Reuse your plastic bottle caps......check this out!

We usually throw the plastic bottle drink away (or send for recycling), right?  Well, we can make use of it. 

How?

First cut out the bottle caps.............

Insert the plastic bag into the bottle neck and seal with the cap! 

Tar Da!

Isn't this method economical instead of buying more and more plastic container for your food storage (big and small) or if you have run out of rubber bands or the clip sealer!  And it doesn't takes up a lot of space in your pantry cupboard!

                                            And it is AIR-TIGHT TOO !!!

Mini Kaya Puff Pastry

I have been trying various different of puff pastry for the past few months and finally I think I have decided which is the best puff pastry for me; not too soft and not too hard.  

Some recipe ingredients called for full bread flour in the water dough which I find is too hard (in terms of rolling at later stage) and some using full cake flour would result is too soft and no crisp after a day baking.

Today I have made mini Kaya Puff Pastry.  The kaya is homemade which I have made earlier.

Mini Kaya Puff Pastry

Chinese Flaky Pastry:
Water Dough:
70g bread flour
70g plain flour
25g caster sugar
55g lard or shortening
70ml water, adjust as necessary

Lard Dough:
70g cake flour
35g lard or shortening

1 egg, lightly beaten for eggwash

Kaya Filling

Please refer here my homemade kaya or use the store-bought kaya

Chinese Flaky Pastry:

 
1. For the Water Dough: Put both types of flour, sugar and lard in a mixing bowl, mix

briefly to incorporate the lard. Slowly add just enough water to form a soft but non-

sticky dough. Knead until smooth, form into a ball, wrap in cling film and put into the

refrigerator for about 20 minutes before using.

2. For the Lard Dough: Rub lard into the flour and then knead into a soft dough. If it is

too soft, chill in the refrigerator to harden a bit. If it is too hard, knead it a bit more

until you get soft dough about the same pliability as the water dough. It is important

that the malleability of the lard dough should be about the same as the water dough

when making the Chinese flaky pastry.

3. Divide the water dough and the lard dough respectively into 13 equal portions each

and round them all into small balls.

4. Wrap each oil dough with a portion of water dough, form into round shape, press lightly to 

     flatten, then roll out into thinly rectangle, roll up as swiss roll 

     (repeat 2 times).

5. Roll out the dough into oval shape. Spoon some kaya filling on one side, then fold up and

      form into puff shape and seal the edges.

6. Place the kaya puffs onto the baking pan, brush some egg wash on top.

7. Bake at preheated oven at 170C for about 20-25 minutes till golden in colour.

Do put the unfinished kaya puffs in an airtight container so it still stay crisp the next day! Or you can lightly heat it in the toaster oven.

Strawberry Shortcake

Yes, I know, Strawberry Shortcake again......!  Just couldn't resist myself from buying punnets of strawberries on the supermarket shelves when they are offering cheap cheap!  It's in my fridge for a week now and needs to do something about it.

When I finished baking the cake, while it is resting to cool down, I had a shocking look at it, it shrink and collapse down.  I thought it is a failure for me but after I cut and layer the top off, it still can be saved!

I'm still no good in doing the whipping of the cream eventhough I have used the stabilised gelatin in it.  And more so, of piping and spreading nicely on the cake.  Needs alot of practice.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

The cake recipe source from Grace of Piggy's Cooking Journal

Cake Ingredients
3 eggs
75g caster sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon milk
85g cake flour, sifted twice
30g butter, melted

to make the cake

1) Lightly grease a 7 inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper. Preheat the

    oven to 170 deg C.

2) Add the eggs, sugar and honey into a bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of

     simmering water and then beat with an electric mixer until the mixture

     reaches 36-38 deg C.

3) Remove the bowl from heat. Continue to beat at high speed until the batter

     turns pale and thick, and it leaves a ribbon like trail when the whisk is lifted up.

4) Add milk, beat until well combined.

5) Add flour, gently with a hand whisk until the flour disappears into the batter.

6) Add melted butter, fold until well combined.

7) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, drop the pan on the counter 1-2 times to

     release air bubbles.

8) Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the

     center of the cake turns out clean. Cool the cake completely on the cake rack.

    

Stabilised Whipped Cream

2 tsp gelatin powder

8 tsp cold water

2 cups whipping cream, cold

½ cup icing sugar

15g strawberry puree, sifted to remove seeds

A or two drop of red colouring

300g strawberries, (pick 5 nice ones for decor on top of the cake)

Method

1.  Chill mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2.  Pour cold water in the small saucepan.  Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the surface

     of the water and let stand for 5 minutes.  Place saucepan over the low heat and stir

     constantly with a wooden spoon just until gelatin dissolves.  Removes saucepan from

     heat and cool to room temperature.

3.  Remove the mixing bowl and beaters from the freezer.  In the mixing bowl, combine

     the whipping cream, icing sugar, strawberry puree, red coloring and vanilla and whipped 

     until slightly thickened. 

     Then, while slowly beating, gradually pour in the gelatin into the whipped cream

     mixture.  Then, whip the mixture at high speed until slightly stiff.


To assemble:
Cut the cake into 2 layers.  Spread thinly the frosting on top of one layer and lay the cut  strawberries and coat the frosting to cover the strawberries.
Place another layer of cake .
Spread all over the frosting to the cake and put in the fridge to set.
Decorate strawberries on top.

I didn't do well in this cake..... feeling a little disappointment (it was not evenly cut the layer) but I loves the frosting because of the strawberries puree whipped into it. 

Honeycomb Cake / "Kek Sarang Lebah"

Today I have made this Honeycomb Cake.  If you have searched in the internet, this Honeycomb Cake, in Malay, some have called it "Kek Sarang Lebah" and some called it "Bingka Sarang Semut" (Ants' Nest) or Kuih Sarang Semut!  But the ingredients are all the same as it is.

This is an easy cake to make but the main thing is to let the completed batter to rest and sit at room temperature at least 1 hour.  It would be better if more than an hour so that the baking soda to do the trick to form bubbles inside the batter.  This cake needs and must bake at least for 1 hour too.

HONEYCOMB CAKE / “Kek Sarang Lebah”

Recipe source from HouseOfAnnie with slight changes

Ingredients

200g sugar
240g water
50g butter
4 eggs
160g condensed milk
140g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. In a saucepan over low heat, caramelize the sugar until it turns a dark golden brown.

2. Slowly and carefully pour the water into the caramel. (Be careful, the caramel is very

hot and the water will quickly steam up  Stir until the caramel is dissolved in the water

and it becomes a thin syrup. Remove from heat.

3. Add the butter and set the pan aside to cool.

4. Beat the egg till light and fluffy, then add in the condensed milk.

5. Sift the flour and baking soda together and fold in the flour mixture to the egg mixture

with a spatula and mix well to combine.

6. Pour the caramel butter sauce into the batter and mix well.

7. Pour the batter into a greased, 9-inch round cake pan. Let it sit for at least 1-3 hours

     for the bubbles to begin developing.

8. Bake at 170C for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

(Alternatively you can steam this cake at medium to high heat for 1 hour; but do cover

    with aluminium foil when steaming.)

 Don't think I'm gonna rave much about this cake.  I think I will say I prefer the "Pak Thong Koh" much better.

Braised Duck With Sea Cucumber & Mushroom

When I cooked dinner at night, I don’t usually post the dishes up to my blog.  Why?  Hmmm….. call me lazy or too much things to do to prepare for dinner or I am not good with my camera shot during night time.  This is why I seldom post dishes I cooked for dinner.

But since I have the time yesterday, I post this Braised Duck with Mushroom & Sea Cucumber.

Braised Duck With Sea Cucumber & Mushroom

Recipe source from kuali.com

Ingredients

• 600g duck (I used all Duck drumstick)
• 500g sea cucumber, rinsed, sliced thickly and well drained
• 6-7cm ginger, sliced
• 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
• 10 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked to soften
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Marinade (A)

• 2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp Premium oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp thick soya sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
• Dash of pepper
Sauce ingredients (B)

• 1 ½ tbsp light soya sauce(½ tbsp is enough)
• 2 tbsp Premium oyster sauce (½ tbsp is enough)
• 1 tbsp thick soya sauce
• 3/4 tsp salt (should opt this out)
• 1 tbsp sugar or to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 - 2 ½ cups chicken stock
Thickening

• 1/2 - 1 tsp corn flour mixed with 2 tbsp water

 
Method

Season duck with marinade (A) for several hours or preferably overnight.

Heat a saucepan (without oil) and put in ginger slices and sea cucumber, then fry for 4-5 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Pour in wine and toss briefly for 10-20 seconds. Remove sea cucumber and discard the ginger slices.

Heat saucepan with oil and sesame oil, then fry garlic until lightly golden and fragrant. Add mushrooms and fry a minute. Put in marinated duck and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add sea cucumber and stir in sauce (B). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until duck is tender.

Thicken sauce with corn flour mixture.

I cooked and used the original Sauce Ingredients and I feel it is salty for me and my family.....next time should cut down the soya sauce and oyster sauce as I indicated at the side there....

Apple Hand Pies

My family and I loves apple pies.  What about you?  Instead of the normal apple pie tart, today I have baked it into small hand pies; more easy to handle and nibble away.  Some called it pie pockets.  Whatever you wanted to name it, these little pies are yummy.

When I am in a dilemma to which pie dough or crust I intend to choose from, well, as I have mentioned previously, you never go wrong using Martha Stewart's recipes.

Apple Hand Pies

Basic Pie Dough Ingredients

160g all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

113g butter

2tbsp – 4 tbsp ice water

Directions

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.  (Alternatively, you can use your hands to lightly combine together).

Sprinkle with 2-3 tbsp ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers.  

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Filling Ingredients

2-3 apples, diced small

35g brown butter

60g sugar

1 tbsp raisins, snip to half

½ tsp cinnamon powder

1 tbsp plain flour

Heat frying pan to melt butter and sugar.  Add in the diced apples and raisins, stir fry till apples tender.

Add in cinnamon powder and flour, stir well and dish up.

Leave to cool.

 

Remove dough from fridge and let stand 5 minutes on room temperature.

Roll out dough about 1/8” thick on flour surface.  Cut out the dough with round cookie cutter, place a spoonful of apple mixture in the center of the dough circle.

Gently brush the edges with the beaten egg. then top with a second dough circle, gently pressing around the edges to help the dough adhere.

With a fork crimp the edges of the pies to seal.   Using your small knife, cut few slits on the top. Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg, then dust with the sanding sugar.

Bake the hand pies at 160C for about 20-25 minutes.

    Delicious to be eaten when it is still warm.  This pies is delicious using this pie dough,  

    unless you have a better version, do let me know and I shall try yours!

Homemade Kaya (Coconut Jam)

I seldom buy kaya because most of the kaya sold either is too sweet or if the one that suits my taste would be too costly for a just a small jar.  So it is better to make my own to suit to my little less sweet taste.

Homemade Kaya (Coconut Jam)

Recipe source from AlmostBourdain with slight changes

Ingredients

4 eggs,  beaten and sieved
220g sugar
50ml pandan / screwpine water

(blend 5 pandan/screwpine leaves with 50 ml water in a blender and sieve the mixture)
250ml coconut milk, sieved

Method:

Put sugar and pandan water in a heavy-based pan and boil until sugar dissolved and caramelised.

Remove from heat and pour in coconut cream / milk and eggs.

Cook and stir constantly in low heat for 25-30 minutes until the mixture is smooth and thicken.

Remove from heat and leave to cool.

         Makes about 460g.....

Char Siew Soh (叉烧酥) / BBQ Pork Puff Pastry

I think I have been baking alot bakes using puff pastry method.  There are still alot more recipes I like to try eventhough it takes some time especially kneading, rolling piece by piece of the dough.

I am still trying to find the right texture of the crisp of the layer.  I saw one recipe using the water dough with full bread flour which is too hard to knead it out for me.

I have made Siew Pau just last month and that was the first time I'm trying on puff pastry.  Call that real hard work, kneading and rolling for me.  And then, I try making the Wife's Cake/Lou Poh Paeng too.  I guess I must be getting the feel of making puff pastry bakes.  Today, I am posting Char Siew Soh, and I think both this Siew Pau and Char Siew Soh doesn't have much of difference in terms of the filling or the puff pastry; it is just the shape only.

I am using the Water & Oil Dough ingredients from Sugar & Everything Nice in the puff pastry but the filling is the same as the Siew Pau I made previously.

 

Char Siew Soh (叉烧酥) / BBQ Pork Puff Pastry

 

Water Dough

200g all-purpose flour, sifted
100g water
50g vegetable shortening
50g icing sugar

Oil Dough

200g all-purpose flour, sifted
100g vegetable shortening

Method
1. Water dough
. Rub oil with flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.
. Dissolve sugar and syrup in water and add to the above. Mix together to form a

   smooth dough. Cover and rest for 15 mins.
. Divide dough into 18 pieces.

2. Oil Dough
. Rub shortening gradually into the flour to form a soft dough. Cover to rest for 15

   minutes.
. Divide dough into 18 pieces.

3. Wrap oil dough into water dough and flatten it.
4. Roll out into a longish flat piece. Roll up like a swiss roll).
5. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat the rolling up 2 – 3 times.

Filling for Char Siu Pau ~ Pork Bun Filling

Ingredients
300 gm char siew (bbq pork) (chopped into small pieces)
5 Tbsp frozen peas
chives or spring onions (optional)
4 tsp oil

Seasonings                                         Topping
6 Tbsp water                                         1 egg (beaten)
2 tsp sesame oil                                     2 tbsp toasted/fried sesame seeds
3 tsp oyster sauce
4 tsp sugar


1 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp cornflour
3 tsp peanut butter
dash of pepper
dash of chinese wine

Method
1. Mix seasoning together
2. Heat oil, add seasoning and simmer till gravy thickens.
3. Add bbq pork and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well
4. Remove and leave to cool before using as filling.

To Assemble

1.  Preheat the oven to 170 Celcius.

2.  With the heel of your palm, gently press the pastry down to flatten it lightly.
3.  Roll out the pastry into a flat circle. Spoon in about 1 tbsp of filling, wrap well and

      form into triangle shape.
4. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

    I've tried to form it in triangle shape but some have turned up into odd or out of shape!!

Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts

When I first saw Wendy of Table for 2 ....or more posting this Brussels Sprouts on her blog, I thought I won't be able to cook and taste it because brussels sprouts selling here is costly.  A punnet is about $11.00.  

I came to love brussels sprouts when I stayed in NZ for a short period of time.  That time, it is my ex who cook this for me.  But I was sooooooo happy when I was in for a bargain the other day.  I bought a punnet for only $1.80!!  Can you believe that??

Today, I am more than happy that I can have my brussels sprouts and have tried for Wendy's recipes.  She is also a guest host at Quaypo Cooks for this recipes.

Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts

Adapted from Wendy of Table of Two....or more with slight changes

150gm Brussels sprouts

½ Tbsp butter

¼ tsp salt

10 walnuts or more, chopped

½ Tbsp butter

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp lemon/lime juice

Directions

1. Wash and trim brussel sprouts. Cut into half lengthwise and slice thinly.

2. In a cold pan, on medium heat put in butter. When butter starts to melt, turn 

    heat to low. (don’t wait for fully melted).

3. Put in sliced brussel sprouts and spread it around. Do not toss them. Just 

    leave it there for 1 minute. After that, lightly toss it and cook until slightly   

    wilted. Put in salt and toss it. Taste to see if it’s salty enough and to check its 

    doneness. Should be crispy but cooked. (If it taste sulphurous, it’s overcooked.)

    Place cooked brussel sprouts into a serving plate.

4. In the same pan, put in butter and chopped walnuts.

5. On low heat, sauté hazelnuts until they are very very slightly golden (you will 

    notice it is no longer as white but turns to a cream colour). Put in sugar and 

    cook until the sugar melts.

6. Pour walnuts and all that is in the pan over brussel sprouts. 

7. Pour lemon/lime juice over just before serving.

     Thanks, Wendy, it is very delicious.... as I have followed the steps to cook this in low heat.

       I have used walnuts here as I don't have hazelnuts.......

Tish Boyle's Luxe Pound Cake (With Strawberry Compote)

I wakes up early this morning to get ready to bake my long overdue Tish Boyle's Luxe pound cake.  But when I opened my pantry cupboard to take out the cake flour, OMIGOSH!!!....... I have ran out of cake flour!  What should I do?  So, I thought I change my mind to bake a Chiffon Cake instead.  No....no....not yet.... suddenly I remembered that I can make my own cake flour.  Yes!!

Usually when I have set my mind to make and bake something, I usually will give it a thorough study on the recipe and the step by step to avoid any blunder in the last minute.  I never thought I have ran out of cake flour.  Lucky for me  previously I have came across from one blog advising that we can make our own cake flour.

I loves Tish Boyle's Pound Cake.  The previous Plainly Perfect Pound Cake I have made is so delicious even my neighbour has gave good praise in it too.

After bookmarked this Luxe Pound Cake for quite awhile, only today I made it. Shirley of @kokken has made this cake serve with Kumquat Compote but at this time of the year, I don't think I can't find kumquat at all unless I have planted it.  So I made some Strawberry Syrup to serve with this cake.

LUXE POUND CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY COMPOTE SYRUP

The Pound Cake adapted from Shirley of @kokken

Ingredients

• 342g cake flour *** 
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 227g unsalted butter
• 330g caster sugar
• 7 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 240 ml heavy cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

2. Place softened butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle fixture. Cream butter at medium

low speed. Add sugar in 3 separate additions, allowing sugar to be incorporated with

butter after each addition. The butter should be creamy and pale after all sugar has been

well mixed.

3. Add eggs one at a time, allowing the egg to be mixed well with the butter after each

addition.

4. Add vanilla extract.

5. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 portions, alternating each

    addition with a portion of the heavy cream until all flour is added.

6. Pour batter into a lined/ buttered pound cake pan.

7. Bake at 160C for 50mins or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

8. Cool down cake to room temperature before turning out the cake carefully from the

    baking pan.

Note/Tips : ***

If you have run out of cake flour in your last minute of baking, here is the emergency solutions.

For every 1 cup of all purpose flour, minus out 2 tbsps  and add 2 tbsp corn flour in it.  Sift the flour 2-3 times.

And you can have Cake Flour......

Strawberry Compote Syrup

100g fresh or frozen strawberry

50g – 60g sugar

1.  Put both ingredients in a small pot and boil till syrup slightly thicken.

         I prefer to bake the pound cake in 2 loaf pans instead of using a bundt pan. 

    
       The pound cake is indeed delicious but heavenly delicious serve with this Strawberry 
       Compote syrup!!

             This Luxe Pound Cake is one of my keeper's now!