Quiche Lorraine

I Loooooooooove quiche with a capital L.

I remember when I was pregnant with Son1, I had this longing for Quiche Lorraine from Delifrance. Promptly during tea time at 4pm, I will head downstairs from my office, get a quiche and chomp it down. So good. So fulfilling. So satisfied.

Now that my numbers have multiplied, there is NO way I can buy quiche daily for my brood. In any case, if you can bake it yourself effortlessly, why bother to buy?

Man who has never tried a single quiche says my quiche is good! *curtsey* So, next mission,... Mushroom Onion, Vegetarian Quiche, Spinach Mushroom, quiche and more quiche...

Here's what you'd need:

* Shortcrust pastry (you can use puff pastry too)
* Ham (I used honey baked ham)
* Bacon
* Onion (1/2 will do)
* 8 tbsp Whipping Cream (I used Emborg)
* 3 eggs

This is what I did:

1. Cut the ham into square slices. Slice bacon into 1-inch thick.

2. Dice onions.

3. In a pan with a little oil, saute the bacon till brown and crispy. Add in the onions and ham. Fry till cooked.

4. Dish up and set aside.

5. Line your greased pie tray with thawed shortcrust pastry sheet. With a fork, lightly poke at the pastry sheet. (Do not poke through!).

6. Pour in the ham filling.

7. In a clean bowl, beat eggs and whipping cream lightly till blended. Add into tray of ham filling.

8. Bake at 170degC for 30mins till egg custard is set.

9. Let it sit and cool for about 10mins before removing quiche from tray. Serve warm with a cuppa!

Slow-cooked Braised Beef Cheeks

Ooh la la...

How I love cows!! Beef cheeks, once well cooked are so teeeeender you can practically eat it with your spoon! Its aroma... ooohhh... simply heavenly. (Ok, I gathered my photo here looks really bad. The rather sophisticated dish looks... erm... like... mmm... chap cai... muahahaha... but looks isn't everything!)

I slow cooked it in my ever-good slow cooker for about 2 hours before transferring it to my CorningWare. Some people prefer to use the oven to slow bake, that's fine too. Have your butcher help to clean up the cheeks and remove the fats or skin. Marinate a day before cooking, so here we go!

Here's what you need:
* Beef Cheeks (I bought 2 slabs; about 500gm total)
* Stalks of Celery (cut to chunks)
* 1 whole Carrot (peeled, cut to chunks)
* 1 whole Onion (cut to chunks)
* 1/2 a round Cabbage
* Spices (I used Masterfoods Garlic Pepper, Mixed Herbs)
* 4-5 Bay Leaves
* Pinch of Salt
* Baking Soda (pinch)

This is what I did:

1. Marinate beef cheeks with salt. Followed by a generous amount of spices. I like to marinate too with a pinch of baking soda. Rub rub rub,... pinch the cheeks! Leave it in fridge for at least 3 hours or like me, overnight.

2. In a pan with hot oil, seal the cheeks with the bay leaves, onions, carrots and celery. Add bits of water, and transfer the beef into the slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the beef.

3. Slow cook for 2 - 3 hours. In the meantime, go get a life!

4. Test the beef by poking a fork into it. It should be tender; the fork should be able to poke through with ease. Otherwise, cook for another while longer.

5. Add in cabbage and boil it slightly till softened. 

5. Serve with rice or mashed potato. Enjoy!

Apple Pie

Why do people think that the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden is an apple tree? No where in the book of Genesis at Creation does it mention it to be an apple tree. In fact, there was no mention about the type of tree, except that it is a "tree of knowledge of good and evil..." (Genesis 2:17)... "... thou shalt not eat of it..."

Yet in all pictorial depiction of the Garden, you see red apples hanging from the Tree, and Adam & Eve, holding an apple. I guess it has something to do with the colour of the fruit. Afterall, a red fruit in the mist of green leaves stands out a lot more than yellow, or paler green,... But do not be mistaken. It wasn't said to be an apple, really.

Anyway... before I go any further into this argument, I baked an apple pie last night following our steamboat dinner. Had steamboat becoz I was lazy to plan, cut, fry, steam and cook... then I thought I was feeling a s-l-i-g-h-t tinge of guilt for taking the easy way out... hahahaha... so decided to make up with a Pie.

Like the Peach Tart, this is such a breeze! With store-bought puff pastry of course *hee hee hee*.

Macerate the apples, dump them all onto the pie tray, cover, slit and bake. All done in less than an hour.

Really neat. Nice.

Here's what you'd need:

* 3 apples (I used Pink Lady)
* 4 tbsp brown sugar
* 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
* Pinch of salt (or lemon juice)
* 2 sheets of Puff Pastry (slightly thawed)


This is what I did:

1. In a clean bowl, macerate diced apples with brown sugar, ground cinnamon and pinch of salt. Set aside and let it stand for at least 20mins. (You will get some brown juice at the end)

2. Generously grease the pie tray. Lay one pastry sheet on it. With a fork, lightly poke it all over.

3. Add in the apples and half of the brown juice. (you may add in all the juice if you wish).

4. Cover the pie with 2nd pastry sheet. Pinch edge to seal.

5. With a knife, lightly slit a X-opening at the middle of the pastry.

6. Egg wash.

7. Bake at 180degC for 20-25mins till puff is golden brown.

8. Let it cool in the tray for at least 10mins to set it before removing the pie.

9. Dust with icing sugar or scoop of ice cream. Serve warm.

Peach Tart

Goodness!

How easy can it get!?! Any self-declared-michelin-inspired chef can do this. In less than 30mins, you can wow your diners! No kidding.

Here's what you'd need:

* Pampas Butter Puff Pastry (from Cold Storage)
* Canned peach
* Egg (for egg wash)
* Icing Sugar (for dusting)


This is what I did:

1. Thaw a sheet of Pampas pastry in the fridge.

2. Slice into 6 rectangles. Place them on a baking paper on the baking tray.

3. On the side, slice the peach into desired size. I sliced them.

4. Lay the peach in the centre of each rectangle.

5. Lightly indent along the border of each rectangle (about a cm inwards; this allows the pastry to puff up).

6. Egg wash the borders lightly.

7. Bake at 180degC for about 20mins till puff is golden brown.

8. Dust with icing sugar and serve. Vanilla ice cream can do too!

Psst psst... of course, go ahead and make your own puff pastry if you'd like. But sorry, this is not the sort of things I do... not yet. Shortcrust pastry maybe I will attempt... but puff pastry... errr... hang on.

Steamed Xiao Bai Cai

Was going to host a dinner for my cousin visiting from the States. With her 3 boys and her man. Wahahahah... so just like me. Imagine the 6 boys gathering together in MY house!?

Oft times, I am glad I have (temporary) amnesia.

"Chinese food", she said. She's sick of ang moh dish. She wants local fares. So, I cooked Chicken Curry (never mind if her husband appreciates the spice), Black Sesame Oil Pork Belly, Sweet & Sour Pork, Creamy Corn Soup, and this ... for the sake of a name, I call it "Steamed Xiao Bai Cai". But really name doesn't do it justice.

Adapted from Wendy. Regrets, my photo didn't capture the green. Sigh. I should set up my DSLR next time. The thought of it... double sigh...

Here's what you'd need:

* Pack of Xiao Bai Cai
* Fish paste
* Wolfberry
* Corn starch
* Garlic
* Chicken Stock powder

This is what I did:

1. Cut xiao bai cai into half, longitudinally.

2. Boil it slightly in water (to soften the stem slightly; be careful not to overcook like me! You'll end up with mustardy veg)

3. Drain and set aside. Dust the stem area with corn starch (to hold the fish paste).

4. With a spoon, scoop fish paste on it. Dot it with wolfberry.

5. Line them up neatly in a round plate. Steam for 10-12mins till fish paste is cooked.

6. Remove from steamer to stop the heating process. Set aside.

7. In a bowl, add 1 tsp of corn starch, 1 tsp of chicken stock powder, and 1 soup spoon of water. Stir to dissolve.

8. In a wok with oil, fry garlic slightly. Add in the stock and stir quickly.

9. Drizzle onto the steamed xiao bai cai. Serve.

Salted Egg Prawns

I'm late! I'm so far behind my post!

These days I realised, I have to rely on my posts to dig out my last cook in order to recall the steps. There are just some inevitable 'off-days' that I simply find it difficult remembering what I did. Maybe it is my benefit that I started on this. In the unfortunate event that I start turning senile or develop acute dementia, I can look back at these and remember how crazy I used to be.

Man brought us to this real ulu restaurant at Sungei-something and we ordered this Salted Egg Butter Crab. And it was sooooooooooooo good! Served piping hot, with that buttery taste, infused with salted egg... it was heavenly! I scrutinized the dish, probed every nook & cranny,... and swear I must replicate it at home. Coz it was soooooooooooo expensive for that plate of 2 Sri Lanka crabs. *Heart attack*

Since my boys can't quite appreciate Crabby yet, I tried it on prawns. And wolala! It was good. Except I should have added m-o-r-e salted eggs. I only used 2 here; I would use 4 next time. And slightly more seasoning on my prawns.


Here's what you'd need:

* B-i-g prawns (shelled, deveined)
* Salted Egg (need yolk only. I used 2 here; will use 4)
* Corn starch
* 1 egg (chicken egg)
* Minced garlic
* Curry Leaves (a handful)
* 1 tbsp Butter
* Lettuce (for base to soak oil; can use kitchen towels instead)

This is what I did:

1. Wash prawns, shelled and deveined them. Season with chicken stock powder and pepper (else, you can season with salt and pepper). Set aside.

2. Wash the salted eggs off the black mud cover. Boil and cook the egg (liken hard boiled eggs). Remove yolk from the white after cooked. (Whites can be used for other purposes). Mash yolk till crumby. Set aside.

3. Prepare your batter: 1 chicken egg with corn starch. Adjust amount to get that starchy, pasty consistency for deep frying the prawns.

4. In a wok with heated oil, deep fry the batter-coated prawns till 80% cooked. Slightly golden brown. Drained and set aside.

5. Remove some oil from the wok, leaving just enough for stir-fry.

6. Add minced garlic, fry slightly.

7. Add curry leaves. Fry till fragrant.

8. Add butter. Fry till it's bubbly. Add in the salted egg. Fry.

9. Add in the prawns. Stir fry slightly and coat prawns with the salted egg batter in the wok.

10. Dish up and serve hot. (Garnish with coriander leaves for styling if you like)

Cream of Corn Soup

The simplest soup. Real easy.

Boys love it because sweet corn is another of their favorite! Muahaahhahahahaaaaa...


Here's what you will need:

* Pork ribs soup (Brew pork ribs with peppercorn, use only the soup)
* Del Monte Sweet Corn Cream Style
* Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn (drained and discard water)
* Picnic Ham (2 - 3 slices, diced)
* Mushroom (I used Korean Enoki Mushroom, cut to stripes about 2" long)
* 2 Eggs
* 2tbsp of corn starch (mixed with water)
* Streaky bacon (fried whole and cut to bit size)

This is what I did:

1. In a pot of pork rib soup, add in Sweet Corn Cream and drained Kernel. Boil in low fire.

2. Add in picnic ham, enoki mushroom.

3. Beat egg on the side, and add in swirl-wise. Let it sit in the boiling soup for a while before you stir. Add corn starch mixture to thicken soup; adjust according to your desired consistency.

4. Serve warm with bacon garnish.


Psst psst... you can replace pork ribs soup with Chicken Stock. I didn't add in any seasoning in this soup. It's tasty enough as you can imagine with bacon and creamy corn pack. 

Chawanmushi

I SUCCEEDED!!!!!! Hooray!!!

I have tried to make chawanmushi all my life. But always fail. Either custard turns out dome like a cake... or too hard... or watery wet... either way, it is NEVER quite what you get from the Japanese eatery. Very frustrating.

I chanced upon this at All That Matters. And decided to give it a try. Afterall, she sounded like a Japanese, though I can not be sure. Do you know?

Anyway, like she said, the ratio of Egg to Liquid should be 1:150ml. I based it on 120ml because I had some other ingredients in there which may release water during steaming.

And most importantly, is really to watch the fire! The steamer, or rather, the water cannot be bubbling boiling hot like the way it should be when you steam a fish. Instead, the flame should be gentle and the water bubbling just slightly. So I boiled water separately in my water flask, and pour it in to fill up my steamer wok and keep it boiling further with a l-o-w flame.  And it works!!!!!!

Wahahahaha... Look at the texture. So happy! The custard really is that of a real chawanmushi. However, the taste is a bit different probably because I didn't use dashi stock. And I didn't use Shimeiji Mushroom. Instead, I used chicken breast bits and dried mushroom.

Man and boys like it, except they thought it was a bit salty. I shall remember to dilute the chicken stock with water next time, and use proper ingredients now that I know how this works! Hurray!

Maybe crab sticks,.. gingko nuts, mushroom,... Japanese fish cake,... prawns,... chicken breast... Will definitely do this again... and again!

Here's what you'd need (serves 4):

* 4 eggs
* 480ml Chicken Stock (I will reduce it further to 400ml chicken stock with 80ml water next time)
* Chicken breast fillet (sliced to strips), seasoned slightly with pepper & pinch of salt
* Some dried Chinese mushrooms (soaked, softened and cut to strips)

This is what I did:

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs very lightly. Pour in 480ml of liquid (Stock + Water, in your desired proportion). Stir and mix well.

2. In the individual cups / bowls, place in the chicken fillet and mushrooms. Sieve the mixture into the cups/bowls.

3. Cover the cups / bowls with aluminum foil (to avoid water droplets from dripping onto the custard, so as to achieve perfect smooth surface).

4. Steam on low fire for about 20mins. Check doneness by tapping the custard gently with a chopstick.

5. Once done, turn off the fire. Leave the cups / bowls in the steamer to keep warm till ready to serve.

Psst psst... 
* I have no ramekin bowls, so I steamed my chawanmushi in the typical Chinese soup bowls.
* Why only 480ml? Since ratio should be 1:150ml, then I should be using 600ml for 4eggs. So why 480ml only? Coz I had some chicken bits in there, and chicken do excrete some water when steamed. So I based it on 1:120ml. Essentially, it is said that if you only have eggs in there with no other ingredients, then base it on 1:150ml.

Baked Lotus Seed Paste Roti Prata

So hard trying to think of a name for this. Decided to just call it as it really is. What a mouthful.

I really just used two pieces of roti prata dough...  spread lotus seed paste on one... and cover with second piece of prata... pinch edge to seal... do a egg-wash... and sprinkle sesame seeds on it. Bake for 30mins... 3/4-way through bake-time, I flipped it over. Finally, serve it warm.

And it is so goooooooooooood... can't get enough of it. Reminds me of those Shanghainese Jian Bing.

details here.

Pound Cakes

This is one post that I keep forgetting to post. Yet a sure winner anytime! The (lousy) photo really does not do it justice! Urgh! I promise I will update this page again the next time I bake this and do my utmost to get the perfect shot!

I kinda recall that I heard... or read... somewhere (please excuse me; as you age, you tend to really forget many things) that we are not to fret over the 'crack' on the top of a pound cake. Because that is the 'characteristic' of a pound cake.

Am I hallucinating?

Anyway, yes, I have tried many different permutations to 'minimise' the cracks. But to no avail. All attempts yield cracked pound cakes. Some really bad, some not so bad. But crack(s) there will be.

Perhaps I may have over-beaten the batter? Or my oven temperature is a tad too hot? Or due to sudden change in temperature when I remove it from the oven onto tabletop to cool?... Whichever, whatever, it has stopped bothering me. Really.

Coz this is really really really very very very good! I cannot over-emphasize it is really, absolutely, completely, totally, mind-blowing-ly yummy-licious! So, all else is forgiven. Muahahahahaha...

This proportion only yield one loaf. C'mon! You gotta be joking right!? 1 hour of baking for only ONE pathetic loaf?! So I tripled the proportion and bake 3 loaves each time. *grin*. Look. It is the same 60-mins baking time.

I replace portion of the vanilla essence with coffee emulco. And ooooooh!!! Everyone always grin with delight when they bite into it. You've just got to try this!


Here's what you'd need (one loaf tin portion):

* 3 large eggs
* 3tbsp milk
* 1 1/2tsp vanilla essence (I used 1tsp coffee emulco, 1/2 tsp vanilla)
* 1 1/2cup (150gm) sifted cake flour (errr,... I didn't sift... too lazy)
* 1tsp baking powder
* 1/4tsp salt
* 3/4cup (150gm) white sugar (I used 120gm)
* 185gm unsalted butter (melted)


This is what I did:

1. In a bowl, lightly combine eggs, milk and essence(s)

2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredient: Flour, baking powder, salt and sugar

3. Add butter and 1/2 of egg mixture into dry ingredient

4. Mix at low speed till dry ingredients are moist

5. Increase speed to medium. Beat for 1 minute (it is said, if recipe says 1 minute, do not beat for a second more. STOP!!)

6. Add 1/2 of remaining egg mixture. Beat for 30sec (again, not one sec more!)

7. Add all of remaining egg mixture. Beat for another 30sec (same warning as above)

8. Pour batter into lined bake tin

9. Bake at preheated oven (175degC) for 60mins

10. Insert skewer to check doneness. Remove tin from oven. Let it sit for a further 15 mins to set the cake before inverting on wire rack to cool.

11. Serve it warm or chilled as you fancy. (Personally, I love it both ways. When it's freshly warm, it is soft and moist. When it's chilled, the cake is slightly denser and 'tighter', but never dry.)

Psst psst... sometimes I will make two loaves of plain butter pound cake and one loaf of coffee pound cake. So, you will have to adjust your mixing portions accordingly. 

Did I tell you? I love Stephanie? Recipe adapted from hers.