Eggless Tiramisu For Valentine's Day

I am so happy.. finally I am blessed with so much joy! Thank you dear husband.. I promise I'll make up to you.. Oh.. nasty cough, irritating nose.. go away! you two really disturbing my quality time!

My husband sent me an email, just a few days before, and guess what, plenty of cakes pictures, prettily decorated. That gave me an idea to bake a cake, since Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

But when I looked in my kitchen, I found out I have a few eggs left.. Darn! Then I can't bake a cake.. Finally, after some consideration, I decided to make a tiramisu, eggless tiramisu.

I would to share my simple and easy recipe for all to try. I did googled for quite a number of recipe, and I tried to make it simpler yet delicious.

Ingredients :

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup fine sugar
2 tbsp butter (soften in room temp)
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 packet of Lady's Finger (Saviordi biscuit)
1 cup dark chocolate mix (1 cup of warm water + 4 tbsp dark chocolate)

cocoa powder to decorate.

Methods :
1- mix butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until it completely mixed and grainy.
2- add in the vanilla extract, mascarpone cheese, and fresh cream, and beat everything until soft and smooth, and creamy.

3- pour the dark chocolate mix in a wide low bowl, preferably 10-15 diameter.

4- prepare a nice glass or ceramic pan (don't use the metal pan).

5- carefully and quickly, dip the round side of the biscuit in the chocolate mix, and then arrange the biscuits flat side down to form one layer in the pan.

6- pour half of the mixed cream on top of the biscuits evenly, and spread to cover them.

7- repeat step 5 and 6 until done.

8- dust the finished tiramisu evenly with a cocoa powder.

9- cover and let it sit in fridge for at least 6 hours before serving. it would taste better if let to cool overnight.

p/s I completely forgot to take the picture.. but I'm sure you know what a tiramisu is.. (^^)

Recipe For 'Eastern Style Roasted Chicken'

Yesterday, I tried my hand over the newly bought pressure cooker from CORA Woluwe. And guess what, I found that cooker is so easy to manage, and it did give the same expected result, but less time in cooking, which I found is the plus point. Here I dedicated a special thanks to my husband, 'Thank you for buying me the Pressure Cooker! Now I can cook healthier and faster! Love you so much! '

I always find joy in cooking, especially when my husband do compliment them. He is kind of 'quite selective' when describing 'good food'. But thank God, he never complain if the dishes are not up to the standard he expected, and I am glad as I was not a good cook before.. and with this opportunity of living abroad, I have plenty of time to practice my skill in the kitchen.

Sometimes people wonders how to make a very easy dishes, with easy ingredients, and quick methods, which will result in something that seems 'hard to cook' and furthermore, delicious.. that will shoot the green eye over the sky.

In this page, I would like to share the first dish that I cook 'officially' with the newly bought pressure cooker. You don't need a pressure cooker to start, but if you have an oven, and well aware of how to use it, that should be fine too. Or if you don't have any of these, you can always change the recipe into 'Deep Fried Chicken', all you need to do is only deep fry the chicken, and the taste will not so much differs.

Here's the recipe for all to try :)

Eastern Style Roasted Chicken (Ayam Panggang Ala Timur)

Ingredients

500 gm chicken's parts (you may use boneless chicken as well, or drumstick, or any parts you prefer)
2 tbs cooking oil (any cooking oil will do, such as olive oil, corn oil, etc)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (you may as well use honey)
1/2 cup sliced lemongrass (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup dried chilli paste (you may substitute these with blended red pepper and some tomatoes)
1 tbs fresh turmeric paste (you may use the powdered turmeric as well)
1 tbs dark soy sauce
some white and black pepper to taste

Methods:

1. Clean the parts of the chicken, and place them in a big bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients together with the chicken.
3. Prep the chicken at least 1 hour before cooking and make sure the bowl lid is properly cover. (longer time will ensure the chicken taste better)
4. Conventional Oven - Roast the chicken using top and bottom heat, 160 degree, 30 - 45 min, (the time of cooking depends on your oven)
5. Pressure Cooker - Follow the methods of roasting.

Tips :
1. Always brush the prep chicken with a bit of oil before roasting, and check the chicken every 15 minute to prevent over burning.
2. Don't forget to turn over the chicken after the first half of cooking time to make sure both side are well cooked.
3. Upon serving, you may as well press some lime juice over the roasted chicken to give an extra 'punch' to the taste.
4. This dish is best serve with steamy hot white rice, and some steamed vegetables.

This dish is quite popular in my homeland, MALAYSIA, with some different ingredients, and different style of cooking, as well as different recipe of Roasting Chicken. I consider this recipe as my personal preference, and I hope those who try will love it as much as I do, and my family does..

Happy cooking!