Butter cake with Valrhona chocolate

Ingredients:

250g butter
140g castor sugar
30g icing sugar
250g Self raising flour
3 eggs
10g lemon juice
90g milk
1.5 tsp grand marnier
A little vanilla essence

Methods:

1. Mix butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one by one
3. Add vanilla essence
4. Fold in flour and liquid alternating each in 3 or 4 batches.
5. Pour into pan and bake at 170 degrees for 45 minutes

I am using a 7 inches cake pan.

Special thanks to Serene Sim ( MFWL) for sharing this simple and wonderful recipe.

Strawberry oatmeal bars

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 20 bars

   

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) strawberries, hulled and sliced in small pieces
• 1/3 cup (75g) sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup (150g) brown rice flour ( I replace with plain flour)
• 1 cup (120g) tapioca flour
• 1 cup (90g) gluten free quick rolled oats
• ½ cup (90g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ sticks (¾ cup/170g) salted butter

Instructions

Grease a 9-in x 13-in (23cm x 33cm) baking pan. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Combine strawberries, sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, combine brown rice flour, tapioca flour, quick rolled oats, brown sugar, and baking powder. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Press half the mixture into the prepared pan. Top evenly with strawberry mixture.

Sprinkle the remaining half of flour mixture on the top and press down with the back of a spoon.

Bake until light brown, about 50 minutes. Allow it to cool completely before cutting into squares.

 

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http://www.rotinrice.com/2013/06/strawberry-oatmeal-bars/

Nama Chocolate

 

 

Ingredients:

 

400 gram (14 oz) good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao), but you can also use semisweet for less bitter taste. ( I use Hershey bars chocolate or valrhona dark chocolate)

200 ml fresh cream (heavy whipping cream)

Liqueur of your choice (optional)

Cocoa powder to coat the chocolate

 

 

 

Methods:

 

1. Chop/ break the chocolate into smaller pieces using a knife so that they will melt faster and more evenly.
2. Line a baking pan or any square tray (about 8" x 8") with parchment paper. Choosing the right size tray is important as the height of chocolate is decided depending on how much you pour.
3. Put cream in a saucepan and heat it up until almost boiling. Turn off the heat.
4. Add the chocolate and stir till the chocolate and cream are completely combined. Add liqueur of your choice (optional).
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan or tray. Smooth the surface and refrigerate until firm.
6. Remove the chocolate from the baking pan and cut it into cubes using a warm knife. Make sure to warm the knife after each cutting to prevent splintering. You can use hot running water but wipe it off completely before each cut.
7. Sprinkle the cocoa powder and serve it chilled. You can keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days but enjoy soon.

 

Notes

[Please Read Before Making]

 

1. Make sure the bowls and utensils you are using are perfectly dry. Even a small amount of water can "seize" the chocolate melting process.

 

2. Dark chocolate should never be heated above 120 degrees F (Milk chocolate and white chocolate should never be heated above 110 degrees F).

 

Special thanks to :http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/nama-chocolate/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHyzBre4HhY

 

Shark's Fin Melon Soup (鱼翅瓜汤)

 

 

 After an hour or so of slow cooking, the flesh of this melon will disintegrate into fine 'noodle-like' strands which resemble shark-fin. This is yummy and full of flavor. Here are some benefits of the Shark's Fin Melon:

- Low in calories 
- Expels heatiness
- Decreases blood sugar

Ingredients:


Stock:

3 litres water
1.5 kg pork bones, blanched/ 4 chicken carcasses, blanched/ 1 whole fish bones
1 knob of ginger
2 scallions

• Fill a stock pot with 3 litres of water and bring to the boil.  Put in chicken carcasses/ pork bones/ fish bones which have been blanched.  Add in ginger and scallions.
• Bring it back to the boil and let simmer for about 2 hours or more.  
• Strain stock.

Note:  Stock can be stored in individual containers and freeze for future use.

Shark Fin's Melon Soup ( serve 5 )

1.5 lit stock
 Half shark fin's melon
1 Piece of dry cuttlefish ( washed and soaked)
1-2  honey dates (蜜枣） or 10 red dates
6 dried scallops, washed and soaked to soften
2 small carrots, cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Some Celery

Wolfberries

• Cut melon into big chunks (without skin) and discard the seeds.
• Bring the stock to the boil and put in all the ingredients.  
• Simmer soup for about 60 - 90 mins.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot.

Shark's fin melon

 

Ingredients to go into the soup

Braised pork trotters

 

Ingredients:

 

500 g Pork trotter (get the butcher to cut into the small chunks) 10-12 Dried black mushrooms ( pre-soaked in water)  1 stalk Spring onion 4-6 Ginger slices A few cloves of mashed garlic  1 Star anise 1 clove 1 tbsp Dark soya sauce 1 tbsp Light soya sauce A dash of pepper 50 g rice wine 15g Gula Melaka 4 Chilli padi Some water or chicken stock 4-5 Hard boiled eggs Garnish with Celery Methods : ~ Wash trotters and clean well. Bring half a pot of water to a boil. Put in trotter and parboiled for 3-4 minutes. ~ Heat up the wok with grape seed oil. Stir fried the Ginger and garlic till fragrant. Then add in the trotter and fried till brown in colour. ~ Add in the spring onion, clove, star anise, chilli padi and gula Melaka. Stir fry for a while then add in the sauces and wine. ~ Lastly add in the water and bring to a boil. ~ Add in mushroom and pepper and boil for a while. ~ Pour all into a slow cooker and add in hard boiled eggs. ~Simmer till the gravy thicken and turn nice shiny braised colour. Took about 4-5 hours.

Watercress soup

Recipe

- 1 bundle fresh watercress
- 200g chicken bones and 200g pork ribs
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 medium dried scallops ( soak in hot water for 10 minutes till soften )
- 1 handful pitted red dates
- 1 handful Chinese wolfberries
- 3 large soup bowls of water

Methods

1. Rinse watercress thoroughly.

2. In a soup pot, put all ingredients in and bring to a gradual boil over medium heat. Once the water comes to a rolling bowl, lower the flame and let the soup simmer gently. This should take about an hour or longer, if you want a more robust flavor.

Note:

• To avoid the bitter taste in the watercress, my grand mum used to teach me NOT to put the veg in when the water is boiling. Instead, we should put them into the soup pot with room temperature water, and THEN let the whole thing boil. This way, the veg will not have a bitter aftertaste when cooked. This is done and proved.
• A lady shared with me that her parents used fish bones for this soup and it is equally yummy as well.

Apple and Pear Pork ribs soup

The soup is very refreshing and light and slightly sweet taste. Most importantly, my family loves it.

Ingredients:

( Serves a family of 4)

1 big Fuji apple (or other kind of apple) - cut into quarter ( keep the skin on)

2 pear - cut into quarter ( keep the skin on)

1 honey date

A few red dates

A small handful of Chinese almond kernels (南北杏）

300g of Pork ribs

A pinch of salt to taste

Celery for garnish

Method:

1) Blanch the pork ribs in hot boiling water and remove.  Set aside.

2) Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add in all the ingredients and bring to boil.  Lower heat to simmer for an hour.

3) Serve warm and garnish with celery