Homemade Croissants (Danish Pastry)

Actually making these soft croissants are as simple as making bread rolls . Gotta try and refresh my skills as its been 17 years since I've actually made croissants! (The convenience of buying 5 pieces for $2.40 does that).

Now that I'm moving to Jakarta and getting a croissant means I have to grab a cab and end up spending more than I should has motivate me to start making my own stuff again. For convenience sake ...

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1 tablespoon yeast (7g)

1 tsp sugar

In a jug, add the yeast to warm milk, sugar and water and let it bubble up for 5-10 minutes.

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 egg

220g butter (cut into small cubed pieces)

Egg wash (1 egg with 2 tablespoon milk)

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add egg and yeast mixture. Pour all the butter in and use 2 spatulas to combine the ingredients together. DO NOT OVERMIX. You still want lots of chunky butter in the dough.

Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 2 hours for the dough to rest.

Cut the dough into 2equal portion. This recipe is good of 16 croissants so its better to work with half a dough at each time so that the butter stays nice and chunky.

Roll out into a floured surface and then fold into thirds like you would fold a letter. Roll out again and fold into thirds. Do this about 5 times. This creates the lovely layers in the croissants. Making sure that you dust the dough with flour each time.

Finally roll into a big square / rectangle and divide into 8 triangles . Roll from the longer length to the pointy tip. Glaze with egg wash and let it rise for 30 minutes before baking for another 30 minutes at 170 degrees oven.

I did a mixture of plain and ham with cheese and smoked salmon croissants. You could do chocolate au pain or cream cheese with these Danish pastry if you want too!

Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Family get-togethers are so much fun! Especially if a menu is given... Less headache ! So one of the request was for bread and butter pudding from my heavily pregnant cousin .. Ive had this recipe forever from when i worked at the pastry kitchen in one of the hotels back then. The recipe is yields a 6X6 casserole dish.

2 croissants
2 white bread
2 wholemeal bread
(You can use all white bread or whatever leftovers you have if, but I like the combination and texture of all three)

100g melted butter (I like salted)
1/2 cup raisins

4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cut the bread into bite size pieces and drizzle 3/4 of the melted butter over the bread so that each bite of the pudding is nice and buttery, make sure to leave some for the topping. Sprinkle raisin over. I use both golden and normal.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a jug and whisk until well mixed. Pour over the bread and press down with a spoon gently to make sure every bread is soaked through. Drizzle the melted butter over. I like sprinkling more raisins and a wee bit more cinnamon on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes on 180 degrees until the pudding is set and not wobbly .

Vanilla Sauce 1 (Proper Sauce Recipe)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon butter
A pinch of salt
A dash of cinnamon
2 cm vanilla pod
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over really low heat. Use a small whisk and continual stirring until mixture is thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Serve with the pudding

Vanilla Sauce 2 (A cheat's version)

300ml milk

2 tablespoon Bird's Custard Powder

1-2 tablespoon sugar (depending on the sweetness you desire)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence 

1/2 vanilla pod 

A tiny pinch of salt

Ok there are times when I am too lazy to make vanilla sauce from scratch so what I do is mix 1 tablespoon of sugar, custard powder and a tiny amount of milk to mix it into a smooth paste. Add into milk and simmer while stirring constantly.

Add your essence and scrape off half a pod of vanilla and mix well. Add 1 more tablespoon of sugar if your sauce is not sweet enough or add more milk of the sauce is too thick. Remember the sauce will thicken when cool. 

Batik Cake / Kek Batik (Asian version of Kalter Hund)

I've made this countless times and its always a hit! The best part is no baking is required... easy, simple and yummy.... this is a new post because I realize the last post was ages ago and its difficult to find! The german version uses butter cookies and requires zero cooking so it melts faster! Don´t worry if the mixture looks curdled or lumpy. Once you press down the biscuits everything will set nicely and it doesn´t melt or becomes a gooey mess in room temperature.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Milo powder

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 boiling water

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 eggs (beaten)

250g Marie Biscuits or even Graham Biscuits. (its lighter than butter cookies)

Directions

1. Pour cocoa powder, milo and boiling water in a pot and stir. On low heat, add butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and condensed milk to the cocoa mixture and stir until mixture thickens. Roughly it will take about 20 minutes of stirring to get a custard-like consistency. Break biscuits into quarters and stir into the custard mixture
2. In the meantime, prepare any container you prefer. I use 6" X 6" square container. You can line the container with parchment paper for easy removal but i usually don't.
3. Pour the mixture into the container and press down. Refrigerate for about 3-5 hours but i like to keep it overnight in the freezer so that the custard sets properly.
4. Cut into slices and serve!

Malasada Portugese Doughnuts

Say what??? Malasada is a Portugese doughnut which is usually eaten during Mardi Gras... It actually means "mal-assada" which is "lightly roasted"
These doughnuts are also popular in Hawaii!

Today I made the traditional ones without any filling . Just icing sugar with cinnamon .... Heavenly....

This recipe makes about 18-24 doughnuts depending on your spoon or scoop. For a first timer, you may want to halve the recipe. 

Firstly, mix the yeast with the warm water and sugar, stir and set aside for about 5 minutes.

1 tablespoon instant yeast (half packet 6g)
1/8 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar

In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
A pinch of salt

In another bowl mix the wet ingredients

1/8 cup melted butter
1/2 + 1/4 cup water
3/4 evaporated milk
3 eggs

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients except that 1/4 cup. Slowly fold in until well mixed. If the dough is too "hard" add the extra 1/4 cup water. It's should be a wet dough. (See pic)

Cover and set aside for 30 minutes until doubled the volume.

Fold the dough over and let rise another 10 minute. Dough will be light and yeasty.

Drop about a large tablespoonful of dough in the oil. Deep fry until both sides are golden brown. Roll in icing sugar and sprinkle cinnamon over. You could use castor sugar but I find it nicer with icing as it sticks to the dough.

Hamburger Buns

Honestly I wished I had never been so lazy! Everytime I crave making burgers, I procrastinate because I had to go to the supermarket for the buns! Wished I hadn't been so doozy!! Here is an amazingly simple recipe for burger buns.. In fact I think it's awesome for dinner rolls and hotdog buns too! Fresh baked buns in under 40 mins!

1 cup + 1/4 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast (11g)

Pour the yeast into the warm water and stir. Add the following and rest for 5 minutes.

1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil

After the yeast bubbles up, add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth for about 3 minutes.

1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour

IMMEDIATELY divide dough into 12 equal portions. DO NOT let it rest until AFTER you shape your buns. Knead the dough in a circular manner with floured hands. I find it easier kneading it into rounds with hands than on the board. Place buns about 2 inches apart or 6 buns per tray. Let it rest for 15-20 mins until double the size.

Brush with egg yolk mix with a bit of water, and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional). Bake for 12 minutes on 190 degrees.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Noooooo... not biscuits as in cookies you dummy!! Its the American biscuits.... similar to scones... whats the different you ask? Actually not much..

Biscuits vs. Scones

Q. What's the Difference between biscuits and scones?

A. Biscuits and scones are pretty similar but there are subtle differences that set them apart. Think you can tell what is what? Check out these facts about biscuits and scones:

• Both are quick breads leavened with baking soda or baking powder.
• Each uses the same basic technique of cutting fat into flour to create a dough.
• Scones are often sweeter and richer, although biscuits can be sweet and scones savory.
• Scones are often cut into triangles; biscuits are usually round.
• Biscuits are often associated with the southern United States; scones are Scottish.
• Biscuits are served as a side dish with breakfast or dinner, while scones are more likely to be served with tea, for brunch or as a base for dessert sauce.
• Both are best eaten hot from the oven.

Then again.... now there´s so many variations of sweet biscuits now..so its practically the same thing! The key to making these flaky babies is to stop man-handling the dough! Use very little force and as little energy as possible... 

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients

2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

70g of chilled butter cut into small pieces (rub into the dry ingredients until a coarse meal is achieved)

3/4 cups buttermilk (or 3/4 cups milk mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice)

3 tablespoon honey

Make a well in the centre of the mix and pour the buttermilk mix. Once roughly mixed (remember DO NOT overmix it), pour onto floured surface. Just press down lightly and fold the dough like you are folding a letter. Press down again and fold again. Do it 3 times. This is the key to achieving those flaky layers. Press lightly about 1 inch thickness and use your biscuit cutter. Egg wash the top. Bake for 15 minutes on 190 degrees. I managed about 1 dozen small biscuits. Lay them out on a clean cloth to cool...Perfect with jam & clotted cream too... actually it was awesome with honey drizzle at the top too...

Basic Doughnut Recipe

I always dread making doughnuts because all the recipe I found online always gives huge quantity!! These made around 16 doughnuts which was perfect! 

Basic Doughnut Recipe

1 sachet instant yeast (11g)

1/4 cup water (lukewarm)

3/4 cup warm milk (pop in the microwave for a bit)

Stir yeast in the milk / water mixture and let it bubble up for about 5 minutes

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

40g shortening (slightly less than 1/4 cup)

2 1/2 cups flour (pour only 2 cups first)

Add the above ingredients in and beat with a paddle attachement until well mixed. If dough is still sticky, add in the extra 1/2 cup flour. Change to hook attachment and knead for about 3 minutes on medium scraping the sides every now and then. Remove from mixer and let dough rest until doubled the amount. It was a warm day today so it doubled around 45 minutes. 

Roll the dough on a well floured surface and cut into circles with a round cutter. Use the smallest cutter to cut the holes in the middle. Arrange cut dough on a floured tray and let rise for another 10 minutes. Heat oil and fry the doughnuts until golden. Sprinkle icing sugar or you can make some browned butter glaze with it (in the previous post) http://www.narny.blogspot.sg/2013/04/browned-butter-glazed-doughnuts.html

Browned Butter Glazed Doughnuts

Ok these are seriously good.... SO GOOD that I just wanna lick my screen....okay....so good that I´ll consider to stop buying  KK ever again.

All you need is some basic doughnut recipe as follows:-

1 sachet instant yeast (11g)
1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
3/4 cup warm milk (pop in the microwave for a bit)

Stir yeast in the milk / water mixture and let it bubble up for about 5 minutes

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
40g shortening (slightly less than 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups flour (pour only 2 cups first)

Add the above ingredients in and beat with a paddle attachement until well mixed. If dough is still sticky, add in the extra 1/2 cup flour. Change to hook attachment and knead for about 3 minutes on medium scraping the sides every now and then. Remove from mixer and let dough rest until doubled the amount. It was a warm day today so it doubled around 45 minutes.

Roll the dough on a well floured surface and cut into circles with a round cutter. Use the smallest cutter to cut the holes in the middle. Arrange cut dough on a floured tray and let rise for another 10 minutes. Heat oil and fry the doughnuts until golden.

You need to glaze the doughnuts while its still warm to get that glazy look. So prepare the glaze while waiting for the doughnuts to rise.

Browned Butter Glaze

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup icing sugar
4 tablespoons cream

Sounds simple ? Well all you do is melt the butter in the pan until its really browned. Yes I was scared shitless at ruining my good butter too but heck... its meant to be that way. You will see all these yucky looking sediment in the melted butter. Pour the butter slowly in a bowl so that the sediment does not follow or you can use a strainer. Add the icing sugar and continue to add the cream until you get a nice creamy texture. Remember... multitask and start glazing your doughnuts while its still warm!!

After that be patient and let it sit for a while to ¨set¨.... honesty in our weather its almost impossible to get that crunchy crust unless you live in a completely air conditioned home... Just be happy it looks and taste great!

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

I´m addicted to broccoli.... ya weird right but I love a good broccoli mash with lots of butter and I find it so comforting that I fed my kids that as a baby! I also love a good stirfry, in casserole and lately, Yotam Ottolengi´s Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli & Garlic.

Today I was craving for a cheesy nibble... so there broccoli bites... I made my own breadcrumbs but if you have a pre-packaged one use that. All I did was toast 2 slices of bread slightly, cut it in small pieces and put it in a food processor. It makes about 1 cup. So just combine all the ingredients and place spoonfuls on a greased tray (DON´T FORGET TO GREASE!)

Ingredients to mix

1 head of broccoli
2 garlics (chopped)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used red and white cheddar)
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs

Bake these little bites on 160 degrees for 15 mins and flip over for another 15 minutes. Serve with your favourite dipping like ranch or chilli mayo.

Breakfast Casserole

Okay I was bored with the usual breakfast spread and with the kids at home sick today I just wanted something fast, filling but hearty at the same time. Plus I had half a loaf of bread thats expiring tomorrow! What to do? What to do? (Thats the question I ask myself every morning at 6am!)

So breakfast casserole it it! Its like a quiche / bread pudding sort of feel but with all the savoury goodness. The options for the fillings are endless.. I basically dumped everything I could find in the fridge. First of all I buttered my dish and layered with my sandwich bread. Why butter and not oil?? Do you butter your toast with butter or oil? Dumb question!

Then I top the bread layer with sauteed ham / sausage filling as follows

1 onions (chopped)
1 garlic (chopped)
3 turkey hams (small cubes)
2 sausages (small cubes)
1 pack of enoki mushrooms (1 inch lengths)
pepper
butter (for sauteeing)

2 hashbrowns (cubed)
baked beans
more bread (cubed)

I also found hashbrowns and baked beans which I 'sprinkled' over the fillings. I also chopped more bread and added on top. Then I sprinkled it with cheese.

quiche sauce 

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
2 tablespoon flour
salt / pepper

Tomatoes (sliced)

Whisk all the above in a jug and pour over the fillings. Press down to make sure the bread are soaked through. Arrange tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle more cheese on top. I just like the taste of baked tomatoes when its dried up. Yummy!! Bake for 30-35 minutes on 160 degrees until its golden brown and the quiche sauce is firm. Slice into squares and serve!

Acar Buah / Fruit Chutney

I went out of my comfort zone today and cooked something I´ve always loved but never dared making. Maybe its the fear of not reaching my own standards... because I´ve tasted some really awesome acars! A few people I´ve asked either blatantly say No to sharing their recipes or will vaguely sputtered out the recipes which is also impossible to comprehend.

Now I understand why a small container is charged at $6. Dried fruits are really costly now. Especially in my recipe, I used the Ajwa Dates which cost $60 per kg?? of course you can use any other dates but that was all I had in my fridge :-)

Ingredients 

1kg of mixed dried fruits (chopped into bite size pieces)
(I used apricots, golden raisins, dates, currants, plums, prunes, radish, orange peel, small garlic, shallots and cili padi).. would have loved it if there were preserved mangoes and cherries too!

3 tablespoons of fish curry powder (dry fry in a pan and set aside)

Items to be blended

12 large onions (bawang besar)
10 garlic
5cm ginger
40g of dried chilli (soaked)

1 cinnamon
2 star anise
3 cardamoms

Fry the blended ingredients until fragrant, add the dry spices and the curry powder. Continue frying and making sure there´s ample oil to continously cook the spices (you can always scoop out and throw the oil after all is done). The paste should be a deep brown colour.

1/3 − 1/2 cup vinegar (taste accordingly.. it has to have a balance of sweet, sour & salty)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of salt (or more I kept adding according to taste)
1 tsp ajinomoto
2 tablespoons Marmalade (yes the jam!)
10 ajwa dates blended with half cup of water to thicken the paste (please deseed the dates before you blend)

Add the above ingredients and then the mixed fruits. Simmer on low heat until fruits are tender.

Devilled Eggs

My kids love devilled eggs! Its great for a party and a starter to a meal and so simple to make! I don´t have an exact measurement so you need to adjust according to your preference.

I boiled about 6 eggs today so I made 12 halves which was perfect for us.

Once the eggs are boiled and cooled, scoop out the yolks and mash them. I added the following and piped over the whites with a star nozzle.

3 tablespoons mayonaise

salt to taste

white pepper

a pinch of paprika 

2 turkey hams (chopped and sauteed) I prefer bacon but I didn´t have any today :-(

Once piped, sprinkle with dried parsley and more paprika. I like with a bit more ooomph so I sprinkled chilli flakes instead... I love sliced black olives on the yolk too but I didn´t have that in the pantry today as well.. so there you go.. simple devilled eggs you can make in a jiffy.

Baked Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I love Portobello mushrooms! I love them on burgers (YES!! Carl´s Jr) and i used to love the ones at the now defunct Borders Cafe... reminded me of my dates with the boyfriend (now The Hubs)... sigggghhh

Yesterday while shopping at NTUC Extra, my chubby boy saw the Portobello´s were on sale at $4.05 for 5 pieces... I thought it was good buy so its perfect for dinner. Made devilled eggs for starters and the shrooms for mains... very filling indeed!

All I did was remove the stems. NO DON´T CHUCK IT IN THE BIN! Thats part of the filling! Cross X the top part of the mushrooms and place them in an oiled tray or baking dish. (Gills side up). I drizzled some olive oil over the gills and sprinkled some salt in preparation for the filling...

Filling

1 shallot (chopped)
2 garlics (sliced)
2 turkey ham (chopped)
mushroom stems (chopped)
butter
salt / pepper

Shredded cheese for topping (I had white & red cheddar)

Melt butter in a pan, sautee the shallot and garlic and toss in the ham and stems... season with salt and pepper. I used a salted butter so i didn´t salt my filling.

Spread the filling and sprinkle over with cheese.

 Bake for 20 minutes on 180 degree oven. Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni Shepherd's Pie

yeah yeah .. its a mouthful.. but thats what you get when you can't decide between a Mac & Cheese and Shepherd's Pie! And all because I had a tupperware full of cooked macaroni from the other day's chicken soup! The things that go on in my head!!

I started simply with the pie meat base..

Pie

1 large onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
olive oil for sauteeing

500g minced beef or lamb
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 fresh tomato (chopped)
1 portobello mushroom (thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon of arrabbiata seasoning
(or you could just add some parsley flakes, dried garlic, peperoncino flakes)
salt / pepper

Sautee the onion, garlic & carrots until they started sweating and then  brown the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low heat for 15 minutess. Set aside

Macaroni

2 to 3 cups of cooked macaroni or any other pasta

1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon flour
600ml milk
100g cheddar cheese
(I realized I had a white & red cheddar today so my cheese sauce looked a little pale)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add in the flour once melted to make a light roux. Pour the milk and stir constantly. Once flour is throughly mixed, add the cheddar cheese and continue stirring until thickened.
Pour your cooked macaroni and stir and season with mustard, salt & pepper.

Mashed Potatoes

Who doesn't know how to make a mash right?? Well I usually use Russet potatoes cuz they mash easily and absorbs liquid better than other potatoes like Yukon or Holland.

5 potatoes boiled, skinned and mashed

1/2 cup cream (yes.... this is so indulgent)

3 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

Layer your ramekins with the meat sauce, macaroni & then top it off with the mashed potatoes & sprinkle cheese over it. Baked on 180 degrees for 20 minutes. I made a side dish of Ottolenghi's Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli & Garlic .. perfect!!

Lemon Curds Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday, I bought lemons for the sole purpose of making lemon syrup for my throat... but suddenly a craving for lemon curds took over and I caved in with a hankering for lemon curds cupcakes with creamy cheesy frosting! So there... 90 minutes later... i sat down savouring my little treats with a cup of hot lemon tea.. can you say Vitamin C?? :-)

Lemon Cheese Cupcakes

60g butter
60g cream cheese

1 cup sugar

Cream the above. Once well mixed, add in sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and then alternate the dry ingredients with cream. Lastly add in the lemon juice and zest. Scoop into your favoured cupcake liners and bake at 12 minutes on 180 degrees. With the above recipe, I made about 22 small cupcakes (I totally hate the big ones cuz you could never finish it at one go)

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cream (or buttermilk)

1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

Lemon Curds Filling

1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

Heat the above until all the sugar is melted, set aside.

1 egg
1 egg yolk

Whisk the eggs in a bowl and slowly pour the heated lemon juice bit by bit while whisking vigorously so as not to cook the eggs. Pour the mixture again in the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. (see picture) Cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

60g butter
170g cream cheese
4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoon lemon juice

Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in icing sugar until you get a fluffy consistency. Add in lemon juice.

Once your cupcakes are cooled, use a paring knife and cut a hole in the middle. I used a melon baller at first but found using a knife faster and neater. Fill with the curds and pipe your frosting on top. I grated lemon zest over or you could decorate it any way you please... Happy Trying!