BEST EVER SCONES!

Ingredients:

2 cups plain / cake flour

2 cups self-raising flour

30ml baking powder

½ tsp salt

120g butter, cubed or grated

80ml white sugar

250ml sour whole milk

1 extra large egg

125 ml sour whole milk

Method:

1. Sift flours and baking powder into large mixing bowl

2. Rub in cold butter till mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in sugar and mix well.

4. Combine beaten egg with the 250ml sour milk and mix into dry ingredients.

5. Stir in sufficient amount of the 125ml sour milk to make a soft but not sticky dough.

6. Knead dough lightly on floured surface to form a ball.

7. Cut with a 7cm diameter scone cutter, place on lightly greased baking trays.

8. Bake at 220C for 12-15 min. Tap scones underneath to check done-ness (hollow sound)

9. Cool on cake rack. Best eaten warm with whipped cream (beat 300ml cream till doubled in volume. Add 1 tsp sugar) and home-made raspberry jam. Scrumptilicious!!

NB: To make sour milk, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 250ml of milk.

If you're 'worried' about too much fat intake, use low-fat milk instead of the whole milk. However, the scones will not be as light and fluffy / rich.

Sushi Rice

A fren asked me how to make the rice for sushi, so I typed this up for her.
You'll need a bamboo mat for rolling up the sushi, and, of course, the seaweed
sheets (can't remember wat they're called)

Sushi Rice
(for 5 cups of rice)

8 Chinese soup spoons Japanese vinegar

5 Chinese soup spoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 Chinese soup spoon mirin

1 Chinese soup spoon sake

1. Cook 5 cups of washed Calrose/Japanese rice in rice cooker (use less water than for long grain rice) If Calrose rice is not available, use long grain rice.
2. Place other ingredients in saucepan and cook over low heat till sugar has dissolved.
3. Scoop cooked rice into a large basin and cool with a fan (move rice around so that steam can escape easily) Mix in the liquid from 2 into rice. Rice should be glossy.
4. As soon as rice is cool enough to handle (not cold) use rice for California maki, hand roll,etc

Suggested fillings for sushi

Smoked salmon, tuna, cucumber, egg omelette, Japanese preserved radish, avocado, cooked prawns, crab stick, preferably cut into lengths to fit the width of the seeweed

Method for making sushi

Place seaweed on bamboo mat.
Spread a layer of rice over, to within 1cm of edges.
Spread mayonnaise on portion of rice.
Place sticks of desired filling about 1/3 fm bottom of sheet.
Roll up, using the mat to guide you.
Tighten rolled up mat with your hand.
Tap ends of roll on work surface.
Unroll and place on a plate.
Repeat with the other sheets of seaweed.
Cut rolls into desired lengths

NB: I don’t bother with the sake; only use mirin. Alternatively, instead of using Japanese vinegar and mirin, buy the premixed Sushi Vinegar seasoning. Should be available in NTUC, S'pore (I use that now as it’s easier. Available in the Chinese shops here)

DURIAN CREAM PUFFS (for all the durian lovers)

This is my recipe for durian cream puffs. U'll need lots of patience to make them but watch'em disappear and wait for the accolades fm yr family and frenz! Absolutely shookalicious!!

Sorry for the imperial measurements. The choux pastry recipe's been with me for over 30 yrs! (Back in those days, we didn't use metric units of measurement) If anyone really wants me to , I'll convert them to metric - just give ma a holler!

Choux Pastry

9 oz flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

6 oz butter

6 large eggs, beaten

¾ pint water

1 tabsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1. Heat water and butter in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to the boil.

2. Add sifted flour and baking powder at once.

3. Remove from heat. Beat with a wooden spoon to combine.

4. Mix in sugar and vanilla essence. Cool mixture.

5. Beat in eggs a little at a time with the wooden spoon. (batter will be stiff)

6. Spoon (or pipe) batter onto greased trays.

7. Bake at 200C for 25 min.

8 .Remove trays, slit puffs, scoop out uncooked dough. Return to oven to dry puffs out – 5 min.

Durian filling

500g durian meat (mash with fork)

500ml cream, whipped

icing sugar (optional)

1. Whip cream till stiff. Add 1 or 2 tabsp sifted icing sugar, if desired.

2. Whip again to dissolve sugar (do not over-whip or cream will turn into butter!)

3. Stir in durian meat

4. Fill cooled puffs with the durian cream filling. Enjoy!!

Made 84 puffs on 30 Jan 2004

Made 88 puffs on 27 Aug 2004

Original recipe for Custard puffs

Choux pastry

3 oz flour

½ tsp baking powder

2 oz butter

2 large eggs

¼ pint water

pinch salt

Custard (for original recipe)

1 ½ cups milk

4 tabsp custard powder

4-5 tabsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Prepare custard according to packet instructions.

Hello, Hello!

Hi there

Just started this blog today, Wednesday 15th Aug 2007, to post my recipes and exchange views/thots on cooking/baking with others.

Please be patient while I set this up ;-)