Matcha (Green Tea) Tiramisu 抹茶 (綠茶) 意大利芝士蛋糕 (綠茶提拉米蘇)

Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary to my dear friend Cynthia and Thomas. This Matcha Green Tea Tiramisu is especially made for you! 

This tiramisu served in a 6" Trifle bowl. I decorated with Pistachio, white chocolate decorations and Matcha Pocky Stick.

Ingredients: (7"x7" square pan)

3 egg yolks
250g mascarpone
400ml whipping cream (whipped)
3 Tbsp matcha green tea powder + 300ml hot water
100g caster sugar (I use brown sugar)
20 sponge fingers

Method:

Step 1: Dissolve green tea powder with hot water. Mix until all lumps are gone. Put in the fridge to cool.

Step 2: Cook the egg yolks

Place a saucepan 1/3 full of water onto the stove and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Briefly whip them before placing the bowl over the simmering water. Continue to whip for a few minutes until the eggs are slightly cooked, and it has a smooth, runny consistency. 

You can now remove it from the heat. Allow it to cool slightly.

Step 3: Add the cheese and cream

Next, spoon the mascarpone into a large bowl with your rubber spatula. Add the lightly cooked egg yolks into the mascarpone cheese. Mix together until the cheese is fully incorporated and lump free. Now slowly spoon in the whipped cream and combine it well with your whisk.

Step 4: Add (about 125-150ml) cooled green tea in cream mixture and mix. Taste the mixture and add more green tea to your preference.

Step 5: Build the tiramisu
Dip sponge fingers in remaining green tea and arrange in a layer on a flat deep dish. Spread cream mixture on top. Layer green tea dipped sponge fingers and then cream. Repeat as desired or until there’s no more cream/sponge fingers. Make sure to have the cream as the top layer.

Step 6: Cool & Serve

Place it into the fridge for a few hours to set. Dust with a little Matcha Powder over the top of cake. 

I place chopsticks on top and then sprinkle with Matcha powder to create some square patterns.

Bite size Bacon and cheese quiche (without crust) 一口法式芝士煙肉鹹派

Thinking what to cook for kid's breakfast or snacks is a headache I face everyday. I have 2 kids and they have different flavor of food choice. For example eggs, one like boiled egg and one like scramble egg. But lucky that I found they both like quiche and they both like bacon. Therefore, making this bacon egg cheese mini quiche can make them happy and they can eat many. I made 30 quiches and they finished them all in 2 days. These quiches serve as breakfast and as their after snacks. I think my husband ate one or two from the dish as well. :)

Ingredients: (makes approximately 30 mini bite size quiche)

8 pieces of bacon **, cooked and cut into small pieces

 1 small onion ** (optional) 

 1 1/2 cups (180g) grated tasty cheese

 1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour

 Salt & freshly ground pepper, to season

 4 eggs

 1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk

Directions:

Step 1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease 30-32 mini cupcake pan or a 5 cup capacity pie dish.

Step 2 Combine Bacon, onion (optional), cheese, flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Scatter over base of cupcakes hole or dish.

Step 3 Whisk eggs and milk together in a large jug and pour over ham mixture. Cook for about 20 minutes for mini bite size (40 mins for pie dish) or until puffed and golden. Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

** You can substitute Bacon with ham, onion with mushroom. 

Recipe adapted from Taste.com

Piña Colada (Pineapple Coconut) Trifle 鳳梨椰子Trifle

My Mango Coconut Trifle was very popular in serving big size party. I originally planned to do this again during this Thanksgiving season. But in autumn, it is hard to find fresh mango. If I cannot find fresh mango, I will also choose to use frozen mango chunks. But I only prefer Mango Chunks imported from Philippine only. Others are not sweet enough and sometimes they are a bit sour. Unfortunately I cannot find the Philippine imported frozen Mango chunks in this short period of time. I decided to make Piña Colada Trifle My budget for my desserts are tight. So canned pineapple are very affordable fruits that I can choose from. And I also have some leftover cake left in my freezer. Therefore, this dessert only costs me a few bucks but it can feed many. 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) sweetened flaked coconut

1 can pineapple chunks in juice

1 can pineapple in ring. (Cut half into semi circle.)

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed (3 cups/750 mL) (Or you can whip 3 cups of whipping cream + 1/2 cup of icing sugar)

1 can of coconut milk

1 prepared angel food cake (Or any leftover cake)

DIRECTIONS:

1 Put coconut flakes in pan and heat in medium heat until brown. Then set aside to cool down.

2 Drain pineapple chunks over Small Batter Bowl using (7-in./18-cm) Strainer,

reserving juice.

3 Mix whipped topping with coconut milk in Mixing Bowl. 

4 Cut angel food cake into 1-in. (2.5-cm) cubes

5  Toss cake cubes with some pineapple juice

6 To assemble trifle, place half of the cake cubes over bottom of Trifle Bowl

7 . Spoon half of the coconut cream mixture over cake cubes. 

8. Place pineapple chunks over coconut cream. Please pineapple ring on side of bowl for decorations.

9. Sprinkle some coconut flakes on top of cream layer.

10. Repeat layers one time.

11. Since it is thanksgiving, I use some pumpkin shaped candies for decorations.

Pumpkin Mousse Phyllo Cups 南瓜慕斯酥皮杯

Beside Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ice cream that I made for Thanksgiving party, I also made this Pumpkin Mousse Phyllo Cups. The Phyllo cups are store bought and they are ready to use. No need to bake before use. I just need to prepare the Pumpkin mousse and put them into the cups and serve right away. The pumpkin, owl and pretzel decorations are also store bought. I need to reserve my time for baking the turkey and prepare other party dishes. This is a easy Thanksgiving dessert to make. And the mousse can be prepared ahead of time. 

Pumpkin Mousse

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
½ (14 ounce) can condensed milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground clove

* You can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg & clove

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

2 TBSP powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Place the pumpkin puree, condensed milk, ½ cup of cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove into a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and allow the mixture to cool completely and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.  Once the pumpkin mixture has chilled, place the remaining 1 cup of cream in a mixing bowl on a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks form, 3-5 minutes.  You could also use a hand mixer with two beaters.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture with a spatula until fully incorporated.

Place heavy cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl on a stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form, 3-5 minutes.  You could also use a hand mixer with two beaters.  Add cinnamon and vanilla, then whip gently until incorporated.

Take phyllo shells out of the freezer to defrost about 10 minutes before assembling the mousse cups.  If you want them to be extra crispy, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3-5 minutes, then let cool to room temperature.

Fill each cup with about a tablespoon of pumpkin mouse.  Top with cinnamon whipped cream.

Recipe from: http://pearlsplusgirls.com/2013/10/pint-sized-pumpkin-cutie-pies/

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ice cream 南瓜奶油乳酪雪糕

It is Thanksgiving Day (Oct 12, 2014)! We are having a thanksgiving party of 39 people in total. Beside roasting a 20 lbs turkey, I am going to make desserts as well. My older daughter wants me to make pumpkin pie. But I want to make something special. I bought a big can of Pumpkin puree that enough to make 2 different pumpkin desserts. I decided to make ice cream and a mousse cup. 

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin IMPORTANT! Do not use pumpkin pie filling

1 can evaporated milk, well shaken
1 (8 oz) brick 1/3 less fat cream cheese (or regular cream cheese), softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, cream cheese, raw sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove to the carafe of a blender (or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.) Process on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. When it is perfectly smooth and evenly blended, add the heavy cream and pulse until it is evenly mixed into the pumpkin puree but not longer. You don't want to turn the cream to butter!

Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. It will be the texture of soft serve when it is done in the ice cream maker. You can either serve as is, or pack into a freezer safe container with a tight fitting lid and put into the freezer until firm, about 3 hours.

Recipe from: http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/09/11/pumpkin-cheesecake-ice-cream-mix-and-freeze-recipe-no-cooking-needed-bonus-salted-caramel-sauce/

20 lbs Turkey

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