And for those whose weakness, handbags........

One step up from perfume, the handbag is also the most accessible item an ordinary working woman can afford from a very exclusive house. Status bags are a cheap thrill, comparatively speaking, for those who want business class but are living coach.

 I bake one instead......

Presenting my designer bag.

“Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit” William Shakespeare.

This size of this cake is width 10 inch x height 5 1/2 inch x diameter 3 inch

Chocolate Mud Cake

375gm butter
300gm dark chocolate
3 cups castor sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp espresso
1 1/4 cup self raisin flour
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 large eggs

Ganache Coating
300 gm chocolate
100gm double cream
50 gm butter
1) Double boil the ganache ingredients until chocolate melt. Cool slightly and spread on cake.

1/  Add butter, dark chocolate, castor sugar, water, espresso together  in a pot cook in low heat until chocolate and sugar melt. Cool for 10 mins.
2/  Sift the two type of flour and cocoa power together, stir into the butter mixture and beat gently.
3/  Beat the egg lightly but do not injure your wrist.
4/  Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix gently.

5/  Lined the 10 inch square cake pan with grease proof paper. Pour cake batter into cake pan and bake in pre heat oven at 170 deg c  for 1 1/4 hour hours or until cook.
6/  Leave the cake in the cake pan until completely cool.
7/  Remove grease proof paper, cut the cake into 3 pieces.
8/  Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganache in between each stack.
9/ Chilled in the fridge until chocolate set.

To make the handbag cake
Ready made white fondant 1 kg
Scissor
Knife
Basic fondant tools
Rolling pin
Tracing wheel
Wilton Christmas red coloring paste
Wilton green coloring paste
2 small paint brush ( soft type )
water as glue
Edible gold dust 18K

Roll 1/8 inch x 2 inch and loop 2 together to form into chain link. Make 21 pairs  plus 2 single rings and logo for the bag. Brush with a little tiny bit of water and use a dry brush and paint with edible gold dust.

Use red fondant  make a 1 inch leather strap and run 2 sewing lines on the side with a tracing wheel. Make 24piece.

Lay the chain link on the bag and thread the leather strap through it. Press lightly.

Pinch both end of the leather strap  and shoved into each link, press lightly.

Bake the cake 1 day a head. Cut the 10 inch cake into 3 pieces. 2 pieces cut 2 1/2inch  width x 2 inch height, 1 piece 2 1/2 inch x 1 inch height and stacked together. Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganche in between each tier. Coat the cake with chocolate ganache  and smooth it with a spatula. Chilled in the fridge until set.

 When you try this cake make sure husband  don't disturb.

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick, run the tracing wheel on the fondant to make the quilt design.

You need 2 pieces of fondant for the front and back of the bag. While you wrap the cake with fondant, cover the top part of the cake with cling wrap to prevent chocolate stain all over the bag.

2nd part cover the side of the bag, make a 1/2 inch fold  as per picture to make it look slightly bulging.

Roll another piece for the top part of the bag, fold in 1/8 inch for all the four edges to make it look like the seams on the real bag. Remove the cling wrap. Covered the back of the bag about 2 1/2 inch and went up and over the front of the cake for the flap.

The front flap is about 3 inch. Pinch the edges of the fondant with your fingers.

Use the white fondant to make the bag logo and stick on  a 1 1/5 inch small flap. Glue with a little water just below the flap. 

Roll a 1/8 inch piping to seal the 4 corners of  the bag.

 

When a man meets catastrophe on the road, he looks in his purse, but a woman looks in her mirror.

The piping for the edge is completed.

Lastly lay the chain link and leather strap to the bag.

My bulging bag which it's full of cash.

Fondant Roses 

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick and cut 8 pieces of tear drop shape and 1 piece of  oval shape. Press the edge of petal slightly to make it thinner.

Roll the oval shape petal to make the rose bud.

Wrap the 2nd piece of petal on the rose bud and the 3rd piece facing the 2nd piece petal.

Repeat the 4th and 5th piece and fold down the petal slightly to make it more realistic.

Attach the7th and 8th piece of petal and press firmly. Trim of  the excess fondant at the rose base.

My fondant rose.

Have a fabulous week ahead.

Pineapple Grilled Fish

This style of seafood dish compliments of my Canadian friend, Lee. He suggested to me how to grill fish he had tried before. When he went deep sea fishing and then camped on a deserted island, eating pineapples, he had this idea of what to do with the pineapple skins.
He says eat this will see moon rise half hour early, see shooting stars streaking across the sky.
Lee, thank you very much for this delicious and unique recipe.

Pineapple Grilled Fish

1 ( 500gm ) red snapper fish fillet or any other fish fillet
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp rum or ginger juice
2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp pineapple cube
1 big pineapple ( make sure it's very sweet )

Garnishing
1 bowl pineapple cubes - grill for 10 mins

1/  Wash fish fillet and pat dry with kitchen towel.
2/  Pound the 2 tbsp pineapple cube and squeeze out the juice, keep aside.
3/  Marinate the fish fillet with salt, pepper, rum/ginger juice, curry powder and pineapple juice.
4/  Cut the bark off the pineapple, 2 pieces for each piece of fillet.

 5/ Cut 4 pieces of pineapple bark, 1 bowl of pineapple cubes, few slices of pineapple. 

6/  Put the fish fillet on the pineapple bark. The juice from the pineapple bark marinate the fish with a tinge of sweetness summer flavor.

The pineapple infused the fish with a delicate sweetness and kept it moist and juicy. The enzymes in the pineapple also helped to tenderize the fish.

Pineapple is more than a delicious tropical fruits. It offer exciting health benefits that can help improve many people's quality of life.

7 /  Sandwich the fish fillet between 2 pieces of  pineapple bark and chilled in the fridge  for 1 hour.
8/  Grilled in the over for 10 mins, remove the upper piece pineapple bark, grill for 5 mins or until cook.Turn the fish fillet and grill for another 5 mins or until cook.
9/  You can use outdoor BBQ pit to grill the fish.

 10/  Serve with grilled pineapple cube and chilli sauce of your choice.

11/  Let's enjoy the pineapple grilled fish. Very yummy with a tinge of pineapple flavor.

Well, you all know what pineapple juice is also good for......Drinking a good glass of pineapple juice a couple of hours before the " aheeem deed"  might hear the sound of waves splashing to shore, see the moon come up. One way of letting hubby trying it sure to produce results......
9 months later...... don't blame me.



Pineapple Pudding
Serve 6

2 ounces fresh pineapple, chopped
2/3 cup superfine sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

1/  Process pineapple in a blender or food processor until pureed.
2/  Scrape the puree into a pan and add the superfine sugar; cook about 5 minutes until reduced by 1/3 (mixture should be thick, but not as thick as preserves so you can add a little water to thin out).
3/  Meanwhile, make the caramel by placing the granulated sugar in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat until the edges start to caramelize, shake pan, do not stir.

 Garnish this silky smooth pineapple pudding with grilled pineapple flowers.

4/  Remove from heat once all the sugar has dissolved and the sugar is golden brown.
5/  Carefully stir in the lime juice (it will sputter and spit).
6/  Divide the caramel among 6 ramekins and turn them so caramel distributes evenly.

7/  Preheat the oven to 180 degree C
8/  Stir the eggs into the cooled pineapple mixture; divide egg mixture evenly among the ramekins.
9/  Place ramekins in a roasting pan and pour warm water into the roasting pan so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins; cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes until set; let cool.
10/  Invert ramekins onto dessert plates (loosen sides with a knife, then place dessert plate over the ramekin and flip over). Serve warm or chill.

One spoon in the mouth.... I blink my eyes 3 times.....not only see stars but UFO. LOL

Very irresistible.... hard to stop eating. 

Enjoy this pineapple pudding and forget about Monday blues.

I'm submitting this posting to Foodie Friends Friday.  
 

Have a great week ahead.
Amelia