Cinnamon Sticks

In a cold afternoon, drinking hot milk tea and feeling something to snack on….. Could it be only me?  Or, you just don’t want to throw away the bread crust – the left over from making sandwiches the other day?  Now here is the way to make delicious snack out of it.

This golden crisp cinnamon stick is a great accompaniment to your morning or afternoon tea (of coffee!).  And, is very simple to make too.

<Cinnamon Sticks>

• 8 pieces bread crust (from 2 slices of bread)
• cinnamon sugar
• oil to deep-fry

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1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Deep-fry the bread crust until golden.
3. Drain the oil well, then coat with cinnamon sugar.

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You can also make it without deep-frying.  Toast in the oven, or in a frying pan (without oil) until golden crispy.  Keep them  in an air-tight container after cooled down.a

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Cauliflower Karaage

There are many winter vegetables available in the supermarkets – and cauliflower is one of them!  Foods in season are very cheap to buy, and also are flavourful and nutritious.  (Seasonal Food Guide)

When you have cauliflower in the fridge, what do you want to cook with it?  Cauliflower cheese? Cauliflower soup?  Or add to usual stir-fry dish?  Ummmm  all of them sound so yummy….  but how about making karaage with it?  It sounds very different – because karaage usually use chicken thigh.  But, this dish is really flavoursome and rally easy to make.

The batter is seasoned so you may not need any sauce to eat with it, but you can also enjoy it with ponzu or Japanese mayonnaise.

Eat while hot and crunchy!

<Cauliflower Karaage>

• 1/4 cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs  soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sause
• 3 tbs corn flour

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1. Cut cauliflower into small florets.
2. Bead the egg in a mixing bowl.  Add sauces and flour, then mix together.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan.
4. Coat cauliflower florets in the batter, then deep-fry until golden.

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Chocolate Bagel with Cocoa Cheese Cream

If you feel like something sweet, this chocolaty snack could be an option.

Toasted chocolate bagel with cocoa cream cheese topping….  The combination of a bagel and cream cheese is still the best for me.

Adding whipped cream to the cream cheese adds milder texture and taste.  If you are not a big fun of cream cheese, more cream can be added -

I don’t add sugar to the mixture because I wanted to enjoy the taste of cream cheese and bitterness of cocoa.  You can add sugar if you are after sweet stuff.  Few drops of choc bits give a crunchy sweet contrast.

<Chocolate bagel with cocoa cheese cream>

• 1 chocolate bagel
• 2 tbs cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 tbs whipped cream
• 1/4 tsp cocoa
• few drops of choc bits

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1. Halve the bagel and toast.
2. Place the soft cream cheese and cocoa in a mixing bowl.  Add whipped cream, and mix together.
3. Spread the cream mixture on top of each slice of bagel, and sprinkle choco bits.

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Black Sticky Rice Porridge

This Asian style sweet porridge is one of my favourite winter sweets.

I normally eat it warm, but it can be eaten at room temperature or chilled.  It is usually eaten with dash of coconut cream.

You can cook this in a slow cooker or in a deep pan, just like making congee.  Adjust the amount of water to achieve right consistency.

It should be thick in consistency.  The chewy black sticky rice is so juicy and delicious

I added fresh persimmon to it, and the combination was lovely.  With seasonal fruit and eating it warm or chilled, this sweet pudding can be served all year round!

<Black Sticky Rice Porridge>

• 500g black sticky rice (can be found at Asian grocery shops)
• water to soak the rice
• 2L ~ water
• 3 tbs ~ palm sugar
• a pinch of salt

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1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for about 2 hours to overnight.
2. Put the rice, salt, sugar and 2 L water in a deep pot on high heat until water boils, then lower it to the lowest heat your stove can do. Stir constantly.  Simmer.
3. When the liquid is almost gone, check the rice – if it’s still too hard, add more water to it.  Keep during this until it achieve the right consistency.
4. Serve with coconut cream.

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Chocolate Cake Ball Pops

This bite-sized chocolate cake looks so cute, and is a great finger dessert for a party or a lunch box.

I got this recipe idea from Coles magazine years ago.  The recipe used Coles mud cake, but I baked my own and used it for the recipe.  I didn’t coat the cake with chocolate entirely as the cake is already rich and sweet.  Sprinkled with hundreds and thousands, they turned into fun pops for kids.

What attaches the sticks to the cake is the melted white chocolate.  I got these sticks from Spotlight (sold as “craft sticks”).

The inside is rich, moist chocolate cake.  This is one of the cake I’m asked to bake when friends coming over to my house.

You should serve this chilled.

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<Chocolate Cake>  makes around 40 pops

21cm Φ cake tin

• 5 eggs (room temperature)
• 150g granulated sugar
• 45g cocoa powder
• 45g corn flour
• 200g dark cooking chocolate
• 200ml cream
• cooking white chocolate
• hundreds and thousands
• 40 craft sticks

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1. Separate egg whites and yolks.
2. Add sugar to egg whites, and whip until thick and fluffy.  Shift cocoa powder and corn flour into the bowl, and fold in.
3. Pour the mixture into lined cake tin, and bake in the oven at 180℃ until just cooked (around 20 minutes).  Let it cool.
4. Heat cream in a sauce pan to just before boiling.  Turn off the heat, and add chocolate.  Stir until all chocolate is melted, and let it cool until spreadable consistency.
5. Slice the chocolate sponge, and spread the ganache.

<into pops>

1. Chop up the chocolate cake, and shape into balls using hands.
2. Melt white chocolate in warm water bath.
3. Insert a stick to a chocolate cake ball, and spoon melted chocolate around the stick’s root area.  Repeat with remaining.
4. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands.

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