BEERY GOOD!

Would you believe these chunky baked chicken are fat-free? It's true!

I used the recipe from this cookbook - Quickies and the results are well-worth the little efforts put in.

Pre-heat oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Then marinade about 1 kg chicken pieces (cut into medium-sized chunks) with 1/2 can (150 ml) beer, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp white pepper powder.

Since I didn't have any garlic powder at hand, I just smashed 6 cloves of fresh garlic and added that into the marinade. If you're using garlic powder, 2 tsp would be enough.

I let the chicken sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before dredging them in some plain wheat flour. Use just enough to coat the chicken pieces evenly. Shake off any excess flour before placing the chicken pieces onto a wire rack atop a roasting tray.

Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 180 degrees Celsius and turn chicken pieces over to cook for another 15 minutes. Keep a close watch on the chicken pieces to avoid them from being overly burned.

Test the thickest pieces to ensure the meat is cooked through - juices should run clear. If they're underdone, cook for another 5 minutes. Serve piping hot to enjoy the super-duper juicy tenderness with an oh-so-heavenly garlicky and beery accents! Soooo good!

CHOCOLATE FRENZY

After the earlier success of my chocolate muffins, I was inspired to give the trusty pound cake recipe another go. Although the recipe calls for a 6 inch can pan, I used an 8 inch ring pan instead coz that is what I have on hand. The rest were 2 inches too big so I really don't want to risk the cake 'stretching' unnecessarily.

Since the temperature stated is 375 degrees Fahrenheit, I set my oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Also I added 3 tablespoons of milk to the recipe as I read somewhere that cocoa tends to dry out the cake texture during baking. After the cake had been baking for a while, I noticed the top was cracked. This indicated the oven was too hot or it could be due to my own foolhardiness in using that ring pan!

Anyway all's well that ends well. After 45 minutes I realised the cake had shrunk away from the pan edges a little so I quickly removed it from the oven. Luckily no further damage was evident. Phew!



Here's a close-up of the end result. Doesn't look too bad does it? Tastes great too I must say. It was a tad dry when it was still warm but after 1-2 days, the texture actually became more moist. To cover up the unsightly cracks, I decided to slather the cake with some chocolate frosting.



I used 200 ml whipping cream mixed with half a large bar of cooking chocolate and a small pat of butter for the frosting. Can you believe it was my first time making this? I got really worried when the mixture looked too runny when I poured it onto the cake - I guess I should have let it cool down first before even thinking of using it! Nevertheless, nobody complained about the taste so I reckon it was fine. Once overnight, the cake appearance looked much, much better as the frosting has taken on a nice sheen.



This recipe is for keeps!

BINGING ON BISCOTTI

I will never forget the first time I attempted to make biscotti. It was a disaster! Instead of achieving a light, slightly crunchy texture, everything ended up hard as rock. Only the flavour was agreeable but I was thankful that my Mom encouraged me not to give up. She also gamely finished the trial batch which I truly appreciate.

Happily, my subsequent attempt turned out better - thanks I suspect mainly to Rohani Jelani's recipe which appeared in a backdated issue of Flavours magazine. Having purchased several jars of Rohani's splendid biscotti before some years ago, I had never quite forgotten how nice they tasted. So I was estatic when I discovered her biscotti recipe! The results were so good, I actually made about a dozen canisters of them a week before Chinese New Year as pai nin giftaways. Not quite enough to go around so a small coterie of relatives and friends were the lucky beneficiaries.



For those who are game to try their hands at churning out a batch or two here's the recipe.

ROHANI'S ALMOND BISCOTTI

3 eggs (size A)
160 g caster sugar (the original recipe has it down as 200g but I used less)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (you can also use real vanilla flecks scraped from 1 vanilla pod - the flavour is fab! It's pricey though as 3 pods cost RM20)
50g ground almonds
200g whole almonds (I use skinned almonds but again these tend to be slightly pricier. You can also use hazelnuts or pistachios or even a mixture)

Sift together
320g plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Spread whole almonds onto baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool thoroughly before using.

Stir ground almonds together with sifted flour. Then add in whole almonds and mix evenly. Divide mixture into three portions

Cream sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until light and frothy. Using a large sturdy spatula or metal spoon, fold each portion of the flour mixture into the egg and sugar batter. You should end up with a soft, sticky dough.

Dust your worktop, baking tray and hands with flour. Roll 1/4 of the dough mixture on the floured surface with your hands. Shape roughly into a log and place it onto the baking tray. Leave enough room in between for the dough to spread during baking.

Bake for 15 minutes. The logs should feel firm to the touch. If they are not, bake for another 5 minutes. After that, remove from oven and leave them to cool down.

Use a serrated knife to slice the logs thinly. Lay the slices on a clean, dry tray. Bake each side for 6-8 minutes depending on thickness. When done, remove and let the slices cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, be sure to store them in airtight containers.

CHOC MUFFINS THAT TAKE THE CAKE!

Every kid is a sucker for chocolate. Ditto for mine. Yesterday at the spur of the moment, we thought it'd be kinda fun to churn out a batch of chocolatey muffins. We were really pleased at how they turned out...



I used this easy-peasy Pound Cake recipe from my school's Home Science book and was amazed how well it worked.

3.5 oz plain wheat flour
0.5 oz cocoa powder
3.5 oz caster sugar
4 oz butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp chocolate chip

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together. Cream eggs and sugar until mixture turns light and pale cream in colour. Beat eggs and add 1/4 of it into the egg and sugar batter. Stir well and add in 1 tbsp of flour mixture. Gently fold to incorporate everything evenly. Add in beaten egg alternating with flour until both mixtures are used up. Line muffin pan with paper cups. Divide and scoop cake batter into each cup until it is half filled. Scatter chocolate chips on top to decorate. Pop them into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Test with skewer - if it comes out clean, the muffins are done.



This close-up shot looks kinda 'spacey' huh? Like some alien territory...but one that really takes the cake!

IT'S RAINING CHOCOLATE MEN!

Oh oh here she comes...she's the chocolate men eater!

Feast your eyes on these...here's how I churn out my army of little chocolate men!

Chocolate Men Cookie

8 oz butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
2 1/2 cups plain wheat flour
12 oz chocolate chip
1 egg white

Method

Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla essence and salt until creamy and fluffy. Blend in egg yolk and mix well. Fold in flour and chocolate chips. Divide dough into 2 portions and chill in fridge for an hour. Then cut out cookie into desired shapes. Brush surface of cookies with egg white and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove once done and let cookies cool down before storing in an airtight container.