Lemon Elderflower Sorbet

When the weather gets too hot to bear, I instinctively reach out for a tub of ice cream... which isn't a very good choice for my increasing waistline. While home made ice cream might be a healthier choice minus the added chemicals from commercial ice cream, generally they still contain a substantial amount of fat. Good as an occasional treat but not an everyday affair.

Sorbet, on the other hand, contains no dairy products and is lactose-intolerant friendly. While sorbet and sherbet (sometimes spelled as sherbert) is similar, the two are not to be confused. Many sherbet recipes include dairy products like milk or cream and can contain up to 3% of milk fats, anything above 3% is usually labelled as ice cream. There are, however, a handful of sherbet recipes that call for egg whites in place of milk fat to provide its characteristic icy creaminess. 

Technically speaking, sorbet is ice, frozen from fruity syrup, which explains the term Italian Ice or more commonly known as Granita. There have been debates about the coarseness of the ice which sets the two apart, but as far as I'm concerned, they are similar enough to be referred as the same.

Requiring only a few ingredients, sorbet is a breeze to prepare at home and you can easily come up with your own flavour! Here, I've added some elderflower to provide an additional boost to the floral note of lemons. 

Lemon Elderflower Sorbet

 250g     Water

 250g     Sugar

Juice and Zest of 6 Lemons

 1 tsp     Elderflower

Optional

 100g     Limoncello or other preferred liqueur

Alcohol provides a lower freezing point which gives the ice a softer texture.

1. Bring water to a boil and dissolve sugar. Continue boiling until mixture is slightly thickened, then heat off. Stir in the elderflower then set aside to cool completely. Strain the syrup when cooled.

2. Strain the lemon juice to remove any pulps and add in the lemon zest. Chill mixture in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

3. Add the elderflower syrup to the lemon juice, a little at a time and adjust to desired taste keeping in mind that freezing will tone down the flavour and sweetness. You may not need all of the syrup. Add Limoncello or other liqueur if using, or dilute with some cold water to remain kids-friendly.

4. Pour mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Or like me, if you have yet invested in one, pour into a wide surface area metal or plastic container, and place it in the freezer. 

5. Check every 30-45 minutes (depending on how cold your freezer is) and scrap the frozen edges with a fork, whisk or electric beater. If mixture is too hard, you may blend in a food processor and return it to the freezer. Repeat cycle for at least 3 more times until it becomes an icy slush then freeze for an hour.

6. Bring sorbet to fridge 10 minutes before serving, makes it easier to scoop. Simply serve as it is or drizzle with leftover elderflower syrup. Me? I douse with more limoncello. *hick*

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Basic Shortcrust Pastry

Knowing the basics when learning something is very important. And when it comes to baking, having a good basic recipe is equally important to having the right skills. As I've mentioned several times on the blog, when I find a good recipe, I become reluctant to try new ones.

This is the first shortcrust pastry recipe I've tried and I've have been stuck with it since. It tastes great, it's easy to put together and it comes from Mr. Gordon Ramsay. But of course. Hahaha..

Basic Shortcrust Pastry (about 450g, enough for 10" tart)

 225g     Plain Flour
 150g     Butter, unsalted, diced, COLD
 1 tsp     Sea salt, fine
    1        Egg, COLD, beaten
 some ICE-COLD water

1. Place flour, salt and butter in food processor, and whiz for about 10 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer mixture into a mixing bowl.

2. Add in the beaten egg and stir the mixture until the dough just comes together. If it seems too dry, add another 1-2 tbsp of water.

3. Lightly knead the dough into a smooth ball, wrap in cling wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 200°C

4. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick and using a parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. You have to roll it bigger than the tart pan or pie dish it is going to line.

5. Roll the rolled pastry onto the rolling pin, lift it over the pan and unroll it into the pan. There are many ways to go around doing this, so just use the one that's most handy to you. Don't worry if some parts of the dough tears up, just patch it up with the excess. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

6. Line the pastry with foil/parchment paper, fill with baking beans which is also called pie weights, rice or just beans. Then bake blind for 15-20 minutes till the sides are lightly golden. If not using pie weights, you may also choose to prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with a fork instead. In which case, bake till the pastry turns a slight golden.

7. Remove the foil/parchment paper and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the base is golden with no uncooked patches left. Remove from oven and cool slightly or completely according to what your recipe says.

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

Chocolate Eggs Nest (Easter Day)

Easter is a big deal over here in Perth, it's a little like our Chinese New Year and kids get a 2 weeks holiday break *shrills in excitement*! Speaking of Easter, Chocolates are closely linked to the occasion, much like they are to Valentine's Day and the supermarkets here are stocked with rows and rows of Easter themed chocolates.

This cute Easter Day idea does not only incorporate chocolate but also make these kids-friendly treats slightly healthier for them (and the big kids too). Not to mention how daunting preparing for festive celebrations can be, this recipe is so easy to put together, you'll probably have them ready in less than an hour. 

Chocolate Eggs Nest (Easter Day) - makes about 10-12 nests

Banana Oatmeal cookie dough

Colored Chocolate Eggs

small handful of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 175ºC

1. Prepare the cookie dough as per recipe. Place approximately 25-30g of dough in each muffin hole, and push the sides upwards to mimic a nest.  

2. Put a few chocolate chips into each "nest" and bake for 15-20 mins. Have the chocolate eggs nearby when the "nests" are done.

3. The chocolate chips will be melted when they come outta the oven. Quickly place a few chocolate eggs in the nest, the melted chocolate chips will solidify when it's cooled and help adhere the eggs to the nest.

4. Let cool completely and serve.

The nests itself are not too sweet, so really you can put anything else you like in them. Maybe one of Peep's Marshmallow Bunnies or Chicks? Regardless what you put in it, I'd like to think the healthy nest will help make Easter a little less fattening. Enjoy the holidays! 

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Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies (2 ingredients recipe)

When I first saw the recipe over at this site, the notion of a healthy cookie that's this simple to put together is too hard to resist. It's basically just Bananas and Oatmeal!

No additional sugar is needed if your local bananas are of a sweet species (some are really starchy and tastes just blah). The natural fructose in bananas will be the sweetener. However unfortunate, if sugar has to be added, I would suggest adding some honey instead. That said, the "dough's" consistency affects how chewy the cookie will be. Since bananas vary in sizes, the amount of oatmeal added should be adjusted accordingly. If the dough seems too soft, just mix in a little more oatmeal.

And because the recipe is so simple, you can add in your favorite ingredients and easily tweak it into what your family likes. Add in some cocoa powder, a dash of cinnamon, splash of vanilla extract, toss in some chocolate chips (yums!) /chopped nuts/dried fruits, or even a spoonful of nutella or peanut butter. Just don't go too crazy with the additions, however tempting it may be, else it'll defeat the purpose of being "healthy"!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies (makes about 12 cookies depending on size)

  

  2 very ripe Bananas

  90g     Oatmeal

If the bananas aren't ripe enough, and you don't have time for it to ripen naturally. You may pop them into the oven at 150ºC for about 30-45 mins. The skin will becomes freakishly black but the flesh will be ripe and creamy. Cool completely before use.

Preheat oven to 175ºC

1. Mash the bananas. Mix in the oatmeals till combined, adding more or less as needed. Mix in optional ingredients if using.

2. Drop spoonful of dough onto a lined baking sheet, press down slightly if you prefer a flat cookie. Bake for 15-20 mins. 

And you'll be greeted with freshly baked chewy cookies. It's that simple! Now enjoy these healthy treats!

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

Basic Sambal Belacan

It has been over a month since the last post, and we've just settled (quite comfortably) into our new place. As preempted, we only got to move into it some time in end March, and the mad rush to purchase all the household necessities is not something I would want to relive anytime soon. Thank goodness for Ed's friend, whose assistance helped us tremendously, making the transition a whole lot smoother and faster.

Now that "the dust has settled" (or cleared, rather), it's time to ease the itch to cook/bake. Well, also because eating out is simply too expensive to be a daily affair, and I don't want to have to increase 2 dress sizes in 2 months. Hahaha!

The first thing I need to do is to make a batch of Sambal Belacan (also spelled as Belachan). In my opinion (and many others, I believe), it is one of the quintessential condiment of Southeast Asia cuisine, an absolute must-have in the kitchen. Recipes differ in each household as versions differ across the continents; each is tweaked accordingly to one's preference. I would like to think that mine is a basic recipe with no "secret ingredients" and can be easily modified to suit your family's palate. However, do know that each batch will tastes slightly different from another since the spiciness of chilies varies, so does the saltiness of different brands of belacan, and what have you not. 

 Sambal Belacan (just enough to last 2 weeks)

 300g     Chili, deseeded
   50g     Chili Padi (leave seeds in for spiciness)
   50g     Shallots or Onions, roughly diced
   10g     Garlic
     5g     Ginger
   60g     Belacan, toasted

Optional
   20g    Dried Shrimps, reconstituted

1. If using, soak dried shrimps in water for approximately 30 minutes prior to use.

2. In a dry wok, over medium heat, fry belacan (with no oil) until most of the moisture has evaporated. The remnant is somewhat powdery and sand-like. Leave it to cool to room temperature. Remember to open all doors and windows to air the house adequately, else it's going to smell like rotten fish for days!

3. When the dry toasted belacan has cooled completely, pulverize everything in a food processor. Stop when desired consistency is achieved. I like mine a little chunky, while some prefer a smoother sambal.

4. Add salt and sugar to taste or none at all, mix well and done.

This recipe originally consists of calamansi lime (aka kalamansi) when it was passed down to me, but I prefer having it freshly squeezed and mixed into the sambal before eating, makes it extra shiok and appetizing! But of course, you can choose to blend it directly into the mixture the usual way too.

Knowing that Sambal Belacan makes an awesome universal dip, and makes any stir fry tastes great, be sure to whip up a huge batch every time you decides to stink up the house.

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.