cream puffs with sweetened whipped cream

i pour the entire bowl of flour and i did not see the dough i was expecting to form. i whisked, whisked and whisked to try to see if it will change. nothing. i whisked some more, and still nothing. i turned on the garbage disposal and poured the batter into the sink. i tried again, heated up the water, added the sugar, sprinkled the salt and waited for the butter to melt and then poured the flour. once again, nothing. with almost 2 sticks of butter wasted, i had to sit down and think what i did wrong.
i looked at a couple of websites and reflected on what i have done. i backtracked and knew without a doubt that i followed each recipe to the letter. so i looked at other recipes and found one crucial step missing on both of the previous recipes i looked at - letting the water and butter mixture boil. i guess i should've looked for more rather than relying on the two i first went to, i guess that's what i got for not doing research.
distraught from the loss of 12 tablespoons of butter, i read up some more recipes and watched a couple of videos on youtube, and the need to bring the water and butter mixture to a boil was confirmed. i gathered myself, wiped the tears and started again. this time around i was well-prepared.
with the water mixture boiling, the bowl of flour on one hand, a wooden spoon on the other, and my toes crossed for luck, i warily poured the flour into the pot... and then it happened - the dough formed. i stirred and stirred until everything was combined and pulling away from the sides of the pot, and the fear that this mixture would somewhat break and turn into a liquid batter disappeared.
if you haven't figured out yet, i had a lot of trouble making this recipe. i was stressing out because i couldn't figure out what i did wrong, but all that trouble was well worth it because the results were really, really good. i was thinking of making chouquettes, but i did not have pearl sugar, so i couldn't really call this chouquette.

so, if you are looking for a quick dessert to serve people who just crashed your house without prior notice, this is one of those things you could whip up really quick and feed them b*tches. also, most of the things you need for this recipe could be found in your fridge and pantry.

cream puffs with sweetened whipped cream

ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs, room temperature
large grain sugar (raw or demerara sugar)
1 egg + 1tbsp water beaten for egg wash

instructions:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. in a medium sized pot, put water, salt, sugar and butter and bring to a boil.

3. once boiling, remove from heat, pour flour into the pot and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is combines and the dough pulls out from the sides of the pot.

4. let it cool for about 5 minutes and add the eggs one at a time, stir like crazy until all the eggs are combined and the dough is smooth.

5. using a piping bag or two spoons, place mounds of dough the size of a quarter in a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush the tops with prepared egg wash, sprinkle each mound with raw/demerara sugar and bake for 35 minutes, or until browned and puffy.

6. poke the sides of each puff with a small knife and bake for another 5 minutes. this will let the steam out from the inside of the cream puffs and dry out the insides. take out of the oven and let it cool.

7. once cooled, slice each cream puff and fill with sweetened whipped cream (recipe follows) (or raspberry italian buttercream, if you have time).

***note: when you open the cream puffs and find some moist dough inside, just scoop it out with a spoon to prevent your cream puffs from being soggy. also, you could freeze the filled cream puffs and serve it frozen. it's super good either way.

sweetened whipped cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and whip like crazy (manually with a whisk or with a hand mixer/stand mixer with a whisk attachment) until stiff peaks form, don't over whip because you'll end up with butter. you know how whipped cream looks like, so if it looks like whipped cream and feels like whipped cream, stop and resist the urge from whipping some more because you'll end up with buttah!

chocolate lab - chocolate shortbread cookies + raspberry italianbuttercream + randall's issues

i love chocolate, but then again, who doesn't? okay, there's a small section in our society who are allergic to them or simply just doesn't like to be happy - confession: i don't talk or stare at those people.

obviously, i'm just kidding. i am not that much of a bitch.

so let's talk about chocolate from my point of view... maybe i should change that to - let me talk about chocolate (that rolls off the tongue a lot better). chocolate is a very versatile ingredient and can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, but for many of us, we immediately associate chocolate with sweet concoctions we call dessert.
a few months ago, shawn suggested that i make a section in the blog that features our not-so-little baby boy, randall. i thought, why not. i think he needs little bit more exposure in this blog ( as if he doesn't already). the first thing that came to mind was to focus on chocolate recipes and filing it under Chocolate Lab. i know the title is not at all creative, but it was straightforward, so i guess we're sticking to it... for now. so what do you want to know about out 80 pound hunk of love? well, let me tell you that he's a little bit of a prima donna. he loves attention and is he doesn't get it when he wants it, he'll look at you funny/force you to pet him/not-so-slyly close your laptop and pretend he's trying to sleep on your lap. does your dog do that? tell me what crazy things your dog does because i would love to know if our dog is the only one who's a stone's throw away from having a bitch fit if he realizes he's not the center of attention.
randall also loves the snow, a fact that we found out when we took him to lake tahoe for thanksgiving in 2010 and his love for it served as the inspiration for this recipe. when shawn found these at sur la table in berkeley, we immediately picked up two, went to the counter and paid for it. i already had an idea on what to use it for and after all the crazy schedule we had during the holiday season, i made sure that idea materialized.

chocolate shortbread cookies seemed like the perfect way to start this new project, because it was quick enough to make, it did not require me to stay in the kitchen for hours and still be post-worthy. the next thing i had to do was figure out what i can use as snow, then it came to me, buttercream!
i have never made good buttercream before. most of my attempts ended up in tears, so i kind of gave up on it. also, most of the recipes i saw were too sugar laden that it any flavoring added to it would just be a background to the extreme sweetness of the the buttercream. when i saw the recipe for italian buttercream, i noticed that it didn't use as much sugar as the other ones i have seen, i went for it and it yielded amazing results. light, airy, perfectly sweet and not too rich. these are just a few adjectives that would describe my new favorite - italian buttercream.
putting two cookies together with frosting in between them seemed like a no-brainer, so that's what i did, cookie sandwiches. also, i took some of the cookies i shaped into doggies stuck them on the frosting i spread out on the plate so that it could act as randall in the snow. it turned out so cute. anyway, i know you're getting sick of reading about our dog so let me just give you the recipe so you can go and do it.

*** OMG, before i forget, these are not for you dogs. chocolate is bad, very bad for you dog!!!

also, there's more photos here.

chocolate shortbread cookies

what you need:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

what to do:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. in a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa, flour and salt until well blended. cut in the butter until lumps are no larger than peas. add eggs and vanilla and mix until a stiff dough forms. make sure you don't overwork your dough, because your cookies will be very, very tough and nobody wants a cookie that's hard as a rock.

3. on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. if the dough is too sticky, chill for a little bit. place cookies 1 inch apart onto an parchment lined baking sheet.

4. bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the surface appears dry. allow cookies to cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

5. once cooled, get two cookies, put buttercream (recipe below) on one of them and stick the other one to make a sandwich. you can refrigerate the cookies to make the buttercream firm, some said that the buttercream tasted like ice cream after it got firm.

raspberry italian buttercream
adapted from marthastewart.com

what you need:

1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raspberry preserves/jam/puree

what to do:

1. in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).

2. meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.

3. with mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla. If icing curdles, keep beating until smooth.

4. add raspberry preserves/jam/puree and beat until fully incorporated.

green beans + garlic + almonds = heaven

i looked over at the clock and saw that it was only about to be 6pm. i felt like it was already 10pm, partially because we had dinner an hour before my realization of time. i then hear my mom call my name from the kitchen and i yelled back to ask her what she wanted. she told me that she wanted me to make that green bean thing i did the other night ago. i went out to the kitchen and saw the kitchen counter covered with plastic bags from seafood city. then i looked over where she was standing and saw that she had a big bag of green beans in front of her and then i knew, she liked that little snack we had.
this recipe was inspired by a video i saw on youtube, i don't remember exactly which chef/cook it was but it was a she. i have never been a fan of green bean until i ate it with steak and mashed potatoes a couple of times in restaurants and weddings. i was surprised on how sweet it was. i always thought they were nasty, maybe because i grew up on being forced to eat them and the ones i used to eat were long string green beans that were a little too bitter and mushy after being boiled for forever. anyway, this one is the total opposite of the beans i grew up with. these are crunchy, sweet and bright from the acidity of the lemon juice you add in the end. if you are in a bind, this in one of those recipes that you could make as a snack or something that could tide you over until your next meal. you could even make a whole lot and have it as your entire meal, which i really wouldn't mind doing. also the measurements in this recipe are suited to my taste buds and you should adjust accordingly to your preference because you should make it to suit your taste, after all, you are the one who's going to be eating it. i did mine a little salty and lemony because i love those flavors.

green bean with garlic and almonds

ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light tasting oil (i used canola, but you could also use grapeseed or even plain vegetable oil)
1/2 lb (or so) green beans or haricot vert (french green beans, the skinnier one!), tips removed
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
salt and pepper
juice of one lemon

instructions:

1. heat up a large pan over medium high heat, add oil and butter.

2. once the butter melts and stops foaming like crazy, add green beans, toss for about a minute and add salt and pepper.

3. add garlic and almonds and cook for another 2-3 minutes, sprinkle some more salt and pepper if you like (i like my garlic a little brown so i cooked it until the almonds and garlic are brown).

4. remove the pan from the heat, squeeze lemon juice and serve. that's it! it's that easy.

raspberry & cream cheese crescent puffs

why hello there! i have missed you all so much.

winter break commenced a couple of weeks ago and i am still recuperating from the demanding semester i had. i have been catching up on sleep, but it seemed quite impossible due to the numerous events we have penciled into our calendars even before the semester ended. the day after christmas we were scheduled to have dinner at shawn's badminton coach's house together with some of the people we play with. that night i brought caramel bars, lasagna and bibingka and one of our closest friends took a slice of it when the night was over. the next day we were scheduled to go to her parents' house so that i could help her mom fix their computer. when we got there, she told me that she loved my bibingka and asked for the recipe, i gave her my recipe and in return she gave me one of son's favorite dessert recipe, pineapple and cream cheese baked inside crescent roll dough.
it sounded so delicious, however, shawn told me that the pineapple and cream cheese combo did not appeal to him and suggested that i make it with berries. so while driving home, we decided to drop by the store and pick up crescent rolls and some fruits. i did not buy cream cheese because i bought A LOT before christmas - it was on sale. i had so many plans with it and none of them pushed through, so thank god (in this case, our friend's mom) for this recipe.i was so scared of trying out canned doughs before, but now, i am converted. last night i made ham and cheese inside crescent roll dough and learned a valuable lesson - DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT roll the dough filled like a jelly roll cake because the inside would not cook, at all. we ended up having artichoke and jalapeno dip with toast for dinner, which wasn't too bad. i hope your dinner was better that ours last night, uncooked dough free and delicious. happy new year y'all!

raspberry & cream cheese crescent puffs

ingredients:

1 8-oz. can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 8-oz. box cream cheese, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp sugar, divided
1 6-oz box of raspberries (frozen ones would work, too.)
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped (optional)
pinch of salt
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, beaten
sugar for sprinkling

instructions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. place raspberries and chopped dried cherries in a small saucepan and add 2 tbsp of sugar and salt. let this cook over medium high heat until the raspberries are soft and the juices simmer, about 5 minute. set aside to cool.

3. in a large bowl, mix cream cheese, 2 tbsp sugar and vanilla until smooth. set aside.

4. roll out dough and attach 4 triangles together and do the same with the other 4 triangles. after doing this, you should have two flat sheets of dough.

5. lay down one of the sheets into a parchment paper lined baking sheet and smear the cream cheese in the middle of the dough. make sure you leave about 1/2 inch border. on top of the cream cheese layer, spoon half of the cooked raspberry, brush the border with the egg and water mixture and lay the other sheet on top of it and press the seams to seal.

6. brush the top with the eggs and water mixture, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. while baking place the remaining cooked raspberry back into the stove over medium high heat and cook until it's thick, about 5 minutes.

8. serve warm with fresh whipped cream and drizzle some of the raspberry sauce into each slice.