Blueberry Scones

I am embarrass to say, I have never eaten scones before and today I am making some scones.  I wouldn't know which is the best recipe I should follow to make scones and in the end I searched in Martha Stewart's site and make my choice for this Blueberries Scones.  I know I won't go wrong in Martha Stewart's recipes.  

Right after the scones out from the oven and cooled, I asked my sister to taste one piece whether is it the right texture of the scones that she has tasted before and she said yes!  Ah....that's a relieve.  And after I finished doing my chores, I go ahead for my piece.  One bite right after another, and I can say, it is SOOOO good.  It is soft inside and goes well with a cup of coffee.  Good for breakfast.

Blueberries Scones

adapted from Martha Stewart site

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 200C, with rack in center.  Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set
     aside.

2.  In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a 
     pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir 
     in blueberries and zest.

3.  Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the 
     center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until 
     dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to 
     mix well.

4.  Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into 
     four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer 
     to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until 
     golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

   
 Good to eat while it is still warm.

Butter Chicken (Another version recipe)

I have cooked Butter Chicken previously and I'm still searching for the right recipe to my taste to what I have tasted in NZ.  I have promised myself that I will try to look for one that would suit to my liking and here today I have cooked another version which is quite similar to what I had before.

Well, I could not find any Greek yoghurt here so I just substitute with plain yoghurt instead.  The next time if I am going to cook this Butter Chicken again, I will just use half lemon juice instead of 1 whole lemon juice in it.  It is a little sour.  Probably our local plain yoghurt was a little sour too compare if using the Greek Yoghurt.  Other than a little sour, everything is perfect!


This Butter Chicken is adapted from Almost Bourdain

Ingredients
140g (1/2 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
3 cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp garam masala
1 lemon, juiced  (Used only half lemon juice would be enough)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to grease
1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander, plus extra leaves, to serve
800g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3 cm-wide strips
2 tbsp ghee  ( I used butter instead)
2 onions , thinly sliced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 long red chillies, seeded, finely chopped  (you can use 1 tsp chilli powder)
260g (1 cup) passata (sieved pureed tomatoes)
300 ml pouring cream
1 bunch mint, leaves picked, finely chopped

Method
1.  Combine yoghurt, ginger, garlic, 1 tbsp garam masala, lemon juice, oil and half the coriander in a large
     bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and
     refrigerate for 3 hours.

2.  Preheat a lightly greased barbecue or chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from
     marinade and cook, in 2 batches, turning for 6 minutes or until almost cooked through.

3.  Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onions, turmeric, tomato paste, chillies and
     remaining garam masala, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add passata and cook
     for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Reduce heat to low, add cream, mint and remaining coriander, and
     cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add chicken and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until sauce
     thickens. Scatter with extra coriander and serve with rice and pappadams.

Fried Sweet Gourd With Double Eggs

I know I have been missing in action for few weeks.  I have been busy lately, busy cooking, cooking, and cooking.  And why since I have been doing lots of cooking and still no posts?  My sister and her family came over to stay for a weeks and have kept me busy while they are here for a holiday. 

Even I have been busy cooking and baking, I have not have time to take any photos to post it in here.  I will try to cook the dishes again on my next free time; dishes like Beef Bourguignon, Red Velvet cup cakes and Sara Lee Original Cheesecakes.

Here is a simple dish I have just cooked yesterday.

Ingredients
1 Sweet gourd, peeled and cut into pieces
1 salted egg
2 eggs
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp shredded ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic

Seasonings
1 tsp light soya sauce
dash of pepper
100ml water

1.  Boiled salted egg until cooked.  Remove from water and leave aside to cool.  Remove shell, chop the
     salted egg and mix in the beaten egg.
2.  Heat up 2 tbsp oil, pour in egg mixture and stir fry until set.  Dish up.
3.  Heat up 1 tbsp oil, saute, shredded ginger and chopped garlic until aromatic.  Add sweet gourd, seasoning
     and bring to boil.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for another 2 minutes.
4.  Lastly add fried egg mixture and stir fry over high heat until well mixed.  Dish up and serve.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

Didn't have anything special to post today, just made these simple chocolate cupcakes for my little niece.  All children loves chocolate, don't they?

I have made these Buttermilk Chocolate Cake in my previous post before but this time, I change it to adapt to cupcakes instead.  The ingredients remains the same ....

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk and baking soda. Set aside in a warm place.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups sugar, eggs, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, oil and 2 teaspoons vanilla until blended. Stir in the boiling water, then gradually beat in the flour. Stir in the buttermilk mixture.
3. Pour batter into prepared paper cupcakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Thought of making Coffee Buttercream for the topping, but kind of lazy!  Hmm....excuses!  So I topped it with red colour chocolate rice!

       Halo, I'm Chef Mario, cupcakes anyone?

Cherry Buttermilk Bundt Cake

If I happened to come across any cakes or cookies that require buttermilk, I would usually bookmarked it because I loves buttermilk in the cakes and cookies.  They always gives a very soft  moist but not too wet in texture which I loves very much.

When I was in Singapore last week, most of the supermarkets were selling cherries, blueberries, nectarines, plums, etc.  I loves all these fruits compare to our local fruits which are more to heating in their properties (likes durian, rambutan, langsat, mangosteen, etc).  I would usually buy if it were comparatively cheap even if I don't have anything in mind what to do with them first.  Fruits can be kept frozen in the freezer for months and be taken out to cook or bake if you stumble any recipes you had in mind later on.  They will be just like fresh ones!

Cherry Buttermilk Bundt cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 250g sugar
• 170g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and cut into quarters or halve
• Icing sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Butter and flour 10" Bundt pan.
Combine and sift flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla.
Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions (F M F M F). Fold in cherries.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.) Transfer cake to plate, sift powdered sugar over, and serve.

Looks delicious, isn't it?  Let's cut the cake.

   Care to join me for a slice and a cup of tea?  It is really delicious, you know.  Sad... I am munching here
   alone.

    The cake just out from oven....

    Anyone for a slice?

Herbal Fresh Fish Soup In Claypot

Being as a Chinese, I believe most of us all like to drink soups, any type of soups and more so putting herbal in the soups, right?  And more so, soups are very healthy for the elderly. 
The elderly has significantly lower metabolic rate and their bodies do not absorb nutrients as well as before. They should have lighter meals consisting of good proteins and complex carbohydrates.
Does that conjure up cooking of bland boring food?
It does not have to be that way...  Ingredients such as Chinese mushrooms (fresh or dried), Chinese wolfberries, red dates, Chinese angelica root, and astragalus add complexity and interest to Chinese soups and are ideal for the elderly.

And if you do not feel like eating, drinking soup and nibbling some of the ingredients is a good alternative to get your nutrients and calories.
Common Chinese soup ingredients like carrot, potato and Chinese yam provide excellent source of carbohydrates while pork, poultry, eggs, provide proteins.

Herewith an easy pot of Herbal Fresh Fish Soup in Claypot..... this dish is so easy to cook. 

Ingredients

1 fresh fish (700-800g), cut into pieces (or any fish that is good for the soup, I used Garoupa here)
1 tbsp oil
3 shallots, peeled
5 slices ginger
3 slices dang gui (angelica root)
50g dang shen (radix codonopsis), cut into short length
5 red dates, seeded
1 tbsp Chinese wolfberries
500ml water

Seasonings
1/4 tsp salt (or to your taste as the original recipe called for 1/2 tsp which is too salty already)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
Some chopped coriander leaves

METHOD
Heat up a claypot, pour in oil and saute shallots, sliced ginger until aromatic.  Add in all ingredients and bring to boil.  Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add seasoning, fish and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top and serve hot with steamed rice.

                   Angelica Root ("Dang Gui") on the left, and Radix Codonopsis ("Dang Shen") on the right

Red, White And Blueberry Cheesecake Tart

Whenever I am in Singapore visiting my sister, I would make it a point to go to the library to borrow lots of cookbook to refer to.  And when I have a few books in hands, I will kept myself busy typing out the recipes I wanted to cook one day.

I loves watching Martha Stewart's show.  In her talk show, she would invite guests or professional chef to show how to cook and bake or show how to make an arts & crafts, how to upkeep your plants, how to clean your handbags, etc, etc.

And here I would like to bake one of Martha Stewart's Red, White & Blueberry Cheesecake Tart from one of her cookbooks I borrowed from the library.  You can find the recipe in here at Martha Stewart's site.

RED, WHITE & BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE TART

from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts Cookbook

Take all the layers of classic cheesecake – crumbly graham-cracker crust, rich, creamy filling and fresh fruit topping and combine them in a modern tart. Save some of the cooking syrup for tossing with the blueberries before scattering them over the top.  (makes one 9” tart).

For the crust ((I made this crust using 1 ½ recipe)

6 Graham cracker sheets (abt 3 ½ ounces)

1/3 cup whole raw almonds

¼ cup sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup sour cream (I used plain yoghurt)

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For the topping

4 red plums, halved, pitted and cut to ½” pieces

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

10 ounces (2 cups) fresh blueberries (1 cup would do)

Make the crust : Preheat oven to 180C.  In a food processor, pulse graham crackers, almonds and sugar until finely ground; add butter, and process until combined.  Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up sides of a 9” tart pan with a removable bottom.  Refrigerate until firm about 15 minutes.

Make the filling :  Carefully wipe processor blade and bowl clean.  Process cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt just until smooth.  Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet; fill with cream cheese mixture.  Bake until filling is just set 30 to 35 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the topping : In a medium saucepan, combine plums, sugar, and lemon juice.  Cook at a low simmer, stirring until mixture has thickened to a jam like consistency, 15 to 25 minutes (time will depend on ripeness of fruit).  Reserve 1 tbsp cooking liquid (no solids); cool remaining plum mixture completely.

Leaving a 1 inch border, spread cooled plum mixture over tart filling (meaning do not spread the plum all over, just leave an inch space away from the graham cracker border).  Reheat reserved plum liquid until loose.  In a medium bowl, combine with blueberries, and scatter on top of plum mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, 2 hours or up to 1 day, unmold before serving.

A tart with cream cheese, plums and blueberries topping, what could go wrong for this delicious dessert! 

Just out from oven, and in the cooling process before putting the plums and blueberries topping.

I can't wait for 2 hours to have the tart to set........can't resist myself from cutting a slice for myself first. 

I have not submitted any of my food post to the Aspiring Bakers before, and since they are hosting Pies & Tarts for this month, I think I just post it in to join in the fun!.

I am submitting this post to the Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011)  hosted by Not the Kitchen Sink!

Stir Fried Radish Cake (Loh Pak Koh or Cai-Tau Kue)

How do you prefer your fried radish cake (Loh Pak Koh) like?  Some like it fry white and some like it with dark sweet soya sauce.  I prefer frying it white and so does my family members.

Fried Radish Cake Ingredients

200g white radish cake (cut into cubes)

½ tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp preserved dried radish (rinsed)

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tbsp fish sauce

Spring onion and Chinese parley

1.  Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan.  Stir fry the chopped garlic and preserved

      dried radish till fragrant.     

2.  Add white radish cake and fish sauce.  Stir fry for a while.  Add eggs and fry

      Till both sides crispy.  Sprinkle with spring onion.  Add the Chinese parsley to

       enhance the flavour.

How to make/steamed the Radish Cake

350g White Radish, shredded (I put the whole shredded weighing 400g)

5 tbsps cooking oil

3 tbsp chopped dried scrimps

½ tbsp chopped garlic

Seasoning (Mix all together)

600ml water (I used only 500ml)

1 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp salt

Pinch of pepper

Thickening Glaze  (mix all together)

500ml water

350g rice flour

25g corn starch

1.  Heat oil.  Stir fry garlic and dried scrimps until fragrant. 

2.  Add shredded white radish and stir fry.   

 3.  Add in the seasoning and stir well to boil.  Stir in the thickening sauce.  Cook until the 

      sauce thickens.

3.  Pour the mixture into an 8 inch pan.  Steam for 45 minutes.

Let the radish cake totally cool before cutting to cubes, to stir fry.

Care for a plate now?

Rich Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I never knew we can make cheese at home until one day I happened to stumble upon a recipe and using her homemade ricotta cheese.  I surfed the web and most of the ricotta cheese made with just whole milk but I wanted my cheese to be a little richer in taste and finally I found one that I would like to give it a try.

This rich homemade ricotta cheese adapted from SmittenKitchen

Ingredients needed :
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a non-reactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 80°C, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. (If you do not have a thermometer, once you see the edges of your pot bubbling arises, turn off the heat).
Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.)
Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Verdict:  I spread this ricotta cheese on my toast, and..........oh...it is so delicious!  I have to go and get baguette next.

Macarons

Every blogs I visited, they have posted macarons and they all have made beautiful colour of their macarons.  I have read in the blogs as well as cooking books, some have commented that macarons is a challenge to make.  So I thought I shouldn't lose out and to try to bake this unique little things eventhough looking at the sugar contents does freak me out.  How sweet could it be.  My oh my.....

There are two ways/method of making macarons.  One is French meringue macarons whereby whisking the egg whites while gradually adding the sugar in.  This method is more regular of making macarons.  The other method is called Italian meringue macarons, whereby whisking the egg whites until they are firm and adding syrup boiled to soft-ball stage (about 115 Celcius).  Hot syrup sterilizes the meringue which keeps it well preserved.  

My first batch of macarons all cracked up!  I think the temperature call for 150 Celcius could be too hot in my oven.  So my second batch, I lower it to 130 Celcius and..... ahhhhh......all perfect and with those little feet in it.  Was I happy that I successfully made these macarons?  Well, who's going to eat all these sweet little things?  And I have to think what filling should I used to be sandwiched in between the macarons.

Macarons 

125 g ground almond
150 g icing sugar
100 g caster sugar
3 egg whites (100 g)
1-2 tsp red powdered food colouring

Method 

1. In a food processor grind the ground almond and icing sugar until very finely ground.
2. Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and whip the whites until soft peaks.
3. Add the sugar, 25 grams at a time while the egg whites are being beaten.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
5. Fold the ground ground almond mixture and food colouring into the egg white mixture in two additions 
    until fully amalgamated.
6. Pipe on to baking trays which have been lined with baking paper. (I have used a pencil to draw circle to
    make it easier for me to pipe it out.)
7. Let the macarons dry for around 30 minutes until a "skin" form.
8. Bake in a preheated fan forced oven (150c) for 15 minutes.

I still haven't decide what flavour buttercream to be the filling for these macarons.  Maybe I just used ice cream as filling instead.  Easy peasy...

My first batch of cracked macarons......