Daring Bakers' Gingerbread House

What could be better than taking the holiday to face my fear? Like this gingerbread house which from reading DB Forum it gave me a huge doubt that I could ever build it or have the patience to work out the pieces. It seemed like a huge task, and therefore I had been hesitating until the last moment when the challenge had come to haunt me closely. I gave in and built everything from scratch..... for the very first time.



And my worry during the proces was whether royal icing is capable to stick gingerbread pieces together. I was surprised it did it all. The dough was chilled for two days and as I was rolling it into the desired size, it shrank substantially (about 10%) so I decided I would chill it for only half an hour (enough to rest the dough) the next round I happen to make it again. As a consequence, the initial drawing has to be scaled down to 90%. The amount of dough is just nice for the number of pieces that I needed. But one and a half recipes of royal icing was needed for such elaborate work.



The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes. Thanks to Anna and Y for this great challenge!



Have made some adjustments to the recipe for my own convenience. Original recipe could be found here

Happy New Year, Everyone!



GINGERBREAD HOUSE





Y's Recipe:
Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)
from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
- 1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]



Method:
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.
- Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.
- Cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.



2. Royal Icing

Ingredients:
- 1.5 large egg white
- 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract

Method:
- Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency.

3. Assembly



- For decoration or detailing, pipe royal icing on gingerbread pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren't using royal icing all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit.
- Pipe on the edge of the house pieces and join up together. Hold with your hand for a while until the royal icing set or lean these pieces to a box.

A Very Special Birthday

It is a special month with many celebrations. My auntie's visit in the beginning of the month was considered the first celebration I had in December. Then today, Dec 24 is T's birthday. "Happy Birthday, T !!!". I am so glad I can share the special day of his existense in this world with him. And tomorrow's Christmas, and it is also R, my cousin's birthday. Yes, it is very special to be born on a Christmas day. "Happy Birthday, R !!!"



And also I just got an Award from Anncoo of Anncoo's Hobby after receiving another Award early on from Sue Sparks of Munchkin Munchies. I love this festive season with lots of joy. "Thanks, guys for considering me to accept these Awards!" Visit Anncoo's Hobby and Munchkin Munchies to explore the wonderful world of both cooking and baking!

To you all "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!"



Today is a working day, so I and T don't really have any special thing to do except dinner tonight. We will go to have his favorite Vietnamese food. Last night I had prepared a surprise at my place waiting for him to turn on the light and see later tonight. And a birthday is not complete without a home-made birthday cake, right?



So for this special day, I have picked to bake Chocolate Mousse Cake from Dean Brettschneider's Global Bakinglast night. It was practical and didn't take up a lot of time. And let's see how it tastes tonight.



CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
Adapted from Dean Brettschneider's Global Baking
Makes a 20cm-diameter heart shaped cake

1. Base

Ingredients:
- Couscous > 150 grams
- Water > 450 ml
- Dark chocolate > 40 grams
- Granulated sugar > 180 grams
- Vanilla essence > 2 teaspoons

Method:
- Cover the bottom and sides of a 20cm-diameter heart shaped cake ring with aluminium foil.
- Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to boil and stir constantly.
- Once boiled, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes a thick paste. Keep stirring to avoid burnt mixture.
- Once the mixture is warm to touch, press it into the base of the cake ring.
- Refrigerate.



2. Mousse

Ingredients:
- Dark chocolate - chop into small pieces > 285 grams
- Silken soft egg tofu > 600 grams
- Corn syrup > 45 ml
- Icing sugar > 3 teaspoons
- Kahlua > 45 ml



Method:
- Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.
- Set aside to cool.
- Place silken tofu, corn syrup and kahlua in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add melted chocolate and continue blending for 2 minutes more.
- Remove the base from the refrigerator and pour mousse mixture over it.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate. Allow to set overnight.
- Decorate the next day.

A Happy Visit

Family connection is something I need despite the fact I breathe in all freedom and independence of living as a single expatriate in Bangkok. I feel lucky to be surrounded by the colourful and comfortable lifestyle that makes me think that the next generation of my family, that is my nieces and nephews should have been born here in order to live such a liberated life. Of course that didn't happen.

Family connection brings me regular phone calls to my sister or chats on Skype with my cousin. I keyed in everyone’s birthday in my computer to make sure I remember those important days when they occur. Family connection defines me as a social human being and that remains the same as long as I live. Suffice to say, my family means a lot to me. And that is why I want T to be part of it.



So when recently my auntie decided to visit me here for a holiday with her husband, I was thrilled. I have been talking so much to her about my life here. Hearing too many good things about a place for too many times, she no longer possessed any slightest power to reject my invitation. Her husband’s initial fear of heat finally was put into peace when I convinced her that the weather here was fully bearable during the year-end period. So finally they were here, eager and excited like kids on a school holiday.



They were introduced to T and to the food which they loved entirely minus the spiciness and sourness. They met nice people. For instance when they went to a dessert store and the seller offered them dessert sample, they tried it, and decided they wouldn’t want to buy and gradually walked away. The seller was still giving them a smile. That was something remarkable for them. Safety is another thing they felt here. My aunt enjoyed browsing in supermarkets and making price comparison with those in Hong Kong.



To spice up their holiday here, whenever they were at my place, I tried to create some activities. And frankly speaking as much going-outs as I wanted to plan for them, I had to bear in mind I was dealing with 60-something-year-old persons here. Being modest with the options is good and despite their fit condition, I had to make sure were they were not over exhausted or over walked. Comfort and safety are a must.



I was entirely surprised how much they enjoy a sushi-making session. The idea came up one afternoon after my auntie was commenting about Japanese food and we decided to carry it out the next day. These 2 energetic matured persons were totally inspired to create various decorations for sushi. They had so many ideas, so keen to explore, so creative. And I believe you will agree with me when you see what they have made.



And now they have left, I and T really miss them, a lot!

"Auntie Ngai and Uncle Loh (or Auntie Easy and Uncle Handsome, as how T referred them from Thai translation), this post is dedicated to you. See you again very soon, and you are always welcome here!"

Recipe for Sushi, please click here

December Gratitude

Strawberry season is back! Love seeing them so abundant in every corner of the town. They are available in mousse cakes, smoothies, pies, and everything that is delicious. It is wonderful even just enjoying the vivid and lovely color of these fruits. The taste is remarkable and refreshing!



It is just as wonderful for receiving a blog award from Sue Sparks of Munchkin Munchies this month. It feels so much Holiday Season already! Let me pass this on to other 10 great blogger friends for acknowledging the inspirations and support they have given to me and other bloggers. Thank you so much, guys! You rock...

- Simone of Junglefrog Cooking
- Fitri of Rumah Manis
- Anula of Anula's Kitchen
- Lauren of Celiac Teen
- Rose of Bite Me Kitchen
- Mimi of Mimi's Kitchen
- Audax of Audax Artifex
- Anncoo of Anncoo's Hobby
- Jenn of Jenn Cuisine
- Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums

Daring Cooks' Salmon En Croute

It has been a busy week. Not busy working but accompanying relatives who came to visit. It was their first trip to Bangkok and that made it special. Took this task seriously because I really wanted them to have a good time during their stay.

The comforting part is that they did enjoy their trip - they had spreaded good words to other relatives. They praised the delicious Thai food they ate, the safety they felt, the places where they went, and the friendly people they encountered. On their last day here, I invited them to come again during Thai New Year next year. They seemed to be very enthusiastic. And I really wished they would come again.



Being with them made me feel how much I needed this family connection every now and then. They were so easy to talk to and so many untold family stories were shared. Just as much as they enjoyed their stay here, I enjoyed their companion too. Now they have gone, I missed them already.

Meanwhile, the challenge was going to due. I had to do something about it. Salmon was not really my thing so I thought of having mushrooms instead. Lots of mushrooms, carrots, onions, parsley, and potatoes. So here it is ... my Mushroom en Croute.



Thanks to Simone of Junglefrog Cooking for this wonderful challenge. The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

I have made some adjustments to the recipe and quoted some pastry making techniques from Audax of Audax Artifex. Original recipe could be found here



MUSHROOM EN CROUTE
Makes 3, size 12.5cm x 12,5 cm parcels

1. Mushroom Filling
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil > 2 tablespoons
- Big onion – chop > 1
- Carrots – cut into cubes > 200 grams
- Potato – cut into cubes > 185 grams
- Oyster sauce > 2 tablespoons
- Soya sauce > 3 tablespoons
- Granulated sugar > 3 tablespoons
- Straw mushrooms – slice into thick chunks > 400 grams
- Corn flour > 2 tablespoons
- Water > 2 tablespoons
- Parsley – chop > 30 grams
- Red chilies – chop > 5



Method:
- Mix corn flour and water. Set aside.
- Saute onion in vegetable oil until fragrant. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add seasoning – oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar. Stir to incorporate well.
- Add straw mushrooms, then parsley. Stir occasionally.
- Pour in corn flour mixture. Cook until it is thick.
- Add red chilies.
- Remove from fire. Cool. Refrigerate until it is ready to use.

2. Spinach Puree (Optional)

Ingredients:
- Spinach – use only leaves > 60 grams
- Cheese cream > 75 grams

Method:
- In a food processor, mix spinach and cheese cream and whiz to get creamy green puree. Set aside until ready to use.



3. Shortcut Pastry

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 450 grams
- Very cold butter > 200 grams
- Salt > 1 pinch
- Egg yolk > 1
- Water > 2 tablespoons
- More water > if necessary.



Method:
- Mix egg yolk and water. The result will be about 3 tablespoons of liquid.
- Grate cold butter block straight from the fridge with large-hole grater. Put back in fridge.
- Sift flour from the height into a mixing bowl to allow air to be incorporated into the mixture and this trapped air will make pastry light. Place the bowl in the freezer for a while.
- When the mixing bowl is cold enough, take out from freezer and incorporate grated butter to the flour. Use food processor as the first option. Avoid direct contact of heat to the flour and butter (if necessary, soak hands in iced water). For easy option, use folk and spoon, rub butter into flour until the mixture resembles pea-sized lumps. Stop tossing and mixing immediately. Small pieces of butter should show. Don’t use hand to rub cause the butter will melt. The idea is to have separate particles of butter coating the flour to produce flakiest pastry. You are doing right if upon dipping your hand into the mixture, your hand comes out without the smell of butter.



- Fold in salt and egg yolk mixture, one tablespoon at a time, and keep mixing with folk and spoon (if hands are used, make sure you soak your hands in iced water first) until it forms a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. Avoid too much water. If it is still too dry add more water. To test whether the dough has enough water: pick up a small clump of dough and gently squeeze. Stop when the dough sticks together with small dry cracks. Perfect shortcut pastry is supposed to be crumbly and dry. Do not knead the dough to smooth. Gather the dough pieces, form into a disk, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Assembly

Ingredients:
- Mushroom filling > 1 portion
- Coarse sea salt > 1/2 teaspoon
- Dried chilly powder > 1 teaspoon
- Egg yolk for brushing – beat moderately > 1



Method:
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 175C.
- Take out dough from refrigerator. Divide dough into 3 portions. Work on 1 portion while keeping the other 2 portions chilled.
- Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic into a rectangular area of approximately 31cm x 19cm with the thickness about 2 to 2.5mm. It should look like the butter is not distributed evenly. Chill for a short while before filling.
- Put mushroom filling in the middle within an area of 11.5cm x 11.5cm. Stack it up to a thickness of 2.5 to 3cm. Top with adequate amount of spinach puree (if used). Brush the surrounding area with egg yolk. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of chilly powder. Fold the top and bottom ends into the middle, one overlapping the other. Then fold the left and right ends and tuck them up neatly to form a parcel.
- Place the parcel upside down on the baking tray, with the folding portion hidden at the bottom.
- Brush the entire surface and sides with egg yolk. Score surface with diagonal lines using the back of a knife. Poke the tip of the knife into the sides to form tiny cuts to allow steam to escape.
- Sprinkle with the rest of sea salt and chilly powder.
- Repeat the steps and complete 2 more parcels.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Place tray close to the top fire and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Serve with the rest of the spinach puree as the sauce.

Morning Surprise

To my surprise this morning I found Tank’s email in my inbox, titling DMBLGIT November 2009: Winner Announcement. The content was the congratulation for winning the award and the winner badge in five color options.



I was stunned, never expected to see another DMBLGIT award so soon. So I figured I was lucky and should be thanking Le Petrin for hosting November DMBLGIT, Andrew from Spittoon for creating such event, and the talented panel of judges: Bron, Sabra, Julia, Mowie and Claude-Olivier.



The moment I got this, the very first friend that I thought about was Fitri of Rumah Manis. She always teased me about my macarons and photo contests, and now she is the one who won a contest with her macaron photo. And this time it is special because we are actually getting winner badges from the same contest. I should quickly go and tease her.



At the same time I really want to post something before weekend. And as usual, I never get enough of the Daring Bakers/Cooks’ Challenge until at least I get a couple of rounds. The possibility of developing different flavors and filling never stops thrilling me. So I was back in the kitchen with my previous Cannoli recipe and worked out something suitable for the filling, only this time it is savoury.

Having made so much of Cannoli, my testimonial is Cannoli is a super delicious pastry, either sweet or savoury and suitable for any occasion. And I believe most people who have tried it will agree with me!



SPICY MINCED PORK CANNOLI IN MINT
Enough to fill 10-12 four-inch cannoli

1 Cannoli shell
Please refer to Daring Bakers' Cannoli



2. Filling

Ingredients:
- Butter > 2 tablespoons
- Garlic – chop > 5 cloves
- Carrot – cut to cubes > 1/2
- Minced pork > 260 grams
- Ground coriander seeds > 1 tablespoon
- Granulated sugar > 1 teaspoon
- Salt > 1 teaspoon
- Red chilies – slice > 5
- Mint leaves – slice> 1 stalk
- Kaiware sprouts - to garnish
- Ground red bell pepper - to sprinkle



Method:
- Saute chopped garlic in butter until fragrant.
- Fold in carrot cubes. Cook for a while.
- Then add minced pork, ground coriander seeds, sugar, and salt. Adjust seasoning to suit your taste.
- When it is cooked, add chilies and sprinkle with mint.
- Ready to use for filling.
- Garnish shell with a small bunch of Kaiware sprouts and stuff with fillings.
- Sprinkle top of shells with ground red bell pepper and serve.