Kids Can Bake........

It is seems like more than a decade that I had gone back to teaching or in fact in touch with any kids at all after I had been disabled with RA, ( Rheumatoid Arthritis).  Much to my anxieties when my niece and sister wanted me to help out with their child learning centre at KidsComp  which has baking class as one of their many holiday programs recently.

So it is an opportunity for me to get in touch with teaching again or in short as well as with the outside world of kids. My past teaching career was with only kids at school and within the confinement of a music room with the piano,  musical notes and theory as the main subject.  So what am I going to do with kids  as young as six to nine years of age in the world of baking.  I love baking and cooking since I have been confined at home with my music career going down the drain with some badly damaged fingers due to RA.

So with some preparations  my very creative niece  managed to crack her brains to come out with some interesting program that she thought the kids would loved.  We go crazy running about the island looking for utensils that the kids would love to have and needed. My niece had sleepless night looking out for ideas and materials to make the classes as attractive to a child's mind. So I am only out there to help her get the kids to bake and have fun during the long year end holidays.

I have finished 2 classes so far and I am surprised that kids can have so much fun and delight in what you can offer them if you really put your time and heart into it. They were so much fun to be with and you cannot described how much you have shared your  knowlege and skills in baking with them until you get down on your knees to be with them laughing, teaching as well as giving them all your attention to cleanliness and safety. They had so much enthusiasm and they just practically followed what I show them without any questions or doubt. It is such joy to be with them seeing them doing things what adults can do.

Here are some pics to share of my last 2 classes. Just watch their expression and words cannot describe how they felt and how much they could do in the world of baking......

Getting ready to bite into their own cookies......

Niece Lena supervising them.................

Wow, this is fun and hard work said the kids..........

Cutting out baking sheets for lining the baking pan..........

Woooo...these chococlates smells nice to eat................

Looks like I am the only boy chef here but I love it...........

Putting the final touches of chocolate chips on top...........

Brushing pan with melted butter....................

My muffins are ready to bake........

Cornish Chicken Pie......

Today I made some Cornish chicken pie which is one of the favorite food in my home eaten with no complains but  with smiles on their faces. Its high time I share some recipes here as my health is getting better and my mood is just right for writing.

Really don't know why it is named Cornish pie as in Secret Recipe. Its might have originated from Cornwall with its  meaty and potatoes fillings wrap in huge pastry into half moon just like our curry puffs. 

Ingredients: Fillings- makes 4 -5 pies

2 chicken thighs -steamed and shredded

3 medium size potatoes-cubed

1 carrot- cubed

1 big onion- chopped

1 tin button mushroom- chopped

1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup

1 tbsp oil

2 hardboiled eggs- quartered

Seasoning:

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of mixed dried herbs

Pastry:

300g flour

125g cold butter

ice cold water to mix

Method:

Heat a tablespoon oil in  pan or wok. Put in chopped onions to saute til soft and fragrant. Add in  mushroom, potatoes, carrots  and fried for a minute or two. Then add in cream of mushroom soup and some stock from the steamed chicken. Season with a bayleaf, mixed herbs and some pepper. Leave to boil for 5 mins and then add in the shredded chicken. Cook til moist but not too dry and watery. Leave aside to cool.

To make the pastry, sieve flour and rub in cubed cold butter with fingers til it resembles fine bread crumbs. Then add in ice cold water to form a firm dough. Wrap up dough with clean plastic sheets and leave in fridge to chill for about 30 mins before using. 

Roll out pastry into 3mm thickness then cut out with knife into oval shape. Put enough fillings in middle and fold up and  press the edges together. Crimp the edges neatly to close up fillings. Lightly brush it with a beaten egg and bake it in a preheatd oven of 200 degrees Celcius for 20-25 minutes til golden brown.

Golden  brown pie in oven........

Baked Curry Puffs..........

Healthy puffs ready to bite in.............

I had a busy August month and I had many things to share but could not find the time to post up here. Another lame reason is I am just plain lazy to blog as my time is spent more on my FB games. So now I get a break from my addiction to share something here. Today's food is Baked Curry Puffs which I made a month ago. Gosh! that is how long I have been away from here.

I used some atta flour or wholewheat flour that is use to make the Indian Capati for this pastry. With baking this Malaysian favorite snacks it saves me the time of splattering my nice kitchen from any oily vapour besides being a much healthy snack.

Ingredients for pastry:

150g atta flour

150g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

140g cold butter

Ice cold water to mix

Fillings:

200g lean meat (pork, chicken or beef)-diced

2-3 medium sized potato

1 tbsp oil

1 big onion- chopped

1 tbsp meat curry powder

1 tsp of chicken powder

salt to taste

Method:

The ready cook fillings........

Dice meat into desired cubes. Add salt and curry powder to season it for awhile. Boiled the diced potatoes in pot til tender. In a wok or pan, heat oil and sautee the chopped onions for a minute. Add in the meat and cook til browned and add in the boiled potatoes. Mix well and season to taste. Dish out filling onto plate and leave aside to cool.

To make the pastry, sieve flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rub in the cold butter gently until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add enough ice cold water to form a firm dough. Wrap up dough with plastic sheets and leave to chill in fridge for about 30 mins before using.

Cut out pastry circles ready for wrapping with fillings.....

Roll out pastry thinly about the thickness of a 50 sen coin and stamp out with a cutter (I used the cover of my biscuit container) into circles of 9 cm in diameter. Place spoonful of fillings in the centre. Fold over, flute if you are skilful or just press down with a fork to seal the edges. I use the plastic curry puff maker bought in supermarket for easier handling as my arthritic fingers made it more diffficult for me to flute it.

Unbaked puffs ready to go into oven...........

Lastly brush puff with beaten egg for a golden glaze. Baked in a preheated oven of 200 degrees Celcius for 15 to 20 minutes or til golden brown.

Note: I had other versions of curry puffs over here and here.

I like to bake in double portions and when cooled I keep the puffs in airtight container or sealed plastic bags then kept in freezer for weeks to enjoy. When needed just take out to thaw and heat in microwave.

For those who wants to know how a curry puff mould looks like, refer to the above pic.

Put a cut pastry on top , add in fillings, fold over, press and pull out the unwanted ends.

My Focaccia Bread.......

Yesterday I baked a Focaccia bread kneading it in my Thermomix. It is an Italian oven baked flat bread which is so simple to make. All you need is some high gluten flour, yeast, salt, sugar, water and olive oil. I added some Parmesan cheese powder and finely chopped fresh herbs of rosemary and thyme to the dough. Focaccia dough takes up more water than a normal bread and so it is has more moisture and stickier. Here is a recipe to share.
I use gram here because my TM 21 can weigh all the ingredients plus the liqiud while I add in the ingredients one by one.

Ingredients:

500g high protein flour
100g/ml milk
250g/ml water
20g/ml olive oil
10g sugar
15g dried yeast/3 tsp
5g salt/ 1 tsp
50g Parmesan cheese powder
1 tbsp of freshly chopped mixed herbs(Rosemary, basil or parsley)

Method: Using Thermomix.

1. Put water, milk, dried yeast, and sugar into TM bowl. Set temperature @40 C, speed 2, for 10 seconds to warm the liquid. Next add in flour, salt, herbs, Parmesan cheese powder and olive oil. Set @ 20 seconds speed of 6 to mix the ingredients.

2.Then set timer to 2 1/2 minutes and press 'Knead' button to knead the dough.

3. Take dough out from bowl and place on a lightly oiled large bowl and leave covered with a damp cloth to rest for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm corner of your kitchen. ( I put the whole bowl in a clean plastic bag and tied up.)



4. Take the risen dough out of bowl and put on a lightly floured surface to prevent it from sticking it to the surface. Press both fingers on the dough to flatten it. Fold both ends together and flatten it again with hands. Do it few times to clear out the air.


5. Place dough in baking tray lined with non stick paper. Brush or drizzle olive oil on the flatten bread and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.(I sprinkle some sesame seeds in addition to the cheese because I love the smell of sesame)

6. Bake the dough in a preheated oven of 220 degree Celcius for 40 - 45 minutes til golden brown.


For those who do not have a thermomix, omit method 1 and 2 and replace it with this method here:

1. Place water, milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl and rest for 5 minutes. Its better if the milk and water is lukewarm but not hot so that the yeast will proof better.

2. Put flour in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Fold in the flour with hands to combined and knead into a soft smooth dough.

The baked focaccia bread is moist and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Son R 's dinner of Focaccia bread with creamy mushroom soup, pork chops and salads.

Cheesy Savoury Cookies....

Savoury cheese cookies...........

I made a batch of cookies using cheddar cheese yesterday. These cookies are suitable for those who prefer the saltish cookie to the sweet ones especially for diabetics like my mother in law. I made 2 flavors, one I added curry powder to make it a bit spicy and another I added my left over herbs of rosemary, thyme and sage from my fridge. Here is the recipe.....

Putting on the toppings.........

Ingredients: (makes around 200 cookies)

500 g self raising flour- sifted

250 g cheddar cheese- grated ( keep 4 tbsp for toppings)

3 tsp meat curry powder 0r chopped fresh herbs

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add in the milk and work into a dough. Then take a handful of the dough and roll between 2 plastic sheets to about 3 mm thick. Then cut out the dough using a cookie cutter and placed in a lightly greased baking tray. ( I use a nonstick baking paper which makes things so much easier). Top with the reserve grated cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees celcius for 10 minutes ot til lightly brown. Leave to cool on rack completely before putting into containers.

Melt In The Mouth Peanut Cookies.

I do not really like peanuts but my boys love it so much. So I have to make this for them every Chinese New year. I made a big batch yesterday so they will have a good time with their favorite cookies. Here is the recipe to share. These made around 200 cookies.

Ingredients:

700 g peanuts, roasted and shelled

500 g castor sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

700 g plain flour - sifted

2 cups peanut oil

For glazing:

2 egg yolks

2 tsp milk

Method:

Blend peanuts til fine and crumbly. In a large mixing bowl, combine blended peanuts, sugar, vanilla essence, and flour. Make a well in the centre and pour in the peanut oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Shape into balls of about 10 gms each. Make a shallow dent with the back of a chopstick and press a half piece of peanuts into each dent. Brush cookies with egg glaze and bake it in a preheated oven of 175 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes or til golden brown.

Shaped into 10 g balls..........

Decorate with peanuts on top and egg glazing........

Bake in oven til golden brown..........

Leave to cool on a rack................

CNY Pineapple Tarts 2010.......

Baked pineapple tarts.........

I did not make any cookies last year as I was still recovering from a major surgery. So this year I try my hands on my favorite cookie that is pineapple tarts. Pineapple in chinese hokkien dialect is call 'Ong Lai' and can also means 'Luck' for 'Ong' and 'Come' for 'Lai" so you see Chinese hanging paper pineapples in front door of house to beckon in the good luck. So here is my good luck cookies for this Chinese New year.....

Pineapple jam for fillings............


Preparing the jam fillings..............

Tarts ready to roll over................

Ready for the oven......................

In the oven @ 175 degrees celcius for 12 mins...........


For those who want to make these tarts get the recipe here

Next I am going to make some peanut cookies as my boys have been fighting over a box of peanut cookies which one of them bought few days ago.

Muffins in a Jiffy.........

When you talk of muffins you will think of Kenny Roger's muffins. You can make your own in the comfort of your own kitchen to be share out with friends for tea. Muffins taste so much like a normal butter cake and it does not need much effort to make. With all the ingredients that comes ready mix in many flavors in baking specialist shop you will have muffins on your table in a jiffy.

But let me give some good tips on how to make a soft muffin. Some muffins turn out to be hard and too dry. The reason lies in the skill in mixing the ingredients. To make a light and fluffy muffin you must mix together the dry ingredients like the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, or dried fruit mixture etc..etc... together first using a wire whisk. In another seperate bowl combine the eggs and milk. Then add in the dry ingredients to the eggs and milk mixture in small portions while stirring using a spatula or electric whisk on the slowest speed until just moistened. Over stirring is a no no as it will harden the mixture. I stir in my melted butter last using the folding method as I consider it too heavy for the wet mixture. Spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees celcius for 20 minutes.

Here is how my blueberry muffins turns out using ready mix ingredients. All I have to add is eggs, milk and melted butter to the dry ingredients. The ones sis Karen bought for me from Batu Lanchang market taste good and its not too sweet. Will be testing out more flavors. You can also check out Erina's Cooking Island for your baking needs. All ready mix comes with all the dry ingredients of different flavors with us having to add in only eggs, milk and butter ourselves. The amount will be printed on the packaging.

Its a joy to see and smell my muffins rising up in the oven.............

5 minutes in the oven...................


10 minutes in the oven.............

15 minutes in the oven............

After 20 minutes...its ready to be served...............

Crazy Over Bread.......

Hot bread just out of oven............

After eating freshly baked bread made by Dr Azlinda at her house last week, I decided to dig out my breadmaker sitting like a white elephant in one of my kitchen cabitnet to make some bread. Its so nice of her to share with me the recipe which consists of healthy ingredients. So I have been baking a few loafs of bread since yesterday. So everybody watch out! Bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner til you drop......

Bread dough rising to twice its size...........

Make this sandwich with homemade chicken burger for son R who is working nightshift......

Here is the recipe for a healthy wholemeal bread:

2 1/2 cups high protein flour

3/4 cups wholemeal flour

1/4 cup multi grain or any nuts or seeds of yr choice

3/4 cup potato flakes

1 1/2 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 -2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp milk powder

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

Put all ingredients into the breadmaker to knead. It will take 1 hour for the dough to rise. Then bake it til golden brown. (take about 1 hour to bake)

Sis Karen help me buy the ingredients from Baker Paradise @

K.H. Tan (Ah Huat)

Contact no. 012-4310049/ 012-4902477

Store 18, Batu Lanchang Market,

11600 Penang.