Nyonya Pineapple Tarts

It is coming to Chinese Lunar New Year (3 Feb 2011), and in any Chinese families you are sure to find pineapple tarts together with many other delicacies being served. I have always been a big fan for pineapple tarts and I am really picky on where I can buy really good ones when I was living in Singapore.


I decided to take up the challenge to make my own. And happened to find this simple recipe to start off with. 

Ingredients:
For Pineapple filling
1000g Pineapple (I bought some Queensland Pineapples)
300g sugar
pinch of salt
6cm cinnamon stick

For Pastry
(A) 220g butter, 80g icing sugar
(B) 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
(C) 350g flour, 2 tbsps milk powder

To make the pineapple filling, peel pineapple and cut them into cubes. Put them into a blender to blend them to fine. Squeeze out the water or juice before pouring them into a wok to cook. Add in salt and cinnamon stick and cook till it thickens. Then set aside to cool.

To make pastry for the tart, cream mixture (A) using electric mixer. Next add in mixture (B) and continue to cream till smooth. Lastly sieve in flour and milk powder - mixture (C) and mix till well blended. Next wrap the dough using plastic firm and cool it in the fridge. For ease to work with dough, it is best to leave dough overnight.

Shape pineapple fillings into 1.5cm small balls. Pineapple fillings need to be really dry or slight moist to be able to do this.

Next roll the cool dough between 2 tracing sheets to 5mm thick, cut it with pineapple tart cutter.

Put cut pastry onto a greased pan and place a small ball of pineapple paste on the centre. Roll out a small piece of pastry into a thin strip and place it on top of the pineapple paste to make a cross.

Brush with egg wash and bake at 180 degree for 15-20 minutes.

Blueberry Yoghurt Cake

Baked this cake a day before for Fern's birthday. Recipe took from a magazine.

Ingredients:-
125g butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/4 cups self-raising flour
200g blueberry yoghurt
3/4 cup frozen blueberries, plus extra to serve
icing sugar and thick cream, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line the baking tin with baking paper.
2. Use an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy.
3. Add egg one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift flour over batter. 
5. Add yoghurt + blueberries. Using a large metal spoon gently stir until well combined.
6. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Stand for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
8. Transfer to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar.
9. Serve with cream and remaining blueberries. 

Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake

Guest post by Fernie. I baked this "Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake" yesterday morning. This cake is very easy to bake and is extremely yummy. I decided to bake this cake after I bought a kilo of green apple.

Ingredient:

185g (6.5oz) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
2/3 cup caster sugar 
3 eggs 
1.5 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Topping:
4 small green apples, peeled, halved and cored
1 teaspoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup apricot jam, warmed

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C . Place the butter, cinnamon and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.

2. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture, add the milk and stir until combined. Line the base of a 22cm (8.5 inch) springform tin with non-stick baking paper and spoon in the mixture.

3. To make the topping, cut a row of deep slits in each apple half and arrange over the top of the cake mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.

4. Bake for 50 minutes. Brush the cake with warm apricot jam and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Banana Muffins

Guest post by Fernie; I have two leftovers organic bananas that turned very ripe that I need to get rid off. So I wanted to bake something with the ripe bananas. Found a very simple recipe in my recent purchased baking cookbook. This recipe makes around 18 muffins. I have given 3 muffins to a friend who is visiting and the rest is our breakfast and tea for the next week. 


Ingredient:
250g self raising flour
75g oat bran
185g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
170ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Instructions:
1) Preheat Oven to 210 Celsius
2) Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin.
3) Sift the flour into large bowl and add oat bran and sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients
4) Combine the butter, milk, eggs and banana in a separate mixing bowl and add to the flour mixture all at once. 
    Use a wooden spoon, stir until just mixed. (Do not overbeat as the batter should remain lumpy.)
5) Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin holes. Bake for 15 mins, until puffed and golden brown. 
6) Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
200g margarine
2 eggs
1/2 cups brown sugar
2 carrots
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup reduced fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups self raising flour


Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees cel
In amixing bowl, cream sugar and margarine together
Add one egg at a time and stir unil combined
Grate carrots, stir into mixture with cinnamon and vanilla essense
Gradually add milk and flour until combined
Pour into a lined rectangular cake dish
Cook approximately 35 until cooked through and browned on top

Cherry Vanilla Cupcake

This month we started a challenge, to see if we can acheive by not eating out for at least a month. Actually we already only eat out once a week, which compares to many others is already a record. But we wanted to start saving for our ski trip in September and also our Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong "food journey" in October. Therefore we really want to challenge ourselves to see if we can do this. Ever since we moved to Melbourne and started doing cooking and baking ourselves, we came to realised a lot of "delicacies" we can actually do it on our own (and very very much cheaper actually). And also we do this to eat more healthy and reduce our meaty diet. 

So, last weekend we started baking Cherry Vanilla cupcakes for our one week supply of breakfast and tea break. And needless to say the ingredients don't cost you more than $2 for 12 cupcakes. In Melbourne, you are expected to pay at least $3.50 for one cupcake. So why not start making your own.

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup of self raising flour
2) 1/2 cup of shifted caster sugar
3) 60 grams of butter
4) 2 eggs
5) 1/4 cup of milk (60 ml)
6) 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven from 160c to 180c
2) Beat all ingredients together using an electric mixer for 2 mins
3) Spoon the mix to a muffin tin/cupcake paper cups
4) Bake for 10-15 mins

Finally enjoy one for tea.

Thai Spicy Minced Pork

We loved Thai food and just can't get enough of it. We still kind of miss the streetside stalls' food in Bangkok. So much of their character and so much of their flavours. I found this recipe on Taste.com.au, and anyone who likes spicy and sour dish can give it a try. It is really refreshing and appetizing.

Ingredients:
1) 1 brown onion
2) 2 garlic cloves
3) 2 small fresh red chillies
4) 1 small ripe tomato
5) 1/2 tablespoon of shrimp paste (optional)
6) 2 tablespoon sesame oil
7) 500g lean pork mince
8) 1 tablespoon fish sauce
9) 1 lemon or lime juice
10) 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar or palm sugar
11) 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
12) 3 green shallots, finely chopped
13) 6 iceberg lettuce leaves, washed or steamed Jasmine rice, to serve

Place the onion, garlic, chillies, tomato and shrimp paste in a food processor or blender and process until just roughly chopped.

Heat sesame oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the pork mince and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until mince is cooked and aromatic.

Stir in fish sauce, lime or lemon juice and sugar and mix. Add coriander and shallots just before serving. Serve in lettuce leaves as an entree or with rice as a main course.