Earl Grey Mousse Cake

Specially designed this cake for a colleague birthday, she like Earl Grey so what better way to celebrate her birthday by making her a very earl grey flavored cake. The Earl Grey infused mousse is accompanied by a rich dark chocolate sponge at the bottom, the flavour of the dark chocolate and the Earl Grey compliment each other very well I must say.

Recipes (makes one 10 inch round cake)

For the chocolate sponge

300g           Sugar
125g           Plain flour
pinch of salt
118g          Cocoa powder
1/3 tsp       Baking powder
1/3 tsp       Baking soda
1/3 cup      Butter milk
1               Egg
42g           Melted butter
1/3 cup     Earl Grey tea

Method

- Preheat oven 160 degree C and prepare a 10 inch round cake ring
- Sift all dry ingredient together
- Mix the egg and buttermilk
- Melt butter and add to tea
- Add the butter/tea to the buttermilk mixture
- Pour liquid to the dry ingredient and mix till just combine, do not over mix
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, till stick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove and cool in the ring.

For the Earl Grey Mousse 

180g              Milk
180g              Cream
31g                Earl Grey tea leave
60g               Egg yolk
90g               Sugar
15g               Lemon juice
7g                 Gelatin (soak in about 3 tbsp of cold water)
290g             Whipped cream

Method

- Bring the milk, cream and tea leave to a boil and leave to infuse for 5 min.
- Strain mixture and weight out 270g
- Mix egg yolk with sugar and lemon.
- Pour into tea mixture
- Return to pot and cook gently till 85 degree C
- Add soaked gelatin, once gelatin dissolved, strain and cool to 30 degree C
- Fold in whipped cream

Assembly 

- Trim the cake and lay in the bottom of a 10 inch cake ring
- Pour the mousse over the cake
- Set in the fridge over night

Rumby Raisin Chocolate Tart

Rum and Raisin..... dark chocolate.... Vanilla almond Tart..... Mix it all together and you get my very own creation... my rumby raisin Chocoalate tart. The raisin is soaked and infused with rum for 3 days to soak up all the flavor of the rum and the rum itself. The dry raisin become juicy again and when you bite into one in the tart, the rum will burst into you mouth. To thin layer of sponge is placed between layer of chocolate ganache to give it that extra texture when you take one bite into it.

The tart for this recipes can be made in advance and the portion is enough for 2 to 3 10" tart but if you want to make 2, you need to double the ganache recipe. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days or a month in the freezer.

This tart seem like a lot of work for one simple tart but trust me.. it is well worth the effort plus the work can be spread over a few days or it is not that difficult to tackle the task as well.

Recipe: 

1/2 cup       Raisin

1/4 cup       Rum or enough to completely soak the raisin.

• Soak the raisin with rum for 3 days to a week before use.

Vanilla almond Tart 

285g           unsalted butter
150g           icing sugar
100g           grounded almond
1/2 tsp        salt
One vanilla pod (seeds only) or 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 large        eggs
490g           flour

• Beat the butter in a stand mixer till creamy
• Add sugar, almond powder, salt, vanilla, egg and blend slowly. The mixture may look curdled but it is fine
• With the machine on low, add the flour in 3 to 4 addition 
• Do not over mix
• Gather the dough and divide into 2 or 3 portion and wrap in cling wrap
• Chill the dough for at least 4 hours or over night
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 3mm thick, lifting the dough often so that it does not stick. 
• If you have problem rolling or not think you not skilled enough to do it, place the dough between 2 large sheet of cling wrap and roll between the layer of wrap taking care to adjust the top layer of wrap regularly
• Slowly place the dough onto a lightly grease tart tin
• Chill the dough for 30 minutes and preheat oven at 180 degree C 
• Before baking, prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and lay a piece of parchment paper onto the tart and fill with dried beans or rice.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, remove the parchment and beans and continue baking for another 3 to 5 minutes
• Transfer the crust to a rack to cool

Soft Sponge 

135g            Egg white
125g            Castor sugar
90g              Egg yolk
125g            Plain flour

• Preheat oven to 250 degree C
• Whisk egg white and sugar together till sift peak 
• Mix in egg yolk 
• Sift in the flour in 3 addition 
• On a large baking tray layered with parchment paper, pour the batter in and spread it thinly about 3 to 5mm thick 
• Bake for 7 minutes. 
• Remove and cool on cooling rack. 

Chocolate Ganache 

215ml         Whipping cream
30g             Invert Sugar (you can use honey if you do not have Invert Sugar but it will affect the taste)
250g           Dark Chocolate, chopped (66% cocoa)
37g             Unsalted butter (room temperature)

• Put the cream and invert sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil
• Add cream to the chopped chocolate mixing continuously
• Add butter and continue to mix until fully incorporated
• Add in the rum infused raisin and 2 to 4 tbsp of rum depending on how strong of a rum favour you want.

To finish the tart

• Pour a layer of ganache on to the prepare tart
• Cut a piece of the sponge to fit the tart and place it on top of the first layer of ganache
• Pour the remaining ganache onto the tart
• Place into fridge and let to set overnight 
• 
  

  

Stuff Chicken Leg with Masala Sauce

This is yet another recipes adapted from Chef Ramsay.. Stuff Chicken leg with Masala Sauce. Tender chicken leg stuffed with pork meat filled with pistachio nuts, wrapped with bacon that is saute till crispy. It is definitely not something that I would call healthy eating but definitely a yummy treats that one should have once in a while!!  You can watch a video of the man himself cooking this recipes here

Recipes: 

2           Boneless chicken leg
10         Streaky bacon (Approximately)
Sea salt and pepper
3 tbsp      Olive Oil
2 tbsp      Sherry vinegar
1/4 cup     Marsala wine
1.4 cup     Chicken stock

Stuffing 

100g      Minced Pork (Original recipes call for sausage meat)
Handful skinned pistachio nuts
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
Handful of flat leave parsley, roughly chopped
Sea salt and pepper, seasoned to taste.

Method

• To prepare the stuffing, mix all the ingredient for the stuffing together. 
• Open out the chicken leg, divide the stuffing between them and roll up to enclose the stuffing. 
• Lay 2 piece of aluminium foil, lightly drizzle with olive oil and spread salt and pepper on it. 
• Lay about 4 to 5 pieces of bacon on the foil, over lapping them slightly  
• Lay the stuffed chicken on top and wrap the bacon around completely to cover using the foil to form a sausage shaped parcel
• Twist the ends to seal the parcels.
• Poach the chicken parcel in a pot of boiling water for about 25 to 30 minutes
• Remove and allow the chicken to cool before placing in the fridge for about 30 minutes to help set the shape. 
• Remove from foil and pat dry to remove excess moisture. 
• Heat oil in frying pan and saute the chicken parcels until the bacon is brown and crispy
• Remove and set aside
• Deglaze the pan using sherry vinegar, add marsala wine and stock. Reduce the sauce by half and check for seasoning. 
• Cut the chicken parcel into thick slices and pour marsala sauce over. I serve my chicken with a pea and Parmesan risotto.