Kuih Tart Nenas (Pineapple Tarts)

I've been using different version of recipes to make Kuih Tart Nenas (pineapple tarts). I have posted a recipe before but I think this version is very good.

Recently, I found a kuih tart recipe in one of my FB group. She shared her late mom's recipe with us. After I got all the ingredients, I give it a go..  ohmygosh!!!!! Both me and hubs felt that the kuih tart were perfect. They melt in your mouth and the sweetness is just right.  On the day, I made the kuih tart, I'm telling you... I have not even finished baking all the tarts, and  the tarts on the first tray were all gone!! <<now you see it, now you don't>> LoL!!! I gave hubs to try a few and next thing, I know, its almost gone so I just finished the last 4 tarts in that tray.. LoL!!!! 

I’m happy to share my findings and would encourage you to try out this excellent recipe cos I think it’s very good.  Thank you Lily for sharing the recipe. :)

Original Pineapple Tart (by the late Hajjah Rohanna Abu) 

Ingredients:

Pineapple Fillings

2 pieces of pineapple (to be grated and sieve the juices out)

350gm sugar

1 cm cinnamon stick

3 pcs cloves (take out the send on top)

3 pcs cardamom 

Cook all the above (EXCEPT for sugar) for ½ hr. Mix in the sugar and cook on very low fire. The fillings will be ready when it is slightly darker in colour (at this point if you want to add a dash of yellow color to the pineapple mixture) 

 [ I wanted to give a few different colors. I used the yellow, green and blueberry color. ] 

here is a video of how to cut the pineapples:

Pastry

1 medium size egg  ( I used large egg )

250gm soft butter, room temp - (I leave the butter overnight in a mixing bowl and seal it with cling-wrap)

50gm self raising flour

350gm all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp white caster sugar

A dash of yellow color

Method to make Pastry

In a big mixing bowl, lightly beat egg, butter, yellow color, caster sugar with a spatula.

Add the self raising flour & all purpose flour and stir with the spatula until all mix well.

When all done, use your fingers to mix dough thoroughly but DO NOT over knead the pastry as this will cause the pastry to break when making the tart. Wrap dough in plastic foil and keep in fridge for 20 mins. 
(I forgot to put the yellow color earlier. I added later and the color was uneven.. ;P)

When ready: 

Line pastry board with a plastic sheet and place a small portion of pastry on it. Cover pastry with another sheet of plastic. Roll dough to about 4mm thick. Use tart mould to cut out the tart, place on ungreased baking tray. Continue until all the pastry is used. Then roll a small ball of filling, flatten slightly and place on center of tart. Decorate the top by placing bits of cut-out pastry . Bake in pre-heated oven at 350ºF for 15-20 mins or till tarts are a nice golden brown.

I bought a few different kuih tart moulds in Singapore cos I know I won't be able to get these easily in US.

Karipap Lapis (Curry Puff)

These puffs tasted so good! They remind me of the curry puffs that I always get from Polar (pastry & cake cafe) in Singapore. I was looking at my recipe file last week. The file that I had compiled in Singapore many years ago. So I was flipping thru the papers, I saw Karipap Lapis, then I knew I have to make this!

 Ingredients:

Puff pastry - check the recipe HERE

Filling:

200 g ground beef/chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

200 g diced potatoes

1-2 tbsp curry powder

salt to taste

cooking oil

water

Heat oil and saute minced garlic until almost crisp. Add the meat and curry powder. Saute well. Add the potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes and meat. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the diced onions and salt. (I added some peas too). Cook until dry. Remove and let it cool before using.

Unfold pastry sheet onto floured surface. cut round from the pastry with a 3 inch (8 cm) cutter. Spoon heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto one side of each pastry round, leaving a border wide enough for the pastry to be folded over. Brush the border with egg white. Fold the pastry over to make a half moon shape, pressing to seal. Transfer to the baking tray and brush top of the pastry with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated oven of at least 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) to get the maximum puff from your pastry for 15 minutes, or until golden.

I also tried to make some Vol-Au-Vents. The fillings on Vol-Au-Vents is from the curry potato & chicken filling and mushroom filling.

 Vol-Au-Vents

Homemade Classic Puff Pastry

Making puff pastry is time consuming but it's so worth it! The picture of the left is my first attempt to make homemade puff pastry. I was glad that the pastries turned out great. 

The main ingredients for puff pastry are flour, butter, water and salt. The most important thing to remember  when making puff pastry is everything gotta be chilled;  the ingredients, utensils, cool surface and including yourself. :-) 

Puff pastry consists of many fine layers. Between every layer of dough, there's a layer of butter. During baking, the melting butter will be absorbed by the dough. The moisture from the dough is converted into steam and the expanding air lifts the pastry, keeping the layers separated. Thus, this makes the pastry crisp and flaky:)

So for my first attempt, I decided to follow the recipe from Not Without Salt. She shared step-by-step pictures and video to make puff pastry too. Cool! ;)

Classic puff pastry

Ingredients:

13 oz (390 g) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) salt
3 oz (90 g) unsalted butter, cold
7 fluid oz (210 ml) water, cold
10 oz (300 g) unsalted butter, softened

To form the detrempe (dough), sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter (3 oz) into small pieces and then cut the pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add all the water at once. Using a rubber spatula or your fingers, gradually draw the flour into the water. Mix until all the flour is incorporated. Do not knead. The detrempe should be sticky and shaggy-looking.

Note: The detrempe can be made in a food processor. To do so, combine the flour, salt and pieces of cold butter in a food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process until a coarse meal is formed. With the processor running, slowly add the water. Turn the machine off as soon as the dough comes together to form a ball. Process with the remainder of the recipe.

Turn the detrempe out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand, rounding it into a ball. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill overnight.

To roll in the butter, first prepare the softened butter by placing it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll the softened butter into a rectangle, approximately 5 inches by 8 inches (12.5 cm by 20 cm). It is important that the detrempe and butter be of almost equal consistency. If necessary, allow the detrempe to sit at room temperature to soften or chill the butter briefly to harden.

On a lightly floured board, roll the detrempe into a rectangle approximately 12 inches by 15 inches (30cm by 37.5 cm) Lift and rotate the dough as necessary to prevent sticking.

Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any flour from the dough’s surface. Loose flour can cause gray streaks and can prevent the puff pastry from rising properly when baked.

Peel one piece of plastic wrap from the butter. Position the butter in the center of the rectangle and remove the remaining plastic. Fold the four edges of the detrempe over the butter enclosing it completely. Stretch the dough if necessary; it is important that none of the butter be exposed.

With the folded side facing up, press the dough several times with a rolling pin. Use a rocking motion to create ridges in the dough. Place the rolling pin in each ridge and slowly roll back and forth to widen the ridge. Repeat until all the ridges are doubled in size. Using the ridges as a starting point, roll the dough out into a smooth, even rectangle approximately 8 inches by 24 inches (20 cm by 50 cm). Be careful to keep the corners of the dough as right angles.

Use a dry pastry brush to remove any loose flour from the dough’s surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. If one end is damaged or in worse condition, fold it in first; otherwise, start at the bottom. This completes the first turn.

Rotate the block of dough 90 degrees so that the folded edge is on your left and the dough faces you like a book. Roll out the dough again, repeating the ridging technique. Once again, the dough should be in a smooth, even rectangle of approximately 8 inches by 24 inches (20 cm by 60 cm).

Fold the dough in thirds again, completing the second turn. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding technique until the dough has had a total of five turns. Do not perform more than two turns without a resting and chilling period. Cover the dough completely and chill overnight before shaping and baking.

A short video from Ashley Rodriguez.

Notes:

Puff pastry is cooked when the bottom of the item is browned and the pastry does not collapse into itself.

• Use a very sharp knife to cut puff pastry. A blunt knife will crush the layers together and prevent the pastry from rising to full height.
• Do not get egg wash or milk wash on the sides of the pastry. This will glue the layers together during baking and result in uneven lift.
• Excess flour left on the item will burn easily in the oven. Dust it off with a soft pastry brush.
• Always bake puff pastry in a very hot oven (220°C/425°F). A hot oven ensures the moisture in the dough turns into steam, which is what makes puff pastry rise.
• Puff pastry should only be baked for a short time. 15 to 20 minutes usually suffices. This is dependent on the oven and recipe used.
• Open the oven flue during baking to allow steam to escape and the pastry to dry, or failing that, open the oven door near the end of the baking.
• When using puff pastry as a base, small holes can be cut into the pastry allowing airflow to reach the under side (sometimes referred to as puffin' holes).
• Puff pastry can be refrigerated for a week, or frozen for three months. Stored puff pastry will have less lift than fresh pastry.

 

Pineapple Tarts (Kuih Tat Nenas) - Eid Mubarak 1432 -

Wishing my friends and readers 

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri / Eid Mubarak 1432 

I'm sharing a recipe that is considered as "festive" cookies in Singapore. Be it be during Eid or Chinese New Year. These tarts are small bite-sized pastries filled or topped with pineapple jam in the middle. 

There are many shapes but I preferred in the typical shape of flat open tart with pineapple jam in the center. Besides the flat open shape, there are other two favorite shapes; rolls filled with jam that are open at the ends under a lattice of pastry and jam-filled spheres (using cloves as the decor).

Ingredients for Jam:

1 ripe pineapple - grated and drained

170g sugar

1 heaped tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp egg color food coloring

2 cloves

1 cm piece cinnamon

Mix all above ingredients together in a pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns a golden color and the consistency is thick like jam. Leave to cool, removing cinnamon and cloves. Pre-roll the pineapple jam into balls

Ingredients for Pastry:

250g plain flour - sifted

400g unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1 level tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Beat together for 5 minutes the butter, egg yolk, vanilla essence and sugar, then fold the sifted flour and mix to form a soft dough.

To make TARTS:

Roll out pastry between sheets of plastic or wax paper to a thickness of about 3mm and cut into rounds using cutter. Arrange the tart shell neatly on the baking tray. Place the pre-rolled pineapple jam balls in the center of each tart shell. Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven 350 deg F or 176 deg C for about 20 minutes or until light brown. Cool well before storing in airtight container.

Strawberry tart

Finally I made my strawberry tart. It may not be the best looking strawberry tart but the taste was super delicious! Reminds me of Delifrance's fruit tart in Singapore. The sweet pastry crust was fantastic. Next time, I am making this again and use melted chocolate over the base..

If time does not permit to bake one, buy one at the supermarket. Once the pastry shell has been baked and cooled, it is a good idea to seal the crust by spreading a thin layer of apricot glaze or melted chocolate over its base to prevent the crust from getting soggy. There different types of fillings you can use, like Lemon curd or cream cheese filling. For this one, I use the traditional pastry cream.I didnt have any fluted tart pan so I used Pyrex's 8" pie dish. 

Strawberry Tart 

(adapted from Summer Berry Tart, Desserts & After Dinner Treats Step-by-Step book)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

90g butter

2 tbsp icing sugar

1-2 tbsp water 

To make crust: Preheat oven to moderate 180C/350F. Process flour, butter and icing sugar in food processor, using pulse action, for 15 seconds or until fine and crumbly. Add almost all the water, process 20 seconds or until mixture comes together; add more water if necessary. (It was quite hot here so I placed the pastry in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes before rolling the pastry.) Turn onto lightly floured surface, press together until smooth. Roll pastry to fit 20cm round fluted flan tin. Line tin with pastry, trim edges; refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper to cover pastry-lined tin. Spread layer of dried beans or rice evenly over paper. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, discard paper and rice. Return to oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Filling:

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

To make filling: Place egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in bowl, whisk until pale. Heat milk in small pan until almost boiling, remove from heat. Add milk gradually to egg mixture, beating constantly. Strain into pan. Stir constantly, over low heat 3 minutes or until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat, add essence. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap; cool. 

Clear glaze
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water or fruit juice (clear apple juice)
1 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
1 tbsp corn syrup

To make glaze: Bring sugar to boil with half of the water or fruit juice. Dissolve cornstarch in the other mixture cook. Stirring until mixture thickens and clear. Stir in corn syrup. Bring to boil then remove from heat. Cool before brushing over top of fruit.

To assemble tart: To remove the tart from the fluted sides of the pan, place your hand under the pan, touching only the removable bottom not the sides. Gently push the tart straight up, away from the sides. The fluted tart ring will fall away and slide down. Spread a thin layer or apricot glaze or melted chocolate over the bottom and sides. Spread filling in cooled pastry shell. Decorate the tart,  you'll need 2-3 cups of mixed fruits (berries, sliced kiwi, plums, bananas, pineapple or melon). Arranging the fruit on the tart can be done either randomly or in concentric overlapping circles, starting at the  outside edge. Try to cover all the pastry cream with fruits so that no pastry cream is showing through. Brush gel over fruit with a pastry brush.

This fruit tart is best eaten the same day as it is assembled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Here is another picture of my strawberry tart.

Karipap Pusing with Curried potatoes, sweet potatoes and ground beef.

My friend host a Project Karipap/Epok-epok (Curry Puffs) from March 13th, 2010 to April 13th, 2010 in Facebook. I've made the regular epok-epok before but this is my first attempt to make Karipap Pusing. Curry puff is a popular snack in Singapore and Malaysia. There are variety of fillings but usually the main filling is potato. Karipap Pusing is like epok-epok but karipap pusing is more crisp after frying because of the patten on the skin. 

I was in the mid of writing this post this evening, but hubs wanted to watch the movie Julie and Julia that we got in the mail today. So I had to save the blog and watch the movie with him. I expected the movie to be good, but it was even better than expected. Its a lovely movie. I really love the movie. After the movie was over, here I am back writing my blog..

Ingredients: 

Filling:

1 onion, chopped

a few curry leaves - for fragrance

1 cup ground beef

300 g potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

200g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 cup water

2 tbs beef curry powder - mix with some water to form a paste 

salt to taste

2 stalks spring onion

cooking oil

In a large saucepan, heat oil and saute the onion and curry leaves till soft and fragrant. Add in the curry paste and stir well. Add the ground beef, diced potatoes, diced sweet potatoes, salt and water. Cover. Cook until the potatoes are soften and there is no water left. Remove from heat. Add green onions and mix well. Let it to cool.

Dough A:

300g all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1/4 cup canola oil/vegetable oil

1/2 cup lukewarm water

In a large mixing bowl , add salt to flour. Make a well in the center and add the oil and mix well with your fingertips. Add the water bit by bit until the dough does not stick to you hand. Set aside.

Dough B:

150g all purpose flour

100g butter/marjerin

Mix all ingredients in B till a soft dough is formed.

These puffs are meant to be fried. My attempt to fry these puffs were impossible.. They  crack,  break, burst or whatever you call it, when fried... I was filled with despair when looking at the puffs in the hot oil.. Could it be, the heat temperature was a little too high or my measurements could be inaccurate... I do not know.. I had to throw them away because they can't be saved.. (there were 6 pieces) :( So I had another option.... That is when I tried baking. I took a few pieces and placed in the baking tray and brushed egg yolk on the top. Baked in a preheated oven at 350F for about 40mins or until it turned golden brown. Once they were baked, they turned out great.. These puffs reminds me of the curry puffs that I usually get at Polar Singapore. *yum-yum*

Notes:

I found that after baking, my puffs did not really show the patten on the skin as much as when you fried them.

Daring Bakers August Challenge - Chocolate Eclairs

My first challenge with Daring Bakers. How I got interested to join Daring Bakers?? I saw a few food blogs, and they were talking about Daring Bakers challenges. Then I decided to check the Daring Bakers website out. Wonderful! I think it is interesting to be part of such amazing group. Well, at that time, I had nothing much to do, so that is why I joined. But seriously, now my new job take away most of my time, I just hope that I can still do it. I was hoping that my first challenge will not be too difficult because the previous challenges, it seems way too difficult for an amateur baker like me...

Chocolate eclairs were selected by Tony Tahhan and MeetaK who are the hosts for August challenge. Eclairs and cream puff are my favorites, and I was so delighted when it got selected. Although I love this pastry, I haven't made them before. I always buy from the bakery shop.

Anyhoo, for this challenge, we were allowed to change one thing of this recipe, either the chocolate filling or the chocolate glaze. I decided to change the chocolate filling to orange custard. Unfortunately, my chocolate glaze did not turn out well. I was disappointed with my chocolate glaze and had to throw them out. In the end, I used chocolate chips and also milk chocolate on a double-boiler (separate).

Although my chocolate glaze was a little disappointment, overall, the eclairs turned out good. My mom was surprised when I told her that made those eclairs. She commented that the eclairs were soft and yummy! thanks mom. :)

Éclairs consist of 3 elements:
- Pâte à Choux, also known as Choux Pastry or Cream Puff Dough
- Pastry Cream
- Chocolate glaze

Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts By Pierre Hermé (makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds by positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers. Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff. The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:
1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.
Assembling the éclairs:
• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)
• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.
2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40 degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the mean time fill the bottom with the pastry cream.
3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:
1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create bubbles.
2)The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé(makes 20-24 Éclairs)
• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.
2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.
3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.
4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.
2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry CreamRecipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.
2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.
3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat). Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.
4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.
5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

Notes:
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.
3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé (makes 1 cup or 300g)
• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.
2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly
 in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.
2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate SauceRecipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)
• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.
2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:
1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.
2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

Orange custard3 oz orange juice
6 oz milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp orange rind
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp custard powder

Boil the milk. Add the custard powder, a little at a time in the milk. Stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cook in low heat until thick.
Leave to cool before proceed on.


I had a fun baking these eclairs and hope ya'll did too.... I think I will probably make these again in the future.... Thanks Tony and Meetak for hosting... Have a great day ahead! :)

Martha Mondays - Pistachio Tartlets with Crème Fraiche and Berries

Today is the last day.... I wanted to bake it so much.... I found a great food blog, mimi on the move and she host food event; martha mondays, a bi-weekly bake. I wished that I have started baking it earlier. I only started two days ago. (hmm..a lesson to be learnt, half-way thru the process, I almost give up making it). This time, she selected Pistachio Tartlets with Crème Fraiche and Berries from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I wanted to make it to challenge myself.....

The ingredients to make this recipe consist of pistachios and crème fraiche (originated from France) which is a thick and smooth soured cream with a rich and velvety texture.. It can only be found in specialty food stores or some grocery stores in US. But not in this town.... :/ I couldnt even find a fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bummer!!! (...wished I was in Singapore.. I could get the things I needed at the baking-supply store near my place... hmm.. oh well!!!) Since I was unable to get crèam fraiche or fluted tart pan or flan rings, I have to find the way to make the crèam fraiche and other alternative to place the tart dough. I found the way to make homemade crème fraiche. YAY!!! It is easy but a really long wait to get it thickened! I was so nervous, that I forgot to snap a few pictures before the final outcome!!

Recipe: Crème Fraiche (from Stephanie Jaworski)

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp buttermilk

(Note:If possible, use pasteurized heavy whipping cream, as ultra pasteurized will take longer to thicken.)

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Use a large bowl to transfer the cream. Allow this mixture to stand in a warm place, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until thickened but still of pouring consistency. Stir and taste every 6-8 hours. This process takes anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, depending on your room temperature. It is ready when it is thick with a slightly nutty sour taste. Then chill cream in the refrigerator for several hours before using. Crème fraîche may be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Recipe: Pistachio Tartlets with Crème Fraiche and Berries (from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, page 255)

You can make this recipe in a 14-by-4-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out the dough to a 16-by-6-inch rectangular before fitting it into the pan; bake with parchment and weights for fifteen mins, then revome parchment and weights and bake for 8 to 9 mins more.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour, for dusting
Pistachio Tart dough (see follows)
3/4 cup (abt 7 ounces) crème fraiche
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp confectioners' sugar
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios

Instructions:
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off exess flour. With a 6-inch dessert plate as a guide, use a sharp knife to cut out eight rounds, rerolling scraps as necessary. Fit dough rounds into eight 4-inch flan rings, pressing into the edges. Chill for 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife paring knife, trim dough flush with the top edge of each ring. Refrigerate the tarlet shells until well chilled, about 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line shells with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are just beginning to turn light golden, about 15 mins. Remove parchment and weights; continue baking until surface is light golden all over, about 6 mins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. After 10 minutes, remove tarlets from the rings.

In the bowl of an electirc mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine crème fraiche, cream and sugar (this is the part where I get all the dots on my apron and on the table..lol..). Whisk until soft peaks form (my cream turned out to be slightly light yellowish color... hmmm...). Using an offset spatula, spread mixture into cooled tartlet shells. Arrange berries (I used the mixed frozen berries which I should hv gotten individual fresh berries) and pistachios on top. Serve immediately.

(Note: For the weights, you can use dried beans or rice bundled in cheesecloth and secured with twine - that is what I did)

Recipe: Pistachio Tart Dough (from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)
MAKES ENUF FOR EIGHT 4-INCH TARTLETS OR ONE 14-BY-4-INCH TART

Ingredients:
1-1/2 sticks(3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, finely ground
2 tsp heavy cream

Instructions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and confectioners' sugar on a low speed until combined, about 2 mins. Add egg yolks and mix until incorporated, about 1 min, scrapiung down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1 cup flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 30 sec. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour, pistachios, salt and cream, mix until flour is no longer visable, about 1 min. Wrap tighly using plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hr or overnight.

The final outcome, this tart is rich and yummy!!! YAY!!!!! I also would like to thank mimi for hosting this food event. Thank you :)