Majestic and Moist Honey Cake

Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking faster than the cake interior and top).

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

化口烧肉

烧肉皮脆肉香，是大节日里常见的美食之一。

材料：
花肉 （2公斤） - 半块
盐 - 适量
蒜头 （剁碎）- 3 瓣
小葱 （剁碎）- 2 粒
白醋 - 1 小杯

华盐材料：
盐 - 1 汤匙
五香粉 - 半汤匙
味精 - 1 汤匙
鸡精 - 半汤匙
胡椒粉 - 半汤匙

做法：
1。 首先， 把花肉洗净，用刀轻轻在花肉内切横条，再把盐均匀涂抹在猪皮上。
2。 然后，把猪皮反过来及涂抹搅拌均匀的华盐后，再加入蒜茸及小葱茸，腌约半小时。
3。 把猪肉放入微波炉内，烤至猪皮转变颜色，再取出，并以松针插在猪皮上。
4。 接下来， 抹去猪皮流出来的油，并涂上白醋及盐，再放入微波炉烤至烧肉起沙，再用小刀刮除残余的盐，即可。

Chicken Lasagna

I am tempted to eat lasagna few days ago, and found this recipe...

Ingredients:
250g lasagna sheets, cooked, and drained
280ml milk
1 bay leaf
1 onion
3-4 white peppercorns, lightly smashed
200g chicken fillet, minced
1/2 an onion, chopped
170g tomato puree
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp water
Salt and pepper to taste
30g butter
25g plain flour
2 tbsp grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Pour milk into a small saucepan.
Add bay leaf, onion an peppercorns.
Bring to just a boil, then remove the the fire and leave aside.

Put chicken minse in a non-stic saucepan and fry briskly to brown the meat.
Add the onion.
Toss well and cook until onion turns soft.
Stir in tomato puree, basil, oregano and water.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook over a medium low heat for 8-10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Melt butter in a clean saucepan.
Stir in flour and cook until turns frothy.
Bring saucepan away from the heat and strain in the cooled flavoured milk.
Bring the saucepan back to the fire and whisk until the white sauce begins to boil and thicken.

Lightly grease a straight-sided ovenproof dish.
Line the base of the dish with one layer of lasagna sheets.
Spread on a thin layer of the white sauce.
Add a layer of the cooked minced meat.
Repeat the layering until all the lasagna sheets and cooked mince are used up, finishing with a layer of lasagna sheets.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bake at 190°C for 13-15 minutes.

Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tart yum yum... You may want to try to make them. :)

Ingredients:
1 kg pineapple
200g castor sugar
2 cloves
1 tbsp lemon juice

Pastry:
125g self-raising flour
125g plain flour
155g butter
60g castor sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt

Grate pineapple coarsely and use a muslin cloth to lightly squeeze out the juice (do not squeeze until too dry).
Chop the grated pineapple until fine.

Place the pineapple, sugar, cloves and lemon juice in a heavy-based aluminium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat till almost dry, then continue to cook over low heat, constantly stirring till the mixture is thick.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

For the pastry:
Cream butter, sugar and essence until creamy.
Beat in the egg yolks and add salt.
Fold in sifted flours and mix lightly to form a soft dough.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface.
Stamp out with a fluted cutter.
Place the stamped out dough on a lightly greased tray.
Fill in the centere with pineapple jam.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 14-15 minutes or until light golden in colour.

Mr.Cook at the Garden, Mid Valley

Yesterday, went to the Garden, Mid Valley...yeah again with the actual reason was to get a yoga mat and sport wear.

Before start the shopping journey, took a brunch at Mr.Cook at the lower ground. Since it is a food fair at the Garden, after glanced thru the eatary guide, decided to try Chinese food. It is actually openned by the "Yuan Chen Xiang" owner. Thus, its main course is the common "Chinese Grilled" style.

Well, since we need to reduce our monthly expenditure, we ordered a set lunch for 2. And, the the set lunch came with 2 types of grilled meat (choose from grilled duck, grilled chicken, grilled pork and sheu bak), soup, green vege and 2 egg tarts.

I picked grilled chicken and sheu bak as the grilled duck was not ready at that time (it was about 11 plus in the morning, my advise is not to go there too early :)). Selected lotus peanut soup and siu pak choi for the vege.

The set lunch not fantastic, but not too pricey compared to other restaurants in that location. It costs us about RM29.90 (plus another 15% service charge and tax).

Well, since "Yuan Chen Xiang" is famous for its sweet meat, thus bought some sweet meat to bring home too.

Chocolate Walnut Cake

Ingredients:
5 tbsp butter, divided
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
60g unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 cup milk

Put three tablespoon butter, brown sugar and walnuts in a greased 20cm square baking pan.
Put in oven and heat oven to 180°C
When butter is melted, spread mixture evenly over bottom of pan and let cool.

Sit flour, baking powder and salt together.
Beat remaining butter with sugar and egg until smooth and pale.
Mix in chocolate.
Stir in flour mixture, alternating with the milk.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until top springs back when touched.
Turn cake out onto wire rack to cool, with the nuts on top.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Walnut Cake

Ingredients:
360g walnuts
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
8 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, dividedZest of 1 orange

Lightly butter and line a 25cm springform pan.
Heat oven to 180°C
Grind walnuts in food processor until fine.
Set aside two tablespoons.
Combine remaining walnut with flour and baking powder.

Beat egg yolks until well-blended, then gradually beat in half-cup sugar.
Continue beating until mixture is light and lemon-coloured and the eggs form a ribbon when dropped from a spoon.
Stir in orange zest and flour mixture.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in remaining half-cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
Fold a large spoonful of beaten egg whites into egg mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining egg whites.
Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons walnute over the top.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until puffed and golden.
Remove to wire rack to cool.