Apple Crisp

I have little resistance against warm baked fruit topped with tasty crust. Crisp is just another name for crumble. So called because when you pull the dessert out of the oven, the top has now become all wonderfully crispy and crumbly. This crispy topping is similar to the killer Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs except it's spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. The filling combines apple and berry (I chose frozen blueberry), a British favorite flavorful crisp. I like my Apple Crisp warm with a dollop of softly whipped cream. I tried a second serving with sour cream and it's just as good. The chunky walnuts, crispy crust, tarty apple/ blueberry all come together real nice and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. I enjoyed having it with mint, too! Unless my memory has failed me, otherwise I'm thinking this is better than the Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs.

Gate tried her hand on the Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs but it somehow didn't turn out right. I figured it could be the oat she used. Hence, I like to share a few notes on oats. As with the Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs, this Apple Crisp, too, uses old fashioned rolled oats. Oats are a cereal grain that is rich and flavorful and comes in many forms. Oats to be consumed by humans are cleaned, toasted, hulled to become what we call oat groats. The oat groats are then steamed and flattened to become rolled oats or old-fashioned oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats are not to be confused with quick-cooking rolled oats. These are oats cut into pieces before being steamed and rolled into thinner flakes. They cook quickly, about 5 minutes, but their flavor and texture are a little different than old-fashioned rolled oats. You should not use quick-cooking oats for this recipe, nor the Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs.

You can choose to make this into individual ramekins, or a deep 8x8 baking dish as I did. Refrigerate leftover and reheat before serving again.

Ingredients:
(8 ramekins or one 8x8 deep baking dish)

Topping:

• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  
• 1/2 cup natural cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  

Filling:

• 4 Granny Smith's, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
• 1 cup frozen blueberry (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons natural cane sugar

1. Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly grease a 8x8 deep baking dish. Set aside.
2. For Topping: Place all the topping ingredients (flour, sugars, spices, butter, oats and nuts) in a food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly (looks like coarse meal) and there are no large pieces of butter visible. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
3. For Filling: Place the apple chunks in a large bowl, along with the berries (if using) and lemon zest. Toss with the lemon juice and sugar. Transfer to your prepared baking dish.
   
4. Spread the topping evenly over the apples.
5. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until bubbly, and the topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Grilled Peaches with Ricotta Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Remember what I was saying about peaches are meant to be eaten fresh? I eat my own words. It's just so tempting to cook with peaches! Well, if I may defend myself, at least this is a grilling recipe....

I have been using the top rack of the kitchen oven as broiler AND grill. To make things right for this recipe, I bought a grill rack. I figured if people can place it over barbecue pit, it must be ok to place it over kitchen stove. You bet I'm gonna be grilling a lot from now! At least until I get bored.

I wanted something sweet to compliment the Veggie Chickpea Burger and Citrus Beet and Feta Salad, but nothing overwhelming. This grilled peach topped with fresh ricotta cheese and a drizzling of a balsamic reduction, is not only fresh but also healthy. It promises to leave you feeling spoiled and wanting more. I especially like the balsamic reduction. I wonder what more I can do with it....

By the way, this recipe also won me the "Best Presentation to date" award.

Ingredients:

2 ripe peaches, halved with pits removed

1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon natural cane sugar

4 sprigs of mint

1. When the grill is nice and hot, grill each half peach for 4-5 minutes per side. Placed peaches on a plate with cut side facing up. Place a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese in the center of each peach half.
2. Cook vinegar with cane sugar on medium heat until it is reduced by half. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Drizzle over grilled peach half.
   
3. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
   

Homemade Labneh

Labneh is a recipe from the old-world. It is basically salted, drained yogurt. Not only is it easy to make, but also easy to preserve - you can store them for months! You can eat it as it is, or mix in chopped garlic, fresh herbs, pepper flakes, or anything you would for herbed cheese. Or simply drizzle it with olive oil, some lemon juice and cumin and serve it as dip. Either way it is so delicious I think every household should have it as staple.

It would be really unwise to throw the drained liquid away. It's a natural component of cultured yogurt called whey. Whey contains some of the most important vitamins and minerals in yogurt. I keep it for use for soup and blend it into smoothie.

I used my homemade yogurt instead of Greek. Hence, it took me up to two nights to get the consistency of cottage cheese. It's kind of like draining it into Greek for the first night, and further transforming it into labneh for the second night. Remember the portion will be reduced by half after draining; if you are expecting 1 cup labneh, you may want to start with 3 cups yogurt.

Ingredients:
6 cups Greek Yogurt or Homemade Yogurt
2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Pour yogurt over a bowl and stir in salt.
2. Spoon the salted yogurt to the center of a piece clean cheesecloth. Pull and tie the corners tightly.
3. Suspend it from a stationary object over a bowl to catch liquid. Let it hang for 12 hours (or up to 2 days if you are using homemade yogurt). When done, yogurt will become cottage cheese-like.
4. Remove from the cloth. Store covered in refrigerator until needed.
   

Beet and Feta Salad

Ever since the success of introducing beet root into Adrian's diet, I have been wanting to cook with more beet roots. As Dan said, beet root is a very versatile ingredients. He was generous enough to share with me some of his killer beet recipes back in his Bed Supper Club-day. They are really tempting, and equally intimidating. I'm going to stick to baby-step and experiment the home-style before I venture to the pro-style.

It's such a pain to cook beet - it takes such a long time to get it cooked! In my case, 40 minutes. What did I do as I wait? I whipped up an Apple Crisp.

The maple syrup-candied walnut was a good touch; it added some crunch to the salad. Its sweetness is a good compliment to the saltiness of feta. The orange zest, too, added a not overly whelming citrusy taste. On last thought, I threw in some sprouts (broccoli, alfalfa and pea) for variety.

Ingredients:

• beets, washed, trimmed and cut in half
• 1/3 cup of walnuts, chopped
  
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• salad greens of your choice
• 1/2 cup of orange juice, or one orange
• orange zest, grated
  
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cover cut beets with water and boil until tender. About 40 minutes.
   
2. At the mean time, mix orange juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a medium bowl.
   
3. Lightly toast walnuts in a frying pan for a few minutes. Add maple syrup and stir to coat.
   
4. When beets are done, let cool under running water. The skin will slide off easily at this point. Chop into bite-sized chunks.
5. Place salad greens to individual plate. Toss all ingredients together, spoon on salad green to serve.
   

Veggie Chickpea Burger

I have made this veggie burger many times now, with different ingredients every time. It never fails to impress - not so much about the recipe but the idea of serving it. Instead of sandwiching the veggie patty on burger bun, this brilliant idea turned the patty into bun by stuffing it with all sort of deliciousness. Some of the filling ideas: avocado, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, grilled vegetables, pesto, etc; let the world of culinary be your imagination!

I used chickpeas for the patty this time. Black Lentils, Black beans would work just as good. For the spread, I used saffron labneh. You can either buy from store or make your own. It's a kind of yogurt cheese Lebanese-style, or salted yogurt drained of whey.

Do you know that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world by weight? Its price varies from USD 500 to USD 5000 per pound. In the very beginning of my cooking adventure, I set out looking for saffron because I was totally mesmerized by its vividness in a lentil soup recipe. I was aghast by, but not entirely certain of, how expensive it was for content smaller than a matchbox.

Since I was a novice cook then, I didn't, and couldn't, think much outside the box. So I bought it. It sure serves as an impressive coloring with its golden yellow hue. It also imparts a metallic honey, hay-like aroma, with a transcendental subtlety of sweetness to taste.

I can't seem to find much notable nutritional value of saffron. Nevertheless, it's two active ingredients, crocin and safranal, have been shown to have antidepressant effects. Culturally, or traditionally, though,saffron has been valued for its, coloring and flavoring aside, medicinal properties. People apply it topically to improve skin condition and to treat acne. Internally, it is used to improve blood circulation, regulate menstruation, treat digestive disturbance, ease cough and asthmatic breathing, reduce fever and inflammation, calm nervousness and alleviate depression.

Since the olden days India, old ladies used to give the milk mixed with saffron for pregnant ladies so they can have fair beautiful babies. Others say it's for strong bones and smart baby.

In any case, I still have plenty of saffron thread left and I genuinely like the its vibrant color. So, let's get back to the saffron yogurt/ labneh:

Infuse approximately 10 threads of saffrons to 2 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Let seep for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup yogurt/ labneh. DONE. I also stir in some minced garlic for a more flavorful spread of labneh.

This is one of those great do-ahead dish; you may store them shaped, ready-to-cook in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 large patties)

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  
• 1 large eggs
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 onion, chopped
• lemon zest, grated
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
• avocado slices (optional)
• saffron-infused yogurt/ labneh (optional)
  
• 1/3 cup toasted whole-grain bread crumbs
• virgin coconut oil for frying
  

1. Combine the cooked lentils, egg, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture resembles a very thick, slightly chunky hummus.
   
2. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into two 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Alternately, a but of water or egg can be used to moisten the batter, giving it a more textured burger.
3. Heat the oil over medium low, add patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden.
   
4. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Wholewheat Blueberry Raisin Sour Cream Scones

We were going to have dinner with a bunch of friends. What's special about the night was the kids - Sandra's pretty Korean dolls, Mia and Lauren. For some unfathomable reason they have named me the "life-size Barbie Doll". Just for your information, I have black hair and no high heels. It's a mystery how I became Barbie to the girls. But hey! Coming from such adorable kids, it must be compliment =)

So I decided to reward them. Ordinary people may just go for sweets, at least something cute and, you know, for kids. But old-fashion English scones? Yeap. That's me. Don't ask. I'm just as clueless as you are.

I used the recipe for Strawberry and Goat Cheese Scones, and made the following changes:

1. 1/2 C raisin + dried blueberry.
2. 1 cup wholewheat flour + 1 cup unbleached flour.
   
3. sour cream (1TB lemon juice + 1 cup cream) instead of milk, which gives the scone a softer and fluffier texture.
   
4. On last thought, I sprinkled some ground cinnamon and nutmeg, too. I suspect lemon zest would go pretty well.
5. Brush sour cream over scones before baking and sprinkle top with natural cane sugar.

Serve it anyway you like although traditionalists swear by butter. I whipped up some raspberry jam and sour cream. I even brought my own sour cream and raspberry for the girls, just to make sure they enjoy it the "right" way.

Homemade Spiced Pecan Milk

It's dairy free, vegan, and it's raw. You can drink it warm, chilled, or with ice; pour it over a bowl of cereal; or have it in place of milk or soy milk over an espresso. What is it? It's Homemade Spiced Pecan Milk.

Pecans are jam packed with antioxidants, proteins and unsaturated fats. The plant sterols in pecan have been shown to lower high cholesterol level. And ladies, listen up: a diet rich in nuts helps lower risk of gallstones in women. Men, save yourself.

Nutrition aside, this is so super cool. You can do the same with other tree nuts and even sunflower seeds. If you intend to use the milk for other purposes, simply omit coconut milk and the spices. If you'd like a smoother beverage, pour the pecan milk through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. You can do a few things with the strained pecan meal: dehydrate it, turn it into flour and throw in to your bread or pastry.

When I made the milk I realized how many unnecessary ingredients there are in commercial non-dairy milk (as the almond milk carton in the refrigerator shows). Not only is there lots of sugar, but also ingredients that I don't recognize. Besides, it hurts whenever Adrian craves for almond milk; it's insanely expensive. I may not have the mathematics worked out, but it doesn't take a genius to figure the cost of making it at home is less than buying from store. I think I'm on to saving big money.

Updated: I made almond milk in pretty much the same way: blend together soaked almonds, water and honey. A few questions:

1. Why the need to drain the soaked water and blend with fresh ones? Why is it ok to retain pecan-soaked water but not almond-soaked water?
   
2. Why the need to add salt in soaking pecan but not with almond?

Anyway I did add some salt eventually: it brought out the otherwise missing nutty flavor in the milk. Speaking of which, do you know the almond we buy are actually mutant from its potentially toxic wild bitter almond? This common, domesticated, delicate almond has evolved from its Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern origin - it grows and matures under much colder horizon.

Back to the milk.

I strained the milk of its almond meals, roasted them in the oven and am looking for ways to use them in future baking. As they baked, they continued to give out sweet smell from the honey - I found myself inhaling deeper each time I tossed them around.

Without wasting time, I immediately put the fresh homemade almond milk to good use: Vegan Chocolate Pudding! Yum Yum Yum =))

Ingredients:
1/4 C pecan
4 C water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw honey
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Additional honey for sweetening.

1.)Combine the pecans, salt, and water in an air-tight container. Seal and leave to soak in the refrigerator for overnight.

2.) Pour the soaked pecans and the water mixture into a blender. Add the honey, coconut milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process on high for two minutes or until the mixture is well combined and smooth. Sweeten to taste and store in the refrigerator. This will last one week refrigerated in an air-tight container.

Maple Sour Cream Walnut Muffin: Revisited

I hardly ever repeat the same recipe - I like to attribute it to my fondness for varieties. So many good recipes, so little time! There were exceptions:

1. Adrian requests for it.
2. My lack of motivation for net surfing.

And now this: Pee Wee. She's been a huge fan to my cooking and so it's impossible to say no to her. Besides, she's revisiting Bangkok as the newly crowned Little Mrs B. Congratulation =)

I basically followed the recipe as before. Except I used buttermilk plus sour cream, and mixture of maple syrup and agave nectar. Purely because I was short of each. Also, I dropped the topping randomly onto each batter instead of trying to smoothing it into one even layer. I like how the batter folded and molded around the crumbly topping as it baked; it makes the muffins look more textured.

I maintain this is a good muffin recipe. It shares the throne with Chocolate Zucchini Muffin with Peanut Butter Topping.

Peach Poached with Spiced Coconut Milk

I thought it sounds amazing. The aromatic spiced-coconut milk feels good for the tummy; like a good sweet soup for cold weather. You can make it a breakfast treat by adding some granola to it, or a dessert with fresh whipped cream or ice cream. I top it with some slivered almonds and coconut flakes. Although I like the coconut milk, peaches don't seem to be the best pick. Rice pudding, maybe? I surely have made better use of peaches with broccoli and spinach before. Peaches are meant to be eaten fresh.

Ingredients:
(2 servings)
1 fresh peach, halved and seeded
1 can Coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Put all the ingredient together in a saucepan and let simmer (not boiling) for 20 minutes. Plate on individual bowls and top with spiced-coconut milk to serve.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I've been getting into flaxseed again. I fell out of it since I finished the last packet of golden flaxseeds that I brought back from KL. Then I found out they are for sale in Villa Market. Not only flaxseed but psyllium hull too. So now I'm back to adding both to my morning smoothie, fruit salad, cereals, fruit juice, salad.... in every which way I can sprinkle them on. A quick tip: if you feel like having a dessert or late night bite but don't want the guilt, add psyllium hull to fruit juice and let it sit. It will become a jelly of sort.

Let me get back to this recipe. The primary reason I'm making this for breakfast is because I wanted to get rid of the 1/4 pumpkin left from Pumpkin Risotto. Secondly, I'm getting bored of having the typical breakfast treat: pancake, muffin, scones, french toast... you know the drill. So I decided to make my own oatmeal, and add flaxseed to it. Flaxseed is obviously optional in this recipe. But it's so good for you there really isn't any reason not to include it.

Enough of flaxseed.

Not only is this absolutely delicious, and provides all sorts of great nutrients to begin the day, but it’s a snap to throw together. Seriously!

For instance, I mixed up all the ingredients and pop the ramekins in the oven, started to prepare omelet, added the nutty topping after 10 minutes, began cooking omelet and smoothie, finished everything in 7 minutes and there! A wonderfully-smelling kitchen and Voila! A simple, satisfying, and oh-so-delicious breakfast is served. :)

You may top it with a splash of milk and raisin. I had mine with mixed berries smoothie.

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. whole flax seeds
  
• 1 1/4 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 Tbsp coconut oil
  
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (about 1/4 pumpkin)
  
• 1/2 cup milk

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp pecans, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Grease 2 individual-sized ramekins. Set aside.
2. Combine the first eight ingredients (oat through to salt) in a medium-sized bowl. Stir well.
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, coconut oil, pumpkin, and milk. Whisk thoroughly. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats, and stir until combined.
4. Divide mixture evenly between 2 ramekins. Bake at 175 degrees for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the topping: chopped pecans, coconut oil, and brown sugar. After the oatmeal has baked for 10 minutes, remove and divide topping mixture evenly between the ramekins. Bake an additional 7 minutes.
   
6. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
   

Baked Pumpkin Puree

"Why buy when you can make it at home?"- this has been my motto since I took over the kitchen. I have been thinking of ways to get rid of the 1/4 pumpkin left in the fridge since Pumpkin Risotto. Another soup, or salad? What about something sweet? I once tried baking pumpkin pie but I forgot to add coconut milk. Took some of it to visit a friend at hospital. She and her husband had good words for it. I don't know.....

Anyway, instead of making another pie, I decided to make it a breakfast treat. But before that, I need to have pumpkin puree. Here goes:

1. Cut pumpkin into halves, scoop out the seeds and stringy membrane.
2. Cut pumpkin into large wedges and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes at 175C or until pumpkin is soft. Let cool.
   
3. Scrape the soft pulp from the skin into a food processor. You may add some water or milk to ease processing. Pulse until evenly pureed.

Reheat if serving immediately or refrigerate and use within 3 days. The puree may be frozen in an airtight container or zip-top bag for 10 to 12 months.

Savory Pumpkin Puree: Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste to the pumpkin puree. Add brown sugar for a sweeter side dish. Makes a great menu substitution for mashed potatoes.

Pumpkin Pie Puree: add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar, or pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Risotto

This is a special dish. Why? Because it's rice. If you knew me at all, you'd have known I'm a non-rice, non-noodle, non-pasta person. Just run through my cooking list and see if you find anything of that.

Allow me to digress. So I'm a virgin cooking rice, not to mention Italian rice. I remember years ago, I was invited to a friend's dinner at home. He cooked risotto. It was bad. Apart from the fact that he messed up the risotto, he got a real honest (nasty) review from my self-proclaimed-food-aficionado ex-boyfriend. I felt sorry for the cook, and the arborio rice. Anyway because of that I didn't think much of risotto since.

Why am I making risotto now? I don't know. Can be because I had a good one at Govinda's last week. Or maybe because the creaminess of risotto would go well with the Fig with Goat Cheese Appetizer. Perhaps just to make it an Italian night since I'm making Panna Cotta.

Let me digress, again. Unknowingly, I bought a saffron-infused arborio rice. Hence the color. It smells good. I kind of messed up a few things/ steps:

1. I added garlic because the recipe calls for garlic chives, which tastes more like garlic than chive, only milder. That should suffice?
   
2. Unfortunately, the maid threw away the chives that I'd been "growing" in a 1/2-full drinking glass. On last thought, I sprinkled some thyme leaves as a form of replacement. It worked.
3. I forgot to add apple cider (to replace dry white wine in the recipe) and only added it at the very last ladle of broth to the rice.

Below is my version of the original. If you are in doubt, go here for safety check. I won't hold you on that. I have to say though, I may not be risotto expert, but this recipe of MINE is good.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)

3 - 4 cups miso broth
2 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 cup pumpkin, cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup apple cider juice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Fresh thymes

1. Heat broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over medium heat.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a separate pan. Sautee onion, garlic and pumpkins until onion is translucent.
   
3. Add rice to onion- pumpkin. Stirring to coat for 1 - 2 minutes. Add apple cider. Cook, stirring constantly until cider has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan and top with thyme leaves.
   

Fig with Goat Cheese and Almond

What a simple, straight forward and yet elegant way of making appetizer. The flavors of figs, tangy goat cheese, salty almonds, sweet honey, and balsamic vinegar contrast to make these a delicious and very pretty appetizer. Serve it as it is or over a bed of rocket.

Ingredients:
4 figs (dried or fresh)
Goat cheese, crumbled
Almonds, whole or sliced
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey

1. Preheat oven to high
2. Carefully cut a cross over the dried fig to make pocket space, making sure the bottom remains intact. Stuff crumbled goat cheese to the pocket space. Top it with almonds. *if using fresh fig, cut fig into half, top with cheese and press almond onto cheese to push cheese into the fig.
   
3. Broil in oven until cheese melt and almonds turn golden brown.
4. Drizzle with balsamic and honey to serve.
   

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Do you know how incredibly easy it is to make Panna Cotta, or "cooked cream"? If you use more than 5 minutes to put it together, you are doing something wrong. It's a simple, straight forward, fool proof dessert with a fancy name.

I used a combination of buttermilk and pure milk in this recipe. You can swap them for heavy cream or half-and-half. There are many ways to serve Panna Cotta: fresh fruits, coulis, chocolate, caramel, etc. I chose berries with a swirl of pure maple syrup.

You can make this at least two days in advance. I use ramekins but you don't need anything fancy. Tall glass, wine glass, even mason jar would work. If you are using glass, just eat it as it is and don't worry about inverting to plate. Keep it covered and it stays well in fridge for up to one week.

UPDATED: Next morning, I had the leftover Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Crust with this Panna Cotta, YUM YUM!!

Ingredients:
(makes 4 5-oz ramekins)

1½ tsp. unflavored gelatin
½ cup milk
½ cup sugar
1½ cups buttermilk
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling, 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in gelatin mixture, then buttermilk, and vanilla. Pour into 5-oz ramekins and chill until set, 3 hours.

3. To serve, run a knife around edge of ramekin, place a plate on top, flip over and gently shake to turn out onto plate.
Garnish with some berries and swirl of maple syrup or honey.

Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Crust

Ever since my first success with dough, I've been itching to place my hands on a second. I have my eyes on some pie recipes for awhile and now is time to put my skill to test.

One reason I chose this recipe out of thousands other: it uses cream cheese for the pie crust and I happened to have extra from the Cream Cheese Dip with Tomato and Basil. It is also a little bit more tedious than a basic pie crust would be; it satisfies my need for challenge. However, 1/2 way through the dough, I cursed my stubborn need: should have stick with basic - The consistency of the dough wasn't the same as the recipe describes. Nevertheless I marched on.

Then came the real challenge: waiting time. It requires at least another 3 hours from preparing the filling to pulling the pie out from the oven. You know that little voice coming from nowhere inside of you? I heard it many times: "Uh uuuh" And I stubbornly ignored it. Only while I was waiting for the last part of chilling - after the assembling, before baking - that I realized I didn't add butter to boiling the juice. "UH UUUHHHH". Big time. It really was no turning back at this point.

Tick Tock Tick Tock.... it was excruciating to wait when you knew something had gone awry. Anyhow I survived the 50 minutes baking time, AND another 120 minutes of cooling - you want to make sure it cools completely before cutting it.

Verdict: It passed! I wouldn't have thought otherwise if I didn't knew about the missing butter. Neither did Adrian not my neighbors (they still don't know). Now, I'm curious to find out how different it would be if I had not forgotten the butter....

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
(makes two 9" pie crusts)

• 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 41/2 oz cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp ice water
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Place a medium sized bowl in the freezer to chill.
2. Place flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Cut in the cream cheese until the mixture becomes a coarse meal.
   
3. Spoon the mixture and the cold cubed butter into a ziploc bag. Expel air, seal and using a rolling pin flatten the butter into thin flakes. Once done put the bag of flour mixture into the freezer till firm. About 10 minutes.
4. Transfer flour mixture to chilled bowl. Sprinkle with ice water and vinegar. Toss to mix.
   
5. Divide dough into 2 and put each portion into separate ziploc bags. Knead until the dough holds together and is slightly stretchy when pulled.
6. Wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate overnight or at least 45 minutes.

The Apple Pie Filling

• 6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4" thick
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
  

1. Before making the pie filling, roll out one half of the pastry and line a pie pan. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
2. Macerate apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for between 30 minutes to 3 hours. Then transfer to a colander and collect the juices.
3. Boil down the juice to between 1/2 and 1/3 cup with the butter.
4. Toss the apples and the cornstarch until there are no more traces of the cornstarch. Pour boiled juice over apples.
5. Roll out top crust ready to cover the pie. Fill the lined pie pan with the apple pie filling, brush edges with a little egg yolk and then cover with the top sheet of pastry. Trim the edges, crimp the edges, make 3 slashes on the top pastry. Brush the top with egg white. Refrigerate 1 hour.
   
6. Bake at 200C for 45 - 55 minutes. Let cool before serving.
   

Cream Cheese dip with Tomato and Basil

Apart from challenging Adrian's aversion of certain foods (beet root, eggplant, scones), I enjoy finding ways to getting rid of ingredients (such as zucchini) before they turn bad. That's also one of the factors running a kitchen in a household of two. As a result, I often find myself searching for recipes based on what I no longer want to see in the refrigerator. One of my favorites is turning ingredients into preserves or jam (strawberry, raspberry). Sometimes freezing foods prepared ahead helps too.

This time, I foresee no dinner at home for the next 5 days. What have I got? Let's see: wilting basil, browning parsley and ripe tomatoes. I was going to make tomato jam (which takes 1 1/2 hour of constant stirring) and, again, basil-parsley pesto. Then I came across a dip that would use all of the above, plus cream cheese. A tempting combination that save time.

You may substitute cream cheese with cottage cheese. What to do with it? I intend to serve it over toasted sourdough muffin with mashed hard-boiled egg for breakfast sandwich (did I tell you Adrian's lack of faith for egg sandwich?) or as dip/ spread on bruchetta for appetizer.

On toasted sourdough muffin with sun dried tomatoes and sunny-side-up.

As omelet filling.

Scrambled egg

Ingredients:

(Makes about 1 1/4 cups)

• 125gram cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 TB real mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• lots of basil and parsley, chopped
• 2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 TB Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Stir and blend all the ingredients with a fork.
2. Taste, season and adjust with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
3. Chill lightly and serve as a dip, spread or with bruschetta.
   

Chocolate Zucchini Muffin with Peanut Butter Topping

I'm thinking of the one zucchini in the refrigerator. I know I will not be cooking for the next few days. For the little experience I have with zucchini, they decline pretty quickly. So what should I do with it? Do I watch and document its decomposing like what people do on Youtube for rabbit?

Luckily, I don't have to. If you just google "zucchini" you'll find thousands other (westerners) cooks who share one thing in common: getting rid of zucchini before the summer ends. And they all resort to baking - muffin, cake, cupcake, bread -, eventually. Speaking of confused identity: is it a dessert or savory?

I digress. It seems zucchini provides good moisture for the batter: rich, deep and dark with chocolate in this recipe. I love how the muffins come out with melty, oozy chocolate chips. the use of coconut oil gives it a hint of richness, moisture, and flavor that hits your nose before you take a bite, and permeates your house as these bake. Oh! How I love baking with coconut oil!

You don't even need food processor or blender for this - I did it with ease using my own hands. The ingredients below make 3 large muffins. You can double the portion to make 12 standard muffins or 6 large. Another tip I learned from the baker of Cocoa Island: refrigerate the batter overnight.

As I waited for the muffins to cool (after baking), I googled and found a Peanut Butter Topping from Recipezaar . I thought it would compliment the muffin, and helped to kill time. My impatience paid off: if I were a zucchini, this is the way I want to go. I love the Peanut Butter Topping so much I kept "tasting" it despite having consulted Adrian for approval, despite having brushed my teeth. I even decided to store the couple tablespoons extra in case I "need" it (for breakfast toast?).

Ingredients:
(3 large muffins)

For the Muffins

• 120mL brown sugar
  
• 30mL melted butter
• 60mL coconut oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1/3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 40mL buttermilk (1 tbs lemon juice + 1 cup milk; let sit 10 min)
• 1 cup zucchini, grated
• 1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate chip
• 2/3 unbleached flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon all-spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, melted butter and coconut oil. Stir in egg. Add vanilla extract, buttermilk, grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Fold to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, soda, all-spice and cinnamon. Make a hole in the middle and gently fold in zucchini mixture. Using a spatula, mix to just combined.

(either let it sit overnight or proceed as below)

3. Remove batter from the fridge and let sit in room temperature. Preheat oven to 175C. Lightly grease muffin pan.
4. Spoon batter over the muffin pan. Let baked in the center of the oven for 35 minutes.
5. Let the muffins cool and prepare the topping (optional)

For Peanut Butter Topping (optional)

• 1/2 cup butter (softened at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla essence

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add half the powdered sugar and blend well.
3. Pour in milk and vanilla.
4. Add the other half of sugar.
   
5. Blend until smooth.
   
6. Spread over muffin top to serve.