Hong Kong Egg Tarts

I love Dim Sum and would love to go 'Yum Cha' which is our term for having a meal in the Dim Sum Restaurant, in any cities i visit.  Egg Tarts are one of the favorites to order.  The Egg Tarts served in most Dim Sum Restaurants are made with flaky pastry and they are so well baked with perfection, the pastry so light and flaky, the custard is smooth and sweet..  I have tried baking them but found it very challenging.  Have not been happy with my results and am still trying.  And, until i make some good flaky pastry egg tarts,  these Hong Kong  Egg Tarts which has shortcrust pastry, were accepted with glee by Renee,  she ate these in Hong Kong and loved them.

Ingredients:

Crust:

8 ozs all-purpose flour
2 ozs powdered/confectioner's sugar
a pinch of salt
4 1/2 ozs chilled butter - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Custard Filling:
3 large eggs
4 ozs fine granulated sugar (take away 1 tbsp for lesser sweetness)
225 ml  hot water
3 fl ozs evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 drops of yellow yolk food coloring

 
 
 
 
 

Method:
 
To Make The Crust:
 
Put all-purpose flour, powdered sugar and salt into the food processor and pulse to mix.
 
Add in chilled cubed butter and pulse until fine breadcrumb like.
 
Add vanilla extract to beaten egg and then add into flour mixture with the machine running and stop machine as soon as the dough is formed.  Do not overmixed.
 
Remove and wrap dough with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
 
To Make the Filling:
 
Put sugar and water in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 1 to 1/2 minutes and stir until sugar dissolves.
 
Add in evaporated milk, food coloring and vainlla, stir well.
 
Beat eggs lightly and add in to the above.
 
Pass through a very fine sieve, then fold a piece of kitchen towel into a strip and then run it over the top of the egg mixture to remove the bubbles.
 
Leave aside while you prepare the tarts.
 
To prepare the tarts:
 
Grease the tart moulds lightly.
 
Remove chilled dough, knead lightly and divide into small pieces(for my tart moulds, i use 3/4 oz).
 
Form dough into a tiny disk that will fit the base of the mould, then using the thumb, press dough so that it comes up the side of the mould.  Dough can be slightly higher than the mould but not too much - higher will allow more room for more filling but if too high, it will form a lip as this dough recipe is very soft.)
 
Repeat until all the tart moulds are formed.  Formed tart moulds can be kept in the fridge well wrapped until you need to bake them.
 
Preheat oven to 450 f and put the rack to the lowest rung of the oven.(Friends at sea-level can bake @ 400f)
 
Fill the formed tart moulds with egg filling to slightly lower than the rim, do not overfill.
 
Bake @ 450f for 10 mins and then lower the lower the heat to 400 f(sea-level @ 375 f) for another 15 minutes.  Baking time differs from the size of the tart moulds, so visual monitoring is important.  The crust has to be browned and the custard should not be overcooked.  The custard will puff slightly - yes slightly, then it is a sign for doneness,  you might have to remove some of the tarts which will cook faster than the rest as there are hot spots in most oven.  If  the custard puffs up and the crust is not brown enough, the oven door can be opened and left ajar for a while to lower the temperature in the oven, then it can be closed to finish the baking) 
 
Good luck and enjoy.
 
 
Serves

Thailand Green Papaya Salad

(4 servings)

I usually add long green beans to this, but forgot to get them; I even had them on my shopping list.

3 small Thai chilies or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp small dried shrimp
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1-2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste

3 cups shredded green papaya
6 cherry tomatoes, cut up
1/2 green onion, chopped
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup peanuts

Pound together the chilies and garlic. Add the shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Combine until the sugar is dissolved. I also pound in a few slices of tomato at this point.

Place the papaya into a bowl and pour the sauce over it. Mix and gently pound a bit to crush and distribute the juices. Mix in the remaining tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Toss the peanuts over the top.

Serve.

Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs

(serves 2)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 lb chorizo
4-5 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

tortillas


Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the bell pepper until it begins to soften. Add the onion and chorizo, breaking the mixture up as it cooks with a wooden spoon until the chorizo is cooked through.

Combine the eggs and milk and pour that into the skillet over the chorizo mixture. Cook, stirring the eggs into the chorizo until the eggs are set, but still moist.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas.

Corn & Flour Tortillas

(about 8 large or 12 small tortillas)

I couldn't decide whether to make corn or flour, so I ended up combining the flours.
1 cup unbleached flour, perhaps a tbsp or so more
1 cup masa harina
1/4 cup lard, shortening or unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup warm water

Place 1 cup flour, masa harina, lard, shortening or butter, baking powder and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.

Pour about 3/4 of a cup of warm water down the chute with the motor running.

Add either a bit more water or flour until you have a soft dough ball which leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly. Run another minute or so, or remove the dough and knead it a bit. Cover and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 to 12 balls. Either roll each one out or flatten them in a tortilla press between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Cook the tortillas, one at a time in a hot ungreased skillet, about 1-2  minutes on each side. Adjust the temperature if necessary to keep them from burning.

Siniyeh Bitaheena (Seniyeh); Ground Lamb with Tahini

(about 4-6 servings)

I have lamb once (maybe twice) a year, around this time, in the spring. Usually I make an Indian stew of lamb chunks braised in a sauce made with peppercorns and cardamon pods.

This year I decided to make Siniyeh instead. I had this dish for the first time years ago in Toronto, at the Jerusalem, a restaurant on Eglinton Avenue. After all these years, I still order Siniyeh whenever I return to Toronto for a visit. I love this dish so much, I have never tried anything else on their menu. :)

1 1/2 lbs lamb, ground
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp olive oil

2/3 cup tahini
juice from 1 large lemon, about 1/4 cup
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground lamb, parsley, mint, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon, salt, and pepper.

Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with the olive oil. Pack the meat mixture evenly in the bottom.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until browned on top. The meat mixture will pull away from the sides.

Combine the tahini, lemon juice and water. Spread that evenly over meat and sprinkle the pine nuts over the sauce. (I have no idea why this time the tahini sauce thickened to a paste-like consistancy after adding the lemon juice and water. Whenever I have made this before, the opposite was the case and I had to pour the tahini mixture over the meat.)

Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F.

Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Serve with rice.

Chinese : Chocolate Mooncakes

When my friend Lena told me that her family loved these chocolate mooncake, i had to get the recipe from her and with some tweaking, got to make some of these cuties. I used the moulds that are meant for hard boiled eggs and they turned out so well.

Ingredients:

100 ml water

70 gm brown sugar

10 gm cocoa powder

40 gm unsweetened dark chocolate

20 gm shortening

1/2 tsp chocolate emulco

60 gm koh fun

2 tbsp wheat starch(tung mein fun) add 2 tbsp of hot boiling water

2 tbsp of steamed cake flour

Filling:

300 gm lotus /red bean/mung bean paste

60 gm melted unsweetened dark chocolate

1/2 tsp chocolate emulco

Method:

Put 100 ml water and 70 gm brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir to dissolve sugar.

Pour a little at a time to the cocoa powder and mix well.

Put chocolate and shortening in a bowl. microwave for 1 minute, stir and if chocolate is not totalling melted, microwave another 30 seconds.

Using a bigger mixing bowl, mix the wheat starch with the hot boiling water and stir well. Add iun the koh fun and steamed flour. Mix to combine.

Add in the sugar/cocoa powder mixture and mix.

Add in the melted chocolate and chocolate emulco. Knead well until dough does not stick to the fingers.

Leave covered while you mix the filling.

Filling:

Mix all the ingredients for the filling until well combine.

To make the mooncakes.

To fit the hard boiled moulds - weigh 20 gm filling and 15 gm chocolate skin.

Serves

Daring Baker Challenge, May 2010, Piece Montée, aka Croquembouche

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

I adjusted the recipe for the pastry cream somewhat (to make it caramel-rum) which I have noted below, and I also added a bit of food colouring to the hard caramel glaze. I have copied the recipes we were given:

Preparation time: You will want to use your puff pastry batter and chocolate glaze or caramel as soon as it has been prepared and as close to serving time as possible. This is not a dessert that stores well and it may be a bit temperamental in humid areas as the glaze needs to harden to hold the choux together. The crème patissiere can be made a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.

You will need approximately 10 minutes to prepare the puff pastry, 10 minutes to pipe and about 30 minutes to bake each batch. The crème patissiere should take about 10 minutes to cook and then will need to be cooled for at least 6 hours or overnight. The glazes take about 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

*For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.

Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.

Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

*For Caramel-Rum Pastry Cream. I used brown sugar instead of white which I reduced to 4 tbsp. I added a tbsp of water to the sugar and cooked it until it caramelized.

Then I slowly whisked in the butter and 3/4 of the milk (with 3 tbsp of cornstarch mixed in). I beat the egg yolks into the last 1/4 cup of the milk and cornstarch mixture, (I omitted the whole egg). Then I beat in a few tbsp of the hot custard mixture, and then whisked the egg mixture back into the custard.

Once the mixture had come to a simmer and thickened nicely, I removed it from the heat and whisked in 2 tbsp of dark rum.

For Chocolate Pastry Cream (Half Batch Recipe):
Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the butter and vanilla.

For Coffee Pastry Cream (Half Batch recipe)
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)
¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter:

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.

As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.

It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets, ( I placed parchment paper over my baking sheets first). Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.

Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.

Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

Baking:

Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Filling:

When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Use one of these to top your choux and assemble your piece montée.

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I recommend semi-sweet)

Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.

Hard Caramel Glaze:
1 cup (225 g.) sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Piece Montée:

You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up. (You may want to use toothpicks to hold them in place – see video #4 below).

When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers, etc. to decorate. Have fun and enjoy! Bon appétit!

Additional Information: Here are some videos you may want to take a look at before you get started on your piece montée.

1) Martha Stewart Assembles a Croquembouche:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marthas-famous-croquembouche
2) Assembling croquembouche using the interior of a cylinder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-UgMxe0Y4
3) Asembling Free-standing Croquembouche with Chocolate Glaze:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrIanD5pi9E&feature=related
4) Assembling a Croquembouche with Toothpicks and Cone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIGaidsM-NI&feature=related
See this google images search of Croquembouche for inspiration:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=croquembouche&btnG=Sea...
Here’s a link to a dairy-free pate a choux and crème patisserie recipe:
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/dessertsbeverages/r/creampuffs.htm

Pomegranates

This past winter was a bit harsh resulting in the demise of my beloved fig tree, which I'm still mourning. I'm trying to decide which variety to try next and where to plant it. Gardens tend to have micro climates and I'm hoping to find a better spot for the next one.

Every year when it bore fruit I had to protect it with netting, otherwise the birds had a field day and there wouldn't have been anything left for me. The hassle was worth it though, because there's nothing like fresh figs from the garden for breakfast.

On the brighter side, my two pomegranate trees survived and both are covered with blossoms at the moment. If all goes well, I should have a pretty decent crop in October.

Pan Fried Fish with Watermelon Salsa

(4 servings)

I love salsa, and this was another good way to use up some of that enormous watermelon I have in my refrigerator at the moment.

watermelon salsa, about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1-2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
juice from 2 key limes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients, and let sit for 30 minutes or so.

fish fillets
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs sole fillets or other flaky white fish

2-3 tsp canola oil

limes for garnish

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the fillets through the flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off the excess.

Heat a small amount of oil in a non stick skillet. Fry the fish until golden brown on both sides; about 2-4 minutes on each side (until it flakes easily) depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Serve with the salsa; garnish with lime slices.

Horse's Hoof/Mah Keok

This is another spin-off from Hum Cheem Paeng.  This is a cousin of The Butterfly and Ox Tongue.  I have always thought that Horse's Hoof and Ox Tongue is the same but looking at the recipes for Ox Tongue,  i can see a difference.  Al;though the shape is the same, Ox Tongue has a sweet filling.  When i was back home last month, my dearest friend, Nancy, who still resides in Seremban, took me to the best YCK stall there and i stood there watching how YCK, Hum Cheem Paeng, Kap Chong and a new shape which i shall call = Seremban Butterfly were formed.  Forming all these were so easy for the stall owner and i would never imagine that they were done this way, if i had not watched him rolling, dusting and frying away.  I will have to do a batch of Seremban Butterfly before i forget how it is formed

Ingredients:

1 recipe of Hum Cheem Paeng II
Sesame seeds

Glaze:

1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp sugar
60 ml water

Method:

Roll Hum Cheem Paeng dough into a 1/2 inch thickness rectangle with one side which is 8 inches.

Spread the glaze all over the rectangle and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.  Cover with cling-wrap and roll lightly over the sesame seeds so that it will adhere to the dough.

Fold the rectangle into half making a 4 inch side rectangle.

Cut into 1 inch slices and pinch the two ends to look like the Horse's Hoof.

Deep fry in moderately hot oil until golden brown.

Remove and place to drain on a  cake rack which is on top of a lined baking sheet.

Serves

Watermelon and Feta Salad

(serves 2)

Texas seems to forget there's a season called Spring. It's darn hot already, well at least by my standards, (and we haven't even hit the triple digits yet). This dish is pure heaven on a very hot day. :)

The flavours in this light and refreshing salad are amazing; sweet, salty, sour and a bit of mint.

salad
4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup feta, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp salted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper


Divide and arrange the ingredients between 2 plates. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over the salads.

dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice

Combine the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle evenly over the salads and serve.

Vanilla and Cardamon Risotto with Berries

(about 4 servings)

This is a creamy rice pudding I make using the same method for making risotto. As always, I count on a ratio of about 1 rice to 4 parts liquid.

2 tsp butter
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1 tsp ground cardamon
*3 - 3 1/2 cups milk, heated
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pint (or more) fresh berries



Melt the butter in a non stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the rice and stir until it's coated with the butter. Stir in the cardamon.

Stir the honey into the warmed milk. Begin adding the milk to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the milk has absorbed into the rice.

*When you get to the last 1/2 cup or so of milk, add the vanilla  to the risotto as well. I sometimes end up using a bit extra milk at this point, depending on how much "bite" is left to the rice. Stir to combine everything well. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Stir and serve warm or allow to cool completely. Top with the berries.

Watermelon Margarita

(about 2 servings)

*This recipe doesn't make a very strong drink. I'm a lightweight; if I'm not careful I'll embarrass myself before collapsing somewhere after just 2 or 3 of these. If you prefer something stronger, then reduce the amount of watermelon to 1 cup, and increase the alcohol. :)

*1 1/2 cups cold seedless watermelon, cubed
2 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz cointreau, or an orange liqueur
1/2 oz midori, or a melon liqueur
juice from 1 small key lime
4 ice cubes

Place everything into a blender, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Linguine with Bacon, Brie and Caramelized Onions

(serves 2-3)

The first time I made this I used cream and triple cream brie. My pasta was swimming in oil, but it was very good, lol.

Whenever I plan to make it now, I look around for very lean bacon (which I purchase by the slice) and low fat brie. The resulting dish still seems quite rich to me. I love it, but just don't make it too often.

1/4 lb very lean peppered bacon, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb low fat brie, cubed (leave the rind on)

1/2 lb spinach linguine, cooked and drained

Add the bacon to a skillet and turn on the heat to medium-low. When the bacon starts to brown and release it's fat, add the onions and garlic. (If the bacon is too fatty, then remove some of the rendered fat from the skillet first.) Saute over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden brown.

Stir in the salt and vinegar. Cook for about a minute.

Add the milk, parmesan and brie. Cook and stir until the brie melts, and the mixture gets creamy.

Toss with the hot and drained linguine, and serve.

Chinese Food : Lo Soi Duck

A simple preparation, transformed into a classic treasure by the 'lo soi' which is a stock-sauce or mother sauce, once made, may be kept and used indefinitely, over and over, through the years, replenished by the poultry and . seasonings that are cooked in it. This duck dish has a deep and intense flavor and is an enjoyable meal.

Ingredients:

Mother Sauce:

3 pieces of cinnamon sticks - 3" long

3 pieces eight-star anise

3/4 tsp sichuan peppercorns

3/4 tsp whole cloves

2 tsps fennel seeds

1 whole nutmeg

8 pieces licorice root

1 piece fresh ginger - 3" long, lightly smashed

4 pieces galangal 2" long, lightly smashed

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock

1 1/2 quarts cold water

2 1/2 cups thick dark soya sauce

1 1/2 cups light soya sauce

1/4 cup Mui Kwai/Rose Wine

1 lb rock sugar

1 duck - 5 pounds or more

Method:

To make the mother sauce:
Wrap all the spices, from cinnamon to galangal, in cheesecloth and sew close.

In a large, covered stockpot, bring the water, chicken,spice package and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, leave the lid cracked, and simmer for 3 hours.
Add the soya sauces, rose wine and rock sugar and raise the heat back to high and bring to a boil. Stir to make certain all ingredients are blended and the sugar is dissolved.

The sauce is ready for use.

To cook the duck with the mother sauce:

Place a rack at the bottom of a large pot. Place the duck on the rack. Pour in the mother sauce. The duck should be completely immersed. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, leave the lid cracked, and simmer for `1 3/4 to 2 hours, turning the duck 2 or 3 times.
Turn off the heat and cover the pot. Allow the duck to rest in the liquid for 30 minutes. Remove the duck, cut into bite-sized pieces and serve warm.

A chicken may be cooked in this as well, with no alteration of the recipe and tofu or hard-boiled eggs can be steeped in this sauce too.

My tallest cake yet!

POW!
it's 10 storeys tall!! 1m in height!
A crazy cake huH!?
I was incredibly excited about the whole concept, covered from head to toe in pastillage and royal icing at the end of it all. Haha; was worth every ounce of effort.

I wish for more challenging cakes like these! AWESOMe stress training. *faints*
I've got a pretty packed week; hadn't had time to be online much. I miss u all!

Chinese Doughnut With Glutinious Rice

I love glutinious rice and also Hum Cheem Paeng/Chinese Doughnut, so a combination of these two satisfy my craving at one go, how wonderful.  But, what are they called in chinese?  I thought it is called 'Kap Sum Choong'  but my dear friend, Peng, said it is called ' Kap Choong'.  I know that someone out there knows the name.  Help!!!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of Hum Cheem Paeng II
1 cup glutinious rice - soaked
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Method:

Put the soaked glutinious rice, sugar, salt and enough water to come to just above the rice, in the rice cooker and cook rice until done.

Remove and let cool slightly.  While still warm, form into a log.

Roll the hum cheem paeng dough out into a rectangular shape, the length of the glutinious rice log, the width should be just enough to wrap up the glutionious log.  Pinch the seames tightly to seal.

Cut into 3/4  - 1 inch pieces and roll each piece out slightly and form them back into shape.

Dust away as much bench flour as possible before deep frying.

Deep fry on medium heat and keep turning hum cheem paeng for even browning.

Enjoy.

Serves

Indonesian Snack : Rempeyek

I have always wanted to make this Indonesian snack which i thought needed a mould but when i found out that it can be made without it, i made it and it was very successful. A small wok is needed and so a little oil too and one rempeyek is made at a time, it may sound tedious, but it was worth it. To obtain a nice even round piece, the oil must not be too hot. A piece is fried until it has set and it has to finish browning in the oven, which is a very good step, as the baking browns and remove excess oil. I would prefer to partly roast the peanuts as i find that using raw ones, some are not thoroughly cooked through.



Ingredients:

125 g rice flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp whole cummin seeds

1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds

2 - 3 tbsp soaked, pounded ikan bilis

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 partially roasted peanuts

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except for the peanuts and leave batter to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a small wok until it is less than moderately hot, ladle a scoop of batter, add some peanuts to the batter.

Pour batter into oil in a circular motion, let batter set before turning to fry the other side. Snack can be removed as soon as it has hardened, need not to be golden brown cos it has to be browned in the oven.

Repeat making the snacks and when all is done, brown in a 350f oven until they are golden brown and crispy.

Enjoy

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Mocha Ice Cream

(less than 1 quart)

I usually make frozen yogurt in my ice cream machine, but every once in a blue moon I make real ice cream.

The last time I made some was a couple of years ago, and that was a delicious dulce de leche ice cream. This time I decided to combine two things I love; coffee and chocolate. The grated chocolate added last, gives this an interesting texture.

*I used a bit of coffee liqueur because the alcohol lowers the freezing temperature, resulting in a smoother and creamier consistency.

1/4 cup freshly ground dark coffee beans, very fine
1/3 cup boiling water

4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
*2-3 tbsp coffee liqueur

3 oz semisweet chocolate, grated

Pour the hot water over the coffee grounds, stir and set aside overnight, up to 24 hours. Strain and set aside.

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Combine the cream and milk and heat until it just begins to simmer. Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Turn on the heat to low and cook carefully while whisking, until the mixture thickens and the custard looks like it wants to simmer; don't allow it to come to a boil - otherwise it might curdle. Remove from heat.

Stir in the coffee liqueur and the coffee.  Cover with plastic, smoothing over the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill for at least 3 hours, up to overnight.

Stir in the grated chocolate and pour into an ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer's directions.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

(12 cupcakes)

cupcake batter
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12 muffin tin with baking papers.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the the oil, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in all of the flour, cornstarch and buttermilk, then beat until well combined; less than a minute.

Spoon the batter, dividing equally among the 12. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven immediately and cool completely before frosting. Be careful not to  leave them in the oven too long otherwise they might dry out and won't be moist.

chocolate sour cream frosting
6 oz good quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups sour cream, give or take a tablespoon or two.

sprinkles for decorating

Carefully melt the chocolate chips. Whisk in the sour cream until well combined. Frost the cupcakes immediately. Top with sprinkles.

These are best eaten the day they are made.

Steamed Ground Pork With Cuttlefish/Yau Yee Cheng Gee Yoke

Before i proceed further with this text, i would like to apologise for my absence and would like to thank all the well wishes and prayers for my mom.  My Mom is now resting in peace and my daughter and me are glad that we get to spend a few days with her before she passed on.  My Mom was such a considerate person and she had never ever wanted to 'mah fan' her children especially me.  She must have wanted me to know that she is now in peace.  Thank you Mom for being such a lovely mother and bringing us up to be meaningful human beings, may you rest in peace.  I would like to thank all my siblings, their better half and children, and relatives who came from far and near and giving me an opportunity to connect to you all. Although we may be thousand of miles away, you all are always in my thoughts and have a special place in my heart.

This dish is one of the dish that my mom would cook and i would like to share this simple and yet so delicious served with white rice.  In the good old days before meat grinder or food processor, my mom would chop the pork with her cleaver, the one and only knife in the kitchen. Somehow pork chopped with a chinese cleaver tasted so much better when steamed, perhaps it is the love put in.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb/8 ozs ground pork
1 piece of cuttlefish(tieu pean) - washed, soaked until soft and then shred.
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp tapioca starch/cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
2 - 3 slices of ginger - shredded

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in  ceramic dish/plate which can fit in your rice cooker and put the shredded ginger on top.. Alternatively, you can use a regular steamer or a wok to steam this dish.

Put in this prepared dish on top of the rice when the rice is  not cooked totally and the rice cooker's cooked function is not done. You must put this dish in time so that the residue heat from the rice will cook the pork.

Remove from rice cooker and serve hot.

Serves

Khao Pod Tod; Thai Corn Patties with Cucumber Sauce

 (8-10 patties)

Whenever I go out for Thai food, I try to have these corn patties as an appetizer. Whole Foods had corn on sale this week; 6 ears for $2..   I couldn't resist.

cucumber sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Combine the vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cucumber, cilantro and mint.


corn patties
2 cups corn, about 3-4 ears fresh corn
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 green onion, chopped
a pinch or two of cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup rice flour, 1 tbsp more if needed

oil for frying

Combine all of the patty ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add a bit of oil to coat the pan evenly.

Drop a couple of tablespoons of batter per patty and fry until the bottoms are brown; about 2 minutes. Flip carefully and fry the other sides until browned.

Serve immediately with the cucumber sauce.