Leek Mushroom and Chicken Mini Pie

Harlo everyone, It is August, winter is ending soon. What can be compared with a pie dish during the cold winter? Especially these little cutties can storm up any winter dishes. Leek, mushroom and chicken, a perfect combination to me. With a star-shaped crispy pastry on the top, I bet you can have five in a time when they just come from the oven. With the secret Edem cheese in the middle of the pie, it is like a sunshine in the wet winter shining in this mini pie.

Leek mushroom and chicken mini pie (make 18)

Ingredient:
250g chicken mince
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp corn flour
25g butter
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium leek, thinly sliced
200g button mushroom, diced
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup hot water
½ cup dried white wine/ verjuice
4 strings fresh thyme
18 cubes edem cheese (about 1cm x 1cm x 1cm cube)
4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp of milk

Method:

1. Marinate chicken mince with salt, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce and corn flour for at least 10 minutes;


2. Brown chicken on a hot pan with enough olive oil, set aside and cool;


3. Melt butter on a big fry pan. Cook carrot for 2-3 minutes then stir in leek for 1 minute or until soft. Add in mushroom and stir until mushroom is brown all through;


4. Stir in plain flour for 1 minute and well mix;


5. Add chicken back into the pan and add chicken stock and oregano, stir until well mix;


6. Add in hot water (until just cover the chicken – maybe need more hot water or less than 1 cup depending on the size of the pan);


7. Add in dried wine or verjuice and stir the mixture until well combine (try to scrap the bottom of the pan to get all the goody);


8. Put in thyme and season with salt and pepper. Simmer with lid for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture is thickened;


9. Turn off heat and cool;


10. Preheat oven to 200oC;


11. Greased 2 12-holemuffin trays. Using a 7.5cm round cookies cutter to cut 18 round pastry from 2 sheets puff pastry and a star-shaped cookies cutter to cut 18 star pastry from another 2 sheets puff pastry ( you now got 18 round and 18 star–shaped pastry);


12. Gently press the round pastry into the muffin tray to form a small casing;


13. Remove the thyme from the pie filling and spoon about 1½ tablespoon of filing into the pastry case to about ¾ full. Repeat until all case is filled;


14. Put one cube of cheese in the middle of the pie and gently press into the filing;


15. Brush the edge of the pie with beaten egg, then top the pie with the star-shaped pastry and brush the star-pastry with beaten egg;


16. Bake in a preheated oven at 200oC for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown;


17. Set aside and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

It seem like a complexdish to make, however, it is not. I think itwill take about 50 minutes including the baking time. Better be fast to cook this before the winter end. It is definitely a recommended dish for Xmas due to the little star on the top. Hope you will like it. See you soon.

Chocolate Flat Cake

Hi guys, first of all, i really want to apologise for disappearing for such a long time (~3 months). Had been busy researching and working on my brother's wedding cake. Sometime, i only turn on my laptop during weekend if i am not working on weekend.

Today the recipe i am going to share is actually a fail recipe when i first created it. I wanted to make a chocolate cake but it came out the cake was quite dry. I changed the recipe into a cookies/biscuit recipe, and i baked the batter like baking cookies. The texture of it was actually very nice - crunchy outside and chewy inside. Therefore, i named it "flat cake" - cake texture in the middle but it is flat.

Chocolate Flat Cake

Ingredient:
1 cup plain flour + ½ cup wholemeal flour, sifted
½ tbs baking powder
½ cup brown sugar
60g butter, melted
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1tbs vanilla essence
½ cup of each dark and milk chocolate chip/button

For decoration
Melted white chocolate
Speckles

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180oC and line 2 baking tray with greased baking paper
2. Combined flours and baking powder in a bowl. In a separately bowl, whisk sugar, melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla essence until combined
3. Melt the dark and milk chocolate by double boiling method
4. Make a well in dry ingredient and mix in the wet ingredient until well-combined (don’t over mix it). Add in melted chocolate and stir until combined
5. Scoop a spoonful of batter on baking paper (to make around 16). Flatten the batter a bit by using a back of spoon.
6. Bake for 15 mins until cook. Decorate while the cake is still hot so the chocolate or speckle can stick on the cake. Cool the cake for 10 mins before serving
7. The cake is best serve on the same day it has prepared while the outside is crunchy and inside is chewy

It is a very easy recipe and trust me, you wont stop eating after having the first one. Hahaha.....it is so good to go with a hot coffee. Hope you will enjoy it.

I will try to update at least one recipe per month. Until then, hope all of you happy and healthy. See ya.

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Bun

Made these during the last easter, they came out very good; they can considered as the best bun i ever made. I know it may be too late to share it now since the easter has gone. However, who says we cant eat hot cross bun even it is not easter? Sure we can make hot cross bun everyday, hahahaha.......

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Bun

Ingredient:
4 cups plain flour, sifted
2 package dry yeast (2x7g)
¼ cup caster sugar
1 ½ tsp mixed spice
Pinch of salt
40g butter
300ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup chopped dark chocolate
½ cup milk chocolate chip
Flour paste
½ cup flour, sifted
4-5 tbs water

Method:

1. Combine sifted flour, yeast, sugar, spice and salt (dry mixture)


2. Melt butter in a small saucepan, add milk and turn heat to medium for 1 minute until the milk mixture is lukewarm


3. Add the warm milk mixture and eggs into dry mixture


4. Using a flat knife to mix the mixture then use greased hands to form a soft dough


5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic


6. Put the dough into a greased mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel for 1-1.5 hours or until the dough is risen double its size


7. Knock down dough (punch fist once into centre and hit the dough on working surface) for 1 minute until soft


8. Roll the dough into long shape and cut into 12 portions


9. Flatten each portion into 5mm thick and sprinkle with some milk and dark chocolate pieces, enclose the small dough and twist the dough so some chocolate pieces are outside the surface, finally shape the small dough into a ball


10. Repeat for the remaining small dough and put on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) with 1cm apart, cover the buns with damp towel for 30 minutes or until they are double their size


11. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190oC and prepare the flour paste


12. Brush bun with egg wash (1 egg + 1tbsp milk) and using the flour paste to form a cross on the buns, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden


13. Rest 5 minutes and serve best while hot or microwave for 15s on high if they are cold

Flour paste:
1. Mix flour with water until a smooth paste, more water is needed if the paste is too thick
2. Put into a zip-lock bag, cut off one of the angle so it is easily to squeeze the paste to form a cross on the bun.

Roasted Gingery Salt Chicken

Hello everyone, I am back. Had been busy with work and seldom to create new dishes. Today I am going to share an Asian's recipe, where it is from a recipe book i got from my best friend who is now in Paris. Thank you very much, Cello !!

It is a simple and delicious dish. It reminds me the Hainanese Chicken i ate in Malaysia. The crispiness of the skin and the taste of the ginger just combine well with steam rice and any other side dishes. Here come the recipe:

Roasted Gingery Salt Chicken

Ingredients:

2 chicken whole legs

Marinating:

3 tbsp fresh ginger juice (squeeze from grated ginger)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Method:

1. Cut a slit on the chicken whole legs. Put the chicken in a shallow bowl and mix well with the marinate. Marinate the chicken at least two hours or overnight in the fridge.


2. Roast chicken whole legs with the marinate sauce in a preheated oven at 200oC for 30-45 minutes until golden brown and well cooked.


3. Remove and cut into pieces. Serves with the warm marinate sauce.

Is it very simple? It is very cheap too. I ate this with steam rice and a crunchy warm vege salad. I made the salad by mixing red cabbage, carrot and brocolli; then slighly stir-fried them till they are warm but still crunchy.

Hope you will like it. I will try to keep updating the recipes from the photos in Facebook. Before that, hope u have a nice day and enjoy.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Cake with Coconut Lemon Icing

Hi, it has been a while since my last post. Had been busy to settle some personal stuff, however, i will never forget to create someting new to you guys. The recipe i am going to share is a cake i m pretty proud of. I made this cake for my colleagues and they love it. One of my colleagues even tried to make it and her son love it. She doesn't like pumpkin but she love this cake. Her son doesn't like cake but he love this cake.

If your kids or you are having problem to take vege, maybe this is a good option for you to eat some vege. It is a simple cake to make. You only need to use and wash one mixing bowl, then when it is baking, you are free to do other houseworks. Alright, let start the recipe:

Pumpkin White Chocolate Cake with Coconut Lemon Icing

Ingredient:
250g butternut pumpkin, seeded, peeled and chopped into small cube
150g salt reduced butter (plus extra to grease)
½ cup raw sugar
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup coconut milk
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chip

For Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 lemon zest
½ lemon, juice
2 tsp coconut milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180oC.
2. Put chopped pumpkin in a deep ceramic bowl and fill with water to cover the pumpkin, put into microwave on HIGH for 5-8 minutes until pumpkin is tender, drain and mash the pumpkin until no chunk. Leave it to rest and cool. (Be careful that the bowl and the water will be very hot, put the bowl under cold water before drain it)
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan until liquid then remove from heat. Use some butter to grease and line the base and grease the side of a 25cm round cake tin.
4. In the remaining melted butter, mix it sugars, eggs, and vanilla essence. Beat with a whisk until all ingredients are well mixed.
5. Stir in coconut milk and mashed pumpkin. Sift and add the flours and baking powder, then mix thoroughly (don’t over mix it).
6. Stir in white chocolate chip.
7. Pour the mixture into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, then cover with aluminium foil and bake for another 30 minutes until a metal knife inserts into centre come out clean.
8. Cool in pan for 5 minute, and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

To make Icing:

1. Sift icing sugar in a mixing bowl, and then stir in zest.
2. Add the lemon juice and coconut milk, and then stir until a good consistency.
3. Spread the icing mixture onto the cooled cake and wait till it set.

Ok now the cake is ready, cut it a wedge-size and serve it with a cup of hot tea/coffee. Want a enjoyable day !!!

Hope you guys will like it. See you soon.

Xmas dessert: Chocolate Pudding and Cranberries White Chocolate Slice served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Mango Puree

Ho Ho Ho.....Christmas is coming. I think i should create a dish for this festive season. Last Saturday, I had an early Xmas celebration with my mates and i made this dessert. That was my first time to prepare a proper dessert. Luckily, it came out well especially the slice, it looked gorgeous and tasted well. The chocolate pudding is moist and just nice to go with the slice. The most dissappointing part was the weather was too hot, the ice cream couldn't come out a total eclipse shaped and was melt very quick. Anyway, my mates enjoyed the dessert, of cos i am so happy with my dessert. That is really my honour to prepare something nice to my friends and seeing them enjoy it, Yeah. Hope you will like it too. You can prepare any individual component from this dessert. I will highly recommend the slice, heheheh.......

For Cranberries White Chocolate Slice
Ingredients:
100g butter, cubed
15 Marie biscuit
150g white chocolate, break into pieces
2/3 cup (200ml) condensed milk
100g cranberries

Method:

1. Greased and line a 21x13x4.5cm baking dish with baking paper.
2. Break the biscuit into small sized like 10 cent coin, then add cranberries and toss with the biscuit, set aside.
3. Combined chocolate and butter in a separate bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water, leave on the water for 1 minutes then remove from the water. Melt the chocolate and butter until well mixed.
4. Slowly pour in condensed milk while stirring the chocolate mixture, until a slightly sticky mixture and constant consistency.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuit, and well mix until all biscuit are coated with chocolate.
6. Spoon the mixture into baking dish, then cover with plastic wrap and press the mixture to make sure no gap and the chocolate is well distributed.
7. Store the mixture in fridge at least 2 hours until set.
8. Using the baking paper to pull out the slice and cut it into 12 pieces.

For Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients:
180g butter, cubed
180g dark chocolate
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour, sifted
Icing sugar to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220oC, greased 6 ramakin with melted butter.
2. Melt butter and chocolate over simmering water.
3. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, eggs, egg yolks with electric mixer until pale and thick.
4. Fold in chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture, until well combined.
5. Divide the mixture into 6 ramakin and bake for 15-20 minutes and the middle of the pudding is still soft.
6. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
   

For Mangoes Puree
Ingredients:
1 mango, sliced into pieces
¼ cup caster sugar

Method:

1. Puree the mango in a blender.
2. Heat the mango puree in a saucepan and add in sugar, until sugar dissolved. Set aside.
   
   
   Final Step: Plate up the dessert with one pudding, one chocolate slice, one scope of ice cream and pour the mango puree over the ice cream and slice.

Here, I wish you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year !!!

Orange Pandan Pancake

I like to make pancake for breakfast as they are easy to make and they always can satisfy my craving and hunger. For your information, Pandan is a more Asian's ingredient while pancake is a more western thingy. As I love both, i blend both of them into my over-supplied oranges. Hope you will like the combination of the Asian and Western.

Orange Pandan Pancake (to make 8 pancakes)

Ingredient:
1 cup sifted wholemeal flour
½ cup raw sugar
1 tbs sifted baking powder
1 orange (finely zest)
1 cup milk
1 egg
½ tbs pandan essence

Method:

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and orange zest.


2. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, egg and essence until combined.


3. Slowly pour the wet mixture into dry mixture, stir well until a smooth batter.


4. Cover batter with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.


5. Heat 1 ts olive oil on frying pan on medium heat, then remove the pan from the heat and pour around ¼ cup batter and shake the pan to spread out the batter and return the pan to the heat.


6. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles burst on the surface and edges are set.


7. Turn and cook other side for 30 – 60s or until golden brown.


8. Cover the cooked pancake with aluminium foil to keep warm.


9. Repeat from Step 5 for the remaining batter to make 8 pancakes.


10. Serve with golden syrup or to make orange sauce using the juice from the orange by mixing the juice with ¼ cup sugar and boil until slightly thickened.