Belper Knolle

My first belper knolle, aged for 2 months but we have been eating it along the way to taste the difference in aging time. My 12 year old daughter prefers it younger (4-5 weeks old), I like it older. I made 2 batches, 1 with garlic and 1 without. The ones with garlic definitely taste so much better. 

Here's how I made them, adapted from the recipe on New England cheese making website.

4 liters of whole milk
Calcium chloride if you use stor bought pasteurised and homogenised milk
60 ml Yogurt for the culture. (On the original recipe it calls for chevre culture packet)
1/8 tablet of vegetable rennet OR 1/8 tsp of liquid rennet
1.5 tsp. Himalyan Pink Salt
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbs. Black Peppercorns, toasted and ground

 
Heat the milk to 30C (add the calcium chloride if using), add the yogurt and mix well. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Add rennet, mix for 1 minute then let it rest for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, drain into butter muslin, let it drain until it resemble a bread dough consistency. Add salt and garlic. Formed into balls by hand and coat with ground peppercorns. Dry and aged for at least 1 month. The flavours will continue to develop for few more months.

Then you can shave it to your pastas, salads, eat it with crackers and so on.

Thr texture is somewhat similar to parmesan after aging for 2 months, really yummy taste.

Raw Coconut Yogurt

Ok, so I haven't updated and posted anything lately. It seems I can't find enough spare time these days. I suppose having super active, little baby is a full time gig.

Anyway, I have also been doing a little kitchen experimenting; fermenting and playing around with cultures. It's really fascinating.

On my old post there is a recipe on how to make yogurt (from cow's milk), but I have been playing around with alternatives to dairy and here goes.

Raw Coconut Yogurt

Ingredients:

3 fresh young coconuts (with the water)

1 sachet probiotic (anything with live bacteria of any lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophillus, and lactobacillus bifidus)

You will need sterilised glass jars or a glass tumbler to ferment the coconut cream.

How to:

Sterilise all equipmens either by boiling them or by rinsing them in vinegar. 

I washed them with soap and water and then spray them with vinegar and wiped with fresh kitchen roll.

Open and clean the coconut, strain and save the water. You will need the water from 2 coconuts, with the rest, you can either make it into a coconut water probiotic drink or drink it as- is.

Scrape the coconut flesh, make sure you discard the impurities like the shell and hair. A little brown bit is ok.

In a good blender, blend all coconut flesh and the water from 2 coconuts until smooth and creamy. When it has reached the desired consistency, add the probiotic and blend for 30 more seconds.

Transfer to a glass jar, make sure to fill only half way because it will bubble up and rise. Cover with towel or kitchen roll and secure it with rubber bands.

Keep in a warm dark corner of the kitchen, I put it in my oven (switched off), overnight (12-24 hours). 

Close with a lid and keep in the fridge afterwards and enjoy.

No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Quick and easy but delicious result, surprisingly creamy.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (397 gr/14 oz) sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scrape OR 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• A pinch of salt
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How to:

• Mix together condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Then using an electric mixer, whip cream on highest setting of your mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into condensed milk mixture. Pour into a loaf pan. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours.

Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Easy and quick but very tasty. My family all time favourite chicken dinner recipe.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dijon mustard (I use whole grain)

1/2 teaspoon salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 sprig of rosemary

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons heavy cream

How to:

Mix together mustard, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, rosemary and olive oil. Marinate chicken in mustard mixture for at least 1 hour, you can leave them overnight in the fridge.

Preheat your oven on 180 C for 20 minutes.

Sear the chicken on a hot skillet or frying pan without oil (make sure the skillet or pan is really hot otherwise instead of browning, you will end up poaching the chicken), until they turn golden brown on 1 side, flip them and continue cooking for 30 seconds then put them in oven proof pan or pyrex. Add chicken stock and put it in the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, add the cream 2 minutes before you take it out of the oven.

Serve with garlic mash potatoes or potato au gratin.

Homemade Soya bean Curd (Tau Foo Fah)

I always love this custard like snack, warm or cold, with ginger sugar syrup. Recently I found out that many store-bought soya bean curds use gypsum powder as a coagulant, yes gypsum, the stuff that you use on your walls (also known as plaster of paris!). 

Since I am not that keen to ingest building material, I started making it with GDL or Glucono Delta Lactone also known as gluconolactone, which is a food additive used as a sequestrant, an acidifier or a curing, pickling, or leavening agent. Pure GDL is a white odourless crystalline powder. GDL is commonly found in honey, fruit juices, and wine.

Ingredients:

250 gr soya bean

2 quarts (1.8 litres) water

Coagulant:

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/2 teaspoon GDL (Glucono Delta Lactone)

1/4 cup (60 ml) water

Ginger palm sugar syrup:

150 gr palm sugar (or brown sugar, if you can't get hold of palm sugar)

1 cup (250 ml) water

2 thumbs ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon salt

All boiled together and then strained.

How to:

Soak the soya beans in water overnight or at least 8 hours.

At highest setting on your blender, blend with 1.8 litres of water, you can do them in batches to ensure smooth and even blending. Strain with muslin, cheese cloth or handkerchief.

Boil the soya milk. The foam will rise, take care not to let it boil over (take it off the heat if necessary) and cook again for a second boil.

Mix together cornflour, GDL and water and put it into a heatproof bowl.

Pour boiling soya milk on the GDL mixture from a height of 20 cm. Make a quick stir. Cover with kitchen towel then put on a tight lid. Leave it for 30-60 minutes.

Serve it with ginger palm sugar syrup.

Tiramisu

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  All time favourite Italian dessert, especially for coffee lovers. I used my homemade mascarpone cheese this time and it worked so well, this recipe will need 2 batches of the homemade mascarpone recipe from my earlier blog.
  
  
  Ingredients:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 100 g sponge fingers
• 200 ml good hot sweetened coffee
• 2 large free-range eggs (or pasteurised)
• 75 g caster sugar
• 350 g mascarpone (on how to make homemade mascarpone, see earlier blog)
  Cocoa powder for dusting
  75 g dark chocolate bar, grated

How to:

Line a bowl or earthenware dish (15 diameter and 12 cm deep) with the sponge fingers, then carefully drizzle the hot sweetened coffee all over the sponge fingers. Set aside.

Separate your eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the sugar to the yolks and whisk with an electric whisk on the highest setting for about 5 minutes, or by hand, until all the sugar has dissolved and the yolks are pale and fluffy. Mix in the mascarpone.

With and clean and dry whisk, whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks – they should be a similar consistency to the yolk and mascarpone mixture, and should hold their shape when you lift the beaters from the bowl.

Using a large metal spoon, add a spoonful of your whites to the yolk mixture and gently fold them in, then fold through the rest of the whites. Spoon and smooth this creamy mixture on top of your sponge fingers. Spread the grated chocolate. Repeat this in another layer. 

Dust the top with cocoa powder.
Pop the tiramisù into the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. 


*
To pasteurised your eggs, wash your eggs with cold water then in a pot cover them with water. Heat 
them until 60 C, leave them 2-3 minute on that temperature for 2 large eggs. Wash with cold water and eggs are ready to be used.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone cheese is delicious for cheesecake, tiramisu, frosting and much more, but store bought mascarpone is ridiculously expensive! Here is an easy way to make mascarpone cheese with everyday ingredients and costs a lot cheaper.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

11/2 teaspoon (15ml) of lemon juice 

How to:

1. Heat the cream over a medium heat until it almost comes to a boil, or once the temperature reaches 90 C (if you are using a thermometer). 
2. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Return it to the heat and stir over a low heat until the mixture has thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let it cool to room temperature for approximately 20 minutes. Then transfer to the fridge to let it cool completely. Let it sit for 2 to 3 hours.
   
   
   
   Line a fine-mesh strainer or sieve with a cheesecloth (or butter muslin). Set it over a bowl to catch the whey (but there shouldn't be too much whey). Pour the thickened cream into the strainer, and let it drain in the refrigerator until thick, about 6-12 hours. Transfer the mascarpone to a covered container and store in the fridge. Will keep in the fridge up to 7 days.
3. Makes about 6 oz.