Our Authors

Yvonne Ruperti

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and One Bowl Baking columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

Location: Singapore
Favorite foods: eggs, american cheese, steak, sichuan food, crab legs, cured meats, melted brie, fresh mozzarella, sour cherry pie, chocolate cream pie, funny bones
Last bite on earth: A perfect medium rare dry aged steak with lots of salt and pepper and a big glass of wine to wash it down.

Comments

Hi all! The cheesecake shouldn't fall in the middle. This could come from slightly underbaking, which would result in the very center not setting completely. Overwhipping the whites would just result in a denser texture. It wouldn't cause the center to sink.

Chicken Souvlaki With Tzatziki Sauce and Greek Salad

@BenzMyhrr No need to oil the grill for the pitas.

Summer Strawberry Pie

@runningwoman I haven't tested this with agar. Most websites say to use 1 tsp powdered agar per cup of liquid, but they also warn that the acidity in strawberries may require more agar to gel it. If it were me, I would experiment with the same amount as in the recipe and then go from there.

Prawn Paste Chicken

@fusionor The belachan will work just as well. Just make sure it dissolves smoothly into the marinade.

Cranberry-Corn Toaster Cakes

@A.Garcia: Wow that's such a terrific idea!

Hope all of you like it and happy to get comments. Baked it in Berlin and hoping the ingredients work the same for everyone!

Chicken Ramen

@neutralstate: Try Meidi-ya at Liang Court for the noodles. Such a great store!

Blitz Puff Pastry

@vegosaurus: That's an interesting idea but not sure on that one! You'd want to add yeast and would want to add more liquid to the dough for it to be a croissant. I'm not sure how a softer dough would handle the chunks...though seeing how chunky croissant dough sometimes gets anyway (from poor lamination), it might be worth a try!

@Buckwheat: you want a fairly hot oven (400F) to get the butter to melt fast and the steam to puff up the layers. The time depends on the recipe. 3 great recipes using this as a base dough will be posted on Serious Eats coming up!

@Kak: I don't think you'll get the same results with gluten free flour unless it has something in it that will make the dough "strong" I'm going to assume that a gluten free flour may result in a texture that is more biscuity and somewhat crumbly.

@sbp123: I don't think additional folds will be of any benefit. There are already quite a few here (4 four folds). More may just end up smashing the butter layers into the dough.

@morley: the dough is traditionally marked at each stage to help you remember how many "turns" or "folds" you've completed. In a bakeshop it's done so that anyone will know at what point the dough is at in the lamination process.

Hummingbird Pudding Cake

@NatalieCHM: Wow, from Singapore! That's awesome!

@Lunaria: Can you locate chicken wings? That part of the chicken will have plenty of skin/cartilage/bone to give the broth collagen.

Buttermilk Hushpuppies

@Newtons_Apple: You could make the batter up to a few hours before frying. I wouldn't hold them too long after frying. The crunchy texture is best when fresh.

No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Bars

@nancypc: Store in a sealed container, such as a Tupperware. The fridge makes them firm (but probably best for long term storage). I just kept them at room temp so they would be softer. I kept them for about 5 days.

@kriklaf: It's definitely a lot or raisins! The flavor is a slight bit tangy from the raisins, with lots of flavor coming from the sunflower seeds and walnuts. The oats are mild but do offer some flavor. I think it's all pretty balanced, but the amounts are easy to adjust for personal preference. And these bars really have an amazing shelf life as well...

@idontknow: I've never had a Lara Bar, so I'm not sure, but the dates would be sticky enough to hold everything together--in fact dates might be even stickier! Start with a lesser amount of dates and add more if you need it.

@Katheryn: Thanks for your comment. I agree that they are on the salty side, so I adjusted the recipe to include a range.

Baileys Irish Cream Pancakes

@ScottJL: I just measured out the recipe to double check it and it seemed fine. It's possible that if you used cup measurements for the flour that you would have ended up with too much. Cake flour is very fine and could easily get packed. I'll recommend in the headnote for everyone to scale out the flour if possible.

One Bowl Baking: Bourbon Street Banana Crisp

I've clarified my opening banana comment in the story. I am extremely particular when I eat raw bananas. While they're still a little green on the edges the flesh tastes slightly tart and tannic...which I like. Once they're fully ripened they're way too sweet for me!!

Quicker Chicken and Okra Gumbo

@adnan: Glad that it worked out in the end. I admit that the micro method, though quick, can be tricky with getting the timing right (especially when there are different brands of microwaves out there).

@spicymui: Roughly 4 to 6 stalks, depending on their size.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

or an 8-inch square pan.

@Ammaa: Yes this batter can be baked as a whole cake. I'm not sure what pan it will fill though...I'm guessing either a 9-inch square pan?

@CheesePlease: These are extremely chocolatey. I used Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chips for the frosting without any additional sugar. Feel free to whisk in some powdered sugar before it cools if you prefer the frosting sweeter! They keep very well if wrapped well or sealed in an airtight container. I kept mine for a few days at room temp (yeah, even with the sour cream in it), but storing in the fridge would be the food safe way to do it.

Easy Boston Brown Bread

@scalfin: I think coconut, almond, or rice milk may be alternatives, with two adjustments. Because buttermilk is slightly thicker than these, cut back slightly (2-3 tablespoons?) and since buttermilk is acidic, you'll need to add 1 tablespoon vinegar to react with the baking soda. Hope this helps!