Croquettes with potato n minced beef

These lovely and tasty croquettes recipe comes from justonecookbook. Ms. Nami is always sharing her wonderful Japanese recipes.  I followed her recipe to use minced beef. You can also substitute with minced chicken or pork.

Please check her post at here : http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/moms-korokke-croquette/

Original recipe as follows :

2 lb. or 4 russet potatoes about 906gm, peeled and halved

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp butter (15gms)

2 Tbsp oil

1 large onion

1 lb ground beef (453gms)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 eggs

2 cup Panko

1/2 cup flour

Optional : some Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Oil for deep frying

Tonkatsu Sauce

Method.

Prepare potatoes.

In a large pot, put water and potatoes and bring to boil.  Cook potatoes until a skewer goes through the potato easily.  Move the pot back to the stove. On low heat, shift the pot so that remaining moisture will completely evaporate but make sure don't burn the potatoes.

Transfer to a large bowl and mash the potatoes.  Add salt, pepper and butter.

Peel and chop the onion.  Heat oil on medim high. Saute onion until soft. Add meat and break up with a wooden spoon.  When meat is cooked, add salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and let the meat cool.

I also drizzled some Kikkoman Soy Sauce over the meat when frying.

See the oil? Drain away the oil and juice before you add the meat into the potato.

Form the mixture when still warm, but not hot into the balls.  Let them chill in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes before frying.

Prepare the flour, panko and egg mixture.  I only used 2 eggs because I reduced ingredients to 2/3 of original recipe.

Coat the balls with flour, then dredge in egg mix, then cover with panko crumbs.  Put inside fridge until oil is ready.

In a wok or use an electric fryer, heat oil to medium high heat. Deep fry croquette until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 

Serve them with Tonkatsu sauce or with a dish of mayonnaise.  They are really delicious!  I will make them again.  Enjoy!

Celebrating with food

Today we celebrated a good friend's birthday and we are so full of good stuff. I have to share these food photos with everyone.

We had good Spanish food at Sabio by the Sea at Sentosa Cove.  The place is just next to the sea. You see boats, feel the nice sea breeze.  Food is wonderful and here are the pictures.

Sausages

Croquette with cheese

Scallops in sauce

Potato and egg

Pork

Paella with meat

The light meal for 4 persons cost just below $200.  The food was served quickly.

Here is a picture of us holding our Sangria drinks

For desserts, we had my red velvet cupcakes with lemon cheese frosting and salted caramel.

I think I have finally succeeded in making a rose with the frosting.  The one with the hearts is for my birthday girl.

Next stop we had more sausages, this time at Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant at Vivo City.

This is an assortment - including spicy chicken, curry, cheese and served with salad.

These skinny fries are really delish with some spices on them

Different sauces for our food

Cooling down with beer!

I had a 300ml beer with lemonade - on the sweet side.

We had a wonderful time. 

Hope that we can spend more time together like this!

 

Recipe for the lemon cream cheese frosting

- original recipe is from Cupcakes with attitude by Benjamin Wong

 

Cream Cheese 500 g at room temperature ( I use 450g cream cheese n unsalted butter 50g)

Icing Sugar 8 tbsp. sifted

Lemon juice from 1 lemon - can use less if you prefer less sour taste

Remove lemon juice and replace with 1.5 tsp vanilla if preferred.

Coloured paste if you want coloured frosting.

 

1. Combine cream cheese, unsalted butter and vanilla extract in a mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat at high speed for 3 minutes or until soft and fluffy.

2.  Add icing sugar and beat at low speed until everything is well blended.  Do not overbeat as the cream cheese can become grainy.

3. Add colour paste to frosting if desired and beat till well combined.

 

 

Note :

Recommended to chill before use which I did.

Cover with cling wrap and can keep up to a week.

Before using, remove from the fridge and let it thaw to room temperature.  Whisk with a fork before using.

To make the rose pattern - use the Wilton 1M star tip.

 

Recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes

- original recipe is from Cupcakes with attitude by Benjamin Wong

Ingredients

Plain (All Purpose) flour 165 g sifted

Cocoa powder 1 tbsp sifted (I used 2 tbsp from Van Houten)

Baking Soda 1/2 tsp

Baking Powder 1/2 tsp

Salt a pinch

Butter Milk 250 ml (make your own butter milk 250ml milk add 1 tbsp white vinegar. sit for 5 minutes before use)

Red food colouring 1 tsp (I used Bake King)

Vanilla extract 1 tsp

Caster sugar 130g

Unsalted butter 60g softened

Egg whites from 2 eggs

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 celcius.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Combine buttermilk, food colouring and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Stir to mix.

4.  Beat sugar and butter in a electric mixer in medium speed for about 5 minutes.  Gradually add egg whites and continue to beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy.

5.  Add flour mixture prepared in step 2 . Alternate buttermilk with in step 3.  Begin with flour, then buttermilk and end with flour. Beat until well incorporated.

6.  Pour batter into cupcake liners until 3/4 full.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes sit in tray for 5 minutes.

7.  Remove cupcakes from tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

8.  Pipe a thick layer of cream cheese frosting on top.  Decorate with red hearts or add a drizzle of salted caramel. 

 

 

You can see here the bowl of cream cheese and unsalted butter and sugar. 

 A bowl of cocoa and flour sifted. 

A pitcher with buttermilk and it is pink. I did not add enough colouring and next picture I added a bit more colouring.

 

Beating at step 5.

 

Pour into the prepared tray to bake for 25 minutes.

 

 

 

After baking.

 

Decorate as you wish - there you go! Red Velvet cupcakes - enjoy with your loved ones!

 

 

 

 

 

Custard Cream Puffs and Banana Mousse Puffs

Today I managed to make cream puffs with 2 types of fillings.  Browsing through different recipes available, I finally married several recipes online to create my puffs.

Custard Cream Puffs

 

 

Banana Mousse Puff

 

I used Crispy Shell Cream Puffs Recipe from littlejapanmama blog.Cream puff pastry (Choux) as follows with a little adjustment. http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2011/09/pai-shuu-cream-puff-recipe-like-beard.html
Ingredients
120g butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup water
1 1/3 cup plain flour, sifted (about 156gm)
4 eggs (55gm each - her original recipe is for 5 eggs)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Method.

1. Cut the slightly cold butter into smaller pieces into the large saucepan.  I melted it on the stove slightly with the salt and sugar before I added in the water.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat  and
2. Immediately tip in the flour all at once, and beat with a wooden spoon till a firm dough forms.  When the dough able to roll away leaving a film on the bottom of the saucepan, then it is done.
3. I placed the dough into my Kenwood Kmix and used the K spade and immediately beat it at about 3 speed to let the steam escape from the hot dough.
4. Prepare your oven - turn to 200 degree Celcius.
5.  Whisk 4 eggs in a separate bowl. Fork will do.
6.  When the dough has become almost lukewarm, slowly pour about 1 egg portion at a time into the bowl. Beat until the mixture is glossy and when you lift up the pastry with your spoon, it does not drop easily. 
6. Line your tray with non stick baking paper such as Glad Bake.  Pipe into rounds.
7.  Bake at 200 celcius for 20 mins. Then turn temperature to 180 celcius and bake for 17 mins.
8. Leave oven door slightly ajar and let the puffs cool completely before use.

 

120g unsalted butter

Boiling

Add the flour

Film left when dough is done

dough

Pastry will hang down from spoon. Batter is glossy look

I only managed 12 pcs

 

 

 

Please take note :
Different oven and climate, temperature varies  - Original recipe used 220 for 25 - 30 mins and turn to 100 degrees for 40 mins or more to dry the puffs.


Custard cream recipe taken from Happyhomemaker88's Virtual Home http://happyhomemaker88.com/2007/09/17/yummy-cream-puffs-recipe/
3 large egg yolks
200 gm caster sugar
750 ml milk
20 gm flour
20 gm cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla.

1.  Beat egg yolk and sugar till until white.  ( Mine did not turn white but I beat till quite soft)
2.  Put in flour, cornstarch, vanilla and mix till smooth. Pour in milk bit by bit while mixing until sugar is dissolved.  (My mixture looked foamy)
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and is thick.
4. Cool before putting into puffs.

I cooled my custard cream, cover the pot and left it in the fridge before use. 

This is picture of my custard overnight.


Banana Mousse recipe taken from this blog http://wwwfollowingmydreamsandtotscom.blogspot.sg/2011/03/cream-puff-with-banana-mousse-filling.html

Ingredients :
250gm ripe and firm bananas ( I used Delmonte)
60 gm icing sugar sieved
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
11gm Gelatine Powder
33 ml water
100ml Whipping Cream (I used Emborg)

Method
1. Put the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water, use spoon to quickly incorporate then leave aside for 3 to 5 minutes for the Gelatine to solidify.
2. In a small pan, combine the bananas, icing sugar and lemon juice on low medium heat n simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.  Off fire and mash the bananas with a fork and no need to be super smooth.
3. Double boil your gelatin make sure not to over boil it.
4. Add a little first of the hot gelatin to the banana mousse and then stir the rest of gelatin scraping the bowl clean. Set aside.
5. Whip the whipping cream manually till get soft peaks. Then fold the whipping cream into the Banana Mousse mixture and add lemon zest.  Cling wrap and put in the fridge.

Pipe into the puffs or cut open the puffs and spoon onto the bottom half.

use about 2.5 pcs of ripe banana

After about 2 mins

Mashed with fork

After gelatin melted

added whipped cream 100ml

Clingfilm and put to fridge