Choux Pastry

Following my previous post of pastry cream, it is time for making choux pastry!  This pastry dough is used to make profiteroles or choux a la creme, eclairs, Paris-Brest, Saint-Honoré or croquembouche.

This very humble and simple pastry can produce very fancy result such as the new hit "eclair" that can be found with different filling and colorful topping :)

The very first step, we must decide first whether we want to use only water that produces crispier and more rigid end product or to use a combination of water and milk that gives a softer and browner shell.

Let us begin to bake!


Choux Pastry

Ingredients:

250 ml water or 125 ml water + 125 ml full-cream milk
125 gr flour, sifted
100 gr butter or you can use margarine as well
4 eggs (large)
1 tsp sugar
½  tsp salt

 (1 beaten egg, to glaze) * optional

Methods:

• Add water (or milk and water), sugar, salt and diced butter into a saucepan then bring to a boil over medium heat then stir until the butter melts. 

• Add the sifted flour and stir continuously until flour is fully incorporated. You´ll get lumps if you whisk too slow or pause during steering up the mixture.

• The dough is done when it no longer sticks to the saucepan and leaves thin layer of crust on the bottom of pan (It takes about 3-4 minutes).

• Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl and cool it slightly by whisking the mixture then leave it to cool for approximately 3 to 5 minutes.

• Stir in the eggs one at a time with a spatula or with an electric mixer.

• We can start piping and use the dough straight away or can be refrigerated overnight  or frozen for up to 1 month before baking (Thaw the dough before using).

• After piping, bake them in a 180°C oven for 32-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.  The baking time depends on the size of the pieces.

• Poke the puffs with a toothpick to release the steam from inside.  This will prevent the risk of collapsing (deflating) puffs. 

• Transfer the puffs to a cooling rack and cool them completely.   Or if you want a crispy shells put them back to the oven, with the oven door slightly open for about 10-15 min to let the shells completely dry out, then cool them completely.
  
  
• The puffs can be filled or can be refrigerated in an airtight container or bag overnight. Put the refrigerated puffs in a 100°C oven for a few minutes to crisp them up again if necessary. Then fill the puffs with your favorite filling.

You should give a try to my favorite filling Crème Pâtissière à la Vanille ( Vanilla Pastry Cream )

Happy baking!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! What have you baked for Easter this year?

I made this cute traditional Easter cake from Germany.  It is called Osterlammkuchen, it means literally  Easter lamb cake.

Lamb cake mold from Zenker

I bought this lamb mold from Zenker for around 10 Euro.  This mold is equipped with 4 paperclips to hold the molds together.  At first I was uncertain whether this will go smoothly. It turned out, the paperclips did their job really good! Do not underestimate the power of paperclips ;)  You just need to "trim" the cake at the bottom and around the edges. 

For the cake batter, I used the lemon cake recipe. After the cake came out from the oven, it has to be cooled completely before we can open the mold. You just need to "trim" the cake around the edges and decorate it with powdered sugar.  Voilaaaa you got an eye catcher at your party table!
 

Lemon Cake Video

 I would happy to know, what have you baked for easter this year!

Crème Pâtissière à la Vanille ( Vanilla Pastry Cream )

Today I will share  crème pâtissière à la Vanille recipe. 

Crème pâtissière, as a filling in French pâtisserie, has a smooth and firm texture.  It can be plain or be flavored with vanilla, coffee, orange or lemon zest, chocolate, or liquor (rum, amaretto, or Cointreau). 

 
Making this thick custard is a preparation for making desserts such as cream pies, profiteroles, eclair, cakes and tarts. These desserts with crème pâtissière are best served cold.  So I suggest to make this cream a day ahead and let the crème pâtissière rest overnight in the fridge.

Let´s begin!


Vanilla Pastry Cream

Ingredients:
500 ml whole milk (3.5 - 3.8% fat)
4 large egg yolks
100 gr sugar
20 gr cornstarch + 20 gr plain flour, sifted
40 grams unsalted butter (3 tbsp)
½ vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla extract (*If you use vanilla extract, add it at the end after adding butter)

Methods:

• Bring the milk, vanilla bean (pulp and pod) to  boil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  If you want to use liquor as flavor, this would be the perfect time to add it into the mixture.
• In a mixing bowl break the yolks then whisk together with sugar, until combine. Add sifted starch and mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
• When the milk is hot, pour about half of it into yolk mixture and combine well then transfer it to the previous pan.
• Whisk continuously over medium heat, once you feel that the mixture is becoming slightly thick, remove it from the heat and add butter then whisk until the mixture is thick.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface tightly with a piece of plastic wrap.This will prevent the formation of a crust (or dry skin). 
• Cool the cream in the fridge, minimum resting time in the fridge: 2-3 hours.

Note:

1. Use the pastry cream within 3 days.
2. Before using, whisk in the bowl for few seconds until smooth.

Gyoza- & Wonton Wrappers

Like most of asian people, I love to eat savory dumpling such as pan fried dumpling gyoza and wonton soup. If you are living in a western country, you can´t just go to Chinese restaurant and eat there every time you crave dumpling (unless you don´t care about your living cost budget ;-p ).

In asian countries we can find dumpling wrappers in every local supermarket.  But here in western country, we have to go to Asian store just to buy dumpling wrappers.  Save your time and money by making it yourself. 

  

It´s time for me to share how to make wonton- and gyoza wrappers. 
 

Gyoza- & Wonton Wrappers
Serve:30-32 pieces

Ingredients:
250 g all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
125 ml water  

For dusting, you may need:
All purpose flour to ease the dough kneading process
Corn starch to prevent the wrappers sticking to each other

 Methods:

• Add salt into hot water until dissolved. 
• Then mix the salted hot water with flour using fork, until warm enough to handle with bare hand.   
• Knead the dough for about 3 minutes until it becomes soft and loses its stickiness.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap or tea towel and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. 
• After around 30 minutes, knead it once again for 5 minutes before forming it into gyoza- or wonton wrappers

Forming Wonton wrappers:

1. To make it easier to form, halve the dough.  While working with the half dough, cover the other half to prevent it from drying out.
2. Flatten the dough until it becomes like a disk, then sprinkle some cornstarch before folding the dough (as shown in my youtube video). Use cornstarch to prevent the dough glued to each other. After that, roll out the dough in perpendicular direction to the folds(as shown in my youtube video).
3. Repeat the process (folding and rolling out the dough) until it reach the thickness you desire (ca.2-3 mm).
4. Cut the dough into rectangle shape (8x8 cm or 10x10 cm)
5. Sprinkle some cornstarch to both side of wrappers before stacking them up.

Forming Gyoza wrappers:

1. As shown before, to make it easier to form, halve the dough then roll the dough into long cylinder.
2. Divide the cylinder into 15-16 pieces
3. Flatten the small cylinder until it forms small disk (ca. 8 cm in diameter). If you like just use 8 cm round cookie cutter. 

Note:

• Don´t throw away rest of the dough. Sprinkle a bit water on it so that you can knead and form it again.
• Usually gyoza wrappers are thinner than wonton wrappers.
• Use high-gluten flour for fried or boiled wontons (you can use plain flour)
• For steamed dumplings use low protein flour 
• You can store the wrappers in airtight container (last to 3 days).

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Panna Cotta with Kiwi Sauce (Using Agar-Agar)

If you looking for a dessert, panna cotta would be one of the simplest dessert. This Italian dessert means literally cooked cream (panna = cream, cotta = cooked).

Panna Cotta with Kiwi Sauce

Usually panna cotta is served with berry sauce to give a creamy taste a kick due to the tartness and sweetness of strawberry or raspberry. You can also serve it with other fruit. For this recipe  I use kiwi sauce. I love also to combine mango sauce with this creamy dessert.

 

My Favorite Sauce: Mango Sauce and Kiwi Sauce

So let´s begin

Panna Cotta 
Serve: 6-8 Portions

Ingredients:
500 ml heavy cream
60 gr sugar (about 3 ½ tbsp)
½ vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla essence
10 gr agar-agar

For kiwi sauce:
2 kiwis
3 tbsp powdered sugar

Methods:

1. In a saucepan mix heavy cream, agar-agar and sugar then bring to simmer over lower heat.
2. Scrape out the seeds of vanilla bean with a knife, then add the seeds and pod to the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture until you see steam coming up then remove the saucepan from the heat. Do not let the mixture boil
4. Discard the vanilla pod then pour the cream into mold.
5. Set it aside until cool enough then put into fridge for at least 5 hours (preferably overnight)

Kiwi Sauce:

1. Cut kiwi into small pieces then put them into food processor.
2. Add powdered sugar into food processor then process until you have the preferable consistency.

Note:

• Before serving, dip the bottom of the molds in hot water for 5 - 10 seconds. 
• Run first a thin knife around the edge of each mold before inverting the panna cotta onto the serving plate then serve with kiwi sauce.
• Alternatively you can serve the panna cotta in mold by just pouring kiwi sauce on the top of custard.

Persiapan Giveaway 1

Masih bertema Giveaway, berhubung saya tinggal jauh di negeri seberang, maka adek saya tersayang berjanji untuk membantu untuk mencari-cari barang apa yang akan saya berikan. Setelah berdiskusi panjang, akhirnya kami memutuskan untuk memilih panci Happycall, karena kami yakin bahwa banyak Ibu-ibu dan teman-teman masak yang juga akan lebih senang lagi bereksperiment di dapur dengan panci ini.

Setelah 3 panci Happycallnya disiapkan oleh si Dedek, saya akhirnya bisa tenang. Kami pesan langsung dari website yang di sarankan oleh http://happycall.co.id (supaya tidak membeli barang palsu).

Terimakasih juga buat dedek dan keluarga saya yang jadi sangat-sangat repot, agar
program giveaway ini bisa berjalan dengan lancar.  Buat sahabat-sahabat masak saya, kesempatan masih banyak untuk memenuhi semua ketentuan sebelum 15 Oktober 2015. Semoga beruntung ya!