Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Making Cannoli

One of the signature desserts of Boston, Northend, is none other than Cannoli. There is a couple of famous cannoli stores which both tourists and locals adore. The tube-shaped pastry originated from Sicily and evolved as it traveled to America. The pastry is fried and filled with cream so it is best eaten fresh. You can make different flavors for its filling. I particularly enjoy almonds!

Cannoli is actually pretty easy to make. It will take some time but I am sure many of you can make your own cannoli and surprise your family and friends during tea time. 

Before you jump into this, please purchase some cannoli tubes. I bought mine from Amazon. 

Recipe (20 shells)
Ingredients:

A) Shells
  • 3 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp Shortening, cut into pea-sized
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup Sweet Marsala wine
  • 1 tbsp Distilled white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Water
  • 1 Egg white 
  • Cooking oil, for deep frying
Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients well.
  2. Add in shortening. Mix well.
  3. Make a well in the middle of the bowl. Add in egg, egg yolk, Marsala wine, white vinegar and water. Mix well with a spatula. 
  4. When the dough starts to forms, use hands to knead for about 10 minutes. Add some water if dough is too dry.
  5. Return the dough into the bowl. Wrap dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 
  6. Divide the rested dough into 4. Roll each dough with a rolling stick or a pasta maker. Make it as thin as possible. Paper thin if you can. 
  7. Using a bowl or a cutter, cut rounds out from the rolled dough. Wrap a cut-out around cannoli tube and seal with egg white. Make sure it seals well.
  8. Heat oil in a deep fryer or big saucepan over medium-high heat.  
  9. Fry the cannoli until they turn golden brown. You may need to use tongs to turn the tubes to get an even colour.  
  10. Place the cooked cannoli on paper towels. Remove the cooled cannoli tubes. 
  11. Store cannoli in air tight containers and use when necessary. 

B) Filling

  • 16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Almond Essence  
  • Toasted Almond nuts, chopped
  • Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Steps:
  1. Mix the ingredients well with a whisk. 
  2. Using a piping bag, pipe the filling into the shells.
  3. Sprinkle the ends with almonds. 
  4. Dust confectioner's sugar over the cannoli. 
  5. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

My Favourite Sausage / Hot dogs Rolls

Do you have a favourite item at the bakery? 

When I was young, my mum would bring my siblings and I to the bakery frequently. We always bought the same baked items. I love sausage rolls, my sister liked ham buns and my brother adored Red bean buns (I am not sure if they still like what they used to :P). So when our parents bought some bread home, we know they got what we wanted. Sometimes my brother and I would get into fights when he ate my sausage rolls. Yes, it was very 'territorial'. 

How would you enjoy a sausage roll?
Option 1: Eat the bread and sausage in organized bites
Option 2: Eat the bread and followed by the sausage
Option 3: Eat the sausage and followed by the bread

And I choose option 2! Save the best for the last, yea? 

I am glad to find this recipe online and I can bake them in my kitchenette. But just one simple advice, stick to your favourite brand of sausages. I bought 98% fat-free turkey sausages from a local supermarket but was utterly disappointed with the taste as they were way too salty.  



Recipe (Makes 8 sausage rolls)
Ingredients: 
Part 1:

  • 300g Bread Flour
  • 1 package of Instant Dried Yeast
  • 10g Sugar
  • 6g Salt
  • 30g Unsalted Butter, Softened and cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg 
  • 170 - 180g Whole Milk 
Part 2:
  • 1 egg and 2 tsp of water for egg wash
  • 8 sausages, washed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp Butter
Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix bread flour, dry yeast, sugar and salt well. 
  2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. 
  3. Add milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well using a spatula. 
  4. Using hands, remove the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough is tender and elastic. About 10 minutes. 
  5. Add in the butter into the dough and knead for another 10 minutes or until the dough is soft, smooth and stretchable. Make sure the butter is well blended in.
  6. Put the dough in a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 - 1.5h or till size doubles. (I let it rest in a 90 deg Fahrenheit oven with a tray of warm water).
  7. Deflate the dough with your fist. 
  8. Divide the dough into 8 portions. Roll the balls in your clenched hands against the table top till the dough smoothed. 
  9. Cover them with damp cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes.
  10. For each portion, roll them into 25 cm long ropes. Using the elongated dough to wrap a sausage. Leave 3/4 inch of each ends of the sausage unwrapped.  
  11. Lay the sausage rolls on a baking tray. Cover with damp cloth and let them rest till the dough doubles.
  12. Preheat the oven to 200 deg Celsius / 390 deg Fahrenheit.  
  13. Brush the dough with egg wash. 
  14. Bake the rolls for 12- 15 minutes or until the dough is light golden brown.
  15. Rub the rolls with a little butter to achieve a shine.




The recipe is adapted from http://food-4tots.com

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Bak Kua (Chinese Pork Jerky)

Happy Lunar New Year to my family, friends and readers. Let's welcome the New Year with hopes that it will bring us good health, abundant wealth and prosperity! May your lives be filled with joy, love and care. 


Being miles away from home, I do feel the absence of the festive atmosphere. I am very grateful that my family mailed me some Lunar New Year decorations and my apartment do looked a little more ready to celebrate LNY. The other thing I could do is to prepare some Chinese New Year goodies. 


Bak Kua is a popular LNY must-have in every household. During this special festival, queues form outside every Bak Kwa shops in Singapore. The queues may take up to 2 hours. Hence, they make good gifts for future mother-in-laws especially if they are from the famous brands. Unfortunately, there is no Bak Kua in Boston. Good news is that I got to make it from scratch!


It is in fact rather simple to make but take quite some time to make a small amount. Now I understand why it is so costly. 






Recipe (Makes six 6" squares)

Ingredients:
  • 700g Ground pork 
  • 3 tbsp Fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dark Soya sauce (Thick consistency standard / 优等)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Light Soya sauce
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 1/2 tbsp Five spice powder
  • 1 tsp Maltose (optional)
Glaze
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp maltose
  • 2 tbsp hot water

Steps:
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients  (except the glaze) with a pair of chopsticks in a single direction (e.g. clockwise). 
  2. Stir till the meat is sticky and gluey. 
  3. Cover with cling wrap and store in refrigerator overnight. 
  4. Preheat the oven to 300 deg Fahrenheit/ 150 deg Celsius. Prepare the glaze by mixing the ingredients together. 
  5. Prepare a parchment paper of the size of your baking sheet . 
  6. Take some of the meat mixture (depending on the size of your baking sheet) and spread on the parchment paper. Take a cling wrap and lay over the meat mixture. Use a rolling pin and roll the mix mixture into 2-3mm thick. Remove cling wrap.
  7. Bake it for 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked and gravy dries up. The meat should feel like a rubber mat. 
  8. Remove and use a pastry brush to glaze the meat.  
  9. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat glazing for the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven. You may cut it into bite size portions. 
  11. Repeat baking process for the rest of the meat mixture. 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Port Glazed Roast Duck in Cherry sauce

I am going to demystify this much-neglected poultry, Duck! Love it or hate it! I love it!

Duck has a rich and distinct flavor. It goes well with fruits, other sweet ingredients and spices which give a delicious and exotic taste. It has a higher fat content than its winged counterparts (e.g. chicken and turkey). But the fats are there for a reason. You may remove the excess fats at the rear but do not remove the skin of the duck. That's the best part. I guess that is why the skin is much sought after delicacy in China, "The Peking Duck". 


I have never cook a WHOLE duck before. I have cooked duck breast and chopped duck but never the WHOLE duck. The size of the bird was a bit daunting as most of my wares hardly could fit the fellow. And furthermore it is a challenge to cook the distinct scented bird. That is probably why the Chinese use spices and Westerners use strong flavored fruits to bring out the best flavor in ducks. 

After a wonderful "Turducken" Thanksgiving dinner at my friend's house in New Jersey, I decided I would cook a bird for Christmas. Few days before Christmas, I went to Whole Foods (the place which I know the duck is fresh and clean) to get a fresh duck. Of course, it came up to a bomb. I chose a smaller duck as it would only need to just feed my hubby and I. Despite the modest mass, it costed me US$20. Anyway, it probably cost more in a restaurant. I really hope this turned out well. The other ingredients that was required in this recipe was also hard to find. I had to run to few stores to get what I need and had to modify some. But it was ALL WORTH IT! We finished the entire duck and cleaned it to its bones. Then a question popped, "Why didn't I buy a bigger duck?"  



Recipe
Ingredients:


Duck

  • 1 whole duck 
  • 1 Yellow onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
Steps:
  1. Clean the duck well. Remove all innards and strayed feathers. 
  2. Remove excess fats at the rear. 
  3. Remove the wing tips with a knife.
  4. Pat the duck dry with kitchen towels. Both inside and outside .  
  5. Rub the duck with salt and black pepper. Both inside and outside.  
  6. You may pull the excess neck skin to its back and secure with a skewer.  
  7. With the duck breast facing upwards, lay the duck on a dripping pan. 
  8. Stuff the duck cavity with onion, thyme, lemon and garlic.
  9. Set aside and prepare the glaze. 
  10. Preheat the oven to 220 deg Celsius.

Glaze
  • 150ml Port
  • 2 tbsp Maltose syrup (You can find this in Chinese Supermarket) 
  • 3 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire 
Steps:
  1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minute. 
  2. Let it cool for 10 minutes. 
  3. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze onto the duck skin. Make sure all parts are glazed. 
  4. Put in it the oven and lower the temperature to 180 deg Celsius. Roast it for about 1.5 hr to 2 hrs. 
  5. In between every 20 minutes, remove the duck from the oven and baste the glaze and some duck fats onto the skin. 
  6. You may need to flip the duck to get crispier skin on both sides. 
  7. When it is done, you may use a meat thermometer to insert to the thickest part of the duck to check if it reaches 165 deg Fahrenheit/ 73 deg Celsius. 
  8. Remove from the oven and let the duck rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Duck fat
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 200ml Port
  • 200g Dried Cherries (You may soak the cherries in the port and drain before use)
  • 300ml Chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp Cherry or Plum Jam
Steps:
  1. In a saucepan, add duck fat and fry the shallot till it turns transparent.
  2. Add in pot and let it simmer till half of the wine is evaporated. 
  3. Add the stock and jam. Let it simmer until it reaches a light syrupy consistency.
  4. Add in the cherries. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 
  5. Serve with the duck. 


Recipe adapted from citrusandcandy.com


Monday, January 9, 2012

Light Refreshing Citrus Tart

I love tarts. I love staring at colorful decorated tarts ... Beautifully displayed on the cooled shelves in bakeries. My eyes will be glued at the layers of fresh colorful fruits and I wish I could reach out to them and pop them right into my mouth. Yum!

As I was shopping at Burlington Mall, I walked into a kitchen store and saw a 9" fluted round tart pan printed with "MADE IN FRANCE". I liked it so much and I bought it together with another rectangular fluted tart pan. It is rather difficult to get large fluted pan with removable base in Singapore and Boston. Furthermore if you want a pan from France (Land of Pastry), rather impossible!   



This recipe reaps a nice 9" round tart pan and it tastes very refreshing and light. The choice of fruits is important as it makes up much of the taste. I love navel oranges. They are generally very sweet and juicy. Grapefruits have a bitter aftertaste but try to choose riper ones to have more sweetness to overcome the bitterness.


Recipe
Ingredients


Tart Shell

  • 1 1/4 cup Cake Flour
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup and 1 tbsp Confectioners' sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1 tsp Orange zest
  • Pinch of Salt
Steps:
  1. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer until it turns pale and creamy. 
  2. Add in egg and beat until well incorporated. 
  3. Add in orange zest. Mix well. 
  4. Using low speed, add in flour and salt. 
  5. Mix well. Remove dough from mixing bowl. 
  6. Wrap dough in cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. 
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 
  8. Roll the dough on a floured surface to 3mm thick and lay it on the tart pan. 
  9. Trim and remove excess dough. Use a fork to prick the dough to prevent dough from puffing during baking. 
  10. Bake for about 30 minutes or golden brown. 
Custard
  • 1 cup Whole milk
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla essence
  • 1/4 cup Caster sugar 
  • 2 Large yolks
  • 2 tbsp Corn starch
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
Steps:
  1. Mix milk, vanilla, 2 tbsp of sugar in a saucepan. 
  2. Bring to simmer.
  3. Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch and remaining sugar in a mixing bowl. 
  4. Slowly add the milk mixture into egg. Do not add all at one time as eggs will curdle.
  5. Add the mixture back to the saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. 
  6. Stir continuously until mixture thickens. 
  7.  Transfer to a clean mixing bowl.
  8. Stir in butter. 
  9. Cover the custard with a cling wrap. Chill for 2 hours. 
Fruits Topping and Assembly
  • 2 Large Navel Oranges
  • 2 Large Grapefruits
Steps:
  1. Using a fruit knife, cut the skin off the fruit. 
  2. Cut the fruit into segments. Use the natural segments of fruits as a guide. 
  3. Drain the fruit segments with a colander. 
  4. Spread the custard on the tart shell. 
  5. Arrange the fruit segments on the custard in a circular pattern. You may want to start with a darker color on the edge of the tart. 
  6. Serve cold.