Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

I have been in a shoot hiatus for months. The photos in my last blog was shot back in March, that was 7 months ago! My Stockfood account manager has been asking me for new materials and I have not submitted anything new. I just couldn't find the time to do a proper shoot!

But I miss it. I love the creative process; from planning, sourcing the ingredients, to cooking, plating, the actual shoot and the post-process. It is not easy being a one-woman-team: I'm the cook, the stylist and the photographer so that means it's 3x the work and takes 3x longer to produce. But I am not complaining. In fact, I wish I could find time to do this more often.

Good thing there was a long weekend a few days ago, I finally got time! There was also an added motivation to shoot; a food photography contest with Andy Harris, editor of Jamie Magazine, as one of the judges. I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I win? So I gave it a shot, (literally!). What have I got to lose except a few hours of sleep, right?

So, 2 of the photos here were submitted for the contest, can you guess which ones? I'm pretty pleased with the results and am happy to share them with you.

Now about the muffins.

This recipe is perfect for brunch, snack or for a picnic in the park. It's still pretty hot in Bahrain but I'm already looking forward to going to the parks in the winter. This will also be good as holiday gift or to take to potlucks for Christmas breakfast.

The recipe for the muffins was adapted from Gather for Breads' Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins and the streusel topping from The Girl Who Ate Everything's Blueberry Streusel Muffins. I love their blogs, you should check them out!

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel Topping

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Bake Time: 17-20 minutes
Total Time: 37-50 minutes

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup full cream milk
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 + 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh red currants, stems removed + 1/4 cup with stems

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 stick of cold butter, cut into cubes

1/4 to 1/2 cup icing sugar for dusting

Instructions:

For the streusel topping:
1. Mix sugar, flour and the cold butter using your hand until you get a clumpy, sandy texture. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

For the muffin:
1. Preheat the oven to 425*F for at least 30 minutes.

2. Line 2 x 12-muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on high speed until light and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add milk and vanilla extract, (I use my homemade vanilla extract).

4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed by whisking it a couple of times.

5. Add the dry ingredients into the butter and cream cheese mixture and mix well.

6. Using a spatula, fold in 1/2 cup of the raspberries and 1/2 cup of the red currants.

7. Put half of the remaining berries into the muffin liners, ( roughly1 raspberies, 2-3 red currants).

8. Using an ice cream scoop, pour the batter into the muffin liners. Decorate the top with the remaining berries then sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake for 450*F for 5 minutes then lower the temperature to 375*F and continue baking for another 12-15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of a cupcake; when the toothpick comes out clean, it's done!

9. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring on to a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour on the rack. Sprinkle powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 24 muffins.

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Red Berries and Cream Cheese Muffins I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

09 Oct 2015

Haidee's Kitchen

Peppermint-Choco-Mallows Stirrers

I promised my friend, Joyce I will be posting the recipe for this treat, if you can call it recipe at all. There is no cooking involved and I made it with very little effort. It's a perfect gift for the holidays. In fact, I made this last year for Rocky to give-away to his friends.

So this is part of my holiday "Edible Gifts" series...my Peppermint-Choco-Mallows Stirrer-- store-bought marshmallows dipped in chocolate and covered with crushed peppermint candy cane. That's pretty much it, 3 ingredients, no cooking required. This ideally serves as a stirrer for hot cocoa or hot milk, let the peppermint and chocolate-covered marshmallows melt in the hot drink before you drink and enjoy. Some of Rocky's friends gobbled it by itself. I don't blame them, I may have had a stick or two,(...ok maybe more!), when I was packaging them, you know, for quality check.

It perfectly pairs with your hot drink especially on Christmas morning or after the "Noche Buena" (Christmas dinner). And, if you've been naughty this year, this might score you some "nice" points with Santa if you leave a stick next to his hot milk and cookies under the Christmas tree.

peppermint-choco-mallows stirrer I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Difficulty: Super Easy!

Prep and Assembly Time: 30 to 40 minutes

What you will need:
1 pack popsicle sticks
Double boiler or heat-proof bowl set over simmering water
shallow bowl for the crushed candy cane
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Ingredients:
1 pack large white marshmallows, (approximately 50 pcs)
4 cups dark, milk chocolate or white chocolate, (1 used 2 cups dark chocolate and 2 cups of white chocolate)
10 x 8in peppermint candy cane, finely chopped

Directions:

1. In a double boiler or heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt/temper 2 cups of dark chocolate, make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. 
*Alternatively, you may melt the chocolate in the microwave, set on high, at 20 seconds interval until melted.
**For tips on tempering chocolate, click here.

2. Dip 1 inch of the popsicle stick in melted chocolate, stick into the marshmallows and immediately roll over the chopped candy cane. Let it stand to cool and harden on the baking sheet. Repeat process until half of the marshmallows are well coated.

3. Repeat the process using the white chocolate and the remaining half of the marshmallows and candy cane. Let it cool completely at room temperature.

Makes approximately 50 stirrers.

For more Edible Gifts suggestions, you may want to check these out:
1. Bourbon Dulce De Leche
2. Almond Butter Cups
3. Dark Hazelnut Butter
4. Vanilla Extract
5. Rocky Crunch

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours! xoxo

peppermint-choco-mallows stirrer I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

peppermint-choco-mallows stirrer I www.haideekitchen.blogspot.com

Bourbon Dulce de Leche

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas is just around the corner. My tree is up and decorated in gold and silver, my holiday table is set. Oh yes, we're on festive mode before December hits! Why? Why not!

If you're like me, you'd probably be collecting ideas of what to give to friends and family right about now. I put a lot of thought into it. I'm not Oprah that money is no object, but with little creativity and a bit of (fun) work, I can give my loved ones some of my favorite things. I started that last year, I decided to give them something handmade and homemade. I hope they liked them 'coz I sure enjoyed making them.

So I thought I'd share some of the recipes with you. You can find the links for the recipes on the home page under the label "Edible Gifts". They're so easy to make anybody can make them.

Here's one that I gave to some of my girlfriends, my Dulce de Leche spiked with Bourbon whiskey and spiced with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans. I loooove dulce de leche. It's great with vanilla ice cream, (way better than caramel!), on top of cupcakes, brownies and slathered on top of  my mom's "suman sa lihiya" (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf). It's also good by itself, just grab a spoon, dunk it in the sticky pot and indulge!

It's simple to make but time consuming, that is if you take the route that I took. There are so many ways to make it, from simple to scary, (the thought of putting a can of condensed milk inside a pressure cooker gives me goosebumps!). The simplest I think is the method recommended by Donna Hay. I tried it many times but it does not give me the result I was looking for, I always get a darker top. And so I take the road less traveled and go for the longer method. Turns out perfect all the time!

Bourbon Dulce De Leche

Cooking Time: 60-80 minutes depending on the consistency and color that you like. It becomes darker as it as you cook longer.

Ingredients
2 x 395g can condensed milk
2 tsps Bourbon Whiskey
Beans of a 2 inch Organic Grade-A Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Pod 

Pinch of Salt

Direction:
1. Slowly cook the condensed milk in a double boiler until it thickens and changed into a darker, caramel color, stirring occasionally. Careful not to let the water touch the bottom of the pot where the milk is in. Add more water into the double-boiler if needed.

2. Once you've achieved the color and texture that you like add the bourbon, vanilla beans and salt, stir until fully incorporated and remove from heat.

3. Let it cool completely before transferring into sterilized decorative bottles.

Note on Storage:
This will keep for 2 days at room temperature or up to 1 month in the fridge but might lose it's creamy texture. To reheat, transfer into a heat-proof dish and microwave at 15 seconds interval until you get the desired temperature and smoothness.

Enjoy!

Makes 2 cups

Almond Butter Cups

Hey! mums, are you running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained for this seemingly endless summer? Hang in there, only few more days and it's back to school! In the meantime, here's a yummy treat to serve on playdates... a better, healthier version of that addicting Reese's peanut butter cups! These are made with homemade almond butter sweetened with organic agave nectar and dark chocolate. It's a breeze to make which means the little ones can help make these too, no baking required!

You can prepare the almond butter ahead of time and it will keep in the fridge for 6 months or longer. It's basically the same as my Dark Hazelnut Butter with the sub of blanched almonds (duh!) and no cocoa added. Try the recipe, I'm sure you'll love it!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 35 to 65 minutes

Ingredients for the Almond Butter Cups:
2 cups Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips or any chocolate chips/bars you like
1 cup almond butter

You will need:
16 cupcake liners
cupcake pans
spoon
spatula
microwavable dish

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a microwavable dish. With the temperature set high, heat the chips at 30 minutes interval until most of the chocolates are melted. Careful not to burn it! Temper the chocolate to retain its gloss and shine when it hardens. For tips on tempering chocolate, check out this video from Alton Brown. Once melted and tempered, scoop 1 tsp of chocolate liquid in the cupcake liner and coat the bottom and the side of the liner halfway to the top. Do the same for the rest of the liners. Reserve the rest of the chocolate liquid for later.

3. Freeze the chocolates in cups for 5 minutes.

4. Once set, fill each chocolate cups with 1 tsp almond butter, press on the side for even cups. Then cover the almond butter with 1 tsp liquid chocolate. Make sure the almond butter is fully covered. Touch-up and make it pretty by swirling the top with a spoon. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take it out and leave it in the countertop for a few hours before putting in a jar or container. Be sure to pop one in your mouth for quality check ;-)

Makes 16 cups

And here's how to make Almond Butter:

Roasting Time: 10 minutes
Butter-making Time: 30-60 minutes (depending on your equipment and the level of smoothness of the butter)
Total Time: 40-75 minutes

Tools:
Baking sheet
food processor


Ingredients:
500 g  raw blanched almonds
4-5 tbsp agave nectar or organic, pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
beans of 2-inch vanilla pods

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 160*C. Place the raw almonds on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, turning halfway through the roasting time. Keep a close eye on it; you only want a light to medium roast.

2. Transfer the almonds into the food processor. You may process the whole batch if you have a big food processor or you can grind half of it first. Grind the nuts until it forms a paste. This is where you'll need a lot of patience; the length of time will depend on how powerful your machine is and how smooth you want your butter to be*. Do not be tempted to add oil, you don't need it; the nuts will release its natural oil. I found that grinding the nuts while it is still warm makes it easier to release its oil. Once you get the desired consistency, add the agave nectar, salt and vanilla beans. Give it a whir for another 5 minutes until well combined. Transfer to jars and leave to cool completely before putting on the lid.
Note: For the batch I used for almond butter cups, I left it a little grainy so it will hold it's form.

Homemade Treats
30 March 2013

Dark Hazelnut Butter

Here's another one of my edible gifts for the holidays which will be perfect for your sweet-toothed friends who may already be feeling guilty to take another bite of that decadent chocolate cake on their nth Christmas party this year. My hazelnut butter is a healthier and guilt-free alternative to nutella or gianduja. This version is sweetened with organic agave nectar; no dairy and no vegetable oil were added. All you need is patience, lots of it, to wait until the nuts releases its natural oil and transform into a smooth paste. I also added cocoa powder for that added chocolate kick. Then I added a pinch of salt and a hint of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. Well,  hey! It's the holidays, might as well treat yourself, (and your lucky friends too!) to some luxury, right?

The idea was inspired by this post from The Healthy Foodie. The steps and preps are pretty much the same, but the recipe that I used is different and based on my own trial and error ;-)

Roasting Time: 12 minutes
Inactive Time: 10-15 minutes
Butter-making Time: 30-60 minutes (depending on your equipment and the level of smoothness of the butter)
Total Time: 52-87 minutes

Tools:
Baking sheet
hand towel
food processor/ grinder/ blender (whichever works for you)

Ingredients:
500 g  raw hazelnuts
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4-5 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp salt
beans of 2-inch vanilla pods

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 160*C. Place the raw hazelnut on the baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes, turning halfway through the roasting time. Keep a close eye on it; you only want a light to medium roast.

2. Leave the roasted hazelnuts on the countertop to cool for a good 10 minutes or so. Slightly cooled hazelnuts will be easier to handle, the skin will become brittle and will slightly separate from the nuts. Do not cool completely though, it is best to grind it when it is still warm.

3. Transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel and give it a coulple of shimmy to peel off the skin.

4. Separate the nuts from the peel. Don't mind if some of the skin clings on the nuts as long as you remove most of them. Transfer into a food processor, grinder or blender, whatever you have on hand and whatever works for you.  I figure a food processor is best suited for the job but since I don't have one, the grinder performed well enough. I also don't know if a food processor would do the job faster, let me know once you tried it.

5. Grind the nuts until it forms a paste. This is where you'll need a lot of patience; the length of time will depend on how powerful your machine is and how smooth you want your butter to be. Do not be tempted to add oil, you don't need it; the nuts will release its natural oil. I found that grinding the nuts while it is still warm makes it easier to release its oil. Once you get the desired consistency, add the cocoa powder, agave nectar, salt and vanilla beans. Give it a whir for another 5 minutes until well combined. Transfer to jars and leave to cool completely before putting on the lid. You can also enjoy it straight away!

This is great for marshmallows and pretzels too!

 Put on some pretty ribbons and tags around the jars to gift to friends and loved ones.

 Enjoy!

May your Christmas be Merry and Sweet! xoxo

Edible Gifts Series
01 Dec 2012

Churros con Chocolate

"If you can't find 'em, make 'em."

That has been my motto since I moved to the Middle East, well at least when it comes to food. One of the reason I pushed myself to learn how cook is to recreate the dishes that I miss back home in the Philippines. I remember how frustrating it was when I was pregnant craving for a Henlin siomai. Thank goodness I was able to convince myself Hongkong Restaurant's siomai was good enough. But I have yet to find a Spanish restaurant that is up to my standard. I'd still claim I make the meanest paella in the island!

Another favorite comfort food and feel good snack that I miss is churros. My favorite is Dulcinea's Churros con Chocolate. If I'm having a bad day, I go grab some and as soon as I dunk the churros into that rich hot cocoa I miraculously feel much better. Ok , I may be exaggerating but you get my point. It is pure, simple pleasure.

So here's my first attempt in making churros. I struggled a bit because my icing nozzle was small, but the taste was phenomenal! I. Am. Home.

Churros

Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes*
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
*You can use the inactive time to heat the frying oil, prepare the dusting powder and the hot chocolate

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 stick unsalted butter
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
canola oil for frying
For dusting:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder


Direction:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan, place water, sugar and butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and transfer the liquid mixture in a stand mixer. Add flour and vanilla and whisk using a paddle attachment. Add eggs, one at a time until well combined.

3. Transfer the mixture in a piping bag with star tip*. Pipe the mixture in any shape you want; I made 3-inch petal shaped churros and 4-inch sticks. Freeze for 15-20 minute.
Note: It is ideal to use a large star-tipped nozzle. The one I have is pretty small so I didn't get the desired size. 

4. Meanwhile, heat the oil for deep frying until it comes up to your desired temperature.
Note: I don't use a thermometer; I gauge that the temperature is hot enough when I dip the tip of my wooden spoon onto the oil and it starts to sizzle around the spoon. Also, when I put the mixture in, it should dive up to the middle of the pan and rise up; if it sinks to the bottom of the pan, the oil is not hot enough, and if it rises too quickly to the surface, the oil is too hot.

5. Have your dusting powder ready before you fry the dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag and shake.  Transfer on to a bowl. Set aside.

6. When you're ready to fry, cut the parchment paper around the frozen dough and fry the dough with the paper. Once the paper separates, fish it out immediately. Fry just enough number of dough to leave plenty of room for the churros to float freely. This will avoid the dough from sticking together and to keep a steady temperature. Once the surface of the dough is golden brown, fish it out and transfer to a wire rack.

7. Dunk the churros onto the dusting powder and generously coat it.

 Now for the Tableya Chocolate (Tab-li-ya Cho-ko-la-te). Tableya is a pure cacao or dark chocolate tablet/balls native in the Philippines. Where I come from, we boast to have some of the best tableya in the country. You can read more about tableya here.

Tableya

Tableya chocolate brings back nostalgic memories about my childhood. When I was young growing up in Batangas, my grandparents had cacao trees planted in their backyard. My Lola (grandmother) would pick the cacao seeds inside the fruit and let it dry under the sun for a couple of days. She would then roast the seeds over a wood burning earthen stove. Then she would manually grind the cacao several times, gradually adding brown sugar, until she gets the right consistency and the chocolate is shiny as it releases the oil. Finally she would form it into a ball and let it set and harden. There is no better way to enjoy "tsokolate-eh" (hot cocoa with milk) and "champurado" (chocolate porridge) than with a tableya. It's 100% pure chocolate heaven.

Here's my version of this ultra-rich hot cocoa or Chocolate


Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered tableya (*grate the tableya using microplane zester/grater)
2 cups full cream milk
1/2 cup double cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg



Direction:

1. Combine the tableya, sugar, milk and double cream in a "batirol" or saucepan and heat over low heat. Whisk using "molinillo"; if you don't have one, use a metal whisk or a wooden spoon instead. Keep stirring/whisking until the cocoa and sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

18 May 2012
Home-made Dessert

Rocky Crunch

It was Rocky's last day of pre-KG. He's moving to LKG class next week, hooray! My husband and I are very happy with his progress. Rocky used to be shy around other people. He used to cry all the time when we drop him to school. His teacher also said that he used to sit by himself and would not play or talk to his classmates. He was also very dependent at home, especially to his nanny. Whenever we asked him about school, he would say, "I don't like school. I want to stay home. I don't like my classmates. I don't want to play with them."

But nowadays, he's singing a different tune, "I like school. I like my friends. I color. I like Teacher, she's nice. Look Mommy, I have blue sticker!" Not only did his social skills greatly improved, he's more independent, he's got initiative, more responsive when given instructions and we're amazed at how fast he can learn things. He's ready for a "proper" school. And we owe it to Rocky's first teacher, Teacher Rashi.

Rocky and Teacher Rashi.

 
So for Rocky's last day in her class, I thought of making something home-made especially for her as Rocky's "thank you" present.

I was going to bake her chocolate chip cookies. But when I got home I realized I ran out of butter and I was already exhausted coming home late from work that I couldn't bring myself to go the the store and pick up a stick of butter.

So, off to plan B. But what is plan B? I better go check what's in my cupboard...

I've got creamy peanut butter, marshmallows and rice krispies. Great! I have chocolate chips for my cookie recipe, perhaps  avalanche bars or chocolate blizzard bars? But wait, I don't have white chocolate chips! Don't panic Haidee, keep looking. What's this? A Kitkat! Maybe I can make this work.

And I did!

The recipe was adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe's Chocolate Blizzard Bars but instead of white chocolate chips I replaced it with Kitkat milk chocolate. It taste absolutely fabulous! Love the crunch of the chocolate covered wafer and rice krispies, the gooey-soft texture of the marshmallows and the smoothness and creaminess of the chocolate-peanut butter. It's heaven in every bite.

And that is why I called it "Rocky Crunch", its crispy and covered with muddy-colored chocolate. Ok, that and because I made it especially as Rocky's present.

Here's the recipe for Rocky Crunch:

1 cup            Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup        creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups    Kellogg's Rice Krispies
1 cup            mini marshmallows
1 bar             Kitkat milk chocolate, cut into small squares

Direction:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a double broiler, melt chocolate chips in medium heat, stirring occasionally. Take extra care not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl where the chips are melting.

3. Once the chocolate chips melted, add the peanut butter until well combined. Remove from heat and let stand for 15-20minutes. Do not add other ingredients until the mixture cooled down or else everything will melt.

4. Add rice krispies until well combined. Then add the marshmallows and Kitkat.

5. Transfer the mixture onto the lined baking sheet. Gently press the mixture until lightly packed. Let cool and set for 6 hours or overnight before you cut them into bite-sized squares. If you're in a hurry, you can pop it in the freezer and it's set in 30 minutes! The only problem with this freeze-fast-tracking method is that it will melt easily if not stored in the fridge. So it is still best to let it set at room temperature.


While waiting, Rocky's dad helped him write a "thank you" note for his teacher which will also serve as a gift tag.

After 30 minutes, rocky crunch was set and i cut it into 1 1/2  inch squares. And this is how I packaged it:

Put Rocky Crunch squares in a mason jar or recycled jar. Cut a page of an activity book to cover the lid and tie a paper twine with gift note around the lid and voila! An edible gift made with love. Easy peezy!

So there you have it, a "sweet thank you in a jar".


My little boy is growing up so fast! Here are some photos of Rocky with his classmates taken on his last day in Pre-KG class.

This is so funny. Rocky was seated at the back when I came to pick him up. When he saw me with my camera, he said to his classmates, "c'mon, (my) mommy will take our picture." And his teacher said, "...and he went straight to the girls." LOL!

26 March 2012
Home-cooked Meal