Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge

I am not sure if people like getting home-made baked goods for presents, but I sure like giving them away. (And how often do you know if people like their presents anyway? Most of us just smile polite and act excited regardless of what we get.) Browsing recipes and picking what to bake is always less stressful and definitely more fun than looking for a present at the stores. You do not have to worry whether they already have something similar, if they would like and end up using it. All you need to know is any food allergies or intolerance that they have and avoid them. If you are ever unsure about their taste buds, you can NEVER go wrong with a recipe with chocolate in it. And what's the worst that can happen? They do not like what you make and distribute it to their family and friends - it will never be wasted or end up being donated to St Vinnie's, which, frankly, we have all done to some of the gifts we got.
This was exactly what I had in mind when I was going to a friend's birthday party last night, especially when the invitation said "no present". (And most people still brought presents anyway. Oh well they were being nice I guess) This recipe originates from Nigella Express, so is naturally foolproof. The original recipe is double the quantity and uses a 23cm square baking pan.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge

175g dark chocolate, broken up into pieces
1/2 can of 397g sweet condensed milk
15g butter
80g hazelnut, roasted and chopped

1) Put the condensed milk, butter and dark chocolate into a small saucepan on a low heat. Stir to melt. Remove from heat once all combined.
2) Add the nuts to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to mix.
3) Pour and spatch the mixture into a baking tin / foil tray of 23cm x 9cm (I used my silicon bread loaf tin). Smooth the top.
4) Allow the fudge to cool. Refrigerate until set. Cut into small pieces.
5) Once cut, keep in freezer. No need to thaw when served.


They might not have come out looking perfect. But they are so delicious and smooth. The chocolate richness richness is incredibly deep and simply saturates your mouth as it melts away.

Hazelnut, apple and lemon yoghurt cake loaf

Lately I have been neglecting my blog more than I would like. This is probably the longest I have gone without uploading a new entry! It's not that I have not been cooking. But I have been lacking the effort to pick up my camera and to spend a few moments to put down a few thoughts into words. I guess that is what work can do to you sometimes.
I have dedicated today as an absolute day off (well, almost absolute day off anyway), ie not going to shopping, not doing meeting up with anyone, not reading Australia Pharmacist trying to get a few lousy CPD points. I went to a new hairdresser to have my hair cut. I wonder why most gay men make better hairdressers and make up artists than straight women? It must be quite an interesting job to be a hairdresser. It is almost like part of their job descriptions to gather gossip and chit chat with the clients. I used to feel so devastated to have my hair cut short because I had such difficulties growing it. Today I must have had about 25cm of my hair cut off and I feel great (my mum would be proud - she's all for short hair). Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to get a bob :P
I used the yoghurt cake loaf recipe again. I really like how moist and dense the cake is. Only this time I've halved the recipe so I ended up with a flat loaf.

Hazelnut, apple and lemon yoghurt cake loaf


1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wholemeal plain flour
1/8 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup plain natural yoghurt
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
grated lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped and roasted hazelnuts
1 small apple
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

1) Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2) Sift together the flour, baking powder and wheat germ. Peel the apple and chop one half into small cubes. Mix the chopped nuts and apples into the flour mixture.
3) Whisk together yoghurt, 1/3C sugar, egg, lemon zest, vanilla extract and oil. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and whisk in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
4) Pour batter into the prepared tin. Core the remaining half of the apple and cut into thin slices. Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter and bake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
5) Heat up the lemon juice, ground cinnamon and 1tbsp sugar until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
6) When the cake is cooked through, allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack. Use a chopstick or toothpick to create holes on the surface of the cake. While still warm, pour the syrup over the cake and allow to soak in.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cookies

I went to watch Toy Story 3 with a friend last weekend and thought I would make something special (ie something really unhealthy and full of butter and sugar) to share. I remember this recipe from Nigella Express. These cookies are an absolute form indulgence. Really rich and moist and loaded with chocolate richness in every bite. They've got melted dark chocolate, cocoa powder AND dark chocolate chips. So rich it would literally make your stomach sick.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie

125g dark chocolate
150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g butter, at room temperature
60g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, cold from the fridge
110g dark chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Melt the 125g dark chocolate in a heatproof dish over a pan of simmering water.
2) Combine the flour, cocoa, soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
3) Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl. Add the melted chocolate and mix together.
4) Beat in the vanilla and cold egg. Then mix in the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
5) Place tablespoonfuls of batter on a lined baking sheet. Do not flatten.
6) Bake for approx. 15 minutes, testing with a cake tester to make sure it comes out semi-clean and not wet with batter. The cookies will not set completely as they will harden while cooling.
7) Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Hazelnut & orange yoghurt cake with orange syrup

I think I am slowly steering myself away from bakegoods that are loaded with choc chips. Not that there is anything wrong with them. In fact I have a theory that adding choc chips can always make a cake taste better. But I also love the crunchiness and flavour that are so unique to nuts and seeds. I have never used hazelnuts in baking before (in fact I have never eaten hazelnuts on its own before today) so I decided to give it a try. It is, after all, the magic ingredient of the heavenly Ferrero Rocher and the creamy Nutella. Instead of lemon as in the original recipe, I have used orange zest and juice for its mellow acidity. A simple orange syrup is poured onto the cake at the end to further intensify the orange flavour and keep the cake moist.

Hazelnut & orange yoghurt cake loaf with orange syrup


1/2 cup white all-purpose flour
1 cup wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pack brown sugar
100g hazelnuts
zest of a whole orange
3 eggs
1 cup plain natural yoghurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 vanilla extract

For the orange syrup: juice from a whole orange + 1 tbsp brown sugar

1) Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line a loaf tin.
2) To toast the hazelnuts, pour them in a microwavable container and heat on high setting for thirty seconds. Shake the container to move the nuts around and heat for another thirty seconds. Repeat until the nuts are lightly toasted. Place them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin until they reach the desired size.
3) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and hazelnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and oil. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently mix just until all ingredients are well combined and there is no sign of flour.
4) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in pan for ten minutes.
5) Meanwhile make the orange syrup. In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice and the sugar until all sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Transfer the loaf to the cooling rack and poke the surface of the cake with a chopsticks to make small holes. Pour over the orange syrup while the cake is still warm. Serve after the juice has soaked into the cake.

When the cake is still dry with no syrup

Roasted punpkin with Brazil nuts and feta

I use the oven mostly for baking cakes, cookies and slices, rather than cooking actual dishes because roasting and baking are really not part of Chinese cooking. But oven itself is a real time saver when it comes to cooking. You prep all the ingredients, pop everything on the tray, leave it in the oven, come back after a while - VOILA!!! A beautiful meal is finished.
What I made today is a good side dish. Pumpkin cubes simply roasted until soft and intensely sweet, which is contrasted with the crunchy Brazil nuts and the salty and tangy cheese. Super easy to make, hardly any cooking involved, but so delicious.

Roasted pumpkin with Brazil nuts and feta

900g pumpkin (either kent or butternut is fine)
100g Brazil nuts
120g feta cheese

1) Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2) Deseed the pumpkin and chop into 2.5 cm cubes. (Don't bother with the peeling - the skin will soften in the oven) Lay them on a baking tray. Drizzle some olive oil on top and sprinkle with some cracked pepper and dried mixed herbs. Use your hands to mix evenly so each piece of pumpkin is coated with oil and seasoning.
3) Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft and cooked through.
4) Put the nuts in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to yield broken bits of different sizes. Sprinkle over the cooked pumpkin. Break up the feta cheese into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Serve hot as a side dish.

Prawn & pepper spaghetti

One of the things that I like about Brisbane is its outdoor markets. They sell everything from big punnets of strawberries, different types of honey and freshly made pasta to sourdough bread, mini dutch pancakes and handmade chocolate fudge. All the vegetables and fruits are fresh and so much cheaper than getting them from the supermarket. But if you are hoping to get the best quality produce, it is always best to go early as most of these markets open at around 6 o'clock in the morning and finish before noon. And getting out of bed early is not the easiest thing to do in the weekend in winter!
So these are the prawns that I got in the market near where I live. I seldom have the chance to go there because of yoga class and church etc but I really should go more often. (I think I bought the most delicious apples I have ever tasted there!!) They did have the unpeeled ones but I was too lazy to do all the peeling, deveining etc. These prawns are so sweet, crunchy and tasty there really is not much you can do to ruin them, except over-cooking them. They are what makes this simple pasta dish so delicious :)
Prawn & pepper spaghetti

300g wholemeal spaghetti
1 red and 1 green capsicums, deseeded and sliced
1 red chili, finely chopped
300g button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1) Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. When cooked, reserve one cup of pasta water. Drain spaghetti and set aside.
2) In a pan, heat about 1/2 tbsp olive oil above medium-high heat. Add chili and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add the prawns and cook until they just turn pink. Stir in the capsicums.
3) Add the cooked spaghetti into the pan and toss all ingredients so they are well combined. Add a bit of pasta water if it looks too dry. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

Chocolate and Pear Pudding

I do think having friends over for dinner is one of the biggest pleasures in life. You do a bit of cooking, exchange a bit of gossips, have a bit of laughs, share a tasty home-cooked meal (and share the washing-up afterwards). And you really don't have to cook anything too impressive. It's often simple, familiar and comforting food that people enjoy the most. And there is nothing better to end a lovely meal than a delicious dessert.

Chocolate Pear Pudding, from Nigella Express

1x815g canned pear slices in juice
125g all-purpose flour
75g brown sugar
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
100g soft butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence

1) Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C and grease a 22cm square baking dish with butter.
2) Drain the pears and lay them on the base of the dish.
3) Combine butter, eggs and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl and the rest of the ingredients in another. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated into a batter.
4) Spread the batter over the pears and smooth the surface. Bake for approx 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
5) Let stand out of the oven for 5 to 10 minutes and cut into slices. Serve with chocolate sauce or chocolate ice-cream if desired.

This dessert is so easy and quick to make (no surprise since the book is called Nigella Express). The sponge cake layer is moist and soft and the chocolate flavour goes really well with the sweet and tangy pears. We reduced the amount of sugar used in the recipe and thought the level of sweetness was just right. In fact more sugar would probably overpower all the other flavours. We ate the pudding on its own without any sauce and it was really delicious. It is definitely my type of dessert, and definitely the type of dessert for any chocolate-lovers!