Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Drizzled with Chocolate Sauce All Over

I've got this wonderful recipe from RecipeTin Eats. Link over if you would like to see the original post. I basically followed exactly what she instructed on the website, and I think it's nice to see how the original recipe turned out from a regular housewife's hands.

Hot chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce all over - 

Ingredients (about one 8-inch/20-centimeter round pan)? 

Dry:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet:

• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup drinkable hot water (boiling ok)
• 75 grams unsalted butter (melted but not too hot)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate sauce:

• 125ml heavy whipping cream
• 100 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate ok)

Other:

• Some vanilla ice cream (green tea sounds good too)

How?

Try to find something close to 8-inch/20-centimeter round baking pan. I used a bit larger sized pan and later on had to fix up another smaller pan, otherwise I'll end up with a thin layer of cake, too thin to enjoy.

Line the bottom of the baking pan with parchment paper. You can fold the paper and give it a rough measure. 

I also line up the side too, just in case the cake won't unmold nicely after all that hard word. Better safe than sorry.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter first. Also remove one egg and 1/2 cup of milk from the fridge, so both of them can come close to room temperature when needed.

Whisk all the ingredients listed under the "dry" section to a big container. 

Add in all the ingredients listed under the "wet" section except the hot water.

Mix till evenly blended. I used a plastic spatula for that purpose. Lastly, pour in hot water and mix till incorporated again.

Pour the batter to the round pan. 

Into the oven for 40 minutes. Once ready, turn-off the heat and let the cake sit in the oven for another 10 minutes. After that, remove the baking pan from heat, let it rest in room temperate for 10 minutes before unmolding.

While the cake is still baking, it's a good time to start making the chocolate sauce. Pour the heavy whipping cream to a medium pot and slowly heating it up using low heat. Wait till the cream is hot and just about to bubble, turn-off the heat immediately.

Add in the chocolate chips and let it sit untouched for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, start folding the chocolate into the cream. Keep folding till all the chocolate has been melted and blended together with the cream. 

Put the chocolate sauce aside. Only need to fold again when about to drizzle onto the cake.

So when the cake is finally ready, slice and serve with some ice cream. I'd say vanilla works the best, but green tea brings in a fun twist too. Drizzle the chocolate sauce all over then hurry and dig in.

The cake was wonderful, though not as moist as I would hoped, but still very delicious. Since it's just me and Mister, we can't finish all the cake at once, and it's hard to keep the chocolate sauce under room temperature for extended period of time.

So I simply poured all the chocolate sauce to the sliced cake and stored in the fridge. The sauce will harden just a wee bit, but overall still velvety. 

Other dessert recipes:

• Manuka honey cookies 
• Foolproof rustic lemon cookies
• Caramel popcorn with pecans

Braised Potato Chunks in Asian Sauce 紅燒馬鈴薯

Such a comforting ingredient, I mean potato. I haven't met anyone who doesn't like potato, but instead many are actually addicted to it. Especially fries or buttery mashed potatoes. However, all the more well-known potato dishes are often western, so this time I'm going to do something Asian with it, and hoping that I'll also get a "wanting for more" result in the end.

Braised potato chunks in Asian sauce 紅燒馬鈴薯 - 

Ingredients?

• 2 to 3 medium potatoes
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 to 2 red chilies
• Some olive oil

Sauce mixture:

• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon aged Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

 

How?

Premix all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. 

Peel the potatoes and cut into medium small chunks.

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and chop the red chilies. Destem and chop the scallion. Save a small amount of chopped scallion greens for garnish in the end. 

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan and switch to medium heat. When the oil warms up, add in the potatoes and sear till slightly golden. It'll take a few minutes. Once ready, scoop out the potatoes first.

Still use the same pan, add more oil if needed, we'll need enough oil to coat the pan. Transfer chopped garlic, red chilies, and nearly all the scallion over. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burn the garlic bits.

Pour in the sauce mixture and cook till thickens a little. Transfer potatoes back to the pan and mix till evenly coated with the sauce.

Plate and garnish with chopped scallion greens we saved earlier.

Hopefully the slightly sweet yet savory sauce sticking onto the potatoes will make you wanting for more. If not, potato's semi-hardened edge paired with fluffy center should do the trick too.

Other potato recipes:

• Korean braised potatoes (gamja jorim)
• Hash browns - breakfast fav that never disappoints
• Smashed potato pizza with pepperoni and mozzarella     

Egg Dipped Tofu in Savory Tomato Sauce

Think of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, this recipe is like a spin-off of such classic Chinese dish, but with stronger seasonings used. So if you like the original egg and tomato flavor combo, you might find yourself loving this one too.

Egg dipped tofu in savory tomato sauce - 

Ingredients?

• 300 grams regular tofu (something in between silken and firm)
• 4 eggs
• 1 big tomato
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Some olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons drinkable water
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

How?

Drain out the liquid from tofu and slice to medium size cubes. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and chop the scallion. Destem and cube the tomato.

Beat two eggs in a bigger bowl, because we are going to add cubed tofu to the beaten egg. Give it a gentle mix, making sure all the tofu cubes have been coated with the egg.

Premix all the ingredients under the "sauce" section. Before using the sauce, make sure there're no lumps from the corn starch.

Use a non-stick pan and drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets warm. Pour in the tofu egg mixture. When need to move the tofu egg around, it'll be better to use a flat spatula and push from the bottom, so that the tofu won't break easily.

Once the egg seemed about 90% cooked through, scoop out and set aside first.

Still using the same pan and drizzle two more tablespoons of olive oil. Also still use medium heat. Add in almost all the chopped scallion, only save a few on the side for garnish in the end.

Also add in all the chopped garlic. Cook till aromatic but not burn the garlic bits. Transfer cubed tomatoes over and cook for couple more minutes. 

Pour the tofu egg mixture back along with the premixed sauce. Push around till evenly blended. Perhaps switch to high heat to help condensing the sauce. A quick 20 seconds should do the trick. Once ready, plate and garnish with some chopped scallion.

The overall flavor is quite similar to the classic scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but you can definitely notice the stronger sauce there. In which I think the heavier dose of seasonings happened to balance-off the lighter tofu. So in the end, you get this flavorful dish that works like wonders when paired with steamed rice.

By the way, if you prefer a more sourish taste, consider adding extra one tablespoon of black vinegar to the sauce mixture.

Other Asian egg recipes:

• Korean soy marinated eggs (about 8 to 12 eggs)
• Stronger tasting nori tamagoyaki with a brush of sesame oil
• Vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf

Cured Ham Open-Faced Sandwich for Two

While cured ham might seem like a common ingredient and easily accessible in many western countries, it's not quite the same case in Taiwan.

First of all, cured ham can be expensive. I'm talking about the more authentic version of ham, like the kind you'll find at the butcher shop or Italian deli. Second, these types of cured meat can only be found in a handful of specialty markets or shops in Taipei. That means while making a cured ham sandwich might sound simple, but to actually do it here, it'll definitely cost more compared to just ordering one at the restaurant.

But I still did it myself, just because homemade version tastes pretty darn good, that is if I'm willing to spend that money sourcing ingredients once in a blue moon.

Cured ham open-faced sandwich - 

Ingredients (for two)?

• Some slices cured ham (I used 3 different varieties)
• 2 rustic bread slices (about 0.5 inch thick)
• 1 to 2 big tomatoes
• 1 ball burrata cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons pesto sauce
• Some basil 
• Some aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• Some extra virgin olive oil

How?

Slice the bread to about 0.5-inch thickness. You can use any kind of rustic bread, sourdough is one good choice too. Drizzle some oil to a pan and turn to medium heat. Once warm enough, add the bread slices over and toast till slightly browned. Flip and continue to toast the other side then remove from heat. 

Have one peeled garlic clove ready. Rub only one side of the bread with garlic.

Destem and slice the tomato. Pick out some basil leaves. Drain the burrata cheese.

To assemble, take the bread slice with garlic-rubbed side up. Smear a layer of pesto sauce over. Lay a variety of cured ham on top.

Add tomato slices. Break the burrata in half and spread over the sandwich. Half burrata for each serving. 

Drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil over. Grate some aged Parmigiano Reggiano and garnish with basil leaves. 

I highly recommend to get at least one cured ham with black pepper, that pop of peppery aroma will strongly enhanced the overall flavor of the sandwich. 

After making these two open-faced sandwiches, I've still got some cured ham left in the fridge. They're not going to waste of course. Instead, I simply grab a piece when feeling a bit hungry, what a luscious snack, simply loving it. 

  

Other sandwich recipes:

• Roasted tomatoes Serrano ham and burrata pesto sandwich
• Sloppy Joes

Korean Soy Marinated Eggs (About 8 to 12 Eggs)

Not sure about others, but the exact thing that came to my mind when I first learnt about the soy marinated eggs is that so much soy sauce was used. Sometimes nearly one full cup, that's like half of my skinny bottle of expensive organic soy sauce. And that's what held me back from making the soy marinated eggs at first.

However, housewives are always smart and resourceful. I still went ahead and used up quite the amount of soy sauce. But instead of letting the marinade goes to waste in the end, I saved it up and used in other dishes. Either further marinate some fish with it, or as a dipping sauce for pork slices, or even added to dry noodles. Now I found my peace and nothing goes to waste after a dozen of delicious soy marinated eggs. 

Korean soy marinated eggs - 

Ingredients (about 8 to 12 eggs)?

• 8 to 12 eggs
• 1 red chili 
• 1 jalapeño chili
• 1/4 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon black vinegar
• Some salt
• Some sesame oil
• Some pre-boiled or filtered icy cold water

How?

Have a pot of filtered or pre-boiled water ready, either add lots of ice cubes there or store in the fridge first to lower the temperature. Since it'll be used to cool down the boiled eggs, I do suggest use drinkable water just to be safe.

Destem and chop the scallion. Destem and chop both the red chili and jalapeño. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Transfer all of the above to the big container that'll be use for marinating the eggs.

In that container, also add 3/4 cup of soy sauce, 3/4 cup of chicken stock, 1/8 cup of sugar,1 tablespoon of black vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of toasted white sesame seeds.

Have a pot filled with water, bring to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Once boiling, gently add in 8 to 12 eggs. I prefer fully cooked eggs here, but it's up to you if you want to aim for semi-runny yolk consistency. For fully cooked version, it'll take about 7 to 8 minutes.

Once done, transfer the eggs to cold water and wait till cool enough to handle by hand.

Once ready, remove the eggs from cold water and peel the shells. Perhaps give it a rinse to make sure no more tiny bits of shells remain. Put the eggs to the marinade.

Of course the eggs will appear pale and white in the beginning, but look, just after 10 minutes in the marinade and I move the eggs around, the other side was already darkened. 

Put on the lid and into the fridge overnight. Remember to move around the eggs half way through.

When ready to serve, drizzle extra marinade all over. Like what I did here, and all that quinoa rice soaked up the flavorful sauce, so good. 

If you'd like, drizzle some sesame oil too, just couple drops per egg should be enough.

Don't worry if you can't finish the eggs the day after. I actually enjoyed this batch of soy marinated eggs over like 5-day span. However, be sure to use very clean and dry utensils when scooping out the eggs. Especially don't let any water droplets get it, which might induce bacteria growth in that case.  

Other Korean recipes:

• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Korean brasied potatoes (gamja jorim)
• SPAM and gochujang kimchi stew