Pizza!

After comin' back from Europe, I had a sudden crave for pizza.  Sadly, I don't have the Italian touch.  Their pizzas are to die for!  Do stay tune for the photos of the other european locations.  Post-production in progress.

Down to business.... Pizza making!  Its actually quite simple.  You can either get the dough from your local hypermarket or supermarket; OR you can do your own dough!  Please skip the dough portion if you bought one already ;)

Pizza

Dough Portion


Ingredients:

• 4.5 cups All Purpose White Flour
• 1/4 cups Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 packet Dry Yeast
• 1.5 cups Warm Water
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar

Steps:

1. Measure 0.5 cups of warm water and stir in 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.  Ensure water is warm and not hot.  Dissolve the packet of dry yeast.  Leave it for 5 minutes at least.
2. Sift 4 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the salt.  Make a depression in the middle of the flour and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 cup of warm water.
3. When the yeast mixture has risen after the 5 minutes, add it to the flour.  Mix all together with hands and place on a floured surface.  Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes. *
4. Rub a clean bowl with olive oil and place the kneaded dough into it.  Moisten the top of the dough with olive oil.  Place a clean cloth over the bowl and keep it in a warm place to rise 90 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven for 15 minutes.  While preheating, you may use your rolling pin to flatten the dough to a circular shape.  If you would like a thin crust, split the kneaded dough into 2 before rolling it.  When dough is flatten, place it into the oven. **
6. Bake the dough for around 15 minutes.  Make sure you don't over bake it, as we just want to ensure the dough is properly baked when we placed the toppings. 

Notes:
* You can try adding Parmesan or Oregano into the dough to give it more flavor. 

** You may flour the oven dish.  This would make your dough to a biscuit like texture after bake - Less oily.  Or you make butter your oven dish.  This would give you a crunchy form base - Possibly oily.


Toppings Portion

Ingredients:

• Shredded Mozzarella/Cheedar or any kind of cheese. 
• Mixed Herbs
• 200g Tomato Puree
• 2 Chopped Onions
• Optional Toppings - Pineapple Pieces, Sliced Mushrooms, Sliced Capsicums/Bell Peppers, Olives, Peperoni, Salami, Cooked Mince Chicken, Tuna Pieces etc.

Steps:

1. Spread a thin layer of tomato puree on the semi-baked dough.  Sprinkle the onions on it.
2. Do you customization of optional toppings.  Let your creativity fly!
3. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and spread it out evenly.  Sprinkle mixed herbs on the top.

4. Put it back into the oven to bake.  It would take approx. 20 minutes.  Baked until the cheese melts and a little golden brown.
5. Slice it up and serve! 

Notes:
* You can try cracking an egg on top of it when the pizza is closed to being well done.
* You can try sprinkling chili flakes on top to give it the spicy kick!

Enjoy!

Baked Cheesecake Attempt!

Ever had cooking/baking blues?  I'm havin' one right now or some benevolent power is telling me that I should stick to 'Chilled Cheesecake'...  or I should just master the use of the newly installed oven :P

Anyway, it still taste good after removing the burnt sides.  You may have better luck than me with the oven.

Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1kg Cream Cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 1 tbsp Corn Starch
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 3 pc Lemons
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 5 Whole Eggs
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 450g Digestive Biscuits
• 125g Butter

Steps:

1. Butter the spring form tray.
2. Crush the Digestive Biscuits and mix in Butter.

3. Press the mix unto the tray and put aside. Refrigerate 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven at 350°C.
5. Mix the Sugar, Flour and Corn Starch.
6. Grate the Lemon skin (Zest), and squeeze the lemon.
7. Beat in Cream Cheese, Lemon Zest and 3 tbsp Lemon Juice, and Vanilla Essence until smooth.
8. Mix in the Heavy Cream.
9. Pour mixture into the trays.
10. Lower the heat to 180°C and bake for 1 Hour.

11. Put aside to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour.

Enjoy :)

Cream Puffs

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Took up this endeavour this weekend to create Cream Puffs! It has been my fav for quite awhile and only the plain vanilla cream fillings entices me.

My dad has been try to make it for quite a long time. Sadly, it ended in disaster as the Cream Puff became Cream Biscuit. It was hard as a Jawbreaker candy.

Anyway, you all don't worry! My attempt was a success! So this recipe works :)

Ingredients:

For the Puff (Choux Paste):

• 50g Butter
• 60g Plain Flour
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Water

For the Filling:

• 225g Butter
• 110g Caster Sugar
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
• 1 teaspoon Rose Essence
• 1 teaspoon Brandy / Rum (optional)

Steps for the Puff:

1. Place your butter and water in a pot. Stir over a low heat until boiling.
2. Remove the pot, and mix it in the flour. Quickly stir it with a wooden spoon until it is pasty, and not sticky. Let it cool.
3. While waiting for it to cool, preheat your oven at 230°C.
4. Mix in the eggs into the pot until it is a paste again.

5. Fill the paste into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe into a baking tray. The size is up to you. **
6. Bake it at 180°C for 25 minutes or until it is puffed up and golden brown.
**If you don't have a piping bag, you may use a plastic bag with an end snipped. I suggest the small puffs as it is easy to eat. Get a mini cupcake tray.

Steps for the Filling:

1. Mix the butter and sugar together until it is like whitish cream.
2. Mix in the eggs until it is creamy.
3. Add in the vanilla and rose essence, and the alcohol is optional.
4. Use a piping bag, and pipe in the filling into the puff from the bottom. **
** You may use those tomato/chilli sauce dispensers to pipe in your filling.

Notes:

1. You may keep it for a week.
2. Reheat them for 5 mins in the oven at 180°C.
3. Please keep the puffs in an airtight container.
4. Pipe in the cream only if you are going to serve.

Good luck and enjoy! ;)