Biscotti

This recipe is from Jacques Torres's book - Dessert Circus.  According to Jacques Torres, biscotti is traditionally an italian cookie which is baked two times to produce a hard cookie that they like to dip in sweet wine.  He has adapted the recipe so these cookies are not quite so hard and also cut the baking time in half.  He used cold butter so he can roll and bake them right away.  These fragrant, flavorful cookes are great by themselves or dunked in coffee and since Jacques Torres is from Provence, he prefers to dip his in 'pastis'.  Me, having lived in Malaysia,  will have mine with 'Kopi-O'.



Ingredients:

3/4 cup/4 ozs/100 gm whole unblanched almonds
1/3 cup/1.6 ozs/50 gm whole pistachios
7 tbsp/3.5 ozs/100 gm Cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup/5.25 ozs/150 gm granulated sugar
2 cups/8.8 ozs/250 gm all purpose flour
1 tbsp/0.3 oz/8 gm Anise seeds
1 tsp/0.2 oz/6 gm baking powder
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs

For the egg wash

1 large egg white, beaten

Method:

Preheat the oven to 300 f(150 c). 

Spread the almonds and postachios evenly on a bking sheet and place in the oven,

Toast for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown.

You will be able to smell the n uts when they are ready.

A good test is to break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside.

Toasting the nuts brings out their natural flavor.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet on wire rack.
Place the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixere on medium speed until well combined, abvout 5 minutes, the mixture will hold together in a soft dough.

Add the colled toasted nuts and mix until they are evenly incorporated, about 1 minute.  If you are using hand-held mixer, you may want to knead in the nuts by hand to avoid buring out the motor of the mixeer.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place on a very lightly floured work surface.  If the dough is stickly and hard to work with, it is too soft.  To fix this. flatten it into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for  a minumum of 1 hour.(When the butter in the dough gets cold, the dough will stiffin).  Remove from the regrigerator and proceed.

Preheat the oven to 350 f(175c).

Divide the dough into three equal pieces.  Use the palms of your hands to roll each piece on the lightly floured work surface into a rope 1 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Each rope should be even and fit on your bking sheet lengthwise.  If the dough sticks to your hands or to the work surface as you are rolling it, dust it lightly with flour.

Roll firmly to remove any trapped air bubbles (At this stage, you can wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two weeks.  Bring it back to room temperature before baking.)

Place two of the piscotti ropes on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet.  You will only have room for two because they spread as they bake.  With a pastry brush, lightly brush each rope with the egg white; this will add shine to the4 baked biscotti.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Use a serrated knife to slice the biscotti on a diagonal into 1/2 inch thick cookies.  If you do this while the biscotti are still warm, they not crumble.  The biscotti will harden as they cool.  If they are still soft when you slice them, place the slices on a bking sheet and bake at 300f(150c) for another 10 - 15 minutes.  Repeat the baking and cooling procedure with the remaining biscotti rope.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for two or three weeks.

Variation: 

Dip the biscotti halfway on a diagonal into tempered bittersweet chocolate.  Wipe the excess chocolate from the tip and place the bniscotti on a sheet or parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set.

Serves

Yee Chai Paeng/Ear Biscuit

This is not the cow's or pig's ear, this is like the human's ear, or it is supposed to look like but somehow, these biscuits have their own idea of ears.  Not one will be similar when fried, some looked like tiny cups which we used to called them 'bras' when i was a little kid.  I have to get alexander to help in describing this biscuit, he looked at them and said that they looked like hats - cowboy hats. I told him to tell me more and he was not very co-operative, he said "they are hats and thats it!".  This biscuit must have been served way back before ovens were introduced to the Asians as they are deep fried - who can resist deep-fried ????? - they are so addictive!!!

Ingredients:

1/1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp fine granulated sugar
3 tbsp or more water
1 - 2 pieces shallots.

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Pound/grate peeled shallots and mix with 3 tbsp of water.  Pass through a sieve and squeeze as much juice from the shallots.  Discard the pulp.

Mix all other ingredients together and add in the water with the shallot's juice.  Keep adding water, 1 tbsp at a time until a soft and pliable dough is formed.  Knead dough until it is smooth.

Cut dough into 2 portions and roll one portion out into 4 inch x 7 inch rectangle.  Even and straighten edges the best you can.

Roll the dough up tightly, like you would a carpet, making a 4 inch log.  Wrap log loosely with plastic wrap and place it inside the cardboard roll(roll is from the center of toilet rolls).  Using a chinese rolling pin, pound biscuit to fit the cardboard roll and leave in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Repeat with the other portion of the dough.

After 30 minutes, remove dough and slice dough into even  thickness slices - i cut them very thin.

Heat oil for deep frying and when oil is 350f, lower the biscuits and deep fry until golden brown.

Remove and drain well.

Cool before serving or pack into airtight containers.
Serves

Kong So Paeng

This paeng must be very popular cos there were 2 requests for the recipe.  I can recall the name but somehow cannot remember how it should be.  When i was in San Fransisco, i asked for it in the bakeries, the ppl at the bakery replied that they have not heard of anyone asking for Kong So Paeng for the longest ever and looked at me  as though i was Rip Van Winkle, who slept for 100 years.  Now that i have made it, i know why this paeng did not stay in my memory,  it has no significant smell or taste..  I would like to thank Seadragon of Corner's Cafe who found this recipe for me.

Ingredients:

Dough Starter:

135g cake/superfine flour, sifted
45g pau flour, sifted
1 tsp instant yeast
A pinch of salt
100g water

The Main Ingredients:

300 gm self rising flour
100gm yeast dough starter
150gm white sugar
1 large egg
30 gm lard
3 tbsp evaporated milk

Preparation for dough starter::

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix and knead (by hand or by mixer) until dough is smooth and elastic.


Place dough in an oiled bowl and covered with cling film. Prove for 11/2-2 hour until dough is double in volume.

Reserve the required portion for this recipe and store the rest in an air tight container and freeze. Thaw to room temperature the next time you want to use the dough starter.

To make Kong So Paeng:

Mix the starter dough with sugar, lard, egg until well combined..  Add in the flour and mix until a dough forms.

Lightly knead dough and let dough rest for 30 minutes and longer if the room temperature is colder.

Preheat oven to 325f.

Divide dough into balls (size of your choice).  Flatten balls and put into lined baking tray which has been sprinkled with flour..

Let dough rest for another 15 minutes, sprinkle with flour and put into preheated oven to bake.

Bake for 10 - 12 minites, do not let paeng brown, the aim is to get white milky paeng.

Cool paeng and store in air-tight container.

Pandan Bangkit

This Kuih Bangkit Recipe is so versatile that by just changing the fragrance or shape, it transforms into a delectable cookie.  Pandan is always the most acceptable and well known fragrance amongst us asians and the green color is auspicious for the Chinese New Year.  In cantonese, moss is called 'chang choy'  - 'chang' is 'green'  and 'choy' is 'wealth'.  Yes, wealth and prosperity are the most welcome wishes for the Chinese New Year.

Ingredients:

and

Method:

The recipe is here
Change the essence to Pandan Paste

Serves

Hup Toh Sou/Walnut Crisp

These Hup Toh Soh is a cookie but this recipe results a very crisp and crunchy cookie, sort of like a Biscotti.  If you like crisp and crunchy, then give this recipe a try.  Strangely, this cookie is called Walnut Crisp/Cookie (hup Toh is cantonese for walnut) but there is no walnuts in the dough.  I top the crisp with a piece of walnut just to justify the name.  Could it be that the appearance of the baked crisp/cookie, with all the cracks, looked like a walnut????  

 In traditional Chinese medicine, walnuts are associated with the Lung, Large Intestine and Kidney meridians, and have sweet and warm properties. Its functions are to tonify the kidneys, nourish the blood, warm the lungs and moisten the intestines. Typically, walnuts are used to treat pain and weakness in the knees and back, aid in digestion, and relieve asthma. Recent evidence suggests walnuts may play a role in lowering blood cholesterol levels, thus reducing the incidence of some forms of heart disease. Science provides a slightly less mysterious explanation: walnuts have been found to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential nutrient for the human brain. Incidentally, dont you think that the walnut flesh looks like the brain ?

I believe that a sweet sticky chewy walnut/dates confection was eaten during ancient times in China , in the hope that family bonds will remain as strong as these sweet, sticky candies. How on earth did the ancient Chinese know that????  This recipe i will try to locate, in the meantime, enjoy eating these cookies..


Ingredients:

2 cups bleached all-purpose
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ammonia powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lard/shortening
1 large egg (beaten)
Walnut pieces
Egg yolk for glazing


Method:

Put the flour, baking soda, ammonia powder, sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix ingredints well.

Add in the lard/shortening and pulse until flour mixture becomes breadcrumb like.

Add in the beaten egg and pulse until a tiny piece of dough can be pressed together to form a dough.(mixture will look crumbly but can be pressed tiogether).

Using a 1 oz ice-cream scoop, scoop dough out and roll dough into balls.

Sprinkle some flour on to baking sheet and place balls on it. Flatten the ball slightly, press a hole in the middle with your thumb, glaze with egg yolk and top with a piece of walnut in the hole.

Bake in preheated oven 250 f for 10 minutes and then increase the oven temperature to 300 f and further bake for another 10 minutes.

Cool cookies on cake rack and when it is cooled, serve or pack into air-tight containers.

Serves

Tuiles Aux Amandes Effilees

In French, “tuile” means “tile,” and it is a reference to the shape of the classic tuile. A tuile is a type of very lightweight, dry, crisp cookie. These cookies come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and flavors, but every style tends to be delectable. Tuiles are also incredibly versatile, and they can be used for everything from ice cream garnishes to crusts for tiny, delicate tarts. Learning to make tuiles happens to be very easy and fun, and because these cookies are so versatile, you can play around with a tuile recipe a great deal.

Recipe is adapted from Pastry & Sweet Doughs - Pierre Herme - The Cook's Book

Ingredients:

Makes 40 small or 25 large

1 1/3 cups (125 g) sliced almonds
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp(125 g) sugar
2 drops of vanilla extract or 2 pinches of vanilla powder
Drop of almond extract(preferably bitter almond extract)
2 egg whites
2 tbsp(25 g) butter
2 1/2 tbsp(20 g) cake or pastry flour
Method:

Using a rubber spatula, mix the almonds, sugar, vanilla extract or powder, almond extract, and egg whites together in a bowl.

Melt the butter gently, and while it is still warm, pour it into the bowl.  Mix thoroughly.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, sift the flour into the bowl and mix in thoroughly. 

Place teaspoonfuls of the dough on a nonstick baking sheet, spaced well apart.

Preheat the oven to 300f(150c). 

Flatten each cookie with the back of a large spoon dipped in cold water, then bake for 15 - 18 minutes.  The cookies should be an even golden color with no white in the center.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheet using a metal spatula (i used a mason scraper) and slide into a sheet of parchment paper.  Let cool.

Serves

Sables Viennois

Sables are actually French Shortbread. Shortbreads are traditionally a Christmas cookie made with just four ingredients, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour. They are a rich cookie with a delicate buttery flavor but according to Pierre Herme, the addition of egg whites gives these sables an extremely light and melting texture. 

Ingredients:

Makes 50

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp(190 g) butter at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp(75 g) confectioners' sugar plus extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla powder or the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1 large egg white

1 3/4 cups(225 g) cake or pastry flour, sifted

Method:

Put the butter into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until creamy.  Add the sugar, salt. vanilla, and egg white.  Mix for 1 minute, then add the flour.  Mix on slow speed only just until the flour is fully incorporated with the other ingredients. This dough is fairly soft and cannot be made with your hands.  If you do not have an electric mixer, it is fine to mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.  Take care not to overmix the dough after adding the flour otherwise these sables will be not crunchy and delicate.

Preheat the oven to 350f(180 c).

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.  Pipe the dough in "W" shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving /4 inch(2 cm) space between each sable.

Bake until light golden, 12 - 15 minutes.

Remove the sables from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  When cold, dust with sifted confectioners' sugar. 

Serves

Coconut Cookies

Homemade cookies evoke feelings of caring and love and they spread joy.   Cookies are a pleasure to bake as they make the whole house smell great, and put smiles on the faces of people who are eating them.  There are so many cookie recipes and varieties of cookies as there are personalities in people.  Cookie can range anywhere from soft and chewy to crisp and crunchy.  Ideally, cookies should be served as soon as they come out of the oven so that guests can enjoy the baking aroma as well as the taste of the cookies.  Most cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature, but they will lose a little fresh flavor every day. For the Chinese New Year Celebration, cookies are prepared ahead cos of time constraints due to preparing too many varieties.  The chinese are very superstitious and white is a color associated with mourning and a little red will contra the ill effect, I topped these cookies with some red colored sugar, not that i am superstitious, but because i think the red sugar made the cookies more appealing. 

Ingredients:

100 g all-purpose flour
100 g butter
100 g fine granulated sugar
50 g dessicated coconut plus more for topping.
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
Colored sugar for topping(optional)

Method:

Add salt to the flour and mix well with a fork. 

Cream butter and sugar until they are thoroughly combined.  Do not cream until fluffy as you will beat a lot of air into the mixture and as the cookies bake, the air bubbles will expand, causing your cookies to rise, but as soon as they come out of the oven, they will fall flat.

Add in egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until well combined.

Fold in coconut and flour and mix only until everything is combined into a soft dough. Overmixing at this stage will encourage the development of the gluten in the flour and may result in tough cookies.

Rest the dough by chilling in refrigerator cos chilled dough keeps its shape better and bakes up higher.

Using a 1 oz ice-cream scoop, scoop dough on to baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

Top with more coconut and then colored sugar(if using).

Bake in preheated oven at 375f  for 12 - 15 minutes until light golden brown.  These cookies are small and will cook through quickly, so a high oven temperature will adequately brown the crusts before the insides dry out.  Watch the cookies carefully as the timer winds down.  As soon as the outsides are golden, pull them from the oven.  These cookies are at risk cos they are small, if left in the oven just a minute or two too long, they will burn and dry out.
Cool before storing into air-tight containers.

Serves

Pineapple Tarts 2010

I would like to share some of the pictures of the Pineapple Tarts i made today with new moulds which Julie of Biodiversity Herbs.com sent me and the heart shape one is very appropriate for this year 2010  cos Valentine's Day falls on the same date - 14th February.as the Chinese New Year.  The flower mould makes pretty tarts too but the pattern in the pineapple tart mould is not very deep, so i have to snip the pattern with a scissor.  With the mould, it is faster and the tarts are more uniform.

Recipe for the tarts can be found Here and There