Baked Tapioca Pudding (焗西米布甸)

Here goes nothing! Cindy suggested I give this a try, and helpfully said to search sago pudding, rather than tapioca. Almost all of the recipes called for custard powder, much to my frustration. I don't need any more powders and mixes in here, so I had to kind of improvise. From what I've read, custard powder is mostly cornstarch, flavour, and colour. There's not much I want to do about the colour, and I'm decently sure that flavour is really coconut milk and vanilla, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Ingredients (makes 8 100mL servings):
1 cup small white tapioca pearls (may be labelled as sago, but comes from cassava starch, ingredients might say "manioc")
1 can (400mL) coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
finely grated zest of one lemon


Method:
Boil pearls in lots of water for 10 minutes, then turn down heat simmer until the majority of pearls are translucent.
Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside in a bowl.
On medium-low, heat coconut milk, and sugar to just boiling.
In a separate bowl, whisk water into cornstarch and add to cream mixture.
Heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and whisk into eggs in a steady stream.
Strain to remove lumps.
Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest
Mix in tapioca.
Spoon the mixture into 8 115mL ramekins.
Bake at 400F on the middle rack in a hot water bath for 15-30 minutes until set.
Use a torch to caramelise sugar to the top if you wish.


Comments:
Every recipe called for butter, but I'm thinking that it was mostly for the fat content, so I left it out. I figured it wasn't for structure, since it's a warm dessert, and the butter would be all melted anyway.

I wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I didn't use red bean paste (it'd be a tragic waste if the pudding turned into an abysmal failure).

It wasn't sweet or flavourful enough, and it was too thick, so it needs more sugar, more vanilla and less cornstarch. It'd probably be better to just yolks, rather than whole eggs, but it just seems so wasteful.

Verdict:
I'm glad it set and worked. I'm tabling it until I have the right proportions.

Creme Brulee, Take 2

After trying out creme brulee, I managed to find this great video about making the dessert, and learned a few things. This next recipe is much more brulee-like (I know, I know, brulee refers to the hard top, but you know what I mean), whereas the last one was more of a flan.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings ~125mL each):
500mL whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Method:
Preheat oven to 300F. Use the rack just under middle.
Boil some water.
Meanwhile, scald the cream on medium-low heat. (Warm to about 50 degrees Celsius)
While that is happening, in a bowl, whisk by hand the yolks and sugar, then add in the vanilla.
Mix in the warmed cream to the mixture, being careful to not cook the eggs. Do this by whisking in a little amount, or whisking in a steady stream of liquid.
Strain into a pitcher to remove lumps and for easy pouring.
Skim off the foam. A neat trick is to torch the top, and the foam breaks up.
Place ramekins into a baking dish. I used a 9x13 pyrex. Fill the dish halfway up the ramekins with the boiling water. If you are using a metal pan, place a towel on the bottom, then fill with water for a more insulating effect.
Pour the cream into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 25-45 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the bath for 15 minutes before removing and cooling.
Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Generously sprinkle sugar onto the custard. Tilt the ramekin to evenly coat the top and shake off the excess sugar. Clean the sides of the ramekin of sugar.

Torch the sugar until it starts to bubble, stop and wait a few seconds, then re-torch to get even browning.

Comments:
Watch the video, seriously.

I used 300F instead of 325F because I saw it on another website, and I suspect my oven runs pretty hot because it's fairly new and efficient.

I don't order creme brulee in restaurants, but this one's consistency is like those white chocolate-milk chocolate pudding cups at Griffins. I might experiment a bit to see if I can imitate the pudding ^^.

You can use a lighter cream, but the consistency might be a little less smooth.


Verdict:
Yum! And way less wasteful than the other recipe.

Chocolate Brownies

We've been having some really uninspired dinners recently, mostly because we're trying to clean out the freezer before stuff goes bad. (We've already given a package of hotpot beef to Chester. Goodness, but does he ever have it good.)

Anyways, I wanted a good dessert to make up for it, so here it is. Oh, and did I mention that we have a lot of vanilla bean ice cream?

What's more perfect than warm brownies a la mode?

Ingredients:
140g semisweet chocolate wafers (I don't have a scale, and used about 0.75cup)
0.5 cup unsalted butter. cut into pieces
2 tbs cocoa powder
0.25 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
0.75 cup flour
0.25 tsp salt



Method:
Melt butter and chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease an 8x8 pan.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar and cocoa.
Whisk in vanilla and one egg at a time.
Stir in flour and salt.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a bit of batter. If it comes out clean, it is over baked.
Cool and enjoy with ice cream.


Comments:
I was totally stoked to use my new spatula: silicone with a wooden handle. I've gone through more spatulas with plastic handles than I care to remember. I absolutely love how the new one is so good at scraping the bowl! Here's to a nice long utility life.

I wasn't going to use any sugar, but then a quick taste test after the flour was mixed in nixed that idea. Not that I have anything against sugar; I've just had bad luck with the right amount of sweetness, and bland is much more preferable to tooth-achingly sweet.

We're going to need a kitchen scale. It wasn't enough chocolatey goodness.

Over-baking = too dry. Sigh. And I only had it in for 25 minutes. The original recipe called for it to be in for 30 min.

Oh. Don't grease up the sides. My brownie migrated up during baking, and I suspect it was because of the lack of friction.

I should've used 0.5 cup sugar, and I probably should've doubled the recipe, since it was rather flat. Nuts would've been nice too, but I didn't have anything on hand.


Verdict:
Could be better. You can expect a revised recipe to come up in the future.

Creme Brulee

Eddie, being the awesome friend that he is, realised that I was missing a pretty blue flame in my fairly well-stocked kitchen, and bought me a creme brulee set. (Truth be told, he might have had ulterior motives, seeing how he LOVES said dessert.)

So, being the appreciative friend that I am, I tried, for the first time, to make creme brulee. Found a recipe here. The most helpful part was the first comment, with all the tips.


Ingredients (makes 8 small servings)
8 egg yolks
4 tbs sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream

sifted brown and granulated sugar to form crust


Method:
With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Heat cream until just almost boiled.
In a steady stream, whisk cream into egg mixture.
Strain into a small pitcher (I used my bodum coffee press) and let stand for a bit for the liquid to settle.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F, middle rack.
In a 9x13 pyrex dish, arrange the ramekins to fit.
Create a water bath by filling the dish with hot water halfway up around the ramekins.
Skim off the foam of the custard liquid, and throw away.
Pour the liquid into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 15-30 minutes, until just set. They will jiggle slightly like pudding/gelatin.
Remove from oven and let sit in the warm water for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for 2 hours, up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with sugar and torch, being careful to brown, not burn, the sugar.


Comments:
There are lots of recipes that call for twice the amount of liquid. I actually had a bit of a calculation error, but it still worked out. I liked the math: 1 egg yolk to half tbs sugar to quarter-cup cream per serving, vanilla not withstanding.

I was very impatient, and didn't wait long enough for the liquid to settle, and so my first few creme brulees were very foamy. They had these concave skins after baking--very visually unappealing. AND, it caused me to unevenly distribute the liquid, such that my most perfect-looking custard, was not quite set. (Having the least amount of foam, it had the most liquid, and therefore would've needed more time to set.)

I wonder if hand-whisking would've sufficed. The amount of foam was incredible, and seemed rather wasteful.

No picture, as it was rather blurry.

It is a good idea to have a good layer of sugar to torch. If the sugar is sparse, it's more likely to burn, rather than melt and caramelize.


Verdict:
Good! Very smooth in texture.

Butternut Squash Pie

I'd debated over making pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake, and Cindy voted for pie. I've made this before, and quite liked it, and since pumpkins tend to be rather large, I figured I'd go with this.


Ingredients:
1 9" pie shell
1.5 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (1 small butternut squash ~1 lb)
0.75 cup packed brown sugar
0.75 cup evaporated milk
1 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0,25 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tbs flour


Method:
To cook squash, cut in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a baking pan with a centimetre of water. Cover loosely and bake at 400F until it can be pierced with a fork, 45-55 minutes.

Puree filling ingredients together and pour into a pie shell that is on a baking sheet (this prevents spills).
Bake at 350F until set, about 45-55 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.


Comments:
Again no pictures, but it looks like pumpkin pie.

Let the puree cool down before making the pie filling, or you could end up with bits of cooked egg.




Verdict:
Like, but rather rich, so this recipe can serve 12.

Balsamic Roast Veggies

I'm usually really lacksadaisical about making veggies. As far as I'm concerned, Chinese stuff just needs to be flash-boiled and drizzled with oyster sauce, and other veggies just need to be steamed with a bit of Mrs. Dash.

For Thanksgiving, however, I thought I'd spare my friends, who always have to eat the same things when they're over, especially if it's Western food.

This recipe really is just for reference.

Ingredients:
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 zucchini, sliced into thick half-moons
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, cut into half-wedges
1 eggplant, quartered lengthwise, and then thickly sliced
4 carrots (small-medium), cut into 1" pieces

olive oil
balsamic vinegar
dried parsley
salt
pepper


Method:
Cook carrots in water until they can be pierced with a fork.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large baking dish, pour enough olive oil to coat the veggies.
Add balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Add veggies and toss to coat.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Stir the veggies and bake another 15 minutes, or to desired tenderness.


Comments:
I am not sure if onions add flavour. I might try next time without the onion, because I found that a lot was thrown out.

The picture to go with this would've been really pretty, but alas, we didn't take any.

Verdict:
You practically can't go wrong with balsamic.

Corn Bread

Some time ago, I made cornbread to go with pulled pork and mentioned that it was too dry, to the point where if I inhaled through my nose with it in my mouth, bits would end up in the wrong pipe.

This time, there is cream-style corn involved. Should be more moist. The original recipe is here. I only cut down on the sugar and salt.


Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
0.5 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
0.75 cups (about half a 400mL can) cream style corn


Method:
Preheat oven to 400F, middle rack.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add wet ingredients and mix until just blended.
Transfer to a greased 8" square pan and bake until toothpick comes clean, about 17-20 minutes.
Cool, cut and serve!


Verdict:
I definitely like this better than my other batch. The sides were crispy, and corn kernels provides some interest. The flavour is stubtle.

We had this with chili, and it was only ok. I liked the chili and cornbread separately. The chili was a matter of browning beef, and throwing it, along with a giant can of kidney beans, about half a bag of frozen veggie mix, a jar of pasta sauce, and a diced onion into the slow cooker. Seasonings were thyme, basil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, all to taste. High power for 6 hours, and all was good to go. Should freeze well. (I am going to make great use of our new chest freezer ^^)

Daikon and Carrot Pickles

I LOVE this stuff! Conveniently found a recipe here.


Ingredients:
Daikon, cut however you like
Carrots, cut however you like

2 parts water
1 part white vinegar
1 part sugar
salt



Method:
Over low heat, mix water, vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved.
Place veggies in a glass container with a cover.
Pour liquid over veggies.
Refridgerate overnight.
Enjoy!



Comments:
Make as much liquid as you need to cover the veggies. It is best to submerge the veggies to get the best pickling action. Use a bowl on top of a dish if you need to weigh it down.


Verdict:
LOVE IT!

Nem Nuong (Grilled Pork Patty)

Something about Vietnamese-style meat appeals to me, and this is one of my faves. I suspect it's the sweetness. When you go out to eat, these are sometimes listed as "pork hash", and are most noticeable as the hot-pink slabs of apparently ground meat. Sounds suspect, looks weird, but tastes great. Wandering Chopsticks has a great blog, and here's the recipe.

Ingredients (makes a lot):
3 lbs lean ground pork
1 medium onion, pureed, but not liquefied
6-10 cloves of garlic, minced.
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs nuoc mam (fish sauce)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper.


Method:
Mix the ingredients together.
Take a tiny piece and cook it in the microwave for a taste test. Add seasonings accordingly.
Take a handful of the mixture, between the size of a golf ball and tennis ball and roll it into a ball.
Toss it back and forth between your hands to force out air pockets.
Flatten into a patty and set aside.
This should make 12-14 patties.
Grill on both sides until cooked.



Comments:
If you use regular ground pork, you can probably forgo the onion. It is used for moisture, which keeps the end product from becoming too tough. I personally like the added flavour.

Honey makes a nice substitute for the sugar, lending a different taste.

I found it easier to stack the patties on top of each other with saran wrap to separate the layers.

You could make the patties any size. I was just too lazy to make them smaller.

I wasn't sure how long it would take to cook, but the barbeque was around 175C. I put the patties on the grill, closed the lid, turned the heat down to medium-high and checked periodically. When it looked like half of it was cooked (judging by a side profile), I flipped them over and cooked for roughly the same amount of time.

The picture was taken as I was packing away leftovers. We had sliced them, and it served 2 purposes: to check that they were all cooked properly, and to make it easier to eat. (We were wrapping them up in rice paper)

I probably used more sugar, but use the taste test.


Verdict:
Yum!

Vermicelli with Green Onion Oil

Vermicelli is a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. The addition of green onion oil really kicks it up a notch. You have no idea how difficult is was to track down a recipe. Most of them were for the deep fried onions, where the point is to turn the onions brown, and those are only good for soup-based noodles. Granted, I could've figured it out eventually, but this recipe made it much easier.


Ingredients:
1 pkg noodles
0.25 cup vegetable oil
4 springs green onions, chopped
0.5 tsp salt


Method:
Heat oil in a sauce pan on high until hot.
Add onions and salt. Be careful of splatter.
Cook onions until fragrant. The onions shouldn't brown. Stir to keep salt from burning on the bottom (although admittedly, the crusty bit is very tasty.)
Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, boil up some water.
Put in noodles, turn heat down to medium and cook until al dente.
Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Place a serving of noodles into a bowl and drizzle sparingly with oil.
Enjoy with the main dish.



Comments:
The measurements are approximate. I probably used more of everything.

Be careful with taste testing the oil. It is hot.

The cold rinse washes away excess starch and prevents the noodles from clumping.

Use an oil that doesn't have a strong taste. Olive oil would not be appropriate as it would likely overshadow the onion.

The oil will keep for a bit if you don't use it all.


Verdict:
Love!