Red bean brioche - use leftover red bean paste

Some red bean paste left in the fridge - it is perfect for making filling of brioche!

I just use the recipe of the utane/tangzhong brioche, and fill in some red bean paste in the dough.

Instructions
Follow the recipe of the brioche in my blog until steps 4. Here are the next steps:

5. Roll out each portion into oval shape (horizontal => longer), in the middle of the dough, spread the red bean paste on the surface evenly, leave each side 1/4 without the red bean paste

6. Fold both sides left and right towards the center, use your finger to press opening around the dough so that the red bean won't leak out
Roll the dough flat

7. Turn the dough 90°, fold 1/3 of the left towards the center, then 1/3 of the right towards the center

8. Roll out the dough to become flat again, then now you can roll the dough toward the one end to become cylinder shape

9. Now you should have 3 portions of dough filled with red bean paste

10. Place 3 portions into the toast mold, let it rise until the size is doubled, about 1.5hour (depend on the temperature and humidity), it takes longer time if cold and dry

11. Preheat the oven to 180°c (10mins to preheat). Brush egg on the top of the dough, then put into the oven and bake for about 35mins

Enjoy!

Mont Blanc of Angelina - What's inside?

I got few egg white because I made my crème patissière last week, so how to use up these egg white?

I came up with an idea - meringe -----> Tata! Mont blanc!

If you love dessert, you probably know Mont Blanc is the signature dessert of Angelina (in France).

I have made it once 2 years ago (see the above photo) and I searched on several websites to know how to make Mont blanc, finally I found one which explains how. So today I want to share with you!

All you need are:

1. Meringue (bottom)

2. Whipped cream (middle)

3. Chestnut cream (top)

Before you make meringue, click here to get the tips to make successful meringue

1. Meringue

How to make meringue?
1 part of egg white and 2 parts of icing sugar.
Example: 1/2 cup egg white needs 1 cup icing sugar

Important thing to know is that you need to use old egg white, which means it sat in the fridge for few days (less than 1 week). When you take the egg white out from the fridge, let it warm a bit to room temperature -> about 30mins. Then it is ready to use.

Ingredients to make meringue:

Egg white

Few drops of lemon juice

Icing sugar

Vanilla extract

Optional: 
1. cream of tartar (1/2 tsp tartar for 1 cup of egg white) 
2. white colorant

Instructions:

1. Beat egg white with lemon juice first until it becomes soft peak

2. Add icing sugar & vanilla extract, little by little, start from slow speed to medium speed

Note: the more icing sugar you add, the firmer the texture

If you have tartar and white colorant, you can add at this time

3. Beat the egg white mixture at high speed until it forms firm peak

4. With the help of the spetula, put the egg white mixture to a piping bag, with any tip you like, squeeze them on the tray (lined with baking sheet)

5. Bake at 120°C or 90°C

The lower the temperature, the longer the time it needs

=> For 2-finger width size, start baking for 30mins, then you add 5mins each time

=> For 3-finger width size, start baking for 40mins, then you add 5mins each time

6. When it's well cooked, which means it become hard, you can take it out

Be careful the meringue becomes brown color! 

7. Let it cool down and put it aside

2. Whipped cream

You need 30% or more, I used 35% so that it stands firmer :)

You won't need to add sugar because meringue contains lot of sugar...

3. Chestnut cream

You can either buy: 

a/ ready made chestnut cream OR 

b/ concentrated chestnut mixed with whipping cream

If you choose option b, please add whipping cream little by little, until the mixture become soft enough to scoop, not liquid!! If it is difficult to scoop = need more whipping cream

To test: When you use a spoon to scoop the mixture, the mixture on the tip of the spoon will form a triangle

Put the mixture to a piping bag with any tip you like

Combine these 3 ingredients:

1. Place the meringue at the bottom

2. Pipe the whipped cream on the top of the meringue

3. Pipe the chestnut cream on the top

Enjoy!

New sewn bag with leather strap

I have made it and used it for a while and then I realized that I didn't put it on my blog -___-

I have been saving the fabrics and couldn't decide what the use of them :( I wanted to sew a jacket but the fabric is relatively small :( so I finally decided to sew it to my bag, now I put my bible study materials inside :)

Another thing is that this bag is my first trial to sew the leather straps! It is very challenging since I have never learnt how to do that. I tried to watch some websites to learn it myself, only practice helped me to learn -_- learn from mistakes!
I feel lucky that I bought an important tool to "drill" the thread holes!!
Unfortunately I don't have any leather needle :( my fingers were almost dead after I finished the straps X_X

Don't know when will be the next time to make bags! I have lots of bag at home now :)

The pockets inside the bag are very useful to put small things

Hot cross bun for Easter

I got chickenpox last week, rested for a week, but now I'm feeling better :)
Christ is risen :D

I followed the recipe of Jamie Oliver to make some hot cross bun, it's super soft and smells really good (because of the cinnamon)

If you like cinnamon you have to try out this recipe.

It is just taken out from the oven, hot hot hot!! didn't brush honey on it yet!

The flour mixture was liquid so the cross didn't form well....

So lazy to add cross this year...

Ingredients
200ml skimmed milk - I used whole milk
50ml water - I used whole milk
14g dried yeast - I used 10g
5g sugar

55g butter

465g strong bread flour
1tsp salt
1tsp mixed spice - I didn't add any
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg - I used 1tsp nutmeg
50g sugar
2stems fine chopped fresh ginger - If you don't have any fresh ginger but only powder one, add 1tsp
1.5 egg

55g dried raisin
30g dried cranberry
2tbsp mixed peel - I didn't add any, but I think you can add lemon or orange peels

0.5 egg

2tbsp flour
1tbsp water

running honey


Instructions
1. Warm milk &water by either microwave or sauce pan, add in sugar, mix well, then add yeast. Put it aside

2. Melt butter, put it aside

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, ginger
Add in yeast mixture and melted butter, mix well
Add in egg, mix well

4. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and not stick on the side of the mixing bowl
Rise the dough in  a warm place until it is doubled (about 1.5hour or you might need longer time)

5. Punch the dough
Add in dried fruits & peels, fold them several times to mix the fruits into the dough evenly

6. Divide the dough into 12 portions
Roll them into balls
Place them on a tray lined baking sheet and let the dough rise until size doubled (about 1.5-2hrs)

7.  When the size of the dough is about doubled, brush 0.5 egg mixture on the surface of the dough

Preheat the oven at 190°c, place a small bowl of water at the bottom in the oven

8. Mix 2tbsp of flour and 1tbsp water to become thick mixture, if it is too thick, add little bit of water each time

Place the mixture into a piping bag with round tip, squeeze the mixture on the bread vertically and horizontally so that each bun has a cross on the top

9. Bake for 12-15mins or until it is golden color

10. brush running honey on the top
Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Chinese traditional sticky rice cake - Niangao

Sorry Chinese New Year is already finished but I still want to share this recipe with you all, because it is so delicious!

Last time I shared the sticky rice cake/niangao recipe by the baking method, this time is by steaming method!

I really prefer the steaming method, I feel home when I taste it! I miss home :( highly recommend this recipe!

Brown/Cane sugar - you can find it in Chinese supermarket

Ingredients
1cup water

250g brown/cane sugar (you can buy them in Chinese supermarket)

80ml coconut cream
30g vegetable oil

200g glutinous flour
70g wheat flour

When you fry the cake on the pan:
1 whisked egg

Instructions
1. Bring 1cup water to boil in a pot, add brown sugar, let it dissolved 
Note: to prevent water from evaporating, use a lid to cover the pot

2. Add coconut cream and oil, let the mixture cool down
Prepare the steam tool

3. Add in flours and stir well, use a spetula to press the lumps until the mixture becomes smooth

4. Pour the mixture into a round mold (about 5-6 inches)
Steam under medium - high heat for 75mins, if you use a wok or pot to steam the cake, ensure the water won't be all evaporated and become dried!!
Note: It is a bit sticky even the cake is well cooked, so better steam longer time if you are not sure

5. Let the cake cool down, then put it in the fridge for at least several hours - the cake will become hardened and not/less sticky

6. To serve: slice the cake into pieces, coat the pieces with whisked egg, fry at medium or low heat, fry both sides until golden yellow color, the cake should be now hot, soft and chewy!

Enjoy!

Carrot cake - spongy texture

Honestly carrot cake is not my favorite cake, I don't even like carrot, as my mother always said it yellows our skin... anyway, when I was cutting the carrots for making food for my cats, I was thinking how can I use up these carrots quickly? I have a sister who just made it in the morning, when my husband came home, I asked him if he likes carrot cake, my husband said he loves it, especially with icing on it. Okay... so I try my 1st carrot cake.




There are lots of carrot cake recipes on google, but I chose this one because they use brown sugar, nutmeg, I think it is great combination with cinnamon. The cake looks darker since brown sugar is used.
It smells so good in the kitchen when I bake it and the texture is very spongy and soft!

It's nice too to top with caramel popcorn :)

Ingredients
175g brown sugar
175ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
140g grated carrots
100g raisins (I didn't use this time as I have none at home)
grated zest of 1 large orange
175g flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon powder
1/2tsp nutmeg powder* 

*if you have fresh, grate it - it gives better flavor, if you don't have any at home, it is ok!

Frosting:
175g icing sugar
2tbsp orange juice/lemon juice

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 180°c
In a mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil & eggs

2. Stir in grated carrot, raisins & grated orange

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder & nutmeg powder

4. Pour the mixture into the mould - I suggest using the mould you can fill the pan with at least 2inches high, so that you can feel the spongy texture
Bake for 45mins or until it is golden - insert a knife in the mixture, if it comes out clean = ready!
when it's cooled down, put the cake on a serving plate

5. In a bowl, beat the icing sugar and juice, press the lumps if there is any so that the frosting becomes smooth, it should be a bit runny
Pour the frosting on the top of the cake

Enjoy!

Strawberry/raspberry honey cornbread

Another cornbread recipe for breakfast - I like strawberry and raspberry so much, I bought some frozen ones because we are now in winter ;( when will summer come?

Ingredients
2cups flour
2cups fine corn flour - I used coarse corn flour
1/4cup sugar
2tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt

4 eggs
2cups milk
100g melted butter
1cup honey

1.5cup diced strawberries/raspberries - you can add more if you like

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven at 200°c
Mix the dry ingredients, then add in eggs, milk, butter and honey

2. Add in 1cup strawberries or raspberries, mix well

3. Pour the mixture into a mould, sprinkle the rest of the strawberries or raspberries on the top

4. Bake for
Cupcake mould: 12-15mins
Large mould: at least 35mins or until the middle becomes cooked (insert a knife to test)

Enjoy!