Pics taken at night (left) and daytime (natural light) using Lumix.

Taken using Canon EOS 400D.

Apple Cinnamon Toaster Strudels
Serves 8
Adapted from the kitchn 

For the crust
1 box (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling
2 baking apples, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt

For the filling, grate the apples on the large holes of a box grater. In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the grated apples and toss until coated. Add the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon of (chilled) butter. Cool the filling to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375°

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a well-floured work surface, continuing to flour the work surface as necessary throughout the rolling/trimming process. Roll out the pastry to form a very large, thin rectangle. Trim the edges of the dough to make a 10 x 14 inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut out 8 (3-1/2 x 5 inch) rectangles.

Transfer 4 of the rectangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon a scant 2 tablespoons of the apple filling into the center of these. Spread the filling evenly across the pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch space clean around the perimeter. Brush the other 4 rectangles with the egg wash. Place an egg washed rectangle directly over a filled rectangle (egg wash touching the filling). Using your fingertips, firmly seal the edges on all sides (dip your fingers in a little flour if the dough is sticky). Use the tines of the fork to seal the shorter 2 ends of the rectangles. Prick each strudel all over with a fork, including the sealed edges. Repeat this step with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Egg wash the rectangles before baking them in the oven. Bake the strudels until puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before eating. Serve warm.

First up is Joanne Chang’s Apple Snacking Spice Cake which is easy to bake and delicious for munching. I have been attempting some of her recipes and thus far, they turn out good!

Somehow, the combination of apple, raisins and pecan nuts won’t get you nowhere.

Next up is banoffee macarons, one that Yumi chose to bake from the Macarons book that she gave me months ago. Since I had just attended the French Macarons class, I’m ready to apply what I’ve learnt. Having to eyeball the whipped egg whites to a shiny, smooth consistency is key to having a sexy looking macaron shell and I’m nervous about it. We do have feet this time but the shells are a tad hollow. What is wrong again??

Last but not least, we baked Spiced Chai Latte Cupcakes. Baking them made me think of the reason why I started baking in the first place – that I was captivated by the many many cupcakes that I saw online and was thus enticed to bake them. Cupcakes are easy to bake and they are absolutely not as finicky as macarons. I got the idea to bake these cupcakes from the blog – Love & Olive Oil - but adapted a little using the Chai Latte teabags instead of the black ones. Thus, I also adjusted the amount of spices used – half of the amount indicated. The frosting is just amazing! It’s so delicious and not as heavy as the usual (American) buttercream. The cupcakes turn out moist and the whole combination is just heavenly! This cupcake recipe is for keeps.

Happy baking!

The whipped egg whites should be shiny and when you scoop a little out, should be devoid of sugar.

Chef tended to my partner and I first and we had a good batter, so said Chef. Minutes into putting the piped macaron shells into the oven, he opened the oven door and observed. Something’s not right…and then he immediately looked at the oven temperature. Someone had tuned it up to 350F when it should have been 325F. The shells cracked and he explained that the heat was too much for the shells.

With coffee ganache

Something went wrong with the other pairs too. Think it was the piping. The baked shells did not turn out as well. Chef decided that we should start a new batch again and throw away those imperfect ones. Oh! What a waste! So many of them, all into the bin! The second time round, the results were much better. 

  
With pistachio and lemon ganache

With raspberry ganache

A few pointers:
1. The important step is whipping the egg whites. There is no need to used aged egg whites. Just make sure there is no speck of yolk in the whites when you whip.

2. The sugar is added to stabilise the whites. No salt added for his recipe. Go on low speed after the whites reach soft peak stage and sugar added @ ard speed 3 or 4.   The initial whipping speed is at speed 10!!!!

3. If the whipped egg whites becomes a bit too dry (overwhipped), add a little egg whites during the folding stage. Need not whip again.

4. The almond flour affects the quality of the turnout of the shells. Check if there is cornstarch added which tends to remove moisture. Better not to have cornstarch.

5. Chef opened the oven door ever so often to check on the other trays of shells. It seems that such action does not affect the baking! To tell if the shells are ready, when you place your finger on the shells, they should feel a bit shaky on the feet. Take out and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before adding the filling.

6. Chef did not rest the shells after they are piped. It doesn’t seem to matter! But in his recipe, he recommended resting for 30 minutes before baking to form a crust which helps to avoid cracking. But it works without resting too!

Next step is to test baking them without the supervision of Chef. =p

I think I have had enough macarons for now.

I’m glad I’m not doing the washing.

Hello! It’s the weekends and I finally can take some time to meddle in the kitchen.! My refrigerator is still packed with two bagfuls of apples even though we or rather I had been trying to eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away. So, the other alternatives to solving this beautiful problem are to give the apples away or bake them!

Thankfully, there are various recipes on the internet and the kitchn has wonderful ones on the website. I thought of baking the apple pancake since I have all the ingredients in my kitchen. Yay! It alos requires a no-fuss kind of baking. Double bonus!

Am pasting the recipe here for reference sake.

Weekend Apple Pancake 
serves 3 to 4

2 large or 3 medium apples, preferably tart ones like Granny Smith ( I used 2)
4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs ( I used 4)
Powdered or cinnamon sugar, to serve

Heat the oven to 400°F. Peel, core, and quarter the apples, then cut them into medium slices (1/4-inch thick or less). Then cut the slices in halves or thirds. You should have about 3 cups of chopped apples.

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and ginger and set aside.

Cut the butter into chunks and place them in a deep cast iron skillet or 8×8-inch baking dish. Put the skillet or baking dish in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the butter is melted. Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the 1/3 cup brown sugar over the melted butter. Carefully spread the apples on top of the brown sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples. Put the pan back in the oven to caramelize the apples and sugar.

Whisk the flour with the remaining tablespoon of sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly with a large wire whisk to beat out any lumps. When the flour is smoothly incorporated into the milk, beat in the vanilla and the eggs one by one. Beat by hand for 2 minutes, or until foamy. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. By now the sugar should be bubbling around the apples.

Take the pan out of the oven and pour the batter over the apples. Bake for about 20 – 25 more minutes or until center is set and sides are lightly browned. The pancake will puff up dramatically but fall after a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.

Nothing was lost, of course since different chefs teach different things and each time you learn something new. The following are examples of the various cream puffs and eclairs that we made from pate-a-choux dough. Something new I learnt was the fondant icing that was used on the eclairs. Normally, I would just use chocolate ganache but the use of the fondant creates better shine and taste. And Chef D showed us how dirty sugar (those that we bought from supermarkets) can be when he taught us to clean the sugar when making fondant, an important step to do if you want a good feel of  fondant when it’s in your mouth.

 These small tarts are from Pate Sucre.

And we took back 2 boxes of goodies plus a bag of pate-a-choux empty shells.

Next lesson. Macarons! So looking forward to it!

]]> http://kitchenwork.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/csca-petit-four/feed/ 0 lynnlly IMG_3337 IMG_3339 IMG_3340 IMG_3341 IMG_3334 IMG_3335 IMG_3336 P1090487 P1090488 http://kitchenwork.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/busy-but-happy-friday/ http://kitchenwork.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/busy-but-happy-friday/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:27:20 +0000 lynnlly http://lynnlly.wordpress.com/?p=9720 ]]> Love it when friends come over for a meal or to cook together!

It’s Yumi’s first attempt at macarons. Deep in me I was afraid of what the weather can do to the end result of the macarons. Remember, my previous failed attempt was on a humid rainy day too?

And the shells did crack! I’m really not sure if it’s the macaronage or the weather. But it’s too much of a coincidence to ignore the possibility that the humidity might play a part. Oh well. We’ll try again. It’s a lot of fun baking with Yumi though.

Some pics.

They looked good after being piped but you only know the results when you take them out from the oven.

The salted caramel is also difficult to handle. Have to wait a long time before it cools and hardens slightly.

After the baking of macarons came second round – cooking bak chor mee! This time, it’s with the 2 gals from BC. They wanted to learn how to make the dish and we had fun too!

  
Fun with the gals

Happy faces! Yay!

=)

I love roasting of any kind. Roasting of vegetables and meat and less pots and pans to wash! That also means less time at the stovetop!

Serves 4 -6
Source: Good food to share by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan

1 1/2Ib (750g) brocooli heads, ends trimmed
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

Cut the broccoli lengthwise into spears 4-6 inches long. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, peel off any dried or bruised skin from the stems.

Arrange the spears in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour the olive oil over the spears, then sprinkle with the lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat thoroughly.

Roast, turning once about halfway through the cooking time, until the broccoli is tender and the tips and outer edges are crisp and browned, about 15 minutes. Serve right away with an extra squirt of lemon juice and a few pinches of sea salt.

This post is written for the Woods, who have been excellent hosts to us when we went over to Buffalo, NY, for the ISI conference and to visit Niagara Falls. The Woods is a good example of an exemplary family who desires to seek after God’s heart.

Recently, we sent a box of Laksa sauce kit to them and thought they could whip up this Singaporean dish. It was really easy and in all, it took me one hour to do it. A shorter period of time is possible if you skip making the shredded chicken. But you do need the following ingredients:

       
Fish cake, sliced.

Hard-cooked eggs

Gently place the eggs in a saucepan and add tepid water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and place under cold running water until cool and peel the eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

  
Fried bean curd, cut into halves

Other ingredients include rice noodles, bean sprouts and shredded chicken (this is optional). All these ingredients can be purchased from an Asian supermarket. I hope you have one in your area!

After you have done your mise en place, fill two saucepans with water. One for blanching the rice noodles and bean sprouts, the other for making the laska gravy.

 
Blanching of rice noodles. Follow the instructions on the pack.

Next, blanch the bean sprouts for about 5 to 10 seconds. Apportion the rice noodles and bean sprouts into individual bowls. Now, we will go on to make the Laksa gravy. Fill the other saucepan with about 2 3/4 cups of water. Add the Laksa Premix and mix well.

Do you know this is actually coconut powder? Next add in the Laksa Paste.

The Laksa Paste contains vegetable oil, chilli, shrimp, ginger, onion, shrimp paste, tumeric, laksa leaves and lemon grass. Mix well.

At this point, I add in the fried bean curd.

When you have all these steps ready, it’s a breeze from now on. All you need to do is to add the various ingredients and then pour the laksa gravy over them. That’s it. Singapore Laksa!

If you desire the more spicy version, you can add the packet of sambal chilli. Just a little will do. It is really spicy! This is mine after I made for Ken who doesn’t really fancy spicy food.

Below is the version that Ken’s auntie cooked for us (from scratch and without any sauce kit!) while we were in Singapore.

Yummy! Do try cooking it and have fun!
If you don’t have an Asian supermarket, just add hard-cooked eggs and shredded chicken. The replacement for the rice noodle is Italian Capellini.

In case you’re wondering, nope, I didn’t add Chanel No. 5 in the patties. The fragrance comes from the lemongrass and it’s a refreshing moment as you combine the nine ingredients together. You can’t wait to cook them!

The picture doesn’t turn out well. My apologies. I’m not a pro photographer in the first place. Besides, I would rather spent the time savouring the pork sausage (doesn’t look like one) than taking perfect pictures.

As usual, I’m not brilliant when it comes to frying and some of them turned out charred even though I’ve replaced the oil after using it twice. Next time, I might try baking them. The amount of time for the frying is dependent on how thick your patties are. But, trust me, you have to try these. I like them!

Adapted from Eve: Contemporary Cuisine Methode Traditionelle
Serves 4

1 pound ground pork
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small stalk lemon grass, minced (about 1 1/2 tbsp)
1/4 cup coriander stems, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Light cooking oil

1. Combine first 9 ingredients gently in bowl being careful not to overwork or meat will bind up and become tight.

2. From a single tsp of mixture into a patty, season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook in a small saute pan with a little oil. Taste to determine whether the rest of the batch needs additional seasoning – adjust seasoning as needed, incorporating gently as to not overwork meat. (You can skip this step if you like).

3. Divide sausage mixture into 8 – 9 patties – first forming gently into balls and then flatten gently as to not overwork mixture.

4. Season patties with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat oil in a large saute  pan and saute until just cooked through – about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on thickness of the patties; I used 5 minutes per side).