Sour Cream & Nut Slice

Source: Zan's Treats

Ingredients:
180g Brown sugar
90g AP flour
50g Ground Almonds
30g Cocoa powder
3 Eggs
100g Sour cream / Yogurt (if use yogurt, add 1 tbsp lemon juice)
100g Couverture Chocolate
150g Butter (if using unsalted, add 1/4 tsp salt)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.  Line an aluminum foil of 9x9" square pan (leave some allowance to pull the baked sliced off the pan)
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter & chocolate together.  Set aside to let it cools.
3. In an electric stand, pour the chocolate mix & sugar together on medium speed.
4. Then add eggs one at a time.  Beat together & add sour cream.
5. Beat the mixture on med/high speed for about 3 mins.
6. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, ground nuts & salt into the chocolate batter.  Beat at low speed.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared aluminum foil of  9x9" square pan & bake for about 30 mins. 

Icing:
200g Couverture Chocolate
50g Sour Cream
80g Chopped Almond ~ roasted

Direction

1. Melt chocolate with cream at low heat.
2. Spread over the baked slice & sprinkle almonds over it.

Rainbow Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Source: Zan's Treats

Ingredients:
375g butter
350g fine sugar
3/4 cup fresh milk
375g Self-raising flour
3 tsp vanilla essence
1-1/2 tsp Ovalatte
7 eggs
Food Colour (Violet / Royal Blue / Kelly Green / Lemon Yellow / Orange / X'mas Red)

(Note: If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg.  Line paper parchment on 9"/10" round pan (6 round pans for 6 different colors)
2. In an electric stand, beat the butter till soft/light.  Stream in the sugar on low speed, then beat on medium speed till light & fluffy.
3. Then add the eggs (one at a time) to incorporate & add in the vanilla essence.
4. Add the Ovalatte & beat the batter together.
5. Lastly, add flour alternately with milk.
6. Divide the batter into 6 bowls & add the food coloring.
7. Pour each colored batter into the round pan & bake for 15-20 mins.
8. Remove from the oven & let it set once the cake pulls from the pan, immediately remove & cool on the wire rack.

Lemon Buttercream:

400g butter

350g icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice (or more)

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

1-2 tbsp milk

Directions:

Cream the butter for about 7 mins.  Then add the icing sugar, lemon juice & lemon zest.  Beat for another 6 or 7 mins.

Mee Suah Soup

Ingredients:
150g Mee Suah
3 cloves garlic ~ chopped
1 large onion ~ julienne
2 Knors (ikan bilis)
2 tbsp cooking oil
5-6 cups water
2 eggs
Salt to taste

Optional
1 carrot ~ sliced.
fish balls / fish cakes
Hotdogs ~ sliced

Directions:

1. In a wok, heat oil & saute the onion, garlic & fish knor cubes till the onion translucent / soft.
2. Add in the carrot & stir for a min.  Then add water & salt (if needed), let it boils till the carrots are tender.
3. Add in the fish balls/cakes, hotdogs & let it cooks for 2 or 3 mins.
4. Add in the noodle & stir all the ingredients together.  Then add in the eggs & let it cook another 2 mins.  Remove from heat & serve immediately.

Royal Icing

Source: Sugarly Nice

Ingredients:
4 cups Icing sugar
3 tbsp Meringue powder
7 tbsp Water (+/-)

Directions:
In an electric stand, use a bubble attachment & beat all the above ingredients on high speed for 7 mins.

Homemade Buttermilk

Ingredients:
4-1/2 tsp white vinegar / fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk

Directions:
Place the vinegar in a glass-measuring cup & add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid.   Stir to combine & let stand for 10-15 mins (The mixture will begin to curdle)

Note: Use as needed in a recipe, or cover & refrigerate until needed.

Baked Fish Parcels with Carrots & Oranges

Ingredients:
1 large carrots ~ cut thinly matchstick strips
2" fresh ginger ~ cut thinly matchstick strips
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp grated orange zest
Juice of 1 large orange
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 white fish fillets
2-3 spring onions ~ chopped
1 fresh green chili ~ deseeded & cut diagonally fine
2-3 slices fresh orange

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C.  Cut out baking paper or kitchen foil & set aside.
2. Place the carrots in a medium-sized pan with butter, the orange zest & juice & coriander seeds.   Add some water to come to just below the surface of the carrots, then cook, uncovered over a high heat until the carrots are almost tender & the liquid has evaporated.   Season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper & divide the cooked carrots between the baking paper or foil.
3. Place a piece of fish on each pile of carrots, then scatter the spring onions, ginger shreds, fresh coriander & finely shredded green chili over the fish.
4. Cut each orange slice in half & place 2-3 orange halves on each piece of fish.   Season with salt & pepper & add butter to each parcel.   Fold over the baking paper or foil & twist & fold the edges to create a really tight seal.   Place the foil or baking paper bags on a baking tray & cook on the centre shelf of the preheated over for 20-25 mins.
5. Open the bags & serve.

KL Hokkien Mee

Ingredients:
200g pork belly ~ sliced 1cm
Shrimp (abt 3-4 per person)
Fish balls (abt 2-3 per person)
4 cloves garlic ~ chopped
1 small baby Chinese cabbage
250g Hokkien noodles
1 tbsp cornflour (mix with 2 tbsp of cold water)

Marinade:
2 cloves garlic ~ crushed
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornflour

Seasoning:
2 tbsp fat oil
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper

Directions:

1. Marinade the pork belly for about 30 mins.
2. Preheat a wok over a high flame & add 2 tbsp of fat oil & heat until smoking.   Add the marinated pork belly & fry briskly (be careful of hot spitting oil).
3. When just browned, add the shrimp, fishballs & garlic & fry for half a min.   Toss in the chinese cabage & fry for a further 30 second or so.
4. Add in the noodles & give it a quick toss.
5. Add the dark & light soy sauce & mix to coat the noodles.   Add more dark soy sauce if the colour isn't dark enough.
6. Add the stock, sugar, white pepper & fry to combine.  Taste the sauce & adjust the saltiness & sweetness to your preference.
7. Add in the cornflour mixture & toss until the sauce has thickened & the noodles are coated in the gravy.
8. Serve the noodles onto plates & spoon over the gravy.

Blackforest Cake

Source: Zan's Treats

Ingredients:
(A) 50g Self-raising flour
      15g Cornflour
      1/4 tsp Baking powder
      5g Cocoa powder

Note: Sift all the above

(B) 35g Corn oil
      3 Egg Yolk (Original calls for 2-1/2 eggs)
      43g Water
      1/4 tsp Chocolate Paste / Flavour

Note: Hand whisk all the above

(C) 3 Egg White (Original calls for 2-1/2 eggs)
      1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
      60g Sugar

Note: Make Meringue

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C.  Line a parchment paper of 6" / 7" round pan
2. Mix ingredient (A) & (B) until smooth batter
3. Fold in (C) into the mixture of A+B batter.
4. Pour into a prepared round baking pan & bake for 25 mins.

Filling:

50g Dark pitted Cherries

14g sugar

6-8 Red Maraschino cherries with stalks

20g boiled syrup (cherries syrup)

1 tsp cornflour

200g whipped cream

Directions:

1. Boil the pitted cherries with sugar till the sugar is dissolved.  Set aside to cool completely
2. Boil the syrup together with cornflour.   Set aside.

Assembly:

1. Dab cooled syrup on the first layer.
2. Apply a layer of whipped cream
3. Arrange dark cherries
4. Place 2nd layer of cake & decorate with cherries.

Double Chocolate Peanut Cookies

Kathleen King's

Ingredients:
2-1/3 cups AP flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
375g unsalted butter ~ softened to room temp
1 cup fine sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanuts ~ chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.   Line baking paper with parchment & set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.
3. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter lightly.   Add sugar & beat to mix.  Scrape the side of the bowl.
4. Add the egg & vanilla & mix together.   Add the flour mixture & continue mixing until just combined.
5. Add the chocolates & peanuts & mix until combined.   Using 2 tbsp or a small ice-cream scoop, drop the dough 2" apart on sheet.   Press lightly.   Bake for 12-15 mins.
6. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets.   The cookies should be very soft when they are removed from the oven.   They will firm up as they cool.

Oreo Brownie with Buttercream & Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
1 packet Oreo Biscuits
Buttercream recipe

Brownie
150g unsalted butter
150g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
35g Nutella
90g AP flour
3 eggs
30g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheated the oven 170 deg C.  Line wax paper on a rectangular baking tray & set aside.
2. Sifted the dry ingredients & set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt butter & stir well.   Add Nutella & mix to combine.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs & sugar lightly till light.
5. Pour the beaten eggs into the butter/Nutella mixture & mix well.
6. Then add in the sifted dry ingredients & fold-in gently till all the dry ingredients incorporated.
7. Pour the batter in a prepared line baking tray & arrange oreo biscuits.
8. Baked the brownie for 20 mins.  Cool on the wire rack to let it cool completely.
9. Once the brownie cool, spread the buttercream on top & let it set for about 30 mins.
10. Pour the chocolate ganache & spread smoothly & set overnight before cutting into a slice.

Chocolate Ganache:

100g dark chocolate (good quality)

100g double cream

Directions:

Place the chocolate & cream together in a bowl & heat over a saucepan of simmering water.   Stir occasionally until thoroughly combined.