Cheese Garlic Biscuits -MBP

My bookmarked recipes folder is ever growing and my attempt to bring the number down is not showing any results. When you have so many wonderful cooks around, dishing out equally appealing dishes, I think the only way I can clear up my bookmarked folder will be to start a new one. So I get a false joy of clearing the folder. Though I know there is a new one growing at the other drive. When the theme for MBP was announced by Siri, I knew what I was going to make, since this recipe is bookmarked ever since Cham posted it in her blog. As she says, its easy to make. I replaced all purpose flour with wheat flour/atta, since AP was out of stock. May be I would have used half and half. Except for that, I have followed her recipe.

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 tspn

Baking powder - 1 1/2 tspn

Baking soda - 1/4 tspn

Butter - 1/4 cup

Grated cheese - 1/2 cup

Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped

Buttermilk - 3/4 cup

Preheat the oven at 230 C
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into flour to resemble crumbs. Add the garlic and cheese and stir in buttermilk to form a dough.Either roll to 1 inch thick dough with some flour and cut into any desired shape, else drop spoon full of the dough onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until top is brown.

P.S
I was in a hurry while mixing the ingredients that I forgot to add the baking powder. So mine did not rise well. It had a crisp crust but inside tasted like garlic bread. Later I popped them in MW for a minute and it was crisp in the inside too. Now I have a reason to bake it again.

Apple Chiffon Cake

Here is my second attempt on apple chiffon cake. I've made a 17cm and a 22cm round chiffon. It took some time to made this cakes as the apple need to be cooked first before making the cake. I bought few apples that came with very red skin to produce a lovely pink color for the cooked apple.

Most of the chiffon cake I've been making consist of corn flour. I followed a recipe book named "戚枫蛋糕秘法转授". I think it's the best chiffon recipe book I had so far. The book stated that adding some corn flour in the egg whites will absorb the liquid of the egg whites in order to stabilize the meringue and produce a special texture. I guess its chemical reaction is quite similar with cream of tartar or lemon juice. I like the recipe because it don't consist of chemical element such as baking powder or cream of tartar but just the ordinary ingredients like egg, water, oil, flour, sugar and natural color from fruits or vegetables.


Recipe for 17cm round chiffon

For the egg whites mixture:
110g egg whites
55g caster sugar
5g corn flour

For the egg yolks mixture:
40g egg yolks
36g water
36g vegetable oil or olive oil
55g plain flour
150g cooked apple

For decoration:
200ml Whipping cream
12g caster sugar
some cooked apple
few pieces of mint leaves

How I made it:

1. For the cooked apple, peel 3 large apple and finely chop the skin or blend it in the blender. Cut the apple in small cubes. Mix the chopped skin with apple cubes. Weigh the mixture.
2. Mix 15% of caster sugar from the weight of mixture (1) and cook with 4 tablespoon of water until the juice absorb and the cooked apple appear soft pink color.
3. For the chiffon cake, mix all the egg yolks mixture except flour. When everything well combined then gradually add in sifted flour (I used electric mixer, its came very handy for this process). Mix everything well combine and no lumps left. The mixture would be very thick and and smooth. Gently mix in the cooked apple (make sure the cooked apple had completely cool down).
4. Beat the egg whites in a clean large bowl until peak foam. Gradually add in sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Then finally add in corn flour. Make sure the corn flour mix well in the egg mixture (Using an electric mixer would be great!). The egg whites mixture should be peak foam, smooth and shiny.
5. Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites mixture into the egg yolks mixture. When everything well combine then gently fold in the 1/2 of the remaining egg whites mixture. Lastly, fold in the remaining egg whites mixture. (Note: This stage took some times and patient and practice. Make sure all the egg whites mixture well combine with the egg yolks mixture without breaking the egg whites. Little egg whites left will cause a big hole in the cake during baking. And, over mixing will cause it hardly rise during the baking.)
6. Pour the well mix mixture into a 17cm chiffon cake tin and bake at a 160-170'C preheated oven for 40 minutes. After baked, let the baked cake turn upside down for cooling before unmold it. (Note: The recipe book stated that to cling wrap the entired cake tin and place in a big plastic bag once its completely cool down. Then, place in the fridge for over night to emit the fragrant of the cake and stabilize the cake for decoration).
7. Unmold the cake and whip the fresh cream with sugar. Decorate it like the picture shown above or decorate it with your creativity.
8. Keep the cake in the fridge it could last for 4 - 5 days. Best serve in 3 days.

DIY Sites to Visit

I received the below email today from an editor at Consumer Reports' ShopSmart Magazine.

I had visited DIYnetwork.com, Doityourself.com and WikiHow; but the new BeJane.com and ExpertVillage.com were new to me!

I have a soft spot in my heart for do-it-yourselfers because I started on the path toward my career as a kitchen and bath designer by DIY remodeling my old and decrepit house when I couldn't afford to hire the pros.

Next thing I knew, all my neighbors were hiring me to design and remodel their kitchens and baths.

BeJane walks women through lots of DIY projects with language they can understand.

Maybe you too can make the transition from surgical nurse to kitchen designer via the hands-on route!

Great additions to the DIY universe.

Peggy

Sometimes it pays to just do it yourself. But what if you don’t know how to replace a faucet or fix a running toilet?

The Web is loaded with how-to resources that can make those jobs easy.

Google “replacing a faucet,” for example, and you’ll find all kinds of help to bring out your inner plumber, including Doityourself.com.

The November 2008 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, reveals the other DIY sites that are worth a look the next time you need to fix something, whether it’s replacing a doorknob or installing a new tail light.

You might decide the project is too complicated, but at least you’ll know what you were up against.

One warning: You may have to wade through ads to find what you’re looking for.

DIYnetwork.com has countless how-to videos and articles on home projects, gardening and landscaping, and crafts too.

Expertvillage.com offers short video clips and articles on just about everything you might need to fix things around the house and make car repairs.

WikiHow.com lacks the glitzy design (and ads) of some other sites but covers a huge range of home, car, and computer repairs.

BeJane.com was re-launched just as we went to press. It’s a DIY site aimed at women.

If you choose to use these tips, we ask that you credit the November 2008 issue of ShopSmart.