This snack is great for the kids.

a pack of square puff pastry (the same type I used for the Cream Cheese fish puff)
sesame seed
Parmesan cheese powder
pine nut
1 egg, beaten.

wait for the pastry to defrost

sprinkle the sesame seed, press it to the pastry with a roller. And sprinkle the Parmesan cheese powder on the pastry.

cut into stripes, lay on the baking pan, apply a layer of egg on the sesame seed stripes. For the Parmesan cheese stripes need no egg to top.

bake at 250C for 8-10 minutes.

for the pine nut crisp, same method with the sesame seed crisp.

Ingredients:

• Some mince meat (pork taste better)
• 2-3 potatoes
• Seasoning: Oyster sauce, Pepper, Salt to taste
• Some Breadcrumb 

Steps :

1. Potatoes cut in slices, steam and mash it.
2. Blend the meat.
3. Add both mash potatoes and meat together.
4. Add seasoning.
5. Knead into small ball and coated with breadcrumb.
6. Deep fry it and serve.

Note : I use biscuit (cream cracker) to form the breadscrumb.

Simple dumpling —

first marinate the miced pork, few bunches of chive 韭菜 finely chopped, mix with the pork together with a bit of soy sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil, if can add a bit of shao-xing-hua-diao 绍兴花雕 lagi best, then put in the fridge.

while the pork is marinating, prepare the skin, we need –

>> 400gm all purpose flour, 1 egg, and some warm water.

stir in the egg, add the water slowly, use hand knead till it form a dough. Then cut in into small dough ball, use roller roll it flat about the size of a baseball, scoop the pork on the dough and seal the edge.

Made about 36 dumpling, if cannot finish can frozen it (before cook) –

Before put in the container, sprinkle some flour in the container, and on the dunmpling.

Bring the water to boil, add a bit of salt and oil, put in the dumpling, cook for about 5 minutes, then drain the water. heat some oil in the frying pan, arrange the dumplings in the pan, and fry till the bottom golden brown –

Serve with ginger or garlic and vinager –

If subsidisepork with chicken, add a little extra oil in the chicken, give the meat more moist —

* 250g butter (let it soften at room tempreture).
* 300g all purpose flour
* 130g castor sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
* 2 table spoon of cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Mixed the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder in a big bowl, add in the butter, use hand to mix the ingredient, then add in the vanilla extract. Knead until the dough started to form (add a bit flour if you think it is too soft), wrap it in the cling film, store in teh fridge for 1/2 an hour.

After half an hour, take the dough out, roll it flat on the board (add some flour on teh board to avoid sticking), use the cookies cutter cut out the shape. lay the cut out dough on the baking sheet, dust some castor sugar or any other colours sweets.

Bake at 200℃ for about 10 minutes, transfer the cookies to the cooling wire, store it in air tight container after all cool down.

*be careful when transfer the cookies to cooling wire, the cookies still a bit soft when fresh from oven.

This recipe is taken from All Around The World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins.

1. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse on and off to combine the ingredients. Add the cold butter and pulse 15 to 20times until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk lightly. Pour half the egg into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and process for about 10seconds until the dough forms large curds. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

3. Quickly and gently knead in the currants. Pat or roll the dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds (I use a small rim drinking glass or a wine glass to do this). Gently reroll the scraps and continue to cut all the dough. Place the scones on ungreased baking and chill for 15mins. They can be covered and refrigerated at this point for as long as overnight.

4. Prehead oven to 450F (~220C).

5. Add 1 tsb milk to the remaining half egg and, using a pastry brush, moisten the top of each scone with the egg wash. Bake until the top are lightly colored, about 15mins. Cool on wire racks for at least 10mins before serving.

Best served with clotted cream or whipped cream (don’t use the foam ones, the whip-from-scratch ones are the best), butter, and strawberry jam!

Don’t forget your tea!

I bought this wholemeal tortilla in Giant, there are few more brands from different bakery, I will scout around more on the next grocery shopping.

I cut the round tortilla to 8 pieces, like a pizza –

scoop the filling on the cut tortilla, scatter some parmesan cheese on top.

put it into the oven, bake under 150℃ for about 10-12 minutes –

Done, easy and nice snack or finger food.

Sometime I just cut the tortilla into strips, bake till crispy, let my girls eat it plain or dip with jam, or chocolate, they love it.

The filling — cream cheese fish, I made it the night before, and keep refrigerated, refrigerated filling make the puff folding more manageable.

First to cook the filling –

Heat two table spoon of cooking oil in sauce pan, fry the shallot and garlic till fragrant, add in the chive and fish, stir fry for a while add in the cream, till the fish cook, turn to lower heat add in the parmesan cheese, stir till the cheese melt, off the heat, transfer to a shallow dish, wait for it cool and keep refrigerate.

I almost wanted to boil some pasta, and eat with it, it is very cheesy and creamy.

This are the cream and cheese I use, can get it in all the hypermarket.

To make the Cream Cheese Fish Puff, we need the puff pastry sheet –

I got this from Tesco, not sure Giant or Carrefour have it. Or can get the filo pastry from Cold Storage (if you happen to read the recipe from oversea, and couldn’t find the alien ingredient from the three hypermarket, can try look for it in the Gold Storage, or Mr. Ho Gourmet Corner
both carry a lot of imported condiments.

separate the pastry sheet, and it take about 10 minutes to thaw the pastry —

When it thawed, it is easy to fold.

scoop the filling place on the pastry sheet, apply some egg on the edge, and fold it. use the fork press the edge to tighten the fold, also add a bit design on it.

All done, brush some egg on the surface, place it in the oven (pre-heat the oven at 220℃for 5 minute before the put in the puff), bake for 20-30 minute at 220℃, or until the puff turn golden brown.

Done. I made 10 puff, but two of it the edge open, and the cream leaking, but at least the other 8 looks nice and presentable, and of course tasty.

This is the inside, can see the pastry thin and crispy.

Simple ingredients:

Bread/marjerin or butter/little bit of sugar/3 eggs (if want to make more, then extra eggs will be needed)

Simple steps:

1. Beat the eggs, add some sugar (if dun want sugar also can)
2. Heat up the oven by apply marjerin onto the oven tray.
3. Dip one side of the bread with the mixture will do.
4. Toast bread until golden brown. Watch out the oven heat!
5. Serve as breakfast or snack.

Very simple right? Happy trying!

I first had caramelised potatoes when I was in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Danes really know how to enjoy their food..

Here’s my version of caramelised potatoes. It is slightly different from the traditional Danish recipe.

What you need:

1 kg of Australian baby potatoes (or large ones, if you prefer)

125 grams of Golden Churn Butter

80 grams sugar (you can vary depending on your taste, some people prefer their potatoes sweeter)

3 tablespoons of salt.

Preparation:

Peel and boil whole potatoes in salted water. Drain water, leave potatoes to cool down and keep in the fridge overnight. If you don’t have enough time to keep the potatoes in the fridge, immerse cooked potatoes in a big bowl filled with ice-cubes. Once potatoes are cold, dry and keep aside.

In a frying pan, using very very low heat, make the caramel by dissolving sugar on the pan. No oil or water should be added. Stir with a wooden spatula to ensure that the sugar browns evenly.

Once the sugar has turned a shade of light brown, turn off the fire. Let the remaining heat brown the caramel further.

Add in the butter and stir the mixture until it forms a butterscotch, sticky texture.

Immediately pour in the pre-boiled, cold potatoes into the mixture and mix well.

Serve hot.

Here’s how it looks like:

The caramel was uneven in this picture because the caramel had already hardened. If you do not like butterscotch texture, use less butter and more sugar.  

Enjoy!

• 3 slices of thick bread
  (I bought a whole un-cut loaf from the bakery, and cut it into 2cm thick)
• 2 eggs,
• 100 ml of fresh milk,
• 2 tea spoon of honey,

all three mixed well, then dip the bread in the mixture and fry it in low heat.

Because the bread is in thicker form, so it is easy to fry all the side of the bread.

After it done, cut it into half, you can see the inside have a custard like texture, yummy…

Long winded de-tour post