Baked goods galore

Being at home on maternity leave with baby still in tummy leaves much time for doing things I normally want to do but don't have time to. Having surfed for hours on end different food bloggers sites, I've been so inspired by their lovely stories and baked creations that accompany them.

So here is the result of my being inspired...

Blueberry & Choc Chip Muffins

(adapted from Lemonpi's raspberry, white chocolate and lavender muffins)

Oaty Caramel Slice

(got this recipe from Teresa in NZ)

This was my first attempt at making a caramel slice. It's different from the conventional 3 layer caramel slice (coconut base, caramel middle, choc icing). I didn't have any coconut so I just substituted it with rolled oats - made it seem a little healthier. It's also quite nice to have almonds sprinkled through the mixture. It was delicious but a bit too sweet after several helpings.

Zebra Cheesecake

(recipe from Not Quite Nigella's Zebra Cheesecake)

This is my 3rd attempt at this zebra cheesecake (pictured with the oaty caramel slice). It's not supposed to be the typical baked cheesecake. It's supposed to be a light, souffle cheesecake and the lightness is achieved by using less cream cheese (only 250g) and baking it in a water bath. I have successfully made a souffle cheesecake before but forgot which recipe I followed as it was a while ago:

Very first attempt at souffle cheesecake (successful)

Anyway, back to this zebra cheesecake attempt. My first two were failures because firstly, the water from the water bath kept getting into through the foil at the bottom of the cake tin. I realised I needed to bigger sized foil. Secondly, the zebra pattern wasn't showing up properly and it was because I wasn't using dutch-processed cocoa. So having got my hands on the proper cocoa and foil, I attempted this recipe again... Unfortunately, the cake still didn't rise therefore, no zebra effect. :( Oh well, at least the top of the cake looks zebra-like. I have a feeling I was too heavy handed when folding the cocoa powder into the mixture.

Will I try again? I don't know. I might just stick with the plain one for now :)

Dinner: Mince and Pickles

This is a dish I learned from my mum. I love this dish because I love anything appetising with rice and this is a very appetising dish... especially with rice...

This is my first time giving a step-by-step photo post, so here goes:

Ingredients:

• 500g Veal mince (pork or beef also works fine)
• 1 packet Chinese pickled mustard
• 4T cooking oil
• 3-5 cloves garlic (depends how much you like garlic)
• small knob of ginger (size depends on how ginger-y you like it)
• 3-5 chillis (depends how spicy you like it)
• 2T oyster sauce
  
• 2T soy sauce
• 1/2t sugar
• 1T white pepper
• 1T lemon juice
• 1/4c water
• 1/2t tapioca flour dissolved in 4T water (just to thicken at the end. Can substitute with cornflour)

For those who don't know what Chinese pickled mustard looks like, here's a pic:

It tastes sour-ish and is crunchy :)

Method:

1. Rinse the pickled mustard in cold water.
2. Chop the mustard into small pieces.

3. Pan fry (no oil necessary) mustard over a medium flame. (this is to dry out the mustard so that it can absorb the juices of the dish later)

4. While the mustard is in the pan, finely chop garlic, ginger and chillies (i usually remove the seeds)

5. Once the mustard has been in the pan for a good 5-10 minutes, you should notice that most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove it and place it in a bowl for later use.

6. Add oil to the pan and add garlic, ginger and chillies. Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

7. Add mince and brown. (you can turn up the heat here) I used veal mince from Coles :)

8. Once the mince is brown, lower the heat. Add the mustard and combine with the mince.
9. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper and lemon juice. Mix to combine well.

10. Add water and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
11. Add tapioca flour dissolved in water and mix well with pork
12. Serve over white rice and enjoy!