Guava Chiffon Cake

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family members. The glitter of bright decorations, the sound of joyous Christmas carols, the happy children and the cheerful " Merry Christmas" greetings.....do take this opportunity to tell your loves one how much they mean to you.

Forget the things that made us sad and remember those that made you glad. Forget the troubles that passed your way and remember the blessing that come each day!

I would rather have one little rose
from the garden of a friend,
Than to have the choicest flowers,
When my stay on earth must end.


I would rather have a pleasant word,
In kindness said to me,
Than flattery when my heart is still,
And life has ceased to be.

I would rather have a loving smile,
From friends I know are true,
Then tears shed round my casket,
When to this world I bid adieu.

Bring me all your flowers today,
Whether pink, or white, or red,
I'd rather have one blossom now,
Than a truck load when I'm dead.

Guava Chiffon Cake
By Dean Sensui

A Hawaii style guava chiffon cake is a fusion dessert.

The presentation of this cake is delectable, it carries a triple guava flavor punch.

Ingredients:  Make 2 x 8 inch cake ( 16 serving )
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup guava juice concentrate
5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 to 3 drops red food coloring (optional)
8 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Moist and fluffy with a tropical twist, great for Hawaii style party!

An overdosed triple guava flavor, the topping sauce is luscious.

1/   Preheat oven to 180 deg c. Line the base of 2 x 8 inch baking pan with grease proof paper.
2/   Sift together the cake flour, 3/4 of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add vegetable oil, guava juice concentrate, beaten egg yolks, and food coloring (if desired).
3/   Beat at medium speed approximately 1 to 2 minutes or just until smooth and set aside.
4/   Wash and dry your beaters before proceeding  with the egg whites. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form; add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

5/  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the prepared cake mixture into the egg white mixture until just barely mixed.
6/  Fold in the remaining cake mixture just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
7/  Pour the cake batter into two (2) round cake pans, smooth top with a rubber spatula.
8/  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 9/  To prevent the cake from tumbling down, do not open the oven door until near the end of the minimum baking time.
10/  Remove from oven when done and immediately invert the cakes onto the prepared wire racks to cool completely (cool with pan in place - do not remove cake from cake pans).
11/  When the cakes are cool, gently remove from the pans.
12/  Place cakes in the refrigerator until well chilled.
13/  Slice each cake into half horizontally.

So glad that.... no dooms day celebration,  I'm still kicking and alive....and got the chance to enjoyed this exotic tropical cake. LOL

Guava Frosting
Ingredients
3 cup heavy cream
1 cup icing sugar, sift 2 times
1/2 cup frozen guava juice
2 to 3 drops red colouring
2 tsp vanilla extract

One spoonful in my mouth, I'm like the hummingbird flitted among the branches.

1/  Beat cream until soft peak, add icing sugar gradually.
2/  Blend in guava juice, coloring, vanilla extract and beat until stiff peak.
3/  Store in freezer until ready to spread on the cake.

While eating this piece of cake, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.......LOL

4/  Place one cake layer onto a plate and spread with frosting and chill in freezer until set.
5/  When frosting set,  put the 2nd layer of cake and spread the top of cake with guava frosting. Chilled the cake in fridge until frosting set.  Repeat the same for the 2nd cake.
6/  You can spread the remaining frosting at the side of the cake.  This cream melt pretty fast so I didn't frost the side of cake. Store cake in refrigeration until serving time.
7/  Drizzle or pour but do not drown the cake with guava topping sauce  just before serving.

Guava Topping Sauce

This guava sauce is great for enhancing exotic fruits dessert, sorbets, ice creams and cakes.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups frozen guava juice

1/  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until cornstarch is dissolved.
2/  In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring  guava juice just to a boil; reduce heat to low.
3/  Add cornstarch mixture and stir until mixture thickens to a sauce-like consistency.
4/  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm before spreading on top the cake.

Homemade Guava Leaves Tea

Many people are realizing the benefits of natural foods to their health and well being. The leave of the guava tree, however can be used in folk medicine to treat a variety of ailment.
Guava leaves tea contains vitamin C, favonoids and antioxidant. It's good for treating diarrhea, lowering cholesterol, preventing diabetic, improve skin condition, slimming, mouth ailments and infections. They can thus be used to help prevent and repair cell damage and to slow down the aging process.

1/  Harvest only the young leaves early in the morning before the sun's ray have touched them.
2/  Washed the leaves,  then lay the leaves loosely to dry under the sun.
3/  It'll take a few days or weeks  for the leaves to dry completely. Dry them fully until they feel dry to touch. Store in air tight container.
4/  Take 5 to 6 leaves and pour 2 cup of boiling hot water in small teapot. Let it steep for 15 to 2 mins.

Note of caution
Guava tea is not suitable for those with low blood sugar or heart condition who are on heart medication  due to it has a cardiac depressant effect.

Happy holiday and have a fabulous week ahead, Cheers!

Life is like a box of Prawns.You never know what you going to get.

Sugar cane is a coarse, tall and fibrous member of the grass family with high sugar content. Initially native to tropical south Asia, it is now cultivated in close to 100 countries with production at more than 1,743 million metric tons.

These sugar cane plantation is near where we live.

Brazil and India are the leading producers accounting for roughly 50 percent of worldwide production. The most important product of sugarcane is sucrose which is used in diverse food industries as well as in energy generation. Ethanol has been increasingly used as a clean fuel though this has divided opinion among policy wonks worldwide.

Sugar cane plantation

Spicy Sugar Cane Prawns Satay

 My Sunday comfort dinner ....Spicy Sugar Cane Prawns Satay

Ingredients
6 king prawns
1 -2 tbsp water
1/2 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/2 tablespoon garlic
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp rum ( optional, for Muslim avoid this ingredient ) 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tbsp oil
3 Sugar cane  skewers

Simple but very flavorful grilled prawns.

The use of this sweet sugar cane skewer is quite common in many Asian country and they are know to impact the sweetness flavor of the sugar cane sugary sap to the food.

Serve grilled prawns with chilli sauce or BBQ sauce.

1/  Wash and peel prawns shell, keep the head, the last segment of shell and the tail tip . Make a slit at the back of prawns and de-vein. Rinse and pat dry.
2/  Mix  all the seasoning ingredients together except the sugar cane skewer. Season the prawns with the seasoning mixture.
3/ Cover with cling wrap and chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Fresh prawns  at the wet market.

4/  Cut a small slit in the middle section of the prawns. Thread the prawns with sugar cane skewer, 2 prawns on each skewer.
5/  Grill for 2 to 3 mins on each side or until cooked depend on the size of the prawns.

6/  You can use outdoor BBQ pit  or oven to grill the prawns.
7/  Serve with coconut rice and salad.  Garnish as  desire and serve together with rum coke.

Sugar Cane Skewer

1/ Wash and scrub the sugar cane stalk.

2/  Cut length wise into 4 pieces.
3/  Ensure sugarcane do not have cracks, blackened areas, brown or red flesh.
4/  Use your sugar cane skewers immediately and avoid storing them.

Orang Utan too enjoy chewing sugar canes.

I love biting into the sugar cane after the savory grilled prawns.

ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
1 Cucumber, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp black sesame seed ( optional )
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/  Combine all ingredients together. For best results, allow to marinate overnight. Serve chilled.

STICKY COCONUT RICE
1 cup Jasmine/ fragrant rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/3 tsp salt

1/  Wash and rinse rice.
2/  Combine all ingredients in a rice steamer or similar cooking device and cook until the rice is slightly over cooked. Or you can steam the rice.
Note:  I reduce the water and coconut cream cos I wanted a more fluffy rice.

RUM COKE ( For Non Muslim only )

Half fill the glass with cracked ice, add 2oz Rum and  follow by 6 oz coke. Garnish with  a slice of lime. Relax with a glass of refreshing Rum cocktails.

Other uses on sugar Cane
Rum is produced from a base of sugarcane by products – particularly sugarcane juice and molasses – by fermenting and distilling them. Normally, the resulting liquid is then aged in oak barrels to enhance the taste, but the aging process differs widely depending on the type of rum.

Sugarcane And Rum, there is no doubt that rum owes its exotic palate appeal to the unassuming sugar cane plant. Alcohol distillers use molasses or fermented cane juice to produce rum. There are different factors which can affect the flavour and quality of rum.

The sugar content in molasses-which stands at 50 percent- can influence the flavour.
In addition, the fermentation recipe-what is commonly referred to as” wash”- and the use of wild or cultured yeast will determine the final outcome.

On average, it will take 24 hours to several weeks to produce light or heavy rums. Dark and golden rums will take anything from 3 to 12 years of aging. The color of rum is a function of barrel aging and the addition of caramel.

Rum aging in barrels

Have a fabulous week  ahead, best regards.

Persimmon Cream Cheesecake

A persimmon, known to the ancient Greeks as "the fruit of the Gods".
Hundreds of varieties grow around the world. The Fuyu is fat and round, like a ripe tomato, with a waxy orange skin and heart-shaped leaves. When firm, its texture is smooth and crisp with a mild flavor.

When left to ripen until it yields slightly, like a pear or peach, its honeyed flavor is sweeter and more pronounced. Vary in size from 1.5-9 cm in diameter. They may be spherical, acorn-, or pumpkin-shaped.
High in glucose Nutritional highlights: (per fruit): 70 kcals, 3.6 grams fibre, 19 grams carbs, 13% of Vitamin C, and 167% of Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin).

My persimmon cream cheesecake.

Best to keep the fruits for 3 to 4 days to let it ripen before making persimmon cheesecake.

Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/ Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180 deg C
2/ Place the crumbs in a small bowl and add the sugar and butter, mixing to combine.
3/ Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 8-inch springform pan.
4/ Bake until the crust is golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
5/ Remove the pan from the oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.

We are all tempted....mmmm.......we are all tempted when it comes to cheesecake. 

 Japan persimmon tree, picture compliments from my friend.

Cheesecake Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
380gm icing sugar
1-1/2 cups persimmon puree ( you need very ripe persimmon )
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
A pinch of vanilla seed ( optional )
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Love is like a good cake, you never know when it's coming. But you'd better eat it when it does! LOL

6/  Mixed the lemon juice with persimmon and blend it in the blender till smooth. 
7/  Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on low speed until smooth.
8/  Add the persimmon puree and mix just until smooth.
9/  Then add vanilla and vanilla seed, combine on low speed.

Where there's a will, there's a cake.

Give me liberty or give me cake!! The cake awaits.........

10/ With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each one is incorporated before adding the next.
11/ Pour the filling into the pan  and bake for 55 minutes, then turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 2 hours.

12/ Do not open the oven while baking or cooling, or you run the risk of cracking and deflating the cheesecake. After the 2 hour cooling period, remove the pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature.
13/ Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours, before serving.
Serve with whipped cream garnish, if desired.

Persimmon Topping
3/4 cup persimmon puree ( use very ripe persimmon )
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 egg yolk
50 gm sugar

Mix all together and cook until thick. Cool completely, spread on cheesecake before serving.

Persimmon sauce for cheesecake topping.

One spoon in my mouth...... mmmm.....my eyes *blink* *blink* *blink* .........delicious!!

Fluttering my eyelashes.......

 Persimmon in the snow, picture compliments from my friend.

Have a wonderful week ahead, Cheers!