Cooking Malaysian with Mom

So I finally made it back to New York for a long weekend with the family, and did I eat well!  I had Dominican steak and plantains with my sis and her roommate in Washington Heights, brunch out with sis and mom, and a stroll around Chelsea Market.  I also had dinner at Locanda Verde with Bao, who's written some food pieces for the New York Times City Room blog and suggested a three-course dessert at Chikalicious.  I said, "Twist my arm, why don't you?"  I tried steak tartare for the first time and liked it, along with our fritto misto, pumpkin agnolotti, and halibut saltimbocca.  And it was fun to see the dessert chefs prepare my darjeeling gelee with pear sorbet; warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream; and coconut marshmallow, spice cake petit four, and lavender chocolate truffle.

Watching bread bakers at Chelsea Market

Brunch starters

But I did some cooking as well, with my mom.  She showed me how to make some Curry Shrimp and a Shrimp and Roast Pork Mei Fun.  Some mei fun versions are soy sauce-based, and others, like this one, use a curry sauce.  I love to eat both.  Like lots of old-school Chinese cooks, she doesn't measure or time things, write down recipes, or make them the same way every time.  So I estimated measurements and took notes, helping out when asked and snapping photos.  She wasn't used to the last part, but seemed amused by it.  So I've decoded my garbled notes and estimates, and hopefully when I make the dishes on my own I'll have gotten them all right!

White Velvet Cupcakes & Buttercream

I was craving childhood cupcakes.  My mom used to make the yellow cake from the box and top it with frosting from the can, and little could make me happier as a kid.  This is like the grownup version.  The flavors are essentially the same, but with that baked-from-scratch goodness and slight sophistication.  After all, I dressed them up with sugar pearls.  This White Velvet Cupcake is moist and has such a tender crumb, and the Chocolate Buttercream is better than anything ever sold in a can.

The recipes come from Rose Levy Beranbaum's new book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes.  This is not a book of the quick and easy, not for whipping up on a random Sunday afternoon.  This book is for making grand cakes, wedding cakes, cakes to impress the pants off someone.  They're beautiful, of course, and no doubt delicious, but many looked so time-consuming.  This cupcake was great because it didn't require too much effort or time, and a photo editor at work told me it was "the best cupcake I've ever had."

I watched a video of Rose's where she pointed out that your average frosting usually has a slight grainy texture.  This is because the sugar or confectioners sugar is uncooked, and all those granules are just beaten in.  This buttercream, on the other hand, dissolves the sugar over heat and makes use of some corn syrup, resulting in the smoothest buttercream imaginable.

Apple Pie, 2.0

I can't help it -- it's an old favorite, especially in the fall!  I'm kind of recycling a post, but I really do use my tried and true recipes over and over again.  And with the weather getting chilly, it's been perfect lately for turning on that oven and making something comforting.  Plus, it fills your home with the most wonderful aromas of apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

This time, I added some apple cutouts for a decorative touch. Bake them on a sheet pan for 10 minutes while the pie is baking. When the pie has cooled a bit, affix your cutouts using some corn syrup.

This recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible.  Her cream cheese pie dough has become my favorite for its flakiness, slight tang, and ease in rolling out.  She explains in the book that cream cheese has a high water content that's great for the pastry.  My other reasons for liking this pie (the baking reasons, not the obvious eating ones) include baking the pie on a baking stone on the floor of the oven to avoid that awful soggy bottom crust, and cooking the juices of the apples to concentrate the flavor.  True, I spent a good few hours making this, but the extra steps are rewarding in the end.  Keep in mind when planning that you can't eat it for a few hours, or the juices will run out everywhere before they've had a chance to set.  I won't repost the recipe, since you can find it here.

Cinnamon-Sugar Puff Pastry Twists

Don't throw away those puff pastry scraps!  A lot of work goes into puff pastry, so every piece is precious.  After making the vols-au-vent for the Daring Bakers September challenge, I saved the dough after I cut out the rounds and rerolled them to make puff pastry straws.  These are twisted with cinnamon sugar, and so good.

If you don't have any fresh puff pastry or scraps, the storebought dough in the freezer section would work great, too.

Rerolled puff pastry doesn't rise as high, but that isn't required for these straws, so it's a good way to use up scraps.  After I finished cutting out the rounds, I stacked the dough and gently rerolled it.  The dough was wrapped and chilled in the freezer for a later use.

After a thaw in the fridge, I rolled the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick, trying my best to get it in a straight rectangle.  I beat an egg with a bit of water, and in another bowl stirred 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  Brush the egg wash over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough.

Using a tape measure and pastry wheel, cut strips of dough 1/2 inch wide.

The strips are then twisted by hand.  Aren't they pretty?

Lay them on a silicone mat and press the ends down into the mat to help the straws hold their shape.  Chill in the fridge to firm up while the oven preheats to 375 degrees.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until they are puffed and golden.

They're really attractive for laying out at a party.  Simply place a bunch of straws on a platter, or stick them upright in a glass or vase.  Try other variations of puff pastry straws with spice mixes, poppy seeds, jam, or chocolate.

I also made a Parmesan version on another try, here on the left.  Hmm... they kind of look like french fries.  The ones on the right are cinnamon-sugar.  Make them the same way, sprinkling an ounce of shredded parmesan over the dough.  But fold the top half over the bottom, gently reroll a few times to seal, and then lightly brush your new surface with the egg wash for some color.  Cut, twist, and bake just like with the cinnamon-sugar twists.  I can tell you, those glasses are empty now.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Vols-au-vent

I've learned how to make puff pastry!  I have to admit that while I'm snobby about some baked goods, like a prejudice against storebought frozen pie crust, I've always fully supported buying frozen puff pastry.  It's laborious to make, and the stuff in the freezer case is pretty good.  This month's challenge called for making vols-au-vent.  They're the round cases of puff pastry, and the fillings were up to us.  I chose Blackberry Mousse, and Warm Brie with Raspberry.

The mousse wasn't the best I've ever had, so I won't post the mediocre recipe, but it did look pretty. The brie vols-au-vent were delicious, and the flavors were offset with tart and slightly sweet raspberry.  I was afraid a slip-up in technicalities might result in flat puff pastry, but these rose nicely.  The hardest part was beating the cold butter flat.  Sometimes you see TV chefs whip out a rolling pin and bang something around, and they talk about how stress-relieving it is.  Not for me!!  I had to use serious muscle to beat the cold, hard stuff into submission, and was glad the neighbors weren't home to hear the racket.  It also made everything else on the counters clang, and I can't say I'll be abusing butter with a rolling pin the next time I have a bad day.

The rest of the process went like this:

 A basic dough without butter is quickly whizzed up in the food processor.

The dough rolls out nicely.

You roll out the four corners to create flaps, with the center remaining thicker and slightly raised.

That is ONE POUND of butter.  Which equals 4 sticks.  This is not for dieters.

Fold a flap over to begin making your "butter sandwich."

Get the remaining flaps as well.

Then roll it all out.  You can kind of make out where the sticks of butter are.  They shouldn't be poking through like that, but it's hard to work it in evenly.  And it turned out all right.

Fold the sides in like a letter.  This is what's called a turn, the first of six to incorporate the butter evenly.  You roll it out again and repeat.

Bakers poke holes in the dough when resting it to remind them how many turns it has undergone.  Here, the three holes represent three turns.  It's imperative that the dough remain cold and not start oozing butter or sticking, and that you brush off excess flour.

You can attempt two to four turns before sticking it in the fridge.  I made it to four, but it was starting to get melty so I quickly stuck it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I rolled the dough through the final two turns, for a grand total of six.

You cut out small rounds of dough, and then poke holes in half of them.  I didn't have a cutter small enough for the holes, so here I used a cannoli mold.

The rounds make up the bases of the vols-au-vent, and you poke them with a fork for steam to escape.  The rounds with holes make up the sides of the upper half.  The cutouts can be saved for another use that doesn't require high rise, or saved as caps to top the filling with.

They're brushed with egg wash, and for the first part of their stay in the oven they're covered with a silicone mat.  The light weight helps them bake up evenly, and they come out beautiful and golden.  On subsequent uses I found that waxed paper wasn't ideal and stuck to the dough, so a silicone mat or parchment paper is better for the sheet pan.

Look how tall and flaky this beauty is!  Stay tuned . . . I'll tell you what I did with the leftover dough!

THE CHALLENGE
The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée) is something most of us usually buy at the grocery store,

Greek Lamb & Tzatziki

I was telling my friend Aisha that I had seen a Barefoot Contessa episode on Greek food where she made lamb, and that I was going to make it this week. She asked if I would be blogging the dish, and I said, "Nah, I won't be doing anything different or putting a twist on it, and the recipe's on the Internet." But it was really good!

I won't bother going about the recipe, but you can find it here. I followed it most of the way, but I added smashed cloves of garlic to the marinade, and used 0% Greek yogurt where the "Contessa" called for full-fat. Partly because that's what the store had available, partly because the fat-free stuff is so rich anyway, and partly out of consideration for my arteries. I also added the last of my homegrown grape tomatoes to the skewers, made her recipe for Tzatziki, and broiled a side of eggplant slices brushed with olive oil. The grill wouldn't light up and I'm too afraid of the propane tank to replace it or otherwise fuss with it, but the broiler worked fine. The texture of the eggplant becomes almost creamy (I loathe spongy eggplant), and the lamb was delicious with flavors of rosemary, garlic, and lemon.

This tzatziki was a cinch to throw together, and I made it the night before while creating the marinade.

I also threw in some lemon thyme, since the recipes had lemon zest and juice.

I used a boneless, butterflied leg of lamb that weighed just over a pound and a half, but it made enough for 2 nights of dinner! That sure made Joe happy. Here, on the second night, I served it over roasted potatoes.

On a side note, I grew zucchini plants for the first time this year. Except there were never any zucchini! The leaves on trees have started to change color and fall, but last week I discovered there were zucchini a few inches long on the plants! I wonder if the delay was due to the wet (more like drenched) and cool summer we've had. Better late than never, huh?

Cherry Custard Pie

I think nothing says summer like homemade ice cream, peach pie, and cherry pie. I already made the first two this summer, so I had cherry pie on the brain. I like how this one is different, with the cherries sitting in a sweet custard and that flaky crust. This recipe's from Ken Haedrich's Pie, but I used Rose Levy Beranbaum's Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust, my all-time favorite pie dough recipe. Save your dough scraps to make the cute little cherry cutouts, and the leftover cream to whip for garnish.

This contraption is a cherry pitter. You could also use frozen, pitted cherries for convenience, especially out of season.


After rolling out, trim the ends to an even circle, and tuck under.


Shape the rolled-under edge into a scalloped crust.


Poking holes reduces puffing-up. I followed the instructions for resting and chilling, but there was still some crust shrinkage. Can't be helped sometimes, I guess.


After pouring in your custard -- which was so easy to throw together -- drop the cherries in one by one, trying to space them evenly. Plan enough time for the cooling and chilling before serving.

Cherry Custard Pie

From Ken Haedrich's Pie

1 recipe Basic Flaky Pie Pastry, Single Crust (See the cream cheese pie dough recipe I used here)

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

⅔ cup sugar

1 cup light cream or half-and-half

½ cup heavy or whipping cream

½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ tbs kirsch, Grand Marnier, or triple sec (optional)

Pinch of salt

One 15-ounce can pitted sweet cherries, drained, or 1½ cups fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted

Prepare the pastry and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then partially prebake (Fit a sheet of foil into the pie pastry and pour in enough dried beans or other pie weights to fill to the top. Bake the pie shell on the center rack for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and lower the temperature to 375°, then take a fork and prick the pastry all over the bottom. Bake the pie shell for another 10 to 12 minutes.) and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

Combine the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend briefly on medium speed. Add the light cream, heavy cream, vanilla, kirsch (if using), and salt and blend briefly. Slowly pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. One by one, gently drop the cherries into the filling, spacing them more or less evenly.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the custard is set, about 45 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees halfway through the baking, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. When done, the filling will jiggle -- not move in waves -- when you give the pie a little nudge.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly. Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.