Piggy's Cooking Journal

TWD: Madeleines

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:23:00 +0000

The recipe chosen for TWD is madeleines. This dainty little morsel is one of my favourite pastries and I certainly did not hesitate to try out this recipe from Baking from Julia. Génoise is used as base for the batter, easy to make but as the recipe calls for immediate baking, the madeleines did not have its signature humps. However, it turns out soft and fluffy, just the way I like it!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Katie's and Amy's blog!

Strawberry Gelato

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Strawberries were in season since January and I've been making quite a few desserts using this delightful fruit. But I'm sad that the season is now over and I have to wait for another year before I get to see strawberries in the market again. Two weeks ago, I lugged back a 2-kg pack of strawberries and I knew it was the last batch that I would get for the year as the fruits were not so fresh anymore. Anyway, I kept most of it in the freezer so that I can make cakes or desserts with it later and I used the remaining strawberries to make gelato.

Strawberry Gelato Recipe
Recipe adapted from Dolce Italiano

Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
1/2 pound sliced strawberries

Method:
1) Place the cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan, and place over medium heat.
2) Whisk egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of sugar well in a bowl.
3) Pour half of milk and cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisk quickly until well combined.
4) Scrape the mixture in Step (3) into the saucepan. Using a wooden spatula, stir the mixture constantly and make sure that it does not boil. The custard is ready when it thickens and coats the spatula. You can test it by running your finger across the back of the spatula coated with custard, it should leave a trail and does not flow back together.
5) Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Place a smaller bowl into the ice bath and have a strainer ready. Pour the custard through the strainer, stir constantly until it is cool. Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
6) After the gelato base is chilled, place the strawberries and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Pulse to achieve a chunky puree.
7) Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

TWD: Rustic Potato Loaves

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:57:00 +0000

The recipe chosen for TWD this week is rustic potato loaves. I wasn't keen to take part this week as I thought it is going to be a time-consuming recipe. But after reading through the recipe, it looks really simple and it does not require long proofing time too. I made half a batch and I also added some fresh rosemary in the dough. The crust is crunchy and crackly on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside. It's so yummy that I chomped down 1 quarter loaf as soon as the bread is out of the oven!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Dawn's blog!

TWD: Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:45:00 +0000

After going through the nightmare of rolling out croissant dough two weeks ago, I'm glad that mocha chocolate chip cookies is chosen for TWD this week! This is definitely a much easier recipe as compared to croissant, but not exactly a quick one as the dough needs to be chilled for a few hours. However, once the cookies are done baking, you'll be rewarded with a scrumptious treat!

Generously studded with chocolate chips (I used bittersweet and white chocolate) and chopped apricot, each mouthful is chock-full with chocolatey goodness! The addition of coffee further accentuates the chocolate flavour too. The only complaint I have is that, I can't stop eating these cookies and I have to keep them out of my reach by hiding the cookies jar high up in the cupboard!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Peggy's blog!

Mochi Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:59:00 +0000

My friend, E and I were chatting over Facebook yesterday morning and the topic of mochi bread came up in our conversation. She's been looking for the ultimate mochi bread recipe for a long time but to no avail. Since I can read Japanese, I tried to help by looking for the recipe from Japanese sites and I chanced upon this recipe in Cookpad. It looks easy and I have all the ingredients except tapioca flour. I was eager to give it a try, and so I left the conversation, made a trip to the market immediately and got myself a pack of tapioca flour. I made a batch of mochi bread as soon as I reach home. Well, this is not exactly the mochi bread that my friend is looking for, as it tastes more like baked mochi. These chewy balls taste good though and if you're looking for a quick and easy recipe to prepare for your afternoon snacks, give this recipe a try!

Mochi Bread Recipe
Recipe adapted from Cookpad

Ingredients:

40g vegetable oil
75g water
100g milk
90g castor sugar
180g tapioca flour
30g bread flour
1 egg, beaten
White sesame seeds & 1 beaten egg

Method:

1) In a medium pot, heat up oil, water and milk. When the mixture is about to boil, turn the heat to low.
2) Add sugar and flours. Using a wooden spatula, stir the mixture until well combined.
3) Gradually add the egg, little by little, mixing well after each addition.
4) Add sesame, continue to stir until the mixture is thickened. Turn off heat.
5) Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 190 deg C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
6) Using hands, form tablespooon-size balls. Lightly brush the top of the balls with egg wash, dip in sesame seeds and then place on the tray.
7) Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes.

**The mochi bread is best eaten when it's fresh out of the oven.

TWD: Croissants

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:17:00 +0000

There is certainly no lack of lengthy and complicated recipes to tackle in Baking with Julia, and croissant is one of them. I admit that I was intimidated by the length of the recipe and I had to read and re-read a few times to fully understand the recipe. The long recipe and the even longer preparation process (2 days!) resulted in a batch of buttery and flaky croissants. Even though my croissants are badly-shaped, but I'm extremely pleased with myself for completing one of the milestones of my baking journey!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Amanda's blog!

Chinese Blossom Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:00:00 +0000

I mentioned in my previous post that I was too busy to bake for Chinese New Year. But when I spotted these Chinese blossom cookies on Jane's blog, I knew that I just had to give the recipe a try despite my busy schedule. The cookies are not only dainty and pretty, the name in Chinese, 花開富貴 sounds auspicious too, they are perfect to serve as New Year snack! The cookies did not survive until CNY though, my hubby and I finished up the whole batch within 2 days!

If you want to give the recipe a try, please visit Jane's blog.

Cashew Nuts Sablé

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:02:00 +0000

To my readers who are celebrating Chinese new year, how's your new year preparation? I'll be going back to Singapore next week and so these few days, I've been running around buying CNY goodies as gifts to my family and friends. I won't be baking for CNY though because I still have to tidy up the house and attend lessons before I leave for Singapore. But if you are baking for CNY, here's a great recipe for you to try out!

Cashew Nuts Sablé Recipe
Recipe adapted from 焼き菓子の発想と技法

Ingredients:

80g icing sugar
125g unsalted butter
35g egg yolk
20g milk
90g cashew nuts, toasted, cooled and chopped into small pieces
195g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt

Method:

1) Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer), mix butter and sugar until smooth. '
2) Add yolk and milk, mix until combined, follow by cashew nuts.
3) Add flour into the mixture. Using a spatula, mix until just combined.
4) Turn the dough on a counter, knead a few times and then shape the dough into a square of 2cm thick. Wrap the dough with cling wrap Let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
5) On a lightly floured surface, knead and shape the dough again into a rectangle of 2.5cm thick. Cut the dough into strips of 4cm. Keep the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it is half-frozen.
6) Preheat the oven to 160 deg C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
7) Remove the dough from the freezer. Cut the strips into cookies of 7mm thickness.
8) Place the cookies on the tray. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the cookies are brown around the edges and golden on the bottom.

TWD: French Apple Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:48:00 +0000

It's TWD again and the recipe chosen for this week is French apple tart! This is another time-consuming recipe from the book, as you need to prepare three components for the tart - the flaky tart shell, apple compote and thinly sliced apples as topping. The apple compote is supposed to be baked in the oven until soft and then mash with a fork. But I had to take an extra step to blend it instead as the apples were still not soft enough after baking. After spreading the tart shell with apple compote and arranging the apple slices on top, I decided not to sprinkle sugar on it as I feel that the filling is already too sweet and it would suit my taste bud better without the extra sugar. It took me the whole morning to make the tart but it's so yummy that the effort was worth it.Would I make the tart again? Definitely!

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Gaye's blog!

TWD: Pizza with Onion Confit

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:50:00 +0000

The recipe chosen for TWD this week is pizza with onion confit. I made half a batch and I topped the pizza dough with onion confit (of course!), sausages, parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomato. The preparation process is quite time-consuming and so this is definitely not a recipe to go for if you are in a hurry. But if you have time to spare, give the recipe a try as the effort is worth it. This pizza is really delicious!

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Paul's blog!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:12:00 +0000

As I'm writing this, I still find it hard to believe that 2012 whizzed by so quickly! It has been an exciting and fun year for me and here's the highlights of 2012.

January - Went back to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with the family and met my baby nephew, C for the first time.
February - My hubby and I got ourselves a second dog.
April - My childhood friend came to Taiwan for holiday and I spent two weeks sight-seeing around the country with her.
May - My hubby went to Hiroshima, Japan for business trip and I tagged along.
June - Went back to Singapore again to attend my brother's wedding.
July - Went to Hokkaido, Japan with hubby, my brother and SIL for holiday (In case you're wondering, yes, it was my brother's honeymoon and I was thick-skinned enough to tag along).
August & September - Started watercolour painting lesson.
October - I played tour guide again when my mother-in-law and her sister came to Taiwan for 2 weeks.
November - One of my lifelong dreams is to travel solo at least once in my life. I'm glad that I finally had the courage to do so when I went to Kyoto, Japan on my own for 8 days!
December - Had a short getaway to Hong Kong with my hubby.

While I was busy travelling and attending Japanese language and art classes, my blog has taken a back seat and I haven't been updating as often as I would like. I've been cooking/baking and snapping pictures of my food regularly though. Here's a collection of food pictures that I did not manage to post in my blog.

1. Pan-fried fish with miso sauce | 2. Cheese & bacon buns | 3. Ispahan-inspired layered cake | 4. Orange cheesecake with chocolate Glaze | 5. Apple and walnut cake | 6. Sweet potato buns | 7. Linzer torte | 8. Mango tartlet | 9. Banana chocolate cupcakes with Swiss meringue buttercream | 10. Marble cake | 11. Banana chiffon cake | 12. Black sesame marble cake

To all my readers, thank you so much for your support and here's wishing you a happy and healthy 2013!

P.S. To the winners of Zinio subscription - Cavu, Della and Jasmine (Bake a Dough), please send a mail to me at grace_choo03(at)hotmail.com ASAP!

Giveaway from Zinio - Free Magazine Subscriptions and Holiday Promotions

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:47:00 +0000

I have been a regular reader of Zinio (their digital copies do actually look good on iPads!) and when they asked me to promote their holiday offers, of course I jumped at this opportunity!

For those of you who have not come across Zinio, they are one of the largest online newsstands and bookstores, with thousands of digital titles from around the world available for reading. Convenience at your fingertips - these magazines could be purchased and downloaded into your iPad, mobile phones, laptops or desktops. In addition, the Explore section lets you read thousands of articles from your favourite magazines (even without subscription!) and share them with friends.

Now, down to the offer from Zinio. They have 10 FREE full subscriptions to be given to my readers. I will be taking one and the rest of the 9 will be given away. So, the first 9 to leave comments stating their interest will get them.

On top of that, Zinio is offering 50% discount (up to Jan 07 2013) on their top 350 magazines, which happen to be popular titles on most newsstands. See for yourself on this link.

And for most of us who like cooking and baking, the 30% discount on the holiday issues of Better Homes and Gardens will surely tickle our interest - link. But hurry, offer ends Dec 31 2012!

Time for the first 9 comments to fire away!!

TWD: Finnish Pulla

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:54:00 +0000

As I haven't been making bread for quite some time, the bag of bread flour in my pantry is almost reaching its expiry date. So it is a good opportunity to use it up by making Finnish Pulla for TWD this week.

I made a full recipe but I have to make two braided loaves instead of a wreath (as suggested by the recipe) because it won't be able to fit into my oven. The bread tastes great though, it's soft, buttery and the cardamon definitely adds a unique flavour to the bread too!

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Erin's blog!

Persimmon Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:23:00 +0000

Persimmon Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

3 persimmons, about 700g
100g sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method:

1) To sterilise the jam jars - wash the jar and then drip-dry, upside down on a rack in the oven set at 140 deg C. Leave the jar and lid there for at least 30 mins while you make the jam, turn off the oven only when the jam is ready.
2) To make the jam, peel and cut the persimmons into tiny pieces, add sugar & lemon juice and stir constantly over low heat for about 30 minutes or until the jam thickened.
3) Pour the hot jam into hot jar, allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Then cover with the lid while the jam is still hot.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:55:00 +0000

The fruit stalls in the market near where I live have been selling blueberries from Chile recently. Fresh blueberries are hard to come by in Taiwan, so I took the opportunity to stock up a few packs and I keep them in the freezer for future use.

As I was looking for recipes to make use of my blueberries, this blueberry crumb cake recipe caught my eye because of the way the streusel is prepared. I've made cakes with streusel many times before and most recipes call for cold and hard butter. However, for this recipe, butter has to be melted first and so I was curious to see how it will turn out. Preparing the cake batter is rather straightforward and I made some slight changes along the way. I reduced the amount of sugar and I also used plain yogurt instead because sour cream is hard to find in Taiwan. However, the amount of streusel is actually more than what I would normally use for my cake. 1/3 of it is enough to cover the surface of the cake batter and I was contemplating whether I should throw the rest away. But in the end, I decided to use it all and when I had the first bite of the cake, I'm glad that I did! The streusel is very crunchy, almost cookies-like and it definitely complements the moist blueberry cake well.

Blueberry Crumb Cake Recipe
Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

For the streusel:
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups plain flour

For the cake:
3/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup castor sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Icing sugar for sprinkling

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 deg C. Line a 8X8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
2) Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add melted butter, follow by flour. Mix well with each addition. Set aside.
3) In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4) Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
5) Add eggs one at a time, with each addition, beat until just combined .
6) Add vanilla extract, lemon zest and sour cream. Mix until well combined.
7) Sift the flour mixture over the batter. With the mixer set on low speed, mix until combined. Stir in blueberries.
8) Pour into the cake pan. Use fingers to break up streusel into small pieces, and then sprinkle evenly on top of the batter.
9) Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake turns out clean.

TWD: Best Ever Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I made this brownies before but I didn't realise it until I read from Steph's post that it was a recipe chosen for TWD back in 2010. It's called Rick Katz's Brownies in Dorie Greenspan's other book, Baking from My Home to Yours. Actually I don't even remember how it looks like until I did some searchings in my blog and I found my own post two years ago. I made a tiny portion using a ramekin and I didn't like it then because it was too gooey.

But this time round, I followed the recipe to a "T" by making a full portion with a 9-inch square pan and I also baked the brownies for exactly 25 minutes. It turns out great! In fact, I'd say that it's the best brownies recipe ever! Moist, fudgy and slightly chewy in the center, it has the characteristics of how good brownies should be!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Monica's blog!

Cherries Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:02:00 +0000

I've been craving for tarts lately as I've not been making any tarts or pies for quite some time. While browsing through my cookbooks one afternoon, a beautiful picture of grapes tart caught my eye and I decided to make it as my afternoon treat! But I didn't have grapes on hand and so I used canned cherries to make two medium size tartlets. It is so yummy that I made a full size tart the next day and gave it to my friend as gift!

Cherries Tart Recipe
Recipe adapted from パイとタルト

Ingredients:

For the dough:
120g self-raising flour
60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
30g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tablespoons water

For the almond cream:
20g unsalted butter, at room temperature
20g castor sugar
1/2 egg
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
25g almond meal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum
45g sour cream

15 canned cherries (or more)
*Note: I used Fabbri Amarena Cherries

Method:

To prepare the dough:
1) Place butter and icing sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined.
2) Add the yolk and water into the butter mixture, whisk the batter until smooth.
3) Add the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix the batter until just combined.
4) Shape the dough into a square with 1/2-inch thickness, then wrap it with a piece of cling wrap. Keep in the fridge for at least one hour.
5) Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Fit the dough into a 22-cm tart pan.
6) Keep the tart pan in the freezer for 1 hour.Preheat the oven to 210 deg C.
7) Remove the tart pan from the freezer, prick the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork.
8) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to 150 deg C and bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust is light brown in colour.

To make the filling:
1) Whisk butter until smooth. Add sugar and whisk until well combined.
2) Add egg, cornstarch follow by almond meal. Mix well with each addition.
3) Add rum, vanilla extract and sour cream, whisk until smooth.

To bake the tart:
1) Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.
2) Spread the filling onto the tart. Push the cherries lightly into the filling.
3) Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

TWD: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:56:00 +0000

When I read through the recipe of buttermilk crumb muffins, I did not have high expectations as it seems to be overly simple and plain. I still went ahead to make half a batch anyway as I reckoned these muffins would perfect for a quick breakfast or a mid day treat. I used butter instead of shortening and I also slightly reduced the amount of sugar. I was wrong about the muffins! The spices enhance the flavour of of the muffins and the texture is soft and moist. This recipe definitely goes into my top 10 favourite muffin recipe list!

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Lisa's blog!

TWD: Whole Wheat Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Does anyone feel like time whizzes by too quickly? I thought I was just taking a short break from blogging but when I looked at my blog this morning, I realised that I've been away for two months!

So what have I done these two months? Well, other than being sick (twice!), I was busy entertaining two groups of friends/relatives from Singapore. I was tired and sleepy most of time because I have to show my guests around in Taiwan. As a result, I was not able to take part in TWD too as bread recipes were chosen for the last three rounds and I simply did not have the time to knead and proof the breads. I'm glad that for TWD this week, we can choose a recipe that we've missed before and so I took the opportunity to make whole wheat bread.

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Michele's or Teresa's blogs!

TWD: Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:01:00 +0000

I was hesitant to try out nectarine upside-down chiffon cake because the the recipe is almost 3 pages long (I have short attention span!) and it also seems that some of the TWD-ers encountered some problems when making the cake. But after reading through the recipe twice, it looks interesting enough for me to peel myself off the sofa and get ready to bake. I made 1/3 batch using a 6-inch cake pan. The pan is lined with parchment paper and so I did not have any problem when I flipped the cake over. The chiffon cake is light and airy and the nutty streusel definitely adds an interesting texture to the cake.

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Marlise's and Susan's blogs!

TWD: Popovers

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:24:00 +0000

The weather is scorching hot recently. I can't leave home without looking like a grandma - shielding myself from the blazing sun with a UV protection umbrella in one hand, and in my other hand, dabbing the sweat off from my face with a handkerchief. As if that is not bad enough, a typhoon is heading towards Taiwan very soon and it makes the weather even hotter these two days. The heat is really unbearable and I actually thought of skipping TWD this week as I do not feel like cooking/baking at all. But after reading through the recipe and realised how easy it is to make popovers, I decided to go ahead and make them! The batter preparation is so easy that it took less than 15 minutes. I just mixed all the ingredients with a blender and poured into the greased muffin pans. Then put the pans in the oven for slightly over 45 minutes, I got a batch of airy and crispy popovers! Some of my popovers are out of shape but I don't really care. They are absolutely delicious!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Paula's and Amy's blogs!

Savory Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Savory Cookies Recipe
Recipe adapted from お惣菜ケーキ

Ingredients:
100g self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10g castor sugar
50g butter
2 tablespoons milk

**1 teaspoon curry powder, or 1/4 teaspoon shichimi togarashi, or 3 tablespoons shaved cheddar cheese, or 2 tablespoons white sesame

Method:
1) Cut butter into 1-cm cubes, keep in fridge until ready to be used.
2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.
3) Add butter into the mixture, toss and make sure that every piece of butter is covered with the flour. Using a pastry cutter, press and cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine meals.
4) Add milk to the flour mixture. Continue to cut and press the mixture until the dough barely comes together.
5) Roll the dough into a square. Let it rests in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6) Line a tray with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 190 deg C.
7) Roll the dough into 3 or 4-mm thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the dough.
8) Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
9) Let the cookies stand on tray for 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

To make curry or shichimi togarashi flavour:
- Add curry powder or shichimi togarashi to the flour mixture in Step (2), then proceed to Step (3).

To make cheddar cheese or white sesame flavour:
- Add cheddar cheese or white sesame after Step (3) is completed. Mix until just combined, then proceed to Step (4)

TWD: Berries and Nectarine Galette

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:30:00 +0000

I'm 2 days late with this TWD post as I thought that the due date is next Tuesday. I was debating with myself whether to give it a miss but I decided to go ahead and make the galette anyway because I just couldn't resist any recipes that involve tart and fruits. I used blueberries, strawberries and chopped nectarine for my galette and it turned out beautifully! It's so delicious that I will definitely make it again!

If you want to give the recipe a try, head over to Lisa's and Andrea's blog!

Homemade Salted Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:30:00 +0000

I started to make my own salted eggs since a few months back, after I found out how easy the preservation process is from a friend. I've made two batches so far. First batch was preserved with tea leaves and the second batch with Chinese spices. Comparing the taste of the two batches, the aroma of tea leaves is not really noticeable but I can definitely taste the spices in the second batch. I've already thought of the ingredients to use for my third batch of salted eggs - rosemary or thyme, and perhaps with some black peppercorns too. I can't wait to see how the eggs turn out!

I enjoy having salted egg with white porridge.

And I also used the eggs to make other dishes, such as, stir-frying the salted eggs with assorted mushrooms and black fungus.

Salted Eggs Recipe
Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

10 duck eggs
800ml water
200g coarse salt
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
3 star anise
2 slices liquorice root (甘草)
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 slices dang gui (當歸)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

Method:

1) Rinse the eggs and make sure that the surface is clean. Wipe dry with paper towel.
2) Put the rest of the ingredients except shaoxing wine in a pot. Cook until the salt dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3) In the mean time, check and make sure that none of the eggs have cracks on the shells. Place the eggs in a clean glass container.
4) When the brine is completely cooled, add shaoxing wine and then pour into the glass container slowly. To ensure that the eggs are submerged into the brine, place a small saucer on top of the eggs, or, prepare a pair of disposable chopsticks by chopping them into desirable length, place one stick vertically and lay the other over it horizontally to form a cross. Tightly cover the container.
5) Put a label stating the date of preservation on the container. Store the container in a cool and dry place.
6) Preserve the eggs for 30 to 50 days. You can check if the eggs are ready by taking an egg out by Day 30, cook the egg and test if it is salty enough. If not, continue to preserve the eggs in brine for a few more days.
7) When the eggs have reach the level of saltiness that you desire, remove them from the container and wipe dry. Keep in fridge for 2 or 3 weeks.

TWD: Blueberry Nectarine Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Piggy) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 11:17:00 +0000

I've not been updating my blog again as I was feeling tired and lazy after a fun-filled holiday to Hokkaido, Japan in early July. When I finally got into the mood of baking and blogging last Tuesday, I made blueberry nectarine pie, thinking that I could participate in TWD. But as I was happily downloading pictures and ready to blog about it, I then realised that it's actually meant for TWD this week, duh! Anyway, it didn't matter at all because the pie is absolutely delicious. My only regret was that I only made a tiny portion using a 3.5-inch tartlet pan and I couldn't get enough of it!

If you want to give the recipe a try, hop over to Liz's and Hilary's blogs!