Gougeres

... are cousins to cream puffs, if you dont already know (i certainly didnt lol).

I was feasting my eyes on foodgawker (thats where i go whenever i'm feeling sleepy on my job...alasan, alasan hehehe) and stumbled over something that looked like lighter, puffier versions of jemput2. since golfman and the kids have 'savoury' tooth as well as sweet, i just had to check it out. rupa2nya its nothing of the sort but are actually smaller replicas of cream-puff (based on choux pastry).

Anyway it didnt really matter much bcos theres also the magic word - cheese ;)

Gougeres
(nak sebut pun tak reti ekekeh.... but many thanks to DorieGreenspan for the recipe & EatingOutLoud for the pic).


Makes about 36 puffs

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cheese, such as Gruyere or Cheddar (or a mixture of smoked and regular cheese).

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a rapid boil over high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low and quickly start stirring energetically with a wooden spoon. The dough will come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring - with vigor - another 2 to 3 minutes to dry the dough. The dough should now be very smooth.

Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you can continue by hand). Add the eggs one by one and beat, beat, beat until the dough is thick and shiny. Don't be concerned if the dough falls apart - by the time the third egg goes in, the dough will come together again. Beat in the grated cheese. Once the dough is completed, it should be used immediately.

Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each gougere, drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of puff space between each mound of dough.
Slide the baking sheets into the oven, bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking until the puffs are golden and firm, another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the gougeres piping hot as soon as they come from the oven.

Keeping: You can shape the gougeres and freeze them for up to 2 months before you bake them. There's no need to defrost the frozen puffs, just bake them a couple of minutes more.

Sardine Rolls

This was among the things mak would make when she was on one of her 'good' days back in Bt. 5 Kem. now its also something the family likes, especially AF.

Pastry Ingredients:
(makes about 30 plus)
500 gm flour
250 gm butter,cold (the size of the usual slab)
a pinch of salt
cold water

(halving the above would be tough so this is for a smaller batch of about 20)
200 gm flour
100 gm butter (cold)
a pinch of salt
cold water

Filling Ingredients:
1 big tin of mackerel
1 biggy onion, chopped/sliced.
1 red chilli, chopped/sliced
5 chilli padi, chopped/sliced
1-2 lemon/lime, squeezed.
pinch of salt

*Glaze top with 1 egg yolk slightly beaten with 1 tsp water.

Add pinch of salt to flour, then rub butter and flour lightly using fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in cold water a little at a time as you knead it into a soft (but not sticky) dough. Set aside under a damp cloth or stick it into the fridge while you do the filling.

The filling can be mixed together and rolled immediately or cooked by first frying the onions until fragrant then adding all the rest and stirring the mixture until its drier. Cool.

Roll the dough to the required shape (squares/rectangles), heap the filling at one end and roll. Make 2-3 slits at the top for decoration and brush the beaten yolk over it. Bake at about 180 deg. for 20-30 mins.

Prawn Squares

Oh my, AH would just looooooove these :)

Ingredients:
shrimps (mince to * paste form),
some salt and pepper,
bread cut into squares

Directions:
Slather the minced shrimps on the surface of the bread; deep fry in medium-hot temperature oil till shrimp filling at the top changes color

*Paste form:
-6-10 medium size prawns
-dashes of salt and pepper
-1tsp sesame oil
-1 egg white

Chop the prawns a paste consistency. Mix them in a mixing bowl and add in the marinade of salt and pepper & sesame oil. Then add in egg white and mix well. The final paste should not be too watery and just slightly sticky.

General Tips on Frying:
1. When you deep fry, do not use "re-used" oil or oil that has been kept from previous cooking
2. Make sure the oil is hot (170degC) so that the item you fry will not absorb the oil
3. Just do a light coat of flour
4. Set aside fried items on kitchen paper towel after frying, to absorb any excess oil

(With thanks to: http://teczcape.blogspot.com/2008/08/shrimp-toast-prawn-squares-golden.html)

Savoury Scones

The scones looked wonderful and i'm tempted to try out the recipe especially since its savoury (havent come across savoury scones at the bakery, just sweet ones). i'd probably be substituting daun sup & daun bawang for the spinach & coriander though.

Ingredients:
1 C wholewheat (atta) flour
1 C plain flour1/2 c of milk and little more
1/2 ts salt1 carrot, grated
a handful of spinach, chopped
a small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 and 1/2 tblsp of butter, chilled
1 egg, beaten1 tblsp of baking powder
1/4 C of grated cheddar cheese
a handful of sesame seeds for topping

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven at 220 deg C and grease a baking tray.
2. Mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, cheese,carrot, coriander and spinach.
3. Rub in the butter till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the egg and mix lightly.
5. Add 1/2 C of milk and bring everything together. Do not overmix.
6. Transfer the dough ( will be quite sticky) to a well floured surface and knead gently with the fingertips.
7. Pat or roll out to about 1 and 1/2 cm thickness and cut out rounds of 2 inch in diameter .
8. Gather the trimmings and repeat till all of the dough has been used up (makes approximately 15-16)
9. Place them a little apart on the greased tray and brush the tops with a little milk.
10. Sprinkle the seasme seeds on top and bake in the centre of the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes or till golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Cool in the tray for a few minute and serve warm. If serving later, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely before storing in air tight containers and warm them a little before serving.

(With thanks to: http://sunitabhuyan.blogspot.com/search/?q=savory+scones)

Tofu Pops/Tofu Meatballs

AF is nuts about anything TOFU so will be trying out the pops soon.. i hope.

Ingredients:
-1/2 lb or slightly lesser ground beef or chicken
-1 pack of standard size tofu (Note: silken contains more moisture and the resultant "pop" tend to be more "juicy", not dry. You can use medium-soft or firm but the texture is going to be different)
-1 egg white (as binder)
-1 tbsp soy sauce to season/marinade the meat
- dashes of white pepper to season/marinade the meat
- less than 1 tsp sesame oil to season/marinade the meat
- cornflour to thicken the tofu+meat batter/mixture if too hard to shape into little rounds (plays a binder role, too)
- potato flour for coating

Directions:
1. Mash up the tofu and mix with seasoned ground meat. Add in egg white and mix thoroughly
2. When in a consistency easy to be shape, make rounds out of the mixture (similar to making fish balls from fish paste)
3. Dust or roll them over a light coat of potato flour, set aside
4. Prepare hot oil in wok for deep frying
5. Slide those rounds by the side of the wok into the medium-hot oil to be deep fried
6. When starts to change color to light brown, strain out from hot oil and set aside to drain excess oil from paper towels
7. Before serving, you can dash a lil' white pepper over the tofu pops to enhance the flavor.

Also, sprinkle some nori strips or flakes. Warm, moist inside...crisp and chewy outside...

(With thanks to: http://teczcape.blogspot.com/2008/05/deep-fried-tofu-meat-balls-tofu-rock.html)

Charleston Hobotee

Fancy name for these parts but i do see the possibilities... tukar2 skit, tambah chili api & local herbs and could turn up into something the family would like.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder( see above to make your own)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked beef, veal or pork
1 slice white bread, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 cup half-and-half
Dash of white pepper
Small bay leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the onion, and cook, stirring till softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the curry powder and cook, stirring 2 minutes longer.
Transfer the onions to a mixing bowl, add the meat, bread, almonds, lemon juice, one of the eggs, the sugar and salt and blend thoroughly.
Butter six 1/2 cup ramekins and divide the meat mixture among them. (Likewise, do the same to a large casserole to make one dish)
In another bowl, combine the remaining 2 eggs, half-and-half, white pepper and whisk till blended.
Pour equal amounts of the cream mixture into the ramekins, garnish the tops with the small bay leaf, and bake till golden, about 25 minutes.
Serve hot.
I needed to hit mine under the broiler for a minute to brown the tops.

(With thanks to: http://ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com/2008/08/18/charleston-hobotee/)

Herb & Cheese Savoury Cookies

This would be a nice break from the usual sweet crunchy cookies ya.. but i wonder what would be a good substitute for rosemary?!

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
2 tbsp of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup of butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, place flour, rosemary, butter, salt and pepper. Pulse until combined.
2. Add the Parmesan cheese and sour cream. Pulse until the dough comes together.
3. Roll dough out into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Slice dough into cookies and place them on a lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until they just start to brown.

Feel free to mix and match the herbs and cheeses. Just make sure that you use a hard cheese, one that can be shredded.
Serves: 6

(With thanks to: http://dragonskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/06/herb-cheese-savory-cookies-with.html)