Brioche
Saturday, March 15, 2008Rich, buttery, sweet or savory brioche is a French bread and often served for the breakfast. A classic brioche has a fluted bottom and an upper protruding knob, and is made in a special flute-shaped brioche pan. The bread can also be baked like a regular loaf, or braided (same as we do the Challah) or made in muffin cups. Sweet brioche is filled with chocolate or candied fruit while cheese, vegetables or meat are very often found in the savory version.
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- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add in the eggs. Mix in, then work together with a fork to make a soft dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a shiny and smooth dough, about 10 minutes. Pound the butter with the side of a rolling pin until it's pliable. Add the butter to the dough and knead until it's fully incorporated. Cover with a plastic wrap, then a towel. Place the bowl in an oven (DO NOT HAVE THE OVEN TURNED ON ) with the oven light turned on and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Lightly grease 10 muffin cups. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press down the risen dough to release air. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Fill each with some chocolates and wrap up. Place them in prepared muffin cups.
- Cover them with a few layers of plastic wraps and refrigerate the dough overnight. The volume should be doubled and it crowned well over the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Brush the brioches tops with the milk and bake for 15 minutes in the middle of the preheated oven until golden brown.
Red Bean Cacao Pastries
Friday, March 07, 2008Red bean paste, also known as adzuki bean paste, is a mildly sweetened paste made of red beans. You can use it either for the soup or as a filling for steamed buns, dumplings, and pastries or enjoy it on its own.
Water Dough | Oil Dough | Filling |
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- To prepare water dough: Mix well all ingredients and lightly knead for about 2 minutes until a non-sticky dough is formed. Leave the dough aside 15 minutes and go on to prepare oil dough.
- To prepare oil dough: Mix both ingredients together. Do not knead this dough. Divide water and oil dough each into 12 portions.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out a water dough. Wrap an oil dough with this water dough to form a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an oval shape. Roll the dough out and turn the dough by 90 degree to get a vertical position. Lightly flatten the dough and roll out to an oval shape again. Roll up and repeat this step for one more time. Work gently to avoid rolling the oil dough inside out or the pastry won't be flaky and layered.
- Gently pressing two ends of the dough to shorten it, and divide it into 2 portions. Place the cut side down, and flatten with palm of hand and roll out with rolling pin into a 3-inch round.
- Place one teaspoon of filling in the middle of the dough and then wrap up. Place them on the baking tray. Repeat with the rest of dough. Bake at preheated oven 180C/350F for 18-20 minutes.
Spicy Toothpick Beef 牙签牛肉
Sunday, February 24, 2008Marinade | |
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- Slice the beef into 4cm pieces and pound them into rectangular strips, about 3 mm thick. Chop the scallion and cut the dry chillies into smaller sections. Place water and Szechuan peppercorns into a pot. Cook for 10 minutes over medium fire. Remove and let cool.
- Set the beef strips in a large bowl and add in Szechuan peppercorn water and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Mix them until well combined. Place them in the refrigerator and let marinate overnight. Skewer the beef strips with toothpicks. Heat up a frying pan with oil until very hot and fry the beef until they are just cooked. Drain.
- Stir-fry chillies, gingers, scallions and garlic until fragrant. Return the beef to the pan, then sprinkle ground Szechuan peppercorn and roasted sesame seeds over. Stir-fry until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake
Wednesday, February 13, 2008A small portion of fine DARK chocolate(at least 70% cocoa) everyday keeps the doctor away. Cocoa is a rich source of antioxidants including the epicatechin and catechin. Flavonoids help relax blood pressure through the production of NO(Nitric Oxide)to reduce the blood pressure.
Well, besides the health benefits, dark chocolate tastes good and serve not only as anti-depressant, but also a stimulant. But heh, avoid eating those sugary nougat or milk chocolate and just go for the REAL DARK Chocolate! Find How To Taste Dark Chocolate here and A Dark Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away by Daniel J. DeNoon
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- Grease a 24-or 26-cm springform pan with 20 grams of butter and line with baking paper. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180C/350F.
- Beat the whites slowly with salt until they are frothy, then add in lemon juice to the foam. Salt and acid will help stabilize the foam. Gradually add in sifted icing sugar and continue beating the whites until firm peaks form.
- Gently heat the chocolate and 150 grams of butter in a bowl over boiling water, stirring constantly, until melted. Whisk in espresso powder, ground almond and liquor. Beat egg yolks together with caster sugar and add into the chocolate mixture.
- Fold egg whites into chocolate batter in three additions until completely incorporated. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a thin crust has formed on the surface. Remove from springform, cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, sieve the cake lightly with icing sugar and drizzle with vanilla sauce if desired.
Sliced Beef In Cumin Sauce
Friday, February 08, 2008Marinade | Seasoning | |
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- Wash and pat dry beef. Thinly slice the beef and mix in the marinade. Let stand for about 20 minutes.
- Heat up a wok or skillet with enough oil over the medium heat. Add in the marinated beef and blanch until cooked. Dish off and drain.
- Leave a little of oil in the wok and add in pepper corns and chillies. Stir until fragrant and return the beef slices to the wok. Add in the seasoning and continue stirring until the sauce has dried. Dish off and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Candied Banana Fritters
Thursday, February 07, 2008
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- In a bowl combine the egg, AP-flour, 10 grams cornstarch and water to form a smooth batter. Heat a frying pan half filled with oil till 180C/350F. Prepare a serving plate lightly greased with oil or butter.
- Peel bananas, cut into 3 to 4 diagonal chunks and roll in 10 grams of cornstarch to coat. Dip into the batter, making sure each piece is evenly coated. Low the coated banana pieces into the heated oil and deep fry them until golden in color. Remove and drain.
- Heat 5 grams of oil in another clean skillet, add sugar and stir fry over low heat until the sugar dissolves and turns into a syrup. Turn off the heat and return the fried bananas into the syrup. Quickly and carefully mix them and plunge into the prepared serving plate.
Shrove Tuesday Honey Okara Pancakes
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent(in 40 days is the Easter) on Ash Wednesday. The traditional thin and flat English pancake is made of batter and then pan-fried in a pan. It is slightly thicker than a French crêpe, and thinner than American flapjack, which is leavened with baking powder and served with syrup.
Okara, or soya pulp is the leftover soya bean pulp from making soya milk and tofu.
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- Sift together AP flour, starch, baking powder, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, blend eggs, okara, soya drink and unsweetened condensed milk until well combined.
- Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk them till just incorporated. Add in honey, corn oil and mix until they are thoroughly combined.
- Grease a non-stick frying pan lightly with salad oil, heat it until hot. Pour 2-3 spoonfuls of the pancake batter onto the hot surface. When bubbles rise on face of pancake, flip it and cook until golden brown. Drizzle honey over and enjoy them while still hot. Stack the pancakes on a plate set over a pot of simmering water, to keep them warm while you are still making the rest.
Chocolate Chiffon Layer Cake
Saturday, January 26, 2008The chiffon cake has the richness of the butter cake, and the fluffiness of the sponge. It is prepared with oil(corn or sunflower), eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and flavorings. Chiffon is traditionally baked in a tube pan, but any spring-form pans work good too.
Yolk Batter | Meringue |
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- In a small pot stir together half tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water until smooth. Heat the mixture over the low fire while stirring until the starch thickens. Set aside to cool. Prepare a deep baking tray half-filled with warm water and place a wire rack atop. Set it on the second lower shelf in the oven. Start preheating to 175C/350F.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk together AP flour, remaining cornstarch, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Combine chocolate and grape juice into a sauce pan. Melt chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally. Place melted chocolate mixture, vanilla extract, egg yolks and vegetable oil in a larger bowl. Whip until completely blended. Gradually sift flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Beat the whites slowly with a pinch of salt until they are frothy, then add in lemon juice to the foam. Salt and acid will help stabilize the foam. Continue beating the whites and gradually add in sifted powdered sugar when they have almost reached the soft peak. After powdered sugar has been beaten into the meringue and it forms soft peaks, add in cornstarch mixture, beating to firm peaks. Cornstarch helps to keep the meringue firm.
- With a rubber spatula fold 1/3 of meringue into the yolk batter to lighten it (unnecessary too thoroughly blended) . Quickly but gently fold the remaining meringue into chocolate batter in two additions, folding after each addition just until no white streaks remain. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10 or 11-inch round pan and place it on the top of prepared tray. (This resembles to a bain marie, ensuring that chiffon cake bakes gently and evenly, without risking water trapping through springform to the cake during the baking) . Bake for 65-75 minutes, until wood pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Turn on a wire rack to cool. You can enjoy the cake as it is, or with desired sauces or toppings, or slice it horizontally into 3-6 layers to make a cream layer cake.