Monday, March 19, 2012

Sushi Roll Easter Baskets

sushi

Sushi is not only delicious, but healthy, low in fat, high in fiber from fresh vegetables and rich in minerals from seaweeds. My 11 year-old daughter and all her classmates love bringing sushi for lunch. It has become so popular that the school’s cafeteria is considering putting it on the menu!

Since the Easter Season is already starting, I’ve dressed up the sushi rolls as Easter baskets by adding some quail eggs and cucumber handles. The recipe is published in my favorite on-line mag SimplytheSweetLife. Let’s spread Easter’s joy and healthy message to your beloved ones.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Interlocking ring cookies with rose sugar

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Simply the Sweet Life is a gorgeous site/magazine. It is my honor to have a chance to contribute the recipe of these cookies to them. A marriage may be made in heaven, but the maintanance still has to be done on earth. So, go make some cookies :) Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Happy 2012

pastachio

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I never forget my blog, and every of you! I did involve a couple of projects but that couldn't stop me... until the examination (of my language school) came. I have been in Spain long enough but I didn't put any effort to learn the language. I am really feeling ashamed. So unwillingly, I had to leave my blog for a while in order to focus my studies.

Long before the exam, once I worked as a food stylist to a photo-shooting. The work was intense, but it wasn't the hardest part. How to be a good team player is a challenging though, especially something about art... the people are usually very subjective; plus, 'idea' this thing is completely abstract, finding words to discuss it is painful. So after many moments of mind-bleeding, lip numbing and spirit-murdering, I tried to set out something, and finally heard the photographer said, 'Ahh! THAT's what I want!!!' ***Firework***

These two photos are the reject, but I really love them. Hope you enjoy these little pieces of 'me' here.

Happy 2012! And to all Chinese fellows, Happy Lunar New Year!

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Pomegranate & Pearl Sago Dessert with Chewy Coconut

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It is the best time to enjoy fruit, so many choices, so many colors and so many flavors! If you get tired of having fruit cockfruit for dessert, this one with exotic pearl sago would be a nice surprise. I particularly make some chewy coconut cookies to go with it, use it instead of spoon to scoop that sticky yummy fruity sago to mouth ... sorry I can't talk now as am too busy in eating.
For the recipe I will post it on my Spanish blog.
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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Bread with Sardine & Garlic Spread

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I was reading the boxes of canned sardine. An old fellow came by, just like me, was looking for a good one. He probably lived alone, or had extra time to spend, so he started a long conversation about sardines ...

I suddenly remember my grandpa, who chose to live alone for many years. When I visited him, I also loved checking his cupboard to see any left-over food for me to pick :) :) They're usually a few anchovies or canned sardines. "Uh-ooooh..." people may give out a sympathetic sign once they hear the word "canned". But look at this way, it's reflecting his fuss-free life style. Canned sardine doesn't taste like the fresh one for sure, but it has its own taste and it can be absolutely delicious. Quite often I have a craving for that taste.

In this recipe, using canned sardine is certainly better!

We'll make some fresh sardines when we're ready for mingle next time, ok?!

To make Bread with Sardine & Garlic Spread, you will need:

  • Country bread, sliced, and slightly toasted
  • Slow-roasted garlic until the flesh is completely soft
  • Top quality canned sardine, drained well
  • optional: paprika/ red peppercorns/ spices

Remove the garlic skin, generously spread the flesh on a slice of bread. Then either you mash the sardine to paste, or use it as-is, put the fish on the top, sprinkle some spice to finish

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Lemon Chickpea Pastry

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"Moon cake" (a molded pastry that we make/eat to celebrate the full moon in the mid-autumn in China), in general, has a tender crust with some moist and sweet filling. It is supposed to be rich; a small piece goes a long way, and the pastries aren't cheap anyway. In the old days, my family could only afford one or 2 boxes (four pastries per box) for us to eat, and a couple boxes more to give to our very close relatives.

Few days ago my friend put up some photos of mooncakes to Facebook. I gasped when I saw all that packaging... besides of the traditional plastic pack, wax paper and paper carton, an individual metal tin is made to just hold one pastry, then a few pastries/tins again are placed into a bigger tin. The tins are gold color, with sand-blashed mat finish and spectacular printing...

When the pastries gone, so as those tins (straight to the dumpster)... the earth is already beyond exhausted.

The food manufacturers probably add an extra dose of preservatives and additives in order to prolong the life span of the pastries, to go with the longer marketing campaign or whatsoever...

Can I just have one simple pastry? I don't eat metal, or plastic, or chemcial.

Want a beautiful pastry? You need nothing except your creativity, your hands and time. Additives-and preservatives-free. Environmental-friendly. Photobucket

The crust intends to be buttery, using a top-quality of butter (Danish and Irish ones are my fav) is a must! Especially there is no egg in the recipe, the taste of butter is THE shinning star then. And about the filling, I used chickpea so as to mimic the texture of lotus seed paste (a popular filling for "moon cake") although its flavor is from cocina nova.

Recipe of the shortbread crust (for 10 tart shells) : 110g premium-quality of butter 150g regular flour a pinch of salt (if your butter has no salt) 1/4 cup powder sugar optional: cut fruit and egg wash

Soften the butter (not melting), beat it until it looks pale and fluffy, well combine with the powder sugar, flour and salt. You may add 1 tbp of flour if it looks too wet (but not too much otherwise the crust turns dry and brittle). Let it rest in fridge for a few hours so as to relax the gluten and also to ease the shaping since the dough is slightly firm.

Recipe of the chickpea filling: 200g cooked chickpeas (from jar with water, drained well), juice from half lemon, zest from 1 lemon, 1/4 - 1/2 cup powder sugar (sweetness to taste), 1/4 - 1/2 cup cream cheese.

Puree the chickpeas with the lemon juice, well combine with the lemon zest, powder sugar and the cream cheese.

To assemble the tarts:

  1. Grease a tart shell and line it with a thin layer of dough, spoon in the chickpeas filling. If you make an open-face tart, arrange some cut fruit on top to avoid the filling dries up too quick during baking
  2. If you want to make a molded pastry, you have to do more control on the (chill) temperature of the dough, because if the dough gets soft (as warm), it will stick to the mold. For molded pastry, please egg wash the pastries after unmolded.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 325C. Bake the pastries about 25 minutes.
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Monday, September 05, 2011

Fig & goat cheese filled sesame tartlet

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Fig + dairy, they fit to any meal in a day.

Fig and plain yoghurt for breakfast.

Fig and soft cheese on open-sandwich (like this) for lunch.

Fig and aged cheese for dessert ...

... how about some fig-n-cheese tarts for between-meal as well!

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Even I only had less than an hour to make (and photo-shot) these tartlets, I know the method is fool-prove and the result's stunning. What you need:
  • Mini tart shell tray, pre-greased with butter
  • Rolling pin
  • Round cookie cutter
  • White sesame seeds
  • Sliced bread
  • Fresh fig, cut up
  • Aged goat cheese, premium quality is a must
  • Honey
  • Fresh herb

  1. Sprinkle generous amount of sesame seeds on work table, roll a slice of bread on it. Cut out the bread to a circle and place it into a tart shell.
  2. Bake the tart shells in a medium-hot oven for a minutes or two. Let the bread cools off inside the tray.
  3. Assemble the tartlets only by the time when it's ready to serve. Fill the tarts with fig and cheese, drizzle some honey and place some herb to finish.
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