Blueberry Muffins

I have decided to bake Bluberry Muffins because I do have some leftover blueberries in the refrigerator and they are a healthier breakfast option, if taken in moderation.

So, I searched online for a fairly easy blueberry muffin recipe and found this "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" from Allrecipe which has pretty good reviews. Please follow the link for the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/.

Below is my version of the Blueberry Muffins recipe based on what I have in the kitchen:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil/ coconut oil)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk/ yogurt

2 tsp vanilla essense

1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 200 degree C. Grease muffin trays or line with muffin cups. It is important to preheat the oven in order for the muffins to rise to their potential!

2. Combine and sift the flour, sugar and salt.

3. Place the vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup. Add the egg and enough milk/ yogurt to fill the cup and whisk/ combine. Add 2 tsp of vanilla essence.

4. Toss blueberries into the flour mixture. Then, pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be lumpy with few dry spots of flour. Let it be and do not overmix!

5. Using an ice-cream scoop or a large spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are 3/4 full.

6. Bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm. Perform the toothpick test. It should come out dry and clean. Place on wire rack for 5 minutes to cool off.

Result:

Crispy and crunchy muffin top with the crumbly texture.

Variations:

1. Add 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon powder to the flour mixture if you want some "spice" in your muffins.

2. Add crumbs topping if you are reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup. On my second attempt with the reduced sugar content, the muffin top did not have the crispy and crunchy texture.

3. Got the inspiration to add cheese in the muffins from http://foodjetaimee.blogspot.com. I have used "labneh" or Greek yogurt since I have some in the refrigerator.

Taste of Dubai March 2011

Taste of Dubai happens once a year in Dubai of course (normally during February or March)! This year, we went for a gastronomy adventure to savour around 22 of Dubai's finest restaurants' offerings. The participating restaurants include Rhodes Twenty 10, Maya by Richard Sandoval, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Indego by Vineet and more.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Chef Gary Rhodes. I knew him from his culinary adventure in India (via BBC Food Network channel). His sense of adventure with food is daring and he loves butter!

We also had a baking lesson from Chef Richard Phillips, a celebrity chef in United Kingdom as well. We successfully made Chocolate Fondant in 30 minutes! It was a lovely experience and we enjoyed it very much. The baking lesson was part of the Miele Cookery School where visitors are welcome to register themselves for a cooking lesson with celebrity chefs. The host was really very funny, engaging and entertaining! At times, he was giving tips to the celebrity chefs! hahaha!

Anyway, sharing some photos taken at the event... enjoy!

Stir Fry Yam Cake

Left with some yam in the fridge...

Hmm... only one thing came into my mind - steamed yam cake a.k.a. woo tau kou!

It's interesting that the yam I get here in Middle Eastern is not as purple as the ones I get back in Malaysia... some are yellowish in colour.

Firstly, I stir fry some chopped dried prawns and garlic in cooking oil and a bit of sesame oil until fragrant. Then, add the yam (cubed). I also added some white mushroom to the yam mixture (you can also use shitake mushroom). Add salt and pepper to taste. Add some water to the yam mixture and let it simmer for a while.

Meanwhile, mix 1 cup rice flour to 3 cup water (I used organic mushroom stock). Add the rice flour mixture to the yam mixture. Constantly stir the mixture until the mixture thicken. Pour the mixture into a greased tray and steam for 30 to 45 minutes.

Once cooked, serve the steamed yam cake with some garnishings i.e. spring onion, fried shallots and some chillies.

We can also stir fry the leftover steamed yam cake with garlic, salted vegetables, sesame oil, dark soy sauce and chili bean sauce to get stir-fry yam cake a.k.a. 'chai tau kueh'!

Enjoy!

Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts, a must-have Chinese New Year biscuits... my Chinese New Year is incomplete without this all-time favourite biscuit... There are few version of this tart. Every individual is unique... hence, some prefer the "hard" pastry, some prefer the melt-in-your-mouth pastry, some like the ones with the jam on top of the pastry, some liked it enclosed and etc... to me, I can adapt to both...

One of my favourite is my aunt's pineapple tarts... She was kind enough to share her recipe with me... Have yet to try it... Here goes:

250g Butter

300 - 325 g Flour (add together a pinch of salt) - I do come across other recipe that include 20g of milk powder/ corn flour (for the melt-in-your-mouth effect)

1 Egg Yolk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essense

Rub butter into flour to form breadcrumbs.

Add in egg yolk and vanilla essense to form dough. If a bit sticky, add in more flour.

For pineapple jam:

1 Pineapple + 500g Sugar

1 small Cinnamon Stick

Scrap/ Grate pineapple. Cook scrapped/ grated pineapple and sugar with cinnamon stick until almost dry.