At Home Chef

 Strawberry Tiramisu: Here, we have delightful, fresh, and tart strawberry tiramisu (plated version). Very classy and easy to assemble and a show stopper for a particular date or a dinner party.  Components of the dessert: Mascarpone cream, strawberry gel, strawberry sauce-soaked ladyfingers, and a touch of strawberry powder. Serves 4 (can be also halved for 2) Plated Version to impress her! Taste = heavenly Before you begin! 1. All the steps can be made beforehand, so you can plate on the spot. 2. Strawberry sauce is sweet, so be careful not to oversoak the fingerladies. 3. Use a piping bag for the best visuals, trust me :) Need assistance? For your date or your guest? Let me know in advance so we can plan accordingly. Strawberry Sauce: 500g strawberries 185g sugar One vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped out Strawberry essence Mascarpone Cream: Two egg yolks 250g mascarpone 25g heavy cream 45g sugar Gelatine sheets Zest 1 lemon One vanilla seeds Finishing Touches: 2...

 Almond meringue cake layered with vanilla mascarpone mousse, strawberry spread, fresh strawberries, and vanilla whipped cream. Taste = 9.5/10 This cake's taste is excellent and perfect for the summer weather. It's essentially a Frasier cake but fancier. The almond meringue has a pleasant nutty flavour, as well as mascarpone mousse and fresh strawberry mix. Recommendation = 9/10 If executed correctly, it is one fantastic cake to impress your guest or someone special. Texturally, it's creamy and fresh, with the strawberries alongside the almond meringue as the centrepiece. Visually also stunning with the different layers. Serves 10-15 Difficulty: Medium Who's this for? Create to impress your date's future in-laws. While there are a few steps to make this gorgeous cake, it is simple to assemble. It requires 1-2 days in preparation and should be consumed on the same day. Steps to follow: 1. Ganache Monté 2. Strawberry Spread 3. Almond Success 4. Strawberry Filling 5. M...

  I present you a Raspberry Pistachio Tart that has a pistachio praline base, followed by a pistachio sponge layer soaked with some raspberry syrup, and we have raspberry puree with fresh raspberries and white chocolate ganache monte. Taste 8/10: More of the pistachio praline present would have been excellent. Visuals 7.5/10: New piping techniques and a small freezer made this a touch challenging to execute visually flawlessly. Sequence of Tart Layer: -Tart Casing  - Pistachio Praline - Pistachio Sponge Cake - Raspberry Soup  - Raspberry Puree with fresh raspberries - Vanilla cream Pastry Shell: -200 g flour - 50g egg yolks  - 110g icing sugar - 100 g butter  - Pinch of salt - Lemon zest Raspberry Soup: -500g raspberries - 195 caster sugar - Vanilla bean Raspberry Puree: -250g raspberry puree - 100g caster sugar - Agar Agar - Gelatine sheet - Lemon juice - Fresh raspberries Vanilla Cream Cream: -300g milk - 170g heavy cream - Four egg yolks - 110g finely chopped...

  Mango coconut mousse cake with fresh mango slices, passionfruit, and lime zest.  Taste - Fresh, exotic, cake-mousse. Difficulty - Medium 4 Layer Process:  1. Coconut Success 2. Mascarpone cream 3. Passion fruit curd 4. Chopped mango and passionfruit 5. Ganache monte Tools: Piping bags Stick blender Tart ring Filling: - 2 mangos - 3 passion fruit - lime juice/zest - 1-3 tablespoon sugar Ganache Monte: - 600g heavy cream - Gelatine sheets - 100g white chocolate - Vanilla bean seeds Passionfruit Curd: - 2 egg yolks - 28g butter - 48g sugar - 43g passion fruit juice - Lime juice Coconut Success: - 300g egg whites - 220g sugar - 1 tablespoon vinegar - 215g desiccated coconut - 65g flour - 200g icing sugar Mascarpone Cream: - 375g mascarpone - Gelatine sheets - 40g heavy cream - 2 egg yolks - 2 egg whites - 50g sugar - Vanilla bean  - Vanilla essence

  Before you begin: 1. Easy to make, especially the dessert. It just requires planning. 2. Both dessert and main can be made in advance (1 day ahead). How many portions? Between 2 and 4. Your options: Level 3 "The Champion": Main and dessert Level 2 "The Charmer": Main only Level 1 "The Player": Dessert only What's for dinner? Single-serve beef Wellington along with parsnip puree, veal and chicken jus. Taste 10/10 Visuals 7/10 Difficulty - Technical (but manageable, requires preparation) Notes: This version comes out incredibly neat. It is excellent for its presentations and getting a much better medium-rare. The oven temp was 180C/356F at 25 min and 15 min rest. Each fillet was roughly 200g per portion. You could share one fillet between 2 if served with an additional side dish and dessert (which I think is plenty). Rings are between 69mm and 45mm. What about dessert? Moussy cheesecake, butter biscuit base, and semi-cooked vanilla strawberries with sy...

Squid ink pizza dough served with rich tomato and mussel broth, mozzarella and parmesan, prawns, mussels, fried chilli, herb butter (parsley, white wine, and garlic), and pecorino cheese. Taste 8.5/10 My plating visuals 8/10 Before you begin! 1. Great pizza for a date plus movie night. 2. Everything can be prepped in advance. 3. A side salad is recommended. 4. Stay cute. For who is this? If you love seafood and pizza, this is the one. The squid ink dough gives it a nice earthy touch and balances the remaining ingredients, which are pretty rich. The herb butter adds an amazing touch and mouthfeel; that added white wine also comes through. In summary, this pizza is exciting and excellent, with a refreshing glass of white. How many portions? Makes 2 medium-sized pizzas. Tips for pizza cooking! Use parchment paper to easily transfer your pizza dough back and forth (whether to the oven or another station). Buy a pizza stone, which helps create a better crust. Squid ink pizza dough: - 333g 0...

 Chocolate chip cookie cake with a sponge-like tonka-infused meringue, a touch of hazelnut and chocolate cream, chocolate cream, vanilla white chocolate and Tonka ice cream. The recipe ingredients are below. Taste 9/10 Visuals =? Notes: Not only is it delicious and nicely balanced between the flavours, but it is also enjoyable to make with someone special or on your own after a big breakup. I think it's ideal for a good movie night. The components are also easy to make and can be adapted or simplified. Maybe some crushed biscuits for extra texture or a side of strawberries and cream. White Chocolate Ice Cream 250g heavy cream  Egg yolks 68g sugar 28g white choc Vanilla pod Tonka Nutella Centre  125g nutella Chocolate Creme Anglaise  63g milk  63g heavy cream 43g dark chocolate Eggs 43g sugar  Vanilla pod Choc Chip Cookie 115g unsalted butter 15g muscovado sugar 75g sugar Eggs Vanilla pod Baking powder Baking soda 2g sea salt Coffee liquor 15g skim milk powd...

Excellent and well-balanced tart cake. It's my favourite dessert at the moment—a different version of tiramisu with similar taste elements. The pastry gives it a nice crunch, and the soaked sponge cake gives it a nice kick that is well-balanced with the mascarpone cream and ganache. While not shown here, a serving of ice cream like vanilla or coffee would add another layer of an elevated touch. Makes 10-12 slices  28 cm diameter tart ring (3.5 cm height) Chocolate Tart Casing: 120g icing sugar 50g egg yolks 160g cold and cubed butter 35g unsweetened cacao powder 270g flour 2g salt Process: Mix flour, cacao powder, salt, and butter until it resembles fine cornmeal. Cream together egg yolks and icing sugar. Mix the two until you have a smooth dough. Rest before shaping. Mascarpone Cream: 500g Mascarpone  50g heavy cream 3 bloomed gelatin sheets 100g sugar 4 egg yolks 2 pods of vanilla seeds 4 tsp vanilla essence Process: Cream egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in mascarpone cream with ...

 What's for dinner? Here, we have sous vide cod with zucchini slices, simple Vongol white wine emulsion sauce, mini-fried prawn bites, celeriac puree, and parsley oil. Takeaway: A fun fish dish with excellent textural elements. Fish at 56°C/132.8°F for 15 minutes plus or minus, depending on the size of the fish. And dessert? White chocolate panna cotta, white chocolate crumble, pandan-infused coconut sorbet, mixed berries, raspberry gel, and strawberry foam. Takeaway: It is nicely balanced and a great mixture of different components coming together. The pandan-infused coconut sorbet is my favourite ice cream from all the ones I have created so far. It's nice and unique. How to make Celeriac Puree? - 1 head of celeriac, finely diced - 50g-120g double cream - Sea salt to taste Process: Add celeriac with water and season with salt in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain thoroughly and allow excess steam to evaporate. Place in a food processor or blender...

 Giving her another reason to swallow. I present you two flavours to accompany this elegant finger doughnut: 1) Chocolate glazed with hazelnut spread, vanilla whipped cream, and praline crunch. 2) Sugar-coated and filled with jam, vanilla whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and raspberry powder. Who is this for? I suggest a date. My recommendations? Keep it simple. I would go with one flavour, execute it well, and base your decision on whether you want to go in a fruity or chocolate direction. How to fry your doughnuts? If you want to make elegant sticks, it's best to freeze the dough overnight and then cut it into your desired shape before proofing. I went with an 18cm length and 1cm width (on that note, keep in mind they expand quite a lot during frying). Alternatively, you could roll out the dough directly and then cut it into the desired shapes; however, they might not come out as neat, but they would still be delicious. For the frying aspect, 170°C/338°F for about 3-5 minutes. ...

 What do we have? Seafood squid ink ramen with a rich tomato mussel (including brown miso, green onion, shitake mushroom, bonito flake, and kombu infusion) and finished with spicy chilli oil (a new favourite). It is also served with creme brulee eggs, bok choy, rice cakes, seaweed (I forgot to add), fried prawns, and sautee mushrooms. My thoughts? Absolutely divine. The broth came along incredibly well balanced, rich in umami flavours. Initially, I was unsure about adding the brown miso and bonito flakes, but it gave it a nice balance with the mussel broth. I recommend it 10/10 and will post the recipe soon with good follow-through instructions. Some recipe notes below (aimed for 4): Fried Prawns - 300g prawns - 100g panko crumbs - 50g flour - 2 eggs - Sea salt to season Notes: Fried at 170°C/338°F till golden brown. Poached semi-runny eggs - 4 eggs - Ice water bath Notes: Gently place into boiling water for 6 minutes. The water drained and immediately put into an ice bath. It can ...

 This is my take on Churro and Cannoli-style dessert, which I filled with white chocolate cream, hazelnut spread, hot chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnuts, and fresh strawberries coated in a touch of raspberry jam. Verdict? A fun way of mixing different recipes to create a wonderfully balanced dessert that is creamy, crunchy, and filling. I loved the hot chocolate emulsion foam as well. It's a different take than your usual chocolate sauce. See additional notes below. Difficulty - Medium Taste 9.5/10 Visuals = 7.5/10 Notes: The process of making these is pretty straightforward. However, it requires patience to create the shapes. The amount you can fry at a given time also depends on the fryer you have or the space you have to fry in. That said, it requires a full subsegment in oil to work correctly. On another note, in previous recipes, I would freeze the churros first to retain shape; however, it did not work here as they would burst a little more than freshly piped and fried. I wi...

 Swiss/German dish brioche caramel infused dough with creme anglaise and white chocolate ice cream. It's also one of my favourite desserts, and it is soft and pillowy. The creme anglais and ice cream bring a nice vanilla and decadent touch. Makes: 2-4 portions Difficulty: Easy to Medium 10/10 would recommend it! Perhaps for a date?! Pillow Brioche Dough: One small egg 188 g plain flour 2 g sea salt 103 g full cream milk 25 g caster sugar 8 g skim milk powder 4 g vanilla sugar 48 g unsalted butter 3 g dry active yeast Served with Creme Anglaise: 175 g milk  One egg yolk  20 g sugar  ½ vanilla pod Also served with White Chocolate Ice Cream: 250 g milk Three egg yolks 40 g of caster sugar 150 g of white chocolate, melted ½ vanilla pod

 Give her showerhead a rest and invite her for dinner. Here, classic Steak Frites are served with triple-cooked chips, tarragon oil, and modern bearnaise (absolutely divine). For dessert, we have an elevated version of eton mess with raspberries (I argue better than with strawberries) and a meringue rose as a centrepiece. Your options: 1. Player: Serve only the steak Frites 2. Pimp: Serve only the Eton Mess 3. King: Steak Frites and Eton Mess My suggestion: a) First date? Go simple. You don't want to complicate the cooking process over. It's best to go with one of the two. My suggestion is steak frites. b) 2nd date? Go all in. We focus on good quality beef for the steak and produce it with a very thick cut (approx. 800g). We also focus on the sous vide technique cooking at 4 hours, aiming at a final temperature of medium starting at 54°C/126°F for 4 hours and finishing with an excellent quick sear on all sides, which should push the final temp to medium. Why medium? I went with...

 Here, we have a big breakfast consisting of French baguette, fried egg, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed asparagus, sauteed and oven-roasted tomatoes, bacon, sausage, baked beans with a cherry tomato sauce, and fried potato croquettes stuffed with gruyere cheese. This is a super fun breakfast to make and impress wherever you wake up. While there are a few components, you could omit a few if you want to. You can easily prep everything by leveraging your or their oven (if it works, please check in advance) to keep everything warm without overcooking anything. Either way, to do this successfully, see the general sequence of service below for a general understanding and follow through: Satisfaction 10/10 Difficulty = Easy Tip! Leverage on your oven! Process: 1. Buy or make baguettes from scratch (if you do, prep the dough in advance) 2. Bake your baguettes first (if making) Note: Reduce oven temperature either way to 110°C/230°F and place your desired plates to keep warm. 3. Sautee mushroom...

 These ramen noodles won’t be the only thing you’ll slurp on.  Fast Food Ramen! Difficulty = from easy to medium Serves 2 Notes: This ramen hack works so well and is incredibly budget-friendly. I've made this a few times, and it has an excellent wow factor. It's like takeout but fancy at home if you also add a few additional ingredients. You can try any noodles, but I suggest spicy soup. I went with a Korean version of noodles for reference, so I added gochujang for a balanced flavour. If you went from a Japanese-style ramen packet, you could replace the paste with brown miso paste. Topping Ideas: - House-made ramen (extra step, but worth it) - Asian braised pork (extra step, but worth it) - Seaweed Snack (easy to add) - Mozzarella shreds (easy to add) - Grilled corn (easy to add) - Rice cakes with gochujang (easy to add; they have pre-made packets) - Soft-boiled egg (extra step, but worth it) - Scallions (easy to add) - Sauteed mushrooms with sake (extra step, but worth it) M...

 Classic chicken Gordon blue with gruyere cheese, ham, and fresh black truffles. It was served with spinach and parsley puree, creamy potato puree, fresh shaven truffles, and a shallot and veal reduction stock. Taste 8.5/10 (a classic with clean and well-executed flavours, great for anyone who wants something simple). What about dessert? Apple cinnamon crumble served with vanilla custard and vanilla white chocolate ice cream. Taste 9/10 (a fantastic dessert that can be prepped in advance and made on the spot. Great visuals, classic flavours, can't go wrong with fussy eaters). Options? a) Go all in and create both dishes (challenge) b) Only main course (medium) c) Only dessert (easy Order Of Sequence (general reference): 1. Prep stock 2. Prep potato puree and parsley/spinach puree 3. Prep chicken with truffle, cheese, ham and dredge 4. Prep Crumbel 5. Prep vanilla custard 6. Prep vanilla ice cream 7. Finish Potato puree 8. Finish Sauce 9. Pan fry Chicken Simple Veal Stock (serves 2)...

I want to hear you breathing in my ear when I make you come tonight.  Simple bigoli black truffle pasta served with a lovely glass of chardonnay to cut through some of the creaminess. While simple, it is an easy and enjoyable dish to make without being too labour-intensive. It works well with a nice refreshing salad to balance further the creamy pasta. For the bigoli pasta shape, you will need a specific attachment for the pasta machine. Alternatively, look for store-bought or opt for your choice of pasta like my other favourite rigatoni. Taste 8/10 (simple, easy, and classy) Serves 2 (one fine shawty and one hot stud) Difficulty - Easy Before you begin: 1. Keep it simple and easy by replacing it with store-bought pasta, but don't omit the fresh truffle aspect. 2. Play some classical music or funky jazz. 3. Serve a side salad with fruits. Semolina Pasta Base - 125g semolina flour - 4-6 egg yolks - pinch of salt Pasta Sauce - 50g unsalted butter - 50g parmesan - 10g of freshly shave...