Chocolate Marble Chiffon

I've no idea what cakes I would like to bake, my mind is just hanging and running out of idea. Other than making ice cream, I feel myself have no mood to do anything (may be the weather is too hot). So, I decided to do something simple rather than complicated baking.

This the simple marble chiffon cake I've baked which is nothing special that had filled my mood as the texture is excellent. The bad thing is the surface got a tunnel which I've no idea why. How nice if it's a smooth surface and this could be the perfect baked chiffon.

This reminded me life is not perfect, it's the matter of how we value and appreciate everything we have at the moment.

Ingredients for 21cm chiffon pan:

Egg white mixture:
180g egg whites
90g caster sugar
10g corn flour

Egg yolk mixtures:
70g egg yolks
60g water
60g vegetable oil
70g + 10g plain flour
20g caster sugar
8g cocoa powder

1. Mix all the egg yolks, water, oil together until well combined. Add in the 70g of flour and the 20g of sugar, mix everything well combine and no lumps left.
2. Measure the egg yolk mixture and divide it into equal quantities of two portions in separate mixing bowl.
3. Mix 10g of the flour into a bowl of egg yolk mixture and mix 8g of cocoa powder into another bowl of egg yolk mixture.
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. The egg whites mixture should be peak foam, smooth and shiny. Gently fold in half of the egg whites mixture into the cocoa egg yolks mixture and plain mixture accordingly until well combine. (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.)
5. Pour the well mix mixture into a 21cm chiffon cake tin and bake at a 170'C preheated oven for 50 - 55 minutes. After baked, let the baked cake turn upside down for cooling before unmold it. Enjoy this supper soft and fluffy chiffon cake!

Rava Ladoo ~ Indian Cooking Challenge

Indian Cooking challenge is the new event of the blogosphere, kick started by Mela Queen - Srivalli. It has been decided to have a trial run before the real show begins and Rava ladoo turned out to be the recipe for same. The recipe which Valli provided is different from what I usually follow. This one was damn easy and everyone loved it. I simply followed the recipe. No changes.

Rava - 1 cup

Sugar -1 cup

Ghee - 4 tspn

Milk - 2 tblspn

Powdered cardamom - a big pinch

Cashew nuts and raisins - few

Grated coconut - 2 tblspn

Take a kadai. Heat 2 tspn of ghee. Roast cashews and raisins. Remove and add the grated coconut. Roast till it is light brown. Remove the coconut and add the remaining ghee. Roast rava till you can smell the aroma of roasted rava. Switch off the flame. To the kadai, add sugar, powdered cardamom, roasted cashews,raisins and coconut. mix everything well. Slowly add warm milk to the mixture. Mix and switch on the flame and cook for two minutes. Remove from fire and stir for two minutes and transfer to a bowl. While warm make small balls and keep for 10 minutes for it to set well. If needed, you can sprinkle some milk for binding, while making the ladoos. I got 14 small sized ladoos.

Roast Chicken and Sweeet Potatoes

I dread ordering chicken. Whether lounging on salad greens or snuggled between two slices of bread, the meat is usually dry and dense. (Sometimes I worry about choking.) Worst of all, it has as much taste as raw zucchini. Try as one might, the flavor of the chicken cannot be revived with thick goops of Mayonnaise or layers of processed cheese. Luckily, I grew up in an era when family meals often centered around roast chicken. The only thing lovelier than biting into the moist, rich flesh is inhaling the aroma that permeates the kitchen and beckons anyone in it's path to S -L-O -W down. As you'll see from the recipe below, it takes very little effort to create a satisfying and healthful chicken dinner.





HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATOES

Serves 4 to 6

TIPS:

- You can limit the seasonings in this recipe to salt and freshly ground pepper and produce a delicious bird. Adding thyme, parsley, rosemary and oregano will make the meat even more flavorful.

- It's most economical to grow your own herbs. I have an array in my community garden. Before I got a plot, I raised them in window boxes.

- I'm not one to advocate for buying a lot of kitchen gadgets, but I do recommend investing in a pepper mill. The bright, almost lemony flavor of freshly ground peppercorns really outshines pre-ground varieties.

- I opted to pair the chicken with sweet potatoes because I love the subtle molasses flavor they develop when roasted. They also provide a strong dose of the heart healthy antioxidant, beta-carotene.

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, preferably free range

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 large sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons fresh sage finely chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Rinse chicken and pat dry.

Place chicken in 9 by 13 inch roasting pan. Season cavity and outside with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and garlic. Gently lift chicken skin and spread herb paste against flesh.

Truss the chicken to ensure even cooking.

Arrange potatoes on a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage. Drizzle on remaining olive oil.

Roast chicken for 1 hour or until thermometer reads 170 degrees when inserted in flesh. Roast potatoes until fork tender.

Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.