Chocolate Valentino

By the time this auto-post, I will be on a flight to Bangkok, Thailand for a long deserved holiday .... gosh it's been so long! I hope to post up some pictures of my trip and also to visit each of your blogs when I get back later in the week.

This month's Daring Bakers challenge comes to us from Wendy at A Charmed Life and Dharm at Dad-Baker & Chef. Both Wendy and Dharm are passionate about baking for their families and their blogs speak a lot about this. As hosts for this month, Dharm has chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan (recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan) whilst Wendy picked a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe to accompany the cake. (We were given the option of making any ice-cream of our choice though)

I was very excited by the fact that one of the hosts happens to be a fellow Malaysian. You can image how my excitment went on "over-boil" when I read that the recipe for the flourless chocolate cake is from Chef Wan, the flamboyant Malaysian chef. How much of a coincidence is this ...! I've watched Chef Wan so many times on television and he is a very talented chef. As this is February and the month where Valentine's Day falls, I guess it is timely that a chocolate cake had been chosen. Romantic lore commonly identifies chocolate as an aphrodisiac. The reputed aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are most often associated with the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption. Thus it's no wonder that chocolate is one of widely given gifts to loved ones during this particular day, besides red roses of course!

I only managed to squeeze the last weekend to complete this challenge. The cake itself was pretty simple as the ingredients and steps were very minimal. I've not tried a flourless cake, be it baking it or eating one either, so I was quite keen to try this out. I did half the recipe for an 6" version. The cake very much resembled a brownie when it came out of the oven. However I must honestly say that I was not too keen about it and would have much preferred a conventional brownie or better still a chocolate cake. As for the ice-cream, I already had a couple of tubs of home-made flavours sitting in the fridge, so that was easy-pessy. The flavours were Raspberry Ice-cream, using a Strawberry Ice-cream recipe I had previously made (but substituted with raspberries instead) and the other was a Peanut Butter Ice-cream. I also decided to try out another ice-cream flavour for this challenge, a Lemon Curd Ice-cream.



Chocolate Valentino
(receipe from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan)
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

454g semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
146g unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Method:

1) Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2) While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3) Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4) Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5) With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6) Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7) Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}

8) Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9) Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10) Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


Lemon Curd Ice-cream
(serves 6)
(receipe from Taste Australia)

Ingredients:

50g butter, chopped
2 eggs, lightly whisked
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
300ml thin cream
250ml (1 cup) milk
4 egg yolks

Method:

1) Combine the butter, egg, lemon juice and rind, and half the sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over low heat for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Strain lemon curd through a fine sieve into a medium heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.

2) Meanwhile, place a metal container in the freezer to chill. Combine the cream and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

3) Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar together in a medium heatproof bowl until thick and pale. Gradually stir the warm cream mixture into the egg mixture.

4) Pour into a clean saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

5) Gradually stir the custard into the lemon curd and stir to combine. Place in the fridge for about 2 to 3 hours until completely cold. Then pour into an ice-cream maker and chill according to manufacturer’s instruction.

Note, if you are making this by hand, skip (4) and (5) above:

1) Pour into a clean saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

2) Gradually stir the custard into the lemon curd and stir to combine. Place in the chilled container. Cover with foil and place in the freezer for 6 hours or until almost set.

3) Roughly break up the ice-cream with a metal spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Beat with an electric beater until smooth. Quickly return to the metal container. Cover with foil and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.


Peanut Butter Ice-cream
(recipe from Martha Stewart)
(makes 4 cups)

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup salted cocktail peanuts
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chunky peanut butter (I used smooth peanut butter and omitted the peanuts)

Method:

1) Heat cream, milk, and peanuts in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around edges. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep at room temperature for 3 hours (or refrigerate overnight).

2) Prepare an ice-water bath. Uncover cream mixture, and reheat until hot but not boiling. Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until well combined. Return mixture to saucepan, and stir constantly over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. (Do not let the mixture come to a simmer.)

3) Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Set the bowl in the ice-water bath. Stir in vanilla, and let cool, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

4) Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a large bowl, and fold in peanut butter until ice cream is swirled. Use immediately, or freeze for up to 1 week.

Strawberry Ice-cream

I made ice-cream again over the week-end. It's strawberry ice-cream this time as I managed to purchase 500g of ripen fruit. Every Friday evening at a building near my office (and where I would park my car as well), a local fruit supplier would set up a few tables at the foyer and sell their fresh and dried fruits. And usually it's slightly cheaper than at the local supermarkets.


I suggest you use ripen strawberries for this ice-cream, so as to get the best possible strawberry flavour. This is a light, creamy and non-custard based ice-cream. It is utterly delicious! This recipe makes slightly more than a litre tub.

Also don't despair if you don't have an ice-cream maker, you can still make this by hand. It just takes a little bit longer.

Strawberry Ice-cream

Ingredients:

450g strawberries, hulled
Juice of half a lemon, or to taste
150g sieved icing sugar
300ml double or thickened cream

Variations (which you could add):

1-2 Tbsp freshly chopped mint or
1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1) Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor, then turn them into a bowl and season with the lemon juice and sugar to taste. Add the mint or black pepper, if used.

2) Stir in the cream.

3) Transfer mixture to your ice-cream machine and freeze-churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

4) If you are making this by hand, skip (3). Instead put the mixture into the freezer for about 2 to 3 hours until ice forms at the edges of the mixture. Remove and give the mixture a few whisk. Then place it back into the freezer and repeat this process for another two more times. Finally freeze the mixture overnight before consuming.

Chocolate Orange Ice-Cream

I recently purchased a Kenwood ice-cream maker through a local auction site. It was certainly at a bargain, close to 35% discount from retail price. The appliance was new as the seller got it as a present and she had no intention of making ice-cream at all. So I guess her loss was my gain!

Thus the next day, I browsed for ice-cream recipes to test out my new acquisition and came across a chocolate orange ice-cream. Both these combinations have always worked out well in cakes and cookies. So why not with ice-cream. This ice-cream turned out very rich, so if you are a chocolate lover you may want to give this recipe a try.



Chocolate Orange Ice-Cream

Ingredients:

150g dark chocolate (I used Valhora chocolate 70% cocoa)
6 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
200ml whole milk
300ml double or thickened cream
Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Method:

1) Finely chop the chocolate and set to one side.

2) In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and mousse-like.

3) Gently heat the milk and cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Then pour in a steady stream over the sugar and yolks, whisking as you do so.

4) Return the mixture to the pan and cook, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens. You can check the consistency by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture then running your finger over the back of the spoon. If your finger leaves a clean trail then the mixture is ready.

5) Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until fully melted. Leave until cool.

6) Stir in the orange zest and then use the mixture to make the ice-cream according to the instructions of your ice-cream maker.

Chocolate Chip Peppermint Ice-Cream

I was in the mood of making ice-cream again and this time it has to have chocolate in it. I've made ice-cream on two separate occassions without an ice-cream maker. This time round is no different - takes a little bit more time but the end result is still good.

Recently I had purchased a variety of extract flavours ... the more expensive stuff, not the cheaper artificial flavours that cost under $3 which is readily available from the neighbourhood supermarket. I bought these from a cookery school and the flavours were orange, lemon, rose water and peppermint extract. Now I wonder what goes well with chocolate? Hmm why not a chocolate chip peppermint ice-cream.

I do love mint and for sure the peppermint would add a refreshing taste to the ice-cream. As I was using valhora 70% cocoa, the chocolate peppermint ice-cream turned out just right - not too sweet and not too rich! This can keep for about 2 weeks in your freezer.



Chocolate Chip Peppermint Ice Cream
(Makes 1 quart)

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream (divided, 1 cup and 1 cup)
2/3 cup sugar (I had reduced the sugar slightly)
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped in small pieces and kept in the freezer until used (I used Valhora chocolate)
2 tsp peppermint extract (I added an additional tsp for extra minty taste)

Method:

1) In a saucepan, add 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar and salt. Heat until just steaming (do not let boil). Remove from heat and leave aside.

2) In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3) Return the saucepan to the heated stove, stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir. The mixture will then thicken. Using the back of a wooden spoon, run your finger across the coating. If it does not run, it means the mixture is ready. This can take about 10 minutes.

4) Once the custard is ready, remove from the heat immediately and pour through a sieve over an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

5) Stir in the remaining cold cream into the mixture and pour into a container. Chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

6) Once chilled, move the container into the freezer for about 2 hours until the sides form a layer of crystals. (If you are using an ice-cream maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions)

7) Remove ice-cream from the freezer and gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate and peppermint extract. Stir well and replace back into the freezer. After about 2 to 3 hours, remove the container from the freezer and using a spoon vigorously stir the mixture until it resembles slush. Repeat this process for another 2 more times. Freeze overnight. To serve, remove container from freezer and let the ice-cream soften slightly.

Blueberry, Coconut and Lime Ice-Cream

I came across this interesting recipe from a dessert cookbook which I had borrowed from the library. And as blueberries are now being sold so much cheaper, I thought I'd try it out over a week-day night. Furthermore as I don't have an ice-cream maker, this recipe falls right up my alley.


Interestingly the prices of blueberries seem to have gone cheaper as well. Just the other day, I spotted organic blueberries being sold at $3.50 per 125g. This is the cheapest I've seen todate.

I've actually reduced the sugar in this recipe (from 140g to 120g) as I found it a bit too sweet. In addition, I also added an additional lime as I do like the tartness of lime in desserts.

Blueberry, Coconut and Lime Ice-Cream
(serves 4 - 6)

Ingredients:

3 limes
120g caster sugar
125g punnet blueberries
200ml carton coconut cream
285ml carton double cream
extra blueberries and lime wedges for serving

Method:

1) Finely grate the zest from 2 limes. Squeeze the juice from all 3 limes. Put in a small pan with the sugar. Heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the blueberries and simmer for 2 minutes, until the skins start to split.

2) Pour the blueberry mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the coconut cream and mix. Cool in the refrigerator. Whip the double cream until it just holds its shape. Remove berry mixture from refrigerator. Gradually stire in the cream into the berry mixture. Put the bowl in the freezer for about 1 hour, until the mixture is set about 3 cm or 1/4" from the edges.

3) Remove from the freezer and whisk it all together (you can also use a fork to whisk). When it's fairly smooth, return to the freezer for 1 hour. Repeat the whisking process at least two more times. Transfer the ice cream to a rigid container, cover and freeze until firm.

4) Before serving, move the container to the fridge to soften slightly. Serve with extra blueberries and lime wedges.

Matcha Ice-Cream

Over the last 2 weeks the weather here in Singapore has been extremely hot and humid. Even in the evenings, the temperature does not seem to drop much. My air-conditioner is on almost all nights now just to get some relief from the heat.

We've been guzzling ice lemon tea and anything cool from the fridge. Ice-cream is also on the menu and we just finish off the last of the Hagen daz ice-cream that was sitting in the fridge. Actually ice-cream is really not that difficult to make - maybe this could be another venture for me.

Unfortunately I don't have an ice-cream maker but this should not be a deterrent. There surely must be recipes out there that needn't call for me running out to the nearest electrical shop to get one.

The idea of making matcha or green tea ice-cream came to mind whilst I was shopping at a Japanese $2 shop called Daisho. Every item in the shop cost $2 ... and I mean everything! I added a can of adzuki beans into my grocery basket. This will do well with my next project.

The recipe was simple .... just required a little bit more effort i.e. taking the ice-cream out of the fridge every hour and half to give it a stir. We had a first taste of the ice-cream this afternoon - my husband said it was good but a little bit sweet. Next time round I will definitely reduce the sugar.

Ingredients:

(recipe from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking)

- enough for 4 scoops of ice-cream

2 tablespoons green tea powder (matcha)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

Method:

1. In a small bow, mix the green tea powder with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and remaining sugar.

3. Pour the milk into a small pan and gently heat taking care not to let it boil (ideally the temperature of the milk should be 176 degrees F).

4. Remove the from the heat and mix a few spoonfuls of the warm milk with the green tea powder and sugar in a small bowl. When you have a smooth paste, add it to the remaining milk in the pan, then gradually combine with the egg yolk mixture.

5. Return mixture to the stove and heat slowly over low heat (take care not let the mixture boil), until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine sieve, and allow to cool completely.

6. Lightly whip the cream and then add it to the cold green tea-milk mixture.

7. Transfer the mixture to a large container and [chill in the fridge for about 2 hours] and then transfer to the freezer. As ice crystals start to form, remove, and mix well with a spoon (use a spoon and stir very vigorously) to break them up and return the mixture to the freezer.

8. Repeat this a few times as it freezes to ensure that the ice cream is smooth.