Aiko chocolate cake

A great and child friendly recipe that i learned from my chef in Hotel Cravat in Luxembourg city. It is one of the best chocolate cake.

 It take 40 minutes for Aiko to make this cake, and 10 minutes for 3 of us to enjoy  half of the cake, so all in all less than an hour, so, my friends,  why not give it a try......



Ingredients :

75 gr dark chocolate + 25 gr dark chocolate chips
75 gr butter

3 eggs
90 gr sugar


4 gr baking powder
90 gr flour


mix the flour with baking powder

melt the butter and the 75 gr dark chocolate

beat up the eggs with sugar until fluffy, about 3 time of the volume

fold in the flour mixture gentle into the heated eggs,

stir in the melted chocolate and butter, and the 25 gr dark chocolate chips

pour into a baking cake mould, bake in a preheat oven, 175 degree for about 20-25 minutes, insert a knife to check, if come out clear, the cake is ready

Muesli - power and system cleansing breakfast

Yet another healthy breakfast but taste good too, for our baby cousin Nathan and his loving parents



all you need :


125 gr plain non-sweeten yogurt
300 ml 1.5% fresh milk
2 banana
150gr non sweetened muesli mixture
1tbsp of dried raisin or cranberry or some fresh seedless grape,

mix your muesli, chopped banana, dried fruits together with the plain yogurt, then pour in the milk, mix well, refrigerate for few hours before serve. normally i make it at night, let it sleep in the fridge while you sleep. then serve it as a healthy, happy breakfast. above quantity is just my preference,  you can adjust if as you wish.

Cinnamon Buns our way

One of many great things to do when we visit Toronto is to go Cinnibuns,  a cup of 'cafe American' and a warm cinnamon bun give a comfort feeling, the fragrant of the cinnamon not only warm up our body and mind in winter but give us a lazy feeling in summer.... (even when Walter Mitty came back from his dream, he needs one......






While in Europe, there are not such a down to earth buns shop provide such a low cost comfort, so I got to make my own. I make it also for some little boys & girls at work, so the educators will have a little moment of silent, guess why?  As request from a friend of us, I would like to share this in here.

 To make this Cinnamon buns, a simple Parisian brioche dough will do the job. I happen to have chance to learn from a e-book Patisserie from Christophe Felder


To make 600 gr of brioche dough :

250 gr flour
30 gr sugar
1 tsp of salt
10 gr fresh yeast or 3-4 gr of dry yeast
3 large eggs
165 gr butter  (I reduce to 145 gr)


If you have a KitchenAid table stand mixer, all you need to do it to put all the ingredients except the butter in the mixing bowl, start with low speed, then medium. in the mean time, either soften the butter in micro-ware with very low setting and short timing. or use a rolling pin to soften the butter like Julia Child will do :)   the aim is the consistency of the butter and the dough almost the same. then mix the butter and the dough in the KitchenAid in medium high speed until the dough detach from the bowl without addition flour in (this is about 15 minutes). Finish dough should be  soft 'sticky' but not stick to your fingers.

Or knead the dough with your hands. it is tough but worth when you have a nice softer brioche to enjoy


Once your dough is done, you can keep let it proof for the 1st time, about double size, or tuck into the fridge for overnight, so you can have a fresh brioche in the morning.

Roll out the dough in rectangle shape, sprinkle cinnamon powder, light brown sugar (or regular sugar, some vanilla sugar if you want

Roll it toward yourself to form a cylinder

cut in 8 to 10 equal pieces

                                             

                                                  arrange the dough in a baking form

let it proof for about 30 minutes, brush it with egg wash or milk,  sprinkle slice almond flakes

                                               Bake for about 15 -20 minutes, 175 c oven

           
                                                  drizzle sugar glace on top while it warm preferable

Chinese Daikon (radish/turnip) cake - my family recipe

Chinese Daikon (radish/turnip) cake - my family recipe

Chinese new year is approaching, my dear sister-in-law sent me a package of lovely Chinese decorations, red pocket for my daughter......... So even live in Luxembourg, I can celebrate the Chinese new year a little bit, also a good chance to pass on some Chinese culture to my daughter and my hubby. 

For thanks for her kindness, I grab my daughter to prepare a recipe of Lo Pak Gou, so I can also pass on my family recipe from my GrandMa & my Dad to my sister-in-law and my daughter, eventually my hubby..... 

Radish (Daikon/Turnip)    900gr   (my grandMa always said the heavy the daikon is better) 

Rice flour                           185gr

Corn starch                        140gr

Water                                 2.5 cups 

Chicken stock                    1.5 cups 

garnish :  Chinese dried sausage, dried bacon     about 4-5 sausage (make approx. 1 cup)

Dried shrimp/dried scallop     55 gr 

Dried shittake mushroom      50 gr 

option : dried salted daikon, diced,  to taste 

              5 spices powder

Ginger 1 small piece, peeled

Garlic      1 clove 

Green onion, toasted sesame seeds

Salt & white pepper, soy sauce    to taste 

esce

** remark for flour & cornstarch : totally of these dry ingredients is 325gr,
     more the cornstarch, softer the texture, vice verse. 

     softer texture - good to serve in individual rice bowl like in the dim sum house,

     firmer texture-  good for slice into piece, pan-fry and serve

*** garnish, it is really a matter  of taste. My hubby doesn't appreciate the dried shrimp 

       but  found of dried scallop, so i use 1/2 & 1/2 dried shrimp & scallop,  

       and i love the dried shittake mushroom, so I give a good dose to it 

Dehydrate the dried goods shrimp/scallop and shittake mushroom, cook with little slightly salted water for about 10 minutes. set aside, cool down and finely chopped

Blanch the dried sausage & bacon, finely chopped 

Grate the daikon, (my father will actually slice part the daikon in thin stripes for better and delicate texture) 

In a big bowl, mix the rice flour & cornstarch together 

Add a tbsp of oil into a big wok or pan, cook the ginger & garlic until fragrant, add the sausage/bacon, mushroom & dried shrimp, cook for few minutes, season with pinch of sugar & dash of soy sauce, add in the diced dried salted daikon if used, discard the ginger & garlic, set aside

Using the same wok without rinse it, heat up another 2 tbsp of oil, add in the chopped shallot & grated daikon, season with salt & white pepper, pour in  the chicken broth, cook in medium heat until the daikon soft and translucent. 

while the daikon is cooking, prepare 2 cake mould (about 16 cm), brush with little oil around and the bottom

When the daikon are cooked, remove from heat

Now mix the 2.5 cups of water to the flour mixture

Quickly combine the flour mixture to the cooked daikon, stir fast as it get thick very fast too

Stir in 3/4 of the garnish and mix well

pour the mixture into the greased pan, level as possible (with help of a slightly oiled table spoon) 

Steam over high heat for about 40 minutes, insert a chopstick into the middle part, if it comes out clean, then your cake is done. sprinkle the rest of the garnish, green onion & toasted sesame on the top, continuous to steam for another 5 minutes 

Let them cool down, refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight before you slice and pan-fry them 

to make Lo Pak Gou is very straight forward, you might scare by the recipe, but once you measure out all the ingredients, you know you can do it....

cook the daikon in medium heat until the daikon soft and translucent. 

 Quickly combine the flour mixture to the cooked daikon, stir fast as it get thick very fast too

Stir in 3/4 of the garnish and mix well

the mixture become thick, use a pair of chopstick is the best (my grandMa actually use 2 pairs..) check the seasoning, adjust by adding salt, white pepper & 5 spices powder (if used), it should taste rather rich & full of flavour

 Let them cool down, refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight

now you can slice and pan fried with little oil in a Teflon non-stick  pan preferable

serve with little chili sauce, soy sauce ...but my hubby prefer his favourite Chinkiang vinegar, can't say no....
a bowl of good congee goes well with this yummy Lo Pak Gou

lovely lunch for after church on sunday, my little girly Aiko was fighting for the last piece.....

 And I will buy more daikon and have Aiko practice once.....

  

What for dinner - Brandenbears .......continuous 2

Back to school after 2 months summer vacation in Luxembourg, not only my little one is busy, with school, homework, after school activities, practicing violin...... 

don't have much time for cooking fun, but should show my one of latest dish from  

cook through the 'easy recipe' cookbook from Christine Ho

sweet & sour pork. my girl's favourite pork dish. almost every time i ask her guess what we are eating tonight, she will say sweet & sour pork. At the same time i was inspired by Jane from Rice Bowl Tales, so pick up this recipe from Easy Recipe cookbook
i have also made the (lo siu) marinated beef from Christine's Recipe.... this time i got the very right cut of the beef, so the result was so good.......

a little accompany dish, lo siu chicken wings .....

Tasting note from AIko :

like always, so good........

Daddy chef Albert love this marinated beef...so as aiko and myself 

What for dinner - Brandenbears .......continuous 1

coming back to cook through the 'easy recipe' cookbook from Christine Ho,
i have prepared 3 recipes this time, dinner for 3
tasting note from hubby chef Albert and my daughter Aiko :

Pan-fried Bun with Minced Beef : juicy, good, make some more.....
Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings : yummy,,, mammy, can you make some more....
Xi Hu Beef soup : simple the best
                                                                                             

On the other night, i have made these 2 pork dishes

tasting note from hubby chef Albert and my daughter Aiko
Crispy Roast Pork Belly : almost like those in Hong Kong.... sinful but can't resist, go well with luxembourgish mustard
Juicy Barbecued Pork : so tender

                                          Just a little twist, i have quick stir-fried some garden yellow
                                          zucchini with
                                          thin slice of Barbecued pork, simple delicious.....

Tarte aux Mirabelles façon chef Alberto

The Mirabelles is a small yellow plum, that mainly grows on trees in the French department called  Lorraine , about 70 percent of the planets production comes from this area ! while our favorite fruit stand is from  Merzig Germany

Ingredients for a tart of 30 cm diameter

250 gr flour
125 gr unsalted butter
125 gr sugar
25 gr grounded walnut ( this ingredient is not essential , but gives a very nice touch to the  dough )
1 - 2 eggs

20 gr of almond flakes

750-800gr of  Mirabelles

250 ml of fresh cream 35%
50 gr of sugar
2 eggs
pinch of cinnamon


Start of mixing flour and butter together,
Add sugar and eventually the grounded walnuts
Add one egg (if necessary the other)
Form a ball with the dough
Wrap it with surround wrap
Let it rest for an hour in the fridge
Roll Out the dough about 3mm thick
Fill your tart shell with the dough, preferable let the tart shell chill for about an hour before bake but not essential
Stray the flaked almonds on top (as little protection to avoid to much juice of the Mirabelles go into the raw dough and give a very interest texture to the tart)
Place in your Mirabelles

For the custard
Mix sugar and eggs ( stir immediately else wise a chemical reaction between sugar and eggs will make the eggs starting to coagulate)
add a pinch of cinnamon
Add the cream
Pour the custard over the Mirabelles
Bake 45 Minutes in a preheated oven at 150degree Celsius


                                                                        Mirabelles & plum

                                                                     for the dough :
                                                   flour, butter, sugar and ground walnut

       
             
                     

                                            add the egg, 1 at the time

                                                           arrange the mirabelles in the tart shell
                                                                     

                                                                         

                                               prepare the custard, bake the tart for about 45 mins

                                            cool it down on a wire rack