Adios PB, you won't be missed & Chocolate Galore III (Chocolate Cheese Cake)

As letters popping into this page forming words and sentences, my excitement is overwelming! I was told that Psycho Bitch (PB) is leaving! Yes, leaving the school for good!! Well, you might wonder if the screaming matches previously had to do with anything. Honestly, I don't care as long as the news is true and I don't get to see the face of thunder ever again. *fingers crossed* For unknown reasons, she is not coming back from next week onwards to spread her negative energies. Apparently, I was not the only one who is not liking her. The school manager mentioned that "She has no direction in her life"...his words not mine. The supervisor chef started to make fun of her outbursts....mimicking her which I happily laughed along. Ryan said he believes that she got issues at home.

A happy normal person won't have such outbursts. Couple of months ago, when PB brought her husband and daughter to our school "open day", I noticed they hardly talked to each other. The husband was looking bored, ignored the daughter and was on the phone the whole time we were there...And then, all the screamings and outbursts - not from someone who is leading a healthy mental life. However, I just thought she's scare of the upcoming practical and theory exams. Why would a housewife wanted to go through all that exam stress?!! I know it is not nice to judge but who said that I am a nice person anyway...LOL!!! So, in the end everything will be great as long as the news is true!

Chocolate Cheese Cake (in hazelnut crust)

This is my first cheese cake and it is a very nice one! Set oven temperature at 160 degrees C.

Cream Cheese.................................300g
Sugar.................................................75g
Orange rind.......................................1 no or 1/2 no
Lemon rind........................................1 no or 1/2 no
Egg....................................................90g
Whipped cream................................30g
Chocolate, melted............................100g

1. Cream the cheese, sugar, lemon and orange zest in a mixing bowl until fluffy (careful when zesting the orange - avoid the white part of the skin coz it is bitter)
2. Occasionally scrap the side of the bowl to ensure a smooth mixture.
3. Slowly add in the eggs (beat a bit to mix the yolk and white together) a little at a time. Mix well.
4. Melt  chocolate over bain-marie. Add in the warm melted chocolate.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whip cream until soft peak.
6. Once the cheese mixture ready, fold in the whipped cream.
7. Pour batter into 6" tin with hazelnut crust baked (refer to below).
8. Fill a larger flat pan with 1" deep water. Bake the cheese cake in this. This control the moisture in the oven so the cheese cake will not crack.

Hazelnut Crust (base)

Blended hazelnut, roasted..................................45g
Cake Flour...........................................................38g
Sugar....................................................................38g
Butter, softened...................................................55g
Egg.......................................................................13g

1. Combine everything in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Spread evenly in a 6" cake tin lined with baking sheet.
3. Bake until golden brown at 160 degree C.
4. Make sure the crust is cool before adding the cheese cake mixture.

*Note: Extra crushed hazelnut can be used to cover the cake sides once fruit glaze (apricot) is applied on the cake top and sides for decoration purpose.

"Don't Tell Me What To Do!" and Chocolate Galore II (Sachertorte)

I've been taking wide gaps between my posts. Besides the annoying renovation upstair which is STILL ongoing, I've been busy preparing for our wedding in Siem Reap which is only two months away...Well, the boys just had their exams thus taking another 3 weeks break. This week, Ms. Psycho Bitch spreaded her venom again...not to me though. Poor ADD girl got scolded for nothing. Well, this week is my turn at the dishes and both girls are in charged of sweeping and mopping. Pretty simple you might think...Unfortunately, when you have a rotten apple in the bunch things will never be peaceful. Psycho Bitch decided that she won't do much except sweeping a few spots and leave one hour before the class ends. ADD girl is not stupid either...one fine day, she decided to sweep the floor first so Psycho Bitch will have to mop the floor (guess she's tired of Psycho Bitch's little escape trick) Good for her!!! Unfortunately, Psycho Bitch got a few "dead frogs" up her sleeves too...She simply ignored the floor mopping altogether! (told you she's a LAZY bitch!!). After couple of days, ADD girl can't take it anymore so went up to Psycho Bitch and asked her to mop the floor after she swept the kitchen floor.

"Don't tell me what to do!" screamed Psycho Bitch.

Followed by more insults and you can see ADD girl's eyes turned teary. Gosh sake, she's an innocent 17 years old...and you are an adult (probably an antique)...So, as usual...I came to the rescue. I screamed back at her, stated all her wrongdoings, called her "Psycho Bitch" for real and asked her to go just away. ADD girl ran to the toilet and slammed the door. Silly drama..sigh. Well, let's go back to Chocolate Galore II (Sachertorte).

Sachertorte (torte is German word for cake)
This is a classic chocolate cake originated at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. The original recipe was never revealed but many bakers tried to imitate it and here's one of them:

Set oven temperature at 165 degree C (quantity for 2 x 8" cake tins)

Butter......................................250g (room temp)
Sugar 1..................................250g
Vanilla Essence....................drops
Melted Chocolate.................312g
Egg Yolks..............................250g (room temp)
Egg White.............................375g (room temp)
Sugar 2.................................188g
Salt.........................................2g
Cake Flour.............................250g (sifted)
Apricot Jam...........................as required

1. Cream Butter, Sugar 1 and vanilla essence until pale and fluffy.
2. Add egg yolks gradually. Mix well.
3. Add melted chocolate.
4. On another mixer, whisk egg white with salt on high speed. Stop, add sugar 2 and whisk on high speed until soft peak (Meringue).
5. Scrap Batter 1 into a big round bowl. Fold in meringue alternately with the flour. Mix well but not over mix.

6. Pour into cake tin layered with baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Test for doneness with a skewer.
7. Slice cake top so it will be flat and slice into 2 layers. Spread apricot jam in between.
8. Mask the top and sides with ganache. Make sure the surface is smooth. Chill.
9. Get chocolate mirror ready, slight warm and flowy.

10. Cake on a rack, pour chocolate mirror on the cake edges so the sides were all covered and use a spatula with one straight horizontal swipe smoothen the chocolate mirror on the cake top. Chill.

Ganache
Ganache is a chocolate cream which is very useful for both filling and topping for chocolate based cakes. It can be piped onto cake as decorations as well.

1. Boil heavy cream (250g) in a saucepan.
2. Add dark couventure (250g) and stir until all chocolate melted. If too thick, add more cream or milk. Chill until set.

Chocolate Mirror
Chocolate mirror is a chocolate glaze which is smooth and very glossy that gives a mirror like surface. Used it while it is still warm since it will set to room temperature.

1. Boil 100ml water with 80g sugar and 40g glucose. Sift 30g cocoa powder before adding into the hot liquid. Stir with a whisk until blended.
2. Melt 80g dark couventure. Add in 40g butter. Remove from heat and stir until blended.
3. Add (2) into (1). Stir well.

Chocolate Galore I (Brownies)

The last few weeks again were quite uneventful. We got breaks in between which are fine for me but the two boys in our class had a different schedule thus, leaving me with the two girls. Of course, by now you know one of them is the psycho b*tch so the air in the kitchen is not good. Cleaning up is no fun for me since I have to mop and sweep the floor all by myself for one week and clean everyone's dishes all by myself in another! And I bet psycho b*tch purposely use more utensils and leave the dishes extra dirty for me to clean. 

On the other hand, I am surprise by how many people actually love chocolate based products. Personally, I am not a big fan cause since young my mom told me that chocolate gives you constipation! Throughout the last couple of weeks and one week break in between, we made a huge variety of chocolate products. So, instead of putting everything in one entry, I will break them down to a few parts.

Everyone's Favourite Brownies  
Well at least everyone who ate this brownies recipes. For someone who doesn't really like chocolate based products, I really don't mind this brownies. It is very moist and flavoursome! Both brownies I made were gone quickly!
Set temperature at 180 C degrees. Laid a baking sheet on a 7" dia tin. Use a 6" tin for thicker brownies or 8" tin for a thinner one.

D. Couverture.......................................115g (or normal cooking chocolate)
Butter..................................................150g
Egg.....................................................90g
Sugar..................................................130g
Salt.....................................................1g
Vanilla Essence...................................drops
Bread Flour/Cake Flour.........................60g - use bread flour for chewiness and cake flour for softer texture
Walnut (chopped coarse)......................60g

1. Melt chocolate (if a block/bar, chopped into smaller pieces) and butter over bain-marie. Let it cool. Note: To avoid burning the chocolate, control the heat by adding in small quantity of chocolate progressively and on/off the heat necesserily. Also, watch out the steam from bain-marie not getting into the melted chocolate.
2. Mix egg, sugar and vanilla together until well blended. Blend in the chocolate mixture.
3. Sift the flour with salt and fold into the batter.
4. Fold in the walnuts.
5. Pour into cake tin and bake for 45 mins until 80% baked (still moist in the centre).