Chocolate & Salted Caramel Easter Egg

This idea came from my sons who wanted to make their own chocolate Easter eggs. They have chosen salted caramel for the filling which is one of my weakness besides chocolate! I love these two combination! Well, some might say that it's too sweet! This recipe was adapted from the recipe book ' Les Chocolats et petits bouchées de Christophe' by the French chef Christophe Felder.  Since I do not have an egg mold, (can't seem to find it anywhere) I've used egg shells. This recipe is quite easy but the toughest part was removing the egg shells from the chocolate!! It was tricky & a bit messy !! I supposed I've spent more time on peeling the egg shells than making the whole recipe!! LOL  Well, the end result was okay & tasted heavenly but the color of the chocolate is uneven. May be by using an egg shell mold will look better. For those of you who have an egg shell mold , these will be a great recipe to do with children. For they have the chance to see how these delicious Easter chocolate were made & most importantly have a fun time together as we did. Even though my kitchen was in a TOTAL mess!! LOL

Persuasion by Jane Austen (1818)

Chapter 1

Mary had acquired a little artificial importance, by becoming Mrs Charles Musgrove; but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people
of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister; her word had no weight, her convenience was always to give way--she was only Anne. To Lady Russell, indeed, she was a most dear and highly valued god-daughter, favourite, and friend.  Lady Russell loved them all; but it was only in Anne that she could fancy the mother to revive again. A few years before, Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early; and as even in its height, her father had found little to admire in her, (so totally different were her delicate features and mild dark eyes from his own), there could be nothing in them, now that she was faded and thin, to excite his esteem. He had never indulged much hope, he had now none, of ever reading her name in any other page of his favourite work. All equality of alliance must rest with Elizabeth, for Mary had merely connected herself with an old country family of respectability and large fortune, and had therefore given all the honour and received none: Elizabeth would, one day or other, marry suitably.

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Easter Egg

Recipe adapted from Chiristophe Felder

Ingredients :

6 egg shells or egg shell mold

180g dark chocolate + 20g for shaved chocolate deco

For salted caramel:

100g sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp single cream/ liquid cream

80g butter

2 pinch of sea salt 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 200° C. Wash carefully the egg shells especially the inner part & let it to dry.  Place the egg shells in oven  for 25 minutes before using the shells. Leave to cool. This process is to avoid gem contamination.  Melt chocolate on double boiler/ bain - marie till smooth.

2) Using a brush , brush in the chocolate in inner part of egg shell. Let it to set. You have to repeat this for at least 4 times. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3) To make salted caramel: Place sugar in saucepan  over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add in honey & let it to boil. When it turns a medium amber color. If sugar crystals gather along the sides of the pan during the cooking process, you can use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush the sugar down the sides of the pan so that it becomes incorporated into the boiling mixture.

4) Remove the pan from heat and pour in the cream. It will bubble up!!. Whisk the caramel, then incorporate butter and sea salt. Whisk again until everything is smooth. It should be the color of caramel. Leave to cool.

5) Remove egg shells from chocolate & spoon in salted caramel. Place in refrigerator. Just before  serve topped with shaved chocolate. * I did the wrong way by adding the caramel before peeling off the egg shells!

 

 Bon Appetit

Orange Cointreau Soufflé

This recipe is from a recipe book given to me by my hubby's late grandmother. Most of the recipes in this cookbook 'Les Dessert from Larousse' are French classic delights but one that caught my eye was this stunning orange soufflé. I don't make soufflé that often, to be honest. We prefer warm savoury soufflé or chilled soufflé actually. But I take this as a challenge as I've never bake soufflé in an orange before. I was really excited about the whole thing , well, it turned O.kay & not as perfect as I expected! My hubby said it looks great, he's just being sweet, I guess. Anyway it's worth the try & tasted good. It just needs more sweetening, because it does taste a bit bitter actually.

Jane's corner

To hear them talking so much of Captain Wentworth, repeating his name so often, puzzling over past years, and at last ascertaining that it might, that it probably would, turn out to be the very same Captain Wentworth whom they recollected meeting, once or twice, after their coming back
from Clifton--a very fine young man--but they could not say whether it was seven or eight years ago, was a new sort of trial to Anne's nerves. She found, however, that it was one to which she must inure herself. Since he actually was expected in the country, she must teach herself
to be insensible on such points.  And not only did it appear that he was expected, and speedily, but the Musgroves, in their warm gratitude for the kindness he had shewn poor Dick, and very high respect
for his character, stamped as it was by poor Dick's having been six months under his care, and mentioning him in strong, though not perfectly well-spelt praise, as "a fine dashing felow,
only two perticular about the schoolmaster," were bent on introducing themselves, and seeking his acquaintance, as soon as they could hear of his arrival.

Persuasion - Jane Austen (1818)

Orange Soufflé

Adapted from Les Dessert by Larousse

Ingredients serve 6

6 big oranges + juice

3 eggs ( separated white & yolks)

8 tbsp of powdered sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp Cointreau or any orange liqueur

Directions:

1) Cut the top part of each orange & squeeze the juice and reserve.

2) Empty the orange shells with a grapefruit spoon or a spoon & sprinkle some sugar inside the skins. 

3) Preheat the oven to 240°C. Beat egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Pour in the orange juice & mix till all combined.

4) Place orange mixture in a saucepan and heat over medium heat while stirring constantly til it thickens. Remove from the heat and add in orange liqueur. Leave to cool.

5) Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt & gradually add in sugar and keep beating till soft peaks.

6) Fold in egg whites into the orange mixture till well combined. Spoon in orange mixture in the orange skins. Bake for 20 minutes till puffy serve immediately.

This is the last orange that came out from the oven. Over tanned ! LOL

Bon Apetit

Mango Cheesecake

Few weeks ago I was awarded the Liebster blog award by Caroline  from Caroline Makes. This was quite an honor for me because I am still relatively new to the blogging world & being nominated just not long ago with Versatile Award too. A huge thanks to Caroline for this awesome award which I really do appreciate. Little did I know that “Liebster” in German word meaning dearest, beloved or favorite. I'm truly touched by this ,so a million thanks to dear Caroline. Do check out her blog full with her baking or cooking experiences & not forgetting her crafts too. This month Caroline is also hosting this month's AlphaBakes Challenge with the random letter ' M' . I'm entering this  Mango cheesecake recipe to the challenge & join in the fun .

After attempted my first cheesecake, I was eager to make another one! But this time I wanted to make something more exotic that evoked my childhood in South East Asian where you can find all kinds of fabulous fruits. Actually it's really hard for me to chose one but I think mango will surely fit the bill perfectly! For this recipe I was inspired from Christophe Michalak recipe & instead of using mascarpone cream cheese, I used double cream. But I find that the texture of the cream filling is not smooth enough . I will certainly try out mascarpone cream cheese for my next cheesecake. Nevertheless, these mango cheesecake tasted delicious with the heavenly mango coulis. With it's exotic flavor &  bright yellow color reminded me of a certain sunny vacation on a tropical island .... Tahiti!

Jane's corner

He was nowhere to be met with; every search for him was equally unsuccessful in morning lounges or evening assemblies; neither at  the Upper nor Lower Rooms, at dressed or undressed balls,  was he perceivable; nor among the walkers, the horsemen, or the curricle-drivers of the morning. His name was not  in the pump-room book, and curiosity could do no more.  He must be gone from Bath.  Yet he had not mentioned that  his stay would be so short! This sort of mysteriousness,  which is always so becoming in a hero, threw a fresh grace in Catherine's imagination around his person and manners, and increased her anxiety to know more of him.

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen ( 1818)

 Mango Cheesecake

 Recipe inspired from Christophe Michalak

Ingredients serve 4:

For base crust:
180g graham biscuits or butter sablée
60g melted butter

For mango cream filling:
280g Philadelphia cream cheese
80g sugar
30g double cream/ thick cream
80g fresh mango puree
1 egg + 1 yolk

For mango coulis:
2 ripe mango
Few drops of lemon juice

Directions:

For crust:


1) Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper on baking tray. 


2) Crush Graham crackers till crumbs. Blend melted butter & biscuit crumbs till combined. Pour filling equally in each prepared crust ring or mini cheesecake pan, filling about 2/3 full. Tap pan gently to level each filling. Bake for 10 minutes & let to cool.

For Mango cream filling:

1) Beat cream cheese, double cream &  sugar till combined. Incorporate  mango puree & eggs with mixer until smooth. 

2) Pour cream cheese mixture on top of prepared crust. Bake for 25 minutes at 140°C. Turn oven off. Remove cheesecake and cool for at least 1 hour.Place in refrigerator for 2 hours.

For mango coulis

1) Peel & cut mango in pieces.  Place them with few drops of lemon juice in a food processor or blender and process to a smooth purée.

2) Cut the 2nd mango into small cubes. Just before serve, remove cheesecake from ring or pan ,topped with mango coulis & mango pieces.

Also linking this to Say Cheese event hosted by Resh from Daily Cuppa

Bon Appetit