Coffee and Coconut Milk Jelly (Agar-Agar)

Agar agar or jelly is a refreshing dessert to end a perfect meal. This time I did a coffee and coconut flavor but you can add any flavor or color you like. I know it takes a bit of time to do it layer by layer but the end result is beautiful. Who can resist a dessert like that ;) You can read more about agar-agar at Wikipedia

Ingredients for coffee layer :

2 tbsp of agar agar powder
1 tbsp of instant coffee + 2 tbsp of warm water
1/2 cup of sugar
5 cups of water

White layer :

1 tbsp of agar agar powder
1 1/2 cup of water
1 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp of salt


1. Mix the instant coffee with warm water and set aside.
2. For the coffee layer mix agar-agar powder with water bring to the boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir continuously until all the agar-agar dissolves, then add sugar Continue boiling until the sugar, add mixed coffee, stir well, and then turn the heat to the lowest.
3. For the coconut cream layer mix water and agar-agar powder together, bring to the boil over medium heat. Boil until the agar-agar dissolves, and then add coconut milk, sugar and salt together. Stir regularly to prevent the coconut cream separating. Being to slow boil until the mixture dissolve completely, turn down the heat to the lowest.
4. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoonful of the coffee mixture into each mold, leave to set. Scratch the surface lightly with a fork and then spoon the same amount of the coconut mixture over and leave to set. Continue with this process until each mold is full. Leave to completely cool before remove from the mold.


Similar desserts : Rainbow Jelly , Sago Pearl Pudding

Note : Since the layer is so thin it will set in 2-3 minutes.

Homemade Herb Biscuits

Biscuit is really great and can be serve with all kind of dishes that are savory or sweet. They are tasty and really easy to put together. Have all your ingredients ready and mix them up as soon as the oven is hot and soon you will have light and fluffy biscuits. Feel free to vary the herbs to suit your taste. This biscuit is also great as a topping for pot pies in place of rolled crusts.

Ingredients :

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp chilled butter
4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
4 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
3/4 - 1 cup of milk
Some pamesan cheese (optional)

1. Warm up the oven to 400 degree F. Line the baking sheet with some parchment paper.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Add butter to bowl and rub into flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture resembles very coarse sand. The average piece should be about the size of a pea.
3. Stir in beaten egg and then slowly add in the milk until the dough is moistened.
4. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until the dough comes together like a ball. Press dough out with your hand until it is about 3/4-inch thick.
5. Use a round cookie/biscuit cutter to cut rounds and then place on baking sheet. Dough can be gathered and rerolled once. You should get about 10 biscuits, depending on size of the biscuit cutter.
6. Brush the top of the biscuits with some milk, sprinkle some pamersan cheese (optional) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops of biscuits are golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack before serving

Note: You might not need the whole cup of milk and you can substitute milk with buttermilk to add a nice tangy flavor to the biscuits.

Beef Stew in Red Wine.

It’s officially spring on Friday but the weather here is still very cold. We love having stew in this wintery kind of weather. There's something so comforting about a bowl of deeply rich succulent braised beef with carrots, onions, and potatoes. It's hearty, wholesome and simply delicious. This beef stew is flavored with red wine, thyme, and orange peel. Sounds fancy, doesn't it? It's not, and it is really easy to prepare. I serve the stew with some homemade biscuits but you can have it with rice, warm crusty bread or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 1 1/2" pieces (season with some salt and pepper)
4 carrots – clean and cut into big cubes
6 small potatoes - peel, clean and cut in half
1 large onions - cut into small cubes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups of good quality red wine
2-3 cups of beef stocks
2 fresh thyme sprigs
orange zest strip ( about 3-inch)
2 bay leaves
4 tbsp of flour
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1. Warm up a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat with the 3 tbsp of olive oil. While the pan is heating, toss the beef in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour
2. Brown the beef in the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate.
3. Add in a bit more oil if needed to the pan and add in garlic and onions. Sautee for a few minute and add in the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty brown bits.
4. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, orange zest strip, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
5. After 2 hours add in potatoes and carrots. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Check seasoning and you might need to add a bit of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Serve warm.

Note : Homemade Herb Biscuits recipe coming up next.

Breakfast Waffles

Our breakfast over the weekend is usually very simple. We will have coffee and maybe an English muffin or a piece of toast but there are days we yearn for something heavier. Since Diana got me a waffle marker for Christmas I thought I make some for breakfast. Actually making waffles is not that difficult. You just have to mix all the ingredients and put some batter on the waffle maker and you will have freshly bake waffles in minutes. Best of all you can put any topping you want. Why not make some for your family this weekend.

Ingredients :

1 egg separated
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp of melted butter

1) Sift flour, baking powder and salt and set it aside. In a mixing bowl mix egg yolk ,sugar and milk together.
2) Then add in sifted dry ingredients. Beat egg white until stiff. Fold in egg white into the flour mixture. Mix in melted butter.
3)Get ready your waffle maker according to the manufacturer instruction. Put batter into your waffle maker (amount will depend on your waffle maker).
4) Serve warm with butter, syrup or fresh fruits topping.

Note : You can always freeze up any extra waffles and just warm it up the next day.