Bingka Durian

I saw Yatie's post for her Bingka Durian this morning. The bingka looks sooo delicious. The only way to taste it is of course, bake it! All the ingredients, including  the durian, are in hand. So, in just over an hour, the kuih was ready! The taste & texture are just amazing! No kidding!

Binka Durian

Recipe by Yatie @ Sinar Kehidupanku.

(makes a 10-cup mixture)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup thick coconut milk (I used freshly-squeezed coconut milk.)

2 1/4 cup water

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups durian flesh

yellow colouring

sesame seeds for topping

Method:

1. Preheat ove at 200 deg C. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan.
2. Combine all ingredients except durian & mix with a hand whisk until well blended.
3. Add in durian & mix well.
4. Heat up greased pan in the oven. Take it out from oven & pour mixture into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake for about 1 hour or until cooked.
5. Remove from pan & leave aside to cool. Cut into small pieces & serve.

What I did: I combined all ingredients, except sesame seeds, in a blender bowl & blend mixture until well mixed. Then I strained the mixture. I used NordicWare bundt pan & baked for half an hour. (I didn't preheat the pan.)

Chocolate-Glazed Shortbread Cookies

On Christmas Day holiday, my sister & her kids gathered at my place to bake. My 4- & 3-year old nieces had requested their mum to bake some cookies. Since all the ingredients & equipment for baking are available at my place, naturally my kitchen was the place of choice. I got to choose the recipe but it must meet 2 criteria. The cookies must be chocolate covered & have topping. So I chose a very simple recipe yet very delicious & addictive! When you start munching on one, you can't stop at one, two or even three.

The mixing, cutting, baking & decorating were all done by my sis & her girls & their bibik, of course. I just took out all the ingredients & utensils needed. I took out a few types of toppings. Not surprisingly, the girls chose the pink & colourful sprinkles. The recipe yielded quite a lot of cookies. I was quite surprised the girls actually stayed on to finish up the dough. I thought they would leave halfway through. They must have enjoyed themselves.

The girls hard at work... They chose 6 cookie cutters! They're really spoilt for choice.

'Ain & Izzati posing with their cookies. On the right is Izzati sprinkling the topping on the chocolate-covered shortbread.

Chocolate-Glazed Shortbread Cookies
Recipe from Mrs Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!

Shortbread:

1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (We used 1 tsp pure vanilla paste.)
3 cups flour (We used top flour.)

Chocolate glaze:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp. light corn syrup

(We didn't use the chocolate glaze recipe. We just melted compound chocolate (Selbourne brand) over double boiler.)

1. Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
2. Blend butter until smooth in large electric mixer at medium speed. Slowly blend in confectioner's sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla extract. Combine thoroughly. Add flour and mix at low speed until well blended.
3. Divide dough into two roughly equal pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. On floured board using floured rolling pin, roll out disks to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 16-18 min. Don't let cookies brown. Transfer to cool flat surface

To prepare glaze:

Heat cream in small sauce pan until scalded:remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and corn syrup, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. With a small wire whisk or wooden spoon, gently mix until smooth being careful not to create bubbles. Dip whole or half of each cookie into glaze and transfer to a tray or cool cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Chill in refrigerator 10 min to set. ( sprinkle with coconut before refrigerating if desired)

Madeleines.... again.

I was pleasantly surprised  when I saw madeleine pans at Daiso, Petaling Jaya Bukit Indah in Johore.  I don't remember seeing it in any of the stores in Singapore. Come to think of it, I don't often go to Daiso because most of the things there are so pretty and cheap that I'm always afraid that I'll put too many things in the basket..... Usually, I would enter the store with something in mine & just focus on what  I need to buy. Otherwise, I would find myself overwhelmed ( & get headache, literally!) by the amazing range of stuff. Anyway, the pan looked pretty & it's made in Japan! Just look at it here if you've not seen it before. Besides, it's only RM5! That's peanut compared to the madeleine pans I've ever seen before. 

Actually, at first, I was hesitant to buy it as I was skeptical if such a cheap pan could do a good job, considering that, as I've mentioned in my previous entry,  they don't normally come cheap. But since it's just RM5, I decided to just grab 2 of them. And I'm not disappointed.... they are not too bad. I like the petite size of my madeleines when using the pan compared to the bigger gula melaka madeleines produced when using the moulds  from Sun Lik. Besides, the madeleines slid out quite easily from the moulds. My only complain is, the groove in the cavity is not deep enough. So the clam-shell pattern on the little cakes is not as distinct as I would like it to be. Well, am I allowed to complain for such a bargain pan....?

Lemon Madeleines

Recipe by Martha Stewart. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted (not self-rising) - I used top flour.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons total)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two madeleine pans; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter.  Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Let rest 30 minutes.
3. Pour batter into buttered pans, filling the molds 3/4 full. Bake cookies, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden, 7 to 8 minutes.
4. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert, and unmold. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Cook's Note:

Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to one day.

I'm submitting this entry to Cook Like A Star (December 2012, Martha Steward) organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out and Riceball of Riceball Eats.