Real Men Do Eat Quiche

Who says real men don’t eat quiche? I like them, and the male species of the family eat them. It’s fast and it’s tasty. If you are out of time, use bought pastry shell, or make crust less ones. I made these mini quiches with toasted bread as the shells. They’re perfect as finger food. The boys had them in their lunchbox.

Ingredients (makes 8 in large muffin pans)

8 pieces of sandwich bread

2 eggs

2 pieces of bacon, diced

½ onion, diced

4 pieces sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1 stalk spring onion, chopped

½ red capsicum, diced

½ grated cheddar cheese

Margarine or butter to spread on bread

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1.          Preheat oven to 180°C.

2.          Use a rolling pin to flatten the bread, then cut off the crust into a nice square.

3.          Butter one side liberally.

4.          Place buttered side down in the muffin pan, press the centre down.

5.          Bake in the oven for 10 mins until the bread are lightly toasted.

6.          Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl.

7.          Scoop into the bread cups and bake for another 15minutes.

Bread cups.

Chicken and Leek Pie

Chicken and leek makes a perfect combination. This is a fast weeknights and low fat version.

Ingredients

3 pieces of chicken thigh fillets, cubed

3 large leeks, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

200g button mushrooms

200ml of reduced fat evaporated milk (use cream if you must)

A few sprigs of thyme or use dried ones

1 tbsp of flour

Salt and Pepper

1 piece of frozen puff pastry

2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1.          Preheat oven to 180°C.

2.          Heat oil in pan.

3.          Sauté garlic and leeks.

4.          Coat chicken in flour, add into the pan.

5.          Sear chicken pieces.

6.          Add in evaporated milk, potatoes and mushrooms.

7.          Add thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

8.          Cook until the sauce thickens.

9.          Pour into baking dish.

10.      Top with puff pastry. Brush top with a bit of the milk. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on the pastry (I used nigella seeds).

11.      Bake in oven for 15mins until the pastry is golden.

Beef Bourguignon Pie

This is my tricky way of making the kids eat a beef casserole. Somehow the addition of a crispy crunchy layer of pastry increases the “like” factor.

I made the beef bourguignon a day ahead with the pressure cooker.

Ingredients

750mg gravy beef, diced (can substitute with chuck steak)

1 large brown onion, roughly diced

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

Few sprigs of thyme or use dried thyme

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup of red wine

2 large carrots cut into large chunks

2 stalks of celery, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 sheet of bought puff pastry

1 egg for egg wash

Method

1.          Heat the oil in the pan and brown the meat.

2.          Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the meat.

3.          Add the onions, garlic, herbs, tomato paste and red wine.

4.          In the pressure cooker, cook for 25 minutes on high pressure.

5.          Then add the carrots and celery and cook on high pressure for another 10minutes.

6.          To make individual pies, fill ramekins with beef bourguignon, place pastry on top with a small overhang, crimp the sides down, cut a vent hole on the top. Cut patterns with excess pastry to decorate the pies.

7.          Preheat oven to 180°C.

8.          Beat egg with a little bit of milk, apply egg wash on the pastry.

9.          Bake pies in oven for 15-20mins.

Zucchini Slice

This is a “what’s in the pantry and fridge?” type of food. I cooked up a frittata for dinner last night, and with almost the same ingredients, made a tray of this to bring to visit a relative today.

This recipe is an adaptation from Exclusively Food

Ingredients

3 zucchinis, grated

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 capsicum, sliced

4 strips of bacon, diced

6 pieces of sundried tomatoes, sliced

5 eggs

¼ cup of olive oil

¾ cup of self raising flour

¾ cup of shredded tasty cheese

Method

1.          Beat the eggs and oil, add the flour until all the lumps are gone.

2.          Mix it in with all the other ingredients.

3.          Pour into a greased baking tray.

4.          Bake in 180°C oven for 30mins.

Key Lime Tart

I’m continuing the lime theme for this week. I still have quite a few limes left, please drop me a line if you have any good lime recipes to share. This lime tart is fairly easy to make. I used a gingernut biscuit base. I’m on this ginger and lime craze at the moment you see.

Ingredients

250g gingernut biscuits

60g melted butter

400g can of condensed milk (I used the light version)

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

¼ lime juice

grated zest of 1 lime

Method

1.          Crush biscuits in a food processor, when it reaches fine crumbs stage, add in the butter and process for another few pulses.

2.          Grease a springform tart flan.

3.          Pour the crumbs on to pan and flatten the base and the sides with the back of a spoon.

4.          Put it in the fridge to harden up a little.

5.          Preheat oven to 170°C.

6.          Beat eggs, then add condensed milk, lime juice and zest and beat until all combined.

7.          Pour onto the chilled base. (Pour it through a sieve to get rid of the bubbles if you don’t want a pock marked tart like mine)

8.          Place on a oven sheet and bake for 30-35 mins in 170°C oven.

Before baking.

Curry Puffs

You can buy these at almost every street corner in Malaysia, they're served as snacks or finger food at weddings, birthdays, tea parties, work functions etc. The traditional version uses dough made with shortening and margarine and deep fried. They are super crispy but not that good for your waistline or cholesterol. My shortcut version uses store bought puff pastry, or if you want to keep them, use shortcrust pastry, as puff pastry goes soggy when cold and doesn’t reheat well in the microwave. Mine are baked in the oven instead of deep fried.

Ingredients (makes about 16)

4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1cm cubes and parboiled

1 large onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

500g lamb mince

2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground tumeric

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp cooking oil

salt to taste

½ cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

1 egg beaten lightly for egg wash

Puff pastry (about 4 sheets)

Method

1.          Heat cooking oil in pan.

2.          Saute onion and garlic and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds “pop”.

3.          Add the mince and spices.

4.          Cook the mince and try to break the clumps up.

5.          Add potatoes, and lastly the frozen vegetables.

6.          You can add a bit of water if too dry but you don’t want a sauce.

7.          Add salt to taste.

8.          Cool the filling.

9.          Preheat oven to 200°C.

10.       Prepare the pastry. Cut 4 rounds from each sheet of pastry, of if you don’t want to waste, cut them into squares.

11.       Place the filling on half of the pastry and fold over.

12.       Either pleat the edges (if using a round shape), or simply crimp the edges together with a fork.

13.       Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake in 200°C for 15 mins or until pastry is cooked and golden.

Filling.

Round ones with pleated edges.

Triangular ones.

Masterchef Challenge --- Tarte au citron

This was one of last year's Masterchef challenge. The two contestants had to bake up the best lemon tart in a pressure test. I had a lot of lemons from my tree, which co-incidentally bore fruits for the first time last year. I actually like the look of the caramelised spots on the surface. Take it out of the oven earlier if you prefer a completely blonde look.

Ingredients

For the Pastry:
350g plain flour
pinch of salt
150g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
100g icing sugar
2 eggs, beaten

For the Filling:
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
275g caster sugar
3/4 cup thick cream
250ml lemon juice
finely grated zest of 3 lemons

Method

1. Sift flour and salt.
2. Process flour and butter in a food processor until it resembles fine crumbs.
3. Add in the sugar and eggs and pulse a few times until it binds.
4. Knead lightly only enough to bring everything together into a ball.
5. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 190C.
7. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy.
8. Add in the cream, lemon juice and zest.
9. Roll the pastry out into a 23cm (9 inch) loose-based tart tin. 
10. Chill again for 30 mins.
11. Blind bake in 190C oven for 10 mins, remove the paper and the weights and bake a further 3-5 minutes.
12. Turn the oven down to 150C. 
13. Pour in the filling and return to the oven for 35-40 minutes.
14. It will be slightly wobbly still when you take it out, but will firm up when it is cooled.

Bon appetit!

Choux Pastry

My mum goes mad for these "cream puffs". This is a bit nostalgic for my brother and I. When we were young and living in Penang, mum used to buy these swan shaped cream puffs for us as special treats. I remember my brother and I tried to bake the swans when we were teenagers, I failed miserably with the swan's neck, I think his attempts were better. Now I just make round ones, less fiddly, more time to enjoy them with a cup of tea. I fill them with Chantilly cream. I've made chocolate cream spiked with Kahlua, and other versions spiked with Baileys or Cointreau, all yum. A splash of alcohol covers all sins.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
75g butter (salted)
1 cup plain flour
4 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Boil water and butter.
3. Sift flour and add to the water/butter all at once.
4. Stir and cook for 1-2 mins until mixture leaves the side of pan and forms a ball.
5. Remove from heat and cool.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beat well until glossy.
7. Dropped spoonfuls of mixture on a greased try, allowing some room for the doughs to expand.
8. Bake in hot oven 200C for 10mins, then drop the temperature down to 180C and bake for another 20mins. Turn the oven off, allow the pastries to dry out in the oven for 5 mins.
9. Fill them when cool.