Walnut and Date Tartlet 合桃棗蓉撻

This is a great finger food for parties because it involves minimal preparation. All the ingredients are store bought--date paste, puff pastries, and walnuts. I call it semi-homemade. The date paste is made with 100% dates, no sugar added, so it is naturally sweet. It is very convenient to use and work with and can be found in Mediterranean/Middle Eastern or international grocery stores. Puff pastries are also available in the frozen section of most American grocery stores. I always keep some in my freezer. The spices in this recipe--nutmeg and cardamom--are best whole, and freshly ground right before being used.

Lemon Bar 檸檬吧

One of the benefits of living in Southern California is the abundance of sunshine. Many people have backyards with different types of fruit trees: lemon, peach, orange, loquat, pear, passion fruit.....Even though I don't have any, I am blessed to know friends who do : )

What can I with so much fruit, especially lemon, other than making lemonade? Here is a great recipe to make lemon bars with the right balance of sweetness and tanginess.

The Best Pineapple Cake/Pastry 最好味的鳳梨酥

After posting the the Best Turnip Cake, I feel the need to update my old pineapple pastry recipe as well. Pineapple pastry is one of my blog's most popular posts. It has been quoted and used to compare with other bloggers' recipes by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. I admire her spirit to search the best and not settle for mediocrity.

How does this new recipe different from the old one? By having more egg in this new version, it basically produces a crust which brown more nicely than the old one. The higher percentage of milk powder contributes to a richer crust as well.

As for the filling, I think what people dread most is the time it takes to cook the pineapple to a thick paste. It is a real test of your patience! Continue reading below as I show you how to cut down the cooking time.

More Library Cooking Programs 更多免費圖書館烹飪示範

Below is the line up of open-to-the-public Los Angeles county library cooking programs for the rest of 2015 and 2016:

Raspberry Tart with Almond Cream 紅桑子杏仁醬撻

Raspberry is often referred to as the king of berries. It is often used to make all kinds of yummy desserts. When it is paired with the other king of nuts--almond, it makes a superb tart.

紅桑子被稱為莓中之王，實至名歸，用來做各款甜點，都大受歡迎。另外，杏仁也有果仁之王的美譽，將兩者用來做這個撻，實在相得益彰。

Custard Moon Cake 奶黃月餅

These exquisite moon cakes are created by innovative bakers from Hong Kong. A box of eight reportedly fetches almost HK$500 (~USD$65-70)!! The cake is filled with moist and rich custard with a nice coconut flavor. The recipe is straight forward but it takes some tricks and a lot of practice to create a nice and distinctive look.

I tried different recipes and finally came up with this one with modifications.

這款近年風靡香港的奶黃月餅，身價越來越貴，據報一盒八個要港幣近五百大元 !!
不過又真是很好食，奶黃餡香滑，加上一杯熱茶，真是一絕。

Lemon Cream Tart 檸檬撻

When pastry chefs develop recipes, there are a few elements that they always have in mind. Being able to incorporate different textures is important in producing a delightful dessert. Furthermore, it would be wonderful if the dessert also has some acidity to balance the sweetness. Therefore this lemon tart truly satisfies all of the above: a creamy, smooth and tangy lemon curd with a sweet and crunchy meringue topping a flaky tart shell. A dessert made in heaven!!

一款美味的甜點，除了甜味之外，如能有不同的質地去提升口感，便能雙得益彰。就以這個檸檬撻為例，甜中帶酸，餡料幼滑，撻皮鬆化，加上脆口的法式蛋白餅，實在是一款絕頂的美點。

Matcha Pastry 旋風綠茶酥

Dim Sum Series, part 3:

Matcha is just another name for green tea, right? This is what I always thought, until I recently attended a food show in Northern California. The Fancy Food Show is an international food show offered twice a year: San Francisco hosts during winter while New York City hosts the summer show. With over a thousand exhibits from all over the world, it is an exciting time for all those related to food industry, whether you are a retailer or wholesaler, or somewhere in between. New trends, products and tastes are often introduced during the show.

Tuna Strudels 香脆吞那魚卷

What comes to your mind when you think of an appetizer ? Savory, finger food, easy to prepare, may be crunchy, etc? This appetizer fits all of the above. I use honey mustard as a sauce to make it really appetizing. All the ingredients are store bought, which made it exceptionally easy to make. Not counting the time the fillo sheets need to defrost, it only takes 30-45 minutes from start to finish. A great party or potluck choice !

Curried Char Siu in Puff Pastry 咖哩叉燒酥

This post is written especially for those who like savory treats more than sweets. Knowing how to make pastries is a valuable skill. Just like other culinary techniques, once you master the knowledge and basics, there is no limit as to what you can make. It is amazing how versatile it is. Take this pastry as an example. You can put different stuffing to make a variety of treats. Add red bean paste and you will have red bean pastry; add sweetened winter melon then you will make wife cake. Or line a tart pan with it and put different fillings. There really are endless possibilities.

This time I put curried cha siu, next time I can put minced beef or chicken, and who knows what I can fill it with!

Croissant with Grapeseed oil 牛角包,健康版

I love to have croissants because of their flaky, buttery layers. But every time I have to constrain myself not to have too many because of their high fat content. However, this isn't the case if they are made with more healthy grapeseed oil (but the flakiness has to be compromised a little)! 

Cinnamon Rolls in Puff Pastry 香酥肉桂卷

I like the appealing fragrance of cinnamon. I am also addicted to its delicate and warm flavor. Not only does it smell good, cinnamon also has some incredible health benefits. Its properties can lower blood sugar, cholesterol, fight infection and inflammation. One study showed that just by smelling it would help cognitive function and memory. Sounds amazing, doesn't it?

Croissant 牛角飽

It is a popular belief that consuming breads (especially those made from white flour), pastries and desserts will make you gain weight. These foods are loaded with carbohydrates (mainly starch and sugar. Fiber is also a type of carb.) and fats. Modern city dwellers "input" a lot but "output" only a little.

Red Bean Pastry 紅豆酥

If you like red bean and flaky pastry, you will love this little Chinese pastry. Just like other Chinese pastries (e.g. egg tart and wife cake), it involves a "water dough" and a "oil dough" to produce the tender and flaky layers. Once you master the technique, the sky is the limit. There are a lot of variations for the filling: taro, date, pumpkin, lotus seed paste, etc. Salted egg yolks are often put in for a richer flavor. For a savory taste, curry beef or pork or char siu are used. It is a very versatile tool.

Rugelach

These Jewish cookies remind me of the time I had them in Boston, where a large community of Jews resided (more precisely in Brookline, Massachusetts). I still remember on my way to the subway station, there were a few Jewish bakeries that had these little cookies on display. Many times I would wander into one of the shops and buy a few to nibble on my walk and on the train. They are flaky, tender and filled with walnuts and cinnamon sugar.

Wife Cake 老婆餅

Kung Hey Fat Choi ! Good Wishes to all of You in the Year of Rabbit !!

Traditional food to celebrate Chinese New Year involves a lot of deep frying. Since I seldom do any deep frying at home, I'll stick to baking for the new year.
There are many stories about the origin of this pastry. But whatever it was, the inventor was very creative. Like other kinds of traditional pastries, it is loaded with lard. I'm so glad that there are many versions nowadays that use other forms of oil/fat which produces comparable results.
Sweetened winter melon is the original filling for wife cakes. They are widely available now during Chinese New Year.

Cream Puffs

I always wonder how a cream puff is made hollow inside. Did the baker scrape the inside and fill it up with cream ? After some research and reading, I finally crack the mystery. The dough is cooked with a lot of liquid and bake. The cooking and stirring enhance the development of gluten thus provide a good rise in the oven. The moisture is turned into steam and expand during baking. This in turn causes the dough to rise and turn hollow. This is food science, so interesting.