Japanese Swiss Roll - by Michelle Marie Mower

Recipe share from Bake King
Japanese Swiss Roll

Meringue
5 Cold Egg Whites
70g Caster Sugar
5g Cornflour

Cake Batter
5 Egg Yolks
20g Caster Sugar
40ml Corn Oil
80ml Cold Milk
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
80g Top Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
 
Cream Cheese Filling
250g Cream Cheese, soften
10 Strawberries, quarter
¼ Cup (30g) Icing Sugar, sieved
20ml Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 lemon
 
Japanese Swiss Roll
Line a 9" x 12" (23 x 30cm) Swiss Roll tray with parchment paper leaving 1” allowance hanging around the sides.
 
Meringue:
Using electric mixer, beat cold egg white till foamy then gradually add in sugar and cornflour mixture and continue to beat till stiff peak form.
With a hand whisk / spatula, gently fold meringue into yolk batter in 3 batches till combined (do not over mix)
 
Flour batter
Beat egg yolk and caster sugar till thick and creamy. Stir in oil, milk, vanilla essence and sieved flour mixture (flour and baking powder) in sequence till combined. Set aside.
 
Pink Flower Batter
Remove 2 Tablespoons of plain batter into a small bowl, add in a few drops of red food colouring to achieve desire pink tone. Set aside.
With 1 tablespoon of the plain batter, pipe some small dots (0.3cm) on the prepared parchment paper to form the centre of the flowers. Bake in preheated 170°C oven for 1 minute. Remove and pipe the pink batter over the dots to form petals of the flowers then bake in the oven for another 1.5 minutes to form the prints.
Pour reserved plain batter over the prepared flowers, smooth the surface using a spatula and bake for another 15 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake and comes out clean.
Immediately remove sponge cake from the tray, turn it over onto another piece of parchment paper before peeling off the one that was attached on it. Cover the parchment paper back and set cake aside to cool.
 
Cream Cheese Filling
Cream all the ingredients together till smooth. Spread mixture evenly on the sponge cake (the side without design). Top with strawberries then slowly roll it by lifting it up with the parchment paper. Chill Swiss Roll in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cutting to firm up the filling.
 
Note:
Floral design: Use a small painting brush to paint the stalks and leaves by mixing 1 teaspoon of cocoa and matcha powder separately with hot water instead of using food colourings.

This Week on PLSR

Hello, hello! So sorry for the lack of posts this week. It has been an incredibly exciting & busy week so I had to put some recipes on hold for a bit. So while I haven't been creating recipes to share with you all this week here is what I've been up to!

1. KRISPOPS!!! I've been super busy fulfilling orders & working on my new site which will be launching soon. I'm so excited to share this site with you all & hope you too will place orders! In the mean time, you're always able to order them through publiclivessecretrecipes@gmail.com 

2. Although I haven't been creating typical recipes for my site a girl's gotta eat! I've been making tons of Ramen this week but putting a twist on it by creating a super easy version of pad thai. By making the Ramen per the labels instructions, adding in 1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter & 1 tsp of Sriracha (I add a bit more because I love a little kick!), you can get a homemade pad thai in a matter of minutes! No, not the prettiest dish I've made but it sure is delicious.

3. GOOP x Chicago. If there is one person who can convince me to eat healthy it is most definitely Gwyneth Paltrow. This week I had the honor of meeting her at the GOOP x Chicago Pop-Up Shop. The store, which you have to check out, will be in the Waldorf-Astoria (my absolute favorite building in Chicago) from now until May 10th. Gwyneth's two cookbooks make the perfect Mother's Day gifts, along with pretty much everything else in the shop.

4. Obviously, I've been eating tons of sweets. From classics such as Dylans Candy Bar to Chicago staples, Leonadis Chocolate Cafe, I've been taking the week to step away from the kitchen & explore some of the delicious treats Chicago has to offer. 

Shop This Story: 1. top (similar) | jeans | bracelets 2. romper | sweater 3. plate | 4. top 5. socks

follow along on PLSR adventures: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

bacon wrapped pork tenderloin

since first making this for dinner a couple months ago, it was quickly added to our regular rotation, most recently showing up last month. it has everything i love about pork tenderloin: salty bacon, sweet brown sugar & apricot preserves, zesty whole grain and dijon mustard, and perfectly juicy pork. did i mention the salty bacon?! it's killer.

add this great northern cornbread and roasted brussels sprouts to make a great weeknight meal!

bacon wrapped pork tenderloin
adapted from the kitchn
30 minutes, serves 4

1 pork tenderloin
4-6 slices thick cut bacon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1. preheat your oven to 350F. combine brown sugar, salt, and paprika in a small bowl and set aside.
2. get your bacon out of the package and set aside. you will need about 8 toothpicks to secure the bacon in the pork - set those aside and ready to go also.
3. remove the silverskin from the pork tenderloin and pat the pork dry with a paper towel. rub the sugar mixture into the pork. wrap the bacon around the pork and secure the ends and sides with toothpicks.
4. coat the bottom of an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the pork with vegetable oil. place over medium high heat. once heated, add the tenderloin and sear about 5 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy. flip the pork and brown the other side for another 3-5 minutes. 
5. while the pork is browning, mix the apricot preserves and mustard until smooth. once the pork is browned, remove the pan from the heat, and spread the apricot mixture over the top of the pork. transfer the skillet to the oven.
6. bake about 10 minutes, or until the pork is 140F. remove from the oven - careful, the handle is hot! - and tent with foil and rest for about 10 minutes. remove the toothpicks and slice and serve.

Home-made Potato Bread - by Ng Mee Teng

Home-made Potato Bread fr 'In Love with Bread ' by Alan Ooi
(A)
400g HPF / Bread flour
50g Castor Sugar
6g Salt
35g Milk Powder
6g Instant Yeast
 
(B)
190ml Cold Water
1 Egg - Size A
90g Mashed potato
 
(C)
60g Margerine
 
(D) - mix for later
200ml Cold Fresh Milk
75g Instant Custard Powder

Method:
- Mix (A) till well combined. Add (B) & mix into dough.
- Add (C) & continue to mix till the dough shinny & elastic.
- Cover dough & let it rise in a warm place for 40 mins.
- Punch the dough to release air & divide to 35g each, and shape into balls. Let it rise agn for 5 mins.
- Shape into balls age & arranged on greased baking tray (13"×9"×2"). Let it rise for 50 mins or double in size.
Apply egg wash & squeeze custard over. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20-25mins or till golden brown.

gula melaka steam cake - by Diana Chin

Again for tea-time today I made STEAMED CAKE as requested by my mom as she is leaving homeward bound tomorrow morning. This time, I used gula melaka as a substitute for white sugar. It does make a lot of difference. These cakes smelled wonderfully fragrance with the gula melaka and the sweetness is just nice. Moreover these are healthy snacks for tea-time. I guessed I will miss doing things like this activity with her. Au Revoir Mommy!


INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs ( I used 4 eggs as I wanted to steam more cakes, so double all the ingredients)
2 tbsp sugar (today I replaced with 3 tbsp of grated gula melaka)
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp fresh milk ( I ran out of milk so subs with buttermilk)
3 tbsp condensed milk ( you can add more if you want sweeter)
2/3 cup All Purpose Flour
2 tsp baking powder

STEPS:
1. Lightly beat eggs, add in sugar, milk, condensed milk and oil one by one. Make sure you stir together before adding the next ingredient.
2. Mix together flour and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and gently stir until just combined ( okay to have lumps, no worries. But pls do not over mix the batter or else cake will not be spongy)
3. Steam at high heat over boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Done!

Banana Split Bites Recipe

Originally, I found this recipe on Pinterest, probably about 3 years ago or so. I'm not sure who exactly the recipe came from although I wish I did know so I could thank them a million times over for such a simple & creative dessert! 

This recipe is very easy & quick to make which was perfect for this week as I am crazy busy! Not complaining by any means though...I'm catering two events with Krispops! On that note, a little shameless promotion: ORDER YOUR KRISPOPS! Perfect for Mother's Day, birthdays, or just to brighten your day! 

p.s. if you have a bit more time on your hands & want to take this dessert to the next level: scoop out the top half of the banana & fill with ice cream, continue to top with whipped cream & cherry.

Ingredients:

whipped cream, to taste

3-4 bananas

1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

sprinkles, to taste

1 jar cherries

Supplies:

serving plate

knife

microwavable safe bowl

Step 1:

Cut the bananas into 2 inch pieces. Discard the ends.

Step 2:

Melt chocolate chips in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted completely.

Step 3:

Dip one end of banana into chocolate & sprinkles. Let cool completely in fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4:

Top with whipped cream & cherry. Enjoy!

my week in food

here's a summary of everything i made & we ate over the last week. enjoy!

i do all of my meal planning wednesday night/thursday morning for the following week and then shop with the boys thursday morning. lately, i've been assuming we have ingredients, never bothering to check when i'm making my grocery list, only to learn halfway through cooking something, that i'm missing a key ingredient or two. so was the case on monday when i made this tex-mex skillet pasta. this time, we were out of corn and cilantro. it was still delicious, and will be made again with corn, cilantro, and black beans. tuesday we had the leftovers.

sometimes, a basic sauteed chicken breast is perfect for dinner. wednesday we had ours with peas and garlic butter orzo.

thursday was rainy and cool, a great day for one of jason's favorites: dr pepper chili. over the winter, we had this chili at least twice a month. it's that good. 

i spent the majority of friday afternoon getting ready for roo's birthday part on saturday. since neither of the boys wanted to take a nap, i was anxious about getting everything done and did not want to add making dinner to the list. jason and winn headed off to dibella's for subs. i forgot how good they are!

saturday we celebrated roo's first birthday with brunch and even more cake! (more on that later.) my parents stayed for dinner, so we broke out the grill for the first time this year & had cheeseburgers to go along with what little brunch leftovers remained.

my kids love fish, but i was getting bored with basic baked tilapia, so this sunday we had tilapia with lemon garlic sauce and brown rice. it was a hit!

all pictures are copyright of their respective websites.

Funfetti Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients:
1 bag popcorn
2 tbsp Funfetti Dry Cake Mix
1/4 cup white chocolate, melted
sprinkles

Supplies:
parchment paper
large mixing bowl
popcorn boxes
measuring cup

Step 1:

Make your popcorn according to packages instructions. 

Step 2:

In large mixing bowl combine popcorn & cake mix. Toss until completely coated.

Step 3:

In microwave, melt chocolate. Lay popcorn on parchment paper in a flat layer.

Step 4:

Drizzle white chocolate over popcorn & top with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Dorayaki pancake - by Joey Foo

Dorayaki
160g plain flour
4 eggs
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp water
Adzuki red bean paste(from Daiso)
Cooking oil for greasing if not using non stick pan

 

1. Sift plain flour, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and set aside.

2. In another bowl, add eggs, caster sugar, honey and whisk until the mixture is all bubbly and slightly pale yellow.

3. Slowly add flour mixture in 3 additions into the eggs mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are just incorporated and there are no flour lumps. Do not overmix. Using spatula and folding method, mix in 3 tbsp of water. Leave aside batter covered with cling wrap for 30 mins.

4. Heat a flat and non-stick frying pan over low heat. If using normal pan, grease the pan very lightly with cooking oil. Wipe off any excess oil with kitchen paper. I pour the batter into a measuring cup to get the neat round circles. Once u see bubbles forming and they stop moving, can use spatula to flip to the other side and cook for a while longer. Leave to cool on cooling rack before adding filling.

Dunkaroo Layered Cake Recipe

I'll admit, after I made the frosting & stuck my finger in the bowl (oh, don't act like you've never done that before) to test it out, I was a bit skeptical. I havn't had a Dunkaroo in ages but I just felt like something was off. So I opened the box of Teddy Grahams, dipped one in the frosting, & all of a sudden it was as though the enitre '90s flashed before my eyes. SUCCESS! 

Now image that yumminess mixed with your favorite funfetti cake. Does life get any better? No people, it does not. 

Ingredients:
for the cakes:
your favorite white cake recipe + sprinkles

for the frosting:
2 1/4 cup dry funfetti cake mix
1 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup cool whip
sprinkles
Teddy Grahams

Supplies:
Wilton Layered Cake Pans
2 large mixing bowls
spatula
mixing spoon
frosting bag
cake stand

Step 1:

In large mixing bowl, make your favorite white cake recipe. Add in sprinkles.

Step 2:

Bake cake accordingly. While cake bakes, in separate large mixing bowl, combine cool whip, yogurt, & cake mix.

Step 3:

Add in sprinkles to the frosting. 

Step 4:

Once cakes have baked & cooled completely, place one on top of cake stand. Layer frosting on top & then place another cake on top of the frosting. Repeat until all cakes have been used.

Step 5:

Decorate top of the cake however you desire & place Teddy Grahams around.

Step 6:

Enjoy!

COFFEE BAILEYS POLKA DOTS SWISSROLL by Patricia Na

COFFEE BAILEYS POLKA DOTS SWISSROLL
( A)
5 Egg Yolks
60 ml Vegetable Oil
75 ml Coffee Flavored Baileys
50 gm Caster Sugar
1 / 4 tsp Salt
2 to 3 tbsp Instant Coffee Powder (Dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water, set aside)

( B)
100 gm Cake Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 / 4 tsp Baking Soda

(C)
5 Egg Whites
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
80 gm Caster Sugar ( I use 70gm )

Preheat oven @ 200 ° C
Line a 10"x14"x1 baking tray

1.) Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda.
2.) Mix ( A ) together with a hand whisk EXCEPT Coffee Mixture until batter turns into light color. You can add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract if you like a tinge of vanilla frangrance. (I added^^)
3.) Whisk sifted flour into batter.
4.) Scoop out 2 tbsp of batter.
5.) Add in Coffee Mixture and mix well.
6.) Whisk egg whites till foamy, add cream of tartar. Add sugar in 3 batches. Whisk till stiff peaks.
7.) Take 1 tbsp of meringue n fold into the 2 tbsp of plain batter. Transfer batter to piping bag attached to Wilton Tip No 1.
8.) Fold 1 / 3 of meringue to coffee mixture n mix well.
9.) Pour mixture into balance meringue. Gently fold in. Set aside.
10.) Pipe dots onto baking sheet n bake for 1 min to set the batter.
11.) Remove tray from oven after 1 min and pour the rest of batter in. (Coffee batter)
12.) Bake at 200 ° C for 10-15 mins ( I bake mine for 13 mins )
13.) Remove from tray, invert n remove baking paper.
14.) Place a new baking sheet on top n flip back.
15.) Spread whipping cream over. Then start rolling your swiss roll .

WHIPPED CREAM
150 ml Whipping Cream + 2 capful of Coffee Flavored Baileys
Whipped till stiff.

Steamed Rose Mantou by using Sweet Purple Potatoes - by Diana Chin

 “Steamed Rose Mantou” by using Sweet Purple Potatoes.
Ingredients:
250g of purple sweet potatoes, steamed.
200ml of water
500g pau flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g sugar ( add more sugar if you like sweeter but I like mine just nice)
50g shortening ( you may use vegetable oil to subs if shortening not avail)
1/4 tsp salt
11g instant yeast ( one sachet)

1. Mash sweet potato or blitz with almost all the water to get fine paste
2. With balance of water, mix it with yeast.
3.Combine everything except shortening and mix to form a dough.
4.Put in shortening and knead dough until smooth. Add slightly more flour if dough is still sticky or more water if dough is dry ( by using tablespoon to add water slowly)
5.Cover and let the dough rest and double in size, about an hour.
6. After rested an hour, punch down dough and knead for another 1 minute.
7. Divide dough into 50 g portions and form the shape as you wish.
8. After forming the shape of dough, let them rest on muffin liners for another 15 minutes and then steamed for 12 minutes on high heat.
* To make these rose mantaou. I roll the 5 portions of 50g dough into cylinder. Then stack each cylinder overlapping one another. Then use your fingers roll the first cylinder nearest to you upwards, not too tight. Then use a pair of scissor to cut into halves. Use your hands to lightly shape the base of the roses and let them stand on muffin liners. Next, use your fingers to slowly peel off the petals as if the roses are flowering… Then , steamed.* I hope my instruction is easy to understand here.

Cookie Dough Brownie Layered Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
for the cookie dough:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tsp milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

for the brownie:

1 cup flour
4 tbsp (half stick) butter, melted
2 large tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups chocolate chips (your flavor choice!), melted
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs

Supplies:
2 large mixing bowl
Wilton layered trays
mixing spoon
baking spray

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Step 2:

In separate small bowls, melt both butter & chocolate chips.

Step 3:

In large mixing bowl, pour in all ingredients & mix until combined. 

Step 4:

Pour batter into sprayed baking trays.

Step 5:

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

Step 6:

In separate mixing bowl, combine all cookie dough ingredients.

Step 7:

Once brownies have cooled, assemble by topping one layer with cookie dough & then brownie until all layers are used.

Step 8:

Cut into pieces & enjoy!

sweet & sour pork and spinach salad

ever since this recipe first showed up in food & wine over a year ago, it's been on heavy rotation in our house. the first couple times we enjoyed it as is - sweet & sour pork lettuce cups, the mixture rolled in butter lettuce - and we quickly learned that although delicious, it simply wasn't enough food to sustain all of us. so i started making variations - first lettuce cups topped with rice and then this, our favorite - sweet & sour pork with rice on top of baby spinach.

sweet & sour pork and spinach salad
adapted from food & wine 
30 minutes, serves 4-6

1 cup white rice
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon asian fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
zest & juice of one lime
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
6 ounces baby spinach

1. cook the rice according to the package directions. set aside.
2. while the rice cooks, make the meat mixture. coat the bottom of a skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium heat. add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the pork, turn the heat up to medium-high, and cook until browned, but not cooked all the way through, about 3 minutes.
3. add the honey, fish sauce, and sesame oil and stir until combined. cook until the meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
4. remove the skillet from the heat & stir in the lime zest and lime juice. season with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. layer the salad: cover the bottom with a handful of baby spinach, then a scoop of white rice, about a quarter of the pork mixture, and top with scallions. serve hot.