Time of Autumn

It's been two months since I entered a blog post.... time flies! I have started my new job in Hong Kong, and I am so busy with it that my food blogging got halted.. :( Finally there's the Chung Yeung festival here and we all get a holiday! I want to share with you my nice birthday dinner at Conrad Hotel here..

My sister in law and I have the same birthday (different year) and we thought it'd be great celebrating together in a nice French restaurant! Our family was the first guests and we felt the place and the service was nice. We had foie gras, duck breasts and legs, fish, beef, among ourselves and everyone enjoyed the dinner especially the desserts. I'll let the pics tell you how satisfied we are...

Joanne loves foie gras and Grand likes scallop for appetizers~~
My ducklicious trio: duck breast, duck leg, and foie gras.... yummm!
Fish Fish Fish for my dad and sister!
Mom had a grilled steak and salad! Looks equally delicious ~~

Nice dessert platters! Tiramisu.. panna cotta, melting chocolate cakes, oranges in nice liquor..

Another great thing I want to share is that my sister will be getting married next year and my sister in law will be delivering her baby girl in January 2010! I can't wait to see the new star in our family!

Next week I'll be heading to Kuala Lumpur for my company's annual retreat. I am excited since it will be my first time in Malaysia. I can't wait to taste their nice food and explore their lifestyles.. i guess i've stayed in Hong Kong for too long and am really happy to take a break!

Also, I have to share my nice birthday cake from my mom this year.... ^^ yeah my favorite brand of chocolate!



HOHOHO! Nice memories!

Blueberry Cheese Tart & Blueberry Muffins

I know... here comes desserts again and we love fruit desserts! It is summer right now and who can live without nice summer fruit? I have made two all time favorites this week with the healthy ingredient of fresh blueberries which have lots of anti-oxidants, good for your skin and eyes! Moreover, have you heard of a type of fruit called bilberry? It resembles that of wild blueberries and it is very good for the human eyes that its juice has become mandatory in some pilots' diet. Blueberries have proven to be the top ten healthiest food on earth! I just had a warm blueberry muffin with a cup of wildberry fruit tea this morning and it makes a great relaxing breakfast! The blueberry cheese tart, inspired by Evil Shenanigans' Cherry Cheese Tart, makes great tea break snack or after dinner dessert.

Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients:
For 12 muffins you will need:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powdeer
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh or unthawed frozen blueberries
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine


Steps:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in blueberries.

2. Add milk, egg and butter. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Do not overbeat.

3. Spoon batter into twelve 2 1/2 inch greased muffin cups.

4. Bake at 400F for 25 min. or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Serve warm!


Blueberry Cheese Tart

Crust:
1 pkg Italian Amaretti cookies (100g), crushed
50 ml butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
1 pkg (250g) cream cheese, softened
1/3 sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 milk
1 Tbsp flour

Blueberry Dessert Sauce:
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the Amaretti crumb with the melted butter and press evenly onto the bottom of a 7 inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 min. until lightly browned. Cool.

2. Mix all the filling ingredients in a mixer over medium speed for about 2 min. Do not overmix. Pour mixture into baked crust and bake for 30 min. or until filling is well puffed. Cool on wire rack.

3. In a small saucepan mix all the dessert sauce ingredients together and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 min. until sauce thickens, changes to a dark purple colour and blueberries are softened. Cool and refrigerate in covered container until needed.

4. Refrigerate cooled cheese tart for about 3 hours or overnight and serve with blueberry dessert sauce!

Enjoy!


Meditate on the Truth

If we can realize and meditate on ultimate truth, it will cleanse our impurities of mind and thus eradicate the sense of discrimination.

by Dalai Lama

Lemon Delicious and Dalai Lama

Lemony desserts are almost my favorite. This recipe comes from the Gourmet Traveller website, and as soon as I saw it I knew I was going to love it. It turned out nice and tangy, soft, souffle like on the top, with a luscious, creamy sauce at the bottom. It is very lemony and nice! I will make this again!

Recently I met my supervisor at my previous work on Facebook, and I am really happy because he is an inspiring person in my life. We are both really interested in arts and different cultures and he always motivates me to explore more. One of his trips last year was a visit to the rural area of Gansu, China. He said that people there lived in poverty and yet the county is famous for churning out academic achievers. I think those kids must have worked really hard and makes people respect them a lot because they can raise themselves to successful people in such a difficult environment. I hope one day I will also have a chance to pay a visit to them!

Also, I have found out the little book of sayings by Dalai Lama, the much admired spiritual leader. I want to share one of his quotes in each of the blog post here because they are very meaningful! The first one is:

Love Springs Eternal

"The foundation of all spiritual practice is love"

by Dalai Lama

Marshmallowy Three Milks Cake

Very very milky....

This dessert is sweet and milky and anyone who loves the taste of milk would fall in love with the Three Milks Cake invented by Erica from her Columbian recipes. The cake is delicious and the frosting is very interesting... soft and white like marshmallow that I love.. Who doesn't like marshmallow? Although I made these into cupcakes I would suggest using Erica's original plan of a cake mold because it makes things easier, less messy, just because, as you spoon the milk sauce onto the cake, the entire cake gets wet while soaking up the sauce and it is better to do that in a cake pan... though it is still nice, moist, and delicious at the end!







As promise that I would be showing my previous pet "Glutinous Rice Ball" picture here, isn't she adorable? Everyone likes her!

Chinese (Chiu Chau) Shrimp and Pork Dumpling

Almost a week went by that I haven't posted any new cooking and dessert results, and I am already missing food blogging. I am still really passionate about food and looking forward to explore more into the cooking/food world. I keep reading foodies' blogs and enjoy them a lot. There are just times when one does not feel like speaking or writing, or feel lost. Back with some spirit, I will show you here the Chiu Chau style dumpling! There are many types of Chinese dumplings. Some are steamed, some boiled, and others are pan fried or deep fried. I think they are all good and distinctive, in flavor and texture, thus the feelings one gets when eating them are different. The dumpling featured here is made of a rather thick and semi transparent wrap, and steamed to tender with shrimp and pork fillings. I hope foodies from around the world can try to get as close the ingredients as possible because, the different types of flour yield a totally different experience!

Ingredients:

Dough:
175g ungluten flour (澄麵粉)
75g tapioca or corn starch
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup boiling water
75 g tapioca or corn starch (reserved)

Filling:
175 g diced or ground pork
100 g diced shrimp
50 g green onions or chives
50 g peanuts
50g salted turnip
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp oil
dash pepper
dash sesame oil

Sauce:
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce
50 ml water


Steps:

1. Mix all the dough ingredients together except the reserved corn starch. Cover and let rest for 10 min. Then add the remaining corn starch and knead until dough is no longer sticky, abt 5-6 min.

2. Mix all the filling ingredients together and let marinade for 20 minutes. Then in a frying pan, add 1 Tbsp of oil and fry the filling till the pork is cooked, and then add all the mixed seasoning ingredients and cook until sauce thickens. Let the fillings cool.

3. Divide dough into twelve pieces, rolling each into a ball and flatten into 2-3mm rounds. Place fillings in the center of dough and fold to form a half moon shape. Make some folds if you wish.

4. Place all dumpling into a large plate into the steamer and steam over high heat for 20 min. Careful the dumplings will be extremely hot!

Enjoy!

Sauteed Cod fillets in Orange Honey Sauce

This is a simple yet delish dish adopted from the real food show on Deutsche Welle TV. I really enjoy the TV show because they always use very nice and fresh ingredients, neat kitchen equipment and utensils, and have very friendly and funny chefs and audience on performance. Although it is only on once in a week (Saturday morning in Hong Kong), it is one full hour long without commercials, and I usually sit still happily to watch the entire show. This weekend they have a new elegant lady chef cooking this orange fish fillet which looks luscious and refreshing for the summer. I could not understand German so I had to reinterpret what the ingredients were and kind of recreated the recipe on my own. I figured that orange is definitely present, and that white wine would go well with white fish to boost its flavor and frgrance. As well I like it a little on the sweet side so I added the nuts and honey. If you like it a little more flavorful I suggest adding some chicken stock to the sauce though I found the sauce quite nice on its own with the white wine, OJ, and honey!

Ingredients:

400g cod, red snapper or sea bass fillet
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon
1/4 tsp schimi powder or chilli powder (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
1 orange, peeled and cut into slices
3/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup orange juice


Steps:

1. Wash and pat dry the fillet carefully and season with salt and pepper and schimi powder. Sprinkle with tarragon.

2. Heat some olive oil in large pan over medium high heat, add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, add the fish fillet and turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 min. on each side until done. Set fillets aside in warm plates.

3. Deglaze the pan with white wine and turn the heat to medium high and allow wine to evaporate to about one quarter. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock if using, and add the orange juice, honey and nuts. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the fish fillet back into the pan and simmer for a few minutes until sauce thickens and then serve hot with pasta or rice and vegetables!


Desserts of the Night:

Blueberry Sundaes and Strawberry Kitkat McFlurry from McDonald's! They are both new flavors available in Hong Kong and we don't know how long they will last. Although I still like the strawberry sundae more, theses new twists are quite interesting to give a try! Can you buy these in your countries or do you have some new exclusive flavors of ice cream in the McDon Don in your place too?

Spaghetti Cabonara

Spaghetti Cabonara was once my favorite pasta because I used to crave bacon a lot and Cabonara has a full taste of bacon! Not to mention its nice and warm cheese and cream flavors, you know what I'm saying if you like this pasta as well! Later I learned to appreciate many other ingredients on earth, the pure tastes of food without much seasoning especially when cooked with pasta, so Cabonara went down in my favorite list. However, I still miss this classic and have finally got a recipe of it from an Italian cookbook from the library. I am more than happy to share it here!

Ingredients:

20g Butter
80g Bacon, diced (or other cured ham like proscuitto or pancetta)
80 ml cream
2 egg yolks
parmigiano reggiano cheese (add according to your liking)
150g dried or 300g fresh spaghetti

Steps:

1. Melt butter over medium heat and add bacon bits and stir fry until fragrant, for abt 5 min. Discard most of the fat.

2. Cook pasta in another bowl for about 7-8 min. till al dente while making sauce.

3. Mix together cheese (grated into fine powder), cream and egg yolks and add mixture to a large pan with the bacon. Add in the hot pasta and cook over a very low heat and stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and turns a little powdery, about 4 minutes.

4. Serve immediately with a glass of crisp white wine!

Chicken cooked in spiced wine (Coq au vin)

This coq au vin dish is one breathtaking dish that requires lots of time and attention! The return is quite satisfying, so no regrets! The smell of the chicken and wine penetrates my dining room almost to the bedroom! It is delicious and special and normally cannot be eaten unless we go to some very nice French restaurants. The recipe comes from the book Botanical, featuring a great restaurant from Melbourne. I basically love all the recipes in the book, although sometimes I cut the ingredients like cream and butter somewhat because of their richness. If you have got plenty of time and love chicken, this is probably a dish you will enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 x 2.4 kg free-range chicken
1 1/2 litres shiraz (or other red wine)
1 red onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
4 field mushrooms, sliced
8 large shallots
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1/2 tsp crushed juniper berries
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
50 ml olive oil
150 g quince paste
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre veal jus
1 bouquet garni for Meat
1 Tbsp sugar

Serve with sauteed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes frittata, and French bread croutons

Steps:

1. Remove the chicken legs and cut between the joint of the drumstick and thigh. Cut out the chicken breast and half widthwise. Cut out chicken wings. Place chicken pieces into deep container and cover with shiraz, then add the vegetables and spices. Massage into the chicken pieces and drizzle with EV olive oil and marinate overnight or for at least 6-8 hrs.

2. Once marinated, drain the chicken, vegetables and spices. Pass the wine through a fine strainer into a saucepan. Bring gently to the boil over a very low heat. As the wine boils remove the foam on the surface with a tablespoon and discard. After simmering gently for 4 min a clear stock will remain. Remove from heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry.

3. Heat an ovenproof flameproof dish over a high heat. Add some olive oil and then the chicken pieces skinside down. Brown on all sides very well, then remove and set aside. Add the reserved vegetables and spices from the marinade. Fry these very well until they are richly coloured. Then add the quince paste. Put the chicken drumsticks back into the pan and add the clear wine stock. Bring to the boil slowly over a low heat and reduce the liquid by half. Refrigerate the chicken breast and thigh pieces until required.

4. Preheat oven to 400F

5. Add the chicken stock, veal jus and bouquet garni to the dish containing the drumsticks. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paperwhich has a hole in the center. Some evaporation of the sauce will intensify the flavour as it reduces. Transfer the dish to the oven and braise for 15 min. until the legs are almost tender. Add the breast and thigh pieces to the braise and continueto cook for a further 15 min. until tender

6. Remove all the chicken and the whole shallots and cool to room temperature. Return the braising juices to the stovetop, add the sugar and reduce slowly over a low heat to a rich sauce.

7. To serve, reheat the chicken and shallots in the sauce. Serve alongside with sauteed mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes frittata, and French croutons.



Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata


Ingredients:

8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
3/4 cup shredded cheese of your favourite (I used Montaiso DOP)

Steps:

1. In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, parsley, basil, salt and pepper until just blended. Stir in tomatoes and broccoli.

2. Heat oil in a 10 inch (25cm) oven proof skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture. Cook over low to medium heat until eggs are almost set but still moist on the surface, about 10 to 15 min., lifting the edges to allow uncooked egg to run to bottom of skillet.

3. Sprinkle top with cheese and place under hot broiler until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 min. Cut into wedges and serve with coq au vin.



We had a nice strawberry mille foglie cake from Cova for dessert! It was one of my sister Shirley's birthday cakes. I was so happy because I really enjoyed the buttery puff pastry, sweet and smooth pastry cream, and rich whipped cream along with very fresh strawberries in apricot jam!

Night Before Cheddar Bacon French Bread Casserole

This dish is somewhat similar to Croque Monsieur, and I am simply in love with it! Its crispy cheesy top, soft and creamy interior and tasty bacon all make me drool! Again this dish is simple enough to prepare the night before, and it turns out great fresh from the oven! You may alter the cheese that you use (Gruyere and Swiss/Emmenthal would work perfect), and add things like herbs or vegetables and it will still be great!

Ingredients:

8 thin slices of French bread
2 slices of bacon, diced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
100 ml milk
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

1. Lay four bread slices in a fitting greased baking dish. Sprinkle with bacon and top with half of the cheese. Arrange remaining bread slices over cheese mixture.

2. In a bowl beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Carefully pour over bread mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

3. In the morning take bread out from refrigerator one hour prior to baking.

4. Preheat oven to 350F and bake casserole for 35-40 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cover with foil in midway of baking to prevent over-browning.

Serve hot with fresh fruit!

Blueberry Lemon Cake

Very light in texture and rich in flavors, blueberry lemon cake is what I like to have once in a while especially in the spring/summer seasons, when I crave for something lemony and tasteful. This version of blueberry lemon cake has a crispy crunch topping, enriching this nice on its own treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp each lemon juice and zest
1 1/4 cup flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Crumb topping
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar


Steps:

1. Grease an 7 or 8 inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add the lemon juice and zest and beat well.

3. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the egg mixture in three batches, alternating with milk and mix well after each addition.

4. Fold in the blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Mix together all the crumb ingredients and sprinkle them over the batter evenly.

6. Bake cake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 min. or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm!

Arroz Con Coco Y Camarones (Rice with Coconut and Shrimp)

This is one creative and tasteful dish from Columbia! I really enjoy reading Erica's blog -My Columbian Recipes and International Flavors and I've made her Rice with Coconut and Shrimp the other day which turns out marvelous! I will make time to try more of her recipes given I've made a successful one! The sweetness of the coconut mixed really nicely with the rice and shrimp, and the spices enhance each ingredient and not overpoweringly. I find a lot of Erica's information interesting, for example the unique fruits of Columbia and the creative and neat dishes by her! They look super appealing to me! Also, I have had pitahayas from Columbia and it is really really nice and tasty. I like to try plantains because there are so many wonderful recipes out there about this special fruit, sweet and savory!


Pitahaya from Columbia:

Weetabix Spicy Meatballs in Sweet Tomato Sauce

Beware....these baked meatballs can be delicious! You may want to have them accompanied by lots of fresh greens and whole wheat bread to mop up the sauce! Perhaps some cheese on the side would be even more tempting... When I make this dish I think about partying. What about you? My dad cannot hide from his liking for these little devils because they disappear quite fast, and my mom keeps murmuring that the sauce is really nice....!

Ingredients:

2 Weetabix biscuits, crushed
500 g lean ground beef
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 can (156ml) tomato paste
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1 can (396ml) tomato sauce (I used fresh tomatoes)

Steps:

1. In a large bowl thoroughly mix: Weetabix, ground beef, egg, half a can of tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Shape into 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) in diameter meatballs and place in a single layer in a greased shallow baking pan. Bake at 375F for 25 min.

3. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients (including remaining half can of tomato paste) in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20 min.

4. Pour tomato sauce over meatballs and return to the oven for 5 to 10 min.

Serve with pasta and salad or as an appetizer!

Chick Pea and Dill Dip

Try this simple, healthy and refreshing dip for a hot summer day and you'll notice how it kills the heat off! It is rich in protein, dietary fibre, and flavors!

1/2 can Chick pea
1/4 tsp Japanese schimi powder (chili powder)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dill
1 tsp lemon juice

Just blend everything in blender or food processor and chill to serve cold with French bread slices, or vegetable sticks or anything you like!

Chicken in Three Cups Sauce

This tasty Three Cup Sauce Chicken is a very popular and tasty Chinese dish, in memory of the last meal of the righteous senior minister Wen (文天祥) of late Sung Dynasty as some suggested. An old lady, who thought Minister Wen was dead, intended to go worship him bringing with her some chicken and wine. She then surprising found him alive in jail and so prepared his last meal with the limited ingredients with the jail officer who also greatly respected the virtuous minister. Three cup sauce refers to one (small) cup of oil, wine, and soy sauce each and along with other ingredients brings out the very nice and subtle flavor of the chicken. The dish has been passed on in China since the historic times!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken pieces
2 Tbsp sesame oil
20 g ginger, cut into slices
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper, sliced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Rice wine
2 Tbsp rock sugar, crushed (can substitute sugar)
1 Tbsp Taiwanese basil (I used thyme)

Steps:

1. In a large pot boil 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt and cook chicken in water for 3 minutes. Drain the chicken pieces.

2. In a separate frying pan heat the sesame oil over medium high heat, add the ginger, garlic and red pepper and cook until the garlic is lightly browned.

3. Add the chicken pieces to the same pan and cook until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir fry until fragrant and sauce is mostly absorbed.

4. Serve hot with rice and vegetables.

Shirley's Birthday Cake -Mango and Strawberry Mousse Cake

July 26 is my sister Shirley's birthday, and this year I have decided to make her favorite cake, the strawberry mousse sponge cake, which is also perfect for summer, with the additional treat of big mangoes on top! Although there are many ways of making fruit mousse, this one is particularly easy and has a more pure taste of the fresh fruit in season, so it is becoming a family favorite.


Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:
3 eggs, separated
6 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup cake flour
1 Tbsp warm milk
1 Tbsp melted butter

Strawberry Mousse Filling
1 cup strawberry puree (from blending fresh strawberries)
2 tsp. dissolved gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream

Mango Layer
1 1/2 cups mango cubes
1 Tbsp creme de pêche or apricot
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp gelatin

Assembly:
1/2 cup whipping cream whipped with 1 Tbsp sugar


Steps:

1. Line a 7 or 8 inch cake pan with parchment. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a small to medium bowl beat the egg yolks with 3 Tbsp. sugar until thick and light yellow, similar to mayonnaise. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with 3 Tbsp sugar until stiff and glossy, and not dry. Gently fold the egg yolks into the whites, keeping the air foam. Mix in the warm milk gently.

4. Sift the flour over the egg mixture in three additions, folding in lightly and thoroughly after each addition.

5. Take a little of the cake batter and mix it with the melted butter. Then add the butter mixture to the egg mixture and mix gently and thoroughly.

6. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake cake for 25-30 min. until cake is springy and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake in its pan upside down on wire rack.

7. Strawberry Mousse Filling: mix the strawberry puree, sugar and gelatin together and refrigerate until slightly firm. Whip the cream and fold into the cold strawberry puree lightly. Refrigerate until needed.

8. Mango topping: Mix the gelatin in the hot water and then add the creme de pêche and sugar.

9. Assembly: Cut cakes into 2 layers and spread bottom layer with strawberry mousse. Place the second cake layer on top and spread entire cake with whipped cream topping. Place mango cubes on top of the cake and brush mangoes with the topping mixture.

10. Refrigerate cake for a few hours and best served the day made!







In the evening our family went to Pizza Express for dinner, and I love their really fresh salads and pizzas! Pizza Express is having more and more outlets in Hong Kong. Currently there are seven of them I believe. We had a Peking Duck pizza and one with meatballs. All of them were delicious!

Cinnamon Buns

You may label these cinnamon swirl coffee ring as these cinnamon buns are so rich and tasty. They make perfect breakfast or afternoon snacks. Even without the cream cheese frosting, they are very delicious with their intense cinnamon flavor.

Ingredients:

Dough:
3 1/2 cups bread or AP Flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp quick rise yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten

Filling:
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup currants

Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Mix yeast with a little of the warm milk to dissolve.

2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add milk, eggs and yeast and beat in mixer for 2 min.

3. Add butter and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 min. Cover and let rest for 30 min.

4. Roll dough out into 9 x 24 inch (23 cm x 60 cm) rectangle.

5. Combine all filling ingredients and spread over rolled out dough.

6. Roll into a long thing log and pinch seams. Cut dough into 12 equal portions. Cover loosely and let rest in warm place for 30-40 min.

7. Bake in preheated 375F oven for about 15 to 20 min. or until golden brown.

8. Beat all frosting ingredients together and drizzle over warm buns. Cool on rack or serve warm.

Fig and Bread Pudding

I had this bread pudding for breakfast and they were very nice right out of the oven... the smell was very awakening for the start of a weekend! I hope you guys also enjoy this comfy, healthy and delicious version of fig and bread pudding.


Ingredients:

1 pkg (227g) dried figs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
2 cups (2cm) firm white bread cubes (French bread is good)

Steps:

1. Cover figs with water in saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat and let cool and cut figs into quarters.

2. Combine the egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Blend in milk and butter. Stir in bread cubes and figs; let stand 5 min.

3. Divide mixture into 4 greased (6 oz/175ml) custard cups. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg if desired. Set cups in baking dish and add hot water to come halfway up sides of cups.

4. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm. Top with ice cream or fresh fruit if desired.

Enjoy!

Baked Country Breakfast Cup

This slow baked eggy breakfast cup is a really delicious and comforting meal, and can be served at other times of the day too! Try homemade salsa and tortilla for an extra homey touch! Recipes for homemade salsa can be found in Rouxbe cooking school and for flour tortilla can be found in Epicurious.

Ingredients:

6 flour tortilla

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 fresh eggs

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. salsa

6 tbsp. shredded Italian cheese

Steps:

1. Lightly grease six individual baking dishes or deep muffin cups.

2. Press tortillas into each cup, folding to fit.

3. Mix red pepper and bacon and divide among baking cups.

4. Gently break one egg into each and sprinkle with seasonings.

5. Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 min. until whites are set and yolks are still soft.

6. Spoon salsa and cheese over top of eggs during last 5 min. of baking time, and cover loosely with foil during last 5 min. to prevent over-browning.

Bon appetite!

Wild Salmon Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette

I have just purchased a piece of wild salmon originated from Australia, from my local organic supermarket - Three Sixty. I have to admit that this is probably the best cooked salmon I have ever had! It is distinctive in a way that it tastes really pure and the texture is very fine and tender. It does not have a strong fish taste and it has a light fragrance of itself. I have heard that smoked wild salmon is even more difficult to get, so may be I will have to go out of Hong Kong or smoke a fillet by myself or with some friends.... On the other hand, this wild salmon reminds me of having sushi in a really edgy sushi bar at Hokkaido, Japan that features the best and freshest seafood from the seawater around Hokkaido and Japan. The seafood there was so awesome that I kept complementing throughout the entire meal and ranked it as the best sushi bar in my life up to now. I'll post any updates if this choice changes. The sushi shop website is http://masazushi.co.jp/, and below is a picture of the sushi shop. Lots of snow were there when I went there!




The Wild Salmon Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette is a recipe of the BC Grown vegetables, and it is light, well matched and fabulous!


Wild Salmon Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette


Dressing:

Olive Oil .............................................1/4 cup
White Wine Vinegar...........................2 Tbsp
1 Small Shallot, finely diced
Dijon Mustard.....................................1 tsp
Minced Tarragon, Thyme, Chives......1 Tbsp each
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

4 Salmon Steaks (2lb, 1-inch thick)
Olive oil............................................2 Tbsp
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mixed Lettuce.................................8 cups
Red Potatoes or New Potatoes, ......1 lb
cooked and cut into cubes
Green Beans....................................1/2lb
Cherry Tomatoes............................16
Hard Cooked Eggs..........................2

Steps:

1. In blender or by hand, mix the dressing ingredients well and set aside.

2. Brush the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat for eight to ten minutes, turning salmon once, until fish flakes easily.

3. In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, potatoes, beans and tomatoes. Pour in dressing and toss to combine.

4. Divide evenly among four large salad plates. Garnish with sliced eggs and top with salmon lightly.

Makes 4 filling servings.