Saturday, April 21, 2012

Yummy Coconut Cream Pie

It is Spring! Or maybe summer has decided to come early. Temperatures shot as high as 30 deg celsius in Cambridge. My sleeveless, cotton tees and skirts from Singapore can make appearance outside the wardrobe now. With such warm and dry weather,my palate is definitely craving for something cool and light! 

Someone asked me if Singapore has seasonal foods. The first things that came up to my mind were durians and mangoes. But with advanced agricultural technology and imports of foreign products, there is probably no seasonal foods anymore. Most of our foods are available all-year-round with exception of festive foods. However in temperate countries, menu changes according to seasons and weather. The coconut cream pie I made here is light, refreshing and addictive. Perfect for Spring! And one slice is never enough so prepare to indulge!




The crust is made from crushed biscuits and melted butter. It is easier to prepare and manage than a pastry dough. The custard is filled with unsweetened grated coconut and coconut milk that gives the kick of tropical flavor to the pie. 

Recipe (For one 9 inch pie) 
Ingredients:

A) Crust
  • 6 ounces of Animal Crackers (Digestive Biscuits are good too)
  • 2 tbsp Unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 4 tbsp Unsalted butter, melted and cooled

B) Filling
  • 400ml Coconut milk
  • 1 cup of milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup and 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 3/8 tsp Salt
  • 5 Large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup Cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
C) Topping
  • 1 1/2 cup cold Heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted till golden brown

Steps:
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 325 deg Fahrenheit. Using a food processor to reduce biscuits, sugar and coconut into fine crumbs. 
  2. Transfer into a mixing bowl, add in melted butter. Mix well. 
  3. Empty the mixture to a pie pan. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup to press crumb on the bottom and sides of pie pan. Make sure the crumb holds well. 
  4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 
  5. Set aside to cool completely. 


Filling
  1. In a saucepan, bring coconut milk, milk, sugar, shredded coconut and salt to simmer. Keep an eye not to let milk foam. Stir to ensure 1/2 cup sugar dissolves. 
  2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1 tbsp of sugar until well combined. 
  3. Slowly add in hot milk mixture into egg mixture. 1 cup at a time. Whisk well for each addition. Do not add too much into the egg mixture as it may curdle the egg. 
  4. When all milk mixture is added, return the mixture to saucepan and let it boil over medium heat. The mixture will thicken. Remove from heat when the mixture bubbles. 
  5. Add in butter and vanilla essence. Stir well.
  6. Pour filling onto the pie crust. Using a food wrap, cover the filling and refrigerate until firm. Overnight preferred. 

Topping
  1. Before serving, whisk cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. 
  2. Top pie with whippe cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut. 
  3. ENJOY!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Rum Vanilla Sauce


I never like Bread Pudding (until a month ago). One of my best friends, WWW, was the total opposite. She loves it and she would zoomed right into it if it was offered in a buffet. No matter how she tried to convince me to try it, I never did. 


I was full of assumptions that bread pudding was just stale bread drowned in eggs, milk, sugar and butter. Also I was particular about the 'nutrition' value it will bring to my concerning waist line and 'bye-bye' arms. Recently, I was offered to try in a pot luck session. I had to be polite so I tried. And I am sold completely! It was so delicious that I went for 2 and 3 helpings. As I was eating, I suggested to make a few tweaks to make the pudding even better.




Here's my version!


Recipe (Serve 4- 6 servings)
Ingredients:


A) Pudding
  • 4 cups of White Bread, cut into 2 inch squares (or any shape you like)
  • 1/2 cup Raisins 
  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 Large eggs
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp Dark Rum
Steps:
  1. Soak the raisins in rum for at least 30 minutes (overnight for best results). Drained. Set the rum aside. 
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 
  3. Combine bread and raisins in a large mixing bowl. 
  4. In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk, sugar and butter. Over medium heat, melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Do not let the milk boil. 
  5. Pour the milk mixture over the bread. 
  6. Let it stand for 10 minutes. 
  7. In a separate mixing bowl, mix other ingredients with a whisk. Stir into the bread mixture. Be gentle.
  8. Pour into a greased casserole or deep baking dish. Bake for 40 minute or until it is golden brown and set. 
  9. Remove from oven. Drizzle leftover rum over the pudding. 
B) Vanilla Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp Rum
Steps:
  1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla essence and rum. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally. 
  2. When the mixture thicken and starts to boil, stir in vanilla essence and rum. 
  3. To serve, spoon warm pudding into individual plates and drizzle with warm sauce. 

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Singapore Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang is a typical Singapore Malayan dish. It is usually eaten with steamed rice with other dishes (aka Nasi Padang). The spicy dish can be found in most of the Malay rice stalls and it is also frequently seen as one of the auspicious dishes in Malay weddings and celebrations in Singapore. The taste of the dish is rich and complex because of the many asian spices, as well as coconut milk and flakes in its recipe. The meat is slowly cooked to bring out a tender and juicy texture. 


I have never try making Rendang. I always thought that Rendang is a very tedious recipe to make. Furthermore I seldom cook beef in Singapore because beef in supermarket is usually expensive as they are imported, hidden behind a glass counter. And if I were to buy beef from the wet markets, I had to tell the butchers the particular cut I want and they probably do not know what I am talking about! And the sight of chopping and slicing the cow look bizarre to me. (Beef is rather a bloody meat.) I will suggest that butchers have a list of different cuts they offer, like the farmers' markets here in Cambridge. 


 In US, beef is accessible, cheaper and fresher. Of course, I do warn that it is better to know where the beef is from. Knowing the source of your food gives a sense of awareness and assurance that your food is treated with minimum/ no pesticides and chemicals, antibodies and hormones. 





Recipe (Serves 4 - 6 people)
Ingredients:


A) Flavour Paste

  • 1/4 cup packed Dried chilies, soaked in hot water for 1 hour
  • 6 Shallots
  • 6-8 cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Thumb sized knob Ginger
  • 1 Thumb sized knob Blue Ginger (Galangal)
  • 1/2  Thumb sized knob Yellow Ginger (Tumeric)
Steps:
  1. Using a blender, blend all the ingredients into a medium-fine paste. 
  2. Set aside.

B) Spice Blend

  • 4 cloves
  • 3 Green cardamon pods
  • 1 Star Anise
  • 1 2-inch long cinnamon stick, break into half

C) Ground Spice Blend

  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Fennel Seeds Powder
  • 1 tsp Tumeric Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Black pepper

D) For the Rendang

  • 1/2 cup of Cooking oil 
  • 1 lb (450g) Beef Chuck, cut into 1" cubes (Good to have some fats in the beef)
  • 200ml Coconut milk
  • 1/8 cup Taramind concentrate
  • 1 Lime leaf (optional)
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed top and bruised bottom with the back of a knife
  • 4 tsp of palm sugar
  • 1 tbsp Salt 
  • 1/4 Grated fresh coconut or frozen coconut , thawed
Steps:
  1. Using a pan, fry the grated coconut with a pinch of salt till it turns light brown. Set aside.
  2. In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil until shimmering hot. Add the spice blend and stir constantly for about 1 to 2 minutes. Careful not to burn. 
  3. Lower the heat to medium and add in another 2 tbsp of oil. Add in the ground spice blend. Stir well for 1 minute and add in the remaining of the cooking oil. 
  4. Add in the flavor paste. Let it cook until the oil separates. Stirring frequently. 
  5. Add in the beef and cook, stirring it to coat it with the spices. 
  6. When the beef turns opaque outside, add in coconut milk, taramind concentrate, lime leaf and lemongrass. Bring it to boil.
  7.  Add in sugar and salt.
  8. Reduce the heat to low, let it simmer for 1.5 hour. The Rendang will slowly cook and the gravy will reduce to coat the beef. Oil will start to appear on its surface. 
  9. Add 1 cup of water and reduce for another 20 minutes. Here, the beef will turned tender. 
  10. Add in toasted grated coconut and stir well. Cook for another 20 minutes or until the gravy is thick. Remove from heat.
  11. Before serving, remove the whole spices, lime leaf and lemongrass.
  12. Enjoy!