Pear and Ginger Cake with Buttered Cashew

This is a recipe I modified from a cake recipe I found at The Purple Foodie. I have cut down the sugar, used fresh ginger and crystalline ginger. This cake is very delicious

All purpose white flour - 7 oz
Crystalline ginger - 2 oz - chopped
Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Butter - 7 oz
Sugar - 5 oz
Eggs - 3
Fresh ginger juice - 1 tsp

Pear - 1 - thin wedge
Raw cashew - 2 oz - chopped
Caster sugar - 1 tbsp

1- Mixed flour, baking powder and crystalline ginger in a bowl
2- Soften 1 oz of butter and mix with the cashew
3- In a separate bowl, cream 6 oz butter and sugar.
4- Add egg and mix, one at a time. Add ginger juice lastly
5- Fold in the flour mixture
6- Put the mixture into a 9" cake pan. Arrange pear slices.
7- Evenly spread out the cashew on top
8- Sprinkle caster sugar on top
9 - Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 deg F for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.


Postcript:
I have made a second version and I found it better with 6 oz of yogurt and 8 oz flour and 8 oz (7 oz butter in the cake batter) yields a moist cake in a bunt pan.

Miss Saigon Beef Stew {Easy Crock Pot}

Beef Shin - 2 lbs - large cube
Beef Tendon - 1 lb - large cube
Chinese Turnip - 2 lbs - large cube
Ginger - 3 long slices
Cinnamon* - 2 sticks
Amomum Costatum* - handful
Aniseed* - handful
Whole Sze Chuan Pepper* - handful
Salt to taste

Scallion - thin sliced
Coriander - coarsely chopped
Lime - wedges

1- Put beef, tendon, ginger, spices and 3 cups of water in crock pot. High for 4 hours.
2- Discard as much spices as possible, add turnip, cook on high for 2 hours, add salt to taste and cook on high for another 1 hour.
3- Serve with lime, scallion, coriander and Sriracha hot sauce.
4- Great with rice or Pho noodles.

* You can buy pre-packaged Mixed Pho Spices in China town (total 43 g)

Old Fashion Double Chocolate Pudding

Unsweetened baking chocolate - 2 oz - grated
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup

Cornstarch - 3 tbsp
Cocoa - 3 tbsp
Milk - 1.5 cup

Butter - 2 tbsp - cold and cut into small pieces
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

1- Mix cornstarch and cocoa well before adding in second cup of milk - mix well.
2- On a double boiler, melt chocolate and sugar in 1 cup of milk.
3- Fold in cornstarch cocoa milk goo into the double boiler. Mix slowly over heat. Stir and cook for about 8 mins.
4- Cover the pan and steam for another 8 mins.
5- Turn off the stove and let the pan sit for 5 minutes. Carefully mix in the butter.
6- Wait for another 5 minutes, then fold in vanilla extract.
7- Divide the pudding into small ceramic bowls and serve warm or chill them in the fridge.

N.B. This is a stiff and bitter chocolate pudding. Would be very nice serve with some fresh whipped cream.

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The Ceramic cups are made by Mizuyo Yamashita in cone 8 porcelain.

Slow Cookery - Meatball with Spicy Citron Glaze

Ground Turkey - 1 lb
Lean Ground Beef - 1 lb
Cooked Brown Rice - 1 cup
Rolled Porridge Oat - 4 tbsp
Ginger - Size of one very large thumb - Grated

Seasoning - salt, white pepper, soy sauce, Mirin seasoning.

Sauce:
Organic Catchup - Half cup
Worcestershire sauce - 2 tpsb
Sriracha Hot Sauce - 2 tbsp or to taste
Korean Honey Citron - 2 tbsp
Or Orange marmalade

1- Mix seasoning in a bowl - stir well
2- Fold in ground meat, brown rice, oatmeal and mix well.
3- Leave in refrigerator and marinate for 1 hour.
4- Form the meat into 2"-3" size meatball. Makes about 8.
5- Brown the meatballs in large pan. Drain fat if necessary.
6- Put in slow cooker, top with sauce mixture.
7- 4 hours on high.
8- Serve with green salad.



N.B. It was a bit dry. Can do with some white wine or stock to thin out the sauce a bit. OR
slice thinly about 8 kumquat into the sauce to enhance the citron flavor.

Slow Cookery - Chinese Spare Ribs

Spare ribs and shallot right before the slow cooking commence.

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The Dish
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I have just acquired a slow cooker and I am experimenting with it. Here is a recent success - an Asian confusion spare ribs recipe for the slow cooker.


Pork Ribs - 3 lbs - cut into large 4 to 5 large pieces
Chinese Spare Rib Sauce - 4 tbsp
Vietnamese Hot Chili Sauce - 1-2 tbsp
Mirin - 2 tbsp
Sushi Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Shallot - 4 - thin slices
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

1- Broil the ribs on a roasting pan for 25 mins
2- Drain the fat
3- Marinate ribs with the sauce mixture overnight
4- Saute' shallot in olive oil until golden brown
5- Spread on top of ribs in the slow cooker.
6- Cook 6-8 hours on LOW.
7- Serve with rice or green leafy vegetables.


I do not have any pictures of the finished product because they are all gone as soon as the ribs are done. So, there you have it!

Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

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The Dish
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This is a recipe I modified from a recipe I found at "Heart Healthy Cooking". The cookies are nice and chewy and not too sweet. I only made 18 rather than 30, as suggested by the original recipe.

All purpose white flour - 6 oz
Whole wheat flour - 6 oz
Quick cooking rolled oats - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Light brown sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 6 tbsp = 3/4 of a stick
Skim milk - 1/4 cup = 2 tbsp
Creamy peanut butter - 3 tbsp

1- Mix the first 5 dry ingredients and set aside in a bowl.
2- Whipped butter, sugar, milk, and peanut butter until well mixed.
3 - Add in the dry ingredients and mix it well
4- Make small walnut size ball of dough with your hand and a small spoon.
5- Place the dough ball on a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
6- Gently press the dough with the back of a fork.
7- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes.
8- Make about 20 cookies.



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The Ceramic
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I was lucky enough to have gone to Kaori's open studio at Wandsworth, London last summer. I never tire of simple glazes on understated ceramic forms. The patina of the clay comes through on the edges and gives the wares extra dimensions.

"East and West are sensitively bought together in the work of Kaori Tatebayashi"
Ceramic Review, Issue 236 March/April 2009. P.40

Bermuda Mudslide

A little bit of tropical paradise in your mouth. This is a very soft, moist, and at the same time crumbly cake because of the whole wheat pastry flour. The gooey pineapple rum sauce holds it all together like a Bermuda lime-washed roof in February. It is surprisingly good.



Pineapple Pound Cake with Pineapple Rum Goo

Whole wheat pastry flour - 2.5 cups
Butter - 1 sticks unsalted = at room temperature
Sour Cream - 1 cup
Eggs - 3 = separate yokes from egg white
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1.5 tsp

Crushed Pineapple - 1 cup = drained

1- Whip egg white until stiff on high. About 3 minutes. Set aside.
2- Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
3- Whipped butter for one minute. Then add in the sugar mix well.
4- Add in the egg yokes and mix well. Then add the vanilla.
5- Alternately add in the flour mixture and the sour cream and mix well.
6- Add in pineapple and rum. Also mix well.
7- Finally, by hand and slowly fold in the egg white. Do not over-mix
8- Pour the batter into a buttered bundt pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 deg F. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes clean and the edge and slightly golden brown.



Pineapple Rum Goo
Cream Cheese - 4oz = 0.5 package = room temperature
Butter - 1/4 stick = room temperature
Powder Sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Salt - pinch

Crushed Pinapple - 1 cup drained
Bermuda Gold Liqueur - 2 tbsp. Add more to taste. More is probably better. If you want strong rum taste, switch to real rum.

1- Beat cream cheese and butter on high until well mixed.
2- Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until it's nice and fluffy.
3- Mix in pineapple and rum. Serve with cake.
4- Garnish with pineapple chunks if you have it.

N.B. I found the canned pineapple not having too much flavor. I would like to try some frozen or fresh pineapple if it's in season next time.