Kuih Tart Nenas (Pineapple Tarts)

I've been using different version of recipes to make Kuih Tart Nenas (pineapple tarts). I have posted a recipe before but I think this version is very good.

Recently, I found a kuih tart recipe in one of my FB group. She shared her late mom's recipe with us. After I got all the ingredients, I give it a go..  ohmygosh!!!!! Both me and hubs felt that the kuih tart were perfect. They melt in your mouth and the sweetness is just right.  On the day, I made the kuih tart, I'm telling you... I have not even finished baking all the tarts, and  the tarts on the first tray were all gone!! <<now you see it, now you don't>> LoL!!! I gave hubs to try a few and next thing, I know, its almost gone so I just finished the last 4 tarts in that tray.. LoL!!!! 

I’m happy to share my findings and would encourage you to try out this excellent recipe cos I think it’s very good.  Thank you Lily for sharing the recipe. :)

Original Pineapple Tart (by the late Hajjah Rohanna Abu) 

Ingredients:

Pineapple Fillings

2 pieces of pineapple (to be grated and sieve the juices out)

350gm sugar

1 cm cinnamon stick

3 pcs cloves (take out the send on top)

3 pcs cardamom 

Cook all the above (EXCEPT for sugar) for ½ hr. Mix in the sugar and cook on very low fire. The fillings will be ready when it is slightly darker in colour (at this point if you want to add a dash of yellow color to the pineapple mixture) 

 [ I wanted to give a few different colors. I used the yellow, green and blueberry color. ] 

here is a video of how to cut the pineapples:

Pastry

1 medium size egg  ( I used large egg )

250gm soft butter, room temp - (I leave the butter overnight in a mixing bowl and seal it with cling-wrap)

50gm self raising flour

350gm all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp white caster sugar

A dash of yellow color

Method to make Pastry

In a big mixing bowl, lightly beat egg, butter, yellow color, caster sugar with a spatula.

Add the self raising flour & all purpose flour and stir with the spatula until all mix well.

When all done, use your fingers to mix dough thoroughly but DO NOT over knead the pastry as this will cause the pastry to break when making the tart. Wrap dough in plastic foil and keep in fridge for 20 mins. 
(I forgot to put the yellow color earlier. I added later and the color was uneven.. ;P)

When ready: 

Line pastry board with a plastic sheet and place a small portion of pastry on it. Cover pastry with another sheet of plastic. Roll dough to about 4mm thick. Use tart mould to cut out the tart, place on ungreased baking tray. Continue until all the pastry is used. Then roll a small ball of filling, flatten slightly and place on center of tart. Decorate the top by placing bits of cut-out pastry . Bake in pre-heated oven at 350ºF for 15-20 mins or till tarts are a nice golden brown.

I bought a few different kuih tart moulds in Singapore cos I know I won't be able to get these easily in US.

Refreshing citrus drink in minutes!!!

Make a wonderful and refreshing citrus drink in minutes! I found a citrus drink recipe on FB. This would be a great drink for the hot days.  I made in one mason jar. After waiting for a several hours, the drink is refreshing but I think it is not sweet enough. I would not mind but I know hubby would add a little sugar to it.. hehehe.

Refreshing citrus drink in minutes

~Recipe fropm A Room With A View~

Ingredients:
1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
Some Mint leaves
 

Cut each fruit into ¼ slices and remove seeds. Using a Mason jar, add the above and slightly crush them using the end of a utensil but do not pulverize. Add ice and fill container, then fill with fresh water and let stand for a few hours in the fridge.

If you add the juice to ice trays, you can make some wonderful ice cubes to go with your drinks or smoothie.

Enjoy!

Grilled Prawns with Kiwifruit and Pineapple

This recipe is from a Singapore magazine but I can't remember the name of the magazine. I had cut out the page, paste the recipe on another paper and filed in my recipe folder. The method is grilling but I just cooked them in the oven. Whichever method you are using, it does not take too long to cook. :)

Source: Magazine cut-out. Makes 6 skewers

Grilled Prawns with Kiwifruit and Pineapple

Ingredients:

12 medium-sized prawns (shrimps), washed & peeled, leave tails intact

1 tbsp Cajun spice

12 canned pineapple cubes

2 kiwifruit, peeled & sliced horizontally

Soak skewers in water before using. Season prawns with Cajun spice for 30 minutes. Alternate pineapple cubes and prawns on each skewer. Leave a 2 cm space near the top of the skewer for the kiwifruit.  Place the skewers on a tray and put them under the grill (medium heat) for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the skewers out from the oven and put a slice of kiwifruit on each skewer. Return the tray under the grill, and cook for another 2 minutes (check that prawns are pink and cooked).

Useful tips

Selection: When a kiwifruit yields to slight pressure, it is ready to be consumed. The softer the fruit, the sweeter it tastes, but don't allow it to get to squishy. 

If you don't want to eat it right away, ripe gold kiwifruit should be stored in the refrigerator. 

Kiwifruit that is still firm will ripen at room temperature, but you can speed up the process by placing it into a paper bag with a banana or an apple. Those fruits produce natural ethylene gas which quickens the ripening process.

Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tat Nenas) - Eid Mubarak 1432 -

Wishing my friends and readers 

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri / Eid Mubarak 1432 

I'm sharing a recipe that is considered as "festive" cookies in Singapore. Be it be during Eid or Chinese New Year. These tarts are small bite-sized pastries filled or topped with pineapple jam in the middle. 

There are many shapes but I preferred in the typical shape of flat open tart with pineapple jam in the center. Besides the flat open shape, there are other two favorite shapes; rolls filled with jam that are open at the ends under a lattice of pastry and jam-filled spheres (using cloves as the decor).

Ingredients for Jam:

1 ripe pineapple - grated and drained

170g sugar

1 heaped tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp egg color food coloring

2 cloves

1 cm piece cinnamon

Mix all above ingredients together in a pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns a golden color and the consistency is thick like jam. Leave to cool, removing cinnamon and cloves. Pre-roll the pineapple jam into balls

Ingredients for Pastry:

250g plain flour - sifted

400g unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1 level tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Beat together for 5 minutes the butter, egg yolk, vanilla essence and sugar, then fold the sifted flour and mix to form a soft dough.

To make TARTS:

Roll out pastry between sheets of plastic or wax paper to a thickness of about 3mm and cut into rounds using cutter. Arrange the tart shell neatly on the baking tray. Place the pre-rolled pineapple jam balls in the center of each tart shell. Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven 350 deg F or 176 deg C for about 20 minutes or until light brown. Cool well before storing in airtight container.

Pineapple Raita

We had chicken briyani the other night and it was so spicy. If the food is so spicy for me, then it would be way too spicy for hubby.  So before the dish is served, I decided to make some simple raita at the eleventh hour. :)) Well, raita is perfect and refreshing Indian condiment for any hot and spicy dishes. There are different types but I chose pineapple. Fresh pineapple taste terrific but I had some canned ones in hand. So here is my pineapple raita.. :))

Pineapple Raita

Ingredients:

1 cup pineapple chunks

2 cups plain yogurt

1-2 tsp sugar (or you can use the 1 tsp of the pineapple syrup)

1 tsp cumin powder

chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves (optional)

a dash of salt

black pepper to taste

In bowl, beat the yogurt till smooth. Add sugar and dash of salt. Stir well. Add the pineapple chunks, black pepper to taste and chopped coriander leaves. Transfer mixture into a serving dish and chill before serving.

Goreng Pisang Xpress (Bananas Fritters)

I was so happy when I could get banana plantains at our local Walmart. We love our fritters specially bananas fritters. This Tepung Goreng Pisang (Banana Fritter Flour Mix) from ADABI is really good. I really like this brand. <<<mum, please send me more of this... LoL!! >>> :))

Follow the instructions on packet to make batter. Use banana plantains. The firmer the bananas, the better. Peel and cut lengthwise or cut into 1 inch thick slantwise. Dip the cut banana in batter and deep-fry it in medium/medium-high heat until it turns golden. Drain on paper towels and dry well. Serve while still warm. :))

Indonesian Avocado Blended (Jus Alpokat)

This is a popular fruit juice/dessert in Indonesia. You could get this avocado blended in any Indonesian restaurant.
It is commonly served with condensed milk and chocolate syrup as a dessert-like treat.
You could even add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream to make this drink more smoothie-like.
I don't have chocolate syrup so I used Milo milk.
Perfect for a hot weather!

Ingredients::
2 avocado

1/2 cup milk

5 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp water

1 cup chocolate syrup

crushed ice

Make simple syrup by combine sugar and water in small saucepan over medium- high heat. Stir until clear. Remove from heat and let cool. Spoon out avocado pulp and place in blender. Add syrup and blend to mix, then add cold milk and blend. Divide between 2 tall glasses. Top each serving with  chocolate syrup (to form separate layer) and crushed ice. 

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. 'Panna Cotta' literally means 'cooked cream.' This is my sister's favorite dessert.  I did not realized how easy it is to make them when I looked at the recipe. I felt bad because I never make any for her. :-( 

At first I was thinking to make a plain Panna Cotta, but in the end, I decided to work with strawberries. I followed the recipe from Women's Day but a little different. I used agar-agar strands instead of the powder (it is much  faster to use the powder) and 2% milk instead of whole milk. The remaining puree, I did not throw away the seeds.

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries, hulled 

1⁄2 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar 

1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 packet unflavored gelatin 

1⁄4 cup water 

11⁄2 cups whole milk 

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

Garnish (optional):

sliced strawberries

mint leaves

Lightly grease eight 4-oz ramekins or cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Purée strawberries and sugar in a blender until very smooth. Press through a sieve into a bowl; discard seeds. Stir in vanilla. Remove 1 cup for the panna cotta; reserve remaining purée.

Sprinkle gelatin over 1⁄4 cup water in a small custard cup; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Place cup in a small skillet of simmering water; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Simmer milk in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in dissolved gelatin. Transfer to a 1-qt glass measure; stir in reserved 1 cup strawberry purée and the cream until well blended. Pour into ramekins. Chill, covered, until firm, about 4 hours or up to 2 days.

To unmold, run a small knife around each; invert onto plates, gently shaking to remove. Spoon some of the reserved strawberry sauce onto panna cotta.

Don't worry my baby sis, I ate some just for you! *wink* xxx

Strawberry tart

Finally I made my strawberry tart. It may not be the best looking strawberry tart but the taste was super delicious! Reminds me of Delifrance's fruit tart in Singapore. The sweet pastry crust was fantastic. Next time, I am making this again and use melted chocolate over the base..

If time does not permit to bake one, buy one at the supermarket. Once the pastry shell has been baked and cooled, it is a good idea to seal the crust by spreading a thin layer of apricot glaze or melted chocolate over its base to prevent the crust from getting soggy. There different types of fillings you can use, like Lemon curd or cream cheese filling. For this one, I use the traditional pastry cream.I didnt have any fluted tart pan so I used Pyrex's 8" pie dish. 

Strawberry Tart 

(adapted from Summer Berry Tart, Desserts & After Dinner Treats Step-by-Step book)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

90g butter

2 tbsp icing sugar

1-2 tbsp water 

To make crust: Preheat oven to moderate 180C/350F. Process flour, butter and icing sugar in food processor, using pulse action, for 15 seconds or until fine and crumbly. Add almost all the water, process 20 seconds or until mixture comes together; add more water if necessary. (It was quite hot here so I placed the pastry in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes before rolling the pastry.) Turn onto lightly floured surface, press together until smooth. Roll pastry to fit 20cm round fluted flan tin. Line tin with pastry, trim edges; refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper to cover pastry-lined tin. Spread layer of dried beans or rice evenly over paper. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, discard paper and rice. Return to oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Filling:

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

To make filling: Place egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in bowl, whisk until pale. Heat milk in small pan until almost boiling, remove from heat. Add milk gradually to egg mixture, beating constantly. Strain into pan. Stir constantly, over low heat 3 minutes or until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat, add essence. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap; cool. 

Clear glaze
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water or fruit juice (clear apple juice)
1 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
1 tbsp corn syrup

To make glaze: Bring sugar to boil with half of the water or fruit juice. Dissolve cornstarch in the other mixture cook. Stirring until mixture thickens and clear. Stir in corn syrup. Bring to boil then remove from heat. Cool before brushing over top of fruit.

To assemble tart: To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down. Spread a thin layer or apricot glaze or melted chocolate over the bottom and sides. Spread filling in cooled pastry shell. Decorate the tart,  you'll need 2-3 cups of mixed fruits (berries, sliced kiwi, plums, bananas, pineapple or melon). Arranging the fruit on the tart can be done either randomly or in concentric overlapping circles, starting at the  outside edge. Try to cover all the pastry cream with fruits so that no pastry cream is showing through. Brush gel over fruit with a pastry brush.

This fruit tart is best eaten the same day as it is assembled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Here is another picture of my strawberry tart.

DB's November Challenge: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

It seems like my baking skill in unconsistence! I need to work on my baking skill, especially when baking a cake! Maybe I should go for baking lessons or bake more often. I wish I could but I'm so busy with work and preparing for my wedding, I just couldnt have the time to bake more often nowadays..

Anyhoo, this month sugar is the Star of the party. Host by Dolores of Culinary Curiosity, co-host by Alex (Brownie) of the Blondie & Brownie, Jenny of Foray into Food and also for alternative baking, Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go.

This month recipe courtesy by author, Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater and her signature caramel cake, a homemake caramel syrup (sooo sweet). There's also an optional challenge: Alice Medrich’s Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels, with LOTS of variation but I decided not to make it. :(

I also added some sweet strawberries and nutella spread and top with Caramel frosting... Hmm... Yummy

And now…THE RECIPES:
CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Notes from Natalie for those of you baking gluten-free:
So the GF changes to the cake would be:
2 cups of gluten free flour blend (w/xanthan gum) or 2 cups of gf flour blend + 1 1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1/2 - 1 tsp baking powder (this would be the recipe amount to the amount it might need to be raised to & I'm going to check)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

4. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed.

5. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

6. Sift flour and baking powder.

7. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

8.Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

9. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

10. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.


CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light (recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)


~ OPTIONAL ~
GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS
- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -
Ingredients
1 cup golden syrup
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer

Procedure
Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt, brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the cream before you heat it. Cardamom Caramels: Omit the vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it. Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel; discard the seeds.

Caramel Sauce: Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225°F or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228°F. Pour it into a sauceboat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer. (recipe from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert)


If you’re looking for additional guidance on the cake, Shuna’s got some great information posted here as well (http://eggbeater.typepad.com/shuna/2007/11/caramel-cake-a.html) and here (http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/). And metric conversions can be found here (http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm).

Shuna's notes:

This is one of those cakes that is truly about baking. It may sound strange because aren't all cakes about baking? What I mean is that getting this cake to bake is about balancing fat with acid and protein JUST RIGHT. Gluten free flours are going to have a hard time getting this cake to work. Not impossible, for nothing is impossible these days with all the chemical (natural and icky) at our fingertips, but very very tricky. One hint for the gluten free baker-- liquid Lecithen is your friend.It would be very easy to get various other flavours in the caramel cake but what's tricky is making sure the flavour does not screw up the liquid-fat-flour ratio too much. Ideas/flavours: Browned Butter, vanilla bean, rosemary, burnt orange, warm spices, etc. Just remember: various flavouring ingredients and agents carry with them their own acidity and moisture contents...Flavour imparting ingredients can be poached in the caramel once it's done. Even a cold steep would be good with some highly aromatic ingredients, like coffee beans or rosemary. One could make scented sugar and use that in tandem with the sugar in the recipe.But I will say this about flavours: you will hide and lose the subtlety of the caramel flavour in the cake and that's what this cake is about.

DB's October Challenge - Pizza and Toppings

This month's challenge, hosted by sweet Rosa of Yummy Yums. She chose an easy pizza recipe from Peter Reinhart's “The Bread Baker's Apprentice”. I was so excited when I found out about this month's challenge... It's perfect!!!! Currently, the place I worked for is a pizza place. Hence, I asked the supervisor if I could use their kitchen for my challenge. She approved and I was so excited.. Of course, I used the recipe provided, bought some ingredients for the toppings and did all on my own.

For this challenge, I wanted to make one dessert pizza (blueberry) and one white pizza (caesar dressing). I used their toppings for the rest of the dough. There is one interesting rule for this challenge. The challenge was to use the tossing method. I thought that I will never be able to make it or my dough will never turn out well. At first, I thought of just skip the tossing method but decided to go for it. It was a little hard at first but from the second toss onwards, I got the hang of it and I was like never wanted to stop and my dear sister who helped to snap the picture, had a hard time to snap when I tossed the dough.. LOL... Oh man, my pizza dough turned out great!

Here, Im trying to toss my dough..

Here are the photo of the pizzas:

Blueberry pizza. Unfortunately, my friend bought the wrong type. He got the blueberry with light syrup instead of the blueberry pie fillings.. But this is as good as the blueberry pie fillings.

I added some feta cheese on top of the blueberry. This one is caesar dressing with turkey ham, sweet pineapple, italian sausages, turkey bacon and cheese with sweet chilli sauce.... this is really good!!!

For the remaining dough, here are some photos................

This is vegetarian pizza: tomatoes, pineapples, black olives, green peppers, feta, mozzarella with pesto sauce as the based. My sun-dried tomatoes got burnt, should have put them before the cheese. :(

This pizza is a mixed of black olives, mushrooms, chicken chunks,pineapples, green peppers, bbq sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheese with yogurt based.

EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

RECIPE SOURCE: “The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.


~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting ( I omit this out)

Method:
DAY ONE
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO
8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. (I used vegetable oil so that the dough doesnt stick to the pan)

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce (any) should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Thank you to the supervisor, Yaz for letting me use kitchen and some of their ingredients for the pizza....

Thanks to this wonderful challenge, I think they were the best pizzas I ever made.. ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful time making October's challenge as much as I did! :)

Sweet and Simple Bakes (July) - Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my first time to join Sweet and Simple Bakes by Rosie and Maria. Well for July's bake it is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin. Thou, I'm not a big fan of banana, these muffins were very good. We like it when it is warm, so the leftovers in the refrigerator, we just heat it in the microwave for a few secs and served with a glass of milk.

Since I found out about the food events and also group bakers, I just want to join everything.. But I do not think I can do it. That's a lot! haha.. So far, I've joined 4 and 1 is coming up this month and that is Daring Bakers. I think DB is more challenging than the rest.. I've read the previous entries from DB's members, I am not sure, if I can do it, I am only a beginner, making those fancy cakes.. gosh, I may be out of my mind!! LOL... :) So it is this month, it will be my first, cant wait to see what it is going to be!

Anyway, this recipe calls for 3 bananas but I didn't realized that I was left with just 2 bananas. I wasn't sure it turned out well but it did. Yummy!! Its a good thing that we have a digital scale because it will took me forever to do the conversions.. haha .. :)

Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
125ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
250g plain flour
100g caster sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g dark/milk chocolate (white chocolate or butterscotch chips/morsels)


Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan oven/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers.

Mash the bananas and set aside for a moment.Pour the oil into a jug and beat in the eggs.

Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl and mix in the beaten-egg-and-oil mixture, followed by the mashed bananas.

Fold in the chocolate morsels, then place equal quantities in the prepared muffin tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Check out Sweet and Simple Bakes to see the rest of the bakers. :)

Cookie Carnival (July) - Blackberry Almond Bars

For this month's cookie carnival, it is Blackberry Almond Bars chosen by Kate. Actually, I never had shortbread bars before, and I didn't really prefer blackberry but after making these fruity bars, it changed my mind about it.. I like it.

To me, the part of making the shortbread was easy but not the part of making the blackberry curd, gosh, it was the hard part... I wasn't sure when the curd was ready, and I even broke the glass bowl while whisking the sugar and eggs on the double-boiler.. (it was funny.. haha). Well, in the end, the fruity bars turned out to be supper yummy as what Kate said! Thanks Kate. :)

BLACKBERRY ALMOND BARS (williams-sonoma)
Makes: 20 bars

INGREDIENTS:

For the shortbread:
* 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt

For the blackberry curd:
* 2 pints blackberries
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* Pinch of salt
* 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch cake pan. To make the shortbread, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, flour, almonds, granulated sugar and salt and process until small lumps form. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake until the shortbread is golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Meanwhile, make the blackberry curd: In a food processor or blender, puree the blackberries until smooth. Pass the puree through a chinois set over a bowl, using a pestle to press on the solids and extract as much juice as possible; discard the solids. You should have about 3/4 cup juice.

In the top pan of a double boiler or in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until blended. Then whisk in the blackberry juice, salt and lemon juice. Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan, or set the saucepan over medium-low heat. (If using a saucepan, take care not to heat the mixture too quickly.) Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the mixture is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the butter a little at a time, stirring each addition until blended before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a finger drawn across the back of the spatula leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pass the curd through the chinois set over a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk to blend, then pour the curd over the shortbread, spreading it evenly to the edges.

Bake until the curd is set, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into individual bars, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Martha Mondays - The peach, apricot, and cherry pie

I know this is my food blog but I just wanna share about the movies we watched on Friday. We went to the drive-in movie, and watched Dark Knight and Hell Boy II. Dark Knight was a great movie and Hell Boy II was good but wasn't what I expected... Christian Bale did and excellent job as the Batman and Heath Ledger terrific as the Joker. I am also very impressed and proud of Mr Chin Han Ng from Singapore to be acting with such great talented actors and actress in the movie. Kudos to you!

 Well, its Martha Monday Challenge time. Choose either the peach, apricot, and cherry pie (p. 236) or the sour cherry cobbler (p. 279). So I chose peach, apricot, and cherry pie. It doesn't look as good as the one in the book but its yummy! I think I brush too much of the egg yolk and heavy cream on top of the Taking photos to me is a hard job! Still trying to snap some good photos... Anyway, check out Mimi on the move. Wonder which one is baked??? :)

It was very challenging because I never made a lattice top before. Should have followed the steps shown as the beginner but I just weave the lattice directly on the surface of the pie... A mistake but I managed to cover the breaks with some stars and crescents shapes on top of the lattice. hehe.. A dessert for me after a good turkey sandwich and a watermelon juice for lunch! :)