Posted in Dessert

Soft and light Japanese cheesecake

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When we still lived in Singapore, we can buy this Japanese cheesecake at Giant Hypermarket. It was walking distance (only 10 minutes !) from where we lived so anytime we craved for cheesecake we just went down to Giant. I like the texture of this cake, so airy. Feels like if you want more than just a slice. I know it’s a pseudo effect but it is not like New York cheesecake or other type of cheese cake.

Now, since we moved to California we need to go to Asian Bakery (like cafe 85 or Tous les jours) when we crave for Japanese cheesecake.

When I saw on Youtube how to make this dessert, it seems meticulous. But actually it is not that hard, you just need to be discipline to follow the steps. I found this recipe on the internet, it worked excellent to my taste. I only made half of the recipe as I was skeptical that I can be discipline to follow the steps. After the cake was ready and I tasted it, ohhhh it was so good. I was so happy I could not believe it that I could make such a delicious cheesecake . I wished that I made with full recipe so I can have lots and lots slices. My husband and my daughter loved it. I also shared this cake to my Korean lady and she said her family liked it so much.

 

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Let’s get cooking, don’t feel intimidated by the recipe. Follow the steps  in order and you’ll get the reward by having yummy cheesecake.

 

Ingredients (from original recipe, I only used half of the recipe) :

  • 6 large eggs (separate them )
  • 260 gr cream cheese
  • 57 gr unsalted butter
  • 96 ml whole milk
  • 88 gr cake flour
  • 28 gr corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 23 ml lemon juice (from fresh squeezed lemon)
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 165 gr granulated sugar

 

Directions:

  1. Separate the eggs, into two bowls
  2. Spray with non stick cooking spray an 8-inch x 3-inch round cake pan , I was using 6 1/2-inch x 3-inch round cake pan . Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit (163 Celsius)
  3. Melt together cream cheese, butter and milk in double boiler pot. Whisk it until everything is melted. Turn off the heat, beat the mixture using mixer to smooth out any lumps. Mix it until completely smooth.
  4. Meanwhile, sift the cake flour, cornstarch and salt.
  5. Add the sifted dry ingredients, 55 gr sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice to cheese mixture, beat them with mixer until smooth and free of lumps. Set aside
  6. In preparation of whipping the egg whites, wash and clean the mixer. Make sure the bowl and the mixer is clean from any fat.
  7. Whip the egg whites with mixer on medium speed. When the meringue starts to take shape, add the cream of tartar. Gradually add 110 gr sugar. Whip until meringue turns glossy and increased in volume and holds medium peaks.
  8. Take a dollop of meringue into the cheese mixture and stir it slowly(clockwise), add the third of meringue to the cheese mixture. Slowly stir another third of meringue. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and add the last meringue until it’s completely blended. The mixture should be light and airy as the result.
  9. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the cake pan, place the cake pan in the the larger dish and put the cooling rack between the cake pan and the larger dish, pour hot water gently to the dish until the half of the cake pan. This method is called bain-marie. Make sure it does not splash the cake mixture.
  10. Bake in the preheated oven  for 60 minutes at 325 Fahrenheit (163 Celsius), decrease the temperature to 320 Fahrenheit (160 Celsius) bake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 – 45 minutes.
  11. Transfer the cake into the plate and dust with powdered sugar. 

     

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Hot drink

Bandrek (Indonesian Spiced Tea with coconut meat)

Hey there !

It’s spring now, the weather is so gorgeous. The temperature here is around 50 – 68 Fahrenheit ( or 11 – 21 Celsius). I am still adjusting with this gorgeous weather, coming from tropical country and spent my life more than half of my age  made  uneasy for me to be in this kind of weather without fuzzy  thingies and warm drink to spice up my day !

I am not complaining, I love the weather but just need to warm up myself before starting day. Indonesia has many kinds of hot or warm drinks that made from spices like : bajigur, bandrek, wedang ronde. I love drinking those stuffs ! Even though not everyday I  have time to make those  so it will be to ready in the morning. I usually make the day before so in the morning I just need to re-heat it.

Although this drink does not contain tea but you still can call it TEA. Anyway, here’s my version of Bandrek

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Ingredients :

  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 4-6 cardamom seeds (crush it and take the seeds)
  • 2 lemongrass (cut each into 3, discard the top green part and pound them)
  • 50- 60 grams of ginger, slice them
  • 1 small disk of palm sugar or gula melaka or gula merah (slice them to make it easier to dissolve in the water)
  • 1 young coconut (take out the meat and slice them)
  • 2 tbsp of sweetened condensed milk (optional)

Directions:

  1. Prepare water in the medium pot with medium heat
  2. Add the lemongrass, slices of ginger, cloves, cardamom seeds and cinnamon sticks into the pot.
  3. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cut the coconut. Pour the juice into glasses and scrape out the coconut meat. Divide the coconut meat into glasses.
  5. Add the palm sugar into the water and let it dissolve. Turn off the heat and pour the tea into glasses (using strainer) with the coconut meat inside
  6. Add the condensed milk if you crave for sweetness. Serve warm

 

 

Versi bahasa Indonesia :

 

Walaupun saya tinggal di luar Indonesia bukan berarti saya melupakan asal-usul saya yaitu Indonesia. Banyak hal yang bikin kangen sama tanah air-ku yang luar biasa. Salah satunya makanan/minuman khas daerah di Indonesia. Jujur aja, saya belum pernah coba bandrek kecuali bandrek yang sachet-an, duh coba itu !

Karena penasaran sama rasa aslinya si bandrek ini maka mulailah mencari resep yang pas. Saya temukan resep bandrek di sini. Bikin yuk, gampang kok. Dapur saya wanginya sedap sekali sehabis bikin bandrek ini.

 

Bahan-bahan:

  • 450 ml air
  • 2 batang kayu manis
  • 6 cengkeh
  • 4-6 kapulaga, geprek (asyik kan istilah indonesianya !), ambil bijinya.
  • 2 batang sereh ( iris jadi 3 tiap batangnya, geprek)
  • 50-60 gr jahe, iris-iris
  • 50-70 gr gula jawa atau gula palem, iris-iris
  • 1 buah kelapa muda, ambil dagingnya saja.
  • 2 sdm susu kental manis

 

 

Cara memasak :

  1. Panaskan air di panci dengan api sedang.
  2. Masukkan sereh, jahe, cengkeh, kapulaga dan kayu manis ke dalam panci.
  3. Didihkan, kurangi api ke api kecil biarkan di atas api selama 10 menit.
  4. Sementara itu, kelapa muda di ambil dagingnya, bagikan ke gelas saji
  5. Masukkan gula palem ke panci, biarkan sampai gula larut. Matikan api, dan dengan menggunakan saringan tuang ke gelas saji (yang sudah diberi kelapa muda).
  6. Tambahkan susu kental manis jika ingin manis. Sajikan hangat.

 

 

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Posted in Cookies, Indonesian Food

Semprit Susu ( Indonesian Style Cookies : Milk Cookies

Hello April  !

I’m back from a short break, I was quite busy in March. Now I’m back in blogging, hopefully I can post more useful articles/recipes in future.

It’s a low key spring break for my daughter.We did not do much, she prefers to stay home to recover from busy weeks at school. We did baking cookies, new recipe. I did not know what to expect, I was skeptical that she would like the cookies since these are not chocolate chip cookies that we baked together before.

It turned out this is very simple cookies to make, she likes it so much. She even asked me to bake more, oh well.

 

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I don’t own this recipe, my contact on facebook posted on the timeline. Here’s the original recipe :https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1884822391792388&id=100007939354146

Ingredients :

  • 125 gr unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 80 ml condensed milk
  • 200 gr corn starch

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 100 degree celcius ( 212 degree Fahrenheit)
  2. Mix well butter and milk in the medium bowl with fork.
  3. Add corn starch to the butter mixture, mix well with spatula until blended well.
  4. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
  5. Use pull out plunger with star tip, I am just using my thumb to push the dough thru the star tip.
  6. Bake for 28 minutes on the middle rack.

 

My opinion about this cookies is crunchy, delicate and very fast to finish as this cookies taste so light and airy.