Cream Puff Au Chocolat: cream puff with chocolate cream fillings

Cream Puff...its our family favorite dessert or tea time snack...made these babies yesterday...actually yesterday i had a pudding craving (i know what's with me and cravings?) been searching the net looking for the best pudding recipe but most of it were way to complicated for me...i was feeling a tad bit lazy at the same time...

then...i decided to just use custard powder and start mixing with milk, a pinch of salt and loads of melted chocolate and a dash of vanilla...the chocolate kinda mask the 'custard powder' taste, you know the instant custard powder can sometimes have that powdery and somehow uncooked custard taste (well thats just how i think it taste like...uncooked coz its still taste powdery)
it turned out great only my only dissatisfaction its too sweet for my liking. i didn't add additional sugar because i thought since i'll be adding loads of melted chocolate that its be just right for me...but i was right not to add in extra sugar because it turn out too sweet for me and i feel that i can't eat the pudding alone or on its own...

so i spent half of the day thinking what can i do with it and i thought of cream puff... well i thought of making strudel at first but i don't have any puff pastry, too lazy to make from scratch (although it would be nice though with the combination of sour-ish fruits and non sweetened cream and the crispiness of puff pastry that would be marvelous indeed) ...so cream puff it is.

this is the recipe that i have kinda perfected over the years and letting you in on my so called secret to my choux pastry recipe for cream puff.

1c water
90g butter - cubed
1c flour - sifted 1
tsp salt
1tsp sugar
3 eggs

1. pre heat oven at 180C. and prepare greased baking pan/tray and lined with parchment paper.
   
2. in a pot (preferably medium-large pot for easy handling) heat water until almost simmer then add in the butter. stir until all dissolves
3. when you see that the butter mixture starts to simmer then add in the flour and start stiring until it forms a dough and did not stick to the pot.
4. remove from heat.
5. add in eggs one by one. and stir until the egg is completely combined in dough then add another egg and repeat the step until all eggs are incorporated.
6. now you can start dropping a dollop of dough you may use spoon or pipe it into place. i just use 2 spoons..
7. then bake for 30-40minutes or until golden brown.

TIPS:
~ Do not open oven to check on the choux pastry with in the 1st 20 minutes. this may cause your pastry to not rise properly.

~ make sure that the pastry is golden brown to make sure the doneness if you take out the pastry pre maturely it'll deflate and loose its nice round shape/puff.
...although for this one i did took the pastry out prematurely and it deflate like crazy but i re bake it immediately and it puff back into shape...but this was not always the case...i think i just got lucky, don't purposely try this ok!

~When you simmer the butter mixture, don't let it go to the boiling point...i find that if you let it boil, it somehow effects the dough...and it didn't quite have that beautiful puff to it...

I hope this will help you baking a better choux pastry...HAPPY BAKING!

p/s: the cream custard filling i don't have the recipe i just simply dump all the ingredients i've mentioned earlier and thats it... sorry..^_^

RANDOM WEDNESDAY: DIY pin bunga

today is the day that i thought of doing something random heheheh~ actually i haven't been cooking/baking as much as i should because i am rather busy preparing for my sister's wedding this April. I'm in charge of making the DIY silk flower brooch and the above is my tutorial but its in Malay. why i did it in Malay? because there's so many diy tutorials in english out there so i thought i spread some knowledge to my fellow Malaysian readers (and also to those who understand Malay language)

however i do apologize on the sound or the way this tutorial is made, its my 1st time making any tutorial plus i don't have anyone holding my camera phone so i improvise mmm~ other than that i hope you enjoy it and benefit from this tutorial.

i will (its my long dream/ angan angan on making videos about baking or cooking) somehow try to make videos on cooking or baking....but just don't hold your breath for it...d=p)

Bubur Cha Cha / Cha Cha Porriage

i suddenly have this crazy craving of bubur cha cha so i thought today i just go and make some...and since the cha cha dried dough can be bought from the local market i thought "this should be eazy and i'll have my cha cha in no time"

to my luck, i went all over bangi market...well almost all they were out...OUT i tell you but i can't shake the craving...argh so i went back home and go straight online to find a recipe for making the cha cha dough...and guess what? there was none...only recipes that uses the store bought cha cha dried dough....at that point i feel like pulling my hair off coz i keep thinking about 'bubur cha cha'

in desperation i called my mom (she knows everything...lucky me) and ask if she knows how...crossing my fingers she said " owh...thats ez you just need....." heheheheh~
awwww~ suspen kah? ok i'll share the recipe because i'm nice and generous....=p

so here is what you need to make the cha cha dough:

1c rice flour
1tbsp tapioca flour
1tbsp corn flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp lime paste (air kapur) * if you don't like the alkaline taste yo can reduce to half teaspoon.
1cup water (plus minus add more if the dough is tough)
colorings

mix all ingredients in a pot. in a medium heat mix until it forms a dough and didn't stick to the pot. divide into 2 or 3 portions and give some colorings to the respective dough. take another clean pot boil water and then by using cha cha mold press it until it comes out noodle like . if you don't have the mold you can always use your seive (one that have bigger holes) or your ladle with little holes which is what i use for mine...the cha cha noodle is ready when it floats. take it out and put it in a cold water to prevent it from sticking from each other.

Cha cha gravy:

250ml coconut milk
1/2c water
1/2tsp salt
150g palm sugar (the sweetness is up to your liking reduce if you don't like it too sweet)
2 screwpine leaves knotted

dissolves palm sugar with water in a heated pot. then add in the coconut milk. reduce heat to medium - low . stir constantly to avoid the coconut from breaking oil. add in salt and screwpines.
stir...as it simmers add in the cha cha noodles. let it boils a while then remove from heat.

the view from the pot...

TIPS:

1. if the coconut gravy is too thick you may just add in water but remember to have a taste and make sure that it didn't turn bland.
2. sometimes the coconut milk curdles when heated, don't panic you can just pour the coconut milk in a blender and blend away...just the coconut milk, not the cha cha noodles ok!
3. always add salt in you coconut base dish to enhance the coconut taste.
4. you can also add in 1tbs of pearl sago, or sweet potato in this dish, it'll sure add some texture...i add my leftover sweet potatoes in mine ^_^
5. if you can't find palm sugar, i suppose you can substitute it with brown sugar...but it won't have that distinctive aroma and color of the palm sugar though...or perhaps using molasses sugar is better...
   

my Herb Garden

thyme
Thyme is a herb of the mint family Lamiaceae and it is the dried leaves and flowering tops that are used to flavour food. The shrub is native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean and central Asia. Essential oil extracted from thyme has antiseptic and anesthetic properties. Thyme has a special scent that goes well with many dishes. It gives an excellent taste to fish when used as a marinade. It is also one of the ingredients used in many herbal mixes, and adds a delicious fragrance to stews and meat dishes.

baby basil growing.... ^_^

ulam raja / cosmos plant
ulam raja if translate it directly means 'king's salad'. this herb is usually eaten raw with sambal belacan (chili paste mixed with shrimp paste and some other ingredients). The Malays believe that the herb is good for health and contains anti-aging properties or awet muda, and that it tones up blood circulation, strengthens the bones and promotes fresh breath.

basil / selasih
Basil is said to have a warm, resinous, clove-like flavor and fragrance. This stimulating fragrance fills the air when one brushes against a basil plant in the garden. The leaves and flowers are used as a condiment to flavor salads, soups and stews in the West. From tomato, egg or cheese dishes to meat, sausages, fish sauces and even vegetable juice drinks, basil is added to enhance the flavor of the dishes.

In Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, basil is commonly used in meat dishes and noodles. The Chinese makes an appetizing soup with basil leaves, eggs and dried shrimps. However, the flavor of fresh leaves intensifies when cooked. For maximum flavor, add basil towards the end of the cooking.

water spinach / kangkung tree
ermmm water spinach is very easy to grow and taste great too...it can be eaten raw or cooked like you would with spinach.

rosemary
one of my favorite herbs, they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods. A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6

pandan leaves aka screwpine
Daun pandan is the Malaysian and Indonesian name for this fragrant leaf. Screwpine leaf was the name given by English traders who traveled to Asia. In Southeast Asia, pandan leaf is used to wrap chicken, meat, fish, and desserts before they are barbecued or steamed. They add distinct, sweet, floral-like notes to these products. Malaysians, Indonesians, and Thais add the bruised leaves or its extract to flavor rice dishes and glutinous and tapioca-based desserts and puddings. The whole leaf is used to wrap chicken and other meats before they are grilled or barbecued

not sure what it is but it is very fragrant, the plant looks like chive but smaller, really i'm not sure coz i didn't use the leaves to cook but the roots that also looks like between garlic and shallot. ...next to it is actually lemon grass

peri peri /bird eye chili
this plant seem to be very happily planted in my pot it grew double its size just in 2 weeks and since then this baby never stop producing hot chilies / hot peri peri =p

daun salam / Indian bay Leaves
I never knew that the salam leaf is a family of bay leaves...no wonder the leaves looks familiar and not to mention fragrant....lol...anyway if i were to translate the name literally it means peace leaf...The leaves may be used fresh or dried; they are common in the cuisines of Sumatra, Jawa , Bali and of course Malaysia. They are applied to meat and, to a lesser extent, vegetables; in order to release their flavor, they must be fried or cooked for a while.

my parents eats this as salad but in a rather small portion with other Malay salad such as cucumber, kesum, long bean, ulam raja etc...

daun kesum...i'm not sure what it called in english but i think its Vietnamese Mint (i stand to be corrected) is alos known as the laksa leaf amongst the Malaysian. Very fragrant. it is used in laksa gravy, asam pedas, nasi kerabu ...
it grows rather easily the leaves are elongated, with soft stalk, each segment of the stalk has the potential to grow into another bunch of mint leaves because roots sprout from the stalk itself.

mint
The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem. The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.

and that all from my back yard garden herbs...my latest craze hehehehe~