Baked Garlic Swiss Brown Mushrooms

 

These bite sized treats are so nice they will be gone in a jiffy!

 

Original recipe comes from Heather Ann Johnson - I changed to bake instead of roast and reduced some ingredients.

 

 

Recipe

Ingredients

14 - 16 pcs of Swiss Brown Mushrooms - I removed the stalks.

3 tablespoon of veg oil

60 gm unsalted butter, softened

3 cloves garlic chopped finely

1 tbsp. dried thyme

1.5 tbsp. lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

salt (omitted)

some panko breadcrumbs

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree celcius.
2. Panfry the mushrooms cap side down in hot oil for about 20 seconds.
3. Arrange the mushooms, stalk up on a baking tray - I lined with foil easier to clean.
4. Mix together the butter, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, pepper.
5. Spoon a little garlic butter to each mushroom, then lightly press the breadcrumbs on top.
6. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. (can roast also)
7. Serve warm.

The bread crumbs remain crunchy and the mushrooms tastes very delicious.

 

I had left over garlic mix which I can use to spread on bread to make garlic toast tomorrow.

 

Panfry the mushrooms

 

 

Garlic butter mix

 

 

Spoon the garlic mixture onto mushrooms

 

Apply panko bread crumbs and press lightly with the back of a teaspoon

 

Your yummy mushrooms are ready!

  Toasted soft meal bread with the garlic butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spare Pork Ribs Winter Melon Soup

 

A waft of sweetness fills the air from this Spare Pork Ribs Winter Melon soup.

 

Original recipe comes from www.ifood.tv Healthy Chinese Winter Melon Soup Recipe

 

Many families cook soup but since I am a working, I mostly leave the cooking to my helper. It has been a long time since I have really cooked a decent soup for the family and today I have time on hand to boil a good soup. I have reduced the ingredients used from the original recipe.

 

Recipe

Ingredients

About 300 gm spare pork ribs (use more if you want just make sure your pot is big enough)

16 pcs of red dates

Winter Melon about 350gm

1.2 litres of water

Salt for seasoning - I used about slightly less than 1 tablespoon.

 

Method

1. Soak red dates about 10 minutes in hot water. Then discard the water.
2. Meanwhile, use a small pot to boil water and place the pork inside and boil for about 10 minutes. Discard the water.
3. Meanwhile, cut the winter melon skin and cut the melon into smaller pieces.
4. Place 1.2 litres of water and put the red dates and winter melon inside. Start boiling.
5. After 15 minutes, add in the boiled pork.
6. Boil for about 30 minutes and add in the salt.
7. Serve the soup with some white rice.

Soaking the red dates in hot water

 

 

Winter melon cut to smaller pieces

 

 

 

Place the winter melon and red dates to boil together till sweet fragrance emits about 20 minutes. Add the pork ribs.

 

 

Now you can enjoy delicious sweet soup at home. Happy cooking!

 

 

 

 

 

Barley Drink with Honey Rock Sugar

Barley drink is consumed usually for reducing heatiness in the body, Chinese believed.  What I made today is also for that reason.  However, I did not use Chinese Barley but Holland Barley.

 

The soup looks a bit cloudy and yellowish as I have added Rock Honey Sugar

 

Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup of barley
8 cups of water
1.5 pcs of rock honey sugar (according to taste)


Method

1. Rinse the barley.
2. Put into a large pot and add 8 cups of water.
3. Soak for about 10 minutes.
4. Boil at medium heat. At about 20 minutes, I added in the rock sugar honey.
5. Boil another 30-40 minutes till a soft texture of the barley is achieved.

Note : I boiled initially with cover but the water keeps boiling over so I turned to uncovered.

 

Benefits of the rock honey sugar - helps control cough, sore throat and loss of voice, toothache,  etc.

Hopefully consuming this will help with my throat still uncomfortable since 2 weeks ago.

 

In the middle of cooking - the grains not expanded enough.

 

 

 

 

Paong (terengganu sweet bread rolls)

I attempted making this bread 2 times. Yesterday, using a normal cake tin. Today for the sake of originality, I decided to go and get the enamel plate.

This recipe originates from Kuala Terengganu and the person used "Grandma's and modified by my mum" - There are many households who make this kind of bread and sell them. I am very thankful that this recipe has been shared and to be enjoyed by everyone.

 

It is soft inside and is recommended to eat with butter, kaya, dip into coffee and you can also put butter filling inside the dough before baking.

 

 

This is the enamel plate to use for making this bread.  I bought it in Yishun it costs me $3.20.

 

 

Recipe

 

Ingredients

260g plain flour ( original says 200gm but I find the dough still sticky)

60gm caster sugar

1 egg room temperature

100 ml water

1/4 tsp instant yeast (original says 1/8 tsp)

 

Method

1. Dissolve sugar in water. Add in the yeast and the egg. Then use a spoon to stir the egg. Leave it to rest for 30 mins. You will see bubbles forming.
2. Slowly add the flour and knead till dough is soft and doesn't stick to your fingers.  You can try with 100gm and add another 100 gm and then slowly add 20 gm by 20gm till it no longer feels sticky.
3. Cover with cling wrap across the bowl and leave it to proof for 3 hours.
4. Remove and divide into 18 pcs weighing 24 gm each. Knead each piece with some margarine on your fingers.
5. Grease your enamel plate with margarine/butter and the arrange the dough in circles. I made a flower using 7 pcs of dough in the centre and 11 pcs on the outside of the flower. Place them slightly spaced apart.
6. Wrap loosely with the same clingwrap and let it proof in your cupboard for 3 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 200 degree celcius.
8. Bake at lower level for up to 15 minutes or till the bun is golden brown.
9. I baked for only about 12 minutes.
10. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
11. You can put it back into the plate after cooling.

 

 

Yeast bubbling in the egg/sugar water mixture.

 

Dough after 3 hours proofing

 

18 balls of dough - I also wrap a tiny pc of hard cheese inside.

 

I cut the cheese really tiny because I was afraid if I didn't wrap the dough properly , the cheese will leak out.

 

After 2nd proofing another 3 hours.

 

After 12 minutes in the oven

 

Bottom of the buns. You can see can easily tear apart.

 

I hope next time I am able to brown the bottom part too. According to recipe, there should be browning. The bottom is a bit oily maybe due to the planta margarine I spread on the plate.

 

Hope you enjoyed my post and enjoy your bread.

 

Today I made again using my cornell oven n I used 180 celcius for 12 minutes. I have managed to get browned bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Mooncakes with macadamia nuts

This recipe is from Xin Flavours and originally called Walnut Mooncake by Theresa Wong but I used macadamia nuts instead.

The upper photo shows what I bought from the store and my own baked mooncake below with the sesame seeds. Close enough I think but perhaps I should have made the skin pastry a little thicker.

 

Anyway, I think it is a good attempt for a first try.

 

Ingredients

Pastry

120 g flour (Sieved)

30 g butter (Chilled and cut into small cubes)

70 g sugar syrup

1/8 tsp alkaline water

 

Egg Wash

1 egg and 1/4 tsp sugar syrup

 

Filling

500g white lotus paste, 120g walnut or a small pack of macadamia nuts, 5 salted egg yolk (separate each egg yolk into 4 portions) 2 tsp roasted sesame seed (white) but I used black ones.

 

Note : since the recipe doesn't clarify cooked or uncooked egg yolk, I decided to steam 4 salted egg yolks with drizzled rice wine for about 6 mins and then remove.

 

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius.
2. Place flour and chilled butter in a mixing bowl, lightly knead till it resembles bread crumbs.
3. Pour in syrup and alkaline water, knead gently into a dough. Leave aside.
4. Knead lotus paste and divide into 20 portions, wrap round salted egg yolk. (each paste should be 25gm)
5. Divide dough into 20 pcs, flatten it, wrap round the lotus paste with macadamia or walnuts on both ends. I used about 15 gm I think for the skin.
6. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seed on top.
7. Bake for about 25-28 minutes.

Although the recipe says 20 but I couldn't manage 20 pcs as the pastry seemed not enough.  So I suggest reducing the filling to say about 400gm only. I made only 12 pcs.

 

I also made my own sugar syrup by boiling about 140 gm sugar with 70 gm water. 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.

Bring water to the boil and dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from the heat. Allow to cool completely and thicken and then use.

 

 

 

Ingredients used

 

Pastry skin looks like this

 

I have inserted macadamia nuts to both ends of the mooncake. Take note, push the macademia nut further in or else it may loosen after baking.

 

 

Apply egg wash and sesame seeds before baking

 

Done!

 

The skin is pretty crispy and overall taste not too bad!

Hope you can try out this recipe!

Happy Baking and wishing everyone a Happy Mid Autumn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Dimpled Rolls (Bread Rolls)

 

 

 

These French Rolls are so super tasty to eat - I ate 2 immediately and kept the rest for breakfast next day and treated my colleagues to them too.

 

The exterior is brown and crusty and when you bite into them you can hear the crunch but the inside is really soft.

 

Recipe is from my Baking book by Martha Day.

 

Ingredients

 

400 gm bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon caster sugar

15 gm fresh yeast

120 ml lukewarm milk

175 ml lukewarm water

 

 

Method.

1.  Lightly grease 2 baking trays.Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.

2. Cream the yeast with the milk until dissolved, then pour into the centre of the flour mixture. Sprinkle over a little of the flour from around the edge.  Leave at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble.

3. Add the water and gradually mix in the flour to form a fairly moist, soft dough.  Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled clear film and leave to rise, at room temperature, for about 1.5 hours or until doubled in bulk.  I used only 1 hr.

4.  Turn out on  to a floured surface and knock back. Re-cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.  Divide the dough into 10 pcs.  Shape into balls by rolling under your hand, then roll until oval.  Lightly flour the tops.  Place spaced well apart on the baking trays, cover with oiled clear film and leave to rise, at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until almost double  in size.

5. Oil the side of your hand and press the centre of each roll to make a deep split.  Re-cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.  Place a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 220 degree celcius.  Pour 250 ml water into the tin and bake the rolls on a higher shelf for 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a rack.

 

 

Yeast bubbling

 

Dough doubled after 1 hr

 

divided into 10 portions

 

Before baking

 

These classic rolls are sure to please! Make them soon and Happy Baking!

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Baked Pommes Duchese - Baked Potato Swirls

 

I always love potato - fried, baked or boiled!

Recently I ate at Swensens and the mashed potato they served was extremely creamy... today I chanced upon a recipe from Cooking with the Times and I adapted their recipe to create these cute and tasty Pommes Duchese. They are perfect to serve at a party in your home.

 

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes

some garlic powder

some fine salt

about 30gm unsalted butter

2 egg yolks

50gm milk

some pepper - optional

 

Method

1. Boil the potatos with skin with just enough water to cover them.
2. To check for doneness, use a fork to prick. If the fork goes in easily, they are cooked.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degree celcius.
4. When the potatoes are cool but still little bit warm, you can now remove the skin easily by cupping your hand over one end of the potato and pull the skin away.
5. Cut the potatos into at least 8 slices or more onto a large plate.
6. Sprinkle the garlic powder and pepper and some salt and also the butter over the potatoes.
7. Mash them with a potato masher until fine.
8. Beat 2 egg yolks with some milk about 50ml.
9. Reserve about 1/4 egg yolk mix  for brushing onto the tops of the potatoes.
10. Pour the remaining egg yolk mix into the mashed potato and blend till absorbed.
11. Use a piping bag with a large star nozzle and fill it up.
12. Use a spoon to drizzle the reserved egg yolk mixture onto the piped potato swirls.
13. Pipe onto a oiled baking tray or into oiled small sturdy muffin cups.
14. Bake for about 16 minutes or till the edges of the swirls turn brown colour.

Ingredients used.

 

 

Peeling the potato skins away.

 

 

Use a piping bag with large star nozzle

 

 

Before baking

 

After baking

 

Enjoy these warm... Happy Baking!