Monday, July 25, 2011

Cheesy Strawberry Cup Cakes


My husband thinks I am the world's biggest klutz. Whenever I trip over something (happens quite a bit) or topple a stack of baking trays (happens often enough) or slice my hand while cutting onions (happened just last month) he gives me "the look".

Tak lembut langsung  (not at all gentle/feminine) is what he says I am. A bull in a china shop!

Hmmmph.

So, I baked these strawberry cupcakes and iced them as delicately as I could to show him that I can too be sweet and gentle, even girly.

Of course, I didn't tell him how I had to make two batches of batter because while making the first batch, I accidentally knocked the mixing bowl over, sending half the batter and the strawberries mixed into the it flying.

Batter on the floor, the counter tops, the island, the sink, the fridge, the oven ... all of which was mopped up swiftly while he was playing his guitar upstairs.

But, what he doesn't know, right? (He doesn't read this blog).


So yeah, strawberries. I have been on a strawberry-binge lately. 

Last week I made some Strawberry Ricotta Yoghurt Scones. The strawberries that were baked into the scones were just so juicy, jammy, tasty and sweet, I couldn't help myself and went out and bought another tub of the stuff for these cupcakes.

The recipe for the cupcakes are simple which is important because this allows the strawberries to simply shine. The fruits also lend moisture to the cake so you get a really soft, most cake with tender, almost melting strawberries inside. 

The cream cheese frosting is optional but because it's really light (in texture as well as favour), it complement the cake well. I added some chopped up strawberries in the frosting too just to add some colour (the icing has lovely pink accents) and fruity sweetness to it. 

So, did the cupcakes change R's mind about my femininity (or the lack of)? Nope.

"It's really nice. Did you break anything?"



Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup castor sugar
11/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped strawberries.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a muffin/cupcake tray with liners. 

Mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and butter on low speed until it becomes sandy or resembles fine breadcrumbs. 

Add the milk and vanilla and mix till well combined. Add the egg and make sure it well incorporated into the batter. 

Now with a spatula, fold in the strawberries.

Fill the cupcake liners till 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 min or till a tester comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 mins before placing them on a cake rack to let them cool some more. The cake will appear a little soft but will set while they cool.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
2 cups icing sugar
40g unsalted butter, softened
110g cream cheese
5 strawberries, chopped small
1 tbsp milk

Mix the butter, cheese and sugar in an electric mixer till smooth and creamy. add the milk and then the strawberries. The paddle of the mixer will break the strawberries up but that's good because it makes the frosting look really pretty.

Cool in the fridge till the cakes are completely cook and ready to be iced. 


Sunday, July 24, 2011

Roasted Vegetable Puff


Marty and I have been making sandwiches for sale for over a year. Every Monday for close to 16 months (save for the weeks we are both out of town), we deliver our Crazy Juliet sandwiches to our colleagues. It's been great. But lately we've been feeling a little sandwiched-out. We needed some time apart, us and our sandwiches. We needed something fresh. So, we started introducing pies, puffs and quiches to our weekly menus.

As such, I've been experimenting with various vegetarian puffs and pastries. It's been quite challenging, really. After all, how many types of vegetarian pies and puffs can there be? Pies and/or puffs that are substantial enough for lunch. Pies and puffs that won't go soggy by lunch time (we deliver them around mid morning). It's been a ride.

So my kitchen became a test kitchen for all kinds of vegetarian pies and puffs. The first one to graduate from the test kitchen is this Roasted Vegetable Puff. This is really a very basic vegetable puff. It has no exotic vegetables or cheese to boast off. In fact, as horrific as this may sound, I used processed mozzarella cheese. I don't usually buy processed cheese but I had a packet in my fridge from I can't remember when which I wanted to use up. 

Still the puff was really good, proof that the simple things in life are usually very, very good.

The secret? Good puff pastry and roasted vegetables. 



Puff pastry is rich, flaky, buttery and soft. It is good enough to be eaten on its own (think croissants) but is also lovely as a light crust to coat a pie, sweet or savoury. I tried making puff pastry once and it was awfully satisfying: I'm not gonna kid you and say it was easy. No, it was pretty laborious. The wonderful 
flakiness of the pastry comes from the many layers of dough and butter that is folded and folded and folded some more (sometimes more than a hundred folds go into a block of puff pastry). I made it because I was curious about the process and I wanted to see how successful my home made puff pastry would turn out. It was, thankfully, a success. But, I never have made it again because it's so much easier to buy good pre-packed, ready-made all-butter puff pastry. 

Now the other reason this vege puff is so tasty is because the vegetables were roasted. I don't know about you but I love the flavour of roasted vegetables. They taste sweeter as they caramelise so nicely in the oven. All you need is to coat them in olive oil and then season them with salt and pepper. That's it, really. That's all you need.


I selected my vegetables carefully. Potatoes would be an easy way to make the puff filling but I am not a huge fan of spuds and so I struck them off the list of possible ingredients. Spinach? Nah. Carrots? Next time. Red peppers? Nah. 

Here's what I ended up with: eggplant, broccoli, pumpkin, cauliflower and mushrooms. 

Oh! And the cheese, of course. 


ROASTED VEGETABLE PUFF
Makes 4

2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
1 cups mushrooms (shiitake, Swiss brown, button..) halved or quartered (size should match the pumpkin)
1 medium eggplant, sliced, salted and drained.
1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or 4 slices of the processed stuff that I used)
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp corn starch diluted in 2 tbsp water.
1/4 cup milk

Puff pastry


Preheat the oven to 200C. 

Mix all the vegetables in a bowl and coat them in about 2 tbsp of olive oil. (The vegetables should be cut around the same size so they cook equally.)

Transfer the vegetables to a rimmed baking tray: make sure they are laid out in one layer (to make sure they roast evenly). Season with salt and pepper. 

Bake for about 40 mins, turning them over midway.

Let the vegetables cool. 

Heat the stock in a small saucepan. Add the diluted corn starch and stir over low heat until the stock thickens — about 5-7 mins over low heat. Turn off the heat and add the vegetables into the thickened stock. Leave to soak/

Meanwhile, lightly flour your work surface and cut the puff pastry into 8 squares. My squares were about 8cm x 8cm.

Place one square on your floured work surface. Spread your cheese on the square ad then spoon the roasted vegetables onto the square (don't scoop out too much juice or the puff will get soggy), leaving about a 1/2 cm boarder on all four sides. Brush the boarder with milk. 

Take another  square and place it atop. You may need to gently (I stress, gently) stretch the pastry over the filling so that the top and bottom squares meet. Press the edges together and seal with a fork (this gives the puff a nice patterned edge).

Make a slit on the top of the puff for the steam to escape when baking. Now, brush the top of the puff with milk. 

(If you want to decorate the puff, use a small biscuit cutter in any shape you like: 8 cut outs in total/ 2 per puff).  Place the cutouts on the puff (how you arrange them is up to your artistic vision) and brush the shapes with milk as well.)

Repeat with the other 3 puffs.

Bake for 15 to 20 mins or till the the puffs and nice and golden and the flaky layers have risen. 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Spanish-Style Omelette

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Do a Google search for "Spanish Omelette" and "recipes" and you will find yourself looking at many, many ways of making the potato omelette (I ended up with 1.4 million hits!) It's pretty confusing. Some sites claim the authentic Spanish Omelette comprises just potatoes, onions and eggs seasoned with salt and cooked in olive oil. Not even pepper should be added. Others add pepper and along with it red peppers or tomatoes or cheese or mushrooms or a combination of these ingredients and then some. 

Whaaat?

It's the same with the Spanish Omelettes I've eaten in restaurants: no two have been the same. 

Whaaat?

Well, until a senora or senorita comes to me with an authentic recipe, I'm calling mine a Spanish-Styled Omelette, an omelette inspired by the tortilla de patatas.  

(If you're perplexed like me, check out How To Make a Perfect Spanish Omelette in the Guardian. While it doesn't really answer the question of "What is an authentic Spanish Omelette", it does explain the different ways various chefs approach the dish. Renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adria apparently uses crisps (yes, potato chips) instead of sliced fresh potatoes! The article leaves off with a recipe for the "perfect" Spanish Omelette which you may want to try)


I stuck with the basics: potatoes, eggs, onions, chopped parsley; salt and pepper. I used olive oil, of course.

I did however add a garnish of grated Parmesan and red chilli flakes (definitely not authentic but I like chillies) right at the end.

The potatoes and the egg make the Spanish Omelette a perfect comfort-food dish. The layers of creamy, soft but not mushy potatoes and the lightly caramelised onions that are encased in an egg custard is just so simple but so fulfilling. It's a warm dish and I don't mean temperature. It warms you up.


Spanish-Style-Omelette

3 large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin
2 large onions (white or red) sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk (optional)
salt
pepper
red chilli flakes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
a handful of grated Parmesan

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the onions and potatoes and toss them in the oil. Turn the heat low and cover the pan to let the onions and potatoes stew slowly. Stir occasionally so they cook evenly. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft but not mushy; season lightly with salt.

Beat the eggs (and milk), season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and 3/4 the parsley and mix.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and when hot, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Keep the heat moderate to low. Cover for about 5 mins and check if the bottom is browned. When it is, sprinkle the chilli flakes and Parmesan and pop the omelette under the grill for about 5-7 minutes to firm up and lightly brown the top.

Garnish with parsley.



Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Strawberry, Ricotta and Yoghurt Scones


Pretty? Pretty darn good is what these scones are. I got them off Smitten Kitchen -- hers were Raspberry Ricotta Scones. I used strawberries instead because frozen raspberries cost a bomb-and-a-half here (and we hardly get them fresh).

I kinda feel like a stalker though as this is the second Smitten Kitchen recipe I've tried in a week: the first was a cheese, honey and sea-salt flat bread which was really to die for. And now, this. But, really, I am no stalker though I like the blog a lot.

Let me explain. I was out shopping. I saw this carton of strawberries -- imported from Driscolls in the United States -- for just RM10. I had to get it even though I had no idea what I would do with them. Maybe jam? Anyway, I bought them. They looked lovely. So bright, so juicy. 

I went home and went on my daily blog patrol (I visit my favourite blog sites a couple of times each  week) and I saw  the raspberry scone post on SK. Sooooooo pretty. Oh my god. I had to make them. I'd use the strawberries I bought! (that was a light bulb moment, btw).

So you see. I am not a stalker. I had the strawberries already.


Scones.So quintessentially British, right? I've made scones a few times before and I have eaten them many, many times, mostly with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Am I tempting you yet? Well, with this scone, you don't need cream or jam. Just a little butter, perhaps.

Scones are quick breads. They're pretty straightforward to make, technique-wise that is unlike the French Macaron for which factors beyond your control like the temperature of your kitchen or the humidity in the air impact on the baked product. No, scones are less complicated to make. But, having said that, getting a light, fluffy and moist scone (the way I like them) isn't a sure thing. In fact, it's a lot easier to end up with a dry, heavy and flat baked piece of dough (I am unwilling to call these scones) that's more like a thick biscuit than anything. I'm not dissing; I'm sharing as I've been down that road before.

Check out this article in The Guardian on How To Make The Perfect Scone and you'll begin to understand the science behind this treat. And then there's this other article in the same publication about how you should eat your scones -- so you spread the jam first and only then add a dollop of cream or is it the other way around. The English do take their scones seriously.

Me, I just wanted a light, soft, fluffy and pretty scone.



Apart from swapping the raspberries for strawberries, I also made a few alterations to the original recipe from SK. I used Greek yoghurt instead of double cream and I changed the ratios between the whole wheat flour and plain flour indicated in the recipe. Minor changes and thankfully they didn't adversely affect the scone turn out. They were soft, light and the baked strawberries were jammy and nice. Perhaps, next time I will add a little more baking powder or as the Guardian article suggests, mix a little bicarbonate soda to the blend. 

Next time. For now, I will leave you with the original recipe, indicating the changes I made.



Strawberry Ricotta Yoghurt Scones 
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used 11/4 cups)
1 cup all purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
85g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped up
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Greek yoghurt/double cream

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Whisk the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Add the butter and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the chopped strawberries and mix with a wooden spoon till the strawberries are well incorporated with the crumbly flour. It's fine if the strawberries get a little mushy and colour the flour. In fact, it kinda looks really pretty this way.


Add the ricotta and the yoghurt/cream and gently stir in with a spatula until the mixture comes together to form a dough. It will be a little wet and sticky, don't panic. 
Generously flour your work surface and your hands, and gently move the dough from the bowl onto your work surface. You will need to flour your hands else the dough will stick to you.

Sprinkle some dough on the dough and gently press it into a 15-20cm square that's 1-1.5 cm high. Cut into nine small and equal squares and then transfer them one by one onto a lines baking sheet. Use a floured spatula/knife to do the transfer.

Bake for about 15 mins or till the sides start to get golden. The smell of the strawberries and the butter will be irresistible but take heed of the next step. Remove and let the scones cool before you eat them. They will set as they cool. But, don't let them get cold though cos scones are best eaten warm.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Battered cauliflower



Don't you hate it when someone yanks the carpet from under you?

You see, I recently got crazy-addicted to a cauliflower side dish sold at an Indian restaurant near my workplace:  spicy, lightly-battered and deep fried, I used to buy a couple portions of the cauliflower dish two or three times a week for dinner. It was sooo good. Crunchy on the outside, soft inside; spicy outside and deliciously mild inside.

Then last week, I noticed that the dish looked a little different. The batter was thicker and I could see that it was seasoned differently.  I tried it. It was still tasty but it wasn't as good as the original. Too much batter. Not crunchy enough. Couldn't taste the cauliflower.

Sigh.

I consulted the proprietor and he explained that he had hired a new chef and this was his recipe. "Whhhyyyyyy," I cried. No really, I did.

Accck! Carpet. Pulled. From under me.

I was devastated. What was I to do now? Sulk, sulk, sulk.

I had no other choice but to try and make the dish myself. I knew it was a fairly common dish in Indian establishments and so I went online to see if I could find recipes for it. Basically, what I needed was a recipe for the batter.

Yup, there were many, many recipes online. I printed out a couple of recipes and bought 1kg of cauliflower on my way home from work.

First batch: batter was just too eggy.

The first recipe I picked looked great online. It was spicy (cardamom, cinnamon, cumin) and it was enhanced with some chopped parsley and chilli. Sounded promising. But, there were some problems:

* The recipe for the batter also called for six eggs. SIX eggs for a large head of cauliflower (unfortunately the recipe didn't indicate how many grams a 'large' head of cauliflower was).  Six eggs sounded too much and so I reduced it by half and added some light stock to keep the consistency of the batter. Despite cutting down the eggs by half, the batter was still very eggy. No go!

*  The recipe also called for a teaspoon of baking powder into the batter: this made the batter kind of fluffy instead of crispy. No go!

I didn't think I could finish the entire bowl of the eggy-battered veg as is and so I made myself a healthy yoghurt dip to go with it. It was slightly better but still eggy.

I decided that the next batch of batter I made would not have a single egg. I settled on a recipe from Jamie Oliver. His batter was akin to that used in Japanese tempura: light and crispy.

Yes! I decided to go with it, adding a little more spice to suit my palette.

The result: SUCCESS. It didn't taste like the dish I bought from the shop but it was so terribly tasty that I didn't care.

The beer makes the batter light and crunchy (some use sparkling water) and it also gives it a really nice colour -- a vibrant yellow.

The secret ingredient

I followed Jamie's advice and included some other vegetables as well: flat-leaf parsley (isn't the green so lovely) and some carrots too.

I was happy. I still intend to recreate the dish from the restaurant but until then, this would more than suffice.

The good and the not so good: Jamie's beer batter (left) was light and bright; see the contrast with the too-eggy batter? 
Cauliflower, battered and fried.


450 g cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
11/2 cup all purpose flour and 2 tbsp more for dusting

200 ml ice-cold beer
1 tsp roasted ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
5 whole black peppercorns, crushed and pounded

Steam cauliflower florets for about 10 mins or until slightly tender (till you can poke a fork through them).

Make the batter: mix the flour, salt, pepper, spices together. Add the beer, a little at a time and stir till all ingredients are well incorporated. It doesn't matter if the batter is slightly lumpy. The consistency of the batter should be like that of double cream. Add more beer if necessary.

Lightly dab the cauliflower florets with a clean dishcloth and dust them with the 2 tbsp flour. Dust some flour on the parsley too.


Head about 2cm oil in a skillet. When hot, dip the cauliflower in the batter and then slide it into the oil. Keep the bowl with the batter close to the skillet so you don't drip the batter on your counter top.
Fry for about 2 mins or so per side or until the batter turns a lovely, golden yellow. 

Drain on paper towels and repeat. Do the same with the parsley but be mindful that these cook quicker than the cauliflower.

Dust with some sea salt. Jamie squeezes a lemon over them but they taste great even without the lemon. 








Wednesday, July 13, 2011

French Onion Soup



This picture of a dark broth with pieces of sodden bread and clumpy cheese floating on top doesn't look like much but, take my word for it, this bowl of French Onion Soup is so, so good. It may well be the best French Onion Soup I have ever made.

The French Onion Soup is my perfect rainy-day soup. I've made it quite a few times and each time, I try a different recipe just out of curiousity. Most recipes are pretty standard (the standard ingredients are onions, stock, cheese and day-old bread) and often it is just the measurements that differ.

The process is always the same: you begin by caramelising of the onions.

I've always thought that I make a pretty decent French Onion Soup. I am generous with my cheese and sprinkle it liberally both inside the soup as well as on the pieces of french bread that lie atop the soup. Because I put quite a lot of cheese, my soup is often thick and where wonderfully chewy.



So, I've been pretty content with my soup .... UNTIL I came upon this article on crookrookery.com about caramelising onions as I was browsing some food sites. The article, titled Caramelising Onions: Three Ways, explains how to caramelise the onions to perfection, thereby getting the best out of them for a truly flavourful French Onion Soup.

The flavour of the soup, says the article (which quotes food writer John Thorne who wrote, among other things, a Treatise on Onion Soup)  rests largely on the way the onions have been caramelised. The stock is important too but the onions are more important.

I smelt trouble. I read on and it didn't take long for me to realise that tasty though my French Onion Soups may be, I have not been caramelising my onions as they should be. My soup has been imperfect. Mediocre. Not done properly. Apparently I have not been doing the classic soup any justice! Grrrr....

Actually, I was not bummed out. Rather, I was quite excited. I wanted to rush right home (I was at work) so that I could make the soup as it should be made, according to Thorne. I wanted to taste how different the soup would be if I followed the proper process. I wanted to do it immediately but I I couldn't skive off work. I had to wait.

Later that night, I went at it.


I usually caramelise the onions required for the soup for about 45 minutes to an hour, from start to finish. This article recommends a slow, slow, caramelisation process that takes about two hours: and that's two hours of standing vigilantly by, stirring the onions so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. A cast-iron pan or Dutch oven is recommended just so that the heat is distributed evenly and the onions cook down better. I had one. Yay.

So I grabbed my notebook computer and settled myself in the kitchen: I made sure I spent two hours on my onions (I stirred and I played online Scrabble at the same time. It's amazing how time flies when you're losing at Scrabble!).

Watching the onions transform, from white and crunchy to golden and chewy is actually quite magical. The smell of the caramelising onions is intoxicating and the anticipation of the soup that would come out of all this was huge.

The result: absolutely satisfying. The extra cooking time for the onions obviously paid off as the flavour was more intense, sweeter and richer. Who knew onions could have so many layers of flavour?

Here are a few tips from Daniel of cookrookery.com.

1. slice the onions thin.
2. salt them to take out as much moisture as possible before putting them on the heat.
3. Use really low heat. Really low.
4. Be patient. Be vigilant. Don't let the onions burns. A little bit of blackened onions is fine, not a whole pot full of charred onions.

French Onion Soup
350g sliced onions (yellow is good, red is fine too)
11/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
1 litre vegetable stock (a mushroom-based stock is preferable)

1 cup grated cheese (Gruyere is great, parmesan is fine or you could use cheddar too)
1 baguette, cut into slices
1/4 cup chopped parsley


Toss the sliced onions in salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes for the moisture to ooze out. Drain and gently wipe down with a tea towel.

Melt the butter and oil in a dutch oven/cast iron pan. You can use a saucepan too but be careful the onions don't burn. 

When the butter has just melted, add the onions into the pan and toss/mix so that they are evenly coated with the fat. Don't let the butter boil/heat up too much. You don't want a sizzle when you put in the onions. Keep the heat low.

Cover and let the onions cook uninterrupted for about 15 mins. Remember: low, low heat.

Remove the cover and stir the onions. The onions will continue to release moisture, keep stirring periodically so that those at the bottom don't burn.

The onions will soon wilt. Add a pinch of salt and sugar to help with the caramelising. 

Keep vigilant and stir from time to time. The onions should start to brown. Keep them on a very low heat, stir more frequently now.

Keep this up until they turn reddish and reduce in volume by at least half. The entire process should take about 11/2 to 2 hours. 

Once the onions are nicely caramelised, add the stock. The onions should plump up. Let it simmer for about 30 mins (still low heat), season. Add about 1/4 cup of white wine to the soup just before its ready to come off the stove.

While the stock is simmering,lightly toast your bread. Also, lay your soup bowls/ramekins on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 170C.

When the soup is ready (after 30 mins), take it off the heat and ladle it into the prepared bowls till it's almost full. 

Add some cheese into the soup, stirring gently.

Float three or four slices of the toasted baguette on the soup and pile on the cheese. Let there be a mound, I say. 

Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for about 20 mins. Preheat your broiler and place the soup bowls under the broiler for a few minutes for the cheese to brown a little.

Garnish with parsley and eat the soup while its warm.





Monday, July 11, 2011

Flatbread, sweet, salty and cheesy.

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Honey, salt. pepper, cheese and fresh herb — all come together on a crispy flatbread. 

Aren't you curious? Well, I was when I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It was the honey and salt combination that hooked me. I never thought of mixing the two together but the more I thought about it the more I was sure it would taste fantastic. 

I was right. The flatbread was fabulous. Perfect as a scrumptious snack or a delicious dessert or even dinner if you, like me, prefer to eat really light at night.

Flatbreads are mostly unleavened or made without yeast. It's a humble bread made with flour, salt and water. This flatbread from Deb of Smitten Kitchen  is a little less humble as she uses olive oil (a fantastic flavour contributor) for  the dough. And then there is the topping: cheese, honey, parsley (well, Deb used thyme but I had none) and sea salt. 


The recipe makes four flatbreads, each the size of a sheet of A4 paper (or thereabouts, the pieces are irregularly shaped and so this is an estimation). 

I decided to play around with the flavours: while they all had cheese on them (I love cheese and couldn't bear excluding the cheese from the recipe), I used the honey+salt+parsley combination for only one of the flatbread. For the second one, I topped the cheese with some caraway seeds and black pepper. for the third I paired the honey with some dried chilli and parsley and for the final piece, just cheese, parsley, chopped and toasted almonds and pepper. 

They all tasted good but the stand-out was the honey+salt pairing simply because of the complexity of flavours on the crispy bread.




Flatbread with honey, cheese and parsley (and anything else you please)

13/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water

Topping
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
5 tbsp honey
sea salt
pepper

The flatbread is made completely by hand. Well, and a wooden spoon, briefly. It takes about 30 minutes to make, from start to finish.

First, pre-heat the oven to 220c and put a baking sheet in the middle rack to heat up.

Next, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl till well incorporated. 

Make a well in the centre and pour in the water and the oil.

Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the liquid in with the flour mixture till a dough forms.

Use your hand and form the dough into a ball.

Transfer onto your work surface and knead the dough about four to five times. The dough will be slightly oily.

Divide the dough into four equal portions.



Roll one portion of the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Roll it very thin. Very, very thin: about 1 mm thin. Some portions will be slightly thinner or thicker: that's ok. 

Remove the baking sheet from the oven (remember to use oven mitts!) and slide the parchment onto the sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 5 mins or till the bread is lightly golden.

Remove from over, sprinkle the grated cheese all over and return to the oven for 3-4 mins — the sides should be browned. 

Remove and drizzle the honey all over (as much as you wish), sprinkle the sea salt and parsley. 



Repeat with the other three pieces of dough. You can change the toppings at the end but you may want to add more cheese if you are omitting the honey or else your nuts/caraway/etc may not stick to the bread. 

The flatbread is best eaten warm. If you want to save it for later, remove it from the oven a couple of minutes before it is ready and don't add the toppings yet. Just before it's time to eat them, pop them into a pre-heated oven for 3 mins and then add the toppings.




Sunday, July 10, 2011

Leek, Potato and Zucchini Hot Cakes


I love leeks. I only discovered the wonder of leeks about a year ago when I read a recipe for a leek and mushroom quiche in some recipe book. I regretfully failed to write down the source of the recipe and therefore cannot credit the source which led me to my now near obsession with the vegetable. My bad!

Since that first quiche, I realised that leeks are much more than an allium, certainly much more than a supporting ingredient. The leek more than deserves to be a star ingredient in quiches, pies, soups, curries ....

Leeks have given me so much satisfaction that I decided to single them out in Monday's Don't Call Me Chef: Singled Out column in The Star for which I made two dishes: a leek tart and a leek and potato soup (pictured below). I will add the link to the column and those recipes as soon as it is up tomorrow.


 Leeks are also great with pasta. Simply saute some garlic and leek in butter for about 10 mins and then toss your cooked pasta in in, add some parsley and, if you want it a little spicy, some dried chilli flakes and there you have it. Season with salt and pepper, of course. Italian-born cook Marcella Hazan adds some cream to her leeks for a richer dish but I am not a fan of creamy pasta (though I am a fan of Ms Hazan).


These Leek, Potato and Zucchini hot cakes are a delicious snack that can be eaten on its own or with a simple dip — sour cream and dill/chive would be my recommended dip. I was making this for myself and so I omitted the dip. God knows, I don't need the extra calories!

Ingredients

I medium potato
2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 egg (I fried the other half, shredded it and used it as a garnish)
2 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
salt and pepper


Bake the potato until it's tender enough to pierce through with a fork, about 40-45 mins, 180C.

Boil a saucepan of salted water and add the sliced leeks and cook till tender, about 5 mins. Drain and wrap in a tea towel; wring out any extra moisture. Set aside.

Drain the shredded zucchini of it's moisture. Wrap in a tea towel and wring it as well. Set aside.

Once the potato is cooked, peel it and roughly mash it. 

Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste. 

Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a skillet. When hot, gently drop about 21/20inch patties of the leek-zucchini mixture into the oil (medium heat), flatten with a spatula and let it cook till it is nicely browned on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels. 

* You can also cook the patties it till they're just firm and only lightly brown and then pop it into the oven for about 7 mins to reduce the oiliness of the hot cakes.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Press One For A Cookie


I was about to end my love affair with cookies when I came across my mother's cookie kit which I stowed away in a trunk I have of "precious hand-me-downs" from my father, mother and grandmother. The trunk is truly a treasure trove as it has, among other things, my mother's old gold wedding sari (from 1964), my dad's model trains (he was obsessed with his train sets) and my grandmother's beautiful crocheted table linen. I decided to clean out the trunk (actually I wanted to see if there was any 'vintage' clothing I could salvage — I've been feeling the vintage vibe lately) and I came across an old, almost rusty biscuit tin tucked in a corner.

Ooooh. I was excited wondering what it could be. I squealed as soon as I opened the tin and spied the gold gleaming from underneath the lid. 

Not a necklace. Not a gold bar. It was my mum's old cookie press which I am quite sure is at least 40 years old. AMAZING. Why hadn't I looked for it earlier. I remember as a child of seven or eight, I'd watch as my mum made cookies using her press for our teatime treats. I used to badger her to let me try my hand at the press but she always kindly refused, allowing me to help fill it with the cookie dough instead. 



Wow. This find was huge. 

I abandoned my search for vintage wear, packed up the trunk and ran downstairs with the tin. My dog Mojo looked up, irritated at the noise I was making while he was trying to nap, I presume.

I told him of my plan to bake some more cookies and he seemed satisfied and went back to sleep. 

I carefully took the cookie press — the brand was Sawa Deluxe 71 — out of the tin and inspected the condition of the gadget. It hadn't been used for at least ten years, I am sure and I hoped it was still functional.



Turns out, it was more than just functional. It was in mint condition. Old is gold.

The cookie press comes in four parts: a gold metal tube that holds the dough; a screw-on ring to hold the shape-discs, the plunger and lever that push the dough out through the discs. The tube still gleamed, the discs (that come in various cut-out patterns to determine the shape of the cookies) were also perfect. I tried the lever on top that pressed the dough out through the discs and it was good to go too. Fantastic. All it needed was a good wash.



I then began my search for a suitable recipe so that I could use my press immediately. Cookie press dough needs to be a little softer so that the dough can pass through the holes in the discs.

I settled on a recipe for Cream Cheese Cookies mostly because I had about 100g of cream cheese that had been sitting in my chiller for about a month.

Using the cookie press proved to be a challenge for me ... in the beginning. The problem was my dough: it was a little too soft. After I added a couple of tablespoons of flour though, it became firmer and the problem was solved.

I also had to get into the grove of using the press. There was a "switch" just beneath the lever that could adjust the thickness of the dough that comes out. My first few attempts yielded really skinny and thin cookies. I was so frustrated. Then I decided to do some research (as the manual for the press was missing) and I went online to look for a solution which is when I discovered the "switch".

Once that was settled, I was unstoppable. So excited was I that I took out my sugar sprinkles and went crazy on my cookies.

The Cream Cheese Cookies were tasty. It is a soft cookie, so don't hope for a crunch.


Cream Cheese Cookies
225g unsalted butter, softened
100g cream cheese
1 cup Castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tsp lemon zest
21/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cream the butter and cream cheese in the electric mixer (paddle attachment) until soft. Add the sugar and mix till light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk and mix till well incorporated. Add the zest and a couple of seconds later, the sifted flour and salt. Mix on low speed till evenly combined. The dough should resemble play-dough. If it's too soft, add a couple of tablespoons flour into the dough by hand.

Get the cookie press ready. 


Screw on the rod/lever to the tube. 

Take a portion of the dough and roughly shape it into a log and fit it into the tube from the bottom of the tube. 

Choose a disc with a cut out pattern that you like and then place it on the bottom ring. Screw the ring on to the bottom of the tube. 

Place the cookie press down on a flat surface and pump the lever a few times to push the dough to the bottom of the press. You should hear a loud clicking sound as so do this. You  should be able to feel when the rod touches the dough indicating that the dough has reached the bottom and is ready to be pressed.

Have a trial run. Keeping the press flat on a baking tray (ungreased). Push the lever down once to push the dough through the disc. Lift the press straight up and you will be able to see the shaped cookie on the tray. Leave a 2cm gap between each cookie and repeat.



Bake the cookies for about 10 mins. You can decorate them with sprinkles or chopped cherries before you bake them or leave them plain. 





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