Tis The Season (To Bake Sugee)

I recently baked sugee cakes. I remember exactly at this time last year, a dear friend of mine, Carol requested that I bake her a sugee cake and I immediately said yes. Only to realise after that, that I've never had sugee cakes before. I love sugee cookies though but never tried the cakes and have never baked one before too!

So, when in doubt, google! Haha. Whoa!! Was really surprised when I saw the ingredients. The number of eggs and amount of sugar used! Super-thigh food. That's what my friend would call this. I ended up with the so-called 'healthiest' and 'figure-friendliest' recipe. Passed it to Carol for tasting and nahh! Even I didn't like it. Brown sugar for sugee, nahh! It doesn't go that way. Plus the recipe called for the use of almond essence. Nahhh, that didn't work either. I finally settled for one recipe I got from an old magazine. That was ok lah!

Carol wanted the cake again last week for her fiance's birthday party (yupp! he's not a fan of the fancy schmancy looking cake!) and I scrambled looking for the recipe I used last year. Didn't find it but call me lucky, I managed to nab an authentic Indian sugee cake recipe from MIL's neighbour, whom I call Aunty. But the thing was, I could feel my waistline expanding just by looking at the recipe alone. So, tweaked it a bit. Made a mock-up cake for my fave girls at work to try. Was over the moon when they said they liked it. And to my delight, after I handed Carol the cake, she said it passed with flying colours. She added that the cake didn't make it to the birthday party. It went down their tummies even before the party started. Haha! That news sure made my day!

I was told to guard the recipe dearly by the Aunty though but if you want the recipe, leave a comment here with your email add and I'll revert to you ok. Hmm..gonna bake some for Deepavali. Want some? :)

Holy Guacamole (!) - The Blogger MasterChef Finale

Holy guacamole (!) - the very first thing I said when I saw two ripe avocadoes in the mystery box for the Invention Test at the finale! Am not quite a fan of this fruit. Wait! Is it a fruit or a vege huh? Haha. The only thing I've made with avocadoes was guacamole, in an attempt to copy Nigella Lawson's "Roquemole" - a roquefort-based guacamole. Roquefort is sheep's milk blue cheese and I ended up throwing the whole bowl I made because it was just too strong to my liking!

We were given 2 minutes to pick 10 things from the pantry upon checking the stuff in the mystery box. I simply grabbed bread, mushrooms, lemons, shallots, garlic etc. not knowing what to make. The only thing I thought of that time was to use the avocadoes shells and stuff them with errrr, stuff?

When I finally had some inkling of what to do later, I ended up making antipasti. Called my creation - Quattro Avocado Antipasti - 4 types of dips stuffed in the avocadoes shells and served with canapes. Tadaaaa! Was given pretty good reviews by the judges, but no, I didn't win the contest. But to be in Malaysia's top 10 list, was just priceless! A damn good and fun experience for a pretend chef like me! Thanks Astro & Nuffnang for organising this. Till next year? Haha, I sure gotta cook more at home, buy more cook books, watch more cooking shows and enroll in cooking classes ay?

These Suffice

Don't need all the crystal ware and expensive antique stuff to deco my wall at home - these suffice! These babies make my day just by looking at the yummilicious and beautiful colourful covers. I know I'm weird :)

MasterChef : A Little Secret Wish

I think I was a chef in my previous life! Haha!

When I am in control of the TV remote at home, everyone else will have no choice but to watch all the food related shows with me. When no one is looking, I weep with joy over how brilliant and skilful the Junior MasterChefs are on TV. When I am alone at home, I will host my own cooking show in the kitchen – Yes! Call me crazy but I will suddenly turn into this TV chef and start to verbalise every action I make, sometimes pretending that I am in the MasterChef’s Mystery Box or Pressure Test challenges. Haha! When I crave for something sweet, I have no qualm walking in the rain to go to the nearby shop when I run out of raspberries and cream to make that panna cotta and raspberry coulis I saw they made in MasterChef Masterclass. When I travel, I am constantly on the look out for must-try eateries. Oh, I love everything about food and psst! psst! I am secretly dreaming of becoming a MasterChef (and now hoping to become Malaysia's first Blogger MasterChef!). I spend a big percentage of my pay-check on cook books. I spend my spare time experimenting recipes and my food testers are people around me; family and friends. It is always a delight when they give good words about the stuff I whip up for them. (Though I hope they’re not just being nice) ;)

One thing I love making all the time is something I call Crunchy Cone Salad, a recreation of a favourite salad of mine from a California-based restaurant, but with a twist! The twist lies in the presentation, which is something I nabbed from the celeb chef Bob Blumer (whom I’ve met and lucky to be friends with now ;) ) Name dropping huh? Haha. Ok, back to the recipe. Usually, you will eat the wontons out of the crispy, crunchy salad. But now you get to eat the salad of out the crispy, crunchy wonton. Wanna know how you can make this?

What do you need?

Salad dressing

• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad and cone

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breast(s)
• A pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups peanut oil
• 9-10 wonton pastry wrappers
• 2 cups sliced and finely grated romaine lettuce
• 2 cups sliced and finely grated red cabbage
  
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted cashews
• 1/3 cup chopped canned mandarin slices
• 2 onions
• Paper cones or use card boards to make your own 9-12 cones of 4-5 inches diameter

How ?

• Season chicken breast with salt. Cook chicken with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil for about 5 minutes per side. Reserve the cooked chicken aside.

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• In a bowl, set out peanut oil along with a pastry brush. Brush both sides of each wrapper with peanut oil.
• If you do not have with you ready-made cones, make yours with card boards. Simply cut circles out of the card board and fold them into cones.

• Wrap 1 wrapper around each cone and press seams together. Then set out the cones on a baking sheet.

• Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. When cones cool, pull them off the cones and reserve.

• Dice chicken finely. Reserve.
• Whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, honey, water and soy sauce.
• Stir in sugar, salt and cayenne pepper.
• Add oil and continue whisking until smooth.
• Drizzle the dressing on the salad.

• Assemble salad in the wonton cones. Top with sliced chicken and mandarin slices. Walla! They're now ready to be served.

Isn’t this a more fun way to serve your salad? Well, you can put virtually anything in the cones though. Imagine your curry puff fillings served in these cones or even your popiah. What else? The sky is the limit when making these!

People say everything good is free, but I’d say everything good is fried! Haha. Still on the topic of wontons, I have another recipe to share. Choc Wontons (Thanks Bob Blumer!). Deep fried wonton skins filled with dollops of peanut butter, slices of ripe bananas and chocolate. There are certain foods that make my eyes grow large and the corners of my mouth go up. Any recipe mentioning of these ingredients goes right into my “to cook” list. So, these babies are what I’ve been making every time guests come for tea. Wanna know what they taste like? Imagine this, when you bite the crispy wonton, the peanut butter, banana and chocolate just ooze out where you get to savour the sweetness of the banana and gooey chocolate with a hint of saltiness from the peanut butter. Isn’t that just divine? The recipe as follows :

What do you need?

• 15-20 wonton pastry wrappers
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 4 bananas, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 15-20 chocolate balls or bar segments
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
• Peanut oil for deep frying

How?

• Place a slice of banana onto the centre of a piece of wonton wrapper.
• Place 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on the banana and top with chocolate.

• Wet your finger with water and trace the wonton wrapper around the ingredients.Pinch and seal wrapper around the ingredients tightly.

• Pour oil into a pot. When oil is ready, fry the wontons for about 1 minute or until wonton wrappers are golden brown.
• Remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool before serving.

I first served these babies at a potluck, and guess what went missing from the plate in a blink of an eye? (Refer to the white container in the photo). Hehe.

Easy peasy right? Not only these are pleasing to the eyes, but they would tickle your taste buds with fancy. Simple recipes infused with wow! factors – these are what you call MasterChef worthy huh? ;) Speaking of which, it is now official that the reality show will be shown on TV in less than a month. Yeay! The cooking reality show which does not require viewers votes are now breaking viewership records in US and Australia (remember MasterChef Australia? MasterChef USA?) Associated with big names such as Gordon Ramsay and Gary Mehigan, MasterChef is a success because not only is food something everyone is very passionate about but the show is only opened to amateur home cooks and it is an avenue to turn home cook hopefuls into culinary stars. Now Malaysians who love cooking but never had a chance to really showcase their skills and be appreciated, get the opportunity! Guess who have been announced as the MasterChef Malaysia judges? Our own big guns in the industry, of course - Chef Riz, Chef Jo, Chef Zubir, Chef Yahaya and Priya Menon!

Yupp, you got that right, MasterChef-Malaysian style! So if you fancy some cooking throwdown the Malaysian way, do block your diary. Details as follows:

• Launch date : 22nd October 2011
• Show times : Starting from 22nd October 2011, every Saturday – Wednesday, 9pm. Master Class will be on every Friday, 9.00pm.
• Program channel – Astro Ria (Channel 104)

To find out more about the show, you can also check out :

• Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/
• Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia
• Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY

So, are you ready for the MasterChef phenomenon to take over the country soon? My junior chefs and I are definitely are!

Moo ! !

One of the things I looked for in Spain few months back was this thing called Dulce de Leche. Having learnt that it's something that Lionel Messi (the footballer, people! Hehe, and whom I met in Spain) loves, I got curious and hit the mercato to look for it. There were so many brands, but I ended up buying Havana after reading that it is the best brand in Argentina! Since, Messi's from Argentina - hence the purchase ;) (I'm so easy, right? Haha!)


Wait! Wonder what's Dulce de Leche? It's caramel-like milk based spread. Literally translated, dulce means sweet and leche means milk. Its consistency, flavour and texture are ideal for baking, desserts or just on toasted bread. So, what have I "milked" out of this "yum-moo-licious" treat? Besides eating it straight from the jar and spreading it on toast, so far, I've made :

Bannofee Dulce de Leche cake. Just google for any bannofee cake recipe. Layer the cake with dulce de leche spread and make dulce de leche ganache.


Messy, lazy, banana dessert smothered with Dulce de Leche. No brainer. Haha.


Dulce de Leche Brownies. Made this based on David Lebovitz's recipe! Yummms!


Dulce de Leche Bread Butter Pudding. Made this using the normal bread butter pudding recipe but top it with dollops of dulce de leche in heated milk!


Am down to my last jar now. Need to scout around for a new bottle. Anyone going to Spain? Argentina?

Masak Campak-Campak

I tend to become creative with cooking when :

a) There's not much left in the fridge
b) There are leftovers from the day before
c) The raw materials on the shelves are nearing their expiration dates
d) Am just plain lazy

Here are some of my lazy-creative dishes..Haha..

Nachos - Organic tortilla chips with leftover bolognese sauce + homemade guacomale dip + grated cheddar and parmesan cheese + sliced pickled jalapenos

Seared bananas - Overly ripe bananas + shaved parmesan + raw cane sugar

Omelette - Eggs + milk + green apples + pepper + shaved parmesan

Hmmm..they are all with cheese ay? Yupp, am one cheese lover here, y'all!

Look Better Naked

I am a fan of Women's Health Magazine and had recently came across an article on the book called 'Look Better Naked'. The book's created by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief and has been receiving good response all over the world. The book's all about you having a good 'nude attitude' and then believing and ultimately living a lifestyle that centres around you as a healthy and good looking person. You know how sometimes when you strip down in front of the mirror and find yourself crinching at your own reflection? "Ohhh, when is that bulge will ever disappear?" "Ooh, when did that flabby arms appear?" "Oooh, I now have cellulite?" Sounds familiar?

Don't think I'll buy the book but the article on cleansing's kinda interesting. You know how people are currently raving about detoxication. Notice the abundance of detox products sold in the pharmacies? Well, my favourite is the apple cider vinegar but I might try this 2-day cleanse plan one day. One fine day! Haha..Anyway, here's sharing it with you guys. Credit to Women's Health Magazine. You guys have your own detox recipes or plans?

The Cleanse Plan is to jump-start whatever weight loss plan you have, make you feel healthy, drop some water weight and never leave you deprived ;)

Breakfast : Light shake

• Blend 1 cup skim milk
• 1 cup berries
• 1 tsp peanut butter (or flaxseed oil)
• 1 cup of ice until frothy
• You may add cocoa powder (yeay!)

Snack

• 1 cup sliced cucumbers
• 1 cup green tea

Lunch

• Steamed or raw greens (romaine, spinach, mesclun mix, lettuce, bak choy, arugula etc)
• 4 oz lean protein (white meat, firm tofu, lean beef, fish)
• 2 tsp oil (olive, sunflower, walnut) - use oil with some herbs as vinaigrette to saute greens and protein source
  

Snack

• 10 asparagus, blanched (can dip in non-fat yogurt or swirl Dijon mustard for taste)
  
• 1 cup green tea

Dinner

• Steamed or raw greens
  
• 4 oz lean protein
• 2 tsp oil
  

Have fun detoxing peeps! ;)

It's All Worth It!

Was super busy and super tired yesterday! Didn't think about what to prepare for dinner at all. Was thinking of asking Mr Hubs to just pack some food on his way back from work until I opened the fridge and there they were; leftover steaks with the black pepper sauce as well as the orange sauce cooked the night before.

Chopped some garlic and sliced the steaks. Browned the garlic. Poured the leftover black pepper and orange sauce. Chucked in the steaks and then some veges. And finally, stir fried all that with my favourite organic brown rice vermicelli. Verdict?

This came from Mr Hubs, "This is the best noodles ever! I'm glad that I married you!". Awwww, isn't that sweeeeeet? I know it's just a simple dish cooked out of leftovers, as a result of me being too tired (or just plain lazy?) but having Mr Hubs said that, I knew it's all worth it. Hilang rasa letih (and malas?) Now, what should I cook today? Hmmm..

Tried and Tested - The French Recipes (Finally!)

Remember some time ago I posted the recipes obtained from Laura Calder's cooking demo? Well, after months, I finally tried them. Verdict! I was damn proud of myself! Hahaha! And one important thing I discovered from trying the recipes was how fast it was to cook them. The ingredients may seem like a long list, but hey, almost all of them are the every day stuff that you'd probably already have in your kitchen anyway. So ladies (and gentlemen) out there, put your gourmet chef hat on and have these for dinner tonite. Trust me, you'll be saying ooh-laa-laa all nite long.

Cheat notes from Chef Jab ;)

Asparagus with orange sauce
- Mustard : I used ground mustard, it worked the same
- Vinegar : Used white distilled vinegar

Steak Au Poivre
- Peppercorns : I used the normal coarse black pepper and no, I didn't soak them in tea
- Beef stock : Used the cube beef stocks
- Creme fraiche : Used heavy cream

Potato Gratin
- Nutmeg : I skipped it

Murtabak Maggi

On the days that he gets to leave early from work, Mr Hubs will try his best to drop by the TTDI Ramadhan Bazaar for his favourite popia basah. A few days back, he received an sms from SIL for an order for Murtabak Maggi from the bazaar. So, he made his round, however to no avail. Later, we found out that there's no such thing sold at the TTDI bazaar but in Bangsar instead. Going to Bangsar from work and back to TTDI on fasting month is a bit taxing during Ramadhan, considering the jam and all.

So, being a good SIL (hehe!), I googled and looked up for the recipe. Right after terawikh last nite, at MIL's, I rolled up my sleeves and had a go with the recipe. And this was what I came up with. Believe me, it may look just like an omelette, but taste-wise, it's pretty good.


A word of caution though, it's not that healthy to have this on regular basis ya ;) But then again, well, minus the instant noodles, I'd say you'll have your protein and vege servings from the egg, meat, onion, chilli. Not all bad, ay? Haha..Here's the recipe, taken from Mesra.net Resepi.

Ingredients:
2 packet of instant noodle
3 eggs
1 onion
1 red chili
Slices of beef/chicken
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

How?
1. Boil the instant noodle until cooked and remove the noodle from the water. Fry the meat with chilli and onion.
2. Beat the eggs until fluffy and add in a pinch of salt (skip the salt if you find the noodle flavouring is already salty).
3. Add in all the ingredients into the beaten egg (the noodle, meat, onion and chili and the instant noodle flavour packet). Mix well.
4. Heat up the pan and cook the instant noodle mixture with little bit of oil. Fry each side until golden colour.
5. Serve with chili sauce.

Fusion Iftar Menu

When you're not in the mood for the kuihs from the Ramadhan Bazaar or rice and lauk, why don't you try what I would call this fusion pasta menu. Tomyam and cream! Inspired from Pasta Al Salmone, I made the sauce using these ingredients instead :

• 150 gm light thickened/double cream
• 3-4 tbs of tomyam paste
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
  
• 1 can of tuna (take the one in water)
• 250gm of prawn meat
• Chinese parsley

After the garlic turns brown, throw the cream, tomyam paste, tuna and prawn in the pan. Once the sauce is ready, serve it with your pasta and garnish it with parsley. And walla, you're all done. Selamat berbuka puasa gorgeous readers!

Lebovitz Sunday

A friend left a message on my facebook that she's craving for something sweet and requested me to bake her a cake. Married for slightly over a month, I was wondering mengidam ke budak ni? Malasnya nak bake, time2 busy ni, but then I remembered what Mum once said to me, "Jangan let down harapan orang, you don't know when you would be asking them for favours.."

With that, I flipped through my recipe book and began searching for something nice but pretty easy to make. So, I settled for David Lebovitz's Cheesecake Brownies. The recipe's uploaded on his website too - http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/10/cheesecake_brownies.html. Do check it out. Easy peasy but the end result is super yummy! Worth every calorie ;) I ended baking 2 pans last Sunday. Sis brought some to her office and came home with order for 6 pans. Seriously? Wahh! This is fun! Guess I should start trying out Rachel Allen's recipes pulak ;)

Happy baking and Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan everyone!

Cheesecake Brownies by David Lebovitz (from www.davidlebovitz.com)

One 9-inch (23cm) square pan

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.

Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares.

Storage: These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well, too.

The French Recipes

Apologies to dear readers for delaying this entry. Blame it on the late nites spent at work. I sempat curi2 baca your blogs aje.. Anyway, here are the much awaited recipes by Laura Calder, copied directly from the recipe handouts given to us on the cooking demo day ;) Apart from the apple tart, Laura 'demo'ed asparagus with orange sauce and shallots and steak au poivre with potato gratin.

Asparagus with orange sauce
Ingredients:

• 2 oranges
• 1 shallot
• 3 tbs vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tsp vinegar
• 4 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 20 spears asparagus, trimmed
• Parmesan cheese for shaving
  

Method:

• First, make the dressing. Zest one orange into a bowl, then juice both oranges and boil the juice down in a small saucepan to about 3 tablespoons. Meanwhile, mince the shallot and out in a ramekin with the vinegar poured over. Set aside for 5 minutes.
• Add the mustard to the zest.
• When the orange juice has reduced, strain in over the zest. Drain the shallot, discarding the vinegar.
  
• Whisk all together then slowly whisk in oil.
• Taste, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Bring a saute pan full of water to boil. Salt it, then add asparagus and cook until tender.
• Drain, immediately rinse under ice cold water to set the colour.
• Pat dry with paper towels and transfer to a serving platter.
• Spoon over the sauce. Shave over the parmesan cheese. Grind over some pepper and serve.

Steak Au Poivre
Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 tenderloin steaks or eye of round (estimated 5 ounces per person)
• 1 to 2 tbsp green peppercorns, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup red wine (Muslims, skip this and subsititute it with the same amount of beef stock instead)
• Salt to season
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche (You can substitute this with heavy / double cream)
  

Method:

• Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, about 20 minutes. Soak the peppercorns in wine or water or black tea (drain before using).
• Heat the pan to high and season the meat.
• When the pan is very hot, fry the steaks on both sides to your liking (rare? medium rare? well-done?).
• Let the meat rest on board while you make the sauce.
• Deglaze the pan with the stock and boil it down to generous tablespoon, about 2minutes.
• Lower the heat and add the drained peppercorns and cream to heat through.
• Put the meat back in the pan, turning once to coat. Then put the meat in a platter and pour over the sauce to serve.
  

  
  

Potato Gratin
Ingredients:

• 1 kg potato peeled and thinly sliced
• Salt & pepper
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• A few garlic peeled and grated
• 250 ml Milk
• 250 ml heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

• Heat the oven to 375°F/190ºC
• Spill half the potato slices into a gratin dish
• Season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg
• Smear over the grated garlic
• Spread over the remaining potato slices
• Pour over the milk and cream
• Season well again with salt and pepper
• Dot with the butter
• Bake until all the liquid has been absorbed and the top is bubbly brown, 1 to 1-1/2 hours
• Serve

Petua from Laura: While baking the potatoes, the best is to have a brick (or anything else to use as weight) put on top of the layers of potatoes to ensure they are packed. Laura actually has a brick in her kitchen. She wraps it with a cloth and uses it as weight for her bakings etc.

We were all given a small plate each to taste all the dishes. Verdict? Magnifique!!! The asparagus were divine, especially with the orange sauce. I swear if I was on my own that day, I would have licked the sauce clean from the plate! (Tak senonohnya kan?) The steak was so tender and the sauce was excellent. Potato gratin pulak sangatlah lembut and creamy! Yummmm....Well, there you go readers...if any of you do try the recipes above, do share with me apakah resultnya ye? Bet they're gonna be delish! Ooooh la la!

Tried and Tested - Apple Tart and (Cleavage?)

Do you guys know who is Laura Calder? To those peminat setia Asian Food Channel (AFC) would definitely recognise her from French Food at Home series. Yupp, she's another Nigella Lawson I would say, but she specialises in French cuisine. She cooks from her kitchen just like Nigella but you guys know what people have been associating her with? Her cleavage!! Yupp, she dons low cut tops during most of her shows and there used to be noises saying that too much of her cleavage is not suitable for daytime cooking shows. Haha! Lawaklah..Alaa, give her a break, she's cooking French food kan, let her be sexylah with all that butter and cream, rite? Nigella pun top heavy (very) kan? Something these women celebrity chefs have in common kot. Ok, sape nak jadi celebrity chef, you know what it takes to be one now right? Haha, apa lah yang I melalut nih?

Anyway, what I wanna share with you guys today is Laura's easy peasy tart recipe. I baked the tart using the exact measurement for the makan2 session last 2 weeks and walla, it turned out well and was a hit amongst the guests. Here's the recipe (taken from the Food Network webbie), sangatlah senang, tak payah guna mixer and all.

Ingredients
Tart Shell
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour

Cream Filling
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts (I used almonds)

Directions
Tart Shell
Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

Make the crust: cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch/20 cm spring-form pan, giving it about a 1-inch/2.5 cm rim. Bake 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven.

Cream Filling
Beat all the ingredients for the cream filling together until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts. Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture.

Topping
Arrange the apple slices on top, then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.

In the excitement to serve the tart to the guests, I totally forgot to snap the pics. So I leave you guys with Laura Calder's pic instead ;) Happy baking!