Shortbread

 

This is from a book of Indulge 100 Perfect Desserts, by Claire Clark.  I borrowed it from the public library and was soon impressed by the author’s inspiring introduction of the book.  If I came across a nice book, I normally scan the recipes I would like to try.  But this, I ordered a book earliest possible.  No luck at PageOne but Swindon.

This shortbread is the favourite from Claire’s boss, Thomas A Keller, head of French Laundary, one of the most admired restaurants in California.  He wrote at the Forward that the shortbread is the one he looks for after every trip.  No reason that I should not start with this simple but excellent recipe.

The first bite in my mouth, wow, oh my Lord.  I wanted it with tea and quickly made a cup of earl grey to go with it.  It’s fluffy, buttery but not dominant.  A feeling of bliss, happiness and satisfaction.

150g butter, at room temperature
225g plain flour
60g sugar (80% of the original recipe)
vanilla essence (a few drops)

That’s it.

Cube the butter and rub in to the mixture of flour and sugar. Mix and form a dough.

Press flat and roll out to a rectangular shape, about 1cm thick.

Cut into 15-18 oblongs.

Lay them on parchment paper.

Bake in oven with temperature 180C for 25 minutes. Cool in the oven.

The recipe says bake for 15 minutes, turn around for another 10 minutes. As the first 15 minutes did not get the shortbread brown, I left it and went for a nap. It’s gorgeous when I tried it. I did not sprinkle sugar on top. It’s good for I prefer it less sweet. Try it out and enjoy! 

If you are fascinated as I, click the link to get a copy.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=hkindetrav-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&asins=1552859096

Raspberry Milk Pudding

A few hectic days in Shanghai and Beijing.  Food is mostly fast food, at airport or on plane.  Yesterday, again a busy day.  I needed joy and made this delighting pudding in pink colour with raspberry.  Bright and cheerful, to sweep away tiresome. Romantic and sweet,  adding to a good night.  It is easy to made, less than half hour and just a few ingredients.  Well, need a bit patience to get it set in the fridge.  Perhaps, slightly little more cream will render a more velvet dessert.

100 cream    
125g low fat milk (use full fat milk will have a smoother texture)
25g sugar      4g gelatin
35g raspberry puree

Soak the gelatin in cold water for a few minutes. Drain and microwave to dissolve.

Cook cream, milk and sugar until it is slightly boiled. Turn off the heat and mix in the gelatin liquid.

Let cool a bit. Blend in the raspberry puree. Pass the mixture through a sieve and pour into dessert serving glasses. Refrigerate for 2 hours or above.

Mango Cheesecake with Sweet Pastry Base

Spring time, temperature shoots high, humidity starts to get into play.  Spring, season for vibrant life. Plant grows, new leaves from my fig shrub, not a tree but in a pot.  What’s nice is mango is now in season.  Wonderful taste and charming fragrance.  Oh, heavenly! 

I am going to Shanghai tomorrow.  My colleague, Ada, asked me in the past if I would bring anything.  Oh yeah, baked mango cheesecake.  It should be kept in a better shape than one blended gelatin and let consolidate at low temperature.  I haven’t made it for a long long time and can’t remember well the taste.  This time, I gave it another twist – a portion of fromage frais added to cream cheese.  Half of the batter mixed with melted butter.  The other half, a new experiment, mixed with cream.

At the moment of writing, I tasted the new trial, not heavy and assimilated with slight sweetness and fruity mango.  Excellent!  The mango cheese filling is smooth while the base is a bit crunchy.  Very different textures.  Next time, I will perch the base to make it even nicer. 

The other version……  Compliments received from a number of colleagues, including an excellent cook Rebecca.  Hurray!

1 16cm & 1 18cm cake pan 

Cake base
180g flour     
56g sugar
112g butter   
0.5 egg

Cut the butter into cubes.  Mix butter, flour and sugar to form a dough. 
Add egg. Blend well to form a disc.
Refrigerate it for 30 minutes
Divide into two and roll out to fit the cake pans
Prick holes on the dough.  Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes

Filling
100g Fromage Frais     
500g cream cheese
70g sugar     
3.5 eggs
140g mango mess
60g melted butter
60g cream

Beat the cheese and sugar until fluffy and soft

Add eggs and blend well

Divide the dough into two. 

Add melted butter to one and cream to the other half.

Add mango mess into the dough.  Blend to incorporate.

Bake in preheated oven at 160°C for 40-50 minutes

Let cool. Shave mango and lay on top

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake

A public holiday, a day for devoting to my passionate creation.  This time is a chocolate mascarpone cheesecake blended with fromage frais (white soft cheese like cream cheese, originated in France and Belgium), walnuts and raisins.  It was baked in bain marie, water bath to keep the filling soft.  The base is a new trial, chunky fibre digestive biscuits mixed with ground hazelnuts.  Different textures amalgamated into one single mass.  Chocolate fragrance, crunchy walnuts, sweet raisins, toasted fibre biscuit, smooth and subtle tangy mascarpone.  Heavenly, happily enjoyed between palates.

40g ground hazelnuts         
100g fiber digestive biscuit
30g butter, melted

Crush the biscuit with fingers.  Mix with slighted toasted ground hazelnuts and butter.  Bake it for 15 minutes.

100g dark chocolate (75%)   + extra for shavings on top
250g mascarpone         
200g fromage frais
50g raisins
100g walnuts         
2 large eggs                 
40g sugar

Roast the walnuts. Cut into smaller pieces.

Melt the chocolate and let cool.

Whisk mascarpone and fromage frais together until smooth.

Then add egg, one at each time, and sugar.  Whisk well.

Fold in the melted chocolate.  Follow by the walnuts and raisins.

Pour the filling onto the cake base.  Bake it in a water bath at 150C for 1.25 hours.  Let cool in the oven and refrigerate.

Shave chocolate and sprinkle on top of the cake.  Serve with coffee.    What a nice afternoon, indulgent!

Shared joy is double joy.  It is shared with colleagues.  14 of them tried it.  I saw happiness and blissful feeling from Carmen’s face.  What a blessing that food can make one happy!

Fromage Frais Chocolate Base Cake

 

Passion of cake baking woke me up this morning, around 6am.  An experiment of fromage frais with seemingly big portion of whipping cream.  The cheese itself hasn’t got much taste.  The cake itself looks quite plain.  To give it a twist, I quickly cut out a hollow of cupid and sprinkled cocoa powder on top.  It’s raw, not sophisticated but fun.   

The creamy consistency together with the chocolate and nutty cake base give it life.  Soft filling and cake fusioned between palates.  Later on orange zest is sprinkled over the top.  Even more appealing.   The tanginess adds another level of enjoyment.  A good match!  Next time, I will add orange zest to the creamy cheese filling.

Cake base
3 eggs     
120g sugar
50g ground hazelnut
30g ground almond
50g flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g chocolate        
40g butter

Preheat oven to 180°C
Beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow
Add melted chocolate and continue beating.
Fold in dry ingredients
Fold in melted butter and pour into a 20cm square cake tin
Bake for 20-30 minutes
Test with a cake pin

Filling
400g whipping cream
150g fromage frais
65g sugar
7g gelatin sheets

Liquidise gelatin
Whisk cream and sugar until soft peaks form
Add the fromage frais and blend well
Add liquidized gelatin over the cream mixture and mix well
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake base
Chill for a few hours.  Sprinkle cocoa powder and orange zest when serve

Tiramisu

 

Tiramisu means ‘pick me up’.  It originated in Italy but now is worldwide famous and beloved.  You find it in the dessert corner of all buffet dinners or lunches.  It’s so popular for reasons: indelible, induglent, magical mix of coffee, liquor, mascarpone, cream.  Once you have got a bite in your mouth, you can’t resist to finish the portion granted or even desire to the piece of your neighbour.  I made it again, so temptative, ended up eating more, missing it and again more in my mouth, a wonderful feeling and joy.

250g mascarpone
250g whipping cream
12 pieces Savoyardi biscuits
50g sugar
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup strong coffee
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (anti-moist)
5g gelatin sheet, soaked, drained and liquidized

Mix the coffee and rum in a bowl

Whip the cream until soft peaks form

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale

Add the mascarpone and beat until just combined

Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold quickly and lightly into the mascarpone mixture with a spatula.

Add the gelatin liquid and mix well.

Brush half the biscuits with the coffee mixture.  Drain off any excess.  Or quickly dip one side of the biscuit into the coffee mixture and repeat on the other side.  Make sure that the biscuits do not become soggy.  Arrange the biscuits in the base of a deep serving dish.

Spread half the cream mixture over the biscuits

Brush the remaining biscuits and repeat the layers.  Smooth the surface and dust liberally with the icing cocoa powder.  Refrigerate it for 4 hours or above.

My sister loved it, so as myself, dad and mom.  All gone!  They asked for an encore.