President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies

I came across this recipe in my of my cook books and was intrigued as to why plain old oatmeal cookies would be called "President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies".  Was there any connection to Bill Clinton, the former USA President.  As I read the introduction writen by Sherry Yard, it sure did.  In fact she made these cookies for him when he was a regular gues at Spago. 

The recipe is pretty simple but it does use two types of sugar, white and brown.  I think the brown sugar gave it a more flavoursome taste.  I particular like my oatmeal cookies to be chewy in the center which meant a shorter baking time.  If however you are the type that likes yours to be crispy, just bake it a bit longer.



President Clinton's Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe Adapted from "Desserts by the Yard" by Sherry Yard

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar (sugars have been reduced)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp all spice
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups golden raisin

Method:

1) Sift flour, baking soda, spices and salt and set aside.

2) Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.

3) Add in the flour, 1/3 at a time and mix until well combined.  Then all in the oats and raisins and fold into the cookie mixture.

4) Take 1 heap Tablespoon size of cookie dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten it slighly with the heel of your palm.  Place onto a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  The cookie will spread once it is in the oven.

5) Place baking sheet into a pre-heated oven of 180C (170C force-fan) and bake for about 12 mins.  Cool completely before storing into tins.

Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Duck Egg

I grew up eating steamed minced pork as it was a frequent dish on our dining table.  My mum would make it with different types of toppings such as salted duck egg (as with the recipe posted here), preserved vegetables or with salted fish.  I really looked forward to dinner time whenever this was served and could easily finish off two bowls of rice.

It is such a simple and easy dish but surely gives much joy and pleasure in eating it.  Steamed minced pork with salted duck egg is such a Hakka dish that many Malaysian Chinese would be familiar with.  The main ingredients is really the minced pork which should not be too lean otherwise you end up with a tough meat patty.  And of course the salted duck egg.  The dish has to be steamed correctly, not too short and not too long a steaming time and also it has to be eated when just cooked.  Cooking this dish again really brings back childhood memories.






Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Duck Egg

Ingredients:

250g pork mince (with fat included)
2 salted duck eggs
1 clove garlic finely minced
4  water chestnut, chopped
2 Tbsp chinese wine + 1 Tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp white pepper
1 spring stalk cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Soy Sauce to taste

Method:

1)  Mix pork mince, garlic, white pepper, water chestnut, cornstarch, and chinese wine together until well combined. Add half of the egg white from the salted egg into the meat and mix well.  Use a shallow dish, spread the mince over the dish to an even thickness (do not press the meat patty down).

2)  Flatten the egg yolk slightly and place on top of the meat patty.

3)  Steam the dish in a wok on medium-high heat over simmering water for 20-30minutes or until it is cooked.

4)  Drizzle with sesame oil, and a splash of soy sauce, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and a dash of white pepper. Serve hot with steamed rice.