Baked Alaska—First attempt

The blow torch is one of my favorite kitchen tools that I love to play with use.  Yeah, better don’t play with fire.  I was thinking, beside crème brûlée, what else can I use my blow torch with?  First thing that came in mind was Baked Alaska!  I was thinking to myself... “Really?  Do I have to go that far just to play with use the blow torch?”  Yes, really. And here we go... even though I was rather hesitatant. 

Since I already have some cupcakes baked-up, I sliced them up into 1/2 inch disks to fit into my bowls.  This way, I was already a step ahead and didn’t need to bake a whole sheet of cake just to try out this dessert.  That was a huge “motivation” for me.  Yeah, I get lazy sometimes, even in the kitchen.   :P  And you can definitely use the in-store chiffon cakes or any cakes you have on hand for the cake layer.  Guess we all love a little short cuts in the kitchen every once in a while.



So, for my very first attempt of Baked Alaska, I used previously baked chocolate cupcakes, then layered them with our favorite coffee ice cream.  It came out so perfect, so delicious, and just the flavor we love.  It’s to die for and so beautiful to look at as well.  When I make this Baked Alaska again in the future, I will have no problem baking a sheet of cake just for this.  It’s totally worth it.  Plus, it’s much easier to make than it looks.  You’ve got to give it a try and you’ll agree with me.




The meringue layer was warm, foamy, smooth and crunchy from the slightly browned tips.  Inside were layers of soft and spongy chocolate cakes and strong coffee flavor of creamy, icy-cold ice cream.  Every bite was interesting and delicious.  Hm…I couldn’t wait to make this again.  Now, here’s a small issue.  Since I used the cupcakes that I already have on hand, I just scooped out whatever last bit of ice cream I had in that tub to make this Baked Alaska, and I didn’t have the exact measurement for these 2 ingredients.  I know!  I know. What a mistake.  Anyhow, I will put the approximate amount as a guildline.  I do have the recipe for the meringue layer and that’s really the key to this dessert.  I used a bowl as my mold for the cake and ice cream layers and that bowl measured 5 1/2-inch in diameter and 3 1/2-inch in height.  I’ll provide the recipe below to make an 1-inch thick meringue layer to cover this cake.  I promise I’ll measure everything and write them down when I make this dessert again.  Guess I was too excited knowing that I can get my hands on the blow torch again!  Yeah, what a lame excuse, but so true.  :P 

Last but not least, just be very careful when you use the blow torch.  I know it’s sounds like fun (in fact, it is) to use.  But after all, it could be dangerous and definitely not a toy.  I always make sure my kids are not around when I use it (you know how kids like to copy everything we do) and store it away in a secured place that they can’t reach.  :)  Better be safe than sorry.

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas—Hotel Review

It was our first time staying with Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.  It’s grand opening was in Mid-December of 2010.  It’s one of the best resorts we’ve experienced on the Las Vegas Strip.  Also, this resort was one of the most “Hi-tech” hotel on the Strip.  The room was spacious, the services were excellent, and the amenities were amazing.
 

Each room features state-of-the-art technology control panels, plasma-screen televisions, entertainment system, wireless internet and a custom in-room bar.



The oversized bathrooms offer moments of unexpected tranquility combined with breathtaking views.  I loved the Japanese soaking tubs and the rain showers.  It was a pleasant bath experience.






 

This new 2,995-room resort features oversized residential style living space with a kitchen area.  With 2 young kids myself, a microwave and a fridge in the hotel room made my life much easier.  

 





Somehow, we got upgraded to the Terrance One Bedroom with Premium View.  The view was spectacular!  Our room balcony was facing right in front of the Bellagio water fountain.  So, we got to enjoy the lovely water fountain show in our own room, on this cozy couch (please see picture below).  In the comfort of our own room, we enjoyed this nice view of the famous Las Vegas Strip.  



The Cosmopolitan is walking distance from the City Center, or you can be as lazy explorative as my kids and take the monorail (they love it and didn’t want to get off the tram after 10 rounds of ride, yes, there’s a “0” behind that “1”!)  Anyway, we got off at Aria Hotel, finally, just to visit our best friend, Jean. Jean Philippe Patisserie that is.  Then, we were in big trouble!!!  Just look at the pictures below and you’ll know why.






Everything looked so delicious and it’s hard to decide what to get.  So, we settled with the Chocolate Imperial!  So yummy!  That was the afternoon tea.  For dinner, we dined at the Wicked Spoon Buffet located in The Cosmopolitan.  The food was excellent and I’ll show you more on a different post.  Stay tuned.

Before you go, here’s the Bellagio Water Fountain Show I captured just for you.  How can I not share this beautiful show with you.  Please enjoy.

 

Disclaimer
*Pictures of the hotel room are from the Cosmopolitan website.

Broccoli-Beef and Shiitake Mushroom Rice Noodle

Just realized I haven’t post that many Asian or Chinese dishes on my blog.  You might see all kinds of breads, cookies, and desserts here.  But trust me, those are not what we normally consume everyday, although I have no problem with that at all…LOL.  On average, at least five out of seven days a week, I cook a traditional Chinese dinner, which includes steam rice and 1 to 2 main dishes that contains meat (or seafood) and vegetables.  I tend to make more simple dishes on the weekdays and perhaps make the more time consuming ones over the weekends.  Nevertheless, it’s still not a simple task to cook up 2 different dishes every night, let alone came up with new dishes to cook every day.



Thanks to my son, our dinner menu has been changed quite a bit lately!  He is a big time noodle lover, really, any kind of noodles.  Whenever I serve noodle instead of rice for lunch or dinner, he sits down quietly and finishes his plate in no time.  So, we’ve been eating noodles and pastas more often, well, a lot more often lately!  Happy kids, happy parents, why not?!  :)  Now, this Broccoli-Beef and Shiitake Mushroom Rice Noodle is one of the most requested dish in the house, beside spaghetti with meat balls and pink sauce.  It’s easy to make, delicious and very flavorful.  Of course, I have no problem cooking this, any day of the week.  Simply change up the protein and veggies and you got a whole new dish!  I used beef and ham here for the protein, you can substitute with shrimp, chicken, pork, squid or eggs.  Besides broccoli, you can use spinach, asparagus, carrots, enokitake mushroom, snow peas or bak choy for the veggies.  Why this dish is so delicious?  The secret is in the shiitake mushroom sauce and the noodle base seasonings.  Of course, I’ll include the recipe for you below.  After you try this recipe yourself, please kindly let me know how you like it.  :)  Once you’ve tried this recipe, maybe that would change up the dinner menu at your home, too.   

        

Chocolate Dipped-Strawberry Meringue Roses—Happy Valentines Day

 

I don’t need a dozen of roses for Valentine’s Day.  Just give me a few of these Chocolate Dipped-Strawberry Meringue Roses and I’ll be a very happy girl (my hubby should be really happy, too, when he reads this post).  But really, who needs roses when you have something so beautiful and delicious like this, all-in-one?!  In fact, not just me, my kids love these meringue cookies a lot as well.  Especially, when they get to help out in the dipping process.  End results?  Beautiful Chocolate Dipped-Strawberry Meringue Roses, and melted chocolate all over their hands and faces.  Well, that’s really the fun part for them.  :)



These Chocolate Dipped-Strawberry Meringue Roses are crisp, airy and flavorful.  I added some freeze dried strawberries that I found in Trader Joe’s and they enhanced the flavor of these cookies tremendously.  I didn’t have any strawberry flavor extract at home, so, these freeze dried fruit is perfect for this recipe.  Plus, I think the real fruit always tastes better than extract.  I really love the tangy flavor from the strawberries. 
 

It’s never too late to make some of these beauties for your Valentine.  Hope you all have a wonderful and romantic time with your loved ones.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Cake--Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Mousse Cakes

I love the autumn and winter season.  There’s something in the air that makes everything more romantic.  Maybe it’s the chilling weather that makes you want to cuddle up with your significant other.  Or, it could be the falling leaves from the back yard that resemblance some romantic movie scenes.  Perhaps, it’s the warmth and sweet scents of a cake baking in the oven that brings back some loving memoires.  Oh, isn’t Valentine’s Day just around the corner?  I guess that is probably why.  :P
   



Meyer Lemon is one of my favorite fruit.  It is a citrus fruit native to China, very much to my surprised somehow.  I don’t recall seeing or using much of them back home (Hong Kong).  Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and either a mandarin or common orange.  Its trees produce fruit throughout the year and the majority of the crop is ready in winter.  Maybe that’s another reason why I love winter so much because I get to harvest more of these yummy fruit from my in-law’s yard.  Hooray!     



These Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Mousse Cakes are festive, beautiful, and delicious.  They represent layers of love and happiness.  Just like lives, there are sweet and sour moments.  I cherish and savor every moment of it.  If you haven’t plan on how to celebrate your Valentine’s Day yet, why not make this cake to celebrate with your loved ones.  (*wink wink*)  I’m sure you’ll fall in love all over again. 

Philly Friendship Braided Bread

I believe every dish and every new recipe has a story behind it.  The story could be cooking with your loved ones' favorite ingredients, so that you can cheer him/her up after a long day of work.  Or it could be a story of eating healthy for yourself and/or for the family.  How about a story to celebrate friendship?  This Philly Friendship Braided Bread I created is especially made for Suzanne, someone I know and connected through food, to celebrate our friendship.


 

I know Suzanne through The Philadelphia Cream Cheese Recipe Contest less than 6 months ago.  We’ve never met but I felt like she’s my long lost sister.  We shared recipes, ideas, and our life’s stories through the Philly community, and later on, through my blog.  Little did I know, a recipe competition site is so welcoming and supportive.  The Philly community is filled with love and caring, pretty much to my surprise and totally not what I had expected when I submitted my very first entry.

Besides Suzanne, there are many other “brothers and sisters” I get to know through that site.  Hop over and check it out here.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Back to this particular recipe.  What inspired me to create this bread?  It started with a comment left by Suzanne on my Birthday Post. 

“Happy Birthday Amy!!! I tried your TangZhong style white bread and my family is now your best friend! It was amazing, easy to make and really fun. Best of all it was so delicious. I made my son's lunch sandwich with it and my daughter and her boyfriend ate a whole loaf (he snuck it home with him). I've made it twice with the same great results. I can't wait to try something like the angel cake soon. Thanks for this amazing blog.”

It was the best birthday gift I’ve received this year!  As a blogger and foodie, nothing makes me more happy than knowing my readers and my friends tried my recipes and loved them.  (especially with my blog name, hello…?) I know many of you might have tried my recipes, but might not had posted a comment to let me know.  (hey, it’s never too late.  I still accept belated birthday gifts! LOL)  So, thank you Suzanne, from the bottom of my heart. 

Then we went on exchanging emails and talked about what we can make with this basic bread recipe.  I shared with Suzanne some other fillings I’ve tried and loved.  Then, I was thinking to myself, I knew Suzanne through the Philadelphia recipe contest, why not create a recipe for her using Philly Cream Cheese?  So, here we go.  Philly Friendship Braided Bread.  It’s as beautiful as Suzanne herself, both inside and out. 



By the way, Suzanne sent a picture of her creation of a loaf bread using my TangZhong recipe.  Isn’t it amazing!? 



Thank you again Suzanne for your inspiration.  I know you love visual tutorial.  So, I included the step-by-step pictures instructions here, just for you!  ;)  I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!  These Philly Friendship Braided Breads are my family’s new favorites now. 

This pictures below shows step number 4 and 5 from the recipe below.  After you roll out the dough to a 5 by 5-inch square, cut off the 4 corners of the dough as shown.  Then cut the two sides of the dough a few times to make even sized strips(about 1/2-inch wide each).  Then, spread a tablespoon of cream cheese in the middle and top with a tablespoon of your favorite preserves.  I used orange marmalade here.  You can use, strawberry preserve, lemon curd, or blueberry preserves.



Then, fold the top and bottom parts of the dough to the center.



Take one strip of dough from one side and fold it over the fillings at an angle, alternating with the other side like crossing arms, until all pieces are done.  Make sure to overlap the strip in the middle so they stick together during second proof. 

 




Let the filled dough proof the 2nd time in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.  Brush egg wash on top and bake.  They turned out really soft, fluffy and delicious.  I love the oozing creamy filling inside.  They are best served warm or at room temperature.  My kids love the Blueberries and Strawberries preserves fillings the most.  I personally love the orange marmalade and lemon curd.  Of course, you can make different kinds of filling in the same batch too.  That’s the fun part.



I'm submitting this recipe to the Holiday Recipe Swap.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Red Star Yeast. 

Happy Chinese New Year—恭喜發財 (Gong Hay Fat Choi)

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year, and 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit.  Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar.  It is the tradition that on the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families.  Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year(Gong Hay Fat Choi), and receive money in red paper envelopes like those from the picture below (yeah, I know, these are not red.  They are more modernized designs and the Chinese believe that gold is another lucky color besides red). 



Another tradition on the first day of Chinese New Year is that the families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents and so forth (pretty much like Thanksgiving in the U.S.)  Along with our visits, we always bring some delicious treats.  And butter cookie has been a popular item that people would bring as a treat.  However, I think the popularity of the butter cookie treat is totally influenced by the British culture.  This is because Hong Kong was a British Colony from 1841 until 1997, when China regained sovereignty.  Nevertheless, these butter cookies are delicious treats, addictively delicious treats!  They are buttery and got the melt-in-your mouth texture.  I made a batch 2 days ago and they were all gone in a few hours.  So, I made 2 more batches yesterday just to make sure I have enough to share with my parents and brothers.  (I better wrap them up before they all migrate to my stomach before the new year!)




Since butter is the star ingredient in this recipe, I used the best I could find, Pure Irish Butter!  The cookies came out richer and creamier than those with just regular butter. Since one of the Chinese New Year tradition is to go all out to celebrate, it is time to bring out the good stuffs!  :)   And, how can I resist from adding a chocolate chip on top of each cookie!?  I used bitter-sweet chocolate chips, a nice match with these butter cookies since they are not overly sweet.  Oh my, I can’t find words to describe their deliciousness any more, they are out of this world yummmmy! 




Although I may not be able to visit all of you to deliver a Gong Hay Fat Choi and a basket of butter cookies in person, I want to share this recipe with you and hope you’ll make some at home to enjoy with your family.  恭喜發財(literally means wish you good wealth), also, wish you good health, happiness, longevity and prosperity in the Year of Rabbit!





I'm sharing this post with Holiday Recipe Swap.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.