Gluten Free Choco Chip Cookies - 1st Trial

We are one family who loves to eat, to cook and to bake. My older son has a very noble wish: to be a junior masterchef someday. LOL. No kidding. 

Based on his wish, currently we start to let him do such an easy cookings like scramble eggs, and other type of fryings. 

For baking, we still allow him to help, up to preparation and simple steps, such as rolling dough, etc. 

He loves to eat cookies and breads, but his most favorite food is red velvet. What a taste for a little boy! I, as his mommy of course feels very satisfied to see his fast development for his age. 

Because of him, I'd always want to try a gluten free cakes and cookies, since I always do a lot of cooking and baking trial, and he is a one of a kind loyal tester. LOL. 

From the literatures I read, gluten is kinda need to be reduced from kids meal, because its content could harm the kids digestion.

But, if you reduce gluten which is founded in wheat flour, you might lose some cakes and cookies ability to rise, structural stability, and chewiness. 

Therefore, I need to find the best GFF(Gluten Free Flour) mix and this is my first trial. 

In this recipe, I am using GFF formula based on dapur ummu sasyi suggestions, which is: 

6:2:1 of rice flour:tapioca:corn starch

For cookies, and

7:2:1 of rice flour:tapioca:corn starch

For cakes. 

And for my first trial of GFF, I chose a chocochip cookies, my son's all time favorites cookies. 

I found the recipe from minimalist baker which only uses 7 ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup + 2 Tbsp gluten free baking mix* >> I am using my own GFF+ 1/2 tsp each baking soda, baking powder and salt, and 10 more tbsp of GFF mix. 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.

Add egg and vanilla and beat again until well combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Add gluten free baking mix in two batches and mix again. It won't be so thick that you can't continue mixing it, but it should appear "doughy."

Stir in chocolate chips, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4-6 hours until thoroughly chilled. You should be able to roll the dough into balls before baking >> I refrigerated for 1 hour only. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once chilled, scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts of dough, roll them into balls and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several days. Freezer for longer term storage. 

Review :

- The dough is not as dry as common cookies dough, maybe because the GFF does not absorp liquid as fast as wheat flour. 

- The result, imo, is somewhat needs to be added some sugar and dark chocolate. 

- The texture is not stable, but just as good as the mnbkr's texture, though.

Conclusion: I need another trial for getting the correct GFF mix. Wish me luck! ;)

Chicken Potato Casserole

A large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel, as wikipedia defined the word Casserole. 

Casserole originally invented by Elmire Jolicoeur,a French Canadian immigrant. 

Casserole itself referred to the pan in which the dish was cooked. 

My mom has actually served a type of food which contains of vegetables and chicken covered by potatoes, but we  know this kind of food as 'Pastel Tutup' instead of casserole. 

So when I search the internet for the kind of food, I found casserole recipes which leads me to do some recipe modifications  for my moms.

Ingredients:

- 5-6 medium sized potato 

- 2 large size carrots cut into pieces. 

- 10 green beans cut into pieces. 

- 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, boiled, drained, and shredded. 

- 1 medium onion, finely chopped. 

- 3 minced garlics. 

- 25 gr milk powder, dissolved in 50 ml hot water. 

- 300 ml chicken broth (kaldu ayam)

- 2 tbsp butter or margarine

- 2 tbsp all purpose flour

- 2 eggs

- 1 egg yolk or 2 tsp of light olive oil

- Oregano, freshly grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. 

Direction :

1. Melt the margarine in a large pot over medium heat, add the garlic and onion, saute until softened. 

2. Add carrot, beans, and chicken, stir well. 

3. Add chicken broth, milk powder, and all seasoning. 

4. Continue to simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, then add the flour, stir well until it mixed well and left a little liquid inside. 

5. Boil the unpeeled potatoes in a large pan or salted water. 

6. When they are soft enough to mash, drain them thoroughly, and let them cool. 

7. Once they're cool, peel and mashed them, add eggs, stir well. 

8. Add freshly grated nutmeg, pepper, sugar, and salt to taste, and mix them well. 

9. Spread half of mashed potatoes in the bottom of baking dish. 

10. Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture evenly on top. 

11. Spread the remaining potatoes over chicken and vegetable mixture. 

12. Brush the top of potatoes with egg yolk or olive oil. 

13. Bake in a preheated oven at 175C for about 45 minutes until the potato surface is crisp. 

Biji Salak

Sebenar benarnya, saya memang paling suka makan kolak biji salak buat makanan pembuka berbuka puasa dari dulu, kalo dibandingin sama pilihan kolak yang lain. 

I adore biji salak. That's it. 

Meskipun saya doyan banget, saya akuin, ini kali pertama saya bikin biji salak. omigot. 

Resep yang saya pakai adalah resep warisan dari mamah, yang udah dipake berpuluh puluh tahun di keluarga kami (bahasanya kaya iklan kecap)

Bahan bahan:

- 1 kg ubi merah

- 250 gr sagu

- 2 buah gula jawa

- 1 lembar daun pandan

- 1/2 butir kelapa parut

Cara membuat:

a. Larutan Santan :

1. Tuang 250 ml air ke dalam parutan kelapa

2. Peras larutan kelapa parut dengan kain ke dalam panci, tambahkan garam secukupnya. 

3. Masak santan + 1 lembar daun pandan sambil diaduk. 

Larutan gula merah

1. Masak 2 buah gula merah + 1 lembar daun pandan hingga larut dan mendidih, saring. 

Adonan biji salak

1. Rebus ubi merah hingga empuk, dites dengan tes tusuk dengan garpu. 

2. Buang air rebusan ubi, dan diamkan ubi hingga dingin. 

3. Kupas ubi merah, dan ulek hingga halus. 

4. Tuang sagu sedikit demi sedikit, hingga tercampur rata. 

5. Bentuk adonan sesuai selera (saya bentuk lonjong) 

6. Masukkan adonan yang sudah dibentuk ke dalam air mendidih hingga mengambang, angkat dan masukkan ke dalam larutan gula merah. 

7. Hidangkan dengan santan. 

Waktu mengaduk santan, kudu tetep diaduk supaya santannya tidak pecah ya. 

Lalu pembuatan larutan gula juga harus hingga mengental, supaya manisnya terasa. 

Menurut sepupu saya, manisnya kudu dikurangin sedikit, tapi kata ayah, manisnya udah enak. Abang pun bilang begitu. 

Tapi ada satu kesamaan dari para testers: makannya pada nambaaahhh. Hehehehe

Puding Pisang Nangka Santan

Semenjak saya sering bereksperimen dengan resep resep baru, ayah pun kadang berkontribusi men-challenge bunda dengan resep pilihan ayah. 

Dan kali ini ayah mau dibikinin puding pisang yang resepnya dia temukan di internet. 

Resepnya simple, bahannya pun gampang didapat. Berbekal dengan nitip pisang raja ke tukang sayur langganan, akhirnya ni puding jadi juga. 

Bahan bahan:

- Pisang Raja 4 buah, potong potong sebesar 1 cm

- Nangka sesukanya

- Agar Agar swallow 1 sachet

- Gula Merah 3 buah

- Santan Kara 60 ml - 2 buah

- Susu Kental Manis 2 sdm

- Daun Pandan 2 lembar

- Garam secukupnya

Cara Membuat :

1. Kukus pisang yang sudah dipotong hingga empuk, sisihkan

2. Rebus gula merah di dalam 150ml air dengan daun pandan, aduk aduk hingga hampir mengental, lalu saring. Dinginkan. 

3. Masukkan 750 ml air ke dalam panci, tambahkan agar agar, santan, susu kental manis, dan larutan gula merah, masak hingga hampir mendidih, lalu masukkan garam, didihkan. 

4. Tuang 1/2 larutan puding ke dalam cetakan, biarkan hingga hampir mengeras, lalu susun pisang dan nangka sesuai selera.

5. Tuang kembali sisa larutan puding ke dalam cetakan. 

6. Masukkan ke dalam kulkas hingga mengeras. 

Disajikan dingin...Nikmaaattt

Apple Crumble

Happy New Year, people!

Kali ini, saya mau bagi cerita tentang salah satu resolusi 2014 yang berhasil saya pecahkan : bikin apple crumble. 

Udah lama banget pengen bikin ini kue. Tapi masih terkendala sama 'how to cook' dan keberanian buat bikinnya, secara di rumah pada ga begitu doyan apel. 

Nyari resepnya pun saya lakukan dengan hati hati dan akhirnya saya menjatuhkan pilihan pada apple crumble-nya Mbak Shinta plus teknik memasaknya Gordon Ramsay

Untuk apple crumble ini, memang paling baik menggunakan apel Granny Smith, apel yang menurut wikipedia adalah apel dengan daya tahan simpan paling lama, yang ditanam oleh Mary Ann Smith di Australia pada 1868. 

Resep :

- 4 apel granny smith atau apel malang. Pilih apel yang masih crunchy, ya. 

- 1 cup gula pasir. 

- 100-125 gr butter pada suhu ruangan. Jangan dilelehkan. 

- 1/2 sendok teh bubuk kayu manis

- 1 sendok makan lemon juice (optional)

- 2 cups terigu serbaguna

Cara Membuat: 

1. Kupas apel dan potong tipis tipis.

2. Masukkan apel ke dalam panci, bersama dengan 1/2 cup gula pasir, lemon juice, bubuk kayu manis, dan 1 sendok makan butter. 

3. Masak dengan api kecil sambil diaduk sehingga membentuk karamel, dan apelnya melunak. 

4. Setelah apel lunak, matikan api, lalu tambahkan 2 sdm terigu supaya adonan apel tidak terlalu 'runny'. 

5. Pindahkan adonan apel ke dalam baking dish 9"

6. Panaskan oven 150C, dan siapkan crumble dengan mencampurkan sisa butter, tepung terigu, gula, dan kismis secukupnya sesuai selera. 

7. Tepung terigu dicampurkan paling akhir, sampai mendapatkan bentuk crumble yang pas. Gunakan tangan saja dalam membuat crumble, supaya lebih mudah. 

8. Taburkan crumble ke atas adonan apel, namun jangan sampai ditekan. 

9. Panggang selama 30 menit hingga crumble berwarna kecoklatan. 

10. Angkat, dan sajikan dengan es krim strawberry.