Polka Dot Mocha Swiss Roll Cake

Patterned roll cakes have been on my to-bake list for the longest time. Today, I’m posting this mocha roll cake with a brown polka dot design. This was made following the same basic Swiss roll cake recipe, but instead I added instant coffee for the mocha flavor. As for the patterns, I opted for cocoa powder for the natural coloring. You may need to use food coloring for some of them, as it depends on what flavor your cakes are and what color you want your patterns to be. I have tested different methods of adding patterns but failed several times to get a good result. I personally prefer freezing the patterns over pre-baking the patterns.

Ingredients for the circle pattern paste:

10g	Unsalted butter (softened)
10g	Powdered sugar
10g	Cake flour
10g	Egg white
1 Tbsp	Cocoa powder

Ingredients for the roll cake:

Ingredients A
80g	Egg Yolk
1g	Salt
35g	Sugar
Ingredients B
45g	Oil
40g	Milk
Ingredients C
72g	Cake flour
2 Tbsp (4g)	Instant Coffee
2 Tbsp	Hot water
Ingredients D
120g	Egg white
55g	Sugar

Cream filling:
1 Cup	Heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp	Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp	Instant black coffee
1 Tbsp	Vanilla instant pudding

Directions for making the pattern:

1. You can draw your own pattern template or download one online. Line a 9×13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pattern sheet beneath it.
2. In a bowl, mix egg white, sugar, butter and flour until you get a smooth paste (DO NOT add cocoa powder yet). In a separate bowl, take out half of the mixture (one half for the white circles and one half for the brown circles) and slowly add in cocoa powder (add little by little until you get the color you want). (Pictures 1 & 2)
3. Fill the Ziploc bag with the mixture and seal the top. Use scissors to snip off one corner of the bag – creating a tiny hole makes it easier to trace the patterns. (Picture 3)
4. Once all patterns are done, place the whole baking sheet in the freezer. (Picture 4)

Directions for making the roll cake:

1. Preheat oven to 340°F.
2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two bowls.
3. Dissolve instant black coffee in hot water, set aside and let it cool. (Picture 1)
4. In a large bowl, add salt to egg yolks and mix well.  Add in 35g of sugar, beat until well combined.  (Pictures 2 & 3)
5. Add oil and milk to the egg yolk mixture and beat until the mixture is pale.  (Pictures 4 & 5)
6. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and gently fold to combine.  (Pictures 6 and 7)
7. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, gradually add sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  (Pictures 8 and 9)
8. Add in black coffee liquid to the egg whites and fold to combine. (Picture 10)
9. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and gently fold to combine with a spatula.  (Picture 11)
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread the batter evenly and tap the pan several times.  This will remove any air bubbles inside the batter.  (Pictures 12 & 13)
11. Bake for about 13 minutes, remove the cake from the pan as soon as it is ready.  Allow it to cool for about 10 mins.  Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake (you may want to lightly spray the parchment paper with oil to prevent the outer layer from sticking), and flip the pan over so that the pattern is on top.  Peel away the original parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Trim the top and bottom edges.  Hold the knife at a 30 degree angle and trim the right and left edges. (Picture 14)
12. Using a knife to score 2 vertical lines along the cake from the right edge, careful not to cut all the way into the cake. (Picture 15)
13. Spread an even layer of whipped cream over the cake.  (Picture 16)
14. Tightly roll the cake from the side you just scored toward the other end. (Picture 17)
15. Secure the roll by taping or twisting the parchment paper at both ends.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  (Picture 18)

Directions for making the filling:

1. Dissolve instant black coffee powder in 1 tsp. of hot water, set aside and let cool.
2. Whip the heavy whipping cream on medium speed until it is smooth and firm, add powdered sugar and whip for another 1-2 minutes.
3. To make the cream firmer, add vanilla instant pudding and whip for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add in coffee and whip for another minute.

Black Sesame Balls 芝麻湯圓(Dessert)

Winter Solstice is one of the most important festivals of the year for Chinese people. One traditional food that must be served is the glutinous rice balls (“Tang Yuan”). These rice balls symbolize family reunion, so family members usually would get together and have a nice dinner on this day. It’s also served during the Lunar New Year.

I personally like both savory and sweet rice balls, but my family prefers the sweet ones. These Tang Yuan can be found in the frozen section at the Asian supermarkets. We used to get those but found out they were made with lard. Why not make your own with healthier ingredients?!

Ingredients for filling:

65g	Granulated Sugar
110g	Roasted black sesame powder
60g	Melted unsalted butter
30g	Water

Ingredients for dough:

250g	Glutinous rice flour
140g	Boiling water
70g	Room temperature water

Ingredients for syrup base:

800 ml	Water
200g	Rock sugar (adjust the amount to your taste)

Directions – making the filling:

1. Combine black sesame powder and sugar in a bowl, add in melted butter and water, mix well. (Pictures 1-3)
2. Put the sesame mixture into a sandwich size ziploc bag, pat it flat and put in the freezer until hardened. (Picture 4)
3. When filling is firm, lay the sesame filling on a chopping board and cut into approximately 1cm x 1cm cubes. You can make 27-30 cubes. (Picture 5 & 6)
4. Roll each cube into a ball in your palms. (Picture 7)
5. Once you got all the balls ready, put them back in the freezer until you finish preparing the dough. The purpose of cooling the balls is to harden the filling mixture for easy handling later. (Picture 8)

Directions – making dough:

1. While the filling is cooling, make the dough.
2. Measure out 250g of glutinous flour in a mixing bowl. Bring 140g of water to a boil, slowly add into the mixing bowl with flour and stir immediately. Then add in room temperature water and knead the dough until combined, about 2 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky to the touch, but not sticky. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Pictures 1 & 2)
3. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll out each dough and cut into small pieces (about 27-30 pieces in total), this should match the number of filling pieces. Keep the dough pieces covered with a plastic wrap while assembling to prevent the dough from getting dry. (Picture 3)
4. Take each dough and use your thumb to press into the ball and create a small concave bowl (Picture 4)
5. Add the chilled sesame filling to the center and close the dough over the filling. (Pictures 5 & 6)
6. Roll the ball around in your palms until it’s smooth and round. (Picture 7)
7. Repeat Steps 3-5 until you have made all the sesame balls. (Picture 8)
8. While assembling the sesame balls, bring a medium pot of water and rock sugar to a boil. And add in sesame balls and stir to prevent them from sticking. When the sesame balls float to the top, cook for 2 more minutes and they are ready to eat. (Pictures 9-11)

Note: Uncooked sesame balls can be frozen separately on a baking sheet until firm, then grouped and sealed in a freezer bag. Do not defrost frozen sesame balls before cooking them, just add the frozen balls to the boiling water and cook them for 5 minutes.

Matcha Swiss Roll

Besides adding the Matcha powder, all ingredients for this Matcha Swiss Roll and the regular Swiss Roll are the same (recipe for Swiss Roll, click here).  A couple of differences when making the Matcha cake:  (1) the bottom of the cake will be the exterior of the cake roll while the regular Swiss Roll is the opposite; (2) adding oil and milk in the beginning instead of combining them at a later step.

I believe you will be enjoying this recipe as my family is obsessed with both the Swiss Roll and the Matcha Swiss Roll.  In my next post, I will share how to add patterns (such as heart shapes, polka dots, flowers, etc. to the cake roll).

Ingredients A:
80g	Egg yolk
1g	Salt
35g	Sugar
45g	Oil
40g	Milk
Ingredients B:
72g	Cake flour
2 Tbsp (or 10g)	Matcha powder
Ingredients C:
120g	Egg white
55g	Sugar

Cream filling:

1 Cup	Heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp	Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp	Vanilla instant pudding

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 338°F (170°C). Line bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two bowls.
3. In a large bowl, add salt to egg yolks and mix well.  Add in 35g of sugar, beat until well combined.  (Pictures 1 and 2)
4. Add oil and milk to the egg yolks and beat until the mixture is pale.  (Pictures 3-5)
5. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and gently fold to combine.  (Pictures 6 and 7)
6. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, gradually add sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  (Pictures 8 and 9)
7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and gently fold to combine with a spatula.  (Picture 10)
8. Sift Matcha powder into the batter and gently fold to combine.  (Pictures 11 and 12)
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread the batter evenly and tap the pan several times.  This will remove air bubbles inside the batter.  (Picture 13)
10. Bake for about 13 minutes, remove the cake from the pan as soon as it is ready.  Allow it to cool for about 10 mins.  Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake (you may want to lightly spray the parchment paper with oil to prevent the outer layer from sticking), and flip the pan over (now the bottom is on top).  Peel away the original parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Trim the top and bottom edges.  Also hold the knife at a 30 degree angle and trim the right and left edges. (Pictures 14 and 15)
11. Using a knife to score 2 vertical lines along the cake from the right edge, careful not to cut all the way into the cake (pictures can be viewed from my Swiss Roll recipe here).  Note:  optional – you can pre-roll the cake on the parchment paper now and let it cool completely, about 20 mins.
12. Spread an even layer of whipped cream over the cake.  (Picture 16)
13. Tightly roll the cake from the right side toward the left side.  (Picture 17)
14. Secure the roll by putting a tape on or twisting the parchment paper at both ends.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  (Picture 18)

How to make the filling:

1. Prepare the filling by whisking the cold whipping cream, add in 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar and whip until the cream starts to get thicker.  (Picture A)
2. Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla instant pudding.  (Picture B)
3. Whip until stiff peaks form.  (Picture C)

The outside of the cake can be decorated with a layer of ganache or sprinkled powdered sugar on top.  The Chinese version is usually light and less sweet, as it tastes good without any toppings.   Perhaps if there are cracks all over the cake, a layer of ganache can hide them.

Swiss Roll

This fluffy and mildly sweet Swiss roll is my childhood favorite.  There weren’t too many choices back then, the most common ones were only chocolate, orange and plain.  The filling can be cream, butter cream, jam, red bean, etc. (you basically can put in anything you want), but I found that the whipped cream makes the best combination.  Besides this regular Swiss roll, I like the mocha, as well as the Matcha flavor (Matcha Swiss Roll recipe here).

I made this roll a few times, the first being a disaster.  The cake turned out really good; however, cracks were all over when I rolled it.  That cake was still tasty but it was just not presentable.  After making this cake a few times, I got a few tips — (i) do not over bake the cake, baking time between 10-13 minutes is the best; (ii) when whipping the egg whites, beat until soft peaks form (not stiff peaks form); (iii) cake pan cannot be too small, it’s harder to roll it up if it’s too thick; and (iv) pre-roll the cake while it’s still warm and flexible before applying the filling.  The size of my pan is 9″ x 13″, a slight bigger pan still will work but the cake will be thinner.

Ingredients A
80g	Egg yolk
1g	Salt
35g	Sugar
Ingredients B
72g	Cake flour
Ingredients C
120g	Egg white
55g	Sugar
Ingredients D
45g	Oil
40g	Milk

Cream filling:

1 Cup	Heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp	Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp	Vanilla instant pudding

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 338°F (170°C). Line bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two bowls.
3. In a large bowl, add salt to egg yolks and mix well.  Add in 35g of sugar, beat until thick and lemon colored.  (Pictures 1-3)
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, gradually add sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  (Pictures 4 and 5)
5. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and gently fold to combine with a spatula.  (Picture 6)
6. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and gently fold to combine.  (Pictures 7 and 8)
7. Combine oil and milk in a bowl.  Measure out 80g of the egg batter and add it into the oil and milk container, mix until combined.  (Pictures 9 and 10)
8. Pour the oil mixture into the egg batter, gently fold to combine.  (Picture 12)
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread the batter evenly and tap the pan several times.  This will remove air bubbles inside the batter.  (Picture 13)
10. Bake for about 13 minutes, remove the cake from the pan as soon as it is ready.  Allow it to cool for about 10 mins.  (Picture 14)
11. Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake (you may want to lightly spray the parchment paper with oil to prevent the skin from sticking), and flip the pan over (now the bottom is on top). Peel away the original parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. (Picture 15)
12. Trim the top and bottom edges.  Also hold the knife at a 30 degree angle and trim the right and left edges. (Pictures 16 and 17)
13. Using a knife to score 2 lines along the cake from the right edge, careful not to cut all the way into the cake.  (Picture 18) Note:  optional – you can pre-roll the cake on the parchment paper now and let it cool completely, about 20 mins.
14. Spread an even layer of whipped cream over the cake.  (Picture 19)
15. Tightly roll the cake from the right side toward the left side (see arrows from picture 20 below).
16. Secure the roll by putting a tape on or twisting the parchment paper at both ends.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  (Picture 21)

How to make the filling:

1. Prepare the filling by whisking the cold whipping cream, add in 1 Tbsp of powdered sugar and whip until the cream starts to get thicker.  (Picture A)
2. Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla instant pudding.  (Picture B)
3. Whip until stiff peaks form.  (Picture C)

The outside of the cake can be decorated with a layer of ganache or sprinkled powdered sugar on top.  The Chinese version is usually light and less sweet, as it tastes good without any toppings.   Perhaps when there are cracks all over the cake, a layer of ganache can hide them.

Mango Mousse

Since we all are still facing this COVID-19 pandemic, many of us reached out to help each other – younger/stronger people have been helping older people with groceries and other necessities.  When friends couldn’t find masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, disinfection wipes or rice, as long as one mentioned it in a group chat, everyone jumped in to donate.  This coronavirus outbreak is hard to handle, but tough times always reveal true friends.  There are so many nice people around us, and even strangers will give us a hand sometimes.  When I mentioned on FB that I had to sew my own masks, a stranger in Asia (through a private group I joined) offered to mail me two free boxes.  I’m so touched by all the nice people out there!

The same goes for my friends in Los Angeles, they always dropped off fruits/foods whenever they went to the market.  In the stack I received last week, I found two Manila mangoes so I decided to make my favorite mango mousse dessert.

Ingredients:

135g	Mango puree (1 Manila mango)
1 whole	Manila mango (cubed)
2 Tbsp	Cane sugar
125g	Heavy whipping cream
1 tsp	Knox gelatin
2 Tbsp	Water
Optional	Mint (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Put 1 teaspoon of gelatin in a small bowl.  Dissolve gelatin with 1 tablespoon of room temperature water, then add the 2nd tablespoon of water (HOT water) until gelatin is completely dissolved.  (Pictures 1-3).
2. Peel and pit 1 ripe mango (135g) and cut into pieces.  In a food processor, puree mango and gelatin together on high speed.  (Pictures 4 & 5)
3. In a stand mixer, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 125g heavy cream and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.  (Picture 6)
4. Slowly add puree into the whipped cream, fold it into the cream until completely mixed. (Pictures 7 & 8)
5. Pour into individual portion cups and refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
6. Peel and pit the 2nd mango, dice the mango and put on top of the mousse.  Garnish with fresh mint sprig. (Picture 9)

I poured this into 2 big wine glasses.  The ingredients here will make 4 mini cups.

Taiwanese Taro, Sweet Potato and Purple Yam Balls (芋圓, 地瓜圓)

The Chinese name for these balls are 芋圓 “Taro Balls”, but they could be made from taro, sweet potato and purple yam.  You will find the texture of these balls slightly different, as sweet potato balls have an elastic texture.  The main reason is because sweet potatoes contain more liquid and need more tapioca flour to form the dough while kneading (more flour means higher elasticity).  In order to make these balls a little more chewy, I increased the water amount to make the dough more wet and add more flour during the kneading process.  Play around with it and you will get to the texture you like.

Ingredients:

Taro Balls		Purple Yam Balls		Sweet Potato Balls
Taro:	100g	Purple yam:	100g	Sweet potato:	100g
Tapioca flour:	55g*	Tapioca flour:	55g*	Tapioca flour:	55g*
Boiling water:	40g	Boiling water:	40g	Boiling water:	25g
Cane sugar:	20g	Cane sugar:	20g	Cane sugar:	20g

* Plus extra tapioca flour for kneading (this will give the elasticity to the balls).

Directions:

1. Measure flour in 3 separate bowls (100g each) and set aside.
2. Slice taro, purple yam and sweet potato, put them in separate containers and then steam for 20 minutes until soft.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
4. Start with one type of root vegetable first.  Pour 40g of boiling water into the first bowl of flour and let it sit for 30 seconds.   (Picture 1)
5. Mix the flour and water and then add purple yam.  Use a fork to mix yam and flour (be careful, it may be very hot).  (Picture 2)
6. Transfer the yam mixture to a clean floured work surface, use your hand to knead the dough.  (Picture 3)
7. The dough will be very sticky in the beginning, add tapioca flour while kneading until you get a soft and smooth texture.  (Picture 4)
8. Cut the dough into small portions.  Take a small portion of dough and roll it out into thin long log (around 1.5cm in diameter).  (Picture 5)
9. Repeat steps 4-8 to make the taro balls and sweet potato balls (water amount for sweet potato balls is 25g).  (Pictures 6 and 7)
10. To cook the taro balls, bring a pot of water to a boil then add the balls in.  When the balls float to the top, they are cooked.  (Picture 8)
11. Use a strainer to take the balls out from the pot and put them in a bowl.  Add sugar to the bowl and mix well.  If you want to freeze some uncooked balls, adjust the sugar amount.  (Picture 9)

Note:

Dust the balls with a thin layer of tapioca flour to prevent them from sticking together. Put them in a container and store in the freezer.

These balls are best eaten with the (i) taro, coconut and tapioca dessert, (ii) red bean dessert, or (iii) just pure brown sugar water.

To make the red bean tapioca pearls dessert:

200g	Adzuki beans
130g	Brown sugar
6 cups	Water
1 cup	Tapioca pearls

Put all ingredients (except the tapioca pearls) in the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes and then natural release the pressure.

Bring a pot of hot water to a boil, add 1 cup of small tapioca pearls and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, cover and let the pearls soak for 10 minutes.  They will become translucent.  Drain and rinse with running water.

Add tapioca pearls and taro balls to a bowl of red bean dessert.  You can eat it hot or cold but the taro balls have to be made fresh without being refrigerated. Otherwise, the texture is very hard.

To make the brown sugar drink:

2 Slices	Fresh ginger
4 Cups	Water
1/4 Cup	Brown sugar

Put all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil until sugar has dissolved.  Serve taro balls and brown sugar water in a bowl.

Fresh Fruit Tart

I made mini fruit tarts four years ago.  Since it takes a long time to mould each tart with the dough, I wanted to try a regular size one.  I used the same recipe to make a big tart but the crust just fell apart.  Now I found Paula Deen’s recipe for the tart shell which got a lot of good reviews.  I made the tart today and the crust is so tasty, flaky and fresh!

Tart Crust:

60g	Powdered Sugar
170g	Unsalted Butter (softened)
220g	All Purpose Flour

Cream Filling:

1-3/8 cups	Milk (could be a combination of milk and cream)
60g	Sugar
15g	Cornstarch
2	Egg yolks
A tiny pinch	Salt
30g	Butter
½ tsp	Vanilla extract

Directions:

Crust:

1. Combine flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and process until the mixture forms a ball.  (Picture A)
2. With your fingers, press the dough into an 11-inch or 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Push the crust into the indentations in the sides, pat until the crust is even.  (Pictures B and C)
3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Preheat the oven to 350 F, bake for 20 minutes until it’s lightly browned.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:

1. In a food processor, add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender.  Blend 10 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 3 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth and microwave for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.   Remove from heat and let it cool.
3. Place plastic wrap on top the filling without leaving any gap.  This will prevent the filling from forming a hard layer on top.  Once it’s cool, put it in the fridge.  (see picture below)

Assembly:

Wash all fruits, I like apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and kiwis.  To keep sliced apples from turning brown, you can soak them in salt water.  Fill a bowl of water and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

1. Whisk filling before applying to the crust, especially when you make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.  (Picture 1)
2. Spread filling over the cooled crust.  (Picture 2)
3. For the first layer, place apple slices.  (Picture 3)
4. For the next circle, place strawberry slices.  (Picture 4)
5. For the next circle, use green grapes.  (Picture 5)
6. Add another circle of red grapes.  Filling in any spaces with blueberries and put a couple of kiwi slices in the center.  (Picture 6)

For the glaze:

1/2 Cup	Apply Jelly
1 Tbsp	Water

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine apple jelly and water.
• Heat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until the apple jelly liquefies.
• Let it cool for a few minutes.
• With a pastry brush, apply apple jelly to preserve the fruits.

Egg Waffle / Bubble Waffle / Egg Puff / Gai Daan Jai (雞蛋仔）

Since I mentioned in my Boot Jai Go post that one of the most popular Hong Kong street vendor’s snacks is egg waffle, I must introduce and record a recipe on my blog.  According to Wikipedia, egg waffles were ranked No.1 in a 100 most popular Hong Kong street snack listing.  There are many English names (bubble waffle, egg puff, eggettes, just to name a few), but its Cantonese name is Gai Daan Jai (meaning little eggs).  One story says the enterprising post-war generation created the egg-shaped mould to make up for an eggless batter as eggs became a luxury in China.  Grocery stores would take the cracked eggs and sell the perfect eggs to customers.  Throwing away the cracked eggs would be a waste of money, so they turned the eggs into batter and sold them as waffles.  After making the egg waffles with the semi-spherical cell pans (pan base is deeper and the cover is shallower), they look like small eggs.  I guess this is how it got its name “little eggs”.

Ingredients:  (makes 5)

210g	All purpose flour
10g	Baking powder
15g	Custard powder
42g	Tapioca starch
3	Eggs
210g	Granulated Sugar
42g	Low fat milk
210ml	Very cold water
42g	Vegetable oil
3 drops (slightly less than ¼ tsp)	Vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Measure all ingredients, set aside.  (picture 1)
2. Pour all ingredients into a blender (except vegetable oil and vanilla extract), blend until well mixed.  (picture 2)
3. Add in vanilla extract and oil and blend until combined.  (pictures 3 and 4)
4. Strain the batter through a sieve.  (picture 5)
5. Warm up each side of the mould and brush a thin layer of oil on each side. (picture 6)
6. Pour the egg batter onto the mould with a ladle and close the mould.  Hold the handles firm to keep two sides tight.   I turned the fire to medium high.  (picture 7)
7. After 1-2 minutes, flip the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.  You can slightly open the pan to check if the the waffle is slight brown.  (picture 8)
8. Remove the egg waffle from the mould with a fork and place it on a cooling rack.  (picture 9)

It should be served hot or warm (cold is not as good). The waffles are crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

This egg waffle mould/pan makes waffles over the stove.  For first time use, clean the pan thoroughly. The first 2 waffles should be discarded.  There are some fancy electricity-powered makers that make perfect egg waffles and you don’t need to pay too much attention to the cooking process or need any skill.   However, one owner of the waffle shop said “If the skill isn’t there, it doesn’t matter how good your ingredients are.”  

Note:  Some recipes say the batter should be refrigerated for at least an hour in order to make a perfect egg waffle.  To skip this step, I substituted room temperature water with icy-cold water.  The result is the same.

Yummy!

Mini Red Bean Pudding Cake (砵仔糕 Boot Jai Go / Put Chai Ko)

Boot Jai Go aka Put Chai Ko is a popular snack sold by street vendors in Hong Kong.  Traditionally, these pudding cakes were steamed in earthen bowls, which in Chinese means “Boot Jai”.  This is how it got its name “Boot Jai” pudding.  These pudding cakes are made from white or brown sugar, rice flour and wheat starch.  Sometimes red bean is also added.  I still remember during my childhood in Hong Kong, the hawker removed the pudding cake from a porcelain bowl by inserting two bamboo sticks and we just held the skewers while eating them.  Besides the Egg waffles, Boot Jai Go is one of Hong Kong’s must try street vendor’s snacks.

Today, I made these pudding cakes using mini muffin trays.  I made two types, one with brown sugar and one with white sugar and coconut cream.  I also made some without red bean as my daughter likes them plain.

Brown Sugar Boot Jai Go:

Ingredients:

60g	Wheat Flour 澄麵
90g	Rice Flour 粘米粉
110g	Dark Brown Sugar 黑蔗糖
2 cup	Water 水
1 cup	Cooked red beans 熟紅豆

Directions:

1. Pour 1/2 cup of red bean and 1-1/2 cup of water into the pressure cooker, and set the pressure cooking time to 25 minutes (sugar can be added depending on your preference).  Discard water once red bean is cooked and set aside;
2. Combine wheat starch and rice flour in a big bowl, add 1 cup of cold water to the flour mixture and mix well, make sure the batter has no lumps (picture 1);
3. In a small pot, combine 1 cup of water and 110g of dark brown sugar, bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved (picture 2);
4. Quickly pour the hot sugar water into the batter, mix thoroughly (picture 3);
5. Scope out the batter to a mini muffin tray with a ladle (while transferring the batter, keep mixing the batter as the starch tend to sink to the bottom) (picture 4);
6. In a big steamer/wok, bring water to a boil.  Transfer the muffin tray to the steamer and steam over high heat for 3 minutes.  Then add red bean to the middle of each pudding and continue steaming for 7 minutes.  If you want to make the plain pudding with red beans, just steam it for 10 minutes straight (picture 5).

Coconut Boot Jai Go:

1. Replace brown sugar with white sugar, also 110g (picture A);
2. Instead of 1 cup of boiling water, combine 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of coconut cream (pictures B & C);
3. Pour sugar, water and coconut cream into a pot, bring to a boil (picture D);
4. Repeat steps 4-6 above.

Note:

• It’s normal that the cake droops in the middle after steaming.
• You will need to steam this for 30 minutes or so if you use a porcelain bowl depending the size of the bowl.  Red bean can be added to the batter just prior to steaming.

Pistachio Macarons with Pistachio Buttercream Filling

Pistachio Macarons

Once you have a good handle on macarons technique, you can make different flavors.  Now these pistachio macarons are my favorite.  I added green food coloring to the macarons for my pictures, but the natural hue color is always healthier.

Choosing the right macaron fillings is important, my suggestion is to have the not-so-sweet fillings since the macaron shells are quite sweet.  For the pistachio macarons, I made the buttercream filling with pistachios which goes very well with the cookies.

Pistachio flour could be hard to find depending on where you live, when I spot the unshelled pistachios at Whole Foods (it’s pricey $29.99 per pound), I bought some and ground them myself with a food processor.  The extra pistachio flour can be used to make pistachio paste.  Below are the recipes for the pistachio macarons, pistachio buttercream filling and pistachio paste.  Hope you will get a chance to make these.

Ingredients for Pistachio Macarons:

100g	Egg whites (about 3 eggs)
35g	Caster sugar
200g	Icing sugar (Powdered sugar)
75g	Almond meal
45g	Pistachio flour
1 tsp	Cream of tartar
1 drop	Green gel food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Measure almond meal, pistachio flour and powdered sugar. Sift together to remove any clumps, sift twice if possible.  Discard any big clumps. (pictures 1-3)
2. Weigh out the egg whites into a large stainless mixing bowl. Begin beating the egg whites on low speed then gradually adjust to medium until the egg whites are foamy.  (picture 4)
3. Add in sugar as you beat.   Increase the speed from medium to high, if necessary. (picture 5)
4. Add a teaspoon of cream of tartar and beat the meringue to stiff glossy peaks. (picture 6)
5. Add the food coloring and mix until well blended.  Remove the whisk. (Pictures 7 and 8).
6. Add about 1/3 of the almond/pistachio/sugar mixture to the egg white meringue. Fold in until no streaks remain. Continue to add the remaining mixture (1/3 of the mixture at a time), fold until you reach the proper batter.   (picture 9)
7. It should take roughly 50 folds until the mixture is smooth and a very viscous liquid, not runny. Over-mixing the batter, your macarons will be flat and have no foot, under-mixing the batter, your macarons shells would be lumpy.  When you lift the spatula, the batter should drop down smoothly.  (picture 10)
8. Pour the batter into your prepared piping bag.  You can place the bag into a measuring cup and cuff the bag’s opening over the top, this makes the bag easy to fill hands-free. (Picture 11)
9. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.  Place a tiny drop of batter at each corner of the baking sheet to secure the parchment paper.  Pipe rows of batter (dollops a little bigger than a quarter) onto the baking sheets, giving them space to spread. (picture 12)
10. Tap the pan on the counter several times to break any air bubbles (this prevents cracking). The little peak on the top of the macaron should go down after tapping the pan. However, if you still see the little peak, simply wet your finger and gently smooth the bump down. (pictures 13 and 14)
11. If you want to sprinkle nuts on top, do it now so that they will stick to the top of the shells.
12. Allow the cookies to rest on a level surface for 30-60 minutes.  Until they are no longer tacky to a light touch.
13. Preheat your oven to 300F and bake the macarons for 16-20 minutes.
14. You will see the macarons have lovely feet when they are done correctly. (picture 15)

• Use a piping bag to pipe your favorite filling to one side of the macaron and top with another half of macaron to form a sandwich.

Directions for making Pistachio Paste (unsweeten version):

1. You only need pistachio flour and water to make the paste.  I processed the nuts in a food processor  when I made the macarons at first.  (picture 1)
2. Now return the pistachio flour to the food processor, then slowly add a bit of water (water amount depends on how much flour you have, just add a little bit at a time).  Process it until it is smooth and forms a paste.  That is it!!  We have our paste for the buttercream filling.  It’s super easy!  (pictures 2-3)

Ingredients for Pistachio Buttercream:

2	Egg yolks
60g	Granulated sugar
30ml	Water
60g	Unsalted butter (softened)
3 tsps	Pistachio paste

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. (Picture 4)
2. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and heat it over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then bring it to a boil and cook until the syrup reaches 250°F.  Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. (Picture 5)
3. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg yolks and run the mixer on low. Increase the speed to medium high, and beat the mixture until well combined. You can use the egg yolk/syrup mixture now but I always like to take one more step to set a bowl of mixture over a pot of simmering water.  Keep whisk until the mixture registers 160°F.  Meringue becomes very smooth at this point.  Remove from heat and let cool. (Picture 6)
4. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until whipped and white.  Add in pistachio paste and food coloring (if desired), continue to beat the cream until well combined.  (Picture 7)
5. Add in meringue and beat until well bended.  (Picture 8)
6. Transfer the pistachio cream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons. Pipe the filling to one side of the macaron and top with another half of macaron to form a sandwich.  (Picture 9)

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Macaron filling

This recipe is adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen and I added Swiss meringue to make the filling slightly thicker.  The macaron itself is sweet, so I heavily reduced the sugar amount in the basic Swiss meringue.  So far this is my favorite filling that has a very refreshing taste.  For the macaron recipe, please visit my page “French Macarons“.

Ingredients:

Reduced sugar Basic Swiss Meringue:

1	Egg white
2 Tbsp	Granulated sugar

Raspberry Buttercream:

1 cup	Fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp	Granulated sugar
1 Tbsp	Fresh lemon juice
1 Stick	Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/4 tsp*	Salt

* If you use salted butter, then omit salt in your recipe.

Directions:

1. Place egg white and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (picture 1)
2. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. You will see the meringue becomes more white and thicker.  Remove from heat and let cool.  (picture 2)
3. In a small sauce pan, combine raspberries and granulated sugar and cook over medium heat. (picture 3)
4. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.  (picture 4)
5. Cook until bubbling.  Remove from fire.  (picture 5)
6. Press the raspberries with a spoon through a fine sieve and discard seeds.  Put the raspberries juice aside and let cool to room temperature.   (picture 6)
7. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until whipped and white.  Add in Swiss meringue and beat until well blended.  (picture 7)
8. Add in raspberry juice and beat until whipped and fluffy.  (picture 8)
9. Add salt and mix until well blended.  Spoon the mixture into the piping bag and pipe the filling onto the macaron half.  Top with another half and press gently so that it looks like a mini hamburger.  (picture 9)

Lemon Ice Box Cake

There were two reasons I made this cake yesterday.  First, I wanted to make a cake for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to celebrate Mother’s Day, however I did not want to spend too much time.  I’m a mother of three, so Mother’s day is also my day :-).  Second, I remembered that my co-worker gave me a bottle of limoncello liqueur which she bought in Italy.  So, I decided to make a lemon ice box cake (no bake cake).  One of my co-workers made this and brought it to the office, and it was a big hit, so I had to ask her for the recipe (I made a few changes from the original recipe).

This cake needs to sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, until the cookies have softened.  So, you will need to plan ahead of time.  This cake is so delicious!!

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup	Heavy whipping cream
8 oz	Mascarpone cheese
90 g	Pure cane sugar / white sugar
1/4 cup	Limoncello liqueur
3 Tbsp	Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
12 oz	Lemon wafer cookies
3	Zest of 3 lemons

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients. (Pictures 1-4)
2. Combine heavy whipping cream, mascarpone, sugar, limoncello liqueur, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.  Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, whisk until it forms firm peaks.
3. Cut an 8-inch circle of parchment paper and lay it on the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan (this will help you remove the cake from the pan easier).  Begin with a layer of lemon wafer cookies, break cookies to fill spaces between cookies (I prefer just one layer) or overlap cookies to have a solid base. (Picture 5)
4. Add half of the filling and smooth with a spatula. (Picture 6)
5. Next, fill another layer of lemon wafer cookies. (Picture 7)
6. Fill the top of the cake with the rest of the filling and smooth with a spatula. (Picture 8)
7. Garnish with lemon zest curls. (Picture 9)
8. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  To serve, run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove sides of the pan.

French Macarons

When thinking of macarons, you probably think of Ladurée as they are one of the top premier sellers of macaron in France.  They offer dozens of flavors and almost every tourist will stop there to have their first macaron.  These delicate almond-meringue cookies are not cheap, Bottega Louie in LA downtown sell theirs for $2.50 per tiny piece.

These French sandwich cookies are made entirely of almond powder, egg whites, and sugar.   The most difficult part is achieving the right consistency and presentation of the macaron shells.  The technique for making macarons is a little tricky as there are so many factors at play – the amounts of ingredients, the mixing of the batter, the length of resting time, the oven tempearture, the baking time, etc.  All of these things can cause problems.  The first few times I made them, no feet were developed at the bottom.  Although the flavor was still good, I failed.  I tried many online recipes before I found one that worked for me.  Some have more sugar which will make the shells very glossy but the sweetness is too overpowering.  I did a lot of reading online and practiced to understand the chemistry behind it.  “Not So Humble Pie” blog is a great troubleshooting guide and has a lot of useful tips,  I recommend everyone read it before starting the baking process.

Ingredients:

100g 35g 200g 120g 1 tsp gel food coloring

Egg whites (about 3 eggs) Caster sugar Icing sugar Almond meal Cream of Tartar (optional) Optional

Directions:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.  Prepare a piping bag with a round tip.  You can place the bag into a measuring cup and cuff the bag’s opening over the top, this makes the bag easy to fill hands-free.
2. Sift almond meal and powdered sugar together to remove any clumps, sift twice if possible.  Set aside.  (picture 1)
3. Weigh out the egg whites into a large stainless mixing bowl.
4. Begin beating the eggs on low speed.  Once the egg whites are very foamy, begin sprinkling in the sugar as you beat.   Increase the speed to medium, you can add in cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue if necessary, and beat the meringue to stiff glossy peaks.  Add the food coloring (It takes 2-4 drops of gel) and mix.  (Pictures 2 and 3).
5. Add about 1/4 of the almond/sugar mixture and fold in until no streaks remain. Continue to add the almond mixture in quarters, folding until you reach the proper batter.   It should take roughly 50 folds until the mixture is smooth and a very viscous liquid, not runny. Over-mixing the batter, your macarons will be flat and have no foot, under-mixing the batter, they will not be smooth on top.  (Pictures 4 and 5)
6. Pour the batter into your prepared piping bag.  (Picture 6)
7. Place a tiny drop of batter at each corner of the baking sheet to secure the parchment paper.  (Picture 7)
8. Pipe rows of batter (dollops a little bigger than a quarter) onto the baking sheets, giving them space to spread.
9. Tap the pan on the counter several times to bring up any air bubbles (this prevents cracking).
10. If you want to sprinkle nuts on top, do it now so that they will stick to the top of the shells.  (Picture 9)
11. Allow the cookies to rest on a level surface for 30-60 minutes.  Until they are no longer tacky to a light touch.
12. While the cookies are resting, you can preheat your oven to 300F.
13. Bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes.

Parchment produces taller compact feet, the Silpat baked cookies’ feet tend to be shorter and a bit ruffled.  The cookie from the following picture was baked on parchment paper.

The bottom of the shell should be flat and easy to come off the parchment paper, it shouldn’t be sticky.

The delicate shell had a crunch outside but yet was moist so it melted in your mouth.

Notes:

• If you’re using stainless steel container to beat the egg whites, feel free to add a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or couple drops of lemon juice to help strengthen the egg whites.
• Only use gel coloring.
• If your oven is a fan-forced (convection) oven, do not turn on the fan.  Each oven is different, I placed an oven rack in the upper 3^rd as the heat was too strong at the bottom or middle rack.  You will need to know how your oven works and adjust the rack position.

My favorite macaron filling is the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe here), you can choose any fillings you want and a lot of them can be found on Martha Stewart‘s website.

Basic Swiss Meringue Filling

6 large egg whites 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Place whites and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, and whisk on high speed until mixture is cool and stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Use immediately.

Basic Swiss Meringue Buttercream Filling

Basic Swiss Meringue + 1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Chocolate Ganache Filling

1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (preferably 70 percent cacao)
1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened

• Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

Related articles

• Macarons by Amy! (amytakesonthebigapple.wordpress.com)
• Macarons in Paris (everywhereist.com)

Crème Brûlée

I have absolutely no self control at a buffet, especially when I approach the dessert bar.  I believe most people cannot resist Creme Brulee  – it is rich and creamy which melts in your mouth with a little caramel crunch.  I bought a torch a year ago just to make this dessert.  I had tried caramelizing sugar by putting it under a broiler but the sugar melted the next day.  If you use the torch method, the caramelized sugar top will stay crunchy.

Ingredients:

2 Cups 5 ½ Cup 1 Tablespoon ½ Cup

Heavy cream Egg yolks Granulated Sugar Vanilla extract Turbinado Sugar or Light brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 ◦F.
2. In a mixer bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together until well blended. Add heavy cream, mix well until it gets nice and creamy. Pour the mixture through the sifter into ramekins (those little ceramic dishes).  Place the ramekins in a baking pan.  Fill the baking pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 45 minutes or so (each oven is different).  The custard should be trembling in the center..  Remove the ramekins from the baking pan, let them cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of the turbinado sugar on the top of each. Make sure it completely covers the custard and it’s a thin layer.  Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top.  Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Related articles

• Crème Brûlée (sequinsandsweets.wordpress.com)

Rainbow Jello

These rainbow jello cubes are one of our family’s favorite treats.  The process is pretty simple but it takes a couple of hours to assemble.  I had tried using different jello flavors and thought the grape flavor was way too strong and would ruin the whole combination.  So my suggestion is to stick with the basic flavors (strawberry, orange, lime, lemon or cherry).  You will be surprised how fast these cubes will be gone especially when you have kids at a party.

Ingredients:

1    3 oz. box strawberry Jello
1    3 oz. box lime Jello
1    3 oz. box orange Jello
1    3 oz. box lemon Jello
4    Envelopes unflavored gelatin
4    Cups water

Filling:

2    Cups water
3    Envelopes unflavored gelatin
1    Can Condensed milk

Directions:

1. Dissolve 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin in a pot with 1 cup of water, bring to a boil and add one jello flavor.  Let cool.  Repeat this step for other 3 jello flavors.
2. Mix and dissolve 3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin in another pot, bring to a boil and add condensed milk.  Stir occasionally until mixture is boiling.  Let cool.
3. Place your Pyrex glass container (about 9″ x 13″) in the freezer, pour in first flavor of jello, let set until Jello is lightly set.
4. Pour 2/3 cup filling over set Jello, let set about 5 minutes.  Repeat layers with other flavors Jello and filling.

Note:  Be sure jello and filling layers are cool before adding next layer.  You can test it by touching the Jello with your finger tip, if nothing sticks, it’s ready for the next layer.

Related articles

• Rainbow Broken Glass Jello (cupcakepedia.wordpress.com)

Mini Fruit Tarts

My favorite fruit tarts are from Porto’s Bakery in Glendale, Los Angeles.  I used to go there during my lunch time to pick up an 11″ fruit tart for my husband’s birthday.  With traffic, it sometimes took me more than an hour to go back to work.  Dealing with traffic and long queue, it was still worth my time until I spot a recipe online.  I made these bite-size fruit tarts when families gathered to celebrate mother’s day.   It was a big hit.   I highly recommend this recipe — easy and delicious!  Recipe adaped from “Salad in a Jar“.

Ingredients:

Tart Crust:

180g	All purpose flour
50g	Superfine sugar
1/4 tsp	Salt
110g	Butter (1 stick), chilled
1	Whole egg

Cream Filling:

1-3/8 cup	Milk (could be a combination of milk and cream)
60g	Sugar
15g	Cornstarch
a tiny pinch	Salt
2	Egg yolks
30g	Butter
1/2 tsp	Vanilla extract

Directions:

Crust:

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor.  Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour, pulsing several times until mixture resembles oatmeal.  Add whisked whole egg and pulse until all ingredients are moistened but not yet a solid ball.  Lightly press into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.  If dough in food processor seems too dry to press into a ball, add a teaspoon or two of milk.
2. Pull off small amount of dough and press into molds with fingers being careful to keep thickness consistent. Use a knife to trim off any extra at the top.  Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
3. Place frozen tart shells on cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Watch carefully as the time can vary according to the thickness of the crust.

Cream Filling:

1. Add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender. Blend 5 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 6 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth after 3 minutes, then every minute thereafter.
2. Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.   Remove from heat and let it cool.
3. If you do not want to use a microwave, after blending everything, pour into a pot and cook over medium heat on the stovetop, bring to a boil until mixture starts to get thicker.  Add butter and vanilla and mix well.  Remove from heat and let it cool.

Assembly:

1. Fill each baked tart shell with cream filling.  Top with fruits of your choice. Melt 1/4 cup currant jelly and use a brush to dab some shininess on each piece of fruit.

Notes:

Crust can be made ahead of time and put in an air tight container.  Assembling your fruit tarts a couple hours before the party.

Related articles

• Fruit Tart – Tarte aux Fruit (dessertcrisis.wordpress.com)

Vanilla Waffle Cones/Bowls

After making some ice cream, I thought freshly baked waffle cones would go fabulously with it.  An ice cream cone maker will probaby be easier and save some time, but since I didn’t have one, I just baked the batter in the oven and shaped it with a bowl or a mug.   It can be rolled into the shape of a cone as well.  These waffle bowls/cones are so fresh and crispy, you will find it definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients:

2   large 1/8   teaspoon 120g 1/4   teaspoon 65g 40g

Egg whites Salt Granulated sugar Vanilla extract All-purpose flour Unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form with an electric mixer, add salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form, scrape bowl. Gently fold in remaining sugar and vanilla extract, then fold in flour and butter until incorporated.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use the back of a spoon to spread 2 tablespoons of the batter into a circle 5 inches across, you are likely to get 2-3 rounds on one standard baking sheet. Try to get the circles as even and smooth as possible.
4. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, you will see the edges will become slightly brown.  Use a thin metal turner to flip the circles over and continue baking for another 5 minutes, the circles should be a deep golden brown throughout.  Continue with the rest of the batter.
5. Remove baking sheet from the oven.  While the circles are still warm, place on top of a mug and use the bottom of a drinking glass to slightly press it down to shape a bowl.  Let it sit and remove when cooled enough to be firm.
6. After these cones/bowls are completely cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container.

 

Dorayaki (Japanese Sweet Filled Pancakes) 叮噹餅

Doraemon is a Japanese comic series and is the all time hit Japanese classic cartoon on TV.  It’s one of my fondest memories of my childhood.  If you also grew up reading it or watching it, you must know Doraemon’s favorite food is dorayaki.  These soft and fluffy dorayaki are traditionally stuffed with red bean paste, but you will find chocolate/cream/jam fillings nowadays.

Ingredients:

Bean Paste:

1 cup ¾ cup ¼ teaspoon 3 cups

Adzuki beans (red beans) Light brown sugar Salt Water

Pancakes:

120g (1 cup) 95g 1  tablespoon ½ teaspoon 2 ¼ – ½   cup

All purpose flour Granulated sugar Honey Baking powder Eggs Water

Directions:

For the bean paste (makes 2 cups):

1. Soak adzuki beans in water for 3 hours or overnight (some people said soaking helps minimizing gas as it helps to remove the indigestible complex sugars from the outer coating of the beans).  I do belive soaking will have a shorter cooking time.
2. Heat adzuki beans in a pot with 3 cups of water. When they come to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the beans are soft.  If necessary, add water so that the beans are always covered.  Skim off any foam that appears on the surface.
3. When the beans are soft enough to break between your fingers, drain them in a colander.
4. Return the beans to the pot again and mix in the sugar.
5. Mash the beans continuously over low heat until almost all the water has evaporated and a paste has formed.
6. Add the salt and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes more.
7. Remove from heat and let the paste cool.

For the pancakes:

1. Whisk eggs with sugar and honey in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine flour and baking powder and add sifted flour in the egg mixture gradually.
3. Slowly add water while whisking until smooth (add water a little by little until the mixture is slightly runny).
4. Drop small ladlesful on a lightly oiled fry pan to make pancakes that are about 3 inches in diameter. When bubbles start to appear, turn over the pancakes and cook briefly on the other side until brown.
5. Spread about two tablespoons of adzuki bean paste on one pancake, then cover it with another to make a sandwich.  Slightly press the edges.

Note:

• Put a few drops of cooking oil in a nonstick frying pan and use a paper towel to wipe off any excess oil (if there is too much oil, the pancakes will be crispy on the edge and color will not be even).
• Make sure to cook the pancakes with medium low fire.  I used low fire and the pancakes were too dry, when I used high fire, the pancakes were burned.
• You can boil beans in water for 3 minutes in a heavy pot, turn off fire, cover and let it sit for 2 hours.  At this point, beans are a lot softer, continue cooking and add sugar.

Homemade Strawberry Yogurt Ice Cream

Adapted from Christine Ho’s blog.

The vanilla ice cream I made last time was very rich as it contained whipping cream.  This strawberry yogurt ice cream tastes more like sorbet and its ingredients are non-fat yogurt and fresh strawberries.  For people who have high cholesterol like me, this ice cream is relatively healthy and can satisfy my cravings.  Put a scoop of ice cream in a freshly baked waffle cup, it’s so delicious! Please refer to my post “Vanilla Waffle Cones/Bowls” for the recipe.

Ingredients:

450g  fresh strawberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar (less if berries are in season and ripe)
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and remove stems, slice strawberries and toss them with sugar and honey, let them macerate for one hour at room temperature.
2. Puree berries and their liquid with Greek yogurt and lemon juice, with a blender.
3. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note:  I do not have an ice cream maker, I put it in a Tupperware and placed it directly in the freezer.  Unless you plan to eat the ice cream soon after churning, they’re going to freeze pretty solidly.  You might want to take it out of the freezer to let it soften until it’s scoopable .

Related articles

• Vanilla Waffle Cones/Bowls (ginskitchen.wordpress.com)

Egg Tarts (Mini Egg Custard Tarts)

When I lived in Hong Kong, these egg tarts were one of my favorites, they were my breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack.  You will find these tarts on the dim sum menu if you go to a Chinese dim sum restaurant.  Traditionally, the crust is made with lard (no kidding, you know how unhealthy it is!).  With the homemade egg tarts, lard can be substituted for butter.

Recipe was dapted from Christine Ho’s blog – Cantonese Egg Tarts recipe.  I slightly adjusted the sugar amount from the original recipe to suit my taste.

Ingredients of Crust:

225g	All purpose flour
110g	Butter
40g	Icing sugar
1	Egg (whisked)
a dash	Vanilla Extract

Ingredients of Custard:

3	Eggs
90g	Caster sugar
225g	Hot water
85g	Evaporated milk
1/2 tsp	Vanilla extract

Method (making crust):

1. Place softened butter and sugar in mixer bowl, attach bowl and flat beater, turn to medium speed and beat until the mixture is smooth.
2. Add in whisked egg and vanilla extract, beat over low speed.
3. Sift in flour in two batches, turn speed to “stir” to mix, scrape down the sides with a spatula, then sift in the remaining flour, turn speed to stir to mix well.
4. Take out a piece of dough (size of a quarter) and put it in the middle of the tart tin.  Work from the center, push the dough outward with your thumb, trim away any excess dough.  Or you can roll out the dough and use cookie cutter to cut a circle.

Method (making custard):

1. Add sugar into hot water (not boiling water), mix until completely dissolved.
2. In a medium bowl, mix whisked egg and evaporated milk, pour in sugar water.
3. Sift egg mixture with a strainer/sifter (do not skip this step as it will isolate stringy white pieces in egg white or foam).   Pour egg mixture into each tart shell.

Method (baking tarts):

1. Preheat oven to 400 ◦F.  Position rack in lower third of oven. Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.   Move the baking sheet to the second rack counting from the top.
2. Reduce the heat to 350 ◦F, once the custard being puffed up a bit, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the custard is cooked through.  To check doneness of the custards, insert a toothpick into the center of the custard.  It’s cooked if the toothpick is clean.