Puff Pastry Dough

Ingredients:

A) The dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cool water
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar

B) The butter

• 3 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Methods:

A) The dough

• 1) Blend all of the ingredients together on low speed (with dough mixer)
• 2)  Once blended, increase the speed one level and mix for 4 minutes
• 3) Shape the dough into an 8-inch square, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

B) The butter

• 1) Beat the butter with the flour with the paddle until smooth
• 2) Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic and scrape the butter into the pan, spreading to level (as it will be soft)
• 3) Chill this until it is the same consistency as the dough (30 to 90 minutes)
• 4) To use, let it sit and soften outside to just cooler than room temperature

C) The Assemble

• 1) Remove the butter from the pan onto a well-floured work surface
• 2) Dust a heavy rolling pin with flour and roll the butter into a rectangle about 16x9 inches
• 3) Lift the butter occasionally to ensure it isn’t sticking to the work surface (after the first roll, it does not stick at all) 
• 4) Place the dough in the centre of the butter and fold the butter over to completely envelope the dough 
• 5) Roll the dough out to a rectangle 20x10-inches, flouring the dough and work surface as needed
• 6) Fold into thirds, but be sure to dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush before folding
• 7) Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat rolling the dough to a 20x10-inch rectangle, brushing off and folding into thirds
• 8) Wrap the dough, label it with a #1 (for first fold) and chill for a minimum of 2 hours up to a day
• 9) Second fold, roll the dough again into a 20x10-inch rectangle, brush off excess flour and fold into thirds
• 10) Rotate the dough 90 degrees, repeat the rolling and folding and then wrap and label the dough with a #2 and chill for a minimum of 2 hours and up to a day
• 11) For the final fold, roll and fold the dough the dough into thirds for the final time (just once this time)
• 12) Wrapped and chilled for a minimum of 2 hours before using

Info:

1) Can keep refrigerated for up to 4 days, or can be portioned and frozen for up to 3 months

2) Thaw in the fridge before using

Lemon Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1) 125g butter
2) 100g sugar
3) 1 lemon, finely grate the rind
4) 2 large eggs
5) 175g self-raising flour
6) 4tbsp milk

Methods:

1) Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
2) Add in the eggs one by one, then add in lemon rind, mixing well.
3) Fold in the flour and milk, combine well.
4) Pour the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper.
5) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 40mins.
6) When cake done, remove cake from the oven and prick all over with a skewer.

Info:

1) Ideally to leave cake to set overnight, to have better flavour.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/recipe/3905-buttermilk-fried-chicken

Meringue

Ingredients:

1) 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2) 3/8 tsp cream of tartar
3) 3/4 cup sugar

Methods:

1) Preheat oven to 150 C
2) Draw circles on baking paper about 2.5 inches diameter and 2 inches apart from each other
3) Flip the paper and put on baking tray (you wouldn't want the batter to touch the pen ink)
4) Whip egg white and tartar on low speed
5) Once foamy, increase speed and add sugar slowly and whip until stiff
6) Use the batter to pipe a ring on the baking paper (in the circles drawn)
7) Put tray in oven and straight away reduce heat to 135 C
8) Bake for 45 to 60 minutes (If brown or crack, open the oven door and continue to bake a bit)
9) Cool to room temperature and lift to serve

Info:

1) Serve with cream and fruits like berries
2) Eat it just the way you like

Everyday Easy Macaroni Dinners

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups dry macaroni
2) 2 cups water
3) 1 cup milk
4) 1 tablespoon butter
5) 2 cups Double Cheddar Shredded Cheese
6) 1/4 cup Parmesan Grated Cheese
7) 1 pound cooked ground pork
8) 2 teaspoons chili powder
9) Basically, season according to taste. Remember, husband likes pepper



Methods:

1) Cook and stir (medium heat) macaroni and milk with butter for 15 minutes until soft
2) Add all the cheese and stir until melt
3) Stir in ground pork (or chicken) and season with chilli powder or pepper and add shredded cheese
4) May bake in oven for the crusty cheese on top

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Everyday Easy Macaroni Dinners

Potato Layer Pie

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/blogs/CookingClubChallenge/2012/10/01/Octobers-Cooking-Club-Challenge-Two-Potato,-Three-Canadian-Cheese-Gratin/?id=57736

Ice Box Cookies

Ingredients:

1) Pâte Sablée Dough
2) Other ingredients depends on what flavour of cookies you want to make

Methods:

1) Preheat oven with 165 C
2) Shape dough into logs (or square logs) and cut into quarter of an inch thick
3) Place on baking trays with parchment paper
4) Bake 15 minutes
5) Cool and keep in air tight container

Info:

1) May add lemon zest to make lemony biscuits
2) May add natural coloring to give different color to the biscuit
3) May add other natural flavoring like cocoa powder, horlicks, milo, tea (from the tea bags).
4) After add the coloring/ flavor, chill the dough in the fridge first before cutting to bake

Fruit Pie/ Tarts

Ingredients:

1) Pâte Sablée Dough
2) Custard cream (Anna Olson)
3) Fresh fruits that doesn't change colour with time. Eg. peach, berries, orange etc.
4) Gelatin as glaze

Methods:

1) Knead dough and flatten it to quarter inch thick
2) Line the pie pan and chill for 30 minutes
3) Preheat oven to 165 C
4) Poke some holes using fork on the pie floor
5) Bake for 20 minutes til edges slightly browned then chill to room temperature
6) Put in custard filling
7) Assemble fruits on top of custard filling
8) Boil gelatin and glaze over the fruits

Info:

1) Can make it into small tarts instead of big pie

Custard cream (Anna Olson)

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup 2% milk
2) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
3) 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
4) 3 large egg yolks
5) 1/4 cup sugar
6) 3 tablespoons cornstarch
7) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Methods:

1) Mix milk  (but reserve 2 tsp of it aside first), vanilla, and orange zest under medium heat til simmering
2) Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and the 2 tsp of milk in bowl
3) Pour the hot milk mix into the yolks mix while whisking then pour everything back to pot to boil under medium heat til thickens (5 minutes)
4) Put the butter in a mixing bowl and strain the hot custard mix into the bowl 
5) Stir til butter melts
6) Cover with cling films til the film directly touches the surface of the custard
7) Chill for 2 hours at least

Pâte Sablée Dough (for different types of snacks)

Ingredients:


1) 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2) 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp icing sugar, sifted
3) 1 hard-boiled large egg yolk
4) 1 large egg yolk
5) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6) 1 3/4 cups cake and pastry flour, sifted
7) 1/4 teaspoon salt
Methods:

1) Beat butter and icing together til smooth
2) Smash the hard boiled egg yolk and mix with raw egg yolk and vanilla
3) Add the egg pulp into the butter and icing combination and mix well
4) Add flour and salt to all the combination
5) Shape dough into discs shape, wrap with cling films and chill til firm for at least 2 hours
6) To bake - use 165 C for about 10-12 minutes if biscuits, 20 minutes if tarts

Info:

1) Wash hand with cold water before handling dough
2) Minimum handling would be great
3) If dough slilghtly melt, put back in to fridge to chill
4) Can be frozen up to 3 months
5) Thaw in fridge before use

Fried sandwiches

Ingredients:

A) Crust
1) Bread (sandwich loaf)

B) Filling
1) Anything you like. Eg. ice cream, tuna etc

Methods:

1) Use one piece of bread and place the filling of choice in the middle of the square of the bread
2) Add another piece of bread to cover the filling
3) Use a round piece of biscuit shaper or just use a thin cup to press directly on top of the bread+filling+bread combinaton
4) Make sure you press hard enough so when the round piece comes out, the sides are joined and intact
5) Fry til golden brown

Pie cups

Ingredients:

A) The cup:

1) Layerish pastry layers
2) Freshly cut fruits

B)Simple Custard cream:

1) 1 tsp flour
2) 1 tsp corn flour (or custard flour)
3) 4 tsp of sugar (up to your taste buds)
4) 200cc of milk
5) i tsp butter
6) 1 egg (L size)

Methods:

A) The cup

1) Cut 2 or 3 squares of pastry layers
2) The second and third pastry layers, make a hole in the middle of the layers
3) Stack the second and third pastry layers on top of the first layer (the one with no hole)
4) Make sure all three layers are glued to each other. May use some water or egg
5) Bake at 180 degree until golden brown and all puffed up
6) Fill with custard then stack with fresh fruits
7) May fill with soups or yoghurt

B) Custard Cream

1) Mix all the flour and sugar with 2 tsp of milk. Make sure no clumps
2) Add eggs and mix and add in the rest of the milk.
3) Cook til concentrated
4) Add butter when it's done and mix
5) May substitute one egg with 2 egg yolks

Simple Biscotti Snack

Ingredients:

1) Layerish pastry layers
2) Prepare sauce on your own

Methods:

1) Cut the pastry layers into triangles.
2) Bake til golden brown (temperature according to the pastry packaging)
3) Sauce can be anything like apple jam, orange marmalade or savoury like salsa sauce.
4) Salsa sauce: Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Onions, Salt, Sugar, Cornstarch