Are you a fan of THE BIG BREAK?

This latest original reality television series on StarHub Channel 435 features 12 underprivileged youths from across Asia realising their dreams of becoming a chef.

Tonight at 10pm, don’t forget to catch The Big Break Episode 9 where the remaining contestants are back at Resorts World Sentosa for the ultimate Italiano experience! The contestants’ multi-tasking skills are put to the test, as they are required to knead, assemble and bake their own pizzas. With only one pizza oven available, disaster strikes as the flustered contestants scramble to bake their creations within the stipulated time!

After watching the show, I am sure you will be super motivated to make some traditional Italian food yourselves. Thanks to the invitation by The Asian Food Channel and Resorts World Sentosa, I attended an exclusive cooking class by AFC’s resident chef, Chef Wendy Ong. This hands-on cooking class shows us the secrets behind making that perfect slice of pizza and a delectable cannoli.

Recipe 1 Pizza

Ingredients (Yields a 14 x 15 inch tray skinny pizza)

Pizza Base
1⁄2 cup of warm water
1⁄2 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of quick rising yeast
1 1⁄2 cups of plain flour
1⁄2 tsp of salt
1⁄2 tbsp of olive oil

Sauce
1⁄2 can or 85ml of tomato paste
1⁄2 can or 113ml of tomato sauce

Toppings
1 green bell pepper
200g of button mushrooms
100g of chicken ham
100g of chicken hotdogs
1 can of pineapple chunks
3 tomatoes
300g of cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:
1. For the base, add a pinch of sugar to the 1⁄2 cup of warm water and stir. Add yeast to water and let it sit for 5 minutes. (NOTE: Yeast will be killed if temperature of water reaches 60 degree celsius and above)
2. Place remaining sugar, flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Add yeast mix to flour and stir until dough-like.
3. Dust your hands and table with some flour and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Knead till it becomes smooth and stretchy.
4. Let dough rise under room temperature for about 45 minutes, or until it is doubled in size.
5. Roll dough into desired shape and thickness and place them on a baking tray that is lined with parchment paper.
6. To assemble, spread sauce over the pizza base and add your favourite toppings. Have fun with it and make it your own!
7. Bake in the oven at 200°C until the base is crisp and browned. If your dough is thinner, set a higher temperature.

TIP: How do you know if the dough is ready?
Chef Wendy suggests, use the “window paint” method. Take some dought and stretch it against the window or sunlight. If some light can shine through, it means the gluten level is good enough.

So this is my pizza!

After 20 minutes!

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Recipe 2 Cannoli

Here’s how to make traditional Sicilian Cannoli, pastry dessert made of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling of ricotta cheese!

Ingredients (Yields 30)

Shells
150g of sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp of sugar
A pinch of salt
12g of butter
1 egg yolk
65ml of water
Some cooking oil

Filling
32g of icing sugar
115g of ricotta
125ml of whipping cream
100g of chocolate chips, optional

Method (Shell) :
1. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the butter.
3. Add egg yolk and water together and mix till the dough is formed.
4. Rest dough for 30 minutes.
5. On a well-floured surface, roll dough until it is almost paper thin.
6. Cut out the dough to 2.5 inch circles.
7. Wrap dough around cannoli metal tube and overlap the edges with egg white.
8. Heat cooking oil to 180°C. Deep fry the dough till golden brown.
9. Let cool on paper towel and remove from tube.

Method (Filling) :
1. Cream ricotta and sifted icing sugar till a smooth consistency is attained.
2. Whisk whipping cream to medium peak.
3. Fold cream into ricotta mixture.
4. Fold in chocolate chips (Optional).

To Assemble :
1. Fill cream into a piping bag.
2. Pipe the filling into the cannoli shells and serve immediately.

Tada! My cannoli! If the dough is too much, you can put some in the chiller and keep it for 2-3 days. If you want to preserve it longer, wrap it with cling wrap and put into the freezer.

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About The Big Break

Premiered exclusively on StarHub Channel 435, this latest original reality television series will feature 12 underprivileged youths from across Asia realising their dreams of becoming a chef.

Judged based on their culinary and hospitality skills, techniques learned during the challenges, as well as attitude and performance, all participating youths will try their hand at getting one step closer to the grand prize of a scholarship worth over S$30,000 at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy in Singapore.

There will be no losers either. Every week, a selected number of youths who don’t qualify for the next round will be granted a S$2,000 bursary by RWS, allowing them to continue on with their education after they return home from the show.

Having just survived a grueling challenge, the remaining contestants are back at Resorts World Sentosa for the ultimate Italiano experience! The contestants’ multi-tasking skills are put to the test, as they are required to knead, assemble and bake their own pizzas. With only one pizza oven available, disaster strikes as the flustered contestants scramble to bake their creations within the stipulated time!

For more information on The Big Break, please visit: http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/thebigbreak. The site will provide the latest information about contestants as well as summaries and highlights from each episode.