Chocolate walnut bars

Adapted from recipe below except that I used a chocolate ganache for the topping.

The name of the recipe is a little odd. The bottom is similar to a cookie dough so it's more like a chocolate covered cookie.

Result is not bad though next time I'd used a little less chocolate or a little more cookie crust.

Worlds ugliest pineapple tarts

The dough was very fiddly and crumbly. So I shaped it so very ugly. But the pineapple jam itself is quite nice.

I think next attempt should be open faced cookies as no real shaping needed.

Mussel stew

Not too bad. Used only half the ten dollar pack for 5 people (was slightly too little but made up by the bread).

Slowly fried chopped medium onion with dried fennel, then garlic. Then a tablespoon of tomato paste. Added a healthy dollop of mirrin.Then the blended contents of my steamed canned tomatoes. Finally chopped green olives, thyme and lemon zest. Simmered for a bit. At serving, add in the frozen mussels directly and boil till just done. 

Bread was assortment of Rosemary cheese bread and a baguette.

Accompanied by a sparkling Italian white.

French Baguettes

About 200g of total weight per medium baguette.

This version prob makes 4 loaves.

500g bread flour
8-10g of salt
5g of instant yeast.
325-350gwater. Tried 400g water before - Super sticky and hard to shape.

In a bowl, put in water, salt and yeast and mix well. No need to stand the yeast.

Mix in flour, slowly at first, then faster. Mixing all the time.

once all flour is in, use your hand and keep incorporating the dry flour until most of the flour is in the ball of dough.

Knead a bit more, but mostly just to make sure the flour is incorporated.

Refrigerate 3-5 days.

After 3-5 days, take out flour. Tip on to lightly floured surface.

Stretch and fold the dough. Rest 20 mins. Then repeat another time or two.

Divide the dough. Then stretch and fold into logs and place into baguette molds or just into parchment paper folded to hold the dough shape.

Spritz with water and wait till dough doubles and dough bounces slowly back when pressed.

Preheat oven to as hot as it will go. My old oven 230C. My new oven 250C. Can use baking stone to assist.

Prepare steam. New oven - moderate steam. Old Oven (no built in steam), throw a cup or two of water into the oven after putting the dough in (or put a tray full of water when preheating).

Bake. Need to ensure first 10 mins have lots of steam to provide oven spring and no premature browning.

Recipe for soft loaf

Recording this for reference purposes.

This recipe is divided into core and non-core bits. Makes 2 medium loaves.

Core ingredients.
1. 450g bread flour
2. 290g milk (can form part of the milk weight with heavy cream. Not too much).
3. 50g fine white sugar (brown sugar also can - but loaf will be brown inside).
4. 8g salt (mixed well into the flour)
5. 8g instant yeast
6. some kind of fat. 75g butter, or 45g olive oil.

Non-core ingredients example (all optional).
7. 2 teaspoons of the best pepper you can find.
8. rosemary (prob 1-2 teaspoon of chopped bits)
9. Some chopped olives

Method.
10. Put milk, sugar and yeast into mixer with dough hook.
11. Mix well on low.
12. When mixture is slightly foamy, with the machine running, add flour/salt by the spoonful at first, then more rapidly.
13. wait a min or so. Then add the non-core ingredients.
14. wait another min. Then add the fat.
15. increase speed to medium.
16. Knead for about 17-20 mins or until the dough sticks together and starts picking away from the bowl. If by kneading by hand, perform the window pane test.
17. Take dough out and prove until dough doubles. In the oven proving mode, about 25 mins at 33C. Proving outside, maybe 50 mins in Singapore weather.
18. Tip dough out to floured surface. Divide the dough.
19. gently fold the dough a bit. e.g. take one side and stretch, then fold in. Repeat with other corners.
20. shape the dough. Gently stretch dough into rectangle with one side the same length as the baking container. On the other length, just stretch it then roll the dough back into a log.
21. The dough should expand about 3 times in baking, so the container should be suitably large.
22. Prove the dough until 1.5 to 2 times. Spritz dough with water.
23. Preheat oven to 175C (maybe 180-190 for non-steam oven).
24. Dial steam assist to 50% humidity.
25. Slash the dough.
26. Put baking containers in oven. Bake for 10 mins at high humdity (I used to throw water into the oven).
27. Turn down humidity, and continue baking until the bread turns well browned.
28. take out and cool.

Confirmation bake

In new oven. Not bad, not bad.

The steam really does help in forming handsome looking bread. Can't wait to taste.

French style steamed clams

well.... sort of. As usual, I riffed on the theme. This dish is worth repeating if you have fresh clams (or mussels), so I'm documenting a little bit more detail this time.

The clams (1kg) were given the sea water treatment for 4-5 hours with ice cubes in the water.

Then I sauted a medium onion slowly with a pinch of dried fennel (this proved to be a winner in the final taste), wan sui root, some wan sui leaves, and garlic. I then poured about 1/2 to 1 cup (who's counting when you are pouring it in) of a cheap (can you say 2 for $25?) sweetish Italian sparking (no. not prosecco) and an equivalent amount of chicken stock and boiled it down a little. Just for kicks, I added a cubed potato and sliced carrots (they tasted nice later, but mw says they detract from presentation - just the clams would do) and cooked it a bit more.

I put the clams into a steamer and steamed over the stock. About 4 mins later, the first of the clams started to open. For the next 4-5 mins, I removed the cover,  and removed opened clams. Finally all the clams were out.

I then put a chunk of unsalted butter, and a big handful of chopped wan sui and briefly boiled the stock again.  Salt is added. I then poured the lot over the clams.

The last pic is the ugly one with the diced potatoes getting into the photo (but man were they tasty). 

1 kg is a bit much for 2. I also had a steamed fish (not pictured coz I only thought to take a photo when its halfway eated), some veg, a bit of rice and a hunk of baguette.

The surprisingly drinkable cheap Italian.

Attempt at air frying

Tried to do a air fry.

Steam potato wedges for 9mins. Then into really hot oven. But the browning is uneven. I think still needs a little fat (eg butter) and maybe some injected steam for evenness.

Doing canning of tomatoes in new oven

Chopped fresh tomatoes with garlic celery and other veg. Good for making quick sauce (blended) or as body in stews or as a side dish.

Can freeze.

First bake in new oven

The first batch I did 10 mins with steam then 5 less steam and then a final bake without. Skins a bit soft. Temp 250C

Then I did a second batch but steam all the way till quite brown. Skin when tapped sounds satisfactory.

Butternut squash chips

This was a bit of a disappointment but I can see the potential so will try again.

Made very thin chips and deep fried them with the intention of making crispy chips. 

Initially had a nice intense pumpkin like taste but wasn't crispy and was soggy and oily (possibly let oil temp get too low). Then I spread then out and tried drying then out in oven but they got semi burnt. Still edible but lost most of the pumpkin taste. 

Have 2 variations the next time. One, cut thicker and oven bake. Second, same as this time but use more oil and control the temp better.

Pic : bowl on top of pic

Fried fish skin

Had some fish skin. 

Salted it liberally. Waited 10mins, then rubbed most of it off with a paper towel.

Then deep fried till crispy. Tastes good.

Note to self. If frying with only a little oil, monitor the temp with thermometer. Ideal is around 170-180C - putting in the skin will immediately lower the temp. Can't wait to try this on induction (which has the reputation of being able to maintain temp much better)

Olive bread

Seems to be a hit (pictured here with regular buns)

Dough is basically a variation on my slider  bun version with half the weight of olive oil subbing for the butter. Then add some olive bits and Rosemary.

Goes well with fish stew and (for breakfast) salted butter.

Seafood stew

Used the salmon bones from the other day plus extra from prawn shells and crayfish to make stock in pressure cooker (20 mins with celery, fennel, peppercorns, bay leaf, carrots and garlic)

Then made the soup. Mirepoix first with some cumin (mom didn't like that), more pepper corns, thyme, fresh cut tumeric roots, more fennel, mirrin, thyme,  plum tomatoes and then fish stock.

Did the fish in this order mackerel, salmon, prawns then crayfish/clams. For the clams bring to boiling and then turn off heat.

Result is ok, not great. I've done better with a more classical style (no cumin or tumeric. Have anchovies). Didn't taste the tumeric at all - the mild ginger taste may have been lost)

Dinner at home

Did salmon (what else!) on a bed of purée  green peas (with wan Sui, olive oil and lemon zest + juice). Sides of lap cheong rice and a stir fry of bacon and chopped long beans.

As usual, plating skill is low. Also check out my inconsistent fabrication skills - the fillets are different sizes. My countertop has very limited space for plating... Can't wait for my new digs

Attempt at fabricating salmon

Noticed that whole salmon was almost 1/4 the price of the filleted version so I decided to buy the whole fish and fabricate it. 

The bones (for stock) of course take some of the weight but after I was done I figure I got the fish for about 1/2 to 1/3 the price of buying the pieces separately.

Wasn't too bad but I really need more working space to do this properly.

Back to baguettes

Back to doing baguettes. This time I tried to work with really wet dough. In this case 80% by weight of water to flour. Very sticky and hard to shape. 

Practice makes perfect... I hope eventually. Even though I've been making soft bread recently, I still prefer hard breads like this.

Eating tomorrow morning. Hoping for the best.

Pork stew

Did a pork stew with 1/3 pork belly and 2/3 pork shoulder. For once I did this in the pressure cooker. Was a hit.

The supermarket bought smoked bacon gave the dish a distinctive flavor. I shall source for pancetta next time. Should be even better.

Coleslaw variation

The way I see it, the only critical ingredients to my style of coleslaw is the fresh tumeric and the mayo. I really like the mild ginger taste of this root.

For this one, I changed some ingredients such as black olives, Japanese cucumber and Dijon mustard. I also added more tartness with the lemon juice.

Sunday night dinner

Had a nice dinner. Took last weeks braised beef and recooked it in the pressure cooker for 10 mins. 

Then I did a coleslaw. 

- home made mayonnaise.

- lemon juice.

- finely chopped fresh tumeric

- finely shredded cabbage.

- finely chopped bell pepper.

- one stalk celery finely chopped.

- chickpeas (25 mins in pressure cooker).

- Black pepper

- salmon cavier.

The tumeric was sold as "yellow ginger" on the pkt.  It has a mild and interesting ginger taste - it gave the coleslaw a distinctive taste.

The coleslaw was pretty nice. I might have added a bit more lemon juice. The salmon cavier wasn't very necessary.

Sunday morning chores

Did this before mw woke up.

I think I've had enough of the soft bun after about 4 weeks of it. Will try other stuff.

Corned beef braised in Guinness Stout

The vegetables were also cooked in the braise. 

The beef was $15 per kilo.

Also ate with my slider buns. The best thing was the buns but the rest not bad too. Still got beef for sandwiches.

Sandwich sized rolls for the week ahead

Same variation as the sliders but I shaped (not very well) into elongated buns. Got braised beef planned.

Pretty good "no name" Kway Chup

Best Kway chup I had in a long time, maybe ever. This ins Tiong bahru market.

Very delicate sheets of rice sheets in a balanced and not heavy broth. The garlic and salty touch is light. The duck meat is good and the meat in general has the same balanced flavor profile as the broth. The braising liquid ditto. A pity the chili wasn't up to par.

Breakfast with soft bun

Had breakfast with the bun I made yesterday.

Cucumber, tomatoes, alfalfa, Parma ham and a slather of homemade mayo.

The bun itself tastes pretty good. But the texture, though soft, isn't entirely airy. There are pockets of slightly denser bread inside the bun.

Soft buns

Tried doing soft buns (chefsteps calls them sliders). Very suitable for burgers and other stuffed breads.

For once I followed a recipe reasonably closely (except for the part about enclosing the bread - I just steamed up the entire oven instead). I also omitted the amylase or bread improver.

Shaping not terribly good. Smelt wonderful. Can't wait to try.

http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/slider-buns

Todo list

Ricotta spinach cannelloni 

Steamed bean curd

Stuffed yam basket

Nice Sandwich buns - what chef steps calls sliders. - done

Do pizza again

Prawn mee style soup and noodles

Nut butter - http://leitesculinaria.com/100864/recipes-homemade-nut-butter.html

Braised duck

My version of the American chili dish

Executed my version of the chili dish. Mw says nice though slightly too peppery.

Unique elements include liberal use of the Cambodian pepper I brought back from my last trip. There's also more veg than meat in this dish.

Browned bacon and minced beef. Took it  out, then sauted a typical mirepoix then followed by sliced garlic and a generous amount of tomato paste and caramelise. Add the beef back plus potatoes, sliced tomato, carrot chunks, an entire coriander stalk (root plus chopped), bell pepper and handfuls of barley, split peas and chickpeas (pressure cooked in a little water for 15 mins). Add a generous amount of crushed pepper. Add a glass of red wine (boil briefly) then half beef stock and half water to just cover everything. Pressure cook for 5-7 mins.

After dishing out, I added a little commit cream (but doesn't add to the taste so I'll dispense with it).

No additional salt was used. Ate with my reheated frozen bread.

Gluten free oatmeal cookies mark 3

Looks better. I'll know how it tastes later. Used less sugar so hopefully sweet enough.

This ones with dried cranberries soaked in diluted tequila and brandy.

[later : quite passable. Perhaps a little under sugared though Mw says its just fine.]