Chocolate Raspberry meringue pie!

So after my lemon meringue was made..usually while making desserts it curbs all my cravings of anything sugary sweet or whatever i'm making. I'm not sure why but its always been that way for bakers and cooks.

So i thought perhaps the next day i could have a slice in the morning! but to my dismay the next day the meringue was completely finished!!

Hence the decision to make another pie..actually this pie was also an accident..i was making cupcakes with my friend and i forgot she wanted buttercream instead of chocolate ganache so there you go! the filling of the pie (i added alittle custard in)

Anyway in the end i preferred the taste of chocolate raspberry then lemon cos i felt lemon was too sweet for my liking

FILLING:

2 c. milk
4 eggs, separated
1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 c. white sugar
4 tbsp. butter
3 blocks unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla

 

Scald the milk in a small pan. Beat egg yolks in small bowl. Mix flour, salt and sugar in double boiler. Add egg yolks and stir. Add scalded milk, stirring well. Add butter and chocolate; cook until thick, stirring often. When mixture is thick, add vanilla. Pour into baked pie shell.

Lemon meringue Pie

 Its been awhile since i've made a meringue pie (and the last time it failed) So anyway this was a last min meringue pie.. after i made lemon curd i felt it was simply too much work to make a lemon cake (cos i had to make the cake + the frosting) so the easiest was a pie!

 It turn out quite well except that i had too little curd (cos i never expected to make the pie in the first place. but if not..the crust was very rich and flaky and the meringue was white fluffy and perfect.

There was alittle liquid initially at the base of the pie when i cut it but i suppose its usual cos i even seen it in bakery shops. it wasn't alot and i suppose it comes from the curd.

My recipes was a mixture of tartlette's lemon curd and "BBC goodfood" pie base and meringue... i tried her curd before so i know it works..when it works keep it that way...

So if you'd like to try it, heres the recipe:

For the pastry

175g plain flour

100g cold butter , cut in small pieces
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk

For the Meyer Lemon Curd:
½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (4gr) lemon zest
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoon (28gr) butter

For the meringue:

4 egg whites , room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
2 level tsp cornflour

1. For the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water into a food processor. Using the pulse button so the mix is not overworked, process until the mix starts to bind. Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out and line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin. Trim and neaten the edges. Press pastry into flutes. The pastry is quite rich, so don't worry if it cracks, just press it back together. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for 1⁄2-1 hour (or overnight).
   
   
2. Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Bake the pastry case 'blind' (filled with dry beans) for 15 mins, then remove the foil and bake a further 5-8 mins until the pastry is pale golden and cooked. Set aside. (Can be done a day ahead if you want to get ahead.) Lower the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
   
   
3. While the pastry bakes,in a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, zest and sugariand bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl just until combined. Once the lemon mixture is hot, slowly pour it over the eggs to temper, continuously whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the pan set over medium low heat and cook until thick. Do not let it come to a full boil or it might separate. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and whisk until it is fully melted. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, keep it warm before filling the pie.
   
   
4. Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick. Quickly reheat the filling and pour it into the pastry case. Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl. Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 1⁄2-1 hr before slicing. Eat the same day.

Enjoy!!

Green tea Macarons and TWG

So i've been into macarons again...mostly cos i just crave the taste of green tea macarons and pistachios as well hehe.

So talking about all things green i ask my fren Joline (a fellow macaron enthusiast) how about did she do her green tea filling and also in the pursuit of good macarons. We concluded that Canele and Bakerzin didn't do justice to really good macarons. However, she did reccommend me to TWG's macs. (Later in the post)

 Green tea brown rice macarons

I use french style macaron shell recipe and i basically added 3 teaspoons of green tea powder into the shell mixture. 

As for the filling its white chocolate + alittle milk + 2 teaspoon of green tea powder. Of course you should add accordingly to how much you like the taste of green tea. Mine is rather mild.

The outcome is surprisingly good because everyone loved it, including my sister WHO almost NEVER eats anything i BAKE. HA!

Now TWG macarons:

You can get them at ION 2nd floor (i think) and these babies are $2 a pop! and comes in boxes of 6 and 12.

Theres limited flavors but whats great about TWG macarons is that they are tea-infused flavors with is different from the typical flavors available and amazingly good to eat.

 I'd say their texture is almost as good as laduree. A light light crisp and soft slight chewiness and a filling thats soft but holds well. I cant say much for the rest of the macs i've tried in singapore (except felicia's macs!)

So i bought 6 and i've eaten 2 before i could take a picture hahaha! so these are the flavors i've tried:

1) Grand wedding tea, passionfruit and coconut (purple)
2) Earl grey with chocolate ganache macaron (brown)
3) Bain de rose Macaron (Pink)

4) Lemon bush Macaron (yellow)

5) Black tea and currant (dark pink) not seen in pic

Other available flavors but i've not tried:

1) Napoleon tea and caramel (black)
2) Camelot and parline (dark brown)

3) Morroccan Mint tea (white)

In any case its so worth the try... my favorite were the purple and pink!!!

Eating in Beijing!!

Yum Yum this early march i was in Beijing!! I love the food in beijing! Extremely good and cheap chinese cuisine!! 

Click here for the full blog entry!!

Rainbow Cake!!!

 For more details on the cake!! click on the picture or on this link!!

A rainbow awaits!

I have decided to make rainbow cake for my friend Jiawen as thats what she reminds me of! Vibrant and colorful and everyone loves a rainbow and it cheers you up on a rainy day!

So wait for new post on rainbow cake soon!! in the meantime...here are some rainbow cupcakes made from the leftovers of the cake batter!!

The success and failures of a macaron..

So for the Picnic party i was over ambitious and wanted to make 2 type of macarons (first mac attempt other then a chocolate one!)

1st one is Raspberry macarons
and the 2nd is Lemon curd macarons!

Personally, i dont like macarons so it turn out a tad bit too sweet for me. But my frens love it and so did my cousin so i guess all turned out well!!