Ong Lai Rabbit/Rabbit Pineapple Tarts

Would like to share some of my Pineapple Tarts which i made this year.  Since this is the year of the Rabbit, i tried making some in the shape of the Rabbit and it was quite fun to make especially i had Renee helping me.  She was a great help and i should say, we were a great team.  When i had the Rabbit's body ready, which was a round piece of dough wrapped with pineapple jam, she had the Rabbit's tail, ears and nose ready for me.  Alexander, helped too, he did the egg white wash so that i could adhere the tail, ears and nose.  The Rabbits looked great and cute, before they were baked but when they came out of the oven, they had attitute.  Some lost their tails and noses and Renee blamed Alexander for doing a shoddy job in glazing.  Well, these tarts are handmade and can we expect factory-machine made tarts?


I tried making some other shapes like gold ingots, which i gave up after making a few, cos it took up too much time and it was laborious.  Besides it did not turn out so pretty.  The pineapple shape was good, easy and fast.  The next time around i would use more dough rather than more jam, then they would be better looking.


GONG XI FA CAI

Continue HERE

Jade Cookies

When your mom told you to eat your peas, she knew what she was talking about. With green peas, it's true that good things come in a small package and the good things are that they are  packed with fantastic health benefits. High in protein, but low in calories, green peas keep your energy levels up, immune system strong and heart healthy. Overall, green peas are an economical, easy, healthy vegetable to add to almost any meal and an excellent vegetable to eat on a regular basis.

Continue for recipe HERE

Almond Tuiles

It was the year 2000 that i was in Paris and it was there and then that i was introduced to authentic french cuisine. Thien, our dear family friend was home in Paris and we decided to join him. His Papa and Maman graciously took us in and not only did we get boarded, we had most of our meals catered for by Papa and Maman.

Papa would get up early every morning and go to the best bakery to get the freshest baguette available. Manan would get up earlier and she would start baking. We did not need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.  Her bakings smelled so good and the fragrance of her baking was our morning call. I had wanted so much to learn baking from her but unfortunately she could not wait for me to wake up and every morning, perfect pastries were laid out all ready for breakfast.



Almond Tuiles recipe is HERE

Walnut Cookies

When a friend wrote on my wall on Facebook and asked if i have Hup Toh Sou, this reminded me that this Hup Tou Sou recipe is very crunchy and crispy. I like it to be more "SOU". "SOU" in chinese means and if i am not wrong, a kind of cookie which has a bite and yet melts in the mouth. So, i went looking for new recipes and in my search among my cookbooks, i found this by Martin Yan.


Continue for recipe HERE

Palmiers Again And Again

The name Palmier means “palm leaves” in French. These cookies are also known as “Elephant Ear.” In Germany they’re called “Schweineohren”.


These French Palmiers are fantastic, traditionally, the recipe is time consuming and labor intensive, but it can be so easy-to-make, especially if you follow Quickest Puff Pastry Nick Malgieri

The Palmiers Again And Again recipe is HERE

Gong Xi Fa Cai Cookie

The Chinese New Year 2011, The year of the Rabbit, is not far away, only 27 days more to 3rd February, 2011.  Join me in The Cooking and Baking Bandwagon to bake cookies/biscuits and cook auspicious dishes to usher in the New Year.  The first to jump into the Bandwagon is this Gong Xi Fa Cai Cookie which is actually Linzer Cookie.  I found a rabbit design among my grandchildren's play dough set and i used it to cut the design for the top cookie.

The recipe is HERE

Classic Twisted Pastry Straws

As promised, i have made these Classic Twisted Pastry Straws and they are the best Straws i have ever made.  They were all gone as soon as they came out of the oven and cool enough to eat.

Continue for recipe HERE

Quickest Puff Pastry Nick Malgieri

Let it snow, let it snow and it was snowing hard up in the mountains. The calling to ski at the slopes was there and up the mountains we went. The family hit the slopes before we checked in to the condo. As soon as I checked in, i started to cook lunch which was an easy one, just sprinkle the chicken legs with seasoned salt and basil,(i found these seasonings in the cabinet of the condo), and put them to broil. There was nothing to do but to wait for them to cook, so, in the meantime i had to watch tv. There was no cable and the only channel that excited me was Hallmark - Martha Stewart was making cookies. The show was interesting and i was so engrossed, especially the cookie which was made of meringue, then added roasted hazelnuts and poured the mixture into a large saucepan. The commercials came on at the same time with the smoke alarm. I was ALARMED!!!!! Lily, you are in trouble, quick, locate the smoke alarm. Good, found it, grapped a chair and stood on it, luckily i was able to reach and turn off the alarm. I came down from the chair and turned to look at the tv, Martha Stewart was eating the crunchy meringue cookie. Oh no, I missed the part of what was done with the meringue in the saucepan. Trying to find the recipe, of which i am still trying to, instead, while i was looking, i found this clip The teacher show and Nick Malgieri was teaching how to make this quickest puff pastry. After watching and seeing how easy it was, i had to make it.

The How to is HERE

Pork Floss Bread Roll

2010 has been an exciting, happy year and also a sad one for me, I lost my mother but was glad that i get to see all my siblings and relatives when i was back in Malaysia.  The exciting part is that Lily's Wai Sek Hong had a baby Lily's Wai Sek Hong - Favorites.  The baby although still in diapers and crawling, not actually walking properly yet,  is coming along great and hope that it will grow to be like Mommy. who had help and support from all of you.

  Mommy thanks all her readers who have been following her blog and wish them a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

See you all in 2011.

Auld Lang Syne : Lyrics



Should auld acquaintance be forgot,


And never brought to mind?


Should auld acquaintance be forgot,


And auld lang syne!






Chorus.-

For auld lang syne, my dear,


For auld lang syne.


We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,


For auld lang syne.
 
Recipe for Pork Floss Bread Roll is HERE

Guggelhopf

There are many recipes for Guggelhopf as there are spellings to this bread. I did try making one when i got my silicone mould but i was not happy with the recipe i tried. I like the design of the mould so much that i had to bake with it, so i made a savory version - Chance Tomato Gugelhupf and it was a wonderful bread. This Christmas, i must make the Mccoy Guggelhopf, so i consulted my friend, Donna, who is residing in Germany for a recipe and she immediately gave me this recipe which i had tweaked. Thank you Donna, you are always my lifeline on European Cuisine. BTW Donna's blog is Simplybest From Food And Life . Donna told me that Guggelhopf is how the German spells this bread, she should know, she is German.

Continue for recipe HERE

Chistmas Jello

The Importance of Color -

Colors have a significant impact on people’s emotional state. They also have been shown to impact people’s ability to concentrate and learn. They have a wide variety of specific mental associations. Colors also have a functional impact on readability, eye-strain, ability to attract attention, ability to be seen at night, etc.People respond to color in various ways Each color would most likely evoke different feelings in the onlooker.

Ever wonder the origins of how red and green became the colors of Christmas?



Read about it from Here


MERRY CHRISTMAS

These Christmas Jello are made with these moulds which are available online from Browncookie.com and the recipe is HERE

Step-By-Step Easy Christmas Fruitcake

IF a picture is worth a thousand words, then i would like to share my pictures on HOW To bake this Easy Christmas Cake and also this song which is titled "IF" by David Gates 1971. 

The Step-By-Step Pictures are HERE

Easy Christmas Fruitcake

The weather has turned colder and looking west, i can see that snow dusts the tops of the mountains, reminding me to start baking, so go and get out the fruitcake recipe.

Recipe for Easy Christmas Fruitcake is HERE

A Special Birthday Cake

Ngoc, is a child with 'special needs' and she is so lucky to be in the United States where so much attention and care are given to children like Ngoc. Unlike my nephew, Eugene, who is in Malaysia - my brother could not find any special attention even when he is willing to pay for it. Preparing for the future is important but so is enjoying the pressent. Guessed my brother would have to 'focus on today and not tomorrow.

I found this Article so well written and meaningful and to all parents who have a kid with special need, please do spend a moment to read this and also to enjoy your child's speciality. I salute all you parents who are doing all the best you can and you are doing a really great job.  All of us could learn a thing or two as they are so special, actually at times, we are the handicapped ones.

Continue for recipe HERE

Rice wine Residue Sweet Soup

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Looking out and this is what i can see - my backyard.

Yes, it is 'Bittersweet October" , today and the week to come is promised chill in the air as the changing of the leaves start to fall, in fact they have started to fall awhile back. Nothing takes away the chill or tastes better than a bowl of warm soup.

Continue for recipe HERE

Cheesecake with Ganache

Have you ever thought that a sunken cake can be a success?  I was in this situation when i had to think fast to complete this birthday cake in time. .. 

 

It was the morning of the birthday and the cake has sunk to half of what it was when i turned off the oven the night before.

It was left it in the oven with the oven door ajar and meant to be taken out as soon as it cooled slightly.  But ...... i fell asleep and woke up hours later.  OMG  - think fast - Lily

Continue to recipe HERE

20 Layers Crepe Cake

I was asked to do a demo for crepes using The Scanpan Crepe Pan, so i had to do a pre-run at home and what a good timing it was - I killed 2 birds with one stone - i get to make crepes and then turned the crepes into a cake.  I have heard of the popularity of The Mille Cake aka Crepe Cake and had wanted to make one.  This first attempt's taste needed tweaking,  1/4 cup of filling for a layer was not enough or it would have been enough if it has a stronger flavor - sweeter perhaps.  We had to eat the cake drizzled with Strawberry Syrup.

I have doubled the pastry creme and added more sugar to make it sweeter, now there will be enough to layer and coat the cake as well.

Ingredients:

French Crepe Batter:

3 recipes of French Crepe Batter

Crepe Batter can be made several hours or leave overnight in the refrigerater.

Pastry Creme Filling:

2 eggs

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2  cups milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy cream, whipped

Method:

In a small bowl, add eggs, flour,cornstarch , and sugar ; beat until smooth.

In a saucepan over low heat, bring milk almost to a boil (simmer). Immediately remove from heat and slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture. Return all ingredients to the saucepan, while constantly stirring, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add vanilla extract, stir until dissolved into the mixture. Set aside to cool until firm.

When the Pastry Creme has cooled, fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate mixture until thick (best if refrigerated overnight).

Assembly of 20 Layers Crepe Cake:

French Crepe Batter

Pastry Creme Filling

4 cups heavy cream

2  tablespoon granulated sugar

Powdered sugar

Strawberries

Method:

To prepare and cook the crepes:

Remove the French Crepe Batter from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a nonstick or lightly-oiled crepe pan over medium-low heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of French  Crepe Batter; swirl to cover the surface of the pan. Cook just until the bottom of the crepe becomes lightly browned. Using your clean fingers, gently and carefully turn the crepe over. Cook the other side of the crepe for no longer than 5 seconds. Remove the cooked crepe onto a prepared baking sheet (do not stack the crepes on top of each other). Repeat this process until you have 20 perfect crepes. (You might need to prepare a few practice crepes in the beginning.)

Remove the Pastry Creme Filling from the refrigerator. Whip the 4 cups of heavy cream with the 2  tbsp sugar. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled and thickened Pastry Creme Filling.

Using a round cake pan base or a round plate as a guide, trim the crepes with the sharp tip of a paring knife.

Place one trimmed crepe on a serving plate. With a small spatula or wide blade knife, completely cover the crepe with a thin layer of the pastry cream mixture (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup).

Cover with another crepe and repeat covering with the pastry creme until you have reached 20 layers. The 20th crepe will be the last or top layer. (Cake can be coated all over with pastry creme filling, dusted with powdered sugar, garnished with strawberries)

Refrigerate the prepared cake for a minimum of 2 hours. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar.

When ready to serve, slice into individual servings. Garnish the plate with fresh strawberries or seasonal berries of your choice.

Serves

Kuih Lapis Rainbow

It is strange but it is true with our tastebud, there are so many kinds of food that i do not like when i was younger but love them now.  Kuih Lapis which is chewy is one of them,  I like this Traditonal Nyonya Kuih Lapis  which is rich and soft.  But!!!  now that i have tried making this recipe after too many requests for this chewy type, and surprising i liked it.  I think i know why i did not like this chewy type cos i have eaten too many badly made ones.  I found that this kuih will be good if a considerable amount of thick coconut milk was used in the recipe.  I shall not call this 'Nine Layers Koh' cos i have made it with 10 layers.  I wanted to have 3 colors, so i ended with 9 layers - 3 layers of every color and a topping layer thus making it 10 layers.

Ingredients:

A:
80 gm rice flour
80 gm all-purpose flour
180 gm tapioca starch
2 x 400ml cans coconut milk(SAVOY brand)
100 ml water
240 gm fine granulated sugar
1/8 tsp potassium carbonate & sodium bi-carbonate solution aka 'kan sui'
1/4 tsp salt

B:
Food colorings
Pandan paste
Vanillin

Method:

Mix all the ingredients A in a large bowl and then pass through a fine sieve onto to a large microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave the batter, one minute at a time, stirring after every minute.  I did 3 times(my microwave is only 900 watts).  The sugar should have dissolved and the batter thickens slightly.

Measure 3 portions weighing 435 gms. Leaving the rest of the batter as the topping or last layer.

Leave one portion white and divide into 3 bowls - each weighing 145 gms.

Color the next portion pink and divide into 3 bowls - each weighing 145 gms.

Color the last portion with pandan paste and divide into 3 bowls - each weighing 145 gms.

Color the topping layer with a darker red color.

Heat a 9 inch greased pan in the steamer for 5 - 10 minutes, then pour in one of the white color batter.

Steam for 5 minutes and if the layer is cooked through, pour in one of the pink color batter and steam for 5 minutes..

When pink layer is cooked through, pour in the green layer and steam.

Repeat with these layerings until all 9 layers are done.

Finally pour in the topping layer and steam until cooked through and further steam the whole kuih for another 10 minutes.

Remove from steamer and allow kuih to cool to room temperature before cutting.  Use a very sharp knife for cutting.  Although i like the plastic crinkle cutter, it does not do a very good job on this chewy cake.

Serves