Bing Cooks

Warm Duck Salad With Roasted Beetroot

Bing — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:10:52 +0000

This is one of our favourite ways to eat duck. Perfectly cooked duck breasts with some juicy sweet beetroot and some oranges and greens, tossed with an easy peasy orange vinaigrette.

It’s super easy to put together and is very impressive laid out on a plate.

Serves 4 for a light lunch or starter course.

Ingredients

500g of duck breast meat (about 2 slabs) – skin left on
300g baby beets or beetroot
zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups of rocket or arugula greens
4 tablespoons of toasted almond flakes or pine nuts
1 can of mandarin orange segments (drained)
Bunch of fresh mint or basil
Shaved parmesan cheese or crumbled goat or feta cheese

For the vinaigrette
Juice of 1 orange (about 6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Start by roasting the beetroots.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg Celsius.

Clean the beets of all mud and trim the stems. Wrap each beet tightly in aluminum foil.

Place the wrapped beets on a pan and in a 200 deg Celsius oven for 30 to 40mins. They are done when they are very tender.

While the beets are cooking, use a peeler and peel an orange, taking note to get as much of zest and as little of pith (the white parts) as possible.

Stack the strips of orange zest and cut into fine strips with a sharp knife. Set aside.

Clean and dry the duck breasts. Score the skin of the duck. Make cuts into the fat layer and take care not to cut into the meat layer.

Rub some salt into the skin side only of the duck.

Add the duck breasts to a clean and COLD pan. Do not add any oil. Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium.

As the pan heats up, the fat from the duck will render off and the skin will brown beautifully. Always keep the heat to between medium to medium-high. Never use high heat as the skin will burn before the duck is cooked through.

Once the skin is a gorgeous dark golden brown, flip the duck breasts to the other side and cook for a few more minutes till the other sides are also golden brown. Be careful not to overcook the duck.

Set the cooked duck aside and leave to rest covered with foil. Duck, like beef must be rested. The resting time is half that of cooking time. If the duck was cooked for 6 mins, then it should be rested for at least 3 minutes.

While the duck is resting, make the vinaigrette.

Squeeze the juice of the zested orange into a bowl. About 5 to 6 tablespoons of juice.

Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Use the best quality one you have.

Add 4 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture well. Set aside.

When the beets are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes so that they are easier to hold. Put on some disposable gloves (else get blood red stained fingers later).

Open the foil-wrapped beets. Using the rough surface of each piece of foil, rub the beets with the foil to remove the skin.

Cut the cooked beets into small pieces. Set aside in a bowl.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette into the beets.

Add 2 teaspoons of honey. Toss well to coat the beets with the dressing.

Slice the rested duck into thin slices. The meat should be a beautiful pink.

Serve by layering the salad with greens, nuts and cheese of your choice, and the duck and beets.

I like rocket greens and baby butter lettuce with fresh basil or mint, mandarin orange segments, toasted almond flakes or pine nuts and some shaved parmesan cheese or some crumbed feta or goat’s cheese.

NOTE the red stained fingers from touching beetroot without gloves. =(

Garnish with the orange zest.

Trickle the vinaigrette over the salad.

Best served immediately.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Warm Duck Salad With Roasted Beetroot

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Spanish Meatballs In Tomato Sauce

Bing — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 02:37:15 +0000

My friend, Issachar is an amazing chef and runs Kaixo restaurant in Singapore. This is his recipe for Spanish meatballs. I was very skeptical about them because I thought meatballs were boring. But these were SO GOOD!

Makes about 20 meatballs.

Ingredients

For the meatballs
1 large egg, whole
500g of ground beef
4 slices of sandwich bread, only the white part, diced
Half an onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

For the tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
600g tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of sugar
pinch of Pimenton de la Vera (Dulce) or Spanish sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Start by making the tomato sauce.

Finely chop 1 onion.

Peel 600g of tomatoes with a serrated peeler.

Chop the peeled tomatoes into small pieces.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan.

Add the chopped onions.

Add a pinch of Pimenton de la Vera (Dulce), which is Spanish smoked sweet paprika. I used 1/4 teaspoon. Add more if you prefer the sauce to be spicy.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the onions mixture and stir well to combine.

Add 1 fresh bay leaf. I used 2 dried pieces here because I couldn’t find fresh ones.

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

And 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Cover the sauce pan and reduce the heat to a medium-low and let the tomato mixture simmer gently till it reduces to a sauce like consistency.

–

In the meantime, make the meatballs by adding 1/2 an onion to a food processor.

Add 2 cloves of garlic. I used 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.

Process till the onions and garlic are finely chopped.

Sweat the onion-garlic mixture in a frying pan with some olive oil. I just realised that I had missed this step. The meatballs still tasted great.

Add the onion-garlic mixture to 500g ground beef in a mixing bowl.

Slice off the crust of 4 slices of white bread.

Cut the soft white bread into small cubes of 1cm all round.

Add the chopped bread to the beef mixture.

Add 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Use Italian flat parsley where possible. I couldn’t find any, so I used English parsley.

Add 1 large egg.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I used approximately 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper.

Mix well to combine.

Shape the meat mixture into balls that are slightly bigger than the size of a golf ball size. Roll the meat tightly to form meatballs.

Add 3/4 cup of olive oil to frying pan. The layer of oil should be approximately 3/4cm in the pan.

Put the pan on medium-high heat and add the meatballs to the oil.

Gently roll them around in the oil to brown all surfaces and ensure even cooking.

When the meatballs are a deep golden brown, remove them from the frying pan and set aside.

The tomatoes-onion mixture should have reduced to a sauce consistency now. You can use a hand blender to puree the mixture. Or leave the small bits of tomatoes and onions as they are.

Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and let the meatballs warm through.

Garnish with more chopped parsley.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Spanish Meatballs In Tomato Sauce

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Siew Mai

Bing — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 21:45:43 +0000

I have to admit I was feeling quite out of my normal mind when I decided I was going to spend an afternoon doing this. But I had just had dinner at a friend’s house and she had served home-made siew mai and it had seemed easy enough. I’d thought it would be a special treat for the hubby.. so I made not one, but TWO types of siew mai. I made pork and shrimp ones, and glutinous rice ones.

They are slightly laborious but aren’t difficult to make. And they are absolutely delicious. Feel free to add your favourite ingredients or omit stuff you don’t like. That’s the marvelous part about making your own dumplings.

Makes about 20 dumplings of each type of filling.

Ingredients

40 to 50 large wonton wrappers

For the pork and shrimp filling
700g minced fatty pork (I used pork neck steaks)
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing Huatiao wine
1 teaspoon Maggi Seasoning Sauce or Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
80g peeled water chestnuts (canned)
4 large Chinese mushrooms (soaked for 2 hours)
400g whole shrimp (cooked, peeled and de-veined)
1 small carrot or 3 tablespoons of salmon roe or 3 tablespoons of salted egg yolk

For the glutinous rice filling
2 sticks of lap cheong (Chinese sausage)
200g raw glutinous rice
40g shallots (sliced)
1 small piece of ginger (minced)
4 tablespoons cooking oil
30g dried shrimps (soaked overnight in boiling water, chopped)
20g dried scallops (steamed for 20 mins, remove intestine if any, sliced)
5 pieces Chinese mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
3 tablespoons water (use the water used to soak the scallops)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing Huatiao wine
ground white pepper to taste

Method

To prepare the pork filling -

Mince 700g of pork and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt.

Add 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Add 1 teaspoon of Maggie Seasoning Sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

Add 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing Huatiao wine.

Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.

Roughly chop 80g of water chestnuts into fine pieces. I used canned ones.

Chop 4 large Chinese mushrooms into fine pieces too.

Add the water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pork mixture. Mix all the ingredients well to combine.

Finely dice a small carrot. These will be placed on top each pork siew mai to garnish. Use salmon roe or salted egg yolk if preferred.

Set aside the pork mixture and the diced carrots till ready to wrap dumplings.

–

To make the glutinous rice filling -

Soak 2 lap cheongs (Chinese sausages) in boiling water until the skin is separated from the meat. Remove the skin from the lap cheong and cut them into small dices.

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, pan fry the lap cheong dices until they are golden but not brown. They should be a lovely red.

Follow the instructions at Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf and prepare the glutinous rice. Once the rice and other ingredients are stir fried till fragrant, add the pieces of fried lap cheong and set aside to cool.

–

Prepare the ingredients necessary for the wrapping of the dumplings.

Start by placing a sheet of wonton wrapper on a flat surface. Place a small teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wonton wrapper.

Dap finger in some water and gently wet the sides of the wonton wrapper.

Gather the wonton wrapper with the filling in the palm of hand and squeeze gently while folding the wrapper skin upwards and against the filling so that the wonton wrapper wraps the filling tightly.

I made mine the “neat” way by folding the wrappers neatly instead of just scrunching them up.

Make sure the dumplings are tight. Otherwise they may fall apart while being steamed. Use more water to seal them if necessary.

Place a large shrimp on the top of each pork siew mai.

Add a few pieces of chopped carrot or salmon roe or salted egg yolk to add a fresh colour to the dumpling.

Do the same for the glutinous rice siew mai, adding more lap cheong pieces on the top if preferred.

Place the dumplings in a steamer lined with baking paper. Cut some holes through the baking paper to let the steam through.

Place the steamer over boiling water for 14-15 minutes or until the filling is cooked.

Serve hot.

Uncooked dumplings may be frozen and steamed at a later date. Dust some flour in a container so that the dumplings won’t stick to it.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Siew Mai

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Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

Bing — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:48:13 +0000

I tasted a fabulous smoked salmon quiche in a French patisserie in Auckland recently and was inspired to make my own.

After a ton of research and experimentation, this is my take on the Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche.

Its filling is light and flavourful, and the crust is delicate and melts in your mouth. Going that extra mile to make your own crust is really worth it.

Serves 4 as a light meal.

Ingredients

For the pastry
1 & 1/3 cup plain flour
100g butter, cold
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

For the filling
200g smoked salmon slices
200g asparagus stems
80g shallots (about 3 large ones)
1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic
250ml double cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing Huatiao wine or any cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
sprigs of fresh dill

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg Celsius.

Cut 100g of cold butter into small cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Add 1 and 1/3 cups of plain flour.

Using the tips of fingers, rub the butter into the flour.

When the butter has been rubbed into the flour, the mixture will resemble fine crumbs.

Add 1 extra-large egg yolk to the butter-flour mixture. Mix well to combine.

Add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix well to combine and start bringing the dough together.

Give the dough a gentle but good knead until it becomes a smooth ball in the bowl.

Wrap the dough in some cling wrap film and chill it in the fridge for 15 mins so that it’s easier to manage later.

After 15 mins, grease a pie pan with some melted butter. I used a 23cm by 23cm pan.

Place the chilled dough between 2 large pieces of baking paper so that the dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin or table later.

Roll out the dough to the size of the pan, ensuring that it is about 2 to 3 mm thick.

Gently remove the baking paper from the rolled dough and transfer the dough to the pie pan. Tuck the dough into the pan neatly and trim off the excess dough.

Set the pan with the dough in the fridge to chill for at least 15 mins to an hour.

In the meantime, prepare the filling by peeling and thinly slicing 80g shallots. I used 3 large ones.

Cut off the thick ends of 200g of asparagus stems. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off the hard skins of the asparagus stems at its ends.

Cut the asparagus stems into bite size pieces.

In a frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in medium-high heat.

Add the shallots and sauté the shallots till they start to turn golden brown.

Add a generous pinch of black pepper to season.

Add 1 heaped teaspoon of minced garlic. Stir fry for 10 seconds to combine.

Add the asparagus to the pan. Stir well for a minute to combine.

Add a few glugs of cooking wine. I used Shaoxing Huatiao wine. About 1 tablespoonful of it.

If the asparagus stems are thick ones, cover the frying pan and steam them a little. Do not overcook the asparagus. They should be cooked but still crunchy. They will be cooked further with the rest of the quiche filling in the oven later.

Once the asparagus-shallots mixture is ready, set aside to cool.

Add 250ml double cream to a large mixing bowl.

Add 3 extra-large eggs. Whisk well to combine.

Add a pinch of salt. About 1/4 teaspoon.

Add a pinch of pepper or more to taste. About 1/4 teaspoon.

Add 1/3 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Stir the mixture well to combine.

Add the cooled asparagus-shallots mixture to the eggs-cream mixture. Stir well to combine.

Remove the pie pan from the fridge. Lay pieces of smoked salmon ribbons randomly in the pan. Scatter sprigs of fresh dill in the pan too.

Pour the asparagus-egg-cream mixture into the pie pan. I laid out the pieces of asparagus first to ensure even distribution.

Fill the pie pan to just below the brim. I like to add a few more sprigs of dill on top.

Place the pie pan on a large baking tray (for easy handling later and to manage over flows). Place in 180 deg Celsius oven for 35 mins. If the oven is too hot the the top of the quiche browns too quickly, reduce the temperature of the oven by 10 deg Celsius and place a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the quiche after 15 mins of baking.

The quiche is cooked when the top and crust is a rich golden brown, and the centre of the quiche is slightly wobbly. Set the quiche aside to cool in the pie pan.

Garnish the quiche with more sprigs of dill.

Best served warm, with a green salad.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

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Grilled Fish With Sun Dried Tomato Relish

Bing — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 22:10:40 +0000

This is a simple fish dish that I like to put together when I have a nice thick piece of white fish and some fresh herbs at home.

It’s very easy, requires almost no clean up and looks really good on the plate.

Serves 2 as a main course.

Ingredients

For the fish
400g firm white fish fillet (I used kingklip)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the relish
150g cucumber
120g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (oil drained)
5 leaves of mint or basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg Celsius.

Lay a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and grease it lightly with olive oil.

Lay the whole fish fillet on the baking sheet and rub the fish generously with the rest of the olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper. I like to use Masterfoods Garlic Pepper whenever a recipe calls for salt and pepper.

Place the fish in an oven pre-heated to 200 deg Celsius for 15-20 minutes until fish is cooked. Do not overcook the fish. The standard, fan-forced or grill functions of the oven may be used.

While the fish is cooking, lightly peel a piece of cucumber. About 150g large. Leave some skin on for a prettier appearance.

Cut the cucumber into strips and trim off the seeds. Retain the crunchy parts.

Dice the cucumber strips.

Set aside the cucumber dices in a bowl.

Use only sun-dried tomatoes that are soaked in oil. Remove the tomatoes from the jar and drain the excess oil.

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Add the chopped tomatoes to the cucumber

Stack 5 leaves of mint or basil together.

Roll up the stack of leaves.

Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the herbs into fine strips. Add them to the tomato mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

Add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds.

Stir the tomato relish mixture well to combine.

Remove the fish from the oven. Cut into servicing portions and place the relish on the top of the each fish fillet.

Garnish with sprigs of mint or basil.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Grilled Fish With Sun Dried Tomato Relish

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Brussel Sprouts in Bacon and Garlic Sauce

Bing — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:20:08 +0000

I grew up hating to eat brussel sprouts.

But we explored this vegetable when we lived in South Africa and I discovered that this is a fantastic way to cook it. My family and I love this dish and it’s a staple dish at home now.

The leaves are kept vibrant and green, and the fragrant bacon and garlic makes even the most bitter little balls taste wonderful. The best part of all – it takes only 10 mins to put it together.

Serves 2 as a side dish.

Ingredients

250g whole brussel sprouts
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon bacon bits
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon each)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

Wash 250g of brussel sprouts. Remove any old hard out leaves.

Bring 4 cups of water to the boil and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Add the brussel sprouts to the boiling water and leave to boil at medium heat for 4 minutes or until sprouts are tender but still crunchy.

Drain the brussel sprouts.

Return the saucepan to the hot stove and add 1 tablespoon of butter.

While the butter is melting, cut the brussel sprouts in half.

Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to the melted butter. Sauté for a few seconds till garlic is fragrant but not brown.

Return the cut brussel sprouts to the saucepan. Toss the brussel sprouts lightly in the garlic-butter sauce.

Add 1 tablespoon of bacon bits. I keep a jar of ready to use bacon bits in the fridge at all times for this dish (and for my Mushroom Delight dish). You can also use freshly pan fried and crumbled bacon, but I like to cook this fast.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. I always use Masterfoods’ Garlic Pepper to season my dishes. A few shakes of this and it’s done.

Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon).

Toss everything together. Serve with some fresh lemons on the side for extra tangy flavour, if preferred. You can also garnish with some toasted almond flakes.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Brussel Sprouts in Bacon and Garlic Sauce

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Chinese Potstickers

Bing — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:30:24 +0000

These Chinese dumplings are really easy to make because they are made with store bought dumpling wrappers. Don’t sweat over making the wrappers from scratch because the store bought ones are so good these days.

They are absolutely delicious and very fun to make with friends and family. Feel free to vary the filling for different surprises on the table!

Makes approximately 24 dumplings.

Ingredients

200g ground pork (slightly fatty, not lean)
100g canned water chestnuts (or chopped spinach/cabbage)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fine sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing Huatiao wine
2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped scallions (spring onions)
25 to 30 store bought dumpling wrappers (the round kind, not the square wanton or spring roll wrappers)
Plain flour to dust
4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (for 2 batches of cooking)
2/3 cups water (for 2 batches of cooking)

Method

Place 200g of ground pork in a large mixing bowl. If preferred, pork may be substituted with ground chicken.

Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt.

Add 1 teaspoon of fine sugar.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Add 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce.

Add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil.

Add 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing Huatiao wine.

Place 100g of canned water chestnuts in a chopper/blender.

Chop the water chestnuts to small pieces.

Add the chopped water chestnuts to the pork mixture. If preferred, use spinach or cabbage in place of water chestnuts.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions or spring onions to the pork mixture.

Combine all the filling ingredients well.

Thaw the dumpling wrappers if they are frozen. Keep them well covered until they are ready to be used.

Dust a dish generously with flour. This will hold the dumplings once they are made.

Dust the table generously with flour. Carefully separate the sheets of dumpling wrappers and lay them on the table. Fill each wrapper with about 1.5 teaspoons of the prepared pork filling.

Prepare a bowl of water. Dip finger into the water and lightly wet the rim of each dumpling wrapper.

Bring the dumpling wrapper together till the opposite ends meet. Gently push the filling into the wrapper and pinch the top tip of the dumpling wrapper to seal it.

From the centre of the dumpling, fold a pleat on ONE side and bring it to the other side of the dumpling. Fold towards the centre of the dumpling. Pinch to seal it.

Repeat and create a 2nd pleat. Be mindful to pinch tight to seal the dumpling well.

Repeat and create a 3rd pleat. Each side should have 3 pleats.

Repeat the same pleating on the other end of the dumpling. Always ensure that the pleats face the centre of the dumpling.

Place all prepared dumplings in a well floured dish ensuring that they do not touch each other. Set aside till ready to cook. They can also be frozen at this stage.

To cook the potstickers, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a very hot frying pan. The potstickers should be cooked in at least 2 batches.

When the oil is hot, add the dumplings ensuring that the flat surfaces face down.

Pan fry till the bottoms of the dumplings are a nice golden brown.

Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan.

Cover the pan immediately and let the steam cook the dumplings for 4 to 5 minutes.

Once the water has evaporated, remove the cover and let the dumplings sit in the hot pan for another minute for its base to crisp up again. These are now Chinese potstickers.

Gently transfer the potstickers to a plate. Serve immediately.

These Chinese potstickers are best served with a vinegar dip made with balsamic or black chinese vinegar and thinly sliced ginger. Soy sauce, chili oil or sesame oil may also be added to the dipping sauce.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Chinese Potstickers

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Our Gal’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bing — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:22:23 +0000

Our gal loves baking and wanted to bake some chocolate chip cookies.

She has a chocolate chip cookie recipe that she’s used several times before and know it by heart. She says it was originally from some kiddy book that she can’t remember so I can’t give the due credit for it.

These cookies were delicious. I ate 2 as soon as they came out of the oven!

Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar (or use 1/2 cup if you prefer cookies to be less sweet)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
115g butter (left in the open to soften)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Leave butter in a warm place for a couple of hours to soften. It has to be soft and cannot be used straight out of the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 180 deg Celsius.

In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour.

Add 1 cup of caster sugar. Or less (1/2 cup) if preferred.

Add 1 cup of brown sugar.

Add 1 cup of oatmeal.

Add a pinch of salt.

Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Stir the dry ingredients together till they are well mixed.

In a separate large bowl, add 115g of softened butter.

Add 2 large eggs.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Whisk to combine. Don’t worry about the lumps.

Add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.

Whisk the mixture well to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Stir well to combine the dry and wet mixtures.

When the dough is ready, add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Stir gently to combine.

Roll the ready dough into equal sized balls. About 1.5 inches in diameter.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 13-15 mins. They will be chewy if they are slightly underbaked, and very crispy if baked for a full 15 mins.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Our Gal’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Rugelach

Bing — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:30:31 +0000

I had my first taste of rugelach when I was 20 while visiting New York City and had fallen in love with this Jewish pastry.

It turned out to be very easy to make and a great biscuit to make with kids.

Makes 32 rugelach biscuits.

Ingredients

250g salted butter
250g block of cream cheese
pinch of salt
2 and 1/2 cups plain flour (plus more to dust)
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup fruit preserves (raspberry, apricot, orange, etc)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze
50g butter (melted)
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Leave butter and cream cheese in a warm place for a couple of hours to soften. They have to be soft and cannot be used straight out of the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 180 deg Celsius.

Place soft butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add a block of cream cheese. Use block cream cheese, not cream cheese in a tub.

Set the beater to a medium speed and beat the butter and cream cheese till it’s combined and light and fluffy.

Add 2 large egg yolks to the mixture.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Add 1/2 cup of caster sugar.

Add a pinch of salt.

And finally, add 2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour.

Mix all the ingredients together in the mixer on medium speed. The dough should come together.

While the dough is being mixed, chop 1/2 cup of walnuts into fine pieces. Set aside.

When the dough is ready to be used, scatter some flour on the table or counter top.

Knead the dough and gently form into a large block. Add more flour if dough is too sticky.

The dough should be a nice elastic block. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Set 3 pieces of dough aside. Cover with a slightly damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Roll the 4th piece of dough into a nice ball.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll out that ball of dough into a flat circle. The dough should be thin, about 2 to 3mm thick.

Cut the rolled dough into 8 pieces.

Prepare some fruit preserves. I used a good jar of orange marmalade with pieces of orange rind in it. If the preserves is thick and difficult to spread, whisk it with a fork for a minute first.

Place one teaspoon of preserves on the long end of each triangular piece of dough.

Lightly spread it towards the other end, keeping most of the preserves on the long end.

Scatter some chopped walnuts on the preserves at the long end.

To roll the rugelach, tuck in the sides of the triangle slightly to hold the preserves and nuts in.

Roll towards the 3rd corner of the triangle.

The final rugelach dough looks like this -

Repeat for all the blocks of dough till the rugelachs are prepared.

Place all the prepared rugelachs on a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.

Add 1/4 cup of caster sugar to a small bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the sugar.

Mix well to combine.

Melt 50g of butter.

Gently brush each rugelach with melted butter.

Sprinkle lots of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on to each rugelach. You can also roll the rugelachs in the mixture.

Place the rugelachs in a pre-heated oven and bake at 180 deg Celsius for about 35 minutes or till they are a dark golden brown.

Leave the rugelachs to cool before storing them.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Rugelach

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Pandan Chiffon Cake

Bing — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 23:35:50 +0000

This is a lovely Singaporean delight. It’s very light and fluffy and delicate in taste. If you’re Singaporean and have been living overseas for a while, this cake will literally take you home.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

5 extra large eggs (63 to 70g each)
5 stalks of pandan leaves
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 teaspoon pandan paste
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup very fine or caster sugar
pinch of sea salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

* Please don’t ask if any of the ingredients can be substituted. At the time of posting, I have only made it once (with success) and have never made it with any ingredients being substituted. Thanks!

Method

Clean and cut the pandan leaves into small pieces. Place in a food processor.

Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pandan leaves.

Process the leaves-water mixture to as fine a mix as you can.

Strain the mixture and squeeze out as much pandan juice as you can.

Reserve about 4 teaspoons of pandan juice. If you can’t find pandan leaves, skip the above steps.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. I always use an oven thermometer which I place inside the oven to ensure that I have the right temperature before I bake. An inefficient oven can cause disastrous baking results.

Grease only the BASE of a funnel pan. I would try to line the base with baking paper next time too because it would make removing the cake alot easier. Do NOT grease the sides of the pan.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Ensure that there is no egg yolk in the egg whites, or the egg whites won’t stiffen later when they are beaten.

Add 1/3 cup of caster sugar to the egg yolks.

Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk to the egg yolks-sugar mixture.

Beat well to combine.

Add a generous pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon).

Add the pandan juice.

Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (I used canola).

Add 1 teaspoon of pandan paste. If you didn’t add pandan juice, add an additional drop of the pandan paste.

Whisk the mixture together till it becomes a green coloured mixture.

Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Sieve 1 cup of cake flour into the mixture.

Whisk the mixture well.

The mixture should become a smooth glossy batter with no lumps of flour. Air bubbles are normal.

Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg whites.

Add the remaining 1/3 cup of caster sugar to the egg whites.

Beat at maximum speed.

Beat till the egg whites are very stiff and do not drip when the beater is lifted from the mixture.

Add the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture in 3 parts. Fold in slowly and gently.

Be patient when folding in the egg whites. Do not press the egg whites down as air will be lost and the cake needs alot of air to be light and fluffy.

Pour the finished batter into the baking funnel pan.

This is too full but my pan was small. Ideally, there should be a good inch of height left for the cake to rise comfortably.

Place the cake pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Check if the cake is done by sticking a think knife or satay stick in the centre of the cake. If the stick/knife comes out clean with no batter on it, then it’s done.

Once the cake is removed from the oven, cover it with a dry clean cloth and let it cool. This keeps it moist.

To remove the cake from the pan, slide a thin blade round the sides of the pan, pushing as closely to the pan as possible.

Invert the pan on to a plate and gently shake the cake out of the pan.

This cake keeps for 3 days covered at room temperature, but it won’t last that long.

The printable version of this recipe is here -
Pandan Chiffon Cake

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