Spicy Aglio Olio with Garlic Prawns and other weekend Meals

As a working mother, I only cook on weekends. As hubby and daughters prefer home-cooked meals instead of eating out, I will try to cook at least 2 meals, in between our many weekend activities.

Below are the home-cooked meals that we had over the recent weekend.

Spicy Aglio Olio with Garlic Prawns

My daughters' favorite (They are the "spice-girls" who like spicy stuff).

Garlic Prawns

Heat a nonstick skillet pan over medium high heat. Saute minced garlic with olive oil. Then add in the peeled and deveined prawns. Cook until the prawns are pink and just firm. Remove the prawns to a plate and set aside until the Aglio Olio is ready for serving.

Aglio Olio

1. Cooked the pasta (I use Angel Hairs) to al dente.
2. In a pan on medium low fire, saute minced garlic with olive oil until frangance but not browned. Add in chopped chili padi (amount to be adjusted according to your tolerance to spiciness) and the drained pasta. Toss the pasta in the pan with the garlic, chili and oil. Season with sea salt, dried mixed herb, to your taste.
3. Serve with the garlic prawns.

Pan-seared steak with red-wine sauce & Roasted Potatoes

A quick and tasty steak meal without a high price tag.

I bought 3 pieces of good quality thin steak from Fairprice Fineness Supermarket for less than $15.
I prepared a quick seasoning sauce with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and some dried herb. Brush the sauce over both sides of the steak just before cooking in pan with some butter. As the meats are thin, it took only a short while to get medium done and tender steak.

For the red wine sauce, I boiled half a cup of red wine in a small pot, cut in some butter to thicken the sauce, season it with sea salt, black pepper and dried herbs. Leave it to simmer in the pot for a while and the sauce is ready. But we ended up actually eating the steak without/with little red wine sauce as the steak itself was very juicy and flavourful.

 

Steamed Bamboo Clams with Garlic, Chili and Glass Noodles

I hardly buy frozen seafood but when bought a packet of this frozen bamboo clams few weeks ago when I was on grocery shopping with my husband. Both of us like to order this dish when we eat in seafood restaurant.

I slightly defrost the clam before giving them a quick rinse and remove the part at one end of each clam that contains sands. Lay some soaked and soften glass noodle on top of each clam before sprinkling generous amount of minced garlic and some chili padi over each of them. Before they go into the steamer, I drizzle some fish sauce over them. They are done after 8 minutes over high-fire. The meat will be tough to chew if they are over-cooked. Best eaten while they are still steaming hot.

Pain au Chocolat

I set my eye on this recipe when I saw its picture in the bread recipe book I found in the Library. I baked this two weekends ago and intend to bake it again this weekend, with some slight variation to the filling as my kids find the filling too bitter for them.

Pain au Chocolat

(Source: Genki Japanese Bread by Yau Yung Ling)

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 120g bread flour
• 80g cake flour
• 4g salt
• 6g yeast
• 6g custard powder
• 30g sugar
• 110g water (I used milk instead)
• 1 egg
• 20g butter

For the filling:

• 100g butter, melted
• 40g chocolate, melted
• 20g cocoa power
• 20g cake flour

(Note: my kids feedback that the fillings tasted bitter. Next time I will replace some quantity of butter with sweet condense milk as a variation to sweeten the filling)

Methods

1. Combine filling ingredients. Blend well. Refrigerate until firm.
2. Combine dough ingredients. Blend until incorporated. Knead to a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Note: the dough will be very sticky and wet. You will probably need to add in more flour during the kneading process)
3. Take out the chilled filling. Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper into a thin rectangle block.
4. Roll out the chilled dough to a thin rectangle layer on a floured surface. Place the filling on the centre of the dough sheet. Fold-in the edges of the dough sheet to wrap up the filling. Roll the dough into thin rectangle sheet again.
5. Visually divide the sheet into 3 rectangular sections, fold the 1st section over to stack on the middle section and then fold the 3rd section over to stack on the middle section too (just like the way we fold a piece of A4 letter to fit into an envelope). Roll the rectangle sheet to about 16cm X 8cm in size.
6. Cut the sheet into 8 squares of 4cm by 4cm. Put in a lightly oiled baking tray. Proof for roughly 45 minutes.
7. Place proofed square in a preheated 200 degree C oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. 

This is for Yeastspotting.

Mango And Peach Flognarde

I baked a Mango and Peach Flognarde on Thursday night for the family. I adapted the recipe of a

Cherry Clafoutis by replacing the cherry with fresh mango and canned peach. 

Clafoutis is baked French dessert using cherries. When other kinds of fruit are used instead of cherries, the dish is properly called a Flognarde or flaugnarde. The last time I baked a Flognarde was more than a year ago. This time, I added 2 fresh Thailand mango which is selling only at S$1.40 each from the supermarket. They are so sweet and juicy that I am very tempted to get a few more this weekend to make the traditional Thai's dessert, Mango with Sticky Sweet Rice. :)

Anyway, first things first, here is my adapted recipe for Mango and Peach Flognarde:

Ingredients

• 125g self raising flour
• 2 fresh mangoes
• 1 piece of canned peach halve, without the syrup
• 40g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 300ml milk (I used low fat)
• 75g unsalted butter, melted

Method:

1. Cut the mango and peach into chunks and spread them in a greased baking dish.
2. Sieve the flour and sugar into a bowl.
3. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the beaten eggs and the milk.
4. Add in the melted butter and mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish over the mango and peach.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 30 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

This is best serve lukewarm but we had it over breakfast in the next morning and it is equally tastly and custard-like soft.

Peach Yeast Tart with Whipping Cream Topping

This is a very unique tart - it does not have the usual buttery tart base that one would expect from a fruit tart. To me, it is more of a bread than tart. To be precise, it is a yeasted bread topped with fruit and whipping cream.

 

 

This is my second time baking this, following the recipes from Technicolorkitchen and Table for 2... or more. The last round, I made the Apple Yeast Tart and this time round, I used canned peach to replace the apple. Both fruits are good topping options for the tarts and I think pear is another option that I will consider the next time when I bake this.

Peach Yeast Tart with Whipping Cream Topping

Ingredients:

• 245g all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 120ml warm milk
• 28g softened unsalted butter
• 4 pieces of peach (halve) in syrup (discard the syrup and cut into 2 slices for each halve)
• 50g brown sugar
• 120ml whipping cream, whipped to soft peak

 

Methods:

1. Place flour, caster sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Whisk egg with milk and mix into flour mixture.
2. Add in butter and knead to a smooth dough. I knead it by hand. Note: the dough will be quite sticky.
3. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a draught-free place for 30 minutes.
4. Punch down the risen dough and give it a quick knead (1-2 minutes) then press it into a 22cm buttered spring-form pan, cover with plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes (it will rise slightly).
5. Preheat oven to 200°C. Press peach slices into the dough, and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180°C. Spoon cream over peaches and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The top should be slightly caramelized and the tart light and spongy.

This is for Yeast Spotting.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes for 2 birthday girls

I baked 2 Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes over the last 7 days for 2 birthday celebrations in my family - one for the most senior member in my family i.e. my dearest mummy for her 64th birthday and the other is for the youngest member in the family i.e. my baby niece for her 1st birthday.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake #1: This is for my mum - a simple, no-frill cake for a simple but strong woman.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake #2: This is for my little niece - decorated with strawberries and shredded white chocolate that are sweet and appealing to her.

 

Both cakes are not so nicely decorated but they are baked with full blessing from the bottom of my heart. For both cheesecakes, I followed the recipe from The Little Teochew, her cotton cheesecakes looked really nice and cotton-like. Mine still have a lots of room for improvement. 

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 140g fine caster sugar
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 block (250g) cream cheese
• 100ml fresh milk
• 60g cake flour
• 20g corn flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Methods

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Place 2 bowl-oven proof bowls of water at the bottom-tier of the oven (as an alternative to water bath the cheese cake).
2. Lightly grease a 8-inch springform cake pan and line with baking paper on the bottom and sides. The paper for the sides should be higher than the cake tin by about 1.5 inches.
3. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool
4. Combine the flour, cornflour, salt, egg yolks. Add into the cooled cream cheese mixture and mix well. Sieve the batter using a wire mesh sieve to remove any lump to get a smooth batter.
5. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar over several batch and whisk until soft peaks form.
6. Add the egg whites to the sieved cheese mixture and fold well. Pour into a springform pan.
7. Bake cheesecake for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C.
8. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

Take a peek at the internal-appearance of the cake below. The soft and light-texture will make you wanting to take an extra slice, without much guilt :P

Apricot Marmalade Buns

Apricot Marmalade Buns - another bread and bun post. :)

The recipe is taken from jocooks. I halved the recipe and produced 17 soft and delicious buns that are good for breakfast and tea-break.

Ham And Cheese Rolls

I try to bake on Sundays so that we could have home-baked breakfast the next morning before we go for work and school. These Ham and Cheese Rolls are freshly baked yesterday afternoon, a lazy Sunday that we spent at home as my younger girl is down with stomach flu.

These rolls are puffy and soft with 2 fillings that my daughters and I love, ham and cheese. The addition of dried mixed herbs also add flavor to these savoury rolls.

I adapted the recipe from The Batter Baker but made some adjustments to the proofing process, in accordance with the usual yeasted bread proofing process that I am more comfortable with. 

Here is the recipe with all the adjustment that I have made:

Ham and Cheese Rolls

Yield 7 rolls

Ingredients:

• 135ml milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2/3 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200g all purpose flour
• Ham and Cheese slices (cut into half)
• Salt-free dried herbs

Methods:

1. Combine milk, sugar and butter in a small bowl, place in simmering water to bring the temperature up to 45 degree C and stir to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add in the instant yeast, set aside for 5 minutes until bubbles formed in the mixture.
3. Add in the flour and salt, stir to mix and then knead by hand on a slightly floured surface till a soft and non-sticky dough is formed.
4. Place the dough in a oiled bowl, cover up with tower and leave it to rise till double, about 1 hour or slightly longer.
5. Punch down the inflated dough, knead it a few times, then place it back to let it rise for a second time, for 30 minutes.
6. Take out the dough from the bowl and give it a quick knead. Divide the dough into 7 small balls. Roll out each ball into a flat rectangle, sprinkle some dried herb on it before placing one halved-slice of ham followed by one halved-slice of cheese on top. Roll up from the short side to conceal the fillings completely in the dough. Pinch the 2 sides of the rolls to seal openings so that the cheese will not leak out during the baking process. Coat the top of the rolls with some more dried herbs.
7. Place the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Let them rest for 20 minutes before baking them in the pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 15 minutes.
8. Once the rolls are taken out from the over, brush the tops with melted butter for a grossly look.

Fresh-made and home-baked breads are always the best! :)

This is for Yeastspotting.