Rose Apple and Apple Crumble Tartlets

I would say apple is one of the best winter dessert. They are never too sweet and is always so satisfying. Cooked apple is also easier to digest and contains good fibre.

This rose apple is quick and easy to make and looks as pretty as a real rose. It's an ideal food for the last minute entertainment.

For the apple crumble, I got the idea making it after seeing it selling at the local bakery. When my son had it, he asked if they were the frozen apple tarts from the supermarket. Oh, yes and no, I use the ready made frozen tart cases and make the filling using fresh apples. They are also a good snack to have anytime of the day.

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Rose Apple
(make about 11)

3 Fuji apples
2 sheets of puff pastry
2-3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 -2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Cut the apple into halves. Use a knife to remove the core. Then slice vertically into thin slices.
2. Place the apple into a microwavable bowl, add the lemon juice and water nearly cover the top. Microwave for about 3 minutes then another 2-3 minutes or until the apple is soft enough to roll up but not over cooked. Then drain the apple.
3. Mix the jam with water and microwave for 30 seconds.
4. Cut each sheet of pastry into 5-6 portions. 5 would be easier the roll up. Spread with some jam then lay the apple slice slightly above the top edge (about 1cm) with the skin side facing up. 
5. Overlapping each piece, sprinkle with cinnamon then fold the bottom pastry upward and roll up the rose starting from the left to the right. Place them into a greased 12 holes muffin tray. Repeat the process until you finish all the pastry.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190c for 25 minutes or until the pastry turns golden.

Apple Crumble Tarlets
(make 4)

4 ready made frozen tartlet cases
1 green apple
1 teaspoon sugar

for the crumble:
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Peel, cored and cut apple into small chuck.  Cook in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water.  Cook until the water evaporated, add sugar and stir well.
2. Put the flour and sugar into another bowl. Rub into butter until resemble crumb.
3. Spoon the apple into cases, then sprinkle with the crumb.
4. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180c for about 15-20 minutes until the topping turns golden.

Corn, Carrot and Chive Savoury Muffins

Corn, Carrot and Chive Savoury Muffins

If you love savoury muffin, you would love to hold one of these warm muffin in your hands during the cold winter. These are the no guilt muffins which have only little sugar and oil. Maybe you can add some bacon to enhance the flavour. They also freeze well in the freezer. Enjoy!

Have a good weekend!


Ingredients:

265g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of salt

240ml milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup chives, chopped
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup carrot, grated
1/2 grated cheese
pepita seeds for sprinkle

 Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients and the cheese and vegetables in a bowl. In a large bowl combine milk, oil and egg. Whisk until well combined.
2. Fold the flour and vegetable mixture into the milk mixture until nearly combined. Do not over stir.
3. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle some seeds over the top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Homemade Fruity Ice Blocks

Although summer is not my favourite season, I do love summer fruit the most. We had lots of cherries, berries and mango during Christmas. Followed by lychees and stone fruit over the rest of the  summer holidays. Not to mention the watermelon and the all year rounded banana and strawberries making you living in the paradise of fruit. My Malaysian hubby would probably say it's not good enough without Durian, the King of the Fruit. LOL!

The best way to keep seasoned fruit is to freeze them for later use. These homemade ice blocks are  truly healthy for a summer treat. The summer holiday is finishing soon and I hope everyone has a good break and ready for the fresh start of the school.

Have a great Australian Day!

Homemade Fruity Ice Blockes

Ingredients:

Apricot Nectars
Strawberries, sliced
Peaches or mango, cubed

Place the cut up fruit at the bottom of the ice block moulds. Fill with the apricot nectars then keep into the freezer till ready to eat.

Place the ready to eat ice blocks within the mould under running warm water will make it easier to remove the ice blocks from the mould.

Sushi with Cheese x 2

We are sushi lovers and I even dream of having a sushi restaurant sometimes. (Too much of a dream!) You don't really need to have raw fish for sushi if that's not your kind of food.  When I take my kids to the sushi bar, we are usually the one with the tallest stack of plates.  It's low fat (some) and gluten free and once you have tried to make one, you will just keep making more.

I had the prawns and cheese sushi in Hong Kong and I tried to recreate it here.  I brought the sushi mould from the Japanese bargain store in Brisbane. The moulded cheese sushi is great for making bento.  My kids love to have sushi to pack for their lunch for school as they are sick of having bread sometimes.

Prawn & Cheese Sushi


cooked butterfly prawns
cooked sushi rice
salt
sugar
rice vinegar
processed cheese
sweet chilli sauce
seasoned flying fish roes
wasabi (optional)

Method:
Mix 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar into 1/3 cup vinegar, warm in the microwave for 30s, season with the rice and leave cool a little.  Wet your hands so the rice won't stick to your hand. Shape rice into 4cmx2cm  rectangular shape, dab a little wasabi onto the top if you like.  Then top with a piece of prawn and half piece of cheese.  Use a blow torch to brown the surface.  Then spoon in some fish roes and pour in some chilli sauce.

Kids Cheese Sushi


cooked sushi rice
salt
vinegar
dried sushi seaweed
processed cheese
tomato skin

Method:
Seasoned rice as above. Shape the sushi with the mould.  Use the other mould to make shape for the cheese.  Cut the shape for the bear's nose with cheese, shape for the eyes and ears, and love heart with seaweed and cut a tiny month with tomato skin for the bear's mouth. Serve with some salad and meat for the bento box.  You can replace ham for the cheese, too!

sushi mould

Kids Bento that my kids enjoy!

Double Deck Rounds

I made this rounds after Christmas last year by using the left-over from the Christmas feast.  My son doesn't like wholemeal bread but I can fool him with these rounds.  They are very simple and fast to put together which is great for entertainment without too much of a fuss.  I use tinned tuna and cheese for the fillings but there is no limits to your imagination with what you can put in!

Double Deck Rounds

wholemeal bread
butter
tinned tuna
mayonnaise
shallot, finely chopped
coconut and apricot cheese
tomato, cut in small wedges
Balsamic glaze, for plating

Method:

1. Place the bread into the toaster.  Use cookie mound to cut the bread into rounds.  Lightly butter the  rounds.
2. Add a little mayonnaise to the tuna and mix well.  Top it over a piece of round and then put another layer of round over it, then add more tuna over and garnish with some shallot.
3. Put a piece of cheese on the rounds and topped another piece of round. Topped with a wedge of tomato.
4. Squeeze some balsamic glaze over the plate in a desirable pattern, then arrange the rounds onto the plate.

  

Mini Cinnamon Donuts

When you have kids around home during holidays, you just have to keep supply them with food.  One day my son asks me to make him some pancake and I'm surprised as he often say no when I want to make it.  (That's the problem when he has a mum that cook a lot and being my guinea pig for taste testing, he eventually got sick of certain food) This time it's me that doesn't want to cook pancake, then he further request waffle and got me rejected again.  But I'm in the mood of making donuts!  My little donut maker has been neglected for so long that I decide to wake it up from its sleep and do some work for me!

I have been trying to add more fibre to our diet so I add in some wholemeal flour for the recipe.  I also add some colour sprinkles for a more festival looking.  The donuts taste the best when they are still warm and we eat so much that there isn't too much room left for lunch!

I'm going to celebrate Christmas this year with all my siblings.  As you get older, it is harder to gather with the whole family.  Christmas provides a very good reason to do so.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Mini Cinnamon Donuts
(make about 40)

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup whole-meal self-raising flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten

For coating:
caster sugar mixed with some ground cinnamon
melted butter or margarine
coloured sprinkles (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat donut maker.  Prepare cinnamon sugar and melt butter. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients together.  Then add the oil, eggs and milk, stir through mixture until well combine.  Add a little more milk if too thick.
3. Fill each donut hole with a tablespoon of batter then close the unit.  Bake until the donuts are browned or spongy when press with finger.
4. Remove donuts from the donut maker.  Dip each donut into butter then into cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with some coloured sprinkles if you wish.

Corn Chowder, Sun-dried Tomato & Cashews Dip

After having a few hot days, the weather has cooled down and my daughter asks me to make her some soup.  It is only about 20 celsius with a bit of rain and wind but she puts on her tracksuit and keep complaining how COLD it is!  After all these Christmas party food, we need something light like this to help cleansing our system. 

When I went to one of the Christmas party, one of the mum brought in some homemade dip. She had been very generous telling me what she put in.  So I went home and tried to be a copy cat.  She said the dip could also be a salad dressing by adding some lemon juice to it.

The post man knocks on our door and I receive two Christmas parcels the other day, not to mention the greeting cards I have received.  I have to get myself writing some Christmas cards, getting the shopping done, etc. as Christmas is not far away.  I have got a whole turkey and a leg of ham for our Christmas lunch.  I haven't cooked anything that BIG before, and they both need the oven.  I may have to get up early to get these done so they'll be ready on time.  Let's hope there is no kitchen disaster on Christmas Day as there is no take-away open!

Corn Chowder
(serve 4)

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 small new potatoes, peeled and chopped
kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn
peas (optional)
4 cups water
1 cup low-fat milk
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Pan fried onion with a little of oil in the saucepan.  Add the potatoes and carrot and continue to fry for a minute.  Add the water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the kernels and milk to the saucepan and continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked.  Transfer the soup to the food processor or blender and process until smooth. 
3. Return the soup to the saucepan, add some peas, season with salt and pepper.  If it's not thick and smooth enough, you can thicken it with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of water.

Sun-dried Tomato & Cashews Dip


1/2 cup salted cashews
1/2 capsicum, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
lemon juice
salt to taste
olive oil

Blend the cashews with capsicum, tomatoes and olive oil (I use the oil from the bottle of the tomatoes) until smooth, add in some lemon juice and salt.  Serve with crackers.

Thanks for visiting and supporting my blog. 

Wishing you a 


Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!

Mini Cream Horns & Palmiers with Honey Cream

cream horns with honey cream and nutella cream

What a start off for the summer holiday with rain!  It has been raining for a few days and the kids are feeling bored staying indoor (they may not be that bored if I haven't restricted them to use computer for only 2 hours a day!) So we head into the kitchen and look for things to make.  We have some frozen puff pastry and cream, and I have these cream horn moulds and some very large strawberries. The first batches of the cream horns and palmiers were gone in a flash as we were so hungry and they tasted so delicious.  My daughter made her palmiers with white chocolate and caster sugar from the recipe she learnt at school and I put in nutella with whipped cream for the cream horns for something different.

Mini Cream Horns

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

thicken cream, whipped

honey

nutella

strawberries

icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Cut pastry into 12 strips about 2cm wide.  Lightly grease the mould, then starting rolling the pastry onto the mould starting from the points of tins.  Place horns on baking tray lined with baking paper and brush them with egg.  Bake in hot oven till puff up then reduce to moderate until horns are lightly browned and crisp.  Pipe in honey cream or nutella cream, dust with icing sugar and garnish with strawberries.

For honey cream and nutella cream: add 1/2 teaspoon of honey to 1/3 cup whipped cream and add 1 heap tablespoon of nutella to 1/2 cup whipped cream.

Palmiers with Honey Cream

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

raw sugar

ground nutmeg

honey cream

Sprinkle sugar and nutmeg evenly over the pastry, loosely roll one side at a time into the middle until both sides meet.  Sprinkle extra sugar onto the bottom of the pastry as you roll up so that both sides are coated with sugar.  Roll the pastry over to form a log shape. Cut pastry into 5mm thick pieces.  Place the cut side up with a V-shape onto the baking tray lined with baking paper.  Bake at hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with honey cream.

white chocolate palmiers

My daughter made this for her art project. Couldn't stop hugging it!

Chicken and Leek Triangles

Chicken and leek is a good combination, you can make that into pie, soup, quiche or even stuffing.  I should use leek more often in my Asian cooking considering the nutrient it has.  I'm lucky to get the last leek from the supermarket as many people buy it to make soup for the cold weather.  (My guessing!)  This time I'm putting it into little triangles as finger food.


Chicken and Leek Triangles
(makes about 24)

300g chicken mince
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 bacon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic minced
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 sheets filo pastry
melted butter or vegetable oil for brushing

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan, cook the chicken until brown then add the leek, bacon and garlic.  Stir for a few minutes until the leek is soft.  Add the wine, cream and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese.  Let cool.
2. Lay the pastry onto the bench top, cut it into 4 strips lengthways.  Take 2 strips and cover the rest while folding the triangles.  
3. Brush the bottom strip with butter and cover it with another strip.  Place 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture at the end of the strip.  Fold the end diagonally over the fillings, then continue folding to the end of the strip to from a triangle.  Brush it with more butter.  Repeat the process for the rest of the pastry.
4. Bake the triangles in an 180c preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until browned.

Source: Adopted and modified from the cookbook "Homestyle Chicken" published by Murdoch Books.

Jumbo Chicken Wings

One interesting thing I discovered from my last trip to Hong Kong was that people liked the word "Jumbo."  When we walked pass the kiosk selling finger food in Hong Kong Disneyland, my nephew asked us to stop for a snack of jumbo chicken wings and jumbo sausage.  One day we went to the fast food outlets for afternoon tea after a long day shopping, many people ordered jumbo chicken wings with drinks for afternoon tea.  So having "Jumbo" food became a part of our trip in Hong Kong.    

Jumbo Chicken Wings


Ingredients:
6 large chicken wings
3 tablespoon Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
1 teaspoon garlic mince
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper

6 bamboo skewers

Method:

1. Wash the chicken wings and trim off excess fat.  Poke the skewer through the chicken starting from the winglet part. Arrange the chicken onto a plate and marinate with the ingredients listed above.  Keep fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. Pre-heat the oven at 180c, place the chicken wings onto a grease lined baking tray.  Bake it for about 45 minutes or until cooked.  Turn the chicken wings over 2 or 3 times in between cooking.  Pour the thickened juice at the pan over the chicken.  Serve it with chips and salad.

Lavash Bread Crisps with Dips

Kids school has a new tuckshop.  It emphasis on healthy and nutritious food that nearly everything is made at the premies.  It has weekly special introducing international food such as sushi, noodles, burritos and pasta to the kids.  They have a taste testing session before it is officially opened and my kids love nearly everything it demonstrates.  Lavash bread crisps with dips is one of the meal I'm interested in as it is a great alternative to potato or corn chips.  This healthy snack is so easy to prepare for the growing kids.  You can spray the bread with oil, add some herbs, spice and cheese before baking to enhance the flavour.

Lavash Bread Crisps with Dips

2 sheets of Lavash Bread Wraps

Avocado Dips and Salsa:
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon sour cream
lemon juice
pepper
tomato salsa (store bought)
cheese

 Methods:

1. Cut the lavash bread into triangular shapes and place them onto a paper-lined baking tray.  Bake at the 180c pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crisps are crunchy and lightly brown.  Let cool.
2. Mesh the avocado till fine then add the sour cream, pepper and lemon juice until it is well mixed.  Add some cheese over the salsa just before serving.
3. Arrange the plate with the crisps and dips and enjoy the healthy snack!

                                          This one is baked with cheese

Rice Bubbles - Fruit & Nuts Muesli Bars

I have a box of Rice Bubbles cereal rejected by my kids as they are going back to the good old Weetbix for breakfast.  The kids like the store bought snack bars and I find two recipes making them using Rice Bubbles.  One is this muesli bars and the other is a nut crunch bars.  The good thing making your own snack bars is that you can control the sweetness and putting in your favourite ingredients.  Stay in tune for the nut crunch bars.

I find it a bit oily and still too sweet so I have reduced the amount of butter and sugar.
  
Fruit & Nuts Muesli Bars


Ingredients:
1 cup toasted muesli
3 cups Rice Bubbles
1/2 cups coconut
125g 100g butter
 1/4 cup 2 heap tablespoons honey
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup  2 heap tablespoons raw sugar
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds (I use a mix of black & white)
extra almond kernels

Method:

1. Line a 19cmx29cm lamington tin with baking paper.
2. Combine muesli, Rice Bubbles, coconut, extra almonds in bowl.
3. Combine butter, peanut butter, honey and sugar in a saucepan, stir constantly over heat without boiling until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 1-2 minute, stir occasionally to prevent burn.  
4. Stir the peanut butter caramel into the dry ingredients.  Press into prepared pan, sprinkle sesame seeds over the surface.  Leave it cool and cover it with gladwrap.  Press again until it is firm enough and refrigerate it before cutting.  

Note: The toasted muesli I use is combined with oats, dried fruit, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

This recipe is adopted and modified from the cookbook of "Cake & Slices" published by the Australian Women's Weekly.