Trissalicious

Philippine Cuisine: Spanner Crabs with “Alavar” Sauce

November 2, 2009 by trissalicious

Spanner Crab with Roasted Coconut Gravy

Having a severe case of homesickness over the weekend, I decided to attempt re-create one of my favourite Philippine Dishes. Crabs with “Alavar Sauce” . I am sure that outside the Philippines there aren’t many people familiar with the Alavar sauce. Some bloggers have referred to it previously, here and here. It’s a thick coconut gravy made with (I believe) roasted coconut milk and “secret” spices.

The recipe for this sauce is even more guarded than any national security secret so it was difficult to know where to begin recreating it. I decided to keep it simple and stick with the basic ingredients found in most Philippine cuisine – of course there was the “holy trinity” – onion, garlic and ginger and then coconut milk. Not just any coconut milk, but it had to be made from roasted coconut. And from there I added a few bits and pieces and came up with something pretty close -not yet there but just as delicious!

My version of "Alavar"

Note: For this recipe I made my own roasted coconut milk. Halfway through the process, I found myself muttering that I would never do it again. If you find the process below too tedious, don’t do it. Simply substitute with 250 ml coconut milk. But trust me, it is well worth it.

Procedure for Roasted Coconut Milk: It was a bit of a struggle because you first have to crack open a mature coconut (we call it niyog in the Philippines, it is the one with the brown outer shell). Once open you then have to crack the coconut down even further by placing it in a plastic bag, covering it with a tea towel and bashing as hard as you can with a hammer. Then, you have to try and pry the coconut pieces away from the shell (I used a sharp knife but I really would not recommend it because you can easily get hurt and I have battle scars on my hands to prove it). Once you have your meat, grind it through a food processor until coarsely ground and then toast over a pan, stirring constantly until it begins to release a fragrant coconut smell and starts to turn golden brown.

Return the toasted coconut to the food processor and add around 1 cup of hot water and grind until very fine. Place a sieve covered with a muslin over a bowl and pour the coconut on the sieve. Squeeze the muslin to extract as much milk as possible. This is called the roasted coconut milk.

Recipe (serves 2)

2 spanner crabs, cleaned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons crushed ginger
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 large red chilies, chopped
250 ml roasted coconut milk
250 ml canned coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and saute the onions over medium heat until translucent and soft, around 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, a minute or two.
Then add the turmeric and fresh chilies. Add the roasted coconut milk (if using, otherwise, add a total of 500 ml regular coconut milk) and season to taste.
For a smoother sauce, blend using a hand held stick blender. This is optional.
Lastly, add the spanner crabs and cook for around 7 to 10 minutes until the crab meat is cooked through.

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

The Food Blogger’s Phrase Collection & Caramelized Ginger Tart

October 30, 2009 by trissalicious

If you are anything like me and love to read through food blogs, you may have noticed a few commonly used phrases being used. Some of them are great ways to cover up the fact that your dish has not turned out exactly how you envisioned. Here are a few that I like to use.

1. “Dust with Icing sugar” – This usually means I have messed up a dessert, for example, a cake that has had far too many cracks on the top and I needed to cover the cake with some icing sugar to hide the imperfections.

2. “Dust with Icing sugar and Cocoa Powder” – Wow… this is when the cake really turned out bad and you need to use more than just icing sugar to cover the mess you made.

3. “Caramelize” (as opposed to saying brulee) – you burned the damn thing so now you need to tell everyone it was intentional. Used in a conversation:

Complaining Restaurant Customer: You burnt your apple tart.

Celebrity Chef: No I didn’t. It was caramelized.

Complaining Restaurant Customer: No, it was burnt.

Celebrity Chef: No. It was very caramelized that it looks almost burnt. I pay big bucks for this in Paris. Do you want to see a picture?

Complaining Restaurant Customer: No. I just like to complain.

4. “You are going for that rustic look” – I would use this when making a tart and the pastry has shrunk or come out very uneven.

5. “Meringue Cookies” – One I’ve seen on the net and loved. Someone attempted to make macarons but the macarons did not have feet.

6. “The recipe did not work for me” – hehe… I like this one. I can’t remember using this one but I see it a lot. I usually translate to mean the end product did not taste very good or look very good and was beyond remedy but was posted anyway.

7. “Adapted From” – giving credit to the recipe’s original author.

Let me show you what I mean in the example below:

This Caramelized Ginger Tart was adapted from Bourke Street Bakery’s new cookbook. The tart uses a sweet shortcrust pastry which is also featured in the book. It is flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious. Don’t worry too much about rolling it out too nicely on the tins, with this tart, you prefer to go for that rustic look.

Recipe (I only used half quantity)

360 ml 35% fat cream
2.5 cm ginger piece, finely sliced and peeled
1 cardamom pod, bruised
1/2 cinnamon stick
5 egg yolks
40 grams caster sugar
extra sugar for burning
sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)

Put the cream in a saucepan over high heat with the ginger, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Heat until it boils and place in a container overnight to allow the flavours to infuse.
The next day, reheat the infused cream before using over high heat and set aside.
Place the yolks and sugar and whisk until combined and sugar has dissolved. Pour over the warmed cream and continue to whisk until combined.
Place this mixture over a saucepan of simmering water and make sure that the base does not touch the water, otherwise it will curdle. Whisk the mixture like a sabayon until thick, it took me 25 minutes although the recipe says 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and place over a bowl of ice and water and continue to whisk until cool.
Cover with a plastic wrap which should be placed directly on top of the mixture. Refrigerate a few hours to set.
Roll out the pastry and set in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry in a preheated 200c oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Remove, allow to cool.
Pipe the custard over the tart shells and place back in the refrigerator to allow to set for an hour (the recipe calls for 4 hours)
Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over each tart and caramelize with a blow torch.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

200 grams unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
10 ml white vinegar, chilled
50 grams caster sugar
85 ml cold water
335 grams flour, chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt

Note: I have used one method in the book which was using a food processor. The book gives details as well if you are going to make the pastry by hand. I do encourage you to get a copy of the book. There are many excellent recipes and techniques worth learning.

Put the vinegar, sugar and water in a bowl and stir well until the sugar dissolved.
Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse in 1 second bursts about 3 or 4 times to partly combine.
Tip this over in a clean work surface and sprinkle the sugar/vinegar mixture. Use the palm of your hand to smear the dough away from you and then gather together again and repeat the smearing process. You may need to do this 2 to 3 times more. You should still be able to see streaks of butter marbled through the pastry.
Wrap the pastry and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
Remove the pastry 20 minutes prior to using. Sprinkle a little flour on the bench and rub some as well on your rolling pin. Working from the center of the pastry, gently roll the dough away from you then turn the dough about 30 degrees and roll out again.
Repeat the process until you have a flat round disc, about 3 mm think. Sprinkle extra flour as needed but try to use a little as possible.
Brush the tart tins (you will need 10 which are 8 cm in size or I used little muffin pans as well) with melted butter.
Cut the pastry into the shape you need for the tart tins (eg. if using 8 cm, cut the pastry using an 11 cm cutter – the trick is to cut 2 cm larger than the diameter of the tin).
Again, as mentioned earlier, no need to be too fussy – you are going for that rustic look.
Set the pastry cases aside to rest for at least 20 minutes in the freezer so that the gluten relaxes and holds it shape.
You are now ready to use the pastry and continue with the recipe above.

Posted in Bake | Tagged bourke street bakery, caaramelized ginger tart | 26 Comments »

Daring Bakers’ October Challenge – Lemon Lime Macarons

October 26, 2009 by trissalicious

Introducing: The Lemon Lime Macaron. My contribution to the Daring Bakers’ October Challenge… macarons. I think this was one of the most widely anticipated challenges. I had a lot of fun trying to come up with my own version. I also made a Chocolate Mousse Macaron Cake for my husband’s birthday and that can be found here.

These macarons are very easy to make. All you need is to make one batch of macarons and then divide the batch into two – colour one with yellow and the other one with green. Make sure to be generous as the colour fades when placed in the oven. You will also need two piping tips, a small one and a slightly larger one.

To make the shapes, simply get a round coin and draw patterns on your baking paper. I used a 2 cm coin for mine. Once you have separated the batter in two and coloured them, place the green batter in a piping bag fitted with the small piping tip. Place the yellow batter in a piping bag fitted with the larger piping tip.

Use the green batter to make an outline around the circumference of the pattern and when done, use the yellow batter to fill the area inside the green batter. Let dry around 30 minutes before baking.

Lemon Lime Macarons With Lemon Lime Curd Of Course!

Recipe

Macaron Shell recipe can be found here.

Lemon-Lime Filling

75 ml of lemon juice
75 ml of lime juice
Zest of lemon and lime used for juice
2 egg yolks (perfect way to use those of the macaron shells)
80 grams caster sugar
10 grams corn flour
60 grams cold butter, diced

Bring the lemon and lime juice to a boil along with the zest.
Beat the egg yolk and add the sugar and corn flour in a bowl.
Once the juice is boiling, pour this in the bowl with the egg, sugar and corn flour. Mix thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture into a heavy based sauce pan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens, whisk constantly
Strain the mixture and let cool slightly.
Using a whisk blender (or just a whisk if you can manage), add the butter a little at a time.
Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. Please check her website: Baking Without Fear.

Thanks to Tartelette who provided so much online support to everyone. I am pretty sure that many decided to use her recipe instead of the original one. Other blogs that I drew inspiration from are : Veron of Kitchen Musings, Clement from Ala Cuisine (he was the first person I emailed for a recipe more than 5 years ago!), David Lebovitz, Canelle et Vanille, and The Savour Chocolate School.

Lastly, a big thank you to the ladies of Citi Corporate Affairs – these macarons are for you! A big thank you for the World Chef Showcase tickets!

Note: Piping tips used

Piping Tips Used

Posted in Bake, Dare | Tagged daring bakers', lemon lime macaron, macaron, october challenge | 59 Comments »

The “Flourless” Chocolate Mousse Macaron Birthday Cake

October 26, 2009 by trissalicious

Happy Birthday to you!

What do you get someone who doesn’t want anything for his birthday?

For those who have been following my posts (YES! I do have some regular readers – that is, Mom, Dad, husband, and occasionally one sister when I force her to), you will recall the nightmare I had with my two labradors of which I chronicled here. Well, they aren’t always that bad. Sometimes, they provide inspiration for the best ideas.

Let me tell you about it.

A few weeks ago I was down with the flu and I asked my husband to walk the dogs for me, which he did. Coming home around 30 minutes later, I asked him (as I always do) “how was the walk?” and he replied “there was an accident”. Take note, this was a few days after the infamous and expensive chocolate mousse incident! My heart dropped. I thought they must have gotten hurt or ate more chocolate. I asked him what happened.

He said, “go downstairs”. Oh no. I thought to myself. I rushed down to find the lounge area covered in flour. My dogs had decided to get a bag of flour on the kitchen counter (I know I should stop leaving food there and it has since been rectified) and have some fun. They took the bag from the kitchen and brought it to the lounge and decided it would look great on the rug.

Special thanks to Baci & Bizou for deciding on the birthday cake to make!

Now that I look back, it was a pretty funny sight but it wasn’t so funny that morning when I had to clean up the mess!

Anyway, that evening I told my husband, that I needed a new bag of flour because I was going to practice on a chocolate cake I had never made for his birthday (yes, a bit OC but I thought I should have one go at the cake before serving it on his birthday). He said “why don’t you just make a flourless chocolate cake”. Brilliant!

What a great idea. And then, I added my own twist and decided I was going to make it a macaron cake – they are flourless too!

Chocolate Mousse Macaron Cake

So here it is: The FLOURLESS Chocolate Mousse Macaron Birthday Cake inspired by those two crazy labradors. It is also the first of my Daring Bakers’ Challenge for October. My second post – lemon lime macarons can be found here.

Ingredients

125 grams almond meal
125 grams icing sugar (not icing mixture)
30 grams dutch processed cocoa powder
100 grams caster sugar
100 grams egg whites (from around 3 eggs)

Procedure

Before you begin with the macs, find a 20 cm plate and draw the pattern on some baking paper.
In a food processor grind the almond meal and icing sugar for around 5 minutes until very finely ground.
Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and whip the whites until soft peaks
Add the sugar, 50 grams at a time while the egg whites are being beaten.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
Fold the ground almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in three additions until fully amalgamated.
Pipe on to baking trays which have been lined with baking paper. Start from the center of the circle and go around until you end on the edge of the circle.
Let the macarons dry for around 30 minutes until the “shells” are dry. Bake in a pre heated fan forced oven (150c) for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Mousse

80 grams caster sugar
5 egg yolks
200 grams dark coveture chocolate
300 ml cream
Cocoa Powder for dusting

Beat the egg yolks in a stand or electric mixer.
In a sauce pan, heat 30 ml water and the caster sugar. Bring to a boil.
Add the sugar syrup to the egg yolks in a steady stream. Whisk until the mixture is at room temperature and is light.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave until melted and cool slightly until lukewarm
Fold the chocolate into the egg mixture.
In another bowl, whisk the cream until semi stiff peaks.
Fold the cream into the chocolate/egg mixture.
With a pastry bag, fill half a shell and cover with the other half
Store in the refrigerator
Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

To Dan: Wishing you a very happy birthday! Sorry I don’t have a gift for you except this macaron cake (even if I did buy you something I would probably use your credit card anyway!) … Love lots! Kiss kiss… Baci, Bizou and Trissa

Posted in Bake, Dare | Tagged chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse macaron cake, daring bakers', flourless chocolate cake, macaron cake | 39 Comments »

The Great Australian Sausage Roll

October 25, 2009 by trissalicious

Lamb Sausage Rolls

I recently read that there is a new and harder citizenship test that needs to be taken before becoming eligible to be an Australian citizen. It is comprised of a series of 20 multiple choice questions and applicants will have 45 minutes to complete the test. Browsing through the internet, I am ashamed to say that if taken today, I would have failed miserably. I don’t know what Australia’s national floral emblem is (the golden wattle) or what year did Federation take place (1901). Looking at the test brought back some feeling of anxiety about the time I was applying for my Australian citizenship.

When I applied for citizenship there was no multiple choice test but an interview. I knew beforehand that there were certain things you needed to know which was basically the rights and responsibilities of Australian citizens. It wasn’t that this was so hard to memorize (I recall there were six rights and four responsibilities) but on the day of the interview, my particular interviewer seemed to be having a bad day. I was expecting some chit chat prior to being asked the questions but his first remark was along the lines of “okay, we don’t have much time, what are the four responsibilities of being an Australian citizen”.

“Number one, I said, obey the law”

“Two, vote at all elections”

He nodded his head.

“Three, serve on a jury if called upon”

“Correct, one more” he said.

And then my mind drew a complete blank.

“Ah, uhm… ” I stammered. I repeated the first three hoping the fourth one would miraculously come to mind but he seemed to be shaking his head from side to side as if to say “you ain’t gonna make it”.

How embarassing, I thought to myself. I cannot FAIL this interview.

“Is it, make sausage pies?” I asked.

He burst out laughing. “First of all, they are called either sausage rolls or meat pies, there is no sausage pie! and second, that is not the fourth answer!”

His lightened mood put me at ease and then the answer came.

“Of course, the last one, defend Australia should the need arise”

And that friends, is the story of how I finally made it to this wonderful country! BUT I still think making a great sausage roll or meat pie is one of the responsibilities expected of all Australian citizens. So, if you are ever asked for that great recipe – here it is!

Recipe

1/2 quantity puff pastry recipe – the puff pastry recipe can be found here.

Sausage Filling:

500 grams minced lamb
40 grams roasted pine nuts
30 grams sultanas or raisins
50 grams couscous*
2 teaspoons salt
fresh pepper to taste
170 grams harissa (see recipe below)
egg wash for brushing
poppy seeds

Harissa

3 red peppers, grilled, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup water

To make the harissa

Heat the olive oil in a large and heavy based saucepan. Add the onions and cook a few minutes until translucent.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook over low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours until it becomes like a paste.
If not using immediately, cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the refrigerator.
If using for the sausage roll recipe, see below.

To make the sausage roll (make 8 to 10 rolls)

Mix together in a large bowl the lamb, pine nuts, sultanas, couscous*, harissa, salt and pepper.
Mix the meat using your hands for around 3 to 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed.
Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface. Each sheet of puff pastry should be around 20 cm by 20 cm but this is really all up to you and how large you want your rolls to be.
Divide the sausage filling and brush one end of the puff pastry with egg wash.
Fold the pastry over the sausage filling and press down to “seal” (you don’t want the roll opening while baking)
Brush with egg wash and poppy seeds.
Bake in a pre-heated oven (180c) for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown
Serve immediately.

*If couscous is not available, substitute two slices of white bread, edges removed and chopped finely along with one beaten egg

Posted in Bake | Tagged harissa, lamb mince, sausage roll | 13 Comments »

Boo! Tortelli di Zucca & The Wicked Witch of Pasta

October 20, 2009 by trissalicious

Tortelli di Zucca

A food post in October/Halloween is not complete without at least one pumpkin recipe correct? So here’s my favourite pumpkin recipe. When I learned to make fresh pasta a few years ago, the first “filled” pasta we learned to make was the Tortelli di Zucca. I still remember the lady who taught me to make pasta. We were in a class of 10 students and she was an Italian lady from Emilia Romagna. She was absolutely militant that there was one and ONLY ONE way to make pasta. She would have been a great witch for halloween! haha!

No halloween is complete without a costume! So here is one of me and my family. Can you guess which costume I’m wearing?

Can you guess who I am in the photo?

She said you had to place the flour on the a wooden surface, make a well in the middle of the pasta, crack the eggs into the well and “scramble” the eggs and then slowly incorporate the flour. Anyone in the class caught doing otherwise would always get reprimanded and, as I guess passionate Italians are, she wasn’t shy to reprimand! I was half expecting her to take out a ruler and slap someone’s hand if caught not following directions…

Pumpkin puree, parmesan cheese, amaretti biscuits and home made pasta!

In the end, I do have to admit that, being to several other pasta making classes, this is the one technique and recipe that I continue to go back to.

The filling, I have changed because looking at the original recipe, I realized there were no quantities. I think we were expected to write down quantities as she talked but I must have forgotten. I was too scared to call her and ask for the recipe so… I can safely say that this is my variation on the Tortelli di Zucca and it tastes just as good as what we made that day in class!

Recipe for Pumpkin Filling

1 kilo pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into pieces
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 amaretti biscuit, crushed
olive oil

Place the pumpkin in a pan and drizzle some olive oil on top to prevent sticking.
Pre heat the oven to 180c and bake the pumpkin for 40 minutes until soft
Pass the pumpkin through a sieve and place in a bowl
Add the cheese, egg and amaretti biscuit
Fill the pasta sheets with the pumpkin filling and cover with another layer of pasta
Shape and rest for a few minutes

For the pasta, the recipe can be found here.

To serve:

100 grams butter
a few sage leaves
a handful of crushed hazelnuts

Heat some water until boiling and add salt.
Cook the tortelli for 3 to5 minutes and drain, set aside in a warm place
Heat the butter in a pan and when browned and foaming, add the sage leaves
Remove the butter from the heat and pour over the pasta
Add a handful of crushed hazelnuts before serving

Okay okay… the suspense must be killing you… let it be known that I CAN MAKE FUN OF MYSELF… here I am. Did you guess correctly?

Happy Halloween!

So sorry to C3PO, The Nurse, (Not so…)Minnie Mouse, The Overfed Indian and The Geisha (who is a bit too old to go trick or treating!!!) that I did not get photo approval ahead of time!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged halloween, pasta, pumpkin, tortelli di zucca | 22 Comments »

Family Secrets & Empanadas

October 17, 2009 by trissalicious

Empanada "Kaliskis"

Filipinos are funny about their secrets. They are also notorious gossips. So some things they divulge in a blink of the eye while other secrets they keep to their graves.

Ask a Filipino to tell you about their family history and you might hear him talk about of how an aunt of the family got pregnant at 16 with the family driver and gave birth to a child who was adopted by her mother and this child grew up as the aunt’s daughter. Or how their best friend had a one night stand with the fiancee’s best friend the night before the wedding and how nine months later the little bub looked strikingly similar to the now husband’s best friend. Confusing isn’t it? But makes for great family conversations!

In fact, Filipinos are so open about these so called “family secrets”, or most secrets in general, that my English brother in law once remarked that there are NO FILIPINO SECRET AGENTS. For the simple fact that they would have failed the psychological portion of the exam that determines how willing you are to give up super top secrets! Can you imagine a Filipino secret agent being dragged to a room to be interogated by a the CIA and before they enter the room the Filipino tells the CIA “by the way, did you hear about the little atomic bomb the terrorists in the South are looking to build?”…

BUT never ask a Filipino to share a family recipe. NEVER. They simply won’t. These are the secrets they take with them to their grave. These are the recipes that are passed on from one generation to another and another and yet another but will never be shared outside the confines of the family.

I remember in my university days a funny conversation I had with a schoolmate. She had just shared with me a very sad family problem over afternoon tea. We were having empanadas which we bought in the bakery across school. Between sobs she mentioned that the emapanadas were similar to what her aunt made and they were a family specialty. I asked if she could share the recipe with me and she replied that her mother swore her to secrecy. I found it funny how she was willing to tell me about her father’s affair with her brother’s school teacher but not willing to share the empanada recipe!

See how neatly pleated they are?!

The empanadas we had that afternoon were something that I have always been meaning to recreate. They were not the typical empanadas as they were very flaky and tender and called “kaliskis” which in Filipino refers to it looking like fish scales. It took awhile before I found out how to make them but many years later here they are! Luckily for me, there is a vast resource over the internet as well as great cookbooks such Andrea Nguyen’s Asian Dumplings which details the procedure of how to make this flaky pastry which I found out has Chinese origins. Her site, Asiandumplingtips.com is an excellent resource.

The recipe for the pastry below is adapted from Andrea’s book which can be purchased on Amazon. It is a fantastic resource and if you love dumplings (which I do in all shapes, sizes and forms!), this is a must have.

The recipe for the filling is my own. I decided to use adobo flakes, salted red eggs and some mayonnaise as filling because I wanted to sure there was no mistake that this was a Filipino snack!

Adobo, salted eggs and mayonnaise

Flaky Pastry

Outer Dough

125 grams flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 grams lard
5 tablespoons warm water

Inner Dough

85 grams flour
85 grams lard, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Adobo

2 chicken thighs (with skin on)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
4 peppercorns

To make the outer dough, combine the flour, salt, sugar and lard in a food processor. Blend until it resembles a sandy consistency.
Transfer the mix to a bowl and make a well in the center and add the water one tablespoon at a time. Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Toss the contents to a lightly floured surface and knead for around two minutes. This should create a soft, smooth and slightly elastic dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 30 minutes. (note: you can add more flour if it feels too wet)
For the inner dough, mix the flour and lard again in a food processor for around 10 seconds to blend the mixture. Transfer to a bowl and mix to combine. It should resemble soft cookie dough.
Gather and pat the dough into a rough ball and place on a lightly floured work surface. Gently pat the dough and form into a smooth ball and set aside.
To encase the inner dough in the outer dough, roll the outer dough into a 16 cm circle. Center the ball of the inner dough on top and then gently pull up and press the outer dough, pinching the ends together to completely encase the inner dough.
Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into a square (Andrea uses an oblong shape but I didn’t read it properly at first and used a square!) about 21 cm wide and 31 cm long. Once done, fold the dough into thirds like a letter.
Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out again 21cm wide by 31 cm long, and then fold into thirds like a letter.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let the dough rest at least 1 hour before using.
When ready to use the pastry, roll it out into a square measuring 30cm by 30cm. Then, roll the dough from the bottom all the way to the top like a jelly roll.
Cut the dough into 16 equal parts and to use each part, flatten the dough with the palm of your hand to make a disc, then use a rolling pin to increase the diameter of the dough.
Cutting the dough into equal portions
Fill each dough portion with mayonnaise, adobo and salted red egg.
Deep fry the dumplings at 180c for 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve.
To use the pastry, the best resource for me was this site form Corner Cafe. This site shows you the various techniques on how to fold and shape the pastry.

For Adobo

Mix all ingredients for adobo and simmer the chicken for 30 minutes. Once done, remove the chicken and cool. Once cool, shred the chicken and fry in some oil until crispy.

Special thanks to Ellie and Lorraine for teaching me to pleat!

Posted in Cook | Tagged adobo, empanada, flaky pastry | 29 Comments »

Butter Chicken: A Taste of India

October 13, 2009 by trissalicious

Butter Chicken

Ajoy Joshi is a passionate man. He is the owner and chef of Nilgiri’s Restaurant in Sydney. If there was anyone you’d want to learn Indian Cooking from – this is the man.

A few months ago I developed a serious addiction to Indian food. Being a creature of habit, every other day I would insist that we have dinner at the local Indian restaurant five minutes from our house. It came to a point that the waiters would memorize our order already. One butter chicken, one jinga molee, garlic naan, basmati rice and two mango lassi. One day, the waiter said to me “Wow! You’ve become addicted to our food!” – which was true but somehow embarrassed me a little bit.

The next day, I was craving for Indian (again!) and I decided that I would ask my husband to go and get take away instead. In that way, I would not have to see the waiter that knew my Indian food addiction. So anyway, when my husband got home he said to me that one of the waiters said something funny to him. “What did he say?” I asked.

“Your wife is addicted to our food!” he replied! There was no escaping it. The only way to overcome this (not that it was really a problem!) was for me to learn how to cook that butter chicken!

So that’s how I found myself at Nilgiri’s on a Saturday morning with twelve other people to learn the art of chicken korma and mughlai cuisine. Mughlai cuisine I learned comes from the kitchens of Indian aristocracy or the Moghul Emperors.

The first thing that strikes me about Chef Ajoy is how passionate he is about his cuisine. We get a lesson on the history of Indian cuisine. As with any cuisine, many factors including climate, availability of ingredients, natural resources etc have their influences on the regional styles of food. For example, food from the North of India have richer sauces while the Southern states have lighter sauces.

The next thing that strikes me is how methodical he is. In fact, his philosophy in cooking is that if you”get the procedure/process right, you reach your destination”. He asks us to lay all the ingredients per recipe on a large tray, the first ingredient on the 12 o clock position and placing the following ingredients (in the order that they will be used) clockwise.

There are six dishes that we need to go through in about 4 hours so the class is very fast paced. The dishes on the menu were:

Pakay Gosht Kebab – skewered lamb kebabs made with fresh herbs and garam masala
Paneer Makhani – which is paneer in “butter chicken sauce” and yes! we made our own paneer!

Making the panee. I didn't realize it was so easy!

Making the paneer. I didn't realize it was so easy!

Murg Nawabi – which is a classic korma dish
Dal Palak – a vegetarian dish of spinach and mung lentils
Cucumber Raita
Naan Bread

Naan Bread

Of course the true test to see whether a cooking class that I’ve attended has been successful is if I am able to re-create the dish we made in my own kitchen. While we didn’t make the butter chicken in our class that I’ve become so addicted to, we did make paneer in the same sauce. So with a bit of help from Chef Ajoy this is my “Never have to go back there again butter chicken” recipe.

Recipe

The first part of this recipe is making the Tandoori chicken. The next part is the butter chicken sauce. The process is quite an experience (ie LONG) but the results are fantastic. I do suggest making a large batch and this recipe is suitable for freezing. Freeze the butter chicken in individual portions and defrost as necessary.

1 kilo chicken thigh fillets (no skin)
1/4 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long, broken into small pieces
5 brown cardamon pods
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 cup plain yogurt (he uses Dairy Farmers brand)
2 1/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste

Cut the chicken fillets into quarters. In a glass bowl, combine the chicken with the vinegar/lemon juice. Set aside.
In a spice grinder, grind the coriander seeds, cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves to a powder. Place in a bowl and combine with turmeric, chili powder, paprika, nutmeg, mace, yogurt, garlic, giner, and oil and mix well. Season with salt and add the chicken. Mix well and cover. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the over to 240C and in a shallow roasting pan, place the chicken pieces in a single layer. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside.

Sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil and melted butter combined
1 kilo brown onions (about 6 medium), chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chopped fresh green or red chili
1 kilo tomatoes, chopped, and pureed in a blender or food processor
2/3 cup cream (150 ml)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
1/3 cup chopped coriander

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, uncovered stirring occasionally until onions are dark golden brown. This will take around 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the ginger and garlic and cook for around 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, turmeric, and chili pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered stirring often, until tomatoes are soft, around 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the cream and butter to the pan and cook, stirring until the butter melts. Stir in the chicken, honey, fenugreek and cook, stirring often until chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the coriander and serve.

Posted in Cook, Learn | 20 Comments »

La Dolce Vita: Bocconcini con Pomodori Dolci

October 12, 2009 by trissalicious

Insalata Caprese using Candied Tomatoes

I love this salad. It’s a twist on the classic Insalata Caprese which is made up of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil – but instead of ripe plum tomatoes, I’ve candied them by marinating them in olive oil and icing sugar. The resulting tomato tasted somewhat like a cross between a tomato and a watermelon! A tomatermelon!

Delicious whole or in a verrine

I also think it’s the happiest looking salad I’ve ever seen. Don’t you agree?

Pomodoro Dolci

I would like to say it’s my recipe but alas, only a genius like Armando Percuoco from Buon Ricordo could dream up an idea as wonderful as this!

I first had this salad at Buon Ricordo almost a year ago and immediately fell in love with his version. He “candies” the tomatoes by marinating them for 12 hours in a mixture of olive oil and icing sugar. Then he removes them from the olive oil/sugar mixture and places them in caster sugar for another six hours. In total, this salad takes about 18 hours to prepare but practically all of it is just the marination.

Tomatoes are marinated for 18 hours!

The recipe also calls for burrata which costs more than 65 dollars a kilo at DJs. I substituted some bocconcini which costs a quarter of that.

One more great thing about this dish – it’s so versatile – it can be eaten as an entree or dessert!

Bocconcini con Pomodori Dolci (Adapted from Armando Percuoco’s Latest : Buon Ricordo Cook Book)

500 ml extra virgin olive oil
7 tablespoons icing sugar
4 vine ripened tomatoes
4 tablespoons caster sugar
450 grams bocconcini or burrata cheese
salt
Garnish – 40 basil leaves

Peel the tomatoes by placing a cross on their bottoms using a sharp knife. Drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds and immediately remove. Place in a bowl filled with ice and water. The skins will peel easily after this.
Mix together the olive oil and icing sugar in a bowl and put in the tomatoes. Leave to marinate for 12 hours. Pick out the tomatoes and put them dry with a paper towel.
Coat in 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Place the tomatoes in a covered container and leave for another 6 hours.
To make the basil sauce , drain the liquid that comes from the tomatoes and place into a blender jar. Add the basil leaves and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt. Blend into a sauce, similar to pesto.

Posted in Cook | Tagged bocconcini, Buon Ricordo, candied tomatoes | 8 Comments »

The World’s Most Expensive Chocolate Mousse!

October 10, 2009 by trissalicious

Chocolate Mousse Verrines

Here is the recipe for the world’s most expensive chocolate mousse. Believe me, I tried to keep the costs down with the GFC and all but unfortunately, the bill for this mousse topped 800 dollars!

I set out to make a triple layer chocolate mousse which was made up of a layer of dark chocolate mousse, a layer of white chocolate and cream and finally a topping of dark chocolate sauce. By the time I finished the first two layers I realized that I did not have the dark chocolate sauce and decided to substitute with nutella instead.

Chocolate Mousse and Macarons

I finished the layers and left the nutella on the kitchen counter.

Early the next morning I heard some banging coming from the kitchen. I went out to investigate. What did I see, my dog Baci, lying on the ground licking an open jar of nutella! My other dog Bizou, was standing right beside her, as if to say “leave some for me!”

Now, any dog owner will know that chocolate is toxic to dogs, as chocolates contain theobromine which a dog’s system cannot break down properly. If eaten in sufficient quantities this can be fatal to dogs… So at 4:30 am we took both dogs (as we weren’t sure if Bizou had also eaten the nutella) to the 24 hour vet hospital.

Now again, any dog owner will know that treating a dog in a 24 hour hospital will cost more than your regular vet. But faced between the choice of living with a huge vet bill or risk my dog having a heart attack…

The morning was spent at the vet’s office – first they induced vomitting and then they decided to keep the dogs for the day on a drip to make sure they did not suffer from dehydration.

The culprits looking so innocent!

Recipe (adapted from Meals & Memories – El Comedor Cookbook)

Dark Chocolate Mousse

340 grams dark/bittersweet chocolate, cut into bits
115 grams butter, cut into bits
2 teaspoons instand coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
4 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium bowl placed in a pan of barely simmering water. Or melt in a microwave oven on medium heat for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir from time to time to hasten melting. When melted and smooth, whick in the dissolved coffee powder and egg yolks. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a clean and dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beating at high spead until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold the remaining egg whites into the mixture until completely incorporated. Pipe the mousse into serving cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.

We didn't do it!

White Chocolate Mousse (adapted from Verrines by Jose Marechal)

1 gelatine leaf
175 grams white chocolate, chopped
250 ml heavy cream

Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, then drain and squeeze out excess water.
Pour 125 ml of the cream into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add the gelatine and stir until smooth. Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour the cream over this. Stand for 30 seconds and slowly stir until amalgamated. Allow to cool.
In another bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into the cooled white chocolate mixture. Remove the glass from the refrigerator and top with the white chocolate and allow to set.

To assemble:

Top with store bought chocolate sauce

Really, we were sleeping at that time!

Let’s run through the total cost:

Dark Chocolate A$5.00

White Chocolate A$5.00

Cream A$4.50

Sugar A$0.75

Eggs A$2.00

Vet bill A$792

Look on my husband’s face when he paid the bill… priceless!

Posted in Bake, El Comedor | Tagged chocolate mousse, triple layer chocolate mousse, verrine | 34 Comments »

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The World’s Most Expensive Chocolate Mousse!

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