Sun-dried tomatoes and sausage quiche

Big's back!!! ^^ ^^ ^^

Sun-dried tomatoes and sausage quiche
Pastry (recipe from Dean Brettschneider's Sausage, Sun-dried Tomato & Potato Tart)
160g flour
120g butter, diced
a pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp fresh milk

Filling
5 sausages, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
250g (or more, or lots!) of grated tasty cheese! ^^
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup fresh milk I used skinny
some japanese mayo ^^ I added for fun ^^, optional
salt and pepper, to season

1. Prepare pastry. Blitz flour, butter and salt together with an electric mixer or processor, till they resemble breadcrumbs. Add fresh milk and mix till a dough is formed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins or overnight. Or shortcut by rolling out pastry immediately and place on greased 22-cm round or rectangular tart tin, prick the base and then cover and refrigerate ^^.

2. Bake-blind pastry shell at 200C for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for another 5 mins. Or just use as it is, straight from the refrigerator, no baking required.. that's how I do it! ^^

3. In a non-stick pan, saute onions till slightly soft and fragrant. Add sausages and cook for a bit. Remove from pan and leave to cool.

4. In a bowl, mix eggs, fresh milk, japanese mayo, salt and pepper till well blended.

5. To assemble, place onions, sausages and sun-dried tomatoes evenly on the pastry shell. Then generously place grated cheese all over.

6. Gently pour the egg mixture over. And top generously with more grated cheese.

7. Bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 40 minutes, or 220C for 30 minutes, till golden.

Big pig says it's been a while since he had good quiche! Aaaaawwwwww... Isn't he the sweetest?! And this quiche didn't even have bacon in it!!! ^^

Big's back! Big's back! La-la-la-la.... ^^ ^^ ^^

Abso-licious apple pie!

My piggies' all time favorite treat ~ revisited! ^^

Can't believe it's been 2 years since I last made apple pie! Well, that's 'cos big and baby pig's mom makes the best apple pie.. so I steer clear of this bake. But since chubby pig is visiting and he doesn't get apple pie very much, I decided to make some for him. ^^

I've always wanted to make a latticed top crust, but I've never gotten it right ^^ll.. this time I used a ruler to make the strips after getting the idea from a baking show on tv. And success at last! Er, I know it's not exatly pretty and it's far from perfect, but at least, I'm half way there!  ^^

I used the same easy peasy apple pie recipe from martha stewart and smitten kitchen for the crust and used fuji apples for the filling because of its crunch. I don't care for green apples as I prefer a naturally sweetish pie which we usually eat as it is, sans vanilla ice cream most times! ^^

Well, there's nothing like having freshly baked, warm apple pie! Chubby was in seventh-heaven! He loves the flaky buttery crust and the gorgeous simple filling! ^^ "This is the best apple pie I've had!".. so chubby said. Er, well, he's not had that many to compare with, of course, haha! ^^

Now if the ultimate apple pie connoisseurs (big and baby), say it is.. then you'd better believe it! They have after all, been fed only the best apple pies! And they love this apple pie!

Poor fatty hubby.. there was none left for him. And boy, was he miffed. Sorry fatty, I'll make sure to make more next time! ^^

Lusciously indulgent dark chocolate banoffee slab

 

It's been a while since I managed to bake or cook, with the crazy hot and dry spell we have here.. not to mention the ongoing water rationing that's driving me insane! ^^|| But the few splashes of rain (and thunderstorm) a few days back, has surely brought out the better side of me ^^ and I thought we could all do with some cheering up.

You know, it's been a terrible, terrible horrible, horrible March for me. I wonder if it's even possible to have so many bad, bad things happening every weekend since the beginning of this month??!! I've lost 2 friends (1 to depression and the other to illness), 239 people on a plane (I don't know anyone on it, but I feel down anyways ~ it's an aging thing, I think), and I've to deal with a crazy heartbreaking news too close to my heart.. It's been one long, never-ending bad dream.

I'm writing this not to gain sympathy, nor make anyone reading this sad or burdened, but it's so that I can look back one day, and say, "hey, this wasn't so bad.. this has passed, and I'm ok.. we're ok".

On a more positive note, I lost some weight. And I received an-all clear on a recent medical check-up. So that's good news. And of course I duly rewarded myself with a super-indulgent dessert.. dark chocolate banoffee slab! ^^

Dark chocolate banoffee slab (recipe by Dean Brettschneider, from his book, Pie)

Pastry ~ use your own personal favorite.. I used the below ^^

French pastry dough (by paule caillat)*
120g unsalted butter
4 tbsp water
scant 1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
200g / 1 1/3 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 210C.

2. In a medium oven-proof bowl (Pyrex), combine butter, oil, water, sugar and salt.. and place bowl in the oven for 15 - 20minutes, till butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges.

3. When done, remove from oven (be careful of hot bowl and sputtering mixture!). Immediately dump flour in and stir quickly till it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart mould with a removable bottom, and spread it out with a spatula/spoon. No rolling needed, yay! ^^

5. When dough is cool enough, press to fit tart mould. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake tart at 200C for 15 minutes or till golden brown. Leave to cool before filling.

Filling
100g butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
395g can sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthways

1. Place butter, golden syrup and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan and cook over low-medium fire. Keep stirring until thick and golden brown. Remove from heat.

2. Pour over the tart crust, leaving about 7.5mm space from the top of the crust. There should be quite a bit of caramel leftover! Drizzle over ice-cream or drop them into banana cupccakes like I did ^^

3. Bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool slightly.

4. Place bananas over the caramel fudge.

Topping
225g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
50g butter
25-40g sliced almonds, toasted

1. Melt dark chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan/pot of simmering water, not letting the bowl touch the water. Once chocolate has melted, stir till smooth and remove from heat.

2. Pour chocolate and spread it out evenly over the bananas. Top with toasted almonds.

3. Chill thoroughly before cutting. Serve with whipped cream if you wish. Bon apetit! ^^

As usual, I couldn't wait to have anything chilled properly. And the caramel filling and chocolate was oozing out oh-so-lusciously.. I couldn't help licking my fingers ^^ This is seriously one of the most heavenly indulgences I've ever made!!! ^^ despite them looking sadly non-enticing nor exciting.. that's really all my fault, my bakes never made heads turn!

But let me assure you, this indulgent sweet definitely has marked a place in dessert-heaven! At least in ours, haha. Fatty hubby and piggies LOVE it ^^ Definitely one of my top 5, if not top 3 desserts! ^^

Bacon and brie quiche

Not too long ago, during a period of "uninspiredness", I asked my muse, big pig, to give me something, anything.. off his mind. He said, "bacon and brie".

Bacon and brie (and spinach) quiche
Pastry (recipe from Dean Brettschneider's Sausage, Sun-dried Tomato & Potato Tart)
160g flour
120g butter, diced
a pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp fresh milk

Filling
150-180g bacon, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
a handful of spinach (fresh or frozen)
125-200g brie, chopped roughly (use more! ^^)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup fresh milk (or heavy cream, if not on diet ^^)
salt and pepper, to season

1. Prepare pastry. Blitz flour, butter and salt together with an electric mixer or processor, till they resemble breadcrumbs. Add fresh milk and mix till a dough is formed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins or overnight. Or shortcut by rolling out pastry immediately and place on greased 22-cm round or rectangular tart tin, prick the base and then cover and refrigerate ^^.

2. Bake-blind pastry shell at 200C for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for another 5 mins. Or just use as it is, straight from the refrigerator, no baking required.. it works too! ^^

3. In a non-stick pan, cook sliced bacon till brown and fragrant. Remove and leave to cool.

4. In the same pan, saute onions for at least 40 minutes on medium heat for caramelized onions. Add a bit of water to soften onions if you wish. When it's nicely softened, remove and set aside to cool.

5. Wilt spinach quickly in a pot of boiling water. Drain and squeeze out the water from the spinach. Leave to cool.

6. In a bowl, mix eggs, fresh milk, salt and pepper till well blended.

7. To assemble, place spinach evenly on the pastry shell, followed by caramelized onions. Then add cooked bacon. Dot chopped brie all over. Gently pour the egg mixture over.

8. Bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 40 minutes, or 220C for 30 minutes, till golden.

This is another fabulous quiche that had big pig "wincing" deliriously ~ yes, it's that good! ^^ You'll just have to believe it as I didn't have any.. I didn't want to take any "joy" off big and baby who really dig this!

Of course, I had another quiche made just for me ^^!

Some tomatoes, some leftover bacon and minced chicken meat.. a big sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese ^^ ~ and voila! a baby quiche just for me.. and fatty. ^^

It feels really good to be baking like this ^^. Now, what should I do next? ^^

A celebration tart ^^

This started out as a spinach and capers tart. But along the way, it got sidetracked with the addition of bacon, caramelized onions and cherry tomatoes!

And became celebration tart ^^ since it was a mouthful to name all the yummy ingredients ^^||, plus it was indeed made in celebration of big pig's good results in his AP World History. ^^

Celebration tart (recipe adapted from Dean Brettschneider's PIE and strandsofmylife)
Pastry (recipe from Dean Brettschneider's Sausage, Sun-dried Tomato & Potato Tart)
160g flour
120g butter, diced
a pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp fresh milk

Filling
100-150g bacon, sliced thinly
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
2 handsful of spinach (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp capers
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup fresh milk (or heavy cream, if not on diet ^^)
cherry tomatoes, halved (as many as you like ~ put lots, yums ^^)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or a handful, or 2 ^^)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (a handful, or 2)
salt and pepper, to season

1. Prepare pastry. Blitz flour, butter and salt together with an electric mixer or processor, till they resemble breadcrumbs. Add fresh milk and mix till a dough is formed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins or overnight. Or shortcut by rolling out pastry immediately and place on greased 22-cm round or rectangular tart tin, prick the base and then cover and refrigerate ^^.

2. Bake-blind pastry shell at 200C for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for another 5 mins. Or just use as it is, straight from the refrigerator, no baking required.. it works too! ^^

3. In a non-stick pan, cook sliced bacon till brown and fragrant. Remove and leave to cool.

4. In the same pan, saute onions for at least 40 minutes on medium heat for caramelized onions. Add a bit of water to soften onions if you wish. When it's nicely softened, remove and set aside to cool.

5. Wilt spinach quickly in a pot of boiling water. Drain and squeeze out the water from the spinach. Leave to cool.

6. In a bowl, mix beaten eggs, fresh milk, salt and pepper till well blended.

7. To assemble, place spinach evenly on the pastry shell, followed by caramelized onions. Then add capers and cooked bacon. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese all over filling. Gently pour the egg mixture over. Dot the halved tomatoes all over the filling and top with some grated cheddar cheese.

8. Bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 40 minutes, or 220C for 30 minutes, till golden.

This tart may be made with big pig in mind, but this just became my favorite tart! And all because of the cherry tomatoes! I love its sweetness and flavor that perfectly balances the savory of this tart.

Well, I'm happy to report that big pig loves this. Well, all of us did! My carnivorous baby pig couldn't even taste the spinach at all ^^. Neither could we of the capers! And my spinach stayed very much green even post-baking! ^^

This is a delish tart I'll be making again ~ a keeper! ^^

Creamy leek, bacon and avocado mini pie

I really did not mean to go AWOL for so long.. but the weather really sucked the life out of me ^^|| Save for a pineapple cobbler, I haven't baked nor cooked(!!) nor checked on my favorite blogs (sorry ^^||) since end May!

Today, I finally felt an urge to bake. ^^ And I wanted to make good on my promise to big pig ~ a leek pie.. with avocado, one of his favorite fruit/food. I reckon they could work well together :p!

Creamy leek, bacon and avocado mini pie (inspired by Dean Brettschneider's 5-star pie)
~ makes 6 mini pies
Best shortcrust pastry ever!!! 
280g all purpose flour
170g cold butter, diced
2-3 tbsp cold fresh milk

Filling
100g bacon, sliced thinly
1 tbsp butter
200g leek, sliced thin (use white parts only)
150-180ml low fat fresh milk (if you're not dieting, use cream ^^)
100g cooked chicken meat, diced
1 avocado, mashed
1 egg, beaten
125g cheddar cheese, grated (and some extra for topping)
salt and pepper or chili powder/paprika, to taste


Egg wash
1 egg, beaten + 1 tbsp milk

1. Shortcrust pastry. Blitz or rub the flour with the cold butter till it resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk and mix till the pastry comes together. Press dough into a flat, round shape and chill for 1 hour.

2. Heat up some oil in a non-stick pan and saute bacon till browned and fragrant. Remove and set aside. Do not wash pan.

3. Using the same pan, heat up butter and cook leek for 25 minutes on low heat, stir fry often till softened. Add milk and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

4. In a bowl, mix creamy leek, bacon, chicken, mashed avocado, egg and grated cheddar cheese together. Season with salt, pepper or chili powder/paprika.

5. Roll out 2/3 dough to 3mm thick and cut out 6 big rounds to fit mini pie moulds. Fill up with filling. Roll the rest of the dough into 6 smaller rounds and place over filling. Pinch the edges together to seal. Make a few slits on the top pastry for steam to escape while baking. Brush pie generously with egg wash and top/sprinkle with grated cheddar.

6. Bake in a preheated oven of 220C for 30 minutes, or till golden. Leave to cool slightly before removing from moulds. Delicious served warm or cold.

Well, big pig loves it ~ no prizes for getting that right ^^! But I'm pleasantly surprised baby pig loves it too ~ leek and all! Guess the bacon did its job well ^^!

Me, I'm ecstatic the combination of leek, bacon and avocado worked! And of course, the perfectly buttery, flaky crust makes the perfect foil. ^^

Since I'm on a roll, I made vanilla chiffon cake too, which is baking in the oven right now.. smells real good from here ^^ I'm really looking forward to cake for breakfast tomorrow! ^^

A 5-star pie ^^

Do not be deceived by this simple, rustic looking pie ^^.

I would've loved to make them into dainty little purses or parcels if only I had the skills.. or the delicate hands for it, which I don't ^^||! So it had to be a big happy pie. ^^

I picked this recipe up from mel of melspantrykitchen and nasilemaklover a few weeks back (though I now realize I had come across the recipe in the food&travel magazine earlier, and forgotten about it ^^||). But it was mel's big shout out and "5-star rating" of how delicious this pie is, that I was sold!

I had to make it, pronto! Besides this pie had big pig's name all over it.. spinach, feta, potatoes, cheese.. ooh! ^^ But the omg-hot, "I can barely breathe" weather put a stall to my plans for weeks.. but I finally made it ^^.. and it's a worthy 5-star pie! ^^

5-star Spinach, feta and potato pie (shared by mel and nasilemaklover from food&travel magazine)
~ makes 6 individual pies or a 22-cm round pie

Best shortcrust pastry ever!!! for savories (adapted from the original recipe by Dean Brettschneider)
280g all purpose flour
170g cold butter, diced (I used 125g unsalted lescure+45g salted president ~ could it be because of this?)
2 tbsp cold fresh milk (or this???)

Filling
1 baking potato, diced
200g spinach (use fresh for a nicer outcome.. frozen looks miserable.. guess what I used? ^^||)
100ml cream, or fresh milk (low fat is fine too ^^)
1 egg, beaten
100g cheddar cheese, grated
4 sun-dried tomatoes. sliced thin (optional, I added)
salt and pepper, to taste
a pinch of grated fresh nutmeg, or nutmeg powder

Egg wash
1 egg, beaten + 1 tbsp milk

1. Shortcrust pastry. Blitz or rub the flour with the cold butter till it resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk and mix till the pastry comes together. Press dough into a flat, round shape and chill for 1 hour.

2. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes till cooked, then drain.

3. Wilt the spinach by placing it in a colander and pour boiling water over. Drain and squeeze out all the liquid.

4. In a bowl, mix spinach, potato, cream (or milk), feta, egg, sun-dried tomatoes (if using) and 3/4 cheese together. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

5. Roll out dough to 3mm thick and cut out 6 squares, 13cm x 13cm ^^|| (see nasilemaklover's instructions).. otherwise just use 2/3 dough and roll it out to fit a greased 22-cm tart tin ^^. Put filling into the tart/pie tin. Roll the rest of the dough out and place over filling. Pinch the edges together to seal. Make a few slits on the top pastry for steam to escape while baking. Brush pie generously with egg wash and top/sprinkle with the remaining (1/4) grated cheddar.

6. Bake in a preheated oven of 220C for 30 minutes, or till golden. I baked at 200C for 45 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before slicing.

This pie is really deserving of a 5-star rating! The crust is the best crisp, yet flakiest EVER!!! PERFECTION!!! And the filling is OUTSTANDING too!! WE LOVE IT!!!

You know, it's been a while since big pig went, MMM! THIS IS SO GOOD! SO SO GOOD!!! MMM!!! MMM!!! MMMM!!! It feels so so good to hear that! ^^

p.s. i had to make the crust from scratch, as my very-expired ready made shortcrust pastry couldn't be salvaged! but it's the best thing to happen! ^^ 

Strawberry tart ^^

I'm not sure what has come over me, but I seem to be on a baking (not to mention cooking!) overdrive this month!

It's just 2 weeks into march, and I have already baked more than I usually do in two months! Let's see, I made a japanese cheesecake, a marmalade butter cake, vanilla cupcakes, chez panisse almond tart, french onion tart, strawberry cupcakes, danish butter cookies, pizza bread, strawberry daifuku and now, strawberry tarts! And I'm still craving..! I think I'm possessed (by greed and gluttony!)!!!

So I'm going to make a conscious effort to stop.. er, slow down. ^^

If you're in the mood for some yummy berry tartlets, head to pickyin's for her tarte framboises recipe. I halved the recipe and still ended up with 1 16cm-round tart, 2 small rectangular tarts, and 3 baby tartlets ~ and that's quite a lot! ^^

French onion tart

I've a thing for recipes that start with "french" ~ but guess you know that already! ^^

Recently, we had a slice of french quiche with a soft filling of caramelized onions and just the barest of egg-taste.. and I thought about replicating that same uncomplicated taste yet flavorful tart at home.

So imagine reading the french onion tart shared by smitten kitchen.. I practically ran to buy yellow onions! ^^

French onion tart (recipe from the smitten kitchen)
Crust
2 cups/ 250g all purpose flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup / 113g chilled butter, cubed (I used 125g ^^)
3-4 tbsp cold water

Filling
4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup low-sodium beef/chicken/mushroom stock/broth
some black pepper, to season
1/2 cup / 60g grated gruyere, comte, swiss cheese (none? just use cheddar ^^)
1 large egg
1/2 cup / 125ml heavy cream

1. Prepare crust. Mix flour, salt and butter in a processor/mixer till you get crumbs. Add water to form dough. Roll out dough to fit a greased 9-inch tart time. Freeze for at least 15 minutes. Bake blind if you like, I didn't.

2. Make caramelized onion filling. Heat up butter and olive oil, and add onions to the pan. Toss and saute them gently for a bit. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and leave onions to cook for 15 minutes. Then remove lid, add salt and saute for another 10-15 minutes, till the onions are fully caramelized and taken a deep golden color (?? mine still looked pale to me ^^||). Next, add stock/broth, turn heat up and let mixture simmer till broth completely dries up (around 5-10 minutes). Adjust the salt.. (I didn't, but next time I would ~ caramelized onions are very sweet, a little bit more salt would make it all the more tasty!). Remove from heat and leave to cool.

3. Beat eggs and cream together. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

4. Spread caramelized onions on pastry shell and pour egg mixture over. Sprinkle grated cheese over the filling. 

5. Bake on 180C for about 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden. 

I've always gone overboard when it comes to quiche filling ~ more ham, more bacon, more meat, more onions, more cheese.. more everything! ^^

But this is a quiche that's only filled with sweet, sweet caramelized onions! And it's gorgeous!

Never mind if this quiche is not quite the one I had in mind (to replicate). If my pickiest guinea pig, papa pig, says it's good and he likes it more than any of my "extreme" version, I'm happy. ^^

p.s. there maybe caramelized onions left over.. don't waste, add cooked rice and make caramelized onion fried rice ~ it's very, very nice! ^^ 

Chez panisse almond tart

Not quite.

It could've been, but it's just not..

Well, since I've been unsuccessful at dieting (you are right, mel ^^ I'll do it after cny ^^.. maybe!), and I do so miss eating.. I mean, baking!, I decided to reward myself with an almond tart, which I've had my eye on for a while ^^.. unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out the way it should..

Chez Panisse Almond Tart (recipe from the fab david lebovitz)

Dough
1 cup / 140g flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup / 115g chilled unsalted butter, cut into little cubes
1 tbsp cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract (I omitted since I didn't have any ^^||)

1. Mix flour and sugar in a mixer, processor or by hand. Add in chilled butter and mix till it resembles fine crumbs. Then add water and mix till the dough comes together.

2. Press into a flat disk, wrap in plastic/cling wrap and chill thoroughly. I skipped this step and went ahead with step 3 and 4.

3. Put pastry in a greased 9 or 10-inch tart pan by pressing with hand, after letting the dough come to room temperature.

4. Chill the dough thoroughly in the freezer before use.

5. Bake in a preheated oven of 375F / 190C for 20-30 minutes. If there are holes in the shell, patch with leftover dough.

Filling
1 cup / 250ml heavy cream (if I make this again, I will only use 200ml!!!)
1 cup / 200g sugar (I used slightly less)
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup / 80g sliced almonds (I toasted them before use ^^)
1/8 tsp almond extract (I omitted)
2 tsp Grand Marnier or Amaretto (I omitted)

1. Heat the cream, sugar and salt in a big pot (at least 4L) until it comes to a boil. Continue cooking till it starts to foam up, then remove from heat and stir in the sliced almonds, almond extract and the liquor. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

2. Spread the filling evenly onto the shell. And bake at 190C (or 200C?).

3. After 10 minutes, check the tart. Using a heatproof spatula, tap and break the surface of the tart. Continue checking every 5-8 minutes and break up any dry crust forming on the surface. Stop tapping when it begins to caramelize. Tapping is very tiring and hot! Read david lebovitz's very detailed instructions here.

4. Remove tart from oven when the filling is the color of coffee with the slightest bits of cream in it (not big pockets of white filling!), about 30 minutes. I really didn't get the 30 minutes part (??!!) as I was tapping away at imaginary dry bits for almost 20 minutes and the filling was only just about to caramelize at the sides.. I finally took the tart out of the oven after baking for a total of 1 hour.

** Best served when cooled.. shared with lots of family and friends  ^^ 

Alas, my almond tart looks nothing like david's! ^^|| The filling had too much caramelized cream and the sliced almonds practically drowned in them, creating 2 layers in this tart. Nothing like the crisp almond tart in david's pics. Sigh!

Anyway, expecting the worse, I found the tart very good actually ^^. I love the very buttery crust, but beware, it's very crumbly (ok, I might have been too impatient and started to cut the tart while it was still pretty warm ^^ it's much easier and firmer to slice when cooled ^^). The sweet, caramel-y sticky chewy toffee filling was exceptional!!! ^^

Big and baby pig went "mmm.. mmm.. mmm.. mmm.. mmmm.. it's GOOD!" *one thumbs-up 'cos the other was holding on to a piece of tart* ^^ Fatty hubby loves it too.. especially with a cup of coffee. Guess, this didn't turn out too badly at all. ^^

a cross section of my sliced almond tart ~ after I've taken a bite or two ^^

So I wasn't completely honest about saving tummy space for CNY goodies.. ^^ hey, it's just a tiny wedge! ^^

p.s. this is a seriously decadently GOOD tart.. a happy tart ^^ not so good for the arteries or the waistline though! so I highly recommend that you plan ahead to share with lots of people! ^^

Oops.. it's february already!

this galette really tastes better than it looks!

Ok.. losing weight to fit into a cheongsam is a lost battle.

Not when there's so much temptation and feasting for the eyes with the many yummy-licious CNY goodies posted online! And well.. some pineapple tarts and mini fried shrimp wanton rolls may have already found its way to the tummy and thighs too ^^||!

Anyway, moving on.. ^^

I don't bake CNY cookies. That's aunt's domain. But that doesn't mean I don't drool after the many CNY bakes posted ^^ There have been many times where I've been tempted to run into the kitchen to bake a batch of cookies! But in the end, common sense prevailed.. I'm no cookie monster (and papa pig's watching! ^^||). And so I shall continue to feast and lust with my eyes, over others' (I mean you, of course! ^^) tempting delicious CNY bakes and dishes. ^^

Since I've been taking it really, really easy and not baked for weeks (aren't you happy, papa pig?), I offered to bake gougères and nami's japanese cheesecake for big pig's sleepover today ^^. And I threw in a super-duper easy country apple galette (recipe by jacques pépin) last minute since I remembered I had to clear off some apples to make way for sweet tangerines ^^.

So I'm pretty happy and satisfied ^^ especially since knowing the boys enjoyed it all! ^^

Meanwhile, I'm saving tummy space for all the new year goodies coming my way! ^^

Tarte au kumquat?? ^^

This is for you, mel.. ^^ thanks for the idea!

When I saw mel's kumquat tart, I knew it was exactly what I needed to do to use up my kumquat puree and candied halves in syrup ^^

Kumquat tart (inspired by mel, adapted from david lebovitz's french lemon tart and here)

French pastry dough (by paule caillat)*
100g unsalted butter
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar (slightly less is fine because filling is sweetish ^^)
1/8 tsp salt
150g flour

1. Preheat oven to 210C.

2. In a medium oven-proof bowl (Pyrex), combine butter, oil, water, sugar and salt.. and place bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, till butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges. Smells heavenly ^^

3. When done, remove from oven (be careful of hot bowl and sputtering mixture!). Immediately dump flour in and stir quickly till it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart mould with a removable bottom, and spread it out with a spatula/spoon. I baked mine in a small round tart tin and 2 mini rectangular tins ^^.

5. When dough is cool enough, press to fit tart mould. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake tart at 200C for 15 minutes or till golden brown. Leave to cool before filling.

Kumquat curd filling
1/2 cup/ 125ml kumquat puree + syrup (I probably had about 100-120g puree, topped up to 125ml with kumquat syrup.. next time, I'd add some lemon juice ^^)
grated zest of 1/2 orange (on hindsight, lemon zest would've been a better choice)
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp/ 85g butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

1. Beat together eggs and yolks.

2. Heat kumquat puree + syrup, orange zest (use lemon zest next time ^^!), sugar and butter in a saucepan.

3. When butter is melted, whisk some warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Then add the warmed eggs into the saucepan and cook over LOW heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens and begins to bubble around the edges.

4. Pour kumquat curd through a strainer directly into the pre-baked tart shell.

5. Smooth the surface of the tart and pop it in the oven at 180C for 5 minutes to set the curd.

6. Leave to cool before slicing and serving.

Did I ever mention that this pastry shell recipe makes the yummiest, crumbliest crust ever?? ^^ It's gorgeous and I love it! But it is so extremely crumbly that the lightest handling is necessary when removing/moving it ^^

I'm happy the kumquat filling worked ^^ it is pleasantly fragrant and sweet.. and a little rich, probably due to the kumquat puree and syrup. I think some lemon zest and juice would diffuse the hint of richness quite nicely.. next time ^^

Anyway, this tart is really nice.. everyone enjoyed it, especially so for aunt, fatty hubby and piggies who can't take tart pastries ^^ but big and I really prefer the tangy lemon tart more! We like a good lemon punch! ^^

And alvin, if you're reading this, 2 lemon tarts and 3 kouign amanns survived the trip home from tiong bahru bakery ^^. After deconstructing the lemon tarts, big pig and I agreed that david lebovitz's french lemon tart is a serious contender for the lemon tart crown ^^!

Personally, we felt david's crust was hands down the winner. Tiong bahru's was way too hard and thick! But big likes tiong bahru's lemon curd texture which had a nicer softer custard-y rich consistency to it.. david's soft and wobbly curd, spread thinner and baked for a few minutes, was "jam-my" in comparison.

However, taste wise, we liked david's lemon curd better because it was really lemon-lemon.. whereas tiong bahru's curd while very pleasant to the palate, had too much hints of lime (pastry chef in a very generous mood? ^^) and less lemon sting! ^^ Overall, we still enjoyed tiong bahru's lemon tart ^^ but if you like a good lemon kick, I recommend you try david's very lemon tart, pronto! ^^

p.s. love the kouign amann, btw ^^.. and believe or not, i still have some kumquat halves in syrup ^^|| 

French lemon tart

At last, a short trip down south (after 6 years ^^||!).. and a rectangular tart tin ^^

And that's really all I have to show from the trip! But I'm happy as a lark ^^!

Anyway, just so you know, I've been coveting a rectangular tart tin since forever.. You have no idea how I drooled over your new tin, mel! I've always WANTED (not need ^^||) one too! ^^

So what do you do with a rectangular tart tin? Make quiche? tarts? orange or lemon? Well, big pig preferred a lemon tart over orange.. so I thought I'd make the lemon tart recipe shared by mel ^^. But somehow, I got distracted by david lebovitz's unusual pastry recipe using "oven browned butter" ^^.. and also the use of less lemons and eggs in the lemon curd.. I'm also a sucker for anything "french" ^^!

ignore uneven slicing ~ too lazy to get a proper serrated long knife ^^ 

French lemon tart (recipe shared by david lebovitz)

French pastry dough (by paule caillat)*
90g unsalted butter (I used 100g ^^)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I omitted this)
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
150g / 1 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 210C.

2. In a medium oven-proof bowl (Pyrex), combine butter, oil, water, sugar and salt.. and place bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, till butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges. Isn't this interesting ^^? And it smells heavenly too ^^

3. When done, remove from oven (be careful of hot bowl and sputtering mixture!). Immediately dump flour in and stir quickly till it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart mould with a removable bottom, and spread it out with a spatula/spoon. No rolling needed, yay! ^^

5. When dough is cool enough, press to fit tart mould. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake tart at 200C for 15 minutes or till golden brown. Leave to cool before filling.

* recipe makes a very thin, but yummy shell.. make more if you prefer a thicker shell ^^ 

Lemon curd filling
1/2 cup/ 125ml lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup/ 100g sugar
6 tbsp / 85g butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

1. Beat together eggs and yolks.

2. Heat lemon juice, zest, sugar and butter in a saucepan.

3. When butter is melted, whisk some warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Then add the warmed eggs into the saucepan and cook over LOW heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens and begins to bubble around the edges.

4. Pour lemon curd through a strainer directly into the pre-baked tart shell.

5. Smooth the surface of the tart and pop it in the oven at 180C for 5 minutes to set the curd.

6. Leave to cool before slicing and serving. Dust with icing sugar or serve with whipped cream if it's too tart..

And you know what? This is another delicieux recipe from david ^^! ~ the buttery, flaky and biscuity thin crust makes a perfect foil for the tart, silky smooth lemon curd ^^!

Ze lemon tart fan/critic, big pig.. approves ^^

p.s. ze tart is still quite tart for most.. and that means more for big and me! ^^

Quiche fried rice

i love this bowl ^^

It's big pig's party today ^^ finally! And I made him cheese twists, david lebovitz's chocolate chip cookies, blueberry cheese tarts, luscious panna cotta and onion chicken bacon ham quiche. (^^)

So, while they are having a blast upstairs and my last quiche browns in the oven, I made myself some fried rice with the leftover onions, chicken and ham, tossed with soy sauce and chili pepper flakes ^^ and ooh, it's really yummy! All protein and carbs.. how can it not be delish? ^^

Well, my last (mini ^^) quiche turned out rather erratically browned.. but I don't think this will affect the taste whatsoever ^^ Yes, it doesn't have to look perfect, to taste good (I hear you, mel ^^).. because I used good ingredients and baked with my heart ^^!

p.s. i've figure it out finally.. the uneven browning is due to the grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on the surface of the quiche! ^^ updated on 4th Februaru 2013

Easy peasy apple pie

 This really is the simplest, easiest, yummiest apple pie ever!

Seriously, this is possibly my third (can't really remember my second attempt, if any) time making apple pie. My first apple pie was many many years ago, based on donna hay's modern classics 2 recipe.. and my piggies didn't like it at all! The crust was too sweet and they didn't like the almond meal in the filling (I don't think I enjoyed it too). I remember feeling so disappointed then and have not made any since. Of course, having been fed on the BEST apple pie by their mama pig, any apple pie would be hard to measure up. (^^)

And since mama pig makes the best apple pie in the world, there's really no reason for me to apple pie. But I came across technicolor kitchen's post on apple and cinnamon mini pies using donna hay's recipe recently, and I was reminded of my first (may be my one and only?) attempt.. And I thought, why not? (^^)

So it is with great trepidation I made this apple pie..

Easy peasy apple pie 

Pie pastry (recipe from martha stewart and smitten kitchen)

2 1/2 (313g) cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 sticks (227g) butter

1/4 -1/2 cup cold water

I used/made half the recipe for my pie.

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add butter and mix till you get a coarse meal.

2. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Mix till dough is crumbly but can be formed. Add more water if necessary, 1 tbsp at a time. Do not over mix.  

3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate till firm, 1 hour or so. I took it out after 30 minutes, no problem ^^.

Apple pie filling

3 large apples, diced (I used 7 small fuji apples)

1/4 cup (55g sugar)

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tbsp butter, softened

1. Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon and butter together. Make sure apples are well coated. 

2. Roll out 2/3 dough and cut to fit prepared tin/s (greased). Press dough to fit tart tin/s. Half the pie pastry recipe was good to fit 5 small tart tins. Leave excess dough hanging out.

3. Top with apple pie filling.

4. Roll out balance dough to cover filling. Pinch the top and bottom excess doughs together and seal the edges.

5. Make a few slits on the tops for steam to escape. Brush with egg wash (egg yolk + milk). I was lazy, I just brushed with milk.. don't! or your crust will look pale!   

6. Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes, or until golden.

 

Guess what? Big and baby pig say it's thumbs-up GOOD! They polished off 1 pie each! Errmm.. the pies are not exactly small, just smaller ^^||. I couldn't even finish one on my own *gulp!* and had to share with fatty hubby. I'm not sure if there will be any left for mama and papa pig (^^||) at this rate!

Anyways, the crust's delicious, though not quite melt-in-the-mouth enough.. I may have over-baked at 45 minutes as I was waiting for the crust to turn "golden" (^^||) But the simple no-cook filling is PERFECT ~ nicely moist, not too wet. And the house smells so so good! (^^)

So simple.. yet so good.. the way only an apple pie can! (^^) I love this apple pie! (^^)

Yummy-licious blueberry cheese tart

This is a really delish tart.. well, anything with cheese just cannot go wrong, in my opinion! (^^)

And everyone loves blueberry cheese tart, seriously.. there's no one I know who is not a convert after trying this. Young or old, everyone I know loves this! 

It's so costly to buy from the shops, and there's not much blueberry filling in them too.. so every reason to make your own! And it's really quite an easy recipe to make. Well the only "difficulty" is it can get a little tiring (and time consuming) to make the tart shells.. however with a bit of practise, it gets easier (^^).. really. 

Blueberry cheese tart (recipe from Agnes Chang)

Tart shells

125g unsalted butter

50g caster sugar

1 egg

250g plain flour, sifted

Filling

250g cream cheese

30g unsalted butter

50g caster sugar

1 egg

30g plain flour

250g blueberry filling

1. Tart shells: Cream butter, sugar till light. Add egg and mix well. Fold in flour to form a dough. Rest 15 minutes. Roll out and press out pastry into tart moulds. Prick pastry with fork and bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

2. Filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar till light. Add egg and mix till creamy. Fold in flour till well combined. Spoon some blueberry filling into baked tart shells and cover with cream cheese filling. To decorate, put a teeny weeny bit of blueberry filling on top and make a few swirls with a bamboo skewer.

3. Bake at 180C for 15 minutes. 

If you are short of time and patience, you can cheat by buying ready-made tart shells from baking supplies shops (^^||). However I feel the ones made from scratch tastes much better (^^).

Today, I used ready-made tart shells as I have some sitting in the fridge for 2 months (><).. and I'm running short of time to bake something for a potluck party (^^||). Well, the tart shells were okay, but the filling was amazing! Together, the tarts were super-licious (^^)!  

Since I had some extra filling and no more tart shells, I put them into cupcake cases and baked them at 180C for 25 minutes. Do layer some blueberry filling between the cream cheese filling. Big pig likes it like this, without the crust (^^).

I think blueberry and cream cheese is really a match made in heaven! It's the yummiest combination ever!

All my piggies and fatty hubby loves this! Friends too!

So yummy.. we love! love! love!

Gordon Ramsay's lemon tart

I've been dying to bake something.. anything! And piggies are not helping!

Nothing seems to tickle their fancy this week! And I'm out of ideas of what to bake.. Then I remembered the orange tart from levain's I had recently. The taste was extraordinary! The filling was lusciously soft and creamy. And that's what I want to make!

Alas, I have no oranges! Only lemons.. that's been sitting in the fridge for a month.. maybe 2 (^^||).. Guess when life gives you lemons, you make lemon tart (^^).

So I searched the net and found Gordon Ramsay's lemon tart. This recipe is quite similar to the one by theenglishkitchen.blogspot. Both uses cream for the filling, which sounds like what I'm trying to replicate. Better still, the recipe looks easy (^^).

Gordon Ramsay's lemon tart (found in bbc good food website)

6 eggs (2 whole, 4 yolks)
180g caster sugar
200ml double cream
2 lemons, juiced (I used 3 lemons, zest and juice.. don't!)
Icing sugar, to dust

50g dark chocolate, melted (double boil method)
  
Sweet pastry
125g unsalted butter
90g caster sugar (I used 75g)
1 egg
250g plain flour
1 tbsp cold water

1. Tart shell. Whizz butter and sugar in a food processor till just combined. Add egg and whizz for 30 seconds. Add flour and process for a few seconds until the dough comes together. Add cold water if dough is dry. Knead lightly on a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disc, and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oven to 190C. Roll pastry out and line a 20cm loose-based tart tin. Leave excess pastry hanging over the edge (I tried to, but the excess pastry just dropped off by itself! Maybe, the pastry's rolled out too thin.. Anyways, I used the excess pastry to make 2 smaller moulds (^^). Rest for 20 minutes in the fridge. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes, until the sides just begin to color. Remove beans and parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes or until the base is cooked and lightly golden.

3. Brush the base with the melted chocolate and cool. Lower oven to 110C.

4. Whisk eggs and sugar together, and stir in the cream. Add lemon juice.

5. Strain the filling through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour half the filling into the pastry shell and put the pastry shell into the bottom oven shelf. Gently pour the remaining filling into the pastry shell.

6. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the filling is almost set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre. Trim excess pastry and leave to cool. (Don't worry about the bubbles, just put a cling film over the surface when cool, lift up and you'll have a smooth, beautiful surface)


I'm quite sure that I've over-done the lemons.. it sure is tangy.. so just use 2 lemons as the recipe suggests.. But the texture of the filling is exactly what I'm looking for, luscious, wobbly soft and creamy. I'm quite sure this recipe would make a fantastic orange tart! Just the way I like it (^^). I've found my orange tart recipe! Yay!

Anyways, only big pig seems to like this very 'tangy' tart (my fault). But after dusting with lots of icing sugar, it does taste better. Wonder if it'll taste better tomorrow.. fingers crossed (^^).

Sweet and tangy ~ big likes!

Ultimate quiche lorraine

What do you do with leftover whipping cream? You make quiche, of course!

I haven't made quiche for at least 5 years. I remember making it quite often then, but probably stopped due to the fact it is a very FAT-tening dish. Quiche isn't really that high in calories, but it always is after I finish adding all the extra ingredients like ham, luncheon meat, bacon and corned beef!

wild combo of onions, luncheon meat and corned beef!

And chubby big brother loves it with all the works! In fact, he was the one who suggested that I should add all the "bad-for-the heart, good-for-the-belly" stuff! (^^). Anyways, I'm too lazy to get ham or bacon today. So it's just luncheon meat and corned beef. But feel free to mix your own combo of meat, you can't go wrong.

Ultimate quiche lorraine (recipe adapted from easy bake by alan ooi)

Short crust pastry

200g plain flour

a pinch of salt

110g unsalted butter

2 tbsp cold water

Filling (my extreme version)

150g yellow big onions

190g luncheon meat (a small tin)

220g corned beef (half a tin of Libby's)

some butter or oil, for cooking

2 eggs, beaten

200g dairy whipping cream

70g fresh milk

salt & pepper, for seasoning

60g cheddar cheese, grated

40g parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pastry. Mix flour, salt and butter until you get crumbs. Add water to form dough. Press to tart mould/s and refrigerate.

2. Make filling. Cook onion till brown and soft. Add luncheon meat and corned beef to onions, and cook, if you wish.

3. Beat eggs, cream and milk together. Season if you wish. I didn't because I feel that the luncheon meat and corned beef is already salty and tasty enough.

4. Spread onion and meat mixture on pastry shell and pour egg mixture over. Sprinkle grated cheddar and parmesan over the filling. Be as generous as you want.

5. Bake on 180 degrees Celcius for about 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden. If using small moulds, baking period could be shorter, around 30 minutes.

This really is the ULTIMATE quiche lorraine, UNCENSORED! The pastry is soft and flaky, just the way I like it.. and it's so subtle and buttery, perfectly complementing the extreme filling! And the combo of eggs, sweet onions, dairy and meat is really ooh-la-la out-of-this world SUPREME! However, I recommend eating this "extreme" dish with caution (^^||).. it is not exactly artery-friendly..

But this really is TO DIE FOR!!! (^^)