I think Peanut Cookies must be one of the easiest cookies to make. All you need is roasted peanuts, sugar, flour, peanut oil, a pinch of salt, and a couple of egg yolks to glaze the cookies. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is and I do hope you will give this recipe a try. Peanut Cookies (Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
300 g Roasted Peanuts, ground finely 150 g Sugar 350 g All-Purpose Flour A pinch of Sea Salt 200 ml Peanut Oil 2 Egg Yolks, beaten (for glazing)
Method
Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground peanut, sugar, flour and salt.
Add the oil to the dry mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. Then combine the mixture with fingers to form crumbly dough.
Pinch about 15g of the dough and shape into cherry-sized balls. Then use a chopstick to make a shallow dent. Brush the dough with the beaten egg yolks.
Bake the cookies for about 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
As it’s SuperBowl weekend, I thought I’d share an “easylicious” recipe with you to enjoy with your family and friends. I will get back to cookies next.. So, this is Korean Spicy Ribs, a recipe that I adapted from the Eating Korean cookbook. I had to make two changes to the recipes i.e. substitute Korean malt syrup with honey, and roast the ribs in the oven instead of barbeque grilling them. However, if your weather permits, do fire up that grill of course. In any case, the end result was fantastic! Not overly spicy even with the amount of chili paste called for in the recipe. It will go well with your game beverage of choice. So, do consider trying this Korean style ribs for a change. Recipe adapted from Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee
2 ½ lbs Pork Back Ribs 1 (1/2-inch) Piece Ginger Root, minced 1 Small Garlic Clove, finely chopped ½ Cup Chili Paste (Korean) ¼ Cup Korean Malt Syrup (mool yut)/(Substitute with Honey) ¼ Sugar 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 ½ Tbsp Sesame Oil ½ tsp Black Pepper
Method
Separate the ribs by cutting meat between the bones. Place in a large bowl.
Combine ginger, garlic, chili paste, malt syrup (or honey), sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper in a large bowl. Rub marinate generously over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place the spare ribs on a large roasting tray and reserve the marinate sauce. Boil the marinate sauce and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thicken slightly.
Roast the ribs for about 30 minutes and baste the meat with marinate sauce. Continue to roast for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Feb 14th this year. So, I thought it would be a great to share a couple more classic cookies’ recipes enjoyed by Chinese families in Malaysia and Singapore during this festive season. This is the recipe for Tapioca Cookies or also known as “Kuih Bangkit”. Obviously, the main ingredient is the tapioca flour itself. The cookies will just melt in your mouth, accompanied with a wonderful fragrant and taste from the coconut milk and Pandan (screw pine) leaves. Kuih Bangkit-Tapioca Cookies (Printable Recipe)
Ingredients
400 g Tapioca Flour 3 Pandan Leaves, washed, dried and cut into 1 inch length 100 g Sugar 150 ml Coconut Milk plus 5 Tbsp 2 Egg Yolks ½ tsp of Red Food Coloring (optional)
Method
Dry fry the tapioca flour with Pandan leaves on low heat until fragrant. (About 30 to 40 minutes) Let cool completely, preferably overnight, discard the Pandan leaves and sift the flour.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Beat the egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in 150 ml of coconut milk and mix until well combined.
Then mix in 350 g of the sifted tapioca flour and knead lightly to form soft dough.
Dust the mold with the reserved tapioca flour. Press some dough onto the mold and scrape off excess dough with a small knife. Tap the dough out and place on the baking sheet. Put a red dot on the dough with a toothpick, if using.
If the dough seems dry, add 1 tsp of coconut milk at a time and knead the dough lightly before further use.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. Let cool before storing them in an airtight container.
Well, the winter Olympic is just around the corner and if you are coming over to Vancouver, do consider checking out all the above bloggers’ blogs as they will definitely provide you with some great ideas to dining out in Vancouver. They have diligently scout through and reviewed all of the restaurants and eateries here in Vancouver! Anyway, back to my Pineapple Tarts post. I posted this recipe about a year ago and received many emails asking me about the technique used to wrap and shape the tart into little pineapples. Well, here is the pictorial guide and for the first time, I am also including a video guide as well to guide you through this easy process.
Ingredients Pineapple Jam 3 Large Ripe Pineapples, skin and cut into chunks 200 g to 350 g Sugar (adjust accordingly) 2 cloves 5 cm Cinnamon Stick 3 Pandanus leaves, cleaned and knotted 80 g Golden Syrup or Maltose
Method
Blend the pineapple chunks in a blender or a food processor. Then pour into a sieve and drain off some of the juice.
Place the pineapple, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick and pandanus leaves in a heavy bottom saucepan and cook over a low heat. Adjust the sugar accordingly. Stir frequently until the jams are slightly thick and add in the golden syrup. Then cook until the jam is thick and glossy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Then roll the pineapple jam into a small cherry sized balls.
Pastry 500 g Unsalted Butter, softened 100 g Confectioner Sugar 1 tsp Sea Salt 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 4 Large Egg Yolks 700 g All-Purpose Flour, sifted 100 g Corn Flour, sifted 2 Large Egg Yolks, lightly beaten for egg wash Extra Cloves for decorating
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and salt. With a wooden spoon mix until they are well combined and add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Then mix in all the sifted flours and knead lightly to form soft dough.
To shape the tarts - Flatten a piece of dough (about 15 g) with lightly floured hand and place a piece of the prepared pineapple jam in the center, wrap and seal well. Roll the tart lightly into an oval shape and snip the surface of the pastry with a small scissors to form a spiky look. Then insert a clove into one end.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes or until they are light golden in color.
Cool on the rack and place the pineapple tart in small baking cups and store in airtight cookie jar.
My family enjoyed this decadent Chocolate Mousse very much. I like how the flavors from the Cointreau, espresso, and chocolate comes together. I really can’t think of a word to describe the taste of this mousse, so, I guess you simply have to make it yourself to know what I mean. :-) Do try the recipe. Recipe adapted from Patsy's Cookbook-Classic Italian Recipes
1 ¾ Cups Heavy Cream ½ tsp Vanilla Extract 2 Tbsp Confectioners’ Sugar 1 ¼ Cups (10 oz) Semisweet Chocolate Morsels 2 Tbsp Coffee-Flavored Liqueur (such as Kahlua, Tia Maria, Marnier or Cointreau 2 Tbsp Brewed Espresso 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar 1 Extra-Large Egg
Method
Combine the cream, vanilla, and sugar in a large, deep bowl. Using an electric mixer or a hand beater, whip until soft peaks are formed. Refrigerate and reserve.
In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate morsels, coffee-flavored liqueur, espresso, butter, and granulated sugar. Cook over gently simmering hot water, stirring, just until the chocolate has melted and all the ingredients are combined. Remove from the heat.
Whip the egg in the top of a double boiler until foamy and fold into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold the reserved whipped cream into the mixture. Spoon into a serving bowl, or dessert dishes, and refrigerate for 4 hours, or until chilled and set.
Read more...
