Bean curd, barley and gingko nuts soup

Ingredients:

1 sheet of dried bean curd (the folded variety)
1/2 can of gingko nuts(optional)
2 ozs of pearl barley
2 sheaths of pandan leaves(if available otherwise omit)
1.35 liters or 48 fl ozs water
4 ozs rock sugar or granulated sugar(adjust to your own taste)
1 egg or egg white only

Method:

Soak dried bean curd sheet in cold water for a while. It should be very soft and if the sheet is not soft, add a pinch(yes, a very tiny pinch of bicarbonate of soda to the cold water) and leave it to soften the bean curd. Drain.

Rinse pearl barley and put in pressure cooker together with bean curd sheet and 1 liter of water. Bring the pressure to high, lower the heat and pressurised for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave until pressure is done before opening lid.( If not using the pressure cooker, cook the barley and bean curd sheet with all the water, uncovered until high boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until barley is soft.)

Bring back soup to the boil, add the rest of the water, gingko nuts and sugar. When sugar dissolves, turn off heat as soon as the soup comes to high boil. Stir in the egg/egg white and keep stirring until it is cooked.

Cream puffs

• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
• 5 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
• 1 oz whole milk
• 3 ozs water
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 ozs unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray large(12 by 18 inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, set aside.
3. Beat eggs and egg white in measuring cup, you should have 1/2 cup(discard excess). Set aside.
4. Bring butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When mixture reaches full boil(butter should be fully melted), immediately remove saucepan from heat and stir in flour with heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and mixture clears sides of pan. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using smearing motion, for 3 minutes, until mixture is slightly shiny with wet -sand appearance and tiny beads of fat appear on bottom of saucepan(temperature of paste should register 175 to 180 degrees F on instant-read thermometer).
5. Immediately transfer mixture to food processor and process with feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With machine running, gradually add eggs in steady stream. When all eggs have been added, scrape down side bowl, then process for 30 seconds until smooth, thick, sticky paste forms.(If not using immediately, transfer paste to medium bowl, cover surface flush with sheet of plastic wrap sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours)
6. Fold down top 3 or 4 inches of 14 or 16 inch pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch plain tip to form a cuff. Hold bag open with one hand in cuff and fill bag with paste. Unfold cuff, lay bag on work surface, and, using hands or bench scraper, push paste into lower portion of pastry bag. Twist top of bag and pipe paste into 11/4 to 11/2 inch mounds on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 to 11/4 inches apart (you should be able to fit about 24 mounds on baking sheet).
7. Use back of teaspoon dipped in bowl of cold water to smooth shape and surface of piped mounds.
8. Bake 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm(puffs should not be soft and squishy), 8 to 10 minutes longer.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven. With paring knife, cut 3/4 inch slit into side of each puff to release steam, return puffs to oven, turn off oven, and prop oven door open with handle of wooden spoon. Dry puffs in turned off oven until centers are just moist(not wet) and puffs are crisp, about 45 minutes.
10. Transfer puffs to wire rack to cool. (Cooled puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in zipper lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room temperature puffs in 300 degrees oven 5 to 8 minutes, or 8 to 10 minutes for frozen puffs)
11. Serve puffs with a scoop of ice cream preferably vanilla and napped with chocolate sauce.

Carrot cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans/walnuts

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans /walnuts
Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Stir in carrots.

Fold in pecans/walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting:

In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Stir in chopped pecans/walnuts.

Frost the cooled cake.

Pandan chiffon cake

150 g : cake flour
0.5 tsp : baking powder
0.25 tsp : salt
8 – : egg yolks
300 ml : coconut milk
2 tbsp : pandan juice
160 g : castor sugar
0.5 tsp : pandan essence
9 – : egg whites
1 tbsp : castor sugar
0.5 tsp : cream of tartar
Preparation Batter

Pre heat the oven to 160c/350 f(convection).

Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and add the castor sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring slowly to disslove the sugar. set aside to cool.

Sieve the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, coconut mixture, pandan juice and pandan essence.

Whisk lightly, then add the flour to the egg yolk mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth. Set aside.

Whisk the egg whites lightly and add in the cream of tartar and castor sugar. Continue to whisk until the mixture is stiff. Do not overheat or allow the mixture to become dry. Set aside.

Baking the cake

Gently fold half the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and blend well.

Fold in the remaining egg whites and work very lightly with a spatula. Make sure the mixture is well mixed.

Place the finished mixture in an ungreased 10 inch chiffon cake /tube mould. Level and bake in the oven until golden brown (about 45 minutes).

Remove the cake from the oven and invert the mould. Allow it to cool for 1 hour.

Do not remove the mould while the cake is still hot.

When it has cooled, use a long, fine palatte knife to loosen the sides of the cake to remove it from the tin.

Hong Kong egg tart

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 dash vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 9 eggs, beaten
• 1 dash vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned evaporated milk

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork until it is in small crumbs. Stir in the egg and vanilla until the mixture forms a dough. The texture should be slightly moist. Add more butter if it is too dry, or more flour, if the dough seems greasy. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and press the balls into tart molds so that it covers the bottom, and goes up higher than the sides. Use 2 fingers to shape the edge into an A shape.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Combine the white sugar and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain the eggs through a sieve, and whisk into the sugar mixture. Stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla. Strain the filling through a sieve, and fill the tart shells.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown, and the filling is puffed up a little bit.

Payasam

1 cup sago
2 cup water
½ cup vermicelli
1½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp ghee
3 cardamom pods
cashew nuts
raisins

1. Soak the sago in water for an hour. Boil it with water.
2. Stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until it becomes translucent.
3. Lower the heat and leave it for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Heat the ghee in a pan. Fry the cashew nuts & cardamom pods in it.
5. Put vermicelli and fry until it becomes golden brown.
6. Add this to the Boiling sago. Then put sugar, milk & raisins.
7. Stir for few minutes until the sugar gets dissolves.
8. Ready to serve.