Post by SeaDragon on Dec 17, 2017 20:08:26 GMT 10
Spreading goodwill with good food
By Amy Beh (circa 1996)
CHRISTMAS entertaining every year may exhaust your stock of ideas on what to serve your guests. Try something simple and different this time. Have your baking done early, especially the fruitcake and allow it to mature. As for the cones, they can be made and stored in air-tight containers for a week. For freshness, rebake the cones just before Christmas. To tempt the sweet tooth, try the moulded chocolate. Enjoy these recipes and have a wonderful X'mas.
Christmas Fruitcake
Ingredients:
(A):
750g mixed fruits
150g almonds - split into halves
150g cashewnuts - chopped coarsely
100g green glaced cherries - quartered
100g dried apricots - chopped
(B):
1 cup brandy
2 tbsp honey
150g strawberry jam
250g butter
125g brown sugar
1/2 tbsp treacle
2 tsp vanilla essence
5 egg yolks
Sift these ingredients twice:
175g plain flour
75g self-raising flour
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
5 egg whites
Pinch of salt
50g sugar
Method:
COMBINE (A) in a basin, add in (B) and mix well. Cover and allow to macerate for 5 to 7 days. Mix the contents in the basin well every day. On the day when the well-macerated mixed fruits and nuts are to be used, add in 50g flour.
Line a deep 22cm square cake tin with three layers of greaseproof paper.
Beat butter until slightly soft then add sugar and continue to beat until well combined. Add in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add creamed mixture into the fruit mixture. Mix well. Stir in sifted flour and mix evenly.
Beat egg white with salt until soft peaks form, and gradually add sugar. Beat until mixture is of meringue consistency. Fold meringue into the cream and fruit mixture and mix thoroughly.
Turn mixture into prepared tin. Level up evenly and bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 1 hour. Lower temperature to 140°C and continue to bake for 2 hours. When cake is baked, remove from the oven and brush the top evenly with 2 to 3 tbsp brandy (optional). Cover cake with aluminium foil and leave cake to cool in the tin.
Remove the aluminium foil and tin from cake but leave lining paper intact. Wrap cake with a layer of aluminium foil and store cake in the refrigerator to mature. This cake keeps up to 3 months. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Cut into even slices then leave cake at room temperature before serving.
Boxer's Sticks in Char Siu Sauce
Ingredients:
20 chicken wings - wash and dry
Combine marinade in a large bowl:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp sugar
5 cloves garlic - pounded finely
Method:
CUT off wing tips and the next joint from the wings. Hold the bone from the end and trim around the bone with a sharp knife. Scrape and push the meat down and pull the skin and meat over to resemble drumsticks.
Season the wings in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain the wings and keep the remaining marinade for use later.
Dip the wings in beaten egg white and toss meat portion in sesame seeds.
Deep fry in hot oil and serve with sauce.
Preparation of Sauce:
Put the remaining marinade in a non-stick pan. Add 1 tbsp tomato sauce, 2 tbsp chicken stock or water, a drop of black soya sauce for colour and 1 tsp oil. Bring to a slow boil. Add thickening and turn off the fire.
Accompaniments:
Jacket Baked Potatoes (see below)
Garnishing:
150g baby carrots - parboiled
Peach and Kiwi fruit slices
Parsley
Arrange baby carrots, peach slices and Kiwi fruit around the dish. Garnish with parsley.
Jacket Baked Potatoes
Ingredients:
500g potatoes
Mix these ingredients:
50g butter
A dash of black pepper
Paprika
Aluminum foil cut into 14cm squares
Method:
WASH potatoes, clean well and pat dry. Sit potatoes on foil casings. Make a deep cut across the potato. Put a teaspoonful of mixed butter into the cut. Sprinkle with paprika. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or till potatoes are soft.
Remove and leave to cool slightly. Spoon a teaspoonful of light mayonnaise over before serving.
Horns with Creme Patisserie or Tuna Mayonnaise
Preparation of Horn Pastry
Ingredients:
(A):
350g flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g chilled shortening
175g chilled butter - diced
Mix these ingredients:
6 tbsp iced water (approximately)
1 tsp lime juice
Method:
SIFT (A) into a mixing bowl. Rub in shortening. Add in diced butter and rub until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in water to form a smooth dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Shape into a flat piece. Wrap in cling film. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry into a rectangular shape of about 3mm thickness. Cut into straight strips of 2.5cm wide. Brush lightly with beaten egg white. Grease cream horn moulds. With the damp side inwards, turn the strips carefully around the greased moulds. Start with the pointed end of the mould and make sure that the strips overlap the ends.
Place on a greased baking tray. Brush lightly with egg white. Sprinkle some almond nibs over. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool. Keep in an airtight container before use. Just before serving, fill the cones with filling and chill in the fridge.
Creme Patisserie Filling
Ingredients:
(A):
55g custard powder
30g corn flour
125g castor sugar
(B):
375ml UHT milk
280ml water
110g butter
2 egg yolks - beat to blend
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
(C):
Beat up to form a meringue:
1 egg white
25g sugar
Method:
MIX (A) and (B) together in a heatproof dish. Place the heatproof dish over a deep saucepan filled with water. Bring water to a boil in the saucepan. Keep stirring the custard with a balloon whisk until thick. Do not let it boil.
Bring custard away from fire and add in the meringue while custard is still hot. Beat in with a balloon whisk. Leave to cool slightly.
Put custard into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe out custard cream into the empty cones. Keep in the fridge to chill before serving.
Tuna Mayonnaise Filling
Ingredients:
1 tin tuna mayonnaise - chill well
Method:
FILL up cones with filling just before serving and keep chilled in the fridge.
Chocolate Moulding
Ingredients:
250g dark chocolate (bitter sweet or milk chocolate)
3 tbsp corn oil
1/4 tsp peppermint essence
Moulds
Filling:
Toasted hazelnuts and crushed cornflakes
Method:
HAVE your moulds ready - it must be clean and dry. Fill the moulds with melted chocolate mixture half-way full. Add filling in the centre. Fill up the moulds with melted chocolate. Tap the mould against the table to remove air bubbles.
Chill the moulds in the freezer until chocolate has set. (About 5 to 10 minutes.)
To remove the moulded chocolate, tap the moulds gently against the table. It will slide out easily. Moulded chocolate makes beautiful dessert especially loved by children.
Footnote: Care must be taken when melting chocolate as it burns very easily. It must be melted slowly over gentle heat. If it is overheated or if any water gets into it, chocolate becomes stiff and clogs and loses its gloss.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to break the chocolate into small pieces or chop it and put it in a basin or heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, lower the heat, then place the basin or bowl of chopped chocolate on top. Leave the chocolate until it has melted before stirring it.
By Amy Beh (circa 1996)
CHRISTMAS entertaining every year may exhaust your stock of ideas on what to serve your guests. Try something simple and different this time. Have your baking done early, especially the fruitcake and allow it to mature. As for the cones, they can be made and stored in air-tight containers for a week. For freshness, rebake the cones just before Christmas. To tempt the sweet tooth, try the moulded chocolate. Enjoy these recipes and have a wonderful X'mas.
Christmas Fruitcake
Ingredients:
(A):
750g mixed fruits
150g almonds - split into halves
150g cashewnuts - chopped coarsely
100g green glaced cherries - quartered
100g dried apricots - chopped
(B):
1 cup brandy
2 tbsp honey
150g strawberry jam
250g butter
125g brown sugar
1/2 tbsp treacle
2 tsp vanilla essence
5 egg yolks
Sift these ingredients twice:
175g plain flour
75g self-raising flour
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
5 egg whites
Pinch of salt
50g sugar
Method:
COMBINE (A) in a basin, add in (B) and mix well. Cover and allow to macerate for 5 to 7 days. Mix the contents in the basin well every day. On the day when the well-macerated mixed fruits and nuts are to be used, add in 50g flour.
Line a deep 22cm square cake tin with three layers of greaseproof paper.
Beat butter until slightly soft then add sugar and continue to beat until well combined. Add in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add creamed mixture into the fruit mixture. Mix well. Stir in sifted flour and mix evenly.
Beat egg white with salt until soft peaks form, and gradually add sugar. Beat until mixture is of meringue consistency. Fold meringue into the cream and fruit mixture and mix thoroughly.
Turn mixture into prepared tin. Level up evenly and bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 1 hour. Lower temperature to 140°C and continue to bake for 2 hours. When cake is baked, remove from the oven and brush the top evenly with 2 to 3 tbsp brandy (optional). Cover cake with aluminium foil and leave cake to cool in the tin.
Remove the aluminium foil and tin from cake but leave lining paper intact. Wrap cake with a layer of aluminium foil and store cake in the refrigerator to mature. This cake keeps up to 3 months. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Cut into even slices then leave cake at room temperature before serving.
Boxer's Sticks in Char Siu Sauce
Ingredients:
20 chicken wings - wash and dry
Combine marinade in a large bowl:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp sugar
5 cloves garlic - pounded finely
Method:
CUT off wing tips and the next joint from the wings. Hold the bone from the end and trim around the bone with a sharp knife. Scrape and push the meat down and pull the skin and meat over to resemble drumsticks.
Season the wings in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain the wings and keep the remaining marinade for use later.
Dip the wings in beaten egg white and toss meat portion in sesame seeds.
Deep fry in hot oil and serve with sauce.
Preparation of Sauce:
Put the remaining marinade in a non-stick pan. Add 1 tbsp tomato sauce, 2 tbsp chicken stock or water, a drop of black soya sauce for colour and 1 tsp oil. Bring to a slow boil. Add thickening and turn off the fire.
Accompaniments:
Jacket Baked Potatoes (see below)
Garnishing:
150g baby carrots - parboiled
Peach and Kiwi fruit slices
Parsley
Arrange baby carrots, peach slices and Kiwi fruit around the dish. Garnish with parsley.
Jacket Baked Potatoes
Ingredients:
500g potatoes
Mix these ingredients:
50g butter
A dash of black pepper
Paprika
Aluminum foil cut into 14cm squares
Method:
WASH potatoes, clean well and pat dry. Sit potatoes on foil casings. Make a deep cut across the potato. Put a teaspoonful of mixed butter into the cut. Sprinkle with paprika. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or till potatoes are soft.
Remove and leave to cool slightly. Spoon a teaspoonful of light mayonnaise over before serving.
Horns with Creme Patisserie or Tuna Mayonnaise
Preparation of Horn Pastry
Ingredients:
(A):
350g flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g chilled shortening
175g chilled butter - diced
Mix these ingredients:
6 tbsp iced water (approximately)
1 tsp lime juice
Method:
SIFT (A) into a mixing bowl. Rub in shortening. Add in diced butter and rub until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in water to form a smooth dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Shape into a flat piece. Wrap in cling film. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry into a rectangular shape of about 3mm thickness. Cut into straight strips of 2.5cm wide. Brush lightly with beaten egg white. Grease cream horn moulds. With the damp side inwards, turn the strips carefully around the greased moulds. Start with the pointed end of the mould and make sure that the strips overlap the ends.
Place on a greased baking tray. Brush lightly with egg white. Sprinkle some almond nibs over. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Allow to cool. Keep in an airtight container before use. Just before serving, fill the cones with filling and chill in the fridge.
Creme Patisserie Filling
Ingredients:
(A):
55g custard powder
30g corn flour
125g castor sugar
(B):
375ml UHT milk
280ml water
110g butter
2 egg yolks - beat to blend
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
(C):
Beat up to form a meringue:
1 egg white
25g sugar
Method:
MIX (A) and (B) together in a heatproof dish. Place the heatproof dish over a deep saucepan filled with water. Bring water to a boil in the saucepan. Keep stirring the custard with a balloon whisk until thick. Do not let it boil.
Bring custard away from fire and add in the meringue while custard is still hot. Beat in with a balloon whisk. Leave to cool slightly.
Put custard into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe out custard cream into the empty cones. Keep in the fridge to chill before serving.
Tuna Mayonnaise Filling
Ingredients:
1 tin tuna mayonnaise - chill well
Method:
FILL up cones with filling just before serving and keep chilled in the fridge.
Chocolate Moulding
Ingredients:
250g dark chocolate (bitter sweet or milk chocolate)
3 tbsp corn oil
1/4 tsp peppermint essence
Moulds
Filling:
Toasted hazelnuts and crushed cornflakes
Method:
HAVE your moulds ready - it must be clean and dry. Fill the moulds with melted chocolate mixture half-way full. Add filling in the centre. Fill up the moulds with melted chocolate. Tap the mould against the table to remove air bubbles.
Chill the moulds in the freezer until chocolate has set. (About 5 to 10 minutes.)
To remove the moulded chocolate, tap the moulds gently against the table. It will slide out easily. Moulded chocolate makes beautiful dessert especially loved by children.
Footnote: Care must be taken when melting chocolate as it burns very easily. It must be melted slowly over gentle heat. If it is overheated or if any water gets into it, chocolate becomes stiff and clogs and loses its gloss.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to break the chocolate into small pieces or chop it and put it in a basin or heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, lower the heat, then place the basin or bowl of chopped chocolate on top. Leave the chocolate until it has melted before stirring it.