Hokkaido Cheese Tarts

Baking kakis being nudging me to bake these dome-shape cheese tarts before my summer holiday. Finally, I put all other commitments aside and tested out the first batch this morning. Well, well.....everyone is smiling to a new dessert today, without having to stand in long queue at ION Orchard.

So delighted to see the custard perking in the case before bake. The cooking, chilling and piping of the custard are critical stages to focus on in order to avoid flat non-airy tarts.

The challenge in baking this Hokkaido cheese tart lies in  how to get the a dome-shape custard after bake. Some prefer some burnt spots on surface, shall bake them closer to the top fire in second batch tomorrow.

enchanting spot

western pastries

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Soon Kueh 5 - Non-Teochew (starchy version)

There are two camps of soon kueh eaters hovering in my social circle. This recipe is for the non-Teochew clan.

Recipe:

100g wheat starch
40g tapioca starch
35g potato starch
25g rice flour

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 sugar
2 tbsp oil
340g boiling water

Dough and filling Preparation Directions: 
Read Teochew Soon Kueh

Workshop available @ Palate Sensations Singapore 

- tel 65 64789746

snacks

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Soon Kueh 3 - Hakka

A friend's request for this unknown soon kueh is talk of the town lately. Many would say,"never heard of" while fried abacus seeds is a hot fave of many, even you can't utter a vowel of Hakka. Yam is used in many of their cooking. Rarely this yam dough soon kueh is purchasable, reason likely to be the high cost of yam. 

Again we have another of get-together cooking session. A game of mahjong may appeal to many women as an excellent socialising activity, likewise a morning of kueh making with your buddies enrich the friendship and strengthen the bond. While waiting for the dough to rest and shredding the vegetables for filling, there is ample time  for conversation and catching up with each other's busy lives around the table and occasionally roar in laughters to some silly jokes.

From some research efforts, this soon kueh dough can also be achieved by the hot water method of mixing the mashed yam with tapioca flour, but the Hakkas are more fond of pinching out a small dough and boil it till it floats . The boiled dough is then kneaded into the main dough. I enjoyed eating this interesting texture from boiling method - it's spongy and slight chewy with the aromatic smell of the yam. Florence has such a recipe to share , so check her out .

Recipe @ Florence Blog

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Scandinavian Chillout

A great dish for a cold summer consisting of lobster, crab, shrimps and shellfish served with three sauces; plus beautiful captivating cities in Sweden, Norway and Denmark gave us a rewarding holiday this year. Take this good advice to pack a small umbrella in your luggage or get one from the hotel before setting off for the day. The summer weather here changes so quickly from a blazing sun to cold winds with shower within minutes. 

The tantalising event of the holiday was the four-hours nordic food tour guided by a delightful cookbooks author, Catherine of FoodToursStockholm. She took us to sample traditional Swedish delicacies and contemporary cuisine at a gourmet food market and a lifestyle mall, followed by smaller outlets outside of the city. Smoked moose, bear and reindeer mousse, see pics below, was the first platter presented. The meat were well seasoned and so everyone accepted the new game tastes easily and left all plates empty.

Below pic shows the Swedish comtemporary fine foods, largely cured salmon and herrings in different sauces and accompanied by a high note of very cold sharp Nowegian snaps. The fish soup with a dope of aioli and fried herring was our top fave. Swedish meatballs, cheese, ice-cream and homemade chocolate were equally enjoyed by all. Last applause of the walk,  fika - Swedish tradition of serving a cup of coffee with some pastries at end of meal was highly commendable.

food gabble

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