Islands in the sky, food & travel

I must say this is the most wonderful cinnamon rolls dough I've discovered to date. Light, fluffy, delicious, what more could you ask for?  I filled half the dough with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, while the other half was filled with some homemade strawberry jam. Here is the recipe for the dough, inspired by Foodess.com, which has the best explanation for the dough, go to the website for more info.  I will always use this dough to make these buns from now on. 240 ml warm milk 2 large eggs 570 g all-purpose flour 100 g sugar 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 115 g unsalted butter (softened) Cinnamon filling 200 g brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 115 g softened butter 1/2 cup nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds...) Strawberry jam 12-15 strawberries 50 g sugar (or more if you like it sweeter) 1 tablespoon of cornstarch Cut strawberries in 1/4 or 1/8ths and simmer with the sugar until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add a spoonful of this in a cup with the cornstarch to d

How about a birthday cake this time, festive and full of flavor? Surprisingly, I was able to slice this one into 25+ pieces so everyone could get a taste. It's got a 7 layers including 3 layers of butter cake and 3 layers of cream with an inside layer of fresh strawberries in syrup and another layer with mandarine orange slices. All this topped with chocolate dipped strawberries nestled in cream.  On a side note, I made this cake while away on vacation in the US, meaning, I used ingredients I could find readily, I had to deal with cream and rising factors that are different from what I'm used to, eggs and strawberries that are so much bigger, flour is enriched..., none of this is bad, you just have to adjust.  To add to this fun experience, I made the chocolate-dipped and drizzled strawberries 2 days before with family, and the cake and frosting 24 hours before.  That way on the day of the party, I just had to dress the cake. Here's the cake recipe :                        

What better way to someone's heart than cupcakes?!  Here are 2 recipes for some delicious chocolate ones that I made for Easter, and delicate mocha cupcakes that I made for a baby shower. Because it is such a versatile and tasty cream, I used the same buttercream recipe for both, in pastel colors for the occasion. Chocolate butermilk cupcakes : 1/2 cup buttermilk (you can also make it from 1/2 cup warm milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar) 1 large egg + 1 yolk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup hot water with 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee  Preheat oven to 350° F / 180° C. Line a cupcake mold with parchment paper or cupcake liners.  Mix wet ingredients in a bowl (except hot water and coffee, leave that for the end).  Fold in dry ingredients. Then add hot coffee mixture. Mix about 2 minutes. Pour into molds and bake for about 15-18 minutes or unt

Are you familiar with empanadas? There are Mexican, Colombian, Argentinian, Sri Lankan and other versions but I made a (baked) Filipino version here, since these hand pies are so nice to munch on at any time of day, the light buttery crust blending so nicely with the meat, fish or vegetable filling (pictured above).  But I will say the South American versions are also a favorite, especially with chimichurri sauce, then again the curried Sri Lanka fish curry types are also delicious. But I digress... Below is a short crust  recipe, you decide which filling you prefer;) Short crust dough recipe :  175 g butter (about 3/4 cup) 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup bread flour (if you don't have any just add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder to flour) 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Blend flours and butter in a mixer with a dough hook attachment, or use a bread machine, (mix milk and egg mixture in a separate bowl) and add this in a thin steady flow to the grainy fl