Steamed Char Siu Bao 蠔皇叉燒包

Happy New Year to all my blog readers!

As this blog approaches its fourth year, I would like to start a new series. This is the first post on the dim sum series, with more to follow. Stay tuned.

Every time I go to a dim sum restaurant, char siu bao (BBQ pork bun) is one of my must-have dishes. Inside the white, fluffy, and sweet bao is char siu with oyster sauce. It is so easy to gobble one down in less than a minute. Believe it or not, I have been trying to make a decent char siu bao on and off for more than three years.

Quail Egg Croquettes 鵪鶉蛋薯蓉球

What is a croquette? If you search it up online, you would get "a small cake or ball of minced meat, poultry, or fish or of rice, potato, often coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in deep fat." (dictionary.com)

Its French root "croquer" means "to crunch". But since its French birth, there have been many many varieties from many many countries trying to give it a new twist. In this version, I attempted to bake it for a healthier version in comparison to deep frying it. My food critics at home gave them thumbs up. This is a great party and finger food.

See which version you like!

Herb, Garlic and Cheese Pull-Apart Bread using Tong Zhong 香草蒜味湯種麵包

Just by looking at the name of this bread, you can imagine how fragrant your kitchen will be while it is in the oven. This savory version of monkey bread is great to accompany a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner!

光是看到這麵包的名字你便可以想像到它所散發出的香味是多麼的吸引，這款咸味麵包肯定在聖誕大餐桌上大受歡迎 !

Tuna Strudels 香脆吞那魚卷

What comes to your mind when you think of an appetizer ? Savory, finger food, easy to prepare, may be crunchy, etc? This appetizer fits all of the above. I use honey mustard as a sauce to make it really appetizing. All the ingredients are store bought, which made it exceptionally easy to make. Not counting the time the fillo sheets need to defrost, it only takes 30-45 minutes from start to finish. A great party or potluck choice !

Getting Ready for the Holidays--New Classes 又有新班啦

It's that time of the year again. Holiday parties, family reunions, office potlucks, gifts giving...etc. Are you ready ?

Instead of getting ready-made or store-bought foods, why don't you prepare something from you own kitchen, or better yet, something from your heart. I guarantee that it will be much appreciated.

Macarons:

Date: Dec 7 Saturday from 1 to 3pm

Location: Diamond Bar, California

This is a hands-on class and I will show you step by step how to make this delicious and crowd pleasing cookies. No experience required.

Taiwanese Pineapple Cake 鳳梨酥--a brand new class

Date: January 8 Wednesday 10am-12pm

Location: Diamond Bar, California

Each class is limited between 3-8. To reserve your space, send email to: phoebechow@morethanbread.net

Wheel-Shaped Bread 車輪包

A recent trip to Hong Kong has brought back many memories....the place where I was born and raised has changed tremendously since my last visit there many many years ago.  The most noted change is the overwhelming dominance of jewelry, drug and cosmetic stores on major roads throughout the tiny city. It is reported that there are more than 37 jewelry stores in one segment on Nathan Road. It certainly reflects what drives the economy of Hong Kong.

Amid all these changes, I managed to find some familiar places in the neighborhood where I grew up--the old apartment and the kindergarten where I spent my childhood.

Sourdough using All Natural Levain 天然酵母麵包

Warm summer days are good for eating ice cream, right? Besides making lychee ice cream, I also make good use of warm room temperature to cultivating levain (levain is a French word derived from Latin, meaning to rise). Making a levain culture from scratch takes a lot of time, care, and patience. If you plan to go away on vacation for a few days, do not begin the culture. It takes 5 days for the culture to mature before it is ready to be used. Even though it sounds a long time, but it takes only a few minutes each day to feed and maintain it.

More Library Demonstrations 更多圖書館示範

Below is the list for the upcoming free library demonstrations:

2013:
Oct 24 Thursday 6:30 pm Walnut Library : Egg Tart 蛋撻

Nov 9 Saturday 2 pm Rosemead Library : Snowy Moon Cake 冰皮月餅

Dec 10 Tuesday 6:30 pm Walnut Library: Bo Law Bao/Pineapple Bun 菠蘿包

Dec 14 Saturday 1pm Willowbrook Library : Bo Law Bao and Egg Tart 菠蘿包及蛋撻

2014:
Jan 18 Saturday 2 pm El Monte Library : Bo Law Bao (encore !) 菠蘿包 (再來一次)

Jan 25 Saturday 2 pm Rosemead Library : Wife Cake 老婆餅

Feb 1 Saturday 2 pm Bell Gardens Library : Wife Cake 老婆餅

Feb 8 Saturday 2 pm Duarte Library : Wife Cake 老婆餅

June 25 Wednesday 6:30 pm Sunkist Library : Wife Cake 老婆餅

Come back often to check updates.

Lychee and Mango Snowy Moon Cake 茘枝及香芒冰皮月餅

These little moon cakes are like jewels. I am so tempted to keep them only as ornaments, but they are also so delicious...

This year I have successfully developed two new fruity flavors--lychee and mango. They are made with real fruit puree, without artificial flavoring or preservatives.

這些冰皮月餅尤如珠寶一般,十分精緻,但它們又如此美味,豈可只供觀賞呢!

今年我成功地研製了兩款新口味--茘枝與芒果,它們都是真材實料,沒有人造香料或添加劑。完全附合健康標準。

Lychee Ice Cream 茘枝雪糕

There are so many summer fruits that are suitable for making desserts that I sometimes have a hard time deciding what to use... However, recently I came across frozen lychee puree in a restaurant supply store and could not resist buying some. Although it is quite expensive, this kind of ingredient is hard to find elsewhere.

Imported from France, the puree contains 91% lychee and 9% invert sugar. But what is invert sugar? Essentially it is table sugar sucrose (disaccharide) that has been heated with an acid, usually cream of tartar. It then breaks down into glucose and fructose (monosaccharide), which will remain in liquid form. Invert sugar is widely used in the world of bakery and confectionery. It improves texture and, as a natural preservative, helps to extend shelf life. It is great in making ice cream because it keeps crystallization under control and gives a smoother consistency. (Click here for more information)

Since lychee puree is low in pulp and high in water content, it needs to be cooked with the milk and cream for the extra water to evaporate. Otherwise, the ice cream will have an excess of ice crystals.