Good morning!
Just a quick post before I go for lunch with friends then beach. I want to share my everyday muffins recipe. I usually make this right after I wake up, sleepily standing in my kitchen, dumping flours in the bowls, trying to keep my eyes open, enjoying the morning sun :) then while waiting for the muffins in the oven, I take shower and prepare myself. When I am ready, the muffins are ready too, we have our breakfast then ready for the day.
Wish you all a nice sunday! Hugs!

my.everyday.muffins
Makes six muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (I don’t like it too sweet so I use 1/4, but my cousin said she prefer 1/2, it is up to you :)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
75g dark chocolate, chopped (or banana or blueberry or anything you like)

Turn on your morning compilation music :)
Then turn on the oven to 180C
Mix all the dry ingredients
Mix all the wet ingredients then pour it to the dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated, do not over mix
Then fold the chopped chocolate
Butter and flour the muffin pan (or if you have some duralex glasses, like pictured. I never use muffin paper anymore: read my post about paperless muffin)
Divide the batter to the pan
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golder brown.

Selamat pagi!
Hanya satu tulisan cepat-cepat sebelum saya pergi makan siang dan ke pantai bersama teman-teman. Saya ingin berbagi resep muffin yang saya biasa buat sehari-hari. Saya biasanya membuat muffin ini langsung ketika bangun tidur, terkantuk-kantuk di dapur, menuang tepung sambil mencoba untuk membuka mata, sambil menikmati matahari pagi :) ketika menunggu muffin matang di oven, saya mandi dan bersiap-siap, jadi ketika muffin nya matang saya sudah siapa. Lalu kami sarapan dan kemudian memulai hari.
Semoga hari minggu kalian menyenangkan! Peluk!

muffin.sehari-hari. saya
membuat enam muffin

1 gelas takar* tepung terigu (saya memakai tepung terigu segitiga biru)
1 sendok teh baking powder
1/2 sendok teh baking soda
1/4 - 1/2 gelas takar gula (saya tidak terlalu suka manis, makanya saya hanya pakai 1/4, tapi sepupu saya lebih suka 1/2, jadi terserah anda :)
1/4 gelas takar extra virgin olive oil
1/4 gelas takar yoghurt
1/4 gelas takar susu
1 egg
75g coklat, potong-potong kecil (atau pisang, atau blueberry atau apa saja yang kamu suka)

Nyalakan kompilasi musik pagi hari :)
Nyalakan oven ke 180C
Campur semua bahan kering
Campur semua bahan basah, lalu tuang ke campuran bahan kering. Aduk rata, tapi jangan berlebihan
Masukan coklat, aduk rata
Olesi loyang muffin dengan mentega dan tepung (atau kalau tidak punya loyang muffin bisa pakai gelas duralex seperti di foto, saya tidak pernah memakai kertas muffin: baca tulisan saya tentang muffin tanpa kertas)
Tuang adonan muffin ke loyang
Panggang 20-25 menit atau sampai coklat keemasan.

*gelas takar = measuring cup, penjelasan lihat disini

Yes, it is cake again :) I guess I am in the mood of cake these days. Last week it was this chocolate cake, before that I kept going to Bali Buddha almost everyday to get their carrot cake (super good!) and this week, I made Kim Boyce’s rosemary and chocolate olive oil cake. I have been intrigued by this recipe since I saw it on Luisa’s blog, then Heidi’s. I was not so sure in the beginning about the chocolate and rosemary combination, but I tried and fell in love with pan de ramerino when I was in Tuscany, which was rosemary and raisins = savoury and sweet, so I gave this cake a try and I must say I really really like it, and Marco said it’s delicious too.





Kim Boyce Rosemary and Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Olive oil for the pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (the original recipe called for 3/4 cup spelt flour and 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, but I don’t know how to find spelt flour here so I only used all purpose flour)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 medium eggs
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
150 grams chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 175C and grease a 22 cm tart pan with olive oil
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, then mix it with the rest of dry ingredients
In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly, add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again then fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined, add the chocolate. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean
The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, or cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic, and kept for 2 days.

Remember when I told you: want to do everything and nothing at all, well, that was two days ago. Yesterday, I kind of did almost everything. Almost. Starting with doing all bureaucratic things in the morning, followed by visiting some manufacturer for my design project, grocery shopping in three different shops, cooking for dinner, cleaning the dishes and when I thought I could relaxed, the craving began. The craving. Oh gosh. I had to choose from these three: banana cake/banana+chocolate brownies/chocolate cake…I actually want all of them, but in the end chocolate cake won :) simple everyday chocolate cake, well, just with tiny bit of drama: the oven ran out of gas while I was baking it I didn’t realise it until the time I thought the cake was done, checking the oven and found it was actually not baking…fortunately we had a spare one, but meaning I had to wait twice longer! When the cake was done, around 1 AM! I was too tired and decided to sleep, but I couldn’t, the whole house smelled chocolate-y…you know what I mean? I really HAD to eat it and it was one moist+warm+crumbly on top chocolate cake…super! I returned to bed and dreaming that a big monster caught me, cooked a big pot of the yummiest chocolate on earth, dipped me into the chocolate and ate me…ouch! I guess they are right when they tell you: no meal right before bed :D

Here is the recipe which I adapted from Deb’s everyday chocolate cake which she adapted from Magnolia Bakery At Home book.

everyday.chocolate.cake

big mixing bowl.
180C oven.
buttered and floured 28×16 cm baking pan.
put andrew bird’s oh! the grandeur album.
press play.
not too loud if you bake in the middle of the night…
ready?
of course you are.
so.
add these to the mixing bowl:

120 gram butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup unbleached cane sugar

mix.
add:

2 medium eggs

mix.
add:

1 cup buttermilk
1 vanilla pod, scrap the beans, add to the mixture

mix well.
sift and add:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate powder ( I used van houten)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

add:

1/4 cup ground chocolate (I used monggo chocolate from yogyakarta)
a pinch of sea salt (I use Balinese Kusamba Fleur de Sel)

mixed everything well, but do not over mixed.
pour onto the pan.
bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted come out clean.
wait 30 mins before you cut the cake.

enjoy.
ow, and please…don’t eat them too much before bed time :)
sharing.is.better
:)

hugs!

It has been more than a month, a lot of stories, but I am still not ready to share. For now, I’ll tell you about these cookies, and summer. This year we have quite a short summer here, the rainy season seems to start again. Two weeks ago it was raining outside and I really want to have some cookies, our fridge was almost empty except for: half stick of butter, a half eaten bag of cornflakes, a handful of raisins,  and a bit of oat and some eggs… you know, those lazy lazy days when you just don’t want to go for food shopping.

Anyway, I made the cookies, and it was yum :) and when I was baking I was kind of missing the summer in Milan. It is abit magical for me, because the city is almost empty every August, everybody goes to the sea. I prefer to stay and do my holiday in September when everybody is back in the city and the beach is much quieter. During August, most people who are left in Milan usually go to parco sempione where they install a temporary amusement park every summer:

…beautiful. I must remember to bring here my polaroid next time I go to Milan. Btw, back to cookies, I was too lazy to measure everything, so I just used tablespoon and hand, and juts kind of throwing everything and mixed them

Then, when the cookies was ready, there was a bit of sun. So I sat in my terrace, enjoying a little of some last piece of summer, with warm cookies and sipping a little glass of macchiato caldo:

Beautiful people, wherever you are, I hope you still have a little last piece of summer. Hugs!

Raisin, Corn Flakes and Oatmeal Cookies

Music: Buona Vista Social Club Soundtrack

One handful of raisin
Three handful of cornflakes, slightly crushed
One egg
5 tablespoons of sugar
100 gram of butter, softened
5 tablespoons of oatmeal
12 tablespoons of flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C
Mix butter with sugar, then add the egg, mix well.
Add the flour, baking powder and oatmeal, mix then add raisin and crushed cornflakes.
Butter a cookie sheet, and using the tablespoon, transfer the dough to the sheet, make around 5cm distance among them, then flatten abit with a fork.
Bake around 15-18 minutes or until golden. Makes around 18 cookies.
Let cool and enjoy :)

My little sister called me from New York few weeks ago, asking me for banana cake recipe, and of course my answer was: look for it in the blog.

And she did. (I think)

The few days ago, I called her, while we were talking, I asked her about the banana cake and her answer was: “oh, I didn’t use your recipe, it is just too complicated:

…

I was a little sad in the beginning, but when I saw my recipe, I think may be she was right, I mean, I am sure it is hard to find black rice flour in New York and all. And after all, my recipe was more bready than cakey.

Well, darling girl, this one is for you. Simple banana and to the point banana cake. You don’t even need a mixer to make it.

And it is soft, sweet, crumbly. Just like you. Hugs!

Banana Cake

115 gram unsalted butter, softened

100 gram sugar

1 egg

125 ml plain yoghurt

2 ripe medium banana, pureed

170 gram all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp sugar for sprinkling

seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Preheat the oven to 350F/Gas 4/180C

Butter and flour one 28×16cm pan

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Mix well the softened butter and sugar with hand, then add the egg, mix well, then the yoghurt, mix well, then pureed banana, mix well then vanilla seeds. Add the flour mixture, mix until just incorporate, don’t over mix.

Transfer to the baking pan, spread well, sprinkle that 1 tablespoon of sugar on top

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted come out clean.

Wait until it cools down abit (20 minutes) before cutting it. I know it is hard to wait for the cake :) In fact, I took photos of Charlie to keep me distracted from the cake:

Have a nice weekend everyone! :)

I wanted to make that delicious chocolate and raspberry tart from Michel Roux. And ended up with my kind (but still delicious) of chocolate and strawberry tartlets.

Because.

When I went to my usual shop for grocery shopping, I have problem finding the two important ingredients for this tart: the dark chocolate and raspberry…of course I can NOT make a chocolate and raspberry tart without the chocolate and raspberry themselves.

So.

I switched to a serious ingredients hunting mode. And I found this:

1. Looking badly at many many local supermarket for finding that 200 grams of good quality dark chocolate = Impossible!

2. At the baking shop: only greeted by arrays of scary (a.k.a chemical) looking chocolate block = I will not put that in my stomach

3. At the import/specialty supermarket = Found one…kind of…for Rp. 48.000 for 100g = 4 euros = Not gonna pay that much for a chocolate that actually costs only 1 euro in Milan.

4. A pack of raspberry (100 grams) cost around Rp. 70.000 = Almost 6 euros = errrr….only when I was desperate for raspberry and only Peck in Milan had it that I ever paid that much for a pack of raspberry = No!

*Sigh…I never thought it would be this complicated only to make a tart. but since I have already make the tart dough (which was sitting restlessly in my fridge), there is no way I would give up making chocolate tart, so I tried to make it with dutch press cocoa powder (which comes in the cutest packaging) and bought a kilo of strawberry instead.

(more…)

This banana bread spooked many people :) I can understand that the colour is a bit unusual, that is because I use black rice flour. The first question asked was: is it old? or is it still okay to eat? :) Well, it is not old and it is VERY ok to be eaten, it was moist and delicious and somehow earthy. I kind of love its taupe colour, and this colour also reminds me of my good friend Aliki in Milan :) I am sure she will love this kind of earthy bread.

Anyway, the ones responsible for me making this banana bread were these beauties :

(more…)

It has been more than a month since I wrote the last post…too long! I have been busy with projects, loads of meetings and cross continent travel…uffff….I am back home in Indonesia now, last week was nightmare, jet lag plus bad cold, I guess I am not made for this hectic life.

If you noticed, this photo is too ‘rigid’ than my usual moody ones :) because I used my photography set to shoot this, couldn’t be bothered to style this as I was tired after working all day (even today is sunday!) and I still am. But I promised to post the recipe to Mrs. Eka, she was my English teacher back in high school and she asked me for the rice pudding recipe and I said I would. A promise is a promise :) (more…)

Is my cookie too small or is my tea cup too big? :) Made this yesterday, my first reaction was on the first bite was: hmmm…it is ONLY ok, the second bite: ow, it is quite good :) the third bite: I don’t think I can stop eating this :))) Made with four kind of flours: whole wheat+all purpose+organic red rice+oat (both we made at home) (more…)

I have just got back from a week trip to Solo, Central Java, visiting my best friend Deb and to Bali to meet Bruno and Lorenzo before they returned to Milan. I am back at home now, with loads of beautiful batik and ingredients I brought back from Bali and Surabaya. Still need to organise those, plus catching up with the wired part of me :) I opened my computer and see this recipe I should have posted before I left for the trip.

I just wanted simple banana muffin but with a bit of twist, so I added podang mangoes (again), I try to make as many food as I can with these beauties before their season ends :) (more…)