Friday, January 18, 2008

Pineapple Tarts


When we talk about Chinese New Year goodies, this first thing that comes in mind is Pineapple Tarts. Incidentally, it's my hubby's favourite and my kids like it too. The thing is, I have never try it before. Okay, just the crust. Don't ask me why. I just didn't want to try it.

But since everyone at home love it so much, I got to try to do it. And the results? A success! And hubby said it's very good. He likes it that the crust is slightly cookie-like, not soft. Yes, I finally tried pineapple tart for the first time and it was nice lah.


Ingredients:
  • 250g Butter
  • 2 tablespoon Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Egg
  • 400g All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
  • 1 Egg Yolk (for brushing)
  • 600g Pineapple Paste

How to do it:
  1. Beat butter, sugar and salt till creamy.
  2. Add egg and vanilla essence.
  3. Mix evenly.
  4. Fold in the flour and mix into a dough.
  5. Roll dough between 2 pieces of baking paper till about 0.7cm thickness.
  6. Refridgerate for 30 minutes.
  7. Use cookie cutter or tart mould (those with an additional circle press) to cut out the shape.
  8. Brush with egg yolk.
  9. Baked in tray lined with baking paper for 10 minutes in preheated oven at 180C.
  10. Remove tart from oven and add pineapple paste rolled in ball to the middle of tart.
  11. Return to oven to bake for a further 8 minutes.
  12. Cool on wire rack before storing.

Note:
My tart dough and pineapple paste weigh 9g and 7g each respectively.

  • Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

Watch out for my next post on Pineapple Cocoon (above) and Pineapple Paste.
17 comments:

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Snapper with Orange and Tomato Sauce


My daughter doesn't take fruits, not even fruit juice. Sometimes, if she is kind to me, she would take a tiny bite to try but most of the time, she simply says "No."

I still try to get her to take fruits but I'm not worry at all because she is just like my son when he was her age. Now, he eat fruits everyday and and tell me what fruits he would like to have.


I was pleasantly surprised that she loved this fish dish. She usually eats very little during dinner if it's not her favourite Chicken Porridge. This time she finished the whole piece of fish! It's fish and there was taste of orange. Huh? Surprise! Surprise! Kids. And people thought it's difficult to understand than women. Haha ....



Ingredients:
  • 1 Snapper fillet, cut half
  • 1/2 small Onion (not shallot but yellow onion), minced
  • 1 glove Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • A dash of salt and pepper

Marinade:
  • 5 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • Rind of 1 Orange
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1 glove Garlic, crushed not minced

Sauce:
  • 40ml White Wine
  • Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeds removed and diced
  • Rind of 1/2 Orange
  • Sugar to taste, adjusted according to the sweetness of orange juice
  • 1 Orange, skin removed and cut into chunks

How to do it:
  1. Save 2 tablespoon of marinade oil of frying later.
  2. Marinate fish in marinade oil for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from marinade and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat pan with marinade oil saved earlier.
  5. Pan fry fish on both sides till browned and cooked.
  6. Remove and set aside.
  7. Heat oil in new pan.
  8. Add onion and garlic.
  9. Stir fry till onions are soft.
  10. Add white wine.
  11. Let it simmer till it is reduced to half.
  12. Add orange juice, rind and tomatoes.
  13. Cook for 1 minute or till sauce thickens.
  14. Add sugar to taste.
  15. Add orange chunks and cook for another 10 seconds.
  16. Pour sauce over fish.
  17. Serve immediately.

  • Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

11 comments:

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Tofu Cubes with Fermented Bean Curd
豆腐块拌腐乳调味汁


I'm a Teochew and I ate Teochew porridge a lot when I was young. In fact, everytime when it's my father's offday, he will cook porridge with a few side dishes like this, this or this. His offday would mean bean sprouts plucking day for me too. Because I have to pluck a big bag of bean sprouts! We won't miss the Salted eggs and Fermented Bean Curd on the table too when we have porridge.

The other day I was hungry and since there was a leftover bowl of my daughter's porridge and a piece of tau kwa (firm tofu) in the fridge which I decided not to use for dinner, I did this and that settled my supper. So Teochew. My late grandfather would have loved this.



Ingredients:
  • 1 piece Tau Kwa (firm tofu), drained and cut into cubes
  • Oil of frying

Seasonings to be mixed together:
  • 1 piece Fermented Bean Curd
  • 1/2 tablespoon Sauce from fermented bean curd
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
  • 20ml Water

How to do it:
  1. Deep fried Tau Kwa till golden brown.
  2. Drain and transferred to a wok.
  3. Add in the seasonings.
  4. Stir fry well till the cubes are well coated.
  5. Continue stir frying till the sauce is almost dried.
  6. Dish and serve with hot plain porridge.

  • Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

* Sichuan Fermented Bean Curd with Chilli and Sesame Seed Oil *
8 comments:

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Marmite Prawns


I think being a picker eater might be inheritance because I remembered my father bought many bottles of Bovril and it was like I only ate plain porridge with Bovril - two bowls of it each time. Hmm ... or was it because my mother doesn't cook? Maybe it was both.

My father once told me, he was glad he found Bovril as my appetite increased after adding Bovril in my meals. During that time Bovril contains beef and my father found it nutritious enough of a young kid *me!* who hardly eats. Well, at least it's better than eating plain porridge. He was the person who suggested using it when I told him about the feeding problem with my son when he was a toddler.

The Bovril in Singapore doesn't contains beef now due to the Mad-Cow disease many year ago. I know the ones in UK is back with its original containing beef. I do wish Singapore would import that too. I miss it.

I found out about Marmite during my teen years, the alternative choice if you are a vegetarian or can't take beef. It took me a while to get used to the taste. My son, however like it very much. My daughter hates both. *laughs* So no easy way out for me.

Other than adding Marmite or Bovril to your porridge or making it as a hot drink, you can actually cook using it. If you like Marmite or Bovril, you will like the dishes you cook it with and it easy too because since it rather flavourful, you don't need much seasoning.

For this dish, I'm using Marmite instead Bovril. If you like Marmite and have not tried cooking with it, why not give it a try?


Ingredients:
  • 10 Medium Prawns, slit the back and devien
  • Corn Flour for dusting
  • Oil for frying
Seasonings:
  • 50ml Water
  • 4 pieces Rock Sugar (those in regular rectangular shape)
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 2/3 tablespoon Marmite
How to do it:
  1. Lightly dust prawns with cornflour.
  2. Deep fry prawns in hot oil till they turn red.
  3. Remove and drain prawns.
  4. Add prawns in a wok.
  5. Add in the seasonings.
  6. Stir fry in low till the sauce is thickened and almost dried up.
  7. Dish and serve.

  • Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.


14 comments:

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

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2 comments: