FoodieChat

A brilliant way to use excess carrots, these mini bit sized cupcakes will be a perfect addition to a high tea party or to surprise supper guests or even as part of a petit four! Good for the cholesterol conscious as it uses oil not butter.

 To make the icing just mix sugar, margarine and milk until almost sti ff but still mixable. Then pipe stars on top.

Here’s the recipe:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/carrot-cake-mini-cupcakes?autonomy_kw=carrot%20cupcake&rsc=header_9

Surfing around the net for a new cake recipe to try, I found this one by Jill Dupleix (quoting someone else!).  Jill is the food writer in delicious magazine so I knew it would be reliable.  My colleagues loved it (so they tell me), as it was very light and fluffy. It takes a bit of elbow grease to cream the WHOLE BLOCK of butter with the sugar (I halved the recipe), but the result is a cake with a good crumb, not too oily and an awesome orange flavour from the rind.  I actually baked it in a kuglelhoph tin, and let the icing drizzle down the sides. I also put some orange zest through the icing also.

http://www.jilldupleix.com/recipes/rec001.php

One of my favourite ways to spend a day on the weekend is to meet friends and family to have Yum Cha - or “Dim Sum” as the yankees call it.  “Yum Cha” means “Drink tea” in Chinese, whilst “Dim Sum” is what you eat there as an accompaniment for the tea as you catch up - although in modern times, the food overshadows the tea!  Get to Marigold early, as there can be a queue from 11:30am on the weekend - an alternative to the take a number and listen to the microphone approach adopted by some.   Then when you get your table, order your tea (Jasmine, green, oolong etc), and cast your eye over the trolleys filled with steaming hot food (literally - some of the trolleys are mobile steamers filled with hot water).  I love Yum Cha also because the food is mini.  Bite sized so you can have a bit of everything.  Sorry on this trip we didn’t eat that much but here’s what we did have.

Char Siu Bau (or BBQ pork buns) are well known to the general population as fluffly steaming white dough buns filled with sweet pork. But have you tried the baked and glazed version - with a brown top, rounded and smooth?  Another favourite bun of mine is the polo or pineapple buns, filled with custard and topped with a sweet, crispy topping.

Essential but unhealthy - the mandatory spring rolls are crispy, deep fried asian sausage rolls - filled with mince of pork, mushrooms, and prawns if you’re lucky, as well as wood ear mushroom shreds and bamboo.  For the more health conscious, the steamed dumplings are a solid offering.  Prawn dumplings (har gau) are often chased by enthusiastic impatient diners (oh no, I would never do such a thing! ) and are often the first to go; and the most asked for.  Like a steam prawn wonton, wrapped in rice paper and steamed.

(more…)

I thought I could let my birthday pass without anyone from work knowing or at least making a fuss about it, but the girls at work managed to surprise me and made my birthday even more special! They managed to sneak in some cupcakes from a bakery until I walked to the fridge for some milk and saw these cupcakes, and… surprise! I was so touched!  Who can resist pink iced cupcakes, perfectly smooth drizzled with white chocolate over the buttery dense base; or these devilishly delicious chocolate chip and nut cupcakes with dark chocolate ganache,

Or these deceptively healthy looking (I assure you, they are not!) blackberry baked cheesecakes…. and finally, tangy lemon baked cheesecakes!! As if I hadn’t indulged enough already (other birthday blogs to come)…. but cupcakes really are so extra special Thanks for the sweet surprise girls!

The first ever Lindt Cafe in the world opened in Sydney’s Martin Place two years ago, and sees a regular stream of chocolate lovers come in for their hot chocolate (which you mix yourself from melted chocolate and milk), handmade chocolates, and indulgent cakes, and even Lindt ice cream! Recently, they replaced their take away sandwiches with these “delice”ous chocolate filled macaroons called “Lindt delice”.  (more…)