Wat Arun, known as The Temple of Dawn, is located on Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, right opposite the Grand Palace compound. It is easily accessed by boat from the Bangkok side. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya period. A 79-metres-tall massive central pagoda commonly called “Phra Prang” is surrounded by four small ones at each corner. The central pagoda was decorated with pieces of multi-coloured glass and porcelain which sparkle in the sun. Wat Arun is among the most famous of the more than 400 Buddhist temples and monasteries in the city.
We also caught sight of the Royal Thai Navy Headquarters,Royal Barge Museum, temples and waterfront houses along the river and its canals.
Later in the morning we took time to visit Royal Thai Handicraft Centre to view craftsmen working on wood carvings. It's amazing to see them chipping away at a block of wood which will eventually become a piece of delicate and intricate carving.
Some other sights around Bangkok city as we spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping.
I also want to share with you another popular Thai dish which I am sure you will enjoy. This quick and easy chicken dish is an excellent introduction to Thai cuisine. Deep frying the basil adds another dimension to this dish. Thai basil, which is sometimes known as Holy basil, has a unique, pungent flavour that is both spicy and sharp. The dull leaves have serrated edges. To deep fry Thai basil leaves, make sure that the leaves are completely dry. Deep fry in hot oil for about 30-40 seconds, lift out and drain on kitchen paper.
Stir-fried Chicken with Holy Basil and Chillies (Gai Pad Krapao)
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 - 4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
450g (1 lb) chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 - 3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
10 - 12 Thai basil leaves
2 red chillies, finely sliced, to garnish
20 Thai basil leaves, deep fried (optional)
Method:
1) Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and swirl it around.
2) Add the garlic and chillies and stir-fry until golden.
3) Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes colour.
4) Season with fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry for 3 - 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the fresh Thai basil leaves. Garnish with sliced chillies and the deep fried basil, if using.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
My Bangkok Trip - Part 2
This continues to my earlier post on our recent short holiday to Bangkok, Thailand. On our third (and 2nd last day) day of our holiday, we took a boat cruise along the Chao Phraya river. From the boat, we saw a number of old monuments, buildings and temples. One temple that really stood out was, Wat Arun.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
I had sat out last month's Cake Slice challenge so I told myself that I have to participate this month. Interestingly in this month's challenge, we would be baking a triple layer lemon chiffon cake. This added to a number of other lemon desserts that I have been baking as well. I also found out that the 28th of March is Lemon Chiffon Cake Day in United States ... indeed a coincidence!
What I like about this month's challenge is that the recipe itself sounds so fresh and summery. Not only does the cake calls for a lemon curd filling in-between the layers of chiffon, it has a lemon curd frosting as well. I made the lemon curd and baked the cake on a Friday evening. Both were pretty simple to handle and both tasks turned out according to plan. I scheduled Saturday afternoon to frost the cake. As usual my hubby and I went for our Saturday golf game and later in the afternoon, upon our return, I started to make the lemon frosting. After putting the frosting together I even bothered to chill it for about 20 minutes just to avoid any disaster - that Saturday was scorching (extremely blue skies with hardly a cloud in the sky) and the humidity was pretty high. I should have turned on the air-conditioner when attempting to frost the cake .. this was my mistake! Once I started to put the frosting on the cake and smoothening the sides, it started to wilt on me! Oh dear .. the only thing I could really do was to keep popping the entire cake into the fridge every other 5 minutes or so. My shell piping was a disaster .. extremely amatuerish I must confess. But what the heck, the cake was delicious. I had 2 pieces in total and as my hubby doesn't eat cake, I took the remaining to office for my colleagues to taste and also give feedback. This cake had thumbs up all around, so much for a disaster turned success!
Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
(Adapted from: Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa
Huntmans and Peter Wynne)
Makes a 9" triple layer cake
Ingredients for the Cake:
8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch]
[**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans.
2) In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.
3) In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
4) Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.
5) Bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.
To Assmble Cake:
1) Place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.
Rich Lemon Curd
(Makes 1 cup)
Ingredients for the Curd:
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.
1) Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl.
2) Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.
Lemon Cream Frosting
(Makes 3 1/4 cups)
Ingredients for the Frosting:
1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd
Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.
What I like about this month's challenge is that the recipe itself sounds so fresh and summery. Not only does the cake calls for a lemon curd filling in-between the layers of chiffon, it has a lemon curd frosting as well. I made the lemon curd and baked the cake on a Friday evening. Both were pretty simple to handle and both tasks turned out according to plan. I scheduled Saturday afternoon to frost the cake. As usual my hubby and I went for our Saturday golf game and later in the afternoon, upon our return, I started to make the lemon frosting. After putting the frosting together I even bothered to chill it for about 20 minutes just to avoid any disaster - that Saturday was scorching (extremely blue skies with hardly a cloud in the sky) and the humidity was pretty high. I should have turned on the air-conditioner when attempting to frost the cake .. this was my mistake! Once I started to put the frosting on the cake and smoothening the sides, it started to wilt on me! Oh dear .. the only thing I could really do was to keep popping the entire cake into the fridge every other 5 minutes or so. My shell piping was a disaster .. extremely amatuerish I must confess. But what the heck, the cake was delicious. I had 2 pieces in total and as my hubby doesn't eat cake, I took the remaining to office for my colleagues to taste and also give feedback. This cake had thumbs up all around, so much for a disaster turned success!
Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
(Adapted from: Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa
Huntmans and Peter Wynne)
Makes a 9" triple layer cake
Ingredients for the Cake:
8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch]
[**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans.
2) In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.
3) In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
4) Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.
5) Bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.
To Assmble Cake:
1) Place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.
Rich Lemon Curd
(Makes 1 cup)
Ingredients for the Curd:
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.
1) Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl.
2) Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.
Lemon Cream Frosting
(Makes 3 1/4 cups)
Ingredients for the Frosting:
1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd
Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Cantonese Fried Rice
What would you do if you had left over white rice? Well for me, it becomes another dinner dish the next day, fried rice. What works best for cantonese fried rice (or any other type of chinese fried rice for the fact) is one day old white rice. I guess if you used a day old rice, the individual rice grains would be dried out and hardened slightly. So when you fry the rice, it won't stick together and end up being lumpy. A good looking plate of fried rice should have individual grains and only then would it be tasty and presentable.
Ingredients used in fried rice are greatly varied. They can include eggs, poultry and meat (chicken and pork), prawns, vegetables (carrots, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn), spices and peppers, and soy sauce. I'm guessing that the name "fried rice" comes from the fact that the rice is fried in a wok. However you can use a deep fying pan which will work just as well. Fried rice is popularly eaten either as an accompaniment to another dish, or as a course by itself. Popular garnishes include fried shallots, sprigs of parsley, carrots carved into intricate shapes or sliced chili sprinkled on top of the heaped rice. Many food stands found on the streets across Southeast Asia will serve fried rice on the spot expecting the customer to choose which garnishes to add.
My own version of Cantonese Fried Rice has incorporated quite a number of short-cuts and can therefore be dished out in no time at all. Just remember to cook extra white rice the next time round when you are having a meal.
Cantonese Fried Rice
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
3 each eggs, lightly beaten
1 large onion, diced into cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 to 8 cups (depending on how hungry you are) cooked fluffy rice, cold
1 large can luncheon meat, diced into cubes (you can substitue with any chicken, pork or prawns. If you are game, you could also use chinese sausages or BBQ pork, even tastier)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
Small bunch of green onions, sliced finely
Salt, soy sauce and white pepper to taste
Method:
1) Heat up 1 Tbsp of oil in work. Add the eggs and scramble over a high heat, stirring constantly until eggs are cooked. Remove from pan and hold for later.
2) Add the remaining oil to wok and heat until oil begins to smoke.
3) Add the cubed luncheon meat and cook until lightly brown. Then add in the onions and fry for about 1 minute. Add the frozen vegetables/mushrooms and cook another minute.
4) Then add in all the rice and stir to mix for about 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt, soy sauce and pepper. Taste as you are frying and if needed, add more seasoning. Cook the rice for about 4 - 5 minutes, ensuring that everything is mixed thoroughly.
5) Finally add the bean sprouts and scrambled eggs and stir to mix. Cook for 1 minute.
6) Place rice in serving dish, sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately. You can serve the rice with sliced fresh chillies dipped in some soya sauce. (We usually eat our fried rice with bottled chilli sauce or local sambal)
Ingredients used in fried rice are greatly varied. They can include eggs, poultry and meat (chicken and pork), prawns, vegetables (carrots, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn), spices and peppers, and soy sauce. I'm guessing that the name "fried rice" comes from the fact that the rice is fried in a wok. However you can use a deep fying pan which will work just as well. Fried rice is popularly eaten either as an accompaniment to another dish, or as a course by itself. Popular garnishes include fried shallots, sprigs of parsley, carrots carved into intricate shapes or sliced chili sprinkled on top of the heaped rice. Many food stands found on the streets across Southeast Asia will serve fried rice on the spot expecting the customer to choose which garnishes to add.
My own version of Cantonese Fried Rice has incorporated quite a number of short-cuts and can therefore be dished out in no time at all. Just remember to cook extra white rice the next time round when you are having a meal.
Cantonese Fried Rice
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
3 each eggs, lightly beaten
1 large onion, diced into cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 to 8 cups (depending on how hungry you are) cooked fluffy rice, cold
1 large can luncheon meat, diced into cubes (you can substitue with any chicken, pork or prawns. If you are game, you could also use chinese sausages or BBQ pork, even tastier)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
Small bunch of green onions, sliced finely
Salt, soy sauce and white pepper to taste
Method:
1) Heat up 1 Tbsp of oil in work. Add the eggs and scramble over a high heat, stirring constantly until eggs are cooked. Remove from pan and hold for later.
2) Add the remaining oil to wok and heat until oil begins to smoke.
3) Add the cubed luncheon meat and cook until lightly brown. Then add in the onions and fry for about 1 minute. Add the frozen vegetables/mushrooms and cook another minute.
4) Then add in all the rice and stir to mix for about 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt, soy sauce and pepper. Taste as you are frying and if needed, add more seasoning. Cook the rice for about 4 - 5 minutes, ensuring that everything is mixed thoroughly.
5) Finally add the bean sprouts and scrambled eggs and stir to mix. Cook for 1 minute.
6) Place rice in serving dish, sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately. You can serve the rice with sliced fresh chillies dipped in some soya sauce. (We usually eat our fried rice with bottled chilli sauce or local sambal)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
My Bangkok Trip - Part 1
We left for our Bangkok trip on a Saturday morning, 2 weekends ago, on Thai Airways. There are now quite a number of discounted airfares that's being advertised in our local newspapers. It's probably because the airlines and travel agents are enticing more people to travel due to the economic slowdown. It's kind of ironic when you hear "economic slowdown" but here we are travelling overseas. The last time we were in Bangkok was about 8 years ago and the city itself has changed a lot since then. Bangkok now have a sky-train and an underground mass transit rail. This helps somewhat with the traffic as Bangkok has many cars on their roads.
Upon arrival in Bangkok in the late morning, we immediately checked into the hotel, dumped our luggage in the room and then headed off to visit a local travel agent. This is to book our trip the next morning to the floating market. The most famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, operates on Saturday and Sunday, and is located about 80km outskirts of Bangkok city in Ratchaburi province. The Damnoen Saduak canal was ordered to be built in 1866 by King Rama IV of the Chakri Dynasty to facilitate waterborne travels between Ratchaburi and Samutsakhon Provinces. It was finished and opened to the public in 1868. Nowadays, apart from providing transportation, Damnoen Saduak canal also provides local farmers with adequate water for agricultural purposes. A number of canals were dug to connect with it by local peasants to get water to splatter their land. As the excellent quality soil along the canal is very fertile, the area has a high potential for producing various kinds of fruits and vegetables.
Upon arrival in Bangkok in the late morning, we immediately checked into the hotel, dumped our luggage in the room and then headed off to visit a local travel agent. This is to book our trip the next morning to the floating market. The most famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, operates on Saturday and Sunday, and is located about 80km outskirts of Bangkok city in Ratchaburi province. The Damnoen Saduak canal was ordered to be built in 1866 by King Rama IV of the Chakri Dynasty to facilitate waterborne travels between Ratchaburi and Samutsakhon Provinces. It was finished and opened to the public in 1868. Nowadays, apart from providing transportation, Damnoen Saduak canal also provides local farmers with adequate water for agricultural purposes. A number of canals were dug to connect with it by local peasants to get water to splatter their land. As the excellent quality soil along the canal is very fertile, the area has a high potential for producing various kinds of fruits and vegetables.
The hustle and bustle of the Sunday market greeted us when we arrived. There were small paddle boats and motorized boats going up and down the canals. It was totally chaotic; crowded with tourist, locals and local peddlers selling fruits, cooked food, souvenirs and all sorts of other goods. I mentioned to my husband that not only were the streets in Bangkok city packed with traffic, it was also the same at the floating market. Even with the crowd and noise, we were totally absorbing in our surroundings and were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We even tasted some of the cooked food that was being sold from the wooden paddle boats.
On top of sharing some of the photos which we took at the floating market, I also want to share a very popular Thai dish with you. Just by looking at the photos, you will immediately know what dish I'm referring to .... it's none other than Tom Yum Goong. I made this dish one week after we returned, maybe to bring back some fond memories of our recent Bangkok trip.
Tom Yum Goong (King Prawn Soup with Chilli and Lime)
Recipe adapted from Lemongrass & Sweet Basil by Khamtane Signavong)
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 litre fish stock (you can either use home-made stock or canned stock. I used cube bullion stock)
1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into rings
4 slices of galangal
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 1/2 Tbsp roasted chilli paste** (you can use bottled Thai chilli paste which can be purchased from an Asian grocery shop)
4 hot chillies, or to taste
8 straw or button mushrooms, quartered
8 raw king prawns, shelled and deveined
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
4 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp chopped coriander
1 Tbsp finely sliced spring onion
8 coriander leaves, to garnish
Method:
1) Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan, add the lemongrass, galangar, kaffir lime leaves and roasted chilli paste and simmer for about 20 minutes.
2) Increase the heat and bring to the boil, add the chilli and mushrooms and bring back to the boil. Add the king prawns, cook for 2 minutes then add the lime juice, fish sauce, chopped coriander and spring onion. Stir together briefly and serve garnished with coriander leaves.
**Roasted Red Chilli Paste (Nam Prik Pao)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
15 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 shallots, peeled and chopped
5 dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 Tbsp palm sugar
1 Tbsp tamarind juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1) Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat, add the garlic and shallots and fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
2) Add the chillies and fry until brown. In a mortar (you can use a blender), pound the chillies, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste until fine and return to the work along with the palm sugar, tamarind juice and salt. Stir-fry over a low heat until the mixture has aromatized and thickened. This paste can be kept in a jar for up to 3 months, top up with vegetable oil to prevent drying.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Steamed Scallops on Half Shell
We were at the supermarket one afternoon and came across a few bags of scallops that were going for S$1.00 (US$0.60) each. My husband was the one that spotted them and pointed it out to me. I wasn't even sure what they were in the first place as I usually see scallops without their shells. He said that they were scallops and was excitedly pointing out to me that it's only S$1.00. An absolute bargain! We counted out about 5 pieces per bag. I was guessing that these were the ramnants for the day and the supermarket was clearing the remaining stock quickly. There were about 3 bags left, so we grabbed 2 and added them to our basket of groceries.
I decided to cook them later in the evening. It seemed a good idea to eat them whilst still fresh and to taste it's freshness, the best method of cooking would be to simply steam them.
Also guess what and you probably wouldn't believe it ... I must confess that that I don't know how to clean scallops and had to look up a quick tutorial at YouTube!
Steamed Scallops on Half Shell
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
6-8 scallops on the half shell
1 stalk green onion (cut diagonally)
1 cm young ginger, sliced very thinly
3 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon water
1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
2 Tbsp oil
Method:
1) Mix the soy sauce, Chinese wine, water and blend well. Set aside.
2) Heat up a wok, add in the oil and stir fry the chopped garlic until light brown. Dish out and set aside. Then add the sliced ginger, fry lightly and set aside.
3) Lay the scallops on a plate, add the soy sauce mixture on each of them and steam for 4-5 minutes or as soon as the scallops turn opaque. Add some garlic oil, fried garlic, giner and chopped scallions on each scallop and serve immediately.
I decided to cook them later in the evening. It seemed a good idea to eat them whilst still fresh and to taste it's freshness, the best method of cooking would be to simply steam them.
Also guess what and you probably wouldn't believe it ... I must confess that that I don't know how to clean scallops and had to look up a quick tutorial at YouTube!
Steamed Scallops on Half Shell
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
6-8 scallops on the half shell
1 stalk green onion (cut diagonally)
1 cm young ginger, sliced very thinly
3 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon water
1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
2 Tbsp oil
Method:
1) Mix the soy sauce, Chinese wine, water and blend well. Set aside.
2) Heat up a wok, add in the oil and stir fry the chopped garlic until light brown. Dish out and set aside. Then add the sliced ginger, fry lightly and set aside.
3) Lay the scallops on a plate, add the soy sauce mixture on each of them and steam for 4-5 minutes or as soon as the scallops turn opaque. Add some garlic oil, fried garlic, giner and chopped scallions on each scallop and serve immediately.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Whole Lemon Tart
I had been in the mood of making a lemon tart for some time now using a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book. I guess the final straw came when I saw a tart recipe posted up in Smitten Kitchen's blog. Lemons do so well in any dessert recipes and furthermore it's a readily available fruit all year round. I've made lemon slice before but have never attempted a lemon tart. I would image it's pretty close to a slice as it does have a biscuit-like base and sitting on top of it would be a lemon filing. However the filing of this particular tart is what makes it stand out amongst other lemon filing. It calls for the use of an entire lemon ... yes, you heard me right, one full lemon, skin, white rind and pulp is used. When I read the recipe, I wasn't sure about it. I've heard that the white rind should not be used as it gives a certain bitterness to the recipe. However if it had worked for the talented Smitten Kitchen, who am I to argue about it!
I've made her "unshrinkable" pie shell recipe before into a fresh mango tart and I have not been disappointed one ounce. So with her pie shell recipe at hand plus the lemon tart recipe, I dived right into this project. I made the pie shell the night before, unbaked of course, wrapped it nicely and placed it into the fridge. The next afternoon, I made the lemon filing and baked off the tart. Based on the recipe, I turned this into an 8" lemon tart with 2 smaller tart ramikins. I was going to give the 8" lemon tart to a fellow baker friend and the other smaller tarts for tea-time for myself and my hubby. We enjoyed it thorough. The pastry was flaky, buttery and soft and the lemon filing was certainly tart. Excellent dessert with our afternoon cup of coffee. This is definitely a recipe I'll bookmark to make when friends come around.
Whole Lemon Tart
Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell recipe or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon works fine but a Meyer lemon works even better; the former will taste sharper, the latter more mild)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Method:
1) Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.
2) Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes.
3) Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. Pour the filling into the crust.
4) Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and lightly browned.
5) Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.
6) Best served on the day it is made, slightly warm. However it can be kept in the refrigerator overnight; bring to cool room temperature before serving.
I've made her "unshrinkable" pie shell recipe before into a fresh mango tart and I have not been disappointed one ounce. So with her pie shell recipe at hand plus the lemon tart recipe, I dived right into this project. I made the pie shell the night before, unbaked of course, wrapped it nicely and placed it into the fridge. The next afternoon, I made the lemon filing and baked off the tart. Based on the recipe, I turned this into an 8" lemon tart with 2 smaller tart ramikins. I was going to give the 8" lemon tart to a fellow baker friend and the other smaller tarts for tea-time for myself and my hubby. We enjoyed it thorough. The pastry was flaky, buttery and soft and the lemon filing was certainly tart. Excellent dessert with our afternoon cup of coffee. This is definitely a recipe I'll bookmark to make when friends come around.
Whole Lemon Tart
Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell recipe or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon works fine but a Meyer lemon works even better; the former will taste sharper, the latter more mild)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Method:
1) Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.
2) Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes.
3) Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. Pour the filling into the crust.
4) Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and lightly browned.
5) Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.
6) Best served on the day it is made, slightly warm. However it can be kept in the refrigerator overnight; bring to cool room temperature before serving.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Peach Puff Pastry Tarts
I had some left over puff pastry in the freezer which I made previously for a mille-feuille. So I decided to make something simple such as open-faced fruit puff pastry tarts. At first I was thinking of doing a mixed berry dessert, maybe with blueberries and raspberries but ended up with a peach puff pastry tart instead. Why the switch? That's because I had two sad looking peaches sitting in the fridge, looking somewhat wrinkled and with a couple of brown spots on them. I guess it's an indication of the peaches starting to be too ripe! So I transformed the "ugly ducklings" into 4 delicious peach puffs and we had it over a Sunday afternoon with a cup a coffee. Can't think of a better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternon!
Peach Puff Pastry Tarts
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 peaches, peeled, remove the seed and slice thinly
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
* Mix above together and set aside
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 190C.
2) Roll out the puff pastry (recipe below) thinly about 1/4" and cut out 4 pieces measuring about 5" by 5" square. Using a knife slightly indent a border of about 1". This will allow the outer rim to puff out slightly more, thus creating a dam in the centre. (If you're not in the mood to make the pastry from scratch, you can always buy frozen butter puff pastry which will work just as well)
3) Brush the inner square of the pastry (4" by 4") with your favourite jam spread. (I used raspberry as this was all I had in my fridge).
4) Nicely arrange the peach slices in a straight row, overlapping each other.
5) Sprinkle the stop with almond flakes and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.
6) Serve immediately whilst warm. You can brush the top with some more jam to create a glaze. Accompany the tart with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Peach Puff Pastry Tarts(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 peaches, peeled, remove the seed and slice thinly
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
* Mix above together and set aside
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 190C.
2) Roll out the puff pastry (recipe below) thinly about 1/4" and cut out 4 pieces measuring about 5" by 5" square. Using a knife slightly indent a border of about 1". This will allow the outer rim to puff out slightly more, thus creating a dam in the centre. (If you're not in the mood to make the pastry from scratch, you can always buy frozen butter puff pastry which will work just as well)
3) Brush the inner square of the pastry (4" by 4") with your favourite jam spread. (I used raspberry as this was all I had in my fridge).
4) Nicely arrange the peach slices in a straight row, overlapping each other.
5) Sprinkle the stop with almond flakes and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.
6) Serve immediately whilst warm. You can brush the top with some more jam to create a glaze. Accompany the tart with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Simple Rough Puff Pastry:
(Makes 350g)
Ingredients:
200g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
150g butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1) Mix together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and mix the butter into the flour without breaking up the lumps. Mix to a stiff doug with 100ml cold water the lemon juice.
2) On a floured board, roll the dough into rectangle three times as long as it is wide - about 30cm x 10cm.
3) Fold the top third down and bottom third up. Turn the pastry sideways and seal the edges. Continue to roll adn fold four times, leaving the pastry to rest for 15 minutes between each folding and rolling. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. (Left over pastry can be frozen in the freezer.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
