Here it comes, The Victory Day

Time flies when you're having fun,... well it is true, for me Ramadhan has always been such a great fun with all of its hustle bustle ado.
But let's welcome our victory day happily instead, since it is the day that we (suppose) to re-born in a brand new soul and spirit.
So Eid Mubarak !!! Happy Idul Fitri 1429H. Deep Apology I ask of you all, and May Allah purify our soul. Amin.

Love One Another

Love one another, but make not a bond of love
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

- Khalil Gibran -

Killing Me Softly

For breaking my fasting today : one huge square of Pennylane Brownies and a cup of hot green tea.

I couldn’t control myself when I come face to face with all kind of chocolate cakes especially this Pennylane Brownies from 18 Cakes and Cookies Favorite book.
To my taste this is the most original brownies recipe I’ve ever made that could satisfy my sweet tooth. My perception about brownies is that it should be crisp and dry on the outside but still moist and chewy inside. And I got them all exactly from this killer brownies.
So yummy yet so satisfying, but why oh why every pleasure should bring their own consequences, … be ready to expand your jelly belly (sigh ……).
But we all only live once then why should be so worry. Me … ? I would just sip my hot green tea and chew my huge brownie square passionately bite by bite, cause I hate to see my brownies go shabby.

Ramadhan Joy

Ramadhan is now crawling to its end. For most of moslems, fasting month has always been such a bless that it should be a moment of re-purifying our mind and soul.
This is also a season of frenzy eating and feasting on so much sweet food that could make our blood sugar level jump uncontrollably (and we haven’t got into Idul Fitri yet that usually provides us a legitimate excuse to our greediness on high calorie cakes, pastries, and cookies, not to mention ketupat, rendang, and opor ayam).

Ok, let’s simply forget about all those jumping blood sugar level, trigliceride and cholesterol level. For me, ramadhan means an increasing of my kitchen temperature meaning that I would drown in baking festive and joy.
This year ramadhan brings my diligence (I thought I saw someone’s frowning ...) back so I could come to contact with my cookie baking sheet.

I’ve been asked fequently why I didn’t try to commersialized all those cookies and cakes produced from my old standing gas stove. There are hundred of reasons I could bring up. The most logic one is that I couldn’t stick it out with my lack of confidence on what people will say about my taste represented by those cookie I made. And this will refer to my hard-to-define taste about food in common.

My perception about delicious is sometimes absurd that I only cathegorized food in two cathegories, they are delicious; and they’re damn so goood …….. See what I mean ?!! (And there will be thousands of people who would stand on opposite me)
At one time I could be very cheap tasted enjoying this very chewy cireng fried in the blacken oil (a.k.a minyak jelantah), and the other time my taste could be so refine that I could make comments on food as though I am as expert as Mr. Bondan Winarno.

Inspite of my absurd taste I mentioned above, at least let me try to be a little bit being generous to post all my ramadhan cookies recipe in here (most of them are from NCC).
Since there are some complaints about my english version recipes then here they are in Indonesian (honestly, it relieved me though), feel free to copy them.
And may I try to offer myself as your assistant in the kitchen ? Believe me, I could be a very good team player and I mean it. It's all about for the love of baking as Riana says. Happy Baking.

KAASTENGELS


Bahan:
200 gr mentega/butter (I used 300 gr Bakers Mix)
100 gr margarine
200 gr keju tua parut (this time I try parmesan cheese instead of edam)
400 gr tepung terigu protein sedang
2 sdm susu bubuk
2 butir kuning telur

Bahan polesan:
2 butir telur
1 sdm cookie glaze (optional)

Taburan : Keju cheddar parut.

Cara membuat:
- Kocok mentega dan telur dg kecepatan rendah, sebentar saja, masukkan keju, aduk rata, masukkan tepung terigu, aduk rata.
- Tipiskan adonan dengan bantuan plastik lembaran, poles dengan bahan polesan, taburi keju cheddar parut.
- Potong bentuk stick, tata di loyang. Oven hngga matang. Suhu 120 derajat.


LIDAH KUCING MOCCA

Bahan:
250 gr Mentega
175 gr Gula halus
75 cc Putih telur
250 gr Tepung terigu protein sedang
1 sdm Mocca pasta
¼ gr Baking powder
½ sdt Emplex (perenyah kue kering, optional)

Cara Membuat:
- Kocok mentega, gula, dan mocca pasta hingga mengembang sekali.
- Tuang putih telur, lanjutkan mengocok, lalu masukkan tepung terigu dan baking powder, kocok dengan speed rendah hingga rata.
- Poles loyang dengan mentega lalu spuit adonan bentuk jari lurus-lurus.
- Panggang dengan panas api 1500 C selama ± 20 menit.


PUTRI SALJU



Bahan:
250gr mentega
100gr gula halus
200gr kacang mete (panggang, haluskan)
250gr tepung terigu

Bahan taburan:
150gr gula bubuk, aduk dengan 1/2sdt vanilli
gula donat secukupnya.

Cara Membuat:
- Kocok mentega dan gula halus hingga pucat, tambahkan kacang mete dan tepung terigu, aduk rata
- Bulatkan adonan, simpan dalam kulkas ½ jam, bentuk bulan sabit.
- Susun dalam loyang tipis (loyang cookies), panggang dalam oven selama lebih kurang 20 menit, hingga matang.



SEMPRIT KETAN HITAM
(Riana)


Bahan:
150gr tepung sagu (sagu tani)
200 gr tepung ketan hitam
100 gr margarine
50gr mentega (butter)
150gr gula halus
1 btr kuning telur
65ml santan kental

Cara membuat:
- Panaskan oven 140 derajat celcius.
- Kocok margarine dan mentega hingga lembut, masukkan gula, kocok rata, tambahkan kuning telur, kocok rata.
- Campur tepung sagu dan tepung ketan hitam. Tuang campuran tepung secara bertahap kedalam adonan mentega, aduk rata. Tambahkan santan, aduk lagi hingga rata.
- Masukkan adonan kedalam plastik spuit, pasang spuit bintang, semprotkan kedalam loyang tipis yg sudah dioles mentega. Hias dengan kenari atau almond jika suka.
- Panggang selama lk. 25 menit. Jangan angkat kue selagi panas, kue akan mudah hancur. Biarkan hingga agak dingin, baru pindahkan ke wadah lain.


SAGU KEJU

Bahan:
300 gr tepung sagu
2 lembar daun pandan
100 gr margarine
50 gr mentega (butter)
150 gr gula halus
1 butir kuning telur
100 gr keju edam, parut
50 ml santan kental (I use 75 ml)

Cara membuat:

- Sangrai tepung sagu dan daun pandan dengan api kecil hingga daun pandan kering. Angkat, dinginkan.
- Kocok margarine dan mentega hingga putih dan lembut masukkan gula, kocok rata, tambahkan kuning telur, kocok rata.
- Campur tepung sagu dan keju parut, tuang bertahap kedalam adonan mentega, aduk rata. Tambahkan santan, aduk lagi hingga rata.
- Masukkan adonan kedalam plastik spuit, gunakan spuit bintang, semprotkan kedalam loyang tipis yang sudah dioles mentega dan ditabur tepung.
- Panggang selama kurang lebih 40 menit.

Sugarcraft Cookies

I wouldn't describe myself as a very persistent person (woman). Then I was a little bit suprised to see that finally I can finish on what I call "only in my dream baking project". Actually it was not the first time I made these cookies, I once made them for my eldest daughter's souvenir on her last birthday. But for now, I dedicated all my competency and my not-so artistic feeling in decorating them thoroughly.
The cookie itself was rather a piece of cake if I may say that. But doing the decorating paid me some hot plaster (a.k.a. koyo panas) all over my back, though I admit that I almost satisfied with this project.
I'm not that health freak but using food coloring that had been certified by FDA, BPOM, and Ministary of Health Department would be my one and only unhaggling requirement. Here is the recipe. I used Ruri's royal icing recipe (thanks Ruri, rest in peace and may Allah have mercy on you).


WHITE COOKIES

Ingredients :
150 gram salted butter
150 gram margarine
350 gram flour
2 egg yolks
25 gram cornstarch
25 gram fullcream milk powder
150 gram powdered sugar
1/2 sdt vanilla paste

How to :
1. Preheat the oven at 150 degree celcius, lightly grease cookie baking sheet with butter
2. Mix butter, margarine and powdered sugar together with wooden spatula
3. Beat the mix butter until fluffy
4. Beat in egg yolks, add vanilla paste. Beat well
5. Mix together milk powdered, corn starch, and flour. Fold in this mix flour into the butter dough. Blend well until the dough come together.
6. Roll the dough at desired thickness between two cookie sheet and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutter.
7. Bake in the oven until set (cookies will turn yellowish). Cool them in rack.

Royal Icing

Ingredients :
1 egg white
250 gr icing sugar
2 - 3 tbsp lemon juice
Food coloring as desired

How to :
1. Beat egg white until thick and fluffy.
2. Add icing sugar gradually, beat well.
3. Add in the lemon juice, beat well.
4. Divide this icing mix into several bowls, add each bowl with several drops of coloring, mix well.
5. Put each colored icing sugar directly into plastic piping bag cause they easily get dry.
6. Royal icing is ready to use.
Happy decorating. Don't forget to bake the decorated cookie in a very low heat oven just to dried up the royal icing (also to kill the germs/bacteria from the egg white)



Tips :
- We may prepare the cookie several days before doing the decorating. just put cookie in air tight jar.
- When starting to decorate cookie, cut the edge of piping bag in tiny hole to avoid the icing get spill up over the cookie.

... and the curse couldn't be broken yet.

We name it bolu kukus, it's a kind of cup cake in steam version with soft, light, and sweet taste. The truly steamed cup cake should form some 'petal' (usually 3 petals sometimes could be 4) on its top or should 'laugh out loud' marked that it successfully made.
If you can't make them 'laugh', then your bolu kukus doesn't pass general bolu kukus qualification. Try to make the other ones, and if they still curl up their mouth, you get "the curse of bolu kukus" then.
Don't worry cause you're not alone, I'm with you. At least until yesterday I still couldn't break that curse. See this picture of my bolu kukus below.
They're just 'grinned' instead of smile, not to mention laugh. I think I know what I did wrong with them, so will try again within this week. Please God, I beg You ...help me beat this curse .....

Minimalis Chocolate Cup Cakes

I made these cupcakes for the simple celebration of my second daughter's birthday at her school. At first I tried to use Oreo Cup Cakes recipe from Dapur Amatir but then I changed my mind because it took too many oreo to make the dough (also because I was protested by my girls while I crushed out what they call "our oreo inventory"). Then I tried this simple recipe and thank God it worked. It almost tasted just like Brownies. I never took cake decorating course before so making this simple butter cream swirl on the top of the cuppies really wiped me out (I make the butter cream from Eisella + White Shortening + Sweetened Condensed Milk)


CHOCO CUP CAKES
(source resep: Aneka Cup Cake, karangan Sufi SY, Gramedia)

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
4 whites
120 gr sugar
1 tbsp emulsifier
40 gr cocoa powder
80 gr flour
20 gr corn starch
100 gr butter, melted

Directions:
- Heat oven 180 degree C
- Put paper cups in muffin pan
- Beat sugar, eggs, and emulsifier until thick and pale
- Add flour gradually, stir well
- Add melted butter, stir well
- Pour the batter into the cups, bake for about 25 minutes

Spectacular Fireworks

This was the title of a fireworks event in order to celebrate Indonesia Independence Day held in my house complex by the developer. The organizer claimed that it was the first most spectacular and biggest fireworks event has ever held in Indonesia. From its first publication I promised those angels to spare some time to watch it. The location was near enough to be reached by walk from my carport but we assumed that the show would last after midnight so we decided to go to the location by car (think that the girls couldn't stay up along the night so we prepared some food, a mattress, some pillows, and off course their treasure bolsters; they're all crazy about bolster). The show was spectacular indeed, especially for me that I held my breath most of the time during the show.
In my sight, I could see many images flashing up in the dark sky. At some moment I thought I saw images of birds, butterflies, and even constellation.



Couldn't describe it in words, these are some more pictures I could take with my old pocket camera (It was the second time I pitied myself for not having a high resolution camera).