Friday, October 14, 2005 

Macadamia tarts

INGREDIENTS
For the filling
200g butter
200g sugar
200g macadamia nuts, ground
1 egg
80g cake flour

For the sweet shortcrust pastry:
250g butter
250g sugar
1 egg
20ml water
500g cake flour

METHOD
1. To make the shortcrust pastry, cream butter and sugar together until pale and add egg to mix well.
2. Add flour and slowly pour in water and mix well.
3. Form a dough with your hands and wrap the dough with plastic cling wrap. Leave it in the fridge for an hour.
4. To make the filling, cream butter and sugar until pale, then add ground macadamia nut powder, egg and cake flour to mix well.
5. On a floured surface, roll out shortcrust pastry to a sheet big enough to cover tart mould.
6. Press the shortcrust pastry firmly into the mould and trim off unwanted edges.
7. Pour in filling to a quarter of tart mould and bake in a preheated 180 degrees C oven for 45 minutes.
8. Allow tart to cool completely before unmoulding and serving.

Helpful hints:IT is easy to get nutty over macadamia nuts. They have very hard shells which are difficult to crack. But to get to what's inside is worth the trouble. Sweet, rich and almost-buttery, they are a high energy food that contain no cholesterol and are also a good source of protein, potassium, calcium and dietary fibre. They are also very high in mono-unsaturated fat, which is believed to help lower blood cholesterol levels. There is very little you need to do to enhance the flavour. If raw, always roast before adding to any of your favourite recipes.
This doubles the taste. They may not be the cheapest, but they have become more readily available. The prices have also dropped. While they are associated with Hawaii, those from Australia are equally good in quality and taste. The recipe is also simple.

Friday, October 14, 2005 | |

 

Flaky Red Bean Balls - makes 8

INGREDIENTS
Pastry mixture
175g of plain flour
125g of margarine
25g of castor sugar
1 tablespoon of skimmed milk powder
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 teaspoon of water
Pinch of salt

Filling
35g of sliced almonds, baked
250g of red bean paste

Topping
1 egg yolk
35g of shredded cheddar cheese

METHOD
1. Rub margarine into flour.
2. Add remaining pastry ingredients and mix well to form dough.
3. Divide dough into eight equal portions.
4. Mix almonds into the red bean paste.
5. Divide the filling into eight equal portions, rolled into a ball.
6. With your hand, flatten each portion of the pastry dough and wrap one portion of filling into it.
7. Brush the top with egg yolk and sprinkle with some cheese.
8. Bake at 180 deg C for 20-25 minutes.

Helpful hints: One of the light recipes from Singapore General Hospital's cookbook "Where's the fat?"

Friday, October 14, 2005 | |

 

Quick oatmeal cookies - makes 48 cookies (No bake)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD

  1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, margarine, milk and cocoa; cook over medium heat.
  2. Bring to a boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and stir in oats, nuts, and vanilla; blend well.
  3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon onto wax paper and let set before serving.

Friday, October 14, 2005 | |

 

Chocolate Nut Cake

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup butter or shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 squares chocolate
2 cups flour
3-½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon mace
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped nutmeats
½ cup milk

METHOD

  1. To prepare this Chocolate Nut Cake Recipe, first cream the butter or shortening and one cup of sugar.
  2. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining cup of sugar. Combine the two mixtures.
  3. Have ready the hot mashed potatoes, which should be without lumps, add to them the melted chocolate and combine with the first mixture.
  4. Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add the nutmeats. Add to the cake mixture, alternating with the milk. Fold in the stiffly beaten whites.
  5. Bake in a loaf pan in a moderate oven (380 degrees F.). When cool, cover with marshmallow frosting or boiled frosting.

Helpful Hints: This is a large moist cake, which will keep well.

Friday, October 14, 2005 | |

Saturday, October 08, 2005 

Prawn Provencale

Saturday, October 08, 2005 | |

 

Chocolate chips cookies

Saturday, October 08, 2005 | |

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 

Apple-Pear pie with Cheddar Crust - serves 8

Recipe adapted from Pie, by Ken Haedrich

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe Cheddar Cheese Pie Pastry, Double Crust (see below)

Filling
- 4 cups cored, sliced apples (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or Northern Spy all work well)
- 3 cups cored and sliced ripe fresh pears
- 1/3 cup sugar1
- 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

METHOD
1. Prepare pastry and refrigerate about 1 hour.
2. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert pastry over a 9-1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
3. Combine apples, pears, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Toss to mix, then set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Mix remaining sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Add this mixture to the fruit and toss well. Stir in the lemon juice.
5. On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11 1/2-inch circle. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with your hands. Dot the filling with the butter. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell. Invert the pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhand in to an upstanding ridge. Poke several steam vents in the top crust with a fork of paring knife. Put a coupe of vents near the edge of the crust so you can check the juices there later.
6. Place pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F and rotate the pie 180 degrees, sot that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any drips. Bake until the top is dark golden brown and any juices visible at the steam vents bubble thickly, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cook briefly before serving.


Cheddar Cheese Pie Pastry, Double Crust
INGREDIENTS
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/3 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup cold water

METHOD
1. Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse several times to mix. Scatter butter over dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut it in. Fluff mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl. Scatter the shortening over the flour and puse 3 or 4 times. Add 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese and pulse 3 or 4 times more.
2. Drizzle half the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times. Fluff mixture again and sprinkle on remaining water. Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps. Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs. Dump contents of processor into a large bowl. Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers. If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon of so of cold water over the pastry and work it in with your fingertips.
3. Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other (this will be your bottom crust). Knead each ball once or twice, then flatten into 3/4-inch-thick discs on a floured working surface. Wrap the discs in plastic and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

Simple Solution:
Apple pie is one of the most homey and inviting things about autumn: nothing smells more delicious as it bakes, or tastes as simply sweet and luscious. This version--with the addition of some tender pears and a flaky, toothsome cheddar crust--is a glorious tribute to the euphoria of Fall.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 | |