Pink Lady & Granny Smith

What's with Pink Lady and Granny Smith? Some of you may already know, they are fanciful names for different variety of apples. Both are named feminine and originated from Australia. I wonder whether all apples are female? When I was young (or not too long ago), apples are just either red apple or green apple, or China apple or USA apple. Anyway it's interesting to read up some history on these 2 ladies on wikipedia (Pink Lady or Granny Smith) or the offical website on Pink Lady. Isn't it good that the peripheral of baking is knowledge?

I've digressed. I'm sharing 2 recipes using these apples for my recent bakes. The Apple Frangipane Tart is highly recommended!


Pink Lady Apple Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients/ Method

Water Roux (Tangzhong)125g water
25g bread flour

1. Cook 125g water with 25g bread flour at medium low heat, keep stirring until becomes thicken and no lumps left. Cook until 65 deg C, or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until mixture resembles baby porridge.
2. Transfer to clean bowl and cover with cling wrap to prevent skin forming.
Note: Water roux can be stored for 2 days, and if colour turn dark grey, to discard.
Apple Cinnamon Fillings
2 Pink Lady apples, peeled cored and cubed (can used any apples)
30g brown sugar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

1. Add all ingredients into a pot and cook on medium-low heat until apples are soft and mixture looks 'gluey'.
2. Set aside to cool.

Dough

(A) 210g bread flour
56g plain flour
20g milk powder
42g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6g instant yeast
30g eggs
85g water
84g water roux (refer to water roux recipe as above)
22g butter

(B) 15g butter, soften

1. Put all the ingredients (A) except butter and knead until it form a dough.
2. Add the butter little by little and continue the kneading process until smooth and elastic and the dough does not stick at the side of the mixing bowl.
3. Proof for 40 minutes in a clean bowl cover with cling wrap.
4. Take half the dough and flatten it with your hand and roll it out in longish shape with a rolling pin about 25cm x 20cm.
5. Brush butter on the surface of the dough then spread apple cinnamon fillings dough evenly, leaving about 1-inch gap around the dough.

6. Roll it up like a swiss roll and seal it tightly.
7. Cut into 8 equal portions using lightly floured knife.
8. Place dough in a round cake tin and cover with a cling wrap. Leaving enough space between each roll to allow them to double in size later.
9. Repeat for the remaining half of the dough.
10. Proof for a further 40 minutes.
11. Bake at 180 deg C preheated oven for 15 minutes.


Apple Frangipane Tart
(adapted from Joyofbaking, with modifications)

Ingredients/ Method
Frangipane (Almond Cream)
1/2 cup (50gm) almond meal
1 tbsp (12gm) all purpose flour
25gm caster sugar (original recipe uses 50gm)
3 tbsps (40gm) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract/ vanilla bean paste
1/8 tsp salt

1. Place almonds, sugar and flour in a food processor and process until finely ground.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and process until you get a smooth paste.
3. Transfer into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Apples
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored and sliced.
20gm caster sugar
20gm brown sugar

Pie Crust (Pate Brisee)
1 1/4cups (175gm) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2gm) salt
1 tbsp (14gm) caster sugar
1/2 cup (113gm) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

**The original recipe uses the processor for preparing the pie crust. As my processor is the mini type, I used rubbing-in method instead.
1. Place flour, salt and sugar and mix well.
2. Add the cold butter and using fingertips to rub-in butter with flour mixture until resemble coarse meal.
3. Slowly add in water to the mixture and knead till the pastry just holds together when pinched.
4. Gather pastry into a ball and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
5. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface, 12 inch (30cm) circle.
6. Transfer rolled pastry to a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Spread frangipane evenly over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch (5cm) border.
8. Arrange the apple slices even over the frangipane layer, leaving a 2-inch (5cm) border.
9. Fold the border of pastry up and over the apples, sealing any cracks. Brush the pastry crust with milk.
10. Sprinkle the caster/ brown sugar over the crust and apples.
11. Place the rack in the center of the oven.
12. Bake in pre-heated oven at 190 deg C for 50-60 mins, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown,
13. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Mini egg tarts

This is my second attempt to make egg tarts within 2 weeks using different recipes. The reason why I did not post it earlier is because the first attempt was a failure and I had to feed the bin. It was a dim sum style/ puff pastry type of egg tart that I tried, and using a recipe from a local magazine. I think I fail big time, both the pastry as well as the egg custard. I wonder how reliable the magazine recipe can be or is it because of my lack of skill in handling the puff pastry? Anyway the next time I'm going to make the dim sum egg tart will be using recipe from the reliable blogs; I've book-marked a few that look so good that you would want to eat them from the screen.

Now that lil Zak goes for his montessori class on every Sunday morning at my neighbour place, I had the luxury of time to do some baking. Further, I can share my bakes with my neighbours and their kids after their class. This helps in a big way as earlier I had 'problem' of finishing my bakes...kekeke. Thankfully, these egg tarts using recipe that I got from Cook.Bake.Love were very well received, and the little kids came back asking for more! I'd doubled the recipe and it produced 45 mini tarts and with about 15 tart cases left over, which I kept in the fridge unbaked.

Easy & Delicious Egg Tarts
(makes about 45 mini egg tarts)

Pastry
300g plain flour
2 tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp sugar
50-60g egg (1 egg)
200g butter

Rub-in Method (cold butter) - I used this method
1. Cut cold butter into small cubes.
2. Combine flour, custard powder and milk powder and mix well.
3. With fingertip, rub in the cold butter, add sugar, mix well.
4. Add beaten egg, mix to form a soft dough (do not knead).
5. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate before use.

Easy Method (melted butter) - For reference only.
1. Melt butter.
2. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well
3. Add melted butter and beaten egg.
4. Using a pair of chopsticks mix to form a soft dough.
5. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate before use.

Filling
280g water
120-140g sugar
200g beaten egg (3 large eggs or 4 medium eggs)
80g evaporated milk
Few drops pure vanilla extract (optional)

1. Heat up water and sugar till sugar dissolved. Let cool.
2. Add beaten egg, evaporated milk and vanilla extract and mix well.
3. Sieve 3 times.

Assembly
1. Roll into ball and press the dough into tart moulds. (I did not measure the dough for each tart.)
2. Spoon in the fillings till 80% full. (I poured mine almost 100% full.)
3. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20 mins.

AB #10 - Blueberry Cheese Tart

I'm beating the time to participate in the Aspiring Bakers #10 - Easy as Pie hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink. You see, I've only finally decided to bake the blueberry cheese tarts at the 11th hour (i.e 10.20pm to be exact!)Although I did prepare the blueberry fillings on Tuesday which is a PH, I didn't think I have the time to do any baking during the week.

Whilst writing this post, the tarts are still baking in the oven. I will be snapping some pictures later, do a quick edit and upload it here.

The blueberry cheese tart is the 2nd time I'm baking it (the last was June 2009). I didn't realise how time flies and without this blog to journal my baking journey, I would have thought that I did it just last year! That's a pretty long time for me to re-bake such a wonderful recipe.

In my haste of baking, I accidentally dropped and broke my beloved & sentimental mixer (heart-break as well). Told T about it and that I would have to throw it away, but he said that "something with sentimental value is for keep-sake though it can't be used anymore". Very true. I'm contemplating now.



Blueberry Cheese Tarts

(makes 36 mini tartlets)

Ingredients/ Method:

Pastry:
125g butter
50g fine granulated sugar
250g plain flour
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp COLD water

1. Sift flour and sugar into mixing bowl.
2. Rub butter into flour until resembles coarse crumbs (rubbing method).
3. Add in egg yolk, vanilla and water.
4. Shape dough into ball and refrigerate (20-30 minutes) before using** (before using, take out from fridge, wait for awhile until dough soften).
5. Place dough onto tart shells, and pooked the base with fork (this is to let the air comes out while baking).
6. Bake at 160-170'C for 10-15 minutes or until brown.

Blueberry Filling:
125gm fresh blueberries
1 tsp sugar

1. Bring blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling:
250g cream cheese
20g butter
50g fine granulated sugar
1 egg

1. Beat cheese, butter and sugar together until fluffy.
2. Add in egg and beat till well mix.
3. Pour mixture onto baked tart shells.
4. Spoon some blueberries or blueberry pie filling onto unbaked tarts, and use a toothpick to create swirls.
5. Bake at 170-180'C for 10 minutes.

Catching up

..... with CNY baking. I know I've been slacked with blogging and baking for at least 3 weeks. This blog would probably be neglected for even longer period, but because I really like baking my own pineapple tarts that pushed me to start preparing the pineapple paste last week. The usual shredding, cooking, and rolling them into little balls.

Unlike years of making all covered up, i wanted to 'expose' them!! Open tart or nastar? A very ignorant me, I thought the nastar was using a knife to cut the pastry across many times. I tried that before and of course, the outcome was disastrous! Until recently i saw a post from Quinn that i realised that there is actually a tool to make nastar, and it cost only a few bucks. I did open tarts before, like 4 years ago, and i still have the moulds.

Ok, Sunday is a good time to start baking CNY cookies, and here it goes. But only nastar. Because there's not enough pineapple paste left for open tart. Maybe next year? There are probably about 190 pineapple nastar, and they are definitely prettier than my closed pineapple tarts ;-)

With some leftover dough, i added chocolate rice and 'concorted' my own Butterfly cookies.

Closing 2009, Beginning 2010

As usual, Dec is always a busy month and with holidays, festive season celebrations, there's not much time left for baking and blogging. Hence, this space has been very quiet for more than a month!!

Nevertheless, to close year 2009, these are a few bakes that have not been posted. These are the not-so-satisfactory ones, except the last being a Banana Chocolate Cake which i did for my elder brother's birthday. Fortunately, it was a very well-received cake and it gave my baking-blogging 2009 a sweet closing ;-)

Strawberry Chiffon Sponge Cake

"Sour"-honey popcorns

Portugese egg tarts

Banana chocolate cake

Other than a sweet closing for 2009 in terms of baking, we had a wonderful time spent together as a family with our loved ones; our unplanned & impromptu night began with a simple dinner fare, followed by a ride to mt. faber (which was surprisingly very crowded) and ended up counting down at an almost secluded place - Soprano at Wessex Estate. That made our first second of year 2010 filled with love, joy, fun and warmth!!!

Happy New Year to everyone & thoroughly enjoy yourselves in year Twenty Ten B-)

Update 4 Jan 2010, recipe & video on banana chocolate cake(video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM5vRvcIUvM&feature=related)

Ingredients/ Method:

203g whole eggs (6 nos.)

32g egg yolk (2 nos.)

135g caster sugar

21g glucose

1g salt

32g vegetable oil

21g cocoa powder

106g cake flour

1g baking soda

21g milk

1) Warm vegetable oil and put in cocoa powder until well mixed and dissolved. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, add eggs, sugar, salt and beat on HIGH speed until foamy and double in volume, and sugar dissolve.

3) Add in glucose and beat on MEDIUM speed until ribbon stage.

4) Sift flour and baking soda over beaten egg mixture. Mix flour on LOW speed for 3 seconds just to combine most of the flour. Thereafter, turn to MEDIUM speed for approximately 20 seconds until mostly incorporated. Fold in the remaining traces of flour using rubber spatula.

5) Scoop some egg mixture and add into cocoa powder mixture to lighten the mixture. Thereafter, pour into egg mixture, add in milk and fold till well combined.

6) Pour batter into 8" round cake tin and bake at 170 deg C for 35 mins.

7) Invert the cake tin on cooling rack after removing from oven.

Chocolate Filling

2-3 Delmonte bananas

250g non-diary whipping cream

35g cocoa powder

35g hot water

2tsp instant coffee powder

1) Mix cocoa powder and coffee powder with hot water.

2) Whip the cream until stiff peak.

3) Add the cocoa-coffee mixture to the whipped cream.

Ganache
300g whipping cream
250g melted chocolate
50g butter

1) Mix all ingredients and microwave till well combined and smooth.

2) Leave to set before pouring onto cake.

To assemble

1) Slice the sponge cake into 3 layers.

2) Spread the chocolate filling on the first layer, and put freshly cut banana slice on the cake, and spread some chocolate filling on top of the banana slices.

3) Repeat Step 2.

4) Cream & crumb the entire cake with remaining chocolate filling.

5) Put the cake in the fridge for 10 mins so that it will be easier to spread the chocolate ganache.

(Note: I got problem with the chocolate ganache as it was either too watery or too solidified to spread or pour nicely on the cake. I ended up putting into the microwave to liquidify it, and back to the freezer to solidify it, a few times of doing the same thing just to get the right consistency. By then, my kitchen top and floor were in a mess, and had to clean up frequently as my house ants were very active & alert that day!!)

Blueberry cheese tarts

Blueberries are on promotion these days and 2 punnets cost less than $5. They are very versatile in baking and of course taste good on its own, so can't resist to buy when my baby and i were browsing at the supermarket after our breakfast last Saturday. At the back of my mind, I already knew i wanted to bake some blueberry cheese tarts, which had been in my to-do list for some time.

Ever since i shifted back to our home, Saturdays is an eat-out affair throughout the day - breakfast, lunch, dinner. There are occasional home-made bakes like cakes, breads, etc during teatime treats. I'm going to break the routine and have at least a home-cooked lunch on Saturdays. The only reason, of course, is for little zak. I started cooking a simple porridge last Saturday, and luckily little zak really 'give face' by finishing the whole bowl of porridge with carrot and meat balls.

Back to the tarts, i'd planned to do it during his nap time but before i could finish, little zak woke up and just then, it started to pour and flashes of lightning and came ear-cracking thunder. He started to cling onto me, and forbade me from going near the windows or sitting down on the sofa..... there goes my plan to make him tarts for his teatime treats, and he just ate some cream cheese crackers. Anyway, i only managed to finish baking the tart base and got to prepare the blueberry cheese filling the next day morning, for little zak's breakfast!

By the way, i got myself a customised turn-table through Lydia of My Kitchen, and I got a little excited to take photos with it ;-)

Ingredients/ Method:

Recipe adapted from Reese Kitchen

Pastry:

125g butter

50g fine granulated sugar

250g plain flour

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp COLD water

1. Sift flour and sugar into mixing bowl.

2. Rub butter into flour until resembles coarse crumbs (rubbing method).

3. Add in egg yolk, vanilla and water.

4. Shape dough into ball and refrigerate (20-30 minutes) before using** (before using, take out from fridge, wait for awhile until dough soften).

5. Place dough onto tart shells, and pooked the base with fork (this is to let the air comes out while baking).

6. Bake at 160-170'C for 10-15 minutes or until brown.

Filling:

250g cream cheese

20g butter

50g fine granulated sugar

1 egg

1. Beat cheese, butter and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Add in egg and beat till well mix.

3. Pour mixture onto baked tart shells.

4. Spoon some blueberries or blueberry pie filling onto unbaked tarts, and use a toothpick to create swirls.

5. Bake at 170-180'C for 10 minutes.

My other CNY bakes

This is the first year that i made so many new year goodies, and also doing a new batch of pineapple tarts using the original recipe. Plus i also did ngoh hiang and huat kueh, both my mum's specialty and favourite.

My favourite pineapple tarts!

Almond cookies

Peanut cookies n Almond Milk cookies


Soft & fluffy Huat Kueh - my mum's favourite!

Huat Kueh

Ingredients/ Method:

500g gula melaka

500g coconut milk

500g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Cook gula melaka with about 150ml water until dissolve. Leave to cool before use.

2. Mix cooled gula melaka with coconut milk. Add in about 200ml water, and mix evenly.

3. Add in flour, baking powder and baking soda into gula melaka mixture, till well mixed. Mixture should look gluey.

4. Prepare steamer.

5. I use tart mould for my huat kueh. Pour mixture into tart mould lined with paper cup. For small huat kueh, steam for 15 mins. For medium size huat kueh, steam for 20 mins.

Ngoh Hiang - an inch away from my mum's standard

Ngoh Hiang

Ingredients/ Method:

1.5kg pork (五花肉)

375g fish meat

250g water chestnut

6 medium-sized mushroom

300g prawns

4 tbsp corn flour

12 pcs cream cracker

3 tbsp light soya sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp five spice powder

pepper - to taste

few stalks of spring onion & chinese parsley

1 pcs beancurd sheet

1. Peel and chop water chestnut into small cubes.

2. Soak mushroom in hotwater for 20 mins. Remove the stalk. Cut the mushroom into small cubes.

3. Devine the prawns and chop the prawns into very small pieces.

4. Pound the cream cracker until powder form.

5. Cut spring onion and chinese parsley into small pieces.

6. Add all ingredients evenly and mixture ready to be rolled onto beancurd sheet. Amount of meat depends on your own preference.

7. Steam the rolled ngoh hiang for 10-15 mins. Cooled before frying, and ready to be served.

Note:

Steamed ngoh hiang can be stored in freezer for 1 month before consumption.

Pineapple Tarts (part 2)

Wishing everyone a Happy, Prosperous, Healthy Year of Ox, and many succesful and delicious baking!

牛年快乐

笑口常開

年年有余

Ingredients/ Method:-

Dough
750g butter
525 Hong Kong flour
525g plain flour
1 tsp butter milk essence
100g milk powder
20g custard powder
120g soft brown sugar
4 1/2 egg yolk (about 81 g)
1 1/2 egg white (abt 53.5g)
1/2 tsp salt


1. Beat all ingredients, except Hong Kong flour and plain flour, till pale white.
2. Add flour and mix evenly. Do not over-mixed.
3. Keep in fridge for 30 mins before use.


Filling

10 half-ripe pineapple
750g brown sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon powder (optional)


1. Grate the pineapples and drained the juice.
2. Cook the grated pineapples in a pot over medium heat. After about 5 mins add in the sugar and continue cooking until the pineapples are dry. (Takes about 2 hours)
3. Leave to cool before use.


- Egg washed pineapple tart.
- Bake tarts on greased tray at 175 deg C for 25 mins.


Note:
a. The original recipe uses white sugar for cooking pineapple and no cinnamon added, which i followed the previous year i made these tarts. I will stick to the original recipe.

b. To have melt-in-your-mouth texture, avoid over-mixing the dough.
c. I made my tarts in 2 sizes - 12g dough and 10g pineapple filling, and 6g dough and 5g pineapple filling.
d. To test whether pineapple fillings is cooked, it should stick to the wooden spatula that need to be shaken off.
e. The above recipe yield 88 big tarts, and 167 small tarts, with some pineapple fillings left-over.

f. Use good quality butter.

Pineapple tarts

The equation of pineapple tarts: -

+ 2 hours of grating

=

+ 2 hours of cooking pineapple pulps

=

+

+ plain flour + HK flour + custard powder + salt

+ 5 1/2 hours of dough playing + baking

=

20 big pineapple tarts + 167 small pineapple tarts

=

Yummy + Satisfaction!

Another round of baking frenzy this weekend to finish the remaining pineapple filling and dough, and trying out some other new year goodies recipes. Stay tuned!