Pumpkin abacus beads & cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins

Pumpkin abacus beads

1/2 pumpkin - cut into smaller pieces
potato flour
salt
dry shrimp - soak in water and then blend it
dry mushroom - soak in water and cut into strip
chilli
spring onion
shallot

Boil a pot of water and cook the pumpkin till soften. Take out the soft pumpkin and put into container. Mash the pumpkin and then add the potato flour. Stir it till well mix and add more potato flour if it is sticky. Roll it into balls. Boil a pot water and when water is boiled, throw in the pumpkin beads. The pumpkin beads will float when it is cooked. Take out the pumpkin beads and soak it in cold water.
Fry the shallot and then the dry shrimp till fragant. Add mushroom and pumpkin beads.Season to taste. When it is cooked add spring onion and chillies.




Home-cooked pumpkin abacus for dinner


baked cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins


Cashew nut, apple with cheese muffins

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
3 tbsp vege oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup granny smith green apple - peel skin and cut into dice
4 tbsp cashew nuts - cut into smaller pieces

Preheat oven 190C. Sift flour and add baking powser, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In another bowl whisk egg, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the flour into the egg mixture and add in apple, cashew nut and cheese. Bake for 15mins.


baked cashew nuts, apple and cheese muffins


baked chicken pies




muffins and chicken pies

Butter Poached Lobster

cooking the lobster bisque


Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo done by daughter.

part 1: buy the live lobster, freeze it, throw it into boiling water, take it out and remove the meat.
part 2: making the lobster bisque, which was easy cos all you do is chop up stuff and throw it with the shells into a pot. and then you simmer it. Bake the parmesan cheese thinly. Boil the orzo and drain it. Rinse the orzo with cold water.
part 3: add cream and mascarpone to the lobster bisque reduction, simmer some more, then cook and add orzo to the whole thing.
part 4: poach the lobster meat in butter.
part 5: put everything together.


Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo was fabulous and delicious.


Japanese salad done by daughter. She seared the sashimi-grade tuna first.
besides tuna tataki there was tofu, cherry tomatoes, avocado, veggies and goma (sesame) sauce


The colourful salad was yummy especially the tuna tataki done by daughter.


japanese-style mackerel soup done by me


Home-baked green tea chocolate cake


green tea chocolate cake


Used the leftover to make chocolate swiss rolls

Chocolate cake with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

recipe by my daughter (her own creation) and lots of work

1. BISCUIT BASE
crush oreo biscuits w/0 cream 60g
crush digestive biscuits 60g
Mix everything with 50g melted butter
Press firmly into base of pan and bake 160C for 12 mins.

2. Bake thin chocolate sponge cake (1.5cm)
4eggs, 80g sugar. Whisk till fluffly. Sift 80g cake flour with 20g cocoa flour. Fold in the flour gently and add 60g of butter. Pour into a rectangly pan and bakeat 200C for 10 mins. When cooled, cut into strips that are the same height as cake tin assembled into the baked oreo biscuit pan.

3. 2 Moist chocolate cakes
95g unsalted butter, 110g caster sugar, 100ml evaporated milk, 1 egg beaten, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine sugar, milk, vanilla, butter in saucepan. Low heat, stir till butter melt and sugar dissolve and boil. Add egg.
Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into another bowl.
Pour the wet mixture into the flour. Divide into 2 batches and steam medium heat for 35-40mins.

4. Strawberry mousse
300g fresh strawberries, 100g water, 160g sugar and 4 tsp powdered gelatin. Put all into a pan and simmer until gelatin dissovle. Left to cool and then blend until puree.
400g pure cream - whisk till thicken and mix with the blended puree.

5. Chocolate glaze
soak 1 sachet gelatin into a bowl 60ml hot water
Put 75ml water, 150ml gluocose syrup, 150g sugar into pan and bring to boil till 103C, turn off heat and mix in 100ml condensed milk and gelatin. pour over 150g dark chocolate.

6. Assemble the cake
Line fresh strawberries and pour the strawberry mousse. Then place a moist chocolate cake and again line some fresh strawberries with the mousse. Leave in the fridge to set. Then pour the chocolate glaze over the cake. Leave in the fridge to set. Again pour the chocolate glaze. (do 3 times) Then add lots of raspberries and blueberries on top of the cake.






made strawberry mousse


strawberry mousse


Baked spinach with mushroom quiche

otah and corn fritter

Steamed Otah. (I couldn't find banana leaves at Paddy's so I decided to steam the otah instead.)

Spanish mackerel (about 450g) - cut and chopped into minces
3 tsp of corn flour
1/2 of ikan bilis cube stock
2 eggs
lime leaves - cut into tiny pieces (remove the stalk)
200g coconut milk
2 tbsp sambal chillies
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt

Mix all the above and stir well. Put into the steaming tray and steam about 30mins.
(If have banana leaves, soak it in hot water. Cut it into rectangle shape and place the otah mixture onto centre of the leaf. Flatten it. Cover the 2 sides to the middle and use 2 toothpicks to seal the both ends. Grill or bake it.)


Home-made otah


the lime leaves made the otah so fragrant and delicious.





Otah with croissant


Otah with croissant



Corn Fritters (Recipe credit to pinkcocoa)
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
1/2 cup diced red capsicum
1/2 cup sliced spring onions
1/4 cup chopped coriander and parsley
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in sugar and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter will be quite stiff.

Place corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl and add just enough batter to lightly bind them (about 3/4 cup). Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick fying pan on medium heat, then drop in 2 tablespoons of batter per fritter and cook 4 fritters at a time. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the underside of each fritter is golden. Turn over and cook fritters on the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.




Home-made corn fritters

chicken pie

1-9-08 Tuesday: baked chicken pies


yummy chicken pie


The last time I baked chicken pie was quite some time back and I cannot remember where did I get this recipe from. Anyway thanks to this somebody and recipe credit to her.

Fillings
2 chicken fillet cut into dice
1 big onion cut into dice
1 can button mushroom - slice
pinch of salt
pepper
campbell mushroom soup
Fry onion and then add in chicken and mushroom. Add some campbell canned mushroom soup and pepper. season to taste. Set aside to cool.

Pastry
250g plain flour
200g butter
3 tbsp sugar (I used only 1 1/2tbsp)
1 egg yolk
salt
Mix the above together.
110g yoghurt - Add it to the mixture.
Rest in the fridge 30mins - 1 hr.
Roll the dough and carefully unroll it over the muffin pan. (remember to oil the pan)
Prick the bottom in 5 or 6 places with fork.
Fill it up with the chicken filling and cover the top.
Brush the top with beaten egg.
Bake for 30mins 180C