Tag Archives: Love

Valentine’s Day Cookies

Posted in Baking by

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With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to try and improve my decorating skills by making a batch of heart shaped cookies. I do enjoy a theme and I am especially fond of Valentines Day. So to spread my love and cheer. I made these for my lovely coworkers.

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

200g of all pupose flour

1/4 of a teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 stick of butter (128g)

100g of white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Royal icing

1 egg white

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

200g of icing sugar

Directions

In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a second bowl,  beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in centre of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or just butter them up.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.)  Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with sparkling sugar.

Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours or overnight.)

To make the royal icing, beat the egg white with the lemon juice until they have quadrupled in volume. Add the sifted sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more sugar or water. Add food coloring, if desired. You will need to split your icing into several different contains and add all the different colors you are planning to use. The icing needs to be used immediately or put in an airtight container as it hardens when exposed to air.

Pipe a line of icing around the outside of your cookie and allow it to set. Thin the icing a little while you are waiting for it to dry then apply a second coating in the middle of your cookie. This should be runnier and hence why it is called flood icing. If you are wanting to make cookies like me then you need to let each different color set before moving on to the next one. I saved the heart with the decorations for last. If you are stuck for ideas about how to decorate your cookies then try looking on Pinterest for inspiration. It’s amazing what some people can do with an icing bag.

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Heart Shaped Ravioli

Posted in Recipes by

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So I am continuing my mission to make lots of lovely Valentine’s Day inspired recipes. I am extra happy about this one because I got to use my new pasta machine too (아싸!) Pasta is very popular in my house these days and what could be cuter than heart-shaped ravioli. I was considering making a love soup recipe with lots of vegetables cut into heart shapes when I suddenly realized I could make ravioli instead. I chose beef for the filling here, pretty much because I had some in the freezer but you do whatever you like. Although I think a cheese filling would be easier to fill. You can use any sauce you like. I decided to make a red pepper and tomato one to make it a little different for you. Plus red is the colour of love.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of all-purpose flour (I use the one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

A pinch of salt

Filling

200g of minced beef

1/2 an onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

3-4 tablespoons of red pepper and tomato sauce.

1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce

A pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

4-5 red peppers

3 tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Directions

The first step is to make the pasta dough. Mix the salt with the flour then make a heap on a clean flat surface. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in your beaten eggs. I haven’t taken any pictures of these steps, as I’m sure you have seen it countless times before. Stir the egg gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the circle a bit at a time so the well keeps its shape until the last moment. When all the flour has been mixed in you should have a lump of dough. Knead this dough for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and has some stretch to it. Wrap it in cling-film and store it in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the sauce.

To make the filling, finely chop the onion and garlic and fry off in a little olive oil until it is translucent. Add the mince and cook until it has all browned. Add the mixed herbs and Worcester sauce and a few tablespoons of the tomato red pepper sauce. Mix thoroughly and leave to cool.

To make the sauce, split the red peppers in half, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. When they are done put them in a bowl and cover with it with cling film and leave it for about 10 minutes. Once the peppers have cooled in the bowl it should be easy to remove the skins. Discard the skins. Put your skinned peppers, a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and your tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. You may also wish to add a sprinkling of salt and a spoonful of sugar too. Put the sauce in a saucepan and heat until it starts to boil.

After the dough has been chilled properly you can begin to roll it out. It’s a good idea to separate your lump of dough into 2 or 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Put the unused lumps back in the fridge so they don’t dry out. If you have a pasta maker rolling the dough should be quick and easy. If not roll those sleeves up and get out your rolling-pin. The pasta really does need to be wafer thin, so when you think its thin enough, keep rolling. I read on-line that it should be thin enough so that you can see a playing card underneath the dough. The thinner your pasta the better it will taste. Even if the pasta is a little thick it’s not the end of the world but the skinnier ones were definitely far tastier than the fatter ones.

Once your dough has been rolled out, use your cutter to cut out the heart shapes. Place a small spoon of filling on the centre then brush around the edges with beaten egg. Put another heart on top and press all the way around the edges to seal. Repeat until all of your little hearts have been made. Store them on a floured board to let them dry out for 30 minutes. Make sure they are not touching so they don’t stick together.

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When your hears are ready to cook. Place them in batches in a boiling pot of salted water with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. You may wish to try one to make sure they are done. When all of your hearts are done. Top with the sauce and some freshly grated parmesan. Voilà adorably cute heart-shaped ravioli. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Posted in Recipes by

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Over the next few weeks I plan to make some Valentine’s Day inspired recipes. There’s nothing like a homemade meal to show the people we love how much we care for them. I do enjoy a good theme so look out for my love inspired recipes. Depending on where you live there may not be many restaurants around for you to take the object of your affections for a fancy meal. So making something at home could be just the ticket. Apartments are small and kitchen are even smaller, but anyone can rustle up some chocolate covered strawberries from a quick trip to Homeplus. They taste great and will be sure to woo the one you love. Paired with a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine, you can’t go wrong.

Ingredients

1 box of strawberries

150g of couverture chocolate (I buy mine at the bakers mart, but the Tesco finest brand at Homeplus works great too)

parchment paper

Directions

Melt the chocolate in a dry glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile pat your strawberries with kitchen roll to make sure they are dry too. When the chocolate has completely melted dip the strawberries in one at a time, then put them on a piece of parchment paper stalk side down to dry. Put the strawberries in the fridge or in a cold room to set. Then enjoy with your special someone and a glass of bubbly. Voilà  an easy Valentine’s Day dessert.

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