Retro Biscuits / Cookies

Sue asked if i could make some decorated biscuit for her with Retro design. I had not try decorating biscuits before, so I was a tad reluctant to take the order, because :

1) I don't know if I can make them to look the way Sue wanted;
2) I'm skeptical about the taste of decorated biscuit.
3) I wasn't sure if I could make the decorated biscuit without raw egg whites
(I have a principal about what type of orders I'll take, and it's, "What I don't serve my family, I won't serve to you.", and raw eggwhite is something I won't serve to my family, because I have two young kids.)

But anyway, I'm glad I took the challenge, and Sue was willing to take the risk. And, best of all I'm able to make them without having to use any raw eggwhites.

I think I bake too often for my daughters, decorating cakes are only done for their birthdays; I find light pastel colours more appealing, so the biscuits just looked a bit too feminine.

I made about 60 of them, although Sue only ordered 40, so we had some to spare at home; my eldest seemed to be the one who ate the most, constantly reaching into the biscuit jar (Tupperware, in our case), until the last one was gone.

I love how the biscuit turned out. It was buttery and not too sweet (even with the layer of royal icing), and it has a nice crunch.

For Sue, as requested, they were all individually packed.

Hope Sue and her friends like them as much as we did.

Steamed Bun / 馒头 (from Momofuku)

On Sunday, I woke up slightly earlier to go to the wet market to buy a roast duck. And I already thought of making these buns to go with the duck rather than the usual white rice.

We then invited my MIL and SIL over for dinner.

I started making the dough late. I'd shortened the resting and proofing time a little so that we could still have dinner as usual at 7:30pm; with the duck reheated, other dishes cooked, and buns ready.

The buns turned out to be extremely nice and soft. I'm not sure if I had kept to the original resting and proofing time, will it be even softer and fluffier. This is something I will definitely try to make again, so I'll tell you next time.

♥Momofuku Steamed Buns Recipe♥
Adapted from Ellie of Almost Bordain
Makes 50 buns

You'll need

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups bread flour
6 tbs sugar
3 tbs non-fat dry milk powder
1 tbs sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder (rounded)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup canola oil (original recipe calls for rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening at room temperature), plus more for shaping the buns, as needed

Method

1) Fix your stand mixer with the dough hook. Mix all dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer, then add in the water and the oil. At lowest speed possible, 'stir' the dough for 8~10mins.

2) The dough should gather together into a neat, not-to-tacky ball on the hook. When it does, oil a medium mixing bowl, and put the dough in, cover it with dry kitchen towel. Let it rise until double in bulk, about 1hr 15mins. (I used only 1hr)

3) Turned the rested dough onto a clean work surface. Using a scraper or a knife, divide the dough in half then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total.

They should be about the size of a ping-pong ball and weigh about 25g.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Cover the little dough balls with kitchen towel and allow them to rest and rise for 30 minutes. (I used only 15mins)

4) Cut out fifty 10cm squares of parchment paper

5) Coat a chopstick with whatever fat you’re working with (and repeat with each bun made).

Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 10cm-long oval.
Lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape.
Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and put the bun on a square of parchment paper.

6) Put it back under the dry kitchen towel and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30-45 minutes. They will rise a little. (I used only 30mins)

7) Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes.

Note 1 : You can use the buns immediately (reheat them for a minute or so in the steamer if necessary) or allow to cool completely, then seal in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a few months. Reheat frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2-3 minutes, until puffy, soft and warmed all the way through.

The buns were delicious on their own, or filled with different fillings. For Sunday dinner, it was duck meat and lettuce.

Green Tea Génoise Style Cupcake

Taken from wikipedia :
A génoise cake (Genoese cake or Genovese cake) that does not use any chemical leavening, instead, use air suspended in the batter during mixing to give volume to the cake. It is a whole-egg cake, unlike some other sponge cakes that beat their yolks and whites of the eggs separately.

The first time I tried making a génoise cake, I failed miserably. I did not beat the egg mixture long enough to provide the air that's required to create the volume, and was expecting the cake to rise in the oven. It came out of the oven hard, flat, and eggy, and then it went into the rubbish bin.

I thought of giving it a second try. It'll be cupcake this time, and it's flavoured with green tea, the favourite flavour of the family.

I was very careful this time, and I made sure the egg mixture was beaten till it rose in volume and became bubbly and fluffy, before I mixed in the flour. The result? A very spongy and springy cupcake which didn't crumb easily, and it's very much lower in fat than the vanila cupcake, so it's definitely going to be something I'll be baking often.


♥Recipe for Green Tea Génoise Style Cupcake / 抹茶海绵杯子蛋糕♥
Adapted from 我♥杯子蛋糕 translated from a Japanese author (and unfortunately I can't type Japanese)
Make about 20 small cupcakes

You'll need

2 Eggs
60g Castor sugar
60g Cake flour
2g Green tea powder
15g Unsalted butter, melted
25ml Milk
Method

1) Preheat oven to 180C and sift the flour and green tea powder.

2) Combine egg and sugar in a heat proof bowl and mix well.

3) Put the bowl into a pot with water, and heat up the pot on low fire, stir the egg mixture until it reaches body temperature

4) Remove from heat, and beat the egg mixture until light, white and fluffy. This is an important step, and if the egg mixture did not contain enough air bubbles, it will not hold the shape of the cake. I was on medium high speed (speed number 6) on my Kitchenaid and had the egg mixture beaten for about 3 minutes.

5) Stir in the sifted flour and green tea powder using a spatula until well combined.

6) Combine butter and milk in a bowl.

7) Spoon a scoop of the batter (from 5) into the bowl (from 6), stir until well combine (this is to ensure the density of the wattery melted butter and milk become close to the density of the flour and egg batter).

8 ) Pour the mixture (from 7) into the remaining flour and egg batter (from 5), and mix it with a spatula until well combined.

9) Scope the mixture into cupcake casing until 2/3 filled.

10) Bake for 12~13 minutes.

Homemade Pan Mee / Pappardelle

The whole family love Pan Mee, all except the man, so he says (but can he refuse Pappardelle?).

Imagine you spent the whole Sunday evening at the kitchen, kneading the dough (ok, maybe I didn't knead the dough, but my Kitchenaid did), making the chicken condiments, and when it was dinner time, instead of saying "Thank you", in his bad mood, he uttered the unappreciative, "I have told you, I'm not a fan of pan mee."

Fine. I think I get more appreciation from the kids, and so, will be focussing on cooking, making things the kids or I like.

That was our dinner yesterday. Pan Mee with Ikan Bilis (Malay : Anchovies, and my girls call them Little Fish) soup, served with condiments like mince chicken with mushroom and fried ikan bilis. I liked the pan mee, and so did the girls.

We had some left over dough from yesterday, and so for lunch today, my helper and I had pan mee again. This time, I served it with a homemade Pesto; and guess what? From Pan Mee, viola, it has now transformed to pappardelle, a change in nationality!

So actually, this is just flat noodle, in Chinese, it's called Pan Mee, in Italy, they call it pappardelle. Now, I want to hear the man tell me he's not a fan of pappardelle.

As what was left over was not enough for my girls to have for lunch, they had something else instead. I gave some to my eldest to try, and she said it was delicious, although she would prefer hers with lots of Parmessan Cheese.

♥Receipe for Pan Mee / Pappardelle♥
Make 4 servings of pan mee or pappardelle

You'll need

250g plain flour
1 egg
100ml water (there about)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs oil (I used fried garlic oil)

Method

To make dough
1) Mix 100ml water with salt

2) In a bowl, mix flour, egg, and oil, and the salt water, until a soft smooth dough is formed. If it's too wet, add a little flour, if it's too dry, add a little more water. Dough should be firm, but not sticky nor runny.

3) Leave the kneaded dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth, so that the surface of the dough will not be dry. Stand dough for 1hr.

To cook
1) Boil a pot of water, and add a tsp of salt.

2) Separate the dough to 4 serving portion, and roll them to a ball.

3) Dust dough ball with generous amount of flour, and flatten it a bit. Use a rolling pin or a pasta maker to roll the dough into the desired thickness, dusting more flour if it's sticking to the side of the rolling pin or pasta maker.

4) When desired thickness is rolled out, cut or tear the dough sheet into long strips or squares depending on preference, and drop them into boiling water.

5) Boil the pan mee or pappardelle for about 1 to 2 minutes until cook (cooked dough will rise to the top).

6) Scoop the cooked pan mee or pappardelle out, and drain. Serve immediately.

Cupcakes And Others

Ju who reads my blog, asked me sometime in January if I could make her some cupcakes and she'll pay me for them.

That was my very first cake order with payment.

She was in fact my only paying customer. Haha. She subsequently ordered two more times from me, and the last order was just last Friday.

She likes the butter cream frosting with lots of sprinkles, because that's how her children like them.

I mix sugar sprinkles with tiny Japanese jellies, and I thought they look kind of sweet.

This round, I negotiated with her, and instead of 30 cupcakes, she took 20 cupcakes and pay less; and the other 10 cupcakes I kept them for my girls; since I never put frosting on cupcakes everytime I bake for them except on their birthdays, I thought I'll let them enjoy some frosted cupcakes 6 months early.

I can't make fancy stuff, or come out with fancy decorations, at least for now, but I try to use the best ingredients. No shortening nor vegetable oil in the frosting, although they make the cupcake last longer out in the open, they give you an aftertaste. I use only butter, which makes the cupcakes taste very much nicer; at least that's the opinion of my hubs and I. The last 2 rounds, Ju wanted M&Ms, and that's what each of her cupcake was topped with. Besides the cupcakes, Ju also ordered the sponge cake with soy bean frosting. I didn't take a photo of it, because I was in a hurry to pack every thing up, but this is how it looked like, minus the tiny golden sugar beads.

That's my youngest sister's birthday cake. She wanted this very healthy cake for her birthday last week after she's tasted my dad's low fat birthday cake, so I made her one, and that's my birthday present for her.

Ju's preference is the cupcakes and I can understand why. Some thing so low in fat, cannot compete with little cakes packed with the wonderful taste of butter. :)

Dorsett Scones

Did you realise everytime you make a visit to Cameron Highlands, you come back craving for scones? Such is the case with my friend, Michelle, who came back screaming for scones, and in the process influenced me into baking some as well.

It's not her influence that I love scones. Something about its buttery, doughy, crumbly texture and taste that appeal to me. Especially when it's served with a dollop of cream (not whipped cream from the can, which I can't stand its chemical taste, but cream whipped fresh), some strawberry jam, and a nice hot cup of English tea.

That was the kind of treat we'll splurge on during university days where we lived on a very tight budget; birthdays or a special occasion were celebrated in tea houses serving scones.

In KL, I love the little scones that Delicious serves, and the almond cream scones that you can get from Heistand. Now that I bake, scones are mainly made at home.

I'd tried a couple of reciepes and by far, this is my favourite.

♥Dorset Scones♥
Adapted from All Around The World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins
Make 12 scones

You'll need
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
113g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1 large egg
Approximately 1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup dried currants (optional)

Method

1) Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse on and off to combine the ingredients. Add the cold butter and pulse 15 to 20 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2) Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk lightly. Pour half the egg into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and process for about 10seconds until the dough forms large curds. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

3) Quickly and gently knead in the currants (or whatever you want to go with the scones). Pat or roll the dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/4 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter (I use a wine glass to cut mine into rounds). Gently reroll the scraps and continue to cut all the dough.

4) Place the scones on ungreased baking sheets and chill for 15 minutes. They can be covered and refrigerated at this point for as long as overnight.

5) Preheat oven to 230 C

6) Add 1 tbs milk to the remaining half egg and, using a pastry brush, moisten the top of each scones with the egg wash.

7) Bake until the tops are lightly colored, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks for at least 10 minutes before serving.

I actually made two batches of these, half using dried currants for the kids, another half using almond slivers for the adults. The dough were left to chill over night, and then baked early the morning.

I packed some for my neighbours, so a few families in the neighbourhood had fresh scones for breakfast that morning.

For our family, I then whipped some double cream. We have ours eaten with dollop of cream and strawberry jam, while my daughters like theirs with just butter (actually more of the process of spreading the butter).

Paired with a cup of hot tea... bliss!

Chocolate Almond Cookies - Recipe

This is the first time I'm trying out Keiko Ishida's recipe. I'd always love the cakes and biscuits from Japan, and when I saw there's a book with collection of cakes, cookies and pastries that marry tradional French-style baking techniques with Japanese flavours such as green tea, soy bean and black sesame, I have to get it.

♥Chocolate Almond Cookies♥
Adopted from Okashi, Sweet Treats Made With Love by Keiko Ishida
Make about 70 biscuits

You'll need

80g Blanched almond slivers
300g Cake flour
40g Cocoa powder
240g Unsalted butter, softened
140g Icing sugar
A pinch of salt
2 Egg yolks
Fine granulated white sugar for dusting

Method

1) Prehead oven at 150C, then bake almond slivers for 20minutes. Sift flour and cocoa powder.

2) Beat butter, sugar and salt until softened. Add egg yolk and mix well.

3) Fold flour and cocoa powder into utter mixture using a spatula. Add (cooled) toasted almond slivers and fold through. Chill dough in a refrigerator for about 15minutes.

4) Divide cookie dough into 4 portion. Place each portion on a piece of parchment papaer and shape into logs about 4cm in diameter. Wrap logs with partment paper chill in refrigerator. If not baking the cookies immediately, wrap logs in cling film and freeze for up to 2months.

5) Prehead oven to 160C.

6) For frozen logs, leave out to soften, ~ 15mins. Slice cookie dough log into 7mm-thick pieces. Roll edges of cookies in some granulated sugar. Place cookies on baking tray lined with nonstick baking mat and bake for about 20mins. Remove from head and leave to cool on wire rack.