Sunday 18 August 2013

White Chocolate Panna Cotta 白朱古力奶凍


What can I make for party while I am suffering from jet lag? Panna cotta is the easiest and the fastest dessert that I can make ahead of time. It only takes me 15 mins to make them. 

Serve 6-8 (serve 12 smaller cups)

Ingredients

180 g white cooking chocolate 
2 cups thickened cream 
1 tablespoon sugar (I use only half of it to reduce the sweetness)
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 tablespoon water 
1½ teaspoons gelatine

Method

  1. Place all ingredients, except water and gelatine, in a saucepan over medium heat until chocolate has melted.
  2. Place boiling water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatine over and stir until dissolved.
  3. Combine with chocolate mixture.
  4. Pour into 6-8 small ramekins or glasses and set in fridge 4 hours.
Recipe from: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/white-chocolate-panna-cotta-L10049.html

芒果奶昔蛋白燉奶 Mango milkshake with Egg white milk custard

This is the first dessert that I made after I came back from Hong Kong. I had this dessert in Hong Kong at 聰嫂星級甜品店 and I love it very much. I think it is easy to make and I think my friends will love it too!



Serves 8-10
Ingredients of milk custard layer 
6 large egg whites (180ml)
6tsp condensed milk
690ml milk

Directions
Mixed all ingredients together. 
Pour into container through a sieve.
Cover container with foil or cling wrap
Steam for 20-25mins (large container like mine). Steam about 15 minutes if you use smaller individual ramekins or bowls.
Cool down and put in fridge.

Ingredients for Mango milkshake layer
1 cup mango purée
2 scoops of mango or vanilla ice cream
Some mango chunks for decorations

Directions
Blend mango purée and ice cream together.
Pour on top of cold steamed milk custard layer.
Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Serve cold.



Thursday 8 August 2013

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Cookie Base 白朱古力芝士蛋糕

4 days more in Hong Kong before going back Canada, I will need to use up the ingredients that I bought for baking as much as I can. I still have a brick of Cream Cheese and a bag of White Chocolate left. So I decided to make use of these 2 ingredients for my next dessert: White Chocolate Cheesecake Cake! Since Hong Kong is hot, I do not like to make cold cheesecake at all. It has to serve and eat quick. If not, it will melts very quickly! Baking cheesecake is more preferable. But the oven temperature is not accurate, I am not expecting good look on it. I have a 7" round pan. Therefore, I use half the amount listed on recipe. Voila!
 
 
 

Ingredients: (9" round pan serves 16)
1/2 cup  butter, softened
3/4 cup  sugar, divided
1-1/2 tsp.  vanilla, divided
1 cup  flour
4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S White Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted, cooled
4  eggs
 
Directions:
HEAT oven to 325°F.
BEAT butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla in small bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour until well blended; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Prick with fork (Picture A). Bake 25 min. or until edge is lightly browned (Picture B).
BEAT cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours. 

Recipe source:  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/white-chocolate-cheesecake-51349.aspx
 
 
 
 
 
 

Matcha panna cotta (Milk pudding) 綠茶奶凍

In Hong Kong, there are many varieties of imported milk to choose from. I like to drink Paul's which is imported from Australia. But for milk pudding (Panna Cotta ), it is always better to use whole fat milk. In Canada, Homo milk has 3.25% milk fat. But Hokkaido milk has 3.6%milk fat and have a very milky taste in their milk. There are also 3.7% as well. But I only buy this one because the price is more reasonable. Let's try it and see the result!
 
 
Ingredients: (10-12 jelly cups)
Panna cotta layer:
Hokkaido 3.6 Milk 640ml (homo milk)
Whipping cream 300ml
Sugar 90g
Gelatin 2tbsp
 
Matcha milk layer:
milk 220ml
Condensed milk 1tbsp
Match powder 3 tsp
Green ice-cream (optional)
 
Directions:
Panna Cotta layer:
  1. Sprinkle gelatin over 6tbsp of water.
  2. Microwave 30sec. until gelatin dissolved in water.
  3. Heat milk and sugar in pot. Stir until sugar melts and milk just heated. Do not boil. Add cream and and stir.
  4. Take pot away from heat. Add gelatin to milk mixture and stir.
  5. Set aside and cool down a bit before pouring into container.
  6. Refrigerate panda cotta until firm.
 
Prepare matcha layer:
  1. Prepare gelatin as above.
  2. Heat milk. Stir in condensed milk and matcha powder. You can add one scoop of green tea ice-cream for stronger taste.
  3. Take away pot from heat. Add gelatin.
  4. Set aside and allow to cool down a bit.
  5. Pour over panna cotta layer. Refrigerate until firm.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Apple Tart 蘋果撻

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 2 Granny Smith apples or two peaches, peeled, cored and sliced paper thin
  • 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Whipped cream or ice-cream (optional)

Preparation:

Roll pastry onto a well floured surface into a 12" x 12" rectangle and cut into nine 3" squares. Prick the pastry with a fork and coat each with a spoonful of apricot jam. Fan the apple slices over the jam, arranged nicely. 

In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle over apple (or peach) slices. Put the tarts on an pie mold or baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until the apple slices are crisp-tender and the pastry is golden brown. Try serving these hot, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Oyster and Cheese Spring roll 芝士蠔春卷

When I dine out, some restaurants serve this dish as appetizer. I and my husband love oysters especially those mini tiny ones that can be found in Hong Kong or Asia. Since that I am in Hong Kong now and we have helpers (maid) at home. It is a good time to try to make this dish. The reason that I did not do it in Canada is because I never deep fried food at home (just once or twice but I do not recommend to eat too many deep frying food at home). And if I use cooked big oysters and cut it small, it still have a chance become watery to wrap in Spring Roll when cook. But I think I will try to make that again in Canada. This tastes good and it is simple and easy to do.

Ingredients:
Spring roll sheets
Mini Oysters
white pepper
Cheese (mozzerella) 4-5 slices
1 egg white
Black pepper
Salt

Directions
Wash oysters with corn flour.
Cook oysters in boiling water with 1/1 Tbsp white pepper
Drain and dry cooked oysters.
Cut cheese into small pieces. (Or you can use shredded cheese)
Take one sheet of spring roll sheet. I cut in small equal squares to make mini spring roll. Or you can use the whole sheet to make one regular size spring roll
For mini roll, I put one mini oysters with sprinkle of salt & black pepper, and some cheese in it and wrap. Glue the opening/closing spring roll wrap with egg white. Set aside.
For regular size roll, I put 3 mini oysters with salt & black pepper and double the cheese in it.
Deep fried until the wrap become golden brown.

Alternate way (better taste) - will do it next time in Canada
 Chopped onion in small pieces
Pan fry oysters with butter and chopped onion
Drain water and oil from oysters and onion.
Put dried oysters and onion and cheese onto spring roll sheet and wrap it.