Wednesday, February 27, 2008
10:20 pm
And~ my two examination papers are over!
After which (because it was a morning paper and thus giving me more free time for the rest of the day) I went to the
Marine Parade library on my way back home and collected
Twilight (by Stephenie Meyer), which I've reserved a few days ago, then headed out to Parkway with my mother about an hour after to... get some stuff.
What stuff?
Behold! My very first post-examination project!
My very first try at baking. As in, really baking.
None of those half-arsed Home Economics rubbish.
This is the sauce (filling, however you like to call it).
It's raspberry juice (squashed and drained by yours truly)
with melting chocolate and cream.
This was the step where I made my first mistake:
I forgot to heat the mixture while stirring,
which obviously makes it easier to mix everything together.
And that's how it looked like in the end.
Then it goes into the icecube tray.
Which was a pain to get them out again,
but it has oil from the chocolate and the cream
so with some prodding and poking, VOILÀ! (Ahem)
I had no idea that a 250grams bar of butter could be that much
when it's not in it's regular shape.
This is the batter for the dough, also using chocolate.
Has anyone spotted my real reason for choosing this recipe?
With all other ingredients in (eggs and butter).
Looks all gooey and gross, but it was fun to mix
because I did it all by hand without a mixer.
Very good exercise for the arm (hah).
My second mistake!
Forgot to use the raspberry jam,
but it turned out all right without it, so, MEH.
I think the moulds I bought were actually meant for pudding making,
but the muffin trays that were available were all too shallow.
I find that it's better when the dough's filled to the brim
because when it rises post-baking,
it's a good leverage for easing it out of the mould.
Yes, it's all dark. Had me worried for a moment
because it had looked a lighter brown on the recipe.
*Drumroll!!!*
The sauce-icecubes?
It's used to make that liquid filling that just oozes out
when the muffin's cut open.
(That's my grandfather's thumb, by the way.
*Random info!*)
Yes, my muffin and my creepy eyes
because I'm just about dying to eat it already,
what with all my obsessive phototaking.
Fresh raspberry sauce is actually quite sour
without the usual additives like sugar and whatnots to mute it.
But it balances whatever sweetness
that's left in the dark chocolate muffin so it's just plain YUM.
And the harder crust at the bottom is SO GOOD.
I kid you not.
I can't believe it, my first attempt and it's already GREATNESS!
(Don't mind me, I've been hyper ever since my exams ended.
Even my parents thought I had a screw loose today.)
I think my muffins are darker because I used 70% cocoa chocolate
instead of the 67% in the recipe.
Can't remember which brand it was, just that it's from Switzerland.
It was actually not bad, because unlike most dark chocolates
that looses the velvety thickness with the lesser milk contect,
the brand I used didn't.
Plus, it was easy to measure because one bar was exactly 100grams
so I needn't break them up and weigh it again to get what I want,
considering those like Cadbury sell at 125grams or something.
(Yes, I'm lazy. It's like, common knowledge.)
And~ it's all gone!
Recipe's here, and I might consider doing some of the others on that website.
I still have 8 servings of the muffin left (technically) waiting for me to bake them.
Anyone feel like coming over some day soon?
Labels: Baking, Book recs, Photos