Crepe Cake with Blueberry Cream [An Unplanned Dessert]

 

 Lighting is so bad for my recent photographs, my kitchen is not bright enough as it is always under the "shade" of tall building next door. With little ones around, my model will be gone in no time so I am quite lazy to photograph my cooking lately. Need to kick away the lazy bugs from now on and hopefully I can produce some decent photographs with natural lighting. 

Well, this is my first ever crepe cake and made unplanned. I was trying to make something different for breakfast to attract my boy to eat his breakfast before going to kindly. This 4 year-old boy is the type of person that would not have any appetite within 2 hours from he got up the bed. Instead of bread and cereal I made savory crepe with the filling he likes.Sadly, I failed. He had it as afternoon tea, it was tasty he said.

  

After sending him to kindy, there were still plenty of batter so I added extra sugar, milk and vanilla oil. As this recipe was not planned amount of all ingredients used were estimated, and crepe recipe below is included 5 thick savory crepes.

Ingredients:
Crepe
1 cup cake flour (roughly)
1 no. egg
Milk
1 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Few drops vanilla oil

Icing/Blueberry Cream
200 ml fresh cream (non-sweet type)
150 ml blueberry jam 


Method:

1. Combine together all ingredients for crepe in a large mixing bowl, mix till well combined. Set aside for about 30 minutes. This batter is quite runny and can be spread easily.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the cream.  Whisk fresh cream over a bowl of iced water until stiff peaks, add in blueberry jam in 2-3 additions and continue to whisk with low speed till well combined. Store in the refrigerator.
3. Crepe: Preheat a non-stick pan, grease with cooking oil. Spread some batter onto the pan and cook with low heat till browned lightly. Transfer to a plate and continue this step for the rest of batter. The amount of batter is depend on size of the cake you are making.
4. Assemble: Apply some cream on a crepe evenly and put another crepe onto it. Repeat this step for all crepes. 
5. Chill before serving.

Cook's notes:

1. For cream, use the jam made with more gelatin. I am very happy with the cream in term of texture and taste. It was also very easy to prepare.
2. It is up to you is you want to cover the whole cake with cream, the amount of cream is enough to cover a 6" cake after layering.
3. I added some jelly bites at the side, it is optional.

Read More...

Takoyaki [蛸焼き]

Takoyaki (蛸焼き/たこ焼き) literally means fried/baked octopus (Tako - octopus, yaki - fried/baked), it is one of the popular Japanese snacks originated in Osaka. Just imagine the pipping hot takoyaki generously drizzled with mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce, then topped with heaps of katsuobushi... hmm heaven! I used to buy it from a small outlet at Bugis Junction almost 10 years ago, 3 balls for S$2. It always came with 'dancing octopus' on the top! 

As I was cleaning the kitchen after we moved here, I found an electric takoyaki maker. Delighted. I used to have a gas-stove type takoyaki maker/mould but had to give it up to reduce our luggage to the minimum. If you are curious, concern or what ever it is, I am now using the kitchen that my hb's grandmother used to cook in and bringing life back to all her pots and pans.

Ingredients (24 pcs): 
Batter: 
80 g cake flour (low protein)
30 ml milk
300 ml water
1 no. egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp hon-dashi
pinch of salt

Filling/Topping:
200 g boiled octopus, cut into bite size
100 g cabbage, chopped (or 50 g cabbage + 50 g green shallot)
Sakura ebi, toasted (optional)
Pickled red ginger strips
Nori flakes  (ao nori)
Dried bonito (katsuo bushi)
Mayonnaise
Takoyaki sauce (I used okonomiyaki sauc)

Other:
Takoyaki maker/mould set (pan, pick and brush)
Cooking oil for greasing

Method: 

1. Combine all ingredients for batter in a mixing bowl, mix till well combined. Add in toasted sakura ebi if using, stir to mix.
2. Preheat takoyaki maker/mould on high, grease each hole and whole surface with cooking oil generously.
3. Turn the heat to medium-low, fill each hole with batter to 90% full. Then add in a piece of octopus, some red ginger and heaps of cabbage in each hole. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in more batter covering whole surface. Cook for few minutes till it is cooked at the bottom.  Flip with a pick to make balls, cook till browned.
4. Transfer to serving plate, drizzle sauce and mayonnaise on top and sprinkle with bonito flakes and nori flakes.

 

Ready to go!

  

Ready to serve!

Read More...

筍の木の芽の和え [Bamboo Shoot with Prickly Ash]

 

筍の木の芽の和え(read as takenoko no kinome no ae), simmered bamboo shoot coated with miso-prickly ash (木の芽) dressing. It is spring, there is abundant fresh bamboo shoots and　I noticed that it appears in many restaurants' spring menu. My first encounter with this dish was at a private function, one of the dishes in a beautifully presented traditional lunch-box meal.  It was a set lunch packed in a huge black rectangle box.

Ingredients:
150 g boiled bamboo shoot, cut into 1 cm cubes or smaller
A:
1/2 cup dashi stock
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp mirin

B:
8 stalks prickly ash leaf (incl. 2 for garnish)
40 g white miso
1/2 tbsp sake

2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp stock from simmering the bamboo shoot

Method:

1. Combine ingredients A in a small pot, add in bamboo shoot and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 5 minutes and turn the heat off. Set aside allowing to cool down.
2. Combine miso, sake, sugar and stock in a small sauce-pan, heat up and stir till well blended. Remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Grind 6 stalks prickly ash leaf till pretty fine (I used suribachi), mix in miso paste and stir well. 
4. Drain bamboo shoot, add in dressing and stir to coat. Chill before serving.
5. For serving, transfer into serving bowls, garnish and serve as an appetiser.

This is a small Prickly Ash/木の芽/山椒 plant I bought weeks ago, so far it is growing very well and fast too. After a search online, I decided to have it as a pot plant instead of my initial plan of grow it at a corner in the yard, to prevent it from growing into a giant tree. Prickly ash (leaf) is often use in Japanese cooking, for its beautiful green and aroma/scent. To me, it smells like lime leaf.

Read More...