Sugar & Everything Nice

Pineapple Fried Rice with Prawns (Khow Pad Supparod Goong)

2009-11-11T21:34:00.031+08:00

Have you ever thought that the simplest meal is sometimes the best meal you've ever had. I've had moments like this. It's often the something that you would throw together in a pot would bring the cosiest warm feelings. Would you believe that fried rice falls into this category for me? Well it does!

When we were young kids (god knows that was donkey years ago), my mum would cook fried rice and her main ingredients were diced onions, diced char siew (chinese roast pork), frozen vegetables and eggs. These were one of the moments we enjoyed the most and I still remember the big pot of fried rice placed in the middle of the dining table. All of us would swoop down onto the pot with a spoons and heaped up huge helpings onto our dinner plate. I loved eating char siew fried rice with Maggie (that's the brand of the sauce) chillie sauce.

Would you believe when I first worked in Hong Kong many years ago, I could never find this particular brand of chillie sauce any where in town. So every time I go back to Singapore (which was about 4 times a year), I would take the opportunity to pack a few bottles back with me. Hah ... I should have recorded the customs officer's face when he opened my luggage at HK airport.

Pineapple Fried Rice with Prawns (Khow Pad Supparod Goong)
Serves 2
Print Recipe

Ingredients:

50g boiled shrimp
1/3 cup frozen mixed vegetable
1/4 cup cubed pieces of fresh pineapple
2 cups cold plain rice (break up any clumps)
3 Tbsp oil

For the Paste:

100g blended pineapple pulp
1 Tbsp tumeric powder
2 Tbsp seafood curry powder
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar (or more to taste)
Water to moisten rice
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method:

1) Heat oil in a wok or a pan and stir fry the paste until fragrant and mixture thickens.

2) Add in the rice and frozen vegetables and fry until well mixed. Adjust seasoning and then stir in the boiled shrimp and pineapple pieces.

3) Serve rice warm. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts, fresh coriander and red chillies.

Sunflower Cupcakes

2009-11-11T20:00:00.005+08:00

These cupcakes were made on the speer of the moment. I really had no intention on baking anything over the weekday - you could say I wanted to take a break! So I'm not sure how this happened. Anyway I ended up with 12 cupcakes that needed some decoration on them. So I decided to take out my piping tips which I have not used for a long while now (if you need to know this) and turned these chocolate cupcakes into sunflowers. Just right for a sunny bright Sunday afternoon as well. As my other half is really not into cakes at all, these went to other willing "hungry" mouths - and they sure weren't complaining at all!

Sunflower Cupcakes
Adapted from "Favourite Cupcakes & Cheesecakes"
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp coffee extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners.

2) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat until mixed thoroughly. Then add in the the coffee extract.

4) Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the milk.

5) Divide the batter into the paper lines and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes. Immediately transfer to a wire rack once baked to allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing with your favourite frosting.

6) Using a round piping tip #8, fill up a circle with chocolate butter (about 1") in the middle of your cupcake. Dip the cream into a bowl of chocolate rice. Next using a leaf tip #352, fill your piping bag with yellow buttercream and pipe leafs from the edge of the chocolate circle towards the outer edge of your cupcake. You can overlap the leafs to give it a more realistic petal look.

Gyoza or Potstickers

2009-11-08T08:00:00.004+08:00

We love eating dumpling .. any sort, steamed, fried, baked, etc. So I thought it was high time, as well as fun (this is a first for me) to post up an pictorial post on how to make up a batch of gyoza.

For my gyoza I used store-made wrappers which are easily available (ok I cheated). Use the wrappers that are meant for gyoza or dumplings (not wanton cause these would be a pale yellow colour).

You start off with chopping, more chopping and some more chopping. Great thing about gyoza is that you can use any type of filing you fancy. If you are a vegetarian, replace all the meat with different types of vegetables, include some water chestnut (heh great idea, and I'll add this for my next batch) for extra crunch!

Firstly, place a piece of wrapper on the palm of your hand. Place about 1 rounded teapoon of the filing onto the center of the wrapper. Shape the filing into an oval shape.

Then fold the wrapper in half. Sight an imaginary center line on the wrapper. What you want to do is to make 3 small pleats to the right and to the left of your imaginary line. Start doing one small pleat from the end and follow it with 2 more pleats, working your way from the end to the center. Make sure you pinch the pleats tighly together as you don't want your gyoza opening up and the filing oozing out whilst it's being cooked.

Once you have done the first 3 pleats, turn the gyoza around so that the 3 pleats you have already made, is now facing away from you. Instead of starting the first pleat from the end, pleat from the center and work your way to the end.

Once you have done the 6 pleats, tuck in each ends and pinch tightly. If the edges are not sealing properly, dab the ends with a little bit of water. The gyoza should now resemble a crescent shape. Continue shaping the rest of the wrappers. You may want to place the gyoza onto a lightly dusted (with plain flour) plate or tray to ensure that they don't stick to the surface.

You can either fry or steam the gyoza. I took the unhealty route ... and pan-fried them. Heh, before you say no to frying, read the instructions first. What is great about this method is that there is hardly any splattering of oil onto your walls. I can attest to this cause I hate frying because of the cleaning up thereafter.

I used a non-stick frying pan with slightly higher sides to it plus a see-through glass cover, of course. Add a couple of tablespoon of oil to your pan, place the gyozas into your pan and then turn on the fire to medium high. When the bottom of the gyoza starts to get golden brown (and you have to watch this closely cause you don't want charred "bottoms"), add the water and then quickly put on the lid. Once the water evaporates and disappears, remove the lid, reduce the fire to low and continue cooking for about minute and half to two. The gyozas will dry out and crisp up. Serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauce.

Gyoza or Potstickers
For the filing:

200g minced pork, not too lean (you can substitute with minced chicken)
5 medium sized prawns, minced
1/2 cup finely minced chinese cabbage or napa cabbage
3 stalks green onions, minced
5 fresh shitake mushrooms, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tsp young ginger, finely minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp chinese cooking wine
1/4 tsp white pepper

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To pan fry: Place gyoza in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To steam: Place gyozas on a single layer of chinese cabbage or on a well-greased plate and steam on high for about 6 - 8 minutes.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a tray so they are not touching. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve: Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with thinly sliced fresh young ginger and chinese black vinegar or chinese red vinegar sauce.

Hue Shrimp and Vegetable Pancakes

2009-11-04T08:40:00.001+08:00

I was extremely elated over the weekend when I received an email from Astrid of Paulchens FoodBlog advising that I was one of the winners of DMBLGIT October 2009 in the "Edibility" category. I never for the life of me expected this at all especially when there were so many other beautifully styled photographs. Anyway I would like to congratulate the rest of the other winners on their well-deserved win! Okey ... now back to my post proper.

We discovered this amazingly simple but absolutely delicious dish during our trip to Hanoi in September. This particular shop, extremely narrow and tucked between a bakery and a bicycle repair shop, serves only Hue pancakes and nothing else! I discovered later that Hue pancakes originate from a province in central Vietnam called Hue (it would seem like a national dish to me if it's named after a place) and is considered the fulcrum of Vietnam's rice planting region - the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta. Hue food tends to be spicier than most regions in Vietnam and you'll also get lots of seafood since this area is located near the sea.

The pancakes are made from rice flour with egg. A small amount of batter is then spread over a shallow pan to produce a very thin crepe. This is then cooked over a high heat until the bottom of the crepe is crispy and golden brown. Toppings are then spread over the top during the cooking process. To eat the pancakes, you would take a thin dry rice paper, put some herbs such as mint and basil, on the rice paper and then top it with a small piece of the pancake. You then roll the whole thing up like a spring roll. The roll is then dipped into a vinegratte sauce. I was extremely surprised that the rice paper used was the thinnest I have ever seen. You cannot image how delicious this was ... it was so good that we ate it for 3 days in a row!

Hue Shrimp and Vegetable Pancakes (Banh Khoai)
Recipe from "The Food of Vietnam" by Trieu Thi Choi & Marcel Isaak
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (150g) rice flour
1 1/4 cups (310ml) water
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup (40g) straw mushrooms
8 fresh medium shrimp (200g), poached for 30 seconds until just cooked, peeled and deveined
1 cup (50g) bean sprouts
2 spring onions, sliced
1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
Fish Sauce Dip, for dipping

Method:

1) Mix the rice flour, water, egg, salt and sugar in a bowl until it becomes a smooth batter. Set aside for 10 mins, then sieve through a wire mesh to remove any lumps.

2) Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a wok or skillet over hgh heat, turning to grease the sides as well. Add 1/2 cup of the batter and turn the work or skillet to obtain a thin round layer of batter. Top the batter with some straw mushrooms, then cover the work or skillet and pan-fry for about 1 minute, taking care not to scorch the bottom of the pancake.

3) Remove the cover, add some shrimp, bean sprouts, sliced chilli and spring onion on top and continue to pan-fry the pancake until golden brown and crispy. This should take about 2 minutes, depending on your stove's fire. Remove from the heat. Pan-fry all the pancakes in the same manner.

4) Serve the pancakes hot with a bowl of Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Mam Cham) (recipe below) on the side and a plate of lettuce leaves and fresh herbs such as basil and mint.

Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Mam Cham)
Recipe Yields 1/2 cup

1/4 cup (60ml) water or fresh coconut juice
1 - 2 tsp rice vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and minced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced finely (more if you are a garlic lover)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce

Bring the water or coconut juice, vinegar and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Remove and set aside to cool. Combine the chilli, garlic and lime juice, mix well and stir in the fish sauce. For a variation, add some grated carror or carrot and radish pickles into the dipping sauce.

Chilli Crabs (Malaysian Style)

2009-10-31T22:15:00.007+08:00

I've only ever cooked crabs many years ago and have not made a crab dish ever since. In Singapore crabs are usually bought live as it would be at its freshest just prior to cooking. The first time I bought the crabs, I really had no idea on how to kill them. It seemed quite gruesome to kill something that is still alive. So what I did was to stick them in the freezer. To me it seemed to be a much more humane method.

The supermarket near my apartment has recently started to sell live seafood. So when we were there buying some fresh produce we asked one of the staff whether they could kill live crabs for us. And the answer was yes. So the week after we purchased one large size mud crab and had it killed. I then placed the crab pieces into the fridge when I got home to be cooked later in the evening for our dinner. Did you know that several versions of Chilli crab recipes exist in Asia? I guess the most popular one would be the Singapore Chillie Crab which has now become an icon to the country. Every single tourist visiting Singapore will definitely not miss out on tasting this national dish. However this version which I had chanced upon happened to be a version from my own country - Malaysia. It is slightly different from the chillie crabs that I have eaten in Singapore but this particular version had a distinct flavour on its own. Well for one, my hubby really enjoyed it! It says quite a bit already as he is not one who likes "fighting with his food" - that's how he terms eating crabs with fingers, that is.

Chillie Crab (Malaysian Style)
Recipe Adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

1 Dungeness or Mud Crab (about 1 kg in weight)
1 sprig of coriander (chopped for garnishing only)
1 tablespoon of sugar (more if required)
2 tablespoons of tamarind juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/4 cup of water

Spice Paste:

5 dried red chilies (soaked in hot water and deseeded)
2 fresh red chillies (cut into 1" slices)
1 tablespoon of taucheo (fermented yellow bean sauce)
2 small shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch of fresh ginger
2 inches of lemon grass (the white part only)

Tamarind Juice:
5 seeds of tamarind, add 2 tablespoon water and squeeze out the juice

Method:

1) Clean the crab and chop it into pieces.

2) Grind the spice paste in a blender or food processor until it is finely blended.

3) Soak the tamarind seeds in some warm water for 15 minutes. Extract the juice and discard the seeds.

4) Heat up deep frying pan or chinese wok and add cooking oil.

5) Stir fry the spice paste until fragant and spicy.

6) Add the crab and 1/4 cup of water and do a quick stir. Cover the pan and cook for about 3 minutes.

8) Add in sugar, tamarind juice, a little salt to taste and continue stirring for about 2 minutes or until all crab pieces turned red.

9) Dish up, garnish with chopped scallions and serve hot.

Notes:

1) If you are not sure how to clean the crab, ask if your local market can do this for you.

2) Make sure you crack the shells of the crab (especially the claws) before cooking. (I used a small hammer to do this)

How about some French Macarons?

2009-10-27T08:15:00.005+08:00

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Oh wow! Macarons! For the life of me, I did not expect this. To be frank I'm really not that much into macarons (I think they are a bit too sweet) which is probably why you only see them making a rare appearance in this blog. I remembered the very first time I made macarons. Of course prior to actually venturing into it, I did a whole lot of research and finally picked a recipe posted by none other than the Queen of Macarons - Helen of Tartelette. I used the Italian method which is suppose to give a more stable macaron. Not sure what I did wrong but every single one cracked, even though the tops were shiny! It took a long while before I dared to try again! The next time round I used David Lebowitz's recipe and I didn't even age the egg whites, which is suppose to be a "no-no". Lo and behold, my macarons developed feet and they didn't crack. I was so excited. I remember running out from the kitchen, exclaiming, feet - feet! Any one other than my hubby would have certainly thought that a mad woman had ascended upon them. I guess only bakers can appreciate the excitment of seeing "feet". Would you believe me if I told you I still get this excitment plus the fact that I will stare ardently into my oven for the first 10 minutes just to see the macarons rise up.

For this particular challenge, I made two different batches over separate weekends. The first was a Hazelnut Espresso Chocolate Macaron sandwiched with a bittersweet chocolate ganache which had been flavoured with orange liquor. I sprinkled the top of each macaron with cocoa nibs. Huh - talk about chocolate overdose and it does sounds delish right?? Well they were! The espresso and bitterness of the chocolate counter-balanced the sugar just nicely! Pair these with a cup of espresso coffee and you'll be in 7th heaven!

The next batch was Almond Lemon-Mint Macaron sandwiched with chai flavoured chocolate ganache. I coloured the macarons in baby blue and even did some swirls on some of them, just for the sake of experimenting. These were delicious as well and the lemon-mint paired quite well with the chai flavour. I wasn't sure at first!

In all, this month's challenge has been another fun adventure. To check out other beautiful creations, go visit my fellow bakers at Daring Bakers .

Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven from 200°F to 375°F.

Equipment required:

• Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• Rubber spatula
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or nonstick liners
• Pastry bag (can be disposable)
• Plain half-inch pastry bag tip
• Sifter or sieve
• If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off
• Oven
• Cooling rack
• Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets
• Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nuts

French Macarons

Ingredients

Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2) Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3) Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4) Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

5) Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6) Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7) Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: About two dozen filled macarons

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

2009-10-20T19:30:00.011+08:00

Today, our baking group, Cake Slice Bakers, will embark on a new chapter. After a year of baking recipes from "Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman", we have now picked a new book to challenge ourselves. Our choice (by democratic voting) happens to be "Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations by Nancie McDermott".

Unlike "Sky High" which basically concentrated on triple layer cakes "Southern Cakes" will feature 65 delicious recipes from Southern Heritage. Recipes will include jam cakes and jelly rolls, humble pear bread and peanut cake. It will also contain whole chapters on both moist chocolate and coconut cakes.

The first cake to make its debut from this book is a Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake! A light butter sheet cake with a sprinkled middle layer of cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans and raisins – strudel style. The cake is then topped with more of the yummy sprinkles and baked until sweet, sticky and golden. It’s served warm in slices straight from the pan. Sounds delicious doesn't it! And it sure was. I loved the crispy streusel topping. In fact my hubby practically scrapped off all the topping from the cake! Instead of using raisins I decided to finish using the half opened packet of dried cranberries which I had used for baking some cookies. I really left this challenge to the last moment - completed it on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't too worried as this particular cake did not require frosting, decoration, etc - unlike Sky High". By the way, I've placed an order of this book from Amazon and waiting for delivery of it in November. Can't wait to see what other recipes this book will reveal.

Also go check out my fellow bakers at Cake Slice Bakers for more beautiful creations.

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott
Makes a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake
Print Recipe

For the Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

For the Cinnamon Raisin Filling

1½ cups light brown sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp cinnamon
1½ cups raisins (I used dried cranberries)
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
¾ cup (1½ sticks or 170g) butter, melted

Method:

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 inch pan.

2) To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Combine the raisins and pecans in another bowl and toss to mix them. Place the cinnamon mixture, nut mixture and melted butter by the baking pan to use later.

3) To make the cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir the vanilla into the milk. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure a good mix. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until the mixture is smooth and light.

4) Use a large spoon or spatula to add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only until the flour disappears. Add a third of the milk and mix in. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk mixtures have been incorporated. Stir just enough to keep the batter smooth.

5) Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter followed by half the melted butter. Scatter half the raisins and nuts over the top. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the filling, using a spatula to smooth the batter all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the leftover cinnamon, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

6) Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, fragrant and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving in squares right from the pan.

7) The cake is delicious hot, warm or at room temperature.

Pizza Revisited

2009-10-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

Ever since I first learnt how to make pizza through a Daring Bakers challenge, I have not ordered a "home delivery" pizza since! Ok I confess I have on a couple of occassions bought frozen pizza from the supermarket. And that's purely because our favourite brand was on sale. Does this count?

I used a thin crust recipe which I had tried previously with much success. Only half the dough was used,which was sufficient to come up with two round 15" pizzas, and the remaining dough went into the freezer for another pizza treat.

For the first pizza I added sliced fresh button mushrooms, salami, tomatoes and topped it off with grated mozzarella and parmesan.

The second pizza was a hawaiian pizza and I used sliced honey baked ham and chunks of canned pineapple topped with mozarrella and parmesan. Both pizzas were extremely crispy and delicious - nothing smells better than a fresh pizza in the oven. I'm now thinking of getting a pizza stone!

My Hanoi Trip (Part 2)

2009-10-15T08:30:00.005+08:00

If ever you are in Hanoi, one of the "must" places in your agenda should be Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a top tourist attraction in Vietnam and has been listed amongst the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, it forms an amazing seascape of limestone pillars along with more than 1,600 islands and islets. “Halong” literally means “Bay of Descending Dragons”. A local legend says that a family of dragons was sent to defend the land a long time ago when the Vietnamese were fighting the Chinese invaders. These dragons had descended upon what is now known as Halong Bay.

Preferably you should spend a night in a junk on the bay - that's provided you have the time. However we didn't, so we opted for a day trip instead. The mini bus picked us up from the hotel together with the rest of the tour group. The road trip itself would take 3 1/2 hours up north on a 165km journey. It was raining slightly in the morning and we kept our fingers crossed that it was just a passing cloud. By the time we reached the harbour, it was almost noon time. There were hundreds of tourists alighting from tour coaches and waiting to board their respective junks. There were many junks docked at the harbour and in and around the harbour as well. Besides cruising Halong Bay, our itinerary also included a tour of one of the many caves found in the bay, a bit of kayaking and a visit to a local fish farm. The rain had stopped by then but the sky was still a bit gloomy. However it got better as the day progressed and we were graced by sunshine.

The cave which we explored is called Hung Sung Sot Cave. To get to the cave we had to walk up a steep path lined with shady trees. There are two chambers in the cave with a square shaped outer chamber and a ceiling of about 30 meters height. The inner chamber formations look like sentries conversing with one another, animals (including one which looked like a tortoise) and a formation resembling a general surveying his troops in the middle of the chamber. The light reflected from the water outside seems to bring these formations to life.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day trip at Halong and by the time we arrived back to the hotel it was just past 8.30pm.

Another day trip which we did whilst in Hanoi was to visit the Perfume Pagoda. It's a full day trip out to the countryside. The road trip would take about 2 hours covering 70km. Along the way we passed rice fields and the local farmers were harvesting their crops.

The Perfume Pagoda (or Chua Huong) is considered as one of the most important religious sites of Buddhism in Vietnam. It is not one temple but a cluster of temples and shrines located in the vicity. Perfume Pagoda is famous for the annual pilgrimage of Buddhists. Every year, between February and March, the Chua Huong festival draws hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country. Our journey would include a 60 minute boat ride along a scenic river. Unfortunately the day that we choose to do this trip was extremely hot and humid. The river itself is open and not shaded, so you really do not have any protection against the hot afternoon sun. Even with hats and sun-glasses it did not help much but luckily for me, I brought along a folded umbrella. It was more for the rain than sun, but it helped to provide us some shade.

When we reached the other end of the river, it was time for a local Vietnamese lunch. There are two ways to get to the Perfume Pagoda which is located on top of a hill - either by cable car or a 4km up-hill trek lasting about an hour. Of all days the cable car had to be under maintenance! So trek it was along a crudely fashioned road made of uneven stone steps and paths. I think I must have lost about a kilo of prespiration by the end of the trek. Luckily the cable car was working on the return journey. Along the way to the summit, we passed a few temples and shrines, including the Thien Tru temple (or the Outer Temple).

The main attraction at the summit is a visit to the Huong Tich Grotto (or Inner Temple). The path to Huong Tich grotto is forged by nature through thousands of years of changes. Today, the path leading to Chua Trong is a series of smooth granite slabs stacking on one another creating a series of switch backs leading to the temple. A total of 120 steps descends downwards as the temple lies deep within the grotto. At the entrance to the grotto, there is "heaven's gate" (path to heaven) and "hell's gate" (descend to hell). As story goes, in the 18th century, Lord Trinh Sam had 5 words, "Nam Thien De Nhat Dong" meaning, "the most beautiful grotto under southern sky", carved onto the granite slab at the entrance to Huong Tich grotto. According to legend, the cave was discovered two thousand years ago. However, local people only began to place a shrine there in 1575, and later a larger temple was built. There are many colorful stalagmites and stalactites within the cave. Each is given a name for their distinctive features. It is believed that couples who wish for children often pay homage to Huong Tich grotto and to especially visit Nui Co and Nui Cau to pray for their first born.

Whilst we were in Hanoi we also managed to sample some of their local street food. Surprisingly eating at restaurants or even having a latte in cafe bars is not really cheap. We happened to lug our mini notebook along with us on this trip - the hotel provides free wifi. So in the evenings, I would surf various websites, especially travel logs checking out the best street food in town.

Obviously when you mention Vietnam, the first thing that comes to mind would be the "infamous" pho. Pho (pronounced as "fef") is a Vietnamese beef and rice noodle soup from North Vietnam. The traditional pho is served with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). This is called pho bo. It can also be served with sliced chicken meat and this is called pho ga. Although pho can be found in Southern part of Vietnam as well, I have been told that the pho served is different. The pho we are used to in Singapore is served with thinly sliced onions, fresh basil and beansprouts, which also happens to be the version found in the south. The broth is slightly darker as well. In Hanoi, the broth is very clear and is just served with slices of beef and spring onions. Average cost per bowl is VDN35,000 (Vietnamese Dong).

We also tried the famous Hanoi fried fish with fresh dill. This particular place we went to is the original birth place of this dish and it's the only dish that is served. Local name for this dish is Cha Ca La Vong and how appropriate for the restaurant to be located at 14 Cha Ca Street. When this local dish gained popularity, other shops started to spring up around Hanoi. However most tourist will tell you to go back to the original shop. I was skeptical about trying it out at first but believe me once you have, you want more. This dish can't be any simplier. It is made with chunks of freshwater fish seasoned with galanga and garlic, colored with turmeric to a warm golden hue, and grilled over charcoal for a smoky note. Then it is fried up with handfuls of fresh dill on a tabletop stove and served over thin rice noodles, shredded lettuce, chopped peanuts, and nuoc cham (dipping sauce). Cost per person excluding drink is VDN100,000. If you do not have a huge appetite, one portion is sufficient to be shared between 2 persons.

Another very popular dish in Hanoi and a must try would be Bun Cha. Bun cha is a lunch time meal. It consist of BBQ minced pork rolls teamed with charred slices of pork belly in a thin fish sauce, vinegar and sugar stock with sides of rice noodles and assorted greens and fresh herbs. Depending on season, either slices of green papaya or chayote (choko) are set afloat upon the stock. Simple, yes! But, miss this dish and you miss out - big time. I actually caught sight of this particular shop selling bun cha whilst exploring the streets of Hanoi. On our last day, we decided to have an early lunch there. We arrived at 10.30am but was told it would only open at 11am. We decided to walk a bit first and then go back again once they open. We were guided up the narrow stairwell to the 2nd floor. I believe this shop has 4 levels altogether. We ordered 2 portions and were served bun cha and a side dish of Nem Cua Bể(Fried Crab and Pork Spring Rolls). Lucky for me I had already seen a video on youtube as to how to eat this dish. Put a portion of rice noodles in your bowl, add some vegetables and herbs, and then scope some of the vinegar sauce into the bowl. Then add freshly chopped garlic and chillies and mix it all around. Eat the noodles together with the pork rolls. This shop is called Bun Cha Dac Kim and is located at No. 1 Hang Manh St., Hanoi. Total cost including one can drink was VDN130,000.

Another street food which can be found in Hanoi is Banh Cuon and is found in Northen Vietnam. Banh Cuon hails from Thanh Tri district just outside Hanoi. It is basically a freshly made steamed thin rice roll (similar to Hong Kong steamed rice rolls) and filled with mashed up minced pork, mushrooms and prawns. It comes served with sliced cucumber, cha lua (mortadella), beansprouts, sprinkled with deep-fried shallots and chopped mint with a nuoc mam (fish sauce) dip.

Banh xeo is Vietnamese style crepe with whole shrimp, thinly sliced pork and bean sprouts. The crepe is cooked in a special pan over high heat. It is so thin that the end result is a crispy rice pancake. This dish is a "do-it-yourself dish" that involves the messy but delicious process of wrapping the crepe with lettuce, cilantro, mint and basil into a thin crisp rice paper roll. The roll is then dipped into vinagrette that has sliced chillies and minced fresh garlic. This particular shop is found on No. 22, Hang Bo Street. The cost of 2 crepes was less than VDN15,000.

We also tried out some grilled pork satays which was found at the back alley to our hotel. Included with the platter was fresh sliced turnip and grilled dried cuttlefish slices which you would dip into a bowl of chillie sauce. The street vendor would give you a little stool to sit on whilst having your meal. Lots of locals were seated in the alley, munching on these grilled feasts and chatting the night away.

In all we really enjoyed our trip. Unfortunately there are lots of other local street food which we did not have a chance to try out.... maybe another trip!

Jelly Donuts

2009-10-11T09:20:00.004+08:00

Call us donut freaks but we love eating these little yeasted bakes - with or without the holes! We take them anyhow it comes. I for one prefer the old fashion donut, no frills whatsoever and simply sprinkled with caster sugar or better still cinnamon sugar. Yum and with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, it's complete heaven to me. My hubby goes for the fancy types ... jam filled or those glazed with more sugary stuff, not forgetting chocolate of course! I personally think it's a whole lot of sugar load in one-go.

With a free afternoon and the house all to myself ... oops not exactly! I forgot my two fur doggie boys! I decided to try my hand at some jelly donuts (small version ones). I've been putting off making donuts for a long time as the idea of frying had not really appealed to me at all. In fact I was chatting over yahoo chat with my sister who is currently residing in Melbourne about donuts. She too was keen to try out the recipe and like me, frying was the deterent! She asked for a baked version instead. Anyway these jelly donuts lived up to expectations but you really have to eat it fresh. I had a few left over for the next day but the donuts tasted a bit heavier .... definitely not so nice once stale!

Jelly Donuts
Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe
Makes 20

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water, (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup castor sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups vegetable oil, plus more for bowl
1 cup seedless blueberry jam
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1) In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2) Into your mixer bowl, add the flour, eggs, yeast mixture, orange extract, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Attach your dough hook and turn to low to mix the ingredients for about a minute. Then turn your mixer one speed higher and continue to mix for about 8 minutes. Add a little more flour if necessary. By the end of the 8 minutes your dough should be smooth, soft and bounces back when poked with a finger (it should not be sticking to the sides of your bowl).

3) Roll the dough into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4) On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2" cutter and cut out about 20 rounds. If you don't have a round cutter, use any other utensils that will give you a similar shape. Cover with clingwrap and set aside to rise for another 15 mins. (Do not be alarmed if the rounds do not seem to rise much. Once you fry them in the hot oil, they will puff up nicely.)

5) In medium saucepan or pot over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370F. Carefully slip 4 rounds into oil (do not over crowd). Fry until golden brown, about 40 seconds. Turn doughnuts over; fry until golden on other side, another 40 seconds.

6) Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Continue frying the remaining dough.

7) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip with jam. Using a wooden skewer or the end of a chopstick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

8) Dust the donuts with icing sugar and serve whilst still warm.

Sang Har Mien (Prawns with Crispy Egg Noodles)

2009-10-07T08:30:00.001+08:00

Especially after a day at work and a hectic one at that, I'm always for a quick tasty dinner prepared at home. We opted for noodles rather than rice. So I decided to put together a couple of plates of crispy egg noodles and used whatever I already had in the fridge. This is my quick version of a very popular noodle dish back in Malaysia!

"Sang Har Mien" literally means Fresh Water Prawns mee. Normally the flavor of the fresh water prawn is stronger than salt water ones. The succulent prawns are usually split into two and is served with the crispy noodles. A whole beaten egg is then added to the hot thick gravy and is poured over the noodles. It's simply a very delicious dish altogether.

Sang Har Mien (Prawns with Crispy Egg Noodles) - My Quick Version
(serve 2)

Ingredients:

6 medium size tiger prawns (remove heads, leave the shell intact)
1/3 cup sliced shitake mushroom
100g thinly sliced chicken breast
8 thin slices of fish cake
2 pieces of crispy egg noodle (the noodles usually come in a small round bundle and would be available in any Asian store)
1 small bunch of choy sum (or any other leafy green vegetable)
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped finely
1 tbsp finely sliced young ginger
3 cups chicken stock stock (or 3 cups water + 1 cube of Knorr's chicken cube)
1½ Tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 Tbsp water
1 large egg, beaten lightly
Sesame oil, soya sauce and white pepper for seasoning

Method

1) Using a stock pot, add 3 cups of stock, garlic and ginger and bring to a boil.

2) Turn fire to medium heat, add in the chicken and bring to a boil. Then throw in the fish cake and mushrooms and bring to a boil.

3) Then add in the prawns, followed by the beaten egg. Once it starts to simmer add in the cornflour mixture until the entire stock has thicken (it should look a bit gooey). Finally add in the green vegetables and spring onion.

4) Season stock with a drizzle of sesame oil and pinch of white pepper. If required, add soya sauce to taste.

5) Put crispy noodle on a plate and then place into the microwave. Set your microwave to high grill for 30 seconds. Take noodle out to taste if it's cripsy and warm. If not, high grill it for another 15 seconds. (Your grilling time will depend on the microwave capacity). If you don't have a microwave, you would need to do quickly deep fry the noodles in a pot of very hot oil until it turns golden brown and is crispy.

6) To serve pour the gravy directly onto the crispy noodle and serve with deep fried shallots and sliced red chillies.

My Hanoi Trip (Part 1) - Around the City

2009-10-03T23:45:00.000+08:00

I can't believe that our trip to Hanoi has come and gone in a blink of an eye! We left Singapore on 15 Sept evening for our 3 1/2 hour flight to Hanoi's international airpot, No Bai. Hanoi is located in the northern parts of Vietnam and is the 2nd largest city after Ho Chi Minh. Located on the banks of a mighty river, the River Red, Hanoi has served Vietnam as its capital for more than thousand years. The charming city has undergone a lot of foreign influences and preserves the cultural impact of all these conquests. Initially devastated by the War, Vietnam became accessible to tourists in 1989 and has since developed into an exotic tourist destination.

The lights of Hanoi city greeted us as we landed at about 9pm and after exiting immigration and customs, we took a private taxi to our hotel. If it's your first trip to Hanoi, be sure to check out your taxi fares beforehand and the best source would be to refer to your hotel. Most taxis are not metered and you could be easily charged a much higher fare. I must say it was a pretty scarry experience sitting in a Hanoi taxi. The roads are badly lit and motor bikes are everywhere, zig-zagging between other road users. Cars and heavy vehicles as well will use the same roads as the motor bikes. Drivers will flash their car lights and will horn impatiently at each other. In fact I realized throughout our trip there, they tend to horn all the time (so you can imagine how noisy it gets in the city).

I had booked our hotel, Viet Anh II, through the internet after checking out several recommendations posted online by tourists (Viet Anh is also recommended as a budget accommodation by Lonely Planet). The hotel is located along a narrow alley which made it impossible for vehicles other than motor bikes to enter. The taxi had to alight us on the main road and we then took a short walk to the hotel.

Most buildings (including budget hotels) in Hanoi do not have elevators even though they could be six storeys high. Buildings here have a narrow frontage but are extremely long in depth. The reason is because the government tax building owners on the amount of frontage space they occupy only (not bothering about the depth of the building). Because of this it would be practically impossible to include an elevator shaft within the building. As you can guess it, our hotel didn't have one either but luckily for us our room was on the 2nd floor (I really don't think I could cope with 6 flights of stairs with luggage and all).

This hotel is strategically located. Quite a few tourist sights are all within walking distance, as well as local street food and shops. Over the next couple of days we explored the city by foot. The weather was a bit erratic at times. Some days were gloomy and rained, and other days it was extremely hot and humid. Coming from a developed country like Singapore, Hanoi was a real change. I told my husband that I felt as if I had moved back into time.

Majority of the locals commuted by motor bikes. You can even see ladies in office attire with 3" heels riding motor bikes to work. The streets are jammed with them! Most of the streets do not have traffic lights and the motor bikes would somehow manage to move through street junctions without encountering any accidents. There seems to be an "unspoken" rule here and amongst all this chaos, there is a form of order! Amazing! Crossing the roads is also another feat for foreigners but to the locals it's nothing at all. We learnt that you just need to walk steadily, make no sudden moves, and the motorbikes will weave around you as you walk. As a first timer, it was really unnerving but after a day or 2, you sort of get the hang of it.

It is also quite unique that any building or alley way or blank wall could be converted to either an advertisement board or cafe for the locals to chat and have a cuppa.

You will also encounter a lot of street vendors selling all sort of goods such as freshly cut flowers, fruit, fresh fish and meat, noodles and baguette.

The oldest church in Hanoi, St Joseph's Cathedral, is just located within a stone's throw to our hotel. St Joseph's Cathedral was known simply as the "Big Church" among the Vietnamese of Hanoi. The church was consecrated on the night of Christmas in 1886 by the French. The style of the cathedral was intended to resemble the Notre Dame of Paris. When the communists took over Hanoi, freedom of religion was suppressed for three decades. Only in 1990 was restrictions relaxed and the church started resuming services and the Vietnamese people once again enjoy freedom of worship.

The hotel is also near to Hoan Kiem Lake which means "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword". This lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life. You will see locals just sitting by the lake side and chatting with their friends. Groups of young and old would be doing their daily exercise around the lake (either jogging, walking or doing tai-chi). We even caught sight of this elderly lady using a roadside metal chain to exercise her legs - it was quite funny seeing this especially when she was so near to a policeman trying to direct morning traffic.

Near the northern shore of Hoan Kiem Lake lies Jade Island on which the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) stands. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honors the 13-century military leader Tran Hung Dao who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty, Van Xuong, a scholar, and Nguyen Van Sieu, a Confucian master and famous writer in charge of repairs made to the temple in 1864. Jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted Huc Bridge (The Huc, meaning Morning Sunlight Bridge). This bridge can be found in most postcards of Hanoi. The morning we were there, it was a very gloomy day, dull skies and slight rain. We caught sight of a wedding couple on the bridge having their photographs taken.

About a 25 minute walk from where we're at, is the Dong Xuan market. Located in the Old French Quarter area, Dong Xuan Market, or Cho Dong Xuan, is the oldest and largest market in Hanoi. It is located at Dong Xuan Street, at the end of Hang Dao Street, on the northern part of the Old Quarters. The original building was constructed in 1889, on the site of one of Hanoi's lakes. It is a street market spreading over a surface of 600 square meters, occupying half of the street. Approximately fifty businesses are operating the forty stands selling food, artifacts, souvenirs and tour packages among others.

The streets outside Dong Xuan market was really congested with traffic. In addition each street seemed to be selling similar items example one entire street could be displaying weaved baskets, another street was selling metal wares, the next was children's toys, or cushions and blankets.

Hope you had fun reading this but do stay tuned for Part 2 of my trip!

Daring Bakers on a Vols-au Vent Venture!

2009-09-27T11:45:00.003+08:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon . She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook "Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan".

Puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée) is something most of us usually buy at the grocery store, but I guess being Daring Bakers we have to dare ourselves further! This wouldn't be the first time we would be making puff pastry. In June last year, we were challenged to work with laminated dough to bake a danish braid. A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.

I had skipped the August challenge so when 1st Sept came, I could not wait to find out what would be this month's challenge. When Steph posted that it would be vols-au vent, I was pretty excited! I had in fact planned to make some in the next week or two, so this was indeed perfect timing. And guess what, another challenge which my other half would love to be my "official tester"! I decided to make bite-size vols-au vent; both savoury and sweet. I toyed with several different ideas .... even to extend of mumbling to myself on the type of filings I would use. I'm not sure if my husband thought it was funny or down right irritating by the end of the weekend. Anyway I ended up with several types of filings. For the savoury, it included carmelized onion with tomato confit, a wild mushroom ragoo, an egg mayo salad, apple and walnut chutney and honey baked ham with creme fraiche. For the sweet version, I simply piped each vols-a vent with lemon pastry cream and topped the pastries with filings such as blueberry confit topped with fresh blueberries, freshly chopped figs and miniature marshmallows. Can you imagine that the preparation part took almost a day and the consumption part took about 30 minutes only. So much for that!

Vols-au Vent

Equipment Required:

- food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well)
-rolling pin
-pastry brush
-metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended)
-plastic wrap
-baking sheet
-parchment paper
-silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended)
-set of round cutters (optional, but recommended)
-sharp chef’s knife
-fork
-oven
-cooling rack

Prep Times:

-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)
-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:

-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

Fill and serve.

*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.

*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.

*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. Extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
Extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Fig Streusel Tartlets with Pistachios

2009-09-24T09:30:00.001+08:00

We don't often get fresh figs here in Singapore, so it was quite a nice surprise to come across some whilst doing my weekly grocery shopping. I must say that they are quite expensive though but I could not resist getting a pack of four fesh figs. I had seen a number of fig recipes floating recently in blogsphere and it's probably because it's fig season. These ones that I bought come from Turkey. Just the thought of this country brings back fond memories of my trip there many, many years ago. It was around September and was fig season as well as the local road side vendors were displaying wooden racks of fresh, sweet figs. My first taste of figs was actually there, standing along a dusty country road-side.

I had some mini tartlet shells sitting in the freezer as a result of trying out a Confit Cherry Tomato Tart . This was ideal to try out some fig tartlets.

Fig Streusel Tartlets with Pistachios

For the pate brisee

For the filling:

60g all purpose flour
60g light brown sugar
60g very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tbsp thinly sliced crystallized orange peel (you can use 1 tbsp orange zest as substitute)
2 tbsp roughly chopped pistachio
12 fresh figs, quartered
3 tbsp orange blossom honey (or any other type of honey will do)

Prepare the filling and assemble:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar. Add the butter and ginger and quickly mix with your fingertips until you get pea sized pieces. Layer 3/4 of the streusel at the bottom of each tart shell. Divide and arrange the quartered figs evenly on top and top with the remaining streusel. Drizzle with the honey and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the streusel is baked and the figs are slightly roasted.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

2009-09-20T08:45:00.000+08:00

I recently discovered that my oven thermostat has gone totally out of whack! How did I find out about it? Well, I baked some cupcakes one week day evening after work and mid way through baking, the cupcakes looked a bit too brown at the edges to me. I thus lowered the oven temperature from 180C to 170C. By the time the cupcakes were done, every single one had cracked domes and the edges were slightly crisp. This got me really puzzled. I then decided to test the oven temperature by using an external oven thermometer (which I rarely use) and it showed that my oven was off by about 15C. By the end of the same week when I had to complete my Cake Slice challenge, I again resorted to using the external oven thermometer rather than rely on the oven's one. Lucky for me I did! My oven thermostat is now off by 50C.

Although it took me a while to get the oven to the right temperature, I finally did manage to get my three cake trays baked. I was a bit sceptical about how this cake would taste like as no butter or oil was used at all. Instead the binding agent was mayonnaise. Who would have thought that mayonnaise would have produced such an excellent fudge cake. I had a small slice to taste after the cake layers were put together. It was yummilicious and the sour cream chocolate icing is one frosting (though I didn't care too much for the white choclate mousse) that I will use over again in the future! It's that good! By the way, this cake will be the last cake from "Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes" book which our group, Cake Slice Bakers, will be baking. We will be baking from a totally new book next month, so stay tuned!

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
Makes an 9inch triple layer cake; serves 12 to 16
(Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne)

2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2¼ tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup milk
1¼ cups hot, strongly brewed coffee
2 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise (not low fat or fat free)
1½ tsp vanilla extract
2¼ cups sugar

White chocolate mousse (below)
Sour cream chocolate icing (below)

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9 inch round cake pans. Line the base of each pan with parchment.

2) Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3) Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Pour the hot coffee and milk over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth. Let the mocha liquid cool slightly.

4) In a mixer bowl, beat together the eggs, mayonnaise and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mocha liquid alternately in 2 or 3 additions, beating until smooth and well blended. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

5) Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before un-molding onto a wire rack and carefully peeling off the paper. Leave to cool completely.

White Chocolate Mousse

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg white
1 tbsp sugar

1) Melt the white chocolate with ¼ cup cream in a double boiler. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and let the white chocolate cream cool to room temperature. When it has cooled, beat the remaining ¾ cup cream until soft peaks form. In a clean bowl whip the egg white with the sugar until fairly stiff peaks form.

2) Fold the beaten egg white into the white chocolate cream, then fold in the whipped cream until blended. Be sure not to over mix.

Sour Cream Chocolate Icing

12 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
¼ cup half-and-half at room temperature
½ cup sour cream, at room temperature

1) Melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup in a double boiler over barly simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.

2) Whisk in the half-and-half and sour cream. Use while still soft.

To Assemble:

1) Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover the top evenly with half the white chocolate mousse, leaving a ¼ inch margin around the edge. Repeat with the second layer and the remaining mousse. Set the third layer on top and pour half the sour cream chocolate icing over the filled cake. Spread all over the sides and top. Don’t worry if some of the cake shows through. This first frosting is to seal in the crumbs, and is known as a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

2) After this time cover the cake with the rest of the icing, smoothing it down the sides. It should be the consistency of mayonnaise. Use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to swirl the frosting around the cake.

Taking a Well Deserved Break!

2009-09-12T18:53:00.004+08:00

I'm will be "off" from blogging next week as I'm taking a well deserved holiday to Hanoi, Vietnam. Will be back the next week-end and hope to update everyone on our trip. In the meantime hope you guys have a great week ahead!

Confit Cherry Tomato Tart with Carmelized Onion

2009-09-10T08:20:00.003+08:00

My recent cook book purchase from Amazon.com was to have arrived in the third week of July but when early August came, there was still no sign of my package. I was already imagining that the package was lost in post and that would be the end of it. When I emailed Amazon about this, their customer service told me to wait another two weeks and if it hadn't arrived by then, they would do a refund for me. In the meantime, they were kind enough to waive the shipping cost altogether. I was pretty pleased about it and certainly appreciate their excellent customer service.

Anyway a week after that, my package finally arrived. I was very excited as one of the books I had ordered was by Michel Roux . This book covered the different types of pastry from classic puff, tart dough to pizza dough. Most of the recipes came with beautiful pictures, which is exactly how I like my cook books to be. I immediately got down to trying out his pate brisee recipe, slightly adapting the method of mixing the ingredients together. I also adapted the cherry tomato tart in the same book by including carmelized onions. All I can say is the tart dough is extremely, extremely flaky and delicious. You can even make the pate brisee beforehand - line your tart tray and pop the unbaked tart shell into your freezer, and for up to 2 months too. When ready to bake, immediately take it out from the freezer, dock the dough and blind bake the shell according to the recipe you are making. This pate brisee is great with both savoury and sweet tart filings.

Confit Cherry Tomato Tart with Carmelized Onion
Recipe Adapted from Michel Roux "Pastry"
Makes an 8" tart - serves 6

250g pate brisee
1 cup carmelized onion
500g confit cherry tomato
6 basil leaves

For the pate brisee:

250g all purpose flour
150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp fine salt
pinch of superfine sugar
1 medium egg
1 Tbsp cold milk

Method:

1) Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt and sugar.
2) Add in the butter.
3) Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles rough breadcrumbs.
4) In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg with the milk and drizzle it onto the flour mixture.
5) Using your hands, blend the mixture together and lighly knead to bring together. Try not to handle the dough too much.
6) Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk and chill for about 45 minutes to an hour.
8) To line your tart tray, I find it easier to roll the dough between two pieces of clingwrap plastic. Roll to about 3" wider than the base of your tray. Remove the top wrap.
9) Lift the dough using the clingwrap plastic and gently flip it into your tart tray. Press the dough onto the tray and trim off the excess.
10) Dock the base of the tart shell with a fork and then place it into the fridge for another hour.
11) Preheat oven to 190C. Bake the shell blind, for about 20 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and bake for another 20 minutes until the tart is golden brown.

For the Confit Cherry Tomato:
Makes 700g

4 cups light olive oil
1 kg ripe cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, halved
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1) Heat a pot over stove and then add the olive oil.
2) With the fire on low, add the cherry tomatoes, dried rosemary, bay leaf and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure that you continue turning the tomatoes around so that they do not break apart. Season with salt and black pepper.
3) Scoop out from pot and place into a bowl to cool.

For the Carmelized Onions:

4 - 5 large white onions, sliced thinly
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1) Heat a pot over stove and add 3 tablespoon of olive oil.
2) Add the sliced onions and cook over the medium to low fire.
3) Stir continuous so as the onions do not burn. Cook until onions have soften and turn a light brown colour (should take about 15 - 20 minutes)
4) Set aside to cool.

To Assemble Tart:

1) Spread about 3 - 4 tablespoon of creme fraiche on the bottom of the baked tart shell (can be omitted if you do not have any).
2) Spread a layer of carmelized onion
3) Finally place the cherry tomato on top of the onion.
4) Place the assembled tart into a pre-heated oven of 160C for about 5 minutes to warm up the tart.
5) Scatter the fresh basil leaves on top of tart and serve immediately.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

2009-09-06T20:00:00.005+08:00

Ever since I first saw my first tagine cook show, I have been fasinated by the preparation of this dish. Tagine is actually a moroccan stew which is cooked slowly over a stove. It usually consist of meat or poultry and is combined with fruit such as prunes, dates and apricots. It must have been the way everything was just added together and then slowly cooked in a special claypot which drew my interest . This claypot also originates from Morocco and is called a tagine. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts; a base unit which is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. Thus the dish itself requires very little addition of water. When the cover is removed, the base of the tagine can be used for serving the dish it is cooked in.

This particular dish which I tried out did not require any fruit. However it does uses green olives and preserved lemons. I made the preserved lemons a couple of months ahead of actually cooking this dish. I have included below how to make your own preserved lemons. The first time I made a batch, I followed the same recipe and placed the jar in a cool place inside my cupboard. I'm not sure if it was humity or what, my lemons started to develop a scum layer and had fungus on it after about 4 days. I had to throw the entire batch away. The next time round, I left the jar in a cool cupboard for about 2 days only and thereafter I immediately placed the entire jar into the refrigerator. The jar of lemons was left in the fridge for slightly more than a month before I finally used it. The preserved lemons came out great.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Recipe Adapted from "French Food at Home" by Laura Calder
Yield: 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces chicken drumstick and 4 chicken thighs, skinned
Salt and pepper
2 x onions, peeled and grated or sliced
3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
Skin of 1 whole preserved lemon, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 pinches saffron
1 pinch tumeric
1 cup green olives with pits
A generous handful or two of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Directions:

Put everything except the olives in a pot, add a couple of glasses of water, and cook until the chicken is done, 40 minutes to an hour, removing the lid is there is too much liquid so that some can evaporate. (The dish should be quite liquid, but it’s not a stew.) At the end of cooking, add the olives.

How to Make Preserved Lemons

Ingredients:

8-10 lemons (or Meyer lemons if you can find them), scrubbed very clean
1/2 cup kosher salt, more if needed
Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed
Sterilized quart canning jar

Method:

1) Place 2 Tbsp of salt in the bottom of a sterilized jar.

2) One by one, prepare the lemons in the following way. Cut off any protruding stems from the lemons, and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwize, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way. Keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in a similar manner, so now the lemon is quartered, but again, attached at the base.

3) Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt all over the insides and outsides of the lemons.

4) Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt.

5) Seal the jar and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Turn the jar upside down ocassionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, again turning upside down ocassionally, for at least 3 weeks, until lemon rinds soften.

6) To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired.

7) Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Note:
You can add spices to the lemons for preserving - cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaf.

Caprese Salad

2009-09-03T08:00:00.004+08:00

If you had asked me about a year ago what was a caprese salad, I would have said "huh - what?" If you had asked me about 8 months ago what a caprese salad tasted like, I would have shrugged my shoulders and replied "don't know".

Well, I have now been enlighted and have actually tasted it, one time only though. It's actually a no brainer recipe and so easy to assemble but the taste is unbelievable .. sophistication at work - this is how I would put it. I decided to put together this salad to let my husband try it (he hasn't tasted it before either). Now I know why it cost and arm and a leg just to order this at restaurants. Mozzarella balls are so damn expensive! Add a good bottle of extra virgin olive and balsamic vinegar, you'd be a pauper for a while. But what the heck, sacrifices must be made for a good meal.

Caprese Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 medium size fresh ripe tomato (sliced)
1 ball fresh mozzarella (sliced)
1 handful fresh basil leaves

For Seasoning:

Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1) Slice the tomato and mozzarella

2) Assemble the salad by layering one piece of tomato followed by mozzarella. Top with a basil leaf.

3) Sprinkle with salt and black pepper

4) Drizzle salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Salmon En Croute

2009-08-30T13:30:00.002+08:00

Another favourite food program which I had recently discovered on cable is "French Food at Home" hosted by Laura Calder . I try not to skip her half hour program which is aired weekly and if I do, I try to catch the re-runs. Laura Calder grew up in rural Canada and won her first cooking prize for a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing at a county fair when she was only six years of age. Can you image that ... I don't think I even knew how to hold a fork and spoon properly at that age! Laura injects quite a bit of wit into her shows and her recipes all seem oh so delicious. To me her shows have made French cooking seem more down to earth and manageable. I was watching one of her programs a few weeks ago which covered puff pastry. Rather than making her own pastry from scratch, she used store bought ones and to me it's something that I can associate with.

I've made rough puff pastry from scratch before which is simpler as compared with classic puff but not something I'd bother about if I really don't have the time. So store bought puff would be what I would reach for whilst doing my grocery shopping. I decided to try out one the recipes which uses salmon enwrapped in puff. I put this together for our Sunday dinner with a side of mixed salad in balsamic vinegar. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it's definitely going on my entertainment menu. But next time round, I'd probably make this into individual servings as it will be much easier to serve, no cutting and will look more elegant.

Salmon En Croute
Recipe from Laura Calder "French Food at Home"
Yield: 6

Ingredients:

1 x salmon filet, about 1-1/2 pounds/750 g
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup crème fraîche
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest of 1 lemon
1 lb. sheet puff pastry (2 sheets)
Salt and pepper
Glaze: 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:

1) Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Heat the oven to 450°F\230°C.

2) Cut the tips off the asparagus, and poach in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice-cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Purée and stir through the cream, dill, and lemon zest, to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3) Lay the puff on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the salmon, like pencils. Spread the purée mixture over top.

4) Brush the margins with the egg wash. Lay the top pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make two or three slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg-wash glaze and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

5) Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes before slicing to serve. This dish is also good at room temperature.

Lemon Cupcakes

2009-08-28T17:00:00.002+08:00

I haven't been making cupcakes for quite a while now. Cupcakes are such a novelty these days and everywhere you go people seem to be raving about them. You would have thought it would be just another "fad" that would dwindle away after a while but I think they are here to stay. There are even bakeries that just specialize in nothing else but cupcakes! Who would have thought about that! In fact I was just watching an old re-run of Martha Stewart this morning and she had a segment on cupcakes as well. She did a round up of the best cupcakes in the United States. And guess who was in the audience with a special mention, none other than the famous trio from Cupcakes Take the Cake . If you want to find out what is new in the cupcake scene, head over to their blog which is an eye-opener.

Anyway I've always had this craving for citrus types of cupcakes or cakes So in line with my long absence from baking cupcakes I decided to come up with a batch of lemon cupcakes.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Butter Icing
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1/2 large Lemons, finely grated zest only
1 tsp full finely chopped lemon peel
2 eggs, beaten
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder

For the lemon butter icing

75g Butter, softened
175g icing sugar, sifted
1/2 large Lemon, finely grated zest only
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with paper cases.

2) Cream the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add the sugar and grated lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Alternatively, whiz all the ingredients together in an electric food mixer.

3) Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until risen and golden. When cooked, the centre of each cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and put on a wire rack to cool before you ice them.

4) For the lemon butter icing, cream the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric beater until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat into the butter, along with the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing to a spreadable consistency.

5) When the cupcakes are cool, spread a generous heaped teaspoon of lemon butter icing over the top of each one or using a star tip to pipe the cream on top of the cupcakes.

Loh Mai Kai (Chicken in Glutinous Rice)

2009-08-24T12:30:00.005+08:00

Since young we have always associated eating Loh Mai Kai with a dim sum breakfast. I believe this dish first originated as part of southern Chinese cuisine. It consist of glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, scallions and sometimes dried shrimp. The rice with it's flavouful content would then be wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and then steamed. Some restaurants would serve it the old fashion method with the lotus leaf. Because of difficulties in obtaining lotus leaves, some restaurants would just steam the rice in metal or procelain bowls and then serve it as it is. Sometimes Loh Mai Kai is divided into smaller wraps, which are known as chun chu gai (珍珠雞) literally meaning "pearly chicken" in Chinese.

Nowadays with modern technology you can even get ready made frozen Loh Mai Kai. You just need to take it out from the freezer, steam it according to the instrucitoions printed on the packing and in no time at all it's ready to be eaten. I've always loved ordering this dish whenever we are out for a dim sum (or yum cha as some of you may call it) meal. There is nothing better than a freshly steamed, piping hot Loh Mai Kai to fill your belly but you really have to eat this hot otherwise the glutinous rice tends to harden and dry out a bit.

This particular recipe comes from a Malaysian cookbook which has been with me for more than 15 years now. I've made this numerous times and have always gone back to using this recipe.

Loh Mai Kai (Chicken in Glutinous Rice)

Ingredients:

450g glutinous rice
6 Chinese dried mushrooms
1/2 whole chicken
2 Tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp thick soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
7 Tbsp oil
170g roast pork (if you can't find roast pork, omit it but add a bit more chicken to your dish)
3 pieces dried chinese sausage
1 Tbsp cornflour
salt to taste
1 stalk coriander leave - chopped

Method:

1) Soak the glutinous rice overnight. Rinse and drain well.

2) Soak the mushroom for about 20 minutes and then cut in half

3) Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Season with 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil and 1 tsp sugar.

4) Slice the roast pork into 1 cm cubes and season with 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp thick soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, the remaining sugar and pepper.

5) Slice the sausages thinly, lightly fry for about 2 minutes and set aside.

6) Heat 2 Tbsp oil and fry chicken until cook and all the gravy absorbed. Remove and set aside.

7) Heat another 2 Tbsp oil, add in roast pork and stir fry for about a minute.

8) Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup water cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend cornflour with 1/4 cup of water and thicken the gray. Set aside.

9) Mix the glutinous rice with 3 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.

10) Divide chicken, roast pork, sausages and mushrooms into 10 equal portions. Place each portion in a bowl.

11) Divide the rice into 10 portions also and cover the ingredients of each bowl with 1 portion of rice. The bowls should only be half full.

12) Steam the bowls of rice in a steamer for 30 minutes or until the rice is well cooked.

13) Turn each bowl of rice onto a serving plate and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Pistachio Petit Four Cake

2009-08-20T08:00:00.007+08:00

How time has flown this year and I can't believe that it's now almost the end of August! In just about four months from now, we would be celebrating Christmas again. My sister and her family had migrated to Melbourne, Australia in November last year will coming back home or "balik kampung" as Malaysians would call it. My niece had specifically asked her mother to make sure that they drop by and visit me in Singapore. She misses my two dogs. She's not allowed to have a dog right now as their current house which is a 2 bedroom one is simply too small to have another living body invading the space. So I guess the nearest thing she has to the "real" deal, other than her virtual pet dog Nintendo (or is it 3 now ... I forgot) are my two mutts. I'm looking forward to their visit for sure.

Anyway back to the matter at hand. For this particular month, our Cake Slice Bakers group had selected a Pistachio Petit Four Cake. Marzipan, jam preserves and a dark chocolate glaze turn a pistachio butter cake into an irresistible dessert reminiscent of European petit fours glaces. I baked the layers on Friday after a late dinner and did the assembling on Saturday afternoon. The cake is decorated with chopped roasted pistachios and gumpaste roses which had been made much earlier on. This cake is absolutely delicious as I had used a bitter chocolate to make the ganache. I'm definitely going to keep this recipe for a much larger version the next time round.

Pistachio Petit Four Cake
Makes an 8" triple layer cake - serves 12 to 16
Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

Ingredients:

3/4 cup skinned pistachio nuts
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
226g (8 ounces)unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup apricot preserves
Marzipan (below)
Dark chocolate glaze (below)

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C (350F. Butter three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2) Spread out the pistachios in a baking tray and toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly coloured. Transfer to a dish and let cool completely. Finely chop the pistachios and set 1/4 cup aside for decoration.

3) Put the remaining 1/2 cup pistachios in a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse just enough to grind them finely. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Blend with the mixer on low for 30 seconds.

4) Add the butter, milk and vanilla and wit the mixer on low, beat until completely incorporated. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beaten eggs in 2 or 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only long enough to blend after each addition. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

5) Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners and let cool completely.

Marzipan

8 ounces almond paste
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup

Crumble the almond paste into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on low speed to soften the almond paste. Add the confectioners sugar and corn syrup and beat until smooth. Wrap well in plastic so it doesn’t fry out and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before rolling.

Dark Ganache Glaze

1 pound extra bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Chop the chocolate coarsely and out it in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a bare simmer. Pour immediately over the chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and use the glaze soon after making before it starts to set. Allow to cool and thicken slightly before use.

To Assemble:

1) Roll out a third of the marzipan on a work surface dusted with a little confectioners sugar to about 1/8th inch thick. Set one of the cake pans upside down on the marzipan and trim around it with a small knife to make an 8 inch round. Repeat twice more with the remaining marzipan. Save your scraps to make roses for decoration if desired.

2) Place one cake layer on a cake board, flat side up. Spread 1/4 cup of the apricot preserves evenly over the top, leaving a 1/4 inch margin all round to allow for spreading. Place one marzipan round on top of the preserves and spread 1/3 cup ganache glaze over the top of the marzipan so that it is completely covered. Repeat with the second cake layer, adding more preserves, marzipan and glaze.

3) Add the final cake layer and top with preserves and marzipan as before. Place the whole cake on a wire rack set over a baking pan. Pour the remaining dark ganache glaze over the cake, spreading it as evenly as possible over the top and sides of the cake. Allow the ganache to set before transferring to a plate. It should be smooth and glossy.

Garnish the top with the reserves chopped pistachios.

Optional: Make some marzipan roses with any leftover marzipan scraps if desired.

Pissaladiere

2009-08-17T13:40:00.002+08:00

I have recently discovered a new baking show which is aired on my local cable network. The show is produced by BBC and is called "Bake" by Rachel Allen. Although it's only a half an hour show, I find her program to be extremely interesting. In the first part of the show, she would whip up a baked recipe and it could be either sweet or savoury. In the mid section of the program, she would cover a short feature. The last one was visiting a local chocolatier and having a quick insight as to how chocolate truffles are made. In the last piece of the program, which is an instructional piece, she would take a group of students through the intricacies of a baked recipe.

This particular recipe which I'm posting now comes from one of Rachel Allen's programs. If you are lazy you have the option of purchasing frozen puff pastry which will save you a bit of time. However if you do have time, it's always better to make your own. My other half who is not a "sweet toothed" person, thoroughly enjoyed this. It's amazing how the carmerlized onions blended so well with the saltiness of the anchovies and black olives. One piece of advice would be to make sure you cut each anchovy in half before latticing your pastry, otherwise it may be way too salty! Also make sure you eat this fresh from the oven. Serve with a side salad or just have it for an afternoon treat.

Pissaladiere
Recipe adapted from Rachel Allen's "Bake"

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

200g plain flour, sifted
100g Butter, chilled and cubed
1 medium egg, beaten (for brushing the pastry)

Ingredients for the topping:

900g Onions, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
30-60g tinned anchovy fillets, drained (liquid saved for shortcrust pastry) and halved lengthways
10 black olives, pitted and sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves (thinly sliced for decoration)

Method for the pastry:

1) Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and process briefly.

2) Add half the beaten egg and continue to process. (You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together.) If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring it together.

3) With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 2cm thick, then wrap it in cling film or place it in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10–15 minutes, before using.

Method for the topping:

1) Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan, then add the onions. Stir the onions and cook over a low heat, covered, for at least 20 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the base of the pan every few minutes.

2) Add the garlic, herbs and salt, pepper and sugar, and continue cooking for ten minutes, or until the onions begin to melt and turn golden. Remove from the heat.

To Assemble:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

2) Remove the pastry from the fridge, uncover and, with a floured rolling pin, roll out on a floured work surface into a rectangle to fit a 23 x 33cm swiss roll tin. Lift it onto the tin and prick the whole base with a fork. Bake in the oven for ten minutes, then remove.

3) Cover the pre-baked base with an even layer of onions. Arrange the anchovy fillets in a lattice pattern over the onions, placing a whole or halved olive within each diamond.

4) Return to the oven and bake for a further 25 minutes to allow the flavours to blend, and the pastry is golden brown and crisp around the edges. Serve hot or slightly warm.

Molasses Cookies

2009-08-13T09:00:00.002+08:00

I had spare time on my hands a few weeks back and decided that I'll to try out a cookie recipe I had chanced upon whilst browsing through one of my favourite food blogs, Jen of Use Real Butter . If you have not checked out her blog, I would encourage you to do so. I particularly admire Jen for her great recipes and beautifully taken nature photographs. In addition, I find her to be an amazing person, witty and funny, strong in character but at the same time having such a sensitive nature.

Anyway it was mid week, after work and the telly was showing some really crappy movies. So to while away the spare time, I decided to try out her cookie recipe. It also gives me the opportunity to use up the 2 bottles of molasses I have sitting in my cupboard. I particularly love ginger cookies and when I was young, I would dunk them into a cup of Nescafe and gobble up the soggy bits with such tenacity. Hmmm come to think of it I haven't done that in ages! Since my first batch, I've made three other batches todate and have slightly adjusted the original recipe. All I can say is these cookies are damn, damn good and I'll be making some more pretty soon.

Molasses Cookies
Recipe Adapted from Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (190g) dark brown sugar, packed (I reduced the sugar to 175g)
1 cup (225g) fine castor sugar (I reduced the sugar to 180g)
2 eggs, well-beaten
1/2 cup (200g) molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 cup (130g) crystallized ginger, minced
2 tsps (5g) vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla
3 3/4 cups (530g) flour
1 1/2 tsps (7g) baking soda
6 tsps (12g) ground ginger (I added 8 tsps of ground ginger as I do like my cookies with a bit more ginger "kick" to it)
2 tsps (5g) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (1g) ground cloves
1/4 tsp (2g) salt

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk (add a bit at a time)

Method:

1) Cream together the butter and the sugars. Stir in the eggs, molasses, ginger, vinegar, and vanilla.

2) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining (dry) ingredients and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and beat until just combined.

3) Preheat oven to 325°F (160C). Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet or Silpat with 1.5 inches of space between each (they spread a bit but if you want a much flatter cooker, just flatten the ball slightly with the back of your palm). I found it easier to chill the dough for a while before shaping it. And in between trays I returned the dough into the fridge to chill.

4) Bake about 12 minutes. Cookies should be still soft when removed from oven. Cool on a wire rack.

To Make the Icing:

Place powdered sugar in bowl and add a little milk, stirring to incorporate. Continue to add milk if required until the glaze has a good thick pouring consistency (but not runny). Fill a squeeze bottle with the glaze and stripe the cookies. Let the glaze set.