=@.@= Totoro Cream Puffs =@.@=

Recently I watched My Neighbour Totoro and fell in love with the gigantic chinchilla. Yes I know I am very late, this cartoon was made in 1988 and I only watched it last week. But great cartoon lasts forever, don't you agree? With my new found love, of course I started to buy Totoro stuffs and even bake cream puff in Totoro shapes ;)

Oh mine, I simply love these cuties!

Cream puffs taste best after chilled, the custard cream will taste like ice-cream. I brewed a cup of lemongrass lemon tea to go along with the puffs for supper, is an indulgence.

RECIPE

This recipe is divided into 3 parts -
(1) make the custard cream filling and fridge
(2) cook the dough and bake into puffs
(3) decorate with chocolate

Makes about 14-15 pieces.

Recipe is modified from www.annathered.com

Ingredient for Custard Cream filling
1 beaten egg
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp corn flour
200 ml  milk
1 tbsp of dairy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or essence (I prefer bean paste for the more intense flavor)

Method to make Custard Cream using microwave
1. Mix beaten egg and sugar.
2.Sift in the plain flour and corn flour, mix well.
3. Add in milk little at a time and mix. 
4. Pour the liquid into a microwavable bowl through a sieve to obtain a smooth custard.
5. Microwave it on high heat uncovered for 1.5 min.
6. Take it out and mix well.
7. Microwave it on high heat again for another 1.5 min. It should look like pudding after the 2nd microwave.
8. Take it out and mix well by add whipping cream and vanilla essence.
9. Cover the custard with cling wrap directly on the surface, this is to prevent a thickening layer forming. Let the custard cooled down and place inside the fridge.

Ingredient for the Puffs
80 ml water
4 tbsp unsalted butter 
2 beaten eggs
2 pinches of salt
6 tbsp plain flour (sifted)

Method for the Puffs
1. Put water, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Best to use non-stick saucepan.
2. Remove the sauce pan from the stove when it starts to boil, add the flour in all at once and stir well with a spatula.
3. When the pan is cooled down enough that you can touch the pan’s bottom with a finger, add 2 tbsp of beaten egg stir well.
4. Keep checking the texture as you add a tbsp of beaten egg at a time. The dough is ready when the dough is thin enough that when you scoop the dough up, a lump falls after 3~5 seconds, making a triangle shape from the spatula. You don't have to use up all the egg, just make sure you got the correct texture.
5. When the dough is ready, put it in piping bag and cut a corner of the bag.
6. On a tray lined with parchment paper, pipe a round shape for the body and continue by making an oval shape for the head. The size is about 3.0 inch.
7. Using another piping bag with a smaller hole pipe 2 small triangle shape as the ears.
8. With a wet finger, gently push down any pointy parts on the dough and ears.
9. Pre-heat oven to 200-210 degree Celsius. Bake for 25-30mins. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN at all, it will deflate the dough and fail the bake!
10.The puffs should be ready when they are golden brown in color.
11. Remove from oven and cool down completely on cooling rack.
12. Make a slit at the bottom of each puff. 
13. Pipe in the custard cream filling.

Ingredient for the Decoration
1 tbsp White compound chocolates
1 tbsp Dark converture chocolates
Icing sugar and water
Snow powder (optional)

Method for the Decoration
1. Melt the white compound chocolate using microwave with high heat for 20 secs. Take it out to check, if chocolates are not melted put it back and heat for another 20 secs.
2. On a tray/ plate pipe the melted white chocolate into small circles as the eyes using pipping bag.
3. Cover the chocolates with a parchment paper and lightly press to flatten the eyes.
4. Place inside the freezer to set the chocolates.
5. Melt the dark converture chocolates using the same method.
6. Pour the melted chocolate into piping bag and cut a tiny hole. Remove the piped white eyes from the freezer and pipe the pupils onto the eyes with the dark chocolate.
7. Mix some icing sugar with a little water to act as the gluing agent. Stick the chocolate eyes onto the cream puffs and pipe the nose and whiskers on each puff.
8. You may dust some snow powder on the puff as the body if you like.

 TOTORO =@.@=  TOTORO =@.@=  TOTORO =@.@=  TOTORO

 My papercraft of Totoro and Catbus

Mini Parmesan Buns

迷你巴馬臣芝士麵包

Wet Ingredient
80g milk

1 beaten egg


Dry Ingredient
200g bread flour
1/3 tsp yeast
30g sugar
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese (still find the taste too mild, will add more in future)

To Be Added Later
30g butter
1/8 tsp salt


Method
1. Add the wet ingredients into bread machine. Followed by dry ingredients and make a shallow hole at the center to contain the yeast.
2. Choose Dough function on the bread machine and start the machine.
3. When machine stops and starts again, add in butter and salt.
4. After 1hr 30mins, take out the dough (1st proof incorporated). Gently punch the dough to release the air and shape it round. Cover with cling wrap and proof for 15mins.

5. Roll out and cut into small squares, place them apart and proof for another 50-60mins.
6. Egg or milk wash the surface.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degree for 12-15mins.

Recipe originated from Carol's 原味 cookbook.

夏天的甜点~桂花果冻 Osmanthus Konnyaku

Ingredient
1 pack of pre-sweetened konnyaku powder (small packet from supermarket, Phoon Huat sells bigger pack)
1 tbsp dried osmanthus
1 tbsp wolfberries (pre-soaked 15mins before use)

Method
1. Bring the required amount of water to boil, lower heat and add osmanthus for a min.
2. Add konnyaku powder and stir until dissolve.
3. With 2 jelly mold trays, place 2-3 wolfberries into each mold and fill it up with the konnyaku solution.
4. Leave it to cool down a little before transferring to the fridge. Serve chilled.

Bak Kwa

 
Ingredient
500g minced pork
Thai fish sauce 1 tbsp
Chinese cooking wine (hua tiao jiu) 1.5 tbsp
Light soya sauce 1 tbsp
Dark soya sauce 3/4 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 cup OR (3 parts sugar with 1 part honey)
Five spice powder 1 tsp
Corn flour – 1/2 tbsp (add more if your marinated meat is too wet)
Char siew paste (optional to give a nice red hue)

Method

1. Marinate the minced pork with all seasoning and mix well.

2. After 15 mins I will grill a small piece with greased happycall pan to test the taste. If satisfied I will start to shape the minced pork. Otherwise I will adjust my seasoning.

3. Place a big spoonful of minced pork into a clean plastic pouch and use rolling pin to spread the pork till thin and even. Continue until you finished up the minced pork.

4. Place inside freezer and you may start bbq-ing your bak kwa the next day.

5. To grill the bak kwa, cut open the plastic pouch and carefully remove the thin sheet of bak kwa from the pouch.

6. Heat the happycall pan with little oil and grill 2 pieces of bak kwa at one go. When one side is done, flip to the other side to grill.

7. The color is dark brown on the pan but will turn maroon red when its cooled.

8. After every round, remove the char sugar residue on the pan to ensure color quality for every batch.

Notes
1. The bak kwa is much softer in texture compared to those selling outside.

2. I realised by using baking sheets to store is much easier. Cut 2 pieces of baking sheets into slightly bigger than your desired bak kwa size. Scoop a spoonful of the meat onto the center of one sheet and place another sheet on top. Roll until you get the thickness you want. With 500g of meat I can make about 10 pieces. Freeze until you are ready to cook.

3. Not necessary to use happycall pan, I did it with normal non-stick pan as well. Heat up the pan and place the frozen bak kwa (together with baking sheets) onto the pan. Flip to the other side and when the meat is slightly cooked, remove the sheets and continue to grill your bak kwa until it gives a nice slightly charred at the sides look ;)

4. If you are not using honey to marinate, you could also brush some honey while grilling. It gives a quick caramelize effect.

Wasabi Prawns with Fried Udon

This wasabi prawn recipe is simplified but it doesn't compromise the taste. Regular recipes will add condensed milk to sweeten the sauce and batter-fried the prawns. As usual I got lazy and modified the recipe to reduce the steps and lessen the ingredients used ;)

Ingredient
8 medium-large prawns
2 tbsp mayonnaise (Kraft brand)
Abt 1 tbsp wasabi
Juice from 1 lime
Sesame seed (garnish)

Method

1. Mix mayonnaise, wasabi and lime juice together and set aside. I am using non-Japanese type sweet mayonnaise so condensed milk is not needed compared to the usual wasabi prawn recipe. You may adjust the wasabi amount to suit your preference.

2. Remove prawn shells and devein.

3. Heat pan and shallow fry the prawns till cooked.

4. Coat cooked prawns with the sauce and serve.

The fried udon is simple too. I am using Sakura brand udon which I prefer, some brands are not as good. Boil the udon with little olive oil and salt till cooked and drain away the water. Heat pan with a little oil and sauté chopped onion, sliced white mushrooms, add some sliced chilli to enhance the color. Add 2 tbsp Japanese sesame sauce and 1 tbsp water. Once the sauce is boiled, add in the ready udon. Mix well and serve with wasabi prawns. You will love it ;)

Chinese New Year Bakes

I must be crazy, baking seems like an obsession once you started you cannot stop. I have been telling myself my arms cannot take the strain of excessive baking but still I did quite a bit this year.

 2 batches of different designs of pineapple tarts

 

 

1/2kg of Bak Kwa, freeze and ready to cook & serve anytime 

 Fragrant Osthmanus Cookie

(simply love the dual shades and the egg-washed center)

 

 Almond Crisps

(Fabulous bake to use up the balanced egg whites from pineapple tart baking)

 

 Baked Crispy Crabsticks

(Traditionally deep-fried but I baked instead so its healthier)

Fruity Cornflake Cookie

Almond Crisps

 

After making pineapple tarts I had some leftover egg whites and one of the ways to get rid of it will be making another cookie.

Ingredient

(Recipe modified from Food-4Tots)

2 large egg white (about 64g each with shell)
50g plain flour
60g castor sugar
30g melted butter

80-100g almond flakes
1/8 tsp vanilla essence

Makes 32-34 crisps

Method

1. Thaw egg white to room temperature and hand whisk egg white till you see bubbles.

2. Add in sugar and whisk till the sugar dissolves. How to tell that the sugar is dissolved? When you add the sugar and whisk you will hear "sha..sha.." sound, when you no longer hear that it is ready.

3. Sift the flour, add into the mixture and mix well.

4. Fold in the almond flakes using a spatula.

5. Melt the butter in microwave oven, set to high power and 30 secs.

6. Stir in the butter and vanilla essence. Mix well.

7. Line baking paper on baking tray, spoon 1/2 tbsp of mixture and spread it out thinly using another spoon. I find that using a long teaspoon spreads better. Make sure there's no overlapping of almond flakes to achieve a thin spread. My crisps are about the size of 7-8cm.

8. Bake in pre-heated oven of 170 degreeC for 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

9. You may need to turn your tray around in the last 5mins if there's uneven color and take out those who have turned brown first. Leave the balance to continue to bake till desired colour.

Spreading the mixture, before bake