Chocolate cake roll with whipped cream 朱古力蛋卷

One day I asked my son how often he wants to have cake. He answered, "As soon as we run out of cake!" What a cake lover! We as a family love chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, chocolate macarons, chocolate chip waffles...you name it.
This cake roll is a chiffon cake that bakes on a cookie sheet, spread with whipped cream and then rolled up. Rolling up a cake takes practice.

Roasted Pork Belly 脆皮燒煵肉

This is by far the most favorite meat dish of my family, comparable to char siu or BBQ pork. We ususally have it at least two times a month. The marinade is more simple than char siu, but you have to pay close attention when it is in the oven. There will be a lot of smoke due to the melting of fat from the pork belly. Make sure your vent hood is on or open the kitchen windows.

Double Chocolate Muffins with Flaxseed

I haven't made muffins for a long time. This morning my sister called me for a recipe I used and coincidentally my daughter asked me to make muffins as well in the afternoon. So I dug up the recipe and baked 12 muffins. When you look at the ingredients, you know that they are super healthy: whole wheat, flaxseed, wheat germ and no butter !

French Baguette 法式麵包

I was looking for something in the pantry the other day and found an unopened bottle of extra virgin olive oil that I bought last year from an olive farm in Phoenix. Its shelf life only lasts for a year, so my daughter suggested to make baguettes to dip it in.

In a commercial setting, a baguette is baked in a steam oven that produces its crunchy crust.

Steamed Bun / Mantou 鮮奶饅頭

麵包作為人類的基本食物已有幾千年歷史,將一些穀麥磨成粉,加水,再讓它發酵,放在焗爐焗熟,便成麵包,如放上蒸籠蒸,便成饅頭,真是奇妙。

此食譜如包上蓮蓉,便成蓮蓉包,包上紅豆,又可作紅豆包,如將一部份麵團加入唂古粉,又可變成雙色饅頭,真是好玩又好食！

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.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Chocolate Pastry Cream 朱古力水果撻

I am supposed to make a birthday cake for my husband, but he wants something different. So I said, "How about a fruit tart?" I bought a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom a while ago but did not get a chance to use it. I read a few books from the local library and came up with this fresh mixed fruit tart with chocolate pastry cream. The tart pastry can be pre-made and needs to be refrigerated before rolling out.

Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle 雞蛋仔 (updated with English)

朱咕力味雞蛋仔

雞蛋仔

很懷念兒時一些街頭小食,如雞蛋仔、龍鬚糖、缽仔糕等。龍鬚糖看似已經失傳,在美國就更難食到。前陣子買到從加拿大運來,卻是在香港製造的龍鬚糖,雖然包裝精美,又未過期,但食落都不及新鮮做的好。記得初來羅省時(1989),也曾在一間超市門口買過即做的,但近幾年也沒有遇過了,很可惜。

至於雞蛋仔,本地一些港式餐室也有供應。前陣子老公去香港,其中一樣手信便是做雞蛋仔的模。因為做雞蛋仔的粉槳不難,與做普通waffle相似,但沒有了那獨特的模便不成了。

Pain de Mie/Sandwich Toast 帶蓋方包/吐司

Ah, those square corners ! I have been playing with the recipe for a while to get those perfect square toast for making sandwiches. Too much dough, it will overflow from the pan; not enough dough, it will not rise enough to reach the corners. The size of the pan is 11x4x4 inches. It is the size you can get in America. Bakers from Asia use a different size, I believe. The recipe follows is just good for the American pan.

Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Bun) 菠蘿包

Photo courtesy of Francis Ko and Eric Tsoi

Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Bun)

It is an invention by Hong Kong bakers and very popular in this ex-English colony. The bun is soft and topped by a crunchy crust. It is often enjoy for breakfast and afternoon tea time. Do not be misled by the name. It does not have any pineapple in the ingredients. It gets the name because it looks like the outer skin of a pineapple.

There are many recipes around but they fail to make the crust crunchy. The traditional crust or top of Bo Lo Bao is made of sugar, eggs, ammonia bicarbonate, flour and lard. But the following recipe substitutes lard with butter for a slightly healthier version. Ammonia bicarbonate is not a common item on most grocery shelves so it is replaced by baking soda and baking powder as well. They produce the same delicious and crunchy texture.