Langues de chat

Black & white chocolate bits cookies

Recipes : ( from Good food magazine - Aus )
Ingredients :
- 125g unsalted butter , softened
- 110g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 300g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 95g white choc bits
- 95g dark choc bits
Method :
Preheat oven to 180 degree C . Line 2 baking trays with baking paper . Beat butter , sugar & vanilla until light and fluffy . Add egg and beat until combined . Sift in combined flour & baking powder and stir lightly . Add milk and choc bits , stir to combine .
Roll heaped tbsp of mixture into balls . Place on prepared trays and flatten slightly , allowing at least 3 cm between each cookie for spreading . Bake for 15 mins , until light golden . Stand on trays for 5 mins , then transfer to a wire rack to cool .

White chocolate and macadamia nuts blondie

Recipe :
Ingredients :( from Food & Travel mag )
- 125g butter
- 200g white chocolate , chopped in pieces
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1 cup plain flour
- 100g macadamia nuts , chopped
Method :
Grease and line a 20 x 20 cm cake pan . Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C . Melt chocolate & butter in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water . Remove from heat & set aside . Add in sugar , eggs , flour & nuts , mixing well to incorporate all ingredients . Pour into prepared pan . Bake for 30 to 35 mins . When cool , cut into triangles . Dust with cocoa powder , if desired .

Plum jam

Another lovely recipe from Okashi - Keiko Ishida , I really love this book . Jam is actually not my thing but this plum jam changes it all . The taste is just right ,not so sweet that you can still taste the sour from the the plum . Yummy !

Recipe : ( Okashi- the sweet treats made with love ) . I did some addition to the original one .
Ingredients :
- 500g red plum
- 250g caster sugar
- Extract juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp pectin powder
Method :
Deseed plums and place in a saucepan . Add sugar and lemon juice , bring to a boil , skimming of scum that floats to the surface . Reduce heat and leave to simmer for about 1 hour over low heat , stirring occasionally , until volume has reduced by 3/5 .Add in pectin powder and cook for 10 mins further . Fill sterilised jam jars with hot jam and seal tightly .

Unripe rice butter cake

Unripe rice is a very famous street food in Hanoi . It reminds me of my childhood in Hanoi. This rice can be made into many yummy desserts or can just simply eat with banana . Now while leaving far away , I am still lucky enough to have the dried one to satisfied myself whenever i think of it .



Recipe :
Ingredients :
- 4 eggs ( I use 55g eggs )
- 200g cake flour
- 170g caster sugar
- 200g unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 80ml fresh milk
- pinch of salt
- 50g dried unriped rice , soaked till soft in hot water .
Method :
Put Soaked unriped rice and fresh milk together into a blender , blend till mixed well . Put aside .
Cake flour , baking powder , salt , all mix together , sift well .
Preheat oven at 170 degree C for 10 mins .
Beat butter with sugar until butter becomes light and pale in colour . Add in eggs 1 at a time , mixing well after each addition . Change mixer to low speed , put in flour mixture and followed by the milk mixture . Whisk till all just combined , becareful not to overmix . Pour batter into greased pan . Bake in preheated oven until the cake is done , about 40-50 mins .
Enjoy baking !

Milk buns

Japanese milky madeleine

Recipe : ( from Okashi sweet treats made with love )

Ingredients :( makes about 18 )
- 120g pastry flour
- 20g corn flour
- 15g milk powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 15g honey
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 100g unsalted butter
- 50g double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 140g eggs
- A pnch of salt
- 150g caster sugar
Method :
Preheat oven to 170 degree C . Sift together flours , milk pwder & baking powder . Combine honey and hot water in a small bowl . Place butter , cream and vanilla in a bowl & heat over a double boiler until butter is melted . Set aside . In another bowl , beat eggs & salt with a whisk . Add sugar , place the bowl over a double boiler and mix well . When egg mixture is warm , use an electric mixer to beat on high speed until light and fluffy . Reduce speed to medium & continue beating for about 1 min . Add honey and mix well . Gently fold in flour , milk powder & baking powder mixture with a spatula . Add cream and butter mixture and fold until just incorporated . Pipe batter into prepared baking cups . Bake for about 25 mins until madeleines are light golden in colour . Cool on a wire rack .