Oreo & Earl Grey Ice Box Pie & TGIF!

At last, it's Friday and perfect for a long gone TGIF post. As I gaze upon the window, gloomy weather is the forecast of the day and perhaps a thunderstorm coming upon us. Then as I scout around a very quiet workplace and with the air conditioning on at full blast, I feel a sense of chilliness that's making me crave for a hot cup of cocoa.[slurps...]. While I know it seems like it has been forever since I last posted, I do have a valid reason. If you followed me on Instagram, then you may have seen some mouth watering photos and amazing scenic view. To sum up, I was away on a family vacation. So I am back, for those of you who missed me and I will strive to keep on posting whenever I can [brownie's promise!]. 

While I may not have a recipe for you today just yet, but I hope this post will inspire you. Ever wonder what to make out of some left over baked goods? How many times have you thrown off some scrap or what do you if you have a left over cookie dough? Don't toss them out. There are several times I have tossed out extra batter thinking I will not be doing anything to it. This time round, I challenged myself using some left overs [which have not been eaten or touched of course] and came up with [what I personally think.. is a crazy idea]; also happens tastes good is an OREO & EARL GREY ICE-BOX PIE.

Gorgeous Magnolia: Taken in Perth, Australia

The layers? At the very bottom, sits a thin layer of buttermilk dark chocolate cake, then layered with a thin layer of earl grey mascarpone cream, then followed by a layer of home baked graham crackers. While it didn't end there, I slathered some melted dark chocolate spread and finally topped the entire pie with Jello's instant mix Oreo Pudding. To garnished, I chopped up some dark and semi-sweet Sharffen Berger's chocolate bar. Simple enough? Doesn't it make you drool? How would even think this came from left over batter?

Have a lovely weekend y'all and there are many more posts coming up. Right now, I am just going to head back to recuperate from my holiday. 

xx

Earl Grey Dark Chocolate Cupcake

Weekend came and go like "gone with the wind" leaving me feeling slightly unsatisfied. So many things to do, so little time.. spring cleaning, rearranging the furniture, prepping for the coming Chinese New Year..gosh! and the list goes on and on. Of course I wouldn't want to bore you with every single minute details. Sometimes I just wish there's that weekend I could just lay back, and do nothing and pray that Monday is a day further away. Feeling blue? Thank god! for my EARL GREY DARK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE.

Earl Grey Creme Tart with Golden Almond Brittle & TGIF!

Toasting almonds in a flat pan, sugar boiling away in another saucepan, praying, wishing and sweating profusely hoping that I would not burn my sugar and my idea of Almond Candy Brittle would work. Phew! a sigh of relief. For once I paid extra care, extra attention, being careful, and to not walk away; cause we all know how fast sugar goes from golden in colour to a burnt stage. Been there several times and the thought of scrubbing a burnt saucepan isn't exactly what I have in mind this time. Part 2 of mission accomplished. You will soon find out why I labeled it Part 2.

To my surprised it added extra oopmh and charm to the EARL GREY CREME TART with GOLDEN ALMOND BRITTLE. A combination of dark crumbly chocolate tart shell, with luscious creamy smooth soft Earl Grey infused custard then topped with crunchy Almond Candy. Perfect for any cool day or any day!

Earl Grey Ice-Cream with Hazelnut Chocolate

This month's SABH (Sweet Adventures of A Blog Hop) has been a rather challenging one. The moment I saw the announcement by JJ from 84th & 83rd, I couldn't resist and knew that I had to take part in it. To learn more on how to join in the fun, click on the SABH Blog Hop badge. Do stop over at the host/hostess's blog to feast with your eyes too. SABH is a monthly affair and is brought to you by Delicieux, The Hungry Australian, Dining With a Stud, The Capers of the Kitchen Crusader and of course 84th & 83rd.

Although we drink a lot of tea in my family, whether it's English Breakfast tea, teh-tarik (pulled tea), or even green tea during dinner, I realised I have not challenged myself to make treats using one key ingredient; which so happens to be TEA. It didn't take me long to think of which tea to use since I am a huge fan of Earl Grey. I love it's hint of golden citrus flavour infused in the tea leaves itself. Plus Earl Grey is versatile too. You can either choose to have it plain or have it with milk. So that's challenge no# 1, down.

The next challenge was the decision whether to bake a cake, cupcake or should I make a non-baked treat? That took a while for me to decide as I have always wanted to bake a treat with Earl Grey. However, the weather here has been crazy, and it's seriously too hot for comfort. Lets just say I would rather stay in and crank up the A/C and read a good book, instead of going out for my evening walks. Not a good idea right?

So at the end, I decided to make a cold treat which is an ultra smooth and creamy Earl Grey Ice-Cream. To add some bite and texture to the smooth ice-cream, I added some chopped milked chocolate and roasted hazelnuts. This cannot be a better pairing. It's almost like Earl Grey and milk chocolate is a match made in heaven and meant to be together. By the way, this is optional and you can choose to omit the chocolate and nuts.

Oh! before I go on.. fret not! This recipe is for you ice-cream lovers who love to try a hand in making your own ice-cream and do not own those fancy ice-cream machine. Join my club peeps, as I too do not own an ice-cream machine. The key here is a good custard base for the ice-cream where this recipe is loosely adapted from Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook. Thought without the ice-cream maker requires an additional step by taking the ice-cream out and beating it a few times, I must say for this, I only beat the ice-cream mixture twice. And the end result is satisfying. I'll let my photos to the talking ;). This base ice-cream recipe is definitely a keeper.

For recipe: Click on image to enlarge

Lastly, for those who have an ice-cream maker, of course you could use this recipe too. Just make sure to follow the machine maker's instruction. I believe it would be freezing the ice-cream mixture in the ice-cream machine.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and please continue to support Chic & Gorgeous Treats. Though "she" has been slow in posting recipes, there will be a lot of revamps and a lot of other recipes which I have not had the chance to share with you.

xx