Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

A tangy creamy tasty custard.

Perfectly sweetened with a touch of honey. 

Panna Cotta is Italian for 'cooked cream.' Instead of the traditional cream and sugar used, this recipe uses Greek yogurt and honey! Healthier without compromising the creamy decadent qualities.

These would be great for parties since they are simple to make and can be made ahead of time. Serve them in the ramekins or unmold them onto a plate before serving. I served mine in some small decorative glass jars with toppings like granola, toasted coconut chips, almonds flakes, cacao nibs, and blueberries. Anything will work with this delicious base really. And of course, they are great on their own as well.

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta
recipe adapted from Entertaining with Beth
made approx 11 small size jars

1 cup (240ml) milk
1 vanilla bean *1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60ml) honey
1 envelope (0.25oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups (475ml) Greek yogurt 

1. In a small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of milk and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let stand until softened, 5-10 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, bring the remaining 3/4 cup of milk, and honey to a simmer. Add honey and stir to combine.
3. Add gelatin milk mixture, and whisk until gelatin is fully dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and vanilla extract.
4. Strain milk mixture into yogurt. Whisk to combine until smooth.
5. Pour into glass jars/ramekins and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
*I like to pour just halfway up the jar so there's room for toppings!

The directions on here have been modified to what I think will work better. This time, I sprinkled gelatin on hot milk and honey mixture, and gelatin clumped up. Honey was also burnt slightly due to whisk not reaching the edges of the pan. Nonetheless, the results were delicious. Fool proof recipe?

Heat milk and honey.

Whisk yogurt and vanilla extract in separate bowl.

Strain milk mixture over yogurt mixture.

Whisk till smooth.

Pour into ramekins/jars.

I love that this is a light dessert, and the topping options are endless. I would love to play around with adding a caramel on the bottom of the jars or serve with a blueberry compote next time!

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Subtly tart from the Greek yogurt.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Creamy and decadent.

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Banana Bread [no butter + no oil]

It's pumpkin season.
And my second bake with pumpkin ever.
(first bake here)

With the overwhelming amount of pumpkin recipes and posts, I had a hard time deciding what I should bake with my left over pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin scones - starbucks copycat recipe..
Pumpkin crumb cakes - i loveee crumbs/streusel..
Pumpkin cheesecakes - with a graham pecan crust..

Pumpkin puree would be a great wet ingredient in creating some moist/tender cakes and breads. Seeing my overripe bananas and leftover Greek yogurt, I decided on this bread that combines the best of everything and can be served anytime of the day. Healthy for on the go breakfast and also indulgent (with the chocolate chips) to be a delicious afternoon snack.

The bread was lightly sweetened with the natural sweetness from one banana, 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. The spices were well balanced and did not overwhelm the pumpkin and banana flavors. This bread would be great on any Thanksgiving spread.

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Banana Bread
recipe adapted from Running with Spoons
makes one 9x5" loaf

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. sea salt *used 1/4tsp
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 large, ripe banana (~1/2 cup mashed)
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup (82g)* maple syrup *used 50g
¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup chocolate chunks, semi sweet 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF, and lightly line/grease a 9x5"bread pan. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
3. Lightly beat eggs in medium sized mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, pumpkin, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir gently. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in any add-ins you wish to include.
6. Pour batter into pan, spreading it out evenly, and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
*After 45 minutes, cover with a sheet of tin foil to prevent the top from getting too brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Wet ingredients - before mixing.

Wet ingredients - after mixing.

Wet + Dry + Add ins.

After folding in dry, fold in any add ins!

Nice thick batter.

Ready to bake.

After 60 minutes of baking. 

The texture is soft and tender- thanks to all the good wholesome wet ingredients. The crust was nicely browned and had a chewy texture. The chewy texture pairs well with the soft interiors. 

Taste: 4.5 stars out of 5

Texture: 4.5 stars out of 5

Tofu Chocolate Mousse Puffs

These tofu chocolate mousse puffs are best consumed when fresh.

Crispy shells with a rich tofu chocolate mousse. Nom!

Tofu Chocolate Mousse

recipe adapted from Wildwood

28 oz firm tofu
11oz dark chocolate
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
5oz chocolate soy milk

1. Drain water from tofu and blend until smooth.
2. Add vanilla extract and soy milk, blend briefly.
3. Melt chocolate in double boiler.
4. Combine melted chocolate and tofu in blender.
*check consistency; add more soy milk if needed
5. Chill in fridge until use.

Blend tofu until smooth.

Melt chocolate over double boiler.

Keep an eye on this to avoid burning.

Combine melted chocolate with tofu.

This recipe is literally just combining all the ingredients together. Instead of melting chocolate in double boiler, simplify it by melting it in the microwave on intervals! A good mousse has to be smooth, light and fluffy, so I would also suggest sieving the tofu mixture before the addition of the melted chocolate.

I decided to serve them in a puff. Alternatively, serve them atop crushed graham crackers in a cup or in a pie crust. The crispy hard texture of the crackers/crust will complement well with the mousse. 

Cream Puff Shells

1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 cup AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 or 5 eggs, room temperature 

1. Place milk and butter in pan and bring to a boil.
2. Add flour mixture in one swoop and stir quickly with a wooden spoon.
3. Remove from heat when paste becomes dry and does not cling to the spoon or sides of pan.
4. Cool for about 2 mins.
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously after each addition until smooth.
*check consistency; batter should be smooth and gently falls back on itself when piped.
6. Pipe or spoon golf ball sized rounds onto parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes and lower to 350F for 20 more minutes or until puffs are golden and thoroughly cooked.
8. Remove from oven and pierce with a pairing knife to release steam.
9. Let cool and fill with mousse!

Bring milk and butter to a boil.

Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously.

Texture should be smooth.

Looking back, I probably should've added 5 eggs. The batter was on the thick side making it hard to spoon. They still puffed up nicely though.

Pipe them 1-1.5" apart.

Remove from oven and cut a slit on the side/bottom to release the steam.

The puffs were lovely bite size indulgence. The tofu/soymilk replacing the usual heavy cream resulted in a denser less fluffy mousse. The tofu flavor was subtle and hardly detectable. The puffs served as the perfect vehicle to carry the mousse- crispy/flaky shell hollowed to fit just the right amount of mousse!

Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5

Texture: 4 stars out of 5

Chewy Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bar [bake]

My first PUMPKIN bake (&first bake granola bars) - Chewy Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bar.

It's true that taste preferences change as you age. Some of the ingredients I used to hate not like so much are the ones I frequently eat nowadays. I used to not like eggplants, and now my mom's stir fried eggplants has become one of my favorite dishes. I don't like bananas, but I have grown an appreciation for the natural sweetness and nutritional qualities it brings to my baked goods. Another one is dates. They are the perfect binder for my no bake granola bars and a much healthier alternative to refined sugar.

In this recipe, I am playing with some more new ingredients to expand my pantry.

puffed millet
pumpkin puree
applesauce
ground flax seeds

Pumpkin, applesauce, along with honey are the main binder for this granola bar.

Chewy Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bar

recipe adapted from two peas & their pods

makes 12-15 granola bars

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup puffed millet
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
70g (a little less than 1/4 cup) honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking pan and set aside.
>>optional: toast oats/nuts/seeds and cool before combining
2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, salt, nuts, and seeds together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in puffed millet.
5. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan.
6. Bake for 45-40 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.
>>bars were crumbly and soft. After cutting into bars, return back to oven at 350F for 15 mins.

Lowering the brown sugar from the original 3/4 cup to 1/4 cup resulted in only 9g of sugar per bar (or 11g per bar for 12 bars). These are lightly sweetened with a delicate warm pumpkin flavor. I kind of miss the sweetness and would probably throw in a couple pureed dates next time when I am making these.

I took them out of the oven at 35, cooled for 5, and attempted to cut them into bars. The bars were very crumbly (a little moist) and ended up falling apart a bit. I proceeded to cut 15 bars and returned them back to the oven.

The bars dried out a bit more, and all the crumbs that fell out turned crispy/crunchy just like granola! Puffed millets are actually chewy. I was expecting them to resemble more like rice krispies. The overall texture of the bar was chewy with crunchy edges and nuts/seeds. 

These are great wholesome snacks to keep you full through the day! My dad said he felt like he was eating rice!

Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5

Still in the process of acquiring a taste for pumpkin.

Texture: 3 stars out of 5

Chewy bars with slightly crispy edges and crunchy fall outs.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Afternoon Tea at Tiffany themed Bridal Shower!

Possibly the best theme imo.

What should I make?

What goes great with tea and coffee? 

Coffee cake, scones, biscotti, cookies, quiche, tart..

Can I just say everything and anything? 

To make it easier on myself, I decided to make my familiarized chiffon cake and fail proof twice baked biscotti. These lighter eats would complement well with the filling sandwiches and indulgent cupcakes from the others. 

Just like making bread, I feel like I haven't make chiffon cakes in so long. It's so satisfying to see those perfectly glossy and stiff whites transform into a tall, spongy and fluffy cake. Baking is magical.

And that nostalgia with chiffon cakes..
Hong Kong.
Middle school afternoon snacks.

It's amazing how a smell (taste/texture) can transport you back to a time.. a moment.

Orange Chiffon Cake
4 yolk
15g sugar

50g/ml vegetable oil
50g/ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1tsp vanilla extract

70g cake flour, sifted
zest from 1 orange
60g sugar
8g cornstarch
4 whites

Smooth, glossy, stiff whites!

Gently fold whites into yolk mixture.

Before.

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F/160˚C.

2. Place yolks and sugar in a large bowl, and beat well. 

3. Add oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract and stir to incorporate with a whisk. 

4. Add flour and orange zest; mix well, until the batter becomes sticky.
5. Combine sugar and corn flour. 

6. Beat whites until foamy. 

7. Add half the sugar and continue beating for a few minutes, then add remaining sugar and beat until whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.


8. Add one-third of meringue into yolk mixture and fold in lightly, then add remaining meringue and fold to incorporate completely.

9. Pour batter into an ungreased angel cake tube pan. 

10. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. 

11. When cake is done, remove from the oven and turn it over, leaving it to cool for about an hour. 

12. Once the cake is cool completely, carefully run a knife or spatula around the sides of the cake to loosen it before inverting onto a wire rack.

After: before it slowly collapsed.

Couldn't wait to unmold. 

This may be the best meringue I whipped up. They were perfectly glossy and stiff and resulted in the tallest and fluffiest chiffon. And the smell while this was in the oven. Oh-em-gee!! I need this scent in a candle or something. 

It's so fluffy I can barely hold on to it.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

Mildly sweetened. Can use a bit more orange and egg flavor.

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

So tall and fluffy- I am in love.

From bridal shower at Tiffany's: