BROWNIE POINTS

Everyone is so busy these days but my cousins made special effort to visit us this morning, definitely scoring brownie points with my parents.

When your most favourite people in the universe is coming around, serving them something home-baked seems like a hospitable thing to do. Something like this Walnut and Double Chocolate Chip Brownies. 

I baked a tin of this classic brownie last night and once it's cooled, I put it in the fridge to chill.  This morning, it's nicely firmed up and so much the easier to cut.  I placed a few slices into the oven to be warmed up just before my guests arrived. They're rich, chocolatey, and moist without being overly dense.  I wish I had bought ice-cream.

ONE-PAN WALNUT AND DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES
Adapted from a recipe by Belinda Jeffery in the March 2007 issue of delicious magazine 

Makes one 23-cm square pan

250 grams butter
180 grams good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
385 grams caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
150 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
50 grams milk chocolate chips
50 grams dark chocolate buttons

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line a 23-cm square cake tin with foil. Butter the foil lightly. 

Put butter and chopped chocolate into a heavy-based saucepan over very low heat. Melt them, stirring from time to time. Take the pan off the heat when the butter is nearly melted and give it a good stir so the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool for about 8 minutes. 

Add sugar and vanilla to chocolate mixture and use a balloon whisk to mix well for 20 seconds or so. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one is added so it is completely incorporated before you add the next. 

Tip in the flour and stir until just combined. The mixture will look lumpy. 

Don’t overdo the mixing or the brownie will toughen as it cooks. Gently fold in the nuts and chocolate chips and buttons. Scrape the batter into prepared tin. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. 

Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. Once it’s cool, chill the brownie in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so to firm it up so it’s easier to slice. When you’re ready to cut it, grasp the foil and carefully ease the whole brownie out of the tin. Invert onto a chopping board and gently peel away the foil.

Enjoy!

SPEEDING DOWN

It’s hard to believe an entire year has come and gone. The older I get, the faster the they go. 2015 was hectic and eventful but with the recent installation of a new domestic helper, today I’m finally able to slow down and savour a quiet afternoon. 

A trusted recipe from my repertoire - rich buttery shortbread cookies with tangy cranberries and a kiss of orange. Happy New Year! May you always find the time for slow living.

CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Makes 40

250 grams all-purpose flour 

40 grams rice flour 

1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

225 grams good quality unsalted butter, room temperature 

60 grams icing sugar 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 tablespoons diced candied orange peel 

100 grams coarsely chopped dried cranberries 

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, rice flour and salt. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and zest. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the dried cranberries and candied orange peel, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. 

Form the dough into a log, about 5-cm in diameter.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight. 

To bake the cookies, preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough log and, using a very sharp knife, cut the chilled dough into slices no thicker than ½ cm. Place the slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly brown. 

Leave the cookies in the baking sheets for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

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APPRECIATION

Way overdue.  Cookies for all the wonderful neighbours who extended a helping hand to my family in one way or another when life presents its challenges.  I'm grateful for you.

Saying thanks.  My way.

I must've made David Lebovitz’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies a zillion times. Over the years I’ve tweaked his recipe and made it mine. Everyone goes gaga over these cookies. Time and again my co-workers proclaimed them “lethal”.

Consider yourself warned.

SALTED BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

Adapted from this recipe by David Lebovitz 

Makes 24 cookies

115 grams salted butter, at room temperature 

85 grams light brown sugar 

100 grams granulated sugar (or 70 grams caster sugar)

1 large egg, at room temperature 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

180 grams all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (or whatever flaky sea salt you have in your pantry)

200 grams coarsely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate 

1 cup toasted nuts, coarsely chopped 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar just until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the beaten butter until combined, then mix in the chopped chocolate (including any chocolate dust) and the chopped nuts. 

Cover and chill the batter until firm. (I like to let it rest overnight.)

To bake the cookies, preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form the cookie dough into rounds about the size of a large unshelled walnut (about 30 - 32 grams). Place the mounds evenly spaced apart on the baking sheets, and press down the tops to flatten them so they are no longer domed and the dough is even. 

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies look about set, but are not browned. Remove from the oven and quickly tap the top of each with a spatula, then return to the oven for 2 to 5 more minutes, until the tops of the cookies are light golden brown. 

Leave the cookies in the baking sheets for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

MIDDLE-EARTH COOKIES

Somebody from the office journeyed through “Middle-earth” last week and brought back Whittaker’s Artisan Chocolate bars in a variety of exciting flavours.  

Not everyone likes white chocolate. Someone definitely doesn’t so he gave his chocolate bar to me. I turned it into a cookie experiment. 

I've to say that the new flavour - Hawke’s Bay Braeburn Apple with Vanilla White Chocolate - is rather odd.  I used salted butter and flaky sea salt in the recipe and they balanced off the very sweet white chocolate quite suitably. 

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY MACADAMIA COOKIES   

Makes 20 cookies

115 grams salted butter, at room temperature 

55 grams light brown sugar 

50 grams granulated sugar 

1 large egg, at room temperature, slightly beaten 

185 grams all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (or whatever flaky salt you like) 

55 grams Braeburn Apple with Vanilla White Chocolate, coarsely chopped

80 grams sliced dried cranberries 

60 grams toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped   

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.   

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth then add the sugars. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in colour and texture.   

Beat in the egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir the flour mixture until combined, then mix in the chopped chocolate, dried cranberries, and chopped nuts.   

Cover and chill the batter until firm. (I like to let it rest overnight.)   

To bake the cookies, preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.   Form the cookie dough into rounds about the size of a large unshelled walnut. Place the mounds evenly spaced apart on the baking pans, and press down the tops to flatten them so they are no longer domed and the dough is even.   

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the baking pans midway during baking, until the cookies are slightly browned.

Leave the cookies in the pans for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

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MISO

Miso is the new flavour of the month in our household.  

Ever since Eugene opened Sushi Bar my mother has been his biggest fan.  She can no longer bring herself to eat sashimi from anywhere other than "Eugene's shop".

When Mum and I recently paid a visit to the brand new Sushi Bar Dining in Ngee Ann City, Eugene gifted us with several fresh salmon heads from the shop. We came home and made a very gratifying Salmon Head Miso Soup. Because I bought miso specially for the purpose I’m left with a fairly large quantity of Shiromiso (white miso) on my hands. 

Yesterday I was in the kitchen when the oven yelled, “Hey, remember me?”. I agree that it has been far too long. So I grilled some chicken wings. There's miso in the marinade, of course.

Dad normally detests eating with his fingers but this evening I found him doing just that with these chicken wings.  Miso might have silently crept its way into his heart.

GARLIC MISO CHICKEN WINGS

Adapted from this recipe from Just One Cookbook

6 whole chicken wings 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

3 levelled tablespoons white miso 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons mirin 

Rinse the chicken wings and pat it dry with paper towel. Prick the chicken wings with a fork and put them in a Ziploc bag. 

In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic and miso. Add the mixture into the Ziploc bag and massage it all over the chicken wings from outside the bag. Keep in the fridge overnight. 

About 3 hours before cooking, add soy sauce and mirin in the bag and mix well. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook. 

Line the bottom of broiler pan with foil (for easy clean up afterwards) and oil the broiler rack. You may want to remove excess marinate from the chicken wings because miso gets burnt easily.  Place the chicken wings on the broiler rack skin side down first. Turn the broiler on high (no need to preheat) and place the broiler rack 6 inch away from the top and broil for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Then flip the chicken wings (skin side up) and broil for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

NOTHING LIKE HOMEMADE

Other than arthritis of the neck, Dad has weakness in the legs which means that he would have to undergo physiotherapy to strengthen those muscles. Basically he is deemed Fall Risk and there's no telling whether he would fall again at home so he will have to remain in the hospital for another week or so.  When I visited him last evening the staff informed me that Dad was caught trying to sneak into the washroom unsupervised. Bad boy! 

The hospital ward came alive with visitors yesterday.  Even his brother came, family in tow.  I'v never seen Dad smiled so much.  Like a kid, Dad loves being fussed over.

Some weeks ago I brought home a small butter loaf from a neighbourhood bakery.  According to Mum, Dad ate it over a span of several days, saving whatever he could not finish in the fridge. He even commented that the cake remained “smooth as silk” throughout.  That got me worried about what actually went into that cake!  

Nothing compares to homemade. At least I know what's in it!  I baked this for Dad who is still in the hospital.

POUND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

The Pound Cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.  The French call it "Quatre quarts" (literally "4 fourths"), which again reflects the equal amounts of the 4 ingredients.  

I used a 14-cm (5-1/2 inch) mini Bundt pan (chanced upon it while shopping in Taipei some years ago) but a foil loaf pan that measures 20.5cm x 10cm at the rim would also work.  You can find it in SKP. 

100 grams all-purpose flour 

2/3 teaspoon baking powder 

100 grams egg 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

100 grams salted butter 

100 grams caster sugar 

50 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat the oven at 180 degrees C. 

Lightly butter and flour a 2-cup (14-cm) Bundt pan. Have all ingredients at room temperature. 

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, lightly beat together the egg and vanilla extract. 

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy and smooth then add sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in colour and texture. Add the egg very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until mixture is fluffy and pale ivory in colour. Add flour mixture in 3 - 4 additions, then stir in the chocolate chips. 

Spoon the batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake the cake until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out free of batter, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan. 

Enjoy it with black coffee.

分享

上週日做了简单的 double chocolate muffin，备受好评。马来族同事 Z向我讨食谱，她看不懂中文，我把书中的食谱译成英文，让她也可以做出适合自己口味的点心。能与朋友分享好事物，往往胜过独自拥有。

 

小时候家中不富裕，生日时母亲不曾为我煮面线鸡蛋，更别想买蛋糕了。有一年母亲竟然带了个蛋糕回来，那是一个圆形的牛油蛋糕，直径6、7寸左右吧，上面有几颗 红色的glaced cherries 点缀。没插上蜡烛，也没有特别喜庆的感觉。

今天翻出大理石磅蛋糕的食谱，回忆当年那段朴实的庆生。40年后的今天，所用的材料比从前讲究多了。日本面粉、法国奶油、Valrhona 巧克力、来自Madagascar的香草精、有机鸡蛋一一随手可取。蛋糕不论在味道还是外观都比从前更具魅力。

吃大理石磅蛋糕能同时享受两种口味，你会与谁分享？

MARBLE POUND CAKE 大理石磅蛋糕

Adapted from 我的幸福烘焙廚房: 205道經典烘焙食譜, 完整收藏!

Makes one 14-cm bundt

Cake (divide into 2 portions)

100 grams butter

100 grams caster sugar

100 grams egg

Pure vanilla extract

Vanilla portion

50 grams cake flour

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate portion

40 grams cake flour

10 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

20 grams chocolate, melted

Method: Creaming

Oven temperature: 170 - 180ºC

Baking duration: 40 - 50 minutes

简单就是幸福

昨天应朋友MS 邀请到她家里小聚。因工作的关系MS的先生将在今年低携着一家四口到印尼生活一段时期。

天气持续闷热好多天，前晚拜托老天爷赐点雨水。昨天早上当真下起豪雨， 只好撑伞出门。走在湿答答的路上心里直埋冤：雨就不能聚餐后才下吗？忽然不知怎的 脚下一滑，回过神来已是四脚朝天地躺在行人道上！是老天爷在骂我：没雨水的时候你 complain；雨下了你又嫌下的早啦，到底是想怎样?!

今天是 bank holiday，所以明天（週一）不用去上班 ，真的好开心喔!  将上个週日晚秤好的材料从冰箱里取出，做简单的 double chocolate muffin。能和年迈的父母围着餐桌，看着他们品尝着我亲手做的小点心，也算是一种幸福吧？

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS 巧克力玛芬

Adapted from 我的幸福烘焙廚房: 205道經典烘焙食譜, 完整收藏!

Makes 12 standard-size muffins

140 grams butter

120 grams sugar

Salt

2 eggs

140 grams milk

220 grams cake flour

40 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

100 grams chocolate chips + more for decor

Method: Creaming

Oven temperature: 180ºC / 350ºF

Baking duration: 20 minutes

SAY CHEESE

前两天马来同事为哈芝节 (Hari Raya Haji)准备了好几款饼干，其中芝士饼深得我心。回家自己学着做，没料到母亲比我更爱吃。  也难怪，鬆脆、咸香中带有微辣，有几个人抗拒得了？今晚用爱心烘焙出黄金芝士饼，guarantee 你吃上一口便难以自拔。

THYME & CHEDDAR COOKIES

Makes 20 cookies

170 grams white cheddar cheese (18 months old)

115 grams unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons black pepper 

1 heaped teaspoon of dried thyme

½ teaspoon sea salt

150 grams all-purpose flour

Shred the cheddar cheese using a large-hole grater.

Mix the butter, shredded cheese, black pepper, salt and thyme in a bowl until the butter is creamy and the cheese gets mixed in with the butter.

Add the flour and mix until there are no dry spots in the dough.  Form a dough ball.  Knead it a little if necesssary but don't overdo it.

Roll the dough into 20 - 21-gram balls, and place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and let the tray chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the chilled cheese cookies on the parchment paper-lined half sheet pan, with about an inch of space between each cookie.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes for a soft cookie - remove the cookies from the oven when the bottom edges of the cookie are starting to colour.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes for a crispy cookie - remove from the oven when the cookies start turning golden in colour at edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. 

Place the cooled cookies in an air-tight container for up to 4 days OR wrap them in plastic wrap, and then in foil, and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

To bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough log and, using a very sharp knife, cut the chilled dough into slices no thicker than ½ cm. Place the slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly brown.

Leave the cookies in the baking sheets for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

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MY MOTHER'S TEA TIME FAVOURITE

Mum loves Rock Buns.  She calls them "lock bun". If I haven't made them for some time, she would remind me that I still have dried fruits in the fridge. "Don't you think they'll be perfect for making "lock bun"?" she would ask hopefully. 

I first learnt to make Rock Bun back in my secondary school days.  When I practise making them at home they turned out as hard as stone, which led my mother and my aunt to comment that its name truly befits it! 

ROCK CAKES
Adapted from this recipe by Dan Lepard

Makes 15

225 grams all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

75 grams caster sugar, plus extra to finish

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

175 grams dried fruit, chopped

125 grams unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 medium egg

About 25 ml milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

A good pinch of salt

Preheat your oven at 200 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl, add the cubed butter and rub it through evenly. Stir in the lemon zest and dried fruit.

Beat the egg with the milk in a jug or another bowl, along with the vanilla extract, then pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to a stiffish but spoonable dough – add a dash more milk, if you think it needs it.

Scoop egg-sized dollops of the dough on to the pans keeping them rough looking, and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until just turning golden brown.

Enjoy!

GLORIOUS MUFFINS

The baking bug beckons!  This afternoon, while Dad fell asleep in his usual armchair, I made muffins.

Most muffin recipes asks for the pans to be filled two-thirds full of batter.  However, I read somewhere that the secret to plump muffins with glorious dome tops is to fill the pans to the brim.  I took that advice and look at those bumps!

I buttered my muffin pans instead of lining them with with paper baking cups because I prefer muffins with a nice crust.

ALL-PURPOSE MUFFINS
From Bake! by Nick Malgieri

Makes 12 standard-size muffins

260 grams all-purpose flour
110 grams sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
110 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 medium egg
240ml full fat milk

Set a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 190˚C/gas mark 5.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and thoroughly whisk in the egg, then whisk in the milk. Whisk about one third of the flour mixture into the liquid until absorbed. Whisk in another third, again until the liquid is absorbed. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the last of the flour mixture. Transfer the batter to the muffin pan.

Bake the muffins until they are well risen and golden, and the point of a paring knife inserted in the centre of one muffin emerges dry. This will take about 20 minutes. Cool the muffins in the tin on a rack and lift them out when they have cooled completely.

Enjoy!

WELCOME TO 2013

Ready or not, 2013 is upon us so keep your chin up and look forward.  May it be an amazing year for you.

The Christmas break has been good to me.   I baked.  I read.  I indulged in fabulous food.  I hung out with pals.  I spent time with my parents.  I cleaned out my wardrobe and shoe cabinet and gave away two bags full of unwanted stuff to Lori, the nice Filipino helper who comes in to the cleaning every alternate Monday.  She was happy to accept them and I'm very grateful to her for taking them off my hands!

If you ask me what my New Year's resolution is, it would have to be to try and minimise food wastage! I was reorganising my pantry yesterday and threw out several ingredients that have past their expiry dates.  There was excess buttermilk in the fridge from the Christmas baking, and I was dying to do something savoury with it.  After reading other food blogs for inspiration, I decided on roast chicken.

You can use any chicken parts you like.  I used deboned chicken thighs.

BUTTERMILK ROAST CHICKEN

Inspired by this recipe on Smitten Kitchen

1 cup buttermilk

2 - 3 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper (I omitted this)

700 grams chicken parts

Drizzle of olive oil

Coarse sea salt and dried oregano to finish

Whisk buttermilk with garlic, salt, sugar and freshly ground pepper in a medium mixing bowl. (I omitted the black pepper only because my dad isn't hot about it.)  Submerge the chicken parts into the buttermilk marinate, then stir it around so that all the parts are covered.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or up to 48 hours.

When ready to roast, preheat your oven at 220 degrees C. Line a baking dish with foil.  Remove chicken parts from marinate and arrange in the baking dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then finish with a sprinkle of sea salt and dried oregano. Roast for 25 minutes.  Whole chicken legs or breasts would take longer.

Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS BAKING: CRANBERRY-ORANGE WALNUT BREAD

  

I recently rediscovered the recipe for this Cranberry-Orange Walnut Tea Bread. I had it scribbled in an old diary. I don't remember where the recipe came from. I do remember, however, the person who gave me the diary. I also remember that I bought the Christmas linen (featured in the photo above) during a day trip to the Blue Mountains, NSW in 1999. Three days ago, I retrieved it from my cupboard and put it up on a hanger to air it. Yesterday, it wasn't on the hanger anymore. I searched high and low only to find that I had already returned it to the drawer myself. 

They say that people with dementia can remember things from long ago, but not things from a few minutes ago. So if you ask me what I had for lunch today, my answer is "I can't recall it now but check back with me again in ten years and I'll tell you."

CRANBERRY-ORANGE WALNUT TEA BREAD
Makes one 7" x 7" cake

75 grams butter, softened
150 grams sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
110 grams fresh orange juice
110 grams buttermilk
260 grams all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
65 grams dried fruit (I used a mixture of chopped dried cranberries, glazed cherries, orange peel and raisins)
65 grams chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees C.  Line a 7" x 7" pan with parchment paper. (In the original recipe, the bread is baked in a 9" x 5" pan.)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy and smooth then add sugar, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Continue to beat until the mixture is very light in colour and texture.

Add the egg very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and pale ivory in colour. Stir in the vanilla extract, orange juice, then buttermilk.  Add flour mixture in 3 - 4 additions until incorporated.  Fold in the dried fruits and walnuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out free of batter, 50 - 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before turning the cake out of the pan.

Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS BAKING: ROCK BUNS

 

One Christmas Eve many moons ago, my friend Hans and I were treated to a ballet performance of The Nutcracker. The evening began joyously enough. The sweeping Tchaikovsky score, the visually entrancing set, the glittering costumes – what a cosy winter dream! Yet somewhere between the Waltz of the Snowflakes and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, my eyes slowly glazed over ... When I recovered I stole a glance at Hans who was seated next to me. His eyes watery from yawning. (He later claimed it was because he was very much moved by the bravery of the Mouse King. The liar!) 

Every Christmas Day, I play my Nutcracker Suite CD, just to get into the spirit of things because even though watching ballerinas flirt, prance and dancing en pointe just isn't my cup of tea, I do enjoy listening to classical music.

Mum has been bugging me for weeks to make Rock Buns for Auntie Xia (阿霞). I must have told you about Auntie Xia before. She’s the neighbour who occasionally looks in on my parents while I’m at work. When we run out of eggs, Auntie Xia helps us buy and deliver them right up to our doorstep! She shares with us her homemade laksa, yam rice and chilli paste. And as if babysitting the neighbourhood kids doesn’t keep her busy enough, she still finds the time to ask my mother out to Rochor to buy dried seafood, and then have coffee with her afterwards. Needless to say, our family love Auntie Xia to bits.

I'm spending eleven slothful days at home during Christmas, Mum presses me to bake something nice for one of the most helpful neighbours we've ever had.

"来烘点饼阿霞啦!"  ("Come on, make something for Har!")

"烘什么饼好呢?" ("What should I bake?")

"就烘 'lock bun' 吧!" ("Rock Buns, of course!")

Mum labels everything ranging from Digestives to cream crackers, chocolate chip cookies to Tau Sar Piah, as 饼 (biscuits). Needless to say Rock Buns (or '骆笨' as my mother calls them) also falls under the same category. So if you're in our kitchen and my mother offers, "要不要吃饼?" ("Would you like a biscuit?") you should confirm with her which kind because you never know what you might get! 

ROCK BUNS

By Jane Brocket

Makes 15

340 grams all-purpose flour 

8 grams baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Finely grated zest of one lemon 

175 grams butter 

100 grams brown sugar 

75 grams caster sugar 2

255 grams mixed dried fruits (I used a mixture of chopped dried cranberries, glazed cherries, orange peel and raisins) 

1 large egg 

1 to 2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk 

Egg wash 

Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and place them in the freezer until you're ready to use them. 

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Place the flour, baking powder and butter in a mixing bowl and roughly chop the butter with a round-bladed knife. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the lemon zest, sugars and dried fruits. Add the egg and, using the knife, bring the ingredients together to form a stiff dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a tablespoon of milk. 

With the aid of two teaspoons, dollop heaps of the mixture on to lined baking sheets, spacing them well apart. Lightly brush the tops of each cookie with egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. 

Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

BAKED MUSHROOM

I've been going to an acupuncturist for my wrist inflammation for some time now.  Dr. Liu is a devoted Buddhist, and vegetarian.  Last weekend she raved about the goodness of mushrooms and how easy they were to bake.  

Dr. Liu tops her mushrooms with shredded cheese and mayonnaise.  I didn't have mayonnaise at home and thought topping with only cheese might be a tad plain.   I contemplated buying some bacon but we haven't had bacon in the house for ages.  Then I spied a few slices of luncheon meat in the fridge - something leftover from yesterday's lunch, I suspect. 

I even made a crumb topping.  I got the idea from watching MASA make his Seafood Baked Rice. I love Masa.   He makes cooking look downright easy.

BAKED MINI PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS 

Serves 3 - 4 as a side dish

200 grams Portobello mushrooms stalks removed, caps cleaned and aired dry
50 grams shredded Mozzarella
40 grams ham or luncheon meat, cut into 5mm dice

Crumb Topping
2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 slices of cream crackers, crushed
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, if desired

Preheat your oven at 200 degrees C.  In a small bowl, mix together the crumb topping ingredients and set aside.

Place Portobello mushrooms, cap side down, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or aluminium foil.

Divide and top mushrooms with the Mozzarella, followed by the luncheon meat.  Spoon crumb mixture over the tops.  I didn't add any seasoning since luncheon meat is already quite salty.  Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the topping start to brown.

Dr. Liu is right, baked mushrooms are super easy to make, and seriously yummy!  I did well to add the crumb topping.  Adds a bit of crunch to the otherwise soft textures of the ingredients.

PURE BLISS

I'm enjoying the Good Friday weekend immensely. There weren't urgent emails to be answered and there weren’t any phone call either. I caught up on my sleep, and baked Thomas Keller’s simple Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe uses molasses sugar. No nuts. No vanilla. Just absolute chocolate enjoyment.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Adapted from this recipe in Ad Hoc At Home by Thomas Keller

Makes 30 cookies

340 grams all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

140 grams 55% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces

140 grams 70% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces

227 grams unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

200 grams molasses sugar

100 grams caster sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour and baking soda into a medium-bowl. Stir in the salt.

Put the chips in a fine-mesh strainer and shake to remove any chocolate “dust”.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat half the butter on medium speed until fairly smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in the chocolate.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the dough with a spatula to be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated. The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers. Defrost frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

Using about 2 level tablespoons per cookie, shape the dough into balls. Arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between them, because the dough will spread.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating the pans halfway through baking.

Leave the cookies in the baking sheets for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

I've never used molasses sugar in my baking before so this is a first. It not only tints the cookie a nice honey brown, it also gives a rich caramel flavour. I could tell that my mother enjoyed the cookie very much because she said, “This cookie is different! You should consider setting up shop.” She then proceeded to pack a dozen for a friend.

This is definitely one Wow Cookie so Thomas Keller gets two thumps on the back from me.

BUTTERY, CRUMBLY, MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH

I do enjoy a good sausage roll once in a while.  Sure they lack the sophistication of French pastries but something about these rustic sausage rolls always manage to evoke the widest smiles. I’ve brought them to the office, picnics and housewarming parties and they are a big hit every time.

French butter and Atlantic sea salt play a big part in making the shortcrust pastry oooh so crumbly and super addictive. And frankly, who can resist sausages from the Pan Pacific Hotel deli?

FUN'S SHORTCRUST PASTRY

When I attended Home Economics class in secondary school, I've been taught that the butter:flour ratio is 1:2.  Which means you'll need 50 grams of butter for 100 grams of flour.  I've followed this rule ever since.  Maybe you've been taught differently but this is my recipe.

200 grams all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

100 grams chilled salted butter, cut into 2-cm cubes

4 to 5 tablespoons iced water

Egg wash

How to make the perfect shortcrust pastry?  Check out here and here.  (Links updated 28 Dec 2025)

SUMMER LOVIN'

When you see lemons in abundance, you know that summer has arrived. I love lemons - so fragrant, so versatile.  And they are especially plump and juicy this season.

The time has come, said ChilliCrab, to make French-style Lemon Yogurt Cake. 

It's hard not to fall in love with this cake. Just how good is it? Mama Crab and Papa Crab gobbled up 3 slices between themselves even before I had time to grab my camera.  When I take them to work, they're gone long before I had a chance to draft the hi-everyone-there-is-cake-in-the-usual-corner email.  It's that irresistable.  One cake never last very long.

So how about FOUR?

Gâteau au Citron

FRENCH-STYLE LEMON YOGURT CAKE
Adapted from this recipe by Orangette

Makes two 16.5cm x 8cm x 7.5cm loaves or

two 18.5cm x 9.5cm x 5cm or

one 20.5cm x 10cm x 5.5cm

For the cake: 
125 grams plain yogurt
200 grams granulated sugar
3 large eggs
140 grams all-purpose flour
60 grams almond meal (ground almond)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Grated lemon zest from 2 lemons
95 grams canola oil

For the glaze: 
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat your oven at 180 degrees C.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into oiled cake pan/s.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. 

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely. 

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Serve.

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MALAY CROQUETTE !

Years ago, my mother learnt to make begedil from a Malay hawker who sold nasi padang.  When she made them today, I stood close by to jot down notes.  Mum cooks by a kind of instinct that all experienced housewives possesses so there's no use asking her for measurements. 

"Take 3 large potatoes," she began. 

"How much do they weigh?" I asked.  She glared so I kept my mouth shut.  Still, I couldn't resist weighing them on my digital scales when she wasn't looking. :p

POTATO PATTIES
Makes about 20

3 large potatoes (approx 500 grams when mashed)
Salt to taste
100 grams filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

Filling

We used a mix of minced pork and hay bee (dried shrimps).  You can use any you like - mutton, bacon, or luncheon meat.

Prepare the filling.  Stir fry the minced pork and dried shrimp.  Set aside.

Slice the 3 large potatoes and deep fry them until slightly brown.  Drain then add salt and mash.  Mix in the filling. 

Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into round patties, about 5-cm in diameter. 

Coat each patty lightly with egg and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

葱饼 | CHINESE MUFFINS

How would you say  "葱饼" in English? I have to confess that I have absolutely no idea! So I'm just going to call them Chinese Muffins because, just like their English counterparts, they are yeast-based and baked in a skillet.  

葱饼
Adapted from 阿芳的3杯麵粉72變 by 蔡季芳

Makes 10

Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flour for dusting

Filling
Approx 200 grams spring onion
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place flour, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water into a large mixing bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks, stir ingredients together. After the water begins to be absorbed, add the remaining water little by little.  Use your hands to gently knead into a dough.

Add the oil and knead until the dough becomes very smooth.

Cover the dough and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

While the dough is proofing, wash and dry the spring onions. Cut finely. Marinate with salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Gently turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Roll out each into a tongue shape.

Fill each with spring onion filling. Let the 2 long sides meet and pinch edges together.

Roll each into a "snail". Dust your palm with a little flour and press each piece to flatten.

Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the skillet.  Cook both sides of the muffins for 4 - 5 minutes until the bottom of muffin turns golden brown.

Confession: These really ought to look like pancakes (instead of like English muffins) but even though I rolled them out they bounced right back up!  Maybe I didn't allow them enough time to proof properly.