Macarons with Raspberries Jelly and Dark Chocolate Ganache

Every time before my daughter go to her best friend house, sure she will request me to bake some macaron as this is their favourite's sweet ! At first she chosen the Ispahan Macaron from the Pierre Herme Macarons book that I just bought recently. Before making macaron and realized that still lacking of canned lychee and white chocolate, so we drop the idea and came out with this new combination.

 This is not my first time trying PH macaron recipe. I have tried many times, but the outcome of every batch I made still not consistent ..some time it cracked, stick to the baking paper and no skirt formed.

This time, it seem came out perfect!  I adjusted few steps and have it recorded in below recipe, but I still no confidence whether my next batch will be the same result ! This little baby is hard to make!



Love this jelly idea from PH macaron book. This little cube of jelly like a gem in the macaron. I get my daughter to prepare this raspberris jelly, and now I realized that she did not weight the ingredients and have it recorded. So this jelly recipe is without measurements.

This is the first time I ate few macarons at one go after done (I guess after refrigerated for one night, it will even better ) . I love this combo, the sweetness is balance with the addition of dark chocolate and raspberries jelly ! Crispy&light shell and chewy & soft meringue texture, perfect!



Macarons with Raspberries Jelly and Dark Chocolate Ganache

Recipe source: Macaron shell recipe from Pierre Herme with minor changes, jelly and ganache recipe by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Almond mixture

105g almond meal
100g icing sugar
40g aged egg whites

Meringue

40g aged egg whites
100g caster sugar
25g water

Food colouring, pink

Method

1. To age the egg white-separate egg white and egg yolk (keep egg yolk for other use). Keep egg white in a container and cover with a cling film. Store inside the fridge for 1 week.
2. Remove aged white eggs from fridge, let them return to room temperature.
3. Sift almond meal and icing sugar in a mixing bowl, set aside. Cook sugar and water until it reaches 118C.
4. When the syrup reaches 100C, start beat egg white until soft peaks at high speed (work with hand mixer speed 4)
5. When syrup reaches 118C, quickly pour it into egg whites on low speed.
6. Turn speed to high and beat meringue until stiff and glossy, takes about 2-3mins. While beating meringue, mix almond mixture with egg white and colouring, set aside.
7. Fold meringue into almond mixture, mix until it looks shinny and creamy. Tnnyhe batter should resemble slightly runny cake dough.
8. Place batter into a piping bag with a plain 1cm nozzle. Pipe dollops of batter onto a lined baking tray (line bottom with a template of circles ( 3.5cm circle and 2cm gap in between, then cover it with a sheet of non-stick baking paper). Lift a corner of the baking paper, slide out the macaron template, set aside to rest for 30mins.
9. Bake at a preheated oven at 150C (Grill function-top heat only) for 2-3mins at the lower rack (3^rd steel bar from bottom) until you see a skin forms on the surface.
10. Turn on the oven fan, continue to bake at 150C for 11 - 12mins.
11. Remove from tray and let it rest on a rack to cool down before peel them off.

Raspberries jelly

fresh raspberries, chopped finely
caster sugar
water
lemon juices

gelatine powder
water

Method

1. Place chopped raspberries in a small pot, let it cook for 2-3 minutes or until thick.
2. Adjust the taste with sugar and lemon juices accordingly.
3. Adjust the thickness by adding water if necessary.
4. Mix gelatin and water and melt it over a pot of simmering water.
5. Add into raspberries compote, mix well.
6. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

50g dark chocolate (Lindt 70%)

45g whipping cream
10g butter

 Method

1. Melt dark chocolate over a bowl of simmering water.
2. Add in cream and butter, stir to combine well.
3. Refrigerate before use

To assemble – Fill a piping bag that fitted with a plain nozzle with dark chocolate ganache. Cut raspeberry jelly into small cubes. Pipe a small dot of chocolate on to half the shell, place a cube of raspeberry jelly on top, then pipe chocolate ganache circle the jelly.Top with another macaron shell. Store the macarons in the fridge for 24hrs. Remove from the fridge for 30-60mins before eating.

Sesame Kueh 芝麻粄

This recipe was adapted from a new cookbook that I bought recently. The best thing of this kueh is you don't need a mould to make it.

The whole kueh is coating with toasted sesame seeds, full of sesame seeds aroma

As usual, I cooked red bean paste using the cooked red bean from red bean dessert soup (just add sugar to cook till thicken) ..

 

I found the dough is a bit dry when shaping with red bean paste..but it is ok after cooked as the whole kueh will cover by toasted sesame seeds..

Sesame Kueh 芝麻粄

(recipe adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumplings cookbook)

 250g glutinous flour

1tbsp wheat starch  (Tang Mein Flour)
1tbsp caster sugar
1tbsp cooking oil
100ml boiling water
50ml water

300g red bean paste

Banana leaves
Some toasted sesame seeds

 Method

1. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour with wheat starch and sugar, mix well.
2. Add in boiling water, and rapid mixing well , cover and rest for 5mins.
3. Slowly adding water and cooking oil, knead to form a soft dough and smooth.
4. Evenly divide the dough equal portions to 40g each, cover with a wet cloth for 10mins.
5. Form dough into ball shape, lightly flatten, add in some red bean paste filling, wrap well and form into round shape.
6. In a pot, add in water and bring to boil. Lightly press the dough, cook them in boiling water over high heat until cooked through and surfaced. Remove from heat, drained, ,coat with sesame seeds and place on banana leaf. Serve.

Prawn Masala Curry 香浓干咖喱虾



I was so happy finally able to cook this prawn curry that the taste very close to a dried prawn curry we tried in a restaurant last year. In fact, my hubby said my version is more tasty !!



Last year, I followed a half day "tumpang trip" with my husband to Nibong Tebal Penang.

We stopped by this famous dried curry prawn for a quick lunch.

This restaurant just located beside the river.



We followed the usual way how other peoples enjoy this dried prawn curry with soft and fluffy bread. But I feel their price was a bit over price !! 

We found this curry just cook with medium size of prawns already very tasty.  



We enjoyed this curry by dipping with Focaccia, perfect !!

I have modified a bit of earlier Italian Focaccia recipe..

 

 This recipe required to pan fry the herbs and spices before process them..

When I processing these ingredients, the smell was so aromatic and I knew this prawn dish going to be good!



I changed a bit of the spices and also add sugar as this prawn dish supposed to taste a little sweet..

Prawn Masala Curry

(recipe source: adapted from Love2Cook with minor changes)

Ingredients

600g medium prawns (or large prawns, your choice)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tomato, cubed
1 tbsp tamarind juices
1 cup water
3/4cup coconut milk
1tsp salt or to taste
2tsp sugar or to taste

(A)

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 and 1/2 tbsp fish curry powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 handful curry leaves

 (B)

8 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 inch ginger, sliced
3 green small chillies
2 red chillies

Method

1.In a wok, dry toast Ingredients (A) for 3 minutes until fragrant. Set aside. 
2.Add some oil in same wok and fry Ingredients (B) for 2 minutes. Set aside 
3.Grind (A) and (B) in a food processor.
4.Deep fry prawns in a wok (less than a minute), set aside.
5.Saute onions with oil till aroma, and add the ground ingredients. Keep stirring for few minutes. 
6. Add tomatoes, tamarind paste, water, coconut milk, sugar and salt. Let the gravy boil a few times.
7. Put in the fried prawns, mix well and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes till gravy slightly thicken, adjust the taste.
8. Dish out and serve with rice or bread.

Fontana di Trevi 羅馬許願池, Piazza di Spagna 西班牙廣場, Rome Italy 2013 羅馬意大利自由行

After Piazza Venezia , we proceeded to the next destination and this place also one of the place that I wanted to see the most in this Italy trip beside Venice, Fontana di Trevi. In this post, I still talking about the places that I visited in Day 1 (half day afternoon), can you imagine in half day time I already shared few places, hehehe. One thing good about Roma is that that the city is easy to walk in and famous structures are close by to each other, so long you wear a pair of comfortable shoes. I found my shoes still not the best shoes, still looking for a pair of good shoes for travelling, any suggestion?



 

What we seen while walking to Fontana di Trevi

Why i said Italy like an Asian country, because you can still see illegal sellers that selling fake branded bags on the roadside!! very difference from other European countries..

wine shop

 variety shapes of pasta !! but price here is much more expensive if compare to market. I will share with you a market I visited which goods selling at good price later.

 

Wow ! This is the place, so so excited at that moment ^__^



One action everyone will do here is throw a coin and make a wish!! return to Roma?

 



 we continued our walk to Piazza di Spagna ( Spanish Steps )

Every corner in Italy is photogenic..

I especially like to see their window !

Now we reached the Piazza di Spagna ( Spanish Steps ) 西班牙台階

 the steps were filled with peoples that sitting here and relaxing in cool air !

This site was one of the scene that shown in a famous old movie "Roman Holiday"

we also take this opportunity sitting down here to rest after a long walk..The road in front of us is Via dei Condotti, a busy and fashionable street, you can find branded bags like Gucci, LV &etc here, too bad, no budget for these expensive bags, hehehe..
 



I like to see how they decorate their window with flowers!

 Here i also want to share with you the night scene at Fontana di Trevi (we went there on the next day).  It was so so beautiful with deep blue sky ( around 7-8pm) , and the structures were simply awesome !!