chef yet. I will be one in the future. Just wait for my title to be changed in a few years time. 


French Toast interview with Sue


From my previous post I elaborated about French toast recipe. I decided to let a friend try my French toast and my best friend, Sue R. Claries Pan was delighted to taste it. I asked her a few questions about the French toast I made for her and this is what she answered:

Did you like the French toast?
Yes. But I'm not addicted to it.

How does it feels like to taste a chef-to-be French Toast?
I don't feel any weirdness in that. hahahahaha. :D

Is it cooked well?
Yes! 95%.

Describe the taste.
It's sweet and salty, I can taste the egg. haha. 

How did you know about French Toast?
My mom used to make it for me when I was a child. hehe.

Is it suitable for breakfast?
Yes, it is very suitable for breakfast.

What did you feel when the French Toast is offered to you?
Happy. I would be happier if cheese is offered to me at the same time. :D hahaha

Is French Toast good for Christmas meal?
Hmm... Yes. hahaha.




Thursday, December 23, 2010

Nutrition

There are six major classes of nutrients:
  • Carbohydrates
  • Fats 
  • Minerals
  • Protein
  • Vitamins
  • Water
Why am I bringing this topic today?

A healthy body is not just from the outside. I agree that exercises will make us healthier. But believe me, you wouldn't be feeling healthy if you got the wrong nutrients in the inside. 

Our body is like a car. Cars need fuels to function. When it is out of fuel, the engine won't start. When the tank is full, do not add some more fuel or else it is going to spill out of the tank. This happens in our body. Do not continue eating when it is enough, and eat when you need to eat. 

Diesel vehicles won't be filling their tank with petrol fuel. Humans are like cars so do not eat the wrong food and end up being plump up to achieve obesity and suffer diabetes. My advice is to have a balance diet. People may have forgotten the use of the food pyramid... So here it is once again, THE FOOD PYRAMID:


That's it for the time being! Have a healthy life and be wise in using the food pyramid! Cheers! ^.^

Corner Bakery Cafe

I was searching for a bakery shop and I found this.


How I wish to have a bakery shop like this. It is more to franchising method. I need to learn more about franchising in business. My tendency on making a huge business out of  my course, Bakery and Pastry will bring me towards this kind of business in the future. (Pray for me!)

It's Christmas!

Christmas Cupcakes!


Cupcakes are one of the option for Christmas desserts! It is easy to make. All you need is the muffin with  a nice icing combination on top of it to transform it into a cupcake! Google it and have fun baking cupcakes. Don't miss out on eating the sweet stuff this Christmas. (You can lose your weight some other time but not on Christmas Day.) Don't get left behind because you won't be eating this if it is not Christmas. Haha. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Crowned Tomato Soup


Ingredients:
1) Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.
2) Onions - 3 medium-sized pieces, chopped.
3) Celery sticks - 3, chopped.
4) Fresh basil - 2 tbsp, chopped.
5) Drained and canned tomatoes - 3 cups (800 ml).
6) Tomato puree - 2 tbsp.
7) Vegetable stock - 2 cups (500 ml).
8) Heavy cream - 2/3 cup.
9) Ready-rolled puff pastry - 1 pack (490 g), chilled.
10) Egg - 1, beaten.


Also needed:
A large saucepan.
A food processor.
Deep ovenproof soup bowls - 6


Instructions:
1) Place the saucepan over the oven. Pour in oil and heat.

2) Toss in the onions and celery. Cook over a low heat until the onions are soft.

3) Add in the tomatoes. Pour the tomato puree. Put a cover over the pan and simmer for about 10 mins.

4) Remove the cover. Add the stock and boil.

5) Lower the oven temperature. Simmer for about 20 mins.

6) Move the mixture from the pan to the food processor. Form a puree. 

7) Add in the cream and stir. Season to taste.

8) Transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until the pastry top is ready.

9) Pour the soup equally into each of the six ovenproof soup bowls.

10) Spread out the pastry to a shape of 1/8" thickness. 

11) Cut out from the shape six circles, each about an inch larger than the top diameter of the bowls.

12) Place each of the circular pastry shapes over each bowl. Seal the pastries to the outside of the bowls. Refrigerate for about half an hour.

13) Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade).

14) Moist the pastry with beaten egg.

15) Lay the soup bowls in the lower third of the oven. Bake for 15-20 mins or until the pastry is puffed and golden.


I do not own this recipe. =) 


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Weird Pastry???

I've been wondering how do they make such food that has a crown and it's tomato inside. Wow~ That's just terrific. Awesomely perfect pastry. Perfect for Breakfast and even Dinner (if you take carbs at night). Gonna find out the recipe in a short while. It's called Crowned Tomato Soup! Sorry if you are a Tomato Phobic.

Chef Clothing

Who says Chef doesn't need to choose from their wardrobe? Haha. Here are some varieties of Chefs Clothing. The designs are similar but each one of them has their own creativity in design and some are weather friendly... (I think)






Thursday, December 16, 2010

Christmas Cookies~

It's not Christmas yet but I'm feeling the Christmas aura all over me! On this Christmas month, try baking some Christmas cookies. It will be a lot of fun and it will give you long lasting memories of Christmas. Try making Rolled sugar cookies. It can be decorated in several ways~.

Decorating with icing:



Decorating with frosting:


You may visit this page if you are interested in learning how to make these cookies:

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Stressed out? Needs Chocolate?

"I have problem with this laptop. I can't really do my assignment the way I want it. Help me~ =("


"Maybe Chocolates balls can make me happy."


How To Make Chocolate Balls? It's easy. Collect all of your leftover biscuits and chocolates.


Ingredients:


Cookies or Biscuits with no filling
Milk chocolate
Full cream
Chocolate sprinkles or Candy sprinkles (for decorations)


How to make it?
  1. Put your cookies or biscuits in a zipper bag and crush them with a rolling pin or anything that is able to crush the cookies or biscuits. It is better if you grind them with a grinder (if you have one).
  2. Chop your milk chocolates into tiny pieces and melt your chocolate in the microwave or over a small flame on the stove.
  3. When the chocolate has melted, add in the cream.
  4. Mix the cookie crumbs with the chocolate and cream mixture.
  5. Roll the mixture into small balls.
  6. Dip the chocolate balls into the Chocolate sprinkles or Candy sprinkles.
  7. Put the chocolate balls into the fridge.
  8. It will be ready to serve in 30 minutes!
Enjoy!





Sunday, December 12, 2010

How to make French Toast? (My way)

Do you ever experience on having Gardenia or Multibake or maybe Southern bread at home but there are no peanut butter or jam at home? If you do, then you should transform it to French Toast. How to make it? It is sooooooooo EASY! Firstly prepare your ingredients:

3-5 slices of whole meal bread 
2 eggs
 
1/2 cup milk
 
pinch of salt
 
1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of white pepper
butter for frying
 
sweetened creamer or maple syrup

After preparing all of this, prepare a medium sized bowl, a fork and a frying pan. (I prefer on letting you prepare things that I'm sure you own at home)

First of all, you have to make the batter, to make the batter (mixture), you'll have to:
  1. Break the eggs into the bowl and pour the milk, salt, sugar and white pepper all together into the bowl as well.
  2. Beat them together with the fork until it's well mixed.
Then...
  1. Take the slices of breads and soak it into the batter. 
  2. While soaking, heat up the frying pan and put some butter on it. 
  3. Fry the soaked bread on the frying pan.
  4. Wait for the bread to fry or until it turns golden.
  5. Serve! and there's your French Toast! haha
To make it tastier, drizzle some sweetened creamer or maple syrup on your so-called French toast.

Enjoy!



P/s: I learned to make this when I was in Primary School and guess what, my uncle taught me how to make it. haha. Thanks Edward! (Edward is my uncle) ^OO^



Saturday, December 11, 2010

Gougères (Cheese Puffs)

A French Cuisine.


I saw this on Youtube and I decided to take this recipe for my assignment. It's really easy to make Gougères. The ingredients are simple ingredients and it taste like French. Haha. The uploader is a blogger in blogger.com. I am following him on his blog as his online student. I really do need a Chef to teach me how to bake. (I know I sound pathetic) My college has a problem in finding a Chef as a lecturer. BUT they had promised that they will find one by next year. I hope the lecturer is not a good looking one (I don't want to find myself looking at the Chef instead of the dough).

What is Bakery & Pastry?

I am a Bakery & Pastry student in Cosmopoint College. Currently waiting for a lecturer (or a Chef) to appear in front of me and teach me how to bake pastries. Since I haven't receive any "baker-ish" thing in my college, I decided to google and study about Bakery & Pastry by myself. These are some of the basic things I found out about my course...


A bakery (also called baker's shop or bakehouse) is an establishment which produces or/and sells baked goods from an oven such as: bread, pies, bagels, pastries, cakes and cupcakes, biscuits, cookies, crackers, muffins, rolls, pretzels, doughnuts, and other items prepared by bakers. Some retail bakeries and many new bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to enjoy the freshly baked goods on the bakery's premises.


Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked goods made from ingredients such as flour,milk, butter, shortening, baking powder or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked goods are called "pastries". 
Pastry may also refer to the dough from which such baked goods are made. Pastry dough is rolled out thinly and used as a base for baked goods. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts and quiches.