Bake Along #41 - Apple Turnover with Quick & Easy Flaky Pastry (Delia Smith)

I'm always intrigued with recipes using words 'easy' or 'quick', better still, using both words LOL
When I saw Mich from Piece of Cake and Angeline from Angeline's Side of Story made this pastry from Delia Smith, I wanted to try too, very much
At the same time, Bake Along latest theme is Turnover, I decided to give this a try with apple filling
I used the recipe for the apple filling from Ina Garten after seeing Angeline did so too a while back

With such an easy method of making the pastry skin, I must say I'm very satisfied with the result, tasty, buttery and crisp. It's not flaky enough, but it's easily forgiven :)
The filling is no different, very addictive :)

What you need:

For the pastry:
110g butter
175g plain flour
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp. cold water (I added to 3 tbsp to make it more moist)

Method:

1. Keep butter wrapped in a plastic, and freeze for at least 45 minutes
2. Sift flour and salt in a large bowl, grate frozen butter on top of the flour
3. Use butter knife to mix (do not use hands) evenly
4. Sprinkle water with hands all over and mix again with butter knife for a few seconds, then you may finish off with hands
5. Dough should be moist, combine altogether, and leave the bowl fairly clean, no need to knead the dough
6. Wrap it up and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

For the filling:
1 tbsp grated orange zest
3tbsp fresh orange juice
600g tart apples (granny smith)
3 tbsp sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Egg wash:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

Method:

1. Combine orange zest & juice. Dice apples and immediately toss with the juice mixture to prevent browning
2. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt (sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples)

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 200degC
2. Bring the dough out from the fridge and leave it for about 15 minutes
3. Flatten the dough using rolling pin on a floured surface, shape according to preference (I made rectangle shape), keep chilled until ready to use
4. Brush the edges with egg wash
5. Place the filling on half side and fold up over the filling, then seal the edges with fork
6. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, poke some holes and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
7. Bake for about 20 minutes (depending on the size) until browned and puffed
8. Serve warm or at room temperature

I'm submitting this post to:

* Bake Along hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids

 

* Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake

ABC November 2012 - Velvety Pumpkin Tart

Been a while since the last time I made tart, a great change after baking all those cakes :)
This is the first bake I made using pumpkin
I'm not a fan of pumpkin, so I never think that I would love any bake with pumpkin
This tart has proven me wrong
It's so delicious I ate two slices at one go after kept it in the refrigerator for 3 hours, and I had to refrain myself from opening the fridge and eating more!

This tart is really easy to make, just mix all ingredients for the crust, press on the pan, and bake for awhile
Beat all ingredients with electric mixer and you have the filling
Pour on the crust, continue to bake and that's it
Let cool, keep in the fridge for 3 hours at least and it's ready for consumption
One thing is, I do not have pie pan with removable bottom, so it's quite a struggle to have a piece of pie with nice cut

I made slightly more than half recipe with 18cm pie pan
Using digestive biscuit instead since I'm not a fan of ginger biscuits
I couldn't find canned pumpkin which is not pumpkin pie filling, so I made my own pumpkin puree - which I think it's better :)
I didn't use ground cloves, simply cos I have no stock
Reduced sugar used for the filling and added some butter for the crust to make it more moist

This recipe is from the book The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge, a great book with so many tried and tested keeper recipes
Such a luscious, creamy filling on a delicious crust, pure indulgence indeed!
I am seriously thinking of being more adventurous with pumpkin :)

Thanks to Avid Baker's Challenge event for allowing me to experience the unexpected :)
This post is for you :)

ABC August 2012 - Pluots & Black Plums Galette Pizza

Please don't laugh when you see the pics below
It's 100% intention in baking galette but turned out to be pizza like, I didn't know whether I should cry or laugh LOL

My galette pizza - that's how I named it, it's a miracle that I still could see the edges, even though it sagged and couldn't cover the fruits at the sides
If you see there's one point on the right side where some of the juices has leaked out during baking

It started when I decided to make half of the recipe
I did write down in the book - the quantity I needed for half recipe, but somehow I misread some
One, the amount of water for the dough was 30 ml (half recipe)
I was dreaming - I'm sure, that I read it as 300ml and I realized it when I have poured all
I quickly poured the balance of the water but I guess some has mixed up with the dry ingredients
Two, I misread the quantity of the lemon juice. It should have been 1 tbsp for half recipe, I used two
Two solid reasons for a chaotic kind of dough
I tried to add more flour and keep in the chiller for longer time, but when doing the rolling, all were back to square one
It's very fast turning to sticky dough even though I used lots of flour as a help, I had to be fast to trasnfer it to the baking tray and continue to flatten the dough by hand
Piling up the fruits at the centre and it's a nightmare when I tried to lift up all the edges, very frustrating but there's no turning back at that point of time
So I just tried the best I could and brushed it with milk and at the same time tried to lift up again with the brush
Once it's inside the oven, it started to sag slowly which I witnessed with broken heart but I couldn't do anything. Angry for being so blur wew....
After it's cooked  (about 50 minutes), I took out the tray from the oven and I could see a big pool of leaked black burnt sugar
Luckily I could easily separate the galette away from the sugar
I quickly transferred it to the serving plate and that's what you saw in the pic above

Texture of the crust was not too bad, even though I knew it should have been better
Taste wise, it's good but it looked a little wrinkly here and there

For the filling, I followed the recipe exactly - halved
it's funny how these fruits were still so sour after the additional sugar I made
Yes, the black plums were sour, but the pluots were real sweet and also the sweet glaze, not to forget. Perhaps I just omit the lemon juice the next time I bake this again using not so sweet fruits

I had no oranges in the fridge so I just used sweet orange jam mixed with apple juice for the glaze

These are the fruits I used, one at the left side is pluot and two at the right side are black plums

This post is for Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC) August 2012 hosted by Hanaa

Recipe is from the book The Weekend baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Please hop on ABC's site to view other bakers' galettes

Bake Along #29 - Chicken Pie

I baked these pies this morning
I always love chicken pie but this is my first time baking one :)
The recipe has been in my to do list for ages, finally I made it

I love these pies, really!
The top crust has a lovely texture and taste oh so buttery, I wish it's like that all over the pies. Because I used alumunium foil cups, the sides and bottom parts were soft yet firm, not crusty
Perhaps the next time I bake, I will not use cups but just shape by hand and put on lined baking tray, that should give crusty skin all over :)
The filling were so tasty, too!
Such a perfect combination :)

I used recipe from Baking Mum for the pastry and for the filling, I combined her recipe and Cooking Crave plus a little modification by me

Another keeper recipe, pretty simple to make, only involved quite a lot of chopping :)

What you need:

For the pastry:

200g butter
250g plain flour
110g plain yoghurt
1 tsp sugar
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

1. Put all ingredients into the mixing bowl except yoghurt and mix to crumble
2. Add in yoghurt and mix to a dough
3. Dough will be very soft so need to keep in the freezer for 30 minutes and another 30 minutes in the chiller

For the filling:

3 potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
12 strings of french beans, chopped
around 20pcs of white button mushrooms, sliced
2 small chicken breasts, diced (mine is big so I used 1 1/2)
1 heaped tbsp of corn starch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
salt, sugar, pepper
2 + 2 tbsp canola oil

To marinade the chicken:
* 1 tbsp oyster sauce
* 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
* few shakes garlic salt
* few shakes parsley flakes
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* some pepper

1 egg, beaten - for glazing

1. Heat 2 tbsp canola oil on a wok, add in potatoes and cook with around 150ml water and salt til soft, set aside
2. In a clean wok, heat 2 tbsp canola oil and fry onion til fragrant and transparent. Add carrots, french beans, chicken. Fry for a while to break up chicken.
3. Add in mushroom, stir well til soft
4. Add in potatoes with the salt water, let cook for 2-3 minutes
5. Add in salt, pepper and sugar and adjust the taste
6. When boiling, add in corn starch mixture to thicken the mixture, stir well
7. Set aside

For the filling, you may add sliced hardboiled eggs
(I wanted to but totally forgotten!)

How to make the pie...

1. Prepare alumunium foils cup ( I used 7 cups)
2. Take out the dough from the fridge, and roll on lightly floured surface
3. Cut the size as required (for the pie base and sides) and arrange on the cups to fit nicely
4. Poke holes on the base using fork and place filling on top
5. Cut another piece of dough to cover the top
6. Poke a few more times using fork on the cover of the pie, and seal the edges by pressing the back of the fork all around, brush with beaten egg
7. bake in preheated oven of 180degC for 30 minutes approximately or til the top browned

This post is for Bake Along event, hosted by Joyce, Lena and Zoe

Below are the wonderful chicken pies from fabulous bakers joining the event :)

ABC July 2012 - Classic Fruit Tart

It's so coincident that Abby asked me to make fruit tarts when I planned to bake this month's ABC bake
So, here it is, fruit tart from the book The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge
with Abby chose the fruits :)

The good thing about this recipe is that it's a make ahead recipe, you can bake the crust today and only make the cream the next day
Even the dough can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 month!
I did everything in one day, though, since I had the time to do all and I didn't think my little girl could wait :)

The dough was not too easy to handle but it's really worth the effort
I didn't roll the dough, I found it easier to just press it on the pan

Too bad I don't own a loose bottom pie pan, so cutting a slice and lifting it up is quite a struggle :)

The tart is really super, I really love the crust, really delicious
Munching it together with the super yummy pastry cream with fruits bursting in your mouth, it's really heavenly

The pastry cream had to be constantly in the fridge, it turned soft pretty quickly in room temperature - blame it on the hot humid Singapore weather!
I didn't pour real hot milk, I waited til it's lukewarm instead cos i didn't want the hot milk 'cooked' the eggs :)
And I sieved the cream too, to get rid of all the lumps

Overall it's a sweet delicious treat loved by my family :)
Great recipe!

Please view HERE for other wonderful fruit tarts baked by ABC members :)

Rich Chocolate Taart

Now, this is the second pie I baked today...

Somehow I couldn't get a single good picture of this taart - I thought I did but after uploaded all, these two pics above were the best amongst all haiz.....

One good reason (read: excuse) I can think of is cos I cut and took pics when the taart was still warm - perhaps the filling and topping was not really set yet - see if I can get a better shot tomorrow after I leave it overnight :)

Please do not judge the quality of the taste of this tart only by looking at my those poor pics

It is so rich and chocolatey and not overly sweet - all chocoholics' must try!

Recipe is from Hesti's site

This is the translated version...

What you need:

For the pie crust:

185g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

55g icing sugar

150g cold butter - roughly chopped

2 egg yolks

1 tsp cold water

For the filling:

4 egg yolks

2 eggs

55g caster sugar

80ml thick cream

300g dark chocolate - chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

How to make the pie crust:

Mix plain flour, cocoa powder, sugar and butter - rub with fingers til well mixed

Add in egg yolks and water, mix well til dough is formed

Wrap in cling wrap and keep in the fridge for 30mins

Preheat oven to 180degC

Grease pie pan (I used 24cm pan)

Roll dough til big enough to be laid on the pan

Press the dough at bottom and sides of the pan til even, leave it in the fridge for another 30mins

Cover the top with aluminium foil and put pie weight on top

Bake in opened oven door for 15mins, take out pie weight and foil and bake in closed oven door for another 10mins, let cool

How to make the filling:

Beat egg yolks, eggs and sugar til thick and creamy

Add in cream, melted chocolate and vanilla extract - mix well

Pour filling on the pie crust, bake for 30mins til filling is set

Let cool, and spread with chocolate icing (or you may pour with chocolate ganache) -> I did this just to get a smoother surface

I'm submitting this pie to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011) hosted by Janine from Not The Kitchen Sink at this LINK

So glad finally I can participate in this event - I thought I couldn't... cos pie is something I very seldom bake and I do want to try it hands on.... it's indeed not so difficult, only I need to practise more in getting a thinner crust :)

I wish I could make more - following the list I have...I actually ready with all the ingredients for chicken mushroom pie and also wanted to try to bake apple pie and egg taarts...

Oh well, never mind, I will still go ahead with the plan when I''m free - hopefully soon :)

Cherry Cheese Pie

I can't believe I haven't submitted a single post for this month's Aspiring Bakers event, even though I have a list of what to try to bake - this has been a super duper busy month for me ppppfff...

Today is the last day of August, I made full of this one day to bake two kinds of pies
So, this is the first one...

Such a refreshing dessert - cheesy, sweet and tangy at the same time - yum!

Recipe is from HERE - I used bigger size of pie pan and I used cherry topping instead :)

I'm submitting this pie to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011) hosted by Janine from Not The Kitchen Sink at this LINK

Going to post the second one soon..... :P

Fruit Tarts

This recipe is one of those been in the list for loooooong time :)
Finally I made them - first baking with my new mixer - yes, finally I found my mixer heheh....

I saw this recipe from Edith's site and I know I had to make them
I did today :)

I just followed the recipe to the dot and realized halfway that it'd yield many mini tarts - it did!
I made 24 not so mini tarts and 1 18-inches tart!
Those not so big eater or of a small family, half recipe will be more than enough :)

Look at them - aren't they pretty colors?
Well, I have used wrong mould since they're the only one I had for mini tarts - should invest in better quality and reusable ones rather than those disposable foil type :P

And this is the big pie...

I really love the colors I could not stop taking pics of them...

What you need:

Tart shells:
250g butter (room temperature)
110g caster sugar
½ egg
500g plain flour

Cream the butter with caster sugar until white and creamy
Add egg and continue to beat
Fold in flour until it becomes a dough
Line the small tart tins with dough. Poke holes using a fork on the tart shell
Bake at 175°C for 10 mins or till golden brown
Slide tart out and let it cool down

Creme Patissiere:
1 litre milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
10 egg yolks
250g castor sugar
50 plain flour
50g corn flour

Heat the milk and vanilla essence gently until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, then stir in the flour and cornflour
Gradually stir the milk into the egg mixture
Pour the custard into the saucepan and heat gently, beating continuously until mixture thickens and boils
Boil for 1 min, stiring continuously, remove from heat and cool
Scoop the cooled custard into each tart shell, decorate top with fruits (I used strawberry, kiwi, canned peaches)

For topping, you may glaze the fruits with strawberry jam mixed with a little hot water or you may prepare (as directed) 1 pack of  white agar agar and pour a teaspoon to each tart

I love the crust, the creme, the fruits, the glazing...everything! :)

I'm submitting this tarts to "Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011)" hosted by Bakericious at this LINK

Strawberry Tart

This has been in my to do list for quite sometime and I guess to end this month of love in a sweet way is to make this sweet treat, so I decided to make this tart in heart shape :) Moreover with Korean strawberries in season, sold in almost all supermarkets - sweet and juicy - best timing!

Adapted from Precious Moments, this tart is delicious and you just can't get enough of it! :)
It's actually more to strawberry chilled cheesecake to me - yum! :P
Still need to improve my skills in making it look prettier though *shy*
And also I guess I have made the crust slightly too thick to my preference, still it tasted great :)

What you need:

For the crust:
188g plain flour
113g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
⅓ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
For the filling:
250g cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
fresh strawberries, hulled
strawberry jam for coating

Preheat oven to 180 ºC
Rub in butter to flour, sugar and salt till it become moist crumbs. Transfer the dough to pie pan and pressed firmly. Freeze crust until firm (around 10 mins)
Pricked crust and bake for about 25 – 30 mins till golden brown. Cool
In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Spread mixture evenly in pie crust
Arrange strawberries and brush heated jam. Chill for at least an hour
Remove from pan and serve

I happened to have some extra seedless grapes too, so I made another pan with a mixture of strawberries and grapes - apparently Abby prefer grapes than strawberries :)

I'm submitting this tart to "Aspiring Bakers #4: Love In The Air! (Feb 2011)", hosted by Cuisine Paradise at this LINK