SCALLION PANCAKE

This food reminds me of those old days when I was studied in Nanjing, China. Along the way from my apartment to the university, there were plenty of food shops, also stalls. So, while I'm walking to my university, for sure I'll stop by at one of those shops. And, there were one little shop which was selling this scallion pancake (there is a mandarin name for this dish, but unfortunately I forgot already! Oh my oh my, my mandarin is getting worse now!), and I loved to buy this scallion pancake for my breakfast. This dish is really simple yet tasty. especially if we eat it while its hot still.



Then one day, I found scallion pancake from a disney magazine!! Woghhhh.....a traditional chinese breakfast recipe was published at a western magazine!?!? That's cool :). Also, all of us know that disney magazine is a kids' magazine. Oh my oh my, the recipe must be an easy one.

To make the story short, I make it for our breakfast. The funny thing was my husband. When I asked him does he want scallion pancake for breakfast? Right away he refused it. Until one day, I made it and told him that is chinese style pancakes. Guess what? He ate it, and he liked it!! Hahahahah......at last, I told him that is scallion pancake.

So, this dish became another fave breakfast for us.......yummmm.....



Scallion Pancake

Ingredients:
For Pancake:
3 cups flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup water, plus more for mixing
1 bunch scallions (Belzy -- I add more scallions)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps vegetable oil

For Dipping Sauce: (whisk all ingredients together)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Directions:
1. In large bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then form the mixture into a mound. Make a well in the center and add the water, first filling the well, then pouring what remains around the sides of the bowl. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients into a soft, raggedy dough. If it doesn't pull together after about a minute of stirring, add water, one tbsp at a time (up to 4 tbsps), to help the dough take shape.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Working with floured hands, knead the dough until it's smooth and apringy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Shape it back into a ball and set it aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. While the dough rests, prepare the scallions, then set aside.

4. Roll the dough into a log. Halve it crosswise, then cut each half into three pieces. Place five of the portions in a large bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

5. Dust your hands and work surface with flour. Roll the sixth dough portion into a fairly round (1/4-inch-thick pancake). Spoon 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil onto the dough and spread it evenly over the pancake. Scatter 2 generous tablespoons of chopped scallion on top, leaving a 1-inch border.

6. Roll the pancake into a log. Beginning at one end, wind the log into a spiral as if shaping a cinnamon roll, then tuck the loose end underneath. Use your palm to gently press the dough into a disk. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then roll it into a pancake 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

7. Warm a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, then coat the pan with 1-1/2 tsps of vegetable oil. Use a scallion slice to test the temperature of oil. If it sizzles at once, th eoil is ready for frying. If it doesn't, wait about 30 seconds and retest the oil with another scallion slice, repeating as necessary until the oil is hot.

8. Carefully lay the pancake in the skillet and fry it until its edges puff up and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake, drizzle another 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges of the pan, and continue frying until the second side is golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancake to a serving plate. Repeat the steps 5 through 8 for the remaining dough. Serve it hot or warm with dipping sauce.

KELEPON

Most of Indonesian knows kelepon. Kelepon is an Indonesian traditional dessert which is made of glutinous flour and rice flour with palm sugar's filling. The best is when you eat it while it's hot. But, be careful when you bite it, the melted palm sugar will splash out, and this is the unique of this dessert :).

In Indonesia, there are plenty of 'abang gerobak' who sell kelepon, mostly they will sell it with 'kue putu' which has same filling but different texture.
Let me share the recipe with you....

Kelepon
Source: Fatmah Bahalwan

Ingredients:
250 gr glutinous flour
50 gr rice flour
100 ml pandan juice (Belzy -- I used the combination of 1 tsp pandan paste and 100 ml water)
2 tsp lime stone water
100 gr Indonesian palm sugar (Belzy -- palm sugar powder is ok)
1 package of frozen grated coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1 litre of water

Directions:
In a big bowl, combine glutinous flour and rice flour, whisk it until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
In a plate, mix grated coconut and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix pandan juice and lime stone water.
Pour the pandan juice mixture into flour mixture, whisk and knead it until no longer sticky.
Take a little dough (enough to make a small ball), fill it with palm sugar, and form it into a ball. Repeat it until no more dough left.
Boil kelepon in boiling water over high heat. Boil it until the kelepon floats. Drain it from the water, and coat it with salty grated coconut. Ready to serve.

Note: steam the grated coconut for 15 minutes before coating to avoid spoiling.

QUICHE LORRAINE

I bought a very cheap quiche pan set. With only 15 bucks (the original price is $30) I got 3 sizes of quiche pan. So, I'm so excited to make quiche, and this was my very first time making and tasting quiche. I never know what quiche is before, and even I don't know how it tasted like.
So, I found this recipe from my fave chef, Emeril Lagasse. My husband said, "It's like eating omelet in pie crust". Myself, I don't really like it, maybe because I am not a fan of omelet The taste is good tho. The best was put lots of bacons for the filling!

Quiche Lorraine
Source: Emeril Lagasse

Yield: 9 inch quiche pan

Ingredients
Flaky Butter Crust, recipe follows
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (or “lardons”)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss (Belzy - I used cheddar cheese)

Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.

Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.



Flaky Butter Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse quickly 5 or 6 times, or until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a medium bowl, and mix with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, being careful not to overmix. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface according to the recipe, fit it into the pan, and allow to rest again in the refrigerator before baking.

ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE IN PINKY SWEET FONDANT FOR OUR 1st ANNIVERSARY

In secret, God has wrought within
Two hearts His loving grace,
Preparing them someday to meet
In His appointed place,

That as they meet, both hearts might know and fully understand
This union was divinely placed
Within His Perfect Plan.

Note: Cake & Fondant Recipes : Wilton

APPLE LATTICE PIE

I remember the first time I tried apple pie was when I went to McDonald Singapore, and at that time McDonald haven't open any franchise in Indonesia yet. So, when McDonald opened the first franchise in Jakarta more than 15 years ago, my dad bought a lot of burgers, sundae ice cream, french fries and apple pies. My first impression of apple pie was .... yuck! with the cinnamon-soggy apple filling. But then, after I ate it more, I found it tasted good!

Now, I like the smell of cinnamon baked with soggy apples. Especially, since I lived here where most of the cakes and desserts are using cinnamon.

I used Paula Deen's recipe for the filling and Simple Recipe for the pie crust. Those recipes' combination made a perfect apple pie :).

PS: I like the part of braiding the pie crust (aka lattice style) the most ;).

Apple Lattice Pie

Ingredients:
For Filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
7 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced

For Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Directions:

Filling:
Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of 1 lemon and toss Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.

Pie Crust:
1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl; toss it with a pastry cutter. Add butter and toss it again, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and toss again.

2. Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

3. Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

4. Add filling to the pie.

5. Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Cut the dough into 1 inch wide. Gently braid every dough's pieces to the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

Finishing:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake pie for 45 minutes. Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

CLAM CHOWDER IN ITALIAN BREAD BOWL

Clam chowder became our new favorite. So, we always order clam chowder as our appetizer when we ate outside :). And, as usual, my hubby ask me to make homemade clam chowder.
Then, here we are....clam chowder in italian bread bowl from Seattle Times. My hubby like it so much ;).
Let me share this delicate recipe with you ....

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
2 (6-1/2 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced potatoes
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
4 cups half-and-half, warmed
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, drain the juice from the clams; set the clams aside.
Combine clam juice with the onions, celery and potatoes.
Add enough water to barely cover and simmer, covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
Add flour and stir in to the butter.
Slowly whisk in the warm half-and-half.
Cook and whisk until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.
If you want a thinner chowder, add ½ to ¾ cup water or clam broth.
Add the vegetables with their cooking liquid, clams, salt, pepper and sugar to the pan.
Stir well and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Italian Bread Bowl
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Directions
1.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3.When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4.Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
5.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6.Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7.To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

TIRAMISU

Who doesn't like tiramisu? I guess, 99% people in this world love tiramisu, am I right?

For me, tiramisu is the most delicious cake ever. Since the first time I tasted it, I did fall in love with it already. Unfortunately, because this cake a bit pricey so I can't buy it everyday *geez, it is fattening too*.

But now, I found this easy-delicate recipe, so anytime I want to crave tiramisu, then I just make it by myself :).

Tiramisu

Ingredients:
200g lady fingers (Belzy - I used homemade lady fingers, recipe follows)
500g mascarpone
2 eggs, separate the egg yolk and white in different bowl
500ml coffee
1/2 cup rum (try to use 1/4 cup kahlua...it tasted so much better)
3 to 4 tbsps rum
1/4 tsp salt
100ml whipped cream
Cocoa powder
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
A pinch of salt

Directions:
Mix salt and white egg in a mixer bowl. Beat it until creamy and soft peak.
In a saucepan, heat coffee and rum (or kahlua) over medium-high heat, set aside.
In mixer bowl, whisk mascarpone, egg yolk and sugar until creamy. Gradually, pour in rum. Whisk in heavy cream until thoroughly whisked. Add in egg white mixture, fold it slowly until the mixtures are well-combined (better use spatula or wooden spoon for egg white-egg yolk batter mixing)
Prepare lady fingers, dip it into coffee mixture (do not dip it too long time, because you won't make the biscuit too soft).
On an ovenproof glass baking pan, make 4 layers, starting with the biscuits - mascarpone mixture - biscuits - mascarpone mixture. Then, sprinkle it with cocoa powder.
Keep it in the refrigerator for minimum 6 hours before serving. Serve it cold. Enjoy!

Lady Fingers
Source: Joy of Baking

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen 3 inch (7.5 cm) Ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (65 grams) cake flour, sifted (Belzy -- I used AP Flour)
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons (36 grams) granulated white sugar
Powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar for dusting the tops of the cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line two baking sheets

with parchment paper. To make the piping of the cookies easier, use a pencil and ruler to divide the parchment paper into three - 3 inch (7.5 cm) rows, with about 1 inch (2.54 cm) between rows. Have ready a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) round tip.

In your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons (25 grams) white sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. (When you raise the beaters the batter should fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract. Sift the cake flour over the batter but do not fold in.

In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 3 tablespoons (36 grams) white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form and the whites are glossy. Fold the whites into the egg yolk and flour mixture in three additions, mixing only until incorporated.

Transfer the batter to the pastry bag and, holding the bag at about a 45 degree angle to the baking sheet, pipe the batter into 3 inch (7.5 cm) long ladyfingers, using the lines drawn on the parchment paper as your guide. Pipe the batter leaving about a 1 inch (2.54 cm) space between the cookies.

When you have piped all the cookies, place the powdered sugar in a wire strainer, and lightly sift the sugar over the tops of the cookies. Bake for

8 to 10 minutes or until the ladyfingers are firm but barely browned and are still spongy when pressed with a finger.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and slide the parchment paper from the baking sheets onto a wire rack. Let the ladyfingers cool for a few minutes and release them from the parchment paper, with a flat spatula, while they are still warm. If you left them completely cool before removing them from the parchment they stick and hard to remove without breaking. Finish cooling the ladyfingers on the wire rack before using or storing. If you are not using the ladyfingers right away, freeze them. Ladyfingers stale very quickly unless they are soaked in a liquid. To store, place in a plastic bag between layers of wax or parchment paper and freeze up to 2 weeks.