GRAND WEDDING

The moment that I had my first taste of TWG Grand Wedding Tea during our APAC Summit in St Regis Singapore, I began to wonder how great the black tea - infused with the flavours exotic fruits - would turn out in a shortbread or a tea loaf.  I couldn't get the thought out of my mind for months.  This afternoon, I finally turned notion into action and made Grand Wedding Shortbread Cookies.

In the oven, the cookies were already emitting a lovely fragrance. I couldn't quite place it. Light, sweet and fruity - is it mangoes or promegranade? Mum, who had just stepped into the kitchen, took a dramatic whiff and declared, "我嗅到桃子香!" ("I smell peaches!")

"GRAND WEDDING" SHORTBREAD COOKIES

225 grams butter
60 grams icing sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

260 grams all-purpose flour

4 x TWG Grand Wedding® teabags
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar just until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, tea leaves and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the beaten butter until combined.

Form the dough into a log, about 4-cm in diameter.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

When you're ready to bake, 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 the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway during baking, until the edges of the cookies are lightly brown. When the cookies are baked, rest them for a few minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

HOMEMADE FISHCAKES

Every once in a while, my mother would  makes fishcakes from scratch and my father always took care of the frying.

Done, 22 fishcakes in all!  I can feel the love today.

Read Homemade Fishcakes - the prequel .

PATIENCE

My father loves fishing. After he retired from the workforce, he fished almost every weekend with a group of friends who shared the same passion. They'd hire boat which took them into the deep waters of Malaysia or Indonesia. On good days they return with an enormous catch. Once, he even caught a lobster. On some days they come home with only a bucket full of squids. Even then dad had never expressed disappointment. He enjoyed the time spent with friends.

Whenever I tell my friends about Dad's love of fishing, most would jump to the conclusion, "Wow, your father must be very patient!" I suppose that's the way many people see the sport: you sit there holding a rod and you wait. And wait. And wait, sometimes for hours. Contrary to general perception, however, Dad isn't a patient man and I’m so much like him in this aspect. We both like to get things done fast.

Unfortunately "breadmaking" and "fast" do not go hand-in-hand. The breadmaking process cannot be rushed. Fermentation and proofing take time and require patience, a virtue which I clearly lack. First, I'd get fed up because the dough doesn't come together in a smooth dough (I've been kneading it, like, forever yet it still sticks to my hand!). Then the dough has to be left to proof till double its size - usually for 45 mins to one hour.  After shaping the dough, it has to be left to rise a second time (Oh man!). While the bread is baking I'd stand by the oven door, elbows crossed and tapping my feet, intimidating it to cook faster.

Even under my watchful eye the tops of my bread managed to blister!  

CONQUERING YEAST

Yesterday, we were actually able to eat  the bread I made! After 4 failed attempts, I finally conquered the beast (I mean, the yeast). It was a proud and glorious moment. My dad beamed with joy. I think I saw my mother cry. At long last their days of feeding on semi-baked dough are over. Saved by Carol.

The secret in breadmaking lies in the kneading. The more you stretch the dough, the further the gluten develops, resulting in light, fluffy bread. But we all know that kneading dough by hand is hard work. Carol's method doesn't require extensive kneading. Rather, it involves flinging and folding the dough on the counter top, like 200 times. Imagine you're executing the judo-throw to a loathesome client or vile colleague. It's a great stress relief!

Once I've mastered Bread Kungfu, the rest of the breadmaking process is quite easy. I fired up the oven to 60 degrees C, then switched it off. The dough is then shaped in a boule fashion and left inside the oven to proof until it doubled in size (about an hour). I divided it into 9 equal portions, filled each with canned chestnut spread, formed each into boule again and left to proof one more time. In his book The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Peter Reinhart tells us that "the whole exercise of giving loaves this (boule) shape is based on creating a tight surface tension to allow the loaf to rise up and not just out; the tight skin causes the dough to retain its cylindrical shape rather than spreading and flattening."

There's much room for improvement, of course.

HAPPY TO BE FOUND

Two weeks ago, I sent Chew Ling an email telling her I’ve been snowed under in work and that “I don’t see the snow melting anytime soon.” Without missing a beat she promptly answered “Well, let me know after the avalanche.” That’s so Chew Ling. Even when we were colleagues she was the one with the brains, wit and best retort.

Chew Ling and I share a special affinity. We were comrades at work and best of friends after office hours. We saw each other for dinner, caught movies (usually cartoons or animation) and shopped for shoes. Stores often put smaller size shoes on display. As her feet are larger than mine, Chew Ling would make me try the shoes out first. Only if she liked how they look on my feet would she ask the sales attendant for assistance.

Once, we even went on a trip together to Genting Highlands. And then Chew Ling got married and became engrossed with family life and new baby. I changed job and became involved with new challenges. We slowly drifted apart and lost contact. I never forgot the good times. Apparently, neither did she.

Chew Ling tells me that her search for me began the year she enrolled her elder daughter into the primary school that I used to study in. The young lady is now in secondary school! I feel so old! That said, I’m happy to be found.

If you saw us in Crystal Jade Kitchen in May, you wouldn’t have guessed that Chew Ling and I were dining together for the first time after 13 years. I was surprised at how quickly we picked up where we left off. True friendship can truly withstand the test of time. We lost touch but we never lost each other.

Rekindled friendships burn brighter.  Thanks for finding me, Chew Ling.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Adapted from this recipe in nytimes.com by Jacques Torres 

I halved the recipe because I didn’t have enough chocolate for the full recipe.

Makes 20 cookies

120 grams cake flour

120 grams bread flour

Slightly over ¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

140 grams butter, softened

140 grams light brown sugar

115 grams caster sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

240 grams Valrhona dark chocolate, chopped 

Sea salt

Sieve flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add egg, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate overnight.

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven at 180 degrees C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop 45 - 48-gram mounds of dough (yes I weigh them) onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 12 minutes. When the cookies are baked, rest them for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them.

Enjoy!